Newsletters

Friday 13th February 

Each year on 14 February, many people think of cards, flowers, and chocolates, but for us as a Catholic school, St Valentine reminds us of something much deeper: love that reflects God’s own love for us.

St Valentine was a priest who lived long ago and chose to follow Jesus with courage and kindness. At a time when it was dangerous to practise the Christian faith, he continued to serve others, pray, and show compassion, even when it meant personal sacrifice. Because of his faith and love for God, St Valentine is remembered as a saint who lived out Jesus’ command to “love one another.”

For children, St Valentine’s story helps us understand that love is not just about romance or gifts. Love is shown in everyday actions: being kind to a classmate, forgiving someone who has upset us, helping those in need, and including others. These small acts of love are how we live out our faith at school and at home.

As we celebrate St. Valentine’s Day, we should encourage our children  to remember that true love is patient, kind, and generous. May we all follow the example of St Valentine by choosing love in our words and actions, and by sharing God’s love with everyone we meet.

 

NSPCC Number Day – Last Friday

Just a couple of pictures from our NSPCC Number Day last Friday! The children (and staff) made a huge effort with their number-themed outfits, and everyone enjoyed an action-packed day of exciting maths activities.

A huge thank you for your generosity – together we raised an incredible £113.95 for this worthwhile cause!

St Joseph’s Primary School has been selected as one of a small number of schools to take part in a MiniVox pilot programme, giving pupils early access to a new, education-first platform designed to build confidence, communication and digital skills in a safe environment.
This pilot will run for the remainder of the school year and will help shape the future of MiniVox.
We warmly welcome feedback from pupils, parents and teachers and are really looking forward to seeing how MiniVox is used to support learning, creativity and engagement both in and beyond the classroom.

 Harry, in Year 4, has successfully completed his challenge of running 1 mile every day throughout January – an amazing achievement!
Through his determination and commitment, even in some very miserable weather, Harry has raised an incredible £400 for the charity Shelter.
We are extremely proud of him for showing such resilience, kindness and motivation.
Well done, Harry! 👏

We would like to remind everyone to park safely and considerately when dropping off and collecting children. Some of our neighbours have raised concerns about idling engines and unsafe parking at drop-off and pick-up times.

We have contacted Parking Services, and attendants will be visiting to monitor parking in the area. Please help us keep all our children safe by:

  • Parking legally and considerately

  • Avoiding double-parking or stopping on yellow lines

  • Switching off your engine while waiting

Thank you for your support in keeping our community and children safe.

 

Whole School Attendance - 96%

Reception – 93%

Year 1–95.7%

Year 2–95%

Year3 - 97%

Year 4–96.6%

Year 5–96 %

Year 6–95.5%

This half-term has seen a lot of illness, with several different bugs circulating, and the miserable weather hasn’t helped!

Let’s hope everyone can enjoy a relaxing half-term break and return to school feeling refreshed, well, and ready for the next term.

 

As you know, the 19th of March is a very special day for our school community, as it is the Feast Day of St Joseph, our patron saint.
This year, we would really like to mark this occasion in a special way, as it is made even more meaningful during our 150th anniversary year. Mr and Mrs Coupland have very kindly offered to help us create something that the children will be able to keep as a reminder of this important day, and we are extremely grateful for their generosity and support 💛.

Our theme this year is wood, as St Joseph was a carpenter. Each class will be asked to design their own class image, which will then be engraved onto a wooden coaster. This will create a beautiful and lasting keepsake for the children to treasure 🌟.

Should you wish to purchase one of these keepsakes for your child, please make a payment of £5 via the School Gateway 💷.

Orders are now open and will close on Friday 6th March.

Thank you for your continued support as we celebrate this very special occasion together 😊🌈.

  •  Tuesday 24th February – Return to School
  • Tuesday 2nd March - National Offers (Secondary Offers)
  • Thursday 5th March - World Book Day
  • Friday 6th March - Deadline order date for St Josephs Coasters 
  •                                 Y5 Trip Halle Orchestra 
  •                                  PTA Disco
  • Monday 9th March – Y4 Trip to Magna 
  • Friday 13th March - PTA – Mother's Day Wrap 
  • Tuesday 17th March - Y4 Cinema Trip
  • Wednesday 18th March – St Josephs School – Way of The Cross
  • Thursday 19th March – St Josephs Day 
  • Friday 20th March - Bunny Hop in aid of Weston Park
  • Thursday 26th - Parents Evening 
  • Monday 30th March – Y3 Assembly in Church at 2pm
  • Tuesday 31st March – Y4Assembly in Church at 2pm
  • Tuesday 31st March - Parents Evening
  • Wednesday 1st April - Passion Play - Born For This (2pm)
  • Thursday 2nd April – Y6 Assembly in Church 2pm 
  • Spring Term Ends                           

 

                                    

 

 Healthy schools - free fruit coupon🍏

Pupils can now take home a free fruit coupon for parents to use in the Lidl Plus app.🍐

How it works (for parents):
Scan the QR code.
Enter details into the short form.
Receive the coupon code by email.
Add and use it in the Lidl Plus app🍊

On Friday the 20th March, the children will be hopping, skipping and jumping their way around the school field in a sponsored walk like no other. By sponsoring us, you will be helping to support the 1 in 2 people in our region who will face a cancer diagnosis.

On Monday 16th March, staff from Weston Park Cancer Charity will be coming into school to deliver a special assembly, where they will tell all the children about the charity and explain their extra-special hopping challenge.

Why Weston Park Cancer Charity?

Weston Park Cancer Charity works across South Yorkshire, North Derbyshire and Bassetlaw to support those affected by cancer. They:

Provide vital support for patients and families

Enhance cancer treatment

Enable ground-breaking research

Their services, advice, therapies and support help people to live with and beyond cancer.

If you would like to donate to this very worthwhile cause, please click the link below to visit our fundraising page:

👉 https://bunnyhop.raiselysite.com/debra-mc-farlane

Thank you so much for your continued support and generosity.

St Joseph’s Church UCM Meeting – Friday 27th February

The UCM of St Joseph’s Church will be holding their next meeting on Friday 27th February, after the 10:00am Mass.
This is a wonderful opportunity to meet and spend time with a friendly and supportive group of Catholic mothers. Everyone is very welcome to join, whether you’re already a member or are simply interested in finding out more about this warm and welcoming community.

 As you know, Lent begins next week.
In school, our Lenten journey will begin after the half-term holiday. During the first week back, we will hold special assemblies to introduce Lent and help the children understand that this is a time to be a little more thoughtful, a little more giving, and a little more kind.
The children will also be bringing home the Easter Mystery Bags once again. In these bags, you will find a lovely version of The Easter Story, a purple cloth, candles, and a holding cross. Each family will have the opportunity to have these special bags at home for one evening. Please share this experience with your child: read the story, say a prayer, and, if possible, support your child to record something in the little notebook. If you prefer, you may also send a photo of the experience to the class teacher via Dojo. Please remember to return the bag the following day.
As always, Mrs George has kindly offered to support us in our Lenten journey and will be taking classes into St Joseph’s Church for Stations of the Cross.
This year, for the very first time, we will also be having a whole-school retreat, where the children will follow The Way of the Cross in our school grounds. I am sure this will be a very meaningful experience for our whole school family.
During Holy Week, KS2 will conclude our journey with a series of special assemblies and, of course, our Passion Play. Following the success of the Advent Assemblies, Msgr Mark has kindly allowed us to hold these in church. We would love for you to join us for some or all of these events.

Holy Week Events in St Joseph’s Church:

Monday 30th March – 2:00pm: Y3 Assembly – “Palm Sunday”

Tuesday 31st March – 2:00pm: Y4 Assembly – “Maundy Thursday”

Wednesday 1st April – 2:00pm: The Passion Play – “Born For This”

Thursday 2nd April – 2:00pm: Y6 Assembly – “Good Friday”

We really hope you can join us for these events, as your presence helps make our journey even more special and meaningful.

This Lent, our school will be taking part in the Big Lent Walk to support CAFOD, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development.

The Big Lent Walk is a national challenge that encourages people to walk during Lent while raising vital funds to help communities around the world access food, clean water, healthcare and education.

As a school, we want to support this fantastic cause and show our children the importance of kindness, generosity and helping others.

We will be walking around our daily mile each day during lent.


💜 How you can help:

You can support our walk by donating via our JustGiving page.

Every donation, big or small, makes a real difference.
👉 Please follow the JustGiving link to donate:

https://donate.justgiving.com/fundraising/st-josephs-s-fundraising-page2026/donation-amount