St Joseph's Academy Parent Portal - Friday 12th January 2024

Happy New Year! A warm welcome back to the new term and the new year to all of our children and families. We hope that everyone had a restful break and enjoyed spending time together with family and friends.

This is our first newsletter of 2024, and the children have come back to school happy and positive, making a great start with their learning. They have all settled into school and have been enjoying their new topics and catching up with their teachers and friends.

This term, is somewhat shorter, than the last, but it will be just as exciting. We have many different activities and events planned once again for the children.

Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal (CFR)

We had a wonderful visit from two of The Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal on Thursday. Sister Therese and Sister Kiara, spent the day visiting every class and working with the children, sharing their experiences of religious life and teaching us some new hymns. The children asked some very thoughtful questions and really enjoyed joining in with the singing.

Thank you for all of your generous donations for the lovely Sisters. We also have £172 in cash donations - which is incredible and really will go some way to buying their much needed mattresses.

If you would like to make an online donation, please follow the link to the

School Gateway.

The School Gateway will remain open all week.

${item_alt_tag}$

Following in Jesus’ footsteps, we live, love, learn and share.

Throughout this week the children and staff have been revisiting the school motto which represents our school beliefs and ideals. Each class has been creating some artwork to demonstrate how we can make sure that we are living this motto and what it should look like in our school. We shall keep revisiting this throughout the next few weeks but see the photographs below for a glimpse of some of the fantastic ideas the children have shared already.

${item_alt_tag}$

Why is school attendance important?

Being in school is important to your child’s academic achievement, wellbeing, and wider development.  There is evidence to suggest that regular school attendance is a key mechanism to support children and young people's educational, economic and social outcomes. Schools can facilitate positive peer relationships, which is a contributes to better mental health and wellbeing.

Attendance at school is crucial to prepare young people for successful transition to adulthood, and to support their longer term economic and social participation in society. There is also evidence that the students with the highest attendance throughout their time in school gain the best GCSE and A level results.

Research found that pupils who performed better both at the end of primary and secondary school missed fewer days than those who didn’t perform as well.

The link between attendance and attainment is clear:

• In 2018/19, just 40% of persistently absent (PA) children in KS2 achieved expected KS2 standards, compared with 84% of pupils who were regular attenders.

But attendance is important for more than just attainment:

• Regular school attendance can facilitate positive peer relationships, which is a protective factor for mental health and wellbeing.

Weekly Attendance - week beginning 8th January 2024

Our whole school attendance target for this academic year (23/24) is 96.5%

Follow the link below for further information:

NHS 'Is my child too ill for school?' guidance

Upcoming Events and Important Dates

2024

Thurs 18th Jan - Year 5 visit to Magna

Tues 23rd Jan - Visit by Bishop Ralph

Thurs 1st Feb - Star Man visit Year 5

Thurs 1st Feb - South Yorkshire Fire Service visit Year 3

Mon 5th Feb - Children's Mental Health Week

Tues 6th Feb - Safer Internet Day

Fri 9th Feb - Sports for Champion Day

Spring Half Term - 12th to 16th February

Thurs 29th Feb - Year 5 visit Pizza Express

Weds 20th March - Year 6 Get Up to Speed STEM showcase @Magna

Thurs 21st March - Parents Evening

Sun 24th March - Palm Sunday Beginning of Holy Week

Tues 26th March - Parents Evening

Weds 27th March - KS2 Passion Play

Thurs 28th March - Maunday Thursday - End of Spring Term

Easter Break - 29th March – 12th April

Mon 15th April - Pupils return to school

Sheffield City Council’s Parenting Specialists provide group based and one to one parenting support for parents and carers of children, from babies to teenagers.

We deliver programmes that are evidence based, and tried and tested. This means that the content is written by professional psychologists who have years of research into what works to manage behaviours and difficulties that we can all face as parents. These programmes are delivered across the world and have over 30 years of research behind them.

Everyone has busy lives and we are all different. There are different types of groups you can access depending on your needs and the time you have to spare. To find out what’s on and when in your area see our Sheffield Parenting What’s on Guide on the below website. Details will also be posted on our Sheffield Family Centres Facebook page.

All our courses are available to parents who live in Sheffield only. Please contact your local authority early help team as they may offer something similar. Any bookings made by parents not in Sheffield will be cancelled .

Sheffield Parent Hub

Uniform Expectations

We would like to remind Parents and Carers about our uniform expectations.

School Uniform – Reception to Year 6

Please buy plain uniform from whichever uniform supplier you like. The School Badges, Ties and Book Bags can be purchased from school on the:

School Gateway

P.E. Kit

Children will have a PE Day. They will wear their PE kit to and from school on this day

Children are not allowed to wear jewellery of any description at school, except for watches, earrings and Medic-Alert bracelets. If your child has pierced ears, plain studs must be worn. For Health and Safety reasons, earrings must be removed for PE and swimming lessons.

Please ensure all uniform is labelled with your child’s full name.

Sports For Champions

"We've got some exciting news to share with you all!

Mark your calendars for the Sports for Champions event happening on 9th February 2024 at our school! We are delighted to announce that we have a special guest joining us - none other than a fabulous Sheffield United Women's footballer!

Get ready for an action-packed day filled with inspiring fitness challenges, fun activities, and lots of energy! Our guest athlete will be sharing valuable tips, tricks, and techniques to help our children stay fit, active, and motivated!

But that's not all! By participating in this event, we also have a chance to give back to our incredible athlete and school community!

Your contribution matters! 40% of the funds raised will go directly towards supporting our visiting athlete, helping them continue pursuing their dreams. The remaining 60% will be invested right back into our school, enabling us to purchase new and exciting sports equipment for all our students to enjoy!

Stay tuned for more updates! Together, we can make a real difference and foster a love for sports among our students!

Let's get ready to show our incredible spirit and make this event a resounding success! "

${item_alt_tag}$