Dear Parents/Carers,
I hope everyone has had a good week and you are all staying safe. We have returned to school after the half term break and the children have settled straight back into good routines and a wonderful work ethic. Of course as has been the case over the last few months, a lot has changed in a few days and as of yesterday England has entered a new period of lockdown. The big difference for us from the first lockdown back in the spring is that schools remain open which I am very happy about. Let’s hope and pray that we get the chance to build on all the hard work from the first half term and get an uninterrupted few weeks up till Christmas. Our aim remains to keep school as normal as possible for the pupils and to provide a balanced curriculum and a safe and engaging environment for all.
Federation of St Joseph’s Junior and Infant Schools
We are now 4 weeks into the consultation period (it ends on Friday 20th November) and again I would urge everyone to respond to the consultation and give your views. Thanks to everyone who took part in the meetings on Wednesday, either in person or virtually. The response was very positive and parents seem reassured by the process.
Flu Vaccinations
The flu vaccinations will take place in school on Tuesday 24th November. We sent home the packs before half term with all the information you need regarding the flu vaccination, how it is administered and why it is being offered to all primary aged pupils plus Year 7. Can you please fill in and return the form to school, even if you do not wish your child to receive the vaccine. Can you return the forms as soon as possible so that we can pass them on to NHS England. Thank you to everyone who has returned the forms so far.
Personal Learning Plans (PLPs)
Over the next few days I will be sending home invitations to some parents about a meeting to discuss their child’s progress in school and to draw up a Personal Learning Plan (PLP). I have already sent out invites to the Year 3 parents. Most of the children will already have PLPs so this is about updating them and for other children it is about making sure things are in place to support their education. If you receive an invitation please send the slip back to let me know if you are happy to come in to school to meet with me one to one or you would prefer me to send the PLP to you to add your own comments.
After School Clubs
The after school sports/dance clubs for each year group have all started this week. These are the clubs, days/times and which year group they are for:
Monday – Multi-Sports Club for pupils in Years 3 and 4 (3:00-4:00pm). Book this directly with PTC Sports. Book at https://ptcsports.class4kids.co.uk/term/28. The cost of the club is £21 for 6 weeks. For further information about the club you can contact Taskin from PTC Sports on 07513 522 896.
Tuesday – Dance Stables for all year groups (3:00-4:00pm). Book this directly with Dance Stables at ds.team@dancestables.co.uk.
Wednesday – Multi-Sports Club for pupils in Year 6 (3:15-4:15pm).
Thursday – Multi-Sports Club for pupils in Year 5 (3:15-4:15pm)
Both the Wednesday and Thursday Sports Clubs will be run by the coaches from Leyton Orient who are here in the afternoon. To book a place you need to go onto the School Shop. The cost will be £21 for 6 weeks. Again places are limited and most are now booked up but there are some places left.
Catch-Up Tuition
All the groups have started this week, run by our own staff and have gone well so far.
Monday – Year 5 and 6 pupils (3:15-4:15pm)
Thursday – Year 3 and 4 pupils (3:00-4:00pm)
Uniform
We are selling uniform every second week in school on Wednesday mornings from 8:30am to 9:30am. The next sale will be on Wednesday 19th November. If you need an item of uniform in an emergency, please come to the school office. With the colder weather now, it is important that the children are coming to school with a warm coat.
“November Harvest”
A few weeks ago I said we were not planning to do our traditional autumn term harvest food donation. However given the current concerns around families going hungry at this time, we have decided to do a special “November Harvest” over the next two Fridays as part of our non-uniform days. We would like the children to bring in an item of non-perishable food e.g. tins, packets, bottles that are sealed and unopened (no perishable items such as milk, bread and cheese please) or toiletries. We will then donate the items to a local food bank as we have done in previous years. Ms Le and the School Council are going to organise this on behalf of the school community and I will be speaking to all the children at our Monday assemblies next week.
Building Work at half Term
I am pleased to say that all the planned refurbishment work was completed over half term. The asbestos was removed from the old ceiling in the lower school corridor and we now have a new ceiling and brand new lights. There only remain a few small areas to be done now including my room but these should be completed over Christmas or early in the new year.
Friday Assembly Awards (Week of 2nd to 6th November)
These were the awards presented at the Friday assembly today. Congratulations and well done to everyone who received a reward today and indeed over this half term.
Golden Book Awards:
Class 3K – Umeed, Michelle and Jake
Class 3H – Owen, Ameerah and Beatrice
Class 4P – Amelia, Divine and Adriyel
Class 4RC – Fay-Marie, Nathalie and Neddy
Class 5L – Sarah, Denzel and Tomas P
Class 5O – Samuel, Axel and Bradley
Class 6PM – Lauretta, Samuel and Dominic
Class 6C – Kelsie, Micha and Akira
Team of the Week – St Teresa’s with 5,400 points. Well done.
Class of the Week – Class 6C for the calm way they move from lesson to lesson during the school day. Well done.
Attendance of the Week – Class 3K and Class 5L both had 100% attendance this week. Well done.
Pupils of the Week – Sloan 3K, Naomi 4RC, Alex 5O and Jacob 6PM
Church/Jubilee Centre
With the new restrictions which came into place this week, the church is now closed except for individual private prayer on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10:00am-11:00am. Also the Jubilee Centre Office is closed until further notice. Enquiries can be made during office hours on 0208 5392908 (Monday and Wednesday from 9:00am -12:30pm and Thursday and Friday from 9:00am-2:00pm).
Poppies
To mark Remembrance Day next week, we are selling poppies and other items to raise money for the Royal British Legion. The items will be on sale at lunchtimes each day next week and range in price from 50p to £1.50. This has always been well supported by the school community and we have raised over £1,000 for the Royal British Legion in the last 4 years.
Trainee Teachers
We welcomed a further two trainee teachers to school this week to join the two other trainees who started their placements before half term. Mr Pine and Miss Kaya are from the University of Greenwich and will be working in the Year 3 classes this term. We welcome them to St Joseph’s and wish them all the best.
Have a good and safe weekend everyone and see you all next week.
Yours sincerely,
J Alexander (Head teacher)
Dates for this term (will be added to and updated each week)
Friday 13th November – non-uniform day for “November Harvest” (bring an item of non-perishable food)
Tuesday 17th November – Book Fair in school each day this week 8:00-9:00am
Friday 20th November – end of consultation period on the proposed federation
Friday 20th November – non-uniform day for “November Harvest” (bring an item of non-perishable food)
Tuesday 24th November – flu vaccinations in school
Friday 27th November – non-uniform day for school funds (bring£1)
Friday 4th December – non-uniform day for school funds (bring £1)
Friday 11th December – “Christmas Jumper Day” for Save the Children (non-uniform day, bring £1).
Friday 18th December – last day of term
