18th November, 2011.

Dear Parent/Carers,

IT IS POSSIBLE THAT INDUSTRIAL ACTION WILL AFFECT THE SCHOOL ON THE 30th NOVEMBER. WE WILL UPDATE YOU AS SOON AS WE HAVE ANY INFORMATION.

St Joseph’s CD

‘Sing Together’ - At last our school singing CD has been completed! The winners of the cover design were announced; the CDs have been manufactured and finally put together. I am sure that you can’t wait to hear it! They will make perfect Christmas presents for the family.

CDs cost £6.00 (which works out at 60p per track, comparable to iTunes). There are only 100 cds so do buy quickly to avoid disappointment.

They will be on sale in the playground before school starts from Tuesday 22nd November to Friday 25th November from members of the choir, or you can enclose a cheque made payable to St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School.

Lost Property

A reminder that this is now situated in a large blue box in the main school entrance.

Mrs Wendy Petela

Mrs. Petela (also known to many as Akela), is formally being received into the Catholic Church at St Joseph's Church on Sunday 20th November during the 10.00am Mass. Mrs. Petela is also being confirmed. Everybody is welcome to attend the Mass which will be followed by refreshments in the parish hall.

Teacher Assessment Time

We are really pleased that Miss Wright has returned to school recently teaching different classes. This is because each teacher has been spending a day working with small groups of children assessing their skills, knowledge and understanding. This has been a really valuable use of time and will help teachers plan for children even more effectively.

Community Carols Around the Tree

On Tuesday 13th December from 3.40-4.40pm, there will be Community Carols Around the Tree followed by mince pies. This was a great Christmas celebration last year and everybody is welcome.

Choir Performing at Cabot Circus

The choir will be singing in Cabot Circus on Thursday 9th December for Ronald Macdonald House. This is an independent charity which provides Home from Home accommodation for critically ill children.

Attendance

Well done to Mrs Bell’s class for 100% attendance last week! They will get a special non-uniform day. Mr Sherwin’s class also had great attendance with 99%. Mrs Rollings, Mrs Mantle, Mrs Patton and Mr Conlon’s classes did really well with 97% attendance.

Attendance so far this year has improved significantly on the same period last year. A big thank you all for your support – every day in school counts!

Medical Appointments

Please can we ask parents to avoid booking any medical or dental appointments in school time. If these appointments are unavoidable then please inform the school in writing in advance.

Morrisons Vouchers

If you or family and friends have any Morrisons Lets Grow Vouchers that you are able to donate to the school, please could you send them in by Friday 25th November at the latest.

St Joseph’s Parish Christmas Fair

The Parish Fair is taking place on Saturday 26th November and begins at 2.00pm. Please support the Parish by coming along and having some Christmas fun. If you have not returned your raffle tickets could you please do so before the end of next week. The school will be running a sweet stall as part of the Fair. To support this we are planning a non uniform day for Friday 26th November with children donating a packet or box of sweets.

PE Kit: Footwear

Increasingly we have lots of children coming into school without the correct footwear for PE. All children should have PE daps or trainers specifically for PE. We will be writing to parents individually if children do not have the correct kit in school.

Christmas Lunch

Our school Christmas lunch will be on Thursday 8th December. The kitchen will need to know how many to cater for and whether any children want the vegetarians option. Could you please let the office know by Monday 21st November if you would like to order a Christmas lunch for your child.

Christmas Party

On Friday 9th December, the PTFA will be holding a Children's Christmas Party from 3.30-5pm. There will be a disco, games and refreshments. Numbers are strictly limited, so keep your eye out for the leaflet that will be going out in book bags next week.

Celebration Assembly

There will be a celebration assembly on Monday 14th November at 9.15am where the following children will receive their Headteachers Award: Alexander Ailyath, Bartosz Spocinski, Wiktoria Pawlaszczyk, Joel Vadhyanath, Muskan Rehan, Nuala Wallace, Charlotte Kelly and Emmanuel Benny.

These children will receive Superstars Sports Awards: Nadia Naibet, Emily Cunningham, Jeleil Manmohan, Rochelle Christian, Catalina Bodnarescu and Mya Sarkozi.

Dates for Diaries

Tuesday 6th December - Y5/6 trip to St Fagan’s
Wednesday 7th December - Choir to Cabot Circus
Thursday 8th December - Christmas Lunch
Friday 9th December - Christmas Party
Monday 12th December - YR Nativity Play – 2.30pm
Tuesday 13th December - YR Nativity Play – 9.30am
Tuesday 13th December - Infant Party
Tuesday 13th December - Carols around the tree
Thursday 15th December - Carol Service
Friday 16th December - End of term 2

Best wishes


Matt Condon
Headteacher