Wednesday 24th July

Dear Parents/Carers,

Summer Weddings

During the Summer Miss Holman, Miss Geach and Miss Thomas are all getting married. We wish that they have wonderful wedding days and that they all are happy in their married lives. In September Miss Geach will be known as Mrs Andrews, Miss Holman will be known as Mrs Darvill, and Miss Thomas will be known as Mrs Gilvear.

Summer Building Works

During the holidays the Year 2, 3 and 4 classes will be refurbished. We will also be carrying out significant electrical improvements and improving site security and the front and side of school.

We will also be repairing the front wall, although this sadly means that several of the trees at the front will be removed.

New Website

Our new website design should be online today. The website is similar but has been designed to be used more easily with tablets and mobile phones. More links have also been added to make the site more useful. A big thank you to James Petrie for creating this great website for us.

Charity Fundraising

This has been a priority for the school this year and we all greatly appreciate your on-going support. Here is our last contribution from Reception and Year 1:

Year 1 sold cream teas to people and gave money to Ronald MacDonald House.  Reception helped too.  Year 1 sold plant pots as well.  Reception raffled Belvita the Giraffe, won by Szymon.  Year 1 spent the time cooking and jamming.  Year 1 and Reception raised £105.00 for the charity.

Start of Year Parent Information Sessions

These short information sessions will take place during the second week of Term 1 from 3pm in each class. In these sessions information will be shared about expectations for the school year and other important information.. Reception and Year 6 have already held their meetings. Dates are in Dates for Diaries.

School Uniform

Can I remind parents and carers that it consists of a white polo shirt, navy blue sweatshirt, navy blue cardigan, navy blue fleece, grey trousers/skirts or blue and white gingham dress.

Children must wear plain black shoes or black trainers. These shoes should not have logos on them. We expect that all children will wear the correct uniform and footwear when they return in September. We thank all parents for their support.

The school uniform is ordered through Initially Yours, and their email address is enquiries@initiallyyours.co.uk. Their telephone number is 0117 9673847.

Message from Maureen Tuohy (Foundation Governor)

Dear All,

I can’t believe it’s the end of the school year already! The time of year when some of our children are saying ‘Goodbye’ to Saint Joseph’s because they are moving on to secondary schools. The children of year 6 are leaving on a high having done St Joseph’s proud with their KS2 outcomes; and what about THAT performance? What a fabulous ‘Goodbye’ Year 6 have given us with their version of Jesus Christ Superstar! I thought my days of crying at end of year performances were over, how wrong I was! I wish them well in their new schools where I know they will build on the knowledge and values that St Joseph’s has helped them gain.

Whilst on the subject of goodbyes I would like to wish Mrs Patton and Mrs Mantle retirements full of adventure and fun, with a bit of relaxation thrown in! Based on the variety of experiences they had whilst teaching my children alone, I think they most definitely deserve it!!

Due to changes in my own life in the past year I haven’t been as involved in school life as usual, and I have missed it. This hasn’t stopped me from being, unfailingly, impressed by the dedication and hard work of ALL the staff at St Joseph’s; that the children are at the centre of all they do is clear and I am sure I speak on behalf of the whole Governing Body in thanking them for this.

As I reflect on the St Joseph’s school community I realise how lucky I am to be a part of it- it is very rewarding knowing that I have contributed in some (small) way to the lovely school that is St Joseph’s. On that note, I would like to encourage all parents and carers to get involved in the St Joe’s community. The PTFA are losing two of its most dynamic members of recent years, Andrea and Sharon will be sorely missed but I am sure that there is a wealth of talent, energy and enthusiasm, among our parents, carers, teachers and friends and that the children of St Joseph’s could benefit enormously from these gifts! I know that the thought of giving up a few hours of precious time in my own busy life is tiresome; however, I also know that once I’ve managed to drag myself along to help out or attend a meeting I am always glad I did! So, please come along and join in!!

As ever, I look forward to the new school year- to meeting the children joining us for the first time and to the challenges it will bring, but I am mostly looking forward to seeing if Mr Condon is going to come back looking like Chris Froome or Bradley Wiggins!!

Have a great summer!

PS. Good luck Mr Condon!

Mr Condon’s Charity Bike Ride for Ataxia UK

Thanks for the best wishes Maureen and a big thank you for those donations already received!

The day after tomorrow, a small group of us are cycling from Bristol to Colwyn Bay in North Wales for charity. The ride will be about 240 miles long and will take us 4 days. Members of the team have nominated their own charity to support and I have chosen to support Ataxia UK.

As many of you know, Liam Rice in Year 6 has Friedreich’s Ataxia. Ataxia is the name given to a group of neurological disorders that affect balance, coordination, and speech. There are many different types of ataxia that can affect people in different ways. Some forms of ataxia are treatable, but in most cases there is still no cure. Ataxia UK are funding a wide range of research projects to try to find treatments that can help ataxia, and ultimately to find a cure.

I realise that this is a busy and expensive time of the year, so I will be asking for donations towards Ataxia UK when we come back in school in September. By that time I hope to have successfully completed the ride and will have pictures and stories to share with the children. However any donations received before September will be gratefully received.

I hope to put lots of pictures on the School Blog along the way. Thanks for your support.

Free Family Fun Day

There is a Free Family Fun Day on Sunday 28^th July 11.00am-2.00pm for children with asthma and their families at Easton Leisure Centre.  Book early to avoid disappointment on 02920 435 400/0207786 4931 or sevans@asthma.org.uk.

Textiles Club

This new club will be run by school governor Helen Stepaniuk and will start on Monday 16^th September. The club will start after school and finish at 4.45. This will be a free club open to pupils in Year 3-6 although there will be a small cost for materials. Places are limited, so please contact the school office if your child would like to join this new club.

School Attendance – New Law

There is an Amendment to the ‘Education Regulations 2006’ from September 2013, concerning leave of absence. These amendments make it clear that Headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. THIS MEANS THAT WE CAN NO LONGER AUTHORISE ANY ABSENCES FOR HOLIDAYS. Absences can only be authorised in exceptional circumstances. If you wish to make such a request for absence, a form must be obtained from the school office and must be submitted at least ten days before the commencement of the requested period.

Each case will be considered by the School Attendance Team and if agreed, written confirmation will be given to the parent or carer.

We would ask for your support in this matter and arrange any holidays to fall within the average twelve weeks of holiday from school.

Sports Superstar Awards

A big well done to Anna Raju, Samuel Masenyama, Jordan Toy and Kai Drysdale for being awarded Superstars of the year awards.

Dates for Diaries

Monday 2nd September and

Tuesday 3rd September                              –          INSETs (school improvement)

Wednesday 4th September                       –          Start of Term 1

Monday 9^th September at 3pm                 -           Y1 Parents Information Session

Tuesday 10^th September at 3pm                -           Y4 Parents Information Session

Wednesday 11^th September at 3pm        -           Y3 Parents Information Session

Thursday 12^th September at 3pm               -           Y5 Parents Information Session

Friday 13^th September at 3pm                   -           Y2 Parents Information Session

Friday 27th September                                -           INSET (outdoor learning)

Goodbye and Thank You

A big thank you and congratulations to Mrs Patton and Mrs Mantle who retire today! They have both made an amazing contribution to the school and we will all miss them very much.

I would also like thank Andrea and Sharon from the PTFA who are also leaving us this year. They have done an amazing job supporting the school’s work and I have really enjoyed working with them.

I would like to thank all children, parents, staff, members of the PTFA and governors for all your hard work and support. We look forward to making 2013-2014 an even better year of learning and success.

With your support St Joseph’s continues to go from strength to strength!

Have a safe and happy holiday

Best wishes

Matt Condon

Headteacher

Dear Parents/Carers,

Jesus Christ Superstar

 

 

Congratulations to the children and staff for their amazing performances during this last week. The standard of sing and acting was fantastic and the story was told with great confidence and intense emotion. I was incredibly proud of all who were involved.

School Attendance

Despite the vast majority of parents supporting the school, our attendance is significantly lower than previous years.  In the main, this is due to holidays in term time plus a significant minority of pupils who are absent from school for one or two days, on numerous occasions.  Although we would not want your child to come in to school if they are unwell, headaches, tummy aches and other ailments often disappear once the child is in school.  We are able to administer antibiotics to a child, on completion of a form, so it is not necessary to keep that child at home, once they are feeling better, until the course of medicine is completed.

 

There is an Amendment to the ‘Education Regulations 2006’ from September 2013, concerning leave of absence.  These amendments make clear that Headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.  THIS MEANS THAT WE CAN NO LONGER AUTHORISE ANY ABSENCES FOR HOLIDAYS.  Absences can only be authorised in exceptional circumstances.  If you wish to make such a request for absence, a form must be obtained from the school office and must be submitted at least ten days before the commencement of the requested period. 

Each case will be considered by the School Attendance Team and if agreed, written confirmation will be given to the parent or carer.

We would ask for your support in this matter and arrange any holidays to fall within the average twelve weeks of holiday from school.    
 

Mr Condon’s Charity Bike Ride for Ataxia UK

On the 26th July, a small group of us are cycling from Bristol to Colwyn Bay in North Wales for charity. The ride will be about 240 miles long and will take us 4 days. Members of the team have nominated their own charity to support and I have chosen to support Ataxia UK.

As many of you know, Liam Rice in Year 6 has Friedreich’s Ataxia. Ataxia is the name given to a group of neurological disorders that affect balance, coordination, and speech. There are many different types of ataxia that can affect people in different ways.  Some forms of ataxia are treatable, but in most cases there is still no cure. Ataxia UK are funding a wide range of research projects to try to find treatments that can help ataxia, and ultimately to find a cure.

I realise that this is a busy and expensive time of the year, so I will asking for donations towards Ataxia UK when we come back in school in September. By that time I hope to have successfully completed the ride and will have pictures and stories to share with the children. However any donations received before September will be gratefully received.

I hope to put lots of pictures on the School Blog along the way. Thanks for your support.

Missing reading books

Can I please ask that all families check if you have any school reading books at home. We are missing lots of books from the library and classes would appreciate any that are returned to school.

Start of Year Parent Information Sessions

These short information sessions will take place during the second week of Term 1 from 3pm in each class. In these sessions information will be shared about expectations for the school year and other important information.. Reception and Year 6 have already held their meetings. Dates are in Dates for Diaries.

Charity Fundraising

This has been a priority for the school this year and we all greatly appreciate your on-going support. Here is our contribution from Year 2:

Last week on Thursday David from Cafod came in to Year 2 to talk about the poor countries and     David came into get our cheque.  We saved money  during Lent for a super goat.  We saved our own money from home and money lying around in the house.  David showed us a funky animation showing that there is enough food for everyone, it is just that we are not sharing it correctly.  David gave us  a paper plate and got us to  draw our favourite food around the edge and then we wrote a prayer in the middle.  He showed us a video of a Super Goat.  They’re super because the goat produces 2 litres of milk every day.  It doesn’t go really far because it is lazy, and the poo doesn’t attract insects or smell nasty, and it eats anything.  We enjoyed David’s visit.

And from Year 3:

Cafod is a charity which raises money to hep people who suffer from droughts and starvation.  During the Easter term we ran a special fair to raise money for Cafod.  We held a raffle and lots of other stalls like pin the tail on the goat.  We raised a brilliant £86.00.   Last Friday we held a cake sale and a couple of games to try and raise some more money.  We managed to raise £56.74, so all together we have raised £142.74 for Carfod.

Thank you to everyone in the school for helping us raise this much money.

Free Family Fun Day

There is a Free Family Fun Day on Sunday 28^th July 11.00am-2.00pm for children with asthma and their families at Easton Leisure Centre.  Book early to avoid disappointment on 02920 435 400/0207786 4931 or sevans@asthma.org.uk.

New government guidance for parental consent for off-site activities

Written consent from parents is not required for pupils to take part in the majority of off-site activities organised by a school (with the exception of nursery age children) as most of these take place during school hours and are a normal part of a child’s education at school.  However, parents should be told where their child will be at all times and of any extra safety measures required.

Written consent is usually only requested for activities that need a higher level of risk management or those that take place outside school hours.  The department has prepared a “one-off” consent form which schools can as parents to sign when a child enrols at the school.  This will cover a child’s participation in any of these types of sporting fixtures outside the school day, residential visits and all off-site activities for nursery schools which take place at any time (including during school holidays or at the weekend). 

Parents must be told in advance of each activity and must be given the opportunity to withdraw their child from any particular school trip or activity covered by the form.

Textiles Club

This new club will be run by school governor Helen Stepaniuk and will start on Monday 16^th September. The club will start after school and finish at 4.45. This will be a free club open to pupils in Year 3-6 although there will be a small cost for materials. Places are limited, so please contact the school office if your child would like to join this new club.

Sun Protection

The weather is currently wonderful which means the children have been able to use the school field more often. We advise that all children have a sun hat in school at all times. If you wish your child to put on sun cream in school, we also advise they have this in school everyday, again clearly labelled with their name.

Celebration of Achievements

There will be a celebration assembly on Monday 22^nd July at 9.10am where the following children will receive their headteachers award: Melani Biju, Haris Latif and Harrison Hershbein.

Dates for Diaries

Wednesday 24th July                                      -           Leavers Mass and end of term

Monday 2nd September and
Tuesday 3rd September                                   –          INSETs (school improvement)
Wednesday 4th September                             –          Start of Term 1
Monday 9^th September at 3pm                -           Y1 Parents Information Session
Tuesday 10^th September at 3pm               -           Y4 Parents Information Session
Wednesday 11^th September at 3pm        -           Y3 Parents Information Session
Thursday 12^th September at 3pm              -           Y5 Parents Information Session
Friday 13^th September at 3pm                   -           Y2 Parents Information Session
Friday 27th September                                      -           INSET (outdoor learning)

 

Best wishes

 

Matt Condon
Headteacher

Dear Parents, Carers and Children,

Mr Condon’s Charity Bike Ride for Ataxia UK

On the 26^th July, a small group of us are cycling from Bristol to Colwyn Bay in North Wales for charity. The ride will be about 240 miles long and will take us 4 days. Members of the team have nominated their own charity to support and I have chosen to support Ataxia UK.

As many of you know, Liam Rice in Year 6 has Friedreich’s Ataxia. Ataxia is the name given to a group of neurological disorders that affect balance, coordination, and speech. There are many different types of ataxia that can affect people in different ways.  Some forms of ataxia are treatable, but in most cases there is still no cure. Ataxia UK are funding a wide range of research projects to try to find treatments that can help ataxia, and ultimately to find a cure.

I realise that this is a busy and expensive time of the year, so I will asking for donations towards Ataxia UK when we come back in school in September. By that time I hope to have successfully completed the ride and will have pictures and stories to share with the children. However any donations received before September will be gratefully received.

I hope to put lots of pictures on the School Blog along the way. Thanks for your support.

Best wishes

Matt Condon

Headteacher

Dear Parents/Carers,

Mrs Patton and Mrs Mantle

As you know, after many years of service as teachers, Mrs Patton and Mrs Mantle will be retiring at the end of this term. During the Summer Fair several parents were asking if a collection was being organised. The school is more than happy to do this and will pass any collected funds to a small group of Year 6 parents who have volunteered to buy gifts on your behalf. Please send any gift donations to the school office in a labelled envelope. We expect to present these gifts at the Leaver’s Mass on the last day of term.

KS1 and KS2 Outcomes 2013

Reports have now gone home for all children and we are proud to announce another excellent year of outcomes at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2) and KS2 (Year 6).

KS1

Here are the outcomes in KS1:

	Level 2+		Level 2b+		Level 2a+		Level 3+
	School	National (last year)	School	National (last year)	School	National (last year)	School	National(last year)
Maths	97%	90%	93%	77%	57%	50%	40%	22%
Reading	93%	87%	87%	76%	74%	53%	57%	27%
Writing	93%	83%	80%	64%	57%	35%	17%	14%

Highlights include:

• Continued improvement in Maths with many more children achieving the higher levels than ever before
• Great outcomes in writing, with again more children reaching the higher levels. This includes exceeding national levels at Level 3.
• Great attainment in reading with almost ¾ of children achieving above national levels and over 50% achieving well above. 

Areas to focus on next year:

• Continue improvement, especially so that more able pupils continue to achieve well.

KS2 

Here are this year’s outcomes in KS2:

	School level 4+	National level 4+(last year)	School Level 5+	National Level 5+ (last year)	2 levels prog.	3 L+ prog.
Maths	90%	84%	55%	39%	93%	56%
Reading	93%	87%	39%	48% in 2012 42% in 2011	90%	24%
Writing	90%	81%	41%	28%	100%	61%
Grammar, punctuation and spelling	76%		61%
Science	90%		59%

Highlights include:

• Continued improvement in Maths with 90% attaining L4+,  55% attaining Level 5 and an outstanding 56% of children making 3 levels progress (and one child making 4 levels progress!)
• Following the recent successful external moderation, writing levels are great with 90% attaining L4+ and 61% getting L5! The progress is also great with 61% making 3 levels progress.
• Well done to the 5 children who attained Level 6 in Maths.

Areas to focus on next year:

• Improve outcomes in the Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling test, mainly focusing on improving spelling for children who find this difficult.
• Improve reading skills for more able readers so that more children attain higher levels.

Well done to all the children for their achievements!

Start of Year Parent Information Sessions

These short information sessions will take place during the second week of Term 1 from 3pm in each class. In these sessions information will be shared about expectations for the school year and other important information.. Reception and Year 6 have already held their meetings. Dates are in Dates for Diaries

Charity Fundraising

This has been a priority for the school this year and we all greatly appreciate your on-going support. Here is our contribution from Year 6B:

Y6B are proud to announce that they raised £359.02 at their fundraising day last Friday for St. Joseph’s Home in Cotham.

They presented their cheque to Sisters Kathleen and Bernadette from St Joseph’s Home (The Little Sister s of the Poor) on Tuesday, who were amazed and thrilled at the amount raised.  The money will be going towards an electric bed.

Thank you to everybody who supported the class.

British Heart Foundation (BHF) Jump Off

As you know, our school has just held a British Heart Foundation (BHF) Jump Off event.  The day was a huge success and we were delighted with the number of students taking part. We would  like to thank you, your family and friends for all their support.

We are now collecting sponsorship money and would appreciate your help in encouraging your child to collect the money as soon as possible.  The sooner we return the money to the BHF the sooner your child will receive their certificate.  It would be a real help to us if you could convert your child’s sponsorship money into a cheque or postal order as these are far easier to handle than cash.

Textiles Club

This new club will be run by school governor Helen Stepaniuk and will start on Monday 16^th September. The club will start after school and finish at 4.45. This will be a free club open to pupils in Year 3-6 although there will be a small cost for materials. Places are limited, so please contact the school office if your child would like to join this new club.

Year 6 leaver's Lunch

The Year 6 leaver’s lunch will take place on Friday 19th July. The cost is £2.20 and the menu the children have chosen as their favourite is jerk chicken and chips or pizza and chips.  For pudding they have chosen brownies.

School Shoes

Many children are wearing footwear to school that is not school uniform. Our policy clearly states that children must wear plain black shoes or black trainers. These shoes should not have logos on them. We expect that all children will wear the correct footwear when they return in September.

Sun Protection

The weather is currently wonderful which means the children have been able to use the school field more often. We advise that all children have a sun hat in school at all times. If you wish your child to put on sun cream in school, we also advise they have this in school everyday, again clearly labelled with their name.

Attendance

Well done to the following children who have achieved 100% and 99% attendance this academic year.  They will be able to wear non uniform on Friday 19^th July.

They are Alexander Aliyath, Benjamin Aliyath, Laura Apperley.Darrell Asemota, Janice Asemota, Evie Attwood, James Ayton-Lambourne, Al-Janat Bashorun, Catalina Bodnarescu, Evelyn Buchanan, Kai Drysdale, Beatrice Dumbuya, Micah Gayle, Abbey Geroge, Daniel George, Alfie Haberfield, Sydney-Kay Haberfield, Darshana Jackson, Ashley James Philip James, Alisha Latif, Nathews Manuel, Samuel Masenyama, Isabel Mathew, Rian Mathew, Adedire Odumboni, Michal Oledzki, Charles Russell, Edwin Sebastian, Tejal Sebastian, Joel Shelvi, Lena smith, Lionel Sowa Jordan Toy, Emily Wiercioch-Giles and Oliver Wiercioch-Giles.

Attendance has been disappointingly low this year and will be a key area for improvement next year. We thank all parents for their support in improving attendance and making sure every day of learning counts.

Mass for Catholic Education

This special Mass is at 7pm on Thursday the 18^th July at Clifton Cathedral. The Mass is being led by Bishop Declan and you are all invited to join us for this special celebration.

Celebration Assembly

There will be a celebration assembly on Monday 15th July, at 9.10am where the following children will receive their Headteacher’s Award:  Rian Mathew, Shaan Singh, Nile Thomas, Joann Thomas, Austin Raji, Olivia Jim, Vanessa Wabissa and Piper Whitaker. We are very happy that the new Lord Mayor of Bristol will be attending this assembly and visiting Year 5 afterwards.

Dates for Diaries

Wednesday 17th July                                  –          Y6 Performance (evening)

Thursday 18th July -                                      -           Mass for Catholic Education at Clifton Cathedral

Thursday 18th July                                        –          Y6 Performance (afternoon)    

Thursday 18th July                                        –          Meeting with parents to discuss reports

Friday 19^th July                                              -           Non uniform day for 99% and 100% attendance

Wednesday 24th July                                  -           Leavers Mass and end of term

Monday 2nd September and

Tuesday 3rd September                             –          INSETs (school improvement)

Wednesday 4th September                      –          Start of Term 1

Monday 9^th September at 3pm            -          Y1 Parents Information Session

Tuesday 10^th September at 3pm          -          Y4 Parents Information Session

Wednesday 11^th September at 3pm   -          Y3 Parents Information Session

Thursday 12^th September at 3pm         -          Y5 Parents Information Session

Friday 13^th September at 3pm              -          Y2 Parents Information Session

Friday 27th September                               -           INSET (outdoor learning)

Best wishes

Matt Condon

Headteacher