Dear Parent/Carer,

School Choir Christmas Carol CD

Earlier this week, the school choir recorded a Christmas carol CD at the recording studios at Bristol Brunel Academy. The CD includes the choir performing a range of well-known carols and includes special messages from the children. The Art Club have designed a special cover for this CD which is on sale next week. Copies cost £5 and can be purchased from the school office or after the nativity performances. All proceeds go to St Peter’s Hospice in Bristol.

Infant Nativity Performances

Following next week’s performances, Reception and Year 1 will be selling gingerbread men and mince pies in support of Bristol’s. Ronald McDonald House.

Ronald McDonald House, Bristol is an independent charity which provides home from home accommodation, free of charge, to the families of critically ill children receiving care at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.

The dates and times for these performances are in Dates for Diaries.

Pupil Premium - Free School Meals

The Government is giving money to schools to help children from lower income families do their very best. This funding is called a ‘Pupil Premium’. For every child registered for free school meals at St Joseph’s, the school gets a significant amount of money to improve learning for that child.

 

With this money we could organise more individual tuition, increase Teaching Assistant support and improve learning opportunities in lots of other ways. If you are registered for free school meals you could also get support for school trips and have help with after school clubs.

If you think you might be entitled to free school meals, please contact the school office or speak to me in the playground.

Attendance

Well done to the following classes for their good attendance last week:

• Year 4 with 99% attendance
• Reception and Year 3 with 98% attendance

 Year 4 will have a non-uniform day on Tuesday 17^th December.

Thursday’s Good Attendance and Punctuality Presentation (date changed from Wednesday)

On Tuesday, children with 100% attendance will be given 2 tickets; one to take home so that parents know they have a non-uniform day on Thursday and one to be kept in school for the draw during assembly on Thursday. All parents and carers are invited to this assembly.

This term, children who have 100% attendance but have attended 1 medical appointment taking up no more than ½ a day, will also be included.

Because punctuality this year has been disappointing, when entering children into the draws, we will be entering all children with 100% attendance and no more than 2 late arrivals to school.

Art Club

This week will be the last Art Club before Christmas.  Art Club will resume on Thursday 16^th January and will now be open to children of all ages. Please contact the school office if your child is interested in joining this club.

Details of other after school clubs, for next term, will be in next week’s newsletter.

Brush Up Your Maths course at Hillfields Library

This is a course for adults who are a bit worried about their maths skills. It will help you on the path to enjoying Maths and give you the confidence to use it to improve your everyday life.

This FREE course starts Thursday 23^rd January for 8 weeks 9.45-11.45am

Based at Hillfields Library - contact Hillfields Children’s Centre reception to book (Tel – 0117 3534272). This course is for anyone over 19 who has few or no qualifications.

Y6 Residential Trip to Deanfield Studies Centre

All payments must be made by Friday 10^th January.

Celebration Assembly

There will be a celebration assembly on Monday 16th December, where the following children will receive their Headteachers award:-  Alena (Y5), Olivia (Y5), Meikel (Y4), Sam (Y6), Clara (YR), Wiktoria (Y3), Helene (Y3)  and Ruby (Y2)

Super Stars Sports Award:  Isobel (Y2), Ciaran (Y1), Lorenzo (Y2), Joseph (Y4) and Evelyn (Y1)

During this assembly, the reception class will be telling the story of The Gingerbread Man. As always, all parents are invited.

Dates for Diaries

Monday 16th December at 2.30pm         -           Infant Nativity Performance
Tuesday 17th December at 9.30am         -           Infant Nativity Performance
Wednesday 18th December at 2 pm      -           Carol Concert in Church
Thursday19th December at 9.10am         -           Term 2 Attendance Assembly
Friday 20th December at 9.30am             -           Christmas Mass in Church (Year 3 reading)

Monday 6^th January                                    -           Start of Term 3
Monday 6^th January – am                          -           School joins parish for Epiphany Mass
Monday 12th May 2014                              -           Year 6 SATs week

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Matt Condon
Headteacher