Dear Parents/Carers,

School Lunch

Choose school dinners every day for a week from 25^th-29^th November for the chance to win a family ticket to see Cinderella at the Bristol Hippodrome.

Parish Christmas Fair – Saturday 30^th November

This exciting annual event is an important fundraising and community event for the Parish. The Fair is being held in the Parish Hall on Saturday, 30th November at 2pm and the school will be organising a stall as part of the event. Please come and bring your families.

The school will be running a stall using packets of sweets as prizes. To help support this we will be having a non-uniform day on Friday 29th November. Can all children who are wearing their own clothes bring in a box/packet of sweets/chocolates to be won as a prize on the day.  Thank you for your support.

Topic Presentations

Due to very busy December we have cancelled the planned presentations. We will be having presentations in the new year and will be inviting parents to share the children’s learning.

Book Fair

The Book Fair begins on Monday 2^nd December.  This is an opportunity to buy your last minute Christmas presents. Thanks in advance for your support - the commission we receive from sales goes straight back into the school providing books for the school library.

Christmas Lunch
Our school Christmas Lunch will be on Tuesday 10th December. The kitchen will need to know how many to cater for and whether any children want the vegetarian option. The deadline by which the office needs to know is now Monday 25^th November.

Updated Email Addresses

If your email address has changed, could you please let the office know? Also, if your address, telephone or mobile number has changed, please let the office know in case of emergencies.

Attendance

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

• Year 6 with 100% attendance
• Year 5 with 99% attendance
• Year 3 with 98% attendance

This is a third great week for Year 5 who will have special non uniform days planned by the children and Mr Conlon. Also well done to Year 6 for an outstanding100% attendance they will have a non-uniform day on Thursday 28^th November.

Celebration Assembly

There will be a celebration assembly on Monday 25th November, where the following children will receive their Headteachers award:-  Michal (Yr 1), Eoghan (Rec), Samuel (Yr 6), Patty (Yr 3), Emily (Yr 3), Cerys Brooks (Yr 2) and Emily (Yr 5).

SATS 2014

SATS Week for Year 6 is the week beginning 12th of May.

Dates for Diaries

Wednesday 27^th November                      -           Year 5 trip to St Fagan’s

Friday 29^th November                                 -           Advent Mass in school hall - cancelled
Saturday 30^th November                            -           Parish Christmas Fair
Monday 2^nd December                              -           Book Fair Week
Wednesday 4^th December                        -           Year 6 trip to Bristol Old Vic
Wednesday 4^th December                        -           Year 6 Camp Meeting
Tuesday 10^th December                             -           Christmas Lunch
Monday 16^th December - pm                   -           Infant Nativity Performance
Tuesday 17^th December - am                    -           Infant Nativity Performance
Wednesday 18^th December                      -           Term 2 Attendance Assembly
Wednesday 18^th December at 2 pm       -           Carol Concert in Church
Friday 20^th December at 9.30am              -           Christmas Mass in Church (Year 4 reading)
Monday 12^th May 2014                               -           Year 6 SATs week

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Matt Condon
Headteacher

 

Dear Parents/Carers,

Children in Need

To support Children in Need, with a £1 donation, children can wear their own clothes tomorrow.

Term 1 Team Points Winners

St Mark’s Team were our winners last term. They will have a non-uniform day on Friday 22^nd November.

Book Fair Week

A reminder that Book Week will be on Monday 2^nd December. 

Christmas Lunch

Christmas Lunch this year will be on Tuesday 10^th December.   The deadline for ordering will be the 22^nd November.

Attendance

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

• Year 5 with 99% attendance.

This is another great week for Year 5 who had a planned special non uniform day on Friday 15^th November for last week’s great attendance. Because this day is now a non-uniform day for Children in Need, their non-uniform day will now be postponed. Year 5 now have two special non-uniform days with these dates being planned by Mr Conlon and the class.

Deanfield Study Centre

The next instalment of £35.00 for Deanfield is now due.

Celebration Assembly

There will be a celebration assembly next Monday 18th November, where the following children will receive their Headteachers award:-  Oliver (Y6), Lisandra  and (Y2), Darshan (Y5), Piotr (Y1), Owen (Y4) and Jamie (Y3)

Dates for Diaries

Friday 15^th November                                 -           Year 1 visit to Playspace

Friday 15^th November                                 -           Year 6 Topic Presentation
Friday 15^th November                                 -           Children in Need
Tuesday 19^th November                             -           Year 2 visit to Playspace
Friday 22^nd November                                -           St Mark non-uniform day
Wednesday 27^th November                      -           Year 5 trip to St Fagans
Friday 29^th November                                 -           Advent Mass in school hall (Year 4 reading)
Saturday 30^th November                            -           Parish Christmas Fair
Monday 2^nd December                              -           Book Fair Week
Wednesday 4^th December                        -           Year 6 trip to Bristol Old Vic
Wednesday 4^th December                                    -           Year 6 Camp Meeting
Friday 6^th December                                   -           Year 1 Topic Presentation (shared with Year 2)
Friday 6^th December                                   -           Year 2 Topic Presentation (shared with Year 1)
Monday 9^th December                              -           Year 3 Topic Presentation (shared with Year 4)
Monday 9^th December                              -           Year 4 Topic Presentation (shared with Year 3)
Tuesday 10^th December                             -           Christmas Lunch
Monday 16^th December - pm                   -           Infant Nativity Performance
Tuesday 17^th December - am                    -           Infant Nativity Performance
Wednesday 18^th December                                  Year 5 Topic Presentation and Term 2 Attendance Assembly
Wednesday 18^th December - pm             -           Carol Concert
Friday 20^th December                                 -           Christmas Mass in Church (Year 3 reading)

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Matt Condon
Headteacher

 

Dear Parents/Carers,

Tomorrow’s Non-Uniform Day - Message from ex-pupil Kurtis Henry about his fundraising project in Kenya

I am an ex-pupil of St Joseph’s primary school and I left 10 years ago in 2003 at the age of 11.  I am now 21 and I work as an apprentice telecoms engineer for BT Openreach. Through BT, I have been given an amazing opportunity to go to Kenya in February of next year to help build a primary school in the slums of Nairobi. In order to go I need to raise £3500 to go towards building materials for the new school, a lunch programme for the children for a year and help towards paying the teachers’ wages for a year. To help support this, the school is holding a special non-uniform day on Friday 8^th November and asking for a donation of £1 towards this cause. I would like to thank any of you who are able to take part in this and help me reach my goal to do something amazing for others.

Term 2 Good Attendance and Punctuality Presentation

This second 100% attendance presentation, when each class will have a special draw where children can win a £10 voucher, is planned for Wednesday 18^th December. 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. Each 100% child will be given a ticket on Thursday which they need to bring to Friday’s assembly. This ticket also means they can wear their own clothes on the following day for the presentation.

There seems to be an increase in children arriving late. May I remind parents that pupils should be in school between 8.45am and 8.55am. If your child arrives after 8.55am they will be classed as late, and after this time all pupils must come through the main entrance and report to the office.

Attendance

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

• Year 5 with a fabulous 100% attendance.
• Years 1 and 2 with a great 98% attendance.
• Year 5 will have special non uniform day on Friday 15^th November

Deanfield Study Centre
The next instalment of £35.00 for Deanfield is due on the 8^th November.

Celebration Assembly

There will be a celebration assembly next Monday 11^th November, where the following children will receive their Headteachers award:- Carl, Mathews, Nile, Irene and Cheyne.

Dates for Diaries

Monday 4^th November                               -           Start of Term 2

Friday 8^th November                                   -           Non-uniform day for Africa school building (£1)
Friday 8^th November                                   -           Year 6 Remembrance Assembly
Friday 15^th November                                 -           Year 1 visit to Playspace
Friday 15^th November                                 -           Year 6 Topic Presentation
Friday 15^th November                                 -           Good attendance non uniform day for Y5
Tuesday 19^th November                             -           Year 2 visit to Playspace
Friday 29^th November                                 -           Advent Mass in school hall (Year 4 reading)
Monday 2^nd December                              -           Book Fair Week
Monday 16^th December - pm                   -           Infant Nativity Performance
Tuesday 17^th December - am                    -           Infant Nativity Performance
Wednesday 18^th December at 9.10am   -           Term 2 Attendance Celebration Assembly
Friday 20^th December                                 -           Christmas Mass in Church (Year 3 reading)

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Matt Condon
Headteacher

 

Dear Parents/Carers,

Tomorrow’s Good Attendance and Punctuality Presentation

Tomorrow we have a 100% attendance presentation when each class will have a special draw where children can win a £10 voucher. Because punctuality this term 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.

Today children will be given 2 tickets; one to take home so that parents know they have a non-uniform day tomorrow and one to be kept in school for the draw. All parents and carers are invited to this assembly which will also include singing.

Message from ex-pupil Kurtis Henry about his fundraising project in Kenya

I am an ex-pupil of St Joseph’s primary school and I left 10 years ago in 2003 at the age of 11.  I am now 21 and I work as an apprentice telecoms engineer for BT Openreach. Through BT, I have been given an amazing opportunity to go to Kenya in February of next year to help build a primary school in slums of Nairobi. In order to go I need to raise £3500 to go towards building materials for the new school, a lunch programme for the children for a year and help towards paying the teachers’ wages for a year. To help support this, the school is holding a special non-uniform day on Friday 8^th November. I would like to thank any of you who are able to take part in this and help me reach my goal to do something amazing for others.

New School Clubs

The following clubs will be starting the first week back after the holiday:

·         On Monday and Friday Mrs Petela will be leading Energy Club which is a fun, physical activity club which encourages children to be fit and healthy. Two clubs will run with Years R, 1 and 2 running after school on a Monday and Years 3-6 running after school on a Friday. All sessions are free, will finish at 4.30pm and are offered on a first come, first served basis.

·         Kodu Club is a new computer club  which is being led by Mr Condon. It  will focus on programming and game design using the Kodu programme. The club is open to pupils in Year 5 and 6 and will finish at 4.30pm every Monday. There is no cost for this club.

We no longer require written permission but places will be allocated on a first-come basis. Please send payment into the school office in an envelope with details of the child and chosen club. If no payment is required please send in a brief note requesting a place for your child.

Past Pupil Success

Well done to Prya Kaur who achieved 4 A*s and 5As in her GCSE’s and a B in Additional Maths (which is equivalent to an A Level).

Please let us know about other St. Joseph’s ex pupil success stories – there are lots out there and we would love to publish them in the newsletter

Attendance

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

• Year 5 with a fabulous 100% attendance.
• Year 3 with a great 98% attendance.
• Year 5 will have special non uniform day on Thursday 7^th November (previously published date incorrect).

Overall attendance this term has been an impressive 96.6%. Thank you all for your support. Let’s keep it up in Term 2!

Supporting learning at home

During the recent Parent’s Evenings, many parents enquired about what resources might be available to support learning further at home. Here are some ideas of materials available online:

·         Visit Mathletics through our school website. Mathletics gives children an excellent opportunity to practice and improve their maths skills. All children in Year 1-6 have been given their own login which is available at school. Mathletics can be accessed online on a personal computer or an IPad app, which is now available.

·         Also on the website, is our own Number Crunch website. This includes materials to show how we teach calculation in simple steps (multiplication and division are currently being updated), as well as all the number clubs, which help children learn their tables. All materials can be downloaded to be used at home. A new Number Crunch website is currently under construction.

·         Again on our website, the Challenge website includes a range of materials to support learning in Maths, English, Science and other areas.

·         The BBC Bitesize website includes a great range of activities for children of all ages to learn, practice and improve their key skills. These interactive materials work on personal computers but not on Apple products such as IPads.

If you would like to buy books to support learning at home, many are available at shops such as Waterstones or WHSmiths. The school can recommend CGP who publish a wide range of books to support learning in English and Maths. They produce study guides as well as practice and revision books and their website can be found at:  www.cgpbooks.co.uk/Parent/homeParents

Please let us know if there are other useful materials, which we can add to this list.

Dates for Diaries

Monday 4^th November                                     -           Start of Term 2

Tuesday 5th November at 2pm                       -           Tour for prospective parents
Wednesday 6^th November                               -           Mass for All Saints in church (Year 5 reading)
Thursday 7^th November                                    -           Attendance non-uniform for Year 5
Friday 8^th November                                        -           Non-uniform day for Africa school building (£1)
Friday 8^th November                                        -           Year 6 Remembrance Assembly
Friday 8^th November                                        -           Year 1 visit to Playspace
Friday 15^th November                                      -           Year 6 Topic Presentation
Friday 29^th November                                      -           Advent Mass in school hall (Year 4 reading)
Monday 2^nd December                                   -           Book Fair Week
Monday 16^th December - pm                          -           Infant Nativity Performance
Tuesday 17^th December - am                           -           Infant Nativity Performance
Friday 20^th December                                      -           Christmas Mass in Church (Year 3 reading)

Have a great week holiday

 

Matt Condon
Headteacher

Dear Parents/Carers,

New School Clubs

After the holiday, the following clubs will be starting:

·         On Monday and Friday Mrs Petela will be leading Energy Club which is a fun, physical activity club which encourages children to be fit and healthy. Two clubs will run with Years R, 1 and 2 running after school on a Monday and Years 3-6 running after school on a Friday. All sessions are free, will finish at 4.30pm and are offered on a first come, first served basis.

·         Kodu Club is a new computer club, which is being led by Mr Condon, will focus on programming and game design using the Kodu programme. The club is open to pupils in Year 5 and 6 and will finish at 4.30pm every Monday. There is no cost for this club.

Club	Finish Time	Year Groups	Start date/day of club	End date	Cost
Textiles	5pm	3-6	Mondays	On-going (payment covers until Christmas)	£2.50 per session
Choir	4.30pm	3-6	Tuesdays	On-going	No cost
Gymnastics and Dance	4.45pm	1-6	Wednesdays	Wednesday 18th December	£2.50 per session
Football	4.45pm	1-6	Thursdays	Thursday 19th December	£2.50 per session
Mandarin	4.15pm	1-6	Fridays	On-going	No cost
Art	4.45pm	3-6	Thursdays	On-going (payment covers until Christmas)	£2.50 per session
Energy Club	4.30pm	R-2 3-6	Mondays Fridays	On-going	No cost
Kodu Club	4.30pm	5 and 6	Mondays	On-going	No cost

We no longer require written permission but places will be allocated on a first-come basis. Please send payment into the school office in an envelope with details of the child and chosen club. If no payment is required please send in a brief note requesting a place for your child.

Mr Condon’s Charity Bike Ride for Ataxia UK

A big thank to those of you who have donated to Ataxia UK. £85 was raised for this charity’s important work.

Supporting learning at home

During the recent Parent’s Evenings, many parents enquired about what resources might be available to support learning further at home. Here are some ideas of materials available online:

·         Visit Mathletics through our school website. Mathletics gives children an excellent opportunity to practice and improve their maths skills. All children in Year 1-6 have been given their own login which is available at school. Mathletics can be accessed online on a personal computer or an IPad app, which is now available.

·         Also on the website, is our own Number Crunch website. This includes materials to show how we teach calculation in simple steps (multiplication and division are currently being updated), as well as all the number clubs, which help children learn their tables. All materials can be downloaded to be used at home. A new Number Crunch website is currently under construction.

·         Again on our website, the Challenge website includes a range of materials to support learning in Maths, English, Science and other areas.

·         The BBC Bitesize website includes a great range of activities for children of all ages to learn, practice and improve their key skills. These interactive materials work on personal computers but not on Apple products such as IPads.

If you would like to buy books to support learning at home, many are available at shops such as Waterstones or WHSmiths. The school can recommend CGP who publish a wide range of books to support learning in English and Maths. They produce study guides as well as practice and revision books and their website can be found at:

                                                 www.cgpbooks.co.uk/Parent/homeParents

Please let us know if there are other useful materials, which we can add to this list.

Morrison’s ‘Let’s grow’ Gardening Vouchers

Morrison’s will be giving out Let’s Grow Gardening Vouchers until 27^th October 2013.  The School Gardening Club depends on these vouchers which they exchange for seeds, equipment and compost.  If you are not offered the vouchers at the checkout, please ask for them and send them into school as soon as possible.  There is a collection box in the reception area of the school.  Thank you for your continued support.

IMPORTANT –Reporting Absence

Can I remind parents that if their child is absent, they must telephone the school so we can ensure all children are in school or safely at home. If we have not received contact regarding an absence by 9.30am, we have no alternative but to record the pupil’s absence as unauthorised, which could result in further action being taken.

Play Equipment for Reception

With the Reception slide recently broken, we are looking for replacement plastic outdoor play equipment (e.g. play equipment produced by Little Tikes or similar). If anybody has such equipment that they would like to donate please see Miss Phillips or contact the school office. Any donations are very much appreciated.

Attendance

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

• Reception and Year 3 with an amazing 100% attendance.
• Year 1 with a great 99% attendance.
• Year 5 with 98% and Year 4 with 97% attendance.
• Reception, Year 1 and Year 3 will have special non uniform days on Wednesday 23^rd October.

Good Attendance and Punctuality Presentation

As you know we have planned a 100% attendance presentation when each class will have a special draw where children can win a £10 voucher. Because punctuality this term 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. Each 100% child will be given a ticket on Thursday which they need to bring to Friday’s assembly. This ticket also means they can wear their own clothes on the following day for the presentation.

Celebration of Achievements

There will be a celebration assembly on Monday 14th October at 9.10am, where the following children will receive their Headteacher’s award:  Marco La Porta, Lena Smith and Angus Wallace.

Super Stars Sports Award:  Maria Benny, Emily Nurse, Janice Asemota and Piper Whitaker.

Art Super Stars Award: Blake-Anthony Bennett and Aleena Vincent.

Dates for Diaries

Wednesday 23^rd October                          -           Attendance non uniform for Years R, 1 and 3

Friday 25th October                                     -           Non uniform day for all Term 1 100% pupils

Friday 25^th October                                     -           End of term and 100% attendance presentation

Monday 4^th November                               -           Start of Term 2

Tuesday 5th November at 2pm                -           Tour for prospective parents

Wednesday 6^th November                                    -           Mass for All Saints in church (Year 5 reading)

Friday 29^th November                                 -           Advent Mass in school hall (Year 4 reading)

Monday 2^nd December                              -           Book Fair Week

Monday 16^th December - pm                   -           Infant Nativity Performance

Tuesday 17^th December – am                   -           Infant Nativity Performance

Friday 20^th December                                 -           Christmas Mass in Church (Year 3 reading)

 

Best wishes

 

Matt Condon
Headteacher