News
We wish all of our families a happy, safe and restful Easter break. Thank you for your ongoing support.
The children return to school on Monday 15th April.
Easter Egg-citement!
What a busy last day of term! The children looked amazing in their home-made Easter bonnets and hats - thank you parents and carers for your support with this - you are SO creative!
Many of the classes have been taking part in Easter themed activities during the day including an Easter Egg hunt.
The day was finished with the Easter Raffle!
Year 4 trip: 28.3.24
As part of their Geography theme, "The World's Kitchen," Year 4 visited Moshimo, a Japanese restaurant in Brighton.
The children were split into two groups - one group learnt the art of using chopsticks to pick up Edamame beans while the other group learnt how to make their own Maki rolls!
It was a really informative and engaging session and we are very grateful to Moshimo for providing our pupils with this opportunity to enhance their Geography knowledge and understanding.
More pictures to follow on the Year 4 class page.
Big Lent Walk: 28.3.24
We are proud to be joining in with the "Big Lent Walk" helping to raise money and support global poverty. The Big Lent Walk is organised by CAFOD and this is our chosen charity for Lent.
To support the appeal, we are going to have a WALKING circuit in and around the school. Each child will be given a purple wristband to show our united support and help raise awareness.
The Faith Council have made posters to advertise the BIG WALK.
If you would like to support the work of CAFOD and make a small donation, please click HERE
Year 6 Outdoor Learning: 27.3.24
Year 6 had a bright but windy morning for their outdoor learning session today.
The children are keen to attract beneficial insects to our school grounds, so they worked in groups to make bug hotels.
Insects and other minibeasts need safe spaces to shelter, hide from predators and raise their young, so the children in Year 6 used their creativity to design some small cosy homes as well as multi-storey mansions!
The children discovered all sorts of creatures outside including newts! Find out more on the Year 6 page.
French Culture:
Year 5 were so interested in their French food lesson yesterday, that Mrs Gilbert decided they could make their own croissants today! They learnt that the sweet French pastries got their name due to their crescent shape.
Once baked, they were able to eat with jam (confiture) cheese (fromage) or ham (jambon)
BON APPETIT!
As part of our French provision, the last week of each half term is dedicated to learning more about a different aspect of French culture.
This week, the children in KS2 have been learning about traditional French food.
They tasted some basic French food such as crêpes, Madeleines, baguette, Brie cheese, pain au chocolat and Quiche Lorraine.
Brighton Bingo
Now the weather is getting slightly warmer, it is lovely to see your photos of where you have been getting out and about in the local environment.
Sihas (Year 4) is now on Starling Level- Bingo Board 3! Here are a few of his pictures....
Take a close up photo of a flower, design a poster to attract visitors to Preston Park rockery, make a free-standing sculpture using leaves and sticks
Reconciliation Service: 26.3.24
This morning, Years 4, 5 and 6 gathered in the hall for our Lenten Reconciliation Service.
Father Kieron led us in a Reconciliation Service which focused on the forgiveness that comes from Christ.
Year 5 River Trip : 22.3.24
Today, to support and enhance their Geography learning "Wild Waters," Year 5 went on a field trip to the River Adur in Shoreham.
The children were able to identify different features of the river using geographical vocabulary. They then sketched and photographed these observable features.
They also completed a hands-on river study by getting into the water to measure and investigate the contents of the river!
More pictures to follow on the Year 5 class page.
Mrs Foan has been busy this week - looking at amazing pieces of work across the school!
Congratulations to the following children who have shared three pieces of their learning.
Elrad and Lea (EYFS) Ray and Elijah (Year 2) Jasper, Eliana and Ronnie (Year 3) and Legend ( Year 6)
Congratulations to this week's STARS. We are very proud of you all!
EYFS: Year 1: Coby Year 2: Rosie Year 3: Kira Year 4: Hattie Year 6: Tia
Another busy week collecting DOJOS! It has been very close again this week and there is still all to play for next week!
1. YELLOW - 236 2. RED - 234 3. GREEN - 228 4. BLUE - 219
Holiday Activities and Food
Please click HERE for more information about the Easter HAF (Holiday Activities and Food) which will be running from Tuesday 2nd April to Friday 12th April.
The HAF programme is a government initiative that aims to provide healthy hot food and enriching activities during the school holidays, primarily to children and young people aged 5 to 16 who are eligible for benefits related free school meals.
It is funded by the Department for Education (DfE). The aim is for children and young people to socialise, learn and play during the specified holiday periods, enjoy a hot meal and have fun.
Easter Raffle
Thank you for your donations for the Easter Raffle Hampers - organised by the FOSJ's. The contributions are looking good so far!
Raffle tickets will be on sale next week and any more Easter related donations would be much appreciated. The raffle will be drawn next Thursday afternoon.
Thank you again for your support.
Outdoor Learning: 20.3.24
We have two classes taking part in outdoor learning sessions this week- our EYFS class and Year 4. Luckily, after all the recent rain, the weather was kind to both classes with Year 4 having a beautiful, sunny day on Wednesday!
The whole school outdoor learning focus this half term is "Seeking Science" and the children have been exploring science in the outdoor environment.
The Year 4 children explored reflections, light and sound! Here are a few photos:
Our EYFS children categorised natural found objects and materials, measured items using cubes and used a tally chart to record signs of Spring. They also used watercolours to paint flowers around the grounds.
More photos to follow on each class page.
Let's Dance: 19.3.24
Today, we took 27 amazing dancers from Years 4, 5 and 6 to the Dome for the annual "Let's Dance" show. Pupils from schools from across Brighton and Hove are performing every night this week and it was our turn on Tuesday night.
The dance, choreographed by Miss Pippa and the children, was entitled "SJ Remix" and was based around a Missy Elliott medley.
Here are a few photos from this afternoon's dress rehearsal:
St Joseph's Day : 18.03.24
Today, we celebrated the feast day of St Joseph with a range of creative activities across the school. Father Kieron came into school and joined us this morning to celebrate and honour St Joseph with a Mass.
Here are a few photos showing how we celebrated St Joseph's Day. Joseph was a carpenter so several of our activities were based around woodcrafts. Some were based around the flower associated with St Joseph - the lily. We even had some tool shaped biscuits!
Today was a really special day. We are proud that St Joseph is the patron saint for our school.
Mrs Foan has had a steady stream of children in her office sharing their amazing work with her this week.
It is lovely to hear the children talking so confidently and enthusiastically about their learning.
Congratulations to Zara (EYFS) Skye (Year 2) and Theo (Year 5)
Congratulations to this week's STARS.
We love to hear what your teachers have to say to about you and celebrate your successes in Celebration Assembly.
EYFS: Rio Year 1: RJ Year 2: Ethan Year 3: Eira Year 4: Frankie Year 5: Tate Year 6: Emellia
Children - you have been busy this week collecting LOTS of DOJOS! Here are this week's totals:
1. BLUE- 261 2. YELLOW- 228 3. RED- 221 4. GREEN - 219
Upper KS2 Tournament: 13.3.24
This afternoon, our Year 5 and 6 classes had an intra-house football and tag-rugby tournament.
It was a lovely atmosphere with children demonstrating the key sporting values of resilience, determination, teamwork and respect.
The children thoroughly enjoyed the tournaments and Miss Pippa was impressed with all of the children's attitudes and efforts.
Well done to the BLUE and RED teams who jointly won the football and to the YELLOW team who won the tag-rugby.
Choral Festival: 13.3.24
Our Year 4 children have been working with Faye Eldret and are tonight performing in the chapel at Cardinal Newman School alongside Year 4 classes from Catholic Schools in Brighton and Hove.
The Choral Festival will be a celebration of secular songs and sacred music and will provide a wonderful opportunity for Year 4 children to join their voices together and celebrate the joy of singing.
Here are a few photos from today's rehearsal:
Click HERE to listen to a recording of one of the songs the Year 4's from the Catholic Schools across the city performed together.
Pedestrian Training: 8.3.24
Year 3 have had a very busy day today with Pedestrian Training as well as Outdoor Learning!
Brighton and Hove City Council provide training to help children learn to cross the road safely. Child Pedestrian Training is one of the initiatives that can help reduce the number of child casualties on the roads.
The scheme is designed to:
-raise children's observation and awareness skills while crossing roads with an adult -provide children with road safety skills in preparation for independent travel
Click HERE for the booklet containing information relating to Year 3's training over the next few weeks.
Outdoor Learning: 8.3.24
Today was the turn of Year 3 for this half-term's outdoor learning and the sun did its best to come out for them!
Have a look on the Year 3 page to find out about their lovingly-made natural Mother's Day cards, their nature hunt and more....
Congratulations to Junior and George in Year 6 who have been to share their learning with Mrs Foan on three different occasions recently. Well done both of you!
Congratulations to this week's selected STARS. We are very proud of you all.
EYFS: Albie Year 1: Mina Year 2: Riley Year 3: Tealaa-Rose Year 4: Jaklyn Year 5: Luca Year 6: Finn
The DOJO totals are very close again this week!
Well done to everyone who has collected DOJOS for demonstrating positive learning behaviours or for completing a POWer Project or Brighton Bingo activity.
Well done to the RED team - this week's top DOJO collectors!
1. RED - 199 2. BLUE - 192 3. GREEN - 189 4. YELLOW - 185
Netball Tournament: 7.3.24
This afternoon, we took a squad of eight Year 6 children to Sussex University for a Stinger Netball Tournament.
Stinger Netball requires the children to rotate positions to ensure they have the opportunity to play in both defence and attack positions.
Miss Azor and Miss Evans were impressed with how our squad demonstrated the School Games Values such as determination, resilience and good sportsmanship throughout the afternoon.
Here are a few photos:
It was an absolute joy to see so many book characters coming into school today! Children - you looked fantastic! Thank you parents and carers for your support with today - you are so creative!
The children took part in book-related activities today including a sharing a book in our specially made "book nook" with hot chocolate and cookies!
Here are a few photos - more to follow on the class pages:
Brighton Bingo: 4.3.24
More of you have been enjoying the great outdoors this weekend and ticking off different activities on the Brighton Bingo boards.
Here are a few more pictures:
Create a tree rubbing, feed seeds to the ducks, play noughts and crosses using natural materials and draw a seagull, bird or duck.
Open The Book: 1.3.24
We were joined this morning for an "Open The Book" assembly led by Year 9 pupils from Cardinal Newman School.
Open The Book is an exciting story-telling project where Bible stories are shared with children in a way that is fun, interactive and memorable.
The CNS pupils used the power of story-telling, drama and song to share the Parable of the Great Banquet to our KS 2 pupils.
Well done to the following children who have, this week, shared a third piece of great piece of learning with Mrs Foan: Penelope (Year 1) Emma (Year 2) Jeremiah and Shanice (Year 4) Wiktor (Year 5)
Thank you to the parents and carers who were able to join us to celebrate these achievements with their children.
Congratulations to this week's STARS. It is always lovely to hear what the adults who work with you have to say about you!
EYFS: Lea Year 1: Lyla-Mae Year 2: Harry Year 3: Mila Year 4: John Year 5: Lok Tin Year 6: Blessing
Another busy week collecting DOJOS for demonstrating positive learning behaviours! Well done to everyone.
Congratulations to the GREEN team with this week's highest DOJO total!
1. GREEN - 286 2. YELLOW - 266 3. RED- 262 4. BLUE- 259
Brighton Bingo
It is lovely to hear how the children have been out and about in the local area and enjoying the wonderful outdoors.
Keep working through your Bingo Board - we are looking forward to seeing the evidence of your experiences outside and with nature once you have completed them.
Here are a few recent pictures that have been sent in from the CRAB board:
Outdoor Learning: 28.2.24
Year 2 had their fourth outdoor learning day today and what a great cross-curricular day they had!
They applied their maths learning by conducting a travel survey and recording their observations using a tally chart and they also applied their measuring skills to things outdoors.
The highlight of the day was, as always, getting dirty in the mud kitchen where they created items for their Pudding Lane Bakery!
More pictures to follow on the Year 2 page.
Outdoor Learning: 23.2.24
Year 1 started off this half term's outdoor learning days today, and luckily the rain we have had for the rest of the week, held off!
Their learning today in our outdoor environment was Science based with the children learning about how to find the age of a tree by measuring the circumference of its trunk, about push and pull forces and also about floating and sinking.
Here are a few pictures. Have a look on the Year 1 class-page for more.
We are delighted to share with you this wonderful achievement from Caterlink.
'After a recent inspection Collette (St Joseph's Catholic Primary School) was awarded a Certificate of Excellence. She achieved a score of 97.27% - an impressive score!'
We know how amazing Collette (and her assistant Lauren) are - but it is lovely for Collette to get this recognition from Caterlink.
Congratulations to the first STARS of this half -term:
EYFS: Elza Year1: Adam Year 2: Anna Year 3: Lily-May Year 4: Darcy Year 5: Henry Year 6: Harlie
It is only the first week back but you have all been busy collecting DOJOS!
Congratulations to the RED team who are this week's top collectors.
1. RED- 216 2. GREEN - 202 3. BLUE - 198 4. YELLOW- 191
Mrs Foan's office has been very busy this week with children sharing their amazing work!
Congratulations to these children who will receive a Head Teacher certificate in Friday's Celebration Assembly.
George (Year 1) Lealand, Jaachi, Mal (Year 2) Jasper and Zara (Year 3) and Luca (Year 5)
Two children will also receive a special badge for visiting Mrs Foan six times to share their work since September.
Well done Leon (Year 2) and Harvey (Year 3) A fantastic achievement!
Year 6 Trip : 21.2 .24
To support and enhance their understanding around their Power of Reading book, "Goodnight Mr Tom," Year 6 visited Down's Junior School where they had a tour of the air-raid shelter built underneath the school playground.
They also had a workshop led by WWII veterans who were able to give them a personal insight into what life was like in Brighton during WWII. The morning finished off with a Q and A session.
It was such a fantastic learning experience for our Year 6 pupils. More pictures to follow on the Year 6 class page.
Language of the Half-Term
At St Joseph's School, we are proud of our diversity and the vast number of languages spoken by our families.
At St Joseph's, every half term, we celebrate the languages besides English which are spoken at home by some of our pupils.
Each half term, we try to learn a few useful phrases and words, to answer the register and say "please" and "thank you" and "hello" and "goodbye" in our chosen language. The child/children who speak the chosen language will help their classmates learn the correct pronunciation and will share picture books written in their home language as well as in English.
These are the languages for this half term:
EYFS- Kinyarwanda Year 1- Spanish Year 2- Thai Year 3- Romanian Year 4- Turkish Year 5- Portuguese Year 6- Arabic
Brighton Bingo
Some of you have been so busy during half-term, getting out and about in the local area. Thank you for your enthusiasm children and parents and carers for supporting your children with these activities and experiences in nature. We look forward to seeing your Badger Bingo boards as you complete them over the next few weeks.
Activity 2-create a tree rubbing, Activity 7 - take a photo of the view at Hollingbury Hillfort and Activity 3 - make a piece of art using leaves.
Activity 4 - play noughts and crosses using natural materials and Activity 9 - feed seeds to the ducks.
Thank you parents and carers for your ongoing support this half term. Wishing all of our pupils and their families a happy half term break.
The first day back for the children is MONDAY 19th FEBRUARY.
On Friday, we launched our Brighton Bingo! The children were very excited and may have brought the Level 1 (Badger Level) Brighton Bingo Board home.
This activity is a small part of our sustainability project and encourages exploration of the diverse habitats in and around Brighton. We hope that through nature, the children will gain a renewed appreciation for it and feel motivated to protect it.
Each level has 8 different tasks. Once all 8 have been completed, the children should email the evidence via the myhomework email address or take it in to share with their teacher. They will receive 40 DOJOS and a Head Teacher sticker when each board is completed.
Click HERE for the Level 1 Badger Bingo Board.
Click HERE to be taken to out sustainability page for more information.
French Culture Week
The last week of each half term is based around a different aspect of French culture. This half term, the focus was learning about favourite French people.
Year 6 used the Ipads to research famous French people and created fact-files. Year 4 created their own dances inspired by listening to Daft Punk - a French electronic music duo.
Year 5 found out about the life and achievements of Coco Chanel. They added interesting facts to a line drawing portrait of her. They designed their own perfume bottle for one of Coco Chanel's iconic perfumes.
Bike-Ability: 9.2.24
Today, a small group of Year 5/6 children have been taking part in Bike-Ability training.
During Level 1 Bike-Ability training, the children learn to control and master their bikes. The training takes place on the playground.
The aim is for the children to gain basic cycle control skills including starting and pedalling; stopping; manoeuvring; signalling and using the gears on their bikes.
Attendance: 9.2.24
Today, we celebrated attendance in assembly - we were delighted to congratulate 16 children who have had 100% attendance since September! This is an amazing achievement bearing in mind the number of colds/coughs and tummy bugs there have been going around.
Congratulations to all of these children and their parents and carers - together, we are improving attendance at St Joseph's.
Click HERE to see our Spring Term Attendance Newsletter
Head Teacher Challenge:
It was lovely to read through the prayers and poems that the children had written for Mrs Foan's latest Head Teacher Challenge.
The challenge tied in with our new sustainability initiative with the key focus being "HOPE."
The children had really thought about the theme and had included beautiful words about ways we can look after our beautiful world.
Thank you to everyone who took part in this challenge.
Super Spellers!
We also celebrated our "Spelling Superstars" in Celebration Assembly.
Several children from Years 2-6 were chosen either for their effort and improvement with spelling or for 100% in spelling tests. They each received a special spelling badge.
Congratulations to Maryam, Riley (Year 2) Zara, Isla T (Year 3) Scarlett (Year 4) Amelia N (Year 5) and Blessing and Legend (Year 6)
Congratulations to Yasmin in EYFS who has shared three pieces of amazing learning with Mrs Foan recently.
It was lovely to celebrate her success in assembly today.
Congratulations to the final STARS of this half term.
EYFS: Bryn Year 1: Halle Year 2: Jaachi Year 3: Zara Year 4: Scarlett Year 5: Emelia T Year 6: Ibiye
This week's DOJOS have been collected and counted! The weekly totals have been very close this half term.
This week's top collectors are also the overall DOJO champs for this half-term.
Congratulations to the YELLOW team!
1. YELLOW- 230 2. RED - 228 3. BLUE -220 4. GREEN - 215
Movie Night: 7.2.24
Thank you very much to the FOSJ's for organising and running two movie nights this week.
Today, our KS 1 pupils will be relaxing on a duvet with a teddy and enjoying a drink and some popcorn whilst watching "Elemental" with their friends. Tomorrow , our KS2 pupils will have the opportunity to watch "Space Jam 2"
We are very grateful to the FOSJ's for their support and for organising and running a variety of fundraising activities , which all contribute to enhancing the provision for our children.
Outdoor Learning: 7.2.24
Year 2 had a full fun-filled outdoor learning day today! They made twig dolls, dream catchers, created outdoor sculptures and did leaf prints and rubbings.
Have a look on the Year 2 class page for more pictures and information.
Sustainability: 6.2.24
Miss Cross delivered a KS2 assembly this week based on this term's theme of ENERGY. It was lovely to see the passion and commitment evident through the children's ideas, thoughts and contributions.
Many of the children have signed up to our school pledge to read a few pages of a book rather than use an electronic device. The children will log how many minutes of energy are saved each time they made this greener choice. A whole school total will be calculated at Easter.
Our aim is to help to empower children to make small changes such as this, that can collectively have a big impact.
Outdoor Learning: 6.2.24
Our EYFS class had their third outdoor learning experience today. Our theme for this half-term is "Art of the Outdoors," with the children across the school exploring and being inspired by artists who use natural materials to express themselves creatively.
Have a look at the activities they took part in, which artist inspired them and what else they learnt on the EYFS class page.
Here are a few photos...
..
Safer Internet Day: 6.2.24
Safer Internet Day 2024 takes place today on the 6th of February 2024, with celebrations and learning based around the theme ‘Inspiring change? Making a difference, managing influence and navigating change online’.
Safer Internet Day is the UK’s biggest celebration of online safety. Each year their focus cover an online issue or theme that young people are seeing and experiencing online.
Miss Hill delivered lessons around this theme to Year 2- 6 this week. Each class teacher will also be reminding children of how to keep safe online as part of their PSHE learning activities.
Congratulations to these children who received a Head Teacher certificate during Celebration Assembly. They have shared 3 amazing pieces of learning with Mrs Foan recently.
We are very proud of : Anna, Freddie, Delilah, Harry ( Year 2) Lily-May, Sisa (Year 3) and Tate (Year 5)
Congratulations to this week's STARS.
We love to hear what your teachers have to say about you each week and to share these successes with your friends and family.
EYFS: Khamari Year 1: Simon Year 2: Ruby W Year 3: Ivy Year 4: Nirvana Year 5: Harry Year 6: Alicia
There is all to play for next week with the DOJO totals!
Each team has collected the most DOJOS one week each during this half term so whoever collects the most DOJOS next week will win overall for this half term!
Congratulations to the GREEN team - this week's highest DOJO collectors.
1. BLUE - 226 2. GREEN - 220 3. RED - 214 4. YELLOW - 209
POWer Projects: 31.1.24
We love to see the home learning you do relating to our school History and Geography themes. Anna was able to tell us so many facts about the Great Fire of London with her fantastic model of the bakery in Pudding Lane where it started!
It is lovely to witness the enthusiasm that our pupils have for their History and Geography learning.
Thank you again parents and carers for your support with the home learning.
Attendance
As you know, raising attendance and improving punctuality are a key priority here at St Joseph's. Thank you parents and carers for working with us on this - it is making a difference.
Some of our children have had an attendance celebration chart for a four week period in January. This was to motivate and celebrate!
It is lovely to see how keen the children are to improve their attendance.
Here are two of our top attenders - managing to be in school every day for the entire four weeks. Well done!
Fire Visit: 30.1.24
The EYFS class were so excited today to have a special visit from a local fire crew. They had the opportunity to sit in the fire engine, see the different valves and even had a go with the hose!
They learnt about the protective clothing worn by firefighters and how to crawl down low to avoid too much smoke inhalation in a fire.
We really appreciate the fire crew coming out to visit us at school so that we could learn about their job.
Have a look on the EYFS page for more pictures.
Year 5 Visit: 30.1.24
Year 5 were delighted to receive an invitation to Patcham High School to see their Wintertime Showcase. Our pupils enjoyed a spectacular array of dancing performed by students throughout the year groups.
It was a fantastic show and many of our pupils came back excited and inspired about the opportunities that will available to them at secondary school.
We are very grateful to Patcham High for giving our pupils this opportunity to see their students perform.
Year 6 Outdoor Learning: 30.1.24
Year 6 had an exciting outdoor learning day today, despite the rather grey and dull weather. They certainly managed to bring some colour to the playground today!
They focused on this half term's outdoor learning theme "Art of the Outdoors" and tied it in with their class art theme based around street art and applying an understanding of impact and effect to create a powerful image.
Have a look on the Year 6 page to see more photos and find out what the children learnt in more detail.
Here are the STARS for this week. It is lovely to walk around the school and to see such positive learning behaviours being demonstrated. The children are really engaged, focused and working hard!
Congratulations to:
EYFS: Ronnie Year 1: Logan Year 2: Ray Year 3: Ronnie Year 4: Jeremiah Year 5: Year 6: Jenny
The DOJO totals for this week are in! Again, it is another very close week! Well done everyone for collecting so many DOJOS.
1. GREEN- 216 2. YELLOW- 210 3. RED- 206 4. BLUE-199
Outdoor Learning: 24.1.24
Luckily for our Year 5 and 6 classes, the weather has warmed up slightly this week! Both classes enjoyed a creative, cross-curricular outdoor learning day this week.
Year 4 created costumes from natural and man-made resources to act out a narrative from their Power of Reading text, "The Tin Forest." It was lovely to witness their creativity, excitement and engagement!
Have a look on both class pages to see more photos.
Bikeability Sessions: 25.1.24
Some of our Year 3 and 4 pupils have been taking part in "Learn To Ride" sessions this week on the school playground.
During the sessions, the children were taught how to control their bike including setting off, cruising, slowing down, braking and stopping. The training also helped the children to develop a better awareness of each other and their surroundings!
Thank you parents and carers for your support with bringing your children's bike in this week!
Outdoor Learning: 19.1.24
Year 1 were wrapped up warmly for today's outdoor learning curriculum day. It was a beautiful but crisp day and the children in Year 1 took part in several exciting activities finishing off with a well-deserved and warming cup of hot chocolate!
Have a look on the YEAR 1 page to see more photos and information about today's outdoor learning experience.
Year 4 and 5 have outdoor learning next week (Year 5 on Tuesday and Year 4 - Wednesday)
Well done to the first children of 2024 to receive a Head Teacher's award for sharing three special pieces of their learning with Mrs Foan. It was lovely to see one of our EYFS children receiving their first Head Teacher's award today!
Congratulations: Kaelen (EYFS) and Simon (Year 1) and Leona (Year 4)
Well done to this week's STARS. We love hearing what your teachers have to say about you in Friday's Assembly and celebrating your achievements with you.
EYFS: Lukus Year 1: Olivia Year 2: Leon Year 3: Isla T Year 4: Archie Year 5: Chidera Year 6: Kowen
This week's DOJO totals have been collected and counted - this week's numbers are so close!
Well done to the RED team - just pipping the BLUE team to the post!
1. RED - 238 2. BLUE - 236 3. YELLOW - 230 4. GREEN - 224
Outdoor Learning: 12.1.24
Our Year 3 class were the first class to brave the winter weather for the first outdoor learning session of 2024.
They linked our outside environment to their current learning, making Egyptian collars from leaves and using sticks and mud to write using Hieroglyphs.
Pictures to follow on the Year 3 page.
The DOJOS for the first week and a half back have been collected and counted and the totals are very close!
Congratulations to the YELLOW team for collecting the most DOJOS.
1. YELLOW- 234 2. RED- 228 3. GREEN - 219 4. BLUE - 217
Congratulations to our first STARS of 2024!
It is lovely to hear how quickly and easily you have settled back into the school and learning routine after the Christmas break.
EYFS: Zara Year 1: Blake Year 2: Tyler Year 3: CJ Year 4: Mykie Year 5: Zayden Year 6: Scarlett
This week, we are launching the "Our City, Our World" initiative.
"Our City, Our World" is Brighton and Hove's Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Education Programme. It is one of several council based initiatives that aim to help the city to become carbon neutral by 2030.
For us as a school, it is a chance to become more sustainable whilst equipping our pupils with an understanding of environmental issues and empowering them to make small changes that can collectively have a big impact.
In line with our school ethos, we are leading the project with a strong sense of hope and the belief that together we can help to create a brighter future for all.
Today's launch had a celebratory feel about it: building excitement for the project.
The children looked great in their green and blue earth colours.
Thank you for your donations - these will go to our school eco fund.
Eco-Launch: 11.1.24
Year 4 recycled and re-purposed Tetra Pak packaging to create pots to grow plants in.
Year 2 used toast to illustrate how we need to work together to minimise damage to our Earth and Year 3 reused damaged plastic bags to create beautiful flowers.
Year 1 tried some Quorn nuggets alongside some chicken nuggets to introduce them to different plant-based alternatives.
The children in EYFS made banana bread, using up over-ripe bananas that may otherwise have been thrown away.
Year 6 created bird feeders using old food cartons and Year 5 had a "Green Day Challenge" working out how much energy they had saved by not using electricity in the classroom for the whole day.
Year 1 saw with their own eyes the impact on wildlife of the polar ice caps melting and this made them think about what could be done about this issue.
Thank you to the parents and carers who were able to join us for this afternoon's launch assembly.
Power of Reading
It is lovely to see the excitement as the children are being introduced to their new high-quality texts based on the Power of Reading scheme.
After hearing the opening to their new class book, "The Silver Donkey," the children in Year 6 used charcoal and techniques learnt previously in their art lessons to depict the scene and image that the piece of text created in their minds.
Here are a few of them:
Stunning Starts...
To launch our History and Geography themes each term, the teachers plan a "Stunning Start" to ignite the children's interest in the current learning theme through a rich and creative experience!
Year 4 had an "around the world tasting session" as an introduction to their theme, "The World's Kitchen" sampling different foods such as feta cheese, guacamole, pineapple and falafel and trying to work out which country they came from.
More pictures to follow on each class page shortly.
Balance Bikes: 9.1.24
Our EYFS class are taking part in Balance Bike Training this week. A Balance Bike is where a child's cycling journey begins.
Balance Bikes build strength, stamina, motor skills, coordination and agility.
Over the four days of training, the children will be developing skills in gliding, braking, steering and controlling speed when on a bike.
More pictures to follow on the EYFS page.
Year 5 Science: 9.1.24
Year 5's Science learning this week is based around the human circulatory system and the different parts and functions of the heart.
Today, they created models of the heart using salt dough and food colouring. More pictures to follow on the Year 5 class page.
Epiphany Mass: 5.1.24
We were delighted to be joined by Father Chris to celebrate an Epiphany Mass in school this morning.
Thank you to those parents and carers who were able to join us.
POWer Projects
It is lovely to see the home learning that has been taking place over the Christmas break linked to each class's new History or Geography theme. Thank you parents and carers with your support with this.
Year 1 have been creating igloo models and Year 3 have been designing and making Egyptian headdresses.
More pictures to follow on the class pages.
Language of the Half-Term
At St Joseph's School, we are proud of our diversity and the vast number of languages spoken by our families.
At St Joseph's, every half term, we celebrate the languages besides English which are spoken at home by some of our pupils.
Each half term, we try to learn a few useful phrases and words, to answer the register and say "please" and "thank you" and "hello" and "goodbye" in our chosen language. The child/children who speak the chosen language will help their classmates learn the correct pronunciation and will share picture books written in their home language as well as in English.
These are the languages for this half term:
EYFS: Arabic Year 1: Slovak Year 2: French Year 3: Spanish Year 4: Dutch Year 5: Spanish Year 6: Spanish
Wishing all of our children and their families a happy and healthy Christmas break. Thank you for all your support this term. We do appreciate it. We look forward to working with you again in 2024!
The children return to school on Wednesday 3rd January 2024
Thanks to your generosity, we had a little bit of party food left over on the last day of term.
The staff at St Richard's Foodbank were delighted to receive it - it is good to know we can help support families in the local area at this special time of year.
Let's Party!
Friday was party day for the children at St Joseph's - well deserved after a term of hard work!
In the morning, the children took part in festive activities in their classrooms such as Christmas musical bingo, decorating biscuits, face-painting, Christmas crafts, Yule logs ... and much much more!
The afternoon was more festive fun with traditional party games and activities such as karaoke, followed by some party food.
We have been very lucky to have Faye Eldret, a choralist from the Diocese working with our Year 3 and 4 classes this term.
She has been working in many schools across the Diocese and all the schools she works with have put together an E-Christmas Card.
Click HERE to see it.
The final DOJO totals for the year have been collected and counted!
This week's winners are also the overall winners for this half term. Congratulations to the BLUE team!
1. BLUE -256 2. RED - 240 3. GREEN and YELLOW - 237
Congratulations to our final STARS of 2023!
EYFS: Joseph Year 1: Leighton Year 2: Ruby D Year 3: Sisa Year 4: George J Year 5: Evie-Rae Year 6: Julian
Congratulations to these children who have shared their work with Mrs Foan three times during this first Autumn Term.
We are very proud of: King (Year 2) Eliana (Year 3) Darcy, Nirvana, Thomas, Scarlett (Year 4) Rhianna (Year 5) Ibiye and Scarlett (Year 6)
As you know, raising attendance and improving punctuality are a key priority here at St Joseph's. Thank you parents and carers for working with us on this - it is making a difference.
In our final whole school assembly, we celebrated both improved and 100% attendance.
This term, we had 30 children who have made it into school every day since September. A great achievement!
Some of our children have had an attendance celebration chart for a four week period. This is to motivate and celebrate!
It is lovely to see how keen they are to improve their attendance. Freddie was one of several children who managed a full four weeks!
Hoodies: 15.12.23
Year 6 received their leavers hoodies today - a little earlier than usual!
This is so they have plenty of time to wear them with pride before they leave us in the summer. They are the same bottle green colour as our uniform and include our school logo.
The Year 6 children love them! Thank you to Mrs Jones for organising this.
Carols in the Community: 14.12.23
It has become a regular part of our Christmas celebrations to share some festive joy with others in our local community.
Year 5 are due to visit Lindfield Court tomorrow to sing some Christmas Carols and to personally wish the residents next door a very merry Christmas.
The children in Year 5 made and delivered to each resident a personal Christmas card.
Our children were delighted to receive a selection box from the residents as a thank you!
Christmas Story Experience: 13.12.23
Mrs Foan and Mrs Cox took the Faith Council to Wintershall today, where they discovered the true meaning of Christmas with an unforgettable, immersive theatre experience.
The children were able to stand with the shepherds, walk with Mary, Joseph and the donkey, journey with Roman soldiers and enter the stable to witness the miracle of Christmas unfold.
There were real sheep, a live donkey and a real baby in the re-enactment!
A truly memorable experience for the Faith Council, bringing the story of Christmas to life.
Outdoor Learning: 13.12.23
Years 1 and 2 joined forces today for the final outdoor learning day of the term.
The morning session was based around transient art- foraging and gathering natural resources and objects in our outdoor environment to create unique tree decorations.
The afternoon was based around sensory activities, exploring textures, sounds and smells in the natural environment.
They finished off the day with a warming cup of hot chocolate.
Carol Concert: 12.12.23
Tonight was our KS2 Carol Concert at St Joseph's Church.
It was lovely to come together as a school community and share some final festive cheer.
Thank you children for your joyous singing and narration of the Christmas Story. Thank you parents and carers for joining us tonight.
DT Week
The last week of each term is dedicated to DT (Design and Technology)
Across the school, each class has been working on a particular project following the same process of investigate, design, make and evaluate.
Year 1 made cards with a moveable mechanism and Year 4 made a page from a book by giving it moving parts using levers and linkages.
Have a look on each class page for more photos of the children's learning.
Feeling Festive...
Miss Pippa has put a festive twist on this week's PE lessons keeping the children active with a "Dress As Santa" relay and a game of reindeer tag!
KS1 kept active inside despite the rain too!
Carols in the Community: 11.12.23
Our Year 2 class went across to Grove Park this afternoon to sing some of the songs from their Nativity to the residents there.
It was a lovely opportunity for the different generations to come together and for our pupils to share some festive joy locally.
The children were delighted to receive a drink and a cup cake at the end of their visit.
Nativity
Our EYFS class and KS1 classes did a final dress rehearsal on Friday in preparation for their performances to the school and nursery children on Monday and to parents and carers on Tuesday and Thursday.
They have been rehearsing over the last few weeks and it is lovely to finally see the finished performance of "Baarmy Bethlehem." The singing, dancing, acting and speaking were all amazing!
It is a really uplifting and enjoyable performance - well done to all of the children and to the staff for putting it together.
Here are a few photos. Parents and Carers - you are in for a treat!
If you have any concerns about your child's emotional mental health and wellbeing, please click HERE to find out details of a Christmas Holiday Consultation Line.
Telephone consultations with a Primary Mental Health Worker will be available over the Christmas Holiday.
Christmas Holiday Clubs
Please find details below of a HAF (Holiday Activities and Food) multi-sport holiday club run by SportsCool at Longhill Sports Centre from December 18th-22nd.
Click HERE for more information.
Please click on this LINK to see "The Big Ambition" survey from Dame Rachel De Souza, the Children's Commissioner for England. She is keen to hear from children and young people in England on what they think is important.
You have until this Friday (15th December) to complete the survey if you wish to.
Christmas Fair: 8.12.23
The children have been busy getting creative this week in preparation for this year's Christmas Fair. The FOSJ's have lent each class £20 to invest wisely on prizes or craft materials for their stall. All profits go to the class and they decide how or where to spend it. This has provided an excellent opportunity for a mini enterprising project and it was interesting to see each class's ideas.
Thank you to all the children and staff involved in organising and running the stalls, parents and carers for your donations to the stalls and hampers and for supporting the fair this afternoon and to the FOSJ's for overseeing everything this afternoon.
We really do appreciate your support.
Santa Dash : 8.12.23
The School Games National Santa Dash returns for another fun-filled day of festive fun today!
It is great to be part of this event, which over 80, 000 youngsters took part in last year!
Miss Azor set up a simple obstacle course around the playground to make the St Joseph's Santa Dash even more fun!
It was lovely to see the enthusiasm with which the children (and staff) took part!
Well done Freya - you have shared your amazing work with Mrs Foan on three occasions this term. We are very proud of you.
.
Congratulations to this week's STARS! It is always lovely to hear about your individual achievements
EYFS: Lottie Year 1: Teddy Year 2: Jason Year 3: Oscar Year 4: Elliot Year 5: Freddie Year 6: Lily-Jo
As we draw towards the end of the term, the DOJO totals and weeks won are very close!
There is still lots to play for, so keep demonstrating those positive learning behaviours and it could mean your house team are the overall winners!
Well done to the BLUE team! Here are this week's totals:
1. BLUE: 217 2. RED: 210 3. GREEN: 206 4. YELLOW: 199
Christmas Lunch
Today was our school Christmas lunch day! Everyone came into school wearing a Christmas jumper and other festive attire. We had a delicious roast dinner followed by ice-cream and a special festive cookie. We had party hats and sang along to Christmas songs.
Thank you to Colette and Lauren for preparing such a lovely lunch for us.
Carols in the Community
Today, our Year 3 class paid a visit today to a local nursing home - Grove Park - to share some Christmas spirit with the residents there.
They sang some traditional and modern carols and brought a little bit of festive cheer to the residents, who loved seeing the children perform and joined in with the carols they knew.
The children coloured in a festive image and wrote a special Christmas message for each of the residents.
Our pupils were delighted to receive a cupcake and a drink as a thank you.
Our Year 2 class will be sharing their Nativity songs at Grove Park and Year 5 will be visiting Lindfield Court next week.
Active Advent
At St Joseph's, we love to keep active, so we are delighted to be taking part in Brighton and Hove's Active Advent challenge - which provides festive challenges to get pupils active and moving every day in the lead up to the Christmas break.
Click HERE to see the daily challenge calendar for the Advent period. Why don't you take part at home?
Here are a few pictures. More to follow on class pages.
Day 1 - Reindeer Lunges Day 3 - Advent Star Jumps Day 4 - Santa Squats
Day 5 - Frozen Ice Push Ups Day 6 - Christmas Tree Yoga Pose
Messy Church : 1.12.23
We were joined by Julia today from St Joseph's Church who ran a "messy church" taster session.
The children and parents took part in some creative activities based around the feast of Christ The King.
Messy Church is a Christ-centred way of being church based on creativity, hospitality and celebration. It reflects the creativity of God in its imaginative hands-on approach. Today's session consisted of story-telling, singing, prayer, sharing food and messy creativity.
St Joseph's Church run Messy Church sessions once a month.
Head Teacher Challenge: 1.12.23
Thank you to everyone who designed a Christmas bauble for the latest Head Teacher's Challenge around the theme of bringing joy to the world.
The baubles will be hung up in school for all to see. They certainly have bought joy to our hearts looking at the thoughtful designs and careful colouring and the care you have put into them. Thank you everyone who completed one: here are a few.
Congratulations to these children who have shared three fantastic pieces of work with Mrs Foan this term:
Arlo (Year 2) Harvey (Year 3) Junior (Year 6)
Special mention must also go to Harlie who has shared six pieces of work with Mrs Foan since September!
Congratulations to this week's STARS.
We are very proud of you all and love to share your special moment with you, your friends and family in our Celebration Assembly.
EYFS: Chayton Year 1: George Year 2: Taylor Year 3: Harvey Year 4: Thomas Year 5: Lok Yin Year 6: Blessing
The DOJO totals were again very close this week! Well done everyone for demonstrating positive learning behaviours and for collecting so many DOJOS again this week.
Congratulations to the GREEN team - this week's top DOJO collectors!
1. GREEN - 215 2. YELLOW - 209 3 - RED and BLUE- 201
Drama Workshop: 30.11.23
This afternoon we hosted a free drama taster workshop led by ThirdSpace Theatre Company.
ThirdSpace are an award-winning company, running 15 drama clubs across Brighton and Hove. This afternoon's taster session allowed our pupils and their parents and carers to experience the workshops and see what ThirdSpace can offer first-hand.
Getting Ready for Christmas....
There are signs of the season starting to appear around the school!
Our post box is now out in the foyer. If your child wishes to send individual or a class card, please remember to include the children's name and class on the front of the envelope and please do not put chocolate or sweets inside.
The school council will regularly empty the post box and distribute the cards.
Some of the Faith Council collected greenery from our outdoor environment and made an Advent Wreath in preparation.
The first candle, symbolising hope, was lit this morning during Celebration Assembly.
Outdoor Learning: 29.11.23
This week, it is the turn of our EYFS and Year 3 classes to have their outdoor learning curriculum days.
The EYFS children had such a busy morning with cross-curricular links including music, art and DT!
Year 3's activities were based around their Geography learning theme, "Extreme Survival."
Have a look on each class page later in the week to see more photos of the activities they took part in.
Year 4 Trip : 28.11.23
To support and enhance their Science learning, Year 4 visited the Booth Museum. They had a great hands-on experience and were able to study the skeletons of a variety of animals and look closely at different bones.
More information and pictures to follow shortly on the Year 4 page.
POWer Projects: 24.11.23
It is lovely to share and celebrate your home learning tasks which support our History and Geography themes in school. You have been so fantastically creative! Year 2 have made some amazing models of the solar system and designed and built their own rockets!
Thank you parents and carers for your support with these home learning tasks.
Open The Book...
Our KS2 classes were very lucky to have another visit from the Chaplain and some of the Year 9 students from Cardinal Newman School on Friday who came in for a special assembly, which they present to several of their feeder schools.
The assemblies are called "Open The Book" and bring stories from the Bible to life through acting and music. This week the students presented the story of the Good Samaritan.
Congratulations to Skye who received a Head Teacher's certificate this week.
Well done Skye - it is always lovely to see both your school work and your home learning tasks.
Congratulations to this week's STARS. We love sharing your moment with you and hearing all the positive things your teachers have to say about you in Celebration Assembly. Well done to:
EYFS: Zenita Year 1: Kiedis Year 2: Delilah Year 3: Jasper Year 4: Sonny Year 5: Amelia N Year 6: Legend
The DOJO totals were very close this week! Congratulations to this week's top collectors- the RED team.
1. RED- 240 2. GREEN - 238 3. BLUE - 231 4. YELLOW - 229
Please click HERE to see our Autumn Term Attendance Newsletter. We have lots to celebrate with regards to attendance and some clear priorities and areas for development.
Thank you parents and carers for your support in raising attendance here at St Joseph's.
Year 6 Outdoor Learning: 21.11.23
Year 6 enjoyed a cross-curricular outdoor learning day today with activities including applying their fraction knowledge to demonstrate the bar model using sticks!
They used tree rubbings and chalk pastels to create a wave effect and texture for some artwork based around their Power of Reading text Odysseus and they created self-portraits using natural and found objects including making their own dyes.
Pictures to follow on the Year 6 page shortly.
At St Joseph’s, we are proud to support Children in Need again this year. This Friday, the children came into school wearing spots or Pudsey attire.
By working together, we know we CAN make a huge difference at a time when it’s needed the most. As a school, we are pledging to support this charity and, in a small way, help make a difference to young lives.
Thank you for showing your support by wearing spots and for your generous donations to this cause.
Year 5 Outdoor Learning: 17.11.23
Year 5 enjoyed a cross-curricular outdoor learning experience today, with outdoor learning activities linked to Music, Science and Anti-Bullying Week! They were lucky to have a sunny, but crisp day.
Pictures to follow on the Year 5 page soon.
Click HERE to be taken to our PUPILS page where you will find the latest Head Teacher Challenge and details about a creative writing competition.
Congratulations to Leon and Jaachi (Year 2) who today received a Head Teacher certificate for sharing three amazing pieces of work with Mrs Foan. Well done to both of you.
Congratulations to this week's STARS. We love hearing what your teachers have to say about you in our Friday Celebration Assembly.
Well done. We are so proud of you all.
EYFS: Yasmin Year 1: Eli Year 2: Arlo Year 3: Crina Year 4: Audrey Year 5: Tiana Year 6: Tia
Well done to everyone for collecting DOJO's this week. The totals have been collected and here are the totals.
Congratulations to the BLUE team for collecting the most DOJOS.
1. BLUE-268 2. YELLOW- 253 3. GREEN - 249 4. RED- 238
Cross Country: 15.11.23
This afternoon, we took a brave squad of Cross-Country runners from Years 5 and 6 to a sunny, but very windy Waterhall!
We were very proud of all of our competitors - there were over 350 children in each race! Every one of our children completed the course - a great achievement by each and every one of you.
The children demonstrated great determination, perseverance, team spirit and resilience. We were so proud of you all.
Special mention to the children below who came in the first 100 for their respective year groups.
Language of the Half Term
At St Joseph's School we are proud of our diversity and the vast number of languages spoken by our families.
At St Joseph's, every half term, we celebrate the languages besides English which are spoken at home by some of our pupils.
Each half term, we try to learn a few useful phrases and words, to answer the register and say "please" and "thank you" and "hello" and "goodbye" in our chosen language.
The child/children who speak the chosen language will help their classmates learn the correct pronunciation and will share picture books written in their home language as well as in English.
These are the languages for this half term:
EYFS: Romanian Year 1: French Year 2: Polish Year 3: Arabic Year 4: Italian Year 5: Spanish Year 6: German
Anti-Bullying Week 13.11.23
Anti-Bullying Week 2023 takes place this week. This week's theme is "Make a noise about bullying!"
To launch Anti-Bullying Week at St Joseph's, we are taking part in "Odd Socks Day"- celebrating that we are all different and unique- and sharing the core values that Anti-Bullying Week promotes.
Have a look on each class page to see what they have been up to during the week.
Remembrance Day: 10.11.23
On Friday, we came together as a school family for a special Remembrance Day Assembly. We stood together for a 2 minute silence and also had time during the assembly for reflection.
Each class wrote a special message on a poppy which was read out by a class member, to commemorate those who have lost their lives during war and conflict.
Congratulations to Elijah (Year 2) and Tate (Year 5) who have visited Mrs Foan for the third time this week to share their amazing work and to talk about their learning.
We are so proud of you both.
Congratulations to these amazing STARS who we celebrated with during Friday afternoon's assembly. It is always lovely to hear what your teachers have to say about you all.
EYFS: Donovan Year 1: Coby Year 2: Mal Year 3: Honey Year 4: Antonia Year 5: Rhianna Year 6: Emellia and Frankie
Wow! Children - you have been demonstrating positive learning behaviours this week and collecting LOTS of DOJOS!
Congratulations to the YELLOW Team - who collected the most DOJOS this week.
1. YELLOW - 248 2. BLUE - 255 3. RED-248 4. GREEN - 235
PE: 10.11.23
It is lovely to see the high quality physical education curriculum we have at St Joseph's in action! Here are a few photos from this week's KS1 handball and KS2 hockey lessons demonstrating a broad range of skills.
It is great to see the engagement and the key PE learning characteristics such as determination, teamwork and resilience being demonstrated in our PE curriculum lessons across the school.
School in the dark: 9.11.23
The Reception Class's topic this half term is called "Night And Day." Miss Hardy and Mrs Mulholland invited their class to come back to school tonight to see the school in the dark!
They explored the school by torchlight and went outside into the school grounds to follow a trail! They were warmed up with a hot chocolate and marshmallows they had toasted on the fire, before going home. What an exciting experience!
Pictures to follow on the Reception Class page.
Netball Tournament: 9.11.23
Miss Azor and Mrs Greener took a squad of ten Year 5 and 6 children to Brighton University this afternoon for a Stinger Netball Tournament.
They took part in a variety of skills-based activities and then applied these skills in game situations.
Special mention must go to Maisie and Frankie who were picked out from all the schools for demonstrating the School Games quality of "determination."
POWer Projects
We have been SO impressed with the POWer Projects you have been completing at home!
As part of their History learning about space (as part of the overall theme of Pioneers) one of Year 2's POWer Project home learning tasks was to create a model of a chosen planet or the solar system.
Skye has created a fantastic 3D model showing the position and relative sizes of all of the planets. She even included a small electrical circuit to light up the sun!
Year 4 Outdoor Learning: 9.11.23
Year 4 dodged the showers today for their outdoor learning experience for this half term.
One of their activities was to work as a group to create a "firework display" from natural objects. The children performed the display to music with such creative flair and with amazing energy!
Here are a few photos. More information about the other activities they took part in and more pictures to follow on the Year 4 page.
Year 3 Trip: 7.11.23
To support and enhance their History learning, Year 3 are visiting Brighton Museum to find out about Brighton in the Stone Age.
The children had a hands - on experience, solving puzzles, handled 5000 year old artefacts, became Stone-Age traders and listened to Sussex folklore stories just like their ancient ancestors did!
Here are a few pictures. More to follow on the Year 3 class page.
Congratulations to this week's STARS - the first ones of this half-term.
It is always lovely to share your successes and celebrate together as a school family in Friday's Assembly. We are very proud of you all.
EYFS: King Year 1: Adam Year 2: Olivia Year 3: Eliana Year 4: Lilly-Mae Year 5: Wiktor Year 6: Freya
Here are these week's DOJO totals. Congratulations to the RED team who collected the most DOJOS this week.
1. RED - 251 2. GREEN - 226 3. BLUE - 199 4. YELLOW - 160
POWer Projects
It has been lovely to see the activities the children have been taking part in at home, linked to their History and Geography learning in school.
Thank you to everyone who sent in pictures of their activities. Please keep sending them in via the myhomework email address.
Here are a few photos:
Year 3 pupils created replica stone age caves and made a stone age dice game. One of our Year 4 pupils visited Fishbourne Roman Palace to support and enhance their learning around "Roman Rule."
As part of their learning about Pioneers, Year 2 were challenged to create a bridge, create a 3D model of a planet and to write a diary entry as an astronaut!
French Culture Week :19.10.23
The last week of each half term is based around a different aspect of French culture. This half term, the focus is on the work of French artists or art based around famous French landmarks.
Year 6 looked at the well-known "Waterlilies" by Monet and tried to recreate similar effects and colours using watercolours and different techniques.
Year 4 used the work of Jean Debuffet as a stimulus to create their own portraits of each other.
Have a look on each KS2 class page to see what French art, the children learnt about.
Attendance
As you will know, attendance is a key priority here at St Joseph's and we are always striving to improve our attendance and punctuality.
In our most recent attendance review just before half term, we were delighted that nearly 50% of our pupils achieved 100% attendance for the first half term.
This is a great start to the school year. Thank you parents and carers for supporting us with this drive to improve attendance.
Spelling Awards: 19.10.23
Spelling is one of our key priorities here at St Joseph's. We have been so impressed with the many children this half-term who are consistently scoring 100% in their weekly spelling challenges and also with those children who have improved greatly.
This fantastic achievement was acknowledged during Celebration Assembly and these children should have come home with a special spelling badge. Thank you parents and carers for your support with improving spelling.
The final DOJOS for this half term have been counted!
1. GREEN - 284 2. YELLOW - 280 3. RED - 264 4. BLUE - 259
Congratulations to the GREEN team who collected the most DOJOS this week and who were the overall DOJO champions for this first half term.
Congratulations to our final STARS of this first half term. It was lovely to celebrate with you during Thursday's Celebration Assembly. We are very proud of you all.
EYFS: Lea Year 1: Penelope Year 2: Elijah Year 3: Harvey Year 4: Sylvia Year 5: Maisie Year 6: Eddy
African Drumming Workshops: 18.10.23
During the month of October, classes across the school have been celebrating, recognising and reflecting on the history, achievements and contributions of black people.
To culminate Black History Month, we were joined in school by Patrick who ran African drumming workshops with each class.
Year 3 Outdoor Learning: 18.10.23
Our Year 3 Class were the final class to take part in an Outdoor Learning Day this first half term.
Have a look on the Year 3 class page to see what they did. Here are a few pictures:
Head Teacher Challenge
Mrs Foan has been delighted with the posters advertising our school that you have been creating for her Head Teacher Challenge.
With Open Days coming up in November, we want to share the message that St Joseph's is a wonderful school and your posters certainly do that! We love your catchy slogans, photographs and eye-catching drawings and lettering.
Thank you to all of the children who have brought in a poster so far. If you would like to help us advertise our fantastic school, please bring in your posters by this Thursday (19th)
October is Black History Month. It is a time to enjoy, acknowledge and celebrate the continued achievements and contributions of black people in the UK and around the world.
Our School Council came up with some suggestions for each class to research including Rosa Parks, Stormzy, Walter Tull, Mary Seacole, Marcus Rashford and Sara Forbes Bonetta.
Each class shared the achievements and contributions in a special assembly this morning. Thank you to those parents and carers who were able to join us.
Year 4 created a wonderful display celebrating Black History Month after finding out about Mae Jemison and her achievements.
Harvest Mass
Our Faith Council and Mrs Foan went to Cardinal Newman School this morning for a Harvest Mass with other feeder primary schools who are part of the Newman Family of Schools.
They made a Harvest fruit, representing our thanks to God for providing the food we need and collaboratively, as a group of local schools, sharing their hope for a fair Harvest across the world that can be feasted on by all.
Congratulations to Skye and Kowen who have shared their amazing work with Mrs Foan three times during the last six weeks! What an achievement - we are so proud of you both!
The DOJOS are in and have been counted! We have one week left of this half term so keep demonstrating those positive learning behaviours and collecting DOJOS!
1. GREEN - 351 2. YELLOW - 348 3. RED - 329 4. BLUE - 322
We are so proud of all of this week's STARS and enjoyed hearing the things your teachers had to say about you! It is lovely to share your successes as a school family in Friday's Celebration Assembly.
EYFS: Kaelan Year 1: RJ Year 2: Freddie Year 3: Hannah Year 4: Sihas Year 5: Year 6: Finn
Year 4 Trip: 11.10.23
As part of their History theme, "Roman Rule," Year 4 visited Brighton Museum to uncover the story of Brighton during the Roman period.
The children had the opportunities to investigate life in Roman Brighton , investigate the death of a local woman, uncover what life was like before the Romans and get to see some Roman artefacts up close.
More pictures to follow on the Year 4 class page.
Year 2 Outdoor Learning: 9.10.23
Year 2 were very lucky with the weather on their first Outdoor Learning Day of this year.
The children took part in an Autumn Hunt, made bug houses and created some transient art around the text "Where The Wild Things Are."
More pictures to follow on the Year 2 class page.
World Mental Health Day: 10.10.23
World Mental Health Day is about raising awareness of mental health and driving positive change for everyone’s mental health. It’s also a chance to talk about mental health, how we need to look after it, and how important it is to get help if you are struggling.
Promoting positive mental health and wellbeing runs through all we do, at St Joseph's, but each class did take part in a special activity today to show support and mark the importance of World Mental Health Day.
Year 2 blew up balloons and then wrote their worries on them. They then let those worries be taken away with the balloon.
Have a look on each class page to see the activities they took part in this week.
Attendance Support:
Please click HERE for a flyer with details of upcoming Attendance sessions taking place in some of the family hubs in the city. These are drop-in sessions and there is no need to book.
These sessions offer an opportunity for parents and carers to share any concerns they may have about their child's attendance.
You will be able to meet with an Attendance Officer from Brighton and Hove City Council and a Family Support Worker from the School's Mental Health Service to explore what support can be offered.
Year 1 Trip : 6.10.23
As part of their History learning, Year 1 have been out to visit Hove Toy Museum , putting some of their classroom learning about toys from the past into context.
The children took part in a workshop and got to see a range of toys from the past including Victorian dolls and old teddy bears. They learnt about toys children would have made themselves and played with in the street.
They also had a hands-on session playing with toys that were used by the Vallance family who used to live on the property where the museum now stands. Finally, the children visited The Wizard's Attic!
After their visit they had a picnic lunch in the glorious October sunshine before returning to school.
More pictures and information are on the Year 1 page.
Here are this week's DOJO totals:
1. RED - 402 2. BLUE - 399 3. GREEN - 386 4. YELLOW - 381
Congratulations to the RED team for collecting the most DOJOS for the second week running!
Congratulations to our STARS this week. It is lovely to celebrate with you and your family members. We are very proud of each and every one of you!
EYFS: Elran Year 1 : Enzo Year 2: Skye Year 3: Eira Year 4: George J Year 5: Amelia V Year 6: Blessing
Rugby Union Festival: 5.10.23
Today, we took a squad of eight Year 5 and 6 girls to Hove Rugby Club today to take part in a Rugby Union Festival. The event was about participation and about having a go in a safe and fun environment.
The children took part in some warm up activities led by Sports Leaders from Cardinal Newman and then took part in some friendly matches against other schools.
Our girls were brilliant-displaying the School Games Values such determination, resilience and teamwork. We were very proud of you all.
Special mention must go to Alicia in Year 6 who was picked out by the leaders for showing great determination and good sportsmanship.
Year 1 Outdoor Learning: 5.10.23
Year 1 had their first outdoor learning day of this school year today and took part in several cross-curricular activities in the great outdoors!
Here are a few photos. More to follow on the Year 1 page shortly.
Harvest ..... a time to give.
Harvest is a time to say thank you to God for all the good things he gives us and a time to remind ourselves to share some of what we have with those less fortunate.
Brighton and Hove City Mission are coming in to our assembly on Thursday to talk about the work they do in the local community and how our donations to the Brighton Food Bank will help.
Once again, our families have been so generous. Thank you for supporting this cause.
Thank you to the members of the Faith Council who organised and coordinated our Harvest collection and who also helped load up the car with all the produce!
Mental Health and Wellbeing Support
Please click HERE for more information about webinars offered by CAMHS and Partner Organisations for parents and carers to help support children and young people with their mental health. Use the QR code to book tickets.
The webinars offer support with ADHD, Building Self-Esteem and Resilience, Depression and OCD.
We are proud to be supporting MacMillan's "World's Biggest Coffee Morning," today, raising funds to support those affected by cancer.
We sent out an invitation to join us at 2.15 pm in school hall for a "cuppa and a cake" and were delighted by the response! In fact, we were so busy, we didn't have time to take any photos!
Thank you for your generous cake contributions and for supporting today's event. All donations will go to MacMillan and our support will help those living with cancer.
Thanks to your generosity, we raised an amazing £248!
Today, we are celebrating Grandparents' Day in school. Grandparents (and honorary Grandparents) have been invited into classes to spend some time on an activity with their grandchildren - these included Art, French, Drama, Bingo and lots more!
It is always lovely to see the wonderful connections between the generations. Today provided an opportunity to celebrate the fantastic contribution our Grandparents make to our lives.
What an amazing turnout! Thank you to all the Grandparents who were able to join us today. Those Grandparents who were not able to join us were very much in our thoughts.
PE across the school
It is lovely to see the high quality physical education curriculum we have at St Joseph's in action! Here are a few photos from this week's Year 5 and 6 tag rugby and basketball lessons demonstrating a broad range of skills.
Congratulations to two children , who today receive a Head Teacher's certificate, for sharing 3 pieces of excellent work with Mrs Foan and in the first four weeks of term!
Well done to Harlie (Year 6) and Honey (Year 3) We are very proud of both of you.
Here are this week's DOJO totals:
1. RED - 476 2. YELLOW- 429 3. GREEN - 392 4. BLUE - 333
Congratulations to the RED team - this week's champion DOJO collectors!
Congratulations to this week's STARS. It was lovely to hear what your teachers had to say about you and also to have our first STAR from the EYFS class! Well done all of you:
EYFS: Ronnie-Rose Year 1: Mina Year 2: Maryam Year 3: Isla B Year 4: Emanuel Year 5: Brandon Year 6: Ibiye
First Holy Communion Meeting : 27.9.23
Thank you to those parents and carers who were able to join us yesterday for a meeting sharing information for those children interested in making their first Holy Communion (Year 3 and above)
Julia, who runs the programme at St Joseph's Church, was on hand to answer any questions and provide more information about the programme.
"For children wishing to receive their first Holy Communion, we run an annual programme of preparation, usually beginning in October and concluding in July. In the sessions, the children come to know more about Jesus, and about developing a relationship with him in the Mass and Reconciliation."
To register your interest, please click HERE
Outdoor Learning: 26.9.23
Our EYFS children had their first outdoor learning experience today - and what fun they had exploring the mud kitchen and the natural environment! Here are a few photos. More to follow on the EYFS class page.
Our New Starters: 26.9.23
It is lovely to see how well our children in the EYFS have settled in. They are now well into their second week of full-time school and are becoming used to the new routines and expectations at school.
Here are a few photos of the children in their learning environment. More to follow on the EYFS page (St Anne's Class)
Congratulations to the BLUE team who just pipped the GREEN team to the post with this week's DOJO totals!
1. BLUE - 447 2. GREEN - 445 3. RED - 375 4. YELLOW - 336
Congratulations to this week's STARS. As always, it is lovely to hear what your teachers have to say about you in Celebration Assembly.
Year 1: Lyla-Mae Year 2: Mark Year 3: Shania Year 4: Sindy Year 5: Natalia Year 6: Julian
Welcome Mass: 21.9.23
This morning we celebrated Mass with Father Kieron. It was wonderful to come together as a whole school for such a special occasion - to welcome our new Reception children and their families into our St Joseph's family.
Thank you children for your contributions in reading and singing. Our new Reception Class received a special keepsake each and were formally and spiritually welcomed into our school community.
Welcome to all of our new families too. We look forward to working together over the next few years.
Thank you to all of the parents and carers who came along to join us this morning for the Welcome Mass and for coffee and biscuits afterwards.
Year 2 Trip: 20.9.23
To support and enhance their History learning, Year 2 visited Preston Manor and Preston Park. They learnt about the jobs servants in Victorian times would do and what life was like for them. They looked the part dressed in Victorian attire!
In Preston Manor, the Year 2 children assisted with some of the daily duties like sweeping, laying the table, polishing cutlery, folding napkins and making beds!
After their visit, the children had lunch in Preston Park. After finding out about different toys from the Victorian era, the children realised how lucky they are nowadays and enjoyed spending time in the play park of today- despite the windy weather!
More photos to follow on the Year 2 page shortly.
National Fitness Day : 20.9.23
National Fitness Day 2023 took place today on Wednesday 20th September and provides an opportunity to highlight the role physical activity plays across the UK, helping us raise awareness of its importance in assisting us to lead healthier lifestyles.
The focus is to view this day as just one step in a much bigger journey. Because after all, your health is for life.
Miss Pippa organised some fun fitness games and physical activities during Year 5 and 6's PE lessons to support the day's aims.
The children won prizes for their effort, stamina and determination.
Outdoor Learning: 19.9.23
Year 5 spent part of the day today in our Outdoor Learning Environment. They played team games, designed and created habitats for their Greek pets and created Greek crowns!
Here are a few photos. More to follow on the Year 5 class page.
For our Year 6 pupils and families, please click HERE to see all of the local Secondary School upcoming Open Days/Evenings, which are taking place over the next few weeks.
The closing date for applications to transfer to secondary school in September 2024 is the 31st October 2023.
Amazing Art: 15.9.23
As part of their Art learning, during today's lesson, Year 6 composed a close-up photograph of a natural form.
Using fruit and vegetables, they took photographs and then cropped and edited them to create images inspired by the work of Edward Weston. They learnt what the terms "macro" and "monochromatic" mean.
Here are a few of their compositions:
House Captains
Year 6 are proving to be great ambassadors for the school and today the House Captains were selected. We have many roles and responsibilities available for our Year 6 pupils throughout the year which we know they will rise to.
The House Captains are as follows:
BLUE - Emellia and Legend RED - Junior and Alicia YELLOW - Eddy and Finn GREEN - Julian and Blessing
Congratulations to our STARS of Week 2! It was lovely to celebrate with you and your family and friends during Friday's Assembly.
Year 1: Simon Year 2: Lottie Year 3: Tealaa-Rose Year 4: Leona Year 5: Zachary Year 6: Alicia
Wow children! You have been busy this week earning DOJOS! Well done to each and every one of you for your contribution to the totals.
Congratulations to the GREEN Team - this week's highest DOJO collectors!
1. GREEN - 435 2. BLUE - 420 3. YELLOW - 419 4. RED - 413
Outdoor Learning
Two of our classes have been lucky to have their first outdoor learning day during this beautiful weather. Have a look on the Year 4 and Year 6 class pages to see what they have been up to!
This year's School Council have been elected by their classmates to represent them and their views. At St Joseph's, we believe it is important to have structures in place which allow pupils to have a real say in issues that affect them and to know that their opinions count. Our School Council is one way of enabling this pupil voice.
Our School Council meet regularly, with a member of School staff as facilitator.
This year's representatives making up our School Council are:
Year 1 - Blake and Lyla Year 2 - Skye and Riley Year 3 - Yasmin and Ronnie Year 4 - Leona and Audrey Year 5 - Harry Year 6 - Blessing and Lily Jo and Julian (Secretary)
Pictures to follow on the PUPILS page where you will find more information about our School Council.
Stunning Starts!
Several more classes have launched their History and Geography learning this week with a "stunning start!"
Dressed in Roman attire, the children in Year 4 worked in groups to create "Roman Roads" by following a series of instructions. The tasks required good teamwork skills and the final solution revealed the topic title for Year 4 - "ROMAN RULE."
Dressed as stone-age people, Year 3 used their hands and natural objects in our outdoor area to make stone-age dwellings and tools.
Education Sunday : 10.9.23
Today is Education Sunday and it was lovely to see our pupils (looking very smart in their school uniform) and their families, in church as part of our local community.
The children read the bidding prayers clearly and sang our St Joseph's School song beautifully. Their behaviour and contributions to the service were commented on by several parishioners.
Coming together today on Education Sunday was a reminder to all members of the Catholic community of the importance of education to the Catholic mission.
Congratulations to our Year 1 Class who were the only class to achieve 100% attendance during our first week back!
This is a great start to the new school year - well done to our Year 1 pupils and their parents and carers.
It has been lovely walking around the school and seeing the children so engaged in their new classes, demonstrating positive learning behaviours during this first week back and collecting lots of DOJOS!
Here are the results for the first week back:
1. YELLOW - 220 2. GREEN - 194 3. RED- 180 4. BLUE-160
Congratulations to our first STARS of this academic year. It was lovely to celebrate with you and hear the wonderful things your teachers had to say about you after just one week back at school!
Year 1 - Halle Year 2 - Lealand Year 3 - Kira Year 4 - Floyd Year 5 - John Year 6 -Junior-Jay
Language of the half term
At St Joseph's School, we are proud of our diversity and the vast number of languages spoken by our families.
At St Joseph's, every half term, we celebrate the languages besides English which are spoken at home by some of our pupils.
Each half term, we try to learn a few useful phrases and words, to answer the register and say "please" and "thank you" and "hello" and "goodbye" in our chosen language. The child/children who speak the chosen language will help their classmates learn the correct pronunciation and will share picture books written in their home language as well as in English.
These are the languages for this half term:
EYFS - Romanian Year 1 - Slovakian Year 2 - Arabic Year 3 - Chinese Year 4 - Welsh Year 5 - Greek Year 6 - Portuguese
Stunning Starts!
As we head towards the end of the first week of term, it is lovely to see the children so settled and engaged in their learning.
Some classes have been introduced to their History or Geography based topic through a theme launch and topic tables have been set up with books and artefacts for the children to explore. The other classes have this to look forward to next week.
As part of their History and Geography learning "Groovy Greeks" Year 5 came to school dressed as Ancient Greeks, took part in some Greek related activities and sampled some Greek food such as feta, olives and pitta bread with tzatziki.
As an introduction to their "Toys" topic, Year 1 enjoyed a picnic and some bear-related games with a special cuddly toy or teddy bear!
Welcome back to another exciting new school year at St Joseph's. The children have settled back in exceptionally well and are looking smart in their uniforms.
A warm welcome to all of our children and their families, but especially to those children who have just joined the St Joseph's family - the children in the Reception Class and a few other children across the school. We are delighted you have chosen to join us here and we look forward to getting to know you and your families over the coming weeks.
Thank you generally to all of our wonderful parents and carers for your kind messages, cards and gifts. We have really appreciated your support this year. Have a wonderful summer break and we look forward to working with you again in September.
We look forward to welcoming the children back on Monday 4th September 2023
In the afternoon, they had the traditional shirt signing and they finished the day with our traditional St Joseph's "Farewell Tunnel" send off in the playground.
Year 6 - We will never forget you! Keep in touch and let us know how you get on in the future. Good Luck!
Goodbye Year 6: 21.7.23
Our Year 6 pupils had a lovely final day today. They started off the day with the Leavers' Achievers' assembly. The end of year awards were then given out - congratulations to each and every one of the Year 6 pupils - you are ALL winners in our eyes.
Here are a few of them:
Mathematician of the year: Archie, Personality (voted by classmates) Sergio, Sporting girl - Tegan and Head Teacher's award - Vera
Thank you to all of the parents and carers who were able to join us this morning.
100% Attendance
We were delighted to present three children with 100% attendance medals at the end of the academic year - well done to Miya, Mark and Finn for being in school every single day since September 1st 2022!
We also had 62 children who have managed 100% attendance for the second half of the Summer Term. Those children received a sticker and a treat.
Attendance remains a key priority at St Joseph's - thank you for your ongoing support with this.
Congratulations to Theo (Year 4) who received a Head Teacher pencil for sharing nine pieces of good work with Mrs Foan this year!
Congratulations also to Kira who received a Head Teacher medal for her entry into Mrs Foan's HT challenge to design a "Safe in the Sun summer accessory.
Year 3 - Bluebell Railway : 20.7.23
As part of their History learning around transport through the ages, Year 3 visited the Bluebell Railway - one of the first preserved heritage lines in the country and one of the finest collections of vintage steam locomotives and carriages.
Their visit included a ride on a steam train including going up on the plate, having a look around the museum, and seeing how the signal box worked.
Pictures will follow on the Year 3 class page.
Goodbyes : 20.7.23
As well as our Year 6 pupils, we are also saying goodbye to two long serving members of staff - Mrs Thompson and Mrs Hill. Each class had made a card and prepared a small tribute to wish them on their way.
This morning, we had a special assembly dedicated to Mrs Thompson and Mrs Hill. It is always lovely to come together as a school family on occasions such as these and a wonderful opportunity to give Mrs Thompson and Mrs Hill the send off they deserve.
Thank you Mrs Thompson and Mrs Hill - we will miss you both and wish you all the best in the future.
Green Team Celebration: 20.7.23
The green team got together this afternoon to celebrate being the top DOJO collectors of the year. They enjoyed a refreshing ice lolly and celebrated their success together!
Well done to each and every one of you for your contribution to the DOJO totals.
Year 6 Prom : 19.7.23
This evening was our Year 6 Leaver's Prom. Thank you to the FOSJ's for organising this event. The school hall looked amazing as did the children in Year 6!
The children enjoyed party food, karaoke, dancing and had a wonderful evening together: another lasting memory of their time at St Joseph's.
Football Tournament: 19.7.23
Our Year 5 and 6 classes finished their PE lessons this year with a mixed football tournament. The teams were made up of Year 5 and 6 pupils and in this afternoon's tournament we had: The Albion, Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham!
Thank you Miss Pippa for organising this football finale for Years 5 and 6.
Year 5 trip to Wagamamas: 18.7.23
Our Year 5 children had a treat today - they caught the number 50 bus and visited Wagamamas in Brighton.
The children learnt about the different items on the Wagamama's menu, sampled a refreshing juice made from different fruits and vegetables and made their own noodle dish.
The students had a great experience learning about what goes into a healthy, tasty meal and all took home a goodie bag containing an apron, a chef's hat and some recipes.
We are very grateful to Wagamamas in Brighton for giving our children this exciting experience.
Leavers' Mass: 18.7.23
Today, was the beginning of our week of goodbyes to our Year 6 pupils and we were joined by Father Kieron to celebrate our Year 6 thanksgiving Leavers' Mass.
Our school year is drawing to its conclusion and so this morning we gathered together as a school community to celebrate and give thanks for all the blessings we have received.
Todays Leavers' Mass was a time for reflection by our Year 6 pupils, both to remember and to look forward to new schools, new friends and new beginnings.
Summer Fair : 14.7.23
Today, we held our annual Summer Festival, organised by the FOSJ's. Drizzle and wind did not deter us!
We are very grateful to Sheree and all of the FOSJ's team for their hard work and dedication in helping raise funds to support and enhance our pupils' school experience. Without their help and enthusiasm, these events would not be able to take place and we would not be able to raise vital funds for the school.
Thank you also to the staff for helping run the stalls and to the parents, carers, pupils, families and friends for coming along to support our Summer Festival. It was another fantastic community event.
Thank you again, for supporting today's event. We are delighted to announce that £1305 was taken - giving us a healthy profit.!
Congratulations to the following children who have been to Mrs Foan and shared three amazing pieces of work with her recently:
Coby (Reception) Anna, Riley, Marco (Year 1) Mila, Crina, Leo, Yasmin, Isla B (Year 2) Nirvana (Year 3) Luca (Year 4) Finn and Lily-Jo (Year 5)
We are very proud of you all.
This is the last week of collecting DOJOS for the academic year - children , you having been amazing this year and it has been lovely to see you receiving DOJOS for demonstrating positive learning behaviours.
These are the final results for this week and the winners for the half-term and the overall winners for the year!
1. GREEN - 266 2. BLUE- 254 3. YELLOW - 251 4. RED- 238
Summer 2 Champions: GREEN
Top DOJO collectors for the year: GREEN and RED. There will be a tie break to decide the overall winners.
Children in the winning house will receive a treat next week.
These are our final STARS for the school year: it was lovely to hear what your teachers had to say about you as we draw to the end of another year.
Reception: Olivia Year 1: Whitney Year 2: Leo Year 3: Yi Cheng Year 4: Tiana Year 5: Eliana Year 6: Misty
Spanish Art: 12.7.23
As you know, our KS2 pupils study French. Each half term, they study an aspect of French culture and study art work relating to this.
In the final two weeks of term, we are introducing a taster session of Spanish and alongside that, the children have been introduced to Spanish artists by Mrs Hill.
Year 6 painted their own version of a piece by Pablo Picasso and Year 4 studied and recreated a work of Salvador Dali.
Here are a few of their pieces.
Year 1 Trip: 12.7.23
As a fantastic finish for their History topic "Flight" this term, Year 1 went to Stanmer Park to attempt to fly the kites they had made. Luckily for them, it was very windy!
They walked to Moulsecoomb, caught the train to Falmer and took part in a variety of History and Science related activities, had a picnic and a quick play in the play area before catching the train back to school.
Here are a few photos. More to follow on the Year 1 class page.
UKS2 Sports: 12.7.23
This afternoon was the turn of our Year 5 and 6 pupils to celebrate the end of term with their UKS2 Sports Event. They had the wind to contend with but took part enthusiastically in a range of track and field events.
Again, it was lovely to witness such a positive and supportive team spirit and also to see great skill, determination, perseverance and resilience.
Thank you to Miss Pippa for organising both KS2 events this week and to the parents and carers who were able to come along to support their children and for those who took part in the parents/carers races!
Congratulations again to the BLUE team - this afternoon's and the overall KS2 winning team.
Year 5 Trip: 12.7.23
Year 5 were invited to Patcham High School today to see their annual production of "All Shook Up"- a musical extravaganza. The children thoroughly enjoyed the experience filled with "electrifying music, hilarious comedy and a whole lot of heart!"
We really appreciate Patcham High School inviting us and other local primary schools to see their production.
Year 6 Production: 11.7.23
Today, our Year 6 class put on their end of year production of The Wizard of Oz, firstly to the rest of the school and then to their family members.
The heart warming adaptation of the well loved story was performed with passion, talent and energy and was another wonderful celebration of the end of St Joseph's journey for our Year 6 pupils.
Mice, monkeys and munchkins, as well as the well-known characters - you were all amazing!
Thank you to the pupils and the Year 6 staff team for their combined efforts in putting the show together. Parents and carers - you are in for a treat this evening!
Drusillas Trip: 11.7.23
To support and enhance their Science learning this half term around animals, their offspring, their habitats, their diets and their adaptations, Year 2 visited Drusillas for the day.
They had a fantastic day with lots of Science learning and opportunities to get up close to different animals. They also had the opportunity to have a ride on the Safari Express, play in the play area and cool down in the Splash Zone.
Here are a few pictures. More to follow on Year 2's class page.
LKS2 Sports: 10.7.23
This afternoon, our Year 3 and 4 children took part in their Lower Key Stage 2 Sports. It was lovely to see so many of our positive learning behavious demonstrated such as determination, resilience and good sportsmanship, as well as skill and competitiveness.
Thank you to Miss Pippa for organising today's track and field events and to those parents and carers who were able to come along and support their children this afternoon.
Congratulations to the BLUE team our lower Key Stage 2 winners today!
First Holy Communions
Congratulations to Chidera and Sylvia who made their first Holy Communions last weekend. Thank you for sharing pictures of this special and momentous occasion with us.
On Monday, in school, the children wore their special outfits and we celebrated their First Holy Communions as a school family. The children invited a couple of friends and family members to share in the Communion Breakfast celebrations afterwards.
Year 4 Outdoor Learning:
Year 4 had a glorious day for their final outdoor learning session of the year. They made cross-curricular links making visual representations of clocks and did some Hapa Zome - an ancient Japanese art form based on leaf printing.
Here are a few pictures. More to follow on the Year 4 page.
Walk To School Festival: 6.7.23
We had a surprise visit from Piers the Meerkat today who came into school to see and celebrate how well our children have been doing this week with trying to walk, scoot or ride all of the way or part of the way to school.
Piers was so impressed when he saw the charts in each classroom and he loved meeting the children and seeing them in their learning environment.
KS1 Sports Day: 4.7.23
This morning was our KS1 Sport's Day. The children demonstrated skill and it was lovely to see their enthusiasm and energy while taking part in a variety of activities. Thank you parents and carers for coming along this morning to support your children.
Congratulations to this year's winners - the RED team!
Year 4 Trip : 3.7.23
Year 4 visited the Old Police Cells in Brighton today in the basement of Brighton's Town Hall. This visit, to support and enhance their History learning, gave them the opportunity to see the old cells, try on some pieces of uniform and handle some items as well as learning about individuals who had been in the cells and well-known Brighton Policemen and women.
Here are a few photos. More to follow on the Year 4 page.
Year 5 Trip :30.6.23
To support and enhance their learning, Year 5 went to Preston Park to visit the clock tower. Year 5 have just started reading 'Clockwork' by Phillip Pullman, which contains a great description of different parts of a clock and includes 'Glockenheim' a German town with a mysterious clock.
In art, Year 5 have finished their learning around monuments, structures and architecture. As an assessment of these skills and the techniques learnt, the children were challenged with drawing the great clock in Preston Park.
More pictures to follow on the Year 5 page
Military Fitness: 30.6.23
Our KS 2 classes were fortunate to experience team based fitness, fun and challenging military style activities today, involving camouflage nets, tug of war, games and bodyweight exercises.
The sessions reinforced positivity and encouraged a "can do" attitude. They helped the children to challenge themselves physically and mentally, both individually and as part of a team whilst also reinforcing confidence and self worth.
Congratulations to this week's STARS. It was lovely to hear what your class teachers had to say about each of you this week and share your successes in Celebration Assembly.
Reception: Lucus Year 1: Riley Year 2: Hannah Year 3: Scarlet Year 4: Theo Year 5: Eliana Year 6: Mark
1. YELLOW - 203 2. RED- 197 3. BLUE - 192 4. GREEN - 189
Head Teacher Awards:
Congratulations to these children who have received a Head Teacher's certificate during today's assembly. It was lovely to celebrate with you. We are so proud of you all.
Halle (Reception) Lily May and Honey (Year 2) Mini and Divine (Year 6)
Reception Picnic: 28.6.23
It was lovely to meet our new Reception starters and their families this afternoon again for a picnic. We are looking forward to welcoming them and their families again in September.
Year 3 Trip: 28.6.23
For his half terms outdoor learning experience, Year 3 visited the "Dew Pond" in our local area of Hollingdean.
Here are a few photos: More to follow on the Year 3 class page.
Leavers' Hoodies: 28.6.23
Our Year 6 children received their leavers' hoodies today - thank you to Mrs Jones for organising this.
The children looked so smart and today has reminded us how little time our Year 6's have left at St Joseph's and how much we need to fit in to the next three and a half weeks!
Year 2 Trip: 27.6.23
As part of their History learning, Year 2 visited Preston Manor and Preston Park. They learnt about the jobs servants in Victorian times would do and what life was like for them.
Our Year 2 children even assisted with some of the daily duties like sweeping, laying the table, polishing cutlery and making beds.
After their visit, the children had lunch in Preston Park. After finding out about different toys from the Victorian era, the children realised how lucky they are and spent time in the play park of today!
Here are a few photos. More pictures to follow on the Year 2 page.
PGL : 23.6.23
Our Year 6 class have had a wonderful residential experience this weekend. They were a pleasure to take away showing determination, resilience, perseverance, good sportsmanship and respect at all times.
The weather was HOT, the activities were CHALLENGING and the children were AMAZING!
Mrs Skinner, Miss Pippa, Miss Redmond and Mrs Jones were very proud of each and every one of you. Here are a few photos:
Saturday morning - archery and trapeze. Saturday afternoon - Sensory trail and climbing wall.
Sunday morning - abseiling and fencing.
Sunday afternoon - giant swing and raft building
More pictures to follow on the Year 6 page soon.
We are excited to be taking part in the first Brighton & Hove Walking Festival- a chance to celebrate the joy of walking and all its benefits. The Walking Festival is the perfect opportunity to explore or rediscover the city and its surroundings.
The festival runs from Saturday 24th June up until Sunday 9th July. We are encouraging children and their families to take part in some of the organised walking festival walks or to try to walk to and from school during this period.
Each class will have charts and stickers to document their walking achievements!
Click HERE for more information about the walking festival.
Reception Class Trip :23.6.23
As part of this half-term's learning around the theme, "Under The Sea," the Reception Class went rock-pooling at Rottingdean! They also went on the i360 getting a bird's eye view of Brighton, had a play in the play area and enjoyed an ice cream!
Pictures to follow on the EYFS class page.
Congratulations to this week's STARS - it was lovely to celebrate with you and hear what your teachers had to say about you this week.
Reception: Eli Year 1: Skye Year 2: Eira Year 3: Sylvia Year 4: Chidera Year 5: Tia Year 6: Peter
Congratulations to this week's DOJO champions: the BLUES!
1. BLUE: 186 2. RED: 175 3.YELLOW: 169 4. GREEN: 162
Art Workshop: 23.6.23
Some of our Year 5 pupils were invited to an art workshop this week called "Collectarium" around the theme, "How do you feel?" at the Phoenix Gallery. The children had the opportunity to look around the exhibition and to take part in a mask-making workshop.
Good Shepherd Celebration: 22.6.23
Today, Mrs Foan and Mrs Cox and four children attended the Diocesan Good Shepherd Celebration. Every year, the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton invites all of its schools to a special celebration of the Good Shepherd - this year it was held at Arundel Cathedral, celebrating its 150th anniversary and was led by Bishop Richard.
Each school took a personalised sheep - ours looked very smart in its St Joseph's school jumper! Afterwards, we were invited to take away another school's sheep.
It was lovely for all the schools in the Diocese to come together for this celebration.
Withdean Athletics: 21.6.23
This Wednesday, we took a squad of 33 athletes to Withdean Stadium for the Small Schools Athletics Competition. The children took part in a variety of track and field events.
We were so proud of every single one of our competitors - who all showed determination, perseverance, resilience and great sportsmanship!
We came third overall in our division! Thank you to Miss Pippa for organising and coordinating today.
Pizza Express: 20.6.23
Year 6 had a trip out today , taking the bus into town and then visiting Pizza Express! They learnt about good food, tasted a range of fresh ingredients, and of course, made authentic, Italian pizzas.
The children were shown by the pizzaiolo (pizza chef) how to make a famous, Italian classic: the Margherita. They kneaded the dough to create the perfect base. They then topped their base with Pizza Express's famous passata sauce, mozzarella and basil.
Whilst their pizzas were cooking in the giant pizza oven, the children took part in an ingredients quiz - tasting and learning about different ingredients and toppings such as artichoke, goat's cheese and capers.
What an informative and educational visit........ and the pizzas were absolutely delicious!
National Sports Week : 19.6.23
This week is National Sports Week. Their focus is to encourage young children to be active for a minimum of 60 minutes each day. We have been supporting this at St Joseph's this week. Here are a few photos of Year 1 and 2's challenges:
Year 2 Outdoor Learning: 16.6.23
With plenty of rehydration breaks and using the shade from the wooded area to keep cool, Year 2 had a great final outdoor learning experience today.
Linked to their Science learning, they created suncatchers to find out which leaves were translucent and which were opaque.
The children used natural objects to create their own artwork. Here are a few pictures - have a look on the Year 2 page for more.
Well done to this week's DOJO champions - the GREEN team.
1. GREEN - 232 2. RED-219 3. BLUE - 217 4. YELLOW - 204
It was lovely, as always, to hear what your class teachers had to say about you in this week's Celebration Assembly.
Congratulations to this week's STARS :
Reception: Penelope Year 1: James Year 2: Jasper Year 3: Antonia Year 4: Brandon Year 5: Blessing Year 6: Tiana
Congratulations to the following children who have recently shared three pieces of work with Mrs Foan. We love celebrating and hearing about your learning and your achievements.
We are very proud of: Kiedis and Logan (Reception) Jasper (Year 2) and Bethany (Year 6)
Reception Class Outdoor Learning: 14.6.23
Our Reception Class enjoyed their last outdoor learning experience today, managing to keep cool in the shade of the trees. Due to the heat, they were only outside for a short amount of time today and will be visiting the beach for half a day later in the month.
Today, they explored the mud kitchen, began the process of flower pressing and created an over-sized marble run!
They also filleted and cooked some mackerel and sea bass on the fire!
Here are a few photos - more pictures to follow on the EYFS class page.
New Starters: 9.6.23
It was lovely to welcome our new starters for next year's Reception Class in September in to school today with their parents and carers.
The children had the opportunity to explore their new classroom and outdoor environment and to meet some of the staff who will be working in Early Years with them next year.
It was lovely to meet the children and their families and we look forward to meeting them later in the month for a picnic!
Year 1 Outdoor Learning: 9.6.23
Year 1 had a beautiful day for their final outdoor learning session for this academic year. Here are a few photos - have a look on the Year 1 class page to see some more!
Congratulations to the following children who received a Head Teacher's certificate during today's Celebration Assembly.
George, Lyla-Mae and Robert-Junior (Reception) Skye (Year 1) Tealaa (Year 2) Scarlett (Year 5)
We are very proud of you all.
Well done to this week's STARS who we celebrated with this morning in assembly.
Reception: George Year 1: King Year 2: Ivy Year 3: Darcy Year 4: Freddie Year 5: Julian Year 6: Priya
Congratulations to the YELLOW team - this week's DOJO champions.
1. YELLOW - 197 2. GREEN - 188 3. BLUE - 182 4. RED - 179
Activity Passports : 5.6.23
What wonderful weather we have had during the half term break - this has provided the perfect plenty of opportunity to complete the Activity Passports during the final week of the Passport Challenge.
Thank you to parents and carers for your support with giving your children these opportunities and experiences and and sharing them with us. We have enjoyed seeing what you have all been up to!
Here are a few pictures from the half-term break showing our KS 1 pupils visiting a farm, making a paper boat and watching it float, drawing a self-portrait and making biscuits.
Our KS 2 pupils have been busy learning to fly a kite, taking a photograph of nature, helping to cook dinner and visiting somewhere new in the local area.
Ray went pond dipping, Audrey spent a day at her cousin's school in Germany and Andre made a Viking longboat.
Thank you parents and carers for your ongoing support with raising attendance and improving punctuality at St Joseph's.
We had 57 children's names in our end of half -term 100% attendance raffle today!
Congratulations to Kira in Year 2 whose name was pulled out in this morning's Celebration Assembly.
Kira won some outdoor games including a bubble maker and a frisbee.
Here are the final week of this half term's DOJO totals:
RED - 198 2. BLUE - 190 3. YELLOW - 188 4. GREEN - 184
The overall winners for this half term are the RED team! Congratulations!
Crowning of Mary: 24.5.23
There is a long-standing tradition, the May Crowning of Mary, honouring Mary, the mother of Jesus in the month of May.
Today, the children were led class-by-class to the statue of Our Lady where she was crowned. The children came together to sing as they processed towards one of our Mary statues.
In a "May Crowning" Mary is presented with a floral crown and other handmade items. Each child and adult was invited to honour Mary with the gift of a flower which adorned her statue.
Thank you parents and carers for sending in flowers today.
Activity Passports: 24.5.23
As we come into the final week of the Activity Passports, it has been lovely to look back at all of the experiences you have taken part in.
Here are a few pictures from this week showing Audrey trying a new food, Ronnie finding out about pond life, Finn researching a Scientist and Julian preparing a meal for the family.
Celebrating Learning: 23.5.23
It has been lovely to invite parents and carers in this week so that each class can share and celebrate different aspects of their learning with friends and family.
The Reception Class had a shared stay and play session in which the children and their carers made wind chimes to represent the Holy Spirit and Year 5 performed a Saxon musical! Year 4 had a catwalk based on their theme "The World's Kitchen" and Years 1 and 3 celebrated their learning from throughout the year.
Thank you parents and carers for coming in this week and for your on-going support.
French Culture Week:
The last week of each half term is based around a different aspect of French culture. This half term the focus is on French food.
Year 6 learnt about a "Croque Monsieur" - a French café speciality and then made and enjoyed their own.
Year 4 wrote down the names of their desired toppings (in French) and then made their own crêpes - a traditional French dish.
Each class also linked their art work to the same theme and looked at a different painting by the French artist Matisse, all of which depicted food. Here are some pictures:
Year 6 Outdoor Learning: 22.3.23
Year 6 had a lovely day for their fifth outdoor learning session today. Some children even came into school dressed as Vikings!
To support and enhance their History learning, they found out about Viking shields and designed and created their own. They also played teams game with the Anglo-Saxons versus the Vikings.
More pictures to follow on the Year 6 class page.
St Joseph's is excited to be part of "Our City. Our World," Brighton and Hove's Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Education programme.
We are pioneers in this project and the vision is that it becomes embedded in all educational settings. Please click HERE to have a look at the website to see how you can play your part in tackling climate change and promoting sustainability.
Miss Cross is the lead teacher for the project and as part of the project launch in the community, she will be sending out a survey next half term so that we will be able to see what climate change means to you and your families.
Activity Passports
Our KS 1 classes are doing brilliantly with their Activity Passports and it is lovely to see all the different experiences you are doing.
Here are a few pictures from this week including building a den, visiting a farm, going on a Spring walk and playing a board game.
Make a sandwich, make a daisy chain and roll down a hill.
We would love to see some more pictures sent in from our KS2 children - remember you have until Monday 5th June to complete.
Congratulations to Evie-Rae (Year 4) and Tiana (Year 6) who received Head Teacher certificates in Friday's Celebration Assembly.
Congratulations to this week's STARS! We are so proud of you all.
Reception: Enzo Year 1: Lealand Year 2: Shania Year 3: Sindy Year 4: John Year 5: Harlie Year 6: Rueben
Congratulations to the BLUE team - this week's DOJO champions!
All is to play for, as we come into the last week of the half-term, so keep demonstrating those positive learning behaviours.
Here are this week's totals:
1. BLUE - 276 2. GREEN - 249 3. YELLOW - 245 4. RED - 219
Football Festival : 17.5.23
We took 6 girls to Whitehawk City Academy this afternoon to take part in a football festival based around the Disney Shooting Stars programme. The Disney Shooting Starts programme has been developed by the YST and FA to encourage girls to take part in football.
The programme uses the power of Disney to get more children active and involved in the game. The activities the girls took part in today focused on fundamental movement skills and making football accessible to all.
Well done girls - we were very proud of you all.
Year 4 Outdoor Learning Day: 17.5.23
Year 4 had a "smashing" and "egg-siting" time this morning! They worked in small groups using different boxes, tubes, paper, bubble wrap, balloons etc. to safely wrap an egg (that each group had named!)
They worked together to protect their eggs from a fall off the wall (just like Humpty Dumpty!)
And 3 out of the 5 eggs survived the drop!
Mental Health Awareness Week : 15.5.23 - 21.5.23
Anxiety is a normal emotion in us all and is the theme for this year's Mental Health Awareness Week which runs throughout the week.
Focusing on anxiety for this year's Mental Health Awareness Week will increase people's awareness and understanding of anxiety by providing information on the things that can help prevent it from becoming a problem.
Although mental health is an ongoing priority for us at St Joseph's, Mental Health Awareness Week is an ideal time for us to think about mental health, tackle stigma, and find out how we can create a society that prevents mental health problems from developing and protects our mental well-being.
Each class took part in activities supporting this. Have a look on each class page to see what they did.
Year 2 talked about how they feel when they are worried about something. They wrote a worry or something that might make them feel a bit anxious on a balloon.
They then let their balloons go, and their worries went too. They felt that sharing their worries, by writing them down, had helped them.
Arundel Wetland Centre: 16.5.23 
"Drawn to Water: Quentin Blake at WWT"
Reception and Year 5 went for a visit to Arundel Wetland Centre today.
Nestled within the South Downs National park, WWT Arundel provides unique opportunities for learners of all ages and abilities to interact with birds and other wildlife from the UK and across the world and to give children real-life experiences and hands-on activities.
The Reception Class took part in a pond-dipping experience uncovering incredible underwater life. Linked to their Science learning in school, Year 5 learnt about different bird's adaptations based on the environment they live in.
The children had a fantastic day out! Pictures to follow on the class pages shortly.
Here are some pictures from the Reception Class:
Here are some pictures from Year 5:
Maypole Dancing : 15.5.23
Today, to celebrate and learn more about the traditions associated with May Day, we were joined by Kate, a professional dancer, for maypole dancing workshops.
Accompanied by traditional folk music, the children learnt to keep rhythm, count steps and create patterns and then how to reverse their dance to unwind the ribbons!
Here are a few pictures from KS2. Have a look on the other class pages for more pictures.
Activity Passports: 12.5.23
Our KS1 pupils have been amazing again this week sharing the experiences they have completed from their class Activity Passports.
Here are a few pictures showing our children making biscuits, going on a Spring walk, visiting a farm and making a den.
Try a new fruit, search for butterflies outdoors and go on a Spring walk.
End of SAT's treat: 12.5.23
Year 6 have finished their KS2 SAT's! They have been so focused all week and we have been very proud of each and every one of them.
Today, they came together for a final class breakfast, had biscuits and hot chocolate straight after their test and this afternoon, they had a little "chill time" and an afternoon treat of pizzas delivered and an ice lolly.
SAT's Prayers
We had some beautiful prayers written by our Year 6 pupils which were read out before each SAT's test this week.
Thank you to the children who took the time to write a prayer and for your well-thought out and meaningful words.
Here are a couple of them:
Dear Lord, Help us, not only with this test, but with the many tests of life that are sure to come our way. Be gracious with what we have overlooked and help us to remain focussed and calm and confident in the facts and in our abilities and also firm in the knowledge that no matter what happens, you are there with us. Amen.
Divine
Dear Father in Heaven, Thank you for the knowledge you have given us. Please guide us and give us the tools to succeed in life and bless us with the knowledge and wisdom you have. Please guide us through today's tests, giving us within every page, faith. Amen.
Mini.
Year 3 Outdoor Learning: 12.5.23
Today, Year 3 have had their fifth outdoor learning day this year, cooking outdoors as a focus.
Here are a few pictures. Have a look on the Year 3 class page for more pictures and information shortly.
Congratulations to these children who have been awarded a Head Teacher certificate after sharing their work on three occasions with Mrs Foan and Mrs Skinner:
Enzo and Adam (Reception) and Chidera, Tate and Wiktor (Year 4)
Congratulations to this week's STARS. We are very proud of all of you and it is lovely to read and share what your class teachers have said about you.
Reception: Kiedis Year 1: Taylor Year 2: Sophia Year 3: Jaklyn Year 4: Harel Year 5: Legend Year 6: Mini
Congratulations to the RED team - this week's DOJO champions!
1. RED - 192 2. BLUE - 185 3. GREEN - 182 4. YELLOW - 172
Hockey Festival: 10.5.23
We took a squad of ten Year 5 pupils to Blatchington Mill High School to take part in a Hockey Festival. The festival was aimed at children who are new to hockey and for those would enjoy taking part in some skill based activities and fun matches.
The afternoon was led by Ms Russell, the hockey coach at Blatchington Mill along with some of the Blatchington Mill sports leaders.
The children learnt new hockey skills and then applied them to friendly matches. Our team won all four of their matches!
Our children displayed great team spirit and perseverance. We were very proud of Kowen who was picked out for a special "determination" award. Well done - we were very proud of you all.
Year 6 SAT's : 9.5.23
This week is end of KS2 SAT's week. The children will be coming in to school bright and early for a class breakfast each day and for a quick revision session before sitting the tests.
Good luck to all of our Year 6's this week -we are very proud of how you have worked in preparation for these standard assessment tests.
Activity Passports: 8.5.23
We have received several emails over the Bank Holiday weekend from children sharing experiences from their Activity Passports. Thank you parents and carers for your support with this. It is lovely to see what the children have been up to.
Here are a few photos showing children visiting a farm, making a daisy chain, creating a piece of artwork and going on a hunt for insects and small creatures.
Local Links: 5.5.23
As part of our links with the local community, a small group of our Year 2 children went over to Grove Park Care and Nursing Home this morning.
The children worked alongside some of the residents and took part in some creative Coronation themed craft activities. It was a lovely opportunity to come together again with others in our local community.
Coronation : 5.5.23
We are celebrating the Coronation of King Charles III in school today. The children came into school wearing red, white and blue clothes or came dressed regally as a King or Queen!
The children took part in a variety of Coronation -related activities in the morning e.g. crown making, designing a Coronation coin, making cucumber sandwiches, making bunting, and baking scones for a traditional cream tea!
Each child brought home a commemorative pin badge on Wednesday. Thanks to the FOSJ's for funding these special mementos.
We came together for a whole school celebration on the front lawn in the afternoon to mark this momentous occasion. The children had party food and drink in their decorated bags and it was lovely to celebrate this occasion together as a whole school community.
It has been a short week this week but the adults in school have noticed lots of children demonstrating positive learning behaviours across the school. Well done - it is lovely to see how focused and engaged the children are in their learning when walking around the school.
Several children have also been rewarded with DOJOS for their contributions to the Activity Passport challenges.
Here are this week's totals:
1. GREEN - 96 2. BLUE - 92 3. YELLOW - 89 4. RED - 80
Swimming: 4.5.23
.jpg)
Our Year 5 class started their swimming lessons today at Surrenden Pool. They will be swimming every Thursday (except June 22nd) up until the end of term.
The swimming instructor Rachel and the staff who accompanied Year 5 were very impressed with the children's positive attitude, resilience and determination.
We look forward to seeing how they progress over the next 9 weeks.
Activity Passport
It has been lovely to see the emails coming in evidencing the different activities the children have been participating in as part of each year group's Activity Passport.
This week's activities have included going on a Spring walk, designing and playing a board game, planting some seeds and going out for a play-day.
Thank you parents and carers for your support with these experiences.
Outdoor Learning : 3.5.23
The sun shone today on our EYFS class for their fifth outdoor learning session. The children worked together to make a "bug hotel" using natural and found resources from our outside environment to create different areas for our bugs to stay.
They looked in damp and dark places and found some bugs and creatures ready to move into their new surroundings!
Outdoor Learning : 28.4.23
Year 1 braved a drizzly start to their fifth outdoor learning curriculum day. Have a look on their class page to see what activities they took part in. Here are a few pictures:
Congratulations to these children who have been awarded a Head Teacher Certificate for 3 visits to share their work with Mrs Foan.
We are very proud of you all.
Ruby (Year 6) and Logan, Teddy, Lyla-Mae and Robert-Junior (Reception)
Congratulations to this week's STARS, who we celebrated with in our Friday morning assembly.
Reception: Teddy Year 1: Tyler Year 2: Tealaa-Rose Year 3: Audrey Year 4: Tate Year 5: Scarlett and Junior Year 6: Archie
Congratulations to the YELLOW team who were awarded a huge 313 DOJOS over the last week for demonstrating positive learning behaviours.
1. YELLOW - 313 2. GREEN - 309 3. RED- 275 4. BLUE - 232
Activity Passports
Thank you to everyone who has already sent in evidence of the Activity Passport challenges they have been taking part in. It is lovely to see the different activities and new experiences the children have been doing.
Year 2 are doing brilliantly! Thank you Parents and Carers for your support with this. Here are a few photos from this week:
At St Joseph's School we are proud of our diversity and the vast number of languages spoken by our families.
At St Joseph's, every half term, we celebrate the languages besides English which are spoken at home by some of our pupils.
Each half term, we try to learn a few useful phrases and words, to answer the register and say "please" and "thank you" and "hello" and "goodbye" in our chosen language. The child/children who speak the chosen language will help their classmates learn the correct pronunciation and will share picture books written in their home language as well as in English.
These are the languages for this half term:
Year 1: Thai Year 2: Cantonese Year 3: Dutch Year 4: Pashto Year 5: German Year 6: Polish
Stunning Starts!
As a launch for their new Humanities topics this term, each class has had a "stunning start" as an introduction to their History learning.
As a hands-on introduction to their theme "Crime and Punishment," Year 4 came into their classroom to discover a crime scene and had to use different techniques to discover who had stolen their class IPAD.
To introduce their new theme, "Flight," Year 1 used straws and string to create their own bubble wands. They then had a go at making their own bubbles and watched them fly away.
Year 2 made time machines and all things "space" as part of their topic launch.
Have a look on your child's class page for pictures of their stunning start soon.
Mrs Foan has been busy this week as lots of children have been sent to see her to share their fantastic work.
Congratulations to Lily May (Year 2) Blessing (Year 5) Mark , Lukas, Tia, Tegan, Morgan, Mark, Jack (Year 6)
Congratulations to this week's STARS. We love celebrating with you in Friday's special assembly. We are very proud of you all.
Year 1: Jason Year 2: Mila Year 3: Anhelina Year 4: Amelia V Year 5: Oleh Year 6: Sergio
Well done everyone - you have come back to school ready to learn and have been demonstrating positive learning behaviours during this first week back.
Congratulations to the RED team who collected the most DOJOS this week.
1. RED - 167 2. GREEN - 152 3. YELLOW - 119 4. BLUE - 105
Outdoor Learning: 19.4.23
Our Year 2 class had their first Summer Term outdoor learning session today and luckily for them the sun came out for them.
They used different sized twigs to make dreamcatchers, made palm crosses, explored the mud kitchen and went on a nature hunt spotting different birds, flowers, plants and mini-beasts in our outdoor environment.
Have a look on the Year 2 class page for more photos and information.
Sushi and the sea - 8.3.23
Year 4 braved the elements today for their school trip. As part of their Geography theme, "The World's Kitchen," they visited Moshimo, a Japanese restaurant in Brighton.
The children were split into two groups - one group learnt the art of using chopsticks to pick up Edamame beans while the other group learnt how to make their own Maki rolls! It was a really informative and engaging session and we are very grateful to Moshimo for providing our pupils with this opportunity to enhance their Geography learning.
Then, the children went down to Brighton Beach where they did their bit for the environment with a true/false quiz and some litter picking. They also worked in groups to create stone sculptures based on the work of Andy Goldsworthy before enjoying traditional English food in the form of a chip butty!
The children were brilliant! Here are a few pictures. More to follow on the Year 4 class page.