School Hours
Please be reminded that the school day starts at 8:55am.
The gate will be open at 8:50am and then promptly closed at 9.00am. Any latecomers will need to enter the school via the main office where parents will be asked to sign their child in and record the reason for being late.
Communication
As of January 2024 all communications from school will be via email. We will not be using text messages unless in an emergency.
Please ensure the office has your correct email address.
Thank you
Reading Records
Please be reminded that children are expected to read for 15-20 minutes each night and record this in their reading records.
For children in KS1, please record the date, the title of the book and a brief comment. Children in KS2 must record the date, title and author of the book, and a summary based on what they have read.
All children should record these using their beautiful continuous cursive handwriting and bring their reading records in daily to be checked.
NSPCC Number Day
On Friday 2nd February, SJSJ will be celebrating NSPCC Number Day. All children will be encouraged to dress up as a number, or something maths related!
This could be wearing a birthday badge with an age, this could be wearing a football shirt with a number on the back, this could be wearing something with a repeated pattern or containing geometric shapes. The possibilities are endless!
We look forward to seeing how creative our school can be…
Wrap Around Care
Thank you to all parents and carers who responded to the google form about the potential extending of hours for wrap around care. We will be analysing the results in due course and will provide further updates and outcomes soon. If anyone hasn’t responded yet, the deadline is Friday 19th January at 6pm.
iSingPop!
Congratulations to the following children who will be representing St John and St James at the iSingPop concert, in partnership with the LDBS, which will be held at SAINT next month.
Year 3 – Umut and Valentina
Year 4 – Jagjot and Amayah
Year 5 – Marella and Yao
Year 6 – Krishaun
We can’t wait to see them perform; we know they will make us incredibly proud as always!
Green Team
This week, we wanted to share the fantastic work a member of our Green Team achieved over the half term.
In December, along the coast of Northern Spain, millions of plastic pellets washed ashore as a result of falling from a ship. Over the holidays, a representative of our Green Team, Maria Siena, volunteered to clear up the beach, collecting tiny pieces of plastic which had been washed ashore.
This is such an inspiring act from our team member and shows the dedication our Green Team makes in looking after our beautiful planet!
Year 5 Writing Sample
This term, Year 5’s creative writing will be based on our new class text, “Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan. We have been writing suspenseful and dramatic introductions to the story, aiming to draw in the reader.
Inspired by the author’s writing techniques, Lila has used authorial voice to address the reader directly. She also created suspense using ellipsis and short, snappy sentences.
“OK look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood and you don’t want to discover you are either. So if you’re reading this, close the book now. However if you’re a sweet, little child who thinks this is fiction, read on. Believe all the lies your parents told you. Being a half-blood is scary. It’s terrifying. Really, close the book now. Don’t say I didn’t warn you…”
Aisha has used a simile and a variety of descriptive adjectives to introduce one of the story’s villains.
“Suddenly, there was a crash of thunder. Mrs Dodds turned to me and hissed, “Your time is up!”. Her eyes glowed like barbeque coals, her fingers stretched into sharp talons and her jacket melted into leathery wings. I was frozen to the stop. What on earth was happening?”
Non-Uniform Day
The Green Team would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who took part in Non-Uniform Day and donated money to a very exciting project.
On Monday, our Green Team led an assembly, informing SJSJ about a very exciting project- installing solar panels on our school. This will help us towards using more sustainable methods of conducting electricity and reducing electricity costs.
We held a non-uniform day on Friday and raised £105.00 We really appreciate everyone’s donations towards this fantastic cause and look forward to promoting sustainability further at our school.
Wellbeing Warriors
This term we are looking at: Being kind to yourself
When we are busy, facing challenges or dealing with change, we can forget to consider and take care of our own wellbeing. Looking after yourself is an important part of being resilient and coping with challenges well. It is essential to be kind to yourself.
We will be exploring ways we can:
• Build resilience and kindness
• Reflect on and learn ways of looking after your wellbeing
• Learn some coping skills
• Become aware of your own wellbeing and how you can help yourself.
Online Safety
How to know if an app is suitable for your child
If you’re unsure, the best way is to check the ratings on the app, read reviews from other users, and consider downloading the app or game yourself so that you can see if it suitable for your child before they play. Look at what settings are available in the app to help keep your child safe.
Look for:
- Content – what is posted / included and are there any controls to limit the type of content seen. Does a game have violent content.
- Contact – who can message them, or who are they playing games with. Can you limit this in the settings?
- In-app purchases – this can be a way of enhancing gameplay or advancing through levels. Look at the settings to turn off in-app purchases.
- Advertising – consider if the ads that are shown are suitable for your child. You can report inappropriate ads to the ASA.
If your child has your permission to use the apps, it is your responsibility to ensure you are checking their phone usage on a regular basis.