Welcome Back From Miss Gladstone Dear Parents and Carers, I hope you all had a restful and enjoyable half-term break. It’s been a delight to see the children return with big smiles on their faces, looking well-rested and full of energy. Their eagerness to continue...
Dear Parents and Carers,
I hope you all had a restful and enjoyable half-term break. It’s been a delight to see the children return with big smiles on their faces, looking well-rested and full of energy. Their eagerness to continue learning and grow as individuals has been truly inspiring, and I couldn’t be more proud of how quickly they’ve settled back into school life. It’s clear to see that they’re motivated to be the best they can be!
This half-term promises to be just as exciting and eventful, with lots of special events and activities for everyone to look forward to. We will be celebrating World Book Day, with a fun and creative dress-up day and exciting book-related activities. We’re also looking forward to more class assemblies, where our talented pupils will have the chance to share their learning and achievements with the rest of the school. And of course, we’ll be celebrating the Easter service at the church, a wonderful opportunity for our school community to come together in reflection and joy.
There’s so much to look forward to, and I’m excited to see all the children continue to flourish. We’re so proud of everything they’re achieving and can’t wait to share their many successes with you over the coming weeks.
Thank you for your ongoing support!
We are pleased to announce that World Book Day will be celebrated globally on Thursday, 5th March and we are excited to join in the fun here at SJSJ! As always, we encourage all children to dress up as a character from one of their favourite books. It’s a wonderful opportunity to bring stories to life and celebrate the magic of reading together.
Throughout the day, all children will engage in lessons based on fairy tales, allowing them to explore the timeless themes and characters that make these stories so special. Additionally, we are thrilled to have ‘West End in Schools’ leading a drama workshop with our pupils. This will be a fantastic chance for the children to get creative and dive into the world of theatre. We also look forward to treating the children to a book-themed lunch on the day, making the celebration even more memorable.
A huge thank you in advance to Miss Nifa, whose decorating talents never fail to impress us all. She always manages to bring the stories to life, creating a truly immersive experience for the children.
There will be a book sale on Friday 6th March
We can’t wait to celebrate this special day with the children, inspiring their imaginations and fostering a love of reading that will last a lifetime!
We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you for your incredible support over the past 18 months with the implementation of OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning). Your generous donations and involvement have truly made a difference, and we’re so proud of the transformation we’ve seen in our playtimes. The children’s play experiences have been enriched in ways we couldn’t have imagined, and that is all thanks to the wonderful contributions from our school community.
With the Spring and Summer months fast approaching, we’re excited to continue enhancing the outdoor play opportunities for our pupils. To help us prepare for the warmer weather, we are currently looking for donations of the following items:
Additionally, if anyone would like to donate their child’s costume after World Book Day for our dressing-up area, we would be truly grateful. The costumes help spark creativity and imaginative play, and your donations would be greatly appreciated by all.
If you have any of these items to spare and would like to contribute, we would be extremely grateful. These donations will help ensure our children continue to have a variety of fun, creative, and active play experiences in the months ahead.
Thank you once again for your continued support in making our playtimes so much more enjoyable and engaging for the children. We look forward to seeing what more we can achieve together!
We are absolutely delighted to announce that, for the first time ever, St John and St James has been successful in our application to participate in the London Mini Marathon, which will take place on Saturday 25th April. This is such an exciting opportunity for our school, and we can’t wait to be part of this prestigious event!
The race will cover a 2.6km course, and all children who complete the race will be awarded a medal to celebrate their achievement. We are incredibly proud to offer this opportunity, and it’s sure to be an experience the children will remember! As mentioned in the email sent just before half-term, we have been awarded 15 places for children in Years 4-6 to take part. If your child is interested in participating, please express their interest by next Friday at the school office.
Additionally, for each child who participates, the school will receive £10 which will be used to continue to enhance our play offer, helping to create even more opportunities for the children to enjoy physical activity.
This is a fantastic opportunity for the children to challenge themselves, develop their stamina, and be part of a truly memorable experience. We’re so excited to take part and are sure it will be an event to remember!
We are thrilled to continue our outdoor learning lessons this term with Forest School sessions at Springfield Primary School. Building on from the introduction of OPAL, and considering the National Curriculum requirements, we know that outdoor learning plays an essential role in developing our children’s curiosity, teamwork, and problem-solving skills, while fostering a deeper connection to nature. Our Forest School lessons will allow the children to explore and learn in our natural environment, experiencing hands-on, practical activities that link to their curriculum.
Please check your child’s class newsletter for the exact date of their session and be reminded that as the sessions take place outdoors, we kindly ask that your child comes prepared with the following:
If your child does not own any of these items, please let the school office know, and we will do our best to source them. We want to ensure that every child has what they need to fully participate in this exciting lesson.
We are excited for the adventures ahead and look forward to seeing the children enjoy their time in the great outdoors!
This week in Reception, our learning was inspired by our literacy core text, The Train Ride. Linking our writing to the story, we talked about how each of us travels to school and explored the different modes of transport we use.
The children loved sharing their experiences – from walking and riding bikes or scooters, to travelling by car or bus. In our writing books, the children worked incredibly hard to write sentences about how they travelled to school.
They focused on forming their letters carefully and using finger spaces. I am so impressed with their confidence and enthusiasm – well done Reception!
This is a gentle reminder that our After School Club finishes promptly at 5:00pm each day. If you wish to collect your child before 5:00pm, you must inform the school office in advance, so we can ensure your child is ready for collection. We have had an increase in parents arriving at different times between 4-5pm and this causing significant disruption.
For safeguarding reasons, we are unable to accommodate parents waiting in the school office until the club finishes. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in helping us maintain a safe and secure environment for all our pupils.
Thank you for your continued support.
We are pleased to share that the dates for the diary for the next half term have now been added to the calendar on the school website.
Class teachers will also share the relevant dates for your child’s class through their half-termly newsletter, which you will receive on Friday 27th February.
A reminder that all parents and carers must remain in the playground during pick-up times and are not permitted to enter the school building. This is a key part of our safeguarding procedures and is essential to keeping all children safe.
Parents and carers may request to speak with their child’s teacher outside in the playground; however, this may not always be possible due to other commitments, such as staff training or scheduled meetings. In these cases, appointments should be arranged through the school office.
We appreciate your cooperation in supporting our safeguarding expectations and helping to ensure clear communication while maintaining a safe environment for all.
To find out what’s been happening across some of our wider curriculum areas across the school, follow the link to our new curriculum padlet:
We would like to thank parents and carers once again for their patience and understanding while our telephone line was not working. As explained in last week’s email, we were required to install a new telephone line, which means the school’s previous phone number no longer exists.
Please note that our new school telephone number is now fully operational: 0208 153 3767. Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.
We would like to remind all parents and carers to please check ParentPay to ensure any outstanding balances are cleared. We understand that the festive period can be a costly time for families, and therefore reflected this in our extended payment deadline of 31st January for this term’s Breakfast Club, After School Club, and Wraparound Care.
If anyone needs support with accessing ParentPay, please come to the school office and speak to Miss Nifa, who will be happy to help.
Please be reminded that smart watches are not allowed at school, including during lessons, break times, and on school trips. These devices are not appropriate for school, as they often include games, messaging services, internet access, and cameras, which can be distracting and raise safeguarding concerns.
That being said, children are welcome and highly encouraged to wear traditional or analogue watches, which support the development of time-telling skills and help foster independence throughout the school day. We thank you in advance for your support.
As the colder winter weather has now arrived, we kindly ask all parents and carers to ensure children come to school dressed appropriately for the conditions. Please make sure your child has a warm coat, scarf, gloves, hat, and any other items needed to keep them comfortable during outdoor play and travel to and from school.
Thank you for helping us keep everyone warm, healthy, and ready to learn!
Please can we remind all parents and carers that the school gate opens at 8.50am, ready for school to start promptly at 8.55am. We kindly ask that parents or carers do not come into the school playground or building with their child/ren.
Teachers and support staff are generally not available in the mornings as they are settling the children straight into assembly – should you need to speak with an adult, please go directly to the school office and Miss Nifa will be more than happy to assist you in arranging a suitable time.
Thank you for your continued support in ensuring that all children come into school in a calm manner and ready for a day of learning.
We would like to remind all families that a late collection charge of £5 for every 5 minutes will be applied if a child is not collected promptly at the end of the school day or from after-school clubs.
Please ensure that you are collecting your child on time to avoid any additional charges.
We also kindly ask that you check your ParentPay account regularly and clear any outstanding balances as soon as possible.
Thank you for your cooperation and continued support.
As part of our ongoing efforts to maintain a smart, inclusive and focused learning environment, we’d like to send a friendly reminder about the school uniform policy here at St John and St James.
Our school uniform consists of the following items:
During the summer months, children are also permitted to wear:
Please also be reminded of the following additional guidelines:
We appreciate your support in helping ensure that your child arrives at school in the correct uniform each day. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact the school office.
Thank you for your continued cooperation in maintaining our school’s standards.
Safeguarding is EVERYONE’S responsibility. Our attitude is, it could happen here.
At St John & St James we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. We expect ALL staff, volunteers and visitors to the school to share this commitment.
If you have any concerns about the safety of a child, please speak immediately to our Designated Safeguarding Lead, Joshua Watson.
If Mr Watson is not available, you can always speak to one of our school’s Deputy Safeguarding Leads:
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