On Wednesday 7th October Year 6 visited the Vertu Arena and took part in STEMFEST (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths Festival) 2026. There were many local companies who set up stalls in the arena and Year 6 experienced a range of practical and fun STEM activities.

RE displays at St Joseph’s are designed to support children’s learning and reflect the Catholic ethos of the school. They showcase the children’s work, celebrate their achievements, and reinforce key aspects of Religious Education. The displays also serve as a visual reminder of the school’s values, mission, and beliefs, helping to create an environment where faith is lived, celebrated, and shared throughout the school community.

Year 2 children took part in an important first aid session where they learned a range of valuable skills to help keep themselves and others safe. The children learned how to apply plasters and bandages correctly and discussed which size dressing would be most appropriate for different types of injuries. They practised identifying the best equipment to use when treating minor cuts and grazes. The children also learned what to do if someone is choking. They discussed how to recognise when a person needs help, how to stay calm, and the importance of getting an adult straight away. They were taught how to ask for help clearly and confidently in an emergency. Finally, the children were reminded about the importance of calling 999 in a serious emergency. They learned why it is important to know their home address, or the school's address, so they can provide essential information to the ambulance service if needed. This was a valuable lesson that helped the children develop confidence, responsibility, and an understanding of how they can help keep themselves and others safe.

Year 2 had a wonderful day at Scotswood Garden, where they became young explorers and learned all about trees and woodland habitats. The children gathered around a tree and worked together to identify its different parts, including the roots, trunk, branches and leaves. They discussed the important job each part does to help the tree grow and stay healthy before enjoying a fun Parts of the Tree song. The children then went on a tree hunt around the garden. They discovered that not all trees look the same and carefully observed the different types of bark, leaf shapes and sizes. They shared their observations and talked about what made each tree unique. As part of their learning, the children explored the difference between evergreen and deciduous trees. They learned that evergreen trees keep their leaves all year round, while deciduous trees lose their leaves in autumn. The children discussed how the changing season affects the trees around them and noticed signs of autumn in the garden. The visit also helped the children understand that woodlands are important homes, or habitats, for many animals. They identified creatures that live in woodland environments, including birds, squirrels, hedgehogs, foxes and mini-beasts. They learnt that a habitat must provide everything animals need to survive, such as food, water, shelter and space. To finish the session, the children worked together to create a habitat for a woodland animal. They carefully considered what their chosen creature would need to stay safe and healthy, including protection from the weather and predators. It was a fantastic outdoor learning experience that helped bring our science learning to life. The children showed great curiosity, enthusiasm and respect for the natural world around them. 🌳🍂🐿️

To celebrate World Mental Health Day, the children came to school dressed in yellow and spent time learning about the importance of positive mental health and wellbeing. Throughout the day, we discussed what mental health means and took part in a range of activities, including worksheets, artwork, and sharing our favourite books together in class. The children explored the importance of kindness, friendship, and looking after one another. They shared thoughtful ideas about how they can make the world a better place by showing respect, helping others, and spreading positivity within our school community and beyond. It was a wonderful opportunity for everyone to reflect on how small acts of kindness can make a big difference to the wellbeing of others. 🌟

On the 1st of October Year 6 thoroughly enjoyed their session learning first aid. They tried out CPR and how to use dressings to bandage.

This week our focus story was Pumpkin Soup 📖🎃. We enjoyed lots of pumpkin-themed activities throughout the week! We decorated our own pumpkin crafts 🎨, created pumpkin models using playdough 🟠, and practiced our maths skills by matching Numicon pieces to the correct numeral pumpkins 🔢🎃. We explored the pumpkins with our different senses and discussed what we could smell, taste, see and feel. We also became little chefs! 👩‍🍳👨‍🍳 The children carefully chopped and prepared ingredients to make their very own pumpkin soup 🥣. Everyone enjoyed tasting it and agreed that it was delicious! 😋🎃 It has been a fantastic week full of creativity, learning, and hands-on experiences. Well done, Nursery! ⭐🍂🧡

Last week, Year 3 took part in an exciting First Aid Training session where they learned a range of important life skills that could help them in an emergency. Throughout the session, the children were introduced to CPR and learned how this life-saving technique can help someone who is not breathing. The pupils also practised tying bandages correctly and discovered how to help treat minor injuries safely. Another important part of the training focused on what to do if someone is choking. The children learned how to recognise the signs of choking and the steps they should take to get help quickly and safely. The session was both engaging and informative, helping the children to develop confidence, responsibility and an understanding of how they can help others in an emergency. We are very proud of how enthusiastically Year 3 participated and embraced these valuable skills.

On Tuesday 6th October, Year 6 visited the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle to take part in a watercolour session based on local art and artists. Year 6 had the opportunity to practise colour mixing and were inspired by the paintings in the gallery to produce their own masterpieces!

Stick Man and Autumn What a busy and exciting week we have had in Nursery! Our focus story this week has been Stick Man, which has inspired lots of learning, exploring and creativity. 🍁 Exploring Autumn We have been learning all about the changes we can see in Autumn. Thank you to all the children who brought in their lovely Autumn treasures from home! We used these to create our own Autumn investigation tray, giving the children opportunities to explore, touch, compare and talk about the different natural objects they had collected. We talked about colours, textures, sizes and the changes we notice in our environment during Autumn. We have also been getting creative with Autumn, making beautiful Autumn leaf artwork and creating our very own clay hedgehogs. The children enjoyed exploring the natural colours and textures of the season while developing their creativity and fine motor skills. 🔢 Autumn Maths Our Autumn treasures have also provided lots of opportunities for mathematical learning. We: · Ordered Stick Men by size, from smallest to biggest. · Ordered numbered conkers and matched them to the correct Numicon. · Used sticks to make and explore different 2D shapes. · Talked about size, number, shape and how we can compare objects. ✝️ RE – God’s Wonderful Creation In RE, we have been thinking about the Christian belief that God created everything and that the world is full of beautiful things that God has made. We went on our own creation hunt, looking carefully at the natural world around us and collecting some of God’s beautiful creations. We then worked together to create a collaborative Autumn collage, using the natural items we had found. It was lovely to see the children working together and talking about the things they noticed. 🕺 Squiggle While You Wiggle We have also started our Squiggle While You Wiggle sessions! This is a fun, movement-based programme that helps children develop the physical skills needed for early writing. Through music, dance and large arm movements, children practise making different movements and patterns, helping to develop their gross motor skills, coordination, shoulder strength and control. These are all important foundations for later pencil control and handwriting. 📖 Our Story – Stick Man Throughout the week, we have enjoyed listening to and talking about Stick Man, joining in with repeated phrases and exploring the different adventures Stick Man gets himself into. The story has provided lots of opportunities for developing vocabulary, imagination and communication skills. We have loved seeing the children become little Autumn explorers this week and watching them learn through play, stories, movement and the wonderful natural materials around us! 🍂🌳🪵🦔

ROUNDUP OCTOBER 2026 Read on to see what St. Joseph's have been doing with On the Up Hope you are well.We're delighted to share some fantastic news about how On the Up is continuing to grow and support even more people across Newcastle. Through Pride in Place funding we are delivering a Community Jobs, Skills and Wellbeing fair in South Fawdon in January 2027. Please get in touch if you and your organisation is interested in exhibiting or getting involved. It’s also been amazing to welcome Jenny and Jane who will be facilitating more of our projects in schools and in women’s groups. Thanks to the continued support of our Board and partners we work with, who really help us create even more impact in the communities we serve. Hope to catch up soon :)Vicki & the On the Up team EVEN MORE DUCKS IN A ROW Thanks to funding for National Lottery Awards for All and Small Sparks Funding we have been able to expand our women’s Ducks in a Row skills and volunteering program into new groups in Throckley and Gosforth. A big thank you to Asda in Gosforth who have provided us with refreshments and biscuits for the sessions. We chose Gosforth Library as a location as it has good bus and metro links for women across Newcastle. Throckley Community Hall is also a great location for women who live in the West End / Outer West Newcastle. The groups are for women who are struggling with barriers like financial, lack of confidence which stop them from finding work. Everyone’s journey is different, and this program is designed to provide encouragement, practical support and a welcoming environment where women can grow at their own pace. If you know any women who are feeling a little lost and could benefit from joining one our groups please get in touch vicki@ontheup.uk St Joseph’s school gets off to a flying start We’ve kicked off our 7-week enterprise challenge with an amazing group of young people who are already showing us they have plenty of ideas and entrepreneurial spirit! Working in teams, the children picked everyday objects out of a mystery bag and were challenged to reimagine, improve and reinvent them to make life easier. Along the way, they explored ideation, creativity, AI, robotics and technology, thinking about how their ideas could solve real-life problems. But it’s not just about coming up with a great idea. Our enterprise programme is also about building confidence, communication, teamwork and the belief that their ideas are worth sharing. From a simple object pulled from a bag to an idea that could become a business… we’re already seeing some young entrepreneurs in the making! We can’t wait for the next 6 weeks as the teams develop their ideas, build their confidence and get ready to pitch their businesses to Newcastle Round Table who have supported our work in schools this Autumn. Watch this space. These young entrepreneurs are just getting started! READ MORE ABOUT GETTING INVOLVED Jobs, Skills and Wellbeing Fair | January 2027 We’re delighted to announce that On the Up has received funding from Pride in Place to support community engagement in South Fawdon. The funding will enable us to bring together local residents, employers, training providers and support organisations for a Jobs, Skills and Wellbeing Fair in January 2027. We’ve delivered similar events in the past, including Jobs and Skills Fairs in Fawdon and Throckley, working with local employers and organisations to connect people with opportunities, information and practical support. During the pandemic, we also adapted our approach and delivered some of our activity online. Our January event will build on that experience, creating a welcoming and accessible opportunity for local people to find out about jobs, training, volunteering, skills development, health and wellbeing support and other opportunities available in their community. We know that finding the right opportunity isn’t always straightforward. Sometimes it starts with simply having a conversation, meeting an employer, discovering a course or finding out about support that you didn’t know was available. Would you like to get involved? Our Vicki is still aching (but feeling a sense of achievement) from the Kielder Half Marathon - her first ever half Marathon with lots of hills! Thanks soooo much to those who sponsored Vicki (and the hills). You helped raise £175 for Search Newcastle and £236 for Pendower Good Neighbour Project Two fantastic charities in the West End of Newcastle and there's still time for last minute donations. You can donate to Pendower Good Neighbour Project here and Search Newcastle here

Year 4 have had a busy half term.