Our Mini Vinnies have been shining examples of compassion and service this Lent, inspiring the whole school community to live out kindness in meaningful and practical ways. They began the season by creating a beautiful Well of Kindness, encouraging every pupil to contribute acts of generosity, friendship and positivity. Their commitment to helping others continued with a hugely successful cake sale, raising valuable funds for CAFOD. They also joined the entire school for the Lenten Walk for CAFOD, proudly completing their miles to support communities around the world. As part of their mission to support those in our local area, the Mini Vinnies organised our Canny Friday food donation drive. Thanks to the generosity of families across the school, they were able to deliver an impressive collection of essential items to the West End Foodbank—an act that will make a real difference to families in need. To complete their Lenten activities, the children created thoughtful, hand‑made Easter cards for the residents of St Joseph’s Care Home, spreading hope and joy across generations. We are incredibly proud of our Mini Vinnies for leading with compassion and showing how small acts of kindness can create a big impact throughout our school and community.

Year 5 rounded off their Hoops4Health journey in spectacular style this week as they took part in the final competition at the iconic Vertu Motors Arena—home of the Newcastle Eagles. Stepping onto a professional court was an unforgettable experience, and the children rose brilliantly to the challenge. Throughout the event, they demonstrated superb teamwork, determination and sportsmanship, putting their newly learned skills into action against schools from across the region. The loud cheers from the stands and the support from Eagles coaches made the day even more special. It was a fantastic celebration of the hard work the class has put into the programme, and every child should feel incredibly proud of what they achieved. What an inspiring finale to an excellent Hoops4Health experience!

Year 2 took part in the Lent Walk to raise money for CAFOD, joining EYFS and Year 1 on their route. They also cheered on KS2 as they completed their walk in Hodgkin Park and Newburn. Well done to everyone involved!

It was time for action, when our robotics engineers showcased their talents at a regional competition. The pupils from St Joseph’s Catholic Primary in Benwell were competing in the Vex IQ Robotics Competition North-East Regional at Sasmi College in Sunderland, where the robot they had created was put through its paces. “The event is part of an international competition run by Vex Robotics, with a variety of age categories, and the UK North-East division is supported by Nissan and the Reece Foundation,” explained Ms Bennaceur, who is Joint IT Lead with Mrs Noble at our school. “We had a grant from the Reece Foundation to buy the appropriate Vex IQ robotics kit, and then we had to build and code a robot to take part in the competition. “The robot had to be able to pick up plastic pegs and place them in the goals. We followed the robot design provided and then modified the design by adding an extra motor to make the lifting mechanism more powerful. “The robot had to be built by the students and needed to be able to score points by picking up plastic pegs, stacking them into towers, and then placing them in the goals. The robot remote control also had to be coded by the students to allow them to drive the robot.” It was the second time we had participated in the annual contest. “Within the Robotics Club, there were 16 members from Year 5 and 4, and four mentor members from Year 6 (who participated in the competition last year),” continued Ms Bennaceur, who runs the Club with Mrs Noble.  “Only nine students in Year 5, who chose the roles of builders, engineers, coders, and drivers, were taken to the competition. “The other students had decided to take on the role of note-bookers and learnt to use Canva to create a presentation documenting our progress to show all the classes in our school as part of Science Week.” “I liked building the robot and controlling it,” said a Year 5 student, while a teammate said: “The competition was the best bit – it was really exciting.” “I liked building the stacks with the robot at the competition,” agreed fellow Year 5 pupil. “Competitions like this give students a variety of opportunities to show their talents outside of academics,” added Ms Bennaceur.   “Hopefully this competition gave them a passion for robotics and computing that may one day inform their career choices.” Proudly a member of the Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust.

The children in Year 2 had a wonderful time celebrating World Book Day. They took part in a range of book‑themed activities and listened to lots of different stories throughout the day. Some children even came dressed as their favourite characters! Everyone enjoyed sharing their favourite books with the class, and the children also had the chance to relax and spend some quiet time reading in the classroom.

Year 2 had a fantastic time pond dipping at Scotswood Garden! Using nets, the children carefully collected plants and creatures from the pond before using identification charts to discover what they had found. They learnt a great deal about pond habitats through exciting, hands-on exploration. They also enjoyed a pond creature hunt  around the garden, giving them even more opportunities to observe wildlife up close. Overall, it was a fun and educational adventure for everyone involved!

Year Six Collective Worship 31 st March 2026 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 “

The children of Saint Joseph’s celebrated with a special whole school Celebration of the Word . 19 th March is a very special and happy celebration of our school. We are thinking about our patron saint, St Joseph. Saint Joseph, the husband of Mary, is such an important saint that we think about him throughout the year. We remember that he was a carpenter who earned his money through the work of his hands. As Jesus grew up, he worked alongside Saint Joseph and learned to use his hands to build things as well. Saint Joseph is the patron saint of our school. He was a good man, a hard worker who loved his family and cared for them. We honour Saint Joseph today and ask him to look after our school, all the people who work here, and all the children who learn here. Saint Joseph, pray for us.

This week, the whole school came together to take part in the Stations of the Cross. Each class joined in prayer and reflection as we journeyed through the final moments of Jesus’ life. The children showed great reverence and maturity, taking time to think about Jesus’ love, His sacrifice, and what it means for us today. It was a thoughtful and meaningful experience for our entire school community as we continue our Lenten journey together.

Year 1 had a fantastic time exploring Scotswood Nature Garden, where they took part in exciting pond-dipping activities linked to our science curriculum. The children carefully used nets and trays to collect small pond creatures before sorting and identifying them using classification charts. They were amazed to discover tiny animals living in the habitat! This hands-on experience helped to deepen their understanding of living things and the importance of caring for our natural environment.

This week in Nursery, we have been busy learning all about Easter ! 🌈🐰 Our focus story was We’re Going on an Egg Hunt , which the children absolutely loved. 📖🥚 🌟 Here’s what we got up to: ·         🧮 Maths Fun:  We used our number skills to give the bunnies the correct amount of eggs . ·         🎨 Creative Time:  The children designed their very own Easter eggs —so colourful and imaginative! ·         🌷 Spring Explorers:  We enjoyed searching for signs of spring  outdoors. ·         ✝️ RE Learning:  We talked about Good Friday , why it is important, and what happened to Jesus. The children listened beautifully. 🔤 Phonics:  Our older children learned the sound ‘g’ this week— well done everyone!  👏🐥

Year 2 had a fantastic time investigating mini-beasts at Gibside. They explored a range of different habitats, carrying out fieldwork in the meadows and discovering creatures in the forest. After all their hard work, the children enjoyed some well-earned fun in the forest playground!