This week, we’ve been on an exciting journey into space! We read two wonderful books: Whatever Next  and Look Up , which sparked our curiosity about the universe. We also learned about Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman to travel into space. We talked about what it’s like to be an astronaut. Using our imagination, we became astronauts ourselves—just like Mae Jemison and Baby Bear from Whatever Next ! We even blasted off into space and had a picnic on the moon. We used the green screen app on the iPad to show what we would look like in Baby Bears ‘rocket’. These activities helped us develop our language skills, creativity, and understanding of the world beyond Earth.

At our school, we are guided by the values of Catholic Social Teaching. We live out these teachings through love, trust and respect. ·         Dignity of the Human Person We treat everyone with kindness and respect, celebrating each person’s uniqueness and worth. The Good Samaritan Certificate as well as class certificates of achievement are given out during Celebration Assembly every Friday. ·         Solidarity We stand together as one school family, supporting each other and reaching out to those in need locally and globally. ·         The Common Good We work together to create a safe, welcoming, and joyful environment where everyone can thrive and reach their potential. ·         Option for the Poor and Vulnerable We raise awareness and take action through charity events, food bank collections, and fundraising for those less fortunate. With the help of Mini-Vinnies, we carryout initiatives like Canny Friday to support our local Food Bank. ·         Care for God’s Creation We care for our environment by recycling, reducing waste, and learning how to protect the planet. We start with our school and encourage family and friends by sharing what we have learnt. ·         Rights and Responsibilities We learn about justice and fairness, and we take responsibility for our actions in school and in the wider world. ·         Participation We encourage every pupil to have a voice, take part in decision-making, and contribute to the life of our school.

Year 2 children will be learning about photography during the Autumn Term.   They will learn to recognise that different devices can be used to capture photographs. They will learn the skills of capturing, editing, and improving photos. Finally, they will use this knowledge to recognise that images they see may not be real. The first lesson was to learn simple technical skills of basic camera operation. The children explored the grounds of St Joseph’s to capture images they could see using an iPad.

Year 4 planned their own collective worship to reflect on our topic about building bridges. The children used guidance from scripture to write their own sorry prayers which were displayed on the focal area throughout our prayer time.

You couldn’t get any more hands-on than Y6 today! Hearts were squeezed, prodded, stretched, sliced, chopped and examined to enhance our knowledge of the circulatory system.

Our school came together to honour and remember those who served and sacrificed for peace. Children took part in a special assembly and observed a two-minute silence to show their respect. Each class reflected on the importance of kindness, courage, and gratitude, with messages of hope displayed across our school. We are proud of how our pupils embraced this meaningful day and helped keep the spirit of remembrance alive.

“Showing kindness makes our school shine! At lunchtime, some of our amazing children created a beautiful heart from autumn leaves and shared it with staff to tell them how much they are valued. What a thoughtful way to spread happiness!”

This week in Nursery , we have been busy learning about where we live  and Remembrance Day . Our focus story was Martha Maps It Out , which helped us talk about our homes and the people who live in them. We also explored our local area and learned more about the places around us. To mark Remembrance Day, we created some beautiful poppy artwork and used this activity to practice our fine motor skills in maths — giving each poppy the correct number of petals, from 1 to 5.

Lest we forget  Year 1 have spent time this week creating their own poppies. We shared a lovely story about friendship called ‘Where the Poppies now grow’ by H. Robinson and M.Impey. “At the going down of the sun, and in the morning – we will remember them”

Year 4 wrote a powerful description of the fire fiend’s grotto. They used fronted adverbials, subordinate clauses and they also included new vocabulary. Well done Year 4!

In October we dedicated time to praying the Rosary to celebrate the "Month of the Rosary," a Catholic tradition . This involves teaching pupils about the Rosary, reflecting on its mysteries and praying together. Year 2 took time to reflect on Mary and learn about the different parts of the Rosary beads. Mary  is celebrated as a central figure of faith, love, and devotion. She is a symbol of love, humility, and trust in God, inspiring the pupils to emulate her virtues.

Even on a rainy day, Year 5 enjoyed an excellent recent trip to Jarrow Hall Anglo-Saxon village in support of our history work. It was enjoyable acting out some of the crimes and punishments used in this society and we even got to reenact an Anglo-Saxon battle scene. Our favourite memory was our visit to the Anglo-Saxon settlement and listening to the epic tale of Beowulf, as we shared an Anglo-Saxon drinking horn. It was a great day.