Year 4 Pocket Trumpets The ch ildren are enjoying their music lesson with Mr Rudkin.

Year 4 visited the Laing Art Gallery to take part in a drawing workshop. They took part in a number of activities as part of our art topic.

On the 10th September 2026 Year Six enjoyed a visit to Safety Works in Benwell. Year Six learned about fire safety in the home, Safety on and around the metro, staying safe around water and road safety.

This week, we have been learning about colours and emotions through our focus story, The Colour Monster by Anna Llenas. 📖✨ The children enjoyed a range of exciting activities, including colour mixing 🎨, creating their own Colour Monsters 👹, exploring and expressing their feelings 😊😢😡, identifying different colours 🌈, and sorting objects by colour 🔴🟡🔵🟢. These activities helped the children develop their understanding of emotions, build communication skills, and explore the wonderful world of colour through play and creativity. 🌟💬🎭

In RE, the children have been learning about Creation and Covenant. They explored the scripture of Restoring Hope and God's covenant to save all living things, developing their understanding of God's love and care for creation. As part of their learning, the children took part in a nature walk around our school prayer garden and grounds. They carefully observed the wonders of God's creation, including tiny creatures, plants, leaves, the clouds, and the sky. Through this experience, they reflected on the words from Genesis: "God saw that it was good." The children then created their own artistic responses to creation in creation. While listening to 'What a Wonderful World' by Louis Armstrong, they used watercolour paints to express the beauty, diversity, and wonder of the world around them. Their artwork demonstrated thoughtful reflection on God's gift of creation and encouraged them to appreciate their responsibility as stewards of the Earth. Throughout these lessons, the children showed curiosity, creativity, and a sense of awe and wonder as they explored how God's covenant reminds us to care for all living things and the world He has entrusted to us.

We have been reading Our Class is a Family by Shannon Olsen. The story helped us think about what makes a classroom a special place where everyone belongs, feels valued and is cared for. We explored the importance of friendship, kindness, respect and teamwork. We reflected on how we can support one another, celebrate our differences and work together as a class family. The children wrote about: What makes our class special. How we can be good friends to others. Ways we show kindness and respect every day. Their work shows that our classroom is a place where everyone belongs, everyone matters and together we can achieve great things. In our class, we are a family. We learn together, support one another and celebrate each other's successes.

Nine children from St Joseph’s (Years 4 and 5) celebrated their First Holy Communion on 28th June, alongside pupils from St Bede’s and St George’s schools. It was a truly special and joyful occasion, shared with family and friends at St Bede’s Church. The celebrations continued the following day during Sunday Mass, where the children proudly presented themselves to the parish community and received their certificates from Father Maridas. On Monday, the children enjoyed a special Communion breakfast at school, giving them another opportunity to celebrate together and reflect on this important milestone. First Holy Communion is a significant moment in a Catholic child’s faith journey. It involves careful preparation within both the Church and school community throughout the academic year. At St Joseph’s, children begin preparing for the Sacrament of the Eucharist in Year 4. We warmly congratulate all the children and wish them every blessing as they continue their journey with Christ, guided by His love. Prayer Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the gift of your presence.May the grace they have received strengthen them to live your love. Amen

Our Year 6 pupils were privileged to lead their final St Joseph’s Mass. Despite it being the hottest day ever, every child and adult did us proud. Well done St Joseph’s!

Year Six experienced a fantastic day at the Newcastle United Foundation on Tuesday 3oth June. The children took part in a range of exciting and thought provoking activities including; virtual reality (HADO) games, multi-sports team games, health and well-being activities and basic first-aid (re-start a heart).

The Youth Ministry Trust put on a great day for hundreds of Year 6 children from across the region. We explored activities around the youth village, met pupils from other schools and reflected on the central theme of ‘Behold’. Being in the Durham countryside on a beautiful day was such a treat.

Year 2 enjoyed a fantastic visit to Scotswood Nature Garden, where they learned all about bees. The children discovered the different roles within a hive and how worker bees collect pollen. To bring this learning to life, the children took part in a fun activity using sticky paper bees to collect “pollen” themselves. They also completed a Bee Trail around the woods, searching for ten interesting bee facts hidden along the way. The day continued with two engaging bee-themed stories, which the children listened to with great enthusiasm. To finish their visit, each child planted sunflower seeds to take home, encouraging bees to visit their own gardens. It was a wonderful hands-on learning experience that the children thoroughly enjoyed!

Year 2 pupils, alongside the rest of the school, recently took part in an engaging and interactive online assembly focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and online safety. The session encouraged curiosity and discussion, with children asking thoughtful questions and developing their understanding of how AI is used in everyday life. During the assembly, pupils explored key principles to help them use technology safely and responsibly. They learned about: Safe – understanding how to stay secure and protect their information when using AI tools. Smart – developing a basic understanding of how AI works and how it can be used. Creative – using AI as a tool to support imagination, creativity, and innovation. Responsible – recognising the importance of using AI in an ethical and thoughtful way. Future – building confidence in preparing for a world where AI will play an important role. The session was a valuable opportunity for pupils to build awareness of digital safety while exploring exciting new technologies in a safe and supportive environment.