Published October 4th, 2024
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and
Matthew 7:7–8
the door will be opened to you.
From the Headmaster’s Office
It has been another busy week at St Joseph’s. We were delighted to welcome Mary Cox, Director of Learning for the Clifton Diocese, who is a source of great strength and support to the school as we continue our journey from Good to Great. She commented on the calmness around the site, the warm welcome she received from pupils and staff, and the positivity in the air.
Our Year 11 pupils completed their Geography fieldwork in Swanage. We held an online Tutor Evening following the successful Information Evening at the start of term and our Year 9 pupils conducted themselves impeccably as they spoke to and learned from care professionals about the dangers surrounding knife crime.
As we head into the weekend, it is always important to reflect and ask: What are we aiming to achieve, and where will my next steps take me? St Joseph’s Futures programme is being developed further by Mrs Nobis and Miss Gale. Exciting projects lie ahead; I ask everyone to start with the end in mind and to think big.
Have a lovely weekend.
Houses
Our House system is back in full swing – this week’s assemblies were the first House assemblies of the year, and it was great to rekindle the rivalries that exist between the Houses! It was also wonderful to welcome our Year 7 pupils to their Houses and introduce them to their House saints. The competitions are also now in full swing too with Teresa House winning the first competition last week. This week’s competition was benchball and at the time of writing, I haven’t got details of the winning House (my fingers are crossed that it’ll be Teresa again!)
Year 7 Form Tutor Evening
It was brilliant hosting our Year 7 Form Tutor Evening last night and discussing how the children have settled into life with us. The form tutors and attached staff really valued this opportunity to build relationships with you!
Litter
Well done to Year 9 who have been on litter duty this week. This initiative is truly having a fabulous impact on the school site and environment.
Blunt Truth
On Monday, we welcomed Wiltshire Police and the NHS to school to deliver their workshop entitled ‘The Blunt Truth’ to Year 9. The aim of the workshops was to:
- encourage them to report, if they know someone is carrying a knife
- educate them on the consequences of carrying a knife
- offer practical first-aid skills to help if someone has been stabbed
Our pupils watched a thought-provoking and hard-hitting film which shows the different outcomes should they do the ‘right thing’ and report concerns that someone they know is carrying a knife, compared to the tragic consequences of not reporting and seeing an incident play out.
There was then an open discussion with the pupils, offering advice on who to go to if they are concerned, before the NHS colleagues provided hands-on first-aid training.
Swanage Geography Field Trip
Thursday saw 50 GCSE geographers head out of Salisbury and down to the coast on their field trip. As ever, it was a very enjoyable experience and gave the pupils a valuable opportunity to undertake essential fieldwork for their course. Well done to Mr Kellie and the Geography department for organising the day!
Year 11 Mocks Results Evening
As stated last week, following the recent mock exams, towards the end of the half term on Thursday 17th October at 6pm, we will be holding a mock exams results reveal evening. Parents and pupils will be invited to attend St Joseph’s to receive their results (these will not be given out in lesson time) replicating the experience that they will have in August with their actual results. During this evening, we will also be outlining the Year 11 programme for the year and how St Joseph’s can fully support you and your child through this particularly important, and sometimes challenging year.
Key dates for the Autumn 1 Term:
- Thursday 17th October – Year 11 Mock Results Reveal Evening
- Tuesday 22nd October – Year 7 House Party (during Period 5)
Have a lovely weekend!
Mr R Rooney
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