Published September 15, 2023
I hope that you all coped with the heatwave last weekend and are enjoying much more bearable temperatures at the moment!
This week has been dominated by Year 11 mocks. On the whole they have been tackling these incredibly well and have risen to the challenge that they provide with maturity and conscientiousness. It’s a real eye-opener for Year 11 and really does help to give them a taste of what is to come in this important year for them!
We have also been visiting many classrooms on learning walks this week and it is great to see focused, attentive, and engaged pupils across the curriculum areas. It’s great to see the mutual respect that the pupils and teachers have for one another and how this translates into excellent and productive learning environments! It’s also brilliant to see the fabulous educational diet that the children receive and how this aids their development!
Clubs
Our extra-curricular offering started up this week with great attendances at many of the PE clubs for rugby and football! We will be starting up more clubs as the term goes on and clubs such as Geography Club, HW Club, chaplaincy club, Dance Live, Netball are all being discussed and soon to launch! A definitive list to be published on the website soon and distributed to the pupils!
Satchel One & HW Club
We will begin Homework club next week – to begin with we will be offering two nights each week (Tuesday and Wednesday). This will begin after school and will be in Room 26 and finish at 4:30. Room 26 is fully furnished with computers and thus any pupils having issues with Satchel One can attend and we can resolve the issues. HW club is excellent for pupils who prefer to complete HW at school – there is no need to sign up, just turn up to Room 26 at the end of the day.
Coming up this week:
Assemblies – The St Joseph’s Way led by Mr Rooney
Tuesday:
- Lunchtime: Star Rugby (selected Yr8&9 boys rugby club)
- 1:00-3:30pm U15 Rugby tournament at Bishops Wordsworth
- After school: Year 7&8 Football Club
- After school: Homework Club
Wednesday:
- Open Morning & Evening
- After school: KS3 & 4 Girls Rugby Club. Yr10& 11 Boys Rugby
- After school: HW club
Thursday:
- After School: Yr9&10 Football Club
- Evening: Yr9 Options Evening Process (virtual)
Friday:
- Dodgeball Tournament
- House Comp: KS3 Ultimate Frisbee
- After School: Yr9, 10 & 11 Basketball Club & After School: PE Revision Club Yr10 & 11 Rm28
Open Morning & Evening: Weds 20th Sept
Next Wednesday we are hosting our Open Morning and Open Evening events. If you have a child in Year 6 who would like to tour school and see what we have to offer, please come along to either or both of the events! Likewise, if you have any friends or family who have a child in Year 6 and they are looking to find out more about us, please let them know of these events!
Open Morning: Guided Tour with pupils from 9:30 – 12:00
No need to book, just arrive at a time convenient to you in the 2-and-a-half-hour window.
Open Evening: Presentations from Head teacher and Head Students followed by Guided Tours with Pupils 5:30-7:30
Again, no need to book, please arrive at 5:30 for the presentations.
Year 9 Options Evening: Thurs 21st Sept 6pm
On Thursday 21st Sept we will be hosting an online Options Evening. During this meeting, Mr McGuiness will be outlining the Options Process and directing pupils and parents to the Options page of our website which will contain up to date details of the options subjects on offer and also the time frames for the process.
We will be using the School Cloud software for this event and a separate communication will be sent out next week with further details.
Coming up this half term:
Information Evenings Yr7, 8 & 10 Mon 25th Sept – Weds 27th Sept
(individual year group correspondence to follow)
A welcome to your child’s academic year – these evenings will ensure that you know the focus for the year and also any important dates and activities coming up.
Year 7 Form Tutor Evening: Weds 4th Oct
A chance to catch-up with your child’s form tutor to discuss how they are settling into life at St Joseph’s
Year 7 House Party: Fri 6th Oct
An after-school event for all year 7 – a chance for the year group to bond and also take part in lots of team building and house competitions!
Year 11 Mock Exam Results Reveal and Year 11 Information Evening: Thurs 12th Oct
The only way for year 11 to receive their mock results is to attend this session with their parents – there will be a catch-up session if this date does not work.
Pupils will receive their exam results envelope and then receive information about the Year 11 programme and the extra support, guidance and help on offer.
House Points Race
Finally, a different House on the top of the leaderboard (it seems like 3 years since that has happened!). Well done to Teresa House!
- 1st Place: Teresa – 842 points
- 2nd Place: Vincent – 804 points
- 3rd Place: Margaret – 785 points
- 4th place: Francis – 772 points
Have a lovely weekend!
Mr Rooney