Published November 5, 2021
Welcome back to term two; I hope that you and your family had a lovely half term.
I must say that it is great to be back and seeing everyone in their uniform – everyone is looking super smart, and it really does give off a good vibe in school (and it’s good to be able to use the newly refurbished changing rooms too!). Thank you for your support in ensuring that your child is in full school uniform. As ever, if there are any issues with uniform, please notify the form tutor in the first instance.
Thank you
Thank you for your generosity at the end of last half term on the non-uniform day – we raised a handsome £400 which will be put to good use for sports equipment in school. Thank you!
Bath Spa University, Starcast & Our Clubs
This past week has been a busy one; lunch and after school clubs have been in full swing with PE and art and design clubs leading the way. We also welcomed Bath Spa University to school on Wednesday who led a morning workshop for year 7 pupil premium students – they did a whole host of Higher Education activities, discovered the vast range of courses on offer and also found out what University life is like.
In addition, we welcomed Kiri from Starcast Performing Arts who worked tirelessly for 6 hours with our Year 10 GCSE Dance pupils; they worked hard on their duos and trios and created some beautiful dances. Year 11 dancers will have their workshop next week.
Remembrance Day
“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.”
Next Thursday is Remembrance Day and we will be paying our respects as a school with a two-minute silence. Year 11 prefects will also be visiting form rooms with poppies for pupils to purchase next week.
Coming up next week
Year 10 Parents Evening
Year 10 parents evening will be held on Wednesday, 4pm-7pm. An email with instructions on how to schedule your online appointments was sent earlier this week, and there has been a great response so far.
This is a great opportunity to speak with your child’s subject teachers to find out how they are progressing in the different subject areas. Due to the pandemic this is the first opportunity you have had since GCSEs started! Our staff are really looking forward to the evening.
Year 7 CATs
Also, next week Year 7 will be doing their CATs (Cognitive Ability Tests). We are going to be doing the CAT4 tests with the pupils this over 3 periods for each form as a total of 2 hours 40 mins is needed for the CATS tests. Your child has been informed of this arrangement this week.
The tests will be done online and are multiple choice answers. There is no revision necessary for these tests and we don’t want to worry the children or have them panicking about them – they are simply a standardised test which will help us identify strengths and weaknesses and ensure we are providing an appropriate level of challenge.
These will happen on Wednesday 10th November as follows:
- P1-3 for 7F & M
- P4-6 for 7T & V
Vaccinations
We now have our rescheduled date for the Covid vaccinations taking place in school – Wednesday 10th November. These are for pupils aged 12-16 as our email earlier in the week publicised. We are aware that some of our families have already taken advantage of the opportunity to vaccinate your children at City Hall or other venues. If this is the case, you do not need to consent for the in-school programme nor do you need to provide us with any certification or proof.
All parents will be sent an electronic consent form organised by the NHS England School Age Immunisation Service (SAIS) for you to complete, as well as an additional information leaflet from the NHS. The SAIS team will carry out the vaccinations and manage the consent process. We are expecting the SAIS team will visit St Joseph’s Catholic School on Wednesday 10 November to vaccinate all 12- to 15-year-olds who have provided consent.
All consent decisions must be returned by the 8th November 2021. The link will be forwarded to you closer to the date.
Homerun
With COP26 happening this week, it seems appropriate to promote our Homerun app which seeks to provide more travel options for parents and to help make us a greener school. We kindly ask all parents to join our private network as soon as possible by using the link below:
http://www.homerun-app.com/launch/sjcs1358
House Points
Margaret have got off to an absolute stormer this half term and have extended their lead at the top:
- 1st: Margaret House: 15,119 points
- 2nd: Vincent House: 14,112 points
- 3rd: Teresa House: 13,585 points
- 4th: Francis House: 12,126 points
Keep the points coming!
Mr Rooney