Catholic Life Gallery
Academic Year 2023/24
Autumn 2023/24
15th September
Our first whole school Mass was lovely today and Fr Nolan and Year 6 did a fantastic job of bringing us together. Thank you to all of the parents who joined us.
Academic Year 2022/23
Autumn 2022/23
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
It is with great sadness that we mourn the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The passing of the Queen has touched all of our hearts and I am sure that all of our prayers are with the Queen and her family. We have set up an area of reflection in the school entrance, this is a space for the St Joseph’s community to remember our Queen and write in a book of remembrance.
Wednesday Word
The 'Wednesday word' shares Sunday's Gospel with all school families, in a unique way helping them to prepare for the gospel reading at Sunday mass.
https://www.paperturn-view.com/uk/wednesday-word/faith?pid=MTA101634&v=70.2
Macmillan Coffee Morning
A huge thank you to all our families and staff for supporting our annual Macmillan Coffee Morning. It was so nice to see so many of you there supporting such a worthy cause.
Harvest Festival
We would like to say a big thank you to year 3 who lead a beautiful Harvest Service today. We are very proud of them and all the children who sang so beautifully.
Thank you once again for all your very generous donations which have been safely delivered to Bromley Food Bank this afternoon and will go towards supporting the most vulnerable in our community.
Many thanks also to our parents who helped with delivering all your donations to the food bank.
Y1 Liturgy Assembly
Thank you to Year 1 who led a beautiful assembly in school today. Thank you also to parents who helped their child to learn their lines so well. The class were super confident with their lines and sang their hymn at the end with real joy. At the heart of Year 1's assembly was a simple message; Love and trust in God. If we do that, we are sure to be happy.
Please try and support our Poppy appeal. Our faith leaders will be selling items before and after school. Please contribute if you can to this very important cause.
Remembrance Service
In school today we had a Remembrance Service led by the faith leaders. It was thoughtful and respectful and ended with the whole school taking part in a two minute silence. I was incredibly proud of how the school stood together in prayer and contemplation: they were a credit to the school and their families.
Whole School Mass
Today we celebrated our new school year mass. It was led beautifully by Year 6 who are excellent role models for our school. The children's behaviour was excellent and the participation in the songs and responses was wonderful. It was lovely to see so many parents able to come today. Thank you for joining us so we can celebrate our faith as a community and thank you also for your kind comments about how lovely the mass was.
I was thinking of Father Peter's words about the prayers the children say at morning and at night. Keep this in mind and if you would like to, please write them down and decorate them. I would love to see them - you can bring them to my class at any lunchtime,
God Bless
Children In Need
A huge thank you to all our families who supported our Children In Need day today. The children all looked fabulous and thanks to your generosity we have raised a huge amount of money. We will confirm the exact amount in next weeks newsletter.
Well done to our raffle Winners Millie and Isaac!
Year 4 Mass
Well done Year 4 for their sensible attitude in leading the Year 4 class mass last Friday at church. Mrs Stevenson was impressed with all who took part in various ways, for example, serving, singing and reading.
Behaviour was excellent and the class worked well as a team.
Y3 Visit to St George's Cathedral
Yesterday, Year 3 visited St George's Cathedral. As we walked into the
cathedral the children were in awe of the amazing building, it was lovely to see their faces. The stained glass windows were exceptional. When we first decided to be involved in the Advent service, with other schools from the Southwark Diocese we were only meant to be part of the choir, but on Monday we were approached about stepping in for a school that had had to pull out. Of course, I knew our Year 3's could rise to the challenge and we took on the part of the shepherds and sheep, being told the good news. I would say that we were probably the youngest children there with a main part in the service and they were all amazing. I am so proud of them, they really reflected how great our children are at St Joseph's are.
Well done Year 3!
Christmas at St Josephs 2022/23
Well done to all the children, donkey’s, sheep and camels too! The singing, dancing and acting was exceptional!
Thank you to all the parents/carers for attending and making the play so special for the children.
Spring 2022/23
Friday 6th January - Whole School Mass
This afternoon, year 6 led The Epiphany of our Lord Mass which was celebrated by Father Peter. All the children showed great reverence and we thank Father Peter for his interesting homily about the feast day. It was lovely to see some parents and parishioners in church with us.
Friday 10th March - Fr Victor Visits
We have had a great day today, welcoming Fr Victor to St Joseph’s School. Fr Victor had the opportunity to visit all of the classes, have lunch with our Faith Leaders and then join us all for a whole school community Mass. Thank you if you were able to join us.
Monday 20th March - St Joseph's Day
On Monday, we celebrated our patron saint on St Joseph’s day. We were blessed to have mass said by Bishop Philip Moger alongside Fr Peter and Deacon Garry. Afterwards, they joined the faith leaders, the six choirists who sang at Bishop Philip's ordination and one of governors, Mrs McConnell for lunch and were escorted on a tour of the school by our Year 6 faith leaders.
Sunday 26th March -Whole School Mass
On Sunday 26th March Year 6 pupils led the 9.00am service at Church. The children did so well with their readings. Mrs Hallett, Fr Peter and the whole school were very proud of you. Well done Year 6!
Thursday 20th April - Congratulations to Deacon Garry!
Deacon Garry has completed his Masters Degree in Theology and received a distinction. All of the children at St Josephs made him a card, which they presented to him during Thursday's school liturgy assembly which Deacon Garry leads every week. Deacon Garry does so much for the school, we are so grateful to him.
Thank you Deacon Garry!
Sunday 23rd April - Yr 1 Sunday Mass
On Sunday, Year 1 led mass for our school community and parish. The children read beautifully and many parishioners commented on what good readers they were and on their excellent behaviour. Thank you Year 1 for being such good role models for the school - you made us very proud!
Friday 5th May - Year 5 Liturgy
On Friday it was the Year 5 Liturgy. The class continued the Easter story and shared the important role Jesus' disciples played in sharing the Good News. Well done Year 5!
Friday 5th May - Kings Coronation
We had an amazing day celebrating the King’s Coronation. Everyone got involved with the festivities and I would like to say a big thank you to the School Council, for organising the event and reenacting the Coronation for us.
18th May - May Procession
Thank you to all our families for the donations of flowers for our May Procession. The children behaved and sang beautifully and were very respectful when placing their flower at Mary's feet. The flowers were arranged in vases and kept on display in church for the whole community to appreciate. Your plant donations were brought back to school and will be planted in our faith garden.
Friday 26th May - Yr 6 Liturgy
Year 6 provided us with a splendid Liturgy Assembly on the last day of term. Thank you Year 6!
Summer 2022/23
5th June - Faith Garden
Thank you for the faith leaders who helped us plant the left over plants from the May Procession. They look beautiful in our faith garden.
Sunday 11th June - Year 5 Led Parish Mass
A huge well done to year 5 class who led our Sunday Mass for our school community and parish. You were all amazing and we are very proud of you. Well done Year 5!
Tributes to Titan
We have all been saddened by the news of those who died on their ex-pedition. Year 5 have taken the time to reflect and say prayers for those that died. They laid flowers around one of our trees by the Learning Cabin on the school grounds. If you would like to do the same then please take the opportunity to do so. I am touched by the children’s love and faith.
23rd June - Yr 3 & 4 Holy Communion Celebration Mass.
On Friday, Year 3 and 4 attended a special Holy Communion Celebration Mass. The children read and conducted themselves so well, we truly are proud.
On return to school they were welcomed back by a round of applause from their fellow students. In the afternoon they enjoyed an afternoon tea and a water play where they showed Mr Ollier how good they were with their water pistols!!
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Thursday 29th June -Feast of St Peter & St Paul
Thank you to the parents who joined us for our mass to celebrate the feast of St Peter and St Paul. The faith leaders were outstanding and the school sang and responded beauti-fully through the service.
3rd-7th July - Other Faith's Week
We learned and wrote about Guru Nanak and his journey in faith. We made a book about the meaning of the 5 K's which are the foundations of the Sikh faith and made a turban pin worn by men on special occasions. The children were all really engaged and some were able to spot some of the similarities between our Christian faith and the Sikh faith.
Year 2 focused on Islam. We learnt about how they live and pray. We have created various pictures including the steps to prepare us for prayer. Mr Ollier, our Year 3 teacher came to teachYear 5 as our focus is Judaism and Islam. It was a very engaging lesson and the children enjoyed it very much. Our Year 3 Class attended Bromley Reform Synagogue on Wednesday last week to learn about other faiths. Here you can see some of the pictures they took.
Tuesday 11th July -Clairleigh Nursing Home
On Tuesday 11th July, our Year 4 visited Clairleigh Nursing Home. They sung some songs for the residents, shared cards with them that the children had made and had lovely conversations with them too.
This trip was a lovely opportunity for us to make a connection with people in our local community and also reinforces our school values perfectly.
The residents really enjoyed the event and are still chatting about the cards that they were given. They commented on the excellent behaviour and we have received cards from the residents thanking the children and staff for making such a difference to their day! Well done Year 4 we are very proud of you all and look forward to going back to Clairleigh in the near future.
18th July- St Joseph’s Pre-school visit
Year 5 has been busy getting to know the new Reception children. They have supported them on their first visit to the school and have visited St Joseph's preschool to share stories with them. I'm sure they will be a great support for the youngest members of our community in the first few weeks at school.
21st July - Year 6 Leavers Mass
We ended this academic year with our Year 6 leavers mass this afternoon at church. Year 6 led the service and sang a beautiful rendition of Glory, Glory Hallelujah at the end where the whole school community joined in. It was a fitting end to the school year and a wonderful send off for Year 6 and their families.
Academic Year 2021/22
Autumn 2021/22
Friday 10th September
At the start of the autumn term, we celebrated a whole school Mass for the new academic year led by our Y6 pupils. We also welcomed Mrs England as our new headteacher. We are blessed to have her lead our school.
A schedule of RE events has been planned throughout the autumn term of 2021:
Wednesday 8th September
On this day we celebrated Our Lady’s birthday. Pupils sang happy birthday to our mother in heaven, prayed the Hail Mary and made her a special card.
A display board was created which is devoted to Our Lady.
A series of class Masses has been planned for this term to which parents are warmly invited to join. During these pupils will lead on the readings, bidding prayers and the offertory procession. An order of service is prepared for each pupil, so they develop a clear understanding of the structure of the Mass.
Friday 17th September
Y4 celebrated their Class Mass.
Friday 24th September
St Joseph’s raised money for Macmillan Cancer Care. Pupils, together with staff, wore an item of green to represent this charity and donated money. We were delighted with the grand total of £291.89 for this worthy cause. Thank you to everyone who contributed – it was much appreciated.
On this day Y2 also celebrated their Class Mass.
Friday 1st October
Y3 led our Harvest Festival celebration for the whole school. They said thank you to God for the safe gathering of the harvest and for the farmers who grow the food for everyone.
We would like to thank everyone who contributed to our Harvest Festival collection this year and say how grateful we are for your support. Here is a photo displaying just a fraction of what was donated:
We collected an incredible 119kg of food which was kindly taken to Bromley Foodbank by some of our parents.
We have since received the following certificate from Bromley Foodbank thanking St Joseph's for our donation.
Friday 8th October
St Joseph’s joined with St Mary’s Catholic Primary School and St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive School for the South East London Catholic Academy Trust Mass at St George’s Cathedral. A beautiful banner was created for this special event displaying our school values. We were proud of the pupils from Y5 & Y6 who led on the readings at this Mass.
It was a wonderful service which united us all in worship and prayer.
Friday 15th October
Y1 celebrated their Class Mass.
Liturgical Colours
Deacon Garry has visited all year groups throughout the autumn term to give a presentation on the colours of the liturgical seasons. Pupils have learnt that colours play an important part in the Catholic church and are a primary source of symbolism.
Just before the half-term ended, we said a sad farewell to Fr Tomasz. He has made excellent videos for our pupils throughout his time at St Joseph’s based on Sunday’s Gospel readings. A lovely book was created for him with thank you notes and pictures from every pupil as a mark of our appreciation for everything he did for our school. He will be very much missed at St Joseph’s, but we wish him well at his new parish.
Tuesday 2nd November
This was All Souls’ Day also known as The Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed. Pupils prayed for loved ones who were once part of our lives and now are part of our memories. Beautiful Holy Souls’ candles were created on this day in remembrance of those gone before us.
Thursday 4th November
Pupils learnt about the Hindu festival of Diwali which is also known as the festival of lights. This is when Hindus pray to the goddess of wealth. Pupils made lovely diya lamps which represent the triumph of light over dark and good over evil.
Friday 5th November
Year 5 celebrated their Class Mass.
Thursday 11th November
Pupils and staff gathered around this amazing display for a two-minute silence to remember those who lost their lives in war so we can live in peace today.
Poppies were also created on this day.
On Friday 12th November, Year 4 presented a moving assembly on Remembrance Day. Pupils sang beautifully ‘In Flanders Fields’, ‘Wear a Poppy Today’ and ‘We Pray for Peace’. They joined in union to recite the poem ‘Why Wear a Poppy?’ by Don Crawford.
Year 6 led 9.15am Mass at St Joseph's Catholic Church on Sunday 14th November with great reverence.
The incredible amount of £332.56 was raised for The Royal British Legion.
Friday 11th November
EYFS celebrated their Class Mass.
On this day our pupils dressed in spotty clothes in support of the BBC charity Children in Need which helps disadvantaged children and young people in the UK. Our Faith Leaders came into school early to set up their market stall to sell Children in Need merchandise. It proved immensely popular with pupils thrilled to buy the hair and wrist bands in support of this charity.
Friday 26th November
Year 6 presented an interesting assembly about the religious significance of the Advent wreath. They explained how it represents eternal life, and the death and resurrection of the promised Messiah. The use of the wreath and candles are a longstanding Catholic tradition.
Monday 29th November
Pupils wore an item of purple on this day to mark the start of the season of Advent. Purple has traditionally been the primary colour of Advent symbolising repentance and spiritual readiness.
Advent wreaths were also created during this week.
Wednesday 1st December
The Y6 house captains from St Edmund Campion presented an assembly about their saint to celebrate his feast day. Please click on the link to see their superb PowerPoint:
Friday 3rd December
Y3 celebrated their Class Mass.
Wednesday 10th December
EYFS, Year 1 and Year 2 performed ‘The Wriggly Nativity’ at St Joseph's Catholic Church. Our youngest pupils participated with great enthusiasm when retelling this Bible story and it was a joy to watch them.
Monday 13th December
Pupils created religious decorations for Fr Peter's Christmas tree at St Joseph's Catholic Church. They had a great time making them and enjoyed decorating the tree afterwards!
Friday 17th December
Year 5 performed an inspiring Advent service. They explained that Advent is a special season to prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus at Christmas. We should do this by being kind, thankful, and forgiving. They beautifully sang ‘He is Coming’ and ‘Gloria in Excelcis Deo’.
It has been a wonderful term of spirituality at St Josephs. We would like to thank our parents for supporting all our charitable events this term. Your kindness and generosity is much appreciated. We would also like to thank Fr Peter, Fr Tomasz and Deacon Garry for all they have done for the Catholic life of our school making it such a special place to learn about the love of Jesus Christ.
Miss Hughes - RE Leader
Spring 2021/22
Thursday 6th January
The Feast of the Epiphany Mass for our school was led by Year 6 pupils. The word Epiphany means ‘revelation’ and was when Jesus was revealed to be the Son of God. It celebrates the arrival of the Magi, also known as the Three Kings, who came with gifts to worship Jesus shortly after his birth.
Pupils made beautiful stars and crowns to mark this special day in the church’s liturgical calendar.
Wednesday 12th January
All year groups will take part in an Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament service with Deacon Garry during the spring term. This is quiet time spent in prayer before Jesus who is present in the Eucharist. A consecrated host is placed inside the centre of a sacred vessel called a monstrance. This is on the altar for pupils to see and worship.
Here are some of their thoughts about it:
“I felt full of peace because I was talking to God. He makes me feel safe and calm. When you pray, it is like you are in a little bubble with him.”
“I think it is important to be quiet when you pray to God. His voice is all you need to guide you.”
Year 4 visited St Joseph’s church on Wednesday 12th January for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
Friday 14th January
Year 3’s Liturgy Assembly was based on the Gospel reading taken from John 2:1-11. Pupils re-enacted the wedding feast at Cana which was Jesus’ first miracle. The wedding guests were the first to catch a glimpse of the power of Jesus and they were amazed by what they saw. Mary acted out of kindness in this Bible story and showed complete trust in Jesus. Year 3 taught us that like Mary, we should also be kind towards others and always ready to turn to Jesus in times of difficulty.
Week Commencing 17th January
During this week, each year group enjoyed studying a different aspect of the Jewish faith. Judaism is one of the oldest monotheistic religions and was founded over 3,500 years ago.
Learning about other faiths prepares pupils for life in modern Britain, giving them an understanding of the beliefs of others. This increases mutual respect between those of different religions and fulfils the call to love our neighbour (Matthew 22:39).
Friday 21st January
Year 2 celebrated their Class Mass.
Wednesday 26th January
Year 3 visited St Joseph’s church for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with Deacon Garry.
Friday 28th January
Year 5’s Liturgy Assembly was based on the Gospel reading taken from Luke 4:20-30. Jesus brought the message of God’s love to be shared with all people. Year 5 taught us that He was always ready to welcome and love everyone, and we must be ready to do the same.
Monday 31st January
At the end of the autumn term, pupils took part in the Knights of St Columba RE competition. They had to draw a scene from the Christmas story and choose a Biblical quote to accompany their picture. We were delighted to hear on this day that there were six winners from our school who each achieved a certificate and a religious book as their prize. We would like to thank the Knights of St Columba for organising this competition and for their beautiful gifts.
Friday 4th February
Year 1 celebrated their Class Mass.
Friday 11th February
Year 6’s Liturgy assembly was based on the Gospel reading taken from Luke 6:17-23. They explained to us how worldly possessions and riches do not last forever, but God’s love does. They taught us that true happiness comes from trusting God and allowing his love to fill our lives.
On this day, St Joseph’s raised money for the charity ‘Place to Be’ which works to improve children’s mental health. Pupils also wore odd socks to celebrate difference and diversity.
‘You are God’s masterpiece’ – Ephesians 2:10
Friday 25th February 2022
EYFS celebrated their Class Mass.
w/c Monday 28th February
Pupils took part in a sponsored walk/run to support CAFOD’s Lenten 2022 Appeal ‘Walk Against Hunger’. This was to raise money for children living in poverty and help them to have a brighter future. We were impressed with all pupils who participated in the event with such great enthusiasm whilst thinking of those in need. We were thrilled to raise the incredible amount of £943 for this charity.
Wednesday 2nd March
Year 4 led the Ash Wednesday Mass for KS2 at St Joseph’s Catholic Church which was celebrated with Fr Peter. EYFS and KS1 also attended an Ash Wednesday Prayer & Liturgy service held in the school hall celebrated with Deacon Garry. Pupils learnt about the three pillars of the Lenten season: prayers, fasting and almsgiving. A hint of purple was worn on this day by both staff and pupils to represent penance, preparation and spirituality.
Friday 4th March
Friday 11th March
Wednesday 9th March
Year 6 visited St Joseph’s Catholic Church for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with Deacon Garry.
Sunday 13th March
Year 5 led 9.15am Mass at St Joseph’s Catholic Church.
Thursday 17th March
On St Patrick’s Day, pupils learnt how this saint used the three leaves of a shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. There was a display of Irish dancing in the playground to celebrate this feast day.
Friday 18th March
On St Joseph’s Day, we celebrated with a Mass led by Year 6. According to ancient tradition, St Joseph watches over and protects the church. He is considered the model of perfect Christian life.
Friday 25th March 2022
On this day, EYFS, Year 1 and Year 2 presented a Mother’s Day assembly. They thanked them for all that they do and wished them a wonderful day. Thank you God for the gift of our mothers.
Thursday 31st March
The Faith Leaders organised a fundraising day where staff and pupils were invited to wear the colours of the Ukrainian flag. This was to raise money for food, water and medical assistance.
We would like to say a big thank you to our parents for their generosity in donating £599.42 to the Disaster Emergency Committee – your kindness is very much appreciated.
Pupils also wrote their own prayers for the people of Ukraine and came together to pray on this day. Here is an example of one they wrote:
Friday 1st April
Year 4 pupils commemorated Jesus Christ’s last day on earth through the portrayal of the Stations of the Cross. This is an ancient tradition dating back to the fourth century when Christians went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. They led a moving fourteen-step devotion for the school community at St Joseph’s Catholic Church.
Other News:
Children's Lectionary
Pupils would like to thank Deacon Garry for his special delivery of a children’s lectionary to our school. The readings in this book adhere as closely as possible to the selection and arrangement of readings for Sundays, solemnities, and feast days but are adapted to be accessible by children. It will be a wonderful resource for the planning of future school Masses.
Prayer & Liturgy Class Services
Pupils across the school are enjoying leading a Prayer and Liturgy service every Thursday morning for their class. This consists of reading a passage of scripture and leading discussions on what can be learnt from it. They write their own prayer and choose the accompanying hymn.
KS2 pupils are also designing PowerPoints to accompany their service. Please see the example slide. This is proving to be a wonderful cross-curricular link between RE and Computing.
We would like to thank Fr Peter and Deacon Garry for their spiritual guidance during this term. It is very much appreciated by everyone at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School.
The St Joseph’s community would like to wish all our parents and pupils a wonderful Easter break.
May God bless you all.
Miss Hughes – RE Leader
Summer 2021/22
At the start of the summer term, we were delighted to welcome Deacon Mark Wharton to the St Joseph’s community.
We would like to say thank you to him for visiting our school and creating virtual assemblies for our pupils during the summer term along with Fr Peter and Deacon Garry.
Tuesday 19th April
We would like to thank the choristers from St George’s Cathedral in Southwark for their inspiring performance of liturgical songs.
Here is a small extract from their performance:
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We have been blessed to have Joe from Southwark Cathedral leading music lessons during the summer term which has included preparing pupils for our school Masses.
Monday 25th April
Staff and pupils celebrated St George’s Day by wearing an item of red.
We would like to thank our Faith Leaders for leading us with the following prayer:
Friday 22nd April
Year 5's Liturgy Assembly took place on this day.
Friday 29th April
Tuesday 10th May
Thursday 19th May
On this day we held our annual May Procession led by Year 4. Each child placed a flower or plant in front of the statue of Mary in her honour. Prayers followed including the Litany of the Blessed Virgin and a decade of the rosary. It culminated in the crowning of Mary with a garland of flowers. Pupils sang ‘Ave Maria’, ‘Hail Mary’ and ‘Oh Mary We Crown Thee’.
Thursday 26th May
The Feast of the Ascension Mass was led by EYFS and Y6.
Friday 10th June
During this week, all year groups studied another faith namely:
Hinduism
Islam
Sikhism
Pupils enjoyed learning about different religions and understanding that we have many shared values.
Fr Kyrillos Ibrahim from the Coptic Orthodox Church also presented an informative assembly comparing his faith to that of the Roman Catholic Faith.
Friday 17th June
EYFS's assembly took place on this day:
Friday 24th June
On this day, Year 3's Holy Communion Celebration Mass took place.
Wednesday 29th June
Friday 8th July
Sunday 10th July
Friday 15th July
Year 1's Liturgy assembly took place on this day.
Wednesday 20th July
The Leavers’ Mass was led by Year 6. They were delighted to received a Sunday Missal as their leaving gift.
They have proved to be wonderful guardians for our youngest pupils and an exemplary class. We wish them the best of luck in the future and great success in all that they do.
As the academic year of 2021/22 draws to a close, we would like to thank Fr Peter, Deacon Garry and Deacon Mark for supporting the Catholic life of the school in such a wonderful way. We are blessed to have them as an integral part of our school.
We would like to thank the parents of our school for all their support – it is much appreciated.
We would also like to thank our Faith Leaders for helping to develop the Catholic life of the school during this academic year.
We wish you a lovely summer break.
God bless you all.
Miss Hughes – RE Leader
The May Procession - 2022
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Academic Year 2020/21
Autumn 2020/21
Christmas at St Joseph's - 2020/21
St Joseph’s had a spiritually uplifting final week of school with our Christmas celebrations. Please find listed below some of the activities that have taken place across the school:
A Bundle of Joy!
EYFS & KS1 performed ‘A Bundle of Joy!’ which was a recreation of the traditional nativity story. The children acted out the story of the birth of Jesus Christ in St Joseph’s Catholic Church and they reminded us all about the true meaning of Christmas. Their delightful nativity brought a smile to all our faces!
A Review of 2020
Year 3 created a review of the major events of 2020 and presented it in a series of news articles. They taught us that Christmas is a time of hope and an opportunity to acknowledge that no matter how dark and cold things may seem, the light of Jesus will always shine through. When the light comes, any darkness will be defeated. They also showed us that we must shine hope into the lives of those that need it particularly this Christmas time.
The Advent Wreath Tradition
Advent is a liturgical season that draws us into a time of watchfulness, expectation and penance before the joy of Christmas day arrives. One of the ways we mark this time of waiting is with the Advent wreath. The use of the wreath and candles during Advent are a longstanding Catholic tradition as part of our spiritual preparation for Christmas. Year 4 presented an assembly explaining the religious symbolism of the wreath and each of the candles tied to the Christmas season. They taught us that Advent is a wonderful time to prepare our hearts and minds for the anniversary of the Lord’s birth at Christmas.
The Greatest Gift of All
Year 5 presented the story ‘The Greatest Gift of All’. Everyone loves presents. Big or small, square or lumpy, presents are exciting. However, after a while they break, get lost and are not so exciting anymore. Year 5 taught us that Christians believe there is one present, one gift that will never break or get lost, one gift that changes everything. The birth of Jesus is the greatest gift of all time.
A Reflective Advent Service
Deacon Garry led a spiritual Advent service for pupils in Year 6. He spoke about the true meaning of Christmas. He reminded pupils that the gift of Jesus Christ arrived in the world at a dark time, bringing with him the promise of eternal life. Pupils did readings, poems and sang Christmas carols in small groups. The singing was accompanied by the playing of glockenspiels and guitars. Parents joined the service remotely and so did grandparents, some as far away as Scotland!
Religious Artwork
Here is some of the creative artwork that was produced during the season of Advent by the children:
Fr Peter’s Christmas Tree
Children from all year groups made decorations for the Christmas tree in St Joseph’s church. Designs used the following religious themes:
- The Nativity scene showing the true meaning of Christmas
- A dove of peace to represent Jesus’ birth bringing peace to the world
- A ring to represent God’s everlasting love for us which has no beginning and no end
- A candle to represent that Jesus is the light of the world
- A crown to represent that Jesus is the King of kings
- The star of Bethlehem which the three wise men followed to pay homage to baby Jesus
It was the perfect end to a wonderful week of spirituality in our school.
Fr Peter was delighted to see the Christmas tree in the church so beautifully decorated. In the photograph you can see Miss Strachan and Fr Peter standing on either side of the tree with the children’s work between them. This picture is symbolic of the strong relationship our school has with St Joseph’s Catholic Church.
Spring 2020/21
These assemblies can be viewed on the parish YouTube channel which you can access here. Please subscribe to this channel to be notified of all future videos produced by the parish.
The St Joseph's community would like to wish everyone a holy and blessed Easter break.
Summer 2020/21
At the start of the summer term, we welcomed Miss Anne Browne as our new interim headteacher of St Joseph’s. We have been blessed to have her leading our school.
A schedule of RE events has been planned throughout the summer term of 2021.
These assemblies can be viewed on the parish YouTube channel which you can access here. Please subscribe to this channel to be notified of all future videos produced by the parish.
On Thursday 24th June, a celebratory Mass was held for the children in Year 4 who made their First Holy Communion during this academic year due to the lockdown of summer 2020. A Mass was also held on Friday 17th July for the children in Year 3 who made their First Holy Communion this year too.
All the children contributed by doing Bible readings, bidding prayers and the offertory procession. They showed great reverence throughout these special Masses. The rest of the school watched on remotely. Parents and grandparents also joined these services live some as far away as Scotland and Wales! As the children returned to school, the rest of the school gave the children an uplifting round of applause. This united us all on these blessed occasions, and everyone celebrated with great joy.
On Friday 23rd July, a Leaver’s Mass was held for our Year 6 pupils and their parents at St Joseph’s Catholic Church. Pupils participated beautifully in the Mass and they were delighted to receive their special leaving gifts of a Good News Bible and a Sunday Missal. The rest of the school watched the service remotely and we were joined by some grandparents too!
We would like to thank Year 6 for being such a wonderful year group and for being outstanding guardians to our Reception Class pupils. They will all be very much missed. We would like to wish them and their families every success for the future.
As the academic year of 2020/21 draws to a close, we can reflect back on what a beautifully spiritual year it has been at St Joseph’s. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Fr Peter, Fr Tomasz & Deacon Garry for all they have done to support the Catholic life of our school particularly during lockdown. It has been very much appreciated by all of us.
The St Joseph’s community would like to wish all our parents and pupils a wonderful summer break.
May God bless you all.
May Procession - 2021
O Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today
To show our devotion to Our Lady, St Joseph’s held a May Procession. The statue of Mary was crowned with a garland of flowers whilst the whole school sang the hymn ‘Bring Flowers of the Rarest’. A prayer service followed led by Fr Peter and Deacon Garry who spoke about the importance of Mary in our faith. We united to pray a decade of the rosary and to say the Litany of the Blessed Virgin. Following this, everyone laid a spring flower at the feet of Our Lady whilst we sang the beautiful hymn ‘Ave Maria’. It was such a joyful and moving act of worship.
Special Parish Events
Fr Peter's 25th Ordination Anniversary
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Fr Mark's Ordination
We welcome Fr Mark to our parish. He was ordained on the 1st of October at St George's Cathedral. I was excited to watch Fr Mark become a priest. His first mass was on the 2nd of October at St Joseph's church. We are all looking forward to seeing Fr Mark in our school assemblies and are delighted to join with you in your future masses.
