St John Vianney School Newsletter 14.03.2025

Headteacher's Message

Dear Parents and Carers,

We have had another very good week in school and the pupils have benefited from a range of off-site and outside experiences again this week. Enrichment learning plays a pivotal role in the progress made by so many of our pupils.

Our Lenten activities are now reinforced daily with increased prayer opportunities, fasting and fundraising activities which the pupils are responding well to. The 40 'Acts of Kindness' are growing and it is lovely to see our pupils in their attempts to be selfless and in their service of others; key messages for the Lenten observance period.

We start the KS3 residentials on Monday with our KS3 teams attending Bendrigg in the Lake District for 3 days/2 nights over the course of the week. Bendrigg provides amazing opportunities to build resilience and independence in our learners and it is clear they are very excited about the week ahead. The trips would not happen without staff giving up their time away from their own families, so it is right to thank our staff in advance of next week, whilst wishing everyone going a safe and enjoyable experience. I look forward to hearing about the many successes that pupils will have late next Friday afternoon.

Can I again remind parents please that School will break up for the Easter break on Friday April 4th at 1.30pm. This will allow some final packing by staff on the last afternoon of term, as we will move over to the new building during the Easter break. Transport teams have been informed about the 1.30pm finish on this day. Additionally, please note the week from April 22nd to April 25th School will be closed for all pupils. This is to allow the staff to return to work a week earlier than our pupils, to help ensure we are ‘building ready’ for the start of the summer term on April 28th. If you have any worries or concerns over this please do let us know.

Another key date for your diary is the annual Parents Evening, which we have now moved to Tuesday 20th May from 4.30pm to 6pm. Please make a note of the date and time of this really important event, where you will have an opportunity to meet with teachers and class teams to discuss the progress made by your child and to look through the work that they have been undertaking this year. Spring term Interim reports will be sent to parents and carers in the final week of the current half term (WB 31st March 2025).

Yours sincerely,

Mr A Moloney, Headteacher.

Key information and Dates for your Diary

Dates for your Diary

• Fri 4th Apr - 1.30pm - (Transport teams have been informed) School closes for Easter break.
• Fri 18th Apr - Good Friday
• Sun 20th Apr - Easter Sunday
• Mon 21st Apr - Easter Monday
• Tue 22nd - Fri 25th Apr - School closed for pupils as we move to the new building.
• Mon 28th Apr @ 9:00am - School re-opens for pupils after the move.
• Tues 20th May 4.30pm-6pm Parents Evening

Residential Trips

• Thu 8th May overnight - Class 1 - The Wingate Special Children's Trust.
• Mon 17th Mar - Wed 19th Mar - KS3 - Classes 3, 4 & 6 - Bendrigg Trust.
• Wed 19th Mar - Fri 21st Mar - KS3 - Classes 2 & 5 - Bendrigg Trust.
• Mon 28th Apr - Fri 2nd May - KS4 - Classes 7, 8, 9 & 10 - Calvert Trust.
• Wed 26th Mar - Fri 28th Mar - KS5 - Classes 11, 12 & 13 - PGL.

Key Info

Allergies

Please be aware that we have a number of pupils in school with severe nut allergies. To reduce the risk of exposure for these young people, we aim to keep the school nut free. In order to support us with this we kindly ask that you:

• Do not give children nuts or nut products in their packed lunches.
• Do not give nuts, nut products or snacks/bars containing nuts for break time snacks.
• Do not send cakes or food items, containing nuts, in to school for birthday celebrations, cake sales or events.

Thank you for your support.

Lunches

Week commencing 17th March 2025:

Zones of Regulation Parent Course

Our new online course for Parents and Carers is now available. The online course will run over ten weeks and each short module will be sent out every Friday via email, it can also be accessed via our website: Training for parents & carers. This course will introduce to you the ten concepts of the 'Zones of Regulation'. The aim is to encourage the consistent use of language at school and at home to help regulate your child/young person's emotions and behaviours. I will set activities for you to do at home and introduce some strategies for you to use. If you would like some more information about this course, please contact the school office. This week is Part 9 of the 10 week course; we hope you enjoy learning with your child!

- Miss M Rodgers, Assistant Headteacher

Stars Of The Week

• Class 1 - Shawn - For facing his fears at the farm with Tess the dog.
• Class 2 - Quinn - For taking responsibilities in class and being a calming influence on others.
• Class 3 - Tyler P - For being a peace maker and being kind with his peers.
• Class 4 - Ezra - For great Maths work and making better choices.
• Class 5 - Maisy - For amazing work and good behaviour.
• Class 6 - Jack - For improved behaviour and engagement in lessons.
• Class 7 - Scarlett - For fantastic effort in her lessons, especially her English presentation assessment.
• Class 8 - Sean - For working hard in Media and looking out for his friends.
• Class 9 - Thomas - For helping others with their emotions in Class 9.
• Class 10 - Heaven - For working really hard in all lessons, especially Work-Related Learning.
• Class 11 - Evie - For fantastic work in SALT and a very good week in general.
• Class 12 - Inaaya - For trying hard to manage her behaviour and emotions.
• Class 13 - Leon - For dealing with tricky situations very well.

Employee Of The Week

Congratulations to Mrs Shawcross!!

Highlights of the Week

Our Catholic School

Our prayer focus this week:

'Lent is a powerful season, a turning point that can foster change in each of us. Let us deny ourselves something everyday to help others.'

-Pope Francis

Within our Catholic school, each class is taking part in the '£10 challenge'. Every class starts with a budget of £10 and decides on a great fundraising idea to raise money for charity during Lent. We can't wait to see which class raises the most money!

As part of our Lenten fast and our '40 Acts of Kindness', we are refraining from using unkind words and actions. It has been lovely to read through each of the kind acts that our staff and students have been undertaking. Classes 3, 5 and 10 are making a pilgrimage to the Hidden Gem Cathedral next week as part of Lent and the Year of Hope. We have also spent some time in the chapel in Si' Lent reflection, praying and reflecting quietly whilst being with God.

In RE lessons we have been looking closely at the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation; a key concept during this Holy season of Lent.

-

Mrs Garfin

Poetry Corner

Spring has been trying to arrive here at SJV and we have all welcomed the beautiful shift in weather and beginnings of change towards the season. It’s easy to see why so many of our great poets have been inspired to write about this time of year and this week we celebrate and explore the poem 'In Time of Silver Rain' by Langston Hughes. The poem reflects on the beauty and transformative power of nature, it explores the theme of hope and renewal amidst the storms and challenges of life. Please follow the link below to hear the poem read by Rev. Dr. Natalie Fenimore.

Explore the poem:

This is a poem full of hope and optimism. It celebrates the way that the light refreshing ‘silver’ rain helps to bring new life into the world every spring.

Have another look at the flower lifting its head in the first verse and the trees singing in the second verse. Can you see how the flower and the trees are given joyful living movements? What else in the poem is singing?

This poem is lovely to speak aloud,with its gentle rhythm and the music in the sound of words. Try to catch lightness and joy in the way you speak it.

The words “Of life…” are repeated three times in line eight. Experiment with saying them slightly differently each time to build a mood that suits the poem.

Hughes published in many different genres, for adults and children, for the next forty years. He represented the lives of African-American people in poems of music, joy, sadness and struggle, influenced by poets Paul Laurence Dunbar and Walt Whitman, but also by jazz music. He was an early innovator of 'jazz poetry', which draws on the rhythms and improvisation of jazz, and a leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance, a vibrant literary and artistic movement that developed from the black New York neighbourhood. Hughes wrote regularly for Crisis magazine, an influential journal of “civil rights, history, politics and culture”, and became an important political voice through a weekly column in a leading black newspaper The Chicago Defender. He died in New York in 1967.

Oliver Lomax

Useful Information

Safeguarding

How does AI impact children's relationship's?

AI chatbots are increasing part of children's and young peoples digital experience, offering them conversation, companionship and even emotional support. But do you know what an AI chatbot is and how they can impact the relationships your child has?

Read on to find out more about how children and young people are finding companionship with AI bots, tips to manage this and how you can use AI as a family, from games nights to writing a bedtime stories.

What are AI chatbots?

AI companions are chatbots and virtual characters powered by artificial intelligence that engage users in conversations and often provide companionships.

Help your child to manage any interactions with AI chatbots with Internet Matters quick tips and read up on what apps to look out for.

Click on the following link: https://www.internetmatters.org/resources/ai-chatbots

Manchester South Foodbank Lent appeal

As we enter the season of Lent, we are reminded of the importance of generosity, kindness, and supporting those in need. This year, our school is participating in the Manchester South Foodbank Lent appeal, helping us to focus on making a positive impact within our community. We are kindly asking for your support by donating non-perishable food items to our local foodbank. These donations will directly help families in need and make a real difference in their lives during these challenging times.

Please send in your donations to school. Some of the items that are most needed include:

• Tinned vegetables
• Tinned meat
• Tinned veggie meal
• Cereals
• Long life fruit juices
• Pasta sauces
• Tinned rice pudding
• Tea bags/coffee
• Snacks/chocolate
• Cooking oil
• Jam
• Pasta and rice
• Breakfast cereals
• Long-life milk

- Mrs J Griffin, Family Liaison Officer, Deputy Safeguarding Lead.

Click on the following link to open a directory of useful links and information about facilities, activities and support available to you and your young person: INFORMATION DIRECTORY