St John Vianney School Newsletter 05.12.2025

Assistant Headteacher's Message

Dear parents and carers, We have now entered into the season of Advent and preparation for Christmas has begun at SJV. Over the course of this week our pupils have supported staff in decorating the school, taken part in Advent services and participated in Advent themed Faith in Action lessons. On Wednesday our pupils took part in Advent services to mark the start of the period of preparation for Christmas. Fr Nick, Mrs Garfin and the GIFT team prepared and led the services and our pupils reflected on how they can live out the themes of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love over the coming weeks. The services also provided an opportunity for reflection and the sacrament of reconciliation which helped our pupils to consider how they could make positive changes in the future. In Faith in Action lessons this week each class got to work on preparing their class Advent Wreath. The theme this year is ‘Hope’ in reference to the Church’s Jubilee theme of ‘Pilgrims of Hope' which we are celebrating this year. Classes will complete their wreaths in next weeks Faith in Action Lesson and then Fr Nick and Mrs Garfin will award a prize to the class with the most imaginative design.

On Tuesday and Wednesday this week our Post 16 pupils sat their Functional Skills English exams. The pupils all rose to the challenge and worked hard to complete their exams to the best of their abilities. The exams will continue next week when pupils will complete their Functional Skills Maths exams. On Friday Miss Wilkinson and Mr Dumville took 14 of our pupils to represent the school in the ‘Trafford’s Got Talent’ competition at the George Carnell Leisure Centre in Urmston. The event is open to pupils from SEND schools in the area. Our pupils have been rehearsing dances and musical performances over the last few weeks and their hard work was clear to see in the final performances. I hope that you have all had a pleasant week and that you enjoy a peaceful weekend in preparation for next weeks Advent theme of Peace. Kind regards, Mr T Harris, Assistant Headteacher

Key information and Dates for your Diary

Dates for Your Diary

• Mon 8th December - CAFT Christmas Activity Day - C3/C6
• Fri 12th December - Come Dine with me Experience
• Mon 15th December - Christmas Activities Day P3-6
• Tues 16th December - Cinderella Pantomime for KS3 and C11
• Fri 19th Dec @ 3:15pm - School closes for the Christmas Break
• Mon 5th Jan 2026 @ 9:00am - School re-opens for Spring Term

Key Stage 5 Functional Skills Exam Dates:

On the day(s) in question, (see dates below), kindly ensure your child is well rested and attends school in good time for a prompt, calm and relaxed start to exam proceedings.

• Tue 09 December 2025 at 9:30am - Maths Non Calculator
• Wed 10 December 2025 at 9:30am - Maths Calculator

Key Info

Zones of Regulation - Parent Course

Our Zones of Regulation, online course for Parents and Carers is shared again this week with Module 8. The online course will run over ten weeks and each short module can 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. We 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.

- Miss M Rodgers, Assistant Headteacher

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 8th December 2025:

Stars of The Week

• Class 1 Mrs Jordan - Blake - For making a great effort to engage more with learning and spending more time at his desk.
• Class 2 Miss Walsh - Nico - For coping well with new things.
• Class 3 Mr Healey - Jaylen - For brilliant work on SJV Newscast and representing the school well as part of the Chaplaincy Team.
• Class 4 Mrs Garfin - George - For helping his peers.
• Class 5 Mr Whelan - Maisy - For supporting other pupils in class when they are struggling.
• Class 6 Miss Shaw - Khalil - For excellent reading with Mr Damant and helping at the coffee afternoon.
• Class 7 Miss Graham - Riley - For trying so hard in all lessons and working independently.
• Class 8 Mrs Wood - Aiden - For showing great responsibility and great effort in all lessons.
• Class 9 Mr Donovan - Ethan - For showing great resilience in difficult situations.
• Class 10 Mr Wood - Jackson - For producing a fantastic comic book on the English Deep Learning Day!
• Class 11 Miss Sherwin - Laura - For a fantastic English lesson.
• Class 12 Miss Lord - Harley - For working hard in all his lessons, attending art club and beginning to communicate with his peers.
• Class 13 Mr Kanakides - Alfie - For trying new things and also being a great member of the class.
• Class 14 Miss Wilkinson - Micah - For being very respectful and helpful to the residents at Hibiscus Court.

Employee of The Week

Highlights of the Week

Our Catholic School

Our prayer focus in SJV this week:

‘It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in each one of us memories of goodness’

- Pope Benedict XV1

Can you believe it is December already? I really love this time of the year, the season of Advent started on Sunday and for me this season is so full of joy, love, hope and it brings me so much peace. Being the start of the Church year, the season is filled with preparation, especially for Christmas, Jesus' Birth and the eventual second coming of Jesus. Within our Catholic school, we are starting each day with an Advent reflection from Father Nick. The Chaplaincy Team have been busy with preparation for Advent as well as our upcoming Christmas Masses. We launched our appeal for 'toiletries for the most vulnerable' as part of CARITAS' #BeeThere campaign. Within RE this week we have been looking at what we can do to prepare for Advent, in order to be better prepared for Christmas.

Mrs Garfin

Mrs Garfin

Poetry Corner

This week, our Poet in Residence Mr Lomax, led an inspiring poetry workshop for our pupils as part of our wonderful Literacy Deep Learning Day. Drawing on Sinead Morrissey’s powerful poem ‘The Fourth King’, a piece which gives voice to the Christmas Tree that makes its journey every year from the forests of Oslo to Trafalgar Square. Mr Lomax used this powerful image to explore the Christian themes woven throughout the poem, hope, faith, the birth of Christ, the journey of the Magi, and the idea that ordinary things can carry extraordinary meaning. Inviting students to explore a simple but transformative question, what would the world look like through the eyes of the objects we treasure most? Using Morrissey’s poem as a springboard, pupils learned how personification can breathe life into the everyday. He encouraged pupils to borrow this idea and imagine their chosen objects, football boots, a favourite pen, computers, gaming controllers, jewellery, even a much-loved teddy, could become vessels for our own emotional journeys. Students experimented by giving their items thoughts, feelings, and destinations. Some imagined strange adventures, others explored more emotional journeys. A pair of headphones longing to be heard, a pencil searching for the perfect page, a water bottle proud of every step it helps its owner take, each object became a storyteller. We are incredibly proud of the rich and thoughtful poems produced and we look forward to sharing them during our Advent celebrations. Through this workshop, our pupils discovered that poetry, like faith, invites us to find meaning in every small thing that travels with us. Please see below some of the wonderful poems created by James, Lucas, and Victoria, and if you would like to have a go at writing your own poem, please click on the link to the Poetry Society resource. The Fourth King: A Tree's Journey - Poetry Class

Oliver Lomax

Useful Information

Riding the Rapids Parenting Course – Starting January We are delighted to share that our school will be hosting the Riding the Rapids parenting course this January. This free, ten-week program is designed especially for parents and carers of children aged 3- 16  with neurodevelopmental needs, including autism, significant learning disabilities, or other complex needs. What the course offers:

• Practical skills to support your child’s behaviour and well-being
• Confidence in managing stress and related behaviors
• A mix of teaching and interactive group activities such as role-play and problem-solving
• A follow-up session a few months after the course to reflect and build on progress

The sessions will take place here at school, led by our course facilitator, Mrs Griffin.  If you would like to join or find out more, please contact the school office and ask for Mrs Griffin. We  encourage parents and carers to take part in this supportive and empowering program. Things to consider when buying tech gifts this Christmas With Black Friday and Cyber Monday over and Christmas fast approaching there are plenty of new gadgets that parents and carers may be thinking about buying for their children.  This blog contains advice for parents and carers to help them get to grips with the safety features available on the most popular gadgets this Christmas, as well as some key questions to ask before buying connected toys. To find out more click on the link below:  https://saferinternet.org.uk/blog/things-to-consider-when-buying-tech-gifts-this-christmas

Winter Coat Appeal

This year we are supporting 'The Wellspring Charity for Homeless'. The Wellspring charity supports people that are homeless or at risk of losing their home. We are asking for your support by donating any unwanted adult winter coats. If you have any coats that are still in good condition, but no longer needed, please consider donating them to help others stay warm this winter. Please send your unwanted coats into school by December 5th and we will collect them at School and then pass them through to the Charity before Christmas. Your generosity will make a real difference to those facing hardship in our community. We appreciate your kindness and support in making this initiative a success. To find our more information regarding the charity click here.

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

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