St John Vianney School Newsletter 17.10.2025

Assistant Headteacher's Message

Dear Parents and Carers,

We have made it to the end of the first half term of this year and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your support and all of our pupils and staff for the hard work that they have put in. Our new pupils have settled in well and are all valued members of our school community.

The final week has been a busy one with a number of events taking place in school. We have also seen significant developments in the construction of our new school building with the majority of the steel work now in place. Staff and pupils have enjoyed getting a true impression of the size of our ‘Pavilion’ building which will include our sports facilities and hydro therapy pool. The ‘Pavilion’ building is due to be completed by September of 2026.

On Tuesday morning we held our annual College Morning in school. The morning involved a number of local colleges and Post 16 provisions coming to visit the school to give our pupils and parents information about what they could offer when pupils move on from SJV. Staff from the providers all commented on the fantastic behaviour and manners of our pupils during the event.

On Wednesday afternoon Ms Nesbitt and Miss Hunter hosted an open afternoon for parents of children who are interested in becoming pupils at SJV. The parents and children who attended had the opportunity to have a tour of our school and ask questions to Ms Nesbitt, Miss Hunter and Mr Moloney. The event was very well attended and served as a reminder of the school’s positive reputation in the SEND community.

During celebration assemblies on Friday the winners of our school Poetry Competition were announced. Mr Lomax and Miss Graham had tasked the staff and pupils with creating a poem over the last couple of weeks. The competition drew over 80 pupil submissions as well as a large number of staff entries. Further details of the winning poems can be found in Mr Lomax’s entry in this newsletter; 'Poetry Corner'.

Finally I would like to remind you that school closes today for the half-term break and will re-open, after a two week break, on Monday 3rd November.

I hope you all have a fantastic half term break,

Kind regards,

Mr T Harris, Assistant Headteacher

Key information and Dates for your Diary

Dates for your Diary

• Fri 17th Oct @ 3:15pm - School closes for Half Term Break.
• Mon 3rd November @ 9:00am - School re-opens after the half term break.
• CANCELLED!! - Tue 11th Nov @ 9:15 - 10:00am - Open Morning for prospective parents to attend.

Key Info

Zones of Regulation - Parent Course

Our Zones of Regulation, online course for Parents and Carers is starting again this week with Module 3. 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. 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.

- Miss M Rodgers, Assistant Headteacher

Shoebox appeal

The spirit of giving is in full swing at SJV! Our amazing families have already started bringing in their shoebox donations - you're all superstars!

Still thinking about joining in? No problem! There's plenty of time to spread some joy; just make sure your donations are in by Friday 7th November, and you'll be part of making someone's Christmas extra special!

Wishing everyone a safe, restful and refreshing break - see you all in November! Time to recharge those batteries!

With gratitude, Mrs Murphy.

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 3rd November 2025:

Stars of The Week

• Class 1 Mrs Jordan - Blake - For fantastic English work.
• Class 2 Miss Walsh - Abbie-Mae - For good progress in swimming and being a good friend.
• Class 3 Mr Healey - Ava - For showing maturity and hardwork in lessons.
• Class 4 Mrs Garfin - Lewis - For being a good ambassador for the boy's football team.
• Class 5 Mr Whelan - Keldon - For being an always pupil.
• Class 6 Miss Shaw - Oskar - For doing some great listening in rebound therapy
• Class 7 Miss Graham - Zachary - For a fantastic attitude, working hard and having a great sense of humour!
• Class 8 Mrs Wood - Ishaaq - For his helpful attitude to his classmates.
• Class 9 Mr Donovan - Ethan - For being an always pupil.
• Class 10 Mr Wood - Jackson - For fantastic effort with his class work, particularly maths and English.
• Class 11 Miss Sherwin - Reece - For displaying maturity when it comes to his friendships.
• Class 12 Ms Lord - Katie - For working hard this week and always being friendly to others.
• Class 13 Mr Kanakides - Katie - For having a brilliant week and being mature whilst off-site.
• Class 14 Miss Wilkinson - Tomasz - For his generosity towards our Harvest Festival box, and being an incredible role model in Post-16.

Employee of The Week

Welcome to our school

Introducing Abbie-Mae

• What do you like most about SJV? I love that we go swimming, I’m so close to getting into the bigger pool, I’m trying really hard to get in the bigger pool, that’s my goal. I really liked the residential that we went to – it’s the first chance I got to stay away from home in this school. I really enjoyed sleeping over and it was so fun to hang out with my friends, I didn’t feel upset being away from home but my friend did and I looked after her. I like that I’ve got girl friends, there are four boys and four girls in my class and I’m happy that it’s not just boys.
• How do you think you’ve settled in? Good! If I ever feel upset then I can speak to a teacher, if anyone ever says anything to upset me I can speak to an adult. I’ve been here for 7 weeks now and it feels like I’ve been here such a long time, I can’t believe I’ve never been in a high school before and now I’m used to it.
• What have you been up to this week? On the farm yesterday we planted seeds, I had to use a shovel to make little holes and then we planted them. I can’t wait to watch the seeds grow in to vegetables.

Highlights of the Week

Our Catholic School

Our spiritual focus in SJV this week is:

'In all things recognise the care and wisdom of God, and give God thanks'

– St Teresa of Avila

Oh, my goodness! How it is half term already? It seems like a few minutes ago that I was writing ‘welcome back’ but as the saying goes 'time flies when you are having fun'. We have fitted so much into this half term including: Welcome Mass, Macmillan Coffee Afternoon, Rosary Services, Harvest Festival and class retreats as well as a Chaplaincy, Staff and Student Mass each week, no wonder time has flown!

Within RE this week we have had a busy time looking at why we should consider eating less meat to help the planet. We do this in SJV by having meat -free Mondays!

I hope you all have a lovely half term and that we all come back recharged and well rested ready for the next exciting half term and the run up to Christmas.

Mrs Garfin

Mrs Garfin

Poetry Corner

Announcing The SJV Poetry Competition Winners!

There’s been a buzz of creativity in the air at Saint John Vianney School over the past two weeks, as our talented students (and staff) recently took part in our exciting whole school Poetry Competition! The challenge was simple but inspiring, to craft a poem that reflected imagination, emotion, and a love for language.

Pupils from across all key stages put pen to paper, exploring themes such as nature, friendship, courage, and dreams. The standard of entries was incredibly high, with over 80 pupils submitting a poem! Showcasing not only a powerful use vocabulary but also a deep sense of empathy and heartfelt poetic expression.

The winners were proudly announced during our recent Celebration Assembly by Mr Lomax and Mr Moloney, applause filled the chapel as pupils received their prizes of book vouchers, it was a joy to see students supporting one another and celebrating the written word together.

We’d like to say a huge congratulations to all who entered, you have made Poetry Corner shine brighter than ever! Whether you rhymed, reflected, or wrote from the heart, you are all officially poets in our eyes. Please see below all our amazing Prize winners! And keep a close eye on poetry corner after the half term as we share all the winning poems with you.

• First Prize - ‘Where The Words Come From’- Ava Class 3
• Second Prize - ‘A Balance’ - Zakary Class 1
• Third Prize - ‘The Sight of Art’ Harley Class 12
• Head Teacher’s Award - ‘The Flowers of Manneh’ -Jaylen Class 3
• Best Poem Reflecting Our School - ‘My School, My Pride’ - Ruby Class 5
• Most Heartfelt and Honest Poetic Work - William Class 5

Staff Award - Judged by our student expert Tilly and Mr Brand!

• First Place: ‘Mr Donovan and the Argonauts’ - Ms Graham
• Second Place: ‘In High Spirits’ - Mr Whelan
• Third Place: ‘Saint John Vianney’ - Mr Kanakides

Oliver Lomax

Useful Information

(11-18 yrs) Disabled and neurodivergent young people are encouraged to stand in the Member of Youth Parliament (MYP) Elections. It’s a fantastic chance to represent the city and become advocates for youth voice. Manchester has four places – called seats – with applications open from 31st October until 30th November. Voting takes place in February with the results coming out on 4th March 2026. MYPs will be in office for a two-year term from April 2026 until March 2028.

This booklet tells you all about it. There are three sessions during half term to ask questions and find out more. Click on the links below to book tickets:

• • South - Tuesday 28th October, 1-3pm
• • Central - Wednesday 29th October, 2-4pm
• • North - Thursday 30th October, 1-3pm

Here is the link to the online form to express interest. This will open on 31st October. In the meantime, if additional support is needed, email youthengagement@manchester.gov.uk. They will be happy to hear from you.

Unmasking Online Bias in Social Media

• Social media can significantly influence our thoughts and values, and teens who are unaware of the risks can find their perspectives negatively impacted.
• Misinformation and disinformation are widespread in the digital age, so teaching teens about the importance of fact-checking, the effect curated content can have on their beliefs, and critical thinking is vital.

To find out more information click on the link which will take you to our online safety hub:-

https://stjohnvianneyschool.onlinesafetyhub.uk/parent/articles/unmasking-online-bias-in-social-media

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

Supporting the wellbeing of children has never been more critical than it is right now. All custodians of a child, from parents, to teachers, governments and policy makers are more focused than ever on ensuring that children are protected from online harms.

The wellbeing outcomes of children are heavily influenced by their digital experiences. A child’s online activity, including what they view, who they interact with, and what they share can contribute to a deeply positive outcome, or pose a worrying threat to their wellbeing.

Developed by a team of world-renowned Online Safety Experts, the Hub is designed to engage and align the community on online safety and wellness by providing up-to-date and evidence-based information to all key stakeholders of a child’s life.

Parents will find a rich library of helpful resources, including app reviews, how-to guides and advice on an array of online safety topics.

Click here to visit our Online Safety Hub for more useful tips and advice.

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