St John Vianney School Newsletter 12.02.2026

Contents

• Deputy Headteacher's Message
• Key information and Dates for your Diary
• Key Info
• Lunches
• Stars of the Week
• Employee of the Week
• Highlights of the Week
• Our Catholic School
• Poetry Corner
• Useful Information
• Links to Our Website and Social Media

Deputy Headteacher's Message

Dear Family and Friends of SJV, As we come to the end of this half term, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the many accomplishments and moments that have shaped our school community over the past several weeks. This has been a busy and fulfilling period, full of learning both inside and outside the classroom, and I am incredibly proud of the enthusiasm and participation that our pupils continue to demonstrate. One of the highlights of this week was the visit our Post‑16 students made to a local care home. The residents spoke warmly about the joy and companionship our young people brought during their time together. It was a beautiful example of our pupils living out the principles of Catholic Social Teaching, particularly solidarity and the dignity of the human person. By spending time with the residents, listening to their stories, sharing conversation, and a cheeky song or two, our students demonstrated what it means to value every individual and to build meaningful connections across generations.

On Wednesday our pupils enjoyed an afternoon off timetable with a focus on creativity and Catholicity.  Mrs Murphy organised an Old Testament textile afternoon with each class creating felt ‘tiles’ that will be used to make a banner to display in school. The pupils were fully engaged in the session and everyone enjoyed the creative process.  Thank you to Mrs Murphy for her organisation of the event. As we head into the half‑term break, I hope that everyone finds time for rest and renewal. Thank you for your continued support, encouragement, and partnership. We look forward to welcoming pupils back refreshed and ready for the exciting term ahead with residentials and Lenten activities to look forward to as we get ready for Easter. May I also take this opportunity to wish our Muslim community here at SJV a ‘Ramadan Mubarak’ as they begin their holy month on the 17th February. Wishing you all a peaceful and restful break, Warm regards, K Nesbitt Deputy Headteacher

Key information and Dates for your Diary

Dates for Your Diary

• Thu 12th Feb 2026 @ 3:15pm - School closes for Half Term Break
• Friday 13th Feb 2026 @ All Day - INSET Day - school closed to pupils
• Mon 23rd Feb 2026 @ 9:00am - School re-opens for Spring Term 2
• Wed 25th Feb 2026 @ 1:45pm - Coffee Afternoon
• Wed 11th Mar - Fri 13th Mar 2026 - KS3 Ghyll Head residential
• Mon 30th Mar - Wed 1st Apr 2026 - KS5 PGL at Winmarleigh Hall residential
• Wed 22nd Apr 2026 - Class 6 CAFT overnight residential
• Mon 27th Apr - Fri 1st May 2026 - KS4 Calvert Trust residential

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 23rd February 2026:

If you would like to attend our Coffee Afternoon and meet the Therapy Team, please click on the following link to fill out the form and secure your place by 20th Feb :

I would like to attend the Coffee Afternoon on Wed 25th Feb @ 1:45pm

Stars of the Week

• Class 1 Mrs Jordan - Callum - For being an 'always pupil' and consistently helpful.
• Class 2 Miss Walsh - Abbie-Mae - For being a kind and caring friend and becoming more confident in her lessons.
• Class 3 Mr Healey - Lucas - For making better choices and sharing his talents.
• Class 4 Mrs Garfin - Lewis - For making great choices and being a good friend.
• Class 5 Mr Whelan - Keldon - For setting a good example to his peers and working hard in maths.
• Class 6 Miss Shaw - Daniyal - For facing his fear on the slackline and assault course at forest school.
• Class 7 Miss Graham - Lee - For a fantastic speech in English.
• Class 8 Mrs Wood - Sean - For consistently being kind, respectful and having excellent behaviour.
• Class 9 Mr Donovan - Ethan - For being very resillient in Class 9.
• Class 10 Mr Wood - Ryan - For excellent work towards his GCSE Speaking exam.
• Class 11 Miss Sherwin - Harley - For consistently better behaviour.
• Class 12 Miss Lord - Katie - For interacting more with staff and students.
• Class 13 Mr Kanakides - Amanda - For all of her hard work in the school kitchen for work experience.
• Class 14 Miss Wilkinson - Megan - For showing continuous progression in all areas of the curriculum and being a great role model.

Employee of the Week

Well done to Miss Ratcliffe who has been the consistent TA in Class 9, making sure everything is in place to support the students and stepping up to teach when needed. She always has the best interest of her students at heart and always has a big smile.

Highlights of the Week

Our Catholic School

This week at SJV, our spiritual focus:

''Each person, according to their ability, should be a pattern of goodness to others".

- St Basil The Great

On Tuesday evening, all staff took part in a dedicated training in Religious Education and Catholicity. Together, we reflected on our Collective Worship, celebrating what we do well and identifying ways we can continue to grow. We also revisited our 'Faith in Action' book, exploring examples of strong practice and reviewing our own contributions. With Lent approaching straight after half term, we have already begun thinking ahead to our fundraising efforts. In RE lessons, pupils have been completing their “green pen” work, using staff feedback to help refine and strengthen their work. It has been inspiring to look back over the half term and see the progress, effort and thoughtful reflection taking place across the school. It’s hard to believe we’ve reached half term already. Wishing all our families a restful and enjoyable break. We look forward to returning refreshed and ready for the journey towards Easter and all the exciting moments still to come at SJV.

Mrs Garfin

Poetry Corner

As another wonderful term draws to a close here at Saint John Vianney School, we find ourselves bidding farewell to a cherished member of our community, Mr Lomax, our poet in residence. Mr Lomax’s passion for poetry began, quite fittingly, with a single poem: “Mid Term Break” by Seamus Heaney. This remarkable piece, with its poignant portrayal of loss and innocence, stirred something deep within him and set him on a lifelong path of poetic discovery. In workshops and assemblies, Mr Lomax often spoke of how Heaney’s words gave him both courage and comfort, and how they inspired him to find his own voice. He said, "Mid Term Break is a poem that captures the complexity of grief and the innocence of youth. For me, it has always been a source of solace and reflection."

A Personal Reflection It has been one of the privileges of my life to work alongside the staff and pupils of this amazing school, my experiences at S.J.V. have changed me as a person and a writer, I know I will always carry these precious moments in my heart. We have celebrated language and the uniqueness of our pupils in such a beautiful and powerful way, today is filled with bittersweet emotion as I sit writing this, reflecting on the poetic journey we have taken together. I want to thank all the staff and pupils for sharing their voices, for the inspiration, and the empathy they have given to the world through poetry. With humble gratitude, thanks, and poetic wishes for the future. Oliver Lomax

Useful Information

Mr Kanakides has delivered assemblies to all our students on the theme -Too Good to be True   

• Raising awareness of online scams
• Helping people protect themselves and their families
• Exploring the impact of emerging technologies like AI on scams
• Knowing where to get help if something goes wrong.

  AI technology is increasingly part of all our lives, so this Safer Internet Day we are starting a conversation about how to use it safely and responsibly. Use these top tips to help keep you and your loved ones safe online. Enjoy going online together and talk regularly about your family’s online lives The internet is amazing and can help us all to access information and entertainment. Spend time online with your child to understand how they are using technology and talk together about the good and the bad parts of being online. Talk about your own experiences and find other opportunities to get the conversation started, like stories in the news. Make sure your child knows they can talk to you about anything that they see or experience online. Understand where AI technology is being used and the impact it can have From summaries on search engines, to voice assistants and photo editing tools, AI powered features are being added to many of the apps and devices we use day-to-day. Look out for information and warnings notifying you where AI technology is in use or where content has been created using AI. Help your child to recognise these too. Remember, AI can make some tasks simpler but may also collect data about you and your family, or share unreliable information, so consider how to use it safely and responsibly. Recognise what safe and responsible use of technology looks like To use technology, including AI, safely and responsibly, it’s important to reflect on the potential impact it can have on yourself and others. How does your use of technology make you feel? How can you use technology with kindness and respect for others? Does your use of technology benefit you or help you build skills? How might it affect you now, and in the future? Ask these questions of your own internet use, as well as your family’s. Stay informed with free resources Young people have told us about the incredible ways they’re using AI, but also about their worries for what it means for the future. Issues such as the environmental impact of AI, what it means for job prospects, and the threat of deepfakes can seem scary but remember, you don’t need to have all the answers. Stay informed using free resources like those produced for Safer Internet Day  and talk to your child about their concerns about new technology – you can always work together to find more information Know where to go for help if something goes wrong Like any technology, using AI comes with risks. Some AI tools, like ChatGPT, have built-in reporting features where you can raise issues such as inappropriate or harmful content. Many social media platforms also allow you to report content you suspect has been created with AI. Additionally, AI generated content can break the law. If you see illegal images that show child sexual abuse (including AI generated images), you should report these to the IWF and on the platform where they are being shared. If someone creates an image of you or your child using AI these can also be reported on the platform where they are being shared, and AI generated nude images can be reported to Stop NCII (for images of adults) and Report Remove or Take It Down (for images of under 18s).

https://www.internetmatters.org/resources/parent-guide-to-artificial-intelligence-ai-tools/?utm_campaign=4228319_NL%20090226P%20-%20SID&utm_medium=email&utm_source=email_internal&dm_i=7MSZ,2IMLB,1H5WRO,5FAGC,1,0,0,0

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

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