St John Vianney School Newsletter 30.01.2026

Contents

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

Assistant Headteacher's Message

Dear parents and carers, We have reached the end of January and the days are getting longer, the weather should (hopefully) start to improve and we are almost at the halfway point for the school year.  This week has been another busy one at SJV and our pupils and staff continue to work hard and have taken part in a number of different activities.  On Tuesday we held our annual ‘Governor’s Training Day’ which involves our school governors spending the day at SJV helping them to develop their understanding of different areas of development in school.  The governors visited a number of classrooms and spent lunch with our Key Stage 4 and Post 16 pupils.  At the end of the day all of the governors present commented on how impressed they were with the positive behaviour, attitudes and effort that they saw from our pupils, as well as the quality of the work that they were producing in lessons. During the school year all pupils in Key Stage 3 and 4 will be taking part in a day of work experience in different industries.  The first of these took place on Tuesday with all of our year 8 pupils spending the day at Manchester Airport.  During the summer term further visits are planned for other year groups including: a day at an allotment and community centre for year 7 pupils, a day at the Holiday Inn in Salford Quays for year 9 pupils and days planned for our KS4 pupils at The Manchester Museum and RHS Bridgewater. This week also included our annual Hygiene Workshop organised by Mrs Griffin and the School Nurse Team.  Pupils attended the workshop with their class and took part in practical activities designed to help them understand the importance of good personal hygiene. I hope that you have all had a pleasant week and that you have an enjoyable and restful weekend. Kind regards, Mr T Harris, Assistant 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
• 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, overnight CAFT 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 2nd February 2026:

Stars of the Week

• Class 1 Mrs Jordan - Caleb - For having a great attitude towards his learning, especially Maths.
• Class 2 Miss Walsh - Jessica - For great work, friendship and choices this week.
• Class 3 Mr Healey - Michael - For building friendships and being confident in new situations.
• Class 4 Mrs Garfin - Neo - For an amazing OMF session and being independent.
• Class 5 Mr Whelan - Chester - For being better around school and self regulating well.
• Class 6 Miss Shaw - Ezra - For excellent behaviour on our trip to the café.
• Class 7 Miss Graham - Bailey - For making positive choices and being engaged in his work.
• Class 8 Mrs Wood - Sana - For being fully engaged in all lessons, participating actively and showing a positive attitude to learning.
• Class 9 Mr Donovan - Jenna - For improved behaviour and excellent effort in lessons.
• Class 10 Mr Wood - Jackson - For excellent effort and work in Maths and English.
• Class 11 Miss Sherwin - Reece - For doing incredible singing and signing in OMF.
• Class 12 Miss Lord - Kyan - For trying hard in his lessons this week.
• Class 13 Mr Kanakides - Justin - For having a really good week.
• Class 14 Miss Wilkinson - Aliya -For attending pupil Mass on Fridays and trying really hard to be more independent in class.

Employees of the Week

Congratulations to Miss Mahon and Miss Rodgers !

Highlights of the Week

Our Catholic School

Our spiritual focus in SJV this week:

''Community is the place where love is proven, where we learn to forgive, to begin again, and to serve one another".

- Mother Teresa

This week, our Catholic school community promoted and supported Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD), the international day observed on 27th January. The 2026 theme, “Bridging Generations” is a powerful call to action. It reminds us that the responsibility of remembrance does not end with the survivors, but continues through their children, grandchildren and all of us. The theme encourages active engagement with the past; to listen, to learn, and to carry these lessons forward. This helps us to build a bridge between memory, action, history and hope for the future. During our Chaplaincy time, pupils discussed the significance of Lent, explored ways to raise funds for CAFOD and suggested ways in which we can best support and serve our local community. In our Faith in Action lessons, pupils reflected further on Holocaust Memorial Day and created their own memorials, reinforcing the importance of bridging generations and ensuring that we remember and never forget.

Mrs Garfin

Poetry Corner

Honouring Holocaust Memorial Day

This Tuesday Mr Cassidy marked Holocaust Memorial Day by leading some powerful and engaging assemblies, as we joined schools and communities across the United Kingdom and the world to remember the millions of people who suffered and perished during the Holocaust and subsequent genocides. At St John Vianney School, we believe it is our duty to reflect, learn, and stand together against prejudice and hatred, ensuring that the lessons of the past are never forgotten.

The Power of Poetry “First They Came” by Pastor Martin Niemöller

Poetry has the unique ability to move our hearts and inspire us to see the world with compassion and courage. One poem is always recited across the world on Holocaust Memorial Day. “First They Came,” written by German pastor Martin Niemöller, is a haunting reminder of the risk of indifference. It is a powerful statement by Niemöller that reflects on the dangers of silence and inaction in the face of oppression. The text serves as a poignant reminder of the consequences of not speaking out against injustice. It highlights how various groups were persecuted by the Nazis, and the speaker's regret for not standing up for them. At S.J.V we proudly teach our young people that they are the custodians of language, and that their poetry and voices have the power to change this world for the better.

Our pupils felt so inspired by 'First They Came.' They wrote these powerful contemporary pieces in response. We are so proud of the message held within this group poem by Class 5 and this amazing thought provoking individual poem by Kian. Huge thanks to all pupils for sharing their hearts and minds.

Oliver Lomax

Useful Information

- 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