St John Vianney School Newsletter 09.01.2026

Contents

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

Headteacher's Message

Dear Parents and Carers, Happy New Year to you and your families.  I do hope you were able to enjoy the Christmas break together and were able to celebrate with your families, helping you recharge for the new year. The children certainly came back, after the 2 week break, in a positive and cooperative manner and have generally settled quickly into their school routines.  For many of our learners this is significant transition/change to routines and they have coped well, with high levels of attendance, (despite the challenges the wintry weather has brought), which bodes well for the new term. The staff have certainly come back feeling energised and ready for the challenges of the spring term. In my assemblies in the Chapel this week I have been exploring the importance of the Epiphany story, which we celebrate this week. We have been encouraging our CYP to consider how they can live out the key messages of the visit of the Magi and show in our daily lives how we can share love, peace, hope and joy.   Thank you to all parents for having your child ready for School each day and for reinforcing our expectations and standards, which certainly helps us to support each child in School. Getting your child ‘school ready’ each morning certainly helps us make the most of the time we have with pupils in school. Thanks for your ongoing support.

The new year will bring some challenges for us all in school, but we are ready. We are expecting a Section 48 Catholicity inspection later this year and have begun our preparations to ensure we are able to show off the school well (in terms of our faith and RE activity), during the inspection. Additionally, at the end of this academic year we will have the handover of the second new building of the School Rebuilding Project; an exciting time with lots of preparation for the handover required up to July, when the building will be fully passed over. After 3 years we are certainly looking forward to a time when we are no longer part of a building site! We will continue to keep you informed of all developments. If you have any queries or concerns please contact the Admin team, who will direct you to the right person, who will be able to return your call. Very best wishes for the weekend. Mr A Moloney, Headteacher

Key information and Dates for your Diary

Dates for Your Diary

• Tue 20th Jan @ 1:45pm - Open Afternoon for prospective pupils, parents and carers
• 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 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 12th January 2026:

Stars of the Week

• Class 1 Mrs Jordan - Callum - For always having a positive attitude to work and being a good friend.
• Class 2 Miss Walsh - Lee - For having a great week, improved choices and being kind.
• Class 3 Mr Healey - Tyler - For being an always pupil (polite and respectful).
• Class 4 Mrs Garfin - Victoria - For being an always pupil (kind and considerate).
• Class 5 Mr Whelan - Kian - For being an always pupil (helpful and enthusiastic).
• Class 6 Miss Shaw - Ezra - For an excellent cycling trip.
• Class 7 Miss Graham - Isabella - For having a positive attitude and showing maturity.
• Class 8 Mrs Wood - Miya - For a great contribution in maths and completing her English worksheet independently, without any prompts.
• Class 9 Mr Donovan - Will - For always helping his peers.
• Class 10 Mr Wood - Charlie - For fantastic effort in all his lessons this week, and in his reading during the Christmas Mass.
• Class 11 Miss Sherwin - Evie - For consistently being a star pupil.
• Class 12 Miss Lord - Inaaya - For being kind and helpful around school.
• Class 13 Mr Kanakides - Justin - For his great work with his exams.
• Class 14 Miss Wilkinson - Nesrine - For being a kind friend, hard working student, and terrific in the local community during our class trip.

Employees of the Week

Highlights of the Week

Our Catholic School

Our prayer focus in SJV this week:

'We will never be disillusioned or lose our way if we are led by God.'

- Pope Francis

Happy New Year! As we begin 2026, it is a joy to be back at SJV and to start a new year filled with hope, faith, and fresh opportunities. May we each take time to enjoy every day of the year ahead and continue to seek God’s blessings in all that we do. My prayer for our whole school community is that God lives in our hearts always and guides us on our journey of faith. Our Chaplaincy Team met this week to begin preparing for Lent, reflecting on how we can grow spiritually through prayer, acts of kindness and service to others. Whilst Father Nick is in Ghana with his family, we have had the pleasure of welcoming Father Joel into SJV to celebrate Mass with our parents and students this week. It was lovely to see him again and we are looking forward to having Father Nick back soon.

In RE this week, pupils have been learning about the Epiphany, exploring the significance of the Three Wise Men and the meaning behind the gifts they brought to Jesus, reminding us of His light in our lives. Remember Wise people are still guided by Him! Trusting in God, we look forward with faith and hope as our students continue to grow, achieve, and develop together as one community throughout 2026.

Mrs Garfin

Poetry Corner

Poetry, Faith and Journey.   This week in school we celebrated Epiphany, with Mr Moloney delivering some wonderful assemblies, inviting students to walk imaginatively alongside the Magi. Their journey was marked by uncertainty, wonder and faith, reminding us that Epiphany is not only about arrival, but about the courage to set out, to follow a light without knowing exactly where it will lead. That same spirit of journey echoes through 'Strangely Familia', a new poem by our Poet in Residence, Mr Lomax. The poem traces the remarkable passage of a single stone, cut from a quarry in Chorley and carried by sea across borders and time to find its place in Gaudí's great Basilica in Barcelona.

Through vivid imagery and quiet reverence, the poem captures how something ordinary and local can become part of something extraordinary and universal. Together, these moments invite us to reflect on our own paths. Whether guided by a star, or a calling, we are reminded that journeys of faith and creativity often begin close to home, yet may lead us further than we ever expect.

Oliver Lomax

Useful Information

For parents/carers of children with SEND, key energy help includes joining the Priority Services Register (PSR) for tailored support, checking eligibility for the Warm Home Discount (£150 off electricity), and accessing hardship grants from energy suppliers or charities like Contact and the British Gas Energy Trust, which supports all households. Also, ensure you're claiming all entitled benefits and contact charities like Scope UK and Citizens Advice for personalized advice, especially if running essential medical equipment. Key Support Schemes:

• Priority Services Register (PSR): Free service for those with extra needs (like disabled children) to get tailored help with bills, meter readings, and during power cuts.
• Warm Home Discount: A £150 payment towards your electricity bill, often automatic if you get certain benefits, with eligibility checks around August each year.
• Household Support Fund: Local councils provide emergency help for essentials, including energy bills.

Grants & Charity Support:

• Energy Supplier Grants: Many suppliers offer hardship grants; check with yours and for independent schemes like the British Gas Energy Trust.
• Contact (The charity for families with disabled children): Offers money advice and campaigns for more energy support for families running essential equipment.
• Family Fund: Provides grants for families raising disabled or seriously ill children.
• Scope UK: Offers the Disability Energy Support service to help you find out what you're eligible for. 

Actions to Take:

1. Join the PSR: Register with your energy network (electricity/gas) via thepsr.co.uk for essential support.
2. Contact a Debt Advisor: Ring StepChange (0800 138 1111) or Citizens Advice for free, personalized help with benefits and debt.
3. Check Your Benefits: Ensure you're receiving all benefits, including disability premiums, as this affects energy support eligibility.
4. Talk to Your Supplier: If in debt, inform them; they must work with you on an affordable plan, potentially extending debt repayment.

- 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