St John Vianney School

Contents

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

Headteacher's Message

Dear Parents and Carers,   I do hope you and your families remain well?   We have had another good week in school. There is a real calmness around the school since the Whit break, with a real focus in lessons and lots of pupils making really good choices and showing themselves to be fully committed to the ethos and the expectations of the school.   I have had, this week, sight of the draft Catholic School Inspection report following the Inspection on the 3rd and 4th June. It really is a wonderful report, reflecting so well on the school, the routines and the Catholicity we hope is evident every day in our School community. I am really proud and humbled by the report and hope to be able to share it with the wider school community next week. I am confident you will be really happy with its contents.   We continue now to be busy with our planning for September 2026, ensuring we end the school well on July 24th and in being ready for the new building, full handover in August.  It is an exciting time in terms of leaving the building site behind, but we certainly have a lot to do to be ready to fully open in September.   In the remaining 5 weeks left of this final half term we have planned a number of events and activities for pupils to be involved in, which we know the CYP will engage with and enjoy. For many of our CYP they are preparing to leave us after many years contributing to our school community; it will be sad in many ways, but is a celebratory period for those ending their time with us. Next Thursday a small group will start their summer break and we wish them all really well on the next part of their journey. They will return to school on July 17th for their Leavers’ mass and celebration.   Can I remind you please that School is closed for pupils next Friday 26th June, as it is an INSET day for the staff. These activities include (more details to follow)  

• ZINES Literacy Deep learning Day June 30th
• Year 11 Work Experience RHS Bridgewater 1st July
• Year 9 Work Experience 8th and 15th July Holiday Inn
• Year 7 Work Experience Lalley Centre 7th July
• D of E Expedition 16th and 17th July
• Sports afternoon TBC
• End of Year reward trips Mon 20th July
• Halle Visit July 15th
• Leavers Mass 17th July 10.30am at St Anne's Stretford (all parents welcome)
• KS3 Festival 17th July afternoon
• Transition Week 20th July

  The Summer term will end on Friday 24th July, with the start of the new academic year beginning on Wednesday September 2nd at 9am for our pupils. Tuesday 1st September will be an INSET day for our staff.   Very best wishes for the weekend and the week ahead. Mr A Moloney, Headteacher

Key information and Dates for your Diary

Dates for Your Diary

• Fri 26th June 2026 - All Day - INSET Day - school closed for pupils
• Thu 20th Aug 2026 - GCSE results day
• Fri 25th July 2026 - School closes for Summer Break

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 Monday 22nd June 2026:

Stars of the Week

• Class 1 Mrs Jordan - Caleb - For a great week and doing all of his work.
• Class 2 Miss Walsh - Lee - For much improved behaviour and attitude.
• Class 3 Mr Healey - Quinn - For being a good friend and supporting others.
• Class 4 Mrs Garfin - Lewis - For thinking of his peers and trying hard.
• Class 5 Mr Whelan - Chester - For an improvement in attitude and behaviour.
• Class 6 Miss Shaw - Aidan - For engaging in a range of activities this week.
• Class 7 Miss Graham - James - For great effort all week and reading in Mass.
• Class 8 Mrs Wood - Sean - For being respectful, a good listener and helpful with tech support in class.
• Class 9 Mr Donovan - Ethan - For fantastic engagement all week.
• Class 10 Mr Wood - Ryan - For fantastic effort finishing his BTEC Sport coursework.
• Class 11 Miss Sherwin - Finlay - For great independent work in English this week.
• Class 12 Miss Lord - Daniel - For having a great week and positive presence in all lessons.
• Class 13 Mr Kanakides - Alfie - For working through a personal issue he has had.
• Class 14 Miss Wilkinson - Megan - For showing great maturity and resilience at Heaton Park, in the rain.

Employee of the Week

Congratulations to Miss Devine!

Highlights of the Week

Our Catholic School

Our spiritual focus in SJV this week is this quote from - St Ethelwold

"May God the Father bless us, may Christ take care of us and may the Holy Spirit enlighten us all the days of our lives"

Within our Catholic school community, Class 1 recently enjoyed a special retreat afternoon with Father Nick, focusing on the theme of friendship. The children took part in a range of thoughtful and engaging activities, helping them to reflect on what it means to be a good friend and how they can show kindness and care towards others. In RE, following a student vote, we have chosen to study the different Gods within religions across the world. Key Stage 3 have been learning about Hinduism and Key Stage 5 have been learning about Buddhism – we are enjoying learning about what it means to be part of a world-wide religion and how much we have in common, whilst celebrating our differences.

Mrs Garfin

Spotlight

Careers Morning

On Tuesday morning we held the second of our two annual Careers mornings. The theme of this event was 'Vocation' and the three speakers addressed this in their presentations. The speakers at the event were Fr Nick Kumi; speaking about his role as a Priest and his work with ‘Just Youth’, Dr Minna Moffatt-Feldman; speaking about her work with Caritas and our own TA Mr John Wood; Speaking about his work with Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation.

The intention of these mornings is to give our pupils the opportunity to meet and engage with representatives of a wide range of jobs and industries to support their understanding of the world of work. The pupils all engaged well and asked some really good questions to our three speakers.

In-School Yoga Sessions

Yoga is a valued and much-loved part of life in our school, supporting the wellbeing of our children & young people. Each week, our pupils have the opportunity to take part in yoga sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays with Mrs Lebedeva, in small, supportive groups. These sessions provide a calm space where students can care for the bodies and minds God has given them. Yoga offers many benefits for our pupils. It helps to develop strength, flexibility and balance, while also supporting emotional wellbeing and self-regulation. Through a focus on breathing, students learn how to slow their bodies, calm their minds, and find moments of stillness and peace. Our sessions are engaging and inclusive, including yoga games, paired activities, stretching, and relaxation, as well as quiet time for reflection. Students are also encouraged to lead parts of the sessions when they feel confident, helping to build independence and self-esteem. One of our older pupils, Megan, shares what yoga means to her:

“Things I like about yoga are that I have started to lead yoga with confidence, I have a positive mindset, and I feel much calmer. I have a positive impact on others. I like doing paired yoga, yoga games and relaxation. I enjoy stretching — my favourite poses are banana pose and child’s pose.”

We are grateful for the calm, confidence, and joy yoga brings to our school community. We encourage parents and carers to explore simple yoga and breathing exercises at home, as a way to support relaxation and wellbeing together.

Useful Information

 Parents & Carers: Government Confirms Upcoming Social Media Ban for Children The UK Government has announced plans to ban children under the age of 16 from accessing major social media platforms. This follows a large national consultation in which most parents supported stronger online safety measures. What will the ban include?

• The ban will apply to platforms with user‑to‑user interaction and algorithm‑driven content, such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook, and X.
• Messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal are not included.
• Platforms will also be required to switch off features such as livestreaming and communication with strangers for under‑16s. These features will be disabled by default for 16‑ and 17‑year‑olds as well.

Why is this happening? The government aims to:

• Reduce exposure to harmful or inappropriate content
• Support children’s mental health and wellbeing
• Limit risks such as cyberbullying and addictive platform design
• Encourage healthier use of time and technology

When will this take effect? The new rules are expected to be fully implemented by Spring 2027. Families do not need to take any action yet. More detailed national guidance will be shared closer to the rollout. What are the concerns? Some experts have raised questions about:

• Young people potentially bypassing restrictions
• Children moving to less regulated online spaces
• Privacy issues around age‑verification systems

What this means for our school community? We understand this announcement may raise questions. As a school, we will continue to:

• Teach pupils about safe and responsible online behaviour
• Support families in navigating digital challenges
• Share updates as more information becomes available

If you would like advice or support regarding your child’s online activity, please contact our safeguarding team

Caritas Salford – Lalley Centre Food Pantry Update

We would like to share an important update from the Lalley Centre Food Pantry, which continues to support families across our community. Opening Times & Registration The Lalley Centre opens its doors for food pantry registration every Wednesday and Friday at 10:15am. Please note that the pantry does not operate on a first come, first served basis. Arriving early will not provide quicker access or a better position in the queue. Instead, each visitor is given a randomly allocated number, and individuals are called to the pantry in that order. Costs The pantry offers essential items at significantly reduced prices:

• £5 for a food shop
• £3 for meat
• £3 for toiletries (when available)

Fee Waivers Fee waivers are available only for residents living in the M9 or M40 postcode areas. Proof of address may be required. Supporting Our Community The Lalley Centre continues to be a vital resource for many families, and we are grateful for the ongoing support and kindness shown within our school community. If you would like more information or wish to support the pantry, please contact the Lalley Centre directly: Address: St Malachy’s RC Primary School, Eggington Street Collyhurst Manchester, M40 7RG. Telephone: 0161 205 2754 Email: Lalleycentre@caritassalford.org.uk

Online Safety Hub

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

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