This week, the children have been learning about the life of St. Therese of Lisieux and how she showed great love in everything she did. The children are reminded how they should show daily acts of kindness both at home and at school. We are all reminded to make sure that everyone in our lives is AoK (Acts of Kindness) through simple actions which can make a huge difference to the lives of others. The Feast Day of St. Therese is on Saturday 1st October which also marks our first School and Parish Mass of the year at Our Lady and All Saints Church at 5pm. We will be welcoming our new Reception children to the parish and it marks as a time of commitment for the school year ahead working in partnership between school, parents and parish.
A once in a lifetime opportunity to celebrate St. Bernadette and venerate her relics as they visit three venues across the Archdiocese.
A pilgrimage of the relics of Saint Bernadette of Lourdes, Bernadette Soubirous, is coming to the Archdiocese of Birmingham this October.
The relics will be visiting St Chad's Cathedral in Birmingham, Our Lady of Lourdes in Hednesford and the Immaculate Conception in Bicester over the weekend of 7th - 10th October.
A section of bone from Saint Bernadette's thigh will be taken to major cathedrals and churches of the dioceses of England, Scotland and Wales as part of a national pilgrimage.
The Shrine of Lourdes approached the English and Welsh bishops in 2021 with the offer of the pilgrimage of the relics and the bishops accepted.
The remains of Saint Bernadette are preserved in a shrine in the town of Nevers, 700 kilometres north of Lourdes.
Friday 7th October
6pm - Cathedral doors open
6.30pm - Liturgy of Welcome & Evening Prayer. Followed by Veneration of the Relics 7pm until midnight.
Midnight - Cathedral closed
Saturday 8th October
8am - Veneration of the Relics until 11.30am
12noon - Mass with Anointing of the Sick, celebrated by Bishop Stephen Wright
1.30pm - Veneration of the Relics until 5.30pm
6pm - Mass, celebrated by Bishop David Evans
7pm - Relics depart Cathedral
Location: St Chad’s Cathedral, Queensway, Birmingham, B4 6EU.
Train: For those travelling by train, the Cathedral is a five-minute walk from Snowhill Station and a 10 to 15-minute walk from Birmingham Grand Central (New St) and Moor St stations. If necessary, there are usually plenty of taxis available outside the stations.
Bernadette Soubirous was born on 7th January 1844 in Lourdes, a town of 4,000 people.
Her parents were Francois and Louise. She was baptised Marie Bernarde but she was known as Bernadette. Her father was a miller, but the family did not prosper financially and they ended up in debt and homeless. A relative gave them the cachot, a former prison, to live in. The family of six lived in this one room.
Bernadette suffered from bad asthma, and the cold damp cachot did not help her. At 13 she was sent to Marie Aravant Lagüe, a nurse in Bartrès, a place she had stayed when a child. This was a help to her health and was also a chance for her to learn her catechism, allowing her to receive her first Holy Communion. She knew no prayers, except those of the Rosary. Circumstances changed in Bartrès, though, and in January 1858 Bernadette returned to Lourdes. She then saw the Virgin Mary eighteen times.
On the 18th January 1862, the Bishop of Tarbes announced the findings of the Church Commission:
“It is our judgement that Mary, the Immaculate Mother of God, truly appeared to Bernadette Soubirous on 11th February 1858 and on subsequent days, eighteen times in all, in the Grotto of Massabielle, close to the town of Lourdes.”
St Bernadette Relic Tour | Birmingham Diocesan Trust (birminghamdiocese.org.uk)
Congratulations to the following children who have been chosen by their peers to represent the School Council and also support with Class Collective Worship this year. Thank you to all the other children who were prepared to take on these roles too.
| Role | ||
| School Council Representatives Year 5 | Amelia C | Rhodri |
| School Council Representatives Year 4 | Emily | Jude |
| School Council Representatives Year 3 | Mathilda | Leonardo V |
| School Council Representatives Year 2 | Anouska | Hugo |
| School Council Representatives Year 1 | Ava | Louie |
| Liturgy Leaders Year 5 | Annabel | Joe |
| Liturgy Leaders Year 4 | Grace | Luca |
| Liturgy Leaders Year 3 | Isla A | Flynn T |
Congratulations to the following children for being chosen for either 'Good Work' or 'Catholic Virtues' at this week's Gifts from God Assembly. Well done also to St. Matthew's house for gaining the most house points this week.
| Year Group | Good Work | Catholic Virtues (Compassionate and Loving) |
| Reception | Finn | Vivienne |
| Year 1 | Ava | Florence |
| Year 2 | Isla | Peony |
| Year 3 | Leonardo | Charlotte |
| Year 4 | Minie | Oscar |
| Year 5 | Rhodri | Katie |
| Year 6 | Arianna | Whole Class |
St. Joseph's has been actively involved in the Walk to School programme in association with Living Streets for the last few years. We have been identified as a school of best practice with this initiative and were chosen back in Summer 2022 to be the host school for the new promotional video. The new ambassador for Walk to School, Dr Ronx, also visited St. Joseph's, led an assembly and spoke with some children for the promotional video.
The children will have received their badges for September's Walk to School today. For further information about this initiative, please click on the following link: WOW - the walk to school challenge | Living Streets
The new Youth Group at Our Lady and All Saints Church will begin with a launch event this coming Tuesday from 6.30pm until 7.30pm at Our Lady and All Saints Parish Centre. This is open to children from Year 5 upwards. The group will then meet every fortnight from 6.30pm until 8.30pm. Youth Group is free for children to attend, but any voluntarily contributions will be greatly received. This is one of the areas identified from the parish review via the Synodal Pathway regarding the links between school and parish. Liam Thomas, Chaplain at Hagley Catholic High School, came to meet with our Years 5 and 6 children earlier today to go through more details about the Youth Group.
To celebrate the season of Harvest, we are planning to support those in need both locally and globally. From the week commencing Monday 10th October we are asking the children to bring into school a food item either tinned or packaged produce to support the Stourbridge Foodbank. The items in need are outlined on the leaflet sent out earlier this week. Also, for the donation of £1 per child, the children will be able to wear their own, bright clothes to school on Thursday 13th October which will be donated to support the work of CAFOD. This also coincides with Year 5's Class Assembly on Thursday at 2.30pm.
Congratulations to Orla in Year 5 who was chosen as a national winner for the 'Hero Hound' competition as part of the school's involvement in The Great British Bark Off back in June. Many children took part in this competition whereby they had to write about a dog who they classed as being a Hero Hound. Orla named her pet Alfie as her hero and commented on how having such a dog made her feel - if everyone had an Alfie then everyone would be happy!
The charity behind this focus week, Underdog International, support therapy dogs in school as well as rescuing and rehoming dogs in need.
For further information about this charity, please click on the following link: Underdog International (theunderdog.org)
Gabrielle in Year 6 has shown a real example of being 'active' in living out our Catholic virtues. She wrote to her local council outlining how upset she was that they were demolishing a mixed tree forest by her home. Gabrielle articulately detailed the impact this would have not only on the local habitat and wildlife but also the well-being impact on not seeing or listening to the sounds of the local wildlife. Consequently, the council have replied to Gabrielle and have ceased the demolition of this area of land which is fantastic news for her and her local community. As we near the end of the season of creation (on 4th October) we are all called on how we can live more simply, sustainably and in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in school, locally and globally. As a school, we will be focusing on these three elements as we create an action plan to achieve the Live Simply Award which focuses on Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si in which he call for us to look after our common home. Gabrielle and many other children will be excellent ambassadors to champion this way of living as a school community this year and beyond.
Please make a note of the days when your child/ren will have PE in school this half term. We are continuing to allow children to come into school wearing their PE kit along with their school jumper and blue or grey tracksuit bottoms. This enables teachers and children to spend more time being physically active during lessons but also reduces the need for bringing into school additional bags etc. We are following the best practice in Physical Education in terms of enabling children to be more physically active for more sustained periods of time in lessons. The approach introduced by Newman University in Birmingham focuses on the 'SHARP' principles. If you would like further information, then please contact the school office.
| Year Group | Day 1 | Day 2 |
| Reception | Friday | |
| Year 1 | Tuesday | Friday |
| Year 2 | Monday | Tuesday |
| Year 3 | Thursday | Friday |
| Year 4 | Wednesday | Friday |
| Year 5 | Monday | Thursday |
| Year 6 | Wednesday | Thursday |
| Day | Breakfast Club (8am-8.45am) | Lunchtime | After School Club (3.15pm-4.15pm) |
| Monday | - | - | |
| Tuesday | Gymnastics - Years 3 to 6 | Tag Rugby - Years 5 and 6 (mixed) | Irish Dancing |
| Wednesday | Multi Skills - Years 3 to 6 | Irish Dancing | |
| Thursday | Gymnastics - Years 1 and 2 | School Football Team - Years 5 and 6 (mixed) | High 5 Netball - Years 5 and 6 |
| Friday | Indoor Archery - Years 1 to 6 | Football - Years 1 to 4 (until 4.45pm) |
October - Holy Month of the Rosary
Saturday 1st October - Family Mass at OLAS 5pm - All welcome to attend
Tuesday 4th October - Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi - end of the Season of Creation
Thursday 6th October - Open Morning for Reception 2023 (9.30am) - please share this information with prospective parents
Thursday 6th October - National Poetry Day
Friday 7th October - School INSET Day - children not in school on this day
Friday 7th October until Monday 10th October - relics of St. Bernadette visiting St. Chad's
Saturday 8th October - Open Morning for Years 5 and 6 at Hagley Catholic High School
Tuesday 11th October - 'Compete' Tag Rugby event for Years 5 and 6 at Windsor High School (pm)
Tuesday 11th October - Local Governing Body Meeting
Thursday 13th October - Year 5 Harvest Assembly (2.30pm) - parents welcome to attend
Tuesday 18th October - Flu Vaccinations pm (Parents were sent a consent form via email)
Tuesday 18th October - Parents' Evening Session 1 (3.30pm-5.30pm)
Wednesday 19th October - Feast Day of St Luke - children wear green on this day
Wednesday 19th October - Parents' Evening Session 2 (3.30pm-5.30pm)
Friday 21st October - school finishes for half term break
Monday 31st October - Autumn term 2 begins
We wish Miss Robertson all the very best as she prepares to complete the London Marathon this coming Sunday. This will be the third successive year that the London Marathon will be held in October rather than its traditional April date.
The London Marathon is an extraordinary and unique celebration of the family of humankind coming together. We believe that by moving the 2022 event to October we give ourselves the best chances of welcoming the world to the streets of London, enabling tens of millions to be raised for good causes and giving people the certainty that their hard work and training will allow them to experience the amazing crowds cheering them every step of the way from Greenwich to Westminster.
On Tuesday 29th March, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid, set out the next steps for living with COVID-19 in England from Friday 1st April.
Free COVID-19 tests will continue to be available for specific groups, including eligible patients and NHS staff, once the universal testing offer ends on Friday 1st April.
Updated guidance will advise:
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· adults with the symptoms of a respiratory infection, and who have a high temperature or feel unwell, should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people until they feel well enough to resume normal activities and they no longer have a high temperature · children and young people who are unwell and have a high temperature should stay at home and avoid contact with other people. They can go back to school, college or childcare when they no longer have a high temperature, and they are well enough to attend · adults with a positive COVID-19 test result should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 5 days, which is when they are most infectious. For children and young people aged 18 and under, the advice will be 3 days. |
For education and childcare settings from Friday 1st April:
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· regular asymptomatic testing is no longer recommended in any education or childcare setting, including in SEND, alternative provision and children's social care settings. Therefore, settings will no longer be able to order test kits · residential SEND settings may be advised by their local health protection team to re-introduce some time-limited asymptomatic testing. This would be an exceptional measure, for targeted groups of staff and pupils or students (secondary age or above) in the event of a possible COVID-19 outbreak. These settings are scheduled to receive an automatic delivery of contingency supply test kits during the week commencing Monday 28 March · the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will publish new guidance. Most of the specific COVID-19 guidance for education and childcare settings will be withdrawn from GOV.UK on Friday 1 April. The operational guidance on the testing in education settings document sharing platform will also be removed on the same day. |
The Wednesday Word can be accessed via following link: The Wednesday Word Primary School Resource | Catholic Church. Please go through this with leaflet with your child so that they become more familiar and understand the focus of the Gospel each week.
God of all,
Open our eyes to see the needs of our brothers and sisters.
Open our ears to hear your words of hope and compassion.
Open our mouths to speak up when people are suffering.
Open our hearts, to reach out in love.
Amen.
Children at St. Joseph's are growing to be compassionate towards others, near and far, especially the less fortunate; and loving by their just actions and forgiving words.
September
For the abolition of the death penalty
We pray that the death penalty, which attacks the dignity of the human person, may be legally abolished in every country.
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St Joseph’s |
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| Lea Vale Road Stourbridge West Midlands DY8 2DT For enquiries or to request paper copies of information from this website please contact the school office. |
Contact Information |
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| Principal - Mr Anthony Wilkes SENDCo - Mrs J McCole (Vice Principal) Business Partner - Mrs D A Faux-Conduit Administrator - Mrs D Bradley Chair of Governors - Mr J Coyne Safeguarding Team DSL - Mr Anthony Wilkes DDSL - Mrs Jo McCole & Mrs Michele Riley Tel: 01384 431980 Email: info_stjosephs@emmausmac.com The school is open for 32.5 hours per week. Opening Times - 8:45am to 3:15pm Monday to Friday. Registration starts at 8.55am. |
Social Media |
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