Friday 10th September 2021

A very warm welcome back to all our children, especially to our new Reception class who have started their journey at St. Joseph's this week.  I have been so pleased and impressed how well the children have returned to school and in the manner in which they have settled back into the new routines which are now in place.  It is a real pleasure and privilege to be part of the education and faith journey of children and young people.  This year's theme for Education Sunday also acknowledges the hard work of all staff in schools, who have worked relentlessly over the last 18 months to ensure that our children are primarily safe, happy and also continuing to develop and grow in their learning.  My sincere thanks go out to our staff at St. Joseph's and also to our parents and their families who have supported the school through very challenging and unprecedented times.  I am looking forward to a continued, positive partnership between home, school and parish, and also for the new opportunities and experiences that our children will encounter this year.  We also pray to God as a source of continued support and strength in our times of weariness, so that we can face the new challenges ahead. Take care and God bless.

The theme for Education Sunday this year is ‘A word in season’, taken from Isaiah
50:4. We find these words in the midst of the Servant Songs where Isaiah was writing prophetically about the ministry of the coming Messiah, explaining that the One who was to come would be an anointed teacher, who would be able to speak “a word in season”, the right word at the right time, to the weary. 

But Isaiah 50:4 is a particularly interesting verse as it speaks of being awakened to hear as well as being equipped to teach. After the challenges of the last eighteen months, it is clear that those who teach are as much in need of a refreshing word as those who learn from them. This is what makes Education Sunday this year so important. There are education issues all around us that cannot be ignored, from both the perspective of the teacher and the student.

In focussing on ‘a word in season’ we need to acknowledge the weariness that must
surely have affected the whole education sector as it has coped with the disruption of
Covid, but we also need to keep in mind the strength that will make enable us to open
up the possibilities that lie ahead. A word in season at a time such as this must bring
encouragement and hope as well as understanding and support, to student and teacher alike. The world is already too full of empty and undermining words as, sadly, it is often the negative ones that spread. Now is the time for us to be bold; to speak out clearly and to seek God positively.

Education Sunday provides a great opportunity to give thanks to God for all who
teach and all who study, for all who continually have to find the right words and
deliver them with enthusiasm and graciousness, for all who have to build constructively on all that has been learnt before while constantly opening up new horizons. It is also an excellent opportunity for releasing some great resources for worship, and this year is no exception.

Teaching and studying are demanding and privileged callings. We can take heart
from the One of whom Isaiah wrote and of whom the Gospels speak. Here we find ample evidence that the right word delivered in the right way at the right time can change lives. The fact that the Church knows this through experience positions us well to take up this Education Sunday’s theme. The world in general and the education sector in particular need a word in season. Let us play a part in bringing such a word.

You are all welcome to join us at Our Lady's & All Saints church.

Weekend Mass times are as follows:

Saturday 5.00pm

Sunday 8.30am & 10.30am.

From the weekend 2nd/3rd the time of 10.30am Mass will change to 11.00am.

During the Autumn term, children are permitted to wear their PE kit underneath either a blue or grey tracksuit on the days which they have PE.  This will be reviewed towards the end of the term.  The school has also undertaken a review of the PE curriculum provision across the school to ensure greater breadth and progression of the areas of activity the children are exposed to.  With this in mind, it has been decided to deliver swimming to Year 4 during the Spring term only.  A further block of support will be provided for children who are at risk of not achieving the expected standard by the end of the key stage in the Summer term of Year 6. 

Please note: Year 4's PE days for next week only will be on Tuesday and Thursday.

St. Joseph's will be continuing to support the Living Streets 'Walk Once a Week' programme which is supported by the Borough to encourage our children and families to participate more in active travel. Children need to walk, scoot, cycle or park and stride at least once a week in order to achieve the monthly award badge. Last academic year, out of 61 schools across the West Midlands, St. Joseph's was ranked 15 in terms of the number of journeys recorded to school. This initiative has so many benefits but in particular supports children to achieve the Chief Medical Officer's recommendation of 60 minutes of physical activity per day.  

Please can you ensure ALL items of school uniform, coats  hats etc are clearly named. Thank you 

If your child is in KS2 and interested in music lessons at school delivered by the DPA please click on the above link for more details.

Information and support for parents and carers of children who are learning at home. Supporting your children's remote education during coronavirus (COVID-19) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Click on the following link to the NHS website for information on what to do if you or your child/ren show the main symptoms of Coronavirus. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms

We have all experienced challenges and difficulties during this pandemic, but sometimes we may need support from someone else or know of someone who may need additional help.  Dudley MBC have created a 'Support for Families' leaflet which signposts local services to parents. We have also included an updated list of support for parents via a range of local and national agencies.  These documents can be found within the Covid 19 tab on the school website landing page.

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.

The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens— wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught.

Children at St. Joseph's are growing to be eloquent and truthful in what they say of themselves, the relations between people, and the world.

Universal Intention – An environmentally sustainable lifestyle

We pray that we all will make courageous choices for a simple and environmentally sustainable lifestyle, rejoicing in our young people who are resolutely committed to this.