Our Emmaus and Diocese Vision

Forming Christ-centred pilgrims of hope with kind hearts, questioning minds, a thirst for knowledge and a hunger for justice

Dear Parents

What a busy and action packed half term it has been. This week I have included information from each of the classes about the activities and work that has been completed in the first part of the spring term for you to read. In addition to this, there are some notices below to bring to your attention. Have a great half term and let’s hope for less rain on our return to school!

Kind Hearts – Stourbridge Theatre Company presents The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Thank you to Stourbridge Theatre company for their generosity offering discounted tickets for our families!

The Glass House Theatre

Our new outdoor Glass House Theatre structure is complete! Keith and the team at Play to Measure have been as superb as ever and we can’t wait for the grand opening and for our children to explore this space! Thank you to our PTA and the generosity of a charitable trust with links to our school that have made this possible.

Gospel reflection: Matthew 4:1-11

In Sunday’s Gospel We hear of Jesus spending a long time in the desert fasting and praying. Jesus had to make some choices; He had to choose whether to rely on God or turn stones to bread. Despite being hungry, Jesus chose to trust in God. Jesus was also offered all the kingdoms of the world if he turned away from God. It must have been very tempting to choose all the riches of all the kingdoms and to have power over them. But Jesus chose not to turn away from God.

Jesus knew that riches and power can never be as important as God’s love.

We can make really good choices like Jesus too! Lent is a time when we try to turn back to God. We say sorry for the things that we have done wrong and we try to make a change to live like God wants us to.

This Lent, let’s think about how we can make good choices – just like Jesus did in the desert – even when we find it hard. As we do this, let’s also think if there’s anything we can do to help our brothers and sisters across the world.

Christ Jesus, give us strength as we try to make the right choices and live as you ask us to. Guide us to support others when they are finding life hard.

Amen.

Kind Hearts, Questioning minds

‘What’s on’ in the Parish:
• OLAS-BULLETIN-8th-February-2026.pdf (Updates on the season of Lent)
• Parish Alive magazines have been provided to all families in school
• POPE’S FEBRUARY PRAYER INTENTIONS For the children with incurable diseases – Let us pray that children suffering from incurable diseases and their families receive the necessary medical care and support. Never losing strength and hope.
• CHILDREN’S LITURGY – Saturday 5pm Mass
• FIRST HOLY COMMUION SACRAMENTAL PROGRAMME 2026 – If your child has celebrated the sacrament of Reconciliation and wishes to take part in the First Holy Communion programme, starting after Easter 2026 please download the letter available on our website olas.org.uk “Parish Youth Matters” page
• ANNUAL QUIZ NIGHT AT HAGLEY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL - Friday 27th Feb, 7pm. Teams of 6 - tables can be reserved by contacting Mrs Kirk ckirk@emmausmac.com. Entry is £5 per person payable on the night by cash or by card. We would love to see you there.
• Fundraising Concert for Let the children Live! by Kingswinford Choral Society featuring Fr Philip, will be performing in Church on Saturday 21st March. More information about tickets will be available soon.
• TODDLERS - Tuesday mornings term time only. Please contact Shelagh on 07742 988204.
• ALL SAINTS YOUTH GROUP – Tuesday 20th January 2026, 6-30pm – 8-30pm – years 5 – 9. All welcome.
• FOODBANK DONATIONS – Our shortages are Fruit Juice, tinned potatoes, small jars of coffee, tinned soup, jam and sugar. Washing up liquid and Shampoo. We are open on Tuesday, 12:30pm -3:00pm and Friday 10-00am – 12-30pm. Please drop your donations of food to the back door of the parish centre. Thank you for you continued support. If you wish to donate other items, please check with the foodbank volunteers first..

Questioning minds, A thirst for Knowledge

Have a look below at all the exciting learning that has taken place across our wonderful school!

Reception

This half term Reception have been blasting off around the solar system to learn all about space. They have been asking fascinating questions such as 'Does it rain on the moon?', and have been finding out the answers. They have Learned all about the astronaut Neil Armstrong and why he is so famous. They have loved imagining being astronauts in a fantastic space themed role play area and have loved reading the stories Q Pootle 5, Whatever Next and The Smeds and the Smoos. Reception children took on the role of aerospace engineers when they designed and made their own rockets which they were very proud of. In maths Reception have been learning all about measuring and time. They particularly enjoyed timing different activities to find out what they could do in a minute. RE this half term has been all about baptism and Reception were lucky enough to welcome Fr Phillip into class to 'baptise' the class doll Josephine. Reception have continued to work hard on their handwriting and letter formation this half term and their progress is fantastic.

Year 1

This half term in music, the children in year 1 have been exploring echo singing and composing word patterns. They have worked in small groups to compose a melody and rhythm using body percussion for our 'football' unit.

Year 2

Year 2 have had a fantastic half term and have approached their learning with real enthusiasm. From carefully crafting (and taste-testing!) instructions about how to eat an Oreo cookie in English to confidently handling money and exploring shape in maths, our classroom has been full of energy and curiosity. In RE, we’ve reflected on parables and miracles, celebrated our class Mass and were privileged to welcome Fr Philip, who helped us understand the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. The children have also enjoyed beginning to explore our local area in geography and discovering how animals and humans grow and change in science. In PE, they’ve developed their dance and football skills, while in music they’ve begun learning more about beat and rhythm as well as developing their understanding of composition. In art, we have been introduced to the colourful work of Kandinsky and are preparing to create our own pieces inspired by his style. The children have worked incredibly hard and should be very proud of all they have achieved.

Year 3

Year 3 have had an incredibly busy and exciting half term! In science, the children have explored different types of rocks and learned about the remarkable discoveries of Mary Anning. Our geography lessons have taken us across the globe as pupils investigated how volcanoes and earthquakes form, while in art they have enjoyed drawing and printing fossil-inspired designs. The class have produced fantastic writing linked to Stone Girl, Bone Girl and Stranded, focusing on using expanded noun phrases and similes to bring their ideas to life. In music, pupils have begun using stave notation to record their own compositions, and in maths they have been growing in confidence using different methods for multiplication and division. PE has been full of energy too, with imaginative wild-animal dances and the start of their swimming sessions. In Computing, the children have created their own branching databases, and in R.E. they have been learning all about the Liturgy of the Word and its importance in Mass.

Year 4

This half term, Year 4 have been working hard and having lots of fun! We have become talented authors, writing character and setting descriptions, as well as retelling stories with creativity and flair. As scientists, we explored how states of matter can change by carrying out hands-on experiments, testing how materials like butter, potatoes, biscuits and chocolate melt. Our learning also took us to Mary Stevens Park, where we investigated whether our local area has more natural or man-made features and created our own maps using our fieldwork findings. We celebrated NSPCC Number Day by designing fantastic maths monsters using our times-tables, division and perimeter knowledge. In PE, we used our imaginations to become cats, choreographing expressive dances inspired by cats. We will end this exciting half term with a visit from the West Midlands Fire SPARKS team, who will teach us all about fire safety.

Year 5

This half term, Year 5 have been incredibly busy! The children have loved creating and showcasing their fantastic Ancient Maya projects, sharing their impressive knowledge and creativity. In DT, they worked brilliantly in teams to design and build bridges, as well as experimenting with different materials to explore their properties. We have also produced some beautiful writing that really highlights Year 5’s growing confidence with grammar. In maths, the class has shown great determination while tackling complex fraction problems. To top it all off, they completed the AI Quest on Safer Internet Day and are now proud AI Guardians, equipped with the knowledge to stay safe and responsible online.

Year 6

An exciting start to this half-term with Year 6 celebrating Confirmation with Archbishop Bernard. We had a wonderful chippy lunch together on the day with Fr. Philip too! Congratulations to all. We have been very busy with our learning, continuing our maths journey but looking at exclusive topics to year six such as algebra and ratio - approaching them with a real growth mindset. We started other new topics such as Evolution and Inheritance in science and our Amazon Rainforest topic in Geography. We have also used the Amazon Rainforest as inspiration in English - using the Great Kapok Tree, a David Attenborough monologue about a sloth and rainforest poetry in our I am a Clever Writer sessions. In RE, we have been learning about Prayer in the lives of Jesus' Followers, along with prayer in other religions (Hinduism/Islam) and we had a special visitor from the Buddhist Centre to come and talk to us about Buddhism. We raised money for the NSPCC with Number Day and used amazing new and fun technology - the Microbit! What a busy half-term!

Coming soon… VR Headsets!

Forming Christ-centred pilgrims of hope with kind hearts, questioning minds, a thirst for knowledge and a hunger for justice

Girls Football

Well done to our Year 5 and Year 6 girls football team who took part in night 1 of their fixtures last night at Redhill High School. The girls were magnificent, winning all 4 games scoring 12 goals and conceding none! They are currently top of the league with the next round of fixtures taking place after half term. Well done girls! And, thank you to Mrs Lloyd and Miss Carr who accompanied and coached the girls to victory!

Gifts from God

Gifts from God will return after half term

Attendance – Well done everyone, our whole school attendance is excellent!

Kind Hearts, A hunger for Justice

From time to time, there may be occasions that emerge when you need our support. Never hesitate to get in touch should you need our support. I am the DSL in school and Mrs Mitchell and Mrs Riley are the DDSLs. Mrs Mitchell is also our SENCo and Mental Health Leader. School safeguarding information and our Early Help offer can be found at this link on the school website St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Stourbridge - Safeguarding

In school we are also very fortunate to have Mrs Dulson as our Emotional Literacy Support Assistant and Mental Health First Aider and can support your child in a whole manner of ways to support their wellbeing St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Stourbridge - Mental Health and ELSA . We’re here to help when you need us!

Dates for your diary – please keep an eye on the link below while dates are added:

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Stourbridge - Calendar

Questioning minds – Term Dates

The 2026-27 term dates can be found below:

Autumn Term
Tuesday 1st September 2026
Half term Monday 26th Oct 2026 to Fri 30th Oct 2026
Friday 18th December 2025

Spring Term
Monday 4th January 2027
Half term Monday 15th Feb 2027 to Friday 19th Feb 2027
Thursday 25th March 2027

Summer Term
Monday 12th April 2027
Half term Monday 31st May 2027 to Friday 4th June 2027
Wednesday 21st July 2027

The following INSET Days agreed for 2026/27:
• Tuesday 1st September 2026
• Wednesday 2nd September 2026
• Friday 2nd October 2026
• Friday 12th February 2027
• Monday 28th June 2027

In addition to the five INSET Days listed above, a sixth INSET Day is also proposed to facilitate a MAC-wide INSET Day. The proposed date for this INSET Day will be confirmed in due course.

Inset Days

Please note a further inset day has been added. As a Multi-Academy Company, Emmaus are able to use a 6th inset day for staff development and formation.

The inset days for the rest of the academic year are as follows:
Friday 26th June
Friday 17th July – new date
Monday 20th July

As such, school will close for pupils for the summer break on Thursday 16th July at 3:15pm

Have a great half term break

Mr A. Wilkes
Executive Principal