St Francis de Sales Catholic

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Year 6 - The Lion King

Steam Week- Commencing 24 June 2024

We had an exciting and productive STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Maths) Week, focusing on sustainability. The children engaged in activities such as designing a floating garden, participating in fun science experiments, and competing in a whole-school maths competition. Additionally, Hazel Class successfully sold wristbands and raised money for their educational exchange project with Grants Pen Infant & Junior Primary School in Jamaica.

Highlights of STEAM Week:

Guest Speakers: Professionals in STEAM spoke to Year 5 &6's to discuss plastic and parents came to classes to discuss sustainability.
Paramedic workshop: KS1 students deepened their understanding through hands-on activities related to emergency care
Maths Competition: KS1 and KS2 students competed in various maths challenges, with the finals at the end of the week.
Science Experiments: Classes swapped teachers and engaged in science experiments. Father David attended and was engaged in the activities.
Competitions: The floating garden competition based on a real-life scenario and the final maths challenges concluded the week, with prizes awarded to the winners.

It was a fantastic week full of learning and fun!

Today we celebrate the grand opening of our new STEAM area in the Junior library! This vibrant space is dedicated to celebrating the rich diversity of our world, featuring an extensive collection of books that represent characters who look like our children. We believe in the power of stories to inspire, educate, and ignite curiosity in young minds.

We are also thrilled to announce the upcoming launch of "A Glitch in Time," a captivating new book by Miss Greenaway. This exciting addition will soon be available in our school collection, offering students an imaginative science fiction novel to dive into.

Design and Technology Week

The whole school collaborated on projects along the theme of the Paris 2024 Olympics and sustainability. Each year group focused on a different project from textiles to engineering. Some of the projects included sewing celebratory bunting using upcycled fabrics, preparing a healthy meal for an Olympian using local produce and constructing a model Olympic village using solar panels. Throughout the week, we had some exciting assemblies on Miss Agnes' allotment and a virtual farm tour, which inspired the children to learn about where their food comes from. Finally, the children were fortunate to meet three designers from Landor, who delivered an exciting session from graphic design to 3D product design. St Francis de Sales certainly has some budding designers in the making!

Ken Wharfe

World Book Week

Kingsley Nebechi

Paul Lyalls

Laura Henry-Allain MBE

Over the past year, our school produced an art exhibition to raise funds for a diverse collection of books embracing the importance of STEAM education. Laura Henry Allain unveiled the books, which empowers our children to explore the world through diverse perspectives while fostering a love for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. Our new collection features characters from diverse backgrounds, ensuring that every student can see themselves reflected in the pages of a book.

Thank you for your support and commitment to raise this money to shape a brighter future for our children.

Special Delivery- Baby Chicks

Michael Rosen

Shingi Mararike

Christmas raffle

The Christmas raffle on 18th December 2023 was a great success! The Grinch even tried to run away with one of the prizes!

We raised £1,140 - this will go towards the children's summer outings.

Thank you to all the parents and staff who bought raffle tickets. Congratulations to all the winners!

A big thank you to the following businesses for their donations:

Southern Communications Group https://www.scgconnected.co.uk/
Tottenham Hotspur https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/
Firstford Ltd. https://firstfordltd.co.uk/
Howlett Associates https://www.howlettassociates.co.uk/
NH Kitchens & Building Ltd.

Christmas Angels

Carol Concert

Early Years Foundation Station Nativity

Leo Powell talking to Year 6 about County Lines

Remembrance Day

Year 4 meeting Onjali Q.Raúf

Year 4 had the opportunity to meet the very talented Onjali Q Raúf at Coombes Croft Library. She showed her new book ‘Where Magic Grows’ which is a selection of seven stories with each beginning with a poem.
Her adventure books are based on real people that she knows such as ‘The Extra-Specially-Super-Deliciously Fantastically Naughty Boy’ is linked to her younger brother. ‘The Night Bus Hero’ has the themes of bullying and homelessness. This story is inspired by a homeless man she would walk past on her way to school when she was a little girl. She would often give something to the homeless man. This has also influenced her to carry out charity work for numerous homeless charities.
‘The Boy in the Back of the Classroom’ refers to the theme of refugees. This has encouraged her work on working with the refugee camps in Northern France. A percentage of sales from her books goes to these charities.
Onjali gave the year 4 children tips about writing poetry. She said to “always read your lines out loud and check that it has a rhythm. Poems does not always have to rhyme!”

What inspired you to become an author? From Marilyn

“ I had a teacher called Ms Cooney who really inspired me as well as my brother and my mum.” Said Onjali.

“Do you like writing stories?” From Szymon

Onjali said “ Yes! It does take time to write. I love the ideas, although I dislike writing the middle. My editor normally helps me. The end is my favourite when I see how the story comes together.”

“Have you read many books?” From Amelia

Onjali said “I’ve published 13 books. There are more to come.”

What are the qualities of being a writer? From Anaiyah

“I write when I want to or can. The qualities are to never give up, use your experiences and don’t put any ideas in the bin, it might be useful in the future. It took 12 years to publish my first book!”

Did you like reading? From Maria

“I would read by the window late at night at 8pm with the street light as my light, when really I should have been in bed!”

Who is your favourite author? From Jordan-Carter

“I have 20,000 favourite authors! I have so many to choose from it is not possible to choose as I love all genres.”

When do you read? From Adonai

“I read 3-4 times a day. I read books, magazines, newspapers.”