St Joseph's News and Events

• Advent Stay and Pray

  Wed 03 Dec 2025

  We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended our Advent Stay and Pray session this week. It was truly wonderful to see so many families come together in prayer as we begin this special season of Advent. Your presence made the occasion meaningful and reflective. A special thank you to Father Paul for his beautiful Advent blessing and for joining us in this time of spiritual preparation.

   

  Advent Blessing
  May this Advent season fill your hearts with hope, peace, joy, and love. As we await the coming of Christ, may His light guide your path and His grace strengthen your spirit. Amen.

  

• Christingle

  Mon 01 Dec 2025

  This week, our EYFS and KS1 pupils took part in a special tradition by making Christingles to celebrate the start of Advent. The Christingle, with its symbolic elements, reminds us of the light of Christ and the hope, love, joy, and peace that Advent brings. This activity helps children understand the meaning behind the season and encourages reflection on kindness and giving as we prepare for Christmas.

  

• Year 3 trip to Valence House

  Thu 27 Nov 2025

  Year 3 had a lovely trip to Valence House today, in which they travelled back in time to the Stone Age. They learned how Stone Age children would have made fire, created string from deer tendons to make clothes, and ground down grains to make flour. The children also visited the museum, where they was a recreation of a Bronze Age burial site and saw the Dagenham Idol, which was found in Salinas Lane in Dagenham in 1922. The wooden figure has been carbon dated to around 2250BC and is one of the oldest human representations found in England. After a quick lunch and a run around, the children tried their hand at making clay pots in the style of the Bronze Age Beaker People. It was a fantastic day, made possible by the great staff at Valence House and our fantastic parent helpers!

   

  

• Banji Alexander - Author Visit

  Tue 25 Nov 2025 DH

  Today, Banji Alexander came to visit us. He's a famous author who has written books, poems, songs and even performed on Britain's Got Talent! It was amazing to hear his story and to ask him questions about his reading and writing journey. All pupil's from Reception to Year 6 got to meet him and some children were able to purchase his book and recieved a signed copy of his work! What an excellent and inspiring afternoon we had!

  

• Samaritan’s Purse Shoebox Appeal

  Fri 21 Nov 2025

  Thank you to everyone who donated to our CST in Action – Samaritan’s Purse Shoebox Appeal! With your kindness and generosity, we collected a fantastic total of 85 shoeboxes. Your donations will go a long way in making this Christmas extra special for children who need it most. We are grateful for your support and community spirit.

  

• Jubilee 2025 – Pilgrims of Hope Celebration Day

  Fri 21 Nov 2025

  St. Joseph’s proudly joined the Jubilee 2025 Pilgrims of Hope Celebration Day - a joyful occasion to reflect on all we have achieved this year through our Catholic Social Teaching in Action initiatives, supporting charities and caring for our common home. The day began with a beautiful whole-school Mass at St. Mary & St. Ethelburga, celebrated by Father Paul, bringing our community together in faith and gratitude. Children then shared hope and kindness by writing heartfelt cards to local “Pilgrims of Hope,” including Barking Foodbank and Chestnut Court Care Home. In true Jubilee spirit, every child wore the vibrant Jubilee colours, filling the day with unity and joy. It was a wonderful celebration of faith, hope, and action - living out our mission to make a difference in our world.

  

• Reception Local walk

  Thu 20 Nov 2025

  Our Reception children explored our local area this week as part of our Autumn 2 Let's build topic! They enjoyed learning about the different buildings near our school, such as the library, leisure centre, theatre, and town hall. We then went to see the different shops at the local market and we bought some fruit from the green grocer's for snack time. Then we went to Abbey Green park to collect lots of leaves and autumn treasures to take back to school to make autumn collages. The children painted some wonderful pictures of the buildings they saw, including details such as the shapes of the windows and doors! 

  

• White Rose Champion School

  Thu 20 Nov 2025

  We are delighted to share that St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School has been chosen as a White Rose Champion School. This means we are recognised for our outstanding approach to teaching maths and will be supporting other schools by sharing our expertise and best practises. This exciting opportunity reflects our commitment to helping every pupil achieve their best.

  

• Remembrance Day

  Tue 11 Nov 2025

  Across the school, each year group has participated in a range of activities for Remembrance Day, including writing acrostic poems, identifying the significance of the four different colours of poppies and designing a medal for a veteran. Early years enjoyed printing their own poppies using potatoes and moulding some from coloured play-dough too! 

  

• Remembrance Day

  Tue 11 Nov 2025

  In honour of Remembrance Day, our year 6 history pupil voice took part in the local memorial. They joined a range of guests including the mayor, priests, policemen and armed forces to lay a wreath and pay their respects.