This Term’s Virtues
This term we are trying hard to be Loving and Compassionate.
From Our Headteacher
Dear Parents & Carers,
What a busy half this has been at St Aloysius’. From an alien invasion in Tigger Class, to Year 6 pupils preparing for the sacrament of Confirmation. Oak Class have time travelled to the Roman Era with a virtual workshop from The Ashmolean Museum and Fir Class pupils have produced some high-quality information leaflets about oceans. I have been interested to watch Fig Class’s plants growing taller and taller as the term has progressed and have been impressed with Bay Class’s computing skills on a Thursday afternoon. Each week, Ash Class have been using their knowledge of electricity to become electrical engineers to design and create circuits to help around the home and finally, our youngest learners have been impressing me with their number knowledge in Acorn Class. Each class have also organised their own May Procession, taking flowers and crowning the statue of Our Lady. In our virtual assemblies we have been learning about events in Eastertide, and more recently, discussing The Ascension of the Lord (perhaps your child will be able to tell you about why this feast day is so special to me) and Pentecost, which it has been lovely to see some of the artwork created in classes depicting this event in the liturgical calendar to mark the end of the Easter season.
If you wish to use the online Wednesday Word resources during half term, these can be accessed here.
Please keep the Year 6 pupils who are receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation this Saturday in your prayers.
Thank you for your continued support and wishing you all a restful half term break. Just a reminder that pupils will return to school on Tuesday 8th June.
Kind Regards, Hannah Duncan (Acting Headteacher)
PTA News
Due to administrative issues, the school PTA have decided to stop using Classlist as a communications tool for parents. They have now set up a new Facebook page and would encourage parents to join at St Aloysius Primary School PTA.
We now have a Twitter presence! Fly on over and have a look … 
The Oxford Oratory
If you would like to subscribe to the weekly reflection and newsletter please CLICK HERE
Breakfast and After School Club
Breakfast Club is open from 7.45am until start of school (Monday to Wednesday). Booking is essential and should be made online or via the school office. This is important to ensure the right staffing, bubble planning, etc.
Just a quick reminder, After School Club now runs Monday to Friday until 5.00pm. Again, booking is essential to ensure correct staffing, bubble planning, etc.
We still believe that there is a strong demand for the Breakfast and After School Club provision. Unfortunately, the numbers attending remain low. Do you have any suggestions as to how we can increase this number? If so, please email Jo on the school office email address.
Thank you for supporting After School and Breakfast Clubs!
School Meals
Please click here to see the current lunch menu.
We have recently expanded our school lunch menu to include more hot meals. If you wish the school to provide a lunch for your child (all year groups with the exception of Acorn Nursery Class).
The new menu will still come in the form of a packed lunch delivered to your child’s classroom. Please click here to see the proposed menu.
As usual, school meals must be paid for in advance preferably by term. The cost of a school meal is £2.40 per day. As we are no longer able to accept cash or cheques, all payments must be made via the Schoolgateway (for more information please follow this link). If you had an outstanding balance owing (or credit) from last term it will be carried forward. You can also check your child’s balance and make payments via the Schoolgateway app.
Please note, if you want your child to have a school meal and you do not have any credit in your account, you will receive a telephone call from the office asking you to provide a packed lunch for your child.
If you have any queries regarding school dinner money or require a statement, please email Mrs. McIntyre admin.3842@st-aloysius.oxon.sch.uk.
This Term’s House Point Totals
Ashmolean
Bodleian
Radcliffe
Sheldonian
Sheldonian are the Spring Term House Point winners!
Prayer
Lord Jesus, we look to you on the throne beside your Father in heaven and ask that you be Lord of peace in our hearts. Help us to overcome ourselves again and again and to remain at peace. Then your will may be done in your disciples, a power of peace may be around us that goes out into the whole world, and your name may be glorified on earth. For you are Lord of peace, and we await you. In difficult times faith and hope will take hold in our hearts all the more firmly, to your glory, Lord Jesus. For you will suddenly come according to your promise as the One who does God’s will on earth among all people. Amen.
Dates For Your Diary
Summer Term
Summer Term Ends – Thursday 22nd July (1.00pm)
Autumn Term Starts – Monday 6th September 2021
Some Future Dates
October Half Term Holiday – Monday 25th to 29th October 2021
Autumn Term Ends – Friday 17th December (1.00pm)
CORONAVIRUS ADVICE
If you are visiting our school site, please always wear a facemask, follow the one-way-system and observe social distancing. HANDS – FACE – SPACE.
There is continuing coverage in the media about the ongoing Covid-19 situation around the World. At school we are continuing to receive daily updates from Oxfordshire County Council, Public Health England and the DfE.
A copy of our full opening letter can be found here
Covid-19 Tier 2 High Alert Information
Updated Guidance for Parents and Carers
What parents and carers need to know about early years providers, schools and colleges in the autumn term can be found here
Department for Education Coronavirus Helpline
Staff, parents and young people can contact the helpline as follows:
Phone: 0800 046 8687 Email: DfE.coronavirushelpline@education.gov.uk Opening hours: 8am to 6pm (Monday to Friday)
Where to find the latest information
Updates on COVID-19: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
Travel advice for those travelling and living overseas:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus
Latest Department for Education information: https://twitter.com/educationgovuk https://www.facebook.com/educationgovuk/
Other News
Congratulations – Congratulations to Rose Del Strother (Willow Class) upon passing her bronze level award for the Royal School of Church Music at Christchurch Cathedral.
Parent Governor Election – In September, we will have two parent governor vacancies. More information will be available after the May half-term.
Ultimate Activity Camps
Class Topic Overview and Knowledge Organiser – these can now be found under the CLASSES tab where you can easily click on your child’s class. Acorn Class Curriculum Information can also be found there.
Admissions – we have places available for all children across all year groups!
Swimming – Swimming lessons will be restarting in September 2021 for both Year 4 and Year 5 classes. More information to follow soon.
Payments to The School Office – PLEASE NOTE we are no longer accepting cash or cheques as payment and have moved to a CASHLESS system. All payments should be made via the Schoolgateway (click here for further information). Permission slips can be either emailed or bought into school with your child and handed to the school office.
Term Dates for 2022-2023 – the calendar is avaialble now under INFORMATION.
CLASS NEWS
Acorn Nursery Class
Our phonics goes from strength to strength and we have learned our very first digraph ‘sh’ and this knowledge is strengthened, together with learning rhythm and rhyme, through group games and songs such as silly soup. In Maths, we continue to build on our one-to-one accuracy for counting, matching numeral to quantity and also shape. The children are also enjoying a revisit (or first time visit for our newer members) to Ten Town to consolidate what we have learned so far.
I wish you all a very happy half term and hope the sun shines a little more!
Tigger Reception Class
In phonics we have continued to use the digraphs and trigraphs we have already learnt, in our reading and writing. In Maths, we have been using our skills to look at and apply to teen numbers. We have been learning about one more and one less. We have been learning about adding and subtraction using counting on and counting back. In RE, we have been hearing the story of Pentecost and the children made a person using mixed media to represent the holy spirit coming to the disciples. We have been looking closely at stories and their structure, characters, and plots. The children have been using the story station to write stories and our stage to perform them. We also used the clay to make tree people.
We are hoping to start a permanent tinker station and would ask for your help. Does anyone have an old video recorder, hairdryer or medium sized electrical items that allow the back to be removed. Also, screw drivers. Any donations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you,
Mrs Feller and Mrs Hendry
Click here for this term’s Topic Overview and Knowledge Organiser.
Fir Year 1 Class
In Maths, the class has completed work on multiplying and division using lots of practical equipment and seeing the ideas as groups of and sharing. The children are now doing some work on simple fractions.
In Year 1 the ICT curriculum is about learning a simple algorithm which has been great fun as we have been lucky enough to have a new set of BeeBots. The children have enjoyed using them working in pairs to program them to follow routes around different floor maps.
Finally, Outdoor Learning has been a mixed experience due to the weather but the children did manage to start their nature books with some beautiful drawings of wild flowers and mini beasts. It has been a busy few weeks in Fir Class. Have a lovely break!
Click here for this term’s Topic Overview and Knowledge Organiser.
Fig Year 2 Class
Over the last few weeks, we have been using different techniques in our art lessons. The children have created Narnia pictures using pointillism inspired by the artist George Seurat – a technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of colour are applied in patterns to form an image- which are looking fantastic. Last week the children looked at jungle paintings by an artist called Henri Rousseau and planned a picture based on his style that they will use in a print. In RE the children explored a variety of pictures/images depicting Pentecost and created their own artwork for Pentecost which have made a wonderful display.
In English, the children have been learning about the features of recount writing. We imagined we had been on a school trip to Africa and the children retold the main events of this day using a variety of adjectives, verbs, adverbs and time connectives. They are becoming increasingly confident with these grammatical terms and are using them when discussing their work.
In Maths this week, we have been challenged with using accurate directional instructions by guiding their partners around the classroom and robots through a maze. We have been getting familiar with the mathematical vocabulary related to position and direction, as well as considering turns using this new mathematical vocabulary to plan routes from a starting position to a finishing point including left, right, forwards, backwards, anti-clockwise, clockwise, quarter, half and three-quarter turns. We got lost many times, took a wrong turn and then took a few steps back to problem solve and reconsider our movements and turns, but eventually we did reach our finishing points.
Click here for this term’s Topic Overview and Knowledge Organiser.
Oak Year 3 Class
Click here for this term’s Topic Overview and Knowledge Organiser.
Ash Year 4 Class
We have also moved onto money and so far the children have compared, ordered and learned the best way to add money without missing out any coins. They have proven to me that they must be the ones in charge of finances at home as they have an excellent knowledge with this. In RE, we have been looking at Pentecost as that has recently passed. The children have created their own art on the ascension of Jesus and learned about the role of the apostle after this time. In PE, they have just finished playing one of their favourite games of all time: Danish long ball. They have loved the tactical side of the game and have learned about always being ready; the best stance for this; how to position themselves in the field; how important communication is and adapting their game. Finally, in Science, we have been learning about electricity and have designed and created either a burglar alarm or game.
Click here for this term’s Topic Overview and Knowledge Organiser.
Bay Year 5 Class
Click here for this term’s Topic Overview and Knowledge Organiser.
Willow Year 6 Class
Click here for this term’s Topic Overview and Knowledge Organiser.