What a great start!

It has been wonderful to welcome all of our children back to school this week. They have returned looking so smart, full of enthusiasm and eager to begin their learning for the new term. It has been lovely to see classrooms full of happy faces, children reconnecting with their friends and everyone settling back into school life.

One area that we do need to focus on as a whole school is attendance. Our minimum school attendance target is 96%, but unfortunately, this week we achieved 95%. We need to make a real push across all classes to improve this and work towards our aspirational goal of 100% attendance.

Being in school every day is so important. It is not just about academic learning; it is also about developing friendships, building social skills, sharing experiences and making those special memories with friends that children will carry with them throughout their school journey. Every day really does count, and I ask all families to continue to prioritise good attendance and punctuality.

A little reminder to please make sure that you have read the Parent Mail message regarding the updates to our home learning structure. These changes have been made following feedback from parents, and we are grateful to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts and suggestions. We hope the updated approach will provide a positive and manageable experience for our children and families.

I am really looking forward to seeing many of you this evening for the first of what I know will be many wonderful events organised by our fantastic Friends of St Joseph’s. Thank you, as always, to our Friends for the time, energy and enthusiasm they give to bringing our school community together and creating special experiences for our children.

I hope you all have a restful weekend, and I look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday, ready for another wonderful week of learning at St Joseph’s.