Dear Families,

It was lovely to see everyone return this week from the Easter break. I hope that those celebrating Easter and Eid had a lovely time with families and friends.

We are now moving into our last term of the academic year after what has been a very short but jam-packed spring.  Over the last three months, in addition to the continuous day-to-day teaching and learning, the staff worked tirelessly to provide a wide range of opportunities that would support all our children to challenge and express themselves in various ways. Our previous newsletters have shown many of these activities.

Making sure that children attend school regularly and are prepared for the various opportunities and challenges we offer is vital for continued progress. Consistent attendance is an important indicator of a child’s present and future success, helping them become focused and resilient individuals who can thrive in their surroundings. Here at St. John the Baptist, we are fortunate to witness many children eagerly entering school with smiles on their faces, thanks to the love and support they receive from their caregivers. Understanding the importance of positive relationships and clear boundaries, these adults enable the children to approach school with confidence and enthusiasm. We are incredibly grateful for this support.

As we move into the summer term, there will be no respite from our exciting curriculum offer.  We are determined that this will happen in amongst the national assessments of phonics (Year 1 ), multiplication tables check (Year 4) and the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6). We are optimistic that our events will benefit from improved weather, allowing our community to gather for outdoor activities under the warm sun.

Best wishes, Toni Mason

Hackney Moves Tournament

Saturday 18th May 2024 – Years 4-6

We are delighted to inform you that Saint John the Baptist has been invited to participate in this year’s Hackney Schools’ Challenge running festival again this year! We would like to invite students from Years 4 – 6 to run 1 mile on Saturday the 18th of May. This festival will have local schools participating against each other to build confidence, stay active, be healthy and most importantly; have fun!

The Hackney Schools’ Challenge is a youth running program which is part of the Hackney Moves Festival. The programme gives local primary school children of all abilities their chance to shine on the Hackney Half finish line.

The Schools’ Challenge is free of charge to all who wish to enter. Pupils will cover as many miles as they can in the lead up to the event, either at home or at school. The final mile of the challenge takes place at 10:30am on Saturday 18th May at the Hackney Marshes E9 5PF (meeting point to be confirmed for 10:00am). The Hackney 5K and other free family activities will also be held on the Saturday as part of the Hackney Moves Festival.

Participants taking part in the Schools’ Challenge receive the following:

• A branded Hackney Moves t-shirt
• A personal race number (No Safety Pins will be supplied, so please source yourself and pin to the t-shirt chest area)
• A finisher medal.

Children will need to bring along with them: appropriate running attire, trainers, a water bottle and sunscreen (if the weather permits).

Please be advised that parents and guardians are responsible for taking their child to and from the meeting point at 10:00am within the Hackney Marshes fields. School staff will accompany the children around the course only.

Please complete the online registration by Friday 26th April (next Friday).

Student Registration
(To be completed by a parent or guardian):

To register, please click the link below. You will need to add a ticket to your basket and click ‘checkout now’ and fill in all relevant information. If you require any assistance with the registration, please contact the school office.

Registration link (Please click)

We look forward to running with you!

Marvellous Me

Marvellous Me is a simple app that supports home school partnerships and allows staff in school to regularly share wonderful news about your child’s learning and positive behaviour.  As a school we are thrilled with the positive response we have received regarding our use of Marvellous Me and we currently have 94% of our parents and families using the app.

It is now our main means of communicating with parents and we urge everyone to sign up to receive all messages, letters and newsletters.

The benefits of using the app are:

• Share in your child’s school day – Get alerts every time your child’s teacher posts an activity, awards your child a badge, or sends you a message. Safely share the news with the whole family.
• Support your child’s learning and development – Have more meaningful conversations with your child about school and their experiences. Your involvement will have the biggest impact on their ongoing success.
• Celebrate your child’s success – Smile every time your child gets a badge. Tell them how proud you are and reinforce their good work and positive behaviour.
• Keep up-to-date – Get messages and reminders from your child’s teacher and ‘Hi5’ them back.

How do I use it?

The app can be downloaded from the AppStore or GooglePlay Store or can be viewed via an internet browser. Codes are issued to all children and can be obtained from the school office or your child’s class teacher.

Follow this link for a how to guide and more information. 

Nursery Applications

We have launched an online application form for all Nursery applications – both 2 and 3 year-old places.

We are currently considering applications for September 2024 start.

Please share this widely to friends and family you know have a 2 or 3 year old and encourage to apply quickly!

 Apply here : 

Also, here is the link to our website page with more information about free (government funded) places. 

WAMHS – Wellbeing and Mental Health in Schools

I am happy to introduce our new Education Mental Health Practitioner in our school, Amy.

A little about Amy…

Amy is an Education Mental Health Practitioner who works within the school every Tuesday morning to support young people’s wellbeing. This includes work such as groups and workshops with children and 1:1 support with parents based around guided self-help. She works within the Mental Health Support Team, whose main goal is to offer support in noticing and dealing with the early signs of child mental health difficulties, which may present as anxiety or behaviours that are challenging to manage. Amy brings a wealth of experience and has had a positive start already. 

PE Days for Summer term – 1st Half

This will be the day most weeks. Some classes have split PE sessions (over 2 days) and some weeks due to events, visits or special occasion the day may change. We will inform you via Marvellous Me if there are changes.

Reception: Tuesdays & Thursdays

Year 1: Oak and Palm Wednesdays – Swimming & Oak Tuesdays

Year 2: Holly and Cherry Fridays & Cherry Wednesdays

Year 3: Thursday

Year 4: Mondays

Year 5: Thursday

Year 6: Hazel & Plum Tuesdays & Plum Wednesdays & Hazel Fridays

Term Dates for 2024/2025 Academic Year

We have published the dates for the next school year on our website. You can find them here: click this link

Please see below the same information.

Autumn Term 2024

Spring Term 2025

Summer Term 2025

                                                                                                  Total number of days = 195 days (including 5 inset Days)

 Public Holidays

Holidays in Term Time

 We do not authorise holidays in term time under any circumstances. Parents and Carers, please ensure that you do not book holidays or flights for before term ends or for after term has begun.  Every day in school matters.

All requests for leave during term time are monitored by the Headteacher who may wish to meet with you to discuss your request further.

Holiday dates for children (dates to book holidays): 

Summer Break 2024: Thursday 25th July – Tuesday 3rd September

October Half term 2024: Saturday 26th October – Monday 3rd November

Christmas Break 2024: Saturday 21st December – Monday 6th January 2025

February Half term 2025: Saturday 15th February – Monday 24th February

Easter Break 2025: Saturday 5th April – Monday 21st April

May Half term 2025: Saturday 24th May – Sunday 1st June

Summer Break 2025: Begins Wednesday 23rd July

Free swimming opportunities in Hackney

Hackney residents aged under 18 or over 60, can enjoy free swimming at local leisure centres with a Pay as you Go membership card. This offer includes access to a number of the main and teaching pools, swim for all and swim for fitness sessions, as well as sensory swim sessions at Britannia.

For more information please click here.

Upcoming Coffee mornings:

Wednesday 1st May – Speech and Language – Social communication

Wednesday 8th May – Using Marvellous Me and Parent Pay

Wednesday 23rd May – How we teach RSE (Relation and Sex Education) and PSHE (Personal, Social Health Education) at SJB.

In the news this week…