St John The Baptist
Newsletter

24.01.25

Dear SJB Families, We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and partnership in your child’s education. As you know at St John the Baptist we believe that a strong home-school connection plays a vital...

Dear SJB Families,

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and partnership in your child’s education.

As you know at St John the Baptist we believe that a strong home-school connection plays a vital role in nurturing our young learners. Whether it’s supporting their reading at home, engaging in conversations about their day, or simply encouraging them to try their best, your involvement makes all the difference.

We are delighted to share that we had a Local Advisory Board (LAB) learning walk today led by two of our wonderful teachers and the feedback was very positive. The classes were observed to be purposeful and calm, with outstanding learning behaviours demonstrated by all pupils. This is a testament to the dedication of both our staff and pupils, as well as the support you provide at home.

This week, we also held a special ‘Magic Breakfast’ assembly for children and ‘Magic Breakfast’ training sessions for staff. Our focus is ensuring that children have “full batteries,” enabling high levels of concentration and learning from the start of the day. Thanks to Magic Breakfast, we are able to supply bagels and cereal to all children, everyday to ensure everyone has access to food in the morning. This initiative is an important part of our commitment to giving every child the best possible start to their day.

We encourage you to talk with your child about what they are learning and celebrate their achievements, big or small. Together, we can help them develop the confidence and skills to thrive both in and out of the classroom.

Thank you for being such an integral part of our school community.

Warm regards,

Ms Toni Mason
Headteacher

Friends of SJB – Updates – Exciting Events & News!

Upcoming Easter Activities

Easter Raffle: We will be starting to make up hampers and have a non-uniform day planned on Friday 7th February to help gather donations. We’re reaching out to local businesses for prizes – Stay tuned!
Easter Bonnet Workshop & Parade: Workshops will be held, followed by a parade the week after for parents and carers to join.
Big Easter Egg Hunt: We’re planning a fun hunt for children during the day with the help of parent volunteers. If you’d like to join, keep an eye out for a sign-up sheet.

New Community Pantry Launch – It Takes a Village

Tara Brown was able to update us on the imminent launch. We can’t wait.
Initially the pantry will be opened to SJB families to support parents and carers.
Details will be shared in upcoming newsletters and on posters.

Exciting Events Coming Soon

Pancake Breakfast – Join us on 4th March for a morning of pancakes and family fun!
Coffee & Donut Sale – Grab a Krispy Kreme donut and coffee for just £2—dates coming soon.

Fundraising Opportunities

We are exploring opportunities and will share details soon.

Volunteer Opportunities

We’re introducing sign-up sheets for parents and carers who’d like to help at events.
WE WELCOME ALL IDEAS AND SUPPORT. Your support makes a huge difference.

Save the Date:

The next PTA meeting is on Thursday 6th February at 2:45pm in the afternoon.

What activities can you do for free this week?

Hackney Museum

📅 When: Every Saturday
🕒 Time: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
📍 Where: Hackney Museum, 1 Reading Lane, E8 1GQ

Why not visit the Hackney Museum on a Saturday? Take part in simple self-led craft and drawing activities! Each week there will be a different themed activity linked to Hackney Museum’s collections or communities. All activities are self-led (this is not a facilitated workshop), with instructions and resources provided. Drop-in anytime between 10am-5pm.

Upcoming Winter themes:
Saturday 25th January: Lunar New Year
Saturday 1st February: Vietnamese New Year

Hackney Health and Wellbeing Family Day

📅 When: Saturday, January 25, 2025
🕒 Time: 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
📍 Where: Hackney Town Hall, Mare Street, E8 1EA
A family-friendly event with interactive health and wellness activities, including yoga, mindfulness, and educational games. Children can engage in free arts and crafts, as well as meet local health professionals who will offer advice and tips for keeping families healthy in the winter months.

Times Table Rock Stars – NSPCC

UK’s leading child protection charity and Times Tables Rock Stars are teaming up for the 9th year in a row to celebrate the NSPCC’s Number Day. Help St John the Baptist reach new heights with NSPCC Rocks. The online times tables competition that will boost maths confidence alongside accuracy and recall speed.

How does it work?

Learners will try to answer as many multiplication and division questions correctly as they can. The winning school and class will be based on the highest average number of correct answers per pupil.

Rules:

Every correct answer that a student gives, in any game type, between the hours of 7:30am to 7:30pm each day will contribute to their class and school score.
There is a 60-minute limit playtime per player, per day.
Each class has a minimum player count of 10. If fewer than 10 in the class play in the competition, their total will be divided by 10 regardless.