St David

Welcome to Saint David’s Class Page!

“Be joyful, keep the faith, do the little things you have seen me do”.

Words from St David’s last sermon.

Who is St David?

Saint David is the patron saint of Wales. In Welsh, his name is Dewi. He is one of the most celebrated saints in Britain. His feast day is March 1.

Facts about him…

He was born in a storm…St David was born in the year 500, the grandson of Ceredig ap Cunedda, King of Ceredigion. According to legend, his mother St Non gave birth to him on a Pembrokeshire clifftop during a fierce storm. The spot is marked by the ruins of Non’s Chapel and a nearby holy well is said to have healing powers.

He was a fine preacher…St David became a renowned preacher, founding monastic settlements and churches in Wales, Brittany and southwest England – including, possibly, the abbey at Glastonbury. St David reputedly made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, from which he brought back a stone that now sits in an altar at St David’s Cathedral, built on the site of his original monastery.

He was a teetotal vegetarian… St David and his monks followed a simple, austere life. They ploughed the fields by hand, rather than using oxen, and refrained from eating meat or drinking beer. St David himself was reputed to have consumed only leeks and water – which is perhaps why the leek became a national symbol of Wales.

He performed miracles…The most famous miracle associated with St David took place when he was preaching to a large crowd in Llanddewi Brefi.  When people at the back complained that they could not hear him, the ground on which he stood rose up to form a hill. A white dove, sent by God, settled on his shoulder. 

• Saint David’s homework will be set on a Friday, this will include: Spellings (green book) – these will need to be practised at home ready for a test every Thursday. Two other pieces of homework will be set on Teams: Grammar work from SPaG.com, and Maths, English or Topic work. This all needs to be completed and submitted/handed back in on the following Wednesday.
• PE will happen every Friday and the children should come to school wearing their PE kit. They will also have swimming on Tuesday in Term 1 so they will need to be in their PE kit then as well. 
• Outdoor learning will happen every Friday, so the children will need wellies/waterproof shoes and wet weather gear as we will always try to go our regardless of the weather! 
• Reading at home is very important for all children especially in Year 6 as it prepares them for the reading that they will face at Secondary school. Children will be rewarded reading points towards our bookworm badges!
• Each week, a child will bring home our class Prayer Bag. Within the bag, you will find a cloth (linked to our Liturgical Season), prayers and religious objects linked to the time of the year. Please use this to pray together as a family.
  

What is it like to be a child in Year 6 at St Joseph's?

When your child reaches Year 6, they are in their final year of primary school. In this year memories are made, experiences are had and preparation for a new journey to secondary school begins! As they are the eldest in the school, this also comes with responsibility; they are expected to have consistently high expectations of themselves and be outstanding role models for the rest of the children within our school.

The children continue to grow in their faith by embedding Catholic Social Teaching in their daily lives, rooted in scripture. Children have demonstrated their understanding of Human Dignity at various points throughout the year especially when we covered our topic ‘Equality for All’. During this, we were able to explore a historical topic called ‘Black and British’, and also think about the ‘UN Convention on the Rights of the Child’.

My hopes and wishes for the children within my class is for each child to feel unique, valued and empowered to always be the best they can be, which will enable them to be ready to tackle the challenges of Year 6. The children work incredibly hard throughout the school day, following a similar timetable every day. This includes: Group Reading, Maths, Spellings, Liturgical Prayer, Writing, Maths on Track and afternoon subjects such as History, Geography, PSHE, Art, Music, Science, French, Computing and DT.

The children in Year 6 are exposed to the teachings of Jesus and are taught about how they are all unique but in the image and likeness of God through a range of subjects such as Religious Education; Relationships and Health Education (RHE); Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) Education and GREAT DREAMs. We teach children how to show love to thy neighbour, showing empathy and kindness to all around them, as Luke 6:31 states, "Do to others as you would have them do to you."

Year 6 is full of many new experiences, activities and privileges, such as: the potential (if voted for) to be House Captain; the opportunity to sit on the benches in the hall (!); the chance to go on  a week long residential; an online workshop with Parliament;  the Gloucestershire Mock Trials; the Knex competition; the Gloucestershire Wildlife quiz; a trip to develop their understanding of safety at Skillzone; a summer time enterprise project; and last but not least, a leavers production complete with costumes, singing, acting and dancing! It truly is an action packed and unforgettable year!

In May, our incredible Year 6 children have the opportunity to complete the SATS. The children complete these for Reading, Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPAG), Maths (Arithmetic and Reasoning). These are used to confirm the assessments Mrs. Knight has made throughout the school year but these do not ‘showcase’ all of the wonderful things that our Year 6 children have achieved throughout their time at St Joseph’s and how they REACH in everything that they do. Fortunately, we have the opportunity to explore our gifts and talents throughout the school year, during activities like the residential and the end of year 6 production. Here children can grow in confidence and develop their resilience which will in turn help them to develop and blossom. 

What did the class of 2022 - 2023 say about Year 6?

Lorry – “In DT you can make anything; I enjoyed making an Anderson Shelter”.

Xavier – “During our PE lessons, we get to have fun and exercise”.

Jasmine – “My best work was when I wrote a piece in RE about our school values and virtues (inspiring everyone to REACH through faith, hope and love). I got a REACH point”.

Sophia – “I like all the privileges that we are given; these make the last year of primary school fun”.

Ava – “I absolutely loved our class residential; we had a great time! We shared a room with our friends and it gave us great opportunities for future exploring”.

Alfie L – “I loved our trip to Skillzone because I got to learn how to be safe”.

Safia – “ Art, as I love being creative and expressing how I feel things look like. I also love learning about different artists, their techniques and styles”.

Edith – “I enjoyed our litter pick because I cleaned the environment and helped to save our common home”.

Isaac – “My fractions work is my best this year”.

George – “Year 6 is a delight to be in because you have privileges and everyone is kind and respectful to you.”

Isla – “It’s amazing! You have fun, creative and supportive teachers and peers. Mrs Hamlin writes the best raps ever! And Mrs Knight always knows how to make learning fun!”.

Sadie – “My flashback story in English was my best piece of work and we got to read it to the Year 4 children”.

How do I contact my child's teacher?

Our relationships with our families is very important to us and we are more than happy to answer any questions/concerns you may have throughout the school year.

You can email your Class Teacher via SLT@st-josephs.gloucs.sch.uk or you can catch us on the playground after school. We are always happy to help!