St Pius X Catholic Primary School

Today the girls’ netball team got to show off their new kits. It's been a long time coming but finally they were able to play looking fabulous in their new St Pius netball dresses. The hosts were Danbury Park Community school and the match was close throughout. The girls’ confidence shone from their warm up to the end whistle, unfortunately ending in a 6-4 defeat.  Grace, today's captain said,  "It was exciting and a close game. I am very proud of the team." A special shout out to Jessica who was voted players player by the opposition. "It was good that we scored lots of goals" Leeya "It was fun and exciting " Rina "It was very lovely when our team scored a goal" Emma "I scored!" Estera The girls communicated and supported each other well, with some great movement,  passes and shots at goal. Well done girls!! I am looking forward to the next match after Easter.

On Friday the Year 2 class represented St Pius at the Infant Music Festival at Christ Church in Chelmsford. They have been learning their songs, dances and lines for a few weeks for 'The Litter Muncher' performance, collaborating with other local schools on the day. Year 2 did fantastically well, adjusting to some last minute changes and rising to the challenge! Thanks to those parents who were able to watch and support.

This week the children had the chance to decorate their own gingerbread men. Using coloured icing pens they gave their gingerbread eyes, a mouth and buttons and all sorts of colours. They had to be careful not to mess up the icing as the gingerbread men aren’t too big so they had to be intricate with their decorating, whilst squeezing the tubes at the same time. The children took their time to make theirs as colourful as possible. They also had to be patient as they could only be eaten after lunchtime! “It smells like ginger “ Anishka “I’ve had a gingerbread house before” Noah “I’m going to put a bow tie and glasses on mine. Using the icing pens is easy.” Theodor “They are so cute” Aiden “My Daddy says, if it smells good it tastes good. These smell delicious!” Olive “My gingerbread man is so colourful” Coby This afternoon the children ate their gingerbread men and gave us the thumbs up! “It was soft and yummy” Chenai “It was delicious and yummy!” Urane Also last week we made some Mothe...

 This afternoon, Year 3 had the exciting opportunity to learn different cultural dances as part of their afternoon activities. It was a fun and engaging experience that not only allowed the children to discover new cultures but also provided them with a fantastic workout! At the end of the session, the children couldn’t stop talking about their favorite parts of the afternoon—whether it was mastering a tricky move or laughing with friends as they tried something new. It was clear that everyone had a fantastic time, and they left the session not only feeling more connected to different cultures but also with big smiles on their faces from the fun and fitness they’d experienced. That was so much fun but also a bit challenging Heavenly

  The latest edition of Youth Matters is out now!   Read the March 2025 Edition In this issue you will find:  An introduction to us: SEND and You SAY This edition's Hot Topic: Youth Views on Transitions Introducing: Listening Partnership Events and Useful Information

 Year 5 were tasked with the litter picking around school this week.  Each week, a different class has this responsibility. This is part of our whole school sustainability plan and also our 'Pilgrims of Hope' project across the school.  The children showed reciprocity as they worked as a team to help clear up our school grounds! Considering, Year 2 had done this last week - we were quite surprised with how much litter we found. This also encouraged us to think about making sure we are putting our own litter in the bin!  'I liked helping our environment.' - Ivy  'It was fun to do this, it was good to clean up our school.' - Cody 

Our English unit has concluded with Year 2 reading the fables they have written to the children in Year 1. After learning about traditional and modern fables, Year 2 set about planning their own 'story with a lesson.' They considered the characteristics of animals that might suit their story, such as a brave lion or a timid mouse. After editing their ideas and checking for accurate punctuation, exciting vocabulary and the all important 'moral of the story,' the children made their stories into a book!

On the 18th and 20th March, Year 3 and 4 perormed in the Easter production (Hosanna!). It was a roaring success and all the pupils did themselves proud. The singing was beautiful and enthusiastic, including a couple of excellent solos from Elodie and Jashryl. Year 4s really threw themselves into their acting and gave some brilliant performances. Together they really brought the Easter story to life. The Year 3s sang in the chorus while the Year 4s performed the roles. They both contributed to making and paiting the props.  Well done to both year groups, they should be very proud of themselves. 

WW2 Rationing and Baking As part of our ongoing study of the WW2 Home Front, the class explored the concept of rationing by creating a Pear Crumble using a WW2 recipe. The cooking activity allowed pupils to experience the challenges of cooking with limited ingredients while developing practical cooking skills. They enjoyed using various kitchen tools to prepare their crumbles, gaining a deeper understanding of wartime food rationing and its impact on daily life. Well done Year 6! 

  On Wednesday 18th March, Year 6 went on an exciting school trip to the Imperial War Museum Duxford. From the moment we arrived, we were surrounded by incredible aircraft, tanks, and exhibitions that brought history to life in a thrilling way. We started our visit with a guided tour of the WW2 aircraft where the children explored and then created documentaries about the WW2 planes. It was amazing to hear how these aircraft played a crucial role during wartime. We explored the Battle of Britain Exhibition, where we learned about the brave pilots who defended Britain during World War II. Seeing the planes they flew and listening to real stories of their experiences made us truly appreciate their courage and sacrifice. We also explored the Land Warfare Hanger and Ameri, where we saw tanks and military vehicles used throughout history. Walking through the recreated war trenches gave us a real sense of what life was like for soldiers on the battlefield. We also took a walk on Concorde!...

 This half term year 3 have been following the mighty oak programme, which aids the children in learning how to speak in front of an audience. The Mighty Oak Programme is a powerful tool for nurturing young public speakers. Through its supportive, interactive approach, Year 3 students gained confidence, improved their communication skills, and developed a love for speaking in front of others. Public speaking is a skill that will benefit them for years to come—whether they’re presenting in school, speaking to a group, or simply expressing their ideas clearly and confidently in everyday situations. As the children continue to grow, they will carry the lessons learned from the programme with them, becoming strong, confident communicators ready to face the world. I really enjoyed speaking in front of the class and using my helping hands -  Soriyah

  Join us at the SEND Roadshow in Chelmsford! Date:  Tuesday, 25th March 2025 Time:  Drop in anytime 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM (all ages) 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM (0-5 year olds) Quieter times:  Prefer a quieter visit? Pop in after 11:30 AM or in the afternoon. Location:  Hamptons Sports and Leisure, Tydemans, Beehive Lane, Great Baddow, Chelmsford CM2 9FH Cost:  FREE   What to Expect: Have questions about your child's needs and the best support available? The SEND Roadshow brings together a variety of professionals under one roof, including local support groups, education professionals, health teams, and social care teams. You can: access support and information understand the different services available discover local support, such as parent groups and inclusive activities attend free talks   Special Afternoon Session for Ages 0-5:  The afternoon is tailored for younger children, with interactive story times and activities run by Essex Libraries.  ...

 This week in Year One, our focus text has been 'Katie and the Sunflowers' . Miss. Flanagan brought a bouquet of flowers in to class and the students used watercolour paint to create an observational painting. We focused on colour mixing to dsicover secondary colours. Then, students wrote sentences describing the flowers using amazing adjectives! We linked this to our current IPC unit 'Green Fingers' as we are learning about the differences between garden plants and wild plants! Great work Year One! We have some amazing artists! "These are garden flowers. I know this because they were grown somewhere on purpose to be sold in a store" - Isla "I mixed red and yellow to make orange" - David "These are garden flowers, not wild flowers. You need to buy seeds to plant these types of flowers" - Catherine "Flowers grow in the spring. Some garden flowers can grow inside" - Mia "Wild flowers start to bloom in spring" - Gianni ...

We have really enjoyed learning about the life cycles and reproduction of plants and animals.  Earlier in this topic each child tried to create their own spider plant by taking cuttings from the adult spider plant.  Over the last 2 weeks we have used our enquiry skill of observing over time to see what happens to our cuttings.  We have noticed that the cuttings have now started to sprout brand new roots. As our exit point to the topic, we took the cuttings with roots out of the water and then placed them in soil for the roots to take hold. These are now ready to be taken home to be planted somewhere they can grow into an adult spider plant.  ' The roots grew quite long. I think this will grow into a bigger spider plant.' - Daniel  'The plant now has roots. It needs to soil to grow further now.' - Ryan  The children have shown a good understanding of asexual reproduction as they have created genetic clones of the adult plant in their new plants.  Well d...

We had a special delivery this week... 10 tiny caterpillars! We have been excited to watch them grow.... they have already grown so much! This links to our recent Science work, learning about life cycles. Soon we hope to see them turn into chrysalides before eventually transforming into butterflies.

  The Scholastic Book fair is coming to St Pius X next week!  The Book fair will be running after school in the main hall on: Thursday 27th March  Friday 28th March Monday 31st March  Tuesday 1st April This will be a cashless event. All payments to be made online via the QR code at the fair.  Please remember that you can use your world book day tokens at the book fair to receive £1 off books! 

The school netball team had their second match of the year today against Great Leighs. As hosts, it was a chance for them to get a home win on the score sheet. The weather was cold and not particularly pleasant,  however the girls were eager to play and improve on their score from their last game. The match was packed with some lovely passing, movements and constant communication between the team. Shooting was fabulous which gave them a well deserved 9-2 win. Everyone was involved and have a go at goal when an opportunity arose.  I am very proud of the team and I look forward to the other games we have arranged. " It was really fun" Jessica  "We played extremely well" Estera  "It was amazing and I can't wait to play again" Grace