St Pius X Catholic Primary School

  Year 1 got tangled up in friendship! This week, Year 1 read  The Invisible String by Patrice Karst, discovering how love, kindness and friendship connect us, even when we are apart. We created our very own class connection web to show how we are all linked, wrote heartfelt letters to the people we care about, and made paper chains filled with thoughtful messages about friendship. Through reading, discussion and writing, we developed our speaking and listening skills while celebrating friendship, empathy and belonging. Our big takeaway? We are all connected by an invisible string of love! 

  Year 2 have been learning all about the Sacrament of Baptism in RE. We explored what happens during a baptism and why it is such a special and important celebration. The children learned about the different symbols used during Baptism, including water, the baptismal candle and the white garment, and discussed what each one represents. We discovered how water symbolises new life and being washed clean, while the candle represents Jesus as the light of the world. We also thought about the important roles of the priest, parents and godparents and how they promise to help a child grow in their faith and learn about God's love. Year 2 enjoyed sharing their ideas, asking thoughtful questions and reflecting on how Baptism welcomes someone into God's family and the Church. ' Being Baptised welcomes you into God's family' Urane

  She represented one of our school values, Fairness Urane This week, Year 2 have been learning all about the inspiring life of Rosa Parks and her important role in the fight for equality and fairness.  The children learned about the segregation that existed in America and discovered how Rosa Parks bravely stood up for what she believed was right when she refused to give up her seat on a bus. We discussed how her actions helped to bring about change and inspired many other people to stand up against unfair treatment. The children enjoyed sharing their thoughts and ideas about fairness, equality, courage and respect . They thought carefully about what it means to treat everyone equally and why it is important to speak up when something is unfair.

Little Seeds, Big Growth!   How can we show our love for God’s Creation? By getting our hands a little muddy and caring for the wonderful world around us, showing gratitude! The children enjoyed planting their own cress pots, carefully planting their tiny seeds and thinking about what they need to grow. We talked about how caring for our plants is one way we can show gratitude for God’s Creation. Since planting their seeds, the children have been fascinated to watch their little cress plants sprout and grow. They have loved checking on their plants and seeing how their care and patience can help something small turn into something green and wonderful! They have developed a greater understanding of how we can look after God’s Creation and have begun to appreciate the time and care needed to help living things thrive.

The whole school was buzzing with excitement this afternoon as parents and carers joined us for our reading stay and learn.  It was delightful to see so many families taking the time to come and celebrate the joy of reading with us.  The classrooms were full of families sharing stories together and the hall was brimming with all our sibling groups.  At St PiusX, we truly believe that reading for pleasure should be at the heart of our curriculum. Thank you to all the families who come along and continue to support us in achieving this.  ‘It was just great to get to have my mum in school and spend time with her reading.’ - Jacob Year 5 

  This week, Year 2 have been busy learning all about habitats and the amazing plants and animals that live in them. We began by discussing what a habitat is and exploring some different habitats around the world, including woodlands, oceans, deserts and rainforests . The children enjoyed talking about the different animals they might find in each habitat and thinking about how they are suited to where they live. We have been learning to identify the things that living things need to survive, including food, water, shelter and space . The children have also been sorting animals according to the habitats they live in and explaining why particular habitats are suitable for them. Penguins live in a polar habitat, they are suited to the cold Abbiya

  This week, the children have been enjoying learning all about the wonderful story The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt. We have been reading the story together and learning about the different crayons and their personalities. The children have enjoyed discussing why each crayon was unhappy and thinking about how the crayons might be feeling. We have also been developing our reading skills by making predictions, asking and answering questions about the story and finding information in the text. The children have been using adjectives to describe the crayons and have been thinking carefully about how authors use words to make characters interesting. In our writing lessons, the children have been writing from the crayons' point of view. They have been practising using capital letters, full stops and conjunctions to make their sentences more interesting. We have also been working on adding detail to our writing by using expanded noun phrases. The children have loved using their ...

  Kids inspire free Holiday Club is run once a week during October half term. This Autumn, we will be hosting a Howl-o-ween holiday club at our Head Office. The club creates a safe space for children to: participate in meaningful activities make friends and socialise access lunch and snacks All of this is while developing social and communication skills and exploring new talents or interests.   Holiday Club sessions are booked and offered to families according to criteria. Priority will be given to those from lower income families, in receipt of pupil premium or eligible for free school meals, however anyone can apply and we will allocate spaces accordingly. Activities are free and suitable for children aged 6 and over in primary school. For more information you can read our Holiday Club Terms and Conditions.  

Year 1 have had a brilliant first week in school. We have been working on building our routines, exploring our new learning spaces and working with our friends again!  It has been lovely to see the children playing so well together and being so enthusiastic about their return to school! This year will be incredibly fun for our Year 1 class and we have already begun our learning!  This week, Year 1 used their existing learning from Reception in their maths lesson: counting a specific amount from a larger group . To make sure no numbers were skipped or counted twice, we practiced 1:1 correspondence . This simply means touching or moving exactly one object every time you say one number word aloud. When children count quickly, their mouths often move faster than their hands! We practiced slowing down into a steady rhythm. For the very first time, the children worked with a maths partner ! Working in pairs helped them practice taking turns, checking each other's work, and talking...

We are delighted to congratulate our PE Lead, Mr Cook , on receiving the Kim Yates Award from the Chelmsford Sports Partnership . This prestigious award recognises an outstanding contribution to sport and Physical Education, and is a wonderful reflection of Mr Cook's dedication and commitment to our school community. Since taking on the role of PE Lead, Mr Cook has worked tirelessly to develop and expand the sporting opportunities available to our pupils. Through his enthusiasm, hard work and passion for sport, he has encouraged more children than ever to get involved, try new activities and represent the school with pride. His commitment has helped to create a positive sporting culture where every pupil is encouraged to achieve their personal best. We would also like to say a huge congratulations and thank you to all of our pupils who represent St Pius X at sporting events throughout the year. Their teamwork, determination, resilience and excellent sportsmanship make us incredib...

 Year 2 have been putting their puzzle and problem-solving skills to the test by trying out some Tangram puzzles! This ancient Chinese puzzle traditionally consists of 7 shapes which are then rotated to make different shapes.  We tried out some together, making a cat, a rocket and a plane! Then they had a go at making a variety of animals, including whales, cows, squirrels and camels!

  Exploring Aboriginal Art and Culture This week, Year 1 took part in a wonderful cross‑curricular art lesson inspired by the Aboriginal peoples of Australia . The children were fascinated as we learned about who the Aboriginal peoples are , how they lived , and why storytelling and artwork are so important in their culture . We began by exploring traditional Aboriginal symbols and looking closely at examples of dot‑style artwork . The children loved discovering how these symbols were used to share stories about animals, journeys, families, and the land. They were especially interested in how Aboriginal artists use colour, pattern, and dots to represent the world around them. After our discussion, the children moved into their art activity. Using watercolours , they carefully painted an Australian animal in an Aboriginal style — thinking about patterns, dots, and earthy colours. Once dry, they cut out their artwork , mounted it on black card , and decorated the background using t...

Last week Year 2 ventured off to Chelmsford Stadium for the Mini Games - a brilliant morning of athletics activities alongside other local schools. They had a fun time participating in lots of different stations, from javelin to cup-stacking! Well done Year 2!

Thank you to all the family and friends who attended our annual Exhibition Afternoon. The children have all been working hard to create 'sculptures' to exhibit. There was an amazing variety - paper sculptures, clay, recycled materials, wire figures..... what a wonderful example of the creativity of our students! Thank you for also visiting your child's classroom to see some of the brilliant work they have been doing in class. We appreciate your ongoing support and the children love to share their achievements with you!

  Year 1 Art Week – Sculpture & Aboriginal Art Focus During Art Week, Year 1 have been busy exploring art through sculpture and painting , taking inspiration from Australia and its rich artistic traditions. The children began the week by learning about different types of sculptures and how artists use shape, texture and form to bring ideas to life. They then created their very own Australian animal clay sculptures , carefully shaping kangaroos, koalas, wombats and more. The children loved experimenting with clay tools, smoothing, carving and adding details to make their animals look as realistic as possible. Later in the week, the children learned about Aboriginal dot painting , looking closely at traditional patterns, symbols and colours. They created beautiful dot‑style backgrounds to accompany their clay sculptures, thinking carefully about colour choices and repeating patterns. These paintings were designed to sit alongside their sculptures in our Art Week Exhibition. The f...

 Today Year 2 prepared for a special visitor - Rabbi Irit. They have started to learn more about the Jewish faith, its similarities and differences with Catholicism and how they celebrate Shabbat. Questions included: What’s on the scroll on the mezuzah? Are synagogues different to churches? What do Jews do in the synagogue? Have you written using the Hebrew alphabet? What God do you believe in? What is a Torah? Rabbi Irit gave us an insight into the role of a Rabbi and even showed us how to write 'Shabbat' in Hebrew - they write from right to left and their alphabet doesn't include any vowels! She showed us her mezuzah with a tiny, handwritten scroll inside. She also showed us her Torah and explained about the 3 main sections - laws, prophets and stories/psalms. We finished by singing along to 'Shabbat, Shalom!' The children enjoyed learning about a different religion and were respectful and engaged.

  🌞 Year 1 Trip to Maldon Promenade  🌞  Tuesday was one of those magical school days the children will remember for a long time. Year 1 set off bright and early on the coach, full of excitement and chatter as we made our way to Maldon Promenade for our summer learning adventure. 🏖️ Sand, Smiles and Super Teamwork As soon as we arrived, the children headed straight for the sand pit , where they spent a happy morning digging, shaping and building sandcastles with friends. It was wonderful to see so much teamwork — children sharing buckets, helping each other build walls and proudly showing off their creations. 🚤 Sketching the Boats on the Estuary Next, the children settled along the promenade to draw the boats travelling up the estuary . They looked carefully at the shapes, colours and sails, producing some beautifully detailed pictures. Their focus and observational skills were fantastic. 👀 Eye Spy Around the Promenade We then played a lively game of Eye Spy , spot...

💻 With the recent news about the social media ban for under 16s, Year 2 were keen to discuss this and share their opinions! Our PSHE lesson was focused on how and why we use the internet so this real-life news linked perfectly! We watched BBC Newsround video listening to older children discussing their thoughts on the ban. Then we talked to our partners about what 'rules' we had at home when using devices. These included: time limits - must turn off devices at 6pm time limits - can only play online games at the weekend limited contacts - can only message family members educational - can play educational games We also talked about age limits as some children said they were allowed to use certain apps such as Facebook and Snapchat. The social-media ban is aimed at keeping children safe. This was a really important conversation to have - parents and carers please speak to your children about keeping safe online, monitoring their internet use and being available if they see someth...

🔥Year 2 are now experts when it comes to The Great Fire of London! To consolidate their understanding, they worked in groups to create questions for Samuel Pepys! They were encouraged to create 'open' questions to elicit as much information from the interviewee before getting into character. This was a great opportunity for children to use their spoken language skills - collaborating with peers, taking turns, sympathising with the characters and drawing upon prior learning about the topic. Q: How did you feel when you saw the fire?  A: I felt worried because I could see the houses falling down and people were screaming! Q: Why did you go to the king? A: The mayor wouldn't let us use the fire-hooks. The king said we could use them to stop the fire spreading.

Our current focus is using language of direction and position. The children were tasked with a 'Build it' challenge - using a set of coloured cubes they had to follow the instructions to build a shape or tower that matched the clues. This meant using language of position (for example: next to, above, below, in between) as well as checking against all the clues! Some were quite tricky but they persevered!