Catholic life of the school
In June 2018, our school was inspected by the Diocese of Westminster, under section 48 of the Education Act, and was judged to be Outstanding in both Classroom RE and Catholic Life of the School categories. An amazing achievement, and testament to the hard work that goes into maintaining a wonderfully inclusive Catholic ethos here at St. John Vianney.
Curriculum
A class-by-class guide to what is being taught and learned in your child's class this half term:
The strongest element of our school, and from which all other strengths are developed, is our shared faith and purpose. It is not something we merely learn about; it is a pervasive and natural ethos that structures our days and supports our efforts to be, as our motto has it, 'Everything we can be, with Christ in our hearts.'
Faith and worship is central to St John Vianney – we are an important part of the Church’s mission and we strive to ensure that our pupils and families are able to enjoy school life within the values exemplified by the Gospels. Pupils are encouraged to take pride in their school and to participate in its day to day running and in decisions around its future direction.
Children take an active role in ensuring that worship, prayer and spirituality are woven into day-to-day life here at St. John Vianney.
Chaplaincy team
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The St. John Vianney Chaplaincy Team is a group of enthusiastic pupils who have committed to help the whole school community to deepen their understanding and faith in Christ. The Chaplaincy Team Pledge:
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october - the month of the rosary
Spirituality day - reflections on peace
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goodbye!
Whole school mass returns!
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may, the month of our lady
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A Mass to Celebrate the Start of a New Term
papal blessing
year 6 leavers service
spirituality Week at SJV
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sOLIDARITY - “The humblest among you, can offer the world a valuable lesson in solidarity." (pOPE fRANCIS)
Today we celebrated our Liturgy for Solidarity - the theme of the half term for Summer 2. We aim to take Pope Francis' words and use them to 'change our mind-sets' and make our societies a better place by: sharing, supporting, helping, respecting and valuing each other.
Catholic social teaching theme - solidarity
other faiths - sikhism
Gurdwara visit
may - the month of mary
The ceremony of the miraculous medal
The SJV community today joined Class 4 and Reception our annual 'welcoming' ceremony. Having been extended the hand of friendship by their Class 4 buddies back in Autumn, Reception Class were confirmed as valued members of our school community as they were awarded the Miraculous Medal, in this very special month dedicated to Mary, mother of Christ.
We are so very proud of our Reception class; they have settled into our school so well, and it feels like they've been here forever!
the solemnity of the ascension of our lord...
Click on the images to view the slideshow from our Liturgy.
Love one another as I have loved you...
A cross-school team celebrate this week's Gospel in style - Jesus' most direct teaching: "Love on another as I have loved you..."
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May is the month of mary
Our Chaplaincy Team help parents, staff and of course the children mark the month of May, Mary's special time.
i am the vine...
Stations of the cross
Easter Liturgy
A wonderful final preparation for Easter, the children of SJV this week presented their Easter Liturgy - "Good News!" A perfect opportunity for the children to reflect on the story of the Passion of Christ, the performances were all excellent. Special mention to David for a brilliant solo, and to the actors that took part in the state-of-the-art 'green screen' segments - fantastic. Well done and huge thanks to our resident director/producer, Ms. Griffin.
Ash wednesday Liturgy
Bishop john sherrington celebrates 'community' at sjv
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Following Jesus the teacher
Focus on community
This half term, we are focusing on the Catholic Social Teaching theme of 'Community' - we are here to serve others. Matthew's gospel account of how Jesus started the first Christian Community was the perfect place to start.
Helping the homeless
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spirituality in art
We asked the children to reflect on God's love - where can they see evidence, in their every day lives, of the wonders of His creation? Beautiful.
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Advent
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school choir stars in secondary school production
Christmas displays are up!
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year 4 sing at cathedral house
Other faiths - judaism
October - the month of the rosary
Promoting world peace
Malawi red nose day!The children of SJV burst into colour this Friday as they marked Comic Relief 2017 with a splash of vibrant red! They looked fantastic in assembly, all gathered together like a beautiful poppy field! As well as having fun and looking cool, we also raised money to support our twin school in Chinziri, Malawi. It is lovely for the children to actually see where their money is going to and we look forward to presenting Fr. Henry with the fruits of our efforts in the Autumn. A big ‘well done’ to our Year 5 Poets, Christian, Alana, Stephanie, Ola, Cristiano and Kyro for some outstanding Red Nose poetry! |
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Helping hand for cancer charity
raising awareness for homelessness
We were pleased to welcome Lorraine from the charity ‘The Passage’, which is dedicated to helping those that are homeless. She spoke to the whole school about how fortunate we are to enjoy the comfort of home, food and safety, and asked that we consider those that don’t have these essentials in their lives.
We have been discussing our Catholic Social Values recently, and two came to mind as we listened:
• The Dignity of the Human Person (which Pope Francis explores below) and
• Helping the Poor and Vulnerable, which is central to Jesus’ message in the gospel of Matthew
It was good to hear how Lorraine and her colleagues are living these values in their work, and we plan to support them as best we can.
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MIRACULOUS BUDDIES!The SJV community today joined Class 4 and Reception in one of the most heart-warming ceremonies in the school calendar. Having been welcomed by their Class 4 buddies back in Autumn, Reception Class were reaffirmed as valued members of our school community as they were awarded the Miraculous Medal, in this very special month dedicated to Mary, mother of Christ. From the beautiful singing of ‘Let It Be’ to Angelina’s barely-contained excitement in receiving her medal (we look forward to her Oscar acceptance speech in the future), it was clear that this meant so much to all concerned. We are so very proud of our Reception class; they have settled into our school so well and have added their own special piece to the SJV jigsaw. And, as for class 4….well, who could wish for better Buddies? Kind hearted, helpful and protective, they enjoy and revel in the responsibility given to them, and it’s a lovely thing to see. A special mention to Lucas: his Buddy’s mother informed me that he has taken his promise SO seriously, that he takes the time, daily, to say hello, give advice and to just be a great friend to his Reception buddy. Well done Lucas – you encapsulate the spirit of this beautiful occasion. |
all equal in god's eyes - anti bullying 2017
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Year 4 at westminsterNow a fixture for our Year 4 classes, the Westminster Choir outreach programme has sprung into life again. Our boys and girls took the now-familiar trip to the Cathedral and enjoyed a practice day. They sang beautifully I’m told, and they even had time for a trip to the park AND Buckingham Palace too! A great day out. |
harvest collection and liturgy
Other faiths - islam
Class 4 Focus on Islam
Our Religious Education curriculum’s encourages us to look around our community and to consider, reflect upon and understand other cultures and religions. In that spirit, Class 4 visited Wightman Road Mosque this week to consider the similarities and differences between the way in which Muslims follow their faith and the way in which we follow ours. The children really enjoyed the trip and were full of information, facts and ideas upon their return, and we’d like to thank the Imam for making us welcome and sharing his place of worship with us.
lest we forget...
be spirited - the SJV Spirituality week
The pupils of SJV recently spent time reflecting on their own individual spirituality, thinking about their relationship with their faith, the world around them and the things that they beleive.
Our Year 6s led the week brilliantly, patiently helping the younger children to find the space and time to pray, ask questions and to explore their feelings.
"Do for others what you want them to do for you..."
The Gospel of Luke was the driver for our work on Anti-Bullying this week. The theme was 'Power For Good', and we encouraged the children to think with empathy about the victims of bullying. We asked them used that empathy to be a Power for Good in our school, to make sure that this gospel value is lived to the full.
The results were amazingly moving. Let's stamp out bullying together.
ST GEORGE'S DAY
The whole school was awash with red and white in April as the pupils and staff celebrated St. George's Day.
Malawi sister school appeal
Fr. Henry pays a visit to discuss the latest works from our friends in Malawi.
Easter liturgy and performance: RESURRECTION ROCK!
On Wednesday this week, the cast and crew of Resurrection Rock, SJV’s Easter Liturgy this year, wowed the audience with an uplifting and moving performance. All present were treated to some outstanding performances – brilliant acting, narration and singing from the choir and the ‘angry crowd’ (the audience). Well done to all for preparing us so well for the great feast of Easter. Special mention to Ms. Griffin for single-handedly pulling the whole production together!
Have a look at the 'highlights' film and the picture gallery below.
NATIVITY TRIUMPH!This year’s Nativity performance was held recently to two packed full houses. The children have been busy rehearsing over the last few weeks, and slowly something special began to emerge. Brilliant acting, dancing and singing combined to make a moving, fun and festive celebration. I am sure that you are as proud of your children as I am! The performance this year was very special and it was fantastic to see so many parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters and friends over the two performances, supporting our talented children! A special 'thank you' to Ms. Griffin - we are fortunate to have a member of staff so talented, patient and generous with her time to guide the children in reaching their considerable best. Thanks, also to Mr. Mr. Rutkiewicz, who kindly gave permission to use some of his fantastic photos of the occasion. |
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CHRISTMAS COMMUNITY CHEER
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Westminster lent concerntClass 4 Westminster Cathedral Choir Concert |
YEAR 6 VOLUNTARY AIDED SCHOOLS LEAVERS' service
On Thursday this week, our Year 6 Class began their series of ‘goodbyes’ to St. John Vianney and Primary Education! We gathered together at St. Paul’s in Wood Green, along with other local Catholic and Church of England schools, to celebrate the passing of another fantastic group of Year 6s from this school (this is my first: are they ALWAYS this good? This sensible? This polite? This hard working? I hope so…).
The ‘Peacefully Forward’ service was a beautiful way of giving thanks for our time together and to look forward to the future—they are ready for it, I can assure you.
But…we didn’t just turn up and to make up numbers! Our boys and girls took centre stage and kicked the service off with in rousing style with their superlative rendition of ‘Our Time’ (my favourite ‘show tune’ - yes I have a favourite show tune!). Mrs. Griffin’s arrangement, enthusiasm and good old fashioned talent, coupled with our children’s angelic voices, made for a rousing and emotional moment— “It’s Our Time, breathe it in, worlds to change and worlds to win, our turn coming through, you and me, yes, me and you.”
