Newsletters

What a magical and wonderfully busy Christmas time we’ve had at St James! The festive fun began with Christmas Decoration Day, transforming our school and getting everyone well and truly into the Christmas spirit. Rehearsals were soon underway for our Year 2 children and their fantastic production of Bethlehem Bake Off — we are incredibly proud of their confident performances, the many lines and songs they learnt, and the patience and resilience they showed along the way. This week has been full to the brim with excitement, including visits to ‘Elfridges’, where many children enjoyed shopping for gifts for their family and friends. A huge thank you to our Friends of St James for organising the event, and to the wonderful elves who wrapped every gift! Our Reception classes also posted their letters to Santa, enjoying a special walk together to the postbox in Daventry. Year 1 and Reception then led our Christmas Carols Around the Tree, singing beautifully and confidently as they shared classic Christmas songs with their grown-ups. The week ended in true festive style with our Christmas lunch, followed by Christmas parties for all.

We have had another incredibly successful term as a school — our new children have settled in quickly, learning the ‘St James way’ and building strong relationships. We are also immensely proud to have received two very positive audits focusing on Teaching and Learning and Phonics, reflecting the growing impact of the education and experiences we provide.

We will be open on Monday 12th from 3.15 - 3.45 if you'd like to pop in and see your child's class teacher. 

Now it’s time for a well-earned rest — lie-ins, cosy PJs, and precious time with family and friends. I wish you all a very happy, fun-filled Christmas, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back to school on Tuesday 6th January.

Mrs O'Shea

 

Let’s Get Reading Together!

Thank you to all the children who entered our reading competition this term. It has been wonderful to see how much you are enjoying reading at home—there’s nothing better than relaxing with a good book!

The winner of the competition was Milena and Ava-Rose, who enjoyed a delicious hot chocolate and cake with Mrs O’Shea. It was so lovely to sit, chat, and celebrate their fantastic effort together.

There will be another competition next term, so keep an eye out!

After Christmas, Dojo videos and sound-gap sheets will be sent home so you can continue supporting reading at home. Sharing a book together is one of the most valuable ways to support a child’s reading development. 📚✨

• Take turns reading: Adult reads harder words; child reads what they can.

• Model reading: Let children hear fluent, expressive reading.

• Re-read favourites: Repetition builds confidence and word recognition.

• Talk about pictures: Ask “What do you think is happening here?”

• Use funny voices for characters.

• Act out stories with toys.

• Let children retell the story in their own words.

• Draw a picture of a favourite part of the book.

To have 'good' attendance, the children need to be in school for 96% of the school year. 

Attendance Matters

Despite a few weeks of horrible bugs and illnesses, this half-term's attendance Pirate Chest has been won by .......

Buttercups, with a fabulous 96%!!

Well done, Buttercups - you will all win a treat from our Pirate Treasure Chest!

This week's Attendance Cup was won by Dandelions class- so much learning will have taken place this week. You were in school for 95% of the week. 

Attendance is a priority concern as part of our commitment to safeguarding every child. We believe that children can only reach their full potential through regular, full-time education.

Why 96%?
Pupils with 96% or higher attendance gain a significant advantage — that’s at least 62 more hours of learning compared to a child with just 90% attendance.

Attendance will continue to be a focus this year. While messages about attendance can be challenging, we know that children with good attendance tend to have the strongest outcomes in their future.

Join the Friends of St. James Parents Association!

Our Friends of St James team has grown this year, and it has been wonderful to welcome new faces and feel such strong support. A huge thank you to everyone involved for your time and enthusiasm.

Thanks to your efforts, our events have been a great success. The disco raised £285, cinema night brought in £330, and Elfridges raised £185. We are incredibly grateful for all the support that has helped make these events so successful.

We have also been fortunate to receive a generous private donation of £2,000 from a former pupil. They attended St James Infants over 50 years ago and still hold fond memories of their time at the school. Thanks to this donation, we have been able to purchase a new set of bikes and cars for the playground. We are incredibly grateful for this support, as without it the school would not have been able to afford these valuable resources.

 

Last year's support raised......... £5,371!!!

Phone: 01327 702783
Email: FOSJ@SJIS.inmat.org.uk

You would be very welcome if you would like to attend a committee meeting.

Please remember to order school lunches by 9.30am. Dolce will send out charges if they are not ordered in advance. 

Our children look so smart in their school uniforms. We do have many items for sale so please ask us if you need anything. Remember, you don't need to buy items with the SJIS logo.

We talk about road and pavement safety with the children. Support them with getting to school safely by using the zebra crossings.

Our school have a FOSJ account with Skitkins. These labels are indestructible for labelling all items- water bottles, clothes, bags. Please use these details: School fundrasing number to add to orders is 19752, as we gain commission. 

To keep all our children safe, the play equipment/trim trail on our school playground must not be used before and after school. The equipment is only supervised during playtimes, lunchtimes and specific PE lessons.

If you know anyone who may be interested in joining our Poppies class in 2026 or 2027, please see the office for a form. We are already so busy for the coming years.

Please Be Safe and Considerate at Drop-Off and Collection Times

We understand that mornings and home time can be busy and sometimes stressful, especially when families need to be in more than one place. However, it is essential that all drivers remain courteous and considerate of everyone in our community and park and drive legally to keep children, families, and staff safe.

To help keep everyone safe, we would like to remind families that Highway Code Rule 243 makes it illegal to stop or park in the following places:

• Near a school entrance, including on zig-zag lines

• Anywhere that would prevent access for emergency services

• At or near a bus stop, tram stop, or taxi rank

• On the approach to a level crossing or tramway crossing

• Opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction (unless in an authorised parking space)

• Near the brow of a hill or a hump bridge

• Opposite a traffic island, or where stopping would cause an obstruction

• Where other traffic would be forced into a tram lane

• Where the kerb has been lowered to assist wheelchair users and mobility vehicles

• In front of a property entrance

• On a bend

• Where cyclists’ use of cycle facilities would be obstructed

Thank you for your cooperation and for helping to keep our school community safe for everyone.