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 Friday 23rd January 2026

Dear Families,

This week, classes across the school have been exploring the joy and importance of learning languages. Pupils also took a closer look at why German is such an über‑cool language to learn, discovering fun facts, cultural insights, and plenty of new vocabulary along the way. Watch here for a fun insight into German.

In KS2’s assembly, children were set two exciting challenges:

  1. Find a German word with no direct English translation
  2. Share the longest German word they know

To round off the week perfectly, we enjoyed a wonderful Kaffee und Kuchen event. A huge thank you to the Friends of JKPS and all the volunteers whose hard work made it possible. And so great that the weather was kind, which allowed everyone to gather and celebrate outdoors.

Ahead of Race Equality Awareness Week (w/c 02.02.26), please find a letter here from Natalie Eve @Embrace. Natalie will be running the upcoming Racial Awareness Workshops for parents - see below.

Schönes Wochenende!

Patrick 

Key messages:

Racial Awareness Parent/Carer workshops

There is still space to register for the in-person session at 7pm 29th January: register your interest here. 

The session will be repeated online at 7pm on 5th February - there is no need to register, just save the date. 

EXTENDED DEADLINE FOR BOOK ORDERS - SUNDAY 25th JAN 2026

Your child will be attending an amazing author event soon. We have extended the deadline for ordering signed books. Please click on the link to order - https://www.papercatschools.co.uk/pages/judith-kerr-26
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Shout Out For German Week!

Nursery dug up their potatoes that we grew and are frying them to make the traditional dish Bratkartoffeln. We are also going to be discussing the brothers Grimm stories on Friday and doing some little red riding hood arts and crafts. 

Year 4 were lucky enough to have Ms Laura read them a book from the Der kleine Ritter Trenk series. The children were amazing listeners and talked about languages around the world. They asked insightful questions and are looking forward to hearing the rest of the story! 

In Year 2, the children began the week by trying to learn some traditional German dancing. Then, as they were finishing their maths topic on shapes, they created Bauhaus designs.

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In PE sessions, Coach Leo has been teaching the children German dance!

Whilst in music sessions, Mr Aiden has be leading singing warm-ups in German. 

In Year 6, the children created bilingual posters about famous German taxonomists and women's rights campaigners. See a small sample below - we are so proud of them!

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What else has been happening in and around school 

Reception had loads of fun on their trip to the local library on Thursday, delving into the world of books.

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On Monday, Year 4 were lucky enough to have a live virtual workshop with the scientists onboard the Malizia Explorer in Antarctica. We learnt about the vital work that they are doing in this icy region as well as how they track and measure the wildlife. The people onboard the Malizia had recently delivered oxygen and helium to help facilitate longer dives to marine ecosystems. We also saw a picture of a sea spider which was both fascinating and terrifying at the same time!

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In RHSE, Year 1 are thinking about the needs of people, our community and animals. This week we talked about pets and how not all animals can be pets - like an elephant needing HUGE space!

We focused on how we care for pets and how each pet is different in their needs.

We created pet guides...so if you're thinking of getting a pet, read these!

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Attendance

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School attendance is mandatory for all students of compulsory school age. Whilst we understand that it isn't always possible to reach 100% attendance, we are fully committed to ensuring the highest levels of attendance to ensure we enable every student to meet their potential.  

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Friends Corner

Huge thank you to absolutely everyone who baked or did a shift with Kaffee und Kuchen. We were delighted that the weather held and we were able to have it outside. A particular thanks to Posy who put in an extra shift when things were getting busy! It is all much appreciated, and there were many amazing cakes enjoyed by adults and kids alike.

“Kaffee und Kuchen” is a classic German tradition that goes beyond simply having coffee and cake. It describes a relaxed afternoon gathering to enjoy coffee, homemade cake or pastries, and good conversation. We enjoy sharing these German traditions with the whole school community. 

We raised money for a local food bank and the bilingual signage & Judith Kerr's story - the current signage is starting to look a little old. Further donations welcome here: https://www.fojkps.org/donate

Big Bird Watch and Gardening

The first Gardening day of the year is on Sunday, and it is the RSPB Big Bird Watch Weekend - while we do see amazing birds in our lovely garden, we will probably be a bit too loud that day to spot many birds. Instead we are planning on making some bird feeders for children to take home, at about 12 noon.

Note on Sign Ups

The Sign Up Zone option that we have previously used for Sign Ups has unfortunately ceased. We're currently trialling different options - to see what works best. We are looking for something that is quick and doesn't require yet another account! But please bear with us while we look at the various options and try them out.

Forward Look:

🪾 25th January - Gardening Day & Big Bird Watch Activities

🌰 8th February - Gardening Day

🌳 28th February - Gardening Day

🌷 22nd March - Bumper Community Gardening Day

⛺ TBD - Year 6 camping

⛺ 20th/21st June - Years 1, 2, 3 & 5 camping

⛺ 3rd/4th/5th July - Year 4 camping

⛺ 4th/5th July - Reception camping

Key Dates

Key dates coming up:

Racial Awareness session for Parents/Carers (In person)    7pm 29th January

Parent workshop by Southwark Nest - Emotional Based School Avoidance  - 9.15-10.00am Friday, 30th January

Southwark Parenting Team

Race Equality Week                                                                              w/c 2nd February

Stepping into Stories workshops                                                       w/c 2nd February

GGS Garthestraße (German partner school) visiting JKPS Wednesday 4th February

Year 1 Stepping into Stories session (in school)                      Thursday 5th February

Racial Awareness session for Parents/Carers (Online)         7pm 5th February

Stepping into Stories (Nursery and Reception)                           Friday 6th February

Reception to Y2 Drama Perform workshops (in school)        Tuesday 10th February

KS2 African Drumming Workshops                                     Wednesday 11th February

SPRING HALF-TERM                                                    16th February - 20th February

Y5 Bloom Workshops                                                                Thursday 26th February

Spring Term RockSteady Concerts      Wednesday 25th/ Thursday 26th March 

Spring Term ends                                                                    2pm Friday 27th March

Summer Term starts                                                  INSET day Monday 13th April 

 - Children's first day back Tuesday 14th April

JKPS Sports Day                                                                                 Thursday 11th June

More term dates are on our website, including dates for 2026-27.

 

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