Adapted from Matthew 22:15-21, The 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A
The Pharisees devised a plan to trap Jesus. They sent some of their followers who said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are an honest man and teach God’s way with honesty. We also know that you are not afraid of anybody: someone’s rank means nothing to you. Tell us, then, what you think about this question. Is it right to pay tax to the Emperor Caesar or not?” Knowing what they were up to, Jesus said, “Why do you set this trap for me? Show me the money you pay the tax with.” They handed him a coin. He said to them, “Whose head is on this coin, and whose name?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. “So then,” he said to them, “give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God what belongs to God.”
Attendance Award – Year 1 and Year 5 – 98% – Well done!
Whole School Attendance – 96% (Target at least 95%, well done keep it up!)
Superstars of the Week!
Y1 – Nate for always being super engaged on the carpet and sharing his ideas
Y2 – Violet for sharing her knowledge confidently with the class this week
Y3 – Mylo for always being a kind, smiley and enthusiastic member of the class
Y4 – Aiden for being so happy, friendly and responsible and aspirational with his learning.
Y5 – Aaron for his excellent attitude to learning
Y6- Jayden for demonstrating confidence and self assurance when volunteering to read at the Harvest Assembly
Proud Work: 16/10/2026
Y1 – Freyja for trying so hard in Maths this week, finding a missing part.
Y2 – Jude for recognising number patterns when performing additions across 10.
Y3 – James for his brilliant artwork to represent the Harvest.
Y4 -Arlo for his focus, hard work and excellent answers in Science (and other lessons).
Y5 – Miriam for her intricate zentangle pumpkin drawing.
Y6 – Arina for writing a fantastic narrative based on our book, The Arrival. You used a range of cohesive devices and accurately included speech.
Spelling Shed Certificate of Achievement
Y1 – Leo W
Y2 – Vedha
Y3 – Sandy
Y4 – Jacob A
Y5 – Maria
Y6 – Alfie
Numbots
Kevlar: Holly, Zachary
Silver: Theo M
Copper: Florence, Mylo
Iron: Elsa, Sophia, Leo
Carbon Fibre: Zachary
Titanium: Zachary, Alex
Aluminium: Zachary
Chrome: Zakariya
Brass: Florence, Mylo
Bronze: Rory
Tungsten: Riley, Maria
Tin: Florence, Mylo, Amelia, Daisie
Steel: Florence, Nicholas
Glass: Ashton
Times Tables Rockstars
Breakthrough Artist: Isaac
Gigger : Elora
Support Act: Riley,Toby
Unsigned Act :
Headliner: Adam , Artin
Rock Star : Nellie, Erin, Ariana
Gone Green : Harry W
Numbots – special shout out!
Year 2 Theo M has done some amazing work on Numbots recently and is scoring 3rd highest in the whole school! Well done Theo on your dedication and hard work!
2026/27 Term Dates and key info!
Monday 26 – Friday 30 October: Half-term
Monday 2 November: PTA Extraordinary General Meeting 7:30pm
Wednesday 4 November, Thursday 5 November: Parents’ Evenings 3.45 – 6:30pm
Thursday 12 November: Dress Down for Resources Day – more info to follow
Sunday 15 November: PTA refreshments sale after the 9:15am Mass at church
Tuesday 24 November: 9:15-10:15am Open Morning for Year R Sept 27 starters
Tuesday 8 and Wednesday 9 December: 2pm KS1 Christmas Play
Monday 30 November: PTA Pantomine in the afternoon
Thursday 10 December: 10am KS1 Christmas Play
Thursday 17 December: KS2 Advent Service at church 2pm
Friday 18 December: end of term
To keep up to date with future school events, please visit the school calendar which can be found on the parents page on our website.
Friends of St John’s PTA – We Need You!
Our wonderful PTA, the Friends of St John’s, do so much to enrich school life and provide fantastic opportunities and resources for our children. They are currently looking for someone to take on a Secretary or Admin role to help support their fantastic work.
Please come along to the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on Monday 2 November at 7.30pm in school, where the new PTA committee for the forthcoming year will be elected.
Please see the below poster to discover more about the amazing work of our PTA and how they make a difference to our school community. Your support, whether by volunteering or getting involved, is always greatly appreciated!
Friendly Reminders
Please remember to send children in with coats – the weather is getting cooler and wetter and we like to have children outside as much as possible.
We are also noticing that as we approach half-term, children are particularly tired and may need an earlier bedtime than usual. Please see following link for NHS guidance: Sleep – a guide for school age children
Packed lunches:
Please ensure you have ordered a meal for your child via the FEED app before 8am on the day. Or please send them in with a healthy packed lunch. We are a strictly nut-free school.
We know that making packed lunches can be repetitive so ideas and inspiration for packed lunches can be found here: Lunchbox ideas and recipes – Healthier Families – NHS
Harvest Festival 2026
A huge thank you to all our families for your generous Harvest Festival donations on Wednesday in support of Horsham Matters. Your kindness and generosity will make a real difference to local individuals and families in need.
The children have enjoyed learning about the importance of giving, sharing and helping others in our community. We are incredibly grateful for your continued support in helping us teach these important values.
Thank you for helping us make a difference!
Year 3 Greek Salad Food Tasting
This week, Year 3 enjoyed a Greek salad tasting.
T
he children were introduced to a range of fresh ingredients, including
cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, lettuce, olives and feta cheese, with a drizzle of olive oil. They used their senses to describe the look, smell, texture and flavour of each one, and we were impressed that the children were all brave enough to try something new!
The children also practised their knife skills. After learning how to hold a knife correctly, they carefully chopped and prepared some of the ingredients under close adult supervision.
The session was a lovely way to build practical life skills, explore food from another culture and encourage healthy eating. Well done to all the children involved!
King of Kings Exclusive Children’s Screening at St John’s church – Friday 23 October, 5:00pm – 8:00pm
**BOOKING ESSENTIAL**
