On Saturday 6th February we entered two teams of J4 chiildren into the HSAA Cross Country Championships taking place at Westminster Lodge in St Albans.  Primary and Secondary schools from accross the county compete in a range of age group races, on what is a challenging 1 mile course.  It was the first time we have entered and all the children put in great performances, showing real grit and determination on what was a cold and blustery day (it was so cold that even Mr Taylor wore long trousers!!).

Out of 207 boys who entered the race: Oliver finished 34th in a time of 6 minutes 20 seconds; Alexander came 107th, Charlie 131st and George 150th.

Out of 180 girls who entered the race: Georgia finished 39th in a time of 6 minutes 57 seconds; Evie came 47th, 52nd and Sophie 80th.

The children all worked really hard, putting in extra running sessions at home and with Mr Platt.  They were a credit to themselves and the school on the day and we would all like to say a big thank you to the parents, grandparents and staff who came to support.

This half term the boys have been playing competetive rugby matches, for many of them, it has been their first time.  We have lost narrowly to Duncombe and Berkhamstead and were well beaten by St Columba's and St Hugh's.  For the majority of the boys it has been a steep learning curve, transferring the skills learned in lessons into matches.  Outstanding performances have come from George, Oliver and Harry (J4) and Max, Ethan, Jasper and Thomas G (J3).  Our last outing against Berkhamstead was a really scintillating game of rugby, only losing by 1 converted try right at the end.  

We may have lost each game but we were certainly the smartest team each time.  Many thanks to the Purser family who kindly donated our new school rugby kit.

On Monday 8^th February, 9 girls, comprising of Georgia, Rachel, Alice, Caitlin, Skye, Nicole, Charlotte, Evie and Isabelle played hockey away against Kingshott.

They played exceptionally well as a team, with Alice in goal. Alice saved shot after shot and was superb. The Kingshott girls were strong in attack and confident in running the ball down the wing. They managed to score 2 goals in the first half.

The St. Joseph’s girls did not give up at all and played well through out the match. Georgia made a run from half way and scored a super goal. The final score of the match was 4-1 to Kingshott. Well played girls.

On Wednesday 10^th February Georgia, Rachel, Alice, Caitlin, Nicole, Evie, Lilian and Sophie played an away hockey match against St. Hugh’s.

Alice was once again in goal and was exceptionally determined to keep the balls out. She played so well.

Sophie managed to make some super breaks down the wing and Evie battled throughout the game. At half time the score was 2-0 to St. Hugh’s but with some strong encouraging words from Mrs Sharp and Miss Owen the girls came out more motivated in the second half.

2 super goals were scored by Caitlin and Alice managed to defend every shot in the second half. A fantastic 2 all draw – well done girls and thank you to the parents who have supported us in the cold weather.

On Thursday we had the pleasure of a visit from a young British boxing hopeful, Kirk Garvey.  The children were put through their paces and learned more about how atheletes train and prepare.

Our first News of the New Year is very exciting.  Thanks must go to all the parents and staff who made the launch of our new development appeal such a great success.   Around one hundred people (Parents, Former Pupils and Staff) braved the January weather to come and hear the plans we have to improve the facilities at St Joseph’s In The Park, the first major building improvement to fabric of the school for fifty years.

Thank you also to the former and current pupils who supported us on the evening and gave a stunning display of talent that entertained us all.  And to Miss Matosevic and Miss Bruce who spoke from the heart about the way in which our Development Plans will impact directly on all of the children at the school.

The details of the project were clearly presented by Mrs Poelvoorde and Mr Fitzjohn outlined the process of development demonstrating that it delivers the best possible value.  For those of you that could not make it on the evening, details can be seen on the presentation below.

The charitable status of the school means that any donation given to us will be enhanced by gift aid, which will benefit the school by providing an uplift of 28% on the value of each donation, subject to tax status.  [Gift Aid actually is 25p for every £1 donated, although 28p will be reclaimable due to the temporary transitional relief of 3p per pound being paid by the Government until 5 April 2011. It is important we move quickly while this transitional relief is in place.]

For those lucky enough to be paying higher rate tax you may include all gift aid donations on your Self Assessment tax return and you will be able to receive additional tax relief.   To explain further, if you pay higher rate tax, you can claim the difference between the higher rate of tax (40%) and the basic rate of tax (20%) on the total value of your donation.  Eg, a donation of £100 will be of £125 value to the school and the donor can claim back 20% of that amount, ie £25 for yourself

Please see more detailed information on gift aid at http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/ManagingMoney/GivingMoneyToCharity/DG_10015097

We do value your support and hope we can raise the funds required as quickly as we can.