Newsletters

SJS Newsletter - 20th March 2026

{item_alt_tag}

Friday 20th March, 2026

Dear Parents & Carers

We've enjoyed Comic Relief today, and I must admit the jokes told in assembly were of quite a high standard! I enjoyed visiting Martham class first thing this morning when they were looking at an array of Comic Relief noses (with different faces) and finding some fantastic maths facts. There was some super thinking going on!

Mr Reeds was able to show some examples of boat entries for his competition in assembly - anyone who would like to enter needs to have the entry in by Monday please. I've been impressed with some of the finished boats I've seen so far. 

Over the last few weeks, the children have been taking assessments so we have a picture of where their learning is as we reach another milestone in the school year. This will help us with our planning and preparation for the summer term, with plenty more learning opportunities ahead this academic year.

The disco last night was thoroughly enjoyed by all, and we had some very happy raffle winners at the end. Thank you once again to Mrs Hartley, Mrs Lewis, Mrs Towers and the rest of our helpers. These events raise a lot of money for the school and we appreciate all the support. 

We were so proud of our choir today singing in front of a large audience at the King's Centre in Norwich. I know how nervous some of them were and they should be so delighted with how they performed. They're all superstars!

We also wish our Year 6 Stem Racing finalists the best of luck in Rotherham next week. The event attracts entries from many other countries and is a fabulous event to be involved in. You can even watch it live on YouTube! The link is below.

Have a lovely weekend. 

Kind regards

Matt Walton. Headteacher 

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY – St. Matthew's On-line

March

Mon 23rd - Karate taster sessions (all classes)

Tue 24th - STEM Racing National Finals in Rotherham (Yr6 teams)

Fri 27th - End of Spring term

April

Tue 14th - Summer term begins 

Wed 22nd - Norfolk children's book centre book fair

Tue 28th - Norfolk Police speaking to Years 5 and 6

Thu 30th - Norwich East SSP cross-country challenge

Comic Relief

We've had an enjoyable Friday in school, recognising Comic Relief. We had some excellent jokes in assembly this morning and some super Red Nose based lessons across the day, and the children have enjoyed a non-uniform day! Thank you for supporting the charity today. 

Image result for comic releif 2026

Year 5 trip to West Stow 

Year 5 enjoyed an excellent day out at West Stow, as part of their history work studying the Anglo-Saxons. Here's a recount of the day from Macie & Alexa:

First we went on the coach to West Stow. We were learning all about how Anglo-Saxons settled in West Stow.

We all went to the museum where the chest was. Inside the treasure chest were 9 bags all with artifacts in them. Afterwards, we went to explore the rest of the museum! There were animal skins and dressing up costumes. Oh and we can't forget the best bit - the baby skeleton!

After lunch, we looked at all the different houses such as the farmers house, the living house and the sunken house. 

Stephanie, the historian, blew the horn and we gathered in the hall for a question and answer session. Then we hopped back onto the coach and drove back to school. A great Anglo-Saxons trip! 

{item_alt_tag}
{item_alt_tag}

Science Spring Challenge

Mr Reeds has set the children a challenge to 'Build the Best Boat' from recycling materials. The boats will be tested in a pool after the deadline of Monday 23rd March.

There will be 3 separate prizes.

1. Best Design

2. Fastest Boat

3. Which boat can carry the heaviest cargo?

We looK forward to seeing the creative entries. If you have any queries, please see Mr Reeds or email them in, and he will get back to you. 

Norfolk Music Festival

Our Sprowston Singers went to the King's Centre to represent the school in the Norfolk Music Festival. We are very proud of their effort and confidence shown in performing this morning. 

The children sang their hearts out and sounded brilliant. All the hard work certainly paid off and they all gave the morning a big thumbs up! A massive well done to all the children for their singing and efforts. 

At the end of the morning, the choir received their certificate and a grading of 'highly commended'.

{item_alt_tag}
{item_alt_tag}
{item_alt_tag}
{item_alt_tag}

Year 5 Cafe and lunch 

We really enjoyed having parents and family members in school for the Year 5 cafe and lunch this week. 

The children were very brave and performed their dance routines in front of a packed hall. The routines had been put together in PE lessons and the children really enjoyed showing off their dance moves! 

After the routines, all the hall settled down for some times-table bingo and other activities. 

{item_alt_tag}
{item_alt_tag}

Football Report 

The Year 6 football team have played three games so far this Spring season, winning one and losing two.

Our first match was against a strong Avenue side on a very muddy and wet pitch. The boys were very unfortunate to lose 3–0, as they worked extremely hard throughout the game. Player of the Match was goalkeeper Giovi, who put in a fantastic performance.

Next, we faced a very strong, unbeaten Little Plumstead team in the quarter-final of the cup. The first half was very evenly contested, but their strength proved too much for us in the second half and the match finished 6–1. Player of the Match was George Jefferies for a composed and determined performance.

Our final game was a league match against Cringleford. The boys played some fantastic football on a small and bumpy pitch, earning a well-deserved 2–1 victory. Jack was named Player of the Match after making some fantastic tackles in the centre of midfield and getting himself on the score sheet. 

Well done to all the boys for their hard work and effort!

Last week, the House Captains held auditions to find the finalists for this year's Sprowston's Got Talent. They were blown away by the talent on show and had a difficult decision to make to whittle acts down to just one per class.

After much deliberation, they made their choice – which included two judges' choices!

Marham: Ivy (gymnastics)

Filby: Talia, Zainaab, Grace and Amelia (singing and dancing)

Wroxham: William (dancing)

Hickling: Valerie (singing)

Lily: Taylor, Alper and Ellis (dancing)

Salhouse: Jessica (contortionist)

Hoveton (SHIP): Betise and Maya (singing)

Judges' choice: Macie, Grace, Alexa and Madison (acrobatics); and Katie and Thea (singing)

Well done to everyone who auditioned. 

We look forward to seeing all the finalists perform at our annul end of term Sprowston's Got Talent event on Thursday 26th March.

STEM Racing National Finals

Next week two teams from Year 6 will be travelling to the Magna Adventure Centre in Rotherham to compete in this year's STEM Racing National Finals.

When they arrive, they will then spend time setting up their pit display and getting themselves ready for the day. This will include dazzling judges with their presentation, wowing them with their design portfolio, promoting their team with a tour of their pit display and hitting the track for some racing.

The finals will be streamed live on YouTube on Tuesday 24th March. Click here to watch.

Thanks to everyone who has supported the teams in their preparations.

Watch this space for details of how the teams got on.

Formula 1 to support re-branded STEM Racing programme and ...

Premier Sports

Premier Sports are looking at the possibility of running a holiday club at Falcon Junior during Whitsun half term week and Sprowston Junior pupils are welcome to attend. If you think the holiday club is something you may consider using, please can you respond to the survey below:

https://forms.gle/whV9brDJb6gfazHx5

Parenting neurodivergent children

Raising a neurodiverse child can be joyful, but also complex and overwhelming. This course is designed to support you with compassionate, practical strategies that meet your and your child's unique needs. In this online course, we will explore responsive and low demand parenting strategies, managing change and transitions, communication, distressed behaviours, sensory issues, carer burnout, looking after yourself and more. This course is aimed at parents and carers of neurodivergent children, teens and young adults whether there is a diagnosis or not.

This online course has been written by parents and experienced parenting professionals with years of experience supporting families with relevant issues. The parents who have created this course understand the challenges, small wins and the overwhelming moments and have lived experience of raising neurodivergent children, teens and young adults. The strategies and tools come from real-life experience. 

If you are interested in the workshop,  please click here: 

Family Lives - Workshop