I have said it before, but it really is the little things that count. I am 8 weeks in to my inaugural Headship, I have had three evenings at school beyond 7pm this week, I have cycled in to work on two of those long days – on the first morning storing my bike in the lower shed, my new, and excessively bright, headlight revealed this beauty! Boy, did I smile! I had tasked the girls in Week One with looking after OUR equipment and keeping it tidy. As always, your daughters went above and beyond. I mean, seriously, balance-boards colour coded in the spectrum of light – genius!!
We hope you found parents’ evening both informative and rewarding; many parents commented on my military precision with the speed-dating -esque in-person evening on Thursday. You’re welcome! Do look out for the Spring Term’s Open Book days as well. It has been a truly fantastic start to the year and I did not even mention the Year 4 trip to Sea Life Centre this week. Where did 7 weeks go? We are warmed up now for the year ahead and will drive forwards with our academics, sports, arts, drama, music and more. Keeping in mind that: “Where focus goes, energy flows. And where energy flows, whatever you're focusing on grows. In other words, your life is controlled by what you focus on. That's why you need to focus on where you want to go, not on what you fear.”
Tony Robbins
Have an incredible half term-break in whatever you aspire to as a family and as individuals, I look forward to hearing the stories!
Gareth Tindall
Key Diary Dates:
Mon 4th Nov School Resumes
Mon 11th Nov Anti Bullying Week Whole School Remembrance Service AM
Tue 12th Nov Year 6, St Teresa’s Entrance Examinations AM
Wed 13th Nov Year 6, Drama Scholarship Afternoon
Prep School Location Update Meeting, Sixth From Lecture Theatre 5.30pm
Thurs 14th Nov Year 6, Art Scholarship AM Year 6, Music Scholarship Afternoon
Fri 15th Nov Year 6, Sports Scholarship All day
Wed 20th Nov FOST Parents Christmas Wreath making 8.45am, 3pm & 5.30pm
Thurs 21st Nov Maths Workshop AM
Tues 26th Nov Year 4 Viking Workshop All Day
Wed 27th Nov 5 AB Class Assembly 8.30 - 8.55am
Fri 29th Nov FOST Christmas Fair 4.30pm
Pastoral Pause
As Pastoral Lead in my previous schools, I have recalled this week that I submitted a weekly ‘Pastoral Pause’ for parents and pupils in the weekly bulletin.
We will commence that this week. To help me do this I found a brilliant online resource from ‘Action for Happiness’ in the form of their monthly calendars.
Below is Optimistic October and my challenge to you all is simply to have-a-go throughout the break, to daily complete one of these tasks.
Personally, I am going to do actions from the 7th, 9th, 13th, 17th, 25th, 29th, 30th and 31st – happy for you to ask me how I did with those. Although, some are quite personal so you may get back a more general response.
Be Kind to yourself as you see out October and work on your optimistic outlook over the coming 13 days.
Mr Tindall Prep Director of Pastoral
https://actionforhappiness.org Oct 2024.jpg
Golden Book
Well done to all of the girls in our Golden Books this week:
4 KC Flo EN for sustained effort in column addition and subtraction including subtraction with exchange. Well done for persevering, Flo.
Leila A for excellent description using mathematical vocabulary when answering column subtraction questions in class.
4 LH Ava B, Isabelle C and Vivienne W
English. They used many of the writing techniques we have been exploring this half term. Wonderfully engaging stories that I really enjoyed reading.
5 AB Sienna D for her consistent effort and enthusiasm
Primrose for her excellent use of adjectives and interesting vocabulary in her myth.
Bea S-G for her wonderful work using a key and matching the symbols on an OS map.
5 KH Rosalind D and Esther H for their effort and enthusiasm this half term and for being kind and thoughtful members of 5KH.
6 SG Evie M and Dana M for their resilience and perseverance this half
6 MK Lolita DM for showing a more focussed approach to her learning as the term has progressed and as a result, producing more detailed work in class.
Apple CD for showing maturity and taking responsibility for her learning, making choices to help to further her understanding.
Etta C for the delightful Canticle of Praise that she wrote in RE, thanking God for his wonderful creation.
Art Stars
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
Maddy J for her continued super efforts, quiet enthusiasm and perseverance to match the colours of a fish beautifully.
Sophia H for her positive approach and wonderfully detailed portrait, drawn in pencil.
Matilda G for striving to complete her 3D polar bear with determination and demonstrating an ingenuity to capture the texture.
Drama Stars
Year 4 Arabella N for her use of characterisation and how this developed over the course of this topic.
Year 5 Daisy B for her wonderful impersonation of a quiz show host, in particular her use of voice.
Year 6 Zara H for her enthusiastic participation in all aspects of lessons this half term.
Shoebox Appeal - Update andThankyou
For the past 30 years, the Children in Distress charity has been bringing joy and hope to the marginalized and needy in Romania through the gift of shoeboxes. This program has touched the lives of thousands of Romanian families, and we are proud to have been part of this incredible journey.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has generously donated a shoebox this year. Your kindness and support have made a significant difference.
If you would still like to make up a shoebox over half-term, they will now be collected on Tuesday 12th November.
6th Form Assembly, Recycle Week
As part of Recycle Week, the Eco Council delivered an assembly to the Prep School, highlighting the importance of recycling and how we can all contribute as a school community.
They’ve also organized a fun half-term competition where students can create their own “Recycling Heroes” using materials that would have otherwise gone to waste, embracing this year’s Recycle Week theme! We can’t wait to see everyone’s amazing creations.
In addition, they repurposed plants that were destined for disposal into recycled pots, bringing greenery to every classroom. Well done to the girls for their fantastic efforts in promoting sustainability!
This week you have received the following communications:
Year 5Year 4 -
Please contact the School Office if you need copies of any of this information prepinfo@st-teresas.com
Year 5 Shang Dynasty workshop
On Friday 11th, Year 5 were treated to a drama workshop led by Charlie from One Day Creative. This was to consolidate their learning from their half-term topic, The Shang Dynasty, in a fun and creative way. The girls spent an active couple of hours investigating the different roles and the social hierarchy at that time, warfare and the legendary female warrior, Fu Hao, through role play and games. It was a fabulous end to our fascinating topic.
Winter Uniform
All the girls should return to school after half-term break in their winter uniform.
Remembrance Poppies
After the half-term break we will have paper poppies for sale at school for a suggested donation of £1.00.
In addition to the poppies, there will also be bracelets and key rings available for a suggested donation of £2.00 per item.
Key Dates 2024 - 25
As outlined in the Parent Handbook, and reiterated at the Parent Welcome Reception, there are three key dates in the school calendar that are compulsory for all the girls to attend. This is to help them understand the importance of team work and collaborative responsibility as these are events where they are all involved and need to support each other.
These dates are as follows:
Christmas Service
Thursday 5th December, 18.30 to 19.30
Spring Concert Thursday 13th March, 18.30 to 19.30
Prep School Prize Giving Thursday 3rd July, 19.00 to 20.00
We would be grateful if you could keep these dates free so that all girls can be present at these important community events.
Class Assembly Dates 2024 - 25
27/11/24 - 5 AB
30/01/24 - 4 KC
26/02/25 - 5 KH
20/03/25 - 6 SG
07/05/25 - 4 LH
14/05/25 - 6 MK
At 8.30am in the Henderson Hall
Refreshments will be served in the Henderson Hall from 8.15am
Open Book Dates 2024 - 25
Year 4 - 22/01/25
Year 5 - 29/01/25
Year 6 - 05/02/25
Refreshments will be served in the Henderson Hall from 8.15am
Canticle of the Creatures
The girls in Year 6 have been writing their own version of the Canticle of the Creatures by Saint Francis Assisi. We have been giving thanks to God for the wonderful world that we live in. The poems we wrote were beautiful and thought provoking.
Jasmin
Eva M
Anna
Bella
Poppy
Dana
Year 5 Science
For homework, Year 5 designed a machine based on the inventor, Rube Goldberg's designs. Here are Sofia's 'Cat Cuddler', Rosie's 'Dipper Tipper' and Esther's 'Jaspies 2000' designs which all included levers, pulleys and gears!
Year 5 Science
For homework, Year 5 designed a machine based on the inventor, Rube Goldberg's designs. Here are Sofia's 'Cat Cuddler', Rosie's 'Dipper Tipper' and Esther's 'Jaspies 2000' designs which all included levers, pulleys and gears!
Mrs Haselden’s Assembly—World Space week
"When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What are humans that You think about them, And the son of man that You visit him?” (Psalms 8:3,4)
Last week was International Space Week (4-10th October). Mrs Haselden spoke in assembly about just how enormous our universe is.
Did you know that if our solar system was the size of a 10p piece, then the Milky Way would be the size of the North American continent? Or that if we counted one star in our galaxy per second, it would take us 2,500 years to count the stars in the Milky Galaxy alone?!
Year 4 Sea Life CentreTrip
Year 4 dived into the underwater haven of Sea Life in Brighton this week. We learnt more about the layers of our oceans and the creatures that live within each of these - from how long turtles can hold their breadth to the unusual features of the creatures that live in the harshest conditions of the Abyss. The girls also had the opportunity to touch starfish in the rockpools, jump waves on the interactive display and walk through the underwater tunnel, appreciating the creatures and coral from all angles. We ended our day with a play on the beach, where the girls discovered some interesting shells and created their own unique pebble art installations. It was a fantastic day out!
Happy Half-Term
Today the pupils in the Prep School raised £165 for Mufti Day.
Have a wonderful break and we look forward to seeing you on the 4th November !
Eco and Gardening Club
Last week the girls planted pots that have been placed around the school. They planted winter flowering plants including pansies and violas.
This week, the girls went on a tree hunt. Using a tick list, we walked around the school grounds analysing the leaves on or beneath the trees to find out the names of each. We found ash, oak and beech trees plus many more. Well done girls, for your enthusiasm after our trip to the Sea Life Centre!
Year 6 & 7 Quiz
As part of our newer transition focus going forwards these next three years, Mr Breeze and I (during our weekly meeting one day) came up with the notion of termly events with Year 7 when the 7’s have their Senior School Pastoral Check-ins. Thursday saw the inaugural event, which this term took the form of a Trivial Pursuit Quiz!
Mr. Breeze and myself were exceedingly excited about this event (gotta love a quiz!) but the girls also looked to be having lots of fun. The girls worked together excellently in randomly generated mixed groups, all twenty groups being named after a different type of cheese. We held six rounds and Mr Breeze even provided a snack in the form of a traditional bowl of crisps for each team.
All groups coloured in at least two of their wedges on their game board sheet; many groups had four wedges, but by the end of the rounds we were left with a tie break between teams Gouda, Mascarpone and Halloumi. After several questions in the sudden death ‘True-or-False round’, Anna P was left standing alone and Team Mascarpone were the winners of the Mini Cheddars prize!
We can’t wait for the Spring Term Team Building Challenge event to come around.
Sports News
Netball
Well done to all the Year 6 girls who played in a netball match on Tuesday 15th October against St Catherines. It was hard competition but the girls kept their spirits up and kept working hard till the end. Unfortunately, no teams could get a win but we have taken away lots of things we can work on for next time. We do encourage all girls to attend either netball club, recreational netball club or shooting club on a weekly basis.
Congratulations to Apple, Zara, Sybella, Liberty and Jena for being awarded player of the match.
Swimming
On Thursday 10th October the U9 – U10 St Teresa’s swim squad hosted Manor House. This was the first gala of the year, and the girls were very excited. Out of 36 events St Teresa’s performed exceptionally well to win 35 races. What an amazing victory. Well done to all of the girls involved.
Pupil News
Zara won a bronze medal for her 200m back stroke at the Dorking swimming Competition last week. She also gained a county qualifying time at this distance.
If your daughter has completed any sporting achievements outside of school, we would love to hear about them. Please email Mrs Hitchman with a short description and photo to a.hitchman@st-teresas.com.
Hockey
On Tuesday the U10A,B&C teams travelled to a triangular tournament against Notre Dame and Halsted St Andrews. The teams did exceptionally well at listening and taking on board their coach's feedback throughout the tournament. The highlights of the tournament include the A-team winning one game, the B team won one game and the C team winning two. Well done to all the girls who participated in the tournament and a special mention to the player of the matches across the tournament: Ivy M, Isla S, Jessica S, Primrose L, Olivia L and Sophia H.
Fixtures week commencing 4th November
Tuesday 5th November U11A Hockey vs Danes Hill (H) & U11B&C Hockey vs Danes Hill (A) 2.30pm start Friday 8th November U9A-D Hockey vs Danes Hill 3:30pm Friday 8th November U11 Hockey Tournament @ The Triangle 11.15am start
Music News
Musicians of the Week
Year 4 Ellie F for excellent Toot playing and fantastic focus, well done, Ellie.
Year 5 Esther H for fantastic work on the ukulele – keep it up, Esther. Year 6 Jasmine N for always working hard and singing like an angel.
We've had a fun and successful half term in the Music Department, with our efforts culminating in some fantastic work and a wonderful Harvest Assembly. Our ensembles and choirs have been busy getting to know each other and working together to produce beautiful music, building a strong foundation for the year ahead.
After the break, we will dive into preparations for the festive season, starting on our Christmas music for the much -anticipated Carol Service and Christmas Celebration. We are excited to see the hard work and creativity of our talented students shine through in these special events and look forward to welcoming you to see them!
Year 5 had a lovely treat yesterday afternoon where they watched some of the Senior School rehearsing for their concert. We discussed how much practice the girls must have done to sound so wonderful!
Music Clubs
Monday
12.45: St Teresa’s Singers (Year 4 & 5 Choir)
3.45 - 4.30: Training Orchestra
Tuesday
12.45: Ukulele Club (Year 6)
3.45- 4.45: Young Voices Choir
Wednesday
10.55: Training Wind Band
3.45-4.30: Chamber Choir
Thursday
12.45: String Ensemble
12.45: Recorder Club (Year 4)
This Week
Bible Reading
Jesus taught his disciples,
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear.
Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns And yet, your heavenly Father feeds them.
Gospel of Matthew
Reflection
Over the past few weeks the Church has focused on the wonderful gift of creation. So often we fail to see life with the eyes of faith. God has us in the palm of his hands. He knows us and he loves us. He will take care of us and guide us on. Thank you for all those who donated to our Harvest Appeals. Your kind gifts will be shared with those in our community who are in need.
Prayer
Dear Jesus, we believe that you are present in our school. Help us throughout this year to remain close toYou. Help us to see the great gift of your creation. May we be good stewards of all you have given us and look after the wonderful animals you have placed in our care.
“May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be.”
St Teresa of Lisieux
We hope that you have had a good start to the Autumn Term and academic year. The staff and ponies at STE definitely have, even though they’ve felt permanently soggy from all the rain! But we are looking forward to the half term and to start heading into winter.
If you are coming up during the second week of the October Half Term, then please be aware that Beech Avenue will be closed. The best access up to us will be from the Ranmore Road direction, but do check your route.
If we won’t see you over the half term, then we look forward to seeing you in November!
Join us in wishing the NSEA team luck!
Those who are competing at Addington for the NSEA Championships headed up on Thursday and Friday to compete in various classes as teams and individuals over the weekend.
This Championship is a culmination of all their hard work and progress over the past year.
There have been some unfortunate pull outs due to injuries and illnesses, but we hope that those who are still attending enjoy their time and have fun.
Stay tuned for their results on our Facebook page, and again…
Pony Mornings and Pony Afternoons are fully booked over the October Half Term, but there are still some places for private lessons.
Otherwise have a look at the dates for the Christmas Holidays and February Half Term which are available to book!
Have a look on the EcPro booking system to see what is available.
Booking System: st-teresas-equestrian.ecpro.co.uk
For more information, please visit our website www.st-teresas.com/equestrian
You can also call direct on 01372 750257 or email : equestrian@st-teresas.com
Surrey Hills Dance Centre
Please contact Michael and Nika for further information:
October HalfTerm Tennis Camp
ESTA is excited to be running 2 days of tennis camps at St Teresa’s during the half term break on Monday 28th and Tuesday 29th October!
9-12pm Years 2&3
1-4pm Years 4-6
1-4pm Years 7-11
Each camp session is priced at £39 per player per day. Camps are open to boys and girls across the trust as well as external players.
Our coaches are also available for private coaching sessions.
To sign up or for more information, please contact Kirsti at esta@effinghamschools.org
We look forward to seeing your children on court over the half term break!
Menu—w/c Monday 4th November 2024
Hot lunches include a selection of family favourites and suitable alternatives for children with allergies and intolerances.
Soup of the day
Prep School
Main
Eat healthy dish
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Tomato & basil
Roasted butternut squash & sweet potato
Leek & potato
Vegetarian
Sides
Chicken & tomato pasta
Chicken & tomato pasta bake drizzled with fresh herb oil
Creamy coconut beef & fresh vegetable curry
Thai green vegetable & quorn curry
Rice
Garlic & basil bread
Peas & sweetcorn
Pork sausage hot dog
Locally sourced pork sausage hot dog with chef’s salad
