St Teresa' Senior School Weekly Bulletin 26 November 2021

Autumn Term

22 November 2021 Issue 1 : 4th September 2020

This Week’s Headlines Monday 29 November…………………………………………………………………..……ABRSM Exams Monday 29 November…………………………………..……Autumn Music Soiree, 17.00, School Chapel Tuesday 30 November………………………...…………....U12-U15 District Cross Country, 14.00-16.00 Tuesday 30 November…………………….…....U13A&B Hockey St Teresa’s v Sir William Perkins School Tuesday 30 November………..…....Years 11, 12 & 13 Exam Stress Session with Sam Garner, 14.15-16.15 Wednesday 1 December……………………......U14 A Hockey St Teresa’s v Sir William Perkins School Wednesday 1 December……………......Parents Online Seminar, Dealing with Exam Stress, 19.00-20.30 Thursday 2 December………………………………………...…...….A-Level Drama Practical 11.15-12.15

This Week’s Headlines

Thursday 2 December……………………..………….U15A Hockey St Teresa’s v Redmaids’ High School Thursday 2 December……………………………..U12A Hockey St Teresa’s v Sir William Perkins School Thursday 2 December………………………………………...…...….Year 9 Options Evening, 18.00-19.30 Friday 3 December………………………………………………….…………..…..….….…….MUFTI DAY Friday 3 December………………………………………….…………..…..….….…….Year 7 Retreat Day Saturday 4 November………………………………….……………..……ESSA Cross Country Cup Final Saturday 4 November…………………………………..……U12A&B Hockey v Reigate Grammar School

As Surrey is an area of high prevalence, we are advising the following additional measures: For the remainder of Autumn term, face coverings will now be strongly recommended in communal areas (excluding classrooms) for primary school staff and visitors, and secondary school pupils, staff and visitors, unless they are exempt or have a reasonable excuse.This is applicable to all Surrey schools and further education settings. As usual, please continue to promote regular Lateral Flow Testing and vaccination uptake for those eligible as per guidance.

YEAR 9 OPTIONS EVENING The Year 9 Options Evening will take place on Thursday 2 December between 18.00 and 19.30.

We look forward to seeing Year 9 parents.

We encourage parents to wear masks to this event.

Mr Stuart Field, Assistant Head (Director of Studies)

MEDSOC NEWS This week Louise H gave a comprehensive presentation on applying to study medicine at university. Louise, a recent medical applicant, had done extensive research on the application process and was able to provide lots of insight into the process, sharing lots of tips and useful websites with further information.

All of the resources are available on the MedSoc team. If you would like to be a member, please let Dr Evans know.

Next meeting: 7th December 1.45pm in room 29 (year 10 – year 13) *** IMPORTANT UPDATE****

Surviving the Exam Season Parent Seminar This seminar below will now NOT be taking place on Tuesday 30 November, but on Wednesday 1 December, from 7pm – 8:30pm ONLINE. The girls’ talk will still take place live at school on 30 November.

We have e-mailed the Zoom link to all parents.

Mrs Paula Cawley, Deputy Headmistress, Pastoral .

PARENTS’ EVENINGS Dear Parents/Guardians, We would like to invite you to your daughter’s forthcoming virtual parents’ evenings via the Parents’ Evening module on the following dates : Year 8

Wednesday 2 March 2022

Year 9

Thursday 13 January 2022

Year 11 Thursday 10 February 2022 Year 12 Thursday 17 March 2022 Year 13 Thursday 17 March 2022

SIXTH FORM NEWS Our prefects in the Sixth Form have been very busy over the last two weeks with the launch of academic tutoring, the Christmas child shoe box appeal, equestrian show at Keysoe and the phenomenal Peter Pan and Wendy production that took place on Tuesday.

Pippa and Leah, our Chaplaincy Prefects, worked with Deacon Simon and took great pride in achieving just over 200 Christmas boxes for children less fortunate than ourselves. We look forward to the children receiving their presents and understanding how we help people’s lives as a community.

The recent whole school production of ‘Wendy and Peter Pan’ was outstanding and a truly magical watch. Huge congratulations to all for the hard work that went into the production, on stage and backstage. The diligence and commitment of the teachers and students was outstanding and worth all the time and effort it demanded. One of our Year 13 students, Ruby Dean, played the role of Wendy and said 'through teamwork we managed ‘to find the light’ and, in the words of Wendy, got through it all working together, as a team’. Well done everyone who was involved!

Recent Enrichment lessons have been very stimulating: we had a visit from Sammy and John who had different cultural beliefs but enlightened us about the ongoing violence that occurs in the Middle East.

We learnt about various different leaders and dictatorships of nearby countries and had a discussion about potential ways to combat the fighting.

Thank you to all the girls who have submitted entries for the competitions for the student magazine; the committee is working through these at the moment. Please continue to send any entries so we can showcase your work. The deadline is looming since it is Friday 26/11. We are really looking forward to reading your submissions.

Also of note is the fact that Senior Girls, Hannah Knocker, Charlotte Wensley, Louise Bressler and Connie Mortimer competed at the Olympic Park in the London Aquatic Centre. It was a very tight competition, and as a team we managed to knock time off our personal best for the individual medley relay. We came 10th in England overall, which is an outstanding achievement. All the girls swam incredibly well.

On Friday, the Year 13 Biology class dissected a kidney with Mrs Holland. Here is a photo of the said kidney! It was fascinating and helped us understand how this organ is used to help the body excrete waste.

Imogen L, Deputy Head Girl

SCHOOL UNIFORM As the cold weather is settling in, can we please remind you that school coats should be black or navy blue We have a few puffa jackets available to purchase, please contact Mrs Wood on: h.wood@st-teresas.com to buy.

Easter Music Course 2022!

Next year’s course will take place from Monday 11th to Thursday 14th April. This will be the 10th anniversary of this course at school directed by Mrs Yalden. The course is open to girls and boys from Year 3-Year 6 from all schools who have passed Grade 1 on their instrument. Please email Mrs Yalden on c.yalden@st-teresas.com for further information.

Enrichment Society continues each Thursday in the Sixth Form Lecture Theatre, 4:30pm - 5:15pm. Next week Ms Hobkinson will be resuming World Scholars Club so do come along once again to enjoy some lively debate.

The schedule for this half term is printed here. As always, girls from all years are welcome to attend. A reminder that Academic Scholars from years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12 are requested to attend a minimum of 3 Enrichment sessions each term.

If any parents, guardians, or other family members, are interested in delivering a talk at Enrichment Society during the year, please email Mr O’Farrell on j.ofarrell@st-teresas.com. All areas of interest and expertise are welcome!

Eco Tips of the week: Thinking about decluttering before #Christmas?

Don’t forget that many unwanted electricals can be #repaired or passed on. Even when they can’t be #reused, everything with a plug, battery or cable can still be recycled (and turned into anything from life-saving medical equipment to children’s playgrounds!)

You’ll find step by step information on the Recycle Your Electricals website to help you prepare your items ready to recycle or pass on: http:// www.recycleyourelectricals.org.uk/.../ prepare.../

Wednesday 24th November 15.00-16.30, Pastoral Zoom Meeting—‘Boys Being Boys?’

We are delighted that so many of you joined us on Wednesday for our Pastoral Zoom Meeting -‘Boys Being Boys?’, with Dr Jane Byrne..

During the meeting we explores best practice and shared ideas and resources to address the problem in schools around the behaviour of their boys (particularly Years 8 & 9) namely misogyny and inappropriate language, which, if not addressed, is going to be problematic as they go through adolescence and beyond.

For those of you who were unable to attend, Dr Jane Byrne who creates and quality checks our PSHE content, will be putting together lesson plans which can be shared across The Wellbeing Hub in the new year.

Join us and learn at our next webinar SIBLING RIVALRY & FAMILY DYNAMICS with parenting expert, Alicia Drummond Wednesday 8th December, 6:30pm, with a recording made available in The Wellbeing Hub for one week.

Alicia is a BACP accredited therapist, parent coach, speaker, author of Why Every Teenager Needs a Parrot and, most importantly, a mother. She works with over 170 schools, delivering webinars, talks and workshops to parents, staff and pupils, and is the creator of The Wellbeing Hub. Working upstream is the most effective way of preventing mental ill-health which is why she works to help parents, staff and pupils deepen their understanding of childhood and adolescence.

Learn how to support your family and create an environment in which your child thrives. We will take a deep dive into the dynamics and relationships of family life, systemic theory and intergenerational parenting, which will help you to prevent potential problems down the line.

MUSIC NEWS AUTUMN MUSIC CONCERT—THURSDAY 25 NOVEMBER On Thursday evening, the annual autumn concert took place. We saw many amazing performances on a variety of different instruments, ranging from Rhiannon E on the harp to Amelia on the Saxophone. The atmosphere was animated and energised, with a friendly vibe.

At the beginning of the concert, we had a fantastic rendition of James Bond from the whole school orchestra, including a visiting drummer, Mr Riby. Some other highlights of the night included Lara A on the Cello playing Fauré, some sensational vocal performances from Gracie O, Freya D, Charlie J and Bethan N and some mellifluous flute solos from Ella M and Olivia M . To finish off the concert, Georgia B beautifully executed the performance of Waterfall on the piano.

Finally, we would like to thank Miss Raffa and Mr Thompson for accompanying the musicians and to Mrs Wallace for conducting the String Ensemble. We would also like to give a huge thank you to Mr Caister, for giving us the opportunity to perform in front of a live audience, and for all his hard work in getting us to where we are now.

Written by Lucy E, Charlie J and Gracie O.

And next week on Monday 29 November we have our Music Soiree, 17.00 in the school Chapel.

Please join us if you can Mr Caister, Director of Music

Unfortunately, the live in-person Christmas Fair has been cancelled and is being replaced by a fabulous online fair being launched this Sunday! Please look out for details contained in a printed Christmas Fair brochure which will be coming home in your daughter’s school bags! We look forward to your support to keep the Christmas spirit shining bright amongst our school community!

Mufti Day Support for Oasis - Friday 3 December 2021 Given that bottles/chocolates for the tombola’s will no longer be required in the virtual Christmas Fair, we would be most grateful if you could please make a donation to Cobham based Oasis charity click here (Your support will ensure vulnerable children living in our local community will receive a new gift under the Christmas tree and their families will be given a fresh food Christmas hamper. Alternatively, Oasis also has a lovely Amazon Wishlist page where you can choose a gift for one of the children they are supporting click here

CHRISTMAS JUMPER COLLECTION Reminder FOST is collecting (via collection boxes in both Prep and Senior reception) all unwanted or outgrown jumpers. Any Christmas jumpers collected will be for sale for a small donation in the School Uniform shop.

Follow us on FOST insta account: @fost_st_teresas_effingham

UNIFORM SHOP BIG thanks to Eco Council for the gorgeous pink and white candy-striped bunting made from used ST T’s summer dresses! A lovely festive and environmentally friendly addition to our newly revamped Uniform Shop. Open Mondays & Fridays 8.30am-9am and the first Saturday of every month 10am-10.30am during term time.

E-mail: equestrian@st-teresas.com

Visit our website: www.st-teresas.com/equestrian

Call: 01372 750257 Booking System https://st-teresas-equestrian.ecpro.co.uk/

Or find us on Facebook “St Teresa’s Equestrian”

We hope that you are all staying safe with the recent wave of illnesses heading through the school!

Please do keep us updated if you are having to isolate and will therefore miss any lessons with us.

We are doing our best to keep on top of it all, but some things may get missed. So please do get in touch if a lesson has been cancelled when it shouldn’t have, or a booking is still running when it should be cancelled.

For those who have had to cancel their lessons and were given credit, the office will send out an email of the available spaces that we have for next week for catch up lessons. This will be first come first served. If you miss out not to worry as the office will make sure to keep sending out any availability that we have that can be filled. Any credit that is left over, if we cannot arrange any make up lessons for the Christmas holidays, will be deducted from next terms’ invoices.

NSEA Competition Reports On Sunday 21st November, we had a selection of riders who travelled to Parwood to compete in a BSJA (British Show Jumping Association) competition.

For the Just for Schools League classes: In the 60cm League, Sofie S did brilliantly to come 1st in the class!

The 70cm League, Sofie S kept her winning streak to come 1st, Joe N rode great to come 6th, Lottie B came 7th and Chloe B came 8th!

The 80cm League, five out of the 12 riders were from Effingham Schools! They all rode brilliantly! Chloe B placed 3rd on one of her two ponies, Lulu S came 5th, Lottie B came 6th, Joe N came 7th, and Chloe B came 8th on her second pony.

Two of the riders then stayed to compete in the BS 80cm Pony British Novice class. Chloe B rode well and came 6th, and Lulu S placed 3rd!

And having a look at the BSJA Team’s League table, the St Teresa’s team is joint 4th in the 60cm and 3rd in the 70cm, with Jackson B placing 3rd in the Individual 60cm League table!

Congratulations to all who rode!

This Week Every half-term this year we are thinking about the link - yes, the link - between Faith and Science.

In recent decades some have tried to drive a wedge between faith and science, when in fact, throughout history, they have been inextricably linked.

The Big Bang and Other Surprises

Do you recognise either of the characters in this picture?

Perhaps you recognise one of them as a famous scientist, a physicist who changed our understanding of the universe. And the other one is Albert Einstein. For the character on the left is Fr George Lemaitre. He was a Catholic priest, mathematician, theoretical physicist and professor of physics at the Catholic University of Louvain. He is perhaps best remembered for his theoretical work that combined, among other things, Einstein’s law of General Relativity to propose that the universe is expanding, originating from, what he called ‘the Primeval Atom’, and was the first to postulate the idea of what we now call The Big Bang. Yes, you read that right - the person who came up with the idea of The Big Bang was a Catholic priest!

In Chapel this week we linked our wonder at the created universe (Psalm 8) with the fascinating support that the Church has always given to the study of Science. Far from suppressing rational enquiry, the Church has encouraged and promoted this study. Examples today include the Vatican observatory (yes, the Vatican has a number of telescopes and is involved in frontline astrophysical research) and the Pontifical Academy of Science, that included, until his death in 2018, Stephen Hawking). Even Pope Francis has a Chemistry degree.

There is clearly much more to find out, but in our introduction today it certainly became clear that far from their being a divide between Faith and Science, they have always been very closely linked, and this continues to this day.

Menu Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Chicken Fajitas with Guacamole, Sour Cream & Salsa

Posh hot dogs – Locally sourced Cumberland Sausages in a Crusty Baguette

Chef’s Carvery Herb Roasted Turkey with Yorkshire Pudding

Pepperoni Pizza Slice with Chef’s Salad

Breaded Cod Fillet / Cod Fishfingers

Fresh Vegetable Fajitas

Quorn Vegetable Sausage in a Soft Roll

Tomato Pasta

Cheese & Tomato Pizza Slice

No Meat Meat balls in a Tomato Sauce

Beef & Vegetable Casserole with Minted New Potatoes

Chargrilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Thai Coconut infused Pork with Green Vegetables & Wholemeal Rice

Cajun Chicken Breast Strips with Light Piri Piri Slaw & Chef’s Salad

Poached Salmon with Nut Free Pesto Pasta & Olive Salad

Sides

Vegetable Rice & Broccoli

Parmentier Potatoes & Carrots

Roast Potatoes Sweetcorn & Peas

Jacket Wedges Mixed Vegetables

Chips & Peas

Jacket Potatoes

Jacket Potato & Beans

Jacket Potato & Beans

Jacket Potato & Beans

Jacket Potato & Beans

Jacket Potato & Beans

Chocolate Chip Slice & Chocolate Sauce

Banana Cake with Custard

Victoria Sandwich Slice

Pain au Chocolat Bread & Butter Pudding with Custard

Strawberry Milkshake

Main

Vegetarian

Eat Healthy Choice

Dessert

Items in Italic - Sourced from F Conisbee’s, our local butcher Ite