St Teresa's Senior Weekly Bulletin 11 September 2023

11 September 2023

This Week’s Headlines

This Week’s Headlines

All Week………………………..……………………...Safer Internet Week

Monday 18 September…..Year 7 PGL Trip Information evening 16:30(SFLT)

Wednesday 20 September………….………...Student e-safety Workshops

Wednesday 20 September…Parent e-safety Workshop 18:30 (Henderson)

Wednesday 20 September…………....Year 13 Biology Trip to Juniper Hall

Saturday 23 September………………..…………………. Open Day 10:00

Saturday 23 September…………………...FOST Wine Bluffers Night 19:30

Sunday 24 September……………………………………...…...CCF Gliding

WELCOME!

A very warm welcome back to you all and a very special welcome to the new families who have joined us this September.

We are pleased to share with you our GCSE and A Level results. Despite the media’s best efforts to catastrophise in the preceding days, I am delighted to report that university entrance was remarkably plain sailing! With 72% of all grades awarded being A*-B, and almost half of the cohort gained entrance to a Russell Group university. Not to be outdone, our outgoing Year 11s improved on our 2019 9-6 pass-rate, making up 75% of all grades. Nearly 50% were 9-7.

May we remind you that we have our Open Morning on Saturday 23rd September and the whole school is in attendance.

Could the girls please arrive at 10.30am (unless they are in Years 8,9 and 13 and they will be given relevant information next week) The girls will be ready for collection at 12.30pm.

SIXTH FORM NEWS

Welcome back to school and to the first edition of the Sixth Form bulletin for the new academic year! I hope you all had a fantastic summer holiday with plenty of memories and feeling refreshed and ready for the year ahead. I am so excited to continue taking you through life in the Sixth Form...

We have had a busy start back with open evenings, tours and more... but before I say anything else about this week, the Year 13s want to give a big, friendly welcome to our new Year 12 cohort who joined us this year! We have really enjoyed getting to know them and mixing with them in the (now very busy) Sixth Form common room.

Last week, Miss Pitchford and Ms Clarke, along with the Head Girl Team, ran a Year 12 induction day before the start of term to introduce the girls to the Sixth Form building and help ease any nerves. Jadwiga, our amazing Head Girl, wrote: “The Year 12 induction day was a great chance for the girls to settle in and come together for the beginning of their Sixth Form journey. Between meeting their form tutors and receiving their timetables, they were able to ask Year 13 students for an overview and some top tips about their subjects, gaining an insight into what this year has in store. We also had time to play a board game and have a well-deserved cookie break! Good luck to all the Year 12s as they as they embark on the next step in their school career.”

Jadwiga

KL (Head Girl)

Miss Pitchford also launched additional qualification opportunities, such as EPQ, MOOCs and Core Maths, that can be taken by Year 12 over the next year.

We ‘kicked’ off this week with a self-defense class in PSHE, given by the very engaging instructor Jason O’Connor. He taught us what to do if we are being followed, if we are threatened by a knife, how to keep safe when walking alone at night or in public and many more useful skills. We are really looking forward to welcoming him back next week for the physical section of our self-defense lessons.

On Tuesday, the Year 13s toured the Year 6s and their parents around the Senior School to give them a taste of life in Year 7 before they sit their eleven plus exams. It was really nice to meet them all and we hope to see them next year.

On Wednesday evening, Ariella and I welcomed the Year 11s to their A Level Choices Evening with a speech explaining our favourite things about the Sixth Form, why we chose to stay at St Teresa’s and our top tips for A Levels, followed by Miss Pitchford with a speech about what it means to be a Sixth Former at this school and what opportunities will be made available to them. The Year 11s were then given time to explore the Sixth Form building whilst learning about the different A Levels that they could take, ask questions and eat some tasty nibbles. We hope to see many of them next year too.

And lastly, the Head Girl Team are excited to announce the variety of opportunities offered to Year 12s to gain experience of student leadership skills. These range from being a Year 7 buddy to representing the Sixth Form in Student Council to even being the Sixth Form’s very own ‘Food Fairy’. These will be launched in next week’s year assembly and will require a letter of application, a skill which also offers great experience for the future when applying to universities and jobs.

I hope you all have a great weekend and see you next week!

Julia T (Deputy Head Girl)

SIXTH FORM OPEN EVENING

BOARDING NEWS

It has been wonderful to welcome back our boarders and they have been taking part in lots of team building activities!

As usual, the summer holiday has been exceptionally busy for the Maintenance team, who has undertaken the colossal task of refurbishing the entire boarding area of Magdalen House for our Sixth

SUMMER ARTWORK

Wonderful summer work carried out by our talented Year 11 cohort.

EXTRA CURRICULAR CLUBS FAIR

Last Friday evening we held our activities fair which was an opportunity for the girls to choose from a wealth of our extracurricular clubs. Astronomy, eco, embroidery, sports, equestrian, cookery are just a few to name, but with a choice of over 100 clubs there was something for everyone!

DINING ROOM

NOTICES

YEAR 13 GEOGRAPHY TRIP

We are planning to take our Year 13 pupils to the Field Studies Council (FSC) centre at Slapton Ley, Devon from Monday 13 November to Friday 17 November 2023.

This is a part of the Geography A Level course, where pupils are required to complete a Non-Examined Assessment (NEA) worth 20% of their final mark. To complete their NEA, pupils are required to complete four days of fieldwork.

Please send an e-mail to s.hobkinson@st-teresas.com and return the consent form emailed to you previously if you would like your daughter to participate in this trip.

E-SAFTEY WORKSHOPS

We have organised for Karl Hopwood, an independent e-safety expert and an engaging speaker to visit us. He is a member of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety and sits on the advisory board for the UK Safer Internet Centre.

Karl will also lead a parent session in the evening with an opportunity for questions. Karl’s workshops will take place on Wednesday 20th September, when he will run bespoke sessions during the day for all year groups.

The parent session will take place in the Henderson Hall at St Teresa’s School between 6.30pm and 7.30pm and all parents across the Trust are invited to join us for what I know will be a very informative and enlightening presentation. Please may you complete this form by Tuesday, 19th September to confirm your attendance.

YEAR 7 RESIDENTIAL TRIP TO PGL

The Year 7 Residential trip to PGL Marchant’s Hill on 9th and 10th October is fast approaching!

We would like to invite you to a meeting to provide further information and answer any questions in advance of the trip. This will take place in the Sixth Form Lecture Theatre at 16:30 on Monday 18th September.

We appreciate that this time may not be convenient for everybody. Therefore, we will also be streaming the meeting via Microsoft Teams.

Click Here to Join the Meeting

ECO COUNCIL TIP

Car fumes contain a number of harmful gasses including carbon dioxide, which is bad for the environment and contributes towards climate change, as well as a range of other harmful gases which are linked to asthma and other lung conditions. Please help us to keep the air as clean as possible at St Teresa’s by switching off your engine when you are waiting to collect your daughter from school.

YEAR 10 PARENTS’ INFORMATION EVENING

Our Year 10 Parents’ Information Evening will be held on the 28th of September from 6-7pm. It is an opportunity for us to address any questions you may have about the transition between Year 9 and Year 10. please RSVP the link below if you intend attending : https://forms.office.com/e/bEcGkmPyWN

KEW GARDENS TRIP -YEAR 12 & 13

We have arranged a visit to Kew Gardens, which holds an amazing collection of exotic plants and architectural structures! This visit will offer pupils the chance to collect vital first-hand research, which they will be able to use back in the classroom.

We will be departing from school at 8:50 and will return by 16:00.

The cost of the trip will be £30.00 and will be charged to your account. We would be grateful if you would complete the Microsoft form below by Monday 18 September. https://forms.office.com/e/m0QXznX8QV

CEM BASELINE TESTING

At St Teresa’s, we use a baseline skills tool named CEM (Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring) to help us track the progress of our pupils. All girls joining St Teresa’s sit a short online assessment known as ‘MidYis’ which evaluates their vocabulary, maths and non-verbal skills, allowing us to ensure we are providing them with appropriate levels of challenge and support in each of their lessons.

Year 8 will complete this in room 9 during Period 2 on Monday 18th September. There is no need for your daughter to do any preparation for the assessment, she simply needs to bring her charged device along with her. If you know that she will not be in attendance during this time, we would be most grateful if you could contact s.burke@st-teresas.com so that we may arrange an alternative slot for her to complete it.

OPEN DAY NOTICE

Girl’s should be in school no later than and not much earlier than 10.30am, unless they have made arrangements with the Staff leading their activity.

They should go directly to their form rooms to be registered and will be told where they are expected to go for the rest of the morning. Please can they bring their pencil cases in.

They may be collected at 12.30pm.

EXTRA CURRICULAR CLUBS

Room 29A

Tuesdays 1:45 - 2:10

MEDSOC

Room 38

Tuesdays 1:45 - 2:10pm

Open to all in Year 10 - 13

We will be starting next week on Tuesday the 19th, welcoming back Hannah Evans who will be giving a talk on personalised medicine.

Please follow us on FOST instagram account: @fost_st_teresas_effingham

WINE BLUFFERS NIGHT

Book your tickets for the first FOST parents event of 2023. This low key, fun event is a mix of a wine tasting and ‘would I lie to you’ and is a great opportunity to get to know your fellow St T’s parents in a relaxed setting. Hope to see you there!

!! GETYOUR TICKETS HERE !!

This Week

It was wonderful to welcome everyone back after the Summer holiday, and particularly to welcome to the Chapel all those who are new to our school family.

Whenever we gather in the Chapel we always reflect on a short passage of Scripture. This week, we were reminded of Jesus’ promise that wherever two or more are gathered together He would be there with us.

Our Chapel is a particular reminder of this promise. Whenever we gather in prayer we always light a candle as a reminder of Jesus’ promise that He is with us.

We also looked at the Sanctuary Lamp, that candle that burns brightly in the Chapel, seven days a week, 24 hours a day, as a glowing witness to the presence of Jesus.

The Chapel is the heart of our school family and is a place where we can always be assured of Jesus’ presence. But we are reminded that wherever we gather as a community, Jesus is also thereour classrooms, in the playground and, of course, with our families.

Each year, we focus on one of our School Values, and this theme of Jesus always being with us is particularly appropriate as we look, this year, at our Value of Faith. Perhaps as we journey together through this academic year, we can hold Jesus’ promise in our hearts, knowing that He is with us. We pray, during our Year of Faith, that we will come to recognise this reality more and more, and share the friendship of Jesus with all those we meet, remembering the words of our Values Prayer:

Give us a living faith that draws us into an ever-closer relationship with you.

E-mail equestrian@st-teresas.com

Call 01372 750257 Visit

Booking System

st-teresas-equestrian.ecpro.co.uk

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

We hope that you have had a good summer holiday, and are looking forward to the new school year. The riding timetable has been finalised and we are fully booked for the term. If you have missed out in getting a riding space, please do get in touch to be added to our waitlist.

A reminder for those who are riding to come at least 5 minutes before the start of your lesson to get ready with riding hats and boots, and to go and collect the pony from the stable in time.

And If your child cannot attend one of their lessons, then please let the office know by phone or by email, or the lesson can be cancelled on the booking site. As if you wish to cancel a lesson, we do require 48hrs notice or more in order to offer credit.

The STE ponies enjoyed a week off before the lessons start for the term. They have also had their saddles fitted, the farrier came out to do their feet, and the physio and chiropractor released their muscles.

This is all very important to get done before the lessons start, to ensure that the horses are happy and comfortable to be ridden.

They are now ready and excited for a new term to start!

~ Libby C

A hot weekend was had by lots of our NSEA riders who attended the Show Jumping, JwS and Dressage Qualifiers at Felbridge on Saturday with some fantastic results.

The dressage team of Lilly S, Rosie C, Saskia TvV and Lulu S finished a brilliant 3rd with an individual 3rd for Lulu and 6th for Rosie. Lulu S also competed in the Elementary dressage as an individual scoring a fantastic 72.5% for 2nd place and picking up her qualification for the National Championships in October.

In the Show Jumping Arena there were some fab results at 1m for Izzy L and Pernille A building confidence and consistency with every outing. In the 80cm both Jess R and Lilly S jumped double clear to finish just outside the placings.

Our 70cm team took home the result of the day with a brilliant team win, despite only being a team of three! But Jess R, Rosie C and Emily R all jumped clears to finish on a score of 0 in a faster time than the team in 2nd and picking up their qualification for the finals at Addington in the process.

Finally Lulu S picked up a 3rd in the 1m JwS which has qualified her as an Individual for the Championships!

A huge well done everyone and what a great way to kick start the new term!

Main

Eat healthy dish

Monday

Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Beef lasagne with crusty bread

Southern fried chicken fillet burger with shredded iceberg & piri piri mayo

Honey roast gammon with Yorkshire pudding

Mild beef chilli nachos, grated cheese, guacamole, sour cream & salsa

Traditional battered cod fillet or fish fingers with tartare sauce

Chargrilled sweet chilli chicken with little gem, cherry tomato, sweetcorn & carrot salad

Vegetarian Vegetable & spinach lasagne

Pork & Chinese vegetable chow mein

Pan fried beef strips with fresh coriander, lime & chilli served with avocado salad

Lemon & basil chicken breast served with Italian, mozzarella & olive salad

Seafood & chilli spiced linguine with roasted green peppers & fresh herbs

Spiced quorn mince & bean wrap

Roasted vegetable & mozzarella bake

Chilli glazed tofu with peppers & red onions

No chicken teriyaki noodles & Oriental vegetables

Sides

Crusty bread

Peas & sweetcorn

Jacket wedges Broccoli

Roast potatoes Mixed vegetables

Rice Carrots Chips

Peas Baked beans

Dessert Chocolate chip cake & custard

Rocky road

Raspberry cheesecake

Fruit & berry crumble & custard

Sliced melon platters