St Teresa's Prep Bulletin 07.11.25 by EffinghamSchoolsTrust

Dear Parents,

It has been absolutely delightful to welcome the girls back to school this week and very noticeable that we are in our 8th week of teaching as many staff both Prep and Senior specialists have commented on how focussed and hard working your daughter’s have been this week.

Our Year 6 pupils commenced their Senior School Entrance interviews with Mr. Field, Head of School, and those that have already participated were proud of this achievement and Mr. Field provided me with personal feedback on how confident, knowledgeable and pleasant his interviews have been so far. Looking ahead to next week, we wish all the girls in Year 6 the best with their Entrance Examinations (on Wednesday, little reminder of the shift of date) and with, for those applying themselves, their scholarships.

Well done to all girls involved in: Tuesday’s hockey fixtures against Downsend and today’s UKSA Hockey Tournament; as well as the girls who represented the school in Thursday’s swim meet against Sutton High School.

This evening sees our eight Schola Cantorum girls participating in the Remembrance Chapel Service at 5pm – a beautiful Act of Remembrance in honour of those who have served and sacrificed all for our country and our freedom. Tuesday sees the Whole School gather together in Mairlot Hall to remember and hold a two minute silence. To that end, Poppies are available in a variety of products in the Prep School. It is further appropriate that next week is also National Anti-bullying Week with the theme: Power for Good, a reminder to not forget Odd Socks Day which the Whole School will be celebrating on Friday (finally, Prep School have infected Seniors with our passion for dressing up!).

“In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place, and in the sky, The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard among the guns below.”

John McCrae

“They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them.”

Laurence Binyon

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend ahead, Gareth Tindall

Pastoral Pause

We are now into New Ways November and so take a moment to catch up with the week already flown by and take a moment to slow down and re-orientate life.

This weekend, make a list of NEW things you want to do this month (night hikes or night mountain biking with a brilliant new headtorch?).

Learn anew how to respond to difficult situations in a new way. Perhaps do not respond being quick to anger, but instead choose to respond with love, forgiveness, patience, kindness, compassion…

As always – GET OUTSIDE and LEAVE THE DEVICE BEHIND – device control and carefully monitored screen time is not just for children. Choose new.

New habits. New YOU.

Try a new way of being physically active, a recent pupil’s homework stated that Nordic Walking with light poles was as strenuous, good for you and used as many muscle groups as both running and swimming. Ranmore Common is just around the corner, as is Polesdon Lacey, Hurtwood, Boxhill, Holmwood Common, Holmbury Hill, Farley Heath, Wotton Common, Winterfold Forest, the North Downs Way (accessible easily at Newlands Corner). I highly recommend the OS Maps App!

When you feel you can’t do something, add the word ‘yet’. And then tell yourself to: Watch This Space!

Go for it this November – think of the new things you could achieve and be by Christmas.

God Bless You, Gareth

Tindall

Golden Book

Well done to all of the girls in our Golden Books this week:

5AB Emilia C for working with focus and determination across the curriculum.

Kimberley C for her fabulous use of figurative language in her imaginative and interesting myth about the stars.

Ellie F for working hard in Maths and progressing well with her learning.

5HT Annabella H, Florence E labelling significant features on their map of Egypt.

6MK Anna R for always putting huge amounts of effort into her work and showing great commitment in everything she learns, particularly in our topic lessons.

Cecily P for making excellent progress in maths this term, particularly in her rapid and confident recall of times tables facts.

Daisy B for demonstrating a proactive approach to her learning, regularly asking for help when she does not understand a word in her reading book or requiring guidance with a task

6RG Isla McC for her fantastic approach to our English this week and her superb use of language in her writing. She wrote: She tiptoes across her bedroom as the floorboards chatter together.

Sienna DN for her fabulous attitude towards her work shown particularly in English and Topic lessons. She wrote: 'The firework came down like a hurricane.. the sparks danced across the room, bouncing off everything.' Keep it up!

Drama Stars

Year 5: Monica H and Annabella H for impressive pair work. They were taking it in turns to interview each other as if they were archaeologists applying to take part in the excavation of Tutankhamun. They remained in character and responded to each other questions in imaginative ways.

Scientist of the Week

Year 5: Eloise K & Scarlette S for their investigations of levers, gears and pulleys.

Year 6: Esther H for her research on microorganisms and attentiveness during the lesson. Eden M for her attentiveness and enthusiasm during the electricity project.

FOST 2nd HAND UNIFORM SHOP

Submission forms are under FOST 2nd hand uniform on the St Ts website: Second-hand Uniform Shop

REMINDER: CASH or CHEQUE only please for the foreseeable future.

Open Fridays 8.30am-9am and First Saturday of every month 10:30am 11.00am by appointment only:

Please contact Wendy or Camilla: Fostuniform@gmail.com

Prep News

As we continue to develop our use of Atom Learning for Schools: Atom School, some of you have reached out to Atom enquiring about use of Atom Home, their platform to support learning for children and parents. Please find below some links shared with us by the team at Atom to support your understanding of the differences and how Atom can support learning at home.

• Atom Home Information Sheet

• A video on the differences between Atom Home and Atom School

• A short Atom Home platform demo

• Parent FAQ guide

Changes to Bus Schedules

To make things smoother and safer, we've introduced theVectare Travel App. If you haven't registered yet, please sign up at this link: Vectare Travel using your email address from iSAMS. You can make all the necessary changes on the website. If you need further help, please reach out to the transport team at effinghamschoolstrust@vectare.co.uk or transport@effinghamschools.org / 01372 750255.

End of Day Plans

Any end of day changes, please email your class teacher and copy in the school office prepinfo@st-teresas.com.

Absence Notification & Evidence Form

A reminder to complete this form if your child will be absent from Prep due to illness or other valid reasons. To ensure accurate attendance records, please upload evidence (e.g. appointment text, letter, or email) if the absence is due to a medical appointment. Wherever possible, appointments should be made outside school hours. We will not necessarily respond to them unless there is extra information or evidence required for attendance records.

Trip/Workshop Form & Payment Completion

As part of the upcoming Prep School trips/workshops, we kindly ask that you complete both of the following steps as soon as possible: Microsoft Online Form – This form is essential for confirming your child’s participation and providing necessary details.

Payment via Evolve – Please ensure payment is made through the Evolve system.

Please note that our accounts team operates separately within the Trust. This means that even if you have already made the payment, we do not automatically receive confirmation of it in the Prep School. Completing both the form and the payment ensures your child is fully registered for the event.

Poppy Appeal 2025

In support of the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal, we will be selling a range of remembrance items at school during break and lunchtimes from Wednesday 5th November to Wednesday 12th November. Items available include:

• Paper poppies – suggested donation: £1.00

• Metal poppies – suggested donation: £2.00

• Snap bracelets, festival bands, and key rings – suggested donation: £2.00 each

All proceeds will go to the Royal British Legion to support veterans and their families. Thank you for helping us honour and remember those who have served.

Winter Uniform

All the girls should now be wearing their winter uniform this term.

Key Dates 2025 - 26

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 4th December, 18.30 to 19.30

Spring Concert Thursday 12th March, 18.30 to 19.30

Prep School Prize Giving Thursday 2nd 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.

Year 5 Computing

Year 5 began learning about Vector drawing in Computing this week. They learnt that these drawings are created on the computer by manipulating shapes to create images. This is Ellie's work which is a great example of how to draw a house. Well done, Ellie!

Marvelous Mechanisms!

Before half term, Year 5 had fun exploring levers, pulleys and gears in their Science lessons.

Marvelous Mechanisms!

Over half term and inspired by the inventor Rube Goldberg, Year 5 put on their inventing hats and designed some wonderful machines to make our lives easier. By incorporating levers, pulleys and gears, their machines are able to work efficiently. Maybe one day their creations will become a reality!

The Sneeze Catcher by Florence E-N:

The Wake up Machine by Molly W:

Year 5 managed to lift Mrs Haselden off the ground by moving the pivot to make a long lever.

Year 6 Religious Education:

Before half term, the girls in RE were tasked with the challenge of creating a five-minute presentation giving advice about clothing choices. They were asked to include references to Laudato Si (Pope Francis’s letter to us all) and Catholics’ responsibility to look after the earth which God has given us. They researched clothing companies which are sustainable and environmentally friendly as well as those which pollute and damage our world and communities. The standard was very high and included some very thought provoking questions.

Music News

String Group

As I write up the bulletin for this week, the String Group are rehearsing in the background under the leadership of Mrs Hull. It was lovely to hear their first Christmassy rehearsal of Ding Dong Merrily on High and We Wish You a Merry Christmas.

Orchestra

A smaller group at the Orchestra rehearsal this week allowed us to focus on the first of our Christmas carols: Good King Wenceslas great opportunity to focus on some detailed rhythm work and remembering to spot the key signature!

Chamber Choir

We learned a couple of traditional rounds in our last Chamber Choir rehearsal giving us the opportunity to practice signing in parts ahead of our preparations for the Carol Service.

Year 5

Musician of the Week

Year 5

Year 6

Eloise K, super work within your group, listening out for clues in the music and identifying different dynamics and textures.

Amelia H, thank you for your continual enthusiasm and energy for all things musical and in particular for adding a much needed cello to the String Group.

Our return from the half term break heralded the start of the Christmas season as we began to learn the songs for our Carol Service and revisited some familiar traditional carols. We also explored the use of dynamics and texture in music, comparing the different dynamic profiles of the some of the movements from The Planets by Holst. The ukulele class featured some different strumming patterns; building in both complexity and tempo. We played The Lion Sleeps Tonight, I’m Yours and Despacito to practise quicker chord changes, especially the tricky G7 chord!

Year 6

Year 6 explored different rhythmic and melodic patterns in the song Voices Calling in three-time. After learning each contrasting part, the classes split into smaller groups and merged the parts to create a three part choral ensemble. As we listened to the overall effect, we considered how the elements of music helped to tell the story of the song. In our keyboard classes we have moved onto reading traditional pitch notation and linking the notation with piano keyboard and letter names.

Sport

News

Welcome back!

It is getting colder and we want to continue doing sports outside as much as we can, so please ensure your daughter comes into school with the appropriate clothing. Grippy gloves and hats are encourage for hockey and netball. Please see the link below for gloves: Optimum Thermal Liner Velocity Gloves | Cushioned, Breathable, Warm Padded | Enhanced Grip for Rugby, Football, Cycling | Multi Color Senior & Junior Sizes : Amazon.co.uk: Fashion

Swimming news

Well done to everyone who competed in the swimming gala on Thursday against Sutton. A great result to end the week!

Prep Clubs - EVERYBODY WELCOME!

It was fantastic to see so many of the girls at netball shooting club on Tuesday and Recreational netball club on Wednesday! Keep it up!

Tuesday AM Netball Club Tuesday Lunch 12:45pm Netball Shooting Wednesday PM Hockey Club Wednesday Lunch 12:45pm– Recreational Netball Club Prep Football Club Thursday Lunch 12:45pm

Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out’

Pupil News

If your daughter has completed any sporting achievements outside of school, the PE department would love to hear about them. Please email Mrs Hitchman with a short description and photo to a.hitchman@st-teresas.com

Fixtures (week commencing 10th November)

Tuesday 11th Nov: U11A&B Netball V Cobham Free School (H) 2:30pm and U10A&B Hockey V Sutton High (H) 2:30pm

Wednesday 12th Nov: U10 UKSA Hockey Tournament (A) 9:45am Friday 14th Nov : Sports Scholarships Good luck!!

It has been a full and busy week at STE with termly lessons now in full swing. Please remember to come 10 minutes before your lesson to allow you enough time to prepare. We are very lucky to have such lovely horses and ponies and they all have such different personalities. This summer we said a fond ‘farewell’ to the gorgeous King who has been retired back to his owner in Dorset and is now living his best life in a field with his horse buddies. We will miss King but it’s great to know that he is enjoying his retirement.

Equine Fun Facts and Quiz

Did you know that horses have the same amount of bones in their necks as giraffes?

Can you guess how many bones a horse has? Please see the answer at the bottom of the page.

NSEA NEWS

National Championship Qualifiers

Sunday 28th September—Felbridge Equestrian Centre

The St Teresa’s NSEA team were competing at Felbridge this weekend and now have a total of 9 teams qualified for the National Championships as well as individual qualifications across the disciplines. This is absolutely outstanding and all down to their hard work, perseverance and resilience. 80cm Showjumping

Harriet L and her pony Trevor had a clear and fast round for a second place, qualifying them individually for the National Championships. 90cm Showjumping

Amber B, Rosie C, Harriet L and Lilly S won their class against some stiff competition, qualifying them for the National Championships. Amber finished second individually as well giving her an individual qualification at this height for the Nationals too. 1M Showjumping

Rosie C and her horse flew round the tough 1M course to earn an individual qualification for the Championships.

AMAZING RESULTS

Claudia B on Calippo

As a result of all of the team’s successes at qualifiers over the last year, they have gained sufficient points to qualify for an extra class at the Championships: The Mixed Heights Finals. This is very exciting for the team as it is the first time that they have qualified for this. It’s a real testimony to the team's success over the last year.

This Week

Bible Reading

A reading from St Paul’s Letter to the Romans

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Reflection

On the 1st November the Church celebrated All Saints Day and this was followed by All Soul’s Day on the 2nd November.These are two major feasts of the church and they invite us to be inspired by the Saints and to all those who have gone before us leading good and holy lives.And in looking at the saints we too should be inspired by their example.They remind us of who we are called to be.They show us the beauty of goodness, the beauty of God.

Prayer

Dear God,

thank you for the example of the Saints. I desire to join in their company, worshiping you forever in Heaven. Please help me follow their footsteps, and in yours.

Please help me to conform myself toYour image, seekingYour will in all things, as the Saints did. Amen.

“God speaks to us through His Saints.” Antonio Bacci

Christmas Shoebox Appeal 2025

Donate a shoebox gift for marginalised and needy families in Romania. Refer to leaflet section titled “How to pack your Christmas Gift SHOEBOX”

Drop-off in the chapel by Wednesday 12th November.

Calling All Budding Artists!

Would you love to see your artwork shining on the front cover of our Christmas Fair brochure?

This is your chance to get creative and spread some holiday cheer!

We welcome all styles of art, painting, drawing, photography, or digital designs. Prizes to be won!

There’s a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place cash prize, and every entry will be proudly published for all to enjoy! Send your masterpiece along with your name and entry form to fostchristmasfairbrochure@gmail.com

Let your imagination sparkle this Christmas!

Prep Clubs Autumn Term 2025

MORNING

MON School Council

TUE Years 5 & 6, Netball Club (7.50 - 8.20, Sp. H)

(12.45—13.15)

Years 5, Forest School

Years 6, Forest School

Orchestra, by invitation Grade 1+ standard)

Years 5 & 6, Prep GK Club (Astro)

Chaplaincy Team meeting

Years 5 & 6, Lego Club

Years 5 & 6, Netball Shooting Club

Years 5 & 6, Swim Squad (7:45 - 8.30)

WED

Years 5 & 6, Prayer Group (10.55 – 11.15)

Wind Group (10.5511:15)

THU Years 5 & 6, Hockey Club (7.50 - 8.20, Sp. H)

Years 5 & 6, Chess Club

Years 5 & 6, Recreational Netball

Schola Cantorum (by invitation)

Years 5 & 6, Football Club

String Group

Years 5 & 6, Running Club (Astro)

(16.15 – 17.00)