St Teresa's Prep Bulletin 21.11.25 by EffinghamSchoolsTrust

Dear Parents,

It has been an excellent week of Mathematical Awareness and fun - a huge thanks to Mrs Ridulfa for all the work she put in to planning and masterminding the week and the activities for the girls. She even went to the lengths of sending encouraging daily emails to staff with Maths related jokes, my personal favourite were:

The week ended with an excellent ‘escape-room-esque’ workshop run by the wonderful Subject Revolution CEO Martin McHugh.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend ahead, Gareth Tindall

After School Care, 24th November 2025

Please note that on Monday 24th November, the Senior Library will be in use and therefore unavailable for Prep After School Care collections.

When you arrive to collect your daughter, please go to the Senior School Reception, Mrs Johnson will radio through to Mrs Studholm and Mrs Stephens in the Prep School and your daughter will be brought to the Senior School Reception.

6RG Class Assembly

Parents of girls in 6RG are invited to join us for their class assembly On Wednesday 26th November 2025 At 8.30am in the Senior Library . Refreshments will be served in the Senior Library from 8.15am

Y5 Museum of Egyptology

Year 5 invite you to visit their 'Museum of Egyptology' on Wednesday 10th December in the Senior Library. The girls will be showcasing the projects they have chosen to research and will be keen to talk to visitors about their learning. Please come and join us to see some 'wonderful things!'

Pastoral Pause

Coming to the end of New Ways November, how are you doing?

This final week, share some of your own learning with a friend; use one of your strengths in a new or creative way and look for new ways to be hopeful!

I loved this image that came through from Random Acts of Kindness. What is it really that you CAN control…your attitude, your breathing, your choices, your doubts, your ego, your feelings (you can, you actually can and should control your feelings!), your gratitude, your happiness (it’s true – you control it), your imagination, your jealousy, your kindness, your love, your mind, your name (don’t accept any from others you don’t like or that are not true), your opinion, your pride, your quietness, your resilience, your strength, your trust, your uniqueness (and letting others feel it), your voice, your well-being, your eXcitement, your yearning, your zest!

God Bless You,

Gareth Tindall

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.

Wed

Wed 10th Dec Yr. 5 Museum of Egyptology 08:30 - 09:00

8th

12th

remember to check

If you have any questions please email prepinfo@st-teresas.com

Golden Book

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

5AB Ellie F for her well a Dead Body'.

Ivy H and Vivienne W each other. They used great collaboration to follow their instructions effectively.

Florence D for her descriptive writing using the 'show not tell' technique and challenging herself to use ISPACED sentence starters as well!

5HT Millie G and Ottilie H

bringing this process to life using the detailed instructions they had written in English.

Kitty N for her creativity when using ISPACED to add a variety of sentence starters to a given simple sentence.

6RG Thea B-H for her fantastic effort and organisation of her work, particularly her Maths work. problem solving showing her understanding clearly.

Ivy M for her super effort, shown particularly in her English and Topic work.

6MK Esther H for her incredibly informative fact file about Ernest Shackleton, showcasing outstanding research, clear presentation and a deep understanding of his life and expeditions.

Esme S and Thea S for their imaginative and skilfully crafted blackout poems, demonstrating creativity, originality and a thoughtful approach to language and design.

Drama Stars

Year 5: Hollie G for her well reasoned and passionate argument when discussing the questions to consider when archaeologists opened Tutankhamun's tomb.

Year 6: Eden-May O’K for reading with such expression and persevering when faced with some rather tricky vocabulary for our class assembly.

Scientist of the Week

Year 5: Leila A and Ava B for their excellent knowledge and participation in our new Space topic.

Year 6: Carys D and Sophia H for their engagement in the electricity topic so far and their excellent homemade electronic games.

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

Mummification:

During English and Topic, the girls in Year 5 have learnt about mummification. They used this new knowledge to write their own detailed instructions, but the real test came when we challenged them to use their own instructions to mummify each other. Lots of fun was had and we are pleased to say that after an initial rush to put the bandages straight on, the girls did then refer back to their instructions to carry out all the steps in this ancient process.

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.

Prayer Box

Prep School prayer group meet every Wednesday at morning break. The girls have been busy decorating the prayer box ready to receive any prayer requests for the friends and family of our community at St Teresa's. Please encourage your girls to post any prayers in here if they would like to and we will pray for those things each Wednesday. They can be anonymous and we would love to know about any answered prayers too!

Inspire Academy of Dance

We are excited to announce our upcoming Watching Week, taking place on Wednesday 3rd December

This is a wonderful opportunity for parents and carers to observe their child’s progress in dance classes and see them in a class environment.

For the last 15 minutes of each class, we propose that parents/carers are invited to come and watch. We expect parents may begin arriving around 20 minutes before the end of the class, and the class teacher can then welcome and monitor them as they come in approximately 15 minutes before the class finishes.

Please indicate that you are happy to take part by completing this short form, and let us know of any additional requirements or information that parents should be made aware of: https://forms.gle/UU5mM2zSQ3eLf13b6

Thank you for your continued support we’re really looking forward to sharing this special week with you and your dancers.

Snow Day!

What a delightful moment it was Wednesday when white, fluffy crystals precipitated from the heavens above –magical, slowly and silently drifting down. The moment of serene peaceful tranquillity was immediately dispelled by squeals of delight emanating from your daughters! The squeals intensified directly with the size and volume of snowflake too. It was fun while it lasted!

Maths Week

Monday saw the launch of Maths week, with this year's theme of 'Connection or Coincidence' being introduced in Assembly. Classes have been carrying out a range of exciting activities, including sardine stacking and cube nets in Year 6, party planning in Year 5 and everyone contributing to a world record attempt for Maths Week England. The sound of tapping has echoed down the corridor as the girls have enthusiastically played TTRS to take part in a school battle and whole country battle: 'England Rocks'. Competitions are still open until next week, so any more examples of 'extreme' Maths or patterns that can be spotted around us should be uploaded onto Teams or sent to Mrs Ridulfa. Here are a few photos so far, with more to follow next week.

YEAR 6 Remembrance

To commemorate the month of remembrance, the girls in Year 6, created some very poignant blackout poems. Using a completely unrelated text, in this case a passage from The Wind in the Willows, the girls chose words and phrases to be used in a poem symbolising war. The results of which were very impressive.

Music News

Orchestra

Musician of the Week

Year 6 Eloise B-S and Rosalind D for completing four note-reading worksheets in record time, with 100% accuracy – well done!

A small but perfectly formed orchestral rehearsal this week gave us the opportunity to really explore how the various instruments and parts worked together; trumpet and violin carrying the melody, with harmonies provided by the flute and clarinet, the descant on the violin and the bassline by the cello. Working without a conductor we had to watch one another and listen closely.

Did you know…?

Pythagoras discovered that musical intervals can be expressed as mathematical ratios which laid the groundwork for understanding musical scales and harmony.

Chamber Choir

Now the words are secure, we are starting to dive into the harmonies for our Christmas selections.

Year 5

To celebrate Maths Week, we began our lesson with a numerical vocal warm game featuring times tables, prime numbers and square numbers. In addition to rehearsing our Christmas songs, the girls reinforced their knowledge of note values through Note Value Maths Worksheets. In Ukulele groups we added G7 to our repertoire of chords and had fun with different strumming patterns.

Did you know…?

Music is based on sound waves, which can be described mathematically. The frequency of a sound wave determines its pitch, with specific frequencies corresponding to music notes.

Year 6

To mark Maths Week, I introduced Year 6 to Steve Reich’s Clapping Music, analysing the sequencing of the rhythmic pattern. Working in small groups, the girls created their own rhythmic patterns and experimented with different combinations and variations to generate interesting and varied performances, concluding with everyone clapping out their rhythm patterns together. Year 6 have also enjoyed some more challenging Note Values Maths Worksheets and preparing their performance numbers for the forthcoming events.

Did you know…?

Music is structured around rhythmic patterns, which can be analysed mathematically, and the organisation of which often involves mathematical concepts such as symmetry and sequencing.

Sport News

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: Thermal Liner Velocity Gloves

Hockey

Well done to Year 6 who all played in hockey matches on Tuesday afternoon. The A&Bs travelled to Danes Hill and the C&Ds played at home. It was a great afternoon of hockey, with some tough matches but some lovely play during the afternoon.

Netball

What a fantastic afternoon the U10s had at Notre Dame on Tuesday! It was cold but that didn’t stop them all from being enthusiastic and excited to play. Halstead St Andrews school were there too so the girls got to play two schools during one afternoon.

Gymnastics

The girls have been doing gymnastics in Year 5 PE. They have been working on different paired balances, travel movements and flight. Over the next few weeks the girls will be working in pairs, creating a routine. Here are some photos of the girls paired balances:

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 24th November)

Tuesday 25th November U11A-D Netball V Notre Dame (H) 2:30pm Saturday 29th November U11A Hockey Tournament @ Royal Russell

St Teresa's Effingham | Sports Home

You will be able to access fixtures for the day, alongside the Sports Calendar which can provide you with all the sports fixtures weeks and months in advance. If a team sheet has been published for a particular fixture, the blue ‘person’ symbol will be available to click on. Simply click on the blue symbol next to the fixture to access the team sheet.

SpringTerm Riding Lessons

We have the following availability for riding lessons in the Spring Term. If any of these time slots are of interest, we would be grateful if you could register your child as a 'Rider' on our Booking website (scan the QR code above). This will enable us to confirm that we have a suitable horse available for your child to ride. Once this has been done, please email us at equestrian@stteresas.com to enquire about the time you are interested in.

• Mondays 6.15pm and 6.45pm

• Wednesdays 4pm and 6.30pm

• Thursdays 6pm

• Fridays 4.30pm, 5pm and 6pm

NSEA News Surrey County Championships

The NSEA Showjumping team were at Felbridge Equestrian Centre on Sunday 9th November competing against other schools in Surrey for the title of Surrey County Champions. These titles require an outright win against the other teams or individuals. This then qualifies them for the Inter County Championships at Hickstead in May.

We had an excellent day and were crowned Surrey County Champions in the 80 cm teams, the 1M teams and the 1.10 M Individuals.

The 80cm team (Rosie C, Harriet L, Lilly S and Olivia S) rode superb rounds to win their Surrey County Champion title. In addition to the Surrey County Champion title, the 1M team (Claudia B, Rosie C, Antonia S and Antigone S) gained qualification for the Hickstead Elite 1M Championships in May.

In the 1.10 M, Antigone S won the class on her horse Billy Dion and gained the title of Surrey County Champion. She also came second on her other horse, Billy Kodak, and therefore also gained qualifications on both for the Hickstead Elite 1.10 M Championships in June.

Please join us in celebrating the NSEA Team’s incredible success.

Congratulations to Electra B who came third in the 60 cm class at the ‘British Showjumping Just for Schools’ Competition at Parwood Equestrian.

This Week

Bible Reading

A reading from the Gospel of Luke

At that time: Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.’

Reflection

There are many names and titles given to Jesus. Son of David, Son of Man, Bread of life. On Sunday we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. Jesus of course is King of Kings. But his kingdom is not of this world and Jesus is unlike any other King. Christ comes to bring salvation, He comes to those on the margins of society, to seek the lost. To restore all things. We too are encouraged this week to see things differently. To climb whatever tree we must climb in order to get a better look at Christ.

Prayer

Through Christ we are sons of God: in him we see what we shall be when we come to the Father. With confidence we pray:

– Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Guide leaders and governments: give them wisdom and integrity.

– Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. You are the Lord and source of our freedom: bring those in captivity of mind or body to the freedom of the children of God.

– Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen.

"Sanctify yourself and you will sanctify society." ~ St Francis of Assisi

FOST: Santa's Grotto

St Teresa's Christmas Fair Raffle 2025 | Eventgroove Fundraising Pre Sale Of Tokens For St Teresa’s Christmas Fair 2025 | Collctiv

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)