The skies turned black on Tuesday afternoon but it didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of our pupils in the annual Pre Prep Sports Day. From sprints and obstacles courses to the perennial favourite, the egg and spoon race, the entire afternoon was pure joy. A large contingent of parents and grandparents cheered their offspring along, although the biggest cheer of the day came when Mrs North announced that the parents’ race was cancelled. The rain eventually arrived but not before the children’s events were over and the presentations had been made. We all dashed to Southfield for afternoon tea and enjoyed a hot drink and scone under our umbrellas. It felt like a proper British summer occasion! Thank you to our Year 8 volunteers who were on hand to support our Pre Prep staff as well as give a helping hand to those who needed it; several remarked to me how they clearly remembered and enjoyed their own Pre Prep Sports Day so many years ago. Many thanks also to Mrs Robson, Mrs Gaastra and of course to Mrs North who, once again, organised a highly efficient event which gave all pupils in the Pre Prep a chance to shine.
Current parents can view the full video and all photos on our vle
Mathieson Music School
On Monday, we had an insight in to Indian culture when Anup Kumar Biswas visited St Faith’s. An internationally acclaimed cellist, Anup founded The Mathieson Music Trust to further the vision of his mentor Reverend Theodore Mathieson. In our whole school assembly, Anup spoke about the Mathieson Music School in Kolkata and how many of their former pupils came from deprived backgrounds and went on to lead successful professional careers. During the day, our pupils were given the opportunity to play Indian musical instruments such as shell trumpets and leather hide drums as well as to try out Indian dance moves. Later in the day, Anup performed alongside our Senior String Orchestra, Junior Strings and Pre Prep Strings groups with parents joining in. This was followed by a curry fundraiser organised by Ms Overman. I am delighted to inform you that £626 was raised through the event which will be used to fund new buildings at the Mathieson Music School.
National Handwriting Champions
This week we heard that St Faith’s has won the 2019 SATIPS National Handwriting competition! Thanks to the quality of all entries from St Faith’s we were declared the overall winners and will receive the Nexus Shield in due course. A special mention should be given to Pippa who was placed 3rd in the Age 5 category, Ryan 3rd in the Age 10s, Roxana 1st in Age 12s and Annie and Lucy 1st and 2nd respectively in the Age 13s.
We also recently learnt that four pupils have been accredited in the Rotary Young Writers competition. Our congratulations to Mya who won the District Intermediate section and also to Charlie (2nd), Tanisha (3rd) and Archie (5th) in the Local Junior section.
Goblins at Scottow Enterprise Park
Today I had the pleasure of joining the Green Goblins for their first race of the 2019 season, at Scottow Enterprise Park, Norwich. Our three cars each sported a new and improved bodywork design. The Beano Basher’s bodywork is made of old Beano comics, the Polar Bear’s chassis has an intimidating pair of goggly eyes and the Milkyway Magic car is complete with LED lights that flash as it drives. After a 9am inspection of all participating cars, the racing got underway, with a drag race, slalom race and a full circuit race. Thanks to the great support of Mrs Oxborough, Mr Hasell, Mrs Price and Mr Brent our 23 Goblins from Years 5 and 6 were well prepared for all their challenges, worked enthusiastically in their teams and performed very well throughout the day. At the time of writing we are awaiting final results but I can happily report that we have all had a great day.
Year 6 Cambridgeshire Schools Maths Challenge
Yesterday afternoon, Ashburton Hall was abuzz with the sound of 108 young mathematicians from 26 local schools all taking part in a Year 6 mathematics challenge. Pupils worked in pairs on a number of activities under timed conditions and the results are now in. Both pairs in our top team finished equal third with our other two pairs finishing sixth and nineteenth. However when combining their scores to get the total for each school, the team of Henry W, Ash G, Archie N and Maya J-B finished third and the team of Hetty B, Amer A, George S and Matilda W were top. An excellent result which demonstrates the mathematical strength of our pupils, well done to them all.
Fizz at the Fitz
The annual SFPA Summer Party, Fizz at the Fitz, on Saturday 29th June, offers a wonderful opportunity to enjoy time with friends and make new acquaintances in a truly magnificent setting. Tickets are on sale until 14th June 2019 and can be booked here. We hope you can join us for this SFPA event at the historic Fitzwilliam Museum.
OF v Staff tennis
On Tuesday evening, Old Fidelians and staff convened on the School House tennis courts for an evening of good-humoured tennis. The weather was less than kind to those who took part, but a refreshing drink after the game seemed to revive everyone’s spirits.
learn about all our old fidelian events here
IAPS Swimming Finals
This weekend 12 pupils from Years 6 to 8 will be competing at the IAPS National Swimming Finals at the London Aquatics Centre. We wish them all the very best and trust they will enjoy the experience of competing in the Olympic pool.
And Finally…
Photos from the Year 8 performance of ‘Guys and Dolls’ are now available.
view Public Gallery All photos for current parents
Hawk-eyed readers of The Times may have noticed a subtle reference to St Faith’s by Christopher King, CEO of IAPS (Independent Association of Preparatory Schools) this week.
With all good wishes,
Nigel Helliwell
