The Hub
Let me begin by showing you how The Hub was officially opened last Friday by Professor Lord Mair, former Head of Engineering at Cambridge University. The ingenious way in which the plaque was revealed was designed and constructed by Year 8 pupils, with a little help from Dr Hoyle.
Approximately 100 people came along to celebrate the opening of this new facility. Old Fidelians, staff, governors, the design team, contractors and supporters from local engineering institutions toured the new rooms and mingled over a glass of wine. It was the perfect opportunity for me to thank everyone who played a part in its construction, particularly our Bursar, Richard Brent.
I was also able to explain how The Hub is already enhancing the children’s education. The large ground floor indoor space links the Engineering, Science, Computing, Maths and Art and Design Departments. The Science Laboratories and Science Prep Room have been enlarged and refurbished. There is a spacious Project Deck on the first floor that links the Engineering Design Suite and the Art and Design Workshops, and on the top floor there is a glass-roofed room and outdoor terrace that will soon be used as an observatory.
As I said to our guests on Friday, The Hub has been planned to promote the cross pollination of ideas and skills across subjects and to help us develop young people with flexible and creative minds – so important for the future.
Awards
Since last week’s TES announcement that St Faith’s has been short-listed for ‘Prep School of the Year’, awards have been arriving like London buses (on a good day!)
Today, The Cricketer, the world’s best-selling cricket magazine, has published for the first time, a guide to the top junior and preparatory schools for cricket, and we are delighted that St Faith’s is included. As the Cricketer states, ‘All entries were judged against an extensive set of criteria, with all the chosen schools having outstanding facilities, fixture programmes and coaching’. Further details of the award can be read here.
Earlier this week, St Faith’s won a Silver award at the Free from Foods Awards 2018. St Faith’s was the only school to be short-listed and, as far as we know, the only Chartwells site to gain such an award. The judges took in to account the great work being done by our catering team on allergens specifically gluten free, as well as the overall quality of food in the School.
I can’t let the subject of awards pass without mentioning Mrs Bryan, one of our nurses who, this week, was awarded the very great honour of The Royal Humane Society Bronze Medal for Bravery for her actions on London Bridge during the terror attack in 2017. The ceremony, hosted by the High Sheriff of Greater London, was held at the Fishmonger’s Hall.
Year 1 Assembly
The Kapok tree was the focus of 1VH’s assembly on Wednesday morning, a well-acted and colourful presentation about the importance of looking after the environment. We heard from a snake, toucan, monkey, bee, tree frog, jaguar and porcupine, all who made valuable comments on the need to preserve their environment – the Amazon Rain Forest – and not cut down lots of the trees. The statement, ‘What we do today changes tomorrow’, struck a chord with Jane and me and, no doubt, many of the parents and staff who were there to see this excellent assembly.
Sport
Congratulations to the U12 hockey girls who were placed 3rd in the Eastern Region tournament. We wish them good luck on Tuesday when they travel to Hurstpierpoint for the National Finals.
Speaking of hockey, you may have heard that Old Fidelian, Tess Howard, scored her first goal for Great Britain this week, against Japan in the Champions Trophy. It was a nice surprise to hear in the BT commentary of the match and the post-match interview with Tess, that she attributes much of the hockey achievements to St Faith’s.
Finally….
As we all know, Santa is a busy man at this time of the year, so it was a privilege to welcome him to St Faith’s this afternoon and enjoy a mince pie together before he ventured across to the Ashburton Hall for the Christmas Fair. The Hall and Hub are jam packed with a range of external retailers, children’s games and activities, festive produce to whet the appetite and of course, Santa himself. My sincere thanks to Dan Thompson and Susana Monforte the two main organisers of the Fair, and the industrious group of SFPA Committee members who have worked so hard over the past few weeks to put this event together. Please do come along and join in the festivities, anytime from 3pm to 6pm.
With all good wishes,
Nigel Helliwell
