Easter Assembly

In the first assembly of the summer term, we reflected on the festival of Easter, led by Reverend Coleman. We considered the importance of hope and light in our lives and reflected on the profound Christian Easter message of hope. The pupils listened to a Bible reading from the Gospel of St John, as well as appreciating the first movement of Giovanni Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater. This was sung by Mr Symons and Miss Howell, accompanied by The Purcell Group, providing a most fitting musical backdrop for our assembly.

News from the Music Department

Mr Gorick writes, “The Music Department was off to a prompt start on Wednesday morning with The Purcell Ensemble all in situ, ready to rehearse at 08:00! The first performance of the term showcased the incredible musical talent from within our school community.

As mentioned in the previous section, the Easter service began with a reflective and poignant moment, featuring a stunning rendition of the opening duet from Italian baroque composer Giovanni Pergolesi’s sublime Stabat Mater. The duet’s text, focusing on Mary at the foot of the cross, encouraged us to reflect on the significance of Easter with solemnity and thoughtfulness.

The performance is testament to the dedication and hard work of pupil members of our Music Department who kept their practice going over the holidays. It is rare indeed that we would produce a performance on the first day of term, highlighting the exceptional musical abilities of our students and staff, and setting a high standard for the rest of the term.”

Holiday Clubs

After the end of term in March, many of our pupils returned to St Faith’s to enjoy the variety of holiday clubs that ran during the Easter holiday. I am sure that many of you will have enjoyed the online photos of these activities. I am enormously grateful to the dedicated staff who offer these clubs, including a Multi-Activity Course, STEM Camp, Art and Craft Workshop, St Faith’s Cookery School and Little Wyverns. Later on in the holiday, it was the turn of the Trampolining and Bikeability Courses, with pupils clearly enjoying the opportunity to explore new skills.

We encourage and support members of the school community to cycle to school whenever possible, and in support of our sustainability initiatives we expect to offer Bikeability courses for children in Years 5-8 during the May half-term week.

Future Schools Meeting

On Wednesday evening, Year 5 parents attended a presentation in Ashburton Hall about planning for Future Schools. This is an important journey for all our families, and we aim to support every family in selecting and securing a place at the right senior school for their child. Many St Faith’s pupils stay within the Foundation at 13+ by moving to The Leys, but pupils from St Faith’s also join a wide range of other excellent local and national senior schools. As well as information about the process and the help we offer, there were also presentations from the Head of English, Ms Morris and the Head of Maths, Mrs Rainsford, about how best to support children in these core subjects as they prepare for future entrance exams.

Bentley Bear’s Easter Challenge

‘Bentley Bear’ traditionally goes home with a member of 5B to enjoy weekends and holidays. You will see from the photographs in the side bar that over the Easter holidays, Bentley Bear got involved in many adventures. You will also note that Bentley (and his carer) were able to put to use many of the digital skills learned during last term, such as inserting images and pictures, as well as the use of different text styles and transitions.

Pre Prep Open Morning

On Saturday morning we are looking forward to welcoming close to 40 prospective families to our Pre Prep Open Morning. The morning will include school tours by our Year 8 pupils and our young visitors will have the chance to collect stickers for each of their activities along the tour route. At the end there will be a ‘prize’ for completing the school trail. I am grateful to everyone who is involved in the Open Morning, and we look forward to sharing our school with our visitors.