Harvest Festival

On Tuesday, St Faith’s came together in a joyful celebration of Harvest. A special school service assembly brought our community together in appreciation of nature’s abundance and reflection and compassion for those in need.

The pupils listened attentively to the story poem Eric Says Thanks by Dai Hankey, in which Eric learns how many people he has to thank for his tasty morning toast. We also reflected on the words in Psalm 65, read by pupils. These reminded us of the provision of flowing rivers and fertile fields. Another highlight of the service was the performance of the Junior Voices choir, who sang ‘We’re So Thankful’, a song that gave thanks for seeds, sunshine, rain, and the bounty of the earth.

During the assembly several pupils, together with a member of staff, explained to us how their families were involved in the production and the distribution of food, whether as farmers, chefs, or founders of charities helping to distribute food to those in need. We were also joined by Major Chaundy from The Salvation Army in Cambridge. He thanked the children for their very warm welcome and for all the generous contributions of food given by their families. The Salvation Army undertakes crucial work in Cambridge and further afield with a range of initiatives for those in need. Following the assembly, all of the food items kindly donated by our families were distributed to vulnerable members of our local community.

Welcome to Early Years Presentation

On Monday evening parents of Reception children were invited to learn more about the Early Years curriculum. The Early Years staff spoke about the order in which the phonetic sounds are taught, along with the accompanying movements that help the children to learn those sounds. Practice at home, with parents joining in, was strongly encouraged! Our staff explained how the teaching of Maths is approached in a variety of imaginative ways, so that the children become increasingly firmly grounded in counting and number skills. Parents were also informed that cursive handwriting will be introduced next term. Details of the many useful online resources that are used in Reception were also shared and will be uploaded to My School Portal.

Art Club

Mrs Scott writes,
“In art club activity this week we decorated ornamental squashes with flowers and leaves – all of which were home grown. The pupils created some wonderful decorative pieces.” We hope you enjoy these photographs of the art our pupils have created. “

Girls’ Hockey

Mr Johnson writes,
“Our U13B Girls’ Hockey team took part in the County Cup this week, giving most of the girls their first taste of Tournament Hockey. It was a great experience in terms of development, with a view to really kick-starting their season and nurturing their team spirit with this opportunity to play in a tournament with a high standard of Hockey on display. The girls had a very enjoyable day.
Our U13A girls were also involved in a match – winning 2nd round of the ISHC Cup v St Edmund’s College and as a result, they move into the 3rd round v Lingfield, Surrey over the coming weeks. Over the next week the Girls’ U11 & U13 teams will both represent the school at the regional IAPS Tournaments.”

IAPS Football (Regional Rounds)

Mr Mageean writes,
“On Tuesday, 10 of our Year 6 boys represented St Faith’s in the IAPS U11 Football Regional Round. The event was wonderfully hosted by Bishop’s Stortford College with 20 teams attending from the London and East Anglian region. Our team performed magnificently in a tough qualifying pool, starting with a goalless match against Kings College Cambridge. This was soon followed with another very strong display with a 0-0 result against the hosts (who later went all the way through to the final and qualified for the National Finals that take place at Millfield next month). We then played one of the strongest looking teams in our pool, Chigwell School, and their coach was very complementary of our performance as we were unlucky not to win, finally losing out 1-0. The St Faith’s boys then found their stride with a 2-0 win against St Margaret’s, Bushey, to qualify in 3rd place for the Plate Knock-Out round. A dominant performance from our boys was on display as they were enjoying playing some super football; we narrowly lost out 1-0 to Langley Prep when they scored late in the game on a counter-attack. A wonderful day was enjoyed by all! A huge thank you to Mr Elwood for coaching the boys on the day, and to all the parents and grandparents who came along to cheer on our team.”

Mr Caven writes,
“On Monday, seven of our Year 8 pupils and two from Year 7 proudly represented St Faith’s at the IAPS Football Regional Round, hosted by Bishop’s Stortford. Under the warm autumn sun, our boys showcased tremendous skill, teamwork, and resilience throughout the tournament, only conceding 1 goal across 6 games.

Led by their captain, the team battled their way to the Plate Final, demonstrating outstanding sportsmanship and determination. After a tightly contested match that ended 0-0 in regular time, the result was decided by penalties, where our boys narrowly missed out.

Despite the final outcome, it was a fantastic day out, and every player should be incredibly proud of their performance and achievements. They represented the school with honour and spirit—well done, boys!”

And Finally…

Yesterday an ensemble of pupil musicians, accompanied by Mr Gorick and Miss Kennerley, travelled to Rugby School to take part in a Prep Schools’ String Day. Performing in a magnificent hall, complete with a generous stage and impressive pipe organ, the pupils came together to perform an ambitious and wide-ranging repertoire. You can find out more about the occasion via the article written by one of the pupils in this week’s side bar. Concluding with a rousing rendition of the Pirates of the Caribbean melody, our pupils signed off the occasion in exhilarating fashion.

I wish you all a happy and restful weekend.

With all best wishes,

Crispin Hyde-Dunn