Dear Parents,
As we end the Autumn term, I wanted to start by reflecting on what a successful and busy few months we have had. I would like to say thank you to all our teaching staff and support staff for everything they have done to provide so many fantastic opportunities for our children. The whole school have been able to experience some amazing theatre performances, challenged themselves and excelled during our celebration of Maths Week, gave some fantastic performances and contributed to some super successes on the football field.
These are only handful of what they are experiencing and achieving every day. I am incredibly proud of them all and looking forward to seeing what the Spring term brings.
I am very sorry to say goodbye today to two long-term members of staff who will be greatly missed by everyone at St Edward's, staff and pupils alike. Mr Hogg and Mrs Brockway have both been invaluable members of our team, supporting and caring for so many children and families through their roles. We wish them both the very best for their retirement and I hope you will join me in wishing them well at the Carol Service today.
A huge thank you to FREDs for organising the excellent Mince Pie Mixer event last Friday. We all very much appreciated the hot drinks and tasty treats in the cold weather and it was lovely to have the choir sing as well.
We also thoroughly enjoyed seeing so many of you supporting the choir at The Oracle on Tuesday. They sung so well and we were incredibly proud of the confidence they showed by singing in such a public setting. There were certainly plenty of people who stopped to enjoy the music and I am delighted to say that we raised £127.29 for the Make a Wish children's charity from our collection during the performance. We even had a visit from their team to see the children singing. You can see a few photo highlights below.
Finally, you should all have received your child's end-of-term report via Tapestry for Nursery and Reception and via email for Year 1 and above. Please do let me know if yours has not come through (jonathan.parsons@stedwardsprep.com).
Photo Highlights
St Edward's Prep Choir at The Oracle.
House Christmas lunch.
Calendar Reminders
The Spring Term calendar is now up-to-date on the website. Here are a few key dates for the start of term.
- Term starts: Wednesday 8 January, following two INSET days.
- Welcome Back Coffee: Join us for a coffee and catch up after drop-off on Wednesday 8 January.
- Swimming: For this half-term, Reception and Year 1 will continue their sessions on Tuesday and Years 2 and 3 will go on Wednesday.
- Fixtures: The first tag rugby fixture for Years 3 & 4 will be on Friday 10 January vs Upton House and for Years 5 & 6 on Wednesday 15 January vs Sherfield. Details will be updated on the website calendar.
- After-School Provision: After-School Care starts on the first day of term. Martial Arts Club starts on Friday 10 January and all other clubs from Monday 13 January. You can find the timetable on the website here.
- Celebration Assembly: The first Celebration Assembly of the term will be on Friday 17 January.
- Little Hatchlings Stay & Play: The first session will be on Thursday 16 January.
Spring After-School Provision and Buses - Book By Monday
Don't forget to book your Spring Term After-School Provision and bus requirements for children in Reception to Year 6. You can follow the links below to make your selection. We will be closing the forms on Monday to allow time to plan the bus routes and logistics for clubs.
For Nursery families, a separate link will be sent out on Monday for you to book your After-School Care sessions.
Nativity Performance
In case you missed it, here is the link to last week's Nativity performance. Only people with the link can view the video and we ask that if you do share it with friends and family, please ensure it is not posted on social media. Thank you and enjoy!
I hope you all have a peaceful and relaxing festive break. Wishing a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone who celebrates.
Best wishes,
Jonathan