Dear Parents,
We finish the week still buzzing with the success of our World Book Day celebrations yesterday! There was magic and excitement throughout the school as children shared their fantastic costumes and favourite books, took part in the parade, enjoyed Chef Linda's Wizard of Oz themed lunch, spent time reading together, listened to stories from parents and explored the library. This was the highlight of our English Week activities, organised by Mrs Willis, with the final celebration in this morning's assembly when children from every year group performed an amazing array of poems. Well done to those who took part so confidently.
Thank you to all of you who took on our challenge of creating eco-friendly costumes - there was some fantastic creativity on display and we had a hard time choosing the winning characters! Here is a photo of the final selection, with highlights from the day below and more to come on social media and the website.
I have to say a huge well done to three of our Year 6 pupils who took on the Primary Maths Challenge Bonus Round and achieved outstanding results. Afonso and Nico C each received an impressive Bronze Award, which in itself requires very high marks. A special mention must go to Salah for his Gold Award and an incredible score of 25 out of 25, a first at St Edward's in our long history of entering the challenge. Over 2,500 pupils from schools around the country received a medal, with just 264 being awarded Gold.
I was pleased to be able to join Year 5 on Wednesday for their railway trip, the start of their STEM project for this half term. They explored Reading and Didcot stations and gained lots of information and inspiration ready for the challenge of planning, designing and building their own model stations. They showed great focus and curiosity and I am looking forward to seeing what they create in the coming weeks!
This morning it was a pleasure to spend time with the families joining our Reception 2025 class at our second taster event of the year in preparation for the transition from Nursery. They enjoyed a fun session in the classroom getting stuck into activities linked to the Funnybones story, a creative way to start learning about how the human body works. Thank you to everyone who came and for welcoming in the new families who will be joining the St Edward's community in September.
Lastly, we can't forget Pancake Day on Tuesday and the lovely lunchtime treats the children enjoyed. What a busy and fun week we have all had!
Photo Highlights
World Book Day 2025!
Reception taster event for our September 2025 pupils and families:
Year 2 enjoying their STEM session on Wednesday, building and testing trebuchets as part of their learning about 1066 and castle life.
Year 5 STEM trip to Reading and Didcot stations:
Calendar Updates
Key dates coming up:
- Pangbourne Woods: Little Griffins on Monday 10 March
- Year 2 Sports Festival: Selected Year 2 pupils will travel to St Neot's School for a Sports Festival. Please see separate email for full details.
- Fixtures: Years 5 & 6 - Wednesday 12 March vs Rupert House (away), Years 3 & 4 - Friday 7 March vs Rupert House (home)
- Little Hatchlings Stay & Play: Thursday 13 March, 9.15-10.30am
- Celebration Assembly: Friday 14 March, 8.40am - all parents welcome in person or online via the Teams calendar invite.
Enter Our Art Competition
Mrs Wilson is delighted to announce a brand new art competition for the whole school to participate in. We have so many brilliant artists in our school and are excited for the opportunity to be able to showcase more work, especially in such a public setting. From May to July we have a display space at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, exclusively for St Edward's, and we would love to showcase a variety of artwork from all our year groups. Here are the guidelines:
- The theme of the display is 'Light'.
- Pieces must be no larger than A4.
- Submissions can be drawings, paintings or photographs.
- Please include the child's first name and age on the back (or in the email subject if submitting photography).
- Photographs should be sent directly to Mrs Wilson on diane.wilson@stedwardsprep.com.
- The deadline for entries is Friday 28 March.
Parking Request
Unfortunately, with traffic increasing and chilly mornings upon us, we are noticing some poor parking choices by our parents. Several parents have been parking on the double yellow lines at the top of Western Elms, blocking the exit from the nearby houses. We are also receiving complaints from residents of Connaught Road. They have provided photos of parents parking on double yellows and even mounting the curb as they drive up towards Tilehurst Road. In both instances, I have confirmed that the vehicles belong to our parents.
While we can understand the morning run or drop off can be difficult, I do sympathise with our neighbours. Please let's work together to support the local community and keep our roads safe by parking responsibly.
Easter Holiday Club - Booking Open
We are excited to share the booking links for our next Holiday Club sessions, taking place during the Easter break. There will be games, sports and crafts every day to encourage your child to get creative and stay active, including some egg-citing Easter themed activities! You can find the booking links and dates below - please note the Nursery ones are slightly different. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact the office or email holiday-club@stedwardsprep.com.
Nursery: Runs from Monday 7 April to Thursday 17 April for all of our Nursery families. Please choose the correct age for your child to ensure accurate payment.
Reception to Year 6: Runs from Thursday 3 April to Thursday 7 April.
Next week we are looking forward to more Maths fun, with Years 2 to 6 participating in a Wishford Schools times tables competition, as well as focusing on the vital topic of mental health for our Mental Health Awareness Week.
Enjoy another sunny weekend!
Best wishes,
Jonathan