24th January 2020

Dear Parents,

Which two cultural celebrations only coincide every 76 years and are being celebrated this weekend? Many people will be marking the Chinese New Year which heralds the Year of the Rat, and also Burns Night which commemorates the Scottish bard and extols the qualities of the haggis. We heard a little about the former in assembly today and the latter from 5Aleph in this week’s form assembly, complete with accents and reeling! With POD this week sending their penpal letters to the Perse School Singapore and our children starting to learn the Marseillaise in hymn practice ahead of the Six Nations’ Rugby fixtures, we have been maximising our global perspectives! Whatever your children are involved with this weekend, I hope that they remember to show some gratitude. This was the subject of yesterday’s assembly as Mr Bown and his Year 4 Drama Club did a splendid job at re-enacting A Squash and a Squeeze! In this vein I would like to thank 5Alpha for their superb Form Concert this week and highlight 5A’s next Monday, in the drama studio. We also look forward to hearing how our general knowledge quiz team get on in the regional qualifiers.

Year 6 Parents’ Tea Party with Upper Staff – Monday 27th January 3.45pm – 4.45pm This informal event in S3 (the first classroom in the Science Block above the Dining Room) will give Year 6 parents another chance to meet some key pastoral staff from the Upper, including Miss Dani Creese (Head of Lower School). There will be a short presentation about transition to the Upper and about life in Year 7, with a chance afterwards for any general questions. In order to ease the traffic flow, may I ask that parents attending this event park at the playing fields rather than on the top playground. Parents may put their children into Late Stay, with no charge, whilst at this tea.

Year 5 French Trip Parents’ Information Evening – Thursday 30th January 7.30pm – 8.30pm A reminder that all Year 5 parents are invited to this event to explain more about the Year 5 trip to France at the end of term. Miss Stone will be running through the itinerary for the trip, showing clips of previous visits and answering any questions that you may have. We look forward to seeing many of you on this evening.

Artwork This week’s banners include Year 3’s ceramics, made by taking impressions from a leaf before shaping and glazing. They also feature some Year 4 coil pots, built up of individual clay coils on a base and then glazed.

Parents’ Evenings With mid-year assessments now completed for Years 4 & 5 in English and Maths, a reminder that results will be sent home by PersePost next Thursday. Shortly afterwards we hold the academic parents’ evenings: Year 5 on 3rd & 4th February, Year 4 on 10th & 11th February and Year 3 on 24th & 25th February. Please note that all of these will be held in the Hall, with set appointments to see your child’s English, Maths and Science teachers as well as opportunities to drop in to see the rest of your child’s teachers. The Year 6 Parents’ Evenings this term are with just the form teacher and take place on 9th and 10th March.

World Book Day – Friday 6th March I am sure that parents will appreciate some advance warning of our dress-up day for World Book Day at the start of March. This year there is a little more leeway for creative spirits, with the theme being ‘dress as your favourite book character’!

Sport Key events for the week ahead are:

Tuesday 28th: U10 C/D Netball v St Faith’s away at 3.00pm U10 A/B Netball v St Faith’s at home at 3.15pm Wednesday 29th: U11 A/B/C/D Netball v St Faith’s at home at 2.00pm

The evening light is now sufficient for football clubs to take place on the grass again. Please make sure your child has some boots in school as well as their shin pads (compulsory) on these days.

Chess Best wishes to the children representing the Prep this Saturday in the fourth round of the Cambridgeshire Chess League. If anyone else is interested in being involved tomorrow or in the fifth round (29th February) please do contact Nick Jackson (nick.jackson@chessforkids.co.uk). Chess events are held at St. Faith’s between 9.00am and 12.00pm on each of these Saturdays.

Certificates and Awards Congratulations to the following on their Trinity College London Awards: Siddhant Bhatnagar on his Grade 1 Classical Guitar with Distinction, Eloise Hardy on her Grade 2 Classical Guitar with Distinction, Harry Hutchinson on his Grade 2 Piano with Merit, Rose Hutchinson on her Grade 3 Piano with Merit, Alphons Vincent on her Initial Classical Guitar with Distinction; Lili Angus on her ABRSM Grade 5 Flute with Distinction; Sophia McDonald on her ABRSM Grade 3 Piano with Merit and being given a place in the U10 National Children’s Orchestra on the double bass; Maito Shiode on playing in a local concert to raise money for an orphanage in Northern Thailand; Tilly Anderson on her British Gymnastics Level 2 Proficiency Award; Maggie Kent on her British Gymnastics Level 8 Proficiency Award and Beau Martinez-McCune on his ESA Stage 5 Swimming Award. Congratulations to: Tilly Anderson, Charlotte Ball, Léon Corne, Jack Jarman, Husayn Jawaid, Ethan Liu, Bella Lloyd, Beau Martinez-McCune, Rhea Sethi, Nishtha Tiwary, Ethan Xu, Charlie Angus, Aurora Broodbank, Grace Butler, James Cheng, Zac Clark, Jack Collins, Kavin Gahlaut, Arthur Hirzel, Umar Ibrahim, Isabelle Mawby, Sophia McDonald, William Robson, Niovi Skordos, Bailey Wiseman, Alisha Agrawal, Alastair Artaman, Jasmine Christmas, Charles Cowley, Sam Fisher, Ioannis Fronimidis, Henry Howarth, Woody Jones, Florence Mather, Eliana McQuoid, Vera Ryten, Lily Scally, Rithik Sehgal, Karina Sharma, Maito Shiode, Amber Smith, Jack Tyte, Chrysalis Voultsou, Jasper Williams, Edward Devereux, Olivia Gohel, Ciaran Harrison and Christopher Smith on their Silver Housepoint Awards.

Yours sincerely

James Piper Head

We value endeavour, intellectual curiosity and scholarship, breadth and balance, one another and our environment.