ST. CHRISTOPHER’S SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
10th February 2017
Issue 42
From the Headmistress
This week, we welcomed Fr Michael Sharkey into school to lead our Ash Wednesday service and
help us prepare for Lent. Rather than go down the traditional route of giving something up for
Lent in preparation for Easter, we have decided to come together as a school and commit to 40
acts for 40 days. Every day, each Form will select a small act of kindness or thoughtfulness for
the day- the aim is to spend Lent generously and thoughtfully. If you are interested in more
information in this growing movement, there are all sorts of hints and ideas on their website
www.40acts.org.uk. Last week, we were honored to be visited by Azud Irshad who has recently
returned from rowing the Atlantic- the children were fascinated to hear about his adventure
and asked some amazingly insightful questions. The first of our Instrumental music concerts
take place next Thursday morning at 8.50am- all children who learn violin and woodwind will be
taking part- and we’d love to see as many parents as possible.
Wishing you all a lovely weekend.
An inspirational Journey
Azud Irshad, a former pupil of Mr Lewis, has completed the staggering accomplishment of rowing the
Atlantic Ocean, arriving on the 3rd February 2017, after 51 days 11 hours and 35 minutes at sea. For anyone
who would like more information on this incredible row, their website is http://freshatlantic.org.uk/
Ash Wednesday
Thank you to Father Michael
Sharkey for leading our Ash
Wednesday service and
introducing a lovely new song
to the children.
Prep 6 to Bygones
“On Friday Prep 6 went to Bygones. Bygones features what it would be like to live
in the Victorian era and the early 20th century. When we arrived, the girls put on
a white pinny and a white mop cap and the boys put on a waistcoat and a flat
cap. We all looked stupid! After that we were shown around a re-enactment of a
Victorian village. First we went to the Blacksmiths’ workshop and we were shown
how he made the horseshoes. Next we went to the clothes shop and the boys
wore bowler hats and the girls wore pretty bonnets. We also went to the post
office, bakery, toy shop and the grosers. After that we went to the World War
One trenches and we saw injured men, bomb shelters, gas masks for children and
adults. It was amazing. This trip was very good and I would like to go again”. By
Beatrix Morrell
Flipping Fantastic
Shrove Tuesday is always a fun day at St
Christopher’s, with the annual pancake races
bringing out everyone’s competivitve spirit. The
children race in their houses, running to their cone,
flipping their pancake before sprinting back.
Congratulations to St George, the clear winners this
year and earning 19 house points!
Quiz Club Championships
The Prep School Quiz Club regional heats took place
at school on Thursday and we welcomed 6 other
teams from local schools to join in the fun. The
teams were chosen following selection quizzes
during the week and our 2 St Christopher’s teams
acquitted themselves very well in a close and
challenging competition. Congratulations to
Sherwell Valley who were the eventual winners.
Prep Reception visit to Torquay Fire Station
Monday brought an exciting trip for Prep Reception to Torquay Fire Station. The Children were welcomed
by Rachel and Richard, who gave them a lovely talk. We learnt a rhyme; Matches, Lighters never touch,
they can hurt you very much. After that we had a tour around the Station, before climbing on board a fire
engine. We looked at all the equipment they used and Florence tried to dress up in their uniform, but it
was slightly too big! Many Thanks to Torquay Fire Station. Mrs Cleave
They have also mentioned that for anyone who would like some free
advice on fire alarms, please call 08000502999. Where necessary, a
free home fire safety will be offered.
Ballet Success!
Congratulations to Beth, Lottie and Indie-Rose who have successfully
completed their Pre-Primary in Dance exam. An examiner from
London came down and was very impressed with all the girls, who had
to learn 20 dances.
Faith Week
The children have had a fantastic ‘Other Faith Week’ learning about Buddhism. As well as learning about it
in R.S, they have made some lovely Lotus flowers in their Art lessons. During ICT they have been
researching and finding relevant images and cut and pasting them to a word document. Some of the
classes have taken part in a group meditation for children. It has been a very interesting couple of weeks
and the children have been enthused to learn about the beliefs of Buddhists. Mrs Cottell
A glimpse into some of our exciting lessons…
Prep 4 - Drama
Prep 4 in drama, honing their designing skills as they plan a holiday centre. They discuss and negotiate as
they take on different roles with a variety of opinions. Will the environmentalist, investor, holiday maker
and local be able to agree on the plans?!
Prep 3 - Maths
Prep 3 working on their estimating and accurate measuring in the playground.
Prep 1 - Science
The children in Prep 1 have been learning about
materials in science. We looked carefully at the
school building to identify the properties of the
materials used in its construction.
Sporting News…
Preps 5 & 6 sports afternoon with St Josephs
Last week we entertained St Joseph’s school from Launceston for lunch followed by a sports afternoon.
This began with a cross country run which was won by Etienne Nieuwoudt who was given a close race by
their leading female but our runners packed well together to see us as the winning team. We also had a 'B'
race which was won by one of our new students, Jem Nashed. The girls went on to play netball whilst the
boys played a mixture of football and rugby. The boys were placed into two evenly matched teams to play
the two teams from St Josephs at both the sports. On the football field, we won two matches, drew one
and lost one 1-0 whilst our strongest player went off injured. Mr Belham
In the Tag Rugby we rotated our players against the two St Joseph’s teams. All games were closely fought
and the overall result was a draw. Mr George
“On Wednesday, St Joseph’s came to play netball against us. First, we did a two or three lap cross country.
We had a squad of eleven and St Joseph’s had a squad of twenty. It was a tough game, but in the end St
Christopher’s’ won ten-two. Excellent play by Olivia, who scored six goals and Katrina for the great
defending.” By Scarlet Burden
U9 Girls Cross Country and Netball vs St Johns
The under 9 girls battled through tough weather conditions including hail to win an impressive 11-0 against
St. Johns. They were challenged by the weather and their opponents but with their team work and
shooting on form they came out with a solid victory. Miss Harris
U11 Boys Cross Country and Football vs Tower House
This week the Under 11 boys football team entertained Tower House school who traditionally perform well
at this activity. The game was played over four quarters with all Preps 5 and 6 boys getting an opportunity
to play some part in the match. It was also a chance to play people in different positions to see how they
performed. With some solid defending throughout we managed to win 3-2. The goals were all scored by
Eden Cresswell-Cluer. Prior to the match there was a cross country run where we had the first 3 boys and
top two girls home to comfortably win the team event. Mr Belham
U9 Boys Cross Country and Football vs St Johns
“At football, we were home and we had to play in Storm Doris. We were meant to start at 2pm but St
John’s got a puncture, so we started at 2:30pm. We started quite well, but they scored 5 minutes into the
game, on a corner. He stepped up to the corner point, he kicked it very hard, because it was windy, it
curled in the back of the net. We got angry, so a couple of minutes later I was running down the wing and
then, yes!! A GOAL!!! But then 15 minutes later we had a free kick Sacha was taking, he kicked it and then
yes!! A GOAL!! A couple of minutes later Joss took a throw and a St John’s boy scored, then we were
cheering and had won 3-1!!” By Theo Cresswell- Cluer
“Joss and Freddie were substituted first, then Joss, Charlie P and Charlie K where in defence. Theo and
Sacha where up front. William G was the goalie. Then Joseph went off because he was hurt. Freddie went
on. St John’s had a corner and scored a goal in the top corner. The score was 0-1 to St John’s. then Sacha
had a very hard free kick and he scored it. 1-1. St Christopher’s took the lead because Theo scored, the
score was 2-1 to St Christopher’s. At the end of the match Joss scored a throw by the other team’s own
goal. The end score was 3-1. St Christopher’s won by 2 goals.” By Joss Burden
U11 Girls Cross Country and Netball vs
Tower House and Abbey School
A strong performance by all girls in Preps
5 and 6 saw a comfortable 15-2 win
against Tower House. Particularly strong shooting from Scarlet
and a fine first effort at a Netball match by Tabitha were the
highlights of the afternoon. Mrs Kennington
Prep 6 Fencing
Preps five and six had been participating in fencing during their activity sessions learning the fundamentals
of attacking and defence before transferring those skills into a combat situation. At the end of those
sessions there was a tournament held and the winners who each received a gold medal in assembly were
Eden Cresswell-Cluer and Olivia Gardner-Jenkins. Mr Belham
U9s and U11s Boys and Girls Cross Country, Stover School
We took four teams of four over to the Stover Cross Country Championships with twelve schools
competing. It was a credit to all our runners that we finished 6 th overall. A special mention, however to
Sophie Scoot who was 9th in U9 girls, Charlie Philips and Sacha Edwards who were 9th and 11th in the U9
boys, Beatrix Morrell, 11th in the U11 girls and Etienne Nieuwoudt who was 6th in the U11 boys.
Mr George
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