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PREP DEPARTMENT
A full version of the fortnightly Newsletter can be accessed online by logging into the Parents Section of this website.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Sunday 13 May | Year 6 to France (all week) |
| Monday 14 May | Year 5 to Isle of Wight (all week) |
| Tuesday 22 May | Years 1 and 2 Museum of Childhood |
| Thursday 24 May | Clarins Event Bentalls Kingston 1:00pm to 8:30pm |
| Friday 25 May | LAMDA Exams — all day |
| Monday 28 May | Prep Exam week |
| Wednesday 30 May | London West Athletics at Eton |
| Thursday 31 May | Early Years’ Afternoon Tea 2:00pm to 3:00pm |
| Friday 1 June | Diamond Jubilee Lunch |
| - | HALF TERM |
The Siena Society
| Date | Speaker | Speaker | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday 10th May 2012 | Andrew Hanson |  |
Do we all perceive colour in the same way? Mr Andrew Hanson from the National Physical Laboratory, will give a dynamic and interactive presentation which should shed some 'light' on this intriguing question. |
| Thursday 14th June 2012 | Giulia Bonciani |  |
Giulia Bonciani from the Imperial College—Cell and Molecular Biologist. Anyone considering a Biology degree should be attending this lecture, which promises to give us insight into the life and work of a modern day Biologist. |
| Tuesday 26th June 2012 Doors open 6:30pm for refreshments - talk starts at 7:00pm. |
. |  |
Six groups of selected St Catherine's students will present their Olympic projects. |
Download Flyer for the Summer Schedule of Events
St Catherine's School -
Summer Concert
Wednesday 27th June 2012
Doors open at 6:30pm for refreshments
Concert starts at 7:00pm
More details ...
St Catherine’s School Celebrates Completion of Building Programme
The five-year multi-million pound programme to develop and renovate St Catherine’s School, Cross Deep, Twickenham concluded on Monday, 30th April, with a poignant blessing ceremony of the Lawn Building by Bishop John Sherrington, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Westminster.
Last year St Catherine’s opened a new Sixth Form centre, along with a new library, fitness suite and drama studio. On Monday Bishop Sherrington blessed the redesigned ‘Lawn Building’ which now houses a light and airy kitchen and dining room that provides fresh, healthy lunches cooked on the premises for all the girls and staff. On the first floor are new classrooms equipped with the latest IT technology.
As the Auxiliary Bishop in Westminster with special responsibility for education, Bishop Sherrington, said: “I was delighted to celebrate a Mass of thanksgiving and opening the Lawn building, in St Catherine’s school, Twickenham. The new classrooms for Religious Education and the new dining room are a wonderful edition to the school; I thank Sister Paula and her staff for their warm hospitality and the girls, especially the choir, for an inspiring Mass in honour of St Catherine’s.”
“This was an auspicious day for St. Catherine’s. We are delighted with our amazing new facilities and it was a joy to celebrate it as a school community together with so many people who have helped to make it all possible. It was a privilege to have Bishop John Sherrington here, together with priests from the surrounding parishes. The blessing and Mass were a perfect way to mark such a momentous day for the school.” Sister Paula Thomas, Headmistress.
After Mass pupils were given a small treat and, at lunchtime, cakes with an image Catherine of Siena were served.
Prep 6 Jubilee Cookery
Prep 6 enjoyed the Gingerbread challenge during the Autumn Term so much that we thought we would give the Cover recipe for the June Magazine a go.
Mrs J Saddler
Head of Food Technology
RICHMOND FESTIVAL SUCCESS!
Well done to the Speech and Drama pupils who recently took to the stage at The Richmond Festival for Performing Arts. The festival provides a wonderful chance to perform in front of an audience, each girl speaking clearly and expressively, gaining high marks and impressive comments from the adjudicator! The SILVER MEDAL for Year 6 Verse Speaking was won by MIRANDA HODGSON and the BRONZE MEDAL was won by ZARA HILL
Well done to everyone who participated in the competition with such enthusiasm!
Miss Borge
Speech and Drama Teacher
What If?
Miss Hodgson assumes I am listening to her talking about maths angles,
But instead I am in a more exciting place,
On stage, at Madison Square Garden in NY.
I am Michael Jackson!!
I am performing there, everyone one of his amazing songs.
Until...
“Eleanor!! Have you heard a word I have said?” Miss Hodgson cuts into the fun
“Uh yes... “And I waited until she turned away and I broke back into my dreams.
Now I had landed upon my cousin’s boat in Sydney, I jumped off the boat into the warm, crystal blue water, and then my journey starts.
I transformed into a piece of seaweed which gave me the ability to float across the sea for what felt like days, weeks to see all the mythical creatures I had in my head.
One time I was caught in the sea by the gigglers (a type of whale and clown fish) they had captured me and I was seconds away from being swallowed…
“Seriously Eleanor! How many degrees in a right angle?” Miss Hodgson fired at me,
(In my head I was thinking) “Great!” all I need now is a maths question when I am about to be eaten!
I thought I would answer it but I was zoomed back into my dream.
About one minute later I was eaten
I yelled out, “OH NO!”
Back into reality, my face was red. I was highly embarrassed!
Miss Hodgson knew I was dreaming, the dream was over, I had been caught….
Again!
Eleanor Thornton - Pupil (Year 6)
Come and Pamper Yourself…
Join us on May 24th 2012
.... Generously supporting St Catherine’s Borneo Funds
Book now – limited places per session
ONLY £20 per ticket
Session Times:
11.00am-Noon (Morning Coffee)
Noon-3.00pm (Personal Session)
3.00-4.30pm (Personal Session)
6.30-8.30pm (Personal Session)
Location:
Bentalls Centre, Clarins Counter,
Ground Floor.
Year 3 Assembly - Ancient Greece
Last Thursday morning Year 3 entertained the Prep children and their parents with an assembly about the Ancient Greeks. The girls looked fantastic in their costumes which they were able to wear all day as it was so warm and sunny. Each girl performed several parts in the mini plays, learning their lines by heart and delivering them clearly and with engaging expression. The audience was taken on a whistle stop tour of all things Greek from the food to the scholars and the Fables.
Four songs were sung with gusto and the girls had also learnt a Greek dance which they performed beautifully. We continued the Greek theme during the day, incorporating chariot racing and sprinting in PE.
In the afternoon, the girls enjoyed their Greek food taster session with many children discovering how enjoyable dates, figs, olives and feta cheese can be! All in all, it was a wonderful experience for the girls and many happy memories were created that day.
Mrs D Garrett
Year 3 Teacher
CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to Poppy Chan-Paxton (Year 3) who was awarded two trophies in the Ichiban Karate 2012 tournament on Saturday.
Well done, Poppy.
SPRING CONCERT
The Spring Concert at St. Catherine’s was packed with amazing music representing the skills spread across the whole school. The Prep Choir, directed by Mrs Thresh, enthusiastically opened the concert with Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel followed by a Bantu lullaby. They sang beautifully, and clearly; their hard work paid off. The Clarinet Ensemble made its debut with the James Bond theme arranged by Mrs Summerbell, their teacher. Besides being played with panache, they added actions and made it especially fun to watch! There were a number of brave and accomplished soloists through the course of the evening on clarinet, flute, piano and cello.
Everyone worked hard and had a good time. It is also the commitment from parents which makes such a lovely evening possible; if it were not for all of your picking up and dropping off and encouragement, the children would not put on such a lovely programme. That work shows too, and is heartily appreciated.
Mrs Casper
Head of Music
Pi day
14th March 2012
Year 6 had a very productive double Maths lesson on 14th March, 2012 - PI DAY!
The task was to investigate the link between radius, diameter and circumference. The girls had brought in a range of objects for measuring, from bicycles to scooters and chopped tomatoes to glue sticks. Some girls discovered really quickly that the circumference was about three times the diameter.
The final part of the lesson involved looking at slides showing 
worked out to one hundred, one thousand ……………………..etc
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The overall aim of the department is to develop mathematical knowledge and understanding in a way that encourages confidence and to ensure that all girls achieve their potential irrespective of ability. We strive to support those who lack confidence in Maths and to challenge and stimulate the most able.
Maths has a vital place in the curriculum of St Catherine's School. It is taken by all pupils up to Year 11 and is proving to be a popular subject at A level.
Junior Swimming Squad - Congratulations
Congratulations to the Junior Swimming Squad who all swam at the Borough Gala on Wednesday 21st March.
A fantastic team effort secured 4th place for St Catherine’s in the Independent Schools final.
- 1st Newland House
- 2nd Kew College
- 3rd Lady Eleanor Holles
- 4th St Catherine’s
A special congratulation to Roisin Nelgian-Ayling (Year 6), who was placed 5th in the entire Borough for freestyle. Well done, Roisin.
(Back row, left to right) Ella Clein, Jennifer
Cosgrove, Ellie Burdis, Liberty Scutcher, Zara Hill, Miranda Hodgson, Roisin Neligan-Ayling, Rosie Henderson, (front row, left to right) Tess O’Donnell, Phoebe Thornett.
Hockey News - 22nd March 2012
Well done to our elite Hockey Squad who played Radnor House on Thursday 22 March. After some very exciting attacking play St Catherine’s won 5.0. Player of the match was Zara Hill (Year 6) who managed to score all the goals.
Well done, Zara.
Prep Mothers Day Assembly
Mother’s Day celebrations began in a wonderful way with our Whole School assembly.
The girls sang beautifully and recited the words of their poetry and plays perfectly.
They really did show how much they love their mums.
Mrs Ann Marie Stewart
Head of Prep
Ash Wednesday Mass
The school marked the beginning of Lent with Mass on Ash Wednesday (22nd February) celebrated by Fr Ulick. We were delighted to welcome many parishioners from St James' as well as parents and some pupils from Radnor House School to this service where ashes were blessed and distributed. A special word of thanks to all the readers as well as our cantor, who were all excellent.
Miss M Ryan
Scooter Training: Thursday 23 February 2012
Recently as part of the Richmond Borough Road Safety Scheme, Years 1 and 2 participated in scooter training. Each girl brought a scooter to school and took part in a variety of exercises about how to safely ride her scooter. As many of the girls travel to school on their scooters, a strong focus of the training was how to stop your scooter in an ‘emergency’ as well as suitable ways to walk or travel with your scooter through a variety of games and exercises. The girls thoroughly enjoyed this practical scooter training and are now ensuring they practise the correct way to ride their scooters to and from school.
Harrodian Gala
Congratulations to all girls in Years 4, 5 and 6 who took part in the gala against Harrodian and swam exceptionally well. St Catherine’s won the gala with a massive 113 points, Harrodian lost with 69 points. The swimmer of the night was Jada Conteh (Year 4).
‘Awesome swimming Years 4,5 and 6. Well done, everyone!’
by Georgia Neale - St Mary’s Student
Congratulations also to the entire Junior Swimming Squad, who performed exceptionally well at Richmond on Thursday 1 March. Some outstanding results were achieved especially by our 6x1 squad who managed to reach the final swimming against all the boys and LEH girls. Well done, everyone. See you at the finals in two weeks time! A special congratulations also to Maia Harris and Saffia Malik in Year 3 on gaining their white cap in swimming!
Mrs S Ward
PE and Swimming Teacher
Year 5 travels back to Tudor Times
Thursday 8 March Henry VIII celebrated his sixth marriage to Catherine Parr in the Small Hall. Year 5 re-enacted the marriages of Henry and his six wives for their class assembly. The children enjoyed dressing up as Tudors, acting and dancing. Afterwards, parents were invited into the ‘Royal Library to look at their children’s topic work and models they had made of Tudor buildings.
‘I found it hard to reason with the king; he is very stubborn’,
Cardinal Wolsey (Mairead Cole).
‘The king was so kind to me’, Jane Seymour (Georgia Fitzgerald-Monk).
‘This is my final marriage’, Henry VIII (Athena Kent-Egan).
Mrs C O’Neill
Year 5 Teacher
YEAR 3 and YEAR 4 TRIP TO THE BRITISH MUSEUM
The Year 3 girls had a very successful trip to the British Museum last Friday. They looked carefully at the fascinating Egyptian galleries, recognised some of the lettering inscribed on the tombs and completed several focussed tasks using the artefacts on display. The girls enjoyed seeing the variety of objects the ancient Egyptians buried with them including mummified pets, hunting birds and a full compliment of servants to care for the dead in the afterlife. This first hand knowledge will be very helpful as we continue to study the Egyptians.
Mrs D Garrett
Year 3 Teacher
YEAR 5 SCIENCE
This term in Science, Year 5 have been working on a topic based on Keeping Healthy. They have had the opportunity to experience working in the Science lab using a range of equipment including bunsen burners.
They have planned their own investigations, carried out food tests and even dissected pigs’ hearts. They have really enjoyed the experience and are looking forward to further lessons in September.
Mrs C O’Neill
Year 5 Teacher
Year 6 ART and DT
In Art and DT Year 6 girls were asked to design and make a hat for a book character. The girls chose a range of characters including the Sorting Hat, Puss in Boots, The Snow Queen, Jasmine, Cleopatra and a Native Indian American head-dress. The girls worked hard and were pleased with the finished articles!
Year 4
Last Friday Year 4 girls thoroughly enjoyed their trip to The British Museum. Year 4 visited three galleries to support their History topics on Celts, Romans and Saxons. They were particularly impressed by the skills demonstrated by Celtic Jewellery makers and Roman mosaic artists. The girls were also amazed to see that some Roman window glass had managed to survive until present day in pretty good condition. It was also great to see the actual artefacts from the Sutton Hoo Burial site, which we have studied in class, on display. On a more topical note Year 4 were very interested to see examples of the gold medal designs for the 2012 Olympics and read about how much metal is required to produce the thousands of medals needed !
Mrs Paula Henderson
Year 4 Teacher
World Book Day
The School playground was empty of St. Catherine’s pupils and was taken over by a colourful cast of characters from the world of children’s literature. Harry Potters crying, “Expeliamus”, White Rabbits late for a very important date, princesses pirouetting beautifully in their gowns, a Mad Hatter, Heidi enjoying being in a capital city - plenty of imagination and creative talent on show.
Ash Wednesday Mass
The school marked the beginning of Lent with Mass on Ash Wednesday (22nd February) celebrated by Fr Ulick. We were delighted to welcome many parishioners from St James' as well as parents and some pupils from Radnor House School to this service where ashes were blessed and distributed. A special word of thanks to all the readers as well as our cantor, who were all excellent.
Miss M Ryan
Remember Radnor Appeal
St Catherine’s School chose the Remember Radnor campaign to benefit from its staff Christmas raffle, which raised £210.50, to support this very worthy cause.
We have been attending the Remembrance Service in Radnor Gardens for many years, and were sad to see that the war memorial had been damaged by metal thieves. So many men and women gave their lives in order to give us the freedom that we are so lucky to experience today. It is such a shame that a few thoughtless people could show such a lack of respect for their memory. We, therefore, wanted to contribute in our own small way towards the costs of repairing the memorial. It is our way of saying thank you - we, as a school, will always remember you.
Sister Paula Thomas
Headmistress
Drawing by Amala Farmer (Year 1) of the portrait showing Queen Henrietta Maria wearing a jewelled dress with lace collar.
“What a week it has BEEN!”
Our busy week began on Monday with the long awaited arrival of Kit Wright, the celebrated poet.
The girls were enthralled by his poetry and enjoyed listening to him recite his favourite poems. What a great start to the week! On Tuesday the Nursery and Reception girls were put through their paces by the Road Safety Officer and are well on the way to becoming responsible pedestrians. Meanwhile Year 1 and Year 2 had an absorbing day at the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery.
SKIPATHON UPDATE
The final total raised for the Skipathon comes to a staggering £1,303.
This is a fantastic amount and I am most grateful to you for your generosity.
We look forward to welcoming Dr. Burgess into school and presenting her with a cheque.
Mrs Ann Marie Stewart
Head of Prep
Year 4 Visit to Twickenham Museum
Year 4 girls enjoyed a walk down to the Museum on the morning of Tuesday 7 February. A talk by Sue Young and examination of some Saxon artefacts gave them a deeper understanding of the reason for people settling in Twickenham by the river. Walking back by the river gave the girls clues about how goods could be transferred over to Eel Pie Island and helped them realise the reasons for ‘settling this side of the river’ and ‘over the river’. The girls will explain more about this issue in their class assembly next month.
Mrs H Mercer
Year 4 Teacher
The Swan
by Ella Clein - Year 6
The bird of beauty,
Flowing through the dark of night,
The radiance of the moon shining bright,
Feathers as soft as clouds, as white as a new tooth,
I know that you think this bird is heaven but the memories he’s got are best forgotten,
It all started in a field of cattle but then the Germans came and it became a field of battle,
Bang, bang, bang,
All around,
Bang, bang, bang,
And the loving bird’s heart taking a plunge in the pool of hate,
His eyes seeing death its self,
Six years the bells, the bells of peace rang out,
And after a long time the bird saw light again,
So respect this bird, this bird of night,
The bird of wonderful flight,
The Swan
Mrs O’Donnell’s Everest Base Camp Presentation - Friday 20 January
Last Friday Mrs O’Donnell returned to tell us all about her trek to Everest Base Camp. We were treated to a feast of fabulous photography. We were enthralled as Mrs O’Donnell told us about how people live there.
At the summit of Kala Pathar....
Swimming Success for St Catherine’s Senior Swimmers
On Thursday 19th January the Year 7 and 8, A + B Swimming Squads travelled to Gurnell Pool in Ealing to compete in a Gala against St Benedict ’s School. With the exception of one disqualification, the St Catherine’s Swimmers won ALL of their individual and relay races. The final score was 25 points to St Benedict’s and 47 to St Catherine’s.
Well done to all swimmers on a very well deserved win!
The team were:
Nicola Hanlon, Charlotte Wells, Charlie Mitchell, Matilda Harper, Lydia Rodford, Hannah Callaghan, Isabella Mills, Rebecca Holt, Eleanor Attridge, Gracie Mackie, Emily Heyworth-Taylor, Jessica Kirkham, Emily Currey, Francesca Turner and Scarlett Wright.
Mrs Edwards
PE Teacher
Mrs O’Donnell’s Everest Base Camp Presentation
Friday 20 January
Last Friday the Prep Department was treated to a feast of fabulous photography. Mrs O’Donnell returned to tell us all about her trek to Everest Base Camp.
Photos to follow:
Year 5 - Westminster Cathedral's Catholic Children's Society's Carol Service
On 6 December, Year 5 travelled to Westminster Cathedral to join students from other Catholic Primary schools across the Diocese for the Catholic Children’s Society’s Carol Service.
The service was led by Bishop Alan Hopes and involved children in the re-telling of the Christmas story. Year 5 helped to lead the singing and had a good view of everything that was going on from their places at the front of the Cathedral.
The girls thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and I leave the last comments to them:
“Miss Ryan introduced the first carol and it sounded wonderful in the vast space…” (EllenTullett)
“The Carols were lovely and everybody was joining in singing their praise to God.” (Georgia Small)
“…the best part of the nativity was when a real donkey came up the aisle.” (Hope Warwick-Wilson)
“I especially loved the donkey, I thought he was very cute and well - behaved” (Lara Wright)
“I felt very lucky and privileged to be part of such an important event.” (Athena Kent-Egan)
Miss M Ryan - Head of RE
YEAR 6 & the GINGERBREAD VILLAGE!
Year 6 has experienced a tremendously exciting Food Technology Christmas project – making a village full of gingerbread houses!
YEAR 3
WALK TO TWICKENHAM HIGH STREET
The Year 3 girls nwere a credit to St Catherine’s during their recent field trip to Twickenham High Street. There were smiles from other pedestrians who watched them eagerly discussing the merits of different shops.
The detailed tally sheet that was completed will now be used for further work on data handling. Overall, the girls decided there were far too many estate agents but plenty of places to buy coffee. The trip was rounded off very pleasantly by Mrs Zartner’s secret mission to buy shortbread men for all the girls. It is good to know the basics are still available locally!
Mrs D Garrett
Year 3 Teacher
CLARINET CONCERT
On a dark November evening I was treated to a feast of music by the pupils of St. Catherine’s. I had been invited by Mo Awe and Zara Hill in Year 6 to attend the musical soiree organised by Miss Summerbell, Clarinet Teacher. Mo and Zara had promised me an evening of talent and diversity and I was not disappointed. Both girls played solo items on the clarinet and then a fantastic duet followed by a James Bond tune which also featured Miss Summerbell. Other, equally talented St. Catherine’s Senior pupils, showcased their musical ability with a very diverse programme. The evening also featured pupils from other schools making a heady mix of clarinet and piano recitals. This was most definitely an evening designed to lift the winter blues and I look forward to the next one.
Mrs Ann Marie Stewart
Head of Prep
LOOK INTO MY EYES...
When Heather Rees spotted the library’s copy of ‘Ruby Redfort: Look into my eyes’, she told me how she had been inspired to write to the author, Lauren Child, to tell her how much she had enjoyed the book. ‘Look into my eyes’ is a story of a 13-year old girl recruited as a code-breaker for a secret agency. In her position, what would you do? Panic? Tell all your friends? Keep it zipped? The book can be found in the fiction section of the Senior Library at reference CHI.
“It’s a Baby!” - The Nativity
Friday December 9th 2011
Early Years and Key Stage One worked hard on the performance of the nativity play for parents, “It’s a Baby”. They knocked on the door, warmed their toes, but most of all shone like stars for the last couple of weeks.
The girls have learned their lines, their actions and when to come on and off the stage at the right time! They have all been brilliant and we are really pleased with how hard they have worked and how well they have done. A really big thank you to all those adults involved in the Nativity!
Mrs Oakley - Year 2 Teacher
THE LAWN BUILDING IS OPEN!
As you will no doubt have heard, the Lawn building is in use at last. We are now eating in the dining room and enjoying a wider choice of food.
We also have two new classrooms (RE), a Tutorial room and a new staff room in the building.
Christmas Lunch
On Wednesday 14 December our pupils enjoyed their first Christmas lunch in the new Dining Room.
London Borough of Richmond Safe Walking Training Scheme
A few weeks ago the Year 3 children took part in the Richmond Safe Walking training scheme. The girls wore florescent yellow jackets and worked in teams of three with an instructor to train them. The road side training encourages children to think about the dangers of traffic and to understand the potential hazards. The girls learnt to plan safe routes that make use of crossing facilities. Last week in assembly the girls all proudly received a blue enamel badge marking their successful completion of the course.
Mrs D Garrett
Year 3 Teacher
Skipping Fundraising in support of Promise Nepal Charity
Hop, skip, double dutch, cross skip, side skip - all in a day’s work for the girls in St Catherine’s. The Skipping workshop on Friday 25 November was tremendous fun and excellent preparation for our fundraising skip next term. The girls were extremely proficient as the demonstration at the end of the day showed. Next term, Mrs O’Donnell will be sharing her incredible experiences while on the trek to Everest Base Camp and then...our Skipathon! I am sure that the girls will be in training over the Christmas holidays.
I would like to thank you all most sincerely for all the support you have given us this term.
On behalf of all my colleagues I wish you all a happy , joyful and peaceful Christmas.
Mrs Ann Marie Stewart - Head of Prep
CLARINET CONCERT
On a dark November evening I was treated to a feast of music by the pupils of St. Catherine’s. I had been invited by Mo Awe and Zara Hill in Year 6 to attend the musical soiree organised by Miss Summerbell, Clarinet Teacher. Mo and Zara had promised me an evening of talent and diversity and I was not disappointed. Both girls played solo items on the clarinet and then a fantastic duet followed by a James Bond tune which also featured Miss Summerbell. Other, equally talented St. Catherine’s Senior pupils, showcased their musical ability with a very diverse programme. The evening also featured pupils from other schools making a heady mix of clarinet and piano recitals. This was most definitely an evening designed to lift the winter blues and I look forward to the next one.
Mrs Ann Marie Stewart
Head of Prep
ISA London West Regional Swimming Championships
The ISA London West Regional Swimming Championships took place (early!) on Thursday 3rd November. A small group of St Catherine's Prep and Senior pupils took time out during their half term break to travel to the Aldershot Garrison Pool to represent the school at this event.
All of the girls swam well and must be congratulated for their efforts. Lydia Rodford (Yr 8) won her individual 50m front crawl race, and as a result she has been selected to represent the school and the London West Region at the National Championships on 19th November.
Further congratulations must be offered to the Prep relay team (Eloise Jones, Liberty Scutcher, Zara Hill and Miranda Hodgson) who won their relay race.
Well done to the Senior relay team (Francesca Turner, Jess Kirkham, Matilda Harper and Lydia Rodford) who came a’ very close second’ in their relay race.
Due to their strong individual swims Amelia Mackie, Eleanor Attridge and Roisin Neligan-Ayling have also been selected to compete in their age group relays at the National Event; whilst Gracie Mackie and Matilda Harper are reserves. Well done to all of the swimmers, and great support from parents on the day.
Ms Chantal Goldburn
CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulation to Amelia Mackie (Year 4) who was awarded a Highly Commended Certificate in a Royal Mail letter writing competition.
In the countdown to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the girls in Year 4 were asked to write about what the Olympics mean to them, a wide ranging topic, in which they could write to their favourite Olympian, past, present or future, real or imaginary. Amelia wrote to Ian Thorpe or “Thorpedo” as he is known, who is a World Champion swimmer. The judges were impressed by the originality and creativity of the girls’ work. Amelia also received a goody bag and a postal order. Well done, Amelia.
Remembrance Service
The Senior girls and Years 5 and 6 went to the war memorial in Radnor Gardens for a service of remembrance held jointly with Radnor House School today.
A wreath was laid on behalf of the school by two Prep girls, Roisin Neligan-Ayling and Miranda Hodgson, and the Head Girl, Megan Wheating, read a poem.
A two minute silence was observed at 11.00am.
Autumn Concert - A Great Success!
20th October
The Autumn Concert on 20th October was a real success. A most appreciative audience of parents, teachers and governors was treated to an evening of music that ranged in era from the 1600s to today. The St. Catherine’s Singers performed The Seal Lullaby by Rudyard Kipling set to luscious music by Eric Whitacre, as well as sending us off at the end with a lively arrangement of the ‘The Beatles’ Penny Lane. The Chamber Choir performed a popular praise piece called You Raise Me Up, and after the interval, were suited up in white gloves to do the signing (and, of course, the singing) of a beautiful song by Bob Chilcott called Can You Hear Me? which was received warmly. The Gospel Choir worked in some Sforzandos to raise the roof a little with Great is the Lord. The Orchestra played Renaissance Dances and Themes from Harry Potter.
It is a bit of a challenge to put something of this magnitude on in just six weeks, but Mrs Casper was determined and the girls were hard workers. The Choirs and the Orchestra performed with panache and enthusiasm. In addition to the ensembles, many girls performed solos or duets of every style imaginable.
From the great wealth of St. Catherine’s girls came singing, guitar-playing, a clarinet duo, and an oboe extravaganza expertly accompanied by Mrs Garty. We heard original compositions as well, which were very impressive and well received. Several of our visiting music teachers were there to hear the girls they teach privately perform and to cheer them on.
Mrs Casper wishes to thank everyone for their tremendous support. So many things go on in ‘the background’ to put productions of this nature on, not the least of which is the decorating – and a special thank you goes to Ms Goldburn for the time and effort she took to make the Main Hall look beautiful. If it were not for other people too numerous to mention, many other magical things that went into the evening would not have occurred. We are hard at work preparing for the Carol Service now and hope you will join us for the festive celebrations in December!
Mrs Casper – Head of Music
Mass at Westminster Cathederal
7th October 2011
A special Mass for all Catholic schools in the London area, covering the Dioceses of Westminster, Southwark and Brentwood was held in Westminster Cathedral on 7th October. The Mass was to mark the end of the Year of Catholic Education, launched by the Pope on his visit to Twickenham last year, and also to prepare schools for the hundred days of peace leading up to and following the Olympic and Paralympic Games next year.
Roisin Neligan-Ayling from the Prep Dept. and Jessica Kirkham from the Senior school represented St Catherine's at the Mass and had the opportunity to meet Archbishop Vincent Nichols afterwards.
Miss M Ryan—Head of Religious Education
Junior Safety Officers
12th October 2011
We were elected by our class to represent the Prep Department as Junior Safety Officers. On 12th October we attended our first meeting at York House.
Firstly, we sat down and watched a slide show about the job of a Junior Safety Officer (JSO). This includes teaching people about the Green Cross Code, being safe on the road and being seen. Then we were split up into groups to plan and practise an assembly on road safety. At the end of the afternoon we had a photo taken with the Deputy Mayor and Deborah the Zebra. Then we got a pack and a safety jacket to take home.
Pupils of Year 5
YEAR 6 OUTING AT THE BOATSHED, LENSBURY
Year 6 had a team building morning at the Boatshed, based at the Lensbury. We spent one hour learning how to kayak and then making a raft and then testing it out. Everyone found the first part of the kayaking, when we were pushed into the water, really scary, but it was still fun. We had to paddle up to a buoy and hold on to each other's kayaks and stand up one at a time and say our names and something about ourselves.
We had to listen carefully when we were designing our rafts, and it was real teamwork when we had to tie the knots to make the raft stable. Twelve of us managed to fit on to each raft – and it was extremely hard work to stay on, not to mention paddling in time with each other. At the end, most of us wanted to jump in – and we did! It was FREEZING, but we had a really great time!
Ms J Hodgson—Year 6 Teacher
Len Smiths / Online School Uniform Service - Went live on 14th July 2011
Len Smiths - Supplier of School Uniform - Online Service
The above link includes an online shopping cart and a 24 hour online service. This went live on 14th July 2011.
For those parents of children entering the school for the first time and wishing to buy a full school uniform you are advised to visit Len Smiths' shop in Twickenham, where girls can try on different sizes for the best fit, - unless you are confident about the sizes of items required.
Price Lists
Early Years
Prep Years
Senior Years
Shop Contact Details
Len Smiths
1-15 Heath Road
Twickenham
Middlesex
TW1 4DB
Sales 020 8892 2201 [ Option 1 ]
