| Lent Term 2010 Newsletter |
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Lent Term Newsletter
First on the calendar was the annual Year 5 trip to Bowles. Thirty five children descended on the Bowles Outdoor Centre near Tunbridge Wells for two days of adventure activities. These included rock climbing, abseiling, low ropes, canoeing and skiing. The two days proved a great success and many of the children were surprised at what they were able to achieve once they had overcome their initial fears. At the beginning of February the Year 4 children set off on a residential strip to Sayer’s Croft which is a popular field study centre at Ewhurst, near Guildford. The children got a little wet and muddy at times but a great time was had by all. The activities included a night walk, orienteering, archery, nature art and a stream study. (The photographs can be found on the school website). In March, they visited the Bromley Synagogue and Penshurst Place. In the synagogue, Tina Higgins gave a lively talk about Judaism and the children thoroughly explored this interesting place of worship. At Penshurst, history was really brought to life by colourful actors re-enacting events around the Spanish Armada Invasion. Year 4 also recently enjoyed a fascinating presentation by Albert Wood (Whitgift School) on their Science topic of ‘Change’. As a complement to their studies of The First World War, Year 6 were treated to a performance of ‘War Horse’ in London. An outstanding piece of emotive theatre which captivated the essence of the War in a truly mesmorising fashion. The scenery was simple but clever and the acting totally convincing. However, what intrigued everyone most of all was the use of puppets to represent the horses. You had to be there to understand how these simple, wooden structures, manoeuvred by actors, transformed themselves into living beings in front of our very eyes. There was no question that children and teachers alike thoroughly enjoyed themselves and, as usual, Yr. 6 were impeccably behaved during rush hour in London! On the same day, Year 1 visited the Polka Theatre in Wimbledon to watch a production of ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ as part of their literacy work on traditional stories. After having school lunch, the children waited in the foyer of the Polka before being shown into the theatre. They waited with excitement when finally out came a girl - just like Goldilocks - who asked everyone to follow her through a cottage door. As they entered the room, they were transformed into a world of the Three Bears. The play was a mixture of puppetry and acting, with large props and smaller props for the puppets. The actors were very good and everyone was completely transfixed by the performance – even the adults!!! A good day was had by all. With a weekly total of 106 individual music lessons taking place per week, the music department is never quiet and it is no surprise that we have enough children ready for examinations to warrant a visit from an Associated Board examiner. Children are always encouraged to play in front of an audience and they continue to perform regularly in class music lessons and assembly. There were four major musical events this term. The Year 5 & 6 concert just before half term was a real success with over 40 soloists performing and the evening ending with a rousing rendition of ‘Lily the Pink’ assisted by the parents. 53 members of the choir took part in a charity concert on 7th March at St. Mary’s Church, Shortlands helping to raise £800 for charity. The Lower School Musical Afternoon was once again enjoyed by pupils and audience alike. To fit in with their term’s theme of animals in music, Reception and Yr. 1 performed songs and rhymes about a variety of living creatures, including some impersonations of chimpanzees which were worryingly realistic. Reception took us on a walk through the jungle while Yr. 1 demonstrated what a noisy place the Ning, Nang Nong really was. Once the younger children were safely back in their classrooms, the Hall was invaded by a colony of very fierce Zartians who arrived from the far corners of outer space wearing antennae and singing in a rather threatening way. We earthlings were quite safe, however, as it turned out that the aliens were visiting earth to entertain us with songs and music and were really Yr. 2 in disguise. They all sang and played their recorders. We heard solo performances on piano, violin and voice. We were pleased with the standard of the performers and delighted that so many children are learning to play an instrument. The children enjoyed showing what they had been learning in music this year and we would like to thank everyone who made it such a pleasant afternoon. With Year 6 in France, the 43 members of the choir from Years 4 & 5 represented our school on 16th March, together with 1500 other children, in a charity concert hosted in the Albert Hall by the Barnado’s Charity. This was a marathon event starting at 11.00 am on the day and ending at 9.15 pm, although the children who had been learning the songs since December did themselves (and the school!) proud. A huge thanks to Mr. Mobbs, Miss Hamill and all the peripatetic teachers for inspiring the children. Congratulations to Robert Sharrock who represented St. Christopher’s at the Bromley Festival of Speech and Drama in Verse Speaking last Saturday. There was stiff competition and a very high standard this year but Robert managed to be placed fourth out of 36 children. Immediately after half term, 35 excited Yr. 2 children headed for the Museum of London in connection with their ‘London’ project. The coach journey was very speedy and gave the children chance for a quick look around the museum before an early lunch. A spell-binding story telling session followed about the Great Fire of London and, before their return home, the pupils split up into small groups and completed a record number of worksheets with the help of the ‘Great Fire of London’ displays. The trip was much appreciated by all and the children returned with an extensive knowledge of the events in London in 1666. In the same week, the Yr. 6 organised a Bring and Buy sale raising £290.00 and the St. Christopher’s Association hosted a very successful Quiz Night at school. The Yr. 3 & 4 Production, ‘The Cheese Challenge & Cinderella’ in two parts was a great success. Mrs. O’Mahoney employed her ‘other half’ to create a wonderful set and utilised the respective talents of Yr. 3 & 4 teachers to great effect. Congratulations on your first school production. On Thursday 18th March, Year 3 were lucky enough to visit the National Gallery in London. As their trip coincided with the charity bike ride, they got off the train at Waterloo and waved Mrs. Palmer and the other cyclists off on their adventure. They were lucky enough to be entertained by Rich Johnson who showed the children a fantastic display of stunts on his bike. After an ‘exhausting’ walk across the Thames, all the way to the Gallery, they were treated to a storytelling session where 3 pictures depicting Ancient Greek myths were ‘brought to life’. The children proudly and impressively showed off their knowledge of Greek myths and legends. They were then free to study the other paintings in the Gallery and were set the challenge of finding works by the artists that they had studied this term, namely Picasso, Seurat, Degas, Van Gogh. They all excitedly found the paintings and the children impressed other visitors with their knowledge. The anticipated visit to the shop followed where the children bought the usual array of rubbers, pads and pencils to play with on the train on the way home. The children behaved impeccably and a super day was had by all. As the Hall filled with Year 6 parents last Wednesday evening, squeals of excitement and Elizabethan English could be heard coming from the Year 6 classrooms. The children delighted their parents with a performance of Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ in the original text. Every child had worked extremely hard to master the rhythm and meter of this complicated language and executed their parts with confidence and charisma. Shakespeare would have been very proud. I hope you were able to view the wonderful array of decorated eggs filling The Lambie Library during the last week of term. There were some ‘eggcellent’ entries displaying the creative talent of our pupils. I am delighted to say that all the children who entered the competition raised an ‘eggciting’ total of £ which will be added to the school charity. Two past members of staff, Mrs. J. Clark and Mrs. M. Drummond had the difficult task of judging the entries. Many thanks to them for both their time and eggpertise’! The prizes were presented during the final assembly and the names of the prizewinners are displayed below. Thank you to all those who joined in and well done to everyone. KG Pippa Carver, r.u. Anusha Hansra Rec Isabel Donnelly, r.u. Henry Chan Yr. 1 Rachel Stone, r.u. Isabelle Humphreys Yr. 2 Charles Presland, r.u. Benjamin Furtado Yr. 3 Gabriel Rahman, r.u. Skye Cook Yr. 4 Valentine Dibley, r.u. Tara Hinds Yr. 5 Edward Rudge, r.u. Michael White Yr. 6 Morgan Evans, r.u. Isabelle Hann Headmaster’s Choice: Emily Clarke Mr. Mobbs’ Choice: Bethany Ellis Highly recommended: Jemma Carr Kitty Rose Olivia Carr In the penultimate week the Yr. 6 children travel to Hardelot in Northern France. They stayed in a PGL Centre and combined some of their ‘challenge’ activities with cultural visits. During the 4 days of their stay they sampled the delights of traditional bread and chocolate making which was very popular with Year 6. They visited a market in the old town of Boulogne and saw amazing fish in one of France’s leading sea life centres. They also visited a WW1 cemetery in Étaples which enhanced their classroom studies. A big thank you must be given to Miss Hicks, Mr. Sanceau, Mrs. Styles and Mrs Brown who gave of their time, energy and dedication (not to mention their good humour!) and without whose help the trip would not have been a success. Merci beaucoup to Mme Colwell for organising and arranging the trip and of course to the Yr. 6 children. A selection of photographs taken during the stay in France can be seen on our website. On the last Monday of term, Yrs. 1 – 6 enjoyed the thrilling experience of ASTRODOME, a mobile planetarium which was set up in the Hall. The astronomy presentation took the children on an imaginary space-flight from Earth to the outer edges of our solar system, an entertaining journey which included explanations of Night and Day, Earth and Moon systems, Eclipses, the Sun, the Seasons, the Planets and their Moons, Stars and Galaxies, Comets and Meteorites and more! Needless to say, a great time was had by all. Entrance examinations, a short term, two residential trips and bad weather meant there were fewer netball matches than normal. However, the girls continued in their triumphant vein. Well done to Yr. 6 who have maintained their unbeaten record over the past four years. Their final match against St. Nicholas showed a maturity beyond their years. Well done also to Year 4 who have been unbeaten in matches and tournaments this year. The highlight of the term was their victory in our own tournament where they emerged the eventual winner coming ahead of JAPS, Alleyn’s, Farringtons, Blackheath Prep and Old Palace. The football term also suffered due to the ‘arctic’ conditions, losing several fixtures to the weather as a result. However, the St. Christopher’s ethos of short, neat passing and ball retention prevailed when conditions allowed throughout the year groups. The U. 11’s, as always, faced stiff ‘premiership’ opposition in the shape of Alleyn’s, D.C.P.S. and Royal Russell. Highlights of the season included a 4-2 win over D.C.P.S. and a semi final place (losing on penalties) in the St. Christopher’s Tournament which included twenty teams. Sam Dore orchestrated play in midfield with his raper like left foot while Sam Harley (Bobby Moore lookalike!) ‘swept up’ very neatly at the back. At U.10 level, quality football was played from the back via Ben George and Nathan Shawyer while Femi Sofolarin sat majestically in the midfield holding position. Wing backs, Sam Hutchings, Max Anderson and Cameron Cook added guile and tenacity to this crucial area of the pitch while, in attack, Marley Thomas and Adedamola Tugbobo completed the line up. U.10 highlights included wins over Breaside 5-0, Royal Russell 2-1, Blackheath Prep. 1-0 and Sussex House 3-0. The U.9’s meanwhile deserved more than their single victory over St. Dunstan’s 3-0. Never outplayed, two players stood out, namely Jack Cernoch offering a cool, calm footballing brain from the back and, soon to be transferred, William Warnock, who battled hard against all comers. Well done U.9’s. Finally, what the U.8’s lacked in technique they made up for in high tempo and enthusiasm. Typical of this were the Davis boys, Finley and Henry, closing down the opposition with pincer like stealth. In central midfield, Francis Talbot counter attacked teams with speed and accurate passing while the right foot of lone striker James McGruer proved too hot to handle for most defences. U.8 highlights included wins over Bickley 2-0, Dulwich College 1-0, and Breaside 5-0, supported by equally impressive wins for U.8 ‘B’ over Breaside 5-0 and Bickley 3-1. Inter-House football this term was won by Johnson and Blyton triumphed in the Inter-House netball. Well done to all the teams and thanks to Mr. Myatt, Mrs. Styles, Mrs. Mitchell and all our supporters. Our chess pupils continue to impress. The 2nd leg of the Champions League Kent Region for Schools Tournament was held in Catford on 27th February. The 1st team players who represented the school were, in board order, Thomas Martin (Capt.), Matthew Martin, Isabelle Santhiapillai and Andrew Martin. The team played brilliantly and was leading until the final round. Unfortunately they lost but still finished in 4th place which meant that overall they have qualified for the finals for the first time. The top eight schools from Kent, Sussex, Surrey and South London take part. A tremendous achievement and well done! The 2nd team of Jai Hirani, Amy Tullis (Capt.), Beth Warner and Alex Franklin did very well against some strong opposition and finished 15th. In the Individual Schools Challenge event, Xander Voorsluijs played well to finish 17th. Well done to all of the above who received medals for their efforts. The English Chess Challenge 2010 tournament for individuals has concluded. Prizes are handed out throughout the tournament depending on points scored. The winner was Thomas Martin who will receive a trophy at finals day. Other qualifiers for the finals are Jai Hirani, Catriona McSorley, James Eaton, Jack Cernoch, Matthew Martin, Isabelle Santhiapillai, Amy Tullis and Dominic Marshall. The Most Improved Player certificate for this term is awarded jointly to James Millican, Thomas Langford, Olivia Tikare and Michael White. It was another excellent term fundraising for our charity, ‘The Eyeless Trust’. The ‘sleepover night’ raised over £1,300 profit with about 70 pupils and staff sleeping in the school hall for the night. Our easysearch/ easyfundraising site has earned us £49.85 – so please keep using it whenever you are purchasing from the internet. www.easyfundraising.co.uk/www.easysearch.co.uk and select St. Christopher’s School. Many thanks to everyone who has sponsored the cycle team - £335, plus £242 collected at the gates on Thursday and Friday. The final figure for the ride is yet to be finalised but is likely to be in excess of £2,500. A detailed report on ‘The Great Cycle Challenge’ has been posted on our website. Various children have done ‘events’ of their own to raise money for The Eyeless Trust. • Georgie Coulson helped deliver leaflets with mummy £4.50) • Laura Compton had a collection pot and a poster at Mum and Dad’s dinner party (26.60) • Isabelle Humphreys held a cake sale for friends and neighbours (14.40) • Angus Harrington was sponsored to take part in the Schools Cross Country competition at Crystal Palace. To date we have a little over £5,000 in our charity bank account, plus the money on the cyclists ‘just giving’ website. This puts us at about £7,000 since September – a fantastic amount for The Eyeless Trust. Next term will see Mr. Myatt running to and from school for a week, Sir doing his weightlifting, a cake sale, book sale, coin picture on the playground, Eye Mask Day plus other small events run by different staff/year groups. Please do support them all you can to help us get closer to our £15,000 target by July. Please ensure that all Sainsbury’s, Tesco tokens etc. are sent in regularly as we often have large quantities which arrive after the closing dates and therefore can not be used. May I take this opportunity to remind parents to collect children promptly from ‘after school’. Whilst provision is made for the supervision of Lower School siblings until 3.40 pm, after this time they will be added to the SCAMPS register and be liable for the usual charges. So - with hardly time to draw breath, the end of term and final assembly is upon us. Congratulations to all the Yr. 6 children on achieving an excellent set of 11+ examination results. A full list is attached which includes 14 scholarship offers to competitive independent schools. Reception assessments for September 2010 also proved to be very successful with all places filled. Next term, Yr. 2, 4 & 6 will swim each Thursday, cricket whites will be required for Prep. School boys, athletics kit for girls and summer uniform for all. Have a wonderful holiday. A. Velasco |
From the Headmaster 
