The Effingham Schools Trust is delighted to announce the appointment of Rachel Owens as the new Chief Executive Officer who will take over from Mr Mike Farmer, who is retiring in August 2026.
We are so excited to start working with her and we are sure that the Effingham Schools Trust is going to have an exciting future ahead given Rachel’s leadership experience and qualities.
Annette Turner Chair of Governors
This image came into my inbox this week, in the very week we have started our Rainbows programme supporting bereaved pupils, and I wanted to share it with you. Where we have bereaved pupils, we have bereaved parents. I would encourage you this weekend to honour yourself, your lost loved one and acknowledge the grief you have experienced, through connection by doing one of those favourite things. Perhaps your lost loved one loved to walk in a certain place; sit and have coffee in a special café; read in a special nook; drive particular lanes; work in the garden.
Embracing loss is not contrary to this month’s theme of Joyful June. Even in the pain of deep loss, we can find shimmers of joy shining through in actions like those mentioned above or simply in being still or in losing ourselves in music.
God Bless You
Gareth Tindall
Date & Time: Thursday 21st June at 7:00 PM
Location: Gomshall Mill, Guildford RSVP: fosteffingham@gmail.com We hope to see you there!
Well done to all of the girls in our Golden Books this week:
4KC Scarlett S for fabulous 2D shape knowledge especially when she was sharing explanations of equilateral, isosceles and scalene triangles using mathematical vocabulary.
Leila A for being so proactive in lessons and discussions in all subjects and for being so clear when she the water cycle using scientific vocabulary and her knowledge of 2D shapes including the various types of triangles and quadrilaterals.
Sara W showed great proactivity during our Escape Room game, which tested the girls’ knowledge on changes of state including the water cycle. She confidently explained some of the more challenging concepts to her classmates, helping them understand the material much better.
4LH Emilia C and Lulu DDOT
They worked quickly and efficiently to solve the clues, escaping the room in record time.
Isabelle C for her engagement in our Yeti report, from sourcing interesting vocabulary to recapping the difference between direct and indirect speech.
5AB Isla S demonstrated great perseverance in Maths, solving problems involving decimals.
Sophia H amazing effort to answer questions in her Mental Maths booklet.
Olivia L for excellent work adding and subtracting decimals.
5KH Abby V-R for super work in Maths, solving problems using decimal places, and for her continued improvement in times tables.
Ania S for her continued well-organised approach to all additional tasks and activities, ensuring she is at the right place and the right time and with all equipment.
6SG Eva C and Issy M for showing great creativity and perseverance in English; making beautiful shape poetry. Elodie B for not only reaching the challenge in Maths but also solving a particularly tricky question with accuracy and skill.
6MK Sybella J for her creative efforts in English this week, including amusingly written limericks, expressive haikus and imaginative list poems.
Ruby S for her excellent contributions to our PSHE lessons this week, demonstrating enthusiasm, thoughtfulness, and a positive attitude.
Year 4
Olivia H and Florence E-N for their carefully collaged mountain landscapes and super practise of tree silhouettes.
Year 5 Jessica A for her careful observational drawing of a mushroom using shading and good detail.
Year 6 Lottie F, Evie R and Jena W for their thoughtful and creative fashion designs to reflect their personalities.
Year 4: Scarlet S for making good decisions that helped her group to perform an enjoyable play.
Year 5: Primrose L for her excellent characterisation and use of body language to portray different characters.
Year 6:
In Tuesday’s Assembly, we had the pleasure of the return of Miss Brennan (Senior School Dance Teacher), who was joined this time by Mrs Ossai, and both led the Prep girls in an assembly about styles of dance.
We all learned how to perform some ‘tutting’ – which was not what I thought the word meant (tut tut, Mr. Tindall).
The Prep girls took to it like naturals and learned a quick little routine. Mrs Ossai and Miss Brennan then introduced the girls to the Summer Dance School which, I am pleased to announce, is open to all our Prep girls for the first time.
Please see the poster advertising the dance days later in the bulletin for more information if your daughter (like mine) is a keen dancer!
The Year 5 pet caterpillars have arrived! We are looking forward to tracking their lifecycle over the next fortnight in our science lessons.
The entries for the Number Heroes Competition have been flooding in. Thank you to all of those that have entered, it has been lovely to hear about all of their dream jobs and how they envisage using Maths in the future.
St Teresas and Cranmore Chess Clubs met this week, welcoming the opportunity to play new opponents and share enjoyment of the game. The enthusiasm, focus and confidence of all our young players was impressive, and once again we relished the opportunity to learn from each other.
It was excellent to meet for the second time this term with our third-term school council representatives. A big thank you to Harrisons for the excellent cake and sandwiches they have provided throughout the year to our meetings held in the Main School boardroom. The surroundings have added an air of seriousness to our proposals and discussions. Many initiatives throughout the year started as discussion points at school council, for example, changes in items for snacks at morning breaks, some of the variety of dishes provided at lunchtime, play equipment in the lower shed, play equipment for After School Care, clubs offered by staff throughout the day and after school.
As you can see, food-based discussions did fill some of our time across the different council reps across the year and Harry from Harrisons did attend our third meeting to hear suggestions and respond with some of the practicalities surrounding oven space, costings for certain ingredients and home-cooked versus bought-in.
I would like to thank each group of councillors for their contributions throughout the year and for their liaising with their peers and feedback given in meetings. In particular, thank you to the last group who came to the final meeting of the year and asked some excellent questions, regarding next academic year, led and driven by Clemmie. I record some of the questions and answers for parental understanding too, as the girls were asked to feedback my responses to their classes.
Where will we hang our bags and blazers next year? Hooks will be installed in the classrooms we are going to. Will we be able to use our desks or do we use Senior desks? Prep School desks where you can store and keep your books and possessions will be moved to the new classrooms.
Who will be teaching us Art? A Senior School Art specialist will teach your Art in Senior Art Studios. Where will we learn Science? Our practical lessons will take place in the Science Labs in Senior School (as has happened with Year 6 this year) and theory lessons will take place in our classrooms. Who will teach us Music? We are in the process (near the end) of appointing a new specialist Music Teacher to lead Prep Music next year.
Where will our Music lessons be? They will continue to be held in our Music Room.
Will we still have the same extra-curricular clubs? With the exception of gymnastics, where the club appeals to younger pupils, external clubs like Dance and LAMDA will still be on offer, as will clubs run by staff like Art, Choirs, Orchestra, Sports clubs, Young Voices and others will be on offer.
Who will our class teachers be? That information will be released later in the term the week before moving-up afternoon (30th June) and we are aiming to spend the lessons in John Bosco classrooms.
We’re excited to welcome back the Flamenco Workshop forYear 4!
Pupils from St Teresa’s and Cranmore will come together for a fun and creative two-hour session, featuring four rotating activities: flamenco dance, paper flower making, a feria-themed story and drawing, and traditional clapping (palmas).
A total of 62 pupils will take part, working in mixed groups to enjoy this vibrant cultural experience.
Many thanks to our staff team for supporting the event!
Year 4: Kitty N for increased participation and fantastic performing – keep it up, Kitty!
Year 5: Ivy M for her dedication to St T’s Singers and beautiful singing.
Year 6: Apollonia C-D for fantastic singing in Chamber Choir and production rehearsals.
Meanwhile, Year 6 are deep in the jungle… or rather, deep in rehearsals for their upcoming production of The Jungle Book. The cast are working incredibly hard, and rehearsals are going bear-illiantly! They are bringing all the energy of the jungle to the stage, with music, movement, and a few monkey antics thrown in
The Music Department is alive with the sound of rehearsals! Our String Group, Wind Band, St Teresa’s Singers, and Chamber Choir are all busy preparing for their performances at T-Fest on 18th June. It’s shaping up to be a fun and lively evening packed with toetapping tunes and musical magic be sure to save the
Monday
12.45: St Teresa’s Singers (Y.4 & 5)
3.45: Orchestra
Wednesday
10.55: Wind Ensemble
4.15: Chamber Choir
Thursday
12.45: String Group
Friday
12.45: Rock Choir
A big thank you to Ottlie H and Leila A in Year 4, who both played beautifully in this week’s assembly. Their performances were a real treat and showcased the amazing musical talent we have across the school.
If your daughter will be leaving in September, please remember to inform her instrumental teacher(s) directly. This also applies to any girls who do not wish to continue learning their instrument in the senior school.
Early notice helps our music staff plan for the new academic year and ensures a smooth transition for all involved. Thank you for your cooperation.
The U11's all took part in cricket fixtures on Tuesday against Notre Dame. Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side for this afternoon and as soon as the opposition arrived, the rain hammered it down. In true St Teresa's style, we powered on. The A team got a few wickets for their bowling efforts, however our batting was not the strongest, which I'll chalk down to our vision being impaired slightly by the rain. It is a shame Notre Dame didn't have the same issue, as they played some lovely shots and won the game. Given the inclement weather, the other games were not diligently scored as the paper disintegrated pretty quickly. What was great to see though was 60 girls all playing cricket on the astro, with a further 20 waiting their turn to play. The players were in high spirits considering the rain and still enjoyed the experience of playing matches. Well done all!
A small team of the U10s played against Feltonfleet on the 3rd June. The weather was not looking pretty but the team played through the rain showing excellent resilience and as a result all managed to play at least one match of 4 games which was an excellent experience in scoring and serving for an entire game. Players of the day were Isla S and Thea B-H for their improvement in serving.
The U9s were straight into action after the half-term break travelling to Hawthorns for a tennis fixture. A 13 strong team made the trip all excited to play some tennis. Across the four courts there was some great rallies and excellent serving seen. A total of 17 matches were played where St Teresa's came out on top in 7 of them, 3 resulted in a draw and the remaining 7 went the way of Hawthorns. This resulted in a 7-7 draw. Players of the day were Maddie J and Ava B who managed to win 2 of their 3 matches. Well done to all who took part.
Monday 9th June: U10 & U11 Tennis vs Notre Dame (H) 4:30pm
Tuesday 10th June: U10 Cricket vs Notre Dame (A) @ 2:30pm, U11 Tennis v Feltonfleet (A) 2:30pm
Wednesday 11th June: U9-U11 Athletics v’s Manor House 3:15 - 5:45pm
Friday 13th June: U9A Tennis v Feltonfleet (A) 2:30pm
Monday 16th June: U10 & U11 Tennis v Hawthorns (H) 16:15
Tuesday 17th June: U9-U15 St T's Aquathlon- 9:30 start
Tuesday 17th June: U10 Tennis v Notre Dame (A) 4:15pm
Friday 20th June: U11 Tennis v CLFS (A) 4:15pm
Friday 20th June: U9 Cricket vs St Cats (A) 2:30pm
For any questions related to Prep Sports, please contact the Prep PE email at PrepPE@st-teresas.com or reach out directly to the specialist teachers.
As a reminder, SOCS can be accessed through the St Teresa’s Senior Sports page: St Teresa's Effingham | Sports Home
Here you will be able to access fixtures for the day, alongside the Sports Calendar which can provide you with all the sports fixtures weeks and months in advance.
If a team sheet has been published for a particular fixture, the blue ‘person’ symbol will be available to click on.
Simply click on the blue symbol next to the fixture to access the team sheet.
If your daughter has completed any sporting achievements outside of school, we would love to hear about them. Please email the Prep PE department with a short description and photo to PrepPE@st-teresas.com.
STASH will be going ahead this year and will start on Monday 7th July and finish on Friday 11th July. It will be open to all children in Years 4-6.
Please use this link to register: STASH 2025 - Summer Sports Camp
Booking System: st-teresas-equestrian.ecpro.co.uk
For more information, please visit our website www.st-teresas.com/equestrian
You can also call direct on 01372 750257 or email: equestrian@st-teresas.com
Find us on Facebook: St Teresa's Equestrian | Leatherhead | Facebook
The NSEA team had an outstanding weekend at Hickstead with exceptional results. All the girls rode well, in extremely challenging windy conditions, showed great team spirit and sportsmanship and came back with amazing results.
Amidst tough competition from the best teams from counties across the UK, Amber B, Antonia S, Chloe B and Jess R came second in the Inter County Championship, earning the title Reserve Inter County Champions They then competed in the Hickstead Elite 1M Championship against the Elite teams rom schools across the UK and won!
Crowning them Hickstead Elite 1M Champions. What an ACHIEVEMENT!
Electra B, Lottie B, Olivia S and Rosie C came a thrilling third in the 80cm Inter County Championship.
Chloe B rode an absolutely foot perfect round on Emlagh Holly to be placed second in the 90cm class. This was a huge class of 156 competitors so again an absolutely outstanding result.
Again, we had some fantastic results:
In the 70cm Showjumping qualifier Olivia S on Marco Point 5, came 8th, qualifying for the Plate Championships
Chloe B on Derrygola Lad qualified for the 1M Showjumping National Championships
Finally in the 1.10 M Showjumoing qualifier, Antonia S on Storm Watch won and qualified for both the Hickstead Elite 1.10M Championships in June and the National Championships in October.
Congratulations to all!
These are huge achievement for all the NSEA team at a national level.
A Reading from the book of Joel Thus says the Lord:
‘I will pour out my spirit on all mankind. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men see visions. Even on the slaves, men and women, will I pour out my spirit in those days. I will display portents in heaven and on earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke.’
This coming Sunday we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. The coming of the Holy Spirit, that appeared as tongues of fire and rested on Mary’s and each of the disciples heads. The disciples were forever changed from this moment. No longer fearful they went out filled with the gifts of God. The Church was born not by man’s will but by the divine fire.
So let us pray this week for a fresh out pouring of God’s Spirit on all of us. May our hearts be filled with the gifts and courage we need. May our hearts be ever more open to the love of God. Sometimes we feel everything rests on us, there is too much to do, it is easy to become weary. May the Helper, the Comforter enliven our lives. We have nothing to fear.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth. Amen.
“He pours light into our minds, arouses our desire and gives us strength… As the soul is the life of the body, so the Holy Spirit is the life of our souls.” St. Peter Damian
Hot lunches include a selection of family favourites and suitable alternatives for children with allergies and intolerances.
Week 1 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Soup Soup of the day
Soup of the day Soup of the day
Soup of the day Soup of the day
Main
Vietnamese Stir Fried Pork with Pak Choi & Sweet Chilli Dressing
Crispy Panko
Vegetarian
Pasta Bar
Sweet Potato with Curry Sauce
Pasta with Tomato & Basil or Cheesy
Pesto Sauce
Sticky BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
Sausage
Wellington with Onion Gravy
Sides
Additional
Egg Noodles Broccoli
Jacket Potato & Baked Beans
Freshly Baked Bread
Salad bar
Jerk Quorn and Vegetable Ragout
Vegan Sausage Roll with Onion Gravy
Pasta with Tomato & Basil or SpicyTuna and Black Olive Sauce
Steamed
Vegetable Rice
Corn on the Cob
Jacket Potato & Baked Beans
Freshly Baked Bread
Salad bar
Pasta with Tomato & Basil or Chicken Arrabiata Sauce
Mashed Potatoes
Panache of Mixed Vegetables
Jacket Potato & Baked Beans
Freshly Baked Bread
Salad bar
Prawn, Chorizo & Chicken Paella with Homemade Focaccia
Smokey
Butterbean and Vegetable
Spanish Stew
Freshly Battered Fish or Jumbo Fish
Finger with Ketchup and Tartare Sauce
Spring Vegetable and Goats Cheese Quiche
Pasta with Tomato & Basil or Bolognaise Sauce
Pasta with Tomato & Basil or Four Cheese Sauce
Skinny Chips
Green Beans Carrots
Jacket Potato & Baked Beans
Freshly Baked
Bread
Salad bar
Garden Peas
Mushy Peas
Jacket Potato & Baked Beans
Freshly Baked
Bread
Salad bar
Dessert Chewy Flapjack
Banana Sponge with Custard
Assorted Ice Cream
Double Chocolate Cake Biscoff Cheesecake
Items in Italic - Sourced from F Conisbee’s, our local butcher