Issue 1
Spring Term
9th January 2026
Dear Parents, Welcome back to the new school term in this new year. Welcome to 2026! From Chess Meet to Interhouse Hockey; the entrepreneurial Lifelab to French Breakfast; Wintershall Assembly to Class Assemblies; Open Book mornings to Parents’ Evenings; Mental Health Awareness Week (with Safer Internet Day) to Book Week (with dressing up and author visit), this will prove to be a jam-packed eleven week lead up to Easter. At the commencement of this term’s journey, let’s use all that has gone before (prior learning, previous experiences, earlier successes and past failures), all that has shaped us into the wonderful, Imago Dei people that we are to launch us into the term ahead. As the image below expresses, let us not waste any time with the frustrating ‘what if’s’ of past times – as if any amount of mental re-runs of those moments changes a single thing about our present, other than to lower our mood or raise our blood pressure! Instead, let’s consider ‘what if’ for the future, for the person we want to be becoming. What if I do xxxxx in the present (read more, get up and move more, look for opportunities to say positive things, find new ways to add kindness in my day, listen to my loved ones and find fresh ways to love them fully), so that I become xxxxx in the future (more knowledgeable, fitter, more grateful, more joy-filled, more relational).
Happy New Year – may 2026 be a year of blessing to you and your family, Gareth Tindall
Pastoral Pause This year I have decided to make a change and have us look at the calendar from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. If that leaves you pining for Action for Happiness, follow this link for their calendar (https:// actionforhappiness.org/sites/default/files/Jan%202026.pdf).
The Random Act of Kindness mantra is ‘Make Kindness the Norm♥ ️’ so over the coming month begin the year with self-compassion-lowering cortisol, strengthening emotional resilience in order for you to extend kindness to others in a genuine, loving way. My personal highlights of the coming week, which I appreciate inform you more about my own internal world: catch a mean thought about your self and change it to something kind; draw a small seed and write inside what you want it to grow into; listen to a song that makes you smile and move; change one ‘I have to…’ into ‘I get to…’ Have a restful and thoughtful weekend and week to come, Gareth
Spring Term, 2026 Key Diary Dates: Tue 13th Jan Wed 14th Jan Thu 15th Jan Mon 19th Jan Fri 23rd Jan
Wed 28th Jan Wed 4th Feb Fri 6th Feb Mon 9th Feb Tues 10th Feb Wed 11th Feb Tue 10th Feb Wed 11th Feb Fri 13th Feb Mon 23rd Feb Tues 24th Feb Wed 25th Feb Mon 2nd Mar Thu 5th Mar Mon 9th Mar Wed 11th Mar Thu 12th Mar Wed 18th Mar
Fri 23th Mar
Chess Meet with Cranmore Year 6 Life Lab commences, Young minds at work Year 5 Parents, Year 6 Presentation from Mr Field Wintershall Assembly Year 6 & 7 Quiz Year 5 Primary Maths challenge Young Voices Choir at the O2 Arena Young Voices Concert at the O2 Arena Year 5 Open Book Morning, Prep Classrooms Year 6 Open Book Morning, Prep Classrooms FOST Prep Valentine Dance, Dining Hall Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week Safer Internet Day Year 5, French Breakfast, Cranmore Parents’ Evening - Online Parents’ Evening - In Person, John Bosco Classrooms Half Term begins School resumes IAPS Swimming Qualifiers 6MK Class Assembly World Book Week Visiting Author - Ally Sherrick Prep School Dress up for World Book Day Visiting Author - Joel Arcanjo Year 5, Parent Meeting for Osmington Bay Trip, Year 5 Classrooms Spring Concert Year 6 Onatti French Production At Cranmore Year 5 Trip to Hampton Court Palace Year 6 Trip to France, Parent Meeting, Year 6 Classrooms Year 6 LifeLab, The Perfect Pitch LifeLab Enterprise Fair
16:30 14:15 16:30 08:35 08:55 13:45 PM 19:00 08:15 - 09:00 08:15 - 09:00 18:00 - 20:00 All Week Al Day 09.30 - 10:30 17:00 - 20:00 16:30 - 19:00 End of day 13:30 - 16:30 08.15 - 09.00 All Week All Day All Day Afternoon 16.30 - 17.00 18.30 - 19.30 08:45 - 11:00 09.00 - 15.00 16.30 - 17.00 09.00 13.00
This week you have received the following communications on SchoolPost: Year 6: Year 5:
Year 6 Evacuation Drama Activity - Monday 12th January 2026 Year 5 Updates and Upcoming Events
Whole School:
Young Voices Final Details – Friday 23rd January 2026 (Young Voices Choir only) Forest School Club Dates – Spring Term (Club attendees only)
St Teresa’s SchoolPost Communication System Go to: https://stteresas.schoolpost.co.uk/ Please remember to check your inbox, including your junk/spam, as the email may go to your junk box the first time it is sent. If you have any questions please email prepinfo@st-teresas.com
Golden Book Well done to all of the girls in our Golden Books this week: 5AB Arabella N for her super effort and contributions to discussions, across the curriculum. Kimberley C for her excellent focus and determination to solve fraction problems. Isabelle C for sharing her great knowledge and understanding of British history. 5HT Molly W for demonstrating a clear understanding of standard English and providing some great examples for the class. Annabella H and Sara W for their determination to find the answer to Mrs Hall’s riddles and the creativity of the riddles they produced. It was a lot of fun and I think some of your guesses were better than the answers themselves. 6RG Thea BH for her enthusiasm and effort when starting our new topic on 'A Child's War'. Sophia H for her fantastic effort and enthusiasm identifying what makes a healthy lifestyle. 6MK Ania S for her work with problem solving in Maths and being brave enough to share and explain different methods. Maggie M for being super reliable and demonstrating consistency when tackling tricky word problems. Charlotte T for making a fabulous start to our new topic ' A Child's War' by taking part and sharing her ideas enthusiastically in class.
Open Book Dates 2025 - 26 We will be holding Open Book Mornings for each Year Group starting in the Spring Term. This is an opportunity for your daughters to show you their books and their classrooms. Year 5 - 28/01/26 Year 6 - 04/02/26 Refreshments will be served from 8.15am 08.30 - 08.55am in the Year Group Classrooms
Class Assembly Dates 2025 - 26 25/02/2 - 6MK 25/03/26 - 5AB 29/04/26 - 5HT At 8.30am in the Library Refreshments will be served from 8.15am
FOST 2nd HAND UNIFORM SHOP Submission forms are under FOST 2nd hand uniform on the St Ts website: Second-hand Uniform Shop REMINDER: CASH or CHEQUE only please for the foreseeable future. Open Fridays 8.30am-9am and First Saturday of every month 10:30am — 11.00am by appointment only: Please contact Wendy or Camilla: Fostuniform@gmail.com
MESSAGE FOR YEAR 6 PARENTS Please remember to confirm your decision regarding your Senior School offer by completing the relevant section in your Applicaa parent account by the deadline date of Friday 30th January 2026. At the end of last term, 6RG used their research skills and developed their use of conjunctions to link ideas within and between paragraphs. They created fantastic, detailed non-chronological reports on Antarctica, well done.
Over the Christmas break Amelia decided that she would like to have her hair cut and donate this to The Little Princess Trust to be made into a wig for sick children who loose their hair due to treatment they receive. The Little Princess Trust requires 12 inches of hair, but Amelia decided that she wanted to donate a whopping 15 inches of her hair. The Trust have limited resources to turn hair into suitable wigs, so Amelia is also collecting sponsorships to accompany her hair. Amelia Haq is fundraising for Little Princess Trust
It costs the Trust £700 to create one wig.
Sport News
Welcome back! The PE department hope you all had a restful break but stayed active! We are looking forward to welcoming the girls back into PE, Games and swimming lessons. Please take a look at our sports extracurricular timetable below and remind your daughter they are welcome to come join any club! It is getting colder and we want to continue doing sports outside as much as we can, so please ensure your daughter comes into school with the appropriate clothing. Grippy gloves and hats are encourage for hockey and netball. Please see the link below for gloves: Optimum Sport Thermal Velocity Sports Gloves
Pupil News If your daughter has completed any sporting achievements outside of school, the PE department would love to hear about them. Please email Mrs Hitchman with a short description and photo to a.hitchman@st-teresas.com.
Fixtures (week commencing 12th January) 12/01/26: U10 Interhouse Hockey—please ensure your daughter has her mouthguard and shin pads otherwise she will not be able to take part. U11 Interhouse Netball 15/01/26: Prep Gala V Wimbledon High (A) 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. St Teresa's Effingham | Sports Home
This Week This week we focus on the Epiphany A reading from the Gospel of Matthew Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
Reflection The Epiphany reminds us that all of us are called to share our gifts and talents. The wise men bring different gifts. God has given all of us different gifts and talents. The visit of the Magi, remind us that we have something to offer and in the importance of worship. We were made for worship, to adore our creator. In various parts of the world, the Epiphany is marked with the time-honoured tradition of “chalking the doors.” The formula for the ritual is simple: take chalk of any colour (ideally blessed by a priest on the Feast of the Epiphany) and write above the entrance of your home: 20 + C + M + B + 26 The letters have two meanings. First, they represent the initials of the Magi - Caspar, Malchior and Balthazar - who came to visit Jesus in the place where he was born. They also abbreviate the Latin phrase, Christus mansionem benedicat, which translates as “May Christ bless the house.”
Prep Clubs, Spring Term 2026 MORNING
LUNCH
END OF SCHOOL
EARLY EVENING
12.45-13.15
16.15 – 17.00
17.00-18.00
Years 5, Forest School Years 6, Forest School Equestrian Riding (16.00 – 19.15) Orchestra, by invitation Grade 1+ standard)
MON
Year 6, ESTA Tennis Coaching (16.15 17.15)
Years 5 & 6, Hockey Goal Keeping Club Young Voices Choir (until 20th January) Years 5 & 6, Netball Shooting Club TUE
Years 5 & 6, Netball Club (7.50 - 8.20, Sp. H)
Year 5, Tennis Squad practice (Invitational only, after half term)
Years 5 & 6, Lego Club (from 27th January) Years 5 & 6, Art Club (16.15 - 17.00) Years 5 & 6, Drama Club (16.15 - 17.00)
Equestrian Riding (16.00 – 19.15) Pony Stars (16.30 – 17.30) Years 5 & 6, Hockey Club (16.15 17.30)
Years 5 & 6, Swim Squad (7.45 - 8.30)
Years 5 & 6, Football Club (12.45– 13.15)
WED
Years 5 & 6, LAMDA Lessons (16.15 16.45) Equestrian Riding (16.00 – 19.15)
Years 5 & 6, Prayer Group (10.55 – 11.15)
Schola Cantorum (by invitation)
Years 5 & 6, Ballet Dance (16.15 17.15) Year 5, ESTA Tennis Coaching (16.15 17.15)
THU
Years 5 & 6, Hockey Club (7.50 - 8.20, Sp. H)
Years 5 & 6, Running Club (12.15-12.45)
Years 5 & 6, Beginners (7.45 8.30)
Years 5 & 6, Art Club (16.15 - 17.00)
String Group
Year 5, Swim Squad (15.45 - 16.45) Year 6, Swim Squad (16.45 - 17.30)
Years 5 & 6, Chess Club
Equestrian Riding (16.00 – 19.15)
Chamber Choir, by invitation FRI
Year 5 & 6, LAMDA Lessons (16.45 17.45)
Touch Typing Year 6, Tennis Squad practice (Invitational only, after half term)
Years 5 & 6 Loom knitting (16.15 17.00) Years 5 & 6, Netball Club (16.15 17.30) Equestrian Riding (16.00 – 19.15) Pony Stars (16.00 – 17.00) Schola Cantorum (16.30 – 17.30, by invitation)
Years 5 & 6, Street Dance (17.15 18.15)
Advanced skills touch-typing club Friday lunchtimes 12:45 – 1:15 pm Typing’s Cool teaches touch typing to 40+ words per minute with 95% accuracy, using correct fingers and posture. Typing proficiency significantly boosts school and exam attainment in today's digital world. Beginners, improvers and advanced typists are warmly welcome. We mix formal technique with the latest app games to make learning to type effective and fun.
Flip flying skateboards, zap aliens and collect cool movie outfits while learning an amazing skill. Club fee: £146.00 per term. Save 25% by paying with childcare vouchers or tax-free childcare. Contact us for details. To book a place email: sarah.holt@typingscool.co.uk Prior to setting up Typing’s Cool, Sarah Holt worked as a teacher at Weston Green School and Nick Holt was a secondary Head of English. We are both passionate about helping all pupils fulfil their learning potential. Nick and Sarah Holt, Typing’s Cool Ltd, School House, St Joseph’s Primary School, Kingston KT1 2UP 07812 632238; sarah.holt@typingscool.co.uk; OFSTED reg no. EY473171; www.typingscool.co.uk
Menu—w/c Monday 12th January 2026 Hot lunches include a selection of family favourites and suitable alternatives for children with allergies and intolerances.
Week 2
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Soup
Soup of the day
Soup of the day
Soup of the day
Thursday Indoor Beach Day Soup of the day
Friday Soup of the day
Honey Roasted Gammon with Stuffing & Gravy
Huli-Huli Pulled Chicken Sliders
Freshly Battered Fish, Breaded Fishcake or Jumbo Fish Finger
Leek and Potato Bake with Crunchy a Top
Grilled Halloumi and Pineapple Burgers
Teriyaki Glazed Aubergine in a Steamed Bun
Pasta Bar
Pasta with Tomato & Basil Sauce
Pasta with Tomato & Basil or Bacon Carbonara Sauce
Pasta with Tomato & Basil or Bolognaise Sauce
Pasta with Tomato & Basil or Seafood Linguine
Pasta with Tomato & Basil or Four Cheese Sauce
Sides
Mixed Potato Wedges Corn on the Cob Cesar Salad
Steamed Rice Sautéed Asian Vegetables
Herb Roasted New Potatoes Cauliflower Cheese
BBQ Jacket Potatoes Tropical Slaw
Skinny Chips Garden Peas
Additional
Jacket Potato & Baked Beans Freshly Baked Bread Salad bar
Jacket Potato & Baked Beans Freshly Baked Bread Salad bar
Jacket Potato & Baked Beans Freshly Baked Bread Salad bar
Jacket Potato & Baked Beans Freshly Baked Bread Salad bar
Jacket Potato & Baked Beans Freshly Baked Bread Salad bar
Dessert
Pineapple & Cherry Tatin with Custard
‘Rocky Road’ Cookie Tray Bake
Apple and Pear Crumble with Custard
Selection of Themed Desserts
Unicorn Sponge
Main
Vegetarian
Pepperoni or Spicy Chicken & Jalapeno Pizza
Margaritta Pizza
Chicken Katsu Curry
Sticky Sweet Chilli Cauliflower
Items in Italic - Sourced from F Conisbee’s, our local butcher