Newsletters

St Bernard's Preparatory School - Newsletter 31st January 2025

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Dear Parents,

We have enjoyed another fantastic week at St. Bernard's Prep. On Wednesday, Trans B delivered a beautiful liturgy about the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. We learnt how St. Paul, originally known as Saul, transformed his life, embracing goodness and becoming a devoted follower of Jesus.

This week we have also been celebrating the Chinese New Year with lots of exciting activities. Although we were a little disappointed that the Chinese dancing workshop was cancelled, we still found plenty of ways to celebrate in style. 

We had a fantastic Chinese New Year lunch, prepared by our talented chef, Louis. Meanwhile, EYFS were hard at work creating a vibrant Chinese dragon head. A mysterious EYFS dragon was spotted dancing its way around the school, bringing joy to everyone. Mr. and Mrs. Lam visited EYFS to share fascinating insights about Chinese New Year traditions. They brought along beautiful decorations and an incredible selection of traditional foods for the children to explore.

To round off the celebrations, Prep G delighted us with a brilliant assembly this morning. They taught the whole school about Chinese New Year traditions and also spoke about the importance of hope. They ended the Assembly with a spectacular dragon dance which captivated the whole audience. We also heard whispers of Dr. Bunce showing off some special Chinese dance moves during his lessons this week—what a wonderful way to celebrate!

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Headteacher's Challenge

We were amazed by the creativity and effort put into the entries for the "Headteacher’s Challenge" this term. The task was to design a small model, poster, or LEGO city inspired by a book—whether it was a class reader or a personal favourite. Huge congratulations to our winners, whose imaginative and detailed creations truly brought their chosen stories to life! Well done also to our fantastic runners-up, who impressed us with their originality and hard work. It was wonderful to see so many brilliant entries, and we are so proud of all the children who took part. Keep up the great creativity!

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Wellbeing Weekend Wisdom

Here are some family well-being tips inspired by Chinese New Year traditions for you to enjoy during Wellbeing Weekend.

1. Declutter for a Fresh Start 

Before the New Year, families traditionally clean their homes to sweep away bad luck and make space for good fortune. Use this as an opportunity to declutter and create a calming, organised environment that benefits everyone’s well-being.

2. Share a Special Meal Together 

Food plays a big role in Chinese New Year celebrations, symbolising prosperity and togetherness. Cook a meal as a family, trying traditional dishes like dumplings (for wealth) or noodles (for longevity). Eating together strengthens family bonds and promotes mindful eating.

3. Practise Gratitude and Reflection 

Chinese New Year is a time to reflect on the past and set positive intentions for the future. Encourage each family member to share something they’re grateful for and a goal for the new year. Gratitude boosts happiness and emotional well-being.

4. Take a Nature Walk for Good Fortune 

Many Chinese New Year traditions involve connecting with nature, such as dragon and lion dances in the streets. Take a family walk outside, appreciating nature’s beauty, and use it as a time to talk and connect.

5. Embrace Positivity and Let Go of Negativity 

In Chinese culture, the New Year is a time to leave negativity behind and welcome positivity. As a family, discuss ways to handle challenges with a positive mindset and support each other’s well-being throughout the year.

These simple but meaningful traditions can bring joy, connection, and well-being to your family as you welcome the Lunar New Year!

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A Huge Thank You to Mr. Tatur!

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Tatur for his incredibly generous donation of three laptops to the school this week. These devices will make a huge difference in supporting our childrens' learning and enhancing their access to technology. Your kindness and generosity are truly appreciated, and we are so grateful for your support in enriching our school community. Thank you!

Music Opportunities

Woodwind Lessons

There are currently still a few places left for children to take up regular Woodwind (Clarinet, Flute and Saxophone) lessons in school.  

Learning a woodwind instrument is a great social and fun way to learn to play music, as these instruments give children the opportunity to play in groups with other like-minded musicians, whilst still encouraging all the other life skills that learning a musical instrument gives us (motor and co-ordination skills, listening skills, reading skills, counting skills, multi-tasking skills, music appreciation skills ....), the list is endless!  

If you are keen for your child to take up this amazing opportunity to learn one of these instruments, please fill in the form in the Parent Portal and return it to reception.  Places will be taken on a 'first come, first served' basis, so please don't leave it too long before applying as your child may miss out.  Your child may well be the next Benny Goodman, James Galway or Charlie Parker of today!

Singing Lessons

We are very excited to announce that a new music teacher will be joining the department in the next few weeks.  Miss Parker is a vocal specialist and will be offering singing lessons to our children alongside our other peripatetic teachers.  Miss Parker writes: “I have been teaching singing in a number of schools and other venues for over 20 years.  As an experienced singing teacher I enjoy helping my pupils to find the full potential of their voice. My aim is to ensure that singers develop a healthy vocal technique and are then able to apply this to singing the music they enjoy. I coach my pupils in a wide range of musical styles including opera, art song, musical theatre and pop and support them in achieving their goals whether it is to pass exams, perform or just enjoy singing.”  If you would like your child to start singing lessons, please complete one of our music forms which can either be picked up from the school office or downloaded from the Parent Portal.  This is a very exciting opportunity and Dr Bunce is thrilled to welcome Miss Parker to the team.

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Sports News

Under 9 Netball vs Claire’s Court

On Tuesday, our Under 9A+B Netball teams travelled to Maidenhead to play against Claire’s Court. Both of our teams, who have mainly been playing FIVES Netball, had to adapt their strategies in order to change to the SEVENS format of the game. Our girls did not disappoint. Although we lost both of our matches, all the players adapted well and put up a good fight throughout the afternoon with some great passing, moving and team collaboration. Well done to both of the teams and special congratulations to Avnoor and Zoya for being awarded the MVPs.

Year 5/6 Football vs Upton House

Wednesday marked a special day in our school’s football history, as we faced Upton House for the first time in a fixture. We hosted the Windsor school’s A+B Teams on what was a lovely, mild afternoon. Both matches provided for plenty of action, with some hard tackles being made and outstanding goals being scored. Our A team played very well against a strong side and fell short narrowly 4-6, while our B team put up a convincing performance to win their match 4-0. Both Ayaan and James were named as MVPs of the day for their outstanding contributions. Well done to both teams!

St Bernard’s Prep Under 11 Netball Tournament

On Wednesday the 29th of January, we hosted our annual Prep School’s Under 11 Tournament with 5 schools participating. Long Close School, Eton End, Upton House and St Benedict’s all participated on the day. The event saw all the teams produce wonderful teamwork and outstanding all-round skills of catching, passing and great movement off the ball. With all the teams playing 4 matches, the top 4 teams progressed to the semi-finals and finals.

Our St Bernard’s U11A team played fantastic netball throughout the competition. During our group stages we won 2 games, drew 1 and lost 1. We then progressed to the semi-final, where we narrowly lost to Eton End. The overall winners of the tournament were Upton House, who beat Eton End in the final 2-1.

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Wishing you all a joyous and prosperous Lunar New Year! May this special time bring happiness, good health, and success to you and your families. We also encourage everyone to fully embrace our Well-being Weekend by taking the opportunity to relax, recharge, and enjoy quality time together—free from the worry of homework. Have a wonderful and restful weekend!

Mrs Asha Verma

Headteacher