In the Press

Yesterday our U10 team took part in a Netball Versatility Tournament at Churchers College.  Twelve schools took part, split into two groups.  Bring versatility, all teams had to follow a set rotation throughout the afternoon, with all girls swapping positions after each game.  This really was a test of fundamental skills with teams having to show great passing, movement, defending and shooting regardless of the combination on court.  St Ives played incredibly well throughout the group stage, winning three, losing one and holding on for a draw in the last game.  After a nervous wait, they progressed through to the Semi-Final where they dominated play.  Unfortunately the goals would just not go in until the last few minutes, when Daisy scored the winning goal securing a place in the final.  The final was bound to be tough having already played and lost to Amesbury; however, anything can happen with versatility and St Ives gave it their best.  Although initially disappointed, St Ives girls finished 2nd overall and gradually realised what an incredible achievement this was.  
To finish the afternoon, St Ives received their medals from Surrey Storm and England Roses' player Yasmin Parsons who had watched them play the final.  Congratulations to the U10 team who all had to rise to a challenge at some point during the afternoon, whether that was playing an unfamiliar position or dealing with the nerves and inevitable pressure in the latter stages.
Many thanks go to all parents and grandparents who supported the team.

Year 6 led a very thought-provoking and moving Remembrance Assembly on Monday this week, followed by a whole-school two minute silence.  Thank you girls.

A huge thank you to our wonderful FOSI team and everyone who came along last Thursday to our Fireworks event - it was a fantastic evening and there was great turnout. The weather was kind to us cold but no rain!) and we made a profit of £784, so thank you to everyone for supporting another FOSI fund raiser - we really do appreciate it!
Special thanks go to all the FOSI reps and parent helpers, Mr Rowden and Ms Viner for driving the mini buses and the Tallyeux-Rowden family for setting up all the lighting before the event..  

As part of our Big Green Master Plan, we are learning to recycle as much as possible, so we were thrilled when Eden and Holly in Year 4 decided to organise a Halloween costume swap at school this week. It was a great success - with 36 outfits donated altogether, and only 4 items left at the end... so 32 plastic costumes recycled and saved potentially from landfill!  Well done girls!

As part of their topic 'My Kinder World', the children from Year 2 carried out a litter pick around the school grounds on Friday. They understood that every piece of litter collected made our grounds cleaner and safer; and the children all felt very proud of themselves. Well done Year 2!

Thank you to all the children for performing so well at our Harvest Festival celebration this week. Year 6 children led the service with confidence and there was a huge variety of music and drama sketches from all year groups to portray the message of harvest. The Junior Choir, Senior Choir, Chamber Choir and the entire school sang beautifully - well done to everyone and thank you to all the parents for their support and for giving so generously. 

You may remember that as part of our Big Green Master Plan, we introduced the children to Ecobricks.  An Ecobrick is a plastic bottle filled with used plastic which cannot be recycled.  The bottles are packed to a high density to create a reusable building block.  Ecobricks are being used all over the world to make furniture, garden spaces, walls and structures.  By creating Ecobricks, you are reducing waste that goes to landfill and reducing the amount of plastic that can potentially enter the natural environment that in time cause irreparable harm to wildlife.  We have challenged the children to make the most dense Ecobrick they can. 
 
Congratulations to Megan Richards who is currently in the lead with the Ecobrick challenge.  She has come into school with an Ecobrick weighing in at 503 grams.  Here she is demonstrating how strong it is!  We wonder how long she’ll be holding this school record!

Staff and pupils are celebrating after winning the Small Independent School of the Year Award at a glittering awards ceremony in central London last night. Praised by judges for the outstanding student experience they provide to pupils across all years, St Ives beat stiff competition from over 250 entrants from across the UK.  The awards are run by Independent School Parent magazine and open to independent schools from across the country.
 

This week in nursery we are learning the nursery rhyme incy wincy spider. In the garden we have been looking for spiders webs and we also made our own sparkly spiders webs. In the role play area we have been playing in the castle that we made.

Year 1&2 were looking at micro-habitats during their Forest School lesson this week and learnt about adaptation in different habitats.