Newsletters

Issue 8

Issue 8

24th June 2022

Head Teacher's Message

Dear All,

This is our first Newsletter for a long time, so we have a lot to catch up on.  

In the Spring and Summer Term, once Covid restrictions were scaled down, we have once again been able to go on Class Trips, welcome parents into the School, host Jumble Sales, invite parents to experience Kindergarten Festivals, and it has been such a joy.  We danced at a Ceilidh for Classes IV, V and VI and watched children perform in the School Concert and Eurythmy Festival.

There are still many more exciting events to come in the final weeks of term - the Sun children are nearing the end of their projects and are looking forward to meeting their new teacher at a picnic next week.

At the other end of the School journey, Class VIII children are readying themselves for new adventures. We were impressed by their acting and set design in their production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and grateful for all the work put in by the teachers and parents to make it happen.  Class VII were as ever the capable caterers at the interval. 

We have ended the week letting go and jumping over a solstice fire, ready to work towards the rest of the year.

Warmest Wishes

Anna Retsler


Class VI Trip to the Jurassic Coast

The trip was amazing! We visited old caves, swam at rocky beaches saw bats and went on a tram tour. The hostel we stayed at had a lovely view of a field with two beautiful horses galloping around. My favourite part of the trip was when we went on a 6-mile hike to a beautiful beach with bright blue water. I loved it! - Juri

This was my favourite trip yet and that’s including the spectacular Plaw Hatch Farm trip. We went to Beer, Devon (for obvious reasons we didn’t have any beer in Beer). My roommates were brilliant: Rosie, Phoenix, Maria Paz and me. It felt like a holiday instead of a class trip. We had bay windows, an en suite, a sea view and an extra bed! We went swimming every day! Tuesday was my favourite day. It really brought the class closer together. – Lyra

During our class trip to Beer, Devon we did all sorts of things. I was in a group with Lyra, Phoenix and Rosie. We had so much fun each day.  We made sure that everyone was OK and that we had early nights after nice showers in our en suite! We did lots of walking and hiking exploring the geology of the rocks and going into the caves at the quarry, which was FREEZING. On Wednesday evening it was perfect weather and I went straight in the water with a thought at the end that it would be the best memory of all. – Maria Paz

When we got to Devon, the first thing we did was go to the beach and ate lunch. Then most of us swam, we got to the hostel and unpacked. We had Macaroni Cheese for dinner. All the girls huddled up in the circle and talked. On Tuesday we visited the caves and went to the beach. On Wednesday we went on a hike and swam again! On Thursday we went on another hike and swam on a beautiful beach we passed. On Friday we went home. - Rose

One of the highlights of our class trip was the youth hostel that we stayed in. The food was good and I liked the rooms. As well as hanging out in the hostel we went on walks along the cliffs paths and went swimming every day. It was more like a holiday than a class trip. - Alice

The first thing we did was go to the beach. Also, we went to the caves and that was cool. We went for big walks and had a very cool tram ride and that was probably one of my favourite things. We also went bat spotting. - Zac

On our trip, we did a lot of fun things and went swimming on the beach every day. My favourite part was on the second day after arrival when we visited the Beer Quarry Caves, which were first used back in the Roman times, and have a total area of 40 acres!! Our guide was very resourceful, showing us how to tell pure stone from impure stone. - Kai

The trip was hard and fun, sometimes we had to walk 7km over the cliffs, we had amazing views and some food (the best food was for dinner). We also visited the Beer caves where we were told about their history. My favourite thing was walking a lot and then having food and playing games. - Jeronimas

For our Class 6 trip we went to Beer, not the drink beer, but the place. The beach was a 10-minute walk from the hostel, so we went swimming every day.  We went on many, many walks up and down the hill in the sun. We went to a quarry which was freezing and damp. We went to a beach called Branscombe that had amazing views like a jungle. This was my favourite part. - Leo G

We went straight to the beach and chilled, and then went to the caves. It was really cool and dark. I learned loads and the guide was very enthusiastic and nice. The hostel was very nice and had a good sight of the sea. My top three experiences were the Seaton Tramway, the caves and the walk to Branscombe Beach. – Leo S

When we arrived at our wonderful hostel we unpacked and had the most delicious dinner of macaroni cheese. We went to the beach every day and swam in the warm sea. We went to the caves which were really cool, the history behind them was very interesting. We went on many hikes from Seaton to Branscombe and went on the best tram ride in Seaton. It was the best trip we’ve ever had! – Hanna

When we arrived in Beer went to the beach and the views were amazing, the hostel was very nice and comfy. I was able to sleep well nearly every night. The food was good, the breakfast especially. We went on some amazing walks and hikes while we were there, as well as swims. The sea was lovely, and I enjoyed swimming every day. We saw some beautiful sights and animals on our train ride and I think everyone had an amazing time. – Lila

Our class had a pretty chilled week in Beer. We spent a lot of time at the hostel and went swimming in the sea every day. We went on two tiring uphill walks. We visited the Beer Quarry Caves and learnt all about the lives of a miner and a mason, and went through the geology history time zones. We saw and heard on a bat detector lots of big and small bats. We also had fun painting with our watercolours.  As it was a geology-based trip, we got lots of geology-based information. My favourite part of the trip was swimming in the sea after a long walk on the cliffs in Beer – Heathcliff

I think we were very, very lucky on our trip to have such good weather in Beer (Devon, along the Jurassic Coast). Literally, every day we went swimming in the really, really cold sea, but it was still amazing. On the first day, we also got ice cream because it was so hot. The youth hostel in which we were staying was very comfy and had great food. We also had an en suite!! My favourite thing was Branscombe Beach (which had no seaweed) and Mr Reeves bought us meringues which tasted amazing. – Phoenix 



Windrush Day

Under Caribbean bunting, the Windrush Day started at 6:00am with Tamara and Maria in School frying plantain and ended with Tony DJing to an elated crowd of children! 

All the children got to dance to the steel band and the Classes did the conga, limbo danced, skipped and bounced to Socca and Reggae in the garden.  It was so joyful to see the children carefree and happy in the sunshine and all the Classes sharing dance moves.

The tables were groaning with tropical fruit and Caribbean delights all prepared by our school community.  A huge thanks to all who helped, especially Tamara, Claudia, Dominique, Harley, Tony, Tomomi, Maria, Bobby, Lily, Kirsty and of course Alexandra! 


School Website

Waldorf Today


Pea Fair

The children took great ownership of this year's Pea Fair - the first since 2019 with some brilliant and creative ideas for stalls and entertainment. There was Celtic jewellery, fortune-telling, hoopla, Zingos arcade games, homemade lemonade, henna tattoos, hair braids, face painting and much more!  

Everyone collaborated and pulled together, realising the need for a splendid whole community event after so long. Music came from the Parent Choir and parents Julia and Guilhem, there was a stunning display of cakes and food and many helpful hands to make the day enjoyable for all.  We were lucky enough to witness the banner made by Class 8 for their Play being ceremoniously unveiled from the Church tower at midday by Miss Akuwudike as Mr Reeves rang the Church Bell.


Youth Eurythmy Festival

On Friday the 18th of March, the 6th Youth Eurythmy Festival took place at Steiner House. Several Eurythmy groups of students presented their work in this sold-out event. A group of 12 St Paul’s students from Classes V and VI also took part and performed their Eurythmy play, “The Realm of the Elements”.

The students – under the supervision of Mrs Skinner - wrote the text, created some of the costumes and rehearsed during their lunch breaks. Mrs Steggall also kindly worked with them on a war scene and Dr Minou accompanied the play on the piano.

The performance was a great success! St Paul’s “Eurythmy Club” had a wonderful time and had the opportunity to experience performing on a professional stage for a substantial audience as well as enjoying the performances by the other groups at the Youth Eurythmy Festival. The school got the chance to watch “The Realm of the Elements” at the Eurythmy Festival, which took place in the Nave in the Summer Term. Below you can enjoy some stunning photos taken by Ms Maas at the performance! 

School Announcements

School Photos

The School photos have been taken and ordered. We hope they will be ready to be sent out by the end of term.  Parents will be invoiced along with their fees. 

All School Social-All welcome!

Thursday 30th June from 8pm

Kernel Brewery

Arch 11, Dockley Road Industrial Estate, Dockley Rd

London SE16 3SF

Special End of Year Issue - Friday 8th July

Spaces Available for Parent and Child Group from September

The school runs sessions with a rhythm similar to a morning in the Kindergarten. Periods of activity and play are balanced with quieter times for rest, stories and songs. These mornings can be valuable for parents and carers, who come away feeling nurtured and refreshed, as well as giving an introduction to the life of our school and an opportunity to explore the philosophy of Steiner Waldorf education.

Location

As St Paul’s has expanded, the Parent and Child group has found a dedicated home a 15-minute walk away from the school with a beautiful garden and indoor space. Our Parent and Child group location is off Springdale Road, a short walk from Newington Green and Clissold Park, on the border between Islington and Hackney. The Saturday groups are held at the School.

Times

We have five different groups running on Mondays to Thursdays and Saturdays during St Paul’s term time. The school calendar can be found here. Each weekday group runs from 9am to 11.00am and Saturday groups are running between 10am and 12pm. Each group has up to 11 children attending. We do not have a “drop in” session, thus families are asked to book a place on their chosen day of the week and pay in advance for a term. This provides a known group for both the children and parents, enabling support and friendships to grow.

Please contact

parentandchild@stpaulssteinerschool.org

From the Community

Tropical clothing for kids

Ola,

If you are looking for some new, colourful clothes for the summer holidays, please visit my online store: www.almabrasil.com

Alma Brasil sells tropical clothing for kids. All items are made in my country, Brazil, with natural fibres. 

Alma is the Portuguese word for soul. With this in mind, I hand-pick and import to the UK the clothes and products that I feel represent the warm soul of Brazil.  

You can also follow us on Instagram: @almabrasil_official / www.instagram.com/almabrasil_official/    

Obrigada,

Talitha

St Paul’s kindergarten mum

Example Content

Upcoming Events

Pupils' Concert - St John's Special
3:45pm – 5:45pm
24
June
Class IV Trip
All Day
From 27 Jun until 30 Jun
27
June
Class VII Trip to Plas y Brenin
All Day
From 27 Jun until 01 Jul
27
June
Class One Play for Parents in Hall
4:00pm – 4:30pm
28
June
Rising Class I Parent Evening
7:00pm – 8:30pm
28
June
Class V Olympic
All Day
From 29 Jun until 02 Jul
29
June
Class VIII - Photo Exhibition
5:00pm – 7:00pm
30
June
ALL SCHOOL SOCIAL @ Kernel Brewery Arch 7 Tap Room SE17
7:30pm – 10:30pm
30
June
Kindergarten End of Term Festival ( No Lunch Club)
All Day
07
July
Classes End of Term Festival ( No Lunch Club)
All Day
08
July

Term Dates

Summer Term
All Day
From 06 Jun until 08 Jul
06
June
Kindergarten End of Term Festival ( No Lunch Club)
All Day
07
July
Classes End of Term Festival ( No Lunch Club)
All Day
08
July