The tree is up, holly and ivy adorn our mantlepieces, courtesy of our PTFA team, and it really is beginning to feel like Christmas!
Last night we held our fabulous PTFA Christmas Fayre! The evening was so well attended with parents, new and old, and their friends and families enjoying mulled wine, shopping with our fantastic stallholders who were selling the most beautiful things. This year we did something a little different, and while the PTFA were setting up in school, the children enjoyed an afternoon of fun games in the hall, before they came along to the fayre. They had huge amounts of fun and a truly festive afternoon at Sunninghill.
Thank you to our PTFA who worked so hard to make the evening so festive and fun, to our staff who prepared the food and grounds and to the Senior Prep children and their teachers who ran some brilliant games to entertain the children. It really was a fantastic event, which has left us feeling very Christmassy!
While still on the Christmas theme, this year we launched our very first school carol competition, and it has been such a joy to see it take shape. With entries from both Junior and Senior pupils, each group has brought something unique to the table—some beautifully sung, some cleverly written, and all full of festive enthusiasm. The winning entry will earn the special honour of being performed at next Friday’s Christmas Cracker Showcase, where it will be shared live with our school community for the very first time. A huge well done to all who entered—we’re already looking forward to making this a new Christmas tradition!
On Friday in assembly, we had the pleasure of listening to Olivia play her cello, accompanied by Lottie. This was beautiful, and an incredibly courageous thing to do, especially as Olivia is only in Form 3.
We had lots to celebrate today with Beau and Harry winning the Commitment award, Elias and Sasha-Mae the Compassion award, Freddy and Coco the Courage award, Sandro and Seb the Creativity award. Our Well Done winners were Penelope, Olivia, Coco, Albie, Beau, Mina and Anna. Our Academic Excellence winners were Sophia, Grace, Elodie, Shayan, Sandro and Millie. We also congratulated Penelope, Ivy and Tessie on a great kickboxing tournament and Callisto for achieving her 5000 Tassomai points badge. A great week everyone!
This week, we have once again been taking part in Parliament week. On Monday, the whole school gathered for an assembly to explore what Parliament does and how it works and about our local MP for West Dorset, Edward Morello and on Thursday, Forms 5–8 welcomed him to school. He spoke clearly and informally about the role of Parliament, from debating new laws to representing local communities, and then opened the floor to questions. Our pupils were brilliantly engaged, listening carefully and asking thoughtful, confident questions about everything from voting to life as an MP. It was a genuine and inspiring experience for them, and a valuable reminder of the importance of understanding how our country is run.
This week we continued our Into Film Festival. Forms 3 and 4 went to the cinema to see Garfield, which was apparently hilarious. Our Reception, Form 1 and Form 2 pupils enjoyed a cozy Christmas movie afternoon. The children watched Arthur Christmas while indulging in snacks and treats they had ‘purchased’. It was a fun and festive afternoon.
Our Bobbins children also enjoyed a wonderful trip to the Poole Lighthouse Theatre to watch Little Robin Red Vest. From the excitement of climbing onto the minibus with their friends for the very first time, to joining in with the actors and getting into the festive spirit, every moment felt magical. The show shared lovely messages about kindness and the joy of sharing with others. And the children’s reactions said it all. As soon as the performance ended, they burst out with excitement, proudly telling us, “This was amazing!” and “This was so much fun!” Their little faces were glowing, and their joy was truly the highlight of the day.
On Tuesday evening we had a very exciting trip to St Mary’s stadium to watch Southampton take on Leicester. The match certainly didn’t disappoint with a very exciting 3-0 victory for the home side. Much fun was had by all and Southampton are on a roll, with four wins in a row, and seem to be doing much better than my beloved Manchester United! I think it is fair to say we were all a little tired the next day though. Thank you to Mr Willemse for organising such a fun trip.
Finally, this morning we had an absolutely wonderful Nursery Christmas Craft morning! It was a brilliant morning, with so many of our nursery families attending. The children had so much fun, and even got to have a donkey ride, organised and paid for by the Jones family. My thanks to our fabulous Nursery and catering team for pulling this all together after a very busy week. I had so many lovely comments from our families and I am incredibly proud of our Nursery team.
It’s been an incredibly busy week, but so much fun! Thank you to all the children, staff and parents from nursery all the way through the school, who have supported us with all our events. Next week promises to be just as festive and fun – with our wreath making, nativity plays and Christmas showcase on Friday night!
Have a restful weekend everyone!
David
