We are delighted to announce that after Easter, we will be offering the Government funded 30 free hours for 3 to 4 year olds here at Winterfold.
For further information, please contact Admissions on 01562 777234 or email Admissions@winterfoldhouse.co.uk
This week, ten Catholic pupils received the Sacrament of Confirmation at Mass, which was celebrated by the Most Reverent Archbishop Bernard Longley, his Secretary Father Dominic, Father Lamb and Deacon Sean.
It was a marvellous occasion, which we hope shall begin the deepening of their journeys in faith. Head Girl, Lily and Deputy Head Boy, Harvey read from the Scriptures with confidence and flair. The altar servers were excellent ambassadors of the School and we were fortunate enough to welcome a former pupil back to assist us.
The Chamber Choir sang a beautiful arrangement of The Lord is my Shepherd to a standard of which they should be extremely proud. Most importantly, the Confirmandi themselves experienced the love, encouragement and support of their families, friends, teachers and clergy, which enveloped them during this Mass.
Some of the Worship Leaders were able to meet with the Archbishop and two of the candidates provided a tour, introducing him to members of the School community. They then enjoyed a delicious afternoon tea in the Drawing Room, where they had an opportunity to converse with the Archbishop; he was most impressed by their knowledge and enthusiasm for what they were undertaking. This was a very memorable and special day for the children involved and for the whole of the Winterfold community.
Recently, a large group of Winterfold musicians travelled to Shrewsbury School for their Big Band Day. The pupils took part in workshops, learning a wide range of new pieces. This all came together in a fabulous concert in their main hall. At the concert, there were performances from all of the Prep school musicians and the Shrewsbury School Big Band.
Following on from this event and the strength of the performances at the Music Festival, a group of musicians have been invited to play with the Shrewsbury School Orchestra at the University of Birmingham on 8th March.
Year 1 children enjoyed a fantastic introduction to sculpting on their trip to Eastnor Pottery. They all made a small version of their face in clay, which was then made into a ‘class vase’, the results of which can be seen on our Twitter feed.
Eastnor’s Early Years’ philosophy is based on the Reggio Emilia approach, which doesn’t impose ideas on children but provides a creative environment and framework for them to explore and develop their own ideas and skills.
Through their visit to the Pottery, children develop confidence and independence, language, communication and social interaction, whilst having lots of multi-sensory fun.
Congratulations to the winners of the Senior Music Festival and overall winner Willem VHB. Our musicians did themselves proud and the standard this year of the brass, strings, vocalists, wind, pianists and drummers was incredibly high.
We had pieces ranging from Handel’s Messiah to George Michael, which gave the audience at the Performing Arts Centre an excellent insight into what our music department has to offer.
The adjudicator, Mrs Maria McKenzie, Assistant Head of Music at Shrewsbury School was very complimentary of the pupils’ performances and gave some very constructive feedback. It was lovely to hear that following visits to a number of Prep Schools, the Assistant Head of Music felt that the standard of Music at Winterfold was considerably higher than the average.
The Junior Music Festival on Tuesday 11th February was a joy to watch, with many of the young musicians and vocalists performing in front of an audience for the first time.
We had brass, strings, vocalists, wind, pianists and drummers play and sing a variety of pieces, from the rite of passage in every musician’s life, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to pieces from John Denver, Cafolla to Verdi.
The adjudicator, Mr Cotterill, gave positive advice, mentioning, in particular, that playing a longer piece gives you the opportunity to grow in confidence as you go along. He told the soloists that they should be “happy and proud of their performances”.
Well done everyone.
Thank you to our pupils, staff and parents for helping us to show our visitors what we have to offer here at Winterfold. It was a beautiful day and we had everything from science experiments, drama, music, french and spanish cafés, DT, radio broadcasts, to zumba and waffles.
The Friends of Winterfold’s fundraising initiative this year is focused around the Forest School project. New outdoor suits are already on order for all year groups. The grounds staff are busy working towards the official opening, which will take place on Monday 16th March, where all will be welcome.
A huge well done to our U9 netball team who were crowned overall champions at the King’s tournament this week.
There were ten teams taking part and the girls played superbly throughout the afternoon, winning all of their matches in the group stages. They then beat Blue Coat School 4-2 in the Semi-Final and went on to be crowned champions, after beating Wolverhampton 2-1 in the Final.
Congratulations girls.
This year’s Read for Good campaign will be launched w/c 10th February. Pupils from Years 1 to 8 will be taking part in Read for Good’s Sponsored Read which has a long track record of encouraging children to read for fun.
As well as providing pupils with fantastic motivation to read more, the money they raise enables Read for Good to provide a regular supply of brand new books and storyteller visits to children in hospital all over the UK.
Research shows that young people who regularly choose to read are more likely to do well in exams and throughout their lives. Read for Good’s sponsored read helps to establish and reinforce these good habits and enables pupils to discover which books, authors and genres they enjoy the most.