In the Press

This week, the children at St Ives School in Haslemere have been taking part in a Chalk Challenge.

Wednesday 20^th May was National Thank a Teacher Day and the children of St Ives School in Haslemere threw themselves into the day with typical gusto!  

The children of St Ives School in Haslemere have been enjoying a Dressing Up Competition.

This week the pupils of St Ives School in Haslemere have taken part in a three-day Green Festival as part of the school’s pledge to become an international Green Flag Award Eco-School.  The school has committed to raise its understanding of the environmental issues facing the world and how the school can contribute, both as a whole and as individuals, to a more sustainable future. 

St Ives is following the programme set up by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.  Internationally, the programme is the largest educational programme in the world.  It is present in nearly 70 countries with millions of children participating.  St Ives is now part of this global community working to create environmental change for its pupils and future generations. 

The festival focused on Global Citizenship and what is takes to be a good citizen.  Children were given St Ives passports and spent the first two days of the festival ‘travelling’ around the school visiting different countries, learning about their cultures and economies.  They enjoyed age-appropriate activities which stretched from designing Chinese fans, to creating a Spanish themed mosaic, dancing to the beat of African drums, making Brazilian truffles and learning about eco-systems in Antarctica.   

Children also enjoyed a presentation on Fairtrade and learnt what it means to help producers in developing countries achieve better trading conditions, with the younger children doing a Fairtrade scavenger hunt around two local supermarkets, whilst the older children learnt about the food production chain and healthy eating, culminating in using smoothie bike to produce their own smoothies!  They also attended workshops on carbon footprints and clothing production, introducing them to a more sustainable and ethical way of living.  The festival ended with all the children decorating Fairtrade organic cotton bags to take home.   

Mrs Kay Goldsworthy, Head Teacher at St Ives, said “Our Green Festival on Global Citizenship has been fantastic.  Every pupil now has an understanding that everything they buy - from clothing to food – has a supply chain, where everyone within the chain deserves to work in good conditions and receive fair pay.  This is what makes us decent global citizens!” 

This week, the pupils and staff at St Ives School in Haslemere came to school dressed in green to mark the start of National Tree Week.  National Tree Week is the UK’s largest tree celebration, marking the start of the winter tree planting season.  St Ives has committed to increase its understanding of the environmental issues facing the world and is working hard to become an international Green Flag Award Eco-School. 

The initiative to come to school dressed in green is one of many events the school is holding this year.  There has already been a ‘Green Festival’ and pupils are making Ecobricks from their non-recyclable plastic. 

Pupils arrived at school in an array of different greens, all donning their £1 to raise money for Just One Tree.  Just One Tree is a non-profit organisation whose aim is to remove CO2 from the atmosphere through reforestation.  Just One Tree works with established reforestation partners who concentrate their planting in areas severely affected by mass deforestation.  In doing so, they have the greatest positive effect on combatting global warming whilst simultaneously alleviating extreme poverty within impacted communities through training, education and employment.  For every pound they raise, they plant a tree.

Year 4 pupils held a whole school assembly explaining the importance of trees and the water cycle and how it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure there is enough water and oxygen for everyone.  St Ives pupils hope that by wearing Green they will all remember their role in preserving the environment. 

St Ives School has just won ‘Small Independent School of the Year’ at the Independent Schools of the Year Awards 2019.