A day to remember!
The St Augustine’s Priory Association Day, held this year on Saturday 6th July, was a celebration of all that we are at St Augustine’s Priory.
Before the event, we were joined by past pupils for a delicious lunch. Women who had left as recently as 2015 joined those who were here in the 1950s. Holroyd Howe, our caterers delivered a wonderful meal which we all enjoyed.
At 1.30pm the Art Exhibition commenced, the Art Room and cloisters filled with the exciting and innovative work of our GCSE and A Level girls. This was followed by the prize-giving, awarding those who had contributed so much to the life of the Art Department over the year.
From 3.30pm onwards the day truly got going! Accompanied by music in the Rose Garden, Mrs Raffray, Headteacher, welcomed everyone to St Augustine’s Priory and Fr Fergal Maguire opened the proceedings with a prayer followed by a blessing of the Priory Farm and the wonderfully re-furbished Prep Playground.
From 4.00 – 6.00pm everyone enjoyed the host of entertainments and refreshments on offer, wonderfully organised by our Parents’ Committee. From bouncy castles, a crafts stall, tombola, face painting and a stall filled with smoothies made by pupils– all the fun of the fair was here. Fr Fergal’s role changed radically as he helped with the barbecue! The Priory Farm was open to visitors and tours were held of the school for those who wanted to explore.
The Hall saw the Shakespeare Festival get under way with performances by Form III Alpha of The Merry Wives of Windsor, Hamlet, presented by Form IIIA, Much Ado About Nothing performed by Lower IV Alpha and, finally, The Winter’s Tale, produced by Lower IVA.
Then the judging took place of the Bake Off – cakes had been made and brought in and the judges thoroughly enjoyed tasting and judging the resulting efforts.
And then, after the raffle draw, the culminating event of the day took place, the Teachers’ Got Talent competition. This event saw an array of talents on display, with musicianship galore in all its various guises! Including an Elton John tribute (?) act, our very own staff band, Mr Chappory’s sublime drumming, a demonstration of cheerleading and even a ballet display, we were treated to a gallery of staff input. Even the Spice Girls made an appearance! All was skilfully compered by our very own Ant and Dec in the form of Mr Ferguson and Mr Alejandro. The judges (Mrs Ross, Ms Masih, Mr Murphy and Ms King) had an extremely difficult job but, armed with red and golden buzzers, they certainly made their feelings felt! The popular and well-deserved winner was Miss Molly Regan, a member of our catering team, who sang beautifully a Scottish ballad.
This was a wonderful day and we were delighted that so many came and enjoyed it. In addition to all our visitors, Association Day could not have taken place without the hard work of all those who made it possible. From the teachers and staff who had organised the Art, Drama and Musical elements of the day, to the Parents’ Committee who produced such great events, to the Priory Farm and its managers who hosted everyone and the Estates staff and IT staff who made the day possible and the pupils who guided tours, acted, staffed stalls (even helping out the teachers in Teachers’ Got Talent), and finally all those who were prepared to share their talents (?) in Teachers’ Got Talent – this was a community effort and a shining tribute to all that makes St Augustine’s Priory the incredible school and community that it is.
Categories: Junior Nursery Prep Senior Sixth Form Whole School
