Hanukkah commemorates the historical event in Jewish history, which took place in Jerusalem in the second century. Israel had been taken over by the Greeks under King Antiochus who would not let the Jews worship their G-d and were banned from observing Judaism. Thanks to a successful revolt by a small group of Jews known as the Maccabees, the Jews reclaimed Jerusalem and the Temple. In order to celebrate the victory, the Temple needed to be repaired, and an oil lamp (Menorah) was lit in it. There was only enough oil to burn the candle for one day, but miraculously it burned for eight days. This is why the Hanukkah festival lasts for eight days and why the festival is also known as the Festival of Lights.
Hanukkah starts on the 25th day of Kislev, the ninth month of the Hebrew calendar. This year this falls on the 25th of December. It is celebrated with a nightly menorah lighting as well as playing dreidel, singing songs and preparing delicious food. It is a joyous time for families and friends to celebrate together for eight days. Hanukkah not only celebrates a military triumph but also a spiritual victory for religious freedom won for a persecuted people.
The TY Horticulture class were out in the Autumn sunshine planting Spring bulbs using the chaos planting method. This is when a multitude of different spring bulbs (Hyacinths, Daffodils, Tulips, Crocuses, Narcissi) are mixed together and randomly planted so that we have a mixture of flowers and patterns emerging in the spring. It mimics nature and so is more enticing to pollinators and native insects that need the food in Spring.
Stratford is celebrating Maths Week 2026 (12th - 18th October) with daily activities around the school, at breaktimes and in Maths classes! The tutor-time daily quiz is proving to be extremely competitive as each form group tries to solve it and then run to find Ms Matthews in order to win the box of chocolates!
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The TYs, with Ms Talbot, Ms McGill and Mr Morgan, met extremely early on Monday morning 5th October to take the bus to Delphi for a 3-day trip. The weather proved to be good to everyone!
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