House System

At St. Helen's College, our House System is at the heart of our community, designed to encourage collaboration, healthy competition and a sense of belonging. Each child is welcomed into one of our four Houses: Caledonia, Cambria, Hibernia or Windsor. This affiliation remains with them throughout their time at the school, building bonds across year groups and creating a strong, supportive network.

Throughout the year, the House System comes alive with a variety of events, challenges and assemblies designed to develop teamwork, leadership and school spirit. From sporting competitions and academic challenges to creative arts showcases and charity fundraisers, there’s something for every child to get involved in and a chance for every child to shine.

Our regular House Assemblies allow students to celebrate achievements, share successes and strengthen their ties to their House. Points are awarded for participation, effort and excellence, culminating in the annual presentation of the coveted House Cup.

Through the House System, children not only develop friendships but also learn the values of respect, teamwork, and collective responsibility, ensuring that every child feels an integral part of our vibrant school community.

Our children designed the House Shields themselves and wrote their own House Mottos.

Caledonia: Dream and achieve!

Cambria: Courageous, creative, caring.

Hibernia: Be happy, be helpful, be Hibernia!

Windsor: Aim high, win it, be Windsor!

St Helens House Shields 41185 V3 Caldonia copy St Helens House Shields 41185 V3 Cambbria copy St Helens House Shields 41185 V3 Hiberina copy St Helens House Shields 41185 V3 Windsor copy

 

News

Posted on: 28/02/2025

Weekly News - Friday 28th February 2025

LAMDA Examination Results Huge congratulations to all of the pupils who recently entered LAMDA examinations. All the entrants worked extremely hard and we are delighted to share their excellent results as follows: LAMDA Entry Level Award in Performance (Entry 3): Harleen S, Y2 - Pass Tanavya B, Y2 - Merit Ari P, Y3 - Distinction Aayan B, Y3 - Distinction Kiran S, Y3 - Distinction Kyan K, Y3 - Merit Aarav L, Y3 - Merit LAMDA Level 1 Award in Performance (Grade 1): Tanavya B, Y2 - Merit Elisa K, Y4 - Distinction Sienna K, Y3 - Distinction Ivaan M, Y4 - Distinction Anika S, Y3 - Distinction LAMDA Level 1 Award in Performance (Grade 2): Eleanor G, Y4 - Distinction Mustafa F, Y6 - Merit Naiya L, Y5 - Distinction LAMDA Level 2 Award in Performance (Grade 4): Zoe F, Y4 - Merit Shanaiya K, Y6 - Merit LAMDA Level 1 Award in Communication (Grade 1): Aryan S, Y5 - Distinction LAMDA Level 1 Award in Communication (Grade 3): Aadhya M, Y5 - Distinction Wrens Class Assembly On Thursday our Wrens Nursery children charmed the audience at their class assembly which was all about the weather. The children took us through the seasons with a collection of songs and accompanying actions, singing with gusto! It was wonderful to see them brimming with excitement and confidence, and hard to believe that they really are only of Nursery age - they are such accomplished performers already!       Bicycle Workshop On Wednesday the JTAs (Junior Travel Ambassadors) organised a Bicycle Workshop at Upper School to promote safe and active travel to school. It was wonderful to see so many children on their bikes, with more than 30 children travelling into school by bike to take part. All the bikes were serviced by experts from Bikewise in Ickenham who kindly visited to check they are all in safe working order. The children taking part all had the chance to join the 'Bikers' Breakfast' after dropping off their bike and entered a special draw for a chance to win vouchers to spend on bike accessories. Well done to the following raffle winners: First prize £50 - Andrew (6H) Second prize £25 - Siara (3B) Third prize £10 - Tanu (2C) Fourth place £5 - Naiya  (5G), Amari (2C) and Nikita (3B) Thank you to our hard-working JTAs who are so passionate about promoting healthy and sustainable travel. We hope to see many more children travelling by bike on a regular basis now that spring is on the way! AI Summit  Earlier this month four Year 6 children, Ashvika A, Mustafa F, Alexander A and Avar D, attended the world's first Children’s AI Summit at Queen Mary University of London. This high profile event brought together children from across the UK to share their messages for global leaders, policymakers, and AI developers on their vision for the future of AI. You can watch a short video about the event here and see a story featured on Sky News here. You may be interested to hear the presentation from our school representatives at the event and the response from panel members here. Well done to the participants for representing the school so brilliantly.    Year 1 Pedestrian Training On Friday Year 1 participated in an important indoor pedestrian training session from Hillingdon Borough Council STARS team. The children learnt about the Green Cross Code and put into practice their observation skills in role play with their peers. They learnt about walking on paths responsibly and crossing the road safely using a zebra crossing, at traffic lights and with a lollipop person. The session was finished off with a lively song!        Month End Music Recital Also on Friday, we were delighted to welcome residents from Woodlands Residential Care Home in Ickenham to the regular Month End Music Recital. Once again we were treated to an accomplished display of musical and vocal talent from across Middle and Upper School. Well done to all the children who took part and performed so confidently.  Royal Academy Of Arts Young Artists Scheme We are pleased to announce that St. Helen's College has signed up to the Royal Academy of Arts' Young Artists scheme. If your child is a keen artist, they may like to submit a piece of artwork; submitting artwork is completely free and can be done online at home by parents/pupils. Each pupil may submit one piece of work and there is no theme. When you enter, you will be asked for an image of the artwork plus some information about the piece such as title, size and some text written by the artist to explain why they created the work and what it means to them. A Royal Academy of Arts panel of judges will see the artwork and the selected pieces will be shown in an online exhibition. Some of the artworks will also be shown at the Royal Academy of Arts! You can find full information and submission links here: https://youngartists.royalacademy.org.uk/get-involved#howitworks Author Visit  We are looking forward to welcoming Professor Raman Prinja, author of Our Cosmos and Wonders of the Night Sky, to school next Wednesday 5th March. There will be a book signing after the event and you have the opportunity to pre-order one or more of these beautiful hardback books for the author to sign for your child! Please order your books as soon as possible via Chiltern Bookshops here. The timing could not be better as Professor Prinja's visit coincides with the planetary parade, a rare phenomenon beginning this evening, whereby seven planets appear to line up together. Thank you to Year 5 for their illuminating assembly today where they shared their knowledge of the solar system with their fellow pupils. We hope everyone will take the opportunity to see this amazing spectacle over the next few evenings!  Themed Lunches There will be two special lunch options available in the school refectory next week to mark Shrove Tuesday and World Book Day which is celebrated in school on Friday 7th March. The pancake bar will be offering exciting fruit selections on Tuesday 4th March and, to tie in with the non-fiction World Book Day theme, there will be 'amazon rainforest stir fry' and 'moon rock brownies' amongst the offerings available on Friday.  First News Offer To mark World Book Day next week, the children's newspaper First News are running a special offer to order a copy for just £1 (no subscription required) valid until Sunday 9th March. First News is a fun and informative weekly publication perfect for Upper School children which covers current affairs, global news and other entertaining topical stories. The school is championing non-fiction for World Book Day this year and this is the perfect introduction to news media for children interested in the world around them. Reading a trusted weekly newspaper can also help develop literacy, oracy, world knowledge, critical thinking and reading for pleasure. Sports News On Tuesday the Year 3 and 4 netball players travelled to Orley Farm School to play a series of small sided netball matches. The children enjoyed playing lots of short matches against different teams and demonstrated how much they have progressed so far this year as well as having plenty of fun. It was fantastic to see so many of them participating in a great afternoon of sport!        Water Aid Fundraiser Year 5 organised an exciting fundraiser across the school today for the charity Water Aid. Each class at Upper and Lower School took part in a fun competition to see who could make the longest coin trail! Congratulations to the winning classes: Wrens at Lower School and 3M at Upper School. Well done to the runners up at US: 5R in second place, and 2S in third place.  All the coins will now be collected together and counted, we look forward to revealing the total raised for Water Aid very soon! Many thanks to everyone for your coin donations for this vital charity.   Perform Drama Classes Drama specialists Perform recently visited Lower School for special workshops which the children thoroughly enjoyed! Now they are are offering children a free trial class for local sessions which are held at a variety of venues in Uxbridge, Ickenham, Ruislip and Iver. The classes combine drama, dancing and singing and are a fun way to improve confidence and make new friends!  Pilates Classes Sarah Flemming, a former member of staff at St. Helen's College, will be returning to run her own regular Pilates classes in the Evans Hall. Classes start on Monday 10th March and will run weekly at 6.30 pm. Pilates helps to build strength, mobility, and confidence through controlled movement and breath awareness. Whether you're new to Pilates or looking to deepen your practice, Sarah's goal is to leave you feeling challenged, energised, and more connected to your body. Classes are £12 each and bookings can be made here.      Next Week Saturday 1st March - ABRSM Examinations  Tuesday 4th March - Year 3 Play Rehearsals at Compass Theatre Wednesday 5th March - Year 3 Play Rehearsals at Compass Theatre Wednesday 5th March - Year 6 Junior Citizens Event at Brunel University Wednesday 5th March - Year 4, 5 and 6 Author Visit from Professor Raman Prinja Thursday 6th March - Year 3 Play Rehearsals at Compass Theatre Thursday 6th March - Year 3 Play at Compass Theatre 7 p.m. Friday 7th March - World Book Day  Friday 7th March - Kingfishers Coffee Morning and Class Assembly Friday 7th March - Girls Football Tournament at Radlett Prep Saturday 8th March - Year 6 Netball Tournament at Ryefield School    
Posted on: 14/02/2025

Weekly News - Friday 14th February 2025

Robins Class Assembly On Thursday Robins celebrated love, kindness and friendship in their class assembly to mark St. Valentine's Day. The children sang a heart warming collection of songs on this theme and recited a special poem which you can hear here. The assembly was the perfect time to reflect on how we can all spread love and kindness with friends, family and the world around us. Thank you Robins for a lovely assembly.        5R Class Assembly On Friday 5R whisked us off to Hogwarts for their hugely entertaining class assembly. The children explored one of the school's key values, friendliness, taking inspiration from the Harry Potter books and characters. The children displayed fantastic acting and vocal skills whilst inviting us to consider some of the vital elements which contribute to successful friendships; kindness, empathy and thoughtfulness. The children brought their characters to life and each projected their lines with immense confidence. Overall the assembly shared an important message; good friends encourage and support one another to reach the greatest heights of success. Well done 5R for your terrific performance! Lower School Drama Workshop  On Friday the Lower School children thoroughly enjoyed getting active in a dedicated drama workshop with Perform. The children loved these energetic sessions which involved fun role play and practising voice projection. These classes are designed to help develop coordination, performance and oratory skills. Sports News On Thursday the Year 6 netball team played a competitive match against St. Andrew's School in Uxbridge. Despite their best efforts, the team faced a 5-3 loss. The match was fast paced and both teams worked hard to find space and gain possession of the ball. The girls managed to score three well deserved goals with some excellent teamwork and quick passes. Well done to the team! 2S have enjoyed their swimming programme at the pool this week and have certainly enhanced their water skills and confidence.     On Friday eight girls from Year 5 and 6 participated in the St. Helen's Spring Biathlon event at St. Helen's School in Northwood. The girls completed a timed 50 metre swim and an 800 metre run, competing against four other independent schools. The combined times will be amalgamated for an overall score, we look forward to hearing their position in due course!  Well done to the following for taking part: Year 5 - Ella K, Dhani C, Alana F, Shayla R Year 6 - Evie J, Shanaiya K, Roshni J, Simrina N    TCS Mini Marathon There are still some places available for the TCS Mini Marathon which takes place on Saturday 26 April 2025, the day before the 2025 TCS London Marathon. This year, due to popular demand, places for the 1 mile and 2.6 km races are open only to children in Year 4, 5 and 6. Tickets will be allotted by ballot, so please enter by completing this form by Friday 14th February when the runners will be drawn. Please note that children may be offered a place in either distance and may required to run on their own dependent on the number of adult places available.      World Book Day & Author Visit  We will be marking World Book Day here at St. Helen's College on Friday 7th March. To reflect the non-fiction theme this year we are asking children to dress up as any aspect of their favourite non-fiction book, and to bring the book along if possible. Please be as creative and sustainable as possible; let your imagination run riot! Suggestions include: famous scientists, explorers; an iconic building; an animal; a historical figure; planets, mountains and ocean creatures! We can't wait to see what you choose.  As part of our World Book Day celebrations we will be welcoming the author and astrophysicist Professor Raman Prinja, author of Our Cosmos and Wonders of the Night Sky to school on Wednesday 5th March. Professor Prinja will be taking Year 4, 5 and 6 pupils on a spectacular journey through the Universe and many of the children have already enjoyed browsing his astronomy books in the library! There will be a book signing after the event, please order copies via Chiltern Bookshops in advance here.  Library News Please return any overdue school library books after the half term break. Book loans may be renewed as many times as needed and start at two weeks. Please note, any books deemed lost may need to be replaced by school. Please do visit the local libary at Oak Farm where there are various special events running for children over the half term holiday.  Water Aid Charity Year 5 are planning an exciting fundraiser for the charity Water Aid after half term and are requesting that pupils and parents save coins in preparation. On Friday 28th February each class at Upper and Lower School will be creating a coin trail as part of a fun competition to see which class can make the longest trail. All the coins will be collected together at the end and donated to this important charity. Please start collecting coins now to make this fundraiser a big success!        Bicycle Workshop The school JTAs (Junior Travel Ambassadors) are organising a Bicycle Workshop at Upper School on Wednesday 26th February to promote safe and active travel to school. The children are invited to travel by bicycle into school on the day where they can enjoy a free 'Biker's Breakfast' whilst their bike is safety checked by experts from Bikewise in Ickenham. Please sign up here by Sunday 23rd February. Every bike checked will receive a free raffle ticket with a chance to win travel accessories! Staff News We will be bidding farewell to several long-standing members of staff at the end of the current academic year. We are very sad to do so, but there are exciting times ahead for our leavers. We are delighted to share the news that Mr McLaughlin has been appointed as the new Headteacher of Kew Green Prep School from September 2025.  Mr McLaughlin has dedicated himself to the school for the past nine years and his leadership skills have gone from strength to strength as Deputy Headteacher.  He will bring expertise and energy to his new role and we congratulate him on his exciting new post.  After 25 years of service to the school, our Head of Lower School, Mrs. Hunt, will be stepping away this summer to relocate with her family to the West Country. Mrs. Hunt has been an integral part of our Lower School for many years and has made an invaluable contribution. We are pleased to announce that Miss Matthews, who is currently Head of EYFS, will take on the additional responsibilities from Mrs. Hunt from September and become our new Head of Pre-Prep.   Mr. Lewis, our Director of Studies, will be retiring at the end of the academic year after 19 years with St. Helen's College. Mr. Lewis has been reducing his working hours over the last few years and has now decided that the time is right to enjoy his retirement.  Having begun her PhD studies in October, Mrs. Smith, our Director of Administration, will also be leaving us to focus full time on her academic and writing career. Mrs. Smith has been at the heart of St. Helen's College for 15 years. Mrs. Bool, our Finance Manager, will also be leaving us in May.  Mrs. Bool has been with us for seven years and has transformed the financial operations of the school during this time. She will now have time to focus on her other interests outside of school and utilise her incredible financial skills and strategic vision in other arenas.  These valued colleagues, and members of the Senior Leadership Team, have all made huge contributions to the strategic direction of the school over many years. They have lived and breathed the St. Helen's College values and have brought commitment, enthusiasm and creativity to their roles. They will be sorely missed by colleagues, pupils and parents. We know that you will join us in wishing each of them well in their future adventures. The recruitment process is underway and we will share details of new staff joiners, and announce our new leadership team, in due course. St. Helen's College Nursery Expands Provision! We are excited to announce that, in response to demand, from September 2025 the St. Helen's College Nursery will be open for 50 weeks of the year, providing continuity of educational care for those attending throughout their pre-Reception year. The Nursery will continue to be staffed by our St. Helen's College Early Years specialists and will continue to offer core pre-school education, specialist teaching sessions and plenty of extra opportunities.  Easter Mini-Me Camp There are still a few places available at Mr. Harrington's Mini-Me Camp at PACCAR Scout Camp over the Easter holidays. These weeks are very popular and include lots of exciting activities such as zip wires, laser tag, giant swing, archery, climbing, abseiling and caving which help to build and enhance friendships, improve fitness and foster a love of activity and outdoor fun! There are many St. Helen's College children already signed up and it is also a great opportunity for your children to make new friends from outside of school. Full details and bookings are available here.  PA Uniform Sale The PA will be holding a uniform sale in the Evans Hall at Upper School on the afternoon of Sunday 23rd February from 3.00 - 4.30 p.m. There will be plenty of uniform items available in various sizes, additional donations are not required at this time.  After Half Term Tuesday 25th February - PA Coffee Morning in Evans Hall  Tuesday 25th February - Year 4 Netball v. Orley Farm Wednesday 26th February - School At Work Open Morning  Thursday 27th February - Wrens Coffee Morning and Class Assembly Friday 28th February - Year 1 Indoor Pedestrian Training Friday 28th February - Month End Music Recital Saturday 29th February - ABRSM Exams
Posted on: 7/02/2025

Weekly News - Friday 7th February 2025

1O Class Assembly On Thursday 1O presented a thoughtful and inspiring class assembly about life skills and personal growth. The children shared the importance of the personal values we embed every day here at St. Helen's College; patience, self discipline, perseverance and determination. They used a clever analogy of a tree to explain how planting the seeds of these values inside ourselves helps us to grow strong and resilient. Well done 1O for sharing a vital lesson and singing so brilliantly about striving to be the very best version of ourselves. You can hear more from some of the children here.      5G Class Assembly Year 5 presented a fascinating class assembly today about the concept of spatial reasoning and how we can develop our awareness of the world around us by building this vital skill into daily life. Tasks such tying shoe laces, reading maps, playing games and puzzles, and fitting objects into the correct sized containers are all problem solving activities based on spatial reasoning skills. In the classroom 5G have been working with angles and 3D shapes in maths (they are pictured here with their colourful tangrams), created complex origami models and have been exploring spatial vocabulary in English.  Developing strong spatial reasoning can open the door to many diverse and interesting career paths; architecture, medicine, visual art and engineering are just a few avenues where these skills are utilised. Well done 5G for a very informative insight into all of your hard work and a very polished assembly.  UKMT Maths Challenge Success Last week nineteen pupils from Year 5 and 6 participated in the UK Maths Trust Intermediate Mathematical Challenge. Today we were delighted to award all the children certificates of achievement in assembly and celebrate their success in this demanding test. Huge congratulations to the following pupils who achived bronze and silver certificates in recognition of their excellent results: Bronze certificates - Rayan S (Y6), Shanaya P (Y6), Rohan F (Y6) Silver certificates - Aaryav K (Y6), Mark DR (Y6), Saayan S (Y6), Ashvika A (Y6), William B (Y5), Mustafa F (Y6), Avar D (Y6), Rohaym U (Y6), Amelia L (Y6) General Knowledge Quiz On Tuesday twelve children from Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 represented St. Helen's College in the first heat of the annual inter-school General Knowledge Quiz. This hotly contested 60 minute online event is organised by the Quiz Club and is an brilliant opportunity for members of the school Quiz Club to put their knowledge to the test, competing against 72 other schools.  Congratulations to Team 3: Melissa D R (Y3), Rian S (Y4), William B (Y5) and Amelia L (Y6) who finished in 18th place with 1385 points, and are through to the semi-final in March!  Well done to Team 1: Mia S (Y3), Alicia Z (Y4), Armaan V (Y5) and Rohan F (Y6) who finished 25th with 1310 points and still have a chance to make it through to the next stage, watch this space! Team 2 finished in a very respectable 32nd place with 1240 points, good teamwork from Aayan B (Y3), Anjali S (Y4), Reyan C (Y5) and Rohin M (Y5).  AI Summit On Tuesday, four Year 6 children, Ashvika A, Mustafa F, Alexander A and Avar D, attended the world's first Children’s AI Summit at Queen Mary University of London, which brought together children from across the UK to share their messages for global leaders, policymakers, and AI developers on their vision for the future of AI. The children participated in interactive sessions and even had the opportunity to present on stage! They very confidently shared their own views on how AI can positively impact their lives and voiced their concerns about the emerging technology. The children's thoughts and messages will be carried to the Paris AI Action Summit next week.    Dinosaurs Visit Robins and Wrens! On Friday Robins and Wrens travelled back in time for a fun interactive workshop with 'Dino Girl' from the Travelling Natural History Museum. The children had a roaring time discovering fascinating facts about the different types of dinosaurs, learning how they protected themselves and how they used their senses to hunt. They especially enjoyed examining giant dinosaur teeth and claws! There were lots of laughs and happy faces as they explored the dinosaur models. The session culminated with a thrilling meteorite explosion to demonstrate one of the theories about why dinosaurs became extinct.    Y5 Pedestrian Training On Thursday Year 5 enjoyed an informative pedestrian training workshop led by the Hillingdon Borough Council STARS Team (School Travel and Road Safety Education team) to equip the children with pedestrian skills to aid safe independent travel. Thank you to the STARS team for this vitally important workshop.          Year 6 Riot Act Workshop (Road Safety) On Friday it was the turn of Year 6 to participate in a road safety workshop. The children took part in an interactive workshop with The Riot Act to educate them on potential dangers whilst using the roads and how to actively stay safe. The performance prompted some lively and engaging discussion considering the perspectives of many different road users; cyclists, motorists and pedestrians.        World Book Day & Author Visit  We are excited to announce that the theme for this year’s World Book Day at St. Helen’s College on Friday 7th March will be non-fiction! To celebrate, we encourage children to dress up as any aspect of their favourite non-fiction book (no football kits, please) and, if possible, bring the book along to share with classmates. Costume ideas could include dressing up as a famous inventor from a book about scientists or as a globe from a book about our planet. Throughout the day, students will enjoy a variety of fun, non-fiction-themed activities designed to spark curiosity and learning. We look forward to seeing their creative costumes and the wonderful books they bring! To support our focus on non-fiction we are looking forward to welcoming the award-winning astrophysicist Raman Prinja, author of Our Cosmo and Wonders of the Night Sky, to Upper School on Wednesday 5th March for a special talk and book signing. From planets and moons to black holes and asteroids, Professor Raman Prinja will be taking Year 4, 5 and 6 pupils on a spectacular journey through the Universe to discover the seven wonders of our cosmos. This promises to be a fascinating talk and will include an interactive question and answer session at the end. There will be a book signing after the event, please order copies via Chiltern Bookshops in advance here.  TCS Mini Marathon The TCS Mini London Marathon is back!  This exciting event which offers school children the opportunity to run part of the official marathon route takes place on Saturday 26 April 2025, the day before the 2025 TCS London Marathon. This year due to popular demand we have been allocated only 25 tickets in the 1 mile race and 15 tickets in the 2.6km race, therefore the event will be open only to children in Year 4, 5 and 6. To enter the ballot for tickets please complete this form by Friday 14th February when the runners will be drawn at random. Please note that children may be offered a place in either distance and may required to run on their own as we are awaiting feedback on the number of adult places available.  Mindfulness Activity Cards At St. Helen's College we support the children's emotional regulation with a range of mindfulness techniques and see the huge benefits it can bring to their overall wellbeing. With this in mind parents may be interested in Mindfulness Activity Cards, produced by The Children's Yoga Co, which can be used as a fun and engaging tool to practise mindfulness at home. The cards are suitable for children aged three and above and encourage calmness, focus, and emotional awareness through simple activities that require little or no props, for example crafting, breathwork, visualisation and movement. The cards can be purchased here.  Parents' Evening Thank you to all the parents from Ducklings, Nursery and Reception who attended Parents' Evening this week. We hope it was useful and thank you for your continued support.  Healthy Snacks Please may we remind parents to adhere to our Healthy Eating Policy and send a small snack for morning breaktime consisting of only fruit, vegetables or plain crackers. Please avoid plastic packaging where possible to support our sustainability goals and kindly be reminded we are a nut free school.  Next Week 2S swimming all week Wednesday 12th February  - Football v. Ryefield  Thursday 13th February - Robins Coffee Morning and Class Assembly Thursday 13th February - Y6 Netball v. St. Andrews (A) Friday 14th February - 5R Coffee Morning and Class Assembly  Friday 14th February - Perform Visit To Lower School   
Posted on: 31/01/2025

Weekly News - Friday 31st January 2025

1C Class Assembly 1C took us on a whistle stop tour of Brazil in their class assembly on Thursday. The children shared their knowledge of this vibrant country, including the carnival culture and famous landmarks such as Sugarloaf Mountain, and the diverse plant and animal life in the Amazon Rainforest. They retold the story The Great Kapok Tree, sharing an important message about preserving the rainforest and they sang beautifully on this theme. Well done to all of the children for each reading their lines clearly and confidently in a very accomplished and enjoyable performance.      UKMT Intermediate Mathematical Challenge On Wednesday, nineteen children from Years 5 and 6 completed the online UK Maths Trust Intermediate Mathematical Challenge. This demanding sixty minute test aims to stretch the children's knowledge and application of mathematical reasoning and provides a great opportunity to demonstrate their problem solving abilities. Well done to all of the children who took part; we were very impressed by their positive approach. Certificates will be awarded in due course once the results have been processed.    Junior Travel Ambassadors Meet The Mayor of Hillingdon On Wednesday four of our Year 5 Junior Travel Ambassadors attended a special STARS (School Travel and Road Safety) workshop at Hillingdon Civic Centre in preparation for their Dragon's Den funding pitch in March. Alongside children from a small number of other local schools, our St. Helen's College pupils were trained in valuable sales and pitching skills. They participated in activities to analyse postcode data and the results of a recent parent survey which highlighted the travel issues facing local families. The children also had the opportunity to visit the council chamber where important meetings take place and to meet the Mayor, Cllr. Colleen Sullivan, in her parlour!  We wish the children all the best for their Dragon's Den pitch to councillors in March to secure funding to put their travel solution ideas into practice. Police Visit Reception Our Reception classes were lucky to have a visit from the Metropolitan Police on Wednesday. The children sat attentively and listened to the police officers speak about safety and stranger danger. They also very much enjoyed exploring the police van with its sirens and flashing lights!          Pets As Therapy Sessions This week, Buddy the dog and his owners (Harpal and Harpreet, former SHC parents and local residents) completed their first Pets as Therapy sessions with St. Helen's College children. The sessions involve reading to and playing with Buddy. Year 3 were chosen as the pilot year group, and other year groups will also be able to take part in sessions in the coming weeks.The Pets As Therapy sessions aim to build confidence around dogs, enhance self-confidence and also provide reading practice in a different way.   Month End Music Recital We were delighted to welcome some visitors from Ryefield Court Care Home to our Month End Music Recital today. As usual we were treated to a wonderful variety of musical talent from children in Year 1 right through to Year 6 including performances on the piano, violin, cello and a selection of accomplished vocal pieces.  This event is a fantastic opportunity for the children to gain performance experience in an informal and nurturing space. Well done to all the musicians for working so hard on their pieces, it was a privilege to share such a high quality performance with our special guests.      House Quiz Last week the children at Upper School took part in the eagerly anticipated first round of the House General Knowledge Quiz. Each child completed twenty questions and the winner from each year group in each House will now go through to the hotly contested final. Well done to everyone who took part and congratulations to the finalists, who are as follows: Caledonia Y2 Mulenga M Y3 Ali A-R Y4 Eleanor G Y5 Armaan V Y6 Avar D Cambria Y2 Amelia A K Y3 Shriyan P Y4 Zora B Y5 Yuvraj R Y6 Amelia L Hibernia Y2 Shivansh P Y3 Sophie B Y4 Abir G Y5 Reyan C Y6 Ayush A Windsor Y2 Hadi Q Y3 Advik A Y4 Ivaan M Y5 Rayhan R Y6 Mustafa F Speed Awareness Poster Winner Towards the end of last term, St. Helen’s College ran a 'Design a Sign' competition in collaboration with Hillingdon Council to create a speed awareness poster for Parkway. We received lots of excellent entries and our Junior Travel Ambassadors took their judging responsibilities seriously, scrutinising all of the entries very carefully. The team picked their top ten finalists which were then submitted to the School Travel and Road Safety team at the London Borough of Hillingdon who decided on a final winner. Huge congratulations to Ivaan in 4C for his fantastic and informative poster design which you can see here. Well done to the top ten entrants who all received a special certificate. The Borough's designers are now working on Ivaan's design to produce an actual sign which will be installed along Parkway in the near future. We look forward to seeing the sign in situ very soon! Sports News The Year 6 netball team played a tough and intense match on Thursday against St. Catherine's School. Our opponents had a very fast paced attack and sharp shooting however, despite the pressure, our defenders remained composed and resilient throughout the game. In the end St. Helen's College conceded the game but there were plenty of positives to take away and areas to focus on to improve our game going forward. Well done to all involved! On Tuesday the Year 5 and 6 boys football team played against Ryefield Primary School and achieved a 3-1 win. It was an very good performance in challenging conditions with a goal from Mark DS and two goals from Daynan C. Congratulations to the team.  Well done to 2C who have completed a week of swimming lessons at Hillingdon Sports & Leisure Complex and are making great progress.  Parents' Evenings  Thank you to all of the parents from Ducklings, Nursery and Reception who attended parents' evening appointments this week. We hope that you found your conversations helpful. Holiday Club - February Half Term Holiday Club bookings will open today at 4 p.m. and close on Wednesday 12th February at 4 p.m. Please ensure that you make your bookings promptly by logging into your SchoolsBuddy account. Next Week 6H and 6L swimming all week Tuesday 4th February - General Knowledge Quiz Wednesday 5th February - Ducklings/Nursery/Reception parents' evening (4 p.m. to 7 p.m) Thursday 6th February - 1O Coffee morning/class assembly (from 8.15 a.m.) Thursday 6th February - Year 5 Pedestrian training Friday 7th February - Year 6 Road Safety Workshop - Riot Act Friday 7th February - 5G Coffee morning/class assembly (from 8.15 a.m.)    
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