School News and Head's Blog
Posted on: 24/02/2023Weekly News - Friday 24th February 2023
UKMT Intermediate Challenge
Many congratulations to those pupils who took part in the UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) Intermediate Challenge. This challenge is for pupils in Year 11 and below, so our children were competing against GCSE students from across the country. There were very impressive performances from several St. Helen's College children and particular congratulations go to those awarded bronze, silver and gold awards:
Zakariya Mo - Gold
Malek C - Silver
Jacob N - Bronze
Arshvir S - Bronze
Zakariya's exceptional performance means that he will be progressing to the next round of the challenge on Thursday 16th March and we wish him lots of luck.
Artist Visit
Year 2 were very lucky to be visited by artist Emma Collins this week. Emma offers workshops in her studio in Hertford and also travels to deliver them within schools having been a teacher herself for 20 years. She linked her workshop to Year 2's science work to help the children to produce giant botanical lanterns using paper lanterns, decoupage and ribbons. Their beautiful artwork is now on display in the Upper School Hall.
Year 1 Visit Windsor Castle
Thursday saw our Year 1 pupils enjoy a day out at Windsor Castle to enrich their history learning about 'Kings and Queens'. They enjoyed taking part in a practical workshop learning all about King Charles III, especially the costumes and role play activities! 1C then had the opportunity to look around the State Apartments while 1R saw Queen Mary's doll's house. The children were mature and sensitive when they walked through St. George's Chapel and saw the resting place of Queen Elizabeth II.
Year 1 had a wonderful day and behaved impeccably, especially given the number of other members of the public visiting to pay their respects.
Wrens Class Assembly
The children of Wrens Nursery performed an assembly to their parents and staff on Thursday morning all about weather. They took us through the seasons with some beautiful songs about the cold, snowdrops and rain, spoke a choral poem and led us in a prayer to be thankful for the beautiful world we live in before rounding off with a wonderful rainbow song with colourful actions! We all reflected on how lucky we are to live in a country with such diverse weather. Very well done, Wrens, on a confident and very enjoyable presentation.
Month End Music Recital
Our February Month End Music Recital was very well attended this afternoon in the Evans Hall. As ever, many young musicians performed on a wide variety of instruments and they did so with courage and talent. This was a super way to round off another busy week at St. Helen's College!
Sports News
This Tuesday all girls in Year 3 and 4 travelled to Orley Farm School to play lots of small sided netball matches. The matches were competitive and the girls were able to put into practice everything they have worked on since September. The focus for all the girls was on participation, enjoyment and progression and they represented St. Helen's College fantastically.
On Wednesday the Year 5/6 girls had a netball match against Hermitage Primary School. Unfortunately they lost 10-2,but the girls worked hard throughout a very fast paced game and it was good for the girls to be challenged. After reflecting on the match the girls know which areas they could improve on when playing Hermitage in the future.
Also on Wednesday, the boys' football team resumed their league campaign with a game away against St. Andrew's School. After some late changes to the team due to injury and illness, the boys set off hoping to return to winning ways. The pitch there is always a bit of a leveller as it is fairly small with a significant slope. St. Helen's College took the lead through a goal from Malek C and St. Andrew's equalised with a breakaway goal. Maicen M then restored our lead with a nice close finish after a very good passing move but unfortunately a deflected shot brought St. Andrew's level again. The boys tried to play as well as they could on a difficult surface but were unable to find the winner. Many thanks to Viren C and Aaron B for stepping into the team at short notice and a big thank you to the parents who helped with transport and provided great support on the touchline.
On Thursday, the boys' football team had an incredibly exciting cup match against Rabbs Farm School which ended 1-1 and went to extra time and then penalties. Viren C managed to save two penalties to help St. Helen's College come out the winners! So we are through to the next round.
We also wish our St. Helen's College teams the very best of luck for the tournaments in which they will be taking part tomorrow: the U11 netball tournament at Ryefield School and the U9 football tournament at HABS.
CPR Training For Parents
Following the Sick Child Training in the first half of term, a group of St. Helen's College parents attended CPR Training with Dr. Dharsi in the Evans Hall on Monday evening. They learnt how to administer emergency first aid and CPR to an infant or child in need. We are grateful to Dr. Dharsi for offering her time to provide this training. Another session will be taking place on Wednesday 1st March.
iArt Competition 2023
Once again this year, St. Helen's College pupils are invited to take part in the iArt Competition. We have a very good track record in the competition and are hoping that this year will see further St. Helen's College success.
The competition’s theme this year is The Environment.
We know that our pupils feel passionately about the environment and sustainability. Their competition entries might show what motivates them to feel like this and which projects and individuals they admire. The subject of their artwork can be anything to do with the environment, for example:
An environmental concern, e.g. pollution, litter, mining, electricity generation, traffic, warming of the oceans etc.
A simple landscape the pupil loves and which could be severely affected or disappear altogether if global warming is not tackled.
A project the pupil admires, e.g. litter-picking, beach cleaning, animal rescue, wind farms, tidal defences etc.
A person the pupil admires, e.g. environmentalist, famous person passionate about environmental matters etc.
Anything else they feel fits the theme!
Pupils can paint, draw, make a collage, create a model – anything that stimulates and interests them, as long as it relates in some way to the theme.
The school is permitted to submit its best four entries for the competition and all entries must be handed into form teachers or to Mrs. Pruce by April 24th at the absolute latest. Entries will also be displayed around the school.
Shortlisted entrants will not only receive vouchers to use at local independent bookshops but will also have their entry pitched as a story to local newspapers, with the chance that the entry and a photo of the entrant will be published.
We wish the children happy creating!
World Book Day
St. Helen's College will be celebrating World Book Day on Friday 3rd March.
This year's theme is 'Bedtime Stories.' In keeping with the theme, we would love for the children to come to school wearing bedtime clothing. As it is likely to be cold, pyjamas and a dressing gown would probably make for the most comfortable option. To celebrate the joy of bedtime stories, children are also encouraged to bring their favourite ‘bedtime’ story into school.
Prior to the event, all children are invited to take a photograph of themselves reading in a cosy place before bedtime (NOT in bed); form teachers will create an area on Google Classroom for these to be uploaded. In class, the children will be sharing and discussing their nighttime reading routine with their classmates. Sharing stories really is a special experience, so this year’s theme celebrates reading as a way to relax and send us happily into sleep.
During World Book Day, pupils will take part in a number of activities including a World Book Day assembly, reading activities in the library and a class story at the end of the school day.
Thank you for your support in celebrating the world of books and reading.
Westminster Abbey Performance
Congratulations to Anika C (5G) who performed at Westminster Abbey over half term as part of the Commonwealth celebrations. Ms Gilham and Mr. Lewis, who attended to see Anika dance, were very impressed by her bravery and the sophistication of her performance. You can see some of her performance here.
Posted on: 10/02/2023Weekly News - Friday 10th February 2023
One World Day
It has been an amazing day of culture at St. Helen's College today as we have celebrated our 'One World Day'. Children, staff and parents across the school arrived dressed in clothes representing their culture and/or heritage and we have spent the day learning about each other's cultures and traditions.
There have been music and dance workshops, arts and crafts from around the world, food stations, chances to try sports from across the globe and taster language sessions. Many parents came into school to run workshops alongside staff and we are very grateful to those who did so. The smiles everywhere have said it all - we are extremely happy and proud to belong to such a multi-cultural community and to have made time and space to share our knowledge, interests and customs with each other. You can see a few photographs of the day on our Galleries page.
Turkey/Syria Earthquake Appeal
The St. Helen's College school community is supporting the people in Turkey and Syria affected by the recent earthquake. Over 21,000 people have lost their lives with countless more displaced, injured, bereaved and in urgent need of assistance.
Heartfelt thanks to those parents, staff and pupils who have already made donations to the appeal. The total raised so far by our community stands at over £1000.
You can continue to donate online for this appeal via our St. Helen's College Just Giving Page. All money raised by our community will be donated to The Red Cross who are working to assist those in desperate need.
Our thoughts and prayers continue to go to all of those affected by this terrible disaster and we thank you for your generous support at this difficult time.
6B Class Assembly
On Monday the children of 6B gave us an accomplished performance as they presented their assembly themed around Diversity, at the start of 'One World Week'.
The class celebrated the diversity of our school community and shared many of the traditions of their cultures, including some Bhangra dancing from some of the boys! Arshia led us all in a wonderful meditation session and the class also joined together in singing and sharing some words from various different cultures too. This was a lovely way to start the week and left us all feeling very grateful for our diverse, interesting and inclusive school community.
Owls Class Assembly
On Thursday our Owls Reception class performed an assembly all about Love and Valentine's Day to an enthusiastic (and rather emotional) audience of parents and staff. They told us the story of St. Valentine, who married Romans in secret when the Emperor declared that men could not marry and must fight in the army instead. St. Valentine was imprisoned but could not be deterred from his belief in love. The children also told us some interesting facts about our hearts and sang two beautiful songs for us. This was a heartfelt, moving, confident and educational performance and an absolutely super way to start the day. Thank you, Owls.
Football v Heathrow
The football team were defeated 5-1 by a strong Heathrow team on Wednesday. Despite the disappointing final scoreline, the St. Helen's College boys played well and they have learnt much from coming up against such strong and organised opposition. We look forward to resuming the league campaign after a well-deserved half term break!
Speech Competition
Our annual Speech Competition will take place in the last week of term as usual. Between now and then, children in Years 1 to 6 will each learn a poem to recite and there will be preliminary rounds in the classrooms, judged by school staff. The finals for Years 1-3 and Years 4-6 will, as usual, be judged by an external adjudicator who will give the children feedback on their performance. Parents of finalists will be invited to attend.
Each child in Nursery and Reception will also learn a poem to recite and all Nursery and Reception parents will be invited to hear the recital towards the end of term.
We thank you for your support in helping your children to learn their poems and perform them with understanding, expression, clarity and projection.
World Book Day - Bedtime Stories!
On Friday 3rd March, we will be celebrating World Book Day. This year's theme is 'Bedtime Stories.' In keeping with the theme, we would love for the children to come to school wearing bedtime clothing. As it is likely to be cold, pyjamas and a dressing gown would probably make for the most comfortable option. To celebrate the joy of bedtime stories, children are also encouraged to bring their favourite ‘bedtime’ story into school.
Prior to the event, all children are invited to take a photograph of themselves reading in a cosy place before bedtime (NOT in bed); form teachers will create an area on Google Classroom for these to be uploaded. In class, the children will be sharing and discussing their nighttime reading routine with their classmates. Sharing stories really is a special experience, so this year’s theme celebrates reading as a way to relax and send us happily into sleep.
During World Book Day, pupils will take part in a number of activities including a World Book Day assembly, reading activities in the library and a class story at the end of the school day.
Thank you for your support in celebrating the world of books and reading.
PA Quiz Night - Tuesday 14th March, 7 p.m.
Do you fancy a fun packed evening where you can test your grey matter? The PA has arranged a quiz night on Tuesday 14th March 2023 at The White Bear in Ruislip. Doors will open at 7 p.m. with the quizzing starting at 7.45 p.m. Teams should comprise 4-6 adults and places are limited so get your booking and payment made as soon as you can to avoid disappointment (one team member will need to make the booking and one single payment for their whole team).
There will be a prize for each person in the winning team (who will also win the associated bragging rights). Raffle tickets will also be available to buy on the night so even if you don't win the quiz, you might still be able to win a prize.
Parents, school staff, friends and relatives are all welcome to put a team together (as long as they're over 18). Watch out for the link to the booking form which will be circulated via your class rep and don't miss out!
Posted on: 3/02/2023Weekly News - Friday 3rd February 2023
Robins Class Assembly
On Thursday, the children of Robins presented their assembly all about the four seasons to an eager audience of parents and staff in the Lower School Hall. The pupils sang several songs and spoke a poem in unison to tell us the story of the four seasons, before leading us in a prayer of thanks for our beautiful world. It was delightful to see them remember their words, sing and speak with confidence and enjoy being on 'stage' in front of their parents. Well done Robins!
4T Class Assembly
What a fun and informative assembly 4T gave us this morning. They shared all that they have been learning about electricity by presenting a performance which included a game show named Dosh! The children were so confident and knowledgeable and it was clear to see that they have had a great time finding out all about circuits, electrical safety and alternative forms of power. Congratulations to all those who took part.
Nursery Visit from Natural History Museum
The Nursery had the most amazing experience this morning. Many dinosaur models had set up camp in the classroom.
Dinogirl explained all about them, discussing their size, their food and even how the apatosaurus digested its food.
The children got to touch the models, explore sand-digs hunting for fossils and try out dinosaur stompers.
This was a truly wonderful experience, finished off with a meteorite explosion to show why the dinosaurs may be all extinct!
Year 2 Great Fire of London Workshop
On Wednesday, Year 2 enjoyed an exciting performance about The Great Fire of London from the Trunk Theatre Company. The show was performed out of a trunk and it led the children through the story of the characters and events of The Great Fire of London. The children laughed and cheered as the story was brought to life with songs, dance, games and water! The workshop ended with the children drawing a new version of London together. This was an exciting experience for Year 2 and it really enhanced their history learning.
Sports News
Our football team restarted their league campaign after the winter break on Wednesday, in inclement weather, with a match against St. Matthew's School. The boys started brightly, passing the ball around and showing confidence in their dribbling skills. We did not capitalise on early chances and unfortunately went 1-0 down from a corner which we were unable to clear. In the second half the team again started brightly with good possession and increased confidence on the ball. St. Matthew's unfortunately broke away and went 2-0 up with a very good cross and header. Despite the loss, Mr. Dyson was very encouraged by the St. Helen's College team performance; the boys showed great determination despite the disparity in height and strength between the two teams. We look forward to our next fixture at home this coming Wednesday against Heathrow Primary School.
This Wednesday the Year 5/6 Netball team won 8-0 against St. Andrew's Primary School. The girls showed off their shooting skills and were consistently making great interceptions and maintaining possession throughout the match. Well done!
One World Day
Our One World Day on Friday February 10th is fast approaching. The children will be off timetable for the day and will have a wide ranging variety of activities during the day. We have a special menu for the day for the children in Nursery to Year 6, which the children helped to devise.
We would like the children to come to school in clothes that represent their culture on this day. If this is not possible, they can wear the colours of the flag of their chosen country. Some of the activities planned are active and the children MUST wear comfortable shoes, ideally trainers, and bring a coat.
If you are volunteering over lunchtime on One World Day and you have not yet responded to Mrs. Briggs's message about lunch, please let her know by Tuesday so that the catering team can ensure we have the correct amount of food for Friday.
Early Years Parents' Evenings
It was lovely to see so many parents at our Ducklings, Nursery and Reception parents' evenings earlier on this week and we hope that you found the conversations useful.
Eat The Rainbow - Purple Recipes
Accent Catering's colour for February is Purple and they have shared these recipe cards, themed around purple, for you to try at home with your children. Have fun cooking!
Uxbridge Rock Show
The Uxbridge Rock Show is returning to Uxbridge Library from 6th to 23rd February. This is a chance for children to get hands on and discover more about rocks and geology so we hope that many of you will enjoy taking part.
Perform Drama Classes - Discount for St. Helen's College Parents
We were very pleased to receive a visit from Perform a few weeks ago. The Lower School children had a wonderfully energetic time exploring the theme of Circus Adventure and using drama, dance and singing to help develop their confidence, concentration and social skills.
Perform run regular weekly classes in the local area and they are offering a special introductory discount to all parents of St. Helen's College. This offer expires on Friday 10th February so please do sign up now if you are interested.
To claim your discount, just call Perform on 020 7255 9120 quoting SHLE100223 or visit perform.org.uk to find out more.
Flu Vaccination
The flu virus can spread easily, especially amongst younger children in enclosed spaces like the classroom. For children with existing health conditions there is a higher risk of serious illness that could lead to hospitalisation.
As temperatures fall again in the coming weeks, getting vaccinated against flu gives your child extra protection from this dangerous virus which spreads more easily in colder weather when we spend more time with friends and family indoors. All primary school children (from Reception up to Year 6) are eligible for a free flu nasal spray. The nasal spray is quick and painless and most children will be able to get it at their school. If you missed the vaccination here at St. Helen's College, it is not too late – you can still get a flu vaccine from your GP if your child has a long term health condition and is in the ‘at risk’ category or your local School Aged Immunisation Service.
Visit www.nhs.uk/wintervaccinations or search ‘NHS child flu vaccine’ for more
information. You can also contact the Hillingdon immunisation team directly at cnw-tr.ImmunisationTeam@nhs.net.
Posted on: 3/02/2023Pause for Thought
Every morning as I drive to work I listen to Radio 2’s ‘Pause for Thought’.
On Tuesday morning there was a Scottish minister discussing the kidology of how we present ourselves to people and how we always wish for them to see the shiny best of us, which of course is very natural. Think of a CV, for example: one always puts the best of what one has achieved. However, something really rattled me in his pause for thought - he claimed that he must be the only Scotsman who does not play golf or drink whisky. I found this to be incredibly sexist - why did he not say ‘Scotsperson’! Am I odd in that I am a Scotswoman who plays golf and has been known to enjoy a tipple from my hometown whiskey ‘Oban’.
I jest! He in fact was making a very valid point in that often how we present ourselves to others is perhaps not quite who we really are most of the time. This got me thinking, though, about all the staff who work here at St Helen’s College and how it is often impossible to only present a side of yourself which is the shiny best of us! Your children can detect in an instant when we are ‘faking’ it. Which makes it wonderful to come to work each day knowing that we really are being our true, authentic selves. I would say that of nearly everyone who works in schools with young people. Children themselves are open and honest and say things ‘as it is’, which can often lead to interesting discussions and conversations. But they can also detect when the adults around them are not being authentic and sincere.
Earlier this week, as I toured prospective parents, we talked about adults and our working lives as three Year 2 pupils skipped down the pathway to their music lesson in the Evans Hall greeting us with a cheerful ‘Good Morning!’ The visitors chuckled and commented that they don’t ever remember being so happy when at school. It is testament to the staff at St. Helen’s College that the children are so happy in their learning and daily activities. But it works both ways; the staff are happy to be at work because of the lovely children we work with! When we notice a child is not happy then we will always strive to work with the parents and the child to unravel what may be making them feel this way and look to finding a solution.
We often ‘pause for thought’ here at St. Helen’s College. This morning on yet another prospective parent tour our Ducklings children paused to think about what made their boats float in the water tray - and why some maybe sank! At Lower School the Owls children lay on their backs noticing the bubbles which Mrs. Hunt was blowing and the rise and fall of teddies on their chests as they calmly breathed. Kingfishers children sustained their attention on forming their letters correctly as music soothed them in the background, whilst in Nursery there were numerous questions as the dinosaurs from a Travelling Natural History Museum workshop ignited the children’s curiosity! Year 1 wowed our visitors with their mathematical knowledge and shared their learning on what subtraction was.
At the end of yet another busy week it is so important to ‘pause for thought’. Last night I attended a District meeting with approximately forty fellow Headteachers from other IAPS schools. We had three guest speakers who were all very interesting but as I paused, listened to them and reflected on what we already offer here St. Helen’s College I was modestly so proud of who we are as a community. Our pupils, staff and you as parents - we are authentic, we present ourselves as who we are without boasting and we always strive to be the best versions of who we can be.
So as you enter the weekend in this penultimate week before our half term break do pause for thought and be proud of all that we achieve together as the St. Helen’s College community!
Have a lovely weekend everyone.
Ms Drummond
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