School News and Head's Blog
Posted on: 13/07/2022End of Term News - Wednesday 13th July 2022
New Pupil Leadership Team
We are delighted to announce our new Pupil Leadership Team for the 2022-2023 academic year.
Our Head Girl will be Arshia S.
Our Head Boy will be Xavier B.
Our Deputy Head Girl will be Avneet D.
Our Depuy Head Boy will be Arjan S.
Tennis Champions
Congratulations to the winners of our tennis championships! As usual, the competitions were fiercely contested and there was some super tennis and sportsmanship on display.
Year 6 winners: Luka K, Aanya B
Year 5 winners: Arshia S, Xavier B
Year 4 winners: Aiden T, Hana H
Year 3 winners: Simar C, Avar D
Sports Personality of the Term
Congratulations to Arshia S, who was today named Sports Personality of the Term. Arshia always upholds sporting values on and off the pitch or court, showing respect to team mates, opposition, coaches and referees. She shows determination whether winning or losing, always tries her best and is an inspiration to her fellow pupils. She is focused on improving in all areas and her attitude is impeccable. Very well done, Arshia.
Musician of the Term
Nya P was awarded Musician of the Term today for consistently showing a keen interest in all aspects of music lessons and the music department as a whole. Nya is an excellent role model within the music department and is always offering a helping hand to her peers as well as performing regularly in assemblies and music recitals. She is a member of the Senior Choir, Chamber Choir and the Orchestra. As well as playing the ukulele, she has also reached an impressive Grade 5 on the flute. Congratulations, Nya.
Music Examination Results
Many congratulations to all of the children who have recently taken music examinations. Those results we know about so far are listed below. If your child has recently taken an examination and is not included in this list, please do let us know their result!
Singing - Musical Theatre
Inaaya S
Grade 1
Pass
Hana H
Grade 1
Distinction
Anaiya B
Grade 2
Pass
Samara P
Grade 2
Distinction
Natalia C
Grade 3
Pass
Eshanvi A
Grade 3
Distinction
Siyana M
Grade 4
Merit
Minaya W
Grade 4
Distinction
Singing - Classical
Ria M
Grade 3
Merit
Shruthi T
Grade 5
Merit
Flute
Hana H
Grade 1
Merit
Ruby L
Grade 1
Distinction
Piano
Leo J
Grade 2
Pass
Malek C
Grade 3
Pass
Amelia L
Grade 3
Pass
Viren C
Grade 4
Pass
Guitar
Aiden T
Grade 1
Pass
Aaryav K
Grade 1
Pass
Arjun C
Grade 1
Pass
Luca H
Grade 1
Pass
Aman B
Grade 2
Pass
Luka K
Grade 3
Awaiting result
Cello
Karter P
Initial
Merit
Sahib N
Grade 1
Merit
Diyan C
Grade 2
Merit
Devan S
Grade 3
Merit
Music lessons
If you wish to request music lessons for your child or add them to the waiting list for music lessons, please complete this form to register.
Lesson spaces are currently available for September 2022 in singing, trumpet and flute for students who are not currently learning another instrument in school.
Farewells to Pupil And Staff Leavers
As another academic year draws to a close, we wish a fond farewell to our pupil and staff leavers. You have all played a big part in the life of St. Helen's College and you will be greatly missed. We wish you every success and happiness in the future and hope that you will keep in touch and come back to visit us often.
Nursery Visit
Our Nursery classes visited Campbell Dentist on Friday 8th July.
Dr. Taank explained the importance of cleaning our teeth twice a day. We each had the opportunity to sit in the special chair while Dr. Taank checked our teeth with a special mirror. Whilst she checked we wore 'special glasses' so the light was not in our eyes. We promised Dr. Taank we would continue to look after our teeth and not eat too many sweet things.
Summer Reading Challenge
The theme for the 2022 Summer Reading Challenge is 'Gadgeteers'. We hope that you will encourage your children to take part in the challenge via your local library.
CRUK Relay for Life - This Saturday
Thank you to all parents, pupils and staff for your support with the CRUK fundraising events which have been taking place at school, including everyone dressing in pink and blue on Monday in support of Cancer Research.
At Upper School, Charlee G and Sienna D (Y4) made and sold bracelets and raised £53.70. The Year 5 children also held a very successful cake sale last week!
At Lower School, the children had the chance to 'soak the teacher' among other activities.
Our running total for CRUK fundraising is well over £2000, with more still to be collected and added from events within school.
We hope that many families will join us at the Relay for Life itself on Saturday 16th July at Harrow School. As well as raising vital funds for Cancer Research UK, the day is an opportunity to spend meaningful time with family and other members of the St. Helen's College community. You could sign up to join our team and/or just come along on 16th July. If you would like to sign up, simply follow THIS LINK, click on JOIN A TEAM and sign up using the details below. There is no fee to register.
Team Name : St Helen's College
Team password: SHC2022
It would be most helpful if those planning to attend could let Mrs. Stark know roughly what time of day you hope to arrive/leave the event. You can reach Mrs. Stark at tstark@sthelenscollege.com.
Snowdon Summit!
Congratulations to Yuvraj R (Year 2) and Sikhya R (Reception), who made it to the top of Snowdon on Saturday 9th July!
Over 600 fundraisers participated in the event, with Sikhya being one of the youngest.
They set off just before 8 a.m. to walk 17km up and down Mount Snowdon.
Yuvraj and Sikhya finished the hike by receiving medals which they proudly wore for the rest of the afternoon. Team Raikmo have raised around £2,550 for KhalsaAid so far - a tremendous achievement.
Posted on: 8/07/2022Weekly News - Friday 8th July 2022
National Maths Quiz Finals
On Monday, three pupils from Year 6 and one pupil from Year 4 went up to the Light Auditorium in central London to take part in the National Maths Quiz Finals. With only 10 questions left, they were sitting at the top of the leader board, but after a difficult following round they ended up finishing 4th overall. This was a fantastic achievement as they were competing against schools from all over the country. Huge congratulations to our team members: Aryan B, Zach F, Shruthi T and Zakariya M.
Ducklings Sports Day
On Friday afternoon, our Ducklings enjoyed their first ever Sports Day in the garden of All Saints Church. Cheered on by enthusiastic parents and staff, they demonstrated their fine and gross motor skills in a carousel of activities including aiming, throwing, jumping and running. The children were all rewarded with a certificate and rosette and we were rewarded with beautiful handshakes, thank yous and smiles! Congratulations to everyone for great effort and special congratulations to the Daddies for winning the ball over and under relay race.
CRUK Fundraising Events
This morning, all of the pupils in Upper School took part in a cross country run in Court Park to raise money for CRUK. They also enjoyed 'soak the teacher' and 'beat the goalie' and were especially delighted to be given an ice pop each at the end of the lunch break!
At Lower School, there has been a successful book sale this week and there are other charity events planned for Ducklings and Lower School on Monday.
Pupil v Staff Rounders
On Wednesday, our Year 6 pupils took on a staff team in a thrilling game of rounders at Court Park.
After two intensely competitive innings, pupils and staff were drawn with one win each. However, in the final game the staff managed to hold off the competition and the staff team once again left the field victorious. Congratulations to our Year 6 pupils who gave the staff three very enjoyable and fun games.
Thank you to all of the younger pupils who came along to support the teams!
Reception Trip to Whipsnade Zoo
Our Reception classes enjoyed a fantastic trip to Whipsnade Zoo at the end of last week. It was exciting to see so many African and Asian animals and learn all about what happens at waterholes in the African savanna. The train ride around the park on the Jumbo Express was lots of fun, as was the coach ride!
Year 1 Trip to Mad Bess Woods
Year 1 celebrated the end of the year in style at Mad Bess Woods. They thoroughly enjoyed the open space, where numerous activities such as cricket, skipping, football and bubble play took place. They then had fun exploring in the woods and visiting Albert and Rolo at the farm- Mrs. Hunt very nearly accidentally fell into Albert's water bucket- which made everyone laugh and gave her a very wet foot! A picnic lunch was relished in the garden and then a visit from the ice cream van.
We all agreed that it was a very exciting day. You can see more photographs of this trip on our Galleries page.
End of Term Arrangements
As we enter our final few days of term, here are a few reminders of arrangements.
Monday 11th July - Tog Day in aid of Cancer Research UK. Children should wear blue or pink and bring a donation for CRUK on the day.
Tuesday 12th July - Year 6 'Teacher for a Day'.
Tuesday 12th July - Year 6 Prizegiving and Drinks Reception (evening).
Wednesday 13th July - End of term (half day).
Collection times are:
11.50 a.m. Ducklings/Nursery
12.00 p.m. Reception
12.10 p.m. Year 1 and Year 2
12.20 p.m. Year 3 and Year 4
12.30 p.m. Year 5 and Year 6
Transition
Pupils from Nursery to Year 5 enjoyed visiting next year's classroom this week and meeting their teacher for next year. We have also now completed our programme of evening transition meetings for parents of children in Ducklings to Year 2. As usual, 'Meet The Teacher' evenings for parents of children in Years 3-6 will take place early in the autumn term on the following dates:
Thursday 8th September - Year 3 and Year 4
Tuesday 13th September - Year 5 and Year 6
Music: School Orchestra and Hillingdon Music School
The St. Helen's College Orchestra rehearses on Friday lunchtimes and is open to students in Years 4, 5 and 6. Students must be of Grade 1 standard and above on a string, woodwind or brass instrument. If your child is interested in joining the school orchestra next academic year please email Mrs. Fawbert at
cfawbert@sthelenscollege.com
Hillingdon Music School offers a variety of ensembles and bands for children to join which take place on a Saturday morning. Please find more information by following this link:
https://www.hillingdon.gov.uk/article/7853/Music-School-and-Ensembles-programme
Uniform & Equipment
The uniform & equipment list for 2022-2023 is available on the School Documents page of the website.
The Parents' Association will be running a uniform stall in the staff car park outside Holiday Club on Tuesday 30th and Wednesday 31st August from 12 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. Grace O'H will also run a cake stall on these two days to raise money for charity.
Uniform donation bins will be left outside Holiday Club from Monday 18th to Friday 22nd July. If you have any unwanted uniform to pass on to the PA this would be very gratefully received.
Subscriptions
Just a reminder to all parents that the following publications for children are highly recommended if you do not already subscribe to them:
For ages 6 - 12:
National Geographic Kids
First News
The Week Junior
Brilliant Brainz
Britannica Magazine
For ages 2- 6:
Okido
Storybox
Art Over The Summer
Mrs. Pruce, our Head of Art, recommends the following art-based activities or day trips for families over the summer.
https://vangoghexpo.com/london/
https://mexicangeniuses.com/london/
Emma Collins art workshops for 6-13 year olds. Details are here.
Summer Tennis Camps
Once again, Wayfarers Tennis Club in Ickenham will be running their popular summer tennis camps. Mr. Stidder, who runs tennis clubs at St. Helen's College, runs these camps. Full details including dates and costs are here.
Autumn Term Menu and Co-Curricular Activities
The menu for the autumn term has been published to the School Documents page of the website.
Co-curricular activities for the autumn term will begin after the children have settled into their new year groups. Details will be sent out at the start of the autumn term, when you will be able to select your children's club preferences.
Posted on: 8/07/2022Slowing Down At The Campfire
Yesterday I had one of my final Mindfulness sessions with the Year 6 pupils and we discussed the importance of having ‘campfire time' to deal with the stresses of modern day living. Back in the days when humans had to go out hunting for food, our bodies were programmed for survival and that fight, flight or freeze reaction was a lifesaver - it enabled us to ‘act smart' without having to 'think smart' (which takes longer). Campfire time gave the hunters time to rest, relax and recover from a stressful day of hunting.
Modern stressors trigger mental activity rather than physical activity. Because of this, we do not tend to spend and burn up our stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Instead, these may end up getting stored in our bodies. They can accumulate over time and increase our baseline levels of stress, so that we may end up living our lives in a perpetual state of stress! This in turn may lead to more over-thinking and rumination. If this sounds familiar, you are definitely not alone.
As I discussed these ideas with the Year 6 pupils, there was a lot of nodding and agreement and they shared their thoughts with each other. They articulated where they wear their ‘stress signatures’ or how they feel ‘stress’ in their bodies, minds and actions. Our pupils are so astute and tuned into their minds and bodies that some of their responses in this session were incredibly moving.
Adults and children alike need that campfire time. As adults, we need to model healthy behaviours to our children, including being able to slow down and allow ourselves to rest, relax and recover.
I have been following Carl Honore for some time now and he is such an advocate of ‘slow’. His latest book, Bolder, certainly hits a note for me. In this, he attempts to eradicate the negativity surrounding ageing and argues for recognition of the positive aspects of ageing. I am now happily embracing my mid-fifties!
The last few weeks in any school are incredibly busy but here at St. Helen’s College our last few weeks have really packed a punch. Tonight I felt quite overwhelmed at what I still have to achieve in such a short space of time. I recognised this in my body as I reached for paracetamol for the headache I had been ignoring! But instead of popping the paracetamol I picked up a magazine which has been sitting on my desk for several weeks, flicked through it and chuckled as I savoured the Kids National Geographic! I slowed down and did something enjoyable, rested and read a short snippet about how music matters. Grooving along to funky music, singing, chilling and listening to music improves your mental wellbeing (we all know this but do we all do this enough?). I now admit to you all that the weekend before last I had a ‘Glastonbury’ weekend! No, I was not at Worthy Farm - but I danced around my living room on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and had the time of my life, so that by the time Monday came I felt rested, refreshed and ready for the week ahead!
So, what are you going to do for your campfire time - how will you slow down this weekend? Whatever you are doing, however you rest and recharge, value this time - it could be a lifesaver!
Happy weekend!
Ms Drummond
Posted on: 1/07/2022Weekly News - Friday 1st July 2022
Year 6 Musical Production - Singin' In The Rain Jr.
What an incredible evening last night, as our Year 6 leavers presented the first performance of their musical, Singin' In The Rain Jr., at The Compass Theatre in Ickenham, having spent this week at the theatre rehearsing on the stage there with their professional sound and lighting.
It is always magical to see the Year 6 children reach such heights of performance and musicality in their grand summer production, but it is true to say that we felt prouder than ever last night to see the strength of St. Helen's College drama following a disruptive two years of Covid lockdowns. The children's confidence and skill was truly astonishing!
Drama has always played a huge part in life at St. Helen's College and these children have performed regularly on stage since Nursery, including class assemblies, speech and singing competitions, music concerts and, of course, major productions in several year groups. So it is no surprise that there was some very accomplished acting, singing and dancing on display and the audience were very appreciative of the children's efforts. The pupils are performing a Friday matinee and another evening show tonight too, before they enjoy their after-play party to celebrate their achievements.
Well done, Year 6, you have worked so hard on this show and you have created memories to last a lifetime. We would like, also, to thank all of the staff and ex-pupils who have helped in so many ways to prepare for and stage this production.
Cancer Research UK Fundraising
We would like to remind parents that Monday 11th July will be a tog day in aid of Cancer Research UK. Children may wear blue or pink, the Cancer Research colours, and are asked to bring a donation on the day.
There will be several fundraising events for different year groups as we near the end of term and children will be permitted to bring money to school in order to take part in these. Class teachers will be sending out details of these.
We hope that many families will join us at the Relay for Life itself on Saturday 16th July at Harrow School. As well as raising vital funds for Cancer Research UK, the day is an opportunity to spend meaningful time with family and other members of the St. Helen's College community. Please do sign up to join our team and come along on 16th July. Simply follow THIS LINK, click on JOIN A TEAM and sign up using the details below. There is no fee to register.
Team Name : St Helen's College
Team password: SHC2022
iArt
Mrs. Pruce, our Head of Art, was delighted to be invited to attend the IAPS iArt awards ceremony on Monday evening in her capacity as Subject Leader for IAPS. Families travelled from as far away as Kenya to attend the occasion, which was set in the beautiful St. Ethelburga's centre in Bishopsgate.
The standard of artwork entered this year was incredible as you can see from these pieces, produced by prep school students in Years 5-8.
We have such wonderful artists at St. Helen's College so we are hopeful that next year we may be winners too!
RSPCA Young Photographer Awards
Budding young photographers might be interested in entering the RSPCA Young Photographer Awards, which are open for entry until 16th August for anyone aged 18 or under. Further details are available here.
.begin Mindfulness Course for Adults
The Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP) will soon be running another eight week course for adults, to increase understanding of Mindfulness and wellbeing. Benefits include reducing stress, an improved ability to manage thoughts and behaviour, an increase in coping skills and motivation and an increase in self-compassion.
The course, called .begin, is delivered via Zoom in 90 minute sessions over eight weeks, and is led by a highly experience MiSP instructor. If you are interested in this course, you can find full details at the link below.
https://mindfulnessinschools.org/begin-eight-week-mindfulness-course/?mc_cid=7846ab6f46&mc_eid=dc4c85d2ac
Online Safety
As the school year draws to a close, we would like to remind you once again of the importance of keeping your children safe when they are online. Some may feel that their child is too young for them to be concerned with such issues. However, in our technology-filled world, it is becoming increasingly necessary to equip both yourself and your child with the skills needed to enjoy age appropriate online activity and stay safe whilst doing so.
As a school we have a long association with Paul Hay, who regularly provides sessions for pupils, staff and parents. His informative presentation can be accessed via this link. In addition, we are members of National Online Safety and, as part of our parent body, you have free access to this. Please take another look at their site or join up if you have yet to do so. We feel certain that you will find the site very useful.
Below are some specific links that you may find particularly helpful.
https://nationalonlinesafety.com/hub/view/webinar/understanding-age-ratings
https://nationalonlinesafety.com/hub/view/course/os-for-parents-3-7
https://nationalonlinesafety.com/hub/view/course/os-for-parents-7-11
Please do not hesitate to contact the school’s Designated Safeguarding Leads, Mrs. Hunt or Mr. McLaughlin if you have any questions.
Uniform/Equipment List 2022-2023
The updated uniform/equipment list for 2022-2023 has been posted to the website and is available here. Please note one significant change: the introduction of a new, improved senior tracksuit which is to be worn by children in Years 3-6.
As usual, we ask that you check your child's uniform and equipment over the summer holidays and ensure that everything fits and is clean and in good repair before the start of the new academic year.
Registrations for Ducklings or Nursery Entry in September 2023
Although September 2023 seems a long way off, our admissions processes begin approximately one year in advance of entry. Therefore, if you have a child born after 1st September 2019 and you would like them to join Ducklings or Nursery in September 2023 or September 2024, please ensure that you register them as soon as possible. Siblings get priority for places but we do need them to be registered in order for them to be included in the admissions process. The registration form is here.
In addition, if you have friends or family with children in these age groups, please urge them not to leave it too late to apply! Every year we have disappointed families who have left it too late and to whom we are unable to offer a place for Early Years entry. Many thanks for your support with this.
Our next Open Morning for prospective parents will be in mid-October. We will advertise this when we return to school in September.
PlayDay at Hillingdon Athletics Track
Hillingdon Council will be running a Playday Event at Hillingdon Athletics Track on 3rd August from 10.00 a.m. - 2.00 p.m. This is a free event for children aged 0-10 years old and there will be a range of activities including:
- soft play, bouncy castle, arts and crafts, story time, a puppet show and much more for the under 5s and
- inflatable slide, bouncy castle, BMX, football shootout and much more for children from 5 to 10 years.
Parents are welcome to bring a picnic or food and refreshments will be available to purchase at the leisure centre too. There is information on the flyer here.
Category / All Articles
Categories
Archive
