School News and Head's Blog
Posted on: 24/05/2024Weekly News - Friday 24th May 2024
Year 6 Residential Trip To France
Our Year 6 children return today exhausted but elated after an extremely busy, successful and enjoyable week-long residential trip at the Chateau de la Baudonniere in Normandy, France. While there, they immersed themselves in French language and culture, taking part in a wide range of educational and fun activities. They visited a goat farm, made bread, tried out various French foods, visited Mont St. Michel, had a go at a muddy obstacle course, made some purchases at a French market and much more! One of the many highlights of the week was meeting their French pen pals, with whom they have been corresponding during the year.
It is always astonishing to see our oldest pupils' self-development, and this Year 6 group have been exceptional. Their maturity, excellent behaviour, independence and willingness to try new things and support each other away from home has been a joy to behold.
Year 4 Residential Trip to Flatford Mill
Despite some rather unkind weather, the Year 4 pupils and accompanying staff set off with excitement on Wednesday morning for their three day residential trip to the beautiful Flatford Mill in John Constable country in Suffolk. While there, they spent their time pond dipping and working with microscopes, investigating the times of John Constable and laying traps to investigate small mammals. They also enjoyed shelter building, creating videos, painting and a twilight walk.
Every child threw themselves whole-heartedly into the experience and activities with enthusiasm and joy. There is no doubt that they have all increased in confidence and independence over the past three days, as well as learning the importance of resilience and perseverance during the more challenging tasks. The staff particularly enjoyed observing the strong friendships amongst this group of children, who consistently showed a determination to make the trip the most enjoyable it could be for every person present.
Photos And Videos
There are a few ways for parents and families to see photographs and short videos of the children taking part in daily activities here at school. The St. Helen's College Instagram and St. Helen's College Facebook feeds are updated every day during term time and feature a range of ages and activities from all across the school. We do not name or 'tag' children or families, so please follow the feeds if you would like to keep up to date with what is going on daily at school. We have been delighted to hear from so many parents how much you appreciate the feeds.
We also regularly post a selection of photographs to the Galleries page of the school website, particularly of major events like play performances, Sports Days and residential trips. Do check there regularly if you are keen to see photographs of the children's experiences.
Sports News
An elite team of runners from Years 4 and 5 took part in the inter-school District Cross Country this week, competing against other local schools at Viners playing fields. The girls were up first and showed tremendous spirit and desire to get around the undulating course. All of the girls crossed the line without stopping with Inaaya S coming in first for the school and 33rd in the competition. The boys were up next, on the same course, showing impressive pace with Jack K finishing 13th overall. A special mention for our two Year 4 boy runners Thomas R and William B who ran a great race. It was a brilliant afternoon for the whole team who gained vital experience for the competition next year.
It was a rather wet afternoon on Tuesday for our U9 A and B cricket fixtures against Buckingham Prep School. The A team took part in a twelve-a-side paired cricket match and did really well winning by nine runs and our B team had a ten-a-side paired match but unfortunately lost by seven runs. The boys played very well, especially showing huge improvement in their bowling.
Wrens Class Assembly
The children of Wrens Nursery performed a beautiful assembly on Thursday to an eager audience of parents and staff. They acted out a story about a bumble bee called Billy. The other bees are unkind to Billy because he is different from them and unable to make a buzzing sound. Eventually, however, they realise that it is good to be different; they apologise for being unkind and all the animals become friends. The assembly has formed part of the Nursery topic of learning about how important mini-beasts are and how we should all respect them.
The acting was accompanied by some lovely singing. The children all made a great effort to speak their lines clearly, sing their songs loudly and stand with poise and confidence in front of a large audience. We were very impressed with them!
Pre-Prep Sports Day
Sports Day for the pre-prep classes will take place on Thursday 6th June in Court Park. There will be two separate events, one for Year 1 and Year 2 in the morning from 8.45 a.m. – 11.45 a.m. and one for Foundation Stage (Nursery & Reception) in the afternoon from 12.30 – 3.00 p.m.
All children will take part in a variety of sporting events. There will be six activity stations and the children will move from station to station in groups, followed by some races on the track.
All children should come to school in their PE kit and sun hat and, if the weather dictates, rain macs. All children will need a named, refillable water bottle.
Year 1 & 2 children Morning snacks should be brought in as usual. The children will return to school after their Sports Day and complete their day as normal.
Nursery & Reception children At the end of Sports Day the children should be collected from their teachers on the sports field and taken home.
Please note:
There is no seating available in the park, so parents may wish to bring fold-up chairs.
Parents are asked to keep a respectful distance from the multi skills station, not to cross the barrier tape or to cross to the children's side of the track, and to keep the area behind and to the side of the finish line clear.
Please do not give your child ice cream, snacks or drinks during the event.
Refreshments Parents will be able to purchase refreshments, provided by the Parents’ Association, in Court Park during both the morning and afternoon events. If you are able to assist the PA with this, please speak to a member of the committee as soon as possible.
Parking To prevent congestion and chaos it is most important that you follow these instructions:
Do not park in Parkway
Do not block other cars in the car park
If the car park is full, then drive away and park elsewhere e.g. Court Drive (very convenient for the park) or Long Lane. If you do park in the car park, then please do so in such a way as not to cause congestion.
It should be a fantastic event, and we look forward to seeing you on the day!
Year 6 Author Visit
St. Helen's College will be hosting a visit from children's author Caroline Boxall on Monday 3rd June for Year 6 pupils. The author of 'The Secret Children of Mumbai' and 'The Runaway Children of Chennai' will be here to talk about her experience as an author and how to become a published writer. She will also be introducing her International Creative Writing Competition for children to have the opportunity to write their own story and win copies of her books.
Signed and personalised books are available to order in advance here.
Please could we also take this opportunity to remind pupils to be sure to return any borrowed or overdue library books to the library after the half term break to enable them to be available for other children to enjoy.
Singing Competition
A reminder that the final deadline for video entries for the singing competition is Friday 31st May. Late entries will not be considered so please submit entries as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Entries should be recorded at home and uploaded using this form. Backing tracks must not contain the main vocal line. Singing from memory is preferred and will be required for the live final. The finalists will be announced on Friday 7th June. Good luck!
Competition: Design A Healthy City
If you are looking for a half term activity for your child, Healthy Cities, Eco-Schools and The Bupa Foundation have teamed up to run a competition for children to create a picture showing what they think a 'healthy city' could look like. Children could create a cityscape, a map, a new invention that might make a city healthy or anything else they can imagine. Full guidelines and an A3 template which must be used are available here. Good luck and please do let us know if you enter. You will need to submit your own entry electronically by 10th June, including our school name and postcode on your entry form. Winners will be announced in the week beginning 26th June, the start of World Wellbeing Week, and will win £1500 for their school to spend on outdoor learning equipment!
PA News
The summer term is packed with fun activities for the children and a busy time for the PA who are always looking for volunteers to help make each event a success. Please make a note of the forthcoming dates and get in touch if you are able to help, all contributions are much appreciated:
Tuesday 4th June 7pm - PA meeting in the Evans Hall. Everyone is welcome to discuss upcoming events and share ideas.
Friday 14th June - PA Father's Day stall for children to purchase a gift to celebrate significant male figures in their lives. The Upper School stall will run before and after school and during breaktime. Children should have no more than £5 to spend. The Lower School stall will be available for parents to attend, with their child, before and after school.
Friday 21st June - Upper School Sports Day at Hillingdon Sports and Leisure Centre. Volunteers needed for sports day stalls, please get in touch if you can help. Donations of refreshments would be much appreciated.
Saturday 22nd June - The much anticipated centenary Summer Fete. You will have been contacted by class reps with your allocated stall rota and request for specific donations. The success of this fun packed event relies on a whole class effort to run their allocated stall; please review your rota to see where you can get involved.
External stall holders: This year we have invited Year 6 students to apply to hold stalls. Please contact your class rep if your child is interested. If you know of a business that would like to hold a stall at the school, please check the announcement on Classlist where there is a form to sign up for stalls.
Upcoming Dates
Monday 27th May - Friday 31st May - Half term.
Monday 3rd June - Year 6 author visit.
Monday 3rd June - U11 A (H) and U11 B (A) cricket v. Highgate School.
Tuesday 4th June - Class photographs (Ducklings, Lower School and Upper School).
Wednesday 5th June - Year 1, 2 and 6 costume photographs.
Thursday 6th June - Pre-Prep Sports Day.
Friday 7th June - Whole school centenary photo.
Friday 7th June - Month End Music Recital in Evans Hall (from 3.30 p.m.)
Posted on: 24/05/2024Why I Ran The London Marathon by Sabe Karunananthan
This week we have a guest blog from Sabe Karunananthan, father of St. Helen’s College twins Naima and Noah. He explains why he ran the London Marathon this year to raise an incredible total of £7211 for Young Lives Vs Cancer.
This all started with a conversation with our Young Lives vs Cancer social worker, Rebecca, on the ward at Great Ormond Street Hospital. I’ve always wanted to run the London Marathon. I am a recreational runner at best having done two half marathons. I’ve entered the ballot for London for many years and never been successful. In my head it always seemed like a challenge I’d enjoy. Maybe I like pain. Rebecca regularly visited us on the ward, we had many conversations and on one occasion, I decided to ask for a charity place in the London Marathon and here we are. Dilly thought I was crazy and she was probably justified.
Noah and his twin sister Naima both started life like normal children. Noah became unwell at the age of 2, he wasn’t eating or drinking, eventually we had to take him to A&E. Naima and I had to stay at home. After a few tests, Dilly heard those dreaded words from the doctor: ‘It’s better if Dad is here too’.
The next 48 hours were a blur. Noah got diagnosed with ALL Leukaemia and was transferred to GOSH. In that whirlwind, I heard the strangest sentence from one our consultants: ‘If I had to give my child any type of cancer, I’d pick this one’. To be fair they were correct as ALL Leukaemia is the most researched cancer and one with the highest survival rate.
During the first round of chemo, Noah developed a fungal infection that spread to his brain and caused a stroke. He was transferred to GOSH under blue lights for the second time in a month. There he spent the next seventy nights. For the first few weeks he wasn’t moving at all. We were at our lowest point and Young Lives vs Cancer really helped us and gave us the support we needed.
Originally, I was supposed to run the Marathon in 2023 but I got injured training, so I deferred to 2024. Noah still needed extensive rehabilitation. He spent eight weeks at The Children’s Trust, a charity St. Helen’s College knows well. Naima and I were again driving up and down to see them and I had to try fit in my marathon training. It was too early for me.
This time it was much better. A lot of very early Sundays running around Hillingdon; I particularly enjoyed Long Lane past the school as it was downhill. It only dawned on me that Hillingdon probably has that name due to the hills. I tried to avoid hills at all costs so you might have seen me running up and down the A40 as it’s flat. This went on for weeks. It consumed my life.
The BBC had picked up my fundraising, so they ran a story and asked me to stop for an interview on Tower Bridge. If you saw it, I may have looked composed but already I was broken. The rest of the run was brutal. I had so many mixed emotions. The crowd shouting Noah (and Naima), handing out sweets and the most tempting pint ever, which I did resist. I would cry, laugh and cry again. I was overtaken by a rhino, a lady carrying a fridge, a slow Sonic and a fireman wearing all his gear. There were so many inspiring people on the way. I had a decent tussle with a granny who in the end beat me. Eventually that last corner arrived and the crowd at this stage were incredible. The thought of doing an Usain Bolt like finish did cross my mind for a moment but I thought I’d save it for school Sports Day.
The money raised is a phenomenal number and the support I was given by everyone at the school has been incredible. Would I do again? The quick answer is no but I have entered the ballot for next year so who knows. I can see that strip on the A40 with my name on it!
Posted on: 17/05/2024Weekly News - Friday 17th May 2024
Nursery Visit To Hobbledown Heath
On Thursday Robins and Wrens enjoyed a fun day trip to Hobbledown Heath. The children were captivated by a fascinating talk from 'Zac the zookeeper' about capybaras, which are large rodents native to South America. They had a brilliant time exploring many other farm animals including goats, cattle, rabbits and alpacas. The children even had the opportunity to feed the meerkats which was great fun! They finished the day playing in the sand pit, climbing on the play equipment and jumping on the 'water pillows'. The children had a terrific experience and their behaviour was impeccable throughout the day.
Owls Class Assembly
Owls performed an impressive class assembly this week all about traditional fairy tales and the important moral messages they impart. The children retold the story of 'Little Red Riding Hood', reciting their lines clearly and with great confidence. The audience thoroughly enjoyed the jaunty songs and actions. It was wonderful to be reminded of the enduring power of traditional tales passed down through the generations. You can hear from some of the children here.
Mini School Marathon
Following the recent success of our runners at the TCS Mini London Marathon event, this week St. Helen's College pupils put their best foot forward again for our own Mini School Marathon in Court Park. The lunchtime run offered children in Years 2 to 6 the option to complete between 1 km and 2.5 km with many opting for the longer challenge! It was inspiring to see over one hundred children choosing to be involved and demonstrating admirable pace, stamina and positivity. A great achievement for everyone involved!
Charity Fundraising Achievement
A group of St. Helen's College pupils have raised an incredible £24,000 for The Ghassan Abu Sittah Children's Fund, a charity providing critical medical care for the children of Gaza. Over the last two weekends the children have participated in a sponsored hike of the four hills in Northala Fields and managed to smash their original fundraising target of £5000. Incredible work!
A huge well done to the following children who took part: Ali A 2R, Hassan A Kingfishers, Zoe B Robins, George B 2R, Kyan K 2R, Noah K 2R, Aarav L 2R, Amaya L 6H, Rania Q 4T, Hadi Q 1R, Zara F 6L, Dawud H Kingfishers.
Junior Chess Tournament
Uxbridge Junior Chess Club are hosting a tournament on Saturday 13th July at St. Catherine Primary School in West Drayton. Categories include under 8, under 10 and under 12. The best local juniors will be invited to compete for the London Borough of Hillingdon chess teams in national events. More detailed entry information for the tournament is available here.
Year 6 Author Visit
St. Helen's College will be hosting a visit from children's author Caroline Boxall on Monday 3rd June for Year 6 pupils. The author of 'The Secret Children of Mumbai' and 'The Runaway Children of Chennai' will be here to talk about her experience as an author and how to become a published writer. She will also be introducing her International Creative Writing Competition for children to have the opportunity to write their own story and win a copies of her books.
Signed and personalised books are available to order in advance here.
Singing Competition
Today is the final day to submit song choices for approval using this form so don't miss out! Video entries must be received by Friday 31st May, please record these at home and upload using this form. Backing tracks must not contain the main vocal line. Singing from memory is preferred and will be required for the live final. The finalists will be announced on Friday 7th June. Good luck!
News From The PA
As we enter the final half term of this academic year, we have some exciting events to look forward to!
The Parents' Association (PA) will be hosting refreshment stalls at both the Upper and Lower School Sports Days, as well as a special gift stall for Father’s Day. Here, children can purchase gifts to celebrate significant male figures in their lives. Additionally, the PA is organising our much-anticipated Summer Fete. This year is a special Centenary Fete, and we encourage all parents to play a part in this unique celebration.
With these events on the horizon, expect to receive plenty of communication through the school newsletter, ClassList and class reps. If you haven't signed up for ClassList yet, please do so to ensure you receive all updates and information.
The PA is always in need of volunteers to help make these events successful. Whether you can contribute a little time or a lot, your involvement is invaluable. Volunteering is a great way to support our school community and demonstrate to our children the importance of participating in school events. If you’re interested in helping out, please contact your class rep, who can connect you with a committee member. Or why not come along to our next meeting on Tuesday 4th June at 7 p.m. in The Evans Hall at Upper School? All are welcome.
Thank you for your continued support and participation. Together, we can help to make this final half term of the 2024 academic year and the St. Helen's College Centenary year a very special, memorable one for our children.
Next Week
All week - Year 6 residential trip to France
Monday 20th May - District cross country (Uxbridge)
Tuesday 21st May - U9 cricket v. Buckingham Prep
Wednesday 22nd - Friday 24th May - Year 4 residential trip to Flatford Mill
Thursday 23rd May - Wrens coffee morning and class assembly
Thursday 23rd May - Year 5 transfer meeting 6.30 p.m.
Posted on: 17/05/2024Movement For Mental Health By Mr. Harrington
This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and the theme for 2024 is Movement: Moving For Our Mental Health.
Regular physical activity is known to improve mental health, quality of life and wellbeing. There is a strong connection between our bodies and our minds, so looking after ourselves physically also helps us to prevent problems with our mental health.
Exercise releases “feel good” hormones which reduce feelings of stress and anger. It also helps us to feel better about our bodies. It can improve our sleep too, and boost our self-esteem.
At St. Helen’s College, children are provided with so many opportunities to exercise their bodies and minds through physical activity. We have a carefully planned PE/Games curriculum, taught by specialist teachers, throughout the school. All of the pupils from Ducklings to Year 6 have weekly PE and Games lessons where they are given the chance to develop skills in a wide variety of sporting activities, and where they learn to love sport through exercise. Children in Years 2 to 6 all take part in a week-long intensive swimming course as part of their curriculum. Swimming is an important life skill and we encourage parents to continue lessons outside of school. We encourage the enjoyment of team games and sportsmanship and all of the children from Years 3 to 6 have represented the school in at least one sporting fixture this year.
In addition, over the course of the year there have been over 150 co-curricular clubs and activities offered to the children, with sporting and exercise activities including karate, tennis, cricket, football, netball, basketball and very many more!
Over the past month, 100 pupils of all running abilities from St. Helen’s College attended the TCS Mini London Marathon where they ran either 1 km or 2.6 km. We also ran a Mini School Marathon this week in Court Park, in which another 100 pupils took part.
In order to encourage an active lifestyle in other ways, we run Bikeability courses at school for our Year 6 children and we encourage pupils throughout the school to walk, cycle or scoot to school wherever possible.
As with all things, the consistency of messaging and modelling at both home and school is crucial. Although there are lots of ways your children are getting exercise at school, it is important that they continue to carry this on outside school. Children who see their parents participating in and enjoying sport or physical activity will pick up the message that this is a healthy, fun part of life. There are so many things that you can do together as a family to promote fitness and physical/mental health: walking, cycling or running together; games of rounders, cricket or softball in the park; dancing in the kitchen while you are cooking dinner; swimming and other water sports; countless other ideas! It doesn’t matter what it is - everyone likes different activities and sports - but it does matter, deeply, that you and your children find something active to enjoy.
You can see some photographs of SHC children getting active on our Galleries page here.
Five Top Tips For Exercise And Mental Health
Get outdoors as much as possible
Spending time in green space or bringing nature into your everyday life can benefit both your mental and physical wellbeing. Doing things like exercising can have lots of positive effects. It can improve your mood, reduce feelings of stress or anger and help you to feel more connected to nature.
Pick a team sport and join a club outside of school
Find a sport your child enjoys. There are hundreds out there to choose from, so if they don’t enjoy sport then they just haven’t found the right one for them. Playing a sport as part of a team requires persistence, practice and patience with yourself and others. If exercise involves other people, like being part of a team, a class or group we see regularly, that can also boost our mental health.
Find out where the nearest Park Run is and sign up with your children
Studies show that regular running at a moderate or vigorous pace can improve your mental health and even your memory and ability to learn. Many of your children are already capable of running the children’s 2 km park run as they are doing this in school. Your child may surprise you and want to sign up for the 5 km run.
Sign up for an outdoor holiday club
If your child is in Years 3 to 6 then why not get them involved in our Summer School at PACCAR? The children are given the opportunity to spend the week outdoors doing activities such as climbing, abseiling, laser tag, kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding and much more. If your child is younger, you could sign them up to a sports activity camp.
Pledge to walk part or all of the way to school
We understand that many families need to drive to school, because your home is not a walkable distance from the school gates and/or because you need to drop your child and go directly to work or somewhere else. It is still possible to leave a little earlier, park slightly away from school (perhaps in Court Drive or another nearby road) and start your day with a short walk through or around the park to the school gates. Children - and adults - who begin their day with a walk have the opportunity to clear their minds, warm up their bodies and notice the beauty of the world around them. Why not try it?
I wish you all an active, happy weekend.
Mr. Harrington
Head of PE/Games/Co-Curriculum
Posted on: 10/05/2024Weekly News - Friday 10th May 2024
One World Day
Children across the school participated in a busy day of cross-curricular workshops and activities for One World Day on Monday. This special day has been created to prioritise environmental sustainability, one of our key school values and part of our strategic programme to support climate education.
The children had a wonderful day attending interactive workshops, led by Young Climate Warriors, Green Up Your Act and Accent Catering, which demonstrated valuable ways we can all contribute to sustainability, such as recycling waste materials creatively or growing our own vegetables.
The children had the opportunity to create notebooks from recycled maps, concoct a green salad from home grown leaves and shoots, build a giant bug hotel, make seed balls, conduct water saving experiments using pipes, create outdoor nature sculptures and even blitz up their own healthy drink pedalling on the smoothie bicycles! Thank you to Mrs. Briggs for planning and co-ordinating a valuable and inspiring day. You can read more about our St. Helen's College sustainability plans in this week's Head's Blog.
Robins Class Assembly
The Robins class assembly this week was all about the wonders of mini beasts and the importance of preserving their natural habitat. The children got into character by dressing up as bumble bees, ladybirds, spiders, caterpillars and butterflies, and shared fascinating facts about these colourful garden creatures. You can hear from some of the children here. It was lovely to listen to the children share poems and sing with such joy and enthusiasm whilst showing an appreciation for the natural world. Well done, Robins!
Now the sun is shining we hope the children will enjoy venturing outdoors this weekend to explore the garden or park and hunt for mini beasts for themselves!
4B Class Assembly
4B led an accomplished and thought provoking assembly today about global sustainability, sharing their work on the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The children demonstrated an excellent knowledge and understanding of global disparities and challenges, and explained why key UN goals, such as no poverty, zero hunger, good health and wellbeing, quality education and gender equality are so important. Inspired by the work of explorer and polar conservationist Robert Swan, the children shared the ways they have pledged to play their part in tackling these issues: limiting food waste, walking instead of driving, using reusable water bottles, growing vegetables and turning off lights to save energy. The audience thoroughly enjoyed the pupils' creative poetry and their impassioned song performance which rounded off the assembly with an uplifting sense of hope for the future. You can hear from some of the children here.
UKMT Maths Challenge
Huge congratulations to all the children from Years 4, 5 and 6 who participated in the recent UKMT Maths Challenge. The results are in and we are delighted to report the following children have achieved awards:
Bronze awards: Samara P, Arjun C, Alexander A, Rohaym U, Avar D, Mustafa F, Luca H, Parth K, Zakariya M, Pavan S, Jeena H, Ayush A, Emily S, Samuel H, Kal-El M, Verity S, Roha K, Amaya L, Eva J.
Silver awards: Amelia L, Dylan C, Aiden T, Joseph T, Zara F, Rayan S, Ashvika A.
Gold awards: Tiya T, Aaryav K, Aryan L, Raiden B.
A special well done for Aaryav K and Aryan L whose scores have earned them both a place in the Junior Kangaroo follow-on round, and to Raiden B whose score has earned him a place in the Junior Mathematical Olympiad follow-on round. Terrific work!
Quiz Club National Inter-School Maths Championship
Today our Maths Quiz Teams from Year 5 and 6 competed in the online National Inter-School Championships. Although they didn't quite make it to the next heat, they all partook with great spirit, enthusiasm and grit! The teams were as follows:
The Mathemagicians - Ryley J, Ali B, Zara F, Tiya T.
Pi-rates - Eva J, Raiden B, Anika C, Saayan S.
Pi-thons - Roha K, Aaron B, Verity S, Amelia L.
Well done to all the teams for their sterling effort!
Year 3 PACCAR Residential Trip
Year 3 have returned home tired and happy this afternoon after an exhilarating two days at PACCAR Scout camp for their first overnight residential. The children embraced the great outdoors, taking part in an array of exciting activities including crate stacking, zip lines, obstacles courses, campfires and much more. Well done to all of the children for rising to the challenges presented with such confidence and optimism! You can view more photographs here.
Year 6 Bikeability Achievement
Congratulations to Year 6 who today completed their Level 2 Bikeability cycle training. Over the past four weeks they have mastered the basics of bike control and safety at Level 1 and have now gained further competence to cycle safely on the roads. The children have gained the skills and confidence to negotiate parked cars, other road users, roundabouts, junctions and crossroads. Cycling is a great sustainable form of transport and supports good health too so we hope to see Year 6 putting their new skills into action from now on!
Summer School 2024
Summer School will be running at PACCAR Scout camp from 5th-9th August for Years 3 - 6. This will be a fun-packed week of thrilling outdoor activities including climbing, archery and a day of water sports at nearby Taplow lake. Full details have been sent directly to parents and bookings will open at 12 p.m. on Saturday 11th May on SchoolsBuddy, with places allocated on a first come, first served basis. The St. Helen’s College Holiday Club will run at school for children in Nursery - Year 2 as usual during this week.
Next Week
Thursday 16th May - Nursery visit to Hobbledown Heath
Thursday 16th May - Owls coffee morning and class assembly
Thursday 16th May - Parents' evening Years 1 - 6
Posted on: 10/05/2024Environmental Sustainability Strategy by Mr. McLaughlin
On Tuesday 7th May, we all returned to school after the bank holiday weekend to a superb ‘One World Day’ at St. Helen’s College, co-ordinated by our sustainability education lead, Mrs. Briggs. The day involved a host of cross-curricular learning including making bug hotels and seed bombs, visits to a local food bank, green education workshops, climate justice, pollution, carbon sinks and smoothies powered by static bicycles! The children really enjoy learning about our planet and the impacts of the ongoing climate crisis. They are naturally so empathetic and open to change. I am positive that, in the future, many of them will go on to provide the kind of clean, renewable energy and conservation solutions required to help the world continue to thrive for many more generations to come.
We have been working on our climate education program for several years now. I am sure that you have seen in our exhibition days, the success of our Eco Warrior team, and the thread woven throughout our curriculum, how much emphasis we have put on what the United Nations calls ‘the defining issue of our time.’ You may have seen the recent reports that ocean temperatures have been at record high levels every day for the last calendar year, further highlighting the urgency of action and awareness.
In the 2021/22 academic year, all teaching staff (and many of our support and administrative staff) undertook a rigorous training course on climate education, organised by Mr. Lewis, who inspired others with his passion for sustainability. Since then, we have gradually added and replaced content throughout our curriculum to highlight this issue amongst our community. On the way, we have achieved the Eco Schools Green Flag Award, driven forward by Mrs. Mann at Lower School and Mrs. Reid at Upper School. We are currently planning the next steps to meet the merit/distinction levels in the near future and to truly establish ourselves as a leading eco school.
To achieve that aim, we knew we needed to go further. So in 2023 we established a Sustainability Committee to track and lead our progress in this area. We have had input and support from all of the names mentioned already plus Mr. and Mrs. Crehan, Ms Drummond, Mrs. Hunt, Chef Soula and her catering team plus many more (including, of course, the pupils!). Mrs. Cargill, our Business Manager, and the premises team of Mr. Graddon, Mr. Fitzgerald and Mr. Smith have worked hard to adapt our environment to be more sustainable. We have made changes to our business processes to become more efficient and we have plans for on-site renewable energy sources.
Sustainability really is a team sport at St. Helen’s College, from the pupils and their families to the whole staff team. We know that to excel in this area, we need everybody to pull in the same direction and support the initiative. Every member of staff has contributed to our progress so far through their work on the curriculum or the business side of the school. To help support this, we have written a three year strategy which breaks down our goals for that period into ten distinct areas.
You can view the strategy here. We have already made good progress with our action plan and we are confident that our next strategy cycle can be more ambitious in scope.
If you, or somebody you know, is connected to the sustainability industry and you feel you could partner with us to provide an educational experience for the children or a good business opportunity for the school, please get in touch and help us on our journey to becoming a leading Eco School.
Mr. McLaughlin
amclaughlin@sthelenscollege.com
Posted on: 3/05/2024Weekly News - Friday 3rd May 2024
Isle of Wight Year 5 Residential
Year 5 have enjoyed a terrific residential trip to the Isle of Wight this week. The jam packed itinerary included an array of exciting and adventurous outdoor activities; the children took part in hiking, kayaking, beach exploration, shelter building, camp fires, trapeze, a sensory assault course and more.
The trip has been a wonderful opportunity for the children to experience new challenges and develop team work and problem solving skills. It has been wonderful to see the children work together and thrive whilst tackling all the activities with confidence and big smiles! You can see more photographs on the school website here.
Kew Gardens Year 3 Trip
Year 3 visited Kew Gardens on Monday for a special workshop and the opportunity to explore the botanical gardens and tropical greenhouses.
The children took part in a fun 'plant detective' workshop which captured their imagination as they followed the clues to discover the plant 'thief'! Then they demonstrated their identification skills and plant knowledge by searching for a selection of different exotic plants: bamboo, banana tree, cacao and the Madagascan periwinkle.
The children thoroughly enjoyed exploring the glorious tropical Palm House and the Princess of Wales Conservatory, both of which support rare and diverse ecosystems. This was a terrific trip to experience plant diversity and preservation first hand, and to consolidate Year 3's hard work on plant life in the classroom.
4T Class Assembly
This week 4T presented a very polished assembly about the 1940s. The children began by presenting an overview of their work on World War 2, including The Blitz, the child evacuation programme and the role of Winston Churchill in keeping up morale. They thoroughly entertained the audience by performing a jaunty celebratory dance to capture the jubilant mood of VE Day.
They also shared their inspiring work on the Windrush. The children eloquently read their own creative writing in the form of letters and poems from the perspective of Windrush immigrants. You can hear some extracts here. Finally, they considered all the important roles within the ground-breaking NHS, founded by Aneurin Bevin in 1948, including doctors, nurses, cooks and porters. The assembly rounded off with a very moving rendition of 'You'll Never Walk Alone' from the 1940s musical 'Carousel' which perfectly encapsulates the spirit of resilience and community from this challenging decade. Well done 4T for such a confident and informative class assembly.
2024 SATIPS Art Exhibition
Huge congratulations to the talented artists from Years 2 to 6 whose work has been included in the annual Support and Training in Prep, Primary and Senior Schools (SATIPS) Art Exhibition.
This year the exhibition was kindly hosted by Moreton Hall in Shropshire. Pupils and their families were invited to a special private viewing and afternoon tea last weekend to celebrate the achievements of everyone involved.
Well done to these pupil artists for their outstanding contributions to the exhibition. We are very proud of each and every one:
Nihal B (Y2), Laksh K (Y3), Hugo VS-S (Y3), Naiya L (Y4), Jana A (Y4), Shanaya P (Y5), Ashvika A (Y5), Amelia L (Y5), Pavan S (Y6), Grace O (Y6), Riya S (Y6).
Singing Competition
Don't forget to send entries in for our very exciting Singing Competition! The competition is open to Year 2 - 6, please note the following dates:
Friday 17th May - song(s) must be approved by this date using this form.
Friday 31st May - video entry must be received.
Friday 7th June - finalists announced.
Friday 14th June - Singing Competition final.
The categories this year are as follows:
Middle School Competition: Year 2 Solo, Year 3 Solo, MS duet, MS group and Best Overall Performance.
Upper School Competition: Year 4 Solo, Year 5 Solo, Year 6 Solo, US duet, US group and Best Overall Performance.
For full details of how to submit song choices for approval and enter the competition please refer to the recent email from Mrs. Fawbert.
One World Day Menu
Sustainability is the focus for One World Day next Tuesday 7th May with a wide range of dedicated activities and workshops planned across Upper and Lower School throughout the day. The St. Helen's College Global Citizenship Prefects met with Chef Soula this week to develop a special One World Day menu, which you can view here.
Rainbow Recipe Cards - May
For those families who enjoy cooking you may like to try some new recipes from our yellow-themed 'Eat The Rainbow' recipe cards for May here.
PA - New Members Needed!
The PA is inviting new members to join the team to continue their brilliant work supporting the strong connection between the school and parents. The PA is a vital organisation that makes a valuable contribution to the school community and relies on the goodwill of parents giving their time to plan and run many fun events for families throughout the year, such as the Summer Fete, Christmas parties, quiz nights and Mother's/Father's Day stalls. If you are bursting with fun and innovative ideas and would like to be involved please do get in touch by email sthelenscollegepa@gmail.com to find out more.
Holiday Club - May Half Term
The school holiday club will run from Tuesday 28th May - Friday 31st May (excluding Bank Holiday Monday 27th May). Bookings open on Friday 10th May at 4 p.m. on Schoolsbuddy and close on Wednesday 22nd May at 4 p.m. Places must be booked in advance in order to arrange appropriate staffing ratios so please be sure to book before the deadline.
Next Week
Monday 6th May - Bank Holiday (school closed)
Tuesday 7th May - One World Day
Tuesday 7th May 4 -7 p.m. - Parents Evening Y1-6
Thursday 9th May 8.15 a.m. - Robins Coffee Morning and Class Assembly
Thursday 9th May - U11 Cricket v Buckingham Prep
Thursday 9th May to Friday 10th May - Year 3 PACCAR residential
Friday 10th May - Year 6 Bikeability continues
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