School News and Head's Blog
Posted on: 29/11/2024Weekly News - Friday 29th November 2024
2S Coffee Morning And Class Assembly
On Friday 2S took us on a happy journey around the world to see how Christmas is celebrated in different countries. The children shared traditional Christmas customs from far flung places such as China, India and the Philippines. Well done to all of the children for speaking their lines with attention to expression and projection and for singing so beautifully. The assembly ended with important messages about gratitude at this festive time of year and about sharing kindness and respect for others. You can listen to the children singing here.
Month End Music Recital
Today we enjoyed a super Month End Music Recital with performances from children in Years 1-6 on a range of different instruments. The audience enjoyed some wonderful vocal performances and accomplished solos on the violin, flute, piano, clarinet and even a guitar ensemble piece.
Thank you to our team of top specialist music teachers who run a busy timetable of music lessons to promote and develop the children's musical abilities. Many thanks also to the parents and other family members who facilitate the children's musical development by encouraging daily practice. You can see some of the performers rehearsing here.
Sports News
Last Friday our Year 5 netball players took part in a series of friendly but competitive matches against Highgate School at home. All of the pupils played extremely well and showed great versatility when changing positions throughout the games. St. Helen's College won overall with a final score of 4-2. The pupils displayed how much they have progressed this term with their movement and understanding of the game.
This week the Year 6 netball team faced two tough matches. On Tuesday they played against Hermitage Primary School at home. They fought hard throughout the game and created lots of good chances to score but unfortunately in the end lost the match to Hermitage 4-1. On Thursday they faced St Mary’s Catholic Primary School. Again the girls had some great chances to score in the first half, but only managed one goal. They demonstrated fantastic play in the second half bringing the ball down the court to the shooters. The final score was 5-4 to St Mary’s. Well done to all the girls involved.
Free Story Time Taster Sessions For Reception Applicants
We will be running some free Story Time Taster Sessions in the spring term for children who are eligible by age for entry to the St. Helen's College Reception class in September 2025, and who do not currently attend the St. Helen's College Nursery.
Reception Entry - Story Time Taster Sessions
Thursday 16th January @ 3.30 p.m.
Thursday 27th February @ 3.30 p.m.
At these sessions, our Reception teachers will entertain children with some stories and rhymes and there will be refreshments on offer too. The sessions will take place in the classrooms at the St. Helen's College Lower School site (260a Long Lane, Hillingdon, UB10 9PB) and each session will last around an hour. Families are welcome to attend one or both sessions, and should book in by completing the very short form below or via the St. Helen's College website. If you know of any families with eligible children, please do let them know. Their child does not have to be registered with St. Helen's College and the sessions are completely free.
Reception Taster Sessions - Booking Form
Chamber Choir Barnardo's Competition
This week the Chamber Choir recorded the two songs which they have entered for this year's Barnado's National Choral Competition. St. Helen's College has a strong track record in this competition and we wish our elite singers the best of luck this year!
Christmas Post Box
The Christmas post boxes will be open from Monday at both Upper and Lower School. If your child would like to post cards for others in their class or other classes across the school, they may pop them into the post boxes and our Year 6 pupils will sort and deliver them. Please do not put chocolate or other edible treats or gifts into the cards.
Carols Around The Christmas Tree
We warmly invite families to join us for our seasonal Carols Around The Christmas Tree at Upper School on Friday 6th December from 3.30 - 4.00 p.m. Our talented choir will be leading the singing, including lots of festive favourites, and refreshments will be served.
Christmas Lunch Menu
The annual St. Helen's College Christmas lunch will be on Thursday 12th December which is also Christmas Jumper Day. The catering team will be preparing a traditional roast turkey with all the trimmings and creating a special vegan offering. The full menu is available to view here.
To celebrate the humble yet seasonal brussels sprout, the catering team have been getting creative in the kitchen! To encourage children to give them a try, they have each been given a special card and receive a stamp each time they choose sprouts. All the children who receive eight stamps by the end of term will be entered into a draw to win a festive prize! If you would like some recipe inspiration to try at home you will find some ideas here.
Christmas Tree Decoration Competition
This year the Christmas Tree Decoration Competition is taking an eco-friendly twist! Upper School children are invited to create decorations for the school Christmas tree using recycled or upcycled materials. Pupils may be as creative and inventive as they please to make their designs stand out from the crowd.
Please bring the completed decorations into school from Monday 2nd December to be displayed and then judged on Thursday 12th December. All entries will receive a small gift and the winners from each class will receive a special prize.
Festive Footsteps
Festive Footsteps is popular annual event organised by the JTA (Junior Travel Ambassador) team and will be held on Thursday 12th December. Parents and children are encouraged to walk, scoot or cycle for either part or all of the journey to school using our park and stride map. Our JTA team will be out and about marshalling on the route through Court Park. We look forward to seeing lots of Santa hats and tinsel adorned bikes and scooters!
Spring Term Co-curricular Clubs
Booking for the spring term co-curricular clubs will go live on SchoolsBuddy today at 4 p.m. There are plenty of fun and exciting clubs for the children to get involved with, from sports and games to art, music and languages. The timetable can be found here. Please log into SchoolsBuddy for more information and to make your selection by midnight on Monday 2nd December, when bookings will close.
Holiday Club
Christmas Holiday Club will run from Monday 16th - Friday 20th December, and bookings will open today at 4 p.m. Please log into SchoolsBuddy to make your booking. Places must be booked in advance in order to arrange staffing rotas. Please note that bookings will close on Wednesday 11th December at 4.00 p.m., and any bookings made after this date cannot be cancelled or amended for any reason.
Next Week
Tuesday 3rd December - Robins Coffee Morning And Class Assembly
Wednesday 4th December - Wrens Coffee Morning And Class Assembly
Thursday 5th December - Owls Coffee Morning And Class Assembly
Friday 6th December - Kingfishers Coffee Morning And Class Assembly
Friday 6th December - Y2/3 Snow White At Compass Theatre, Ickenham
Friday 6th December - Carols Around The Christmas Tree
Monday 9th December - 1C Coffee Morning And Class Assembly
Tuesday 10th December - 1O Coffee Morning And Class Assembly
Tuesday 10th December - Y4/5/6 Robin Hood At Rose Theatre, Kingston
Wednesday 11th December - US Santa Dash in Court Park
Thursday 12th December - Festive Footsteps
Thursday 12th December - Christmas Lunch and Jumper Day
Friday 13th December - US Carol Service at All Saints' Church
Friday 13th December - Term Ends (11.50 a.m. Ducklings; 12.00 Reception; 12.10 p.m. Y1/2; 12.20 p.m. Y3/4 and 12.30 p.m. Y5/6)
Posted on: 22/11/2024Weekly News - Friday 22nd November 2024
ISI Inspection Results
In September we welcomed the Independent School Inspectorate (ISI) into School and we are delighted to share their superb report which recognises the enormous passion, expertise and commitment of our staff to ensure superb outcomes for our pupils.
In particular, we are extremely proud that inspectors recognised the exceptional oral communication skills of our pupils by awarding St. Helen's College an 'area of significant strength'. Commenting on the oracy skills of your children, inspectors said,
'Leaders have high aspirations for pupils. The decision to prioritise oracy skills and to provide opportunities for pupils to use them, results in highly articulate, confident individuals. Pupils readily express their thoughts and opinions. This is a significant strength of the school. Pupils use verbal reasoning skills to explain their independent thinking. They are empowered to be dynamic individuals who lead initiatives that make a positive and impactful contribution to the school and wider community.'
A full copy of the 2024 report is available on Inspection Results page of the school website here.
Primary Maths Challenge
Over the past fortnight Years 4-6 have successfully completed the Primary Maths Challenge. This is a fun and exciting mathematical challenge organised by The Mathematical Association which aims to build children’s enthusiasm and resilience in maths. The children have participated in online problem solving puzzles and will each receive an individual score in due course. Once the results are published, bronze, silver or gold certificates will be awarded. This is a terrific exercise to develop competency and boost confidence in maths. Very well done to all of the children who took part!
House Art Competition
On Monday the winners of the House Art Competition were announced. The children were tasked with recreating a famous work of art and the standard of entries was extremely high. Ms. Drummond had the difficult task of judging the finalists and finally reached a conclusion. The winners were:
Upper School winner - Sammy H (Y6 Cambria) and highly commended Evie J (Y6 Windsor).
Middle School winner - Zoravar D (Y2 Hibernia) and highly commended Naseeb D (Y2 Cambria).
All entries were awarded valuable House points, so well done to everyone for the effort that went into their submission. The winners earned 20 points for their House and the runners up 10 points.
Sports News
On Tuesday St. Helen's College U9 A and B teams participated in the Reddiford Football Festival. Both teams played four games in total against other local independent schools with neither team conceding any goals. Both the A and B team won two of their matches and drew the other two matches. Well done to all the players for demonstrating great progress and teamwork.
Staff News
Sadly we will be bidding farewell to Miss Linton (6L) at the end of this term. Miss Linton has been at St. Helen's College for the past four years and has had a significant impact on the education of many pupils. However, having moved house recently, her long daily commute is becoming unsustainable and thus she is seeking a position closer to home.
It is also with sadness that we say goodbye to Mrs. Gallagher who will be leaving on the 29th November. Mrs. Gallagher has been with us at Lower School since 2022 and is a most valued member of the Nursery team. However, she too has a long commute and as such, she has made the difficult decision to leave. We wish both Miss Linton and Mrs Gallagher well for the future and thank them for making a valuable contribution to the school.
We look forward to welcoming two new members of staff to the team at St. Helen's College. Mr Reilly will join as the new Year 6 form teacher and Head of Maths in January 2024. Mrs. Odeniyi will be joining as a Teaching and Learning Assistant in Robins on the 18th November.
Music News
Congratulations to Zinnia M in Y6 who has been selected to sing the solo part in 'Once In Royal David's City' at the end of term Christmas church service. There was a very high standard in auditions this year, so well done to everyone who took part.
PA Christmas Cards & Gifts
Personalised Christmas cards and gifts featuring the children's individual artwork are now available to order online. To place an order please use the login details provided here and to use the early bird discount please place your order in the next two weeks. Every child in Lower School has artwork ready to order, however in Upper School designs will only be available for the children who participated. Thank you to the PA for organising this for the school.
Children in Need Fundraising
Last Friday the children enjoyed a fun day marking BBC Children in Need and came into school in bright yellow or spotty clothes in exchange for a charity donation. We are thrilled to have raised an incredible £935 towards this important fundraiser. Many thanks to everyone who kindly donated and to the school Charity Reps for supporting this.
Speed Awareness Poster Competition
Please be reminded that the deadline for children to submit artwork for the speed awareness poster competition is next Friday 29th November. St. Helen’s College are working with Hillingdon Council to make the roads around the school safer and pupils are invited to enter a 'Design a Sign' competition to create new 20mph signage on Parkway. Children should use the template application form here to enter their design in the competition and should follow these guidelines:
Designs should be drawn (no computers or images)
Designs must be bright and to the point
The theme is 20mph, to encourage drivers to slow down
Please assist and support your children with their designs where you can; however, please refrain from drawing the designs yourself.
The guidelines and an example design can be found here. The winning design will be chosen by the council and made into a formal 20mph sign for all to see!
Black Friday Uniform Discount
Pullens (www.uniform4kids.com) are having a Black Friday online sale offering a 20% discount. The offer is valid for one day only on Friday 29th November 2024. The 20% discount applies to all products including school wear, sportswear, footwear and accessories. Please note this offer is available online only using discount code BLACKFRIDAY20 at the checkout. Please note a discount cannot be added retrospectively to an order already placed. Click & collect or delivery to school during this event will not be available; orders will be dispatched via courier and may take up to one week to process.
Next Week
Monday 25th November - Ducklings Individual Photographs
Monday 25th November - Nursery and Reception Nativity Photographs
Tuesday 26th November - Chamber Choir Barnardo's Recording
Tuesday 26th November - Year 6 Netball v. Hermitage (H)
Thursday 28th November - Year 6 Netball v. St. Mary's
Friday 29th November - 2S Coffee Morning & Class Assembly
Friday 29th November - Month End Music Recital
Posted on: 15/11/2024Weekly News - Friday 15th November 2024
Remembrance
Pupils across the school came together to mark Remembrance on Monday in age appropriate ways.
At Upper School, pupils lined up in the playground just before 11 a.m. to hear poems and prayers read by senior pupils, before Old Helenian Leo N (who is currently working with us as a gap student) played The Last Post. Leo also played The Last Post for us while he was a pupil here at St. Helen's College, so it was very poignant for him to play for us again. As the guns sounded from RAF Northolt, we observed a traditional two minutes of silence.
At Lower School the children marked the occasion in a similar fashion by gathering together to hold a respectful two minute silence in the playground. At Ducklings, the children were involved in a range of poppy related activities including creating and colouring in poppies and icing poppy biscuits. They too joined together outside to pay their respects at 11 a.m.
Thank you to everyone who bought poppies to support the Royal British Legion and to our Charity Representatives for selling them.
BBC Children in Need
The school has been a vibrant array of yellow and multi coloured spots today as the children all dressed up to support BBC Children in Need fundraising. At Lower School the children have enjoyed lots of themed activities including an outdoor Pudsey bear hunt, icing biscuits, colouring in and more.
Thank you to everyone who has donated already. There is still time to donate if you would like to via the school fundraising page here.
Mrs. Joan Evans Remembered
An online tribute page has been set up to remember Mrs. Evans, former Head at St. Helen's College, who recently passed away. Please feel free to add any special memories or thoughts, or to make a donation to the St. Helen's College Charitable Trust in her memory. The funeral for Mrs. Evans is on Monday 25th November at 11.15 a.m. at St. Mary's Church, Denham. All are welcome and the family have requested those attending should wear bright colours or florals to celebrate her colourful life.
4C Class Assembly
4C presented a thought-provoking assembly this morning all about well known inspirational figures. The children have delved into the lives of influential characters from across the spectrum. Artists, politicians, musicians, royalty, campaigners and religious figures all demonstrate how our actions can have a legacy long after our lifetime. The children each delivered their lines clearly and with confidence and invited the audience to reflect on how we can all make our mark in the world with big or small actions. Well done 4C, the world is your oyster!
House News
Our programme of House events is in full swing! In the House cross country competition, Windsor finished first in each Year category winning a total of 50 House points, followed by Hibernia (40 points), Caledonia (30 points) and Cambria (20 points). The running totals so far are very close, as follows:
Cambria - 1046
Windsor - 1031
Hibernia - 1027
Caledonia - 908
There has been a terrific response to the House art competition. Entries are of an extremely high standard and each one has earned valuable House points. Ms. Drummond will be judging Middle School and Upper School winners in assembly next week, when the winning entry and runner up for each will be awarded 20 and 10 points respectively. Good luck everyone!
Sports News
It's been a busy week for the Upper School football team. On Monday they played against St. Martin's School at home but were unfortunately defeated 3-0. The team rallied however on Thursday when they faced stiff opposition in the Reddiford Challenge Cup Tournament playing against other local independent schools. St. Helen's College won two of their matches, drew two and lost one, finishing fourth overall. Well done to Mark D in 6H, our player of the tournament, who scored 5 goals.
Congratulations to 3B for completing their week of intensive swimming lessons at Hillingdon Sports & Leisure Complex. It will be the turn of 3M next week.
Year 2 - 6 Parents' Evening
Thank you to all of the parents who attended parents' evening at Upper School this week. It was good to see you all and we hope that you found the conversations helpful.
Speed Awareness Poster Competition
Calling all budding artists! St. Helen’s College are working with Hillingdon Council to make the roads around the school safer and are launching an exciting new initiative. Pupils are invited to enter a 'Design a Sign' competition to create new 20mph signage on Parkway to encourage vehicles to slow down. Children should use the template application form here to enter their design in the competition and should follow these guidelines:
Designs should be drawn (no computers or images)
Designs must be bright and to the point
The theme is 20mph, to encourage drivers to slow down
Please assist and support your children with their designs where you can; however, please refrain from drawing the designs yourself.
The guidelines and an example design can be found here. Children should hand in designs to their class teacher by Friday 29th November. The winning design will be chosen by the council and made into a formal 20mph sign for all to see!
Switch Off Fortnight
The St. Helen's College Eco Team are hard at work facilitating the school's efforts for Switch Off Fortnight. This green initiative encourages everyone to switch off lights and electrical devices when not in use in order to save energy.
Our dedicated Eco Warriors are patrolling the school during this week and next to ensure that we all remember to switch off. So far, so good!
Flu Vaccinations
A final reminder to please complete consent forms for the seasonal 'flu vaccinations which will take place in school on Tuesday 19th November (Reception - Y6). The consent form can be found here and should be completed whether or not you intend for your child to be vaccinated.
Parkway Roadworks
Cadent, who manage the gas pipes in our area, will be replacing pipework in Parkway from 18th November 2024 for approximately 5 weeks. We do not yet know exactly how this might impact traffic along Parkway but the work, which is essential, is likely to cause some disruption and you may like to allow some extra time for your journey to/from school as a result. We would like to thank parents in advance for being patient during any disruption, and mindful of the school's relationships and reputation with neighbours and the local community.
Next Week
Monday 18th - Friday 22nd November - 3M Swimming Lessons
Tuesday 19th November - Flu Vaccinations Reception - Year 6
Wednesday 20th November - Football v. Cowley St. Lawrence (A)
Friday 22nd November - Year 5 Football and Netball v. Highgate School (H)
Posted on: 8/11/2024Weekly News - Friday 8th November 2024
Mrs. Joan Evans
It is with great sadness that we share the news that Mrs. Joan Evans, much-loved former Head of St. Helen's College, passed away on Wednesday 30th October, aged 95. Mrs. Evans was a hugely well respected part of the St. Helen's College story and history, and known to generations of pupils and staff.
Mrs. Evans was Head for seventeen years, from 1970 - 1987, and in particular she brought to the school a great passion for theatre and the performing arts, writing and producing many successful shows. She inspired countless pupils during her career and left a wonderful legacy here at St. Helen's College, where every child is encouraged to shine in annual productions and creative performances.
Her funeral will be held at St. Mary's Church in Denham at 11.00 a.m. on Monday 25th November and all are welcome to attend.
Year 1 Visit To Roald Dahl Gallery
On Tuesday Year 1 had a phizz-whizzing day at the Roald Dahl Gallery in Aylesbury.
The children enjoyed listening to a revolting re-enactment from the 'The Twits' and took part in a role play from 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'. They visited the 'Giant' peach and Mr Fox's underground tunnel, and had a great time exploring the amazing exhibits in the museum.
They were fascinated to learn about Roald Dahl's life and the real people Roald Dahl knew who inspired characters such as the BFG and Miss Trunchbull. A highlight was making their own dream bottles, using the museum as the inspiration for all of their dreams. Everyone had a wonderful day!
2C Class Assembly
2C have been discovering all about the Isle of Coll in geography this year and today they shared their work in a very polished class assembly. The children have been busy researching this Hebridean island and shared lots of fascinating facts, jaunty songs and wonderful artwork inspired by the distinctive landscape.
The island was once home to Mairi Hedderwick, author of the Katie Morag series, whose fictional island of Struay is inspired by the Isle of Coll. The children put on a charming performance of one of her stories, which delivered an important message about never being afraid to ask for help when you need it. You can see a short clip of the children singing here.
Sports News
On Monday Year 5 and 6 visited Highgate School for a series of friendly football and netball matches. Excitement levels were high and the competition was stiff. The pupils displayed brilliant character skills and resilience against strong opposition and made lots of positive progress along the way. Well done to all of the children for great teamwork and for being such positive ambassadors for St. Helen's College. Many thanks to Highgate School for hosting this fun event.
The St. Helen's College football team played a competitive match against St. Catherine's School on Thursday. Despite showing improvement and playing well, particularly in the second half, in the end they lost the match 4-1. This was a great effort from the team who are showing consistent progress.
Nursery Trip to Playtrain
On Thursday the Nursery children had a fun packed visit to Playtrain in High Wycombe for their first 'school trip' experience.
The children had a super time at this thrilling soft play activity centre. They loved climbing, swinging, jumping, sliding and so much more! All the children were extremely well behaved and a credit to the school.
Music News
Half Term String Workshop
Over the half term break, three of our young violinists, Simar C, Aria M and Alicia Z, attended the Leading Notes Chamber Music Course held at Merchant Taylor’s School.
The three day course offers high quality tuition from experienced professional tutors for talented young musicians as they develop their chamber music experience. The girls thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the course and their enthusiasm was noted. Well done girls for representing St. Helen’s College so well.
Charity Flute Performance
Congratulations to Zoe in Year 4 who has raised £154 for BBC Children in Need by performing a recital on the flute in Uxbridge over the half term break. Zoe took to the town centre for her street performance, where she collected donations from passers by. Well done to Zoe for using her creative talents to fundraise for such an important children's charity.
Karate Club Success
Two talented St. Helen's College pupils achieved success last weekend competing at the Dutch Youth Open Karate Championships in Almere. Huge congratulations to Rania Q and Naiya L in Year 5 who performed extremely well against challenging opponents in a very tough competition.
Naiya performed exceptionally well, reaching the bronze medal match. Although in the end she didn’t win, she gave it her all, demonstrating technical skill and maximum effort.
Rania was also very determined and faced some challenging opponents, making it all the way to the final against a club mate. The final was intense but in the end Rania earned a silver medal, proving that she is a top international karate athlete. Well done to both girls for their amazing achievement and for representing their club so confidently at an international level.
BBC Children In Need
St. Helen's College will be raising money for BBC Children In Need on Friday 15th November. All children are invited to wear yellow and/or spots or to wear a Children In Need top, to raise money and awareness. We are asking for each child to donate online (suggested minimum £2 but all donations gratefully received). Please donate via the Just Giving page here, thank you in advance for your support.
Flu Vaccination
Please be reminded the seasonal 'flu vaccinations will take place in school on Tuesday 19th November. Please ensure that you have completed the consent form which can be found here.
Parents' Evening
Thank you to all of the Year 2 - 6 parents who attended Parents' Evening on Thursday evening. This is a valuable meeting to update and share information on the individual progress of your child and to set future goals. We look forward to seeing parents at the next Parents' Evening on Tuesday 12th November.
Resilient Families Summit
Parenting coach Elaine Halligan from The Parent Practice, who recently held a popular webinar for St. Helen's College parents, is a featured speaker at the Resilient Families Summit, an online parenting event to support parents to help their children thrive. The event consists of a series of free events from 18th - 22nd November, and parents can register free here.
Next Week
Monday 11th - Friday 15th November - 3B Swimming Lessons
Monday 11th November - Football v. St. Martin's (H)
Tuesday 12th November - Year 2 - 6 Parents' Evening
Wednesday 13th November - Football v. St. Mary's (H)
Thursday 14th - Friday 15th - Reddiford Challenge Cup Football
Friday 15th November - 4C Class Assembly
Friday 15th November - Children in Need - Wear Yellow/Spots/Children In Need clothing
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