School News and Head's Blog
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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