School News and Head's Blog
Posted on: 23/11/2018Weekly News - Friday 23rd November 2018
6M taught us all a superb lesson today on the importance of grammar and punctuation through their entertaining assembly. For anyone who feels a bit discombobulated about their conjunctions, prepositions, apostrophes etc., these young children are such great ambassadors and they clearly know their stuff! Well done 6M!
SEWA Assemblies
We were delighted to welcome Karthik back to St. Helen's College this week for his third visit to assemblies to remind us all to be the best we can be in our acts of selfless service. Pupils in Middle School and Upper School were also congratulated as we read out our value spotters for the acts of kindness which had been acknowledged around the school this week. It is important that our awareness of acts of kindness is raised, no matter how small that act is. Selfless service is all about giving joy to others, looking after our environment and making our world a better place for us all.
You can see the presentation used by Karthik in the assemblies here. For more information about the SEWA organisation, you might like to visit their website at www.sewaday.org
Sports News
Quick Sticks Hockey Tournament
On Friday afternoon last week, eight of our pupils travelled to Eastcote Hockey Club for the annual Quick Sticks borough tournament. We had two teams of four entered into the tournament, each playing matches in a group with four other teams, with the winners definitely going through alongside the top two runners-up out of the six groups. Unfortunately our A team didn't make it through but our B team gained one of the runners-up spots. In the quarter final, our B team went 2-0 down but staged an amazing comeback to win 3-2, with children and parents very excited! In the semi-final, we took the lead but unfortunately lost 2-1 which meant that we finished in third place. There was some great hockey played by both teams with all children and parents really enjoying the afternoon. A team: Jayan C, Luke J, Hebe E, Mya S. B team: Aditya S, Alex C, Tamara A, Ionie M.
London Youth Games Run
Congratulations to Zoe K (Year 6), who was selected to represent Hillingdon at the London Youth Games cross country event held at Parliament Hill last weekend, after winning the borough cross country competition earlier this term. Zoe was one of 165 runners competing from across London's 33 boroughs. The course was very challenging as it included going up the dreaded Hampstead Heath Hill on both laps of the course. It was a great day for racing, with some beautiful weather, and Zoe had a good race, finishing in 1st place for Hillingdon borough and 18th place overall. Zoe is following in the footsteps of another famous London runner who also took part in this event - Sir Mo Farah represented Hounslow in cross country at the London Youth Games, placing 9th in the 1994 under-13s race! We will follow Zoe's running career with interest!
Charity Efforts
We are pleased now to be able to announce the totals raised for the following charities:
Children In Need - £1,625.95
British Legion Poppy Appeal - £234.34
Many thanks indeed to everyone who contributed to either charity via school. Your generosity is much appreciated.
Month End Music Recital
Parents are reminded that the November Month End Music Recital will take place next Friday (30th November) in the Evans Hall from 3.45 p.m. All are welcome, so please do come along to this lovely informal recital to hear the children play a variety of instruments.
Christmas Tree Decoration Competition 2018
Just a reminder that, as usual, we will be running our annual Christmas tree decoration competition for all children. The trees will be put up in school on 25th November and the children should bring in their beautifully hand decorated, creative decorations from Monday 3rd December. There will be a winner in each year group. Please can the children remember to label their decoration with their name and class.
Switch Off Fortnight
Our Eco Team will continue to promote Switch Off Fortnight next week, reminding everyone to save energy by turning off lights and electrical devices whenever possible, both at home and in school. We hope that you and your children will make it a lasting habit to save energy wherever possible.
Posted on: 16/11/2018Weekly News - Friday 16th November 2018
This week we were delighted that two of our pupils shared their experiences of projects they have been involved with outside of school.
Uma in Year 5 shared with us a video which she made in collaboration with her mother's law firm to educate youngsters on the importance of 'Equal Pay'. The pupils were not only intrigued to find out more about how the video was made but asked some very pertinent questions on equal pay.
Vidhit from Year 4 has also been busy filming for today's 'The One Show' for Children in Need. Although he was unable to give too much away, we can all tune in on BBC1 at 7 p.m. to see Vidhit in action!
It has been inspiring also to see so many of our pupils take the initiative and run clubs for their peers. We currently have groups of children running a maths club and a nature club, organised and promoted by themselves by their interests and passions.
Children in Need
The school has been a lively, colourful place today as we have undertaken our annual fundraising for Children in Need. Everyone came to school dressed in yellow and/or spots and there were raffles at all three sites, through which lucky winners won giant Pudsey bears and smaller Pudsey and Blush bears. Many thanks to Mrs. Crehan for drawing the winners! The whole school took part in an Autumn Watch themed ramble in Court Park this morning; this was a really wonderful way to spend our morning break time in the 'great outdoors' and gave children space and time to reflect on how very lucky they are. You can see a short video of the ramble here:
https://youtu.be/Se0hAApblYw
The pupils of 2H presented a thought-provoking assembly themed around 'Greed or Need'. They re-told the story of King Midas in a very modern way and, through their excellent acting and delivery of words and song, reminded us that it is what is in our hearts that counts, not what is in our pockets. This is such an important message, which we hope we live long in the hearts of all who heard it. Very well done to the staff and pupils of 2H.
St. Helen's College raises over £2100 for OneBillion Charity Through Eurotalk Language Challenge
St. Helen's College has, for several years, taken part in the Eurotalk Junior Language Challenge (now re-named as the UTalk Challenge). In previous years, this has been offered as an optional challenge for Upper School pupils but this year, to enrich the Languages curriculum for children, the school paid the entry fee to enter all children from Years 2-5 into the challenge. Each year, pupils learn a European language in the first round, an Asian language in the second round and an African language in the third round. They build up their knowledge of the language and then compete online against pupils from other schools across the nation. Our record in the competition is very strong - a few years ago, one of our pupils won the whole national competition and his family won a trip to Malawi, where they distributed iPads to children for the charity.
Each child's entry fee is donated to OneBillion. This charity promotes literacy and numeracy in developing countries through OneCourse, their app designed for communities where children have little or no access to formal schooling, for example in very remote villages and refugee camps. OneCourse encourages collaborative learning for out-of-school children and their families. This year the school's entry fees raised a donation of £1095, which was match-funded by a benevolent supporter of the charity so that our total contribution doubled to almost £2200.
Thank you to all parents who have supported St. Helen's College pupils in learning new languages outside of curriculum hours. We are sure you are delighted to know that, in doing so, you have also been part of supporting such a fantastic charity.
Relay for Life Total
We are also absolutely delighted to announce that the grand total raised by the St. Helen's College Relay for Life team, including from on the day fundraising, was £5791.45. Thank you so much to everyone who got involved in any way.
Star Gazing This Weekend
The West of London Astronomical Society is hold a free public observation session at Ruislip Lido this weekend and would like to invite families to come along to experience the wonder of the sky at night. Observation sessions will be running Friday, Saturday and Sunday between 6 - 8 p.m. For further information please click here.
Sports News
Last Saturday our school football team took part in the annual Packham Cup tournament, where over the years we have enjoyed good success, including reaching the final last year. This year's tournament didn't go quite as planned, with us going out in the group stages. An improved performance in our third game gave the Year 5 pupils who took part some valuable experience for next year.
Our Year 5/6 netball team took on St. Bernadette's School in the local league this week. After a slow start, the girls came back in the second half with some good attacking play. In the dying minutes St. Bernadette's pulled away to win the match 9 - 7.
St. Helen's College took part in the District girls' football tournament this week held at Denham United Ladies Football Club. Our team of girls played with great determination and teamwork in all three games they played. Against Laurel Lane they drew 0 - 0, against Cherry Lane they won 2 - 0 and in a very competitive match against Heathrow they lost 1 - 0. Well done to all the girls who played.
Christmas Tree Decoration Competition 2018
As usual, we will be running our annual Christmas tree decoration competition for all children. The trees will be put up in school on 25th November and the children should bring in their beautifully hand decorated, creative decorations from Monday 3rd December. There will be a winner in each year group. Please can the children remember to label with their name and class somewhere on their decoration.
Switch Off Fortnight
Our Eco Team will be promoting Switch Off Fortnight over the next two weeks, reminding everyone to save energy by turning off lights and electrical devices whenever possible, both at home and in school.
Data Collection Form and Photo Consent Form
Many thanks to the parents who have already returned these two forms. If you have not returned them already, please note that these must be returned to the school office by Monday.
Posted on: 9/11/2018Weekly News - Friday 9th November 2018
3B led the school today at this most poignant time of year as we commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War 1. Not only did they take the lead in our two minute silence, along with School Council members who presented the wreaths made in their art lessons, but they performed magnificently in both their assemblies. All pupils and parents stopped to remember all those who have been involved in our armed forces over the past 100 years and those still serving.
Thank you to everyone who has supported the British Legion Poppy Appeal. Many children and families will be attending various services over the weekend as we commemorate this historic day. Please see below the link from CBeebies discussed in assemblies today which looks at war from the animals' perspective.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04p4zsl/poppies
Children in Need
Next Friday, 16th November, is Children in Need Day and, as usual, the school will be supporting this most deserving cause. Children may come to school on the day in their own clothes, wearing spots or yellow if possible, and every child should bring a pair of named wellies in a plastic bag. Children may like to decorate their wellies with spots too!
There will be grand raffles at all three sites, with prizes of giant Pudsey Bears and smaller Blush Bears and Pudsey Bears, and the whole school will wear their wellies to go on an Autumn Watch themed ramble in Court Park in the morning.
There is a suggested donation for each child of £5, which will include the cost of one raffle ticket, and you may buy extra raffle tickets if you would like to send in more money with your child. We will be delighted if the school can make a significant contribution to the charity; however, the most important aim of the day is to raise awareness amongst our pupils of how lucky they are and of how many disadvantaged children there are who need our help. We understand that families give time and money in other ways and through other channels. All donations will be gratefully received, but there is no mandatory contribution to take part in the day. We are very aware that many of you have already purchased Children in Need merchandise and will be wearing it to school or will be contributing live during the live television show.
U-Talk Award
St. Helen's College has been recognised as the school which has accumulated the most number of points from the children participating in the Eurotalk online challenge. Every child from Year 2 to 6 took part this year, learning new languages and competing against children from other schools around the country. It is a testament to the strength of our language department that the school has been inspiring children to learn such a diverse range of languages. Mrs. Stark attended the ceremony in Olympia today to collect the award on behalf of St. Helen's College.
Chess News
Two St. Helen's College chess players, Michael K and Anish A, were very fortunate recently to have the opportunity to play against Shreyas Royal, an incredibly talented nine year old schoolboy who is already conquering the world of chess. He is already the best player in the under-12 age group in the UK, and the second best under-10 player in the world! Shreyas travelled from his home in Kent to play 17 matches simultaneously against 17 players from Uxbridge Chess Club, including Michael and Anish. Shreyas literally had to walk between 17 chess boards and played each game against the clock. Incredibly, he won all but one of the 17 games, drawing one. There is no doubt that Shreyas is helping to inspire a whole new interest in the game of chess at a junior level. Well done Michael and Anish for trying to beat him!
Sports News
Our Year 6 netball team played against Oak Farm in the local league this week. The match was very close and for much of its duration both teams were drawn on the same number of goals. However, Oak Farm had a final surge in the last quarter and won the match 8 - 6. Well done to all of the St. Helen's College team.
PA Christmas Parties
The PA will be running Christmas parties for the children on Sunday 2nd December at The Breakspear Arms, Breakspear Road South, UB9 6LT. There will be hot food, entertainment, a visit from Santa and each child will receive a Christmas gift! Posters with details are being displayed around the school and a flyer/reply slip will be sent home in your child's book bag. A copy of the flyer/return slip is also available here. Please complete your ticket/food order and return the flyer to the school as soon as possible. Party timings are:
10.30 a.m. - 12.30 p.m. Ducklings, Nursery and Reception
1.00 p.m. - 3.00 p.m. Years 1, 2 and 3
3.30 p.m. - 5.30 p.m. Years 4, 5 and 6
Please note that a parent must stay with children from Ducklings, Nursery, Reception and Year 1.
We hope that your child/ren will be able to join us for the Christmas parties, which have always been extremely good fun in the past!
Staff/Parent Choir
We are very interested to hear from parents who would like to join our staff/parent choir, which is meeting in the Upper School Hall on Wednesday mornings from 8.00 - 8.25 a.m. during the second half of term to prepare for a performance at the Carol Concert on the final day of term. We are a friendly group, led by Mrs. Garnes, and enthusiasm is really the only requirement. All are extremely welcome and male voices are particularly in demand! Why not come along and join us - we are sure that your children will be delighted to see you in the choir. If you are able to join us, please email Mrs. Garnes to let her know so that she may prepare the correct number of packs in advance, and then simply turn up on Wednesday morning to the Upper School Hall at 8 a.m. You can reach Mrs. Garnes at mgarnes@sthelenscollege.com.
Photo Consent Opt-In Forms & Data Collection Forms
All parents are being send an opt-in form which, post-GDPR, we must ask you to sign in order to allow us to use photographs of your children. The school likes to keep parents up to date with what your children have been doing and a big part of this is taking and sharing photographs via this website and our newsletters and magazines. Please therefore sign and return the opt-in form promptly.
If you have not yet returned your data collection form, please also do this at your earliest convenience, since these were due back to school before the half term break.
Many thanks indeed for your co-operation with this.
Posted on: 2/11/2018Weekly News - Friday 2nd November 2018
6W's class assembly re-enactment of the Gunplowder Plot heist gripped the audience this morning, with a guest performance from the St. Helen's College School of Rock band! It was a superb performance by all. I am sure that our Year 6 pupils' visit to the Houses of Parliament next week will be a memorable and most enjoyable outing.
Poppy Appeal
Pupils at Lower School and Upper School are able to purchase their poppies at school. Year 6 and the Charity Monitors will be selling these next week in the playground. Thank you for supporting the Royal British Legion.
Parking Restrictions in Parkway
We have been informed by the London Borough of Hillingdon that there will be new parking restrictions introduced in Parkway from mid-November. Single yellow lines will be painted along the whole road, with restrictions so that drivers are not permitted to park between the hours of 8 a.m. - 10 a.m. and 2.30 p.m. - 4.30 p.m. Our drop-and-go system should not be affected by these restrictions, since parents using the drop-and-go system do not stop their engines or exit their cars. We hope that the new restrictions will help with the traffic flow in the area since traffic should be able to move freely both ways along Parkway at these times.
Staff/Parent Choir
We are very interested to hear from parents who would like to join our staff/parent choir, which will be meeting on Wednesday mornings from 8.00 - 8.25 a.m. during the second half of term to prepare for a performance at the Carol Concert on the final day of term. We are a friendly group, led by Mrs. Garnes, and enthusiasm is really the only requirement. All are extremely welcome and male voices are particularly in demand! Why not come along and join us - we are sure that your children will be delighted to see you in the choir. If you are able to join us, please email Mrs. Garnes to let her know so that she may prepare the correct number of packs in advance, and then simply turn up on Wednesday morning to the Upper School Hall at 8 a.m. You can reach Mrs. Garnes at mgarnes@sthelenscollege.com.
Concert Tickets
We are currently arranging an exciting opportunity for our Chamber Choir to sing at the prestigious St. John’s Smith Square, Westminster, London SW1P 3HA as part of the annual London Schools Concert organised to raise money for The Children’s Trust, the UK’s leading charity for children with brain injury. Choirs and young musicians from some of London’s best independent schools have been performing for family and friends at this event for many years and we are delighted to have been invited to participate, once again, in what will be their 15th concert.
The concert will take place on Sunday 3rd February 2019 and starts at 2 p.m.
The link for the tickets is below. Adults are £25 and children are £15.
https://www.thechildrenstrust.org.uk/1/london-schools-concert.html
Sports Results
Our Year 6 netball team played St. Andrew's School in the local league this week. It was a home match and we enjoyed some great home support from the sidelines. The team played very well, working effectively together through the centre court towards goal. Our attacking pairs teamed up well to create lots of shooting opportunities and our defending pairs made lots of interceptions to limit the shooting chances of St. Andrew's. The final score was 18 - 0 to St. Helen's College.
Eleven Year 6 children participated in the Borough Tag Rugby competition this week, at which there were 17 teams representing 11 schools. St. Helen's College put on an impressive performance and were unbeaten, winning two matches and drawing two. The children developed their running and passing skills throughout the tournament and were particularly good in defence, giving their opponents little opportunity to score. Another team in the group won three matches, so we did not progress to the finals.
PA Christmas Parties
The PA children’s Christmas parties will take place on Sunday 2nd December 2018 at The Breakspear Arms, Breakspear Road South, UB9 6LT. Tickets will cost £10 per child, which includes food and entertainment and the parties promise to be bigger and better than ever this year!
The timings of the parties will be as follows:
10.30 a.m. - 12.30 p.m.: Ducklings, Nursery and Receptionâ
1.00 p.m. - 3.00 p.m.: Years 1-3
3.30 p.m. - 5.30 p.m.: Years 4-6
Please look out for the flyer/reply slip which will be sent home in book bags next week. Full details of how to book your tickets and the food choices available will be included on the flyer. Don't miss out - pencil the date in your diary now!
Breakfast Club
We would like to remind parents that Breakfast Club bookings are now open on SchoolsBuddy. If you wish for your child to attend Breakfast Club, you must book in advance through your SchoolsBuddy account. You may book up until 7.30 a.m. on the day of attendance, so there is still plenty of flexibility for parents. Please note that you may not just turn up on the day and ask Breakfast Club staff to take your child without first making a booking online.
Posted on: 12/10/2018Weekly News - Friday 12th October 2018
It has been an incredibly successful and busy half term as ever at St. Helen's College and I wish you all a restful half term break and look forward to seeing all the children back at the end of October in their winter uniforms.
Lower School Update
We are delighted with the new Reception and Nursery classrooms and the children have well and truly made them their new homes in the last five weeks! I am sure that you all enjoyed having the opportunity visiting the classrooms during parents' evenings. Over the half term break our contractors will be completing the snagging list and moving the last of their equipment off site. Our new storage areas have now also been completed and the playground areas requiring attention will be re-tarred which will mean that the children will have full access to the playground after half term. We had hoped that we may also be able to repaint the playground but this may need to wait until a future date. The area of ground outside the Nursery classroom which has some artificial grass laid on it at present is being prepared for a permeable surface which we hope to have completed as soon as is feasible.
Lower School Parents' Evening
It has been wonderful to see so many parents over the past week or so at the recent Lower School parents' evening and to hear how happy and settled all the children are in their new classes. We have such a supportive parent body and it is with us all working together that your children will flourish best. Thank you for all the positive feedback.
Lower School Harvest Festival Assemblies
Wow! Well done to the children of Nursery, Reception and Year 1, who presented such confident and interesting Harvest assemblies this week. Thank you so much for all of the contributions which overwhelmed the Salvation Army and our local community will hugely benefit from your donations.
Zail's Presentation
Zail in Year 4 led assembly on Wednesday enriching the learning of pupils from Years 4, 5 and 6 and staff with his wonderful experiences from his five week adventure to South America. It was clearly an experience that he will never forget and he most certainly is an ambassador for the South American tourist board! You can view his presentation here.
4KT Assembly
We were treated to a super assembly from 4KT this morning as they reminded us of the importance of 'co-operation' in their acting, recital and singing. Tremendous teamwork and co-operation from all - well done!
School Bus
The School Bus service, running from Ruislip through Ickenham to school, will now be available for all children from Nursery through to Year 6. Parents of Nursery children should discuss with their form teacher (Miss Carmichael or Mrs. Mann) before booking their child onto the bus. Bookings are open for the second half of term and places should be booked through the SchoolsBuddy system.
Coding Club
We still have some spaces available in our new Coding Club, available to children in Years 5 and 6. We have slightly amended the timing of the club so that Year 5 children may attend after swimming. The club takes place after school on a Friday from 4.00 to 5.00 p.m. The children have heard all about coding in assembly this week and we hope that they have been inspired to learn more about coding, which is such an important skill in the world today. If you would like your child to join Coding Club for the six weeks of the second half of term, please email swalker@sthelenscollege.com. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis and, once your place is confirmed, you will be asked to make payment in advance via SchoolsBuddy.
Sports Results
Cross Country Champion!
On Monday our girls' cross country team took part in the Hillingdon Borough cross country finals at Belmore Academy School. Over 70 girls who had qualified from across the Borough took part on a relatively flat course and the pace was fast. After the initial crowded start, it was Zoe K from Year 6 who lead from the front and held off a spirited challenge from a St. Bernadette's runner to stretch her lead over the latter part of the course, taking the title in style. The rest of our team, Chiara L, Hebe E, Rhea A-V, Jada P and Chloe W did very well too, helping the team to finish in 4th place overall. Zoe has now been invited to represent Hillingdon at the London Youth Games mini marathon in November at Parliament Hill. Congratulations to all of the girls and to Zoe in particular.
Netball
It has been a busy week for the Year 6 netball team. On Wednesday they took part in a friendly 7-a-side netball tournament at St. Mary's School. Six teams from five schools took part, including independent schools Heatherton House, St. Helen's School and St. Mary's. Our team played very well, showing a confident understanding of the game and solid tactical awareness. The team won 3 matches and lost and drew the other matches to finish in 3rd place.
The following day it was a league match and the format was Hi Five netball, the 5-a-side version of the game. Our opponents were local rivals Highfield School. The team dominated the play against a less experienced team to get their season off to a flying start winning 14 - 0. Well done to all the Year 6 girls who played this week: Hebe E, Rhea Sa, Zoe K, Wenru D, Mya S, Georgia M, Tamara A, Eshar S, Ionie M, Aaria K and Jada P.
Football
Our Year 3/4 football players showed great individual ability in their match against ACS this week. St. Helen's College won the game 4-0, with every player making a good contribution. The two players of the match were Louis B (Y3), who scored 2 goals, and Adam O (Y4). The other goals were scored by Joban K and Adam K. We will now be looking to build on the strong individual performances and develop our teamwork over the coming weeks. Well done to all of the boys who played.
The Year 5/6 football team had a difficult week, losing 3-0 in both the league and cup games this week to St. Catherine's. St. Catherine’s have a very strong team and look set to do well this season, so these matches were great learning opportunities for the team. The boys should be commended for the resilience and sportsmanship they showed during these two tough games.
Uxbridge Junior Chess Club
If your child enjoys chess, then he or she might be interested in joining the Uxbridge Junior Chess Club, which is run by one of our parents, Mr. Knight. Sessions for new and experienced players aged 6-15 years are run on Wednesday evenings from 6 - 7.30 p.m. at the Ivy Leaf Club, 8 Wellington Road, Uxbridge, UB8 2AP. You can find full details at www.uxbridgejuniorchessclub.com. Your first session is free so why not go along and try it out.
Hillingdon Fire Station Open Day
There is an Open Day on Friday October 26th at Hillingdon Fire Station, between the hours of 12 p.m. - 5 p.m. This has been a great success in recent years and we would encourage you to take your children along if you have a free day. There will be a wide range of activities on the day such as giving the children a chance to get on board a fire truck, try on the gear and squirt some water at targets from the hoses. Children will gain an insight into what the Fire Brigade do on a daily basis through live fire safety demonstrations and there will be free fire safety advice. There will be a number of different fire trucks there on the day, all with special abilities. There will also be a variety of food stalls, including an ice cream van, and children will have a chance to meet Sherlock, the special fire investigation dog, as well as other guide dogs. There will even be a petting zoo! If you would like to take your bike along on the day, you can get it stamped for free by the police in order to help protect against theft.
Posted on: 5/10/2018Weekly News - Friday 5th October
We are delighted to announce that St. Helen's College has been shortlisted for the Independent School Parent Magazine Awards for Independent School of the Year 2018. This nomination is a particularly pleasing one, since it recognises pupil experience. A core belief at St. Helen's College is that children learn best when they feel happy, secure and loved, so we are delighted that we have been shortlisted as one of the best independent schools for pupil experience!
Breast Cancer Now
I am so proud of one of our Year 6 pupils, Amar, who delivered a very poignant and informative assembly to Year 4-Year 6 this week. I am sure many of you read the Head's Blog last Friday - this young man really has helped a lot of children to talk both amongst themselves and with adults on a very important topic. Please do take the time to watch the presentation here: https://youtu.be/WjIXuWK23N4
Harvest
Thank you to all the Upper School pupils and parents for attending the service on Tuesday and for all the most generous donations. The Salvation Army were overwhelmed by your generosity. I am sure you will agree that the pupils gave us the most delightful harvest service with song, poetry and prayer. Well done to everyone!
Our Lower School Harvest Assemblies will be taking place on Monday 8th (Nursery), Tuesday 9th (Reception) and Wednesday 10th (Year 1). Each assembly will begin at 8.45 a.m. and parents are warmly invited to watch children perform. The Infant Choir will perform after the Reception assembly and again after the Year 1 assembly.
Prizegiving
Many thanks to those of you who attended Prizegiving last night, either as parents of prize winners or as parents of Chamber Choir children. As ever, it was a magical event at which we celebrated the academic, sporting, musical and dramatic achievements of our prize winners, as well as their personal qualities and contributions to the school. Our Guest of Honour, Jonny Taylor from Merchant Taylors' School, inspired the audience with his entertaining and thought-provoking speech and did a wonderful job of handing out the prizes.
Lower School Parents' Evening
It has been wonderful to meet with so many of our parents in Nursery, Reception and Year 1 this week at the recent parents' evening. It is heartwarming to hear from you all how well your children are settling into a new year group and enjoying the new academic year. Please do remember that if you would like to speak to the teachers for longer then you can make an appointment directly with your teachers.
Sports Results
The District Cross Country event took place on Thursday evening and St. Helen's College children gave a very good account of themselves. There were over 100 runners in both the boys' and girls' races, so the competition was tough. However, Zoe K was crowned the Borough Champion for the girls, finishing in 1st place, Chiara L finished in 8th place and our girls' team finished as bronze medallists. Very well done to the girls: Zoe K, Chiara L, Hebe E, Jada P, Chloe W and Rhea A-V. All of these girls have qualified for the Borough Finals on Monday. Our boys' team finished in 10th place, with Alex C the best placed individual in 24th place overall.
Last week, our football team got their competitive season off to an impressive start, beating Highfield 4-0 even though the team has not yet had much time together. Very well done to Harrison J, who scored all four goals! This week, the team lost 1-0 on Wednesday to St. Bernadette’s. The team played well and were unlucky not to get a draw on this occasion.
Half Term Holiday Club - Bookings Now Open On SchoolsBuddy
Bookings are now open for Holiday Club which will be running throughout the half term, with optional Breakfast Club each day. Please make your bookings through your SchoolsBuddy account as soon as possible, and by next Friday (12th October) at the latest. Places are allocated on a first come, first served basis. A day session runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and this includes a cooked lunch and afternoon tea. Tea will be served at the earlier time of 3.30 p.m. so that, if parents are collecting children early, they will still be able to have tea. The optional Breakfast Club sessions run from 7.30 a.m.
Please note that you may pay by card or select 'voucher payment' which tells us that you are paying by Childcare Voucher or Tax Free Childcare Account. If you would like to pay for some sessions using card, and for some sessions using voucher payment, then you will need to make separate bookings for these - for example, book Monday/Tuesday sessions and pay by card, then book Wednesday/Thursday/Friday sessions and pay by childcare voucher. We hope that you will find the new online booking and payment system easy to use but if you experience any difficulties, please do contact the school office who will be pleased to help.
School Bus and Breakfast Club Bookings Now Open Via SchoolsBuddy
Bookings for the morning bus service and Breakfast Club for the second half of term are also now live on SchoolsBuddy. Please note that, even if you have been a regular user of these services before, you must now book and pay online on SchoolsBuddy to secure your places going forward.
When you log in to your SchoolsBuddy account, go to the Bookings tab and book the services/sessions you require.
For Breakfast Club, you may pay by card or select 'voucher payment' which tells us that you are paying by Childcare Voucher or Tax Free Childcare Account. If you would like to pay for some Breakfast Club sessions using card, and for some Breakfast Club sessions using voucher payment, then you will need to make separate bookings for these - for example, book Monday/Tuesday sessions and pay by card, then book Wednesday/Thursday/Friday sessions and pay by childcare voucher. We hope that you will find the new online and payment system easy to use but if you experience any difficulties, please do contact the school office who will be pleased to help.
Childcare Vouchers/Tax Free Childcare Account payments may not be used for School Bus bookings, since by its nature this 'extended care' does not happen on the school premises.
Around School
Please may we request that, when parents are crossing the Upper School Playground, you use the pathway around the outside of the playground instead of cutting across the playground. If you are waiting for Upper School children to be dismissed and have come across from Lower School please may we ask that you wait on Parkway - this alleviates congestion outside the school office.
Parents are reminded to supervise younger pupils at the Upper School entrance and to be particularly vigilant of the car park areas and the gardens which are cared for so well by Mr. Rizzo.
Posted on: 28/09/2018Weekly News - Friday 28th September
Our first Month End Music Recital of the academic year this afternoon was very well attended, and saw some super performances from the pupils on flute, violin, trumpet, saxophone and piano. It is always so impressive to see children so young performing in public with confidence and great skill, and such a pleasure to see the results of their hard work. Bravo to all those who played!
E-safety talk
Thank you to all those parents who attended the E-safety talk on Tuesday night; we had a full house and it was encouraging to see how home and school are working together to support the children. Paul Hay, our visiting E-safety specialist, told us that he thoroughly enjoyed the day and that the pupils were a credit to parents and staff. He was delighted that the evening talk was so well-attended.
You are welcome to visit Paul's page and email him directly if you do have any queries relating to E-Safety.
www.pclstraining.com/links
paul.hay@pclstraining.com
Eco Schools Silver Award
Following on from our Bronze Award, the Eco Team (together with the whole school community) have now achieved the Eco Schools accreditation of the silver award!
We will now strive to achieve the even more prestigious ‘green flag’ award with the help of everyone. Please continue to promote ways to live in a more eco friendly fashion: ‘reduce, reuse, recycle, repair’.
Harvest Festivals
Our Harvest Festival celebrations will take place over the next two weeks.
Upper School (children in Years 2-6) will attend the Harvest Festival service at All Saints Church on Tuesday next week. All children should be in full, correct school uniform on this day. If they have PE/Games on a Tuesday, they should bring in their PE/Games kits to change into.
Lower School (children in Nursery to Year 1) will celebrate Harvest the week after with their Harvest assemblies.
As is traditional, we would ask parents to send your child in with a Harvest donation. The most suitable donations are tinned, canned or dry packet goods such as tinned fruit, vegetables, meat or fish; dried pasta, rice, pulses or grains, packets of cereal and porridge or packets of sweet treats such as biscuits. Please check the sell by date and send goods with as long a shelf life as possible. All donations will be going to the Salvation Army, who will distribute to those in need in Hillingdon. Many thanks to you all, in advance, for your generosity.
Breast Cancer Awareness
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Mr. and Mrs. Cheema, parents of Amar (Y6) will be taking part in the Breast Cancer Now campaign in collaboration with Marks and Spencer. During the month of October, 20% of all purchases made from the ‘Pink Collection’ will be donated to Breast Cancer Now to fund vital research to ensure that by 2050, any woman diagnosed with Breast Cancer will survive. Please do visit your local M&S in store or online to support this cause.
https://www.marksandspencer.com/c/style-and-living/breast-cancer-now-feature
Mrs. Cheema has written a guest Head's Blog this week. You can read it here.
Cancer Research Relay For Life
We are delighted to announce that the total raised by the St. Helen's College team for this year's Cancer Research Relay for Life now stands at just over £4000. Many thanks to you all, once again, for your generosity. You can get a feel for the day itself through this short video clip of the team:
https://animoto.com/play/ZT0bYGL4FLClJsmxvZkv8g
Staffing
We are delighted to welcome Mrs. Fiona Bool to St. Helen’s College as our new Finance Manager. Some of the children have already met Mrs. Bool in assembly and I am sure she will soon get to know our school community.
Mrs. Dennington is working alongside Mrs. Bool over the next week to ensure a good transition and I would like to thank Mrs. Dennington for all her hard work and dedication to St. Helen’s College over the past 17 years.
Half Term Holiday Club - Bookings Now Open On SchoolsBuddy
Bookings are now open for Holiday Club which will be running throughout the half term, with optional Breakfast Club each day. We will be using SchoolsBuddy to take bookings. When you log in to your SchoolsBuddy account, go to the Bookings tab and book the sessions you require. A day session runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and this includes lunch and afternoon tea, which is served at 3.30 p.m. The optional Breakfast Club sessions run from 7.30 a.m.
Please note that you may pay by card or select 'voucher payment' which tells us that you are paying by Childcare Voucher or Tax Free Childcare Account. If you would like to pay for some sessions using card, and for some sessions using voucher payment, then you will need to make separate bookings for these - for example, book Monday/Tuesday sessions and pay by card, then book Wednesday/Thursday/Friday sessions and pay by childcare voucher. We hope that you will find the new online and payment system easy to use but if you experience any difficulties, please do contact the school office who will be pleased to help.
School Bus and Breakfast Club Bookings Now Open Via SchoolsBuddy
Bookings for the morning bus service and Breakfast Club for the second half of term are now live on SchoolsBuddy. Please note that, even if you have been a regular user of these services before, you must now book and pay online on SchoolsBuddy to secure your places going forward.
When you log in to your SchoolsBuddy account, go to the Bookings tab and book the services/sessions you require.
For Breakfast Club, you may pay by card or select 'voucher payment' which tells us that you are paying by Childcare Voucher or Tax Free Childcare Account. If you would like to pay for some Breakfast Club sessions using card, and for some Breakfast Club sessions using voucher payment, then you will need to make separate bookings for these - for example, book Monday/Tuesday sessions and pay by card, then book Wednesday/Thursday/Friday sessions and pay by childcare voucher. We hope that you will find the new online and payment system easy to use but if you experience any difficulties, please do contact the school office who will be pleased to help.
Childcare Vouchers/Tax Free Childcare Account payments may not be used for School Bus bookings, since by its nature this extended care does not happen on the school premises.
After School Club bookings will be set up on SchoolsBuddy in due course.
Piano Vacancy - Upper School
We have an unexpected vacancy for a child (Y2-6) to learn piano at 12 noon on Saturdays. Please email Mrs. Allery if you are interested in this; the place will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. rallery@sthelenscollege.com
The Nutcracker at The Royal Opera House
If you are considering a family outing for Christmas, you might be interested in seeing The Nutcracker at The Royal Opera House.
https://www.roh.org.uk/productions/the-nutcracker-by-peter-wright
Posted on: 21/09/2018Weekly News - Friday 21st September
What an incredible STEAM Day today has been! From building human structures to visiting the Ideas Bus and seeing a 3D printer in action, to making origami boxes, learning about acids and alkalis, carrying out practical experiments, building newspaper towers and so much more, children across the school have today taken part in numerous hands-on activities themed around Science, Technology, Engineering, The Arts and Maths.
There has been a real buzz around school, with conversations about learning taking place at every turn. We are sure that today has proved that if learning is enjoyable and engaging, pupils remember more of it. Thank you so much to all of the parents who willingly gave time and energy to support staff in delivering workshops.
Do question your children at home tonight and over the weekend so that they may share their learning with you!
Budding young engineers might be interested in this event at the London Transport Museum:
Follow this link: https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/whats-on/year-of-engineering/future-engineers
Year 6 Netball v. Langley Hall
This week we had our first netball matches of the season and our Year 6 girls travelled to Langley Hall School to take part in a friendly pre-season A and B team match. The A team showed they were in sharp form, winning 9 - 3, and after a nervous 1st half the B team raised their performance but lost 7 - 3. Well done to all the girls, who are now looking forward to our first home match next Thursday against St. Bernadette's in the local league.
Reception Coffee Mornings
It has been lovely to see so many parents attend the Owls and Kingfishers coffee mornings over the last two weeks and to hear how well their children are enjoying their new environment and the step up to Reception class. We look forward to seeing other parents at the forthcoming coffee mornings.
Year 4 Greek Workshops
On Monday, members of Freshwater Theatre Company provided our Year 4 children with an insight into the lives of the Ancient Greeks as an introduction to their history topic, with an Ancient Greek adventure show. Our pupils had to solve Greek-related activities to help a time traveller graduate from time travel school. The newly qualified Time Traveller wanted to get a slot presenting on ‘Time Travel TV’. Singing the Ancient Greek legacy rap, recreating an original Olympic Games and learning more about Greek philosophy, the children helped the Time Traveller to make their very own show reel.
In their second workshop, children heard from an Ancient Greek citizen who had hurtled through time to the modern day. Children learnt about everyday life in Ancient Greece and were involved in bringing scenes to life using drama.
This was a really exciting start to a new history topic and the children all had great fun learning in such a practical way!
Year 4/5 Meet the Teacher Evenings
Thank you so much to all of the parents who attended last night's Meet The Teacher evening. I am sure that everyone found it informative and helpful as we look forward to a busy and exciting year ahead for the children. Please remember if you do have any questions or queries, to contact your form teacher or subject teacher.
PA Class Reps
As the new year gets underway, we would love to hear from any parent who would like to serve as a class rep for any of the following classes:
Owls
2B
2H
3M
4KT
Please contact Mrs. Clements at admin@sthelenscollege.com if you would like to be involved.
Children in Need
The BBC's Children in Need appeal are currently looking for children aged 7-13 to take part in various VT specials this year. The VTs will feature on the big Children in Need appeal night on 16th November 2018.
No previous acting or performance experience is needed – just lots of enthusiasm! The application form is attached here.
Posted on: 14/09/2018Weekly News - Friday 14th September 2018
It has been an incredible first week back for the pupils at all three sites. It is wonderful to see how quickly our Ducklings children have settled in to their new 'nest'! There was much excitement as our Lower School children entered their new-look school on Monday morning. They have now all explored their new classrooms and are making the most of the amazing new facilities. The grand opening will be after half term and we will finalise dates as soon as possible.
Upper School children have had a very busy week meeting their new teachers and settling into new routines. I have admired how they are responding to the changes and rising to new challenges. Our Year 6 pupils have had an intense start to the new academic year with their 11+ examinations and we look forward to seeing them all next week for a 'normal' school week.
PA Welcome Event For New Parents
The PA Welcome Event for parents who are new to the school will now take place next Saturday, 22nd September, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in The Evans Hall. We hope to see all our new families there.
STEAM Day - Friday 21st September
Preparations are well underway for our exciting STEAM Day next Friday. Thank you to all parents who have offered to run or assist with the workshops. If there are any Upper School parents who would still like to assist, please email Mr. Tovell at dtovell@sthelenscollege.com.
Tog Day
The school was a riot of colour today as we had our first Tog Day of the year, in support of Cancer Research UK's Relay for Life. Many thanks to you all for your generosity in supporting this charity. We will announce the total raised in due course. It has been heartwarming this week to hear from families whose children have requested donations towards the charity instead of birthday presents. What incredibly aware and kind-hearted children we have here!
Co-Curricular Activities - Autumn Term (Reception to Year 6)
We are pleased to announce that our new online booking system goes live for parents today. The school has partnered with SchoolsBuddy to provide this system, which will allow parents to make bookings for school events and activities online.
Today, parents of children in Reception to Year 6 will receive an activation email. Please follow the link in the email to activate your account, and then follow the instructions on the SchoolsBuddy screen to book your Co-Curricular Activities for this term. The booking system allows you to choose up to three activities per session using a preference system. Once parents have added their preferences and the closing date for bookings has passed, the system will automatically allocate as many first choice clubs as it can. Next week, parents will receive an email confirming which clubs your child has been allocated and you will then need to pay online, through SchoolsBuddy, in order to confirm your child's place. Please do also download the SchoolsBuddy app when you are prompted to do so.
Parents with children in Ducklings and Nursery will receive their SchoolsBuddy activation email early next week when bookings will also open for our upcoming Internet Safety evening.
We know that the new system will take a little getting used to, but we are confident that it will be user-friendly for parents and will prove very useful in the long term. Since we will be using SchoolsBuddy for all bookings (including parents' evenings, play/event ticket bookings and, eventually, wraparound care), it is crucial that all parents activate their account and become familiar with the system. If you experience any difficulties in using SchoolsBuddy, please telephone or visit the school office and staff will be pleased to help. Please note that school staff will not be able to make bookings on your behalf.
Summer Schools
A super time was had by over 70 pupils at our two summer schools a few weeks back in August. At Upper School, the younger pupils were thrilled to experience the delights of having a petting zoo visit for the day, as well as enjoying many creative and active activities throughout the week's theme of 'On The Farm'.
Our older pupils got their thrills in adventurous activities on water and land whilst based at Hillingdon Outdoor Activity Centre for the week. Kayaking, abseiling, caving, fencing and karting were just a few of the adrenaline-fuelled activities they did during the week. Friday was fancy dress day and we saw some amazing 'Under the Sea' themed costumes. Photographs of both our summer schools can be seen in the gallery here.
Please note a number of items were left at HOAC. These have been returned to school and can be found in lost property.
Meet The Teacher Evenings
It was lovely to see so many parents attend the Year 3/Year 6 Meet The Teacher evening last night. I am sure you found the meeting informative. We look forward to meeting with the Year 4 and Year 5 parents next Thursday.
School Bus
Our new school bus service is now running daily from Eastcote through Ruislip and Ickenham to school. Children in Years 2 to 6 are welcome to book onto the bus for odd days or whole weeks. Please telephone the school office or complete the booking form on the School Documents page if you would like to book onto the bus.
School Uniform
We already have rather a large amount of lost property, much of it unnamed. Please do check the lost property areas at both Lower School and Upper School and please remember to name every item your child wears or brings to school.
Table Etiquette
I am sure that you have heard from the children the drive that we are having at school on 'routines'. One of our focus areas is developing the children's lunchtime etiquette and table manners. Please do reinforce this at home as the children are developing their knife and fork skills and awareness of table etiquette.
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