School News and Head's Blog
Posted on: 14/06/2024Weekly News - Friday 14th June 2024
Singing Competition Final
Over the past few weeks the sound of children singing has been ringing out from the classrooms, corridors and playground at Upper School as anticipation has built for the annual Singing Competition. Pupils have entered into the competition with enthusiasm and have taken every opportunity to squeeze in extra practise! Today we welcomed parents of our talented finalists into school for the hotly contested final. All the children sang beautifully with backing accompaniment in solo and group numbers and certainly made the job for our guest judge, soprana and music teacher Jessica Bergman, extremely difficult. Finally a decision was reached...huge congratulations to the winners for their outstanding performance:
Year 2: Amina H
Year 3: Alicia Z
MS group: Eleanor, Alicia and Sanaya
Year 4: Gurdaya J (with Leo A highly commended)
Year 5: Rohan F
Year 6: Samara P
US group: Anna, Grace, Hana and Samara
A huge thank you to Jessica for not only taking on the difficult task of judging the competition but also for singing for us. To hear opera sung here at St. Helen's College was absolutely beautiful and so inspiring for the children.
Kingfishers Class Assembly
Kingfishers took parents on a whistle-stop tour around the world at their class assembly on Wednesday. The children presented their own 'St. Helen's College News', reporting on the art, music and culture from Africa, Asia and Europe, all in the spirit of celebrating world harmony. Parents were treated to beautiful Korean dress, traditional Morris dancing and a fun retelling of the famous Aesop's fable 'The Hare And The Tortoise'. It was also a lovely opportunity to wish St. Helen’s College a very happy 100th birthday!
It was wonderful to see how the confidence and poise of Reception has grown throughout the year and we look forward to seeing even greater things in Year 1!
Year 2 and 3 First Maths Challenge
This week children in Years 2 and 3, and selected children from Reception and Year 1, have put their maths knowledge to the test by taking part in the First Maths Challenge. This 45 minute online quiz, consisting of twenty multiple choice questions, has been specifically created for children aged 7-9 years. The challenge offers children the opportunity to demonstrate their maths knowledge, application and aptitude for problem solving. All participants will receive a certificate once the papers are marked and are banded into bronze, silver and gold categories. Well done to everyone who took part!
School Handwriting Competition
On Monday the Year 1 and 2 winners of the in-house handwriting competition were announced. The standard was very high and the competition stiff so congratulations to Amayra C in Year 1, and to Harleen P and Sikhya R who were joint winners in Year 2. Each winner received a certificate and special framed copy of their handwritten submitted poem.
Cricket News
Our U11 A team played in the The Uxbridge and District Primary School Sports Association (UDPSSA) best cricket tournament on Wednesday 12th June. The boys played extremely well and were just beaten in the final to a very strong Newnham School team. They should all be extremely proud of finishing as runners up.
Year 6 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Tickets are now on sale for the eagerly anticipated Year 6 production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Compass Theatre on 27th and 28th June. The children have been working hard on rehearsals before they take to the stage for their final performance at St. Helen's College. Tickets are available here.
Centenary Concert and Art Exhibition
Don't forget to buy your tickets for the art exhibition on Thursday 11th July. Every child in the class will have at least one piece of work in the exhibition and we have been working hard to mount and package the art beautifully to send home with your child the following day. Tickets are £5 per family and include refreshments. The exhibition is open from 3.00 - 5.00 p.m. on that day.
Concert tickets for the evening concert (starting at 7 p.m.) are also now on sale to parents of performers. These are £15 each and include refreshments and entry to the art exhibition, which will re-open at 6 p.m.
This should be a really special afternoon/evening so we hope you will support your child's artistic and/or musical efforts by coming along to celebrate their creativity!
Please log in to your SchoolsBuddy account to book your tickets.
Lower School Art Exhibition
Parents of children in Nursery, Reception and Year 1 are warmly invited to our Lower School Art Exhibition on Friday 5th July 2024, which is being hosted by MiniMasterworks. Refreshments will be served from 2.30 p.m. in the Lower School playground, weather permitting, and the exhibition will be open in the Lower School Hall from 3.00 p.m. - 5.00 p.m. on this day.
Each child has created a masterpiece that has been professionally mounted and framed. Your child’s piece of art will be available to purchase and take away with you on the day for the bargain price of £20. You will also be able to order extra prints and postcard sets featuring your child's artwork if you wish. We would love you all to attend with your child; however, if you are not able to do so, pre-order forms are available from Mrs. Rooney.
We are looking forward to celebrating all our future Monets and really hope you are able to attend to enjoy the occasion with your child!
Centenary Teddy Bear Naming Competition!
Thank you very much to all who allowed their children to pay £1 to enter the raffle to name our centenary teddy bear. We had lots of entries and today we drew the class winners, to great excitement. Each winner was awarded their own centenary bear to keep!
The overall winner will be drawn from the winning class entries on Monday and the centenary teddy bear's name will be revealed! We raised a wonderful £205.80 to be donated to the Four Paws animal preservation charity to support their important work.
Staff News
We will be bidding a fond farewell to some staff at the end of this academic year, and extending a warm welcome to some new colleagues.
After four years at St. Helen's College, Mrs. Briggs is leaving us to relocate with her family.
Mrs. Hussein has had a long association (eleven years) with St. Helen's College as a teacher and parent. She will be taking a well-deserved rest when she leaves us at the end of this term.
Miss Joiner has been a valued member of our Lower School team for six years and is leaving us to spend more time looking after her young family.
Mrs. Stark's St. Helen's College journey stretches back over 25 years, as a part-time teacher, full-time teacher, Deputy Head and, most recently, part time French teacher. She has been a huge part of the school.
We know that you will join us in wishing our staff leavers well on the next stage of their journey. They will be greatly missed by us all at St. Helen's College; they have each had a huge impact on so many young lives.
Uniform & Equipment Lists
The Uniform & Equipment lists for 2024-2025 have been posted to the School Documents page of the website. There are no changes to required items for the forthcoming year but please check the lists carefully and ensure that your child has all that they need by September for their next year group.
Next Week
Tuesday 18th June - Year 1 and 2 rehearsal at Compass Theatre
Wednesday 19th June - Year 1 and 2 rehearsal at Compass Theatre
Wednesday 19th June - Parents' evening for Ducklings, Nursery and Reception
Thursday 20th June - Year 1 and 2 performance for parents at Compass Theatre
Thursday 20th June - Chess match v St. Bernadette's Primary School
Friday 21st June - Prep Sports Day
Saturday 22nd June - Centenary PA Summer Fete
Posted on: 7/06/2024Weekly News - Friday 7th June 2024
Centenary Celebrations
As we begin the final half term of our Centenary year we have some very special events coming up, so please make sure you have the following dates in your diary.
Saturday 22nd June - PA Centenary Summer Fete (please see below)
Friday 5th July - Lower School Art Exhibition
Tuesday 9th July - Centenary Fun Day for Pupils
Thursday 11th July - Upper School Centenary Concert and Art Exhibition (please see below)
TfL Top Schools Award and STARS Gold Accreditation
We are delighted to receive a TfL Travel for Life ‘Top Schools Award 2024’. St. Helen's College has been highly commended for ‘Creativity and Innovation' in support of active and safer travel initiatives. We have also received renewed Gold Level accreditation until 2026. This recognises the vital work of the passionate and committed STARS Junior Travel Ambassadors who have been instrumental in promoting the importance of this. Keep up the good work!
SATIPS Art Exhibition 'People's Choice' Winner
Artwork submitted by Pavan S (Year 6) has been awarded 'The People's Choice' at the SATIPS Art Exhibition hosted by Moreton Hall in Shropshire in April. This is a terrific achievement as the standard of entries from other prep schools across the country was extremely high this year. Pavan has been awarded a beautiful sketchbook and certificate to mark her success, and we hope she will enjoy creating many more beautiful pieces of art.
SATIPS Handwriting Competition
Pupils from Year 1 to 6 have submitted entries to the annual SATIPS handwriting competition. The children are required to write out a set poem for their age category, in pencil, in their very best handwriting to be judged against entries from other Prep schools from across the country. Winners will be announced at the beginning of the autumn term and receive a prize and certificate.
Meanwhile we are celebrating the talents of our students with our own St. Helen's College in-house handwriting competition. A winner from each year group has been selected, each of whom has received a special framed copy of their submitted handwritten poem. Year 4, 5 and 6 winners have been announced; congratulations to Amara B, Arya A and Pavan S. The winners for Year 1, 2 and 3 will be announced in assembly on Monday. Huge congratulations to the overall school winner, Amara B, who has been awarded a very smart fountain pen in recognition of her hard work.
Singing Competition Finalists
The finalists for the Singing Competition have been announced! We had a terrific response and would like to say well done to everyone who submitted an entry. The standard was very high. Congratulations to all of the pupils who have made it through to the final on Friday 14th June, when they will perform the song of their choice for their parents, peers and our guest judge Jessica Bergman (soprana and music teacher) . The finalists are:
Year 2: Amina H, Sikhya R, Anika S
Year 3: Alicia Z, Tansy M, Anoushka B
MS groups: Eleanor, Alicia and Sanaya; Arahya and Anika
Year 4: Avleen P, Alyssa P, Leo A, Gurdaya J
Year 5: Rohan F, Alexander A, Diya B, Zinnia M
Year 6: Hana H, Pavan S, Samara P, Senna G
US groups: Anna, Grace, Hana and Samara; Pavan and Zarifa; Avleen & Gurdaya
Author Caroline Boxall Visits Year 6
It was a great pleasure to welcome author Caroline Boxall to school on Monday. The author of 'The Secret Children of Mumbai' and 'The Runaway Children of Chennai', Caroline ran workshops for our two Year 6 classes and certainly inspired the children by telling them all about how she became an author, how she gets the ideas for her books and how the children could themselves become published writers! She also introduced her International Creative Writing Competition for children to have the opportunity to write their own story and win copies of her books.
Signed and personalised books are available to order here. The link will remain open for another week or so; please order asap if you would like a signed copy delivered to school.
Upper School Centenary Concert And Art Exhibition - Thursday 11th July
We are delighted to invite Upper School parents to join us for our Centenary Art Exhibition and Centenary Concert at the Winston Churchill Hall in Ruislip on Thursday 11th July. This special event will celebrate the arts at St. Helen's College. Every child in Years 2 - 6 will have at least one piece on show at the art exhibition and all three school choirs, the school orchestra and many soloists will be performing at the evening concert. Our string group and guitar ensemble will be performing in the foyer before the concert, so parents of children who are performing only in these two groups will not necessarily need to book tickets for the concert (although are welcome to do so). Please read the following information carefully and book your tickets soon!
Art Exhibition
The exhibition will be open from 3.30 - 5.00 p.m. on Thursday 11th July, and again from 6.00 - 6.45 p.m.
The art exhibition is open to all SHC families. Every child in Years 2 - 6 will have at least one piece of art at the exhibition. We will also be offering you a drink to enjoy while you peruse the artwork.
Tickets for the art exhibition are priced at £5 per family (not per person) and you may come and go as many times as you please during the opening hours. Displayed work from the exhibition, which is being mounted and packaged appropriately, will be sent home with your child on the final day of the summer term.
Evening Concert
Many children will be performing at the concert in the evening on Thursday 11th July, including those in the school choirs and orchestra. Parents will need to buy tickets for this event, and these will be made available first to parents of performers. If any remain unsold after a fortnight, these will then be made available to other families.
Tickets are priced at £15 per person for the evening concert, which will begin at 7 p.m. (Doors open at 6 p.m. for visits to the art exhibition).
Please book your tickets through SchoolsBuddy.
We hope that you will support this exciting event, which we are sure will provide a fitting end to our Centenary year!
New Reading Scheme Books
Reading is the key to success and we are huge champions here at St. Helen's College. Year 2 were excited today to discover some of the hundreds of new reading scheme books recently added to our extensive collection. The updated selection includes children's classics alongside titles exploring more current topics such as Black History Month, neurodiversity and wellbeing. We are lucky to have so many avid readers in the school, we hope parents will enjoy listening to children reading the new books at home too.
Sports News
On Thursday it was our Pre-Prep Sports Day at Court Park. Children in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 had a wonderful day taking part in a variety of sports and games in the sunshine. It was a great day to see the children enjoying all the activities and the children were delighted with the rosettes they achieved. You can see some photographs of them having fun on the Galleries page here.
On Monday our cricket A team travelled to Highgate while the B team played a fixture against Highgate at home.
The A team played confidently and won by a comfortable 30 runs (56 - 86). The boys bowled and batted extremely well, taking 5 wickets in a 12 over game.
The B team had a lovely afternoon producing some excellent cricket, especially with the ball, and winning 58 - 9. The game finished quite quickly, so we played a second, shorter game and we were again victorious, 32 - 19.
It was super to see the boys all enjoying their cricket so much. They have all clearly improved over the season so far.
Name The Bear Competition
To celebrate our centenary year we are running a 'name the bear' competition for all pupils to have the opportunity to christen our new St. Helen's College special centenary teddy bear. Entry is £1 which should be brought into school by Wednesday 12th June. All funds raised will be donated to the Four Paws animal preservation charity. The winning entry in each class will receive a centenary teddy bear and will be entered into the final draw for the overall winner. Pupils can be as imaginative and fun as they please with their names for the bear, you can hear more about the competition here. We look forward to hearing their suggestions!
Month End Music Recital
Our Month End Music Recital today was, as always, very well attended by families, staff and pupils. It was a joy to hear the children's pieces on piano, recorder, trombone, violin, flute, cello and trumpet, as well as some beautiful vocal performances. Very well done to all those who took part and good luck to everyone who will be practising hard for ABRSM exams over the next month or so!
LAMDA Exams
We would like to wish our LAMDA pupils the best for tomorrow, when they will be taking a range of drama and public speaking LAMDA examinations here at St. Helen's College. Good luck!
Summer Fete, Father's Day And Sports Day - Messages From The PA
Only two weeks to go until the summer fete! The summer fete will be extra special this year as we will be celebrating the school's centenary year. The event is open to all SHC families, friends and the wider community. Please note that it is a cash only event.
The success of the much anticipated fete relies on the support of all families to give time and donations where they can. This year we are short on volunteers and donations, so please contact your class rep as soon as possible to see where you can help on your allocated stall.
There will be barrels out for donations of any toys, teddies and uniforms at both Upper and Lower School entrances from this Monday onwards.
The PA has two other events coming up, as follows.
A Father's Day stall will run on Friday 14th June for children to buy a gift for a cherished male figure in their life:
- Upper School: Before school, at break time and after school (cash only)
- Lower School: Before and after school (cash and card accepted).
The PA will also have a refreshments stall running at the Upper School Sports Day on Friday 21st June and we are in need of parents to volunteer some time on this stall; please contact your class rep if you are able to spare some time on the day.
Summer School 2024
Summer School will be running at PACCAR Scout camp from 5th - 9th August for Years 3 - 6. This will be a fun-packed week of thrilling outdoor activities including climbing, archery and a day of water sports at nearby Taplow lake. Full details have been sent directly to parents and there are now just a few places left. If you would like to book a space for your child, you can do so through your SchoolsBuddy account. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. The St. Helen’s College Holiday Club will run at school for children in Nursery - Year 2 as usual during this week.
Reminders
All children from Reception to Year 6 should arrive at school in their summer uniform and wearing a blazer, unless it is a PE kit day. School hats (felt cap, summer boater) may be worn if children have them; sun hats must always be with your child.
Please ensure that you have applied sun cream to your child's skin on hot days.
Next Week
Tuesday 11th June - Friday 14th June - Y2 and 3 First Maths Challenge
Wednesday 12th June - Y2 and 3 First Maths Challenge
Wednesday 12th June - Kingfishers Coffee Morning and Class Assembly
Friday 14th June - Singing Competition
Friday 14th June - PA Father's Day Stalls
Posted on: 24/05/2024Weekly News - Friday 24th May 2024
Year 6 Residential Trip To France
Our Year 6 children return today exhausted but elated after an extremely busy, successful and enjoyable week-long residential trip at the Chateau de la Baudonniere in Normandy, France. While there, they immersed themselves in French language and culture, taking part in a wide range of educational and fun activities. They visited a goat farm, made bread, tried out various French foods, visited Mont St. Michel, had a go at a muddy obstacle course, made some purchases at a French market and much more! One of the many highlights of the week was meeting their French pen pals, with whom they have been corresponding during the year.
It is always astonishing to see our oldest pupils' self-development, and this Year 6 group have been exceptional. Their maturity, excellent behaviour, independence and willingness to try new things and support each other away from home has been a joy to behold.
Year 4 Residential Trip to Flatford Mill
Despite some rather unkind weather, the Year 4 pupils and accompanying staff set off with excitement on Wednesday morning for their three day residential trip to the beautiful Flatford Mill in John Constable country in Suffolk. While there, they spent their time pond dipping and working with microscopes, investigating the times of John Constable and laying traps to investigate small mammals. They also enjoyed shelter building, creating videos, painting and a twilight walk.
Every child threw themselves whole-heartedly into the experience and activities with enthusiasm and joy. There is no doubt that they have all increased in confidence and independence over the past three days, as well as learning the importance of resilience and perseverance during the more challenging tasks. The staff particularly enjoyed observing the strong friendships amongst this group of children, who consistently showed a determination to make the trip the most enjoyable it could be for every person present.
Photos And Videos
There are a few ways for parents and families to see photographs and short videos of the children taking part in daily activities here at school. The St. Helen's College Instagram and St. Helen's College Facebook feeds are updated every day during term time and feature a range of ages and activities from all across the school. We do not name or 'tag' children or families, so please follow the feeds if you would like to keep up to date with what is going on daily at school. We have been delighted to hear from so many parents how much you appreciate the feeds.
We also regularly post a selection of photographs to the Galleries page of the school website, particularly of major events like play performances, Sports Days and residential trips. Do check there regularly if you are keen to see photographs of the children's experiences.
Sports News
An elite team of runners from Years 4 and 5 took part in the inter-school District Cross Country this week, competing against other local schools at Viners playing fields. The girls were up first and showed tremendous spirit and desire to get around the undulating course. All of the girls crossed the line without stopping with Inaaya S coming in first for the school and 33rd in the competition. The boys were up next, on the same course, showing impressive pace with Jack K finishing 13th overall. A special mention for our two Year 4 boy runners Thomas R and William B who ran a great race. It was a brilliant afternoon for the whole team who gained vital experience for the competition next year.
It was a rather wet afternoon on Tuesday for our U9 A and B cricket fixtures against Buckingham Prep School. The A team took part in a twelve-a-side paired cricket match and did really well winning by nine runs and our B team had a ten-a-side paired match but unfortunately lost by seven runs. The boys played very well, especially showing huge improvement in their bowling.
Wrens Class Assembly
The children of Wrens Nursery performed a beautiful assembly on Thursday to an eager audience of parents and staff. They acted out a story about a bumble bee called Billy. The other bees are unkind to Billy because he is different from them and unable to make a buzzing sound. Eventually, however, they realise that it is good to be different; they apologise for being unkind and all the animals become friends. The assembly has formed part of the Nursery topic of learning about how important mini-beasts are and how we should all respect them.
The acting was accompanied by some lovely singing. The children all made a great effort to speak their lines clearly, sing their songs loudly and stand with poise and confidence in front of a large audience. We were very impressed with them!
Pre-Prep Sports Day
Sports Day for the pre-prep classes will take place on Thursday 6th June in Court Park. There will be two separate events, one for Year 1 and Year 2 in the morning from 8.45 a.m. – 11.45 a.m. and one for Foundation Stage (Nursery & Reception) in the afternoon from 12.30 – 3.00 p.m.
All children will take part in a variety of sporting events. There will be six activity stations and the children will move from station to station in groups, followed by some races on the track.
All children should come to school in their PE kit and sun hat and, if the weather dictates, rain macs. All children will need a named, refillable water bottle.
Year 1 & 2 children Morning snacks should be brought in as usual. The children will return to school after their Sports Day and complete their day as normal.
Nursery & Reception children At the end of Sports Day the children should be collected from their teachers on the sports field and taken home.
Please note:
There is no seating available in the park, so parents may wish to bring fold-up chairs.
Parents are asked to keep a respectful distance from the multi skills station, not to cross the barrier tape or to cross to the children's side of the track, and to keep the area behind and to the side of the finish line clear.
Please do not give your child ice cream, snacks or drinks during the event.
Refreshments Parents will be able to purchase refreshments, provided by the Parents’ Association, in Court Park during both the morning and afternoon events. If you are able to assist the PA with this, please speak to a member of the committee as soon as possible.
Parking To prevent congestion and chaos it is most important that you follow these instructions:
Do not park in Parkway
Do not block other cars in the car park
If the car park is full, then drive away and park elsewhere e.g. Court Drive (very convenient for the park) or Long Lane. If you do park in the car park, then please do so in such a way as not to cause congestion.
It should be a fantastic event, and we look forward to seeing you on the day!
Year 6 Author Visit
St. Helen's College will be hosting a visit from children's author Caroline Boxall on Monday 3rd June for Year 6 pupils. The author of 'The Secret Children of Mumbai' and 'The Runaway Children of Chennai' will be here to talk about her experience as an author and how to become a published writer. She will also be introducing her International Creative Writing Competition for children to have the opportunity to write their own story and win copies of her books.
Signed and personalised books are available to order in advance here.
Please could we also take this opportunity to remind pupils to be sure to return any borrowed or overdue library books to the library after the half term break to enable them to be available for other children to enjoy.
Singing Competition
A reminder that the final deadline for video entries for the singing competition is Friday 31st May. Late entries will not be considered so please submit entries as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Entries should be recorded at home and uploaded using this form. Backing tracks must not contain the main vocal line. Singing from memory is preferred and will be required for the live final. The finalists will be announced on Friday 7th June. Good luck!
Competition: Design A Healthy City
If you are looking for a half term activity for your child, Healthy Cities, Eco-Schools and The Bupa Foundation have teamed up to run a competition for children to create a picture showing what they think a 'healthy city' could look like. Children could create a cityscape, a map, a new invention that might make a city healthy or anything else they can imagine. Full guidelines and an A3 template which must be used are available here. Good luck and please do let us know if you enter. You will need to submit your own entry electronically by 10th June, including our school name and postcode on your entry form. Winners will be announced in the week beginning 26th June, the start of World Wellbeing Week, and will win £1500 for their school to spend on outdoor learning equipment!
PA News
The summer term is packed with fun activities for the children and a busy time for the PA who are always looking for volunteers to help make each event a success. Please make a note of the forthcoming dates and get in touch if you are able to help, all contributions are much appreciated:
Tuesday 4th June 7pm - PA meeting in the Evans Hall. Everyone is welcome to discuss upcoming events and share ideas.
Friday 14th June - PA Father's Day stall for children to purchase a gift to celebrate significant male figures in their lives. The Upper School stall will run before and after school and during breaktime. Children should have no more than £5 to spend. The Lower School stall will be available for parents to attend, with their child, before and after school.
Friday 21st June - Upper School Sports Day at Hillingdon Sports and Leisure Centre. Volunteers needed for sports day stalls, please get in touch if you can help. Donations of refreshments would be much appreciated.
Saturday 22nd June - The much anticipated centenary Summer Fete. You will have been contacted by class reps with your allocated stall rota and request for specific donations. The success of this fun packed event relies on a whole class effort to run their allocated stall; please review your rota to see where you can get involved.
External stall holders: This year we have invited Year 6 students to apply to hold stalls. Please contact your class rep if your child is interested. If you know of a business that would like to hold a stall at the school, please check the announcement on Classlist where there is a form to sign up for stalls.
Upcoming Dates
Monday 27th May - Friday 31st May - Half term.
Monday 3rd June - Year 6 author visit.
Monday 3rd June - U11 A (H) and U11 B (A) cricket v. Highgate School.
Tuesday 4th June - Class photographs (Ducklings, Lower School and Upper School).
Wednesday 5th June - Year 1, 2 and 6 costume photographs.
Thursday 6th June - Pre-Prep Sports Day.
Friday 7th June - Whole school centenary photo.
Friday 7th June - Month End Music Recital in Evans Hall (from 3.30 p.m.)
Posted on: 17/05/2024Weekly News - Friday 17th May 2024
Nursery Visit To Hobbledown Heath
On Thursday Robins and Wrens enjoyed a fun day trip to Hobbledown Heath. The children were captivated by a fascinating talk from 'Zac the zookeeper' about capybaras, which are large rodents native to South America. They had a brilliant time exploring many other farm animals including goats, cattle, rabbits and alpacas. The children even had the opportunity to feed the meerkats which was great fun! They finished the day playing in the sand pit, climbing on the play equipment and jumping on the 'water pillows'. The children had a terrific experience and their behaviour was impeccable throughout the day.
Owls Class Assembly
Owls performed an impressive class assembly this week all about traditional fairy tales and the important moral messages they impart. The children retold the story of 'Little Red Riding Hood', reciting their lines clearly and with great confidence. The audience thoroughly enjoyed the jaunty songs and actions. It was wonderful to be reminded of the enduring power of traditional tales passed down through the generations. You can hear from some of the children here.
Mini School Marathon
Following the recent success of our runners at the TCS Mini London Marathon event, this week St. Helen's College pupils put their best foot forward again for our own Mini School Marathon in Court Park. The lunchtime run offered children in Years 2 to 6 the option to complete between 1 km and 2.5 km with many opting for the longer challenge! It was inspiring to see over one hundred children choosing to be involved and demonstrating admirable pace, stamina and positivity. A great achievement for everyone involved!
Charity Fundraising Achievement
A group of St. Helen's College pupils have raised an incredible £24,000 for The Ghassan Abu Sittah Children's Fund, a charity providing critical medical care for the children of Gaza. Over the last two weekends the children have participated in a sponsored hike of the four hills in Northala Fields and managed to smash their original fundraising target of £5000. Incredible work!
A huge well done to the following children who took part: Ali A 2R, Hassan A Kingfishers, Zoe B Robins, George B 2R, Kyan K 2R, Noah K 2R, Aarav L 2R, Amaya L 6H, Rania Q 4T, Hadi Q 1R, Zara F 6L, Dawud H Kingfishers.
Junior Chess Tournament
Uxbridge Junior Chess Club are hosting a tournament on Saturday 13th July at St. Catherine Primary School in West Drayton. Categories include under 8, under 10 and under 12. The best local juniors will be invited to compete for the London Borough of Hillingdon chess teams in national events. More detailed entry information for the tournament is available here.
Year 6 Author Visit
St. Helen's College will be hosting a visit from children's author Caroline Boxall on Monday 3rd June for Year 6 pupils. The author of 'The Secret Children of Mumbai' and 'The Runaway Children of Chennai' will be here to talk about her experience as an author and how to become a published writer. She will also be introducing her International Creative Writing Competition for children to have the opportunity to write their own story and win a copies of her books.
Signed and personalised books are available to order in advance here.
Singing Competition
Today is the final day to submit song choices for approval using this form so don't miss out! Video entries must be received by Friday 31st May, please record these at home and upload using this form. Backing tracks must not contain the main vocal line. Singing from memory is preferred and will be required for the live final. The finalists will be announced on Friday 7th June. Good luck!
News From The PA
As we enter the final half term of this academic year, we have some exciting events to look forward to!
The Parents' Association (PA) will be hosting refreshment stalls at both the Upper and Lower School Sports Days, as well as a special gift stall for Father’s Day. Here, children can purchase gifts to celebrate significant male figures in their lives. Additionally, the PA is organising our much-anticipated Summer Fete. This year is a special Centenary Fete, and we encourage all parents to play a part in this unique celebration.
With these events on the horizon, expect to receive plenty of communication through the school newsletter, ClassList and class reps. If you haven't signed up for ClassList yet, please do so to ensure you receive all updates and information.
The PA is always in need of volunteers to help make these events successful. Whether you can contribute a little time or a lot, your involvement is invaluable. Volunteering is a great way to support our school community and demonstrate to our children the importance of participating in school events. If you’re interested in helping out, please contact your class rep, who can connect you with a committee member. Or why not come along to our next meeting on Tuesday 4th June at 7 p.m. in The Evans Hall at Upper School? All are welcome.
Thank you for your continued support and participation. Together, we can help to make this final half term of the 2024 academic year and the St. Helen's College Centenary year a very special, memorable one for our children.
Next Week
All week - Year 6 residential trip to France
Monday 20th May - District cross country (Uxbridge)
Tuesday 21st May - U9 cricket v. Buckingham Prep
Wednesday 22nd - Friday 24th May - Year 4 residential trip to Flatford Mill
Thursday 23rd May - Wrens coffee morning and class assembly
Thursday 23rd May - Year 5 transfer meeting 6.30 p.m.
Posted on: 10/05/2024Weekly News - Friday 10th May 2024
One World Day
Children across the school participated in a busy day of cross-curricular workshops and activities for One World Day on Monday. This special day has been created to prioritise environmental sustainability, one of our key school values and part of our strategic programme to support climate education.
The children had a wonderful day attending interactive workshops, led by Young Climate Warriors, Green Up Your Act and Accent Catering, which demonstrated valuable ways we can all contribute to sustainability, such as recycling waste materials creatively or growing our own vegetables.
The children had the opportunity to create notebooks from recycled maps, concoct a green salad from home grown leaves and shoots, build a giant bug hotel, make seed balls, conduct water saving experiments using pipes, create outdoor nature sculptures and even blitz up their own healthy drink pedalling on the smoothie bicycles! Thank you to Mrs. Briggs for planning and co-ordinating a valuable and inspiring day. You can read more about our St. Helen's College sustainability plans in this week's Head's Blog.
Robins Class Assembly
The Robins class assembly this week was all about the wonders of mini beasts and the importance of preserving their natural habitat. The children got into character by dressing up as bumble bees, ladybirds, spiders, caterpillars and butterflies, and shared fascinating facts about these colourful garden creatures. You can hear from some of the children here. It was lovely to listen to the children share poems and sing with such joy and enthusiasm whilst showing an appreciation for the natural world. Well done, Robins!
Now the sun is shining we hope the children will enjoy venturing outdoors this weekend to explore the garden or park and hunt for mini beasts for themselves!
4B Class Assembly
4B led an accomplished and thought provoking assembly today about global sustainability, sharing their work on the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The children demonstrated an excellent knowledge and understanding of global disparities and challenges, and explained why key UN goals, such as no poverty, zero hunger, good health and wellbeing, quality education and gender equality are so important. Inspired by the work of explorer and polar conservationist Robert Swan, the children shared the ways they have pledged to play their part in tackling these issues: limiting food waste, walking instead of driving, using reusable water bottles, growing vegetables and turning off lights to save energy. The audience thoroughly enjoyed the pupils' creative poetry and their impassioned song performance which rounded off the assembly with an uplifting sense of hope for the future. You can hear from some of the children here.
UKMT Maths Challenge
Huge congratulations to all the children from Years 4, 5 and 6 who participated in the recent UKMT Maths Challenge. The results are in and we are delighted to report the following children have achieved awards:
Bronze awards: Samara P, Arjun C, Alexander A, Rohaym U, Avar D, Mustafa F, Luca H, Parth K, Zakariya M, Pavan S, Jeena H, Ayush A, Emily S, Samuel H, Kal-El M, Verity S, Roha K, Amaya L, Eva J.
Silver awards: Amelia L, Dylan C, Aiden T, Joseph T, Zara F, Rayan S, Ashvika A.
Gold awards: Tiya T, Aaryav K, Aryan L, Raiden B.
A special well done for Aaryav K and Aryan L whose scores have earned them both a place in the Junior Kangaroo follow-on round, and to Raiden B whose score has earned him a place in the Junior Mathematical Olympiad follow-on round. Terrific work!
Quiz Club National Inter-School Maths Championship
Today our Maths Quiz Teams from Year 5 and 6 competed in the online National Inter-School Championships. Although they didn't quite make it to the next heat, they all partook with great spirit, enthusiasm and grit! The teams were as follows:
The Mathemagicians - Ryley J, Ali B, Zara F, Tiya T.
Pi-rates - Eva J, Raiden B, Anika C, Saayan S.
Pi-thons - Roha K, Aaron B, Verity S, Amelia L.
Well done to all the teams for their sterling effort!
Year 3 PACCAR Residential Trip
Year 3 have returned home tired and happy this afternoon after an exhilarating two days at PACCAR Scout camp for their first overnight residential. The children embraced the great outdoors, taking part in an array of exciting activities including crate stacking, zip lines, obstacles courses, campfires and much more. Well done to all of the children for rising to the challenges presented with such confidence and optimism! You can view more photographs here.
Year 6 Bikeability Achievement
Congratulations to Year 6 who today completed their Level 2 Bikeability cycle training. Over the past four weeks they have mastered the basics of bike control and safety at Level 1 and have now gained further competence to cycle safely on the roads. The children have gained the skills and confidence to negotiate parked cars, other road users, roundabouts, junctions and crossroads. Cycling is a great sustainable form of transport and supports good health too so we hope to see Year 6 putting their new skills into action from now on!
Summer School 2024
Summer School will be running at PACCAR Scout camp from 5th-9th August for Years 3 - 6. This will be a fun-packed week of thrilling outdoor activities including climbing, archery and a day of water sports at nearby Taplow lake. Full details have been sent directly to parents and bookings will open at 12 p.m. on Saturday 11th May on SchoolsBuddy, with places allocated on a first come, first served basis. The St. Helen’s College Holiday Club will run at school for children in Nursery - Year 2 as usual during this week.
Next Week
Thursday 16th May - Nursery visit to Hobbledown Heath
Thursday 16th May - Owls coffee morning and class assembly
Thursday 16th May - Parents' evening Years 1 - 6
Posted on: 3/05/2024Weekly News - Friday 3rd May 2024
Isle of Wight Year 5 Residential
Year 5 have enjoyed a terrific residential trip to the Isle of Wight this week. The jam packed itinerary included an array of exciting and adventurous outdoor activities; the children took part in hiking, kayaking, beach exploration, shelter building, camp fires, trapeze, a sensory assault course and more.
The trip has been a wonderful opportunity for the children to experience new challenges and develop team work and problem solving skills. It has been wonderful to see the children work together and thrive whilst tackling all the activities with confidence and big smiles! You can see more photographs on the school website here.
Kew Gardens Year 3 Trip
Year 3 visited Kew Gardens on Monday for a special workshop and the opportunity to explore the botanical gardens and tropical greenhouses.
The children took part in a fun 'plant detective' workshop which captured their imagination as they followed the clues to discover the plant 'thief'! Then they demonstrated their identification skills and plant knowledge by searching for a selection of different exotic plants: bamboo, banana tree, cacao and the Madagascan periwinkle.
The children thoroughly enjoyed exploring the glorious tropical Palm House and the Princess of Wales Conservatory, both of which support rare and diverse ecosystems. This was a terrific trip to experience plant diversity and preservation first hand, and to consolidate Year 3's hard work on plant life in the classroom.
4T Class Assembly
This week 4T presented a very polished assembly about the 1940s. The children began by presenting an overview of their work on World War 2, including The Blitz, the child evacuation programme and the role of Winston Churchill in keeping up morale. They thoroughly entertained the audience by performing a jaunty celebratory dance to capture the jubilant mood of VE Day.
They also shared their inspiring work on the Windrush. The children eloquently read their own creative writing in the form of letters and poems from the perspective of Windrush immigrants. You can hear some extracts here. Finally, they considered all the important roles within the ground-breaking NHS, founded by Aneurin Bevin in 1948, including doctors, nurses, cooks and porters. The assembly rounded off with a very moving rendition of 'You'll Never Walk Alone' from the 1940s musical 'Carousel' which perfectly encapsulates the spirit of resilience and community from this challenging decade. Well done 4T for such a confident and informative class assembly.
2024 SATIPS Art Exhibition
Huge congratulations to the talented artists from Years 2 to 6 whose work has been included in the annual Support and Training in Prep, Primary and Senior Schools (SATIPS) Art Exhibition.
This year the exhibition was kindly hosted by Moreton Hall in Shropshire. Pupils and their families were invited to a special private viewing and afternoon tea last weekend to celebrate the achievements of everyone involved.
Well done to these pupil artists for their outstanding contributions to the exhibition. We are very proud of each and every one:
Nihal B (Y2), Laksh K (Y3), Hugo VS-S (Y3), Naiya L (Y4), Jana A (Y4), Shanaya P (Y5), Ashvika A (Y5), Amelia L (Y5), Pavan S (Y6), Grace O (Y6), Riya S (Y6).
Singing Competition
Don't forget to send entries in for our very exciting Singing Competition! The competition is open to Year 2 - 6, please note the following dates:
Friday 17th May - song(s) must be approved by this date using this form.
Friday 31st May - video entry must be received.
Friday 7th June - finalists announced.
Friday 14th June - Singing Competition final.
The categories this year are as follows:
Middle School Competition: Year 2 Solo, Year 3 Solo, MS duet, MS group and Best Overall Performance.
Upper School Competition: Year 4 Solo, Year 5 Solo, Year 6 Solo, US duet, US group and Best Overall Performance.
For full details of how to submit song choices for approval and enter the competition please refer to the recent email from Mrs. Fawbert.
One World Day Menu
Sustainability is the focus for One World Day next Tuesday 7th May with a wide range of dedicated activities and workshops planned across Upper and Lower School throughout the day. The St. Helen's College Global Citizenship Prefects met with Chef Soula this week to develop a special One World Day menu, which you can view here.
Rainbow Recipe Cards - May
For those families who enjoy cooking you may like to try some new recipes from our yellow-themed 'Eat The Rainbow' recipe cards for May here.
PA - New Members Needed!
The PA is inviting new members to join the team to continue their brilliant work supporting the strong connection between the school and parents. The PA is a vital organisation that makes a valuable contribution to the school community and relies on the goodwill of parents giving their time to plan and run many fun events for families throughout the year, such as the Summer Fete, Christmas parties, quiz nights and Mother's/Father's Day stalls. If you are bursting with fun and innovative ideas and would like to be involved please do get in touch by email sthelenscollegepa@gmail.com to find out more.
Holiday Club - May Half Term
The school holiday club will run from Tuesday 28th May - Friday 31st May (excluding Bank Holiday Monday 27th May). Bookings open on Friday 10th May at 4 p.m. on Schoolsbuddy and close on Wednesday 22nd May at 4 p.m. Places must be booked in advance in order to arrange appropriate staffing ratios so please be sure to book before the deadline.
Next Week
Monday 6th May - Bank Holiday (school closed)
Tuesday 7th May - One World Day
Tuesday 7th May 4 -7 p.m. - Parents Evening Y1-6
Thursday 9th May 8.15 a.m. - Robins Coffee Morning and Class Assembly
Thursday 9th May - U11 Cricket v Buckingham Prep
Thursday 9th May to Friday 10th May - Year 3 PACCAR residential
Friday 10th May - Year 6 Bikeability continues
Posted on: 26/04/2024Weekly News - Friday 26th April 2024
UKMT Maths Challenge
This week seventy children from Years 4, 5 and 6 completed the annual online UKMT Maths Challenge. This demanding sixty minute test aims to stretch the children's knowledge and application of mathematical reasoning and provides a great opportunity to demonstrate their problem solving abilities. Well done to all the children who took part, we were very impressed by their positive approach; certificates will be awarded in due course once the results have been processed. Watch out for exciting information coming soon about a new maths challenge aimed at Years 2 and 3 later this term.
Mini Marathon
Congratulations to all of the St. Helen's College children, staff and parents who took part in the TCS Mini Marathon last Saturday. The school entered one hundred participants in the one mile run along the final stretch of the London marathon route. The atmosphere was fantastic and it was brilliant to see the children making the most of the opportunity to be involved in a world famous marathon. Runners can find out where they placed and their running time by inputting their bib number here.
Thank you to Ms Drummond, Ms Raja-Ross, Mr. McLaughlin and Mrs. Webb for running and supporting the children. We hope this event will inspire a love of running which may one day lead to some of our community tackling the whole 26.2 miles! Huge congratulations also to Mr. Karunananthan, father of two St. Helen's College children, who achieved this on Sunday to raise money for Young Lives v's Cancer, a charity who have personally supported the family. You can read more about their experience and fundraising here.
Book Drive A Huge Success!
Thirteen heavy boxes of books were collected thanks to the efforts of all the children and parents who supported our Book Drive for the Children's Book Project. Piles of books arrived at Lower and Upper School this week (855 in total!) and we appreciate the gift of each and every one. Thank you.
Once collected by our student librarians, sorted and boxed, the Children's Book Project van took our book mountain to 'book headquarters' where the book magic happens. Volunteers organise the books by genre and age group and prepare bundles to gift to children in need via schools, food banks and prisons.
Thank you to our dedicated school librarian, Mrs. Emanuel, for arranging and organising the book drive, and to the premises team for moving boxes. We are very proud as a school to be involved in this valuable initiative.
House News
Our House assemblies this week focussed on Inclusivity and Belonging, as well as a look at the exciting House events coming up this term. These include Sports Days, the Singing Competition and our House Centenary Fun Day!
The four Houses have now agreed their mottos, which have been developed by the children. They are:
Cambria - Courageous, creative, caring. That's the Cambria way!
Hibernia - Be happy, be helpful, be Hibernia!
Caledonia - Believe and succeed!
Windsor - Aim high, win it, be Windsor!
Month End Music Recital
Well done to all of the children who performed to parents and their peers at this month's Music Recital. It was a joy to watch our young talented musicians, from Year 1 through to Year 6, performing so confidently on a range of instruments, including the piano, clarinet, trumpet and flute. The Month End Music Recital is a wonderful opportunity for the children to build their experience playing to an audience in a relaxed, safe and supportive space. You can watch one of our Year 5 musical stars practising on piano here.
Free Cycle Skills Training - Children and Adults
Hillingdon Council STARS team are running free cycle skills training for children and adults from April through to October. Sessions are held every second Saturday of the month at Pield Heath School cycle track, a safe and enclosed local space. Cycle instructors can teach children how to ride a bike and build confidence, and help adults to improve and enhance their skills. Participants should bring along their own bikes and helmets if possible; however, there is also limited equipment available to use, free of charge. More information can be found here.
Summer Netball Camp
Blaze Netball Club have opened bookings for a summer camp from 19th - 22nd August at Douay Martyrs School. There are morning sessions available for children in Reception to Year 2 and longer day sessions for Years 3 to 9. This a great opportunity for keen netballers to stay active and polish their skills during the holidays. More information and booking information can be found here.
Fulmer Family Fun Day
Join the fun in Fulmer on bank holiday Monday, 6th May, from 1.00-5.00pm at their Family Fun Day. The event will include lots of fun stalls, a bouncy castle, petting zoo, welly wanging, dog show, games, BBQ and more!
Next Week
Monday 29th April - Friday 3rd - Year 5 Isle of Wight Residential Trip
Monday 29th April - Year 3 Trip to Kew Gardens
Thursday 2nd May - School Open Morning
Thursday 2nd May - Year 6 French Residential Information Evening
Friday 3rd May - 4T Coffee Morning and Class Assembly
Friday 3rd May - Year 6 Bikeability continues
Posted on: 17/04/2024Weekly News - Friday 19th April 2024
Centenary Celebrations
Welcome back to a busy summer term at St. Helen's College. As we begin the final term of our Centenary year we have some very special events coming up, so please make sure you have the following dates in your diary.
Saturday 22nd June - PA Centenary Summer Fete
Friday 5th July - Lower School Art Exhibition
Tuesday 9th July - Centenary Fun Day for Pupils
Thursday 11th July - Upper School Centenary Concert and Art Exhibition
Book Drive - Monday 22nd and Tuesday 23rd April
We are excited to be hosting a book drive in school next Monday 22nd and Tuesday 23rd April to support the important work of The Children's Book Project. Learning to read - and reading to learn - is central to our school life and we are grateful to enjoy a wealth of books.
The Project shares books with children who are less fortunate and matches families who have grown out of their books with those who have few books at home. Working with schools, food banks and prison projects, books are donated to children in need. You can hear more about this from the author and ex-Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq, a recent visitor to St. Helen's College, and from some of our own avid readers here.
Please take this opportunity to delve into your book shelves at home and donate any books you have enjoyed and feel could now enrich the lives of others. Books should be very gently worn - no creased covers, tatters or yellow pages. No thank you to puzzle, sticker books, dated books such as annuals, text books or school books. We are looking for books aimed at children between 2 and 11.
Lower and Upper School will each have a collecting point to accept books which will then be sorted and passed on to new homes. Thank you for your support for this valuable project.
Singing Competition
Our very exciting Singing Competition final will take place on Friday 14th June. The categories this year are as follows:
Middle School Competition: Year 2 Solo, Year 3 Solo, MS duet, MS group and Best Overall Performance.
Upper School Competition: Year 4 Solo, Year 5 Solo, Year 6 Solo, US duet, US group and Best Overall Performance.
Full details of how to submit song choices for approval and enter the competition are being sent out by Mrs. Fawbert to the parents of children in Years 2 to 6.
Music Lessons
There are a limited number of spaces available for trumpet, flute, violin, cello and singing lessons for children in Years 2 - 6 this term. If you wish to sign your child up for lessons on these instruments please complete this Google Form. Spaces will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
If you have already completed the form for other instruments there is no need to resubmit it as your child will have been added to the waiting list already and Mrs. Fawbert will be in contact once a space is available. Please note there are no spaces for piano lessons at present. The following instruments are also eligible to join the school orchestra: violin, cello, flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone.
Quiz Winner!
Congratulations to the children who recently participated in the SATIPS (Support and Training in Prep, Primary and Senior Schools) national general knowledge quiz, and in particular to Aaron B, who placed joint 40th in the Junior category and reached the prestigious leader board! Aaron achieved a score of 71/100 competing against pupils from a large number of independent schools from across the country. He has won a very well deserved Amazon voucher in recognition of his achievements. Well done Aaron!
Reading Buddies
It was wonderful to see our tradition of peer reading in action this week when Year 3 'reading buddies' visited Year 1 to read together. This is a terrific way to model a positive love of books and something our pupils thoroughly enjoy. Shared reading is a brilliant way to boost children's listening, speaking and social skills - and it is fun!
Bikeability
There was much excitement today as Year 6 began a four week Bikeability training programme. Over the duration of the course the children will complete levels 1 and 2, gaining the skills, knowledge and understanding to cycle safely on the roads.
Today they took to the tennis courts to practise basic bike skills, learning simple bike maintenance and how to set off, pedal, slow down and stop including how to look behind, cycle one handed, turn and control speed.
Cycling has huge benefits, not only for physical health and fitness but also for building social connections, cognitive skills and as an environmental mode of transport. It is vital that children learn how to navigate the streets safely and with confidence. We look forward to seeing their progress as they hit the roads in the coming weeks!
Open Morning
Please note that our upcoming Open Morning has moved from Wednesday 1st May to Thursday 2nd May. We are looking forward to welcoming prospective families into the school to see the school in action. If you have friends or family who would like to visit then please direct them to register online here.
Football at Hillingdon Leisure Centre
The football development centre are running training courses this term on Monday evenings at the astroturf pitches at Hillingdon Leisure Centre. Sessions are tailored for children aged from Nursery up to Year 7 and offer the opportunity for budding footballers to develop skills under the expert eye of FA and UEFA accredited coaches. You can find out more information and book a free trial session here.
Next Week
Saturday 20th April - Mini Marathon
Wednesday 24th April - Year 4 Flatford Mill Information Evening
Thursday 25th April - PA meeting in Upper School Hall
Friday 26th April - Month End Music Recital in Evans Hall
Friday 26th April - Year 6 Bikeability continues
Posted on: 22/03/2024Weekly News - Friday 22nd March 2024
It was wonderful to be joined by so many members of the St. Helen's College community for our Easter Service this morning at All Saints Church. Many thanks to all of the families who attended and to our wonderful choirs, orchestra and Year 6 readers who led the service so beautifully.
We would like to wish everyone a happy, peaceful Easter break.
Speech Competition and Poetry Recitals
Our Nursery and Reception children did an amazing job this week of reciting the poems they had learnt off by heart.
On Tuesday, both Reception classes performed their pieces from a stage in the Methodist Church Hall, watched by an audience of around one hundred parents and staff. Their courage and confidence in mounting the stage individually and speaking their poems was astonishing for children so young.
On Wednesday, it was the turn of the Nursery children to have a go at their first solo performance at St. Helen's College. They did so in the familiar environment of their classrooms, using a small stage, and speaking out one by one to their parents, staff and peers. For those who found the experience a little intimidating, a friend was available to hold their hand and share the stage with them for the duration of their poem.
For children aged just three, four and five to be willing - and able - to stand up in front of a congregation of adults and speak verse from memory is very impressive indeed. Many of the children projected confidently and conveyed the meaning of their poems in style, as well as making lovely eye contact to engage their audience. The future of drama and public speaking at St. Helen's College is certainly in safe hands. Well done Robins, Wrens, Kingfishers and Owls. We are very proud of you!
On Thursday, the children in Years 1 to 6 took part in our annual Speech Competition. Competing in three categories (Years 1/2, Years 3/4 and Years 5/6), they performed their poems with poise and style to their audiences. The pupils had been given a range of challenging, sophisticated and in some cases humorous poems and the expression they put into their performances was really wonderful. It was an extremely difficult job for our judge, Mrs. Emanuel, but in the end the winners were:
Year 1 Class Winners: Aan G and Aahana G
Year 2 Class Winners: Sikhya R and Zakariya S
Overall Pre-Prep Winner: Sikhya R
Year 3 Class Winners: Eleanor G and Aaria M
Year 4 Class Winners: Alana F and Leo A
Overall Junior Competition Winner: Alana F
Year 5 Class Winners: Veer K and Aarav C
Year 6 Class Winners: Verity S and Emily S
Overall Senior Competition Winner: Veer K
Centenary Exhibition Day
Thank you to all of the families who attended the Centenary Exhibition Day last Saturday and for the wonderful feedback from this busy event. It was a joy to see the children's hard work displayed so beautifully throughout all three school sites: Ducklings, Lower School and Upper School.
The children thoroughly enjoyed showing parents their classrooms and the variety of work they have completed so far this year. It was also an opportunity to reflect on the tradition and legacy of St. Helen's College over the past one hundred years, and to welcome back some familiar faces of attending alumni!
We are very proud of all of the children at St. Helen's College and the huge effort each and every child puts in to achieving such a high standard of work. Thank you for supporting the children and celebrating with us in our special Centenary year. You can see some photographs from Exhibition Day here and hear from some pupils here.
ABRSM Music Exam Results
Huge congratulations to all of the children who have been working so hard on their pieces for instrumental and vocal examinations this term. We are delighted to report the following results:
Luca H
Piano
Grade 1
Pass
Jeena H
Piano
Grade 1
Pass
Hana H
Singing
Grade 3
Distinction
Sofia K
Piano
Grade 1
Merit
Tiya T
Piano
Grade 2
Distinction
Simar C
Violin
Grade 3
Pass
Amelia L
Piano
Grade 5
Merit
Zinnia M
Singing
Grade 2
Merit
Aanya P
Violin
Grade 4
Pass
Aaran P
Piano
Initial
Pass
Shanaya P
Violin
Grade 1
Merit
Rayan S
Guitar
Grade 2
Merit
Inaaya S
Singing
Grade 3
Distinction
Rohaym U
Guitar
Grade 1
Pass
Jana A
Trumpet
Grade 1
Merit
Gurdaya J
Singing
Grade 3
Distinction
Avleen P
Piano
Initial
Merit
Shaylen P
Piano
Grade 2
Merit
Alyssa P
Singing
Grade 3
Distinction
Caitlin P
Piano
Grade 1
Pass
Armaan V
Piano
Grade 1
Pass
Oliver B
Violin
Initial
Merit
Eleanor G
Piano
Initial
Merit
Emerald S
Violin
Initial
Merit
Leonard S
Violin
Initial
Merit
Alicia Z
Singing
Grade 1
Distinction
Alicia Z
Violin
Grade 3
Distinction
Anika S
Piano
Initial
Merit
Sports News
This week the Year 5 and 6 netballers took part in the Beechwood Park and Orley Farm netball tournaments. It was a great way to finish off the season and they played brilliantly, displaying great character skills: perseverance, determination and respect. Well done to all of the pupils involved!
Trips and Visits
Year 5 visited Bletchley Park on Tuesday where they enjoyed an interactive day finding out all about the development of electronic computers and the vital role of Britain's code breaking operation during World War 2.
The children toured the museum which is home to the largest collection of Enigma code breaking machines in the UK. They learnt about the remarkable life and achievements of Alan Turing and visited the original huts which housed the code breakers, most of whom were women. The children were fascinated to discover how the code breakers were recruited, then sworn to top secrecy; for some surviving staff until this very day!
It was very powerful to hear how their specialised skills were instrumental in bringing the war to an end. To top the day off, the children were able to experiment with the machines and had the chance to write a coded cipher of their own names.
Our Reception classes were thrilled to receive a visit from a travelling Planetarium this week to bring their learning about Space alive! This pop up, immersive experience transported the children into virtual space where they delighted in a tour of the night sky, viewing the transition from daytime to night. The children discovered fascinating facts about the stars, moon and Jupiter and explored the concept of shapes in space. Finally, the children had the opportunity to identify the Ursa Major and Ursa Minor constellations, otherwise known as the 'Big Bear' and 'Little Bear'. The event proved to be a fun, interactive experience which illuminated their learning about earth's place in the wider solar system.
We have held residential trip information evenings this week for next term's Year 3 and Year 5 residential trips. Thank you to the parents who attended. There will be meetings early next term for parents ahead of the Year 4 and Year 6 residential trips too.
Spring Garden Competition
Thank you to all of the pupils who took on the challenge of designing and creating a spring garden in a box for our House competition. The designs were beautiful and very imaginative and we were delighted that the children adopted so enthusiastically the idea of using natural or recycled items to make their gardens. Congratulations to the winners, Leonard S. in 3M and Armaan V. in 4B who won extra points for their House teams.
One World Day
One World Day will take place on May 7th. This year there is a sustainability focus, as we only have one world. If any parents, alumni or friends who work in this area would be willing to offer a talk or workshop on that day, please would you contact Mrs. Briggs at vbriggs@sthelenscollege.com at your earliest convenience.
Waste Week Battery Collection
Thank you to all the children who collected and brought in old/used batteries for the 'Recycle To Read Batteries Collection', part of a National Waste Week initiative. Each House has now filled a large box with batteries and will be awarded two valuable House points for each battery donated.
We heartily encourage all our families to continue to recycle unwanted 'tech', you can find out more information on local electrical and battery drop off points here. Please remove batteries from electricals and recycle them separately. You can find out more information on the these links:
Material Focus hello@materialfocus.org.uk
www.recycleyourelectrical.org.uk
facebook.com/recycleyourelectricals
@recycleelectric
@recycleyourelectricals_
linkedin.com/company/materialfocus
News From The PA
The PA will be running a second hand uniform stall in the school car park at the Parkway entrance to the school on Tuesday 26th March 2024 from 12.00 p.m. to 3.00 p.m. Come along and snap up a bargain before the change over to the summer uniform next term. Grace O'H from 6H will be running a bake sale alongside the uniform stall, selling all sorts of delicious treats, including home-made cupcakes, tiffin, rocky road and cookies. All money raised will be donated to Cancer Research UK.
The PA has once again donated prizes for a free draw for the children this Easter. All of the children were included in this free Easter draw with one prize drawn for each class. We hope the lucky winners enjoy their prizes and wish everyone a wonderful Easter break!
Summer Term - Important Information
Children should return to school after Easter in their full, correct summer uniform. Please remember that tights must NOT be worn with the summer dress. White knee or ankle socks are the summer uniform option with the summer dress.
The lunch menu for the summer term has been published to the website and is available here.
Summer term co-curricular clubs will begin on the first full week back.
Please check your child's bags, pencil case, water bottle, snack box and other equipment over the holidays to ensure that everything is clean, in good working order and NAMED. Please replenish/replace items as necessary to ensure that your child has all of the correct equipment each day.
There are a number of major events in the summer term, as usual. Please check the school calendar and make a note of the dates relevant to your child's year group. In addition, here is a reminder of events for the first two weeks of the summer term:
Wednesday 17th April - Term begins
Friday 19th April - Year 6 Bikeability sessions begin
Friday 19th April - PA Comedy Night at Uxbridge Golf Club
Saturday 20th April - Mini Marathon
Wednesday 24th April - Year 4 Flatford Mill Information Evening
Thursday 25th April - PA meeting in Upper School Hall
Friday 26th April - Month End Music Recital in Evans Hall
Library Book Drive
We are delighted to announce our community will be supporting The Children's Book Project at the start of summer term! Learning to read - and reading to learn - is central to our school life and we are grateful to enjoy a wealth of books. The Project shares books with children who are less fortunate and matches families who have grown out of their books with those who have few books at home. Working with schools, Food Banks and prison projects, books are donated to children in need.
We would invite you to look at your book shelves over the holidays to find those books you have enjoyed and feel you could now share by donating. Please note:
Books should be very gently worn - no creased covers, tatters or yellow pages.
No thank you to puzzle, sticker books, dated books such as annuals, text books, school books.
We are looking for books aimed at children between 2 and 11.
We will have collections points available for books at Lower and Upper School on Monday 22nd and Tuesday 23rd April.
Mini Me Easter Camps
Mini-Me Camps are running an Easter holiday camp at PACCAR Scout Camp. There are limited spaces left available and all friends and family are welcome! Full details, including booking details, are available here.
Delancey UK Chess Challenge Megafinal Registration
Registration for this year's Delancey Megafinal 2024 is now open for registration. This season it will include a range of over-the-board and online events. Megafinals will take place across the UK, the gigafinals will take place in Edinburgh, Manchester and Sandown Racecourse and the terafinal in the splendid surrounds of Blenheim Palace. Over £10,000 worth of prizes will be awarded as cash, trophies and medals. You can register and find out more here.
RoboThink Easter Workshops
RoboThink will be running special Egg-ineering robotics workshops during the Easter holidays at St. Helen's College Lower School. There are options for half or full day sessions. You can find out more and book here.
Lynne Chilver School of Dance
The Lynne Chilver School of Dance runs regular classes in the Methodist Church Hall on Long Lane and has been popular with St. Helen's College pupils for many years. Lessons take place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays and include ballet, tap, jazz and musical theatre. More information can be found here.
Local Theatres
For Easter holiday entertainment don't forget about local theatres which will be running family friendly productions over the holiday period. The Compass Theatre in Ickenham is showing The Little Mermaid - Easter Panto and the Beck Theatre in Hayes is showing The Sooty Show - 75th Birthday Spectacular! and Alice in Wonderland.
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