School News and Head's Blog
Posted on: 20/01/2023Year 5 STEM Ambassadors
At St. Helen’s College we are always working to ensure that our curriculum is balanced, dynamic, forward-looking and, most of all, memorable and engaging. We guide the children to learn in many different ways and enjoy setting tasks that develop skills across the curriculum so that they may hone knowledge and skills in several subjects at once. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) is a huge area and one on which we focus in order to prepare our children in the best way for the ever-evolving world ahead of them. We are also careful to embed themes of Climate Change and Sustainability throughout the children’s learning so that they can work to make sure that our world survives for future generations.
We are proud that our pupils learn to work independently from a young age and, while we have a large staff of enthusiastic, specialist teachers who love nothing more than to be involved with the children, we guard against over-reliance on adults in the classroom. One of the ways in which we encourage both independence and teamwork is through requiring children to work collaboratively so that, through discussion and thoughtful teacher facilitation, they may direct their own learning.
Recently, guided by Ms Gilham, our Year 5 children have been working on a project that embodies these philosophies. Ms Gilham explains:
The Year 5 children were set a challenge (from stem.org) to build a flood-proof house on Watu Island. They were required to design their house, build it and pitch their house to the rest of the group at the end of the project.
Their ‘hook’ was a picture of social injustice as one of the many impacts of climate change: a family stuck on a corrugated iron roof with rising flood waters around them. Rising sea levels mean that families from developing countries suffer greatly, losing homes and livelihoods, an injustice caused by CO2 emissions (largely from other parts of the world) which bring about global warming.
In teams, the Year 5 children reflected on this in order to understand the need for building cost-effective, sustainable and flood proof houses. They followed this process as the project went on:
Design And Build - together, we looked at typical houses and how to adapt these into structures that could float. The children undertook a survey of Watu Island, taking into account amenities and location and likelihood of flooding. This brought into play their art and geography skills and enhanced their decision making on matters of practicality.
Testing And Evaluation Of Materials - we considered the suitability of various materials, thinking about their properties including strength and how water proof and flood proof they might be. This required scientific evaluation, prediction and investigation.
Costing The Build - each material was assigned a different cost and the children had a budget to which they had to stick. In order to ‘purchase’ the materials they required to build their house, they needed to practise their maths and learn to make smart decisions on the sustainability of materials, also taking into account the manufacture and transport of those materials.
Reflection On Values Learned - the children thought about their outcomes, including their own contribution to their team’s work and the determination, creativity, decision making and problem solving they had practised and developed.
The project experience highlighted the strengths of each team member and of each team as a collective. Weaknesses were also identified and, through collaboration and problem solving skills, were addressed. This process helped the children to develop skills and knowledge across the STEM subjects.
Testing the children’s completed houses in simulated flood conditions was so much fun! The children watched anxiously to see how their own houses would fare and were encouraging to other teams as their houses attempted to survive flood and cyclone conditions. They then considered why one house turned out to be more flood-proof than another.
The Winning Team!
Here are some examples of the pupils’ learning shown through their reflections, opinions, thoughts and the presentations in which they pitched their houses to their peers. At the end of the process, the children evaluated each presentation, rated the houses based on the four main points and voted for the best house.
Golden Nuggets Presentation
House Test Video
Ali’s what I’ve learnt so far
Final thoughts from Tiya
As a practitioner and as Science Subject Leader, I am always working to develop the science curriculum in a fun and practical-based way as well as to make it challenging for the children. I believe that we achieved these aims in this project. In reviewing the children’s pictures, videos, written work and in conversations with them, it was clear to see that they were engaged and excited learners, that they developed several skills and acquired a lot of important knowledge and that they were able to reflect on their learning in order to use it as a springboard for the future. Like the pupils and like the other teachers here, I too constantly reflect on what happens in the classroom and use what I have learnt to refine and improve my practice.
Thank you, Ms Gilham, for guiding the children through such a well-planned, well-executed, interesting and important project.
For me as Head, what is perhaps most exciting is that this Year 5 project is just a snapshot of the enormous variety of learning opportunities offered to children throughout the school each day. St. Helen’s College is a place filled daily with those ‘lightbulb moments’ where children discover something new about the world and themselves. It is a pleasure and a privilege for the staff here to guide your children’s learning. Do keep asking them each day what they have done, what they have learnt and what they are looking forward to next. Your engagement with their learning will make a huge difference too.
Ms Drummond
Posted on: 13/01/2023Weekly News - Friday 13th January 2023
Year 6 Visit The Houses of Parliament
On Tuesday, our Year 6 classes enjoyed a visit to the Houses of Parliament. They were given a tour of the houses, which included using the Queen's/King's entrance and sitting on the benches of the House of Lords. They walked through Westminster Hall, the site of many historical moments such as the trial of King Charles I and the recent lying-in-state of Queen Elizabeth II.
After the tour, all of the children took part in a workshop on voting and representation, then headed across to Westminster Abbey. Here they saw the Coronation Chair and the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior before walking through the tombs of the Tudor monarchs and exploring Poet's Corner. It was a great day out full of history and heritage.
Ducklings/Nursery/Reception Parents' Evenings
Our Ducklings, Nursery and Reception Parents' Evenings will take place on the following dates (all in person, at the Lower School):
Thursday 26th January (5.00 - 8.00 p.m.)
Tuesday 31st January (4.00 - 7.00 p.m.)
To book your appointment, please use the following link.
https://sthelens.schoolcloud.co.uk/
Free Parent Webinar - Every Mistake Is A Teachable Opportunity
The Parent Practice, with whom St. Helen's College has worked for many years, are running a free webinar for parents next Wednesday (18th January) entitled 'Every Mistake Is A Teachable Opportunity'. All parents are invited to join the webinar, where you will learn:
How we can teach our children to take responsibility for their actions.
To forgive themselves and to learn something from the experience that will make it less likely that it will happen again.
To not be afraid of making mistakes.
To accept that with every mistake can always come a repair.
You can find further details and register for this webinar here. We hope that many parents will choose to attend.
Chess Tournament
We have many eager young chess players at St. Helen's College. If your child is enjoying their chess and would like to enter a local tournament, there is one being held on Sunday 29th January in Uxbridge. You can find full details, including information on how to register, here.
Posted on: 6/01/2023Does It Add Up?
Happy New Year to you all! The children have very excitedly settled back into their learning and the buzz of excitement around the school is tangible!
I am sure that many of you were interested to hear of Rishi Sunak’s proposal that pupils in England will study maths up until the age of 18. Currently pupils in England are only required to study maths up to the age of 16. Mr. Sunak has stated that we need to "reimagine our approach to numeracy".
At St. Helen’s College we pride ourselves on our approach to the teaching of maths and our ‘challenge for all’ mantra encourages all pupils to achieve highly. But what is fundamental in our lessons is that the children really understand number and its application from the concrete models of numbers to being able to apply their knowledge of maths to more abstract problems and to use this knowledge and understanding across other subjects.
Since Mr. Sunak’s announcement there has been much debate about why there are such issues surrounding how maths is taught to children, with some stating that children should be taught more advanced concepts like multiplication and algebra at a younger age. St. Helen’s College pupils are already exposed to such concepts at a young age and it was inspiring to hear from one of our current Year 6 pupils that her favourite subject was maths because she is able to use it across so many other subjects. Our pupils are aware that they will be required to use data and number in a wide variety of situations and to see the benefits of mathematical understanding as they use data analysis skills in their other learning such as science and geography (tables, graphs, charts). Their analytical skills are certainly being developed at an early age.
I am currently preparing some of our Year 6 pupils for their Year 6 senior school interviews and in a group session we discussed Rishi Sunak’s proposal as any changes may affect them post 16. I was so delighted when one of the pupils responded that she thinks that they should continue to study maths after their GCSEs as they will need maths skills in later life; she went on to give me examples such as buying or planning/designing a house, cooking, measuring, converting money if travelling, having a bank account and more.
One of the statistics being reported is that only four in ten children and young people say they have had some financial education at school. This is an aspect of ‘life skills’ which schools (particularly secondary schools) need to address. But as parents we also have a responsibility to start these life skills in financial education at home at a young age. Children need to learn about money and its value and importance for living. Sadly some children rarely have the opportunity to handle money now and some are not aware of how we ‘earn’ money. So if the penny drops that this may be your child (no pun intended), please take the opportunity to ‘play’ with your children - take them shopping, let them earn pocket money in return for doing chores around the house and let them save for something special. Talk to them about what bank accounts are; as they get older they will be more inquisitive and there is so much learning which can be instigated at home. Many banks now give great support for financial education for parents in how to help their children - see the link here from HSBC, for example.
Our children are not set into ability groups for maths unlike at many other schools; I am sure that we can all remember the stigma attached to being in the ‘top set’ or the ‘bottom set’. We believe that it is every child’s right to be exposed to the same advanced maths language and concepts. Many experts have shared their views on ‘setting’ in maths and one of these is educational consultant David Didau - you can read his views here. As the pupils move through Key Stage 2 here at St. Helen’s College they will have already had time to ‘own’ their learning of mathematical concepts via their ‘Learning Logs’. These are instrumental for teachers for their planning and assessment of learning and, ultimately, for the pupils to identify their strengths and areas of mathematical skill and application.
I am very proud of how our pupils are prepared for their lives ahead and have such an awareness of why we teach what we teach and how we teach it. It is so important that school and home empower our children to enjoy maths, to understand why we learn maths and to give them opportunities to use their mathematical skills and knowledge not only in their other subjects in school but in their everyday lives.
Ms Drummond
Posted on: 6/01/2023Weekly News - Friday 6th January 2023
Competition Success
Siara R (1R) was runner up in the Christmas card competition and her design was printed on the back of Boris Johnson's Christmas cards. Well done on your lovely artwork Siara!
Mathematics
Congratulations to Zakariya M (5A) who has achieved a merit in the UK Mathematics Olympiad. It is an outstanding achievement for one of our students to have been recognised in such a prestigious event, in which he competed against the country's top mathematicians aged 16+.
Charity News
We are delighted to report that collections at the end of term performances and carol service raised a total of £352.81 for Vidya Dhan, the global charity we are currently supporting. Many thanks indeed to all those who donated to support the education and empowerment of girls and women in India.
One World Day - Friday 10th February
On Friday 10th February we will be celebrating One World Day to celebrate our different cultures and find out more about our wonderfully diverse school community. This will be a fun and informative day for us all. On this day, children should come to school in clothing which represents their own culture.
Thank you to those parents who have already volunteered to come to school on One World Day to share something from your culture. We would love to hear from any other members of our school community who would be willing to give up some time to come into school and work with the children. Ideally we will have representatives from as many cultures as possible. Please note that due to our school community's kindness we have enough parents talking about India. If you can offer an activity based on somewhere else, that would be fantastic. Activities/workshops offered so far include dance, a talk about trekking to Everest Base Camp, games, quizzes and presentations.
Please complete this form if you would like to contribute to the day’s activities.
Many thanks for your support.
FREE Baby Mindfulness Classes
Our next FREE Mother/Baby Mindfulness course begins next week, with the first session on Wednesday 11th January at 9.00 a.m. in the Evans Hall at Upper School.
The class is run by Mrs. McLaughlin, a St. Helen's College teacher and qualified PAUSE Baby Mindfulness trainer. The aim of the class is to provide a mindful 'breathing space' for mums and to support mums to support babies. There will be six sessions on Wednesdays, lasting approximately 45 minutes each, with optional tea/coffee served afterwards.
We still have some spaces available so if you have a baby from birth to crawling please do come along, and please encourage friends or family with babies of a similar age to come too! Contact susmith@sthelenscollege.com to reserve your place.
Eat The Rainbow - January Recipes
Our catering company Accent are continuing with their theme of 'eating the rainbow' as we enter the new year. As part of this they provide recipe cards for parents to try making at home. You can find January's 'Green' recipes here. We hope that you will have fun trying out some of these with your children.
Posted on: 9/12/2022Weekly News - Friday 9th December 2022
Christmas Celebrations
On Monday, the youngest members of the St. Helen's College community, our Ducklings, sang some Christmas songs for their parents.
The Nursery children performed their musical Christmas nativities on Monday and Tuesday in the Methodist Church. As ever, for such young children to sing so confidently in front of a large audience was very impressive and they told us the Christmas story beautifully through their songs. Well done, Robins and Wrens.
Wednesday saw the pupils in Years 2 to 6 visit the Theatre Royal, Windsor for a fun-filled performance of the pantomime Sleeping Beauty, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all.
On Thursday, children throughout the school tucked into a Christmas lunch prepared by our chef Soula and her team. It was a very festive occasion! At Ducklings and Lower School, the children wore their party clothes and enjoyed a visit from Father Christmas! Children in Nursery, Reception and Year 1 were transfixed by visiting pantomime performers too.
Congratulations to the winners of our Christmas decoration competition. There were some really super homemade decorations throughout the school so it was a very tricky one to judge this year!
It was super to see so many parents at our annual Carol Service at All Saints Church this morning. As always, it was a very special event with beautiful solos sung by Arshvir S and Minaya W, confident readings from our Year 6 children and lovely festive music from the three choirs and the orchestra.
Merry Christmas everyone!
PA Christmas Parties
The Parents' Association would like to thank all of the children and parents who volunteered their time to help with the Christmas parties and for all of the generous hamper donations for the Christmas raffle. The children - and Father Christmas - all seemed to enjoy the entertainment!
Care Home Visits
The residents of Woodland Lodge and Chalfont Care Homes were delighted with their recent visits from our children. The pupils sang Christmas songs and chatted with the residents and Christmas cheer filled the rooms.
Sports Personalities of the Term
This term we have joint Sports Personalities of the Term!
Emily S has made a great contribution to netball this term. Her hard work and can-do attitude has led to a huge improvement in her netball ability and she always has a positive impact on her peers when working as a team.
Kamran-Cyrus A has worked hard to secure a place in the football team this term. He is a positive member of the team, often using his humour to raise the team spirit. He has shown great dedication during lessons and matches.
Emily and Kamran-Cyrus thoroughly deserve to be joint sports personalities of the term. Well done to both!
Music Personality of the Term
Congratulations to Arshvir S, who has been awarded the Music Personality of the Term. Arshvir has been, for many years, a fantastic contributor to the musicality of the school. He has excellent music skills which he applies well in class work, is a dedicated member of both Senior Choir and Chamber Choir and, as a Music Prefect, sets a super example within the music department, always offering to help others. He has performed on the piano in assemblies and recitals and was chosen to sing the solo verse of Once In Royal David's City at the Carol Service this morning. Well done, Arshvir, and thank you for your commitment to music at St. Helen's College!
Spring Term Calendar
Please remember to check the school calendar and take note of relevant dates for next term. It promises to be another busy one with many special events including the Year 3 play, our annual Speech Competition and Recital and much more.
Spring Term Menu
The menu for the spring term has been posted to the website and is available here. Do take a look and review options with your child.
Start Date And Payment For Co-Curricular Activities
Parents who have not yet made payment for their spring term co-curricular activities should do so as soon as possible, please.
Mother/Baby Mindfulness Classes
Our next set of Mother/Baby Mindfulness classes will begin on Wednesday 11th January after the Christmas break. These are FREE to parents and are open to any parent of a baby from birth to pre-crawling, whether the parent has any association with St. Helen's College or not. They take place on Wednesday mornings at 9.00 a.m. in the Evans Hall at our Upper School site on Long Lane, opposite Lower School. Each class lasts 45 minutes and is followed by optional tea/coffee/chat.
The classes are led by Poonam McLaughlin, a St. Helen's College teacher, who is a qualified PAUSE Baby Mindfulness practitioner. They provide a safe space for mums and babies to bond and relax, taking part in Mindfulness exercises and some very gentle yoga.
If you would like to join the set of six classes starting in January, please email Mrs. Smith at susmith@sthelenscollege.com with your baby's name and date of birth.
Please feel free to share the information about the classes with any other friends or family who might have a baby (birth to crawling - no crawlers allowed!). They don't have to have children at St. Helen's College (or intend to send children here) to come along - the classes are free to anyone.
Pro-Soccer Christmas Camp
Pro-Soccer are running a Christmas Camp at Swakeley's School in the week before Christmas. If any parents are interested in this, you can find full details here.
Posted on: 2/12/2022Weekly News - Friday 2nd December 2022
1C, 1R, Owls, Kingfishers and 3B Class Assemblies/Nativities
What amazing performances we have seen throughout the school this week!
On Tuesday and Wednesday, 1C and 1R presented their Christmas assemblies at the Methodist Church, through which they encouraged parents, children and staff to think about the true meaning of Christmas. The Year 1 classes related the story of the birth of Jesus and explained some Christmas traditions going back to Victorian times. They sang a mixture of traditional and modern, upbeat songs to entertain us too! These were two polished, confident performances which made us very proud indeed. Well done, Year 1.
On Thursday and Friday, the Owls and Kingfishers Reception classes performed beautiful nativity plays to families and staff in the Methodist Church. In stunning nativity costumes, they enacted the story of the birth of Jesus with many delightful songs along the way. Each child spoke individual lines and there was plenty of musical singing and some super actions too. It was wonderful to see the children growing in confidence and enjoying performing publicly.
Year 3 Roman Studies
On Monday, our Year 3 children enriched their history topic of 'The Romans' with a themed Roman Day. They had the opportunity to try Roman food, learn about Roman numerals, make Roman shields and coins, dress in Roman costume amd to take part in activites in Court Park.
On Friday, 3B performed their class assembly about the Romans. The children sang, spoke their lines confidently and used a variety of technology to demonstrate their learning. Well done 3B, this was an informative and entertaining presentation.
Carols Around The Tree
Thank you to all of the families who joined us for our annual 'Carols Around The Tree' singalong in the Upper School playground this afternoon. It is always lovely to have so many members of the St. Helen's College community together to celebrate the start of the festive season.
Woodlands Care Home Visit
A group of Year 4 and 5 children from our Chamber Choir visited Woodlands Care Home this morning and brightened up the residents' day by singing Christmas carols for them.
Christmas Tree Decoration Competition and Christmas Postboxes
If your child would like to send Christmas cards to their friends or teachers at school, they may post them in our Christmas postboxes during the coming week. All cards MUST be clearly named with the recipient's first name, surname and class to ensure that they may be correctly delivered.
Children may still bring in their home made decorations for our Christmas trees too. Please encourage them to be as creative as they like and to name their decorations clearly. The decorations will be judged towards the end of the week and there will be prizes for the winners.
Christmas Events and Christmas Lunch Menu
During the final week of term there will be several special events to lead us into the Christmas break. Parents of the relevant classes are warmly invited to attend the events shown in bold below. Please note that children at Upper School have the option to wear Christmas jumpers over their uniforms on Thursday 8th December. Children at Ducklings and Lower School should wear Christmas party clothes on this day.
Monday 5th December
Robins Christmas Assembly at 8.45 a.m. (with coffee served from 8.15 a.m.)
Chamber Choir visit to Chalfont Lodge Care Home (1.00 - 3.00 p.m.)
Ducklings Christmas songs for parents 2.45 p.m.
Tuesday 6th December
Wrens Christmas Assembly at 8.45 a.m. (with coffee served from 8.15 a.m.)
Wednesday 7th December
Year 2-6 pantomime trip to Sleeping Beauty
Thursday 8th December
Christmas Jumper Day - children may wear Christmas jumpers over uniform
Lower School visiting pantomime - Sleeping Beauty
Christmas lunch - you can see the special menu for the day here.
Friday 9th December - End of Term (Half Day)
Year 2 - 6 Carol Service at All Saints Church at 11.00 a.m.
End of term pick up times:
11.50 a.m. Ducklings & Nursery
12.00 p.m. Reception
12.10 p.m. Years 1 & 2
12.20 p.m. Years 3 & 4
12.30 p.m. Years 5 & 6
Co-Curricular Clubs
Club allocations have been sent to parents today. Please make payment over the weekend via your SchoolsBuddy account.
Children In Need Total
The St. Helen's College community raised an amazing £2,365 for Children In Need this year. Thank you so much to everyone involved for your efforts and generosity.
Salvation Army Christmas Present Appeal
Thank you to all of the families who donated gifts for the Salvation Army Christmas Present appeal. The gifts have been collected from school today and each gift will, we are sure, make a big difference to a child's Christmas.
St. Helen's College Trust Supports Hillingdon Basketball Club
Following their successful application for a grant from the St. Helen's College Trust, Hillingdon Basketball Club have now bought t-shirts for their youth members to create a real community spirit at the club. To further add to inclusivity within the club, and to give young players another opportunity they may not have had, the club spent the remainder of their grant money on tickets to a Thames Valley Cavalier match. They tell us that their young players were really inspired by the experience!
St. Helen's College parents are generous in supporting the SHC Trust by using EasyFundraising and making donations to the textile bank at 227 Long Lane, as well as in donations when children join and leave the school. We hope you will feel proud that the Trust is able to make a difference to children in our local community.
Vidya Dhan
This year, we have chosen Vidya Dhan as the global charity supported by the St. Helen’s College community. St. Helen’s College staff may choose to donate to the charity in lieu of sending Christmas cards to colleagues, and we have been inviting parents to donate to the charity at our Christmas assemblies. Some parents have asked whether it is possible to donate online and the answer is yes. The link is below.
https://www.vidyadhan.org.uk/
Vidya Dhan means the ‘Gift of Education’ and the charity was founded in 2012. Vidya Dhan’s main area of operation is in India where the charity helps to educate girls from poor families. Its objectives are:
to contribute fully or in part towards the school fees of children;
to contribute fully or in part towards costs of school uniforms, shoes and stationery;
to reimburse children’s medical costs if parents are unable to afford such costs and
to counsel parents to provide a safe and nurturing home environment.
The charity aims to sponsor all children in the sponsorship programme to Year 12, which is approximately equivalent to GCE A level. In addition, some girls are sponsored through college and university. This allows the girls to go on to support their own families when the time comes. At present, Vidya Dhan supports the education of fifty girls. Five of the girls have earned first class degrees and one has earned a Master’s in finance and business studies.
We would like to thank parents and staff for your generosity in making donations to the charity. Every penny really does help and what better gift can we give at Christmas than the gift of education?
Posted on: 2/12/2022Diversity, Equality and Inclusion
Diversity is about recognising, respecting and celebrating difference. It’s acknowledging the benefit of having a range of perspectives in decision-making and the workforce being representative of the communities that the School serves.
Equality means that everyone is treated the same, is treated fairly and has the same opportunities. Equity is slightly different from equality in that it recognises that each person has different circumstances. This means that varying types or levels of support might be required, depending on individual need, to take full advantage of equal opportunities.
Inclusion is where people’s differences are valued and used to enable everyone to thrive at work. An inclusive working/learning environment is one in which everyone feels that they belong without having to conform, that their contribution matters and they are able to perform to their full potential, no matter their background, identity or circumstances.
We are very proud here at St. Helen’s College to have such a diverse and inclusive community. This week we celebrated the start of the Christian celebration of Advent and the pupils have been very excited for the beginning of this special time of year. It has been clear in Upper School assemblies that they are also very aware of the ‘true’ meaning of Christmas and not just obsessed with the commercial aspect of receiving presents on Christmas Day or daily chocolates in their advent calendar.
Our Lower School pupils have given us so much joy already this week with their Year 1 and Reception Nativity Assemblies. Each child owned their part and they have certainly understood and communicated the Christmas story and traditions of Christmas.
Jeremy Vine’s radio show this week had a discussion piece on how many primary schools were becoming non-religious and the decline in the number of schools with Christian principles. I was interested to listen to the discussion but felt such a sense of pride in St. Helen’s College’s approach. We are so inclusive of all religions but retain our strong school values rooted in Christian principles. As parents you all support this and I hope that you also feel that your faiths and religions are included in our school life and recognised in many ways.
Religious beliefs are only one aspect of Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI). Only a couple of weeks ago Mrs. Briggs, our DEI aspect lead, presented to our Education Committee all the wonderful activities and work going on here at school to ensure that we are fulfilling our responsibilities. We are always learning about each other and we have a vibrant and supportive staff, parent and pupil body.
Throughout the school our staff plan lessons and activities within and outside of the curriculum which take the following aspects into account.
Race and diversity.
Religion.
Disability.
Relationships.
Gender.
Sustainability.
All of these opportunities allow the children to be prepared for their futures in order for them to contribute to society as well rounded, kind and empathetic individuals.
I am sure that many of you were aware of the sad news that Doddie Weir, who suffered from Motor Neurone disease, died earlier this week. Tonight Rob Burrows, who also has MND, will be the first non-verbal person to read the bedtime story on CBBC using special technology. I urge you to watch this with your children tonight if possible (the link is here). This is another chance to open up discussions about how we are all different and to encourage acceptance of this fact.
Pupils in Upper School recently met Mrs. Briggs' cousin, Jamie Beddard, who has cerebral palsy, in an assembly. I am sure that many of your children spoke to you about this inspirational gentleman who has not allowed his disability to stop him in his acting and directing career. Indeed, his disability has also opened up many other opportunities for him to bring about change.
There is so much for us all to learn and share on DEI but I will end my blog with a quote from the late Doddie Weir from 2019 when he was awarded the Sports Personality of the Year.
“Enjoy the day because you don't know what happens tomorrow.”
Happy weekend everyone!
Ms Drummond
Posted on: 25/11/2022Weekly News - Friday 25th November 2022
Be Bright, Be Seen
As part of our road safety initiative, children and staff throughout the school wore bright clothes and accessories on Thursday to remind us that, in the dark, it is important to wear something fluorescent so that we can be seen by drivers and other road users.
Our Junior Travel Ambassadors also visited Lower School to give an assembly to the younger children, speaking about the Green Cross Code and how to stay safe.
Switch Off Fortnight
Our Upper School Eco Reps have been monitoring electricity use in the classrooms at Upper School this week as part of our drive to reduce energy usage in general and during Switch Off Fortnight in particular. Joleen Z (Year 6) explains why Switch Off Fortnight is so important:
Switch off Fortnight is a period of 14 days when we all try to save electricity and power to help the environment.
We can help by: turning off lights when we don’t need them, turning off the tap while brushing our teeth and closing doors in our classrooms to save heating. Helping the environment can also mean saving pocket money! If you spend just one minute less in the shower, then it can save you £10 per person. Sadly a lot of people disregard these rules and litter in local parks and adults often use plastic bags to pack items in shopping. These are some vital tips to help!
Use leather or reusable bags to put shopping items in.
Help our environment by picking up litter.
Spread the news! Making sure everyone understands is very important.
Remember the 3R method! Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
By the end of the fortnight, we all hope for you to remember the skills to help our world!
Packham Cup Football Tournament
Last Saturday, for the first time in three years, our football team took part in the Packham Memorial Trophy at Ryefield Primary School.
We started quite slowly in our first match against Ryefield, with neither team really threatening a goal in a game which ended 0-0. Our second match was against St. Catherine's B and our morning started to get into gear. The boys played with more positivity and a super cross from Sean R was flicked home by Mikail O for an excellent 1-0 win. Our last group game was against a strong Oak Farm team and this is where we really raised our levels. After going 1-0 down to a soft goal, we started to show great determination and character and deservedly got an equaliser through a superb goal, again taken by Mikail O.
With three teams on five points, we unfortunately came third and were eliminated on goal difference (losing out by one goal). Overall, with two Year 4 boys, 4 Year 5 boys and 2 Year 6 boys making up the team, Mr. Dyson felt that this was an amazing achievement from the boys and the parents were similarly proud. If the boys keep producing this effort and spirit, the future looks bright for the St. Helen's College football team!
Team: Ollie K, Kamran-Cyrus A, Sean R, Joseph T, Mylo D'O, Rian M, Maicen M, Mikail O.
Staff Leaver
We will sadly be saying farewell to Mrs. Sarah Smith at the end of this term. Mrs. Smith has been with us for 10 years as a TALA in the Middle School and after graduating with her Post Graduate Certificate in Chaplaincy this year she has decided to step back and spend more time with her family in Wales. However, we are delighted that Rev. Smith will visit us regularly to lead more of her wonderful assemblies and join us for our special community events.
Christmas Events
Parents of the classes shown below are warmly invited to join us for their class assemblies next week.
In addition, all parents (Ducklings, Lower School and Upper School) are invited to come together on Friday 2nd December at 4.00 p.m. in the Upper School playground for our annual 'Carols Around The Tree' event.
Tuesday 29th November - 1C Christmas Assembly at 8.45 a.m. (with coffee served from 8.15 a.m.)
Wednesday 30th November - 1R Christmas Assembly at 8.45 a.m. (with coffee served from 8.15 a.m.)
Thursday 1st December - Owls Christmas Nativity at 8.45 a.m. (with coffee served from 8.15 a.m.)
Friday 2nd December - Kingfishers Christmas Nativity at 8.45 a.m. (with coffee served from 8.15 a.m.)
Friday 2nd December - 3B Class Assembly at 8.40 a.m. (with coffee served from 8.15 a.m.)
Friday 2nd December - Carols Round the Tree at 4.00 p.m. in the Upper School playground (all families welcome).
At our Carols Round The Tree event, Grace O (5A) will be running a stall to raise money for the RSPCA. The stall will be selling handmade knitted and felt Christmas tree decorations, knitted gloves, mittens and hats, festive red bows that can be slipped onto a dog's collar or onto a hairband and handmade cloth-covered trinket trays. Grace would truly welcome your support for this worthwhile charity.
Christmas Tree Decoration Competition
Our Christmas trees will soon be arriving in school and, as usual, we are asking children to design and create their own Christmas decoration for display on the trees. Please ensure that your child's decoration is clearly labelled with their name and class, as there will be prizes for the winning decoration in each class. Decorations may be brought into school from Monday 28th November to be hung on the trees.
Christmas Holiday Club
Holiday Club bookings will open at 4 p.m. today. Please log in to your SchoolsBuddy account to make your bookings.
Salvation Army Christmas Present Appeal
Thank you to everyone who has already donated to the Christmas Present Appeal for the Hillingdon Salvation Army. If you have yet to do so there is still time! Please choose a brand new toy/game for ages 3-11 with a value of approximately £12. The Salvation Army has also suggested Amazon vouchers. The item should not be gift wrapped and should fit inside a plastic shopping bag.
Each class teacher is collecting the gifts so please encourage your child to take donations to their classroom. All toys will be collected by the Salvation Army on the 2nd December.
Thank you once again for your generous support.
Cookery Club
Our Cookery Club members had a super time (and learnt a lot!) this week, making Singapore noodles and Cavolo Nero crispy seaweed. They even practised using chopsticks!
Mother/Baby Mindfulness Classes
Our next set of Mother/Baby Mindfulness classes will begin in January after the Christmas break. These are FREE to parents and are open to any parent of a baby from birth to pre-crawling, whether the parent has any association with St. Helen's College or not. They take place on Wednesday mornings at 9.00 a.m. in the Evans Hall at our Upper School site on Long Lane, opposite Lower School. Each class lasts 45 minutes and is followed by optional tea/coffee/chat.
The classes are led by Poonam McLaughlin, a St. Helen's College teacher, who is a qualified PAUSE Baby Mindfulness practitioner. They provide a safe space for mums and babies to bond and relax, taking part in Mindfulness exercises and some very gentle yoga.
If you would like to join the set of six classes starting in January, please email Mrs. Smith at susmith@sthelenscollege.com with your baby's name and date of birth.
Please feel free to share the information about the classes with any other friends or family who might have a baby (birth to crawling - no crawlers allowed!). They don't have to have children at St. Helen's College (or intend to send children here) to come along - the classes are free to anyone.
Squash Stars
A St. Helen's College parent will be running Squash Stars sessions in the new year, which may be of interest to some families. Aimed at 5-11 year olds, Squash Stars is a new six week junior beginner programme at Hillingdon Squash Club starting on Saturday 4th February at the Brunel University Sports Centre.
The cost is £42, for which each child can enjoy six sessions of squash and a kit bag which includes a racket, ball, Squash Stars t-shirt and a pair of goggles.
Squash is suitable for children of all backgrounds, shapes and sizes and is an inclusive, indoor sport. By taking part in Squash Stars, your child will benefit in many ways:
They'll have lots of fun whilst being active and learning something new.
It’s an opportunity to make friends outside of school.
They can put their new skills into practice and head to the court as a family, giving you an opportunity for extra quality time together.
The sessions boost confidence and encourage them to reach for the stars.
Parents can find out more and sign children up at squashstars.co.uk
Posted on: 18/11/2022Weekly News - Friday 18th November 2022
Children In Need
We have had a thoughtful and colourful day at school today as we have supported the charity Children In Need by wearing our own clothes to school and taking part in raffles and other activities. We have used the day to consider the important work being done by Children In Need to help children whose lives are challenging in so many ways. We have discussed with pupils how lucky we all are and how important it is always to think of those less fortunate than ourselves. The children have enhanced their understanding of the value of giving selflessly to help others through acts of kindness or by donating time, money or ideas.
As well as the whole school fundraising effort, individual pupils have taken the initiative to raise money for those in need. Raiden B (5G) ran a Rubik's Cube competition at break times today to raise additional funds for Children in Need, and Leo A (3M) has raised money for Children in Need by selling his own artwork to family and friends.
3M presented a thoughtful and energetic assembly at Upper School this morning. They told us the history of the Children In Need appeal and reminded us of the phenomenal amount of money Children In Need has raised over the years. Some of the children and some of the parents who were watching also took part in live 30-second challenges in return for the Year 3 staff donating funds for the charity. The children then sang a beautiful, thoughtful hymn and led us in prayers to remind us to be thankful for all that we have. Well done, 3M, this was a most enjoyable and valuable assembly.
You can see some photographs of Children In Need Day on our Galleries page here.
EDI
EDI stands for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Mrs. Briggs is our EDI lead and Leila A is our EDI prefect. These posts, new this year, reflect the commitment to inclusion here at St. Helen’s College. Much is already happening at school, including social responsibility lessons, Debating Club, curriculum changes and the Think Equal initiative, and we are always looking for ways to improve and learn. We are currently trialling an online newspaper called The Day, which contains articles that have been edited so that the language is appropriate for differently aged pupils. Year 6 read an article about the upcoming World Cup this week and some of the children, without being prompted, referred back to recent PSHCE work on the Universal Declaration of human rights. They then discussed human rights in various countries around the world.
Switch Off Fortnight
Switch Off Fortnight is an opportunity for schools, homes and young people to make small changes in their lives that save energy and help to protect the planet.
We have had a very successful start to our Switch Off Fortnight. All of the children have been very active in ensuring the lights are being turned off in their classrooms and other empty rooms, powering down their chromebooks when not in use and making sure that the teachers are turning off the overhead projectors and computers at the end of lessons. We will continue our energy saving campaign next week, when we will also be announcing which class had the most amount of switch offs and will be awarded the title of Eco Class of the week.
There is some information about how energy gets to our homes here.
There is an activity poster to help families think about power and its uses here.
National Online Safety
We would like to remind parents that you can register, for free, with the St. Helen's College National Online Safety platform by clicking on this link and proceeding as a parent/carer. You will then be able to access many useful resources and comprehensive courses to help keep your children safe online. Subscribers will also receive a weekly email updating them on topical online safety risks.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require additional guidance or if you have any concerns about your child's online safety.
Upper School - Mr. McLaughlin amclaughlin@sthelenscollege.com
Lower School - Mrs. Hunt lhunt@sthelenscollege.com
Poppy Appeal
We are delighted to report that the St. Helen's College community raised a total of £561.89 for this year's Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal. Many, many thanks to all those who contributed.
Be Bright, Be Seen
With clocks going back and evenings getting darker through the winter months, many of the children may be travelling home in the dark. The 'Be Bright, Be Seen' campaign brings awareness to families about what they can do to help children be seen by road users when travelling to and from school.
We are holding our 'Brightest School' event during road safety week on Thursday 24th November to promote the Be Bright, Be Seen initiative. On that Thursday we are asking pupils throughout the school to wear their brightest clothes to school. Children may wear their own clothes or add something bright/fluorescent to their school uniform/bag.
Spring Term Co-Curricular Programme
We would like to remind parents that the co-curricular programme for the spring term (for children in Reception to Year 6) is now available on SchoolsBuddy. The deadline for making your selections is midnight on Sunday 20th November.
Please remember to discuss the programme with your child and only select clubs in which your child has a genuine interest.
Spring Term Calendar Dates
The school calendar has been updated with dates for spring term events. Please do check it and make a note of relevant dates for your child(ren).
PA Forum
Thank you to the PA committee and class representatives who attended the PA Forum meeting with Ms Drummond, Mr. McLaughlin, Mrs. Hunt and Mrs. Smith on Tuesday evening. Minutes are being prepared and will be sent by email to all parents.
Science Quiz Club
St. Helen's College entered two teams into the Quiz Club Science competition this week. The children did really well with some tricky questions and there is a chance that one of the teams may make it into the next round. We are currently waiting to hear final news on this. Well done to those children who represented the school.
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