School News and Head's Blog
Posted on: 14/05/2021Teddy Talks by Mrs. Smith
As you will know, I spend a lot of time meeting prospective parents and helping you to navigate the admissions process. I was involved in each one of your pre-joining experiences, since I have been with the school over 11 years now.
This aspect of my work is one that I particularly enjoy. I remember well being a parent of very young children, and my husband and I making our own decisions about childcare and schooling for them. I remember, too, how tough it can be to parent a baby or toddler and how many variables there are in parents’ lives during that period. There are questions over maternity and paternity leave, finances, whether to move house for more space, whether a second or third child is a consideration and so much more. It can also be an emotional and exhausting time, as you navigate the early months and years of life as a parent, possibly feeling that you are losing your sense of self along the way.
Here at St. Helen’s College, we believe that a positive, mutually supportive partnership between school and home is crucial to ensure a happy experience for your child. Starting a family is a miraculous time, but we know that parents of pre-school children have busy, demanding lives and we want to help.
Another aspect of my role is overseeing the school’s marketing activity. I have been mulling over, for some time, how to dovetail the need for pre-school parenting support with one of our marketing aims, which is to reach parents of young children right from birth (since in the past some parents were leaving it too late to apply to St. Helen’s College, and then missing out on the chance of a place here). So, early this year, I came up with a proposal for a ‘Pre-School Parenting’ initiative. The initiative has two strands: one is to provide in-person baby/toddler classes here at St. Helen’s College for parents of pre-schoolers in the local community. The other is to make short videos with advice on various topics from our expert staff for parents of pre-schoolers. We decided to call these ‘Teddy Talks’, to include our school teddy, which is given out to prospective parents in goody bags when they visit.
Next, I undertook some market research, sending a survey out to all of our current Ducklings, Nursery and Reception parents. I asked what they would have liked more support with when their children were 0-2 years old, and in what format they would most have appreciated that support. I am very grateful to all those of you who responded: the results were fascinating. It is clear that there is a significant need for more support for new parents on many topics: sleep, feeding, how to retain your own identity, how to manage behaviour and set boundaries, how to encourage reading and develop speech, how to bond effectively and calmly with your baby and how to manage the arrival of a sibling. The survey results made me even more determined to put something in place to support new parents.
I am delighted to say that we have recently filmed our first six ‘Teddy Talks’, which I can now share with you. Each person who wrote and delivered a talk did so from the heart, working independently, and I am so proud of my colleagues for their bravery and willingness to be a part of this project on top of their extremely busy day to day lives. I hope that you will agree that these Teddy Talks are useful, and represent our ethos and values at St. Helen’s College effectively. Please do share them with family and friends, and encourage them to share them with any new parents they know, no matter how far afield! You might pick up some useful tips from them to use in your parenting, too.
Please follow the links below to watch our first six talks.
Choosing The Right Setting For Your Child - Su Smith, Director of Admissions
Growing A Love Of Reading With Your Baby/Toddler - Shirley Drummond, Head
Early Speech, Language And Communication - Lucy Hunt, Head of Lower School
Positive Behaviour Management - Aidan McLaughlin, Deputy Head
The Value of Nursery Rhymes - Jill Crehan, Principal
Baby Mindfulness - Poonam McLaughlin, Year 3 & Baby Mindfulness Teacher
We are looking forward very much to adding more videos to the Teddy Talk bank in future – we hope that this will, in time, become a comprehensive resource for parents in the local and wider community. So if you have ideas for relevant topics, please email me at susmith@sthelenscollege.com to let me know.
I am now also working on the proposed programme of baby/toddler classes to be held at St. Helen’s College, when Covid restrictions allow. Mrs. McLaughlin is currently undertaking Pause Baby Mindfulness training, and will be offering Mother/Baby Mindfulness classes on site soon. We will let you know when these are going to begin, and will also let you know as other classes are added in due course.
Thank you for supporting us by viewing and sharing the Teddy Talks and please do contact me with feedback or ideas on this theme. Parents and your needs are really, really important to us and we are here to support you in every way we can, from birth all the way through.
Mrs. Smith
Posted on: 7/05/2021Weekly News - Friday 7th May 2021
Parents' Evenings (Years 1-6)
Thank you to all of the parents who attended online parent consultations on Tuesday for children in Years 1-6. We hope that you found these useful. The second parents' evening for these year groups will take place this coming Tuesday, 11th May. We look forward to seeing many more of you online then.
Upcoming Author Visit - Baroness Floella Benjamin
On Tuesday 11th May at 10 a.m. pupils in Years 1-6 will have the privilege of joining a live online event with Baroness Floella Benjamin, a truly inspirational speaker. The Baroness is celebrating the publication of both her picture book Coming to England: An Inspiring True Story About the Windrush Generation, and the 25th anniversary edition of her ever-popular memoir Coming to England: two books that give a powerful reminder of how courage and determination can overcome adversity.
Parents and children have the opportunity to pre-order copies of these books if you would like to do so.
THE PICTURE BOOK for younger readers (rrp £6.99) - Suitable for Years 1 & 2
A story about the triumph of hope, love, and determination, Coming to England is the inspiring true story of Baroness Floella Benjamin: from Trinidad, to London as part of the Windrush generation, to the House of Lords. When she was ten years old, Floella Benjamin, along with her older sister and two younger brothers, set sail from Trinidad to London, to be reunited with the rest of their family. Alone on a huge ship for two weeks, then tumbled into a cold and unfriendly London, coming to England wasn’t at all what Floella had expected.
Coming to England is both deeply personal and universally relevant – Floella’s experiences of moving home and making friends will resonate with young children, who will be inspired by her trademark optimism and joy.
THE MEMOIR (25th anniversary edition) (rrp £6.99) - suitable for Years 3-6
With a foreword by the author and some additional historical information, this is the incredible story of Floella’s journey from Trinidad to London, as part of the Windrush generation, to the House of Lords.
Floella Benjamin was just a young girl when she, her sister and two brothers arrived in England in 1960 to join their parents, whom they had not seen for fifteen months. They had left the island paradise of Trinidad to make a new home in London – part of a whole generation of West Indians who were encouraged to move to Britain and help rebuild the country after the Second World War. Reunited with her mother, Floella was too overwhelmed at first to care about the cold weather and the noise and dirt from the traffic.
But, as her new life began, she was shocked and distressed by the rejection she experienced. She soon realized that the only way to survive was to work twice as hard and be twice as good as anyone else.
If you would like to buy copies of Baroness Floella’s books, please click on the link below to order
https://chilternbookshops.co.uk/product-category/baroness-floella-benjamin/
Important: as you go through the checkout, you will be given the option to have your book(s) delivered directly to the school, with no delivery charge. If you choose this option, please state your child's name and class in the 'Details Required For School Events' box, as this will ensure correct allocation of the book(s) to your child in school.
This link will be open until midnight on Thursday 13th May.
Models Required!
Pullen's, our uniform suppliers, will soon be doing some updated photographs for their website of children modelling school uniforms. They are looking for 4 or 5 St. Helen's College children aged 4-9 to model our school uniform. The shoot will take place on 2nd June in Elstree (during half term) and the children will be needed for around 4 hours on that day. If you would like your child to be involved, please email templefortune@uniform4kids.com, clearly stating your child's full name and age, and then await further instructions/confirmation.
May Half Term Holiday Club
Bookings will open next week for Holiday Club for May half term. We will send an email to parents when bookings open. Please login to your SchoolsBuddy account if you would like to book a place for your child. Places will be limited to 15 children per bubble and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Parents are asked to send packed lunches for Holiday Club during half term as there will be no catering available on site.
Upcoming Events
As we are now gradually able to resume some of our events following such a disrupted period, we would like to remind parents to check the School Calendar regularly and add dates to your own diaries. In particular, coming up soon, we have Sports Days, residential days, Meet the Teacher evenings, Prizegiving and of course our Year 6 performances. Please do make a note of the dates!
Chiswick Lacrosse - Summer Camps
Chiswick Lacrosse will be running two weeks of summer camps this year, during the weeks of 16th and 23rd Aug. These are suitable for girls over the age of 9.
The club has run lacrosse camps for over 30 years and are confident that it gives girls the very best introduction to a sport they may be playing at their senior school when they transfer. Approximately half of the girls who attend the camp are new to the sport. The camps also enable girls to meet up with their prospective peer group as we can group the girls according to their new school.
If you are interested in booking a place for your daughter on one of these camps, you can find further information here. Do let us know if you plan to attend!
Posted on: 7/05/2021Mindfulness v. Mindlessness
Over the past few weeks I have been so proud of all of your children as I have observed them navigate their learning inside and outside of the classroom.
Schools are busy places for our pupils and we expect your children’s brains to ‘ache’ each day as they are challenged in lessons by the curriculum and the questions being posed to them, and asked to demonstrate their understanding of what they have learnt. It is therefore so important that we help children in coping with such a busy school day and busy lives in general.
As many of you know, we are a school which promotes mindfulness and we give your children time to be in the present moment, noticing, feeling, sensing and bringing attention to their breathing. We allow the children to be in mindful silence in assemblies, and there is a magical moment when, as adults and children, we feel that connectedness through our ‘strong’ silence as we bring attention to our breath and the present moment.
Children in Years 4, 5 and 6 are currently being taught more structured mindfulness courses too. Year 4, as part of their Paws b course, are being taught about the main parts of the brain. This week in 4T they learnt about the role of the insula and how it works with the prefrontal cortex in assisting us to recognise emotions. I do tell the children that without mindfulness in my life I would find my job more challenging and I am always so pleased to hear that many parents also engage with mindfulness either in their workplaces or as part of your family routine. It is so important that we recognise how we may be feeling and give ourselves the opportunity to acknowledge emotions, talk about them if appropriate, and develop techniques to deal with these emotions.
In the last week I have had two very sad bereavements within my own family and, with the Covid regulations in Scotland, my sister and I have not been able to travel or attend the funerals of these close family members (for now, only 20 people may attend funerals in Scotland). I have managed to support my elderly mother from afar with her emotions and also allowed myself to be in the present moment to acknowledge and deal with my own feelings.
Your children are in a fortunate position, in that by the time they leave St. Helen’s College they will have a toolkit of mindfulness practices which will support them for years to come. It is a testament to our staff that so many of them are now either qualified mindfulness teachers or are currently undergoing training. Mrs. McLaughlin is currently training to be a baby mindfulness teacher for 0-2 year olds. Mrs. Hunt embarks upon a new course, dots, in June, which has been especially written with 3-6 year olds in mind. Mr. Roche is leading the Year 5 children in the .breath programme and Year 4 and Year 6 are working with me on the Paws b and .b courses.
Our staff are interested in what the children are learning and this week I overheard a lovely conversation in the playground when one of our pupils explained to one of the lunchtime supervisors how she is training her mind to train her brain and then explained what different parts of the brain do! Mind blowing from an 8 year old!
We all can make wrong choices or decisions and the children begin to realise that some of their choices may be ‘mindless’ choices - done on autopilot without much thought - like running down the path to get the front of the lunch queue! They also learn that there may be consequences for mindless decisions - like having to go to the end of the queue! (The prefrontal cortex made the wrong decision!) But our pupils learn to respond mindfully and not react mindlessly. It truly is a joy when the children are able to take more responsibility for their actions, with an understanding that they are in control of their actions and decisions. For those children who do find themselves feeling strong emotions of anger or maybe sadness, then the simple mindfulness practices we teach them can alleviate some of their tensions and increase their happiness levels. We talk about ‘growing happiness’ and we all have that ability!
I will be attending the annual Mindfulness in Schools Conference on Saturday 19th June with other staff members including Mrs. Crehan. Over the past five years, I have come away from the annual conference feeling nourished and so proud of the role we are playing in educating your children to enable them to live full, meaningful lives with the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to flourish in today’s busy world.
You can find out more about why we teach mindfulness here.
Posted on: 30/04/2021Weekly News - Friday 30th April 2021
General Knowledge Quiz Team Successes!
We are thrilled to let you know that three of our General Knowledge teams have made it through to the Prep School General Knowledge National Finals! Our Year 4 team, Year 5 team and Year 6 team all qualified from their heats and are now continuing to work on their General Knowledge, preparing for the national finals which will take place in June. Competition is fierce in this contest so the children have already done extremely well and we are very proud of them. We all wish them luck in the Finals!
The Big Pedal
Pupils, staff and parents at Lower School and Upper School have taken part in the national Big Pedal Week this week to promote physical activity and active travel to school.
Everyone was encouraged to include walking, scooting or cycling in their daily travel to and from school between Monday 26th - Friday 30th April and there was a challenge to see which class completed the most active journeys. At Upper School, 5A completed the most cycling journeys, 3M completed the most scooting journeys and 4T completed the most walking journeys. At Lower School, 1C and 1R were joint winners of being the most active travellers to school.
Every child from Nursery to Year 6 enjoyed Big Pedal/Push bike/scooter sessions in PE lessons this week, and we saw a great increase in the number of people actively travelling to school, whether on foot or using bikes and scooters. The children's proficiency in scooting and cycling was noticeably improved and we feel that this could be one of the benefits of the lockdown period, when so many of you took to the outdoors. It was great to see parents and staff travelling in different, more active ways too, and it was good to hear that many of you found the lovely new walking distance zone map that has been produced for us useful when planning your journeys. This map will remain available in the School Documents page of the website for the future and we hope that it will encourage you all to try to incorporate some foot travel into your school journeys.
Our Premises Manager Mr. Smith also took up the challenge. A keen cyclist himself, he undertook a long distance bike ride each evening and challenged the children to guess where he had got to before returning to school. Children were told which direction he was travelling each day (North, South, East or West) and the distance of the round trip. Photographs of his final destinations were shared daily and we hope that the children enjoyed trying to work out where he ended up each day! Mr. Smith has cycled over 250 km this week on his bike - an amazing achievement!
We hope that you all enjoyed your active travel this week and that you will all now keep it up, finding more active ways to travel to and from school for the rest of this term and into the future. You can see more photographs from the week on our Photo Galleries page.
Upcoming Author Visit - Baroness Floella Benjamin
On Tuesday 11th May at 10 a.m. pupils in Years 1-6 will have the privilege of joining a live online event with Baroness Floella Benjamin, a truly inspirational speaker. The Baroness is celebrating the publication of both her picture book Coming to England: An Inspiring True Story About the Windrush Generation, and the 25th anniversary edition of her ever-popular memoir Coming to England: two books that give a powerful reminder of how courage and determination can overcome adversity.
Parents and children have the opportunity to pre-order copies of these books if you would like to do so.
THE PICTURE BOOK for younger readers (rrp £6.99) - Suitable for Years 1 & 2
A story about the triumph of hope, love, and determination, Coming to England is the inspiring true story of Baroness Floella Benjamin: from Trinidad, to London as part of the Windrush generation, to the House of Lords. When she was ten years old, Floella Benjamin, along with her older sister and two younger brothers, set sail from Trinidad to London, to be reunited with the rest of their family. Alone on a huge ship for two weeks, then tumbled into a cold and unfriendly London, coming to England wasn’t at all what Floella had expected.
Coming to England is both deeply personal and universally relevant – Floella’s experiences of moving home and making friends will resonate with young children, who will be inspired by her trademark optimism and joy.
THE MEMOIR (25th anniversary edition) (rrp £6.99) - suitable for Years 3-6
With a foreword by the author and some additional historical information, this is the incredible story of Floella’s journey from Trinidad to London, as part of the Windrush generation, to the House of Lords.
Floella Benjamin was just a young girl when she, her sister and two brothers arrived in England in 1960 to join their parents, whom they had not seen for fifteen months. They had left the island paradise of Trinidad to make a new home in London – part of a whole generation of West Indians who were encouraged to move to Britain and help rebuild the country after the Second World War. Reunited with her mother, Floella was too overwhelmed at first to care about the cold weather and the noise and dirt from the traffic.
But, as her new life began, she was shocked and distressed by the rejection she experienced. She soon realized that the only way to survive was to work twice as hard and be twice as good as anyone else.
If you would like to buy copies of Baroness Floella’s books, please click on the link below to order
https://chilternbookshops.co.uk/product-category/baroness-floella-benjamin/
Important: as you go through the checkout, you will be given the option to have your book(s) delivered directly to the school, with no delivery charge. If you choose this option, please state your child's name and class in the 'Details Required For School Events' box, as this will ensure correct allocation of the book(s) to your child in school.
This link will be open until midnight on Thursday 13th May.
Residential Days
We are delighted that we are now able to offer Year 3 to Year 6 a residential day in the local area. Information about each year group's plans has been sent to parents this week. Please ensure that you read this as there is a lot of information. Some of the trips require parental support with transportation so please add the dates to your diaries now.
Posted on: 30/04/2021Reading
A recent report published in the Times Educational Supplement was rather uplifting to read: finally we have the media reporting with less doom and gloom on the impact of lockdown upon children’s educational progress. The report, produced from research by GL assessment, states that there has not been a catastrophic reading decline for children during the Covid pandemic. However, they do report that there has been a dip in the standardised reading ages of children and that "Primary school children seem to have been affected a little more than secondary school students, but not significantly".
Here at St. Helen’s College, we are delighted that the reading ages of our children increased by a year or more in every year group (Y2 - Y6) in the year in which the first lockdown occurred. This was achieved through your commitment as parents and the continued reading provision from school across the curriculum. We use the GL assessment tool and were truly delighted with the analysis of our data on the children’s return to school.
However, it is not all about us using data to assess the progress of the children with their reading. Of utmost importance is how we all engage them each and every day to use their reading skills, not only to read for pleasure but as a key skill for them to be able to understand and engage with the world around them. We learn to read and then we read to learn!
As a parent of a young child, you are the most influential and most important teacher that your child can have. It is never too early to start reading with your child and your children’s journey with literature should be started when they are tiny little babies. This is a precious time for parents to snuggle up with your newborn, exploring the awe and wonder of each page you look at. The black and white books which are best in those first few months will encourage your baby to focus on lines and patterns in monotone as your baby starts to make sense of the blurry world they have been born into. By the time they are about four months old, your child begins to see the world around them in more colour and there is such a wonderful array of books available to stimulate interest and curiosity.
By the time your children start school or Nursery, books should already be a familiar part of their lives and I am sure that your children all have their favourites which they will love to read over and over. Such rhyme and repetition is important as they start to build their linguistic ability.
I still have such fond memories of my nightly snuggle with my daughter as we read and re-read her favourite book, ‘Time for Bed Little Ted’. We still have this furry-backed book on the bookshelf and even at the age of 21 she will pick it up and we have fun reciting each page, taking us back to those precious childhood days.
I am delighted that our children at St. Helen’s College are such passionate readers and, although our library may not be operating quite in the usual manner at Upper School, our committed school librarians, Mrs. Emanuel and Mrs. Smith, continue to provide the children with an array of exciting and inspiring reads and to encourage their love of reading for pleasure.
Another positive to come out of the pandemic is that adults also seem to have ‘rediscovered their love of reading’, with sales of non-fiction increasing by 16% in 2020. I hope that your love of books has been reignited and many of you may have revisited favourite books and found new books to enjoy. Please allow your children to see you engaging with books as often as possible. Reading for pleasure is so important and an activity we all need to allow ourselves to enjoy! So over this bank holiday weekend, I urge you to put down your mobile phone, close the computer, put your feet up with a good book and have your family join you in some quality family reading time!
Mrs. Drummond
Posted on: 23/04/2021Weekly News - Friday 23rd April 2021
St. George's Day
It was wonderful on the journey to school today to see so many St. George's flags flying. We hope that many of your children enjoyed discussing some of the traditions and activities linked to St. George's Day. Please do ask them at home about their St. George's day activities, and continue to celebrate the day with them.
Here are some of our Ducklings, who enjoyed making St. George's Day flags today!
World Earth Day and Climate Change Competition
Yesterday was World Earth Day 2021. Advik S, one of our Year 4 Eco Reps, has written this piece to explain more:
World Earth Day is an annual event that shows support for environmental protection. Every year it is held on the 22nd April. It was started by Senator Gaylord Nelson and Denis Hayes in 1970 which is approximately 51 years ago.
Every day around 8 million tons of plastic is dumped into the ocean and around 200,000 acres of rainforest are burned every year. Although humans have inflicted all this damage upon the environment, there is still time to make amends. Some of the things you could do are to use a cotton or fabric bag when you go shopping, use your own water bottle instead of buying bottled water as much as possible and lastly go on litter walks. You will be helping the environment and I know these changes might be small, but if we all contribute to it we will make the world a better place.
Many thanks to Advik for his commitment to educating others on this important topic.
To encourage more people to think about Climate Change, Hillingdon Council is running a Climate Change Competition, which is open to all St. Helen's College children. The closing date is Saturday 5th June.
Children are urged to get creative and take part in this borough wide competition to get everyone thinking about Climate Change, how it makes us feel and what can be done to do our part. Children are free to use any art form to express what Climate Change means to them, whether it be a musical composition, a drama scene, a poem, a piece of artwork or something else.
You can find out more information about the competition here, including how to enter and of course what prizes are on offer! We hope that many of your children will create entries for this competition and that, in doing so, they will think deeply about climate change and what it means for all of us.
iArt Competition Winner!
Enormous congratulations to Arya A (Year 2), whose ‘Rainbow Tree’ piece of art came first in the Year 1-2 category of the prestigious iArt competition.
The competition had a record number of entries this year: 168 in total and over 30 entries in the Year 1-2 category (the biggest entry ever). So a huge well done to Arya, whose beautifully framed piece of art is currently hanging in Mrs. Drummond's office where it is being admired by all who visit.
Arya will be presented with a certificate and Amazon gift voucher, and her artwork is being turned into a picture that will hang on the wall of IAPS HQ for a year too.
The Big Pedal Week
We would like to remind parents that we will be taking part in the national Big Pedal Week next week to promote physical activity and active travel to school.
We encourage all pupils and parents to include walking, scooting or cycling in their daily travel to and from school between Monday 26th - Friday 30th April. Pupils will also have the opportunity to take part in a Big Pedal activity in one of their P.E lessons next week.
We would also like to draw parents' attention to this lovely new walking distance zone map that has been produced for us in association with The Big Pedal Week. This will remain available in the School Documents page of the website for the future and we hope that it will encourage you all to try to incorporate some foot travel into your school journeys.
In-School Peripatetic Music Lessons Resume
We are delighted to hear the musicality of our children throughout the day at school once more, as individual instrumental lessons have resumed in person, after a prolonged remote teaching period. Thank you to all of the parents and teachers who maintained the children's musicality throughout the lockdown period.
Upcoming Author Visit - Baroness Floella Benjamin
At 10 a.m. on Tuesday 11th May, Years 1 - 6 will be joining a virtual event with Baroness Floella Benjamin. She is a captivating presenter with a powerful story to tell. Her memoir, Coming to England, is already a classic and will soon be available in two new paperback editions: a picture storybook for children in KS1, and a revised and re-illustrated memoir for children in KS2. We have ordered some copies of both for the school and will send out an order form nearer the time for parents, should you wish to order one or more for your child or as a gift.
Before the event, pupils will be shown the following reading of the picture storybook. We encourage parents to watch this too. As well as being a great reading of the story, it adds some historical context to Baroness Benjamin's life and will help you to discuss the event with your child(ren).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZUHEMM4shI
Singing Competition
Our very exciting Singing Competition final will take place on Friday 11th June 2021 this year. We had our first online solo competition last year, judged by Mrs. Crehan, and this was very much enjoyed by all. Both the semi-finals and the final round will take place like last year, with video entries. This year we have a guest judge and we will share this information with you on the day of the final.
In order for the competition to go ahead, we request that video entries are submitted for the semi-finals. Due to the current circumstances, we can only hold a solo competition again this year. Only one entry per child is permitted and on only one email, please. Please submit your solo video entry by no later than Friday 14th May 2021.
There is no set theme this year and we would like to hear songs from all different genres and eras. Singing in other languages is permitted. All songs must be age appropriate, melodic and have appropriate lyrics and themes. If you are unsure whether your choice is appropriate, please check with Mrs. Belvoir, Mrs. Fawbert or Mrs. Garnes (email addresses below). We would like to see only simple gestures and appropriate movements relevant to the performance - no dance moves please. A backing track is required (without words) for the performance. A child may play the piano/guitar etc. as part of their performance.
For Middle School (Year 2 and 3) entries please submit to both of the following:
sbelvoir@sthelenscollege.com
mgarnes@sthelenscollege.com
For Upper School (Years 4, 5 and 6) entries please submit to both of the following:
cfawbert@sthelenscollege.com
mgarnes@sthelenscollege.com
The subject of the email should be clear, e.g "Singing Competition: name of child, form group, name of song" and it may be easiest to submit using your school Google drive.
Finalists will be chosen and announced by Friday 28th May 2021 on the school newsletter. Good luck to all!
Parents' Evening Bookings Years 1 - 6
Our next parents' evenings for Years 1 - 6 will take place on:
Tuesday 4th May from 4.00 p.m. to 7.00 p.m.
Tuesday 11th May from 5.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m.
Once again, we will be running these remotely due to Covid restrictions. Bookings are now open so please follow this link to book your appointments.
Virtual Open Morning
This term's Virtual Open Morning for prospective parents will take place on Friday 21st May at 10.00 a.m. These events are a lovely opportunity for prospective parents to meet Mrs. Drummond and other school staff and to hear about our provision, ethos and aims. Parents are able to ask questions and really get a feel for the school. If you do have friends and family who might be interested in their children joining us now or in the future, please do encourage them to register and join us on 21st May. The registration link is here.
Posted on: 26/03/2021Start With Why
I am sure that many of you have heard of Simon Sinek from his hugely popular TED Talk ‘Start with Why’ - it is the third most watched talk of all time. Simon is an optimist, who believes in a brighter future for humanity and our ability to build it together. He has studied how the greatest leaders and organisations think, act and communicate. I have followed Simon for many years on my leadership journey and have been inspired by his work, his TED talks and his numerous books: Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.
Simon is often described as a visionary thinker. He has a vision of a world which may not even exist yet: a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, where people feel safe wherever they are and where people end each day fulfilled by the work that they do.
This is a world to which we would all like to belong, I imagine. Many people may feel that they are not there yet. However, I actually believe that here at St. Helen’s College we are so fortunate to have the most incredible work place, colleagues and, most important of all, we have our ‘why’ - your children! Educating your children is our purpose and it takes great expertise, skill and commitment to be the best we can be each and every day for the children.
Our staff are so committed and they impress me daily with how they navigate each day, each lesson, each question and each query from the children’s curious minds. In fact the staff at St. Helen’s are truly inspiring!
On this note I would like to take this opportunity to thank every member of our incredible community for what has been yet another turbulent term in this most unusual year.
As a school leader I have felt well out of my comfort zone in the past year on more occasions than I would ever have imagined. We have had to make difficult decisions, often with minimal or very hazy guidance! But it is the camaraderie and support from colleagues and parents that has made this journey inspiring and I am hugely proud of what we have achieved together.
I will leave you with one of Simon Sinek’s quotes from his popular book ‘Together is Better’....this resonated so strongly with me.
“Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion”
Happy Easter everyone.
Mrs. Drummond
Posted on: 26/03/2021Weekly News - Friday 26th March 2021
Speech Competition
We all thoroughly enjoyed the finals of our annual Speech Competition, held on Monday this week. Miles Barrow, a West End and movie actor and alumnus of St. Helen's College, joined us live online to judge the event and he was hugely impressed by the performances delivered by the children across the school. Very well done indeed to the winners.
Junior Competition
Class winners
1C - Avleen P
1R - Shayla R
2B - Samuel H
2H - Evie J
3B - Sarab D
3M - Anna K
Year 1 winner - Avleen P
Year 2 winner - Evie J
Year 3 winner - Sarab D
Overall Junior Competition winner - Avleen P
Senior Competition
Class winners
4L - Inaya S
4T - Poppy H
5A - Rivan K
5G - Reiss D
6M - Reece G
6R - Adam O
Year 4 winner - Inaya S
Year 5 winner - Reiss D
Year 6 winner - Adam O
Overall Senior Competition winner - Adam O
HeartStart First Aid Training In Action
At St. Helen's College, we all know that a successful education blends academic learning and transferable life skills. One of the ongoing strands of our personal development programme is our HeartStart programme, through which we teach all children from Reception to Year 6 basic first aid and lifesaving skills.
We were sent sincere thanks this week from a parent whose son had, in a life threatening choking situation, stayed calm and responsive, remembering and using the Heimlich Manoeuvre he had been taught in HeartStart sessions at school. It is no exaggeration to say that the actions he took, in a panic situation, were potentially life saving.
I am sure all parents will be pleased to know that we remain absolutely committed to our programmes of education that develop the 'whole child'. While we are thrilled that our children achieve so highly academically, and proud of the excellent habits of learning we instil, we are equally proud of helping your children to grow into responsible, responsive young men and women.
Well done, Ariyan, for putting your HeartStart learning into action and for talking to us all about your actions in assembly this week.
Year 3/4 Quiz Club
Thursday saw the heats of the Year 3 and 4 Prep School General Knowledge Quiz, and our teams thoroughly enjoyed competing online in this prestigious competition. The questions were really tough, from a wide range of subjects, and our teams gave a very good account of themselves.
The Year 3 team got 27 out of their 30 questions right and ended the competition in joint 11th place. The team members were: Aaron B, Raiden B, Marco K and Tiya T.
Our Year 4 team got 28 out of their 30 questions right and ended the afternoon in joint 4th position. Very well done to the team: Annie L, Advik S, Arshvir S and Minaya W.
Both teams will now have to wait until all the heats are complete to see whether they have achieved enough points to go through to the finals as one of the next highest scoring teams after the automatic qualifiers.
Staff Changes
We are sad to announce that Miss Walker will be leaving St. Helen's College at the end of the summer term, after 26 years with the school.
Miss Walker has, for many years, been the school's Director of Co-Curriculum, Head of PE and Subject Leader of Geography, as well as a highly valued member of the school's Senior Leadership Team. She is leaving us to develop her career even further as she will be taking up the position of Head of Upper School (Deputy Head Pastoral) at High March School, starting in September.
Miss Walker is a familiar face to generations of pupils and parents, as well as being well known across the local community for her involvement in local sports clubs and leagues. She has taught more or less every pupil who has passed through St. Helen's College over the last quarter of a century, and has had a big impact on so many young lives. We know that you will join us in congratulating her on her new post when you see her around school next term.
Mrs. McLaughlin will be returning from her maternity leave after the summer half term break and will return to her class, 3M, working three days per week. Mrs. Briggs will continue working with the class on the other two days.
Miss Davies and Mrs. Hunt will continue as the Owls class teachers until the end of this academic year, while Miss Joiner is away on her maternity leave.
Miss Angie Raja-Ross has joined our team of Teaching and Learning Assistants at Lower School and will be working with Wrens class.
Ms Amy Keenlyside will be joining us at Lower School next term, working as a Midday Supervisor.
Guess The Place
Congratulations to the winners of the last 'Guess the Place' photo challenge this term. The Natural History Museum was correctly identified by Evie and Ashvika in Year 2 and Millie and Riyan in Year 1. Well done also to Pavan, Hana, Sean and Tiya in Year 3, Eshanvi in Year 4, David, Rivan, Chrissy, Natalia, Luka, Kylah, Siyana, Eshan, Oliver, Shruthi, Riddhi and Charlotte in Year 5, Vidhit and Zail in Year 6 who all used their detective skills to discover that our other photo was of Brosgrove Mill on the Norfolk Broads.
Guess the Place will start again after the Easter Holiday and Miss Walker would be delighted to receive photos of places our families might visit over the Easter holidays or have visited in the past to challenge everyone to 'guess the place'. Please submit your photos with the name of the place to Miss Walker at
swalker@sthelenscollege.com.
Musician of the Term
A big well done to Riya C, who has been named the spring term Musician of the Term. Riya has always worked conscientiously and demonstrated enormous enthusiasm over several years in all aspects of music at St Helen’s College.
Riya has excellent music skills and applies and shares creative ideas successfully in class work. She is a member of the Senior Choir and Chamber Choir and is an excellent role model within the music department as a music prefect. She regularly performs at assemblies and recitals and, as well as playing the ukulele, she also sings. Riya has exceptional musical talent, and has recently taken her Grade 2 Musical Theatre Singing exam.
Congratulations, Riya.
House Cup
The pupils of Windsor and Cambria Houses have been working hard to gain house points despite being in lockdown and we are delighted to announce that this term's winners are Cambria. There are only 70 house points between the two house's totals at the moment - so there is all to play for in the summer term!
Royal Academy of Arts Exhibition - Submissions Now Open
St. Helen's College has registered with the Royal Academy of Arts so that children may submit their artwork for exhibition at the Royal Academy! Submitting artwork is completely free and should be done online by the deadline of 26th April. For pupils aged 12 or under, a parent/guardian will need to enter the artwork on the pupil's behalf; children aged 13 or over may submit artworks themselves.
Each student can submit up to three artworks of any type and there is no theme. You will need to supply images of the artwork plus some information about the piece such as title, size, and a little text about the artwork. Each piece of artwork will be seen by a panel of judges and the selected pieces will be shown in our online exhibition. Some of the artworks will also be shown at the Royal Academy of Arts.
https://youngartists.royalacademy.org.uk/get-involved?utm_source=wordfly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=OH_YASS_EasterReminder_d_Entrants%26SignUps_24.03.21&utm_content=version_A&sourceNumber=
We have many budding artists at St. Helen's College and we hope that you will support your child in submitting work. We look forward to hearing of any success!
PA Easter Prize Draw
The PA has 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. The PA hope that the lucky winners enjoy their prizes and that they all have a wonderful Easter break!
Upper School Library
The Upper School Library remains busy delivering weekly boxes of books to each classroom at Upper School. Classes have enjoyed uncovering "mystery books" wrapped in paper and ribbons, whilst others have been tucking into books by visiting authors Cressida Cowell and Ross Welford. Many children will be choosing books this week to bring home for the holidays and the Library invites you to enjoy these with your children!
Why not read your stories aloud to each other at bedtime, sat together on a picnic or even tucked into a reading den of blankets? The artistic amongst you might like to design your own version of the book cover and draw your favourite scene. As these Easter holidays are spent at home, consider an apposite quote from the author Jhumpra Lahiri "That's the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet."
Please also take the opportunity to search out any overdue books and return to school, particularly if your child is in Year 6. May we remind parents of our school policy that, in order to maintain the library for all, we may ask for a payment to replace any damaged or non-returned books.
Author Events - April
There are several interactive author events being run by our partners Chorleywood Bookshop during April which might be of interest to you and your children to keep their enthusiasm for reading high! You do need to book for these events - bookings links are included below.
Just after Easter, there is a brilliant draw-along event with the creative star Rob Biddulph, author, illustrator and #DrawWithRob internet sensation at 9.30am on Wednesday 7th April.
Children can pick up their pencils at this event and learn how to build their own story, and even create their own book, step-by-step! Rob will be encouraging children of all ages to draw along and he’ll be reading his brand-new, wonderfully waggy story of one dog day afternoon.
Every dog has his Dave (or otherwise-named human)... but, on a walk in the park, the adorable Teddy the pug loses his! And when Teddy finds himself at the shed of the TERRIBLE TROLL in the woods, he might find more than he bargained for... a new friend. Packed with delight, dogs, and even a Dave, this hilariously funny and exquisitely illustrated new book from the incredible Rob Biddulph, will have you panting for more! This is the perfect story for boys and girls of 4+, and dog-lovers everywhere, to share with their families! Roll around in the rhymes and enjoy Rob Biddulph's trademark warm-hearted humour. Event tickets: from £10, bookable here.
Two days later (Friday 9th April at 10 a.m.), for all those budding authors, there is a Creative Writing Workshop with Francesca Gibbons, author of A Clock of Stars, a thrilling and timeless fantasy adventure with a race against time, lovable characters and a magical kingdom. During the 75-minute workshop children will be creating their own magical kingdom, and dreaming up adventures and characters of their own.
With all the magic of Narnia and the humour of Mary Poppins, this is a future fantasy classic - and the beginning of an unforgettable journey... Imogen should be nice to her little sister Marie. She should be nice to her mum's boyfriend too. And she certainly shouldn't follow a strange silver moth through a door in a tree. But then... who does what they're told? Followed by Marie, Imogen finds herself falling into a magical kingdom where the two sisters are swept up in a thrilling race against time - helped by the spoiled prince of the kingdom, a dancing bear, a very grumpy hunter... and even the stars above them.
Event ticket: £30, which includes access to the live stream event, a copy of Clock of Stars: The Shadow Moth (RRP £7.99) and a £5 voucher to spend in Chorleywood or Gerrards Cross Bookshops. Book for this event here.
There is also after school fun on Thursday 22nd April at 4.30 p.m. with Dermot O’Leary, one of the nation’s best-loved broadcasters and children’s authors. Dermot will be talking about his latest ninja adventure story, ‘Toto the Ninja Cat and the mystery Jewel Thief’, and his very own rescue cat who inspired him to write these best-selling, hilarious stories.
Toto and her friends are due to be looking after the French ambassador on a day of sightseeing, finishing at the Tower of London to see the animal world's crown jewels: a sacred diamond cat collar. But when they arrive, the collar has disappeared - and what's worse, it looks like Toto's boss Larry is responsible, with Toto as his accomplice! Toto is almost arrested, but she escapes to try and get to the bottom of the mystery and clear her name.
Event ticket: £12, which includes access to the live stream event and a copy of 'Toto the Ninja Cat and the Mystery Jewel Thief'. Book your ticket here.
Outdoor Opportunities
I am sure that you are as keen as we are for the children to make the most of the nicer weather to come and get out and about and active once more. Lockdown has restricted opportunities for physical activity, social interaction and team play, so we encourage you to think now about exploring new sports clubs or other active opportunities for your child.
Ickenham Cricket Club will be re-launching training sessions for children aged 5-11, beginning from Sunday 25th April. Sessions run from 10.30 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. If your son or daughter would like to try cricket for the first time, or develop their cricket skills, we would encourage you to try out this lovely, friendly cricket club. You can find full details here and at www.ickenhamcc.co.uk.
Blaze Netball Club in Uxbridge run sessions after school during term times for children in Years 4, 5 and 6. If you have a child who might be interested in joining the club, you can find full details here.
You might like to visit some canals or rivers with your children over the holidays. The Canal and River Trust have some great resources to encourage families to enjoy our waterways - do take a look by following the links below:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/explorers/learning-bundles
Main Activities Page
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/news-and-views/our-campaigns/canals-at-home-our-best-bits
Virtual tours, games and puzzles
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/explorers/games
Perform Drama Workshops
Perform will be running holiday courses over the Easter Holidays for 4-10 year olds.
Based on Beauty and the Beast, these fun drama, dance and singing courses will run from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. each day. Further information is available here: https://www.perform.org.uk/classes-courses/holiday-courses/beautyandthebeast
NextGen Enterprise
NextGen Enterprise is a practical entrepreneurial course with a mission to introduce the next generation of entrepreneurs to a world of innovation, collaboration, and creativity. The course is delivered online in an interactive environment and is suitable for ages 10-18. NextGen offer three unique courses where students develop fictional business ideas in their teams and are guided by a dedicated NextGen Coach - an experienced entrepreneur. Along the journey, students learn key entrepreneurial skills and then present their business plans to an expert panel and a wider audience. For more information on NextGen Enterprise, please visit www.nextgenenterprise.co.uk or call 0207 117 2965.
Computer Xplorers Easter Camps
Our partners Computer Xplorers will be running some online Easter camps that might be of interest to your children.
An Intro to Python Coding (Age 10+)
Tech giants such as Google, NASA and YouTube all use Python within their businesses. Are your children up for a new challenge? Now is your child's chance to learn some real-world coding skills in online Python classes! Click on the link below to register
https://middlesex.computerxplorers.co.uk/classes/easter-python-coding-intro
Easter Arcade Game Design (Age 8+)
Children will learn to design, code and build their very own arcade games to keep and play with their family. This is a great class for budding game designers and tech enthusiasts. Are your children up for a new challenge? Now is your child's chance to develop coding and programming skills in our online Arcade Game Design classes! Click on the link below to register
https://middlesex.computerxplorers.co.uk/classes/easter-arcade-game-design-class
Easter Roblox Game Design (Age 9+)
Do your children love to play #Roblox? Through these online classes, your children can gain knowledge on #gamedesign and #programming concepts while having fun creating their very own obstacle course in Roblox using Roblox Studio. Click on the link below to register
https://middlesex.computerxplorers.co.uk/classes/easter-roblox-game-design-class
Covid Rates in Hillingdon
Infection rates in the west London area haven’t fallen as low as other parts of the capital, so the London Borough of Hillingdon Education Team have asked us to remind our community that it is vital that we all do our bit to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Every action we take will help to keep us all safe. So please continue to:
Wash your hands
Cover your face
Keep a safe distance
Get tested
Take your vaccine when offered
Thank you for all of your ongoing efforts to reduce the spread of the pandemic. We hope that you all stay safe over the Easter break.
Summer Term
The summer term begins on 21st April. Please remember to send your children back to school in their summer uniform. We respectfully remind parents that tights are NOT permitted with the summer dress - girls should wear white knee length or ankle socks only, please. To continue to reduce items brought into school, no caps or summer boaters will be required, but children must bring St. Helen's College sun hats to wear in hot weather. Please remember to apply sun cream at home before school when the weather is warm. The summer term lunch menu will be published to the Parents section of the website before the children return. Please do discuss the menus with your child prior to coming to school each day to ensure that they understand what is available.
The pandemic is still ongoing and we will therefore be adapting the summer term programme as we continue to adhere to Covid protocols and risk assessments. While large events and external sports fixtures will not be taking place, we will be doing our utmost to provide a busy and enriching term for the children. As you know, our co-curricular programme will be starting up again and club allocations will be confirmed at the start of next term, with activities beginning the week of 26th April. We will be running in-school sports fixtures and competitions, including our annual Singing Competition, and there will be year group Sports Days. For Years 3-6 we will be arranging residential days for the children to offer many of the experiences they would have had on their residential trips. We will also be producing class assemblies to broadcast to parents and our Year 6 children will of course be busy as they prepare their end of term Year 6 musical production. Further details about these events will be shared in due course.
The school calendar has been updated with summer term events, so please do take a note of these now for your diaries. You can access the calendar, as always, here.
Absence
We would like to remind parents of the procedure for reporting a child's absence or requesting absence for a child for any reason. Please do not contact your class teacher about this, or telephone the school office unless a particular conversation is necessary; please send an email to absence@sthelenscollege.com clearly stating your child's name and class and the reason for absence. Your child's class teacher will be informed and requests for absence will be processed.
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