School News and Head's Blog
Posted on: 6/03/2020Books, Books, Books
I was saddened to read an article in the Guardian newspaper last weekend which relayed the shocking statistic that a recent survey found that, in 2019, just 26% of under 18s spent some time each day reading. This is the lowest daily level recorded since the charity concerned first surveyed children’s reading habits in 2005. The research also found that fewer children enjoy reading, and that this declined with age: nearly twice as many 5 to 8 year olds as 14 to 16 year olds said they took pleasure from reading. Overall, just 53% of children said they enjoyed reading “very much” or “quite a lot” – the lowest level since 2013.
The research is so worrying because all educators and, I believe, the vast majority of parents know the value of reading for young children. Reading underpins absolutely everything in primary education: it teaches engagement, sparks curiosity, encourages focus and concentration, fires up the imagination and is the medium through which comprehension skills such as inference and extrapolation are taught and developed. By far the most important thing, educationally, that any parent can do with their young child is to model and inspire a love of books and reading, by reading widely themselves and spending time each day reading to and then with their child.
No child is too young for the joy of reading - even new-born babies enjoy the sound of a parent’s voice and the wonder and sense of discovery as that voice conveys different emotions: joy, excitement or suspense. Spending precious time with your child every day to share books is time extremely well spent. As your child grows older, you can mix it up, with you reading some parts of the book and them joining in. Children will memorise those children’s picture books that are regularly read to them and will enjoy, even before they can read themselves, telling the story as if they are reading. As they learn to associate the words on the page with the words they are hearing/saying, they are learning to read almost magically! Of course, we teach children to read at school using tried and tested methods, as well as the latest developments in pedagogical thinking, but it is at home that a love of reading can be inspired and embedded.
I am proud that, at St. Helen’s College, we inspire readers in so many ways: our teaching staff take great care to ensure that reading is regular, purposeful and enjoyable for the children; our well-stocked libraries offer a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction books, and children visit the school library and begin choosing books right from Nursery. Our dedicated librarians at Upper School run reading challenges, employ pupil librarians, create interesting and inspiring displays, refresh stock constantly and with great awareness of what will be of value to children, and are always ready with a recommendation. Guided reading in English lessons throughout the school and extra reading clubs add to the children’s positive and meaningful reading experiences, as do special themed days like the wonderful World Book Day we enjoyed this week.
We live in an ever-changing world, and other media are having their moment. Films, online content including short videos and social media memes are rife and do, of course, have some value. But there is absolutely no substitution for reading books in terms of setting your child up for success both inside and outside of school. Through books, children can discover all of life. They can ‘visit’ and gain understanding of other cultures; they can explore the emotions of themselves and others; they can imagine a world of colour and interest, actively developing their creativity in ways that they simply cannot by sitting passively in front of a screen.
So please, I urge you, support your child in their reading. We ask that parents throughout the school read with their children every single day and that you question your child to make sure that they have understood what you or they have read. Depending on their age, you might ask them to retell the story, ask them to think of an alternative ending, or ask them what the characters are feeling and why. You could ask them to find the words that the author has used that prove that their answers are correct. Children who are questioned in this way grow used to thinking carefully about what they are reading, which ensures excellent comprehension.
I do hope that World Book Day has inspired your children to want to read more, and I hope that parents will feel inspired too. If you can make time for this most important of activities, your child will thrive and you will hopefully experience some real joy each day too! I am sure that, at St. Helen’s College, the number of children who would say they enjoy reading is well over 53% - but we will not, and should not, rest until we are absolutely confident that it is 100%!
https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.theguardian.com/education/2020/feb/29/children-reading-less-says-new-research
Mrs. Drummond
Posted on: 28/02/2020Weekly News - Friday 28th February 2020
World Book Day
We would like to remind you that next Thursday, 5th March, we will be celebrating World Book Day. The theme for Ducklings and Lower School is 'Enchanted' and the theme for Upper School is 'Harry Potter'. The children are asked to dress as a book character of their choice (which may of course link to the themes if you wish). It is sure to be a fun-filled day, celebrating the fantastic world of books and all the reading done throughout the year. The children are also asked to bring the book their character is from on the day so that we can share them together.
There will be a special themed lunch menu on World Book Day. You can see this, and associated allergens, here.
In conjunction with our World Book Day celebrations, the school is taking part in a sponsored read through Usborne Books in a bid to get even more fresh new books into our classrooms and libraries for your children to enjoy. Sponsorship forms and reading logs have been sent home with your children and full details have been sent out on SchoolsBuddy. Many thanks for your continued support of the children's reading.
As part of World Book Day, we will be holding a book sale of pre-loved books surplus to the library. It will take place in the Upper School gazebo between 8 a.m. and 8.30 a.m. on Thursday and books will cost 25p, 50p or £1. The money raised will be used to buy new books that will boost our wellbeing and good health! Please do come along with your child(ren) if you can.
Speech Competition
Children are busy preparing their Speech Competition entries and recitals. This is one of the many opportunities across the year which enables the children to showcase their verbal skills and to develop their confidence in public speaking. Please note that children must not use gestures or choreography of any kind in their performances. For Years 1-6, the judging criteria are: expression, projection and clarity.
Year 2 Visit The Heath Robinson Museum
Year 2 had a very enjoyable trip to the Heath Robinson Museum on Monday.
They had a look around the beautiful museum and then took part in an art activity using different coloured wool and lots of soap and water to make felt. They used the colour wheel to decide on different colours for their designs and have created some lovely pieces of art work.
This beautiful, local museum offers lots of craft activities over the holidays for families so please do consider taking your children during school holiday times too!
JRSO Conference
On Wednesday our Junior Road Safety Officers were invited to attend an event at The Winston Churchill Hall by the London Borough of Hillingdon’s Road Safety & School Travel Team.
Our team, consisting of six pupils from Year 5 (Fredericka, Georgia, Samir, Vidhit, Jena & Manisher) were invited to participate in a number of fun educational activities, including a theatre performance, workshops and the “Dragons Den”, for which they had to present an idea and pitch for funding.
Over the past few weeks the team have been discussing ideas on how to improve road safety and decided upon a drive to raise speed awareness amongst parents, staff and pupils. They came up with various ideas of how this could be achieved including signage, banners on the railings, a portable speed bump to reduce speed in Parkway to 10mph, assemblies for parents, leaflets and making their own awareness video similar to the TfL “Watch your Speed” campaign. They researched the resources that are available and then calculated the costs involved. They then produced their proposal in the form of a presentation.
On the day they were all very excited and a little nervous before they were called in to face the “Dragons”. They spoke confidently and delivered a polished presentation. The Dragons gave them quite a grilling at the end of their presentation and they answered all their questions with confidence. Councillor Burrows remarked that he was unable to authorise a speed bump but was impressed by their well thought out ideas for raising speed awareness.
At the end of the day we all sat nervously waiting to find out if their pitch to the Dragons had been successful and we were delighted that not only did the Dragons endorse the children’s ideas but actually gave them more money than they had asked for! We received a total of £500 which will enable the JRSOs to get working on their campaign. We look forward to seeing their Speed Awareness Campaign come to life!
Year 3 Pedestrian Training & Year 5 Road Safety Workshop
Our Pedestrian Safety training programme continued this week, with Year 3 pupils undertaking their road safety training with the London Borough of Hillingdon's Road Safety Team, and Year 5 children enjoying a visiting Road Safety Workshop from 'Riot Act' today.
Kingfishers Class Assembly - Space
The children in Kingfishers rocketed us into space this week with a superb assembly, teaching us all about the solar system and space travel. We even met some cheeky little aliens! We were also reminded of how to look after our planet by reusing, reducing and recycling our waste. The children performed confidently and it was a very informative and enjoyable presentation. Well done, Kingfishers.
Woodlands Care Home Visit
On Thursday a group of our Year 6 children, Mrs. Belvoir, Mrs. Drummond and Mr. Barnard visited Woodlands Care Home in Ickenham. This was the first 'getting to know you' visit for the children and the residents and our pupils are incredible ambassadors for the school. Many of the residents suffer from dementia/Alzheimer's and the children were so incredible with their communication and the interest they showed in their new friends. Our new relationship with Woodlands is particularly special for Mrs. Belvoir as her mother is one of the residents who enjoyed the company of the children.
Friday Informal Music Recital
We enjoyed another superb informal music recital in the Evans Hall at the end of the school day today, with performance from pupils from many year groups. It is wonderful to see the children gaining confidence in performing to a supportive, friendly audience and we are sure that many of them will go on to a lifetime of performance and musical achievement! Well done to all those who took part.
Football - Cup Match v. Oak Farm
Unfortunately on Wednesday we suffered our first defeat of the football season, going down 4-0 to Oak Farm in the Cup. The team weren't at their best and hopefully we can rectify that for our remaining two league games.
Exhibition Day
Our annual Exhibition Day will take place on Saturday 21st March from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. This is a wonderful St. Helen's College tradition and we hope that all families will attend so that you may view the displays of children's work across the curriculum. Pupils should wear full school uniform please. Please note that Friday 20th March is a half day and that there will be no Funtasia available on this day as the staff prepare for Exhibition Day.
StarGazing Event at Ruislip Lido This Weekend
The West of London Astronomical Society would like to invite children, parents and staff to a public stargazing event being held at Ruislip Lido this coming weekend: Fri 28, Sat 29, Sun 1 Mar, 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Details are on the poster attached which you are invited to print and publicise as you wish.
Medium term forecasts are now quite reliable and are currently saying:
Fri: poor
Sat: starting partially cloudy then clearing
Sun: the most promising, again improving over the evening.
Please check the WOLAS website before setting off: http://www.wolas.org.uk when the GO/NOGO call will be made by 4pm.
The next stargazing weekend is 20 - 22 November, at the end of National Astronomy Week when Mars will be at its closest until 2035.
We do hope that many of you will take your children along to enjoy some stargazing!
Junior Bake-Off
Love Productions, the company behind The Great British Bake-Off, are currently looking for young budding bakers between 9 -15 years old for a new series of Junior Bake-Off. Filming would take place from July 2020, but applications close on Sunday 5th April 2020.
Interested young bakers can apply online at WWW.APPLYFORJUNIORBAKEOFF.CO.UK.
Spice of the Month - Caraway
Accent Catering's 'Spice of the Month' for March is Caraway. You can find lots of recipes including Caraway here - we hope you will enjoy making some of these with your children!
Posted on: 28/02/2020Hygiene
With Coronavirus dominating the news, we have of course been reviewing the risks to our school community and ensuring that we all have possible measures in place to promote and safeguard the welfare of our pupils, parents and staff.
This week, children have been reminded in assemblies and/or class time about the importance of good hygiene and about how they can help themselves by adopting good hygiene habits for life. It is important that these habits are reinforced consistently at home and at school, so I would like to share with you the areas on which we focus and ask parents and other carers to convey these messages at home too.
Hand Washing
By far the most important hygiene measure is proper hand washing. Children are asked to wash their hands in the mornings, after using the toilet, before and after eating, and at the end of the school day. It may be appropriate for them to wash their hands at other times too.
The key message here is to wash hands properly. Children are often in a rush to get to the next exciting thing – particularly food! – and do need reminders and encouragement to wash their hands thoroughly, using the hand soap provided. Pupils have been shown this short ‘Germ Smart’ handwashing video which explains exactly what they should do when washing their hands. Please do watch this and ensure that your children follow these procedures when hand washing or using hand sanitising gel.
‘Catch It, Bin It, Kill It’
We use the mantra ‘Catch It, Bin It, Kill It’ to teach children how to sneeze or blow noses into tissues and then throw those tissues away promptly, followed by a thorough hand wash to kill any germs. This short video is a useful reminder of how to catch, bin and kill germs that could be transmitted through sneezing or touching your face and then touching other surfaces.
Thank you for your support in continuing to share these resources with your children. Perhaps the most important thing is that all adults lead by example, modelling good hygiene practices whenever you can so that your children see good hygiene as a normal, essential part of life. Children ‘learn what they live’ and will, almost unknowingly, adopt the behaviours they witness regularly. So every time you wash your hands properly or ‘Catch it, Bin it, Kill it’, you are doing something good not just for yourself but for your children too!
Mrs. Drummond
Posted on: 14/02/2020Weekly News - Friday 14th February 2020
Well-Being Week
Our focus on well-being this week was kick-started on Monday with wonderful performances in assemblies from children who wished to share their talents with their peers. We enjoyed singing, dancing, poetry recitals, trumpet playing and ballet to name but a few talents. It was such a joyful start to the week!
Well-Being Day
Yesterday was a wonderful day throughout the school as the children from Ducklings to Year 6 participated in a wide array of well-being activities from making gratitude jars and well-being snow globes to listening ear crowns, yoga, mindful nature walking, a tree of life activity, reflective diary writing.... the list goes on! Do speak with your children and discuss what they did on the day. I am sure that many of the activities they did they would love to do again with their families.
For those of you who were unable to attend last night's parent presentation and workshop evening, please see our booklet for information, some activities to do with your child and top tips to support your child's well-being.
Some children had the opportunity to take part in a session with 'Youth Fit' whilst others took part in other physical activity sessions during the day yesterday. The children thoroughly enjoyed themselves. If you would like to sign your child up for Youth Fit sessions outside of school, you can find out more information here.
Owls Assembly
Happiness exuded from the Lower School Hall yesterday as the Owls class launched the Lower School well-being day by sharing their smiles and happiness with us all in songs and poems. Mr. Happy even managed to put a smile on Little Miss Miserable's face!! They were all little rays of sunshine! Well done Owls.
5A Assembly
5A shared the love of Valentine's Day with everyone today, re-enacting the story of St. Valentine and reminding us that it is not all just about roses, chocolates and cards but in the ways that we can demonstrate our love towards each other, towards ourselves and to our community. Well done, 5A!
Soula and her team delighted everyone at lunchtime, continuing the Valentine's theme, with love-heart shaped strawberry cheesecakes. LOVEly!
Asthma and Allergy Training
All of our pupils from Year 4 to Year 6 participated in a superb training session this week from Rebecca, the asthma and allergy nurse from Hillingdon.
The children now have a much better understanding of what asthma is, how it can affect people and how important it is that children and adults who are diagnosed with asthma follow the medical advice they are given and use their inhalers as appropriate. Rebecca also spoke to the children about the types of allergies people can have and the treatment that is given if someone has a reaction. Our pupils at St. Helen's College really are equipped with amazing life skills.
Football News
We travelled to John Locke on Wednesday afternoon after our win last week, when we beat St. Andrew's 6-0. Looking at the very uneven pitch, we thought we were in for a tricky game at John Locke and this proved to be the case. We managed a 1-0 win thanks to Adam K and the team showed great determination and desire to come out on top. This puts us in a very strong position in the league with two games to play against Heathrow and St. Matthew's. Winning both should see us crowned as champions! We entertain Oak Farm the week after half term in the Borough Cup, with kick off at 3.45 p.m. on Wednesday 26th February in Court Park. All support welcome!
North Hillingdon Methodist Church - Worship KidStyle!
The North Hillingdon Methodist Church are holding new church services especially for children on the third Sunday of every month, with the first one taking place this Sunday, 16th February. Why not take your child along to join in. You can see their Kidstyle poster here.
Coronavirus and Half Term Travel
Many families might be travelling abroad over the half term break, so we would like to remind you that, as a school, we are following the advice issued by the government concerning the Coronavirus. This advice is being updated online daily at 2 p.m. and can be accessed at this link:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-information-for-the-public
All parents should check this advice and, if you are travelling abroad, please continue to check the latest government advice before, during and after travelling. During and after travel, please be vigilant for signs of illness in children or other family members, and comply with the latest advice issued if you have any concerns.
Posted on: 14/02/2020Celebrating Learning
Over the past couple of weeks around the school there has been a constant celebration of pupils' learning. Traditionally this may have taken the form of high marks in exams, full marks in tests, pressure and public accountability for achieving highly but at St. Helen’s College the teachers and pupils have taken a more creative slant to celebrating success!
As you are aware, we like to challenge our children in all that they do - we all need to feel the heat in our learning journey - feel the challenge, experience what it feels to be out of our comfort zone. Our pupils thrive on this and astonish us with their creativity in being able to demonstrate their tenacity and their ability to demonstrate what they have learnt in their own unique way.
In Science lessons I have witnessed pupils writing poetry, performing raps, composing and singing songs and creating the most incredible models. In all these forms of learning outcomes the pupils have taken risks in their learning. They have been individual; they have not followed the crowd; they have used their knowledge of subject matter to challenge themselves to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of concepts taught to them.
It is such a joy to engage with the children as they describe to me what they have been learning about. Taha (Year 6) was particularly animated last week as he exclaimed, ‘It was disgusting Mrs. Drummond - my hands were covered in blood but it was amazing...I could see the inside of the heart and lungs, all the tubes and other parts - it was great!”
I must add that it is a credit to all the pupils, the parents (for giving their permission) and to Ms Gilham (and her butcher) that we are able to extend the children's learning at such a young age to give them first hand experience of being able to dissect a sheep's heart and lungs to see for themselves the circulatory system which they have been studying.
A recent article in the NACE (National Association for Able Children in Education) journal cited an article written by York St John titled ‘Perfectionism in more able learners; what do we know and what next?” I quote an extract below.
“Recent research suggests that perfectionism has become a hidden epidemic among students over the last 30 years, with students now more perfectionistic than ever before. In addition, this complex characteristic has been found to explain a wide range of outcomes among students. On one hand, some aspects of being perfectionistic are related to better academic performance. But, on the other hand, other aspects of perfectionism have been found to be significant sources of psychological distress for students, including burnout and depression.”
I am writing this blog on the eve of our Wellbeing focus day and it is with a sense of pride that I feel confident that our pupils at St. Helen’s College are given the correct classroom climate where there is healthy challenge and opportunity to revel in their success without the damage which can often be done where a culture of ‘perfectionism’ can exists.
Words that spring to mind every day when I listen and breathe in the culture of St Helen’s College are:
collaboration mindset creativity excellence challenge resilience wellbeing
We have children of all abilities at St. Helens’ College and pride ourselves that we endorse a ‘Challenge for all' attitude to learning - all children are encouraged to do their best by parents and staff but it is by ensuring that our expectations and classroom culture are appropriate, that we do not allow the children to fixate on mistakes and errors. FAIL - that 'first attempt in learning' is so important. We celebrate success and effort by all.
I am sure your children will come home on Friday evening for the half term break revelling in the events of our Wellbeing focus day - but that I will keep for a future blog!
Have a super half term break and look after your wellbeing!
I leave you with one example of learning from Catherine in Year 6!
Healthy Bodies Poem
Ms Gilham, a science teacher, and amazing too,
Taught us about living healthily to help beat the blues
She’s told us about striving to eat a varied diet,
To give us minerals and energy, you cannot deny it!
But this is because it’s important to eat,
Our 7 food groups: fibre, protein, vitamins,
fats, water and carbohydrates (including wheat!)
We’ve learnt about Dr Livingstone who
Found out about scurvy to help beat the flu,
The sailors, who were suffering from scurvy onboard,
Were found to lack vitamins but were soon restored,
By eating 2 oranges and a lemon a day,
They just needed some Vitamin C, hip, hip, hooray!
But we know about alcohol, smoking, medicine and drugs
We know they can cause harm, even a stomach bug,
Though not all are damaging, there are one’s that help you,
Like penicillin, Nurofen and many more too!
Cocaine and nicotine are highly addictive,
They can give you heart problems, that’s why they’re constrictive.
Alcohol is permitted in small doses
But drinking too much is bad as it poses
Threats to your physical and mental state,
That can sometimes, if you’re not careful, lead to your fate!
Remember, please, to try not to smoke,
It causes so many problems and can lead to a stroke,
Turns your lungs a sooty black hue,
And because I breathe the toxic air, it harms me and you!
Taking blood from to the heart to the cells and back,
Dealing with all things vascular and cardiac.
Next up, we’ll talk about the arteries,
They take blood from the heart where its gotta be,
The biggest artery, the main transporter,
Right next to the heart,
It’s called the aorta.
Posted on: 7/02/2020Weekly News - Friday 7th February 2020
1C Assembly - Brazil And The Rainforest
The children of 1C took us on a journey to Brazil on Thursday and shared the delights of their culture, landmarks, traditions, football and of course the wonderful Amazon rainforest. Superb performances from all children - thank you!
5G Assembly
Albert Einstein and Benjamin Bloom graced us with their presence this morning as 5G explained relativity, why the sky is blue and how to ask outstanding questions using Bloom's Taxonomy. The children engaged their audience with their knowledge and understanding of critical thinking skills and performed the popular song from Matilda 'When I grow up'. I am sure that everyone present is confident that when our children grow up our world will be a very interesting place indeed! Well done 5G.
Chamber Choir
Tremendous congratulations to our Chamber Choir pupils who performed at the Children's Trust London Schools Concert in St. John's Smith Square on Sunday to a most appreciative audience of approximately 800 people. All the staff who attended and Mr. and Mrs. Crehan were so proud of the children. Thank you to all the families who supported the event
We wish the Chamber Choir well for this weekend, too, as they will be representing the school at a concert at St. John's Church, Royal Lane, Uxbridge on Saturday evening. The concert will begin at 6 p.m. and tickets will be available on the door at a cost of £5 each. Please do come along and support the Chamber Choir if you can!
Mindful Sit
Pupils from Year 2 - Year 6 and staff participated in the national Mindful Sit on Wednesday during assembly time in recognition of National Mental Health week. Pupils were guided through a practice of noticing with their attention finally settling on their breathing. A wonderful start to the day as the children returned to their classes ready for the day ahead with a clear and calm mind.
Pedestrian Skills/Road Safety Training
Our annual pedestrian skills/road safety training programme has commenced for this year. Our Year 2 children received their training this week and other year groups will be taking part in training and/or workshops over the coming weeks. The children have really enjoyed wearing their new hi-vis jackets which we have been able to purchase for every child in the school, thanks to a grant from the London Borough of Hillingdon Road Safety Team.
Sports News
Our netball and our football teams remain at the top of their respective local leagues, having both won their matches this week.
The handball tournament last Saturday was well-attended and most enjoyable. The St. Helen's College children played well in their matches and enjoyed putting the skills they have been learning at school into practice.
Co-Curricular Clubs Led By Pupils
It is always wonderful to observe our children using their leadership skills around the school. Several clubs are running this term led by pupils. One such is the Coding Club, which began this week and is led by Michael K in Year 6.
World Book Day
The school will be celebrating World Book Day on Thursday 5th March. The theme for Ducklings and Lower School is 'Enchanted' and the theme for Upper School is 'Harry Potter'. The children are asked to dress as a book character of their choice (which may of course link to the themes if you wish). It is sure to be a fun-filled day, celebrating the fantastic world of books and all the reading done throughout the year. The children are also asked to bring the book their character is from on the day so that we can share them together.
World Cancer Day
St. Helen's College staff have supported World Cancer Day this week by buying wristbands and donating money in return for staff room treats! Thank you to all of the staff who have contributed.
Uxbridge Library Exhibition - Hillingdon Geological Society
Harrow and Hillingdon Geological Society will be holding a 'hands on' exhibition in Uxbridge Library from 12th to 28th February. Pupils might like to go along to explore the geology of our local area and discover, amongst other things, that Ruislip was once warm waters of a shallow subtropical sea!
PA Forum
The next PA Forum meeting will take place on Tuesday 25th February. If you have any points of school-wide relevance that you would like discussed at this meeting, please send these to your class representative as soon as possible. Class rep's should send any issues for discussion to Mrs. Smith by Friday 14th February please, just before we break up for half term.
Robins Nursery class do not currently have a class representative - if you have a child in Robins and would like to volunteer, please contact Mrs. Smith as soon as possible. Mrs. Smith can be reached on susmith@sthelenscollege.com or by telephoning the Upper School office.
As usual, we will circulate minutes from the PA Forum meeting to all parents after the meeting has taken place.
School Arrival and Collection
The safety of your children whilst they are at school is crucial to us all. Please note that pupils are not permitted to enter the Upper School via the Long Lane entrance after 8.30 a.m. when the door is closed. After this time, parents must accompany pupils to the Parkway entrance and sign them in as a late arrival.
Parents are also reminded that they must not hold the gates/doors open for other parents or visitors to enter the school sites at any time.
Parents using the 'drop and go' system on Parkway are reminded that your child must be ready to leave the car independently (with their belongings) as you pull up alongside the kerb, and that they must exist the car on the kerb side. Please then pull away promptly to allow other cars to move up and drop children off. Children should exit the car when their car is the first in the line (just before the barriers) and not further down Parkway. Parents using 'drop and go' should not exit the car or linger at the kerb after a child has exited; it is crucial that we keep traffic flowing at this busy time of day.
Many thanks, as always, for your support.
Posted on: 31/01/2020Mindfulness and Me
This week I am handing the Head’s blog over to a guest blog from Mr. Shah who has two daughters at St. Helen's College.
Last week I attended a ‘Reconnection Day’ in London with 50 other mindfulness teachers to reflect on how we were taking mindfulness into schools around the UK and overseas. It was only when we separated into smaller focus groups that I became fully aware of how much we do as a school, giving our children the opportunities to embrace just being; taking some time to appreciate our environment and community and bringing their attention to their breath.
I cannot take any credit for St. Helen’s College being a frontrunner in the field of mindfulness as it was Mr. and Mrs. Crehan who were so forward-thinking and brought the paws b and .b training to the school. Mrs. Crehan also starts our young Ducklings off with their mindfulness journey with her weekly visits.
Year 6 are currently in their 4th week of the .b programme and Year 4 will soon embark upon their Paws b course. But it is our whole community who engage with ‘mindful moments’ as they choose ‘strong silence’ in assemblies and are given time to be in their bubble and appreciate the silence, conducting simple mindful practices at ease. Our Mindful Ambassadors meet weekly and the commitment to mindfulness is admirable but they also recognise the benefits it has brought to them.
For those of you who may wish to find out more about mindfulness and would like to engage in a programme of mindfulness, the MISP (Mindfulness in Schools Project) are launching their next online course .begin: https://mindfulnessinschools.org/course/begin-5mar2020/.
At our Friday recital last week, Mrs. Shah delighted me as she told me how their family had embraced mindfulness - I shall allow Mr. Shah to tell the story!
My Mind and Me
As a family we are surrounded by friends and family who actively practise meditation. This has rubbed off on the children and both our girls are quite enthused by the idea and are quite eager to practise and promote mindfulness at any given opportunity.
In my opinion, it will still take me a lot of practice to bring my mind to a meditative state in any session, so the idea of mindfulness which I thought would give my mind the liberty to sense and feel the immediate environment was right up my street.
I’ll share my experience of one such mindfulness session conducted by my 10 year old daughter.
We agreed last week that we would have our dinner on time on Tuesday, after which, Krisha would lead a session on mindfulness.
Come 8.00 p.m., we had tidied up after dinner and gathered in the lounge where we were allocated a chair, which is ideal as opposed to on the couch. Krisha explained why we had gathered and then put on a soothing piece of music.
Feet flat on the floor and palms on the thighs is what we were advised to be the most effective position. We were then led through what she described as a pacifying journey.
Mindfulness of one’s five senses
Gently, Krisha led us through being aware of the immediate environment by using each of our senses. Noticing – really noticing – the sensation in a given moment, brought about by the sights, sounds and smells that ordinarily slip by without reaching our conscious awareness. We tuned into the physical sensations, from the gentle hum of the light bulbs over us to the way the body rested on the chair.
Breathing
We were introduced to a variety of breathing techniques. The first being ‘Flower-Breathing’. This technique is applied by mimicking the opening and closing of a sepal. Breathing in as the sepal opens, and breathing out as it closes. The other technique was that of tracing the index finger of the right hand over the fingers of the left hand. Breathing in as we trace the index finger going up the finger, and breathing out going down the finger. Only later did I realise that this not only made me feel aware of my external (flower) and personal (hand) environments, but also the harmony between the two.
Mindfulness of one’s thoughts and feelings
Being mindful of the environment soon transitioned to the awareness of thoughts and emotions. The relaxing background music helped me to recognise that fleeting thoughts and emotions could actually be harnessed, and as such don’t define either me or the way I behave or react. I felt a transition from a mind racing with a menagerie of emotions and feelings to that of a pretty transient state of awareness, bordering on deep relaxation to the point of drifting into sleep. This is how my meditation session almost always ends up, to be woken up by a sharp nudge on my arm.
Throughout the session, not once did I realise that our 10 year old was conducting the session, such was the confidence and maturity with which she created the state of tranquillity and ambience. This state could easily have been plucked from our lounge and planted in an auditorium full of people. St. Helens College has been subtly instilling the idea of mindfulness into the children who, in turn, have been spreading the message outside. For this I am thankful because I was able to have a meaningful session of meditation, albeit mindfulness, after such a long time.
Mr. Shah
Posted on: 24/01/2020Weekly News - Friday 24th January 2020
Month End Music Recital
Wow! Our first Month End Music Recital of the term saw several children perform on many different instruments. This was probably the biggest of these recitals so far: there were solo performances on various instruments, including some from Lower School, a flute duet and a string ensemble! We were also treated to some fabulous singing. Very well done to all of the children who performed, and thank you to Mrs. Nash, Mrs. MacLean and, in particular, Mrs. Allery who was put on the spot for some sightreading too!
Children's Trust London Schools Concert - Sunday 2nd February
The St. Helen's College Chamber Choir will once again be performing at the Children's Trust London Schools Concert this year. This event takes place from 2 - 4 p.m. on Sunday 2nd February at the beautiful St. John's, Smith Square in London.
All St. Helen's College families are welcome to book tickets, whether your child is in the Chamber Choir or not. This is a really special event in beautiful surroundings and we would appreciate support from families across the school. You can purchase tickets via the following link.
https://thechildrenstrust.digitickets.co.uk/category/24930#cart-summary
St. John's Church Concert - Saturday 8th February
The Chamber Choir will also be performing publicly more locally in February, taking part in an evening concert at St. John's Church, Royal Lane, Uxbridge on Saturday 8th February. The concert begins at 6 p.m. and tickets are available to all (£5 cash payable on the door). Through ticket sales, the concert will raise funds for renovation of the church and for two animal charities in South Africa which promote animal welfare, one of which is run by an ex-Hillingdon vet.
We would be delighted to have as many St. Helen's College families as possible supporting the event, so please do come along if you can. The concert will last from approximately 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., with tea/coffee/cake available in the interval. Our Chamber Choir will be performing in the first half of the event, and several other local bands and artists will be performing too. We hope to see you there!
Sports News
Gymnastics
Well done to our gymnastics teams from Years 3/4 and Years 5/6 who took part in the Borough Gymnastics Competition held at Botwell Green Leisure Centre this week.
Each of our gymnasts completed a floor routine, a body management routine and two vaults in front of panels of judges.
Our pupils performed with precision and flair, showing great skill. Our Year 3/4 team finished in 8th place and our Year 5/6 team finished in 5th place.
Team members were Mark R, Marvin R, Charlotte M, Poppy H, Krish S, Jasmine B, Daniel G-J.
Multi Skills Festival
Some of our Year 1 and Year 2 pupils took part in a friendly multi skills festival hosted by St. Mary's School in Gerrards Cross this week. Senior school sports leaders from St. Mary's organised different skills stations to challenge the teams taking part from St. Helen's College, Dair House and St. Mary's. Our children thoroughly enjoyed taking part and representing their school in a sports event. Many thanks to Miss Ward for organising this for our pupils.
Netball Match
Our Year 6 netball team resumed matches in the local schools' league this week. In a very close match against St. Andrew's, our team rose to the challenge and maintained a high standard of play throughout the game. Our team remains top of the table with two matches to go!
Holding Area
Holding area at Upper School will now take place in the school library each night and will be separate from Funtasia. Holding Area is only for younger siblings at Upper School to use until their older siblings are released and come to collect them. This is one of the methods we use to help reduce congestion outside the entrance during home time.
Staff News
Sadly, Miss Dear will be leaving us at the end of this academic year as she moves to work closer to home to enable her to spend more time with her family. Miss Dear has been with us for nine years and has worked at both Lower and Upper School as well as leading Art for several years. She will be much missed.
We must also share the news that Mrs. Allery will be stepping down as Head of Music from September in order to free up more time to spend with her family. Mrs. Allery has been with St. Helen's College for 20 years and, happily, is not leaving us entirely but will be relinquishing some of her many musical duties.
We will shortly be advertising for teaching staff to join us from September in various roles, including maternity cover and other teaching roles. If you know of anyone who might be interested in joining our team, do direct them to the school website!
Parents' Forum
The next PA Forum meeting will take place on Tuesday 25th February. If you have any points of school-wide relevance that you would like discussed at this meeting, please send these to your class representative as soon as possible. Class rep's should send any issues for discussion to Mrs. Smith by Friday 14th February please, just before we break up for half term.
Robins Nursery class do not currently have a class representative - if you have a child in Robins and would like to volunteer, please contact Mrs. Smith as soon as possible. Mrs. Smith can be reached on susmith@sthelenscollege.com or by telephoning the Upper School office.
As usual, we will circulate minutes from the PA Forum meeting to all parents after the meeting has taken place.
Bus Route 278
There is a new TfL bus route running daily in both directions between Heathrow and Ruislip and stopping along Long Lane just outside both Upper and Lower School. We know that some parents are already using the bus for their school run journeys and, as part of our ongoing efforts to ease congestion and pollution, we would encourage others to do the same! As the new route will mean increased bus traffic along Long Lane during drop and go/pick up and go times, we would like to remind parents not to idle in these areas (and, particularly, not to stop cars in the bus stop areas).
You can see more information about the new bus route here: https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/278/
Half Term Holiday Club
Bookings are now being taken for Holiday Club during the February half term. Please log into your SchoolsBuddy account to make your bookings.
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