School News and Head's Blog
Posted on: 10/11/2023Weekly News - Friday 10th November 2023
Happy Diwali!
For those celebrating this weekend, we wish you a Happy Diwali, filled with light, love and laughter.
Remembrance At SHC
Today we took the opportunity at school to talk about why we wear poppies as a mark of respect and remembrance for all those who so bravely gave their lives in war to secure our freedom. We observed silences and, at Upper School, heard Year 6 children read a poem and a prayer and Mrs. Fawbert perform The Last Post beautifully.
Thank you to parents for allowing the children to bring in money to buy poppies, and thank you to the Year 6 Charity Representatives who sold them.
Children in Need
On Friday 17th November, we will be raising money for Children In Need here at school. All children are invited to wear spots and stripes and they will have the chance to take part in some fun, age-appropriate activities during the day. Every child will also be entered into a raffle with the chance of winning their own Pudsey Bear. We are asking for each child to bring in a donation (suggested minimum £2 but all donations gratefully received), which they can hand in to their class teacher on the day. Thank you in advance for your support.
Year 1 Trip To Road Dahl Gallery
The Year 1 trip to The Roald Dahl Gallery in Aylesbury was a wonderful experience for all involved on Tuesday! The children were able to explore the Bucks Museum to get inspiration for their very own dream bottles. They were fascinated to learn about Roald Dahl's life and the real people Roald knew who inspired characters such as the BFG and Miss Trunchbull. The Gallery itself was full of amazing exhibits and the children all had the most fantastic time interacting with them all. Everyone enjoyed the day and would thoroughly recommend it.
Sports News
On Tuesday the Year 4 girls took part in the Reddiford netball tournament. They displayed great focus and versatility when playing their first 7-a-side netball matches. They placed 4th overall. Well done to all the girls.
The Year 6 netball team had a league netball match against Cowley St. Lawrence on Wednesday. The girls dominated the game throughout, displaying great timing and accuracy. They scored an impressive 12 goals, winning 12-0.
The football team lost 5-1 to Oak Farm on Wednesday in the Borough Cup Competition, in a tough game which certainly taught them much about perseverance.
Thursday then saw the U11 football team travel to Reddiford School for the Reddiford Cup Tournament, contested between six teams. They played five games in total, winning the first 2-1, the second 2-0 and the third 2-0. The fourth game saw the boys win convincingly 5-0, leaving them needing just a draw in the final game to secure the trophy. They showed nerves of steel to keep a clean sheet and draw 0-0, making them the overall tournament winners. Aaron B was the top scorer but every boy played with determination and skill. Well done to all involved!
Parents' Evenings
Thank you to all of the parents who came to the Year 2 - 6 parents' evening on Tuesday. This was the last of the formal parents' evenings for this term but, as ever, we urge parents to keep in touch with class teachers regularly.
Centenary Christmas Card Competition
We would like pupils to have a go at designing the cover of a special Centenary Christmas Card for us this year. The card should include mention of the St. Helen's College Centenary. Pupils may draw, colour and paint the card but should not use glue or glitter.
The winning card, chosen by Ms Drummond, will be sent out digitally by the school to many recipients!
Pupils should hand their designs in to their class teacher (Ducklings/Lower School) or to the school office (Upper School).
Switch Off Fortnight
Switch Off Fortnight starts next week and this year there is an opportunity for pupils to design the Switch Off Fortnight campaign t-shirt. Winners will receive 10 Teemill t-shirts with their own design and an optional visit to the Teemill factory to meet the team and see how the t-shirts are made. All information about the competition can be found here. Please do let the school know if your child enters the competition!
Next Week
All week - 3B swimming
Tuesday 14th November - Diwali special lunch menu
Thursday 16th November - U11 girls' netball at Reddiford School (1.30 - 3.30 p.m.)
Friday 17th November - Children In Need
Friday 17th November - 2H coffee morning and class assembly (8.15 a.m.)
Posted on: 3/11/2023Weekly News - Friday 3rd November 2023
3B Class Assembly
Thank you to all of the parents who attended the 3B coffee morning and class assembly today. We all very much enjoyed watching the children present their informative and enjoyable assembly about their history topic of the Romans. They told us how the Romans came to Britain and the impact they had. The pupils also described their recent Year 3 trip to St. Albans, including what they learnt about the Roman town of Verulamium and mosaics, and the drama workshop in which they acted out the life of St. Alban himself. The assembly also included four wonderful musical performances: vocal, piano, trombone and violin. The children's delivery was confident and engaging and there was plenty of humour too. Well done, 3B!
Orchestra Enjoy Northwood College Event
The school orchestra visited Northwood College for Girls on Wednesday, for a joint orchestra day. The two orchestras joined together to rehearse pieces of music by Vivaldi, Verdi and Beethoven, and showcased their hard work in a performance to parents at the end of the day. They also very much enjoyed making new friends and enjoying play time with the Northwood College children.
The pupils made us all very proud with their high level of engagement and their beautiful behaviour and manners throughout the trip. The final performance was of a very high quality and we are sure that the children have benefited hugely from the experience. Thank you to the many parents who attended too!
Sports News
Netball
On Monday our Year 5 and 6 netball players travelled to Highgate School to play in a highly competitive fixture. The pupils worked well as a team and demonstrated great resilience and determination throughout.
The Year 6 netball team built on Monday's experience, playing an excellent match against St. Andrew's on Wednesday. St. Helen's College won 7-2, and the pupils continue to display excellent character skills and make significant progress. Well done to everyone.
Football
The football teams thoroughly enjoyed their afternoon at Highgate School on Monday; some of the teams won and some of them lost. The real winner was football though. All of the games were played in good spirit and it was a great opportunity for everyone to represent the school in a sports fixture. Well done to everyone for upholding the school values and for their fantastic efforts.
The U11 first team played Laurel Lane on Wednesday 1st November. It was their first league fixture and they played extremely well. The game finished 6-0. The scorers were Aaron B (3), Joe T (2) and Daynan C (1) and it was a superb display by all.
The Packham Cup competition which was due to take place tomorrow has been CANCELLED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER.
Basketball
Thames Valley Cavaliers are once again offering free tickets to St. Helen's College children for their game this weekend against the Nottingham Hoods. You can find details here.
Pedestrian Training
Our Year 3 and Year 5 pupils have undertaken Pedestrian Training this week, delivered by the London Borough of Hillingdon. They learnt and practised how to keep safe on foot in the local area, including crossing roads with parked cars and being vigilant around driveways.
Nursery Trip To Playtrain
On Friday our Nursery classes enjoyed a trip to Playtrain. Great fun was had by all!
Parents' Evenings
Thank you to the parents who attended the Owls and the Year 2 - Year 6 parents' evenings last night. As always, it was lovely to see so many of you and we hope that you found the conversations useful. Please do keep in touch regularly with your class teacher if you have any concerns or questions about your child's well-being or progress. The next parents' evening for Year 2 - Year 6 will take place on Tuesday 7th November.
PA Coffee Morning
On Thursday, we held a coffee morning for the Parents' Association committee and class representatives in the Evans Hall. It was a great opportunity for everyone to get together and very well-attended. Thank you to those who came along. Ms Drummond particularly enjoyed talking to parents about parental well-being and has written a blog about this topic this week, which you can read here.
Attendance Policy
We would like to draw parents' attention to our Attendance Policy. It is crucial that all children arrive at school promptly and attend each school day from start to finish, in order to take full advantage of the education and opportunities we offer. The Attendance Policy and some other school policies are published on the school website here.
Messages from the PA
PA Christmas Parties
The PA has organised two Christmas parties for St. Helen's College children on Sunday 26th November. Your child/children can attend either time slot together, despite being in different year groups. We are not holding parties for specific year groups on this occasion. As spaces are limited they will be provided on a first come, first served basis. Each party will consist of party food and soft drink, a disco and a gift from Father Christmas.
PARTY OPTIONS: Sunday 26 November 2023
PARTY 1: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
PARTY 2: 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Please complete your booking here: https://forms.gle/JUQpUgR8J5z4vnWg9
PRICES:
£15.00 per child
£5.00 per adult
Please make payment of £15 per child and £5 per adult using the Child 1 Name and Class as your reference. Please note that payment must be made within 24 hours and is only accepted by bank transfer to:
Account Name: SHC Parents Association
Bank: Natwest
Sort Code: 60-02-60
Account No: 10315152
VENUE:
Yiewsley and West Drayton Community Centre, 228 Harmondsworth Road, West Drayton UB7 9JL
Some parking available on site.
Please ensure that you include all the information on the form as requested and make payment within 24 hours of booking. BOOKINGS WILL BE OPEN UNTIL THURSDAY 16 NOVEMBER. Book early to avoid disappointment.
If there are any queries, please email pa@sthelenscollege.com.
PA Christmas Fair Stalls - Expressions of Interest
The PA will be running a Christmas Fair in the Evans Hall at Upper School from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on 7th December to complement the Carols Round The Tree event being held in the school playground that afternoon.
If you, or anyone you know, would be interested in holding a stall at the Christmas Fair to sell items, raise awareness, or to promote a business, please complete and submit this Google Form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeYeBvdIhNelDvL2MrUF4aWtLbJfL7Kdo_rXtZ1D4LBsgFF_Q/viewform?usp=pp_url
Uniform Stall
Thank you for all your generous donations of uniform. The uniform stall held over half term was successful and we would like to extend our appreciation to all those who helped to make it happen.
Comedy Night
Please take a look at this flyer for the PA comedy night at The Comedy Bunker, Uxbridge Golf Club, on Friday 8th March at 7.45 p.m. Do save the date! Tickets will go on sale in January and are £18.50 per person.
Next Week
Our charity representatives will be selling poppies at school from Monday 6th November for pupils to wear ahead of and on Remembrance Day. Please allow your child to bring a donation into school if they would like to buy a poppy.
Here is a reminder of upcoming events next week.
Monday 6th November - Year 1 trip to The Roald Dahl Gallery
Tuesday 7th November - Year 4 girls' netball tournament at Reddiford School
Tuesday 7th November - Year 2 to 6 parents' evening
Wednesday 8th November - Netball match (H) and football match (A at Oak Farm)
Thursday 9th November - Football tournament at Reddiford School
Friday 10th November - Remembrance at St. Helen's College
Diwali Special Menu
We will have a special lunch menu at school on Tuesday 14th November to celebrate Diwali. You can see the menu here.
Flu Vaccinations
Flu vaccinations will take place at school on 30th November. Parents of children in Reception to Year 6 will be sent a link approximately two weeks before this date. In order for your child to have the vaccination at school you must follow the link to register them. Unregistered children will not be vaccinated.
100 Things To Do In Our Centenary Year
We hope you are enjoying working your way through the list of '100 Things To Do In Our Centenary Year'!
For the school magazine, we would like to collate photographs of pupils/families doing these activities. Mrs. Smith would be grateful if you would share photographs of your children/family enjoying some of the activities with her. There are two ways to do this.
1. Upload the photos to this shared folder on Google Drive (preferred option).
2. Email photos directly to susmith@sthelenscollege.com.
With so many families in the school, to keep things manageable please limit the number of photographs you send to one per activity! Please feel free to send photographs throughout the year as you complete each activity.
Art Workshops
Parents of budding young artists might be interested in some new art workshops which will be running on Saturday mornings in Rickmansworth. These will be run by a well-qualified ex-colleague of Ms Drummond. You can find details here.
Posted on: 3/11/2023Making Time For Us
As you all know, here at St. Helen’s College we put pupil well-being at the core of everything we do. If we have happy and healthy children attending school, they will go on to thrive surrounded by loving parents and our supportive school environment with all that we offer.
Staff well-being is also core to us and I hope that any member of staff to whom you speak would testify that we look after and look out for every member of staff, to enable them to give their best to your children every day.
It is more difficult to reach every parent to ensure that your well-being is in a good place to enable you to be the best version of yourself each and every day. Our parent body is incredibly diverse and you all have many, varied commitments as part of your lives. We all live very busy lives and sometimes, in our commitment to our families and our work, we adults can forget about ourselves.
I enjoyed talking about adult well-being with parents at this week’s PA coffee morning and with staff on our return to school following half term. It was gratifying to hear that many of us are making time to look after our own well-being, perhaps away from partners and children. Spa days, weekends away with friends, attending yoga sessions, going swimming and morning runs before work are just a few ways that some of us make time for ourselves.
Many parents have taken advantage of some of the provisions we offer from a school’s perspective. Our Teddy Talks, for example, were put together in response to a parent survey about which areas of parenting you would like some support with. Our team were very brave in embarking upon this and we created a series of videos on a range of topics including early speech and language development, growing a love of reading and supporting healthy eating to name but a few. Do take a look, following the link, if you have not seen these short videos. Any further suggestions for future talks are most welcome.
Other parents have signed up for the Mindfulness in Schools course ‘.begin’ to give them a further understanding of how they may embed a more mindful approach to life’s challenges. See the link here for future course information.
Many families are enjoying ticking off the list of '100 Things To Do In Our Centenary Year', which we sent home with each pupil earlier this term. Do let us know how you are getting on with this and feel free to share photographs of you and your children enjoying any of the activities. The list was written by Mrs. Smith to enhance our well-being by encouraging us all to spend time appreciating the world around us, especially the great outdoors. I know that staff are enjoying working their way through the list with their families too!
This week was Mrs. McLauglins’s first week of running the next block of our ‘Baby Mindfulness’ sessions. The sessions are a bespoke six week course for mothers and babies, which we have been running at St. Helen’s College since 2021. You can click here to read a blog written last year by one of our current parents who attended with her newborn baby. Mrs. McLaughlin loves running these sessions and they are open to anyone in the local community, not just St. Helen’s College parents. (The Teddy Talk where Mrs. McLaughlin explains her classes is here). This course is unique and there are no other such classes available to new mums in the Hillingdon area. If any of you are currently expecting a baby or know of new mums who you think would benefit from this class then please do contact Mrs. McLaughlin at pmclaughlin@sthelenscollege.com for further information.
It is so important that we adults look after our own well-being and make time to gather our thoughts, re-energise and just be ourselves - not someone’s parent, not an employee or boss, not a husband or wife - just us! It is when we give ourselves permission to take this time that we may become the best version of ourselves and this can only benefit everyone around us.
Enjoy and cherish that time!
Have a great weekend.
Ms Drummond
Posted on: 13/10/2023Weekly News - Friday 13th October 2023
As we reach the end of a very busy first half term of the academic year, we are feeling very grateful to the whole St. Helen's College community and very proud of all that has been achieved so far! We wish you all a happy, restful half term.
Reception and Year 1 Harvest Assemblies
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Lower School classes helped us to reflect on the importance of gratitude and sharing.
Year 1 performed a super assembly on Tuesday, telling us about harvest time around the world. The children described how different cultures and countries celebrate and give thanks for the food they are able to produce and eat. We were also reminded of the importance of sharing with those less fortunate. The pupils sang with gusto and spoke individual lines with confidence. There was some wonderful dancing too!
The following day, our Owls and Kingfishers Reception classes presented their harvest assembly, themed around colours. Through song, choral verse and individual lines, the children explained how farmers use combine harvesters and other machinery to help grow, gather and prepare crops, before considering the 'rainbow' of produce we can eat. We remembered together that we are lucky to have plenty and to be able to help those who do not have enough.
After each performance, Reverend Ken Kingston told the children a short story to demonstrate how even the smallest contribution can make the biggest difference.
We would like to thank everyone who has contributed food for our harvest collections during this half term. As usual, the St. Helen's College community has been hugely generous in supporting those in need, of whom there are many in our local community. All donations are being distributed to people in Hillingdon.
3M Class Assembly
The 3M class assembly on Friday looked at all of the connections between people: in our immediate and extended families, in our school and wider community, and around the world. The children reminded us all how important it is to nurture and enjoy these connections, and how we can all make a difference to others' lives by being mindful of the world that connects us. They took us to Antarctica, the Sahara Desert and the Amazon Rainforest, educating us on how important it is to protect these endangered places. We were asked to remember that it is possible for every single person to make a difference and that no difference is too small, because 'the greatest threat to our planet is believing someone else will save it.' Well done, 3M. You spoke your lines with great confidence, projection and clarity and gave us all plenty to reflect upon.
Sports News
Tuesday saw our U11 girls' football team take part in a tournament at Radlett Prep alongside five other schools. The girls really enjoyed the experience and made the most of the opportunity to compete and develop their matchplay against some tough opposition. The team lost their first game 2-0 to Radlett Prep, won the second 1-0 against Monksmead, with Alexia C the goal scorer, lost 6-0 to Manor Lodge, lost 1-0 to Quainton Hall and lost 1-0 to Cowley Hill. This put the team fifth in the league table which meant a fifth/sixth place play-off against Monksmead. The girls were excited to put their boots back on for the final game and they had saved their best performance until last, winning 3-0 with goals from Eva J, Riya S and Alexia C. Thank you to the parents who came along, both for the amazing support and with the help in transporting the girls to and from the competition.
On Wednesday, the U11 boys' football team travelled to Manor Lodge to take part in a tournament. The team produced a mixed set of results, losing their first game 2-1, then winning 3-0, losing 2-0 and losing the last game 3-1. They finished fifth out of seven teams. This was good preparation for the team as the league season is starting very soon. At times the team played very well and they certainly have a strong foundation upon which to build. Many thanks to those who came along to support them.
The netball team was also in action on Wednesday with a home match against St. Bernadette's, their second league match of the season. It was an exciting game from start to finish, with the teams being very well matched.
Unfortunately St. Helen's College lost 3-4 to St. Bernadette’s, but the girls all played brilliantly and made improvements on their match last week. Nya was awarded player of the match for her fantastic interceptions throughout.
Congratulations to Hana H (Year 6) and her brother Samir H (an Old Helenian), who were recently runners up in their tennis club finals at Dukes Wood Tennis Club in Gerrards Cross. Hana entered the U10 mixed competition and Samir was in the U14 boys' competition. They were both beaten by county players but enjoyed the challenge.
News From The PA
Quiz night: Thank you to all of the parents and teachers who participated in Quiz Night. The event was a lot of fun with lots of new parents joining in. These events play a valuable role in fostering a sense of community and collaboration within the school. We appreciate everyone who attended.
Uniform Stall: The uniform stall will be held during the half term on Tuesday 24th October from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Upper School car park, via Parkway.
Christmas Party: The PA has organised two Christmas parties for St. Helen's College children on Sunday 26th November. Your child/children can attend either time slot together, despite being in different year groups. We are not holding parties for specific year groups on this occasion.
As spaces are limited, they will be provided on a first come, first served basis. Each party will consist of party food and soft drink, a disco and a gift from Father Christmas.
PARTY OPTIONS: Sunday 26 November 2023
PARTY 1: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
PARTY 2: 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Please complete your booking here: PA Christmas Party 2023 (google.com)
PRICES:
£15.00 per child
£5.00 per adult
PAYMENT
Please make payment of £15 per child and £5 per adult using the Child 1 Name and Class as your reference.
Please note that payment must be made within 24 hours and is only accepted by bank transfer to:
Account Name: SHC Parents Association
Bank: Natwest
Sort Code: 60-02-60
Account No: 10315152
VENUE:
Yiewsley and West Drayton Community Centre, 228 Harmondsworth Road, West Drayton UB7 9JL
PARKING FACILITIES:
Some parking available on site.
Please ensure that you include all the information on the form as requested and make payment within 24 hours of booking. BOOKINGS WILL BE OPEN UNTIL THURSDAY 16 NOVEMBER. Book early to avoid disappointment. If there are any queries, please email pa@sthelenscollege.com.
Parents' Evenings
It was good to see so many parents of our Lower School children at the second round of Ducklings, Nursery, Reception and Year 1 parents' evenings this week. We hope that you found the conversations useful. Please keep communicating with your child's class teacher regularly in order to support their progress.
Parents' Evenings for Years 2 to 6 will take place on:
Thursday 2nd November (4 p.m. to 7 p.m.)
Tuesday 7th November (5 p.m. to 8 p.m.)
To book appointment(s), please use the following link.
https://sthelens.schoolcloud.co.uk/
Road Safety And Sustainability
Gold Kitemark
We are delighted to report that St. Helen's College has once again been awarded a gold kite mark by Transport for London to reflect the school's excellent work concerning road safety and sustainability. As usual, our JTAs (Junior Travel Ambassadors) have been instrumental in gaining this accolade. This keen and responsible group of pupils meets regularly to come up with new and inventive ways to reduce pollution and congestion in the area, as well as to promote the safety of all road users. Well done all!
Hillingdon's Active Travel Movement
This year the Hillingdon STARS team are offering Hillingdon schools the chance to be involved with their Active Travel Movement 2023 campaign. By being part of the movement, school communities can participate in active travel activities, reduce car use, improve air quality and improve the overall physical and mental well-being of everyone involved. There has never been a more important time for the young minds of today to help shape the fate of our environment and travel behaviours for the future. Watch the 2-minute video to get a sense of what it's all about!
October Walk to School Month Competitions
The STARS Team will be running an October Walk to school month competition. There are different competitions for children up to Year 2 and children in Years 3 - 6. All entries must be handed into school by Tuesday 31st October. Winners will be announced and contacted in November. Winners will be chosen from each key stage and will have their design digitally recreated and framed as well as receiving an Amazon gift card!
EYFS/KS1 Active Travel Art Competition (Early Years and Years 1 & 2)
Children are asked to create a piece of art to show a safe and sustainable way to travel to school. This could be walking, scooting, cycling etc. They should show in their drawing how they keep safe when travelling to school actively.
KS2/KS3 Road Safety Invention Design Competition (Years 3 - 6)
Children are asked to come up with a new "Road Safety Invention Design" which could make roads safer. They should draw the design as well as explain how the road safety invention would work and how it makes roads safer.
Thames Valley Cavaliers - Free Tickets
Thames Valley Cavaliers will be playing a home match against Loughborough Riders this Saturday, starting at 7 p.m. at Uxbridge College. All St. Helen's College pupils are welcome to attend free of charge! You can find details here.
Music Spaces
We currently have spaces available for flute, trumpet/trombone and singing lessons for children in Years 2-6. Please use this Google Form to register interest. Please note that there are currently no spaces available for piano lessons; however, the form can be used to add your child's name to a waiting list for any instrument.
Upcoming Dates
The second half term promises to be as busy as the first, if not more so! Here is a reminder of upcoming dates/events for the first week back:
Monday 30th October - Year 5 pedestrian training (during school hours)
Monday 30th October - Year 5 and Year 6 netball v. Highgate (A)
Tuesday 31st October - Year 3 pedestrian training (during school hours)
Wednesday 1st November - Orchestra trip to Northwood College
Wednesday 1st November - Football match v. Laurel Lane (H)
Thursday 2nd November - PA coffee morning in Evans Hall (8.15 a.m.)
Thursday 2nd November - Year 2 - 6 parents' evenings (4 p.m. to 7 p.m.)
Friday 3rd November - 3B coffee morning/class assembly (8.15 a.m.)
Friday 3rd November - Nursery trip to The Play Train
Posted on: 6/10/2023Weekly News - Friday 6th October 2023
Year 3 Trip To St. Albans
On Monday, Year 3 had their first school trip of the year to St. Albans Cathedral. When they arrived the children met a Roman soldier before taking part in a mosaic making workshop and a drama workshop, where they acted out the life of St. Alban as they toured the cathedral.
IAPS Clay Art Workshop
Also on Monday, Mrs. Pruce had pleasure of hosting a Clay Workshop at St. Helen's College in her role as subject leader for IAPS. It was a fantastic day of sharing creativity with other art teachers. The course lead was Emma Collins, with whom we have had the pleasure of working previously here at St. Helen's College. The day began with exploring the different ways to make and shape different types of clay and then, in the afternoon, a sense of calm and quiet came over the room as the delegates became mindful of the activity and embraced the opportunity to be active artists themselves. Feedback from the delegates was superb.
Open Morning
On Tuesday morning, we welcomed many prospective new families to tour the school and meet current staff and children. Our Year 6 pupils did a wonderful job of showing new families around at Upper School and, as always, really impressed our visitors with their confidence and love for St. Helen's College, their studies and their extra-curricular activities.
Year 2 Stone Age Day
On Wednesday our Year 2 children enjoyed an immersive day of learning about the Stone Age. The day was a huge success. The children looked amazing in their Stone Age costumes and they enjoyed an action packed day of activities which included Stone Age Maths, Nature Collages, We Will Rock You Music, Cave Painting, Rock Painting, Food Tasting and Clay Faces. The day enriched their history learning and everyone had a Yabadabadoo time!
Netball Result
The Year 6 Netball Team played a great first netball match on Wednesday afternoon, finishing with a 3-2 home win. The team rotated through positions and showed great versatility. They went into the last quarter drawing 2-2 and kept calm, maintaining possession and securing a well deserved win.
Well done to all who played and congratulations to Sofia K, who was awarded player of the match by the opposing team's players and coach.
4B coffee morning/class assembly
On Friday, class 4B performed a super assembly, celebrating the fact that our school is turning one hundred years old this year. The children told us about school in the 1920s which seemed to be very strict! They showed us a traditional dance which children would have learnt at that time and gave us a taster of what life was like then, with no school kitchen, smart boards or cars to travel in. We thought about how we can learn from the past and how we do not know what the future will hold for us. The children were excited to tell the audience about their parents and older siblings who had attended St. Helen's College. The assembly ended with a rousing performance of our school song. Well done, 4B, on an enjoyable and informative performance!
Ducklings/Nursery/Reception parents' evenings
Thank you to all of the parents who joined us for the first Ducklings, Nursery and Reception parents' evenings of the year on Wednesday evening. It was lovely to see you all and we hope that you found the conversations about your children interesting and helpful. The next parents' evening for our Early Years classes will take place next week on Thursday 12th October.
Messages From The PA
Please mark your calendars for our upcoming uniform stall on October 24, 2023, during the half-term break. We have placed uniform donation bins outside the Upper and Lower School buildings. Please drop off any unwanted uniform there before the half-term holiday. Let's support one another, save on uniform costs, and promote sustainability!
Quiz Night at The White Bear!
Date: Wednesday, October 11th
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: The White Bear in Ruislip
Join us for an evening of fun, trivia, and friendly competition. Spaces are limited, so be sure to secure your spot by using the Google Form link: https://forms.gle/cPnxNAbvxb7kX3oDA.
If you would like to join but do not have a team, please let your class rep know via Class List and we will do our best to link you in to a team.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Staff News
Congratulations to Mrs. Smith, who discovered today that she has been awarded a distinction for her MA!
Class List
The Parents' Association have adopted the Class List app for all of their communications. If you have not already downloaded Class List and signed up, please do so as soon as possible so that you do not miss out on communications from the PA about events and more. Parents are encouraged to use Class List to communicate with parent class groups and/or with other parents from across the school.
Next Week
4B swimming all week
Tuesday 10th October - Year 1 coffee morning and Harvest assembly (8.15 a.m.)
Tuesday 10th October - U11 girls' football tournament at Radlett Prep School (1.00 p.m.)
Wednesday 11th October - U11 boys' football tournament at Manor Lodge School (1.00 p.m.)
Wednesday 11th October - Y6 netball match v. St. Bernadette's (3.45 p.m.) - home
Wednesday 11th October - PA Quiz Night at The White Bear, Ruislip (7.00 p.m.)
Thursday 12th October - Ducklings, Nursery and Reception parents' evenings at Lower School (5.00 p.m. - 8.00 p.m.)
Friday 13th October - 3M coffee morning/class assembly (8.15 a.m.)
Term Dates 2024-2025
The term dates for the academic year 2024-2025 have now been published to the school website and are available here.
BBC 500 Words Competition
500 Words, the UK’s most successful children’s writing competition, has now opened for submissions and will run until Friday 10th November. Children of all abilities are encouraged to use their creativity and imagination to write a story they would love to read.
You can find out more on the BBC website here, or on the information poster. Good luck submitting your entries - do please let us know of any successes as not only are there excellent individual prizes to be won (including going to Buckingham Palace and being on The One Show), but the school also stands to win a range of books for any successful entries!
Half Term Chess Camp
Uxbridge Chess Club are running a half term camp which might be of interest to those looking to improve their chess skills and have fun at the same time. Full details are here.
Football Development Sessions For Girls
Ickenham Youth FC are running some mini development sessions for girls on Saturday mornings. If you have a daughter in Reception to Year 3 who might be interested in joining in, you can find details here.
Posted on: 29/09/2023Weekly News - Friday 29th September 2023
Harvest Festival
Thank you to those parents who joined us for our Upper School Harvest Festival service at All Saints Church this morning. We hope that you enjoyed reflecting on this important time of year along with us. Our Year 5 pupils and Year 6 Pupil Leadership Team led the readings beautifully and we were delighted to hear from the Senior and Junior Choirs, as well as the Orchestra, so early in the year!
Many, many thanks to all those who sent in donations of food. These will be distributed by the Salvation Army to those in need in Hillingdon.
Lower School Harvest Assemblies will take place on Tuesday 10th October (Year 1) and Wednesday 11th October (Reception).
Month End Music Recital
Our first Month End Music Recital of the year was extremely well-attended today and it was wonderful to see so many of our young performers step up to show off their musical talents and hard work. Well done to all those who performed!
A Week Of Trips And Visits
It has been a busy week of trips, visits and workshops across the school.
On Monday, the Year 4 classes enjoyed an Ancient Greek Day to enhance their history learning. In the morning they met someone who was trying to become a time traveller and had to help her to answer some different challenges about Ancient Greece. The pupils 'travelled' with her, using laughter to make the time travel happen. They then met Jocasta, an Athenian noblewoman, and were treated to a great insight into her life. In the afternoon the children took part in workshops and learnt about what it would be like to live in Jocasta's house, where there were separate rooms for the males and females to relax and where she had slaves to do everything for her. It was an interesting and exciting day for Year 4.
On Wednesday, Year 6 visited Henry Moore's studio and gardens to explore some fascinating artwork by the war artist. This links to their studies in history where they are looking at the Second World War. In small groups, the pupils were taken on a tour of the fields of sculptures by well informed volunteer guides. The guides were impressed by how much knowledge the children retained about Moore's life and works. The statues are quite breathtaking and the children were impressed by their size. The afternoon gave the opportunity to sketch and take photographs of his work. We look forward to seeing the creations Year 6 will make based on Henry Moore's work over the coming weeks.
Also on Wednesday, Year 5 enjoyed a fabulous day at Hampton Court Palace, enriching their learning about The Tudors. The weather stayed dry, the children were full of enthusiasm and the staff were impressed with their behaviour. The pupils explored the outside grounds, the chapel and the impressive range of kitchens and had a tour of the Tudor state apartments. The children took part in a workshop with a costumed presenter about Elizabethan exploration and world trade. They thought about the different goods that were valuable at the time, being particularly amazed that the potato was such a prized possession! As part of this session, the children pitted themselves against the teachers in a race to be first to reach South America.
On Thursday, our Kingfishers and Owls Reception classes had a wonderful time at Odds Farm Park. It was fun to learn lots of information about how a real farm works and there were lots of opportunities to see and touch different breeds of sheep and goats, as well as a lovely Jersey cow named Posey. The children found it very interesting to see first hand how the farmer milks a cow and there was even time to meet some fluffy rabbits. The day ended with an exciting and rather bumpy tractor ride across the field. What a lovely time Reception had down on the farm.
Thursday also saw the Year 2 classes take a trip to the Chiltern Open Air Museum, where they learnt many interesting facts about the Stone Age. They are now very much looking forward to their Stone Age Day here at school next Wednesday and we will share photographs of their stone age activities in due course!
PA Quiz Night
The Parents' Association will be hosting a quiz night on Wednesday 11th October at The White Bear in Ruislip. These are always popular occasions so please organise your team (4-6 people) and book your table soon! Details are here and the link for ticket bookings is being sent out by the PA.
Individual Music Lessons
There are spaces available for woodwind, brass and singing lessons for children in Years 2-6. Please use this Google Form to register interest.
Co-Curricular Activities
We have a few spaces left in Upper School co-curricular clubs, as follows.
Year 2/3 Recorder Club - Monday lunchtimes
Year 4/5/6 Spanish Club - after school
If your child is interested in joining one of these clubs, please contact Mr. Harrington at lharrington@sthelenscollege.com.
Karate Success
Very well done to the St. Helen's College pupils who competed in the International Banzai Cup Championship in Berlin last weekend. Grace O'H, Daynan C, Rania Q, Avleen P and Nayia L put in outstanding efforts. They all delivered solid performances and in some cases, narrowly missed out on podium finishes.
Freya K secured a bronze medal in her kata event and a silver medal in her kumite event, while Aleya S clinched the gold medal in her kumite event. Both girls deserve special congratulations for their inspiring efforts!
From The PA: Christmas Card Project Reminder For Upper School Parents
Last week, forms and artwork sheets were distributed to each class for the children to complete their drawings at home. Please check with your child if they have received their materials.
Artistic guidelines: we encourage all children to create bright and bold drawings for the Christmas cards as these tend to work best. As a friendly reminder, please do not use collage or glitter on the artwork sheets.
Artwork submission deadline: to ensure the project's success and timely production, all completed artwork must be returned to the Upper School office by Tuesday, October 3, 2023.
Replacement forms: if you find that you need a replacement form, please do not hesitate to contact the Upper School office.
The artwork will be returned to the company and uploaded onto a portal. The PA will share login details for the portal so that you can go online, view your child's artwork and place an order.
Artwork for Lower School is being completed at school.
Holiday Club - Half Term
Holiday Club bookings for half term will open at 4 p.m. today. Please log in to your SchoolsBuddy account to make your bookings. Please note that there will no longer be in-house catering for Holiday Club; parents will need to send snacks and lunches with children. Places must be booked in advance by Friday 13th October to enable us to arrange staffing in advance.
Next Week
4T swimming all week
Monday 2nd October - Year 3 trip to St. Albans
Tuesday 3rd October - School At Work Open Morning
Wednesday 4th October - Year 2 Stone Age Day
Wednesday 4th October - Nursery coffee morning in Lower School Hall (8.15 a.m.)
Wednesday 4th October - Ducklings, Nursery and Reception parents' evenings (all at Lower School)
Thursday 5th October - Parents' Association meeting in Evans Hall (7.00 p.m.)
Friday 6th October - 4B coffee morning/class assembly (8.15 a.m.)
Toddler Play Sessions
Mr. Harrington's wife runs 'Mini Me Town' play sessions for children up to the age of six, which encourage exploration through play. She will be running a session at Lower School on Saturday 7th October from 10.30 - 11.30 a.m. If you are interested in attending with your child to encourage their imaginative play and meet other parents and children, you can visit the Mini Me Town website for further details and to book: www.minimetown.co.uk. Sessions are usually £9 each, but there is an introductory offer of £6 for the first session. Places are limited so please book early.
Posted on: 22/09/2023Weekly News - Friday 22nd September 2023
STEAM Day
Today we have all enjoyed a very busy and productive STEAM Day.
Lower School and Ducklings certainly steamed into the day with enthusiasm that knew no bounds! The day has been full of activities.
Ducklings enjoyed fizzing bath bombs and were amazed by the flight of their rockets.
At Lower School, Nursery enjoyed bubble making, designing a giant marble run and creating a wall out of shaving foam. Reception children shot their own rocket birds into the air, and created beautiful magic lilies and nature brushes. Year 1 became totally absorbed whilst painting to different styles of music and making tricky mazes. They also had fun coding Beebots.
At Upper School, classes enjoyed activities including a chrome music lab, creating beautiful spirograph designs, origami, investigating mobile forces, 'bristlebots', making paper sculptures, investigating bridge construction, designing organisms and water filtering systems and more!
It has been the most wonderful day of enrichment, and greatly enjoyed by all. Many thanks to our visiting parent helpers and to all of the staff involved in making the day such a success.
Robert Swan Visit
On Tuesday, we welcomed Robert Swan OBE for a truly memorable Upper School assembly. Robert is the first man ever to walk to both the north and south poles. His recent expeditions involve using solely renewable energy. His mission to inspire the next generation to take care of the planet has meant that he spends his time talking to world leaders and educators about what steps are needed to ensure we are protecting our environment both locally and globally.
Robert shared photos and videos of his first expeditions from 1984 to 1989, as well as one of his trips to Antarctica back in 2012, when Mrs. McLaughlin accompanied him. He described in detail the awe-inspiring story of his travels to the north and south poles with moments of great beauty and peril. He also spoke about his son Barney’s current mission in Australia where they are trying to restore the world’s oldest rainforest.
Teachers and pupils were left feeling inspired and wanting to do more to protect our beautiful planet. If there was one message to share with our St. Helen’s College community from Robert Swan’s visit, it would be his famous quote: “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”
The school has joined the 2041 Schools: Champions of Antarctica initiative to help educate young people about the need to protect the world’s last great wilderness beyond the current agreement date of 2041.
You can find out more about Robert Swan and his projects using the links below:
https://www.2041school.com/
https://robertswan.com/
We plan to see Robert again in 2025 in a live-link assembly from his research centre in Antarctica, where he will be spending the whole winter using only solar, wind and biofuel!
St. Helen's College Receives Gold STARS Award
We are proud to report that St. Helen's College has, once again, been awarded the Gold STARS accreditation by Transport for London. This award recognises our ongoing work on School Travel And Road Safety.
Year 1 Maths And Phonics Evening
Thank you to all of the Year 1 parents who attended the Maths And Phonics Evening at Lower School on Wednesday. It is so important that families and school work in partnership to support the children in their educational endeavours, and we hope that you found the evening useful.
Online Safety
Whatsapp is the most widely used messaging platform on the planet, with over two billion users (forecast to become three billion by 2025), across more than 180 countries. The majority of those people (70%) open the app at least once a day – but what exactly are they seeing? Contact from strangers, fake news and convincing scams are all amongst the service’s well-documented hazards.
According to Ofcom, Whatsapp is used by more than half of 3 to 17 year olds in the UK (including one in three from the 8 to 11 age bracket), despite its 16+ age restriction.
National Online Safety provides this information leaflet for parents about the use of Whatsapp. We urge you to read it and retain it for your reference.
We would also like to remind parents that it is not appropriate for any child at St. Helen's College to have access to social media apps such as Whatsapp (which has an age rating of 16), Snapchat (which accounts for over half the online grooming the UK), Tiktok or similar. Primary school aged children are simply not mature enough to experience these apps safely, no matter how independent they may seem in other areas of their lives. This stance is shared by all online safety experts. While we educate the pupils at school about online safety, parents have a crucial part to play in keeping children safe online.
More Karate Success!
Several St. Helen's College pupils and Old Helenians enjoyed success with the KML Karate Club at the UK International Championships held at Warwick University last weekend.
This prestigious tournament forms part of the club's preparation for the upcoming International Banzai Cup in Berlin. Out of the 35 clubs participating, KML Karate brought home the most medals and secured third place in the success chart.
Well done to all of the SHC pupils and Old Helenians who competed.
Harvest Festivals
Our Upper School Harvest Festival Service will take place next Friday at All Saints' Church at 9.15 a.m. Upper School parents are warmly invited to join us if they are able to.
We would be most grateful for Harvest donations from Upper School parents ahead of the service. These should be dropped into the Upper School office on Wednesday or Thursday next week. We would really appreciate made up boxes/hampers filled with long-life food such as canned goods, rice, pasta, etc. If anyone has a few fruits, vegetables or flowers from their garden that could enhance the display in the church, that would be lovely (but please note that only a few would be needed and these are NOT suitable items for donations so should not be purchased!). All donations will be distributed by the Salvation Army to those in need in Hillingdon.
Lower School Harvest Assemblies will take place slightly later in the term and we will send the arrangements for these in due course.
Parents' Evenings
Parents' evenings for Ducklings, Nursery, Reception and Year 1 will be held on the following days:
Wednesday 4th October (4.00 - 7.00 p.m.)
Thursday 12th October (5.00 - 8.00 p.m.)
To book your appointment, please use the following link. Bookings will be live from 12.00 p.m. on Monday 25th September.
https://sthelens.schoolcloud.co.uk/
When booking appointments, parents should use the following format for class names:
Ducklings Kindergarten
Robins Nursery
Wrens Nursery
Owls
Kingfishers
1C
1R
Next Week
Here is a reminder of what is coming up next week.
Monday 25th September - Year 4 Ancient Greek Day
Wednesday 27th September - Year 5 Trip: Hampton Court Palace
Wednesday 27th September - Year 6 Trip: Henry Moore Studios & Gardens
Thursday 28th September - Reception Trip: Odds Farm
Thursday 28th September - Year 2 Trip: Chiltern Open Air Museum
Friday 29th September - Upper School Harvest Festival at All Saints Church (9.15 a.m.)
Friday 29th September - Month End Music Recital in the Evans Hall (3.45 p.m.)
Posted on: 22/09/2023Why Art?
Many of you may not be aware that Mrs. Pruce, our subject co-ordinator for art across the school, is also the national lead for art for the Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS), an association of which we are members.
IAPS has 663 schools in membership (of which 47 can be found outside of the UK). The schools must reach a very high standard to be eligible for membership of IAPS, with strict criteria on teaching a broad curriculum, maintaining excellent standards of pastoral care and keeping staff members’ professional development training up to date.
Mrs. Pruce supports art teachers in IAPS schools as part of her role and has run several professional development days for other teachers at St. Helen’s College, when she has invited inspiring artists into school to run workshops for the staff. These include Darrell Wakelam and Emma Collins.
Mrs. Pruce’s ‘Why Art?’ blog appears on the IAPS website and I would like to share it with you (below). We pride ourselves on nurturing all of the arts and our enriched curriculum is a testament to the expertise of our staff at St. Helen’s College.
If you do not already follow the St. Helen's College instagram page for art then please do - it may inspire you to be a budding artist with your children!
Why Art? by Mrs. Nadine Pruce
“Every child is an artist,” said Pablo Picasso, and he’s right.
This September begins my fourth year at St. Helens College, Hillingdon, and what a few years it has been! Yet throughout, and since, the turmoil of Covid, our art has held classes together, united us in our joy for the subject and had us chuckling during online lessons, especially when dressed as royalty in crowns and tiaras with Year 2.
Art is all around us, not just in galleries but on TV, packaging, book covers, graphic design, the restaurant industry and stage and film to name a few. The career options are numerous, and it is a subject to be taken seriously.
The subject of art dates back thousands of years from all around the world. It adds to what we now know about history, from cave paintings to Henry Moore’s chalk work on the shelters during the war and Banksy’s political graffiti. Without these we can only guess at what really happened.
In itself, art can be a way of communication to express ourselves, heal our souls when troubled, tell a story or be an experience to share our thoughts and feelings or just to while away time.
For me personally, art has been something that I have only had the courage to embrace in the last 17 years or so. I say courage as I was the child at school who was too tall, stuck out like a sore thumb, and went easily red-faced when the art teacher told me that it wasn’t my best subject. That crushed all creativity I had for many, many years.
I promised myself that no child I teach would be made to feel this way about their own talents. The introduction of new skills at St. Helens College has proven that Picasso was definitely right. The child who can draw superbly may not be the best painter; the painter may not be the best sculptor, who in turn may not be the best print maker. But they are all good at something and seeing that realisation dawn on pupils' faces is what drives me on.
As teachers we have a role to play in encouraging our students, focussing on the good and inspiring the confidence to try. FAIL is the 'First Attempt In Learning' and even as adults we are still always learning.
We adults have a lot to learn from our children, in school and at home. The artistic response to the pandemic blew my mind. The explanations given as to why pupils drew what they drew were clear, simplistic and openly honest. Arya in Year 2 with her “Rainbow Tree” and Riya, in Year 6, with “Breakout” were stunning examples that gave me goosebumps and tears in my eyes. Arya won her age group for the IAPS Online Art Competition in my first year here. Have you ever been reduced to tears by art in any form? Poetry, music or a piece of writing? My first glimpse of the Taj Mahal, from far away, actually made me cry, not an emotion I expected over the sight of a building.
The use of sketch pads at St. Helen's College has been changing and is changing further this school year. The desire to scribble out something not liked is natural but also pointless; we need to see our failures to perfect our abilities. In the book "The Dot" Peter H Reynolds shows us the power of one single adult's actions to change a child's life. “The book shows the importance of teacher-student relationships, and our connections as human beings. It shows how creative thinking on the part of a teacher can unlock a child's own creativity, confidence, and growth.”
So, however old you are, I encourage you all to go and enjoy whatever art form you would love to explore the most, and remember… in art you are never wrong.
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