Weekly News - Friday 8th September 2023

It has been an exciting and busy first few days back at school, as the pupils have entered their new year groups and we have welcomed all of our brand new children. 

Meet The Teacher Evenings

Following on from our Early Years and Key Stage 1 'Meet The Teacher' evenings last term, we held successful 'Meet The Teacher' evenings for all Key Stage 2 classes this week. It was lovely to see so many families and we hope that you found the meetings useful. Open, frequent communication between home and school is essential to support the pupils' education and well-being, so please do keep in touch with your class teacher as we move through the term and the year.

Year 2 Coffee Morning

The transition from Lower School to Upper School has gone well for our Year 2 pupils and we were delighted to welcome their parents into Upper School today for a coffee morning too.

PA Welcome Event

A reminder that the PA Welcome Event will take place in the Evans Hall at Upper School tomorrow from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. There will be refreshments and an opportunity to meet other parents and children. We hope that families who are new to the school will come along to meet others, and for the first time this year the event is open to all existing families too!

Co-Curricular Activities

Bookings for autumn term co-curricular activities open TODAY at 4 p.m. and close on Sunday at 11.59 p.m.

Please log in to your SchoolsBuddy account to submit your child's preferences.

It is essential that you discuss choices with your child before submitting them; once clubs are allocated they cannot be changed and it is important to everyone that your child takes part in clubs that they enjoy and want to attend.

Library News

We are delighted with the new building that was installed at Lower School over the summer to house the Lower School library and welfare room, by local company Blyss Garden Rooms. Here you can see the Blyss workers in front of the building! We know that our Lower School children are going to appreciate and make the most of their lovely new library.

At Upper School, it is super to have the library full of readers and inquisitive minds once more. We welcomed 2H and 2R to the Upper School Library for the first time this week. Many books were borrowed and many excellent questions were asked by the curious children. The library is open every lunchtime for the children, and in addition Year 2 will have a timetabled class visit.

The Chiswick Book Festival runs from the 6th to 13th September. There will be lots on offer for families and adults at various locations, with many well known faces taking part. Children's workshops are concentrated mainly on the Saturday and are still bookable at this link: Festival events.

Class List

The Parents' Association are now using Class List to communicate with parents. The app has a wealth of features - parents can communicate with each other in class and/or year groups, find other families for car shares, sell second hand uniform and more. If you have not yet signed up, please do so as soon as possible. Your PA Class Rep will be keen to help should you need them and you can always reach the Parents' Association committee at pa@sthelenscollege.com. As usual, the Parents' Association are busy planning some lovely social events and other initiatives for the forthcoming academic year and we urge all parents to support them in enhancing our wonderful parental community spirit!

Karate News

Over the weekend, several St. Helen's College pupils and Old Helenians competed in the British Karate Federation International Championships at Sheffield Ponds Forge stadium and there were some impressive achievements.

Freya and Aleya won silver medals in pairs kata.
Freya, Aleya, Naiya, and Rania won bronze medals in team kumite (fighting).
Rania and Naiya won bronze medals in pairs kata.
Myla, Inaya, and Grace won bronze medals in team kumite.

This tournament was a fantastic opportunity and served as perfect preparation for the major international championships in Berlin in a couple of weeks. We send good luck wishes to the St. Helen's College pupils and Old Helenians who will proudly represent the Higashi Karate Kai national squad there!

Music Result

We have received news of an additional music examination result from the summer term. Congratulations to Hana H, who achieved a pass in her Grade 2 flute!

Individual Music Lessons

There are currently spaces available for Violin, Cello, Trumpet, Flute and Singing lessons. To register your interest please complete this Google Form.

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. If you are interested in attending with your child to encourage their imaginative play and meet other parents and children, you can find details on the poster here and/or visit the Mini Me Town website for further details: www.minimetown.co.uk.