Weekly News - Friday 2nd February 2024

Class Assemblies

Our Robins Nursery class took to the 'stage' on Thursday to perform a 'winter' themed class assembly to an excited audience of parents and staff. The children were dressed for the chilly weather in cosy hats and scarves as they sang beautifully about this magical season. There were even some mini snowmen and penguins to add to the wintery scene! The singing and accompanying actions were a joy to watch. Well done to Robins for a great performance; it is a privilege to observe every child growing in confidence. 

 

 

 

The children of 5G presented their assembly on Friday which, most impressively, they had written themselves. The theme was a question: What Makes A Good Life? Each of the children shared their thoughts about what makes a good life, and it was heartening to hear them tell us, in their own words, what they think is most important. Their ideas included kindness, love, family and friends, helping others in need and being creative. They also considered questions about what leads to happiness, and which careers they might choose when they are older. They sang and danced for us all beautifully and led us in thoughtful prayers too. Well done, 5G. There is no doubt that the future is bright for you all. You can view some clips of the children here and here. 

Tree Planting Workshops

Ahead of the Trees for Cities public tree planting event tomorrow at Court Park, we were delighted for St. Helen's College to be invited to make our own special contribution to this important community project. 

Years 2 and 5 donned wellington boots and embraced the muddy conditions for a bracing outdoor workshop, learning how to plant successfully for sustainability and putting it into practice by planting maple and dogwood saplings on the northern boundary of the park.

Thank you to Trees for Cities and to our green-fingered pupils for representing the school. We hope to see the saplings grow into thriving trees for people to enjoy for many years to come. 

We hope many other pupils and parents will join the community tree planting day tomorrow, Saturday 3rd February, in Court Park. There will be food and hot drink provided for volunteers and the aim is to plant a mix of both small and large trees in the park. The groups of small trees will increase the diversity and resilience of the existing woodland areas by adding new species and younger trees to the space. The new trees will eventually add depth to the northern border of the park and assist with drainage in the often waterlogged soil area.

We encourage your children to wear their school PE kits to take part in this event so that it is obvious which children are from St. Helen's College. You can sign up to take part here: 
https://www.treesforcities.org/hillingdon-court-park.

 

Travelling Natural History Museum Visit Nursery!

On Friday our Nursery children were enthralled when the Travelling Natural History Museum came to visit, complete with dinosaur models, exploding interactive experiments and even fossilised dinosaur faeces! The workshop, led by 'Dino Girl', included fascinating facts about the food different dinosaurs ate, how they hunted and their enormous size. The children were thoroughly engaged and particularly enjoyed an exploding meteorite experiment demonstrated to explain one of the theories about why dinosaurs became extinct. 

 

 

Year 6 Riot Act Workshop (Road Safety)

On Monday our Year 6 children enjoyed a visit from The Riot Act, who delivered an interactive workshop about road safety and active travel. The lively, engaging performance certainly got the children thinking more deeply about how they travel and how important it is for each of us to play our part in reducing pollution as well as keeping ourselves healthy and safe.

 

 

General Knowledge Quiz

On Wednesday, two teams from our popular Quiz Club represented St. Helen's College in the annual inter-school General Knowledge Quiz. Children from Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 collaborated in this online event, competing with 70 other schools from across the UK in this hotly contested competition. 

From questions on the Great Plague to Harry Potter, our team members had great fun demonstrating their knowledge under strict time pressure. Congratulations to Anika (6L), Sofia (5R), Armaan (4B) and Rian (3B), whose team reached twelfth position and are through to the semi-final! Well done also to Ashvika (5R), Mustafa (5R), William (4T) and Oliver (3B) who put in a great effort and reached a very respectable 41st place. 

LAMDA Results

Mrs. Moore's LAMDA pupils have been taking their first set of exams and we are delighted to report the following results.

Eva J - Entry Level (Distinction)
Riya S - Entry Level (Distinction)

There are several more LAMDA pupils entering for examination soon and we wish them all the best of luck.

Sports News

It has been a busy week of sport.

Last Friday girls from Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 attended a football festival at Radlett Prep School. They all really enjoyed taking part in this fun event and developing their skills. During the afternoon, the U9s won a game, lost a game and drew a game and the U11s were undefeated, drawing two games and winning one.

On Wednesday the boys' football team met with Cowley St. Lawrence. Despite dominating the game, the St. Helen's College team struggled to convert their chances and the end result was a 1-1 draw.

 

 

On Tuesday this week the Year 6 netball team played Laurel Lane School in their last league match of the year. The girls showed how far they have progressed as a team since September, communicating well with each other, making some fantastic attacking plays and delivering some very sharp shooting. They won 9-1, finishing on a high!

On Wednesday, Year 5 and 6 netball players travelled to Orley Farm School for an away fixture. It was great to see all the pupils representing St. Helen's College so brilliantly. The games were competitive and well matched, enabling the pupils to put everything they have learnt during games sessions into practice on the court. Well done to all involved!

Parents who are looking for something active for children to do over the half term break might be interested to know that Pro Soccer Coaching will be running a February half term camp from Monday 12th to Friday 16th February at Swakeleys School. You may book for a full week or single days, and there is a reduced price for additional brothers and sisters. The course is run by FA qualified coaches and at the end of the week, each child receives an engraved trophy. The company, its staff and the course have no affiliation with St. Helen's College but if you are interested you can find details here.

News From The PA

Comedy Night

The date of the upcoming PA comedy night at Uxbridge Golf Club has now changed to Friday 19th April. Details are here.

The booking link is open and will close at the end of term before we break up for Easter holidays. Please book your tickets here: https://forms.gle/4GjXNdkAxmDsTYZG9.

Applications Invited For PA Chair

As we are now halfway through the academic year, it is time to begin reflecting on the incredible dedication and leadership of Nikki O'Halloran, our current PA Committee Chairperson. Nikki has steered us through many successful initiatives and as her tenure draws to a close, we extend our deepest gratitude for her tireless efforts and invaluable contributions.

Looking ahead to the academic year commencing in September 2024, we are now seeking a new Chairperson to lead the Parents' Association Committee. This role is vital to the continued success of our school community engagement efforts and the enhancement of our school experience.

If you have a passion for fostering connections, organising events, and contributing to the betterment of our school community, we invite you to consider stepping into the role of PA Committee Chairperson. Your enthusiasm and commitment will be instrumental in shaping the future of our school community.

To express your interest, please contact sthelenscollegepa@gmail.com. We encourage all interested individuals to apply and be part of this rewarding opportunity to make a meaningful impact. 

Those who express an interest will have the opportunity to be voted into the position. This democratic process ensures that our community has a say in selecting the individual best suited to lead the PA Committee.

Sick Child Training

Several parents attended a Sick Child Training session on Monday evening with Dr. Dharsi. This workshop taught parents about common childhood illnesses, how to recognise them and when it is (and is not) necessary to consult a doctor. We hope that it helped to give parents confidence in dealing with childhood health issues.

Early Years Parents' Evenings

Thank you to all of those parents who attended our Ducklings and Nursery parents' evenings on Wednesday. We hope that you found the conversations useful.

Next Week - Reminders

Wednesday 7th February - Football v. St. Bernadette's (H)
Thursday 8th February - Wrens coffee morning and class assembly
Friday 9th February - 6L coffee morning and class assembly