Weekly News - Friday 15th November 2024

Remembrance

Pupils across the school came together to mark Remembrance on Monday in age appropriate ways.

At Upper School, pupils lined up in the playground just before 11 a.m. to hear poems and prayers read by senior pupils, before Old Helenian Leo N (who is currently working with us as a gap student) played The Last Post. Leo also played The Last Post for us while he was a pupil here at St. Helen's College, so it was very poignant for him to play for us again. As the guns sounded from RAF Northolt, we observed a traditional two minutes of silence.

At Lower School the children marked the occasion in a similar fashion by gathering together to hold a respectful two minute silence in the playground. At Ducklings, the children were involved in a range of poppy related activities including creating and colouring in poppies and icing poppy biscuits. They too joined together outside to pay their respects at 11 a.m.

Thank you to everyone who bought poppies to support the Royal British Legion and to our Charity Representatives for selling them. 

BBC Children in Need 

The school has been a vibrant array of yellow and multi coloured spots today as the children all dressed up to support BBC Children in Need fundraising. At Lower School the children have enjoyed lots of themed activities including an outdoor Pudsey bear hunt, icing biscuits, colouring in and more. 

Thank you to everyone who has donated already. There is still time to donate if you would like to via the school fundraising page here. 

 

 

Mrs. Joan Evans Remembered

An online tribute page has been set up to remember Mrs. Evans, former Head at St. Helen's College, who recently passed away. Please feel free to add any special memories or thoughts, or to make a donation to the St. Helen's College Charitable Trust in her memory. The funeral for Mrs. Evans is on Monday 25th November at 11.15 a.m. at St. Mary's Church, Denham. All are welcome and the family have requested those attending should wear bright colours or florals to celebrate her colourful life. 

 

 

4C Class Assembly 

4C presented a thought-provoking assembly this morning all about well known inspirational figures. The children have delved into the lives of influential characters from across the spectrum. Artists, politicians, musicians, royalty, campaigners and religious figures all demonstrate how our actions can have a legacy long after our lifetime. The children each delivered their lines clearly and with confidence and invited the audience to reflect on how we can all make our mark in the world with big or small actions. Well done 4C, the world is your oyster!

 

 

House News

Our programme of House events is in full swing!  In the House cross country competition, Windsor finished first in each Year category winning a total of 50 House points, followed by Hibernia (40 points), Caledonia (30 points) and Cambria (20 points). The running totals so far are very close, as follows:

Cambria  - 1046
Windsor - 1031
Hibernia - 1027
Caledonia - 908

There has been a terrific response to the House art competition. Entries are of an extremely high standard and each one has earned valuable House points. Ms. Drummond will be judging Middle School and Upper School winners in assembly next week, when the winning entry and runner up for each will be awarded 20 and 10 points respectively. Good luck everyone!

Sports News

It's been a busy week for the Upper School football team. On Monday they played against St. Martin's School at home but were unfortunately defeated 3-0. The team rallied however on Thursday when they faced stiff opposition in the Reddiford Challenge Cup Tournament playing against other local independent schools. St. Helen's College won two of their matches, drew two and lost one, finishing fourth overall. Well done to Mark D in 6H, our player of the tournament, who scored 5 goals. 

Congratulations to 3B for completing their week of intensive swimming lessons at Hillingdon Sports & Leisure Complex. It will be the turn of 3M next week. 

Year 2 - 6 Parents' Evening 

Thank you to all of the parents who attended parents' evening at Upper School this week. It was good to see you all and we hope that you found the conversations helpful.

Speed Awareness Poster Competition

Calling all budding artists! St. Helen’s College are working with Hillingdon Council to make the roads around the school safer and are launching an exciting new initiative. Pupils are invited to enter a 'Design a Sign' competition to create new 20mph signage on Parkway to encourage vehicles to slow down. Children should use the template application form here to enter their design in the competition and should follow these guidelines:  

• Designs should be drawn (no computers or images)
• Designs must be bright and to the point
• The theme is 20mph, to encourage drivers to slow down
• Please assist and support your children with their designs where you can; however, please refrain from drawing the designs yourself.

The guidelines and an example design can be found here. Children should hand in designs to their class teacher by Friday 29th November. The winning design will be chosen by the council and made into a formal 20mph sign for all to see! 

Switch Off Fortnight

The St. Helen's College Eco Team are hard at work facilitating the school's efforts for Switch Off Fortnight. This green initiative encourages everyone to switch off lights and electrical devices when not in use in order to save energy. 

Our dedicated Eco Warriors are patrolling the school during this week and next to ensure that we all remember to switch off. So far, so good! 

 

 

 

Flu Vaccinations

A final reminder to please complete consent forms for the seasonal 'flu vaccinations which will take place in school on Tuesday 19th November (Reception - Y6). The consent form can be found here and should be completed whether or not you intend for your child to be vaccinated. 

Parkway Roadworks

Cadent, who manage the gas pipes in our area, will be replacing pipework in Parkway from 18th November 2024 for approximately 5 weeks. We do not yet know exactly how this might impact traffic along Parkway but the work, which is essential, is likely to cause some disruption and you may like to allow some extra time for your journey to/from school as a result. We would like to thank parents in advance for being patient during any disruption, and mindful of the school's relationships and reputation with neighbours and the local community.

Next Week

Monday 18th - Friday 22nd November - 3M Swimming Lessons 
Tuesday 19th November - Flu Vaccinations Reception - Year 6
Wednesday 20th November - Football v. Cowley St. Lawrence (A)
Friday 22nd November - Year 5 Football and Netball v. Highgate School (H)