News - Friday 3rd November 2017

Yesterday at the Houses of Parliament, our Year 6 children had a fantastic day exploring the home of British politics. They sat in on exciting debates in the House of Commons which sparked interesting opinions around the EU and Catalan independence. The children then had the opportunity to put their own manifestos together and hold a live vote in the parliament education centre. A representative of our local MP, Boris Johnson, came to see us and we were given some insight into the plans for Heathrow airport, HS2 and Hillingdon Hospital. There was also time for a tour of Westminster Abbey, exploring the lives of its famous inhabitants such as Michael Faraday, Isaac Newton, Charles Dickens and several past kings and queens of England before returning back to school. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and the staff at the centre were amazed by the knowledge the children displayed. Perhaps we have some future politicians among us!  

Meanwhile, our Year 1 pupils had a 'whizzpopping' time at the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery. The 'snapper whippers' loved exploring the exhibits in the gallery. They even got to travel in the glass elevator and got shrunk so small that they could fit inside the television just like Mike TV!! Everybody made their own dream jars - imaginations really ran wild. It was a 'phizz-whizzing' day out!

This morning, our Robins and Wrens Nursery pupils enjoyed a trip to Playtrain, where they had great fun climbing, swiming, jumping and riding on the wide variety of soft play equipment. The children thoroughly enjoyed their first school outing; riding on a coach with all of your friends is an amazing experience.

All three year groups did a marvellous job of representing St. Helen's College in the wider community; accompanying staff received lots of lovely comments about how smartly the children were dressed, how beautifully they behaved and how intelligently and enthusiastically they engaged with the activities on offer. 

You can see photographs of the trips on our Galleries page.

Remembrance 

As usual at this time of year, we are now selling poppies ahead of the Remembrance events next weekend. Next Friday, pupils at all sites will join for a minute's silence at 11 a.m. and will hear in assemblies about the great sacrifices made by those who gave their lives in the World Wars to secure the freedom and opportunities which we enjoy today. We hope that all children, parents and staff will wear their poppies with pride.

Upper School Parents' Evenings

Thank you to all of the parents who attended parents' evening on Thursday this week. It was lovely to see you all and we hope that you found the evening informative and enjoyable. The next parents' evening will take place on Tuesday 7th November and we look forward to seeing many more of you then.

PA Christmas Fair

Please note that the PA Christmas Fair will take place on Sunday 3rd December (NOT Saturday 2nd December). Further details will follow in due course.

Cold Weather Reminder

With the cold weather now approaching, please ensure that your children have enough layers/warm clothing with them daily. In particular, please ensure that pupils wear tracksuits over PE/Games kits.