Posted on: 13/12/2024Christmas Books by Mrs. Emanuel
Translated as "Yuletide Book Flood" the Icelandic tradition of Jolablokaflod sees a list of the year's new books delivered to every Icelander, so that they may carefully choose a Christmas Eve gift for each of their family and friends. Rather than a flood, in this short blog I will do my best to dip a toe into the waters of some of my own favourites and new reading that I hope will appeal to the children of St. Helen’s College!
I urge you also to support your local independent bookshop if you can; booksellers have a wealth of knowledge and expertise to share. Chiltern Bookshops has a gorgeous array of books and gifts, and you can order online at bookshop.org.
For the youngest readers, Mrs. Mann of Robins is a big fan of the legend that is Julia Donaldson. The super rhymes and repeated refrains in all of her stories give the youngest a joyful part in telling the story. Donaldson's festive Stick Man is my firm family favourite - the drama! The tension! Will he EVER get back to the family tree? Jonty Gentoo is Donaldson's latest lovely book about a little penguin searching for home.
Other charmers include The Empty Stocking by Richard Curtis and There's a Tiger on the Train by Mariesa Dulak, in which an everyday train journey is packed with exotic creatures - all missed by Dad who is glued to his phone screen! It's a gentle reminder to us all to be present in the moment. Niji’s Dream is the delightful story of a brave and kind little alien, created by our own Mr Roche, Head of Literacy. The very youngest Ducklings will enjoy these stories and will also love a sturdy board book with bold images like Dear Santa by Rod Campbell or The Christmas Bear by Ian Whybrow.
A Whale of a Time can be had with this wonderful large format poem anthology of the same name, one for every day of the year. Who Let the Words Out? by the poet Joshua Siegal and Bright Bursts of Colour by Matt Goodfellow pack a poetic punch in a paperback.
Entertaining reads for confident readers include Pamela Butchart (think The Great Crisp Robbery), the new Kevin the Vampire series by Matt Brown, Clara Vulliamy's The Dog Squad and the Rabbit & Bear series by Julian Gough. A story anthology such as Puffin Stories is a good idea.
Turning to the older reader, mystery and murder have ruled the shelves for a long time - Robin Stevens' Murder Most Unladylike series is the very best. The Most Unladylike Puzzle Book is a MUST this year for fans and is already beneath my tree (ssh). Secrets of the Snakestone by Piu DasGupta; Birdie by JP Rose and To Be A Cat by Matt Haig and I Am Wolf by Alastair Chisholm are all super reads. Skander and the Unicorn Thief and Katie and Kevin Tsang's Dragon Force series are excellent introductions to fantasy.
For the curious minded I suggest the hardback question and answer book There's No Such Thing as a Silly Question. Excellent for the holidays! The Information Book Awards have just awarded prizes to Darwin's Super Pooping-Worm Spectacular by Polly Owen and Human 2.0: A Celebration of Human Bionics by Patrick Kane; the latter looks at the success of medical engineering and what humans might be capable of in the future. FlyingEyeBooks.com publish extraordinary non-fiction titles; Nosy Crow is excellent all round.
Lastly, the book to provoke the most laughter from all ages in the library has been The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak. Check it out! It's a hilarious book which demands to be read aloud. Back to snowy Iceland. Book gifts are exchanged on Christmas Eve so that everyone curls up quietly to explore their new book and a mug of cocoa. I hope you too can find a moment of relaxation with your book choices! Happy Bookmas!
Posted on: 13/12/2024Weekly News - Friday 13th December 2024
We would like to thank you for your support this term and wish you all a peaceful, joyous Christmas break. Your children have been enormously busy at school this term and have achieved so much; please help them to relax and enjoy some 'down time' before the next jam-packed term begins.
Christmas Carol Service
Thank you to everyone who joined us at All Saints' Church this morning to share in our very special Christmas Carol Service. It was, as ever, a magical occasion, with traditional bible readings and prayers delivered by our Year 6 children and musical performances from our orchestra, string quartet, Junior Choir, Senior Choir and Chamber Choir. Particular thanks and congratulations to Zinnia M, who performed the solo verse of Once In Royal David's City with grace, precision and wonderful timing.
Year 1 Christmas Assemblies
On Monday and Tuesday our Year 1 classes presented their Christmas-themed assemblies to their parents (and to an eager audience of Nursery children!) in the Methodist Church. The children re-told the story of Christmas, looked at Christmas traditions and reflected on the meaning of this very special time. They also donned Santa hats and sang some upbeat numbers to reflect the joy of this time of year! Very well done to all of the children involved; they spoke with great clarity, expression and projection and sang with tunefulness and gusto.
Year 4, 5 and 6 Theatre Visit
On Tuesday Years 4, 5 and 6 visited the Rose Theatre in Kingston to watch a fun musical production of Robin Hood & The Christmas Heist. The children had a terrific time getting into the spirit of things by clapping and singing along to some rewritten, familiar Christmas tunes. It was a hugely entertaining show but it also carried an important moral message about sharing and generosity at Christmas time.
ABRSM Music Achievments
Congratulations to all of the children who took ABRSM examinations this term. We are pleased to share another set of terrific results:
Name
Class
Instrument
Grade
Results
Anika S
3B
Piano
Grade 1
Pass
Melissa D R
3B
Piano
Initial
Distinction
Shayla R
5G
Piano
Initial
Merit
Zoe F
4T
Flute
Grade 3
Merit
Liberty Y
4T
Piano
Grade 2
Merit
Mark D R
6H
Piano
Grade 3
Pass
Avaani H
4C
Flute
Grade 1
Merit
Aaria M
4C
Piano
Grade 1
Pass
Emily K
4C
Piano
Grade 1
Pass
Mona C
5R
Piano
Grade 2
Pass
Santa Dash in Court Park
Wednesday saw Upper School children enjoy what has now become our annual 'Santa Dash' in Court Park. Around 130 pupils took part, donning Christmas-themed hats or jackets and running a course through the park at lunchtime. It was great fun even in the cold!
Christmas Jumper Day, Christmas Lunch And Father Christmas!
On Thursday it was Christmas party day for Ducklings and the children at Lower School. The children wore Christmas jumpers and enjoyed an exciting day of Christmas games and activities, a delicious festive lunch and even had a special visit from Father Christmas! He paid a visit to Ducklings first and then dropped into the Lower School library which was transformed into a sparkly grotto. The children had the opportunity to share their wishes with Father Christmas and sing a Christmas song, and each child received a gift to take home.
Meanwhile at Upper School, the children were also dressed in Christmas jumpers on Thursday and tucking into the special festive lunch prepared by Soula and her team for everyone from Nursery to Year 6. It was a very joyous lunchtime service, accompanied by seasonal music and plenty of good cheer! For more photographs of the children please visit the Galleries page of the school website.
JTA Festive Footsteps
On Thursday it was Festive Footsteps, a popular annual event organised by the JTA (Junior Travel Ambassador) team to promote the fitness and eco benefits of walking, scooting or cycling to school. It was marvellous to see so many festive hats and decorated scooters and bikes! Well done to the JTAs who were out and about rewarding pupils with special stickers for taking part.
Christmas Tree Decorations
Well done to all of the children who put their creativity into practice by designing beautiful Christmas tree decorations for our Upper School competition. The theme took as eco twist this year and the children rose to the challenge using a variety of recycled and upcycled materials. Congratulations to all the winners who each won a special Christmas prize:
Year 2 - Tanavya B (2C) and Anika K (2S)
Year 3 - Ari P (3B) and Nihal B (3M)
Year 4 - Amber L (4C)
Year 5 - Yuvraj R (5G) and Jana A (5R)
Year 6 - Shanaiya K (6H) and Sofia S (6L)
IAPS iArt 2025 Competition
St. Helen's College has a strong record of achievement in the national IAPS iArt Competition, and we are hoping to build upon this in 2025 as we invite children to prepare their entries. The theme for the 2025 iArt competition is “Reflect” or “Reflection”.
Children are encouraged to consider this theme broadly; examples include, but are not limited to:
A reflection in a mirror or shiny surface.
A reflection on water.
Reflecting on the past year or a significant event.
Reflecting on a current global issue.
Categories are:
1. Years 1 & 2
2. Years 3 & 4
3. Years 5 & 6
The deadline for submissions is 12 noon on Friday 21st February 2025 and submissions must be sent to Mrs. Pruce via email only, at npruce@sthelenscollege.com. Each entry must include the pupil's name and surname initial, age and year group, what the piece is called and what the pupil used.
A Budding Author Among Us!
Aaria M (Year 4) has a passion for reading and writing, and this summer she crafted a short story which has now been made into a proper book! With some help, Aaria transformed hand-drawn illustrations into digital artwork to bring her story to life and A Tale Of Two Kingdoms is now published and available for purchase! Aaria has kindly donated a few copies to the Upper School and Lower School libraries at St. Helen's College. If you would like to buy a copy as a stocking filler you can find it on Amazon here.
Charity Team Achievements
Many thanks to everyone who donated a new toy for the Salvation Army Christmas Present Appeal this year. We received a huge number of donations which were very gratefully collected from our charity representatives on Wednesday. The gifts will be distributed to local families and children in the Hillingdon area who may not otherwise receive a Christmas present.
The Charity Team have been working very hard this term leading a programme of charitable events to raise funds for important organisations. These have included collections of clothing and essential items for the Red Cross, Harvest donations for local food banks, selling poppies for the Royal British Legion, and raising £935 at a non-uniform day for BBC Children in Need. Our dedicated team rounded off a busy term with a collection for Great Ormond Street Hospital at the Carol Service on Friday. Fantastic work, well done to the whole team!
Spring Term Reminders
The spring term will begin on Wednesday 8th January and co-curricular clubs will begin from Monday 13th January.
Please take the opportunity to check and refresh your child's uniform and equipment over the holidays, to ensure that they have everything that they need and that it is all in good order.
The spring term lunch menu has now been published to the school website and is available here.
Posted on: 6/12/2024Mantras by Mrs. Hunt
Many of you know that I am an advocate of Elaine Halligan, so much so that I am currently participating in her intensive parent educator course. I have found the experience to be fulfilling, reaffirming and gruelling in equal measures. There is so much of an overlap between how we teach at school and how you parent at home. This is why I always say to parents when showing them around St. Helen's College that if school and home have similar shared values the child will experience maximum benefit. Children need us, the grown ups, to have clear shared values. They need us to be understanding, calm and consistent. They need to feel safe and know that we are in charge in a fair and reasonable way. They need to have fun with us and have opportunities to connect with us on a daily basis.
I am approaching 25 years at St. Helen's College and as a result I am known for some well used mantras. Two of my favourites are “all behaviour is communication” and “win their hearts and you’ll win their minds.” These mantras have been my strongly held beliefs for many years and my recent training has only reaffirmed them in my mind. By taking time to understand our children we connect with them on a deeper level and help them feel valued and worthwhile - and let's face it, we all want that, however old we are!
Teachers and parents alike should look for opportunities to build children’s self-reliance so that they are able to move forward into the world with confidence, perseverance and courage. Having a true understanding of self is key. Helping to build our children’s self esteem is simply our job.
If I had my child to raise all over again
I’d build self esteem first, and the house later.
I’d finger paint more, and point the finger less
I would do less correcting and more connecting
I’d take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes,
I would care to know less, and know to care more.
I’d take more hikes and fly more kites.
I’d stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.
I’d do more hugging and less tugging.
I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.
I’d teach less about the love of power,
And more about the power of love.
It matters not whether my child is big or small,
From this day forth, I’ll cherish it all.
I wish I could claim credit for these profound words but sadly they are not mine; they are from Diane Loomans’ book '100 Ways To Build Self Esteem And Teach Values'.
To conclude, thank you for taking the time to read my musings. I encourage you to continue to take the time to connect with your children. You will certainly reap what you sow. There is a reason why I’ve been at St. Helen's College for so long - your children. Learning about each and every one of them and trying to understand what makes them tick is fascinating and unbelievably worthwhile.
I’ll leave you with another one of my mantras; “Children may well forget what you teach them but they will never forget how you made them feel.” Amen to that.
Posted on: 6/12/2024Weekly News - Friday 6th December 2024
Christmas Assemblies
It has been feeling very festive at school this week! The Nursery and Reception children presented charming Christmas nativity performances for parents and their Lower School peers at the North Hillingdon Methodist Church on Long Lane.
On Tuesday and Wednesday the Nursery Robins and Wrens took to the stage and delighted parents by singing a collection of fun Christmas songs in fabulous nativity costumes. It was a wonderful opportunity to see the children perform so confidently and truly shine! You can see more photographs of the children on our Christmas gallery page on the school website.
On Thursday and Friday it was the turn of Reception Owls and Kingfishers to perform. The children delivered a fantastic retelling of the nativity story in full costume, including solo speaking parts and beautiful singing. Well done to all of the children for learning their lines so brilliantly and delivering such polished performances.
Thank you to the Revd. Ken Kingston for joining the assemblies and sharing important lessons and reflections with the children about gratitude and selflessness at this festive time of year.
Pets As Therapy Charity Visit
On Monday we welcomed two very special furry visitors to Upper School assemblies; therapy dogs Buddy and Bobby! Following suggestions from our school council, we have made an exciting new link with national charity Pets as Therapy who will be making weekly visits to school next term to run reading and play sessions with the children.
The charity volunteers explained how the therapy dogs are specially selected for their calm temperament and are carefully trained to work with children and vulnerable people in different locations including schools, care homes and hospices. We look forward to welcoming Buddy, a gorgeous cavapoochon, to St. Helen's College in the spring term!
Year 2 and 3 Snow White Theatre Trip
On Friday morning Year 2 and 3 enjoyed an exciting trip to the Compass Theatre in Ickenham to watch Snow White a Christmas pantomime. The children had a wonderful time participating with the songs, laughing along with the jokes and soaking up the fun atmosphere.
Carols Around The Christmas Tree
Thank you to all of the families who joined us for festive Carols Around The Christmas Tree this afternoon. It was wonderful to gather together at this joyous seasonal event, led by our brilliant school choirs.
End of Term Church Service
We look forward to welcoming all parents to the Upper School end of term Christmas Service at All Saints' Church, Long Lane on Friday 13th December at 11.00 a.m. This will be a lovely opportunity for the St. Helen's College community to give thanks at the end of a busy term and to enjoy readings from the pupils, music from the school orchestra and carols from our accomplished school choirs.
Co-curricular Clubs Next Week
Please note only the following co-curricular clubs will be taking place next week; string quartet; recorder club, junior choir, senior choir, percussion and punjabi speaking for beginners. Allocations for spring term co-curricular clubs will be sent out to parents next week.
Parents' Association Christmas Plate
Many thanks to the PA for funding and organising personalised Santa plates for every child as a special Christmas gift. We hope the children will enjoy using the plates to leave out a customary mince pie for Father Christmas and a carrot for Rudolph on Christmas Eve for many years to come as a reminder of St. Helen's College.
Salvation Army Christmas Present Appeal
St. Helen’s College are supporting the Hillingdon Salvation Army Christmas Present Appeal this year and invite families to donate a gift for a local child who may not receive a Christmas present. If you would like to contribute please donate a brand new toy/game for ages 3-11 with a value of approximately £12. Gift suggestions include teddy bears, puzzles, colouring sets, dolls, cars, books and Amazon vouchers. The item should not be gift wrapped and should fit inside a shopping plastic bag. Please can all donations be sent into school on Wednesday 11th December only, when they will be collected by the Salvation Army to be distributed.
Uxbridge Junior Chess Championship
Entries are open for the Hillingdon & Ealing Schools Junior Chess Championship which takes place on Saturday 18th January 2025 at St. Catherine's School, West Drayton. This is a great opportunity for members of the Middle and Upper School chess clubs to play competively against other local children of a similar age. Registration forms have been handed to the children and can also be found here with more information. Places are limited so please register as soon as possible.
Oak Farm Library Events
Oak Farm Library will be running free family activities over the Christmas break, including craft events, festive story times, board game sessions, computer coding and more. If you would like to make a light up Christmas card, a New Year wreath or join a 'Book Bunch' you can book via the Discover Hillingdon website. Details of the activites can be found here and all events are free.
Methodist Church Christingle Service
The Methodist Church will be holding two special services for families in the lead up to Christmas. There will be a Christingle celebration on Sunday 15th December at 6.00 p.m. and a Great Carol Countdown on Sunday 22nd December at 4.00 p.m. where attendees are invited to nominate three favourite carols. Both events are suitable for all ages and everyone is welcome.
Next Week
Monday 9th December - 1C Coffee Morning And Class Assembly
Tuesday 10th December - 1O Coffee Morning And Class Assembly
Tuesday 10th December - Y4/5/6 Robin Hood At Rose Theatre, Kingston
Wednesday 11th December - US Santa Dash in Court Park
Thursday 12th December - JTA Festive Footsteps
Thursday 12th December - Christmas Lunch and Jumper Day
Friday 13th December - US Carol Service at All Saints' Church
Friday 13th December - Term Ends (11.50 a.m. Ducklings; 12.00 Reception; 12.10 p.m. Y1/2; 12.20 p.m. Y3/4 and 12.30 p.m. Y5/6)
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