School News and Head's Blog

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Posted on: 11/10/2024

Weekly News - Friday 11th October 2024

Upper School Harvest Festival Service Thank you to those Upper School parents who joined us for a special Harvest Festival service at All Saints' Church this morning. We thoroughly enjoyed performances from the school orchestra and the choirs. Well done to 5R, 5G and to our Head Girl and Head Boy for their thoughtful and well delivered readings. The Harvest service is always an important event in the school calendar, providing an opportunity to reflect on and show gratitude for our blessings. Many thanks to all those who sent in donations of food. These will be distributed by the Salvation Army to those in need in Hillingdon. We are looking forward to the Lower School Harvest Assemblies which will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.  Sports News This week both the girls' and boys' football teams had the opportunity to participate in the BPSFA Football Tournament. This was a great experience for both teams to play competitive matches against other schools in the area and put into practise their training. Both teams were up against stiff competition but managed some fantastic goals, including one from the halfway line!         On Thursday afternoon the Year 6 netball team took to the court. The highly anticipated first netball match of the year saw the Year 6 team play Cowley St. Lawrence in an exciting display of skill and teamwork. With a fantastic winning score of 8-2, the team was full of enthusiasm and energy, showing how much they have developed in their training sessions during the lead up to this match. Well done to all involved!       Year 4 Swimming  Well done to Year 4 for completing a very successful week of intensive swimming lessons at Hillingdon Sports & Leisure Complex. It will be the turn of Year 5 next week and we are looking forward to seeing them enjoy this opportunity to develop their skills and make strong progress across the week.  Open Morning It was wonderful to welcome so many new families to the St. Helen's College Open Morning on Wednesday. A huge thank you to our Year 6 ambassadors who toured visiting families around Upper School, showing off our school at work. We received very positive feedback from visiting parents who found the children to be confident, friendly and informative guides. Well done Year 6!         Lower School Parents' Evening  Thank you to all of the parents who attended Lower School Parents' Evening on Thursday. It was delightful to meet parents and share more about how the children have settled into their new classes. We heartily encourage open communication channels between home and school so please don't hesitate to contact your child's class teacher if you have any queries, comments or concerns.  Chess Camp and Tournament Uxbridge Chess Club is running a half term Chess Camp on Tuesday 29th - Thursday 31st October from 10.00 a.m. - 3.00 p.m. The camp will include fun games, puzzles and lessons providing the perfect opportunity for chess players to perfect their skills and participate in competitive matches. The camp will be held at Lady of Lourdes & St. Michael Catholic Church hall. Hillingdon Chess Club are also hosting a Junior Chess Competition on Sunday 27th October; more details on how to enter can be found here, and the terms and conditions here.        Lebanon Donations Many, many thanks to everyone who has donated clothes, blankets, hygiene products, pyjamas, toys and more for the Red Cross Lebanon. We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the school community for this vital cause. All items will be distributed by the Lebanese Red Cross in Beirut to those most in need.            Next Week Monday 14th - Friday 18th October - Year 5 Swimming  Tuesday 15th October - Year 6 Visit to Houses of Parliament Tuesday 15th October - Year 1 Coffee Morning and Harvest Festival Assembly  Tuesday 15th October - PA Quiz Night  Wednesday 16th October - Reception Coffee Morning and Harvest Festival Assembly Wednesday 16th October - Football St. Helen's College v. St. Matthews Thursday 17th October  - Year 3 Visit to St. Albans  
Posted on: 4/10/2024

Weekly News - Friday 4th October 2024

Battle of Britain Bunker Visit  On Tuesday Year 6 visited the Battle of Britain Bunker to immerse themselves in some very important local history. The children investigated different aspects of the secret work that was completed at the site during World War II, exploring precious artefacts from the time in a series of activities looking at communications. They also had the opportunity to go down the 76 steps into the Bunker itself to discover first hand how the plotting room operated. The children enjoyed putting themselves into the position of the Controller and Plotters who worked there and walk in the footsteps of Churchill himself. The Plotting Room is frozen in time at 11.30am on 15th September 1940, a historic day for the RAF ('Battle of Britain Day') and the turning point in the battle, when the RAF managed to repel attacks from Luftwaffe planes and forced Hitler to reconsider his decision to attempt an invasion of the United Kingdom. As Churchill famously said, 'Never was so much owed by so many to so few,' and the Year 6 children certainly seemed to appreciate and understand this sentiment after their visit. Money Day Children across Lower and Upper School participated in an exciting and informative Money Day today. Financial literacy is essential and forms one of the threads of our life skills programme here at St. Helen's College. The children took part in a range of interactive activities, games and workshops to educate them about shopping, budgeting, spending, saving, currency, work and careers. A huge thank you to the parents and staff members who contributed to talks and workshops at Upper School and in doing so shared a valuable insight into careers in the financial sector. We would encourage parents to take this opportunity to review your child's life skills progress in their green Information and Reading Record book where you can sign off their achievements together.  4T Class Assembly To coincide with Money Day 4T presented a very polished class assembly to parents and their peers showcasing work on the topic. The children explained why money is needed, how it drives the economy and how it is sourced primarily from work and wages. The children demonstrated great global knowledge of different currencies used internationally. Then they treated the audience to a fun retelling of fairy tales 'Rapunzel', 'The Sleeping Beauty' and 'Cinderella' complete with very entrepreneurial leading characters!  The children rounded off the assembly performing the poem 'The Money Tree'.      Lower School Parents' Evening Thank you to all the parents at Lower School who attended parents' evening this week. The children have settled very quickly into their new classes and are already making wonderful progress. We look forward to meeting those parents who will be attending Parents' Evening next week.  Harvest Festival  Parents of Upper School children are warmly invited to join the Upper School Harvest Festival Service which will take place next Friday 11th October at All Saints' Church, Long Lane at 9.15 a.m.  We would be most grateful for Harvest donations ahead of the service. These should be dropped into the Upper School office on Wednesday or Thursday next week. We would really appreciate made up boxes/hampers filled with long-life food such as canned goods, rice, pasta, etc. If anyone has a few fruits, vegetables or flowers from their garden that could enhance the display in the church, that would be lovely (but please note that only a few would be needed and these are NOT suitable items for donations so should not be purchased!). All donations will be distributed by the Salvation Army to those in need in Hillingdon.  Lower School Harvest Assemblies will take place slightly later in the term and we will send the arrangements for these in due course. Holiday Club - October Half Term Holiday Club bookings will open to parents on Friday 4th October at 4 p.m. and close on Wednesday 16th October at 4 p.m. Please log in to your SchoolsBuddy account to make your bookings. Mr. Lynch Performs With The Hillingdon Philharmonic Orchestra Our brass teacher, Mr. Lynch, will be performing the Haydn Trumpet Concerto with the Hillingdon Philharmonic Orchestra at the Winston Churchill Hall in Ruislip on Saturday 12th October. Details are here. Children's tickets are free and the orchestra will also be performing Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and Mozart's Magic Flute Overture. We do hope that many of you will want to go and support Mr. Lynch and enjoy a super evening of music! Parking Reminder Sadly we are receiving an increasing number of complaints from our neighbours regarding inconsiderate parking at both drop off and pick up - particularly on Grosvenor Crescent and Long Lane.  Please adhere to our parking regulations, which can be found here, and be aware of our school reputation in the local community. Thank you to the majority of parents who are incredibly thoughtful and mindful of their parking.  Next Week Monday 7th - Friday 11th October - 4T swimming  Tuesday 8th October - BPSFA Girls Football Tournament Radlett Prep (Under 11) Wednesday 9th October - BPSFA Boys Football Tournament Manor Lodge (Under 11) Wednesday 9th October - School At Work Open Morning  Thursday 10th October - Y6 Netball v's Cowley St. Lawrence (H) Thursday 10th October - Ducklings, Nursery and Y1 Parents' Evening Friday 11th October - Upper School Harvest Festival Service at All Saints' Church  
Posted on: 27/09/2024

Weekly News - Friday 27th September 2024

Trips And Workshops Galore! It has been a busy week of learning for the children both inside and outside of the classrooms, with our 2024-2025 enrichment programme getting off to a flying start this week. Year 4 Ancient Greek Day The Year 4 children enhanced their history learning with a full day immersive workshop about the Ancient Greeks on Tuesday, delivered by The FreshWater Theatre Company. First, the pupils watched a show during which an Athenian helped a time traveller to answer questions about many aspects of Ancient Greek life: Sparta, Homer, clothing, myths, battles and the Greek Gods to name a few! Afterwards, the children took part in workshops, acting out Ancient Greek daily life and special events, and learning all about the Olympics. The day really brought history to life for our Year 4 children.   Year 2 Stone Age Studies At The Chiltern Open Air Museum At the same time on Tuesday, our Year 2 pupils were bringing their Stone Age studies outside the classroom with a visit to the wonderful Chiltern Open Air Museum, where they were transported back in time to experience what it was like to live in a Mesolithic Stone Age camp, learning to make fire (safely!), re-enacting hunting and gathering, and building shelters. They also became archaeologists, learning how to look for clues about the past, had a chance to create their own spears and, of course, enjoyed the beautiful play areas. The staff at the museum were very impressed by the children's knowledge and enthusiasm. If you have not visited the Chiltern Open Air Museum, we heartily recommend it to all families. The children had a super time. Year 5 Trip to Hampton Court Palace Wednesday saw our Year 5 children take a trip to Hampton Court Palace to enhance their understanding of The Tudors. The children were full of enthusiasm and the staff were impressed with their behaviour. Our pupils explored the outside grounds including the gardens, real tennis court, chapel and impressive range of kitchens and had tours of the Tudor state apartments. They also took part in a workshop session (‘Tudor Palaces and World Trade’), which helped to link their first two units of History in Year 5: ‘The problems faced by Elizabeth I’ and ‘The British Empire’. In the workshop session, the children went on a voyage of discovery to find out how new technology began making the world a smaller place in the 16th Century and what the real cost of trading overseas might be. Journeying through the palace, they looked for evidence to show which commodities the Tudors wanted and who paid the human price for the legacy of Elizabethan exploration. What a lot they learnt! Reception Trip To Odds Farm Our Reception children have been learning all about farming and life on the farm and have been enjoying farm role play - we currently have a farm shop in both the Owls and Kingfishers classrooms. They have also been painting farm animals which they would like to meet on a real farm. They took their learning further on Wednesday with a visit to Odds Farm Park near High Wycombe, where they had opportunities to see and touch different breeds of animals including rabbits, sheep and goats. They were also able to see first hand how the farmer milks a cow and there was even time for an exciting and rather bumpy tractor ride across the field!   Month End Music Recital Well done to all of the performers who took part in our first Month End Music Recital of the year today. It is always so wonderful to see our musicians building their confidence by having the chance to perform in an informal arena with a hugely supportive audience. Thank you to all of the parents and friends who came to watch too. If your child is not yet learning an instrument and you would like to sign them up for lessons, please contact Mrs. Fawbert at cfawbert@sthelenscollege.com. Parent Practice Webinar: 'Bringing Out The Best In Your Child' Thank you to all of the parents who joined us on Wednesday evening for Elaine Halligan's extremely useful webinar, 'Bringing Out The Best In Your Child'. We hope that you found the content of the session both informative and useful. We have worked with The Parent Practice for many years and we recommend their resources to parents regularly. We would like to remind you that, while your class teacher is your first point of contact for matters concerning your child, Mrs. Hunt (Lower School) and Mr. McLaughlin (Upper School) are our Pastoral Leads and are available to meet with parents who may feel they need some extra support with aspects of children's wellbeing or behaviour. You may contact them at the email addresses below. Mrs. Hunt: lhunt@sthelenscollege.com Mr. McLaughlin: amclaughlin@sthelenscollege.com ISI Inspection We were delighted to welcome a team of ISI inspectors to the school this week and to be able to showcase our pupils and their positive attitudes, diverse talents and excellent class work. We would like to thank all of the parents who responded so promptly to the ISI parent survey. The inspectors seemed to enjoy their time with us and we are looking forward to reading their report in due course. We will of course share it with you as soon as we are allowed to do so! Ducklings, Nursery, Reception, Year 1 Parents' Evenings Our next parents' evening for Ducklings, Nursery, Reception and Year 1 will take place on Wednesday 2nd October. Bookings are still open so if you have not yet booked your meeting please do so before the system closes on Sunday 29th September. You should follow the link below to make your booking. https://sthelens.schoolcloud.co.uk/ PA Quiz Night - Book Your Place Now! The PA are organising another of their very popular Quiz Nights on Tuesday 15th October at The White Bear in Ruislip. You can see the poster/flyer here. Please complete the Google form below to book your spot - you will need a team of 4-6 people with a team name in order to book.  https://forms.gle/Z9VPgLBzNGTKFw8s8 News From The PA Thank you for your continued support with the food donations. We’ve now been running this for nearly a year now and the volunteers at the Hillingdon Food Bank are extremely overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness of SHC community. Just a gentle reminder that if you would like to donate any items of non-perishable food items, the boxes are held by the entrance of Lower School and going forward, children in Upper School will be able to drop their food items at the start of the day at the Parkway entrance by the first two classrooms (2S/2C) after they enter the school gates. PA Co-Secretary There is a vacancy for someone to assist on the executive committee as the co-secretary. Please do consider this role if you have a little time to spare in helping the work of the Parents' Association. The Executive Committee are now sharing all the roles to enable us to share the tasks to make it more manageable. Your support is very much valued. You can express your interest by emailing us at pa@sthelenscollege.com. Next Week Monday 1st - Friday 4th October - 4C swimming Tuesday 1st October - Year 6 trip to Battle Of Britain Bunker Wednesday 2nd October - Nursery coffee morning (8.15 a.m. in Lower School Hall) Wednesday 2nd October - Ducklings, Nursery, Reception & Year 1 parents' evenings (4 - 7 p.m. at Lower School) Friday 4th October - Money Focus Day Friday 4th October - 4T coffee morning/class assembly (Upper School Hall)
Posted on: 20/09/2024

Weekly News - Friday 20th September 2024

Fun in Year 1 It has been a busy, fun week in Year 1 filled with learning. Both classes enjoyed taking a walk to the local postbox to post letters home.           The Year 1 children have also been very busy in their Spanish lessons, learning the names of various minibeasts. After learning new vocabulary they took their learning outside to see if they could find arañas (spiders), hormigas (ants) and caracoles (snails).   Cycle To School Week Next week is Bikeability's 'Cycle to School' week, an event championed by our Junior Travel Ambassadors. Cycling is a terrific way to stay healthy, protect the environment and save money. We are looking forward to seeing lots of children supporting this venture and making good use of our lovely new bike shed.  If your child is in need of a bike, you might be interested in a company recommended by one of our parents, who has recently used them. As well as selling great quality recycled bikes, being sustainable and repairing bikes, Recycle-A-Bike is a not-for-profit company who work on bringing adults with mental health illnesses back into employment. A lot of their staff at the bike shop and at the adjacent cafe within the park are supported by them. The prices are really economical - a new bike recently purchased by a St. Helen's College parent should have been around £650 but was on sale for £150! The details are: The Yard Rockingham Parade Uxbridge UB8 2UW (Within Fassnidge Park) Bringing Out The Best In Your Child We are absolutely delighted to be welcoming Elaine Halligan of The Parent Practice back to St. Helen's College for a parenting workshop, as she has been so well received in previous years. Elaine will be delivering her online workshop ‘Bringing Out The Best In Your Child’ on Wednesday 25th September at 7.30 p.m. The fact that she is able to reach so many parents via webinar is wonderful, so please do make every effort to attend this session, which is paid for by the school. All parents want the very best for their children and want to see their children be successful and happy. Sometimes we worry that our children don’t seem to be achieving all they are capable of, we worry that they are not trying hard, that they won’t try new things or that they give up too easily. Elaine's webinar looks at ways of motivating children to do their best without nagging or pressurising them. The talk covers:   - ways of motivating children to want to do their best  - the importance of self esteem to ensure cooperative children - how to focus on the positive aspects of your child’s behaviour, no matter how small they are  - being aware of the negativity bias and the impact it has  - how to encourage your child to try hard and to persevere - practical ways of setting things up so that children are likely to get it right. All registered attendees will receive a comprehensive handout with an overview of the webinar content. In order to join you need to register via this link beforehand so please do so this week: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcrf-mprzkoEtyiTguUIZUhBrrSQlPuK4xY Co-Curricular Clubs Co-curricular clubs started this week and it has been super to see the children enjoying the many activities on offer. Please note that PE/Games kits are required for football, netball, running and basketball clubs; if your child would usually be wearing school uniform on the day of these clubs, they should bring their sports kit and change at break time or lunch time. For other sports clubs, your child should bring a pair of trainers in a drawstring bag on the day of the club, which they will wear with their school uniform.  School Photographs Individual and sibling pupil photographs will be taken on Thursday 26th September for Nursery - Year 6. Sibling photographs will take place before school from 7.40 a.m. at Upper and Lower School. Ducklings individual photographs will take place on Monday 25th November; however, Ducklings are welcome to join siblings for group photographs on Thursday 26th September. Ducklings and Lower School Parents' Evenings Parents' evenings will take place for all of Ducklings, Nursery, Reception and Year 1 on 2nd and 10th October from 4 - 7 p.m. Please follow the link below to book your appointments. Parents' Evening Bookings Money Day - 4th October We would very much like to hear from parents who wish to get involved in our upcoming Money Day on Friday 4th October. Financial literacy forms one of the threads in our Life Skills programme here at St. Helen's College and this special focus day will include a range of interactive workshops, exciting events and fun activities to educate pupils on spending and saving, bills and budgeting, online and electronic payments, career choices and more. The overarching theme for the day will be: Saving Money and Protecting our Planet. If any parents work in a maths or money related role and would like to get involved in running a session or contributing to an assembly, please email Mrs. McLaughlin at pmclaughlin@sthelenscollege.com as soon as possible so that staff may work with you to organise exciting and educational sessions for the children.  Music Lessons Individual music lessons are offered at school taught by our team of specialist music teachers, many of whom work professionally in the music industry. From Reception, children can learn the violin or the cello, and from Year 2 children can learn a wider variety of instruments including flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, violin, cello, piano, singing and guitar (NB: guitar can be learnt from Year 3).  There are currently spaces available to begin this term for the following instruments: Flute, Trumpet, Trombone and 'Cello. The waiting list is open for all other instruments. Please complete this Google Form for further information and to register your child. For any further queries, please contact Mrs. Fawbert on cfawbert@sthelenscollege.com.  Voices In Accord: Melodies For Mind North Hillingdon Methodist Church will be hosting an afternoon of song, conduction by Alison Elcoat, in aid of the Motor Neurone Disease Association on Saturday, 21st September at 2.45 p.m. No tickets are required to attend this event, but there will be a retiring collection for MND. All are welcome to turn up at the church in time for the music, at 260 Long Lane, Hillingdon, UB10 9PB, just in front of our Lower School site. Next Week Tuesday 24th September - Year 4 Ancient Greek Day Tuesday 24th September - Year 2 Visit to Chiltern Open Air Museum  Wednesday 25th September - Reception Class Trip to Odds Farm  Wednesday 25th September - Year 5 Trip to Hampton Court Wednesday 25th September - 'Bringing Out The Best In Your Child' webinar  Thursday 26th September - Individual and Optional Sibling School Photographs (Nursery - Y6) Friday 27th September - Month End Music Recital Mini-Me Camps - October Half Term  Mini-Me Camps will be running a holiday camp at PACCAR from 28th to 31st October (during half term). Details and onine booking are available here.
Posted on: 13/09/2024

Weekly News - Friday 13th September 2024

Eco Team Litter Picking Two eco conscious St. Helen's College pupils have been putting their green passion into action cleaning up their local area over the summer holidays. Siara and Shayla, Upper School members of the Eco Team, spent many days over the holidays picking up litter in Ickenham Village. Their hard work has not gone unnoticed as many local residents have taken the time to chat to the girls and thank them for their community spirit. Well done to the girls for being wonderful ambassadors for the school.      Celebrating British Farming Day  Pupils and staff celebrated the best of British produce yesterday for 'Back British Farming Day' on Wednesday, an initiative from the National Farmers Union. The national event aims to highlight the importance of agriculture to communities and the economy. It is also a wonderful opportunity to educate children about the 'farm to fork' process and how important it is to support sustainable farming for the future.  The Accent Catering team put together a terrific display of home grown goods and the children had fun colouring in posters to celebrate our farming heroes. Well done to Simar in 2C who won the colouring competition and to everyone who took part! Co-Curriculum Clubs The co-curricular clubs programme begins on Monday, so please double check your allocations and ensure you send children with any equipment required on the correct days! As a reminder, any query regarding the co-curricular programme should be addressed to Mr. Harrington at lharrington@sthelenscollege.com. Parent Survey Feedback Many thanks to all of you who completed the end of year Parent Survey earlier in the summer. We were grateful for the very many positive comments and thanks from parents for all that school staff do to keep the children safe, happy and making good progress in all areas of school life. Many of you commented on the supportive environment, strong sense of community, excellent leadership and expertise of staff. We always want to make improvements and in response to points raised, we will be trialling some tweaks to routines and events this term, as follows. Funtasia After School Care for Nursery children will be based in the Nursery classrooms from Monday 16th September. Breakfast Club will also be based at Lower School. We hope that these two changes will provide a more enjoyable and appropriate environment for our youngest children. To ease with the transition to Upper School, Year 2 children are now having a 'soft start' to their day, as they did in Year 1.  We are exploring options for a regular second hand uniform sale to be run at school by the PA. This will be a huge benefit for parents so if you are interested in helping with this, please contact the PA at pa@sthelenscollege.com to offer your support. We would also like to remind parents that if you have any questions or concerns regarding any aspect of your child’s schooling, it is important that you contact your child’s class teacher immediately so that we may take prompt action to ensure the best outcome for your child. Once again, thank you for all of the feedback and kind words. We were particularly proud to hear the following from a parent with an older child at senior school, and wanted to share this anonymous comment with the whole community: 'With an older child in secondary school I can appreciate even more what SHC offers. SHC should be extremely proud of the range of performances, assemblies, concerts and competitions. This is a real selling point for the school as all children take part in some way and learn from this in terms of managing anxiety, teamwork and presentation/performance skills. SHC produces shows which other schools with older children are not capable of staging. Staff turnover is also low with everyone making a huge effort as part of the community which suggests a happy working environment. Diversity and sustainability is discussed with the children regularly and children seem very aware of different cultures and respecting each other. Subjects like science, geography, RE and history are also very well taught with techniques directly useful for secondary education which place the children far ahead on starting.' Cycle To School Week We hope that many families will bring fun to the school run by taking part in Bikeability's 'Cycle to School' campaign from Monday 23rd - Friday 27th September. Championed by our Junior Travel Ambassadors, a pedal powered commute is good for health, the school and the planet. And, of course, we have a lovely new bike shed to keep all of the bikes safe and dry! Please take this opportunity to check the safety of bikes and ensure pupils' helmets are well fitting. We look forward to seeing as many children as possible take part.      Money Day - 4th October Financial literacy forms one of the threads in our Life Skills programme here at St. Helen's College. To support this we will be holding a 'Money Day' on Friday 4th October for pupils across the school. The day will include a range of interactive workshops, exciting events and fun activities to educate pupils on spending and saving, bills and budgeting, online and electronic payments, career choices and much more. Supporting our ethos of sustainability, the overarching theme for the day will be: Saving Money and Protecting our Planet. We would welcome parent input so if you work in finance and would like to get involved in running a session or contributing to an assembly please look out for an email from SchoolsBuddy with more information.  The Parent Practice Webinar - 25th September Parents are warmly invited to join a special free webinar 'Bringing out the best in your child', by Elaine Halligan from The Parent Practice on Wednesday 25th September. Elaine is a trusted parenting coach, author and speaker well known to St. Helen's College. Her coaching sessions have proved to be invaluable, providing supportive, insightful and practical advice and guidance for parents and staff alike. Many, many parents have found her ‘Harmony at Home’ training course transformative. At St. Helen's College we truly value our parents and want to offer support in negotiating the joyful, yet often tricky, pathway that is parenting. Please do save the date and join the online webinar. Full details about how to join will be sent nearer the time.  Dining Room Etiquette Lunchtime is always a highlight of the school day and we place a firm emphasis on encouraging the children to take pride in their table manners and dining room etiquette. Please support your child at home by teaching them how to use cutlery correctly and by modelling family meals eaten at a table without any distractions. This is a valuable time to converse and connect with your child and is a life skill that will stand them in good stead for years to come. We will be looking out for and rewarding children who make a big effort to demonstrate these skills.  St. Helen's College Open Morning Our next 'School At Work' Open Morning for prospective new families is on Wednesday 9th October. If you know of anyone with a child aged three or below who might be interested in visiting the school, please do let them know. They can book their appointments via the school website here.  PA Welcome Event The Parents' Association very much hope that all new families will come along to their Welcome Event on Saturday 14th September from 2 - 4 p.m. The event will take place in the Evans Hall at Upper School and is a lovely opportunity to meet the PA and other new families. The PA relies on parental support to run a busy programme of fundraising events for the children so please do get involved, everyone is welcome.  Legacy Football School Places are available for boys and girls aged 5 -14 at Legacy Football School a local club that trains at Court Park on Saturdays. Sessions are run by FA qualified coaches and include fun games and drills based on developing skills in passing, dribbling, defending and shooting. There is also the opportunity for children to join a team squad to play league and cup matches. More information and booking details can be found here.  Home-Start Hillingdon Coffee Morning Home-Start Hillingdon, 306 Lane Lane (next door to Ducklings) are hosting coffee mornings to meet their volunteers on Tueday 24th September and Wednesday 2nd October. Find out more about the vital work the charity do and how you could help change the lives of local families by joining their volunteer training programme. Coffee and drop in runs from 10.00 a.m. - 12 noon and the volunteer talks begin at 11.00 a.m. The next volunteer training course starts on 8th October and runs every Tuesday for eight weeks, during school hours in Hillingdon. Next Week Monday 16th September - Co-curriculum clubs begin Wednesday 18th September - Year 1 Phonics Evening 6 - 7 p.m.     
Posted on: 6/09/2024

Weekly News - Friday 6th September 2024

It has been wonderful to welcome the children back to school this week, and to get to know our new joiners too. There is such a happy, purposeful feeling all across the school and we are all very much looking forward to the year ahead! It has also been super to see so many parents in school this week at individual Early Years parent meetings, the Meet the Teacher evening at Upper School and the Year 2 coffee morning. As we begin a new year, we would like to remind all parents of the importance of regular communication and of the best routes for this. Your class teacher is always your first port of call for any queries concerning your child, and we encourage you to keep in touch with them. Prompt, clear communication between school and home is crucial to enable the best care for your child and to support their progress most effectively. Email is usually a good way to contact your class teacher; they are also available at the end of the school day if you need a quick chat, and they will be happy to arrange a longer appointment should that be needed. If your class teacher is unable to assist for some reason, please feel free to contact a member of the Senior Leadership Team directly on the email addresses below: Ducklings and Lower School queries - Mrs. Hunt at lhunt@sthelenscollege.com. Upper School pastoral queries - Mr. McLaughlin at amclaughlin@sthelenscollege.com. Upper School teaching and learning queries - Mr. Lewis at mlewis@sthelenscollege.com. Co-Curriculum/sports queries - Mr. Harrington at lharrington@sthelenscollege.com. Administration/admissions/communications/any other query - Mrs. Smith at susmith@sthelenscollege.com. PA Welcome Event The Parents' Association very much hope that all new families will come along to their Welcome Event on Saturday 14th September from 2 - 4 p.m. The event will take place in the Evans Hall at Upper School and is a lovely opportunity to meet the PA and other new families. Eco News SHC Achieves Eco-Schools Green Flag Award - With Distinction! We were delighted to learn, over the summer, that St. Helen's College has again achieved our Eco-Schools Green Flag Award. Not only have we retained our award, but this time we have been awarded a Distinction for our eco work! SHC Achieves Plastic Free School Status! We have also now completed Objective 5 of the Plastic Free Schools Campaign and have been awarded Plastic Free Schools Status! Plastic Free Schools is a pupil-led, ground-breaking programme that equips young people with the tools to understand the problems of single-use plastic, speak to politicians and eliminate unnecessary single-use plastic from their schools, for good. The children focused on eliminating plastic food packaging in school for this final step; sandwiches for trips will now be packaged using cardboard not cling film or other plastic snack wrapping. We are so delighted to have achieved these goals, and would like to thank everyone involved for their hard work, especially the diligent and passionate Eco Team.  New Upper School Bike Shed Our hard working maintenance team have been very busy over the summer break, updating facilities and equipment across the school sites. At Upper School the children have been excited to see a beautiful new bike shed, an terrific addition to the school grounds. The new shed has plenty of space to keep bikes, helmets and scooters tidy and dry. It also features eco 'living walls', areas dedicated to growing lavendar, strawberry plants and herbs for the school kitchen. Bikeability's Cycle To School week takes place from 23rd -27th September and is the perfect opportunity for pupils to get involved. Not only will the children benefit from fresh air and exercise before school, it also supports our important environmental work as an eco school.  Fundraising Success  Naiya (Year 5) has raised over £5000 for cancer support charity The Little Princess Trust!  Through a sponsored haircut, Naiya donated over 14 inches of her long locks, which will be made into wigs for children who have lost hair through cancer treatment or other conditions. Her efforts for this valuable cause have placed her in the charity's top 5% of fundraisers for July, an amazing achievement. Well done, Naiya!       Autumn Co-curricular Clubs Booking for autumn term co-curricular clubs will go live on SchoolsBuddy today at 4 p.m. There are plenty of fun and exciting clubs for the children to get involved with, from sports and games to art, music and languages. The timetable can be found here. Please log into SchoolsBuddy for more information and to make your selection by Sunday night, when bookings will close.  Music Lessons A range of one-to-one music lessons are offered at school taught by our team of specialist music teachers, many of whom work professionally in the music industry.  From Reception children can learn the violin or the cello, and from Year 2 children can learn a wider variety of instruments including flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, violin, cello, piano, singing and guitar (NB: guitar can be learnt from Year 3).  There are currently spaces available to begin this term for the following instruments: Flute, Trumpet, Trombone, 'Cello and Singing. The waiting list is open for all other instruments. Please complete this Google Form for further information and to register your child. For any further queries please contact Mrs Fawbert on cfawbert@sthelenscollege.com.  Upper School Swimming As usual, each class in Years 2 to 6 will enjoy an intensive week of swimming lessons this year at Hillingdon Sports and Leisure Complex. Here are the dates for your diary: w/c Monday 30th September 4C  w/c Monday 7th October 4T  w/c Monday 14th October 5R and 5G  w/c Monday 11th November 3B  w/c Monday 18th November 3M  w/c Monday Jan 27th 2C w/c Monday February 3rd 6H and 6L  w/c Monday Feb 10th 2S  Baby Mindfulness Classes Mrs. McLaughlin's next set of FREE Mother/Baby Mindfulness classes will begin on Wednesday 11th September. These classes are for mothers and babies aged from six weeks until crawling. They run on Wednesday mornings (9 a.m.) at St. Helen's College Upper School and provide a safe space for mums and babies to bond, taking part in breathing, gentle yoga and other mindfulness exercises. There is also the opportunity to meet other local mums and babies and to socialise with them.  If you have a baby of the right age and are interested in joining these classes, please email Mrs. McLaughlin on pmclaughlin@sthelenscollege.com to reserve your spot. The classes are free of charge and are open to everyone, whether they have a child at St. Helen's College or not, so please do spread the word! Ducklings, Nursery and Reception Entry - September 2025 If you have a child who will be eligible by age for entry into Ducklings, Nursery or Reception in September 2025, and have not yet registered him/her with St. Helen's College, please do so as soon as possible by completing the online registration form. Our entry processes now take place earlier than in the past; places for next year's Ducklings and Nursery entry points will be allocated during this term.  Siblings of children currently at the school receive priority when places are allocated, but must be registered now in order to be sure of a place.  St. Helen's College Open Morning  Our next 'School At Work' Open Morning for prospective new families is on Wednesday 9th October. If you know of anyone with a child aged three or below who might be interested in visiting the school, please do let them know. They can book their appointments via the school website here.  Methodist Church Service St. Helen's College pupils and families are warmly invited to a community service at North Hillingdon Methodist Church on Long Lane on Sunday 8th September at 9.30 a.m. The service will include special prayers for the new academic year ahead and children are invited to bring along school book bags for blessing.  Chiswick Book Festival 13th - 15th September The Chiswick Book Festival, which boasts its own Children's Book Festival, is running next weekend, 13th - 15th September. This is a fantastic opportunity for children to join events with a fun and diverse line-up of authors and illustrators. The exciting programme includes Rob Biddulph, Zanib Mian (a favourite visitor at St. Helen's College last year), Ken Wilson-Max and Zoe Antoniades.  Fans of CBeebies Swashbuckle will be thrilled to see Joseph Elliott (Pirate ‘Cook’) with his new younger chapter book about a very exciting grandmother! Mariesa Dulak will be introducing her debut, 'There’s a Tiger on the Train', and fans of graphic novels and comics will love Kev F Sutherland’s workshop. You can book here for all children’s events, which take place in family friendly venues near public transport.  Mini Me October Half Term Camps  Mini-Me Camps are running a half term holiday camp at PACCAR Scout Camp from 28th - 31st October. Booking is now available and all friends and family are welcome! Full details, including booking details, are available here.  Next Week Monday 9th September - Nursery individual new parent meetings (3.15 p.m. - 5.15 p.m.) Saturday 14th September - PA Welcome Event in Evans Hall (2 - 4 p.m.)
Posted on: 12/07/2024

End of Term News

Centenary Concert and Art Exhibition What an astonishing day of celebration it was yesterday, as we hosted the Upper School Centenary Art Exhibition and Centenary Concert. Both events took place at the Winston Churchill Hall in Ruislip, a super venue for celebrating the arts. We transformed the theatre lounge into our own Art Exhibition space for the day, complete with tropical plants, soft music and refreshments. Parents, pupils and staff had plenty of time to peruse artwork created by every child in Years 2 to 6. The variety of techniques and artistic talents on display was truly wonderful; we clearly have many budding artists, designers and sculptors in our midst.   In the evening, the Centenary Concert showcased the extraordinary standards reached by our many, many vocalists, instrumentalists and public speakers. With around one hundred pupils involved, we were treated to performances from the Junior Choir, Senior Choir, Chamber Choir, Orchestra and Massed Choirs, as well as accomplished solo performances from vocalists and instrumentalists. In addition, four children performed individual spoken recitations of poetry or dramatic extracts. The guitar and string ensembles performed in the lobby as guests arrived too! This really was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the arts at St. Helen's College. Thank you to all of the families and staff who supported the event, and congratulations to the children who created such incredible artwork and/or performed on the stage. It was an event we will never forget. Centenary Fun Day The rainy weather didn't dampen the children's spirits this week or deter them from enjoying a special Centenary Fun Day on Tuesday.  Lower School celebrated the 100th birthday of St. Helen's College by taking part in a range of House activities throughout the day. These included creating birthday posters, making delicious fruit kebabs, writing House acrostic poems, completing puzzles, playing games and throwing themselves into lots of singing and dancing! Children across the school enjoyed a special picnic style lunch menu and at Upper School there was both a movie afternoon and fun and games in the park! Year 6 Project Exhibition It was an absolute pleasure to host the Year 6 Project Exhibition on Tuesday when our talented pupils showcased their individual project work. The pupils presented a research project of their choice to parents, peers and staff in a terrific display of hard work and creativity. It was so inspiring to hear the children's passion and excitement for their chosen subject and the flair with which they produced their work. Everything from science and technology to history, geography, art, textiles, music and sport was represented. The quality of work was truly outstanding and offered, perhaps, a glimpse at where their future careers may take them!    Ducklings Sports Day On Thursday Ducklings took part in their first St. Helen's College Sports Day. Parents were invited to cheer the children on as they participated in a variety of fun games and activities in the Ducklings grounds. This was a wonderful way for the Ducklings to round off their first year of development at St. Helen's College. We know that they have all laid super foundations for the future and look forward to seeing them at increasingly sophisticated Sports Days as the years progress!       Year 1 Trip to Mad Bess Wood On Wednesday Year 1 enjoyed a trip to Mad Bess Wood in Ruislip. Despite a heavy downfall during lunch, rain did not stop play for the children! They had lots of fun playing on the lawn with a variety of toys before going on a mini trek in the woods. They used magnifying glasses to explore the minibeasts and had the opportunity to identify and name the different plants and trees they discovered.  After lunch they had a visit from Pino and his ice cream van which was a real hit with children and staff alike! Then, the children had a sneaky peek in Mrs. Hunt's garden and found some of the sunflowers they had planted in the spring. All agreed it was a wonderful way to celebrate a fantastic year.   Year 6 Teacher For A Day Year 6 stepped into the shoes of teachers and staff across the school for 'Teacher For A Day' this week. The children began by leading a very organised and professional Upper School assembly and then took to the classrooms where they led and assisted in lessons across the year groups. At Lower School the children led football training sessions, creative arts activities and joined in with fun phonics lessons. At Upper School the children shadowed staff in the classroom and beyond, experiencing a day in the life of a school chef, librarian, PE teacher and school secretary!  They all did a terrific job and enjoyed the experience immensely.    Year 3 and 4 Tennis Finals Our talented Year 3 and 4 tennis finalists hit the court this week in the hotly contested SHC Tennis Competition. The standard of play was outstanding. All the finalists played with terrific flair in thrilling, competitive matches. The atmosphere court side was electric as the final points were decided. In the end the winners were:   Isaac A and Emerald S in Year 3 Aadhya M and Rayhan R in Year 4  Well done to everyone who took part in the competition; it was fantastic to watch tennis of such a high standard.    ABRSM Examination Results We are very proud of all of our musicians and vocalists who have achieved great results in their ABRSM exams this term.  Penelope A-C 6L Piano Initial Merit Viren C 6L Cello Grade 1 Distinction Arjun S 6L Piano Initial Distinction Emily S 6L Piano Grade 3 Merit Arjun C 6H Guitar Grade 3 Pass Marco K 6H Guitar Grade 2 Pass Grace O'H 6H Cello Grade 3 Pass Aiden T 6H Guitar Grade 3 Merit           Alexander A 5G Singing Grade 2 Distinction Alexander A 5G Cello Grade 1 Merit Zinnia M 5G Trumpet Grade 2 Pass Simrina N 5G Singing MT Grade 3 Merit Simrina N 5G Flute Grade 2 Pass Mikail O 5G Piano Initial Distinction Sayaan S 5G Cello Grade 2 Merit           Ashvika A 5R Piano Grade 5 Pending Aaryav K 5R Guitar Grade 2 Merit           Dhani C 4B Singing MT Grade 1 Merit Shayna C 4B Cello Grade 1 Merit Shayna C 4B Singing MT Grade 2 Merit Shayna C 4B Piano Grade 2 Pending Ella K 4B Piano Grade 2 Pass Naiya L 4T Piano Initial Merit Naiya L 4B Singing MT Grade 1 Distinction Aaran T 4B Piano Grade 1 Pass Leo A 4T Piano Grade 1 Pass Leo A 4T Singing Grade 2 Distinction Amara B 4T Piano Grade 2 Pass Avleen P 4T Singing Grade 1 Distinction Avleen P 4T Piano Grade 1 Merit Aran P 4T Cello Grade 4 Pass Parisa S 4T Singing MT Grade 2 Distinction                     Anika C 3B Piano Grade 1 Merit Zoe F 3B Piano Grade 3 Pass Eleanor G 3B Singing Grade 1 Distinction Eleanor G 3B Piano Grade 1 Distinction Liberty Y 3B Piano Grade 1 Distinction Alicia Z 3B Singing MT Grade 2 Distinction Ajooni G 3M Singing MT Grade 1 Merit           Emily K 3M Piano Grade 1 Pass Alba M 3M Piano Grade 1 Merit           Aayan B 2R Singing Prep Pass Siara R 2R Piano Prep Pass   LAMDA Examination Results What a wonderful set of examination results we have received for the pupils who recently took examinations here at SHC. Very well done to all of the children. Riya S - Acting Grade 2 Distinction Eva J - Acting Grade 2 Distinction Anika C - Acting Grade 2 Distinction Anna K - Acting Grade 1 Distinction Zoe F - Acting Grade 2 Distinction Mustafa F - Acting Grade 1 Distinction Elisa K - Acting Entry Level Distinction Hana H - Acting Grade 1 Distinction Senna G - Acting Grade 1 Distinction Amaya L - Acting Grade 1 Merit Aryan S - Acting Entry Level Merit Shanaiya K - Acting Grade 2 Distinction Sienna K - Acting Entry Level Merit  Naiya L - Speaking in Public Grade 3 Merit Music Lessons We are proud to offer a range of music lessons here at St. Helen's College from Reception through to Year 6. Music lessons are taught on a one-to-one basis by our talented team of specialist music teachers, many of whom work professionally in the music industry.  From Reception children can learn the violin or the 'cello, and from Year 2 children can learn a wider variety of instruments including flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, violin, cello, piano, singing and guitar (NB: guitar can be learnt from Year 3).  Allocations are currently being placed to children already on the waiting list for music lessons. If you would like to add you child to the waiting list for music lessons please complete the following Google Form: (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSejd_XZ8SXTClIyL4p4O8020hMoUVPbTVeu6vKzY4Z9crNZDA/viewform) Please note: the waiting list for piano lessons is already quite long, however there are spaces for most other instruments to begin in September. The Google Form includes further information, however please contact Mrs. Fawbert on cfawbert@sthelenscollege.com if you have any further queries. Final Assembly At our final assembly this morning, we celebrated many of the children's achievements this year. Congratulations to our Year 3 to 5 form prize winners who received trophies and book tokens recognising their academic excellence, exceptional effort and application of school values. Our outgoing Head Boy and Head Girl gave a super speech as they handed on the positions of responsibility to Year 5 children (see below), and the children listened with enjoyment and emotion to Ms Drummond's farewell speech to the Year 6 leavers, themed around Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. There was much anticipation over the award of the House Cup, of course. Once the House point totals had been tallied for the entire year, the winning House was Hibernia. The House Cup is now decked out in green ribbons and the Hibernia House Captains were extremely proud to accept it on behalf of all of the pupils in their House. The final counts and positions for the year were: Hibernia - 6334 Windsor - 6307 Cambria - 5277 Caledonia - 4946 It is always emotional saying goodbye to the pupils and families leaving us. We would like to wish them all huge happiness and success in the future, and remind them once again to keep in touch with us here at St. Helen's College. Pupil Leadership Team We are delighted to announce our new Pupil Leadership Team for the academic year 2024 - 2025. Head Girl: Ashvika A Head Boy: Maicen M Deputy Head Girl: Diya B Deputy Head Boy: Alexander A Caledonia House Captains: Arya A and Avar D Cambria House Captains: Amelia L and Samuel H Hibernia House Captains: Shanaiya K and Veer K Windsor House Captains: Evie J and Aaryav K We would like to thank our outgoing Pupil Leadership Team for all that they have done over the last year, and wish our new team luck as they take on these positions of responsibility. Next Term Please ensure, over the summer, that your child has all of the correct uniform and equipment for their new year group and that this is all clean, in good repair and named. The uniform and equipment list can be found on the School Documents page of the website. Co-curricular clubs will begin in the third week of the autumn term; the programme will be published to parents at the start of term for your child to make their selections. We would like to remind parents, ahead of the new year, that children must arrive at school punctually each morning. Late arrivals are disruptive. Please allow plenty of time for your journey to school to ensure punctuality.  PA Welcome Event Please make a note in your diaries for the PA welcome event on Saturday 14th September 2.00 - 4.00 p.m. in the Evans Hall. This is an opportunity to meet the friendly PA team, share fundraising ideas and find out how you can be involved. Everyone is welcome.  Flu Vaccinations  Vaccination UK will be visiting the school on Tuesday 19th November to administer the seasonal flu vaccine for Reception through to Year 6. More information and a consent form will follow in the autumn term.       
Posted on: 5/07/2024

Weekly News - Friday 5th July 2024

Year 6 Prizegiving  On Thursday it was an evening of achievement and celebration at the St. Helen's College annual Prizegiving reception and ceremony. This special evening for Year 6, held in the Evans Garden, recognises the children's remarkable talents, hard work and personal development during their time at St. Helen's College. Our Principals, Mr. and Mrs. Crehan, delivered an inspiring speech and lovely song and offered words of encouragement for the children as they embark on new beginnings and many exciting adventures ahead. Thank you to Samara P for her wonderful solo performance and to the Chamber Choir for their beautiful renditions of 'Rhythm Of Life' and 'You'll Never Walk Alone', a fitting sentiment as we prepare to bid Year 6 a final farewell next week.  Lower School Art Exhibition Lower School celebrated the many talents of our gifted pupils today at their Centenary Art Exhibition. Every child had a piece of art beautifully mounted, framed and displayed and enjoyed showing them off to their parents! The mini masterpieces were available for parents to buy, with extra copies and postcards also available to order. We hope that all of the families who visited enjoyed the exhibition as much as we did! Ducklings parents were also able to view and buy framed artwork created by our youngest Helenians. What an artistic bunch they are! We are looking forward to the Upper School Art Exhibition next Thursday too. As a reminder, the exhibition will be open at the Winston Churchill Hall in Ruislip from 3 - 5 p.m. and from 6 - 8 p.m. on Thursday 11th July. Year 2 Trip To Iver Environment Centre On Tuesday Year 2 visited Iver Environment Centre for a full day of outdoor activities. The children relished a day in nature, taking part in a mini beast hunt, pond dipping and building bug houses as part of work on wildlife habitats. The day was rounded off in the fun adventure play area which proved to be very popular. The school were kindly gifted two bird boxes which will be decorated by the children and installed in the school grounds. We hope the boxes will make a cosy home for nesting birds and we look forward to monitoring them for life in the coming months!      Wimbledon Visit A lucky group of pupils from Year 5 and 6 had an exciting day out at Wimbledon Tennis Championships on Tuesday.  Arjun S, Tiya T, Amaya L, Rian M, Marco K, Simar C, Avar D and Shanaya P watched two thrilling matches on Court 1 featuring the world number 4 women's player (Elena Rybakina), followed by the world number 4 men's player (Alexander Zverev). Both players won convincingly and demonstrated incredible skill. The children also had the opportunity to tour the whole Wimbledon complex and watch world class tennis action on the smaller courts. It was a fantastic day and we hope the children will be inspired to excel in their own sporting endeavours.  Election Day The children had the chance to experience democracy in action here at St. Helen's College on Thursday when the School Council ran its own ballot to tie in with the General Election. Year 6 representatives shared the key manifesto promises from four leading political parties; Conservative, Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party, in rousing speeches during morning assembly. The Upper School children then took to the ballot box at breaktime to cast their vote. All the candidates were very convincing. We may have one or two budding politicians in our midst!  In total, 173 votes were cast and counted overnight. The results were announced in assembly this morning, as follows:  Conservative Party - 79 Liberal Democrats - 41 Labour Party - 35 SNP - 18 Move Up Mornings On Monday children from Years 1 - 5 participated in 'Move Up Morning'. This is always an eagerly anticipated event, offering children a glimpse into next year's classroom and some of the activities they will be doing. It is also a chance for them to meet and get to know their new teacher for the academic year ahead. On Tuesday it was the Nursery and Reception children's chance to do the same. We hope all the children feel reassured by the visit and excited for the new academic year in September! NSPCC Workshop On Thursday, representatives from the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) visited Years 2 - 6 for a workshop on staying safe. The session educated pupils on recognising the signs of bullying and abuse and the importance of always speaking to a trusted adult about any concerns they may have. This was illustrated by the fun NSPCC mascot 'Buddy', a bright green inflatable in the shape of a speech bubble! All the children participated in the group discussions and found the workshop a valuable addition to their personal development education.      Maths Success We strive for excellence in maths here at St. Helen's College and it is wonderful to see pupils go above and beyond to achieve success. Huge congratulations to Aryan (6L), Aaryav (5R) and Raiden (6L) who took part in the demanding UK Maths Trust Junior Challenge Kangaroo and Olympiad follow-on challenges. A special mention to Aryan who came in the top scoring 25% of participants in the Kangaroo, achieving a Certificate of Merit!  Well done to all the children from Reception - Y3 who took part in the First Maths Challenge over the past couple of weeks. The results are now in and certificates are being prepared for all participants. These will be handed out next week.   Library Summer Reading Challenge On Friday the children were treated to a visit from Esha Chaman of Hillingdon Libraries who introduced the exciting Summer Reading Challenge. The theme this year is 'Marvellous Makers!' and it's all about celebrating children's creativity. Children aged 4 to 11-years-old are invited to fire up their imagination and unleash storytelling and creativity through the power of reading.  The Summer Reading Challenge is a free initiative whereby children are encouraged to read six books across the summer holidays and in return receive free gifts. You can watch a short video explaining more about the challenge here. So, why not camp out at your local library this summer to make the most of all the wonderful books on offer!  Our local library at Oak Farm, on Long Lane, is just a hop and a skip from the lovely Court Park where you could picnic and read the books you have borrowed. Also well worth a visit is the library in Hayes. This is found within Botwell Sports and Leisure Centre so families can spend the morning swimming and splashing and the afternoon relaxing in the library. We would love to hear in September how you have used your library! Summer School 2024 There are now just a handful of spaces left for Summer School which will be running at PACCAR Scout camp from 5th - 9th August for Years 3 - 6. This will be a fun-packed week of thrilling outdoor activities including climbing, archery and a day of water sports at nearby Taplow lake. Full details have been sent directly to parents, if you would like to book a space for your child, you can do so through your SchoolsBuddy account. Please note the deadline to book is next Thursday 11th July. The St. Helen’s College Holiday Club will run at school for children in Nursery - Year 2 as usual during this week. There are also a few spaces left at the Mini Me Camps at PACCAR from 29th July - 2nd August for children in Years 2- 6.  Centenary Fun Day Menu The team at Accent Catering have devised a special 'street party' lunch for our Centenary Fun Day next week. You can see the menu here.  Next Week Tuesday 9th July - Centenary Fun Day (children to wear House colours) Tuesday 9th July - Year 6 Coffee Morning and Project Exhibition Wednesday 10th July - Year 1 Trip to Mad Bess Woods Wednesday 10th July - Year 6 Teacher For A Day Wednesday 10th July - New Year 1 (6 p.m.) and Year 2 (7 p.m.) Parent Meetings Thursday 11th July - Ducklings Sports Day  Thursday 11th July - Centenary Concert & Art Exhibition  Friday 12th July - End of Term  (Half Day) Pick up times: 11.50 (Ducklings & Nursery); 12.00 p.m. (Reception); 12.10 p.m. (Y1 and Y2); 12.20 p.m. (Y3 and Y4); 12.30 p.m. (Y5 and Y6) 
Posted on: 5/07/2024

Leaving St. Helen's College by Mrs. Briggs

  I have ‘only’ been here for four years. For me, as someone whose husband is in the Army, this is a long time in one job as we have moved frequently during our married life. But by St. Helen’s College standards I am still quite new! I started as a maternity cover teacher for Mrs. McLaughlin, baby Remi having arrived in June. It was  September 2020, between covid lockdowns. I arrived into a world of social distancing, of not meeting families properly for the first year I was here, of remote parents’ evenings and assemblies and lots of time on Google Meets. I struggled with the technology and am forever grateful to Mr. Bustard for always being on hand, socially distanced and wearing a face mask, to help.  Despite all of this, I loved it immediately. On my second day of teaching Year 3, I asked if the children could give me a better descriptive word than nice. Jeena’s hand went up immediately; ‘phenomenal’ was her suggestion. She then spelt it accurately and I knew I had come to the right place! That class, now leaving as 6H, was the best class I had had in my many years of teaching. They were so pleased to be back at school following remote learning, so bright and engaged, so much fun and so hard working and empathetic towards each other. I now know that this is how things are throughout the school here; a sharp contrast to some of my experiences in other schools. The pupils are mindful and polite, they are considerate and chat easily to adults and to each other. Due to the nature of my husband’s job, I have worked in fifteen different schools, including in Germany, Kenya and in the USA. St. Helen’s College is my favourite. It is a very special community of children, families and staff. Everyone really does work together for the good of the children and it is such a happy, committed and aspirational place.  I feel so lucky to have worked here and that my daughter got to experience being a pupil here for two years. I am very, very reluctant to leave. If you see me next week please don’t be too nice to me as I may well cry!  Mrs. Briggs

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