School News and Head's Blog
Posted on: 12/11/2021Weekly News - Friday 12th November 2021
Year 1 Trip - Roald Dahl Gallery
To enrich their literacy studies, Year 1 enjoyed an action packed day on Tuesday at the Roald Dahl Gallery in Aylesbury. They explored the museum and gardens looking for inspiration for their dream bottles and then became very engrossed illustrating their ideas and creating their very own dream bottle!
They also had fun investigating all the hands on exhibits within the gallery. They went inside a giant peach and used a microscope to identify numerous mini-beasts. They also had fun in Fantastic Mr. Fox's tunnel and loved pretending to fly up the shoot in Willy Wonka's Factory! The children did, however, keep away from The Chokey as none of them wanted to be put in there by Mrs. Trunchbull!
It was an amazing day and the children all agreed that they would love to go back again! We would encourage parents to take children to this wonderful place whenever the opportunity arises.
You can see lots of photographs of the trip on our Galleries page.
Year 3 Music
This term in music lessons, Year 3 are learning about Music from Western Africa. This week they enjoyed playing Djembe drums to improvise their own rhythms over an ostinato pattern.
Year 3 Maths
In Maths this week, Year 3 have been learning about perimeter. They enjoyed taking their learning outside where they measured the perimeter of different things in the playground.
Chamber Choir Performance at St. John's Smith Square
We wish the Chamber Choir well for Sunday, when they will be joining with other prep schools from across London to perform in the Children's Trust Concert at the beautiful St. John's Smith Square. Thank you to everyone who will be attending to support the choir - you are in for a treat! This is the first of many opportunities for our Chamber Choir to perform this year.
Sports News
On Wednesday our U11 netball team played against St. Mary's School and continued their winning streak, with the match ending 8-0. Both teams showed great skill and determination in some pretty awful weather as the match progressed, as well as excellent sporting attitudes. Well done, girls!
Congratulations are also due to our U11 football team who won the Reddiford Challenge Cup tournament this week and brought their trophy back to school with pride! They won three matches and drew two during the competition, which secured them the top spot from amongst six local prep schools. We are very proud of their performance.
Switch Off Fortnight
We have had a very successful start to our Switch Off Fortnight. All of the children have been very active in ensuring the lights are being turned off in their classrooms and other empty rooms, powering down their Chromebooks when not in use and making sure that teachers are turning off the overhead projectors and computers at the end of lessons. We will continue our energy saving campaign next week, when we will also be announcing which class had the most amount of switch offs and will be awarded the title of Eco Class of the week. We hope that you are all remembering to switch off at home wherever possible too.
Road Safety Week - Next Week
Next week is Road Safety Week and we ask that the children wear bright socks next Friday as part of the 'Be Bright, Be Seen' initiative. Our new Junior Travel Ambassadors (JTAs) presented an assembly on 'Road Safety Heroes' and Be Bright, Be Seen' today to inspire the children to take part in this important initiative. There is further information for parents here.
World Kindness Day
Saturday 13th November is World Kindness Day. At school we have been looking at random acts of kindness, and parents might like to do something similar at home with your children over the weekend. You can find out more information here:
https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/world-kindness-day
Mrs. Drummond's Head's Blog this week also addresses themes of kindness and happiness.
Charity
Well done to Tiya T, one of our charity representatives, who showed great initiative in writing to Lord Dolar Popat, the Prime Minister's Trade Evnvoy to Rwanda, Uganda and DRC, to let him know about the work we are currently doing at school to support Children in Need and the Royal British Legion. Tiya shared with him a poster that she had made to promote our charity efforts.
Lord Dolar Popat replied to Tiya's email to congratulate the school on its efforts and to pledge a donation to our fundraising.
Remembrance Day
Thank you to everyone who has donated to our Poppy Appeal this week. We thought that you might like to see this beautiful display, which is currently on show in the Upper School Hall.
We marked Remembrance Day yesterday with a silence at school and spoke about why we remember this day and the many men and women who gave their lives in fighting for the freedoms we enjoy today.
It is not too late for parents to donate online to the Poppy Appeal via the St. Helen's College JustGiving website if you would like to do so. The fundraising page can be accessed here.
Children in Need
Next Friday, 19th November, is Children in Need and as usual we will be supporting this very worthy charity. Children may come into school wearing Children in Need items or their own clothes, which could use the Children in Need themes of yellow or spots. You can purchase Pudsey or Blush ears and other Children in Need items at the online Children in Need shop here. We ask that parents make a donation to Children in Need so that children may wear their own clothes on Friday 19th November. You can do this via our JustGiving page here.
We will also have wristbands available for sale at school, priced at £1 each and there will also, as usual, be a raffle at all three sites with tickets on sale for £1 each. Prizes will be Blush and Pudsey bears. Please allow your child to bring some money into school next week if they would like to buy wristbands and/or raffle tickets. Our charity reps have also promoted a Pudsey competition for pupils in Years 2-6, challenging children to create a Pudsey bear using whatever medium they would like and being as creative as possible. These imagined Pudseys do not have to be yellow! Winners will be announced next week and the competition also costs £1 to enter, which will be donated to Children in Need. We hope you will support your children with their creative ideas for their Pudsey.
We thank you, as always, for your generous support.
PA Forum Meeting
The next PA Forum meeting will take place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday 16th November. Thank you to parents who have sent in suggestions for discussion points. Minutes will be circulated to all parents following the meeting.
Posted on: 5/11/2021Weekly News - Friday 5th November 2021
Diwali
There was great excitement around the school yesterday as the children shared their love of Diwali and how they would be celebrating with their families. It was wonderful to see the sky lit up around the Hillingdon area. Today, Mrs. Raikmo and Mrs. Daheley visited us to present to the Upper School children in assembly, along with Aanya P, Riya B and Diya B. They shared this short video with us, which you might like to watch at home. We all enjoyed listening to their presentations and learning more about Diwali.
If you are visiting a fireworks display this weekend, please keep safety in mind and enjoy the celebrations for Diwali and Bonfire Night!
Niji's Dream
Children in Years 2-6 enjoyed hearing from Mr. Roche, our Head of English, in assembly on Monday about how he came to write his beautiful children's book, Niji's Dream, which has recently been published. This hardback book is filled with gorgeous illustrations and a special message about how we can bring colour to our world. Signed copies are available for children to buy - if you would like to order one, please send in £7.99 cash in an envelope clearly marked with your child's name and class, or make an online payment to the following account, using your child's name and class as your payment reference:
Sort code: 110367
Account number: 11587268
Account name: Mr Steve Davis
Thank you for your support and happy reading!
Ed Sheeran Reads For CBeebies
Tonight at 6.50 p.m., singer Ed Sheeran will be reading a story for CBeebies which will focus on stuttering and how he overcame this as a child. Full details are here and the programme will be available on BBC iplayer too. We do hope you will be able to watch this!
PA Welcome Event
The Parents' Association are hosting a Welcome Event for families who are new to the school this Saturday, 6th November, from 12 - 2 p.m. in the Evans Hall. If you are a family who joined the school in September, please do come along to meet the PA representatives and other new families.
PA Forum Meeting - November 16th
The next PA Forum meeting will take place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday 16th November. If you would like to raise any points for discussion, please send these to your PA class rep by Tuesday 9th November. Class representatives should collate the issues they receive and send these by email to Mrs. Smith (susmith@sthelenscollege.com) by Friday 12th November. Minutes will be circulated to all parents following the meeting.
Time To Talk With Mrs. Brooker
We are very lucky at St. Helen's College to have Mrs. Brooker on our staff. Mrs. Brooker is a qualified counsellor and an accredited member of the British Association of Counsellors & Psychotherapists (BACP). Mrs. Brooker provides a service called 'Time to Talk' at Upper School, when children can spend time with her to play, talk and share their thoughts and feelings. Sessions are held at the Upper School in a safe and confidential space. These are available to all St. Helen's College children and can be accessed via the class teacher or requested by parents. Children may also self-refer by catching Mrs. Brooker at school or by putting a note into the Time to Talk red letterbox in the school hall.
It might be a good idea for your child to consider some counselling support if one or more of the following applies:
they need a private and confidential space to share thoughts and feelings with a professional counsellor who is trained to understand young people;
they are overwhelmed with worries, anxieties or depressive thoughts and feelings;
they find it difficult to manage anger or other big emotions, and it is affecting their capacity to think clearly and learn;
they are struggling with any issues relating to school, friends or family;
they are troubled by self-doubt;
they have experienced loss;
they are not being very kind to themself.
If you would like to find out more about the counselling services offered at St. Helen's College, please speak with your child's class teacher or email Mrs. Brooker directly at jbrooker@sthelenscollege.com.
Free Asthma Workshop
The Hillingdon Asthma Team will soon be running another free workshop for parents to educate about Asthma and all we can be doing to support children who suffer. The workshop will take place via Zoom on December 6th from 4-5 p.m. You need to register in advance if you would like to attend. Full details are available here.
Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal
Next week, our pupil Charity Reps will be selling poppies in the gazebo at Upper School in the morning before school and at break times to support the Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal. Parents may also purchase poppies when dropping off at the gate at either Upper or Lower School, or you can send money into school with your child so that they may purchase one here in school. You may also make cashless donations online to support the appeal at our JustGiving page here.
Children in Need
Children in Need is on Friday 19th November this year and as usual we will be supporting this very worthy charity. Children may come into school wearing Children in Need items or their own clothes, which could use the Children in Need themes of yellow or spots. You can purchase Pudsey or Blush ears and other Children in Need items at the online Children in Need shop here. We ask that parents make a donation to Children in Need so that children may wear their own clothes on Friday 19th November. You can do this via our JustGiving page here.
Diyan C, one of our Charity Reps, has written this to explain more about Children in Need:
Children In Need is a charity that helps children all over the United Kingdom to make sure all children have a safe, happy and healthy childhood. The first official Children In Need was originally created as a 5 minute radio broadcast on Christmas day in 1927. The first televised broadcast of Children In Need was on the BBC in 1980. Since Children In Need was created, they have raised £600,000,000 to help children in the UK.
Fun Fact: Did you know that the well-known yellow Children in Need mascot, Pudsey, was originally brown!
Switch Off Fortnight
Next week will see St. Helen's College, led by the Eco Team, take part in Switch Off Fortnight. Switch Off Fortnight is a campaign that will encourage everyone at school to become interested in saving energy and cutting their carbon footprint. This year, our hugely popular energy-saving crusade will coincide with COP26 – the UN convention on climate change – which is taking place in the UK for the first time. Not only will we make savings at school but we would like to encourage everyone to take the switch off challenge home, where we hope to inspire our families to take part in saving energy too. The more people involved, the greater the energy savings will be, which in turn will help our environment. The Eco Team will kick start Switch Off Fortnight during Monday's assembly and it will last from Monday 8th November until Friday 20th November. Throughout the fortnight the Eco Team will carry out several audits to see how many lights and appliances have been left on in their classrooms. The class who saves the most energy will be awarded Eco Class of the week. One small click can make a big difference, so happy energy saving everyone!
Recycle to Read
The Eco Team would like to send a big thank you to everyone who donated old toys and electrical items for the 'Recycle to Read' campaign last half term. The items have been boxed and collected and we will shortly know how much we will receive in order to purchase books from Collins Publishers. We will keep you updated with our exciting new books.
Staff Ultra Marathon!
At the beginning of half term, Miss Rackham and Mrs. Rooney took part in a 50km Ultra marathon.
It started at Moors Valley Country Park and finished at Hengistbury Head, Dorset. The route was amazing, following a disused railway line into Poole, then through the town and along the promenade. Miss Rackham and Mrs. Rooney were very lucky to have a super day of weather for the event and they both thoroughly enjoyed it! Congratulations to both runners.
Magic of Illustration at Heath Robinson Museum
At the Heath Robinson Museum in Pinner, there is currently an excellent exhibition of the original illustrations of Winnie and Wilbur and other much loved characters, which includes a unique insight into the inner workings of their illustrator Korky Paul, a very popular children's book illustrator. We encourage you to take your children along to see this super exhibition if you get a chance.
PA Christmas Parties
The PA Christmas parties will take place on Sunday 28th November at the Yiewsley and West Drayton Community Centre. Please save the date! Further details can be seen here.
The PA will be running a raffle at the Christmas parties and would love donations from parents. If you have anything to donate, you can bring items to either Upper or Lower School where there will be collection points outside school each morning. Many thanks in advance for any prizes you are able to donate.
Christmas Gift Ideas
If you are looking for ideas for a Christmas gift for your child, you might like to think of a magazine subscription for them to encourage reading and widen their general knowledge. Magazine.co.uk have a wide range of fun and educational magazines to keep children entertained and engaged, including Eco Kids Planet, Science and Nature, National Geographic Kids, The Week Jr and First News.
Regular reading will help to improve your child's literacy, reduce their screen time, develop a love of reading for pleasure and help them to discover the wider world.
This Christmas, Magazine.co.uk are offering an extra £2.50 off magazine subscriptions: simply use the code XMASBZT at checkout.
Posted on: 15/10/2021Weekly News - Friday 15th October 2021
Nursery Harvest Assemblies
Wow!
We were so impressed with our two Nursery classes, who performed harvest assemblies at the Methodist Church for their parents at the beginning of this week.
It is always incredible to see such young children performing with real confidence and enjoyment. They had clearly learned their songs and actions well and should be very proud of themselves!
3B Coffee Morning/Class Assembly
On Friday, class 3B performed an assembly all about life in Year 3. They told us how it is different to life in Year 2, demonstrating how quickly they have learned to get changed for swimming and sharing examples of their work, including a report on their recent trip to St. Albans. They performed with great confidence and real enjoyment, with children sharing their particular interests and skills. Thank you, 3B, for such an interesting, informative and enjoyable assembly.
Year 2 Trip to Chiltern Open Air Museum
Year 2 had a fantastic visit to the Chiltern Open Air Museum on Thursday.
The children learnt about life in the time of The Stone Age, which they have been studying this term in history. They met a woman from the Mesolithic era and learnt how to make fire, shelters, shoot a special bow and arrow called an atlatl. The children enjoyed making paste with charcoal to paint on material and their faces. They even made their own spears using stone and wood.
Year 5 Trip to Hampton Court Palace
To extend and enrich their History topic of The Tudors, our two Year 5 classes visited Hampton Court Palace on Thursday and had a truly successful day in their first school trip in eighteen months. From the minute they entered the royal gates, they were excited and eager. The children learned from Mistress Alice (the head of the king’s laundrette) about how being a servant was a really good job in the 1500s! Our pupils impressed everyone with their good behaviour, relevant questions and by embracing the day with real enthusiasm. They were equally impressed with the grandeur of Henry’s apartments, the spookiness of the haunted gallery and the magnificent formal gardens. All in all it was a superb trip!
Sports News
This week our girls' football team took part in an U11 Girls' Football Tournament at Radlett Prep School. They played six matches and finished 4th in the tournament overall. The boys' football team also took part in a tournament, travelling to Manor Lodge Prep School. Again, they played six matches and finished 3rd overall. Well done to all of the players involved in the tournaments - they were very enjoyable occasions and will have helped to develop skills and matchplay further.
School at Work Open Morning
The school was abuzz on Wednesday morning as we held our first in-school Open Morning since October 2019! At Upper School, our Year 6 pupils were super guides for prospective parents and the families who visited were enormously impressed with their knowledge of the school and confident communication skills. At Lower School, our Early Years and Year 1 classes acquitted themselves beautifully and it is amazing to think that so many of these children joined us for the first time in September. They have really adopted the St. Helen's College values and are living them out in their daily behaviour. We were very proud of them. Our prospective families were impressed by the behaviour and communication of the children throughout the school, as well as the impressive work on display. Many thanks to everyone involved in the morning.
Maxwell Garden
It is wonderful to watch our Maxwell Garden come to life as the pupils and St. Helen's College team continue to develop this outdoor learning area at Upper School.
Nursery/Reception/Year 1 Parents' Evening
Thank you to all of the parents who attended the online parents' evening for Nursery, Reception and Year 1 children this week. We hope that you enjoyed talking with the teachers.
Upper School Parents' Evenings
If you have a child in Year 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 and have not yet booked your appointment(s) for our forthcoming Upper School parents' evenings, please login to your Schoolcloud account to do so. The face-to-face parents' evening will take place on Tuesday 2nd November, and the online parents' evening will take place on Thursday 11th November.
Individual Music Lessons
We currently have availability for the following lessons for Upper School pupils (in Years 2-6):
Trumpet
Flute
Singing
Please note that these spaces are during the school day, so are only available to students not currently having lessons on another instrument already during the school day. Places are allocated on a first come, first served basis so please contact Mrs. Fawbert if you would like your child to have lessons in one of these: cfawbert@sthelenscollege.com.
Free Half Term Workshops
Rosie, the Education and Community Officer for Dogs Trust covering West London, will be delivering FREE school holiday activity workshops for families about How to Behave Safely Around Dogs and Being a Responsible Dog Owner.
These workshops will take place at Oak Farm, Northwood, Ruislip Manor and Charville Library. They are designed for children aged 7-11, with one accompanying adult, and there will be a realistic toy dog and lots of props that can be used to help make activities really fun!
There is no charge to families to book these workshops and all relevant contact information is on the attached poster here.
Autumn Half Term Camps - Computer Xplorers
Computer Xplorers (who run our Minecraft Club here at school) will be running Autumn half term tech camps. Their programmes are as follows:
VR Robotics - https://middlesex.computerxplorers.co.uk/classes/autumn-vr-robotics
KODU 3D Game Design - https://middlesex.computerxplorers.co.uk/classes/aut-kodu-3d-game-design-class
Intro to Roblox Game Design - https://middlesex.computerxplorers.co.uk/classes/autumn-roblox-game-design
MinecraftEdu Fantasy Island - https://middlesex.computerxplorers.co.uk/classes/autumnhalfterm-minecraftedu
Uniform Reminder
After half term, girls should return to school in full, correct winter uniform. The winter skirt should be worn wtih green tights please - no white tights allowed! The winter hats should now also be worn, with the St. Helen's College beanie/ski hats only to be worn inside the school gates for playtime/outdoor sports when it is extremely cold.
Textile Bank
If you are having a clear out over half term, please remember that you can donate any unwanted textiles (clothes, shoes, accessories, bed linen) via the textile bank located outside the school entrance at 227 Long Lane. We cannot accept school uniform items or duvets/pillows/cushions, but anything else is fine! The textiles donated are given to those in need, or recycled into industrial cleaning cloths, so that nothing ends up as landfill, and the St. Helen's College Charitable Trust receives a small donation per kilo collected. Many thanks in advance for any donations.
Posted on: 8/10/2021Weekly News - Friday 8th October 2021
Lower School Harvest Festivals
Thank you to all of the parents who joined us this week for the Lower School class assemblies to celebrate Harvest Festival. Our Reception and Year 1 children gave wonderful performances to remind us of the importance of our farmers and all that they do to provide food for us all, as well as how important it is to think of others less fortunate than ourselves at this time of year. The children all spoke their lines and sang their songs with great confidence - it is just wonderful to see such young children developing the public speaking skills they will need in the future! Many thanks to all families for the generous contributions of Harvest food, which will be distributed via the Salvation Army to those in need in our local community.
The Nursery (Robins and Wrens) Harvest Festival assemblies will take place next week. Please check the calendar here for details.
Sports News
Well done to our netball team, who won 6-1 on Wednesday in their first game of the season against St. Bernadette's. The girls played with great skill and determination, as well as super attitudes. We are all very proud of them!
Also playing their first game of the season on Wednesday, our football team took on a physical St. Mary's team in a closely contested game which ended in a 1-1 draw. Very well done to all of the players involved.
On Thursday, our girls' football team enjoyed their experience of their first football festival at Abbotts Hill Football Club. They took part in a carousel of activities to help develop their skills and enjoyed playing a match against Oak Farm, despite it ending in a 0-0 draw.
On Friday, the boys' football team took part in the U11 tournament at Aldenham School.
St. Helen's College Kitchen Achieves Five Star Hygiene Rating Again
Following an unannounced visit from the Food Standards Agency today, we are delighted to confirm that our kitchen has once again been awarded a five star hygiene rating. Well done to Soula and her team!
Lower School Parents' Evenings
Thank you to the Nursery, Reception and Year 1 parents who attended parent consultations on Tuesday this week. We hope that you found these useful. The next set of consultations will take place on Thursday 14th October.
Co-Curricular Activities - Lower School Gardening Club
We are thrilled that our Lower School Gardening Club was recently recognised by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) who were impressed with our harvest of runner beans, tomatoes and cucumbers! It is great that we are able to teach the children about where their food comes from and the effort that must go into successfully planting, nurturing and harvesting crops.
Year 6 Trip to Denham Country Park
On Thursday, our Year 6 children enjoyed a day of outdoor learning at Denham Country Park, investigating the environment including the river.
Year 3 Trip to St. Albans
Earlier in the week, the Year 3 classes had a super trip to St Albans, where they enriched their learning in lots of ways. They looked around the cathedral and found out about St Alban. They did some really exciting drama and dressed up as characters from the story of St Alban. They also made some Roman mosaics and found out about different aspects of Roman life. Everyone was very well behaved and one of the volunteers from the cathedral commented that we should all be very proud of our children and our school because they were so engaged and enthusiastic throughout the day. The children have written some lovely recounts of the day and one of them said, "I would recommend this trip to people who like History, learning and finding out about the Romans."
Reception Trip to Odds Farm
Kingfishers and Owls thoroughly enjoyed a fantastic visit to Odds Farm Park today as part of their shared topic of ‘Down on the Farm!’
The children delighted in the chance to get close to a range of farm animals, they excitedly took part in a ‘meet the bunnies’ workshop and they even learned how to milk a cow! The day was finished off in style, with a bumpy-but-fun tractor ride around the farm.
The trip certainly proved a wonderful way for the children to learn about the importance of agriculture, how to care for living things and the significance of the autumn harvest.
Recycle to Read
Next week we will be holding the Eco initiative 'Recycle to Read'. You can find out information about this initiative here:
https://jointhepod.org/campaigns/recycle-to-read-2021
Upper School Eco Reps discussed this in assembly today and Lower School Eco Reps have been busy making posters to promote the scheme. Eshan N has written this piece to explain the scheme:
From Monday 11th October, St. Helen's College will be taking part in Recycle to Read! This is a new campaign where we throw away lots of plastic toys and technology in exchange for new books. This is the very first time this has been done and St. Helen's College is very proud to support this environmentally friendly campaign. We are doing this for the health and safety of our planet because over 318 million toys over the world are being sold each year! This is very damaging to the environment because when these toys are disposed of incorrectly some of the plastic could go into the sea or into the forests which could have a big impact on the environment. The school would like both teachers and students to help the environment. At school we will have two bins. One bin will be for plastic toys and one for technology. Happy recycling!
There will be collection bins at Upper School, Lower School and Ducklings for donations and we thank you in advance for your involvement in this excellent scheme.
Flu Vaccination Reception to Year 6
If you have not already returned your child's flu vaccination form, please note that we must have this back by the end of next week in order for your child to receive the vaccine. Your completed form should be sent into school and handed to your child's form teacher or to the school office.
Posted on: 1/10/2021Weekly News - Friday 1st October 2021
STEAM Day
The whole school enjoyed a fabulous STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) Day on Wednesday. The children took part in a diverse range of activities and the school was buzzing with excitement and those 'lightbulb' moments that so often come in the hands-on doing of work.
Many thanks to Mr. Shahabuddin and Mr. Usher (Mrs. Pruce's Dad) who gave up their time to come into school for the day to run or assist in the running of workshop sessions.
We took lots of photographs of the children engaged in their activities and you can see them here.
Dara McAnulty Author Talk
We joined with 11,000 other children from schools across the country to hear from author Dara McAnulty on Thursday this week.
Dara shared his love of the natural world, and how his fascination with birds of prey was inspired by an RSPB school talk. He shared a recording of red kites, and invited us all to consider the beauty of nature in our local area.
Dara then discussed his writing process with the children: he encouraged them to write in a carefree manner and write about any topic they find interesting. The pupils were also shown a short video of his book's incredible illustrator at work.
He then spoke of his love of fantasy stories and how they enabled him to escape bullying at school.
His talk concluded with him challenging the children to explore nature and enjoy the natural world.
Harvest Celebrations
Year 5 and our Senior and Chamber Choirs presented a beautiful harvest service at All Saints Church today. Thank you to the parents who joined us for this special occasion.
All of the other Upper School children celebrated Harvest with a musical assembly at school.
Thank you to all of the staff involved in organising these events.
Lower School Harvest assemblies (one per class) will take place soon too. Do check the school calendar for your child's date.
We would like to extend gratitude to children, parents and staff for the generous donations of Harvest food. These will be distributed, via the Salvation Army, to those in need in the local community. We are pleased to be able to make such generous contributions to help those less fortunate at this time of year.
Year 4 Ancient Greek Day
On Tuesday, our Year 4 pupils were immersed in an Ancient Greek Day to extend their learning. In the morning they watched a show, in which an Athenian woman helped a time traveller to answer questions about Greek discoveries, Sparta, Homer, the Greek Gods, clothing, myths and battles. The children then took part in two workshops: in one, they acted out Ancient Greek daily life and a wedding, and in the second they learnt all about the Olympics. It was a hugely enjoyable and educational day!
Month End Music Recital
This afternoon we enjoyed our first Month End Music Recital of the academic year in the Evans Hall. We were treated to a variety of vocal, violin, trumpet and piano pieces, performed by Upper School children, and it was lovely to celebrate the musicality of the pupils informally in this way once again. Performance opportunities are an important way in which pupils can develop their confidence and resilience and we are very proud of the children who took part.
Pantosaurus
This week the children at Upper School were spoken to about the 'underpants rules' in assembly. This is part of the NSPCC's Talk Pants campaign which is designed to help keep children safe from sexual abuse. They were introduced to Pantosaurus and the PANTS rules (Privates are private, Always remember your body belongs to you, No means no, Talk about secrets that upset you, Speak up - someone can help).
More information, including a link to the Pantosaurus book designed to prompt conversations between parents and children, can be found here:
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/support-for-parents/pants-underwear-rule/
Charity Fundraising
Aleyna (4T) recently raised funds for UNICEF in support of children impacted by the situation in Afghanistan. She decided to do this in lieu of birthday presents from friends and wider family and raised £540. Well done, Aleyna, for thinking of others who are in a less fortunate position and taking action to support them.
Autumn Half Term Camps and Activities
Computer Xplorers (who run our Minecraft Club here at school) will be running Autumn half term tech camps. Their programmes are as follows:
VR Robotics - https://middlesex.computerxplorers.co.uk/classes/autumn-vr-robotics
KODU 3D Game Design - https://middlesex.computerxplorers.co.uk/classes/aut-kodu-3d-game-design-class
Intro to Roblox Game Design - https://middlesex.computerxplorers.co.uk/classes/autumn-roblox-game-design
MinecraftEdu Fantasy Island - https://middlesex.computerxplorers.co.uk/classes/autumnhalfterm-minecraftedu
Posted on: 17/09/2021Weekly News - Friday 17th September 2021
House/Sports Captains
We are delighted to announce our new Year 6 House Captains and Sports Captains. They are:
Windsor Girls' House Captain - Amber P
Windsor Boys' House Captain - Antony F
Cambria Girls' House Captain - Avaani M
Cambria Boys' House Captain - Diyan C
Cambria Boys' Sports Captain - Luka K
Cambria Girls' Sports Captain - Kylah O
Windsor Boys' Sports Captain - Adam K
Windsor Girls' Sports Captain - Charlotte M
Other positions of responsibility will be allocated next week.
Harvest Festival Celebrations
Due to our Covid protocols, we have adapted our Harvest Festival programme. Please read the following information carefully.
As usual, we invite all children to bring in a harvest donation to help those in need in our local community. Please send in non-perishable hampers/baskets/contributions with your child on the dates shown below. These will be donated to the local Salvation Army.
The School Harvest Festivals will take place on the following dates/times:
Upper School: 1st October (All Saints Church) 9 a.m.
Year 5 parents are invited to attend the Upper School Harvest Festival service, which will be led by Year 5 pupils.
Children at the Upper School who are not attending the service at All Saints Church will attend a Harvest assembly at school.
Lower School Harvest Festivals
Kingfishers: 5th October 8.45 a.m. (North Hillingdon Methodist Church)
Owls: 6th October 8.45 a.m. (North Hillingdon Methodist Church)
1R: 7th October 8.45 a.m. (North Hillingdon Methodist Church)
1C: 8th October 8.45 a.m. (North Hillingdon Methodist Church)
Wrens: 11th October 8.45 a.m. (North Hillingdon Methodist Church)
Robins: 12th October 8.45 a.m. (North Hillingdon Methodist Church)
Parents are invited to attend their class performance and morning coffee will be served on each day in the Lower School Hall from 8.15 a.m for those attending the performance. Performances will take place in the Methodist Church.
Chamber Choir Event
We are pleased to announce that our Chamber Choir has their first external event in the school diary and will be attending the London Schools Concert 2021 on 14th November. This is a wonderful opportunity for our pupils to sing in the beautiful St. John's Smith Square and for parents to support the Children's Trust Charity and enjoy an incredible afternoon of musicality from top London Prep School choirs. In previous years, this has been a most enjoyable and rewarding event. We hope that many families will buy tickets to attend and support both the Children's Trust and our Chamber Choir.
Please click here to book your tickets.
Love of Learning
We were delighted to see this beautiful piece of artwork, which Aanya B (Year 6) produced over the summer. Aanya has been inspired by her work in the art studio with Mrs. Pruce, and extended her learning further independently over the summer to produce this lovely wall mural.
One of the St. Helen's College aims is to inspire a lifelong love of learning and it is heartwarming to see this in action every day. Well done, Aanya, on both a super piece of work and on taking your learning forwards independently.
Alumni News
We are thrilled to share some more exciting alumni news! Old Helenian Kareena Sharma has been accepted into Cambridge University to study Medicine at Christ's College.
Kareena attended St. Helen's College throughout her primary school career, leaving in 2014 to attend Beaconsfield High School for Girls. Her parents, who contacted us to share their wonderful news, sent this message:
"We would like to thank St. Helen's College for instilling the much needed core ethics and discipline required to make this achievement possible. Thank you all and please continue your amazing work to make this possible for more young children."
We certainly will do so, and we are sure that we will be hearing from many current parents in the future about your children's successes too!
Co-Curricular Clubs
There are still some spaces available in our Year 5/Year 6 Karate Club which is held on Tuesday afternoons from 3.50 - 4.50 p.m. If your child would like to join this club, please contact Mr. Harrington at lharrington@sthelenscollege.com. The remaining places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
Music Lessons
We have a few spaces available for one-to-one music lessons in school for Years 2-6 on the following instruments:
Flute
Singing
Violin
Piano
Students who are already learning an instrument in school may have piano lessons on a Saturday morning but not at other times.
Please note that spaces are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Any additional applications will be added to the waiting list and you will be contacted once a space becomes available.
If you wish to sign up for music lessons please email Mrs. Fawbert at cfawbert@sthelenscollege.com
Individual and Sibling Photographs
Pupil photographs will be taken next week as follows:
Monday 20th September - Individual Ducklings photographs (taken during the school day)
Tuesday 21st September - Individual Nursery/Reception/Year 1 photographs (taken during the school day)
Thursday 23rd September - Individual Year 2-6 photographs (taken during the school day)
If you have two or more siblings at the school, and would like a sibling photograph taken, you should bring your children to either of the optional sibling sessions:
Lower School (Methodist Church Hall) on Tuesday 21st September from 7.30 a.m.
Upper School (Upper School Hall) on Thursday 21st September from 7.30 a.m.
Please ensure that your children arrive at school on the day of their photograph in full, smart school uniform, with long hair neatly tied back.
Teddy Talks
Our next Teddy Talks are now ready for viewing! While these are aimed at parents of babies and pre-schoolers, we are sure that parents of older children will also enjoy and benefit from the advice offered by our school staff offer. Please do watch them and share them with any interested friends, neighbours and family.
SHC Teddy Talks - Early Years Music (Claire Fawbert)
SHC Teddy Talks - Emotional Regulation in Babies and Pre-Schoolers (Julia Brooker)
SHC Teddy Talks - Supporting Healthy Eating (Soula Kokkinoplitis)
SHC Teddy Talks - Making Time for Yourself (Steve Roche)
SHC Teddy Talks - Managing the Arrival of a Sibling (Leo Harrington)
SHC Teddy Talks - Digital Awareness (Shirley Drummond)
SHC Teddy Talks - Non-Digital Games (Shirley Drummond)
Sleep
School is a very busy place and children can, understandably, get very tired. One of the best ways that parents can support children is to ensure that they get the right amount of good quality sleep for their age. The recommended daily sleep times for children are:
Babies to 12 months - 12 to 16 hours (including naps)
1 to 2 years old - 11 to 14 hours (including naps)
3 to 5 years old - 10 to 13 hours (including naps)
6 to 12 years old - 9 to 12 hours
13 to 18 years old - 8 to 10 hours
It is crucial that children have a calm, screen-free bedtime routine with a regular bedtime. Parents can find further information here:
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sleep-and-tiredness/how-much-sleep-do-kids-need/.
Please do support your child to settle for bed calmly and at the same time each evening, and to get the correct amount of sleep for their age. It can be difficult to establish new routines, but the benefits to children (and adults) of doing so are huge.
PA Welcome Event for New Families - Change of Date
The PA Welcome Event for new families has been postponed and will now take place on Saturday 6th November at the Evans Hall at Upper School.
Funtasia (After School Club) Bookings
We have made some minor changes to our wraparound care procedures to ensure that they are as efficient as possible.
Breakfast Club is running from 7.30 a.m. each morning as usual - please make your bookings through SchoolsBuddy as early as you can to secure your place.
To avoid last minute surges in bookings and to ensure that we always maintain high staff-to-pupil ratios, we are asking that parents book their places for After School Club as early as possible, but at the latest by midday on the day that an after school Funtasia session is required. SchoolsBuddy bookings will close each day at 12.00 p.m. Mrs. Rooney administers the Funtasia booking system, so for any emergency requests past the cut-off point for bookings, please call the school office to speak with her about availability. Mrs. Lawrence will continue to manage Funtasia.
We remind parents that, for pick up at the end of the day, there is a ten minute grace period before the children are put into a chargeable Funtasia session.
We thank you for your cooperation.
Lunch Menu
Next week, we are back to Week 1 of the lunch menu. Please note that there have been two minor changes to the menu (which do not affect allergens).
Tuesday and Wednesday's menus have been swapped due to delivery dates.
The chicken meatballs will now be turkey meatballs due to supplier availability.
The updated menu (which will remain in place for the rest of the Autumn term) has been published to the website here.
Natasha’s Law
From 1st October, there is a substantial change to the law in terms of the food labelling requirements for pre-packaged goods for direct sale. This change requires all pre-packaged goods to be fully labelled with both allergen information and the individual ingredients of each item offered for sale. The law is also known as Natasha’s Law.
Our catering partner, Accent Catering, make all their pre-packaged goods fresh everyday on site. During the last few weeks of the summer term, they were busy training their teams and introducing new recipes, packaging and labelling systems to ensure that they are fully prepared to comply with these new regulations. This affects all sandwiches, bread products, pre-wrapped bakery goods, salad boxes and in fact, any food item that is offered in a sealed package or container.
This term, pupils will see new products in new packaging and new labelling. The recipes have been developed to meet the needs of most of our pupils but if your son or daughter cannot find what they are looking for, they only need to ask one of the catering team who will be delighted to assist them. The extensive allergen controls remain in place but the team remain committed to providing special diets and requirements on request, if they are not covered by the core menu.
Posted on: 10/09/2021Weekly News - Friday 10th September 2021
Year 2 Coffee Morning
The Evans Hall was buzzing yesterday as we welcomed our Year 2 parents to Upper School for a coffee morning. We are delighted that your children are all settling well at the Upper School and that they have all enjoyed the first full week of life in Year 2!
Meet the Teacher Evenings
It was wonderful to see so many Year 3 and Year 6 parents at our Meet the Teachers Evenings and we look forward to seeing the Year 4 and Year 5 parents next week.
At all the meetings we have shared information on pupil wellbeing and how we can all work together to support the children. Mrs. Brooker, our school counsellor, is available to all our Upper School pupils and parents can request for their children to have time with her via their form teacher. Pupils in Upper School can also self refer and pop a 'Time to Talk' note into Mrs. Brooker's mail box in the school hall.
We also have very good associations with external agencies and we shared details of The Parent Practice and Parental EQ.
More information on the Positive Parenting Coaching and E-Courses from the Parent Practice can be found at www.theparentpractice.com.
The ParentalEQ app can also be downloaded from your mobile device: https://parentaleq.com/get-the-app/ or by accessing their website: https://parentaleq.com/
If you do subscribe to ParentalEQ, please ensure that you choose St. Helen's College on the drop down menu as we are an affiliated school.
The St. Helen's College Trust
The St. Helen’s College Trust is a newly established charitable fund which exists to promote the advancement of education in the Hillingdon/Uxbridge local community.
Its aims are to:
provide, enrich and extend educational opportunities for children from birth to age 11, and
provide support, advice and guidance for their parents.
There are many ways in which St. Helen’s College parents can support the Trust.
You can donate unwanted textiles to our textile bank outside 227 Long Lane, which will be recycled and for which we receive a small payment.
You can make donations when invited to at school events e.g. performances.
You might like to donate part or all of your deposit to the Trust when your child leaves the school.
You can sign up to EasyFundraising and raise money for the Trust at absolutely no cost to yourself when you shop online with over 4000 retailers.
EasyFundraising donations really mount up and make a BIG difference, so we’d really appreciate it if you would sign up and support us. It’s completely FREE and only takes a moment. You can download the EasyFundraising app and use that – it’s so easy.
You can find our EasyFundraising page at:
https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/sthelencoldevfund/?utm_campaign=raise-more&utm_content=gs-e1
If you need any help at all in getting set up with EasyFundraising, please contact Mrs. Smith at susmith@sthelenscollege.com. Friends and family are most welcome to sign up too!
STEAM Day 2021!
We will be holding our next STEAM Day for pupils from Ducklings to Year 6 on Wednesday 29th September 2021.
STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths) days are becoming increasingly popular and have been hugely successful at St. Helen's College in the past. Sessions held have included building air powered cars, constructing a bridge to take an adult's weight, solving complex maths problems and making music from found materials.
We would be delighted to hear from any parents in the Upper School who are able to offer a workshop activity. Please can you contact Mr. Harrington at lharrington@sthelenscollege.com outlining what you would be able to offer, what age group it may be suitable for and if you would be available for the full day or part of the day. If you are interested please can you respond by Monday 13th September. If you have any questions about the day please feel free to contact Mr. Harrington.
At Lower School, workshops will be delivered by familiar staff as the children are so recently settled or re-settled into their new environment.
Library
At Upper School, our new Year 2 and Year 3 pupils really enjoyed their first visit to the library! The librarians commented on how engaged and enthusiastic the children were. We hope that they will make full use of the library throughout their time at Upper School - readers are the best learners, after all.
PA Donation - Reading Chairs
There was great excitement at Lower School and Upper School this week when the children received some beautiful reading chairs and benches which will enrich the children's outdoor learning spaces. Thank you to the St. Helen's College Parents' Association for the generous donations which are very much being enjoyed.
Alumni News
We are delighted to share the news that Sahar M, an Old Helenian, has achieved 3 A* grades in her A levels and will shortly be taking up a place at Cambridge to read Human and Social Politics. Sahar was Head Girl at St. Helen's College and will always be fondly remembered by pupils and staff here, not least for her excellent rendition of 'Albert and the Lion', which won her the Speech Competition during her time at Upper School! We wish her all the best in her new adventure at university.
If any of our current parents are alumni or you know of alumni, please do encourage them to join our alumni community by emailing oldhelenians@sthelenscollege.com.
Ducklings and Nursery Entry - September 2022
If you have a son or daughter who is eligible by age for entry into Ducklings or Nursery next September, and you have not yet registered them with the school, please do so as soon as possible. The entry process for these classes will begin shortly. You can register online here.
Teddy Talks
On Monday, we filmed our next set of six Teddy Talks. These talks, aimed at parents of very young (pre-school) children, offer support and guidance on topics of interest. We are delighted that Soula, our chef, has spoken about pre-school feeding/eating, Mr. Harrington has spoken about how to manage the arrival of a sibling, Mrs. Fawbert has recorded a talk on pre-school music, Mrs. Brooker has spoken about helping very young children to regulate their emotions, Mrs. Drummond has offered advice on managing the use of digital devices with pre-schoolers, and Mr. Roche has spoken about the importance of how to make time for ourselves as parents. These new talks will soon become available via our website and on Youtube. In the meantime, if you have not already watched the previous set of six talks, we thoroughly recommend watching them. You can find them here.
If there are any other topics on which you feel advice would be useful for parents, please do let us know by emailing Mrs. Smith at susmith@sthelenscollege.com. We are keen to continue adding to this bank of talks as we know from feedback how useful parents are finding them.
Mother/Baby Mindfulness Classes
Mrs. McLaughlin's Mother/Baby Mindfulness Classes have now begun! These are taking place in the Evans Hall on Wednesday mornings at 9.00 a.m., in six weekly blocks. Our first mothers and babies clearly enjoyed their first class this week. The classes are suitable for mothers of babies aged from six weeks to crawling. They include a mix of mindfulness practice and yoga for mums, and are aimed at supporting mums to support their babies. If you have a baby of the right age for our next set of classes, which will begin after the October half term, or have any friends or family with babies of the right age, please contact Mrs. Smith to sign up at susmith@sthelenscollege.com. The classes are completely free of charge and are open to anyone, whether their child is registered at St. Helen's College or not.
We are planning to expand our programme of pre-school classes for babies and toddlers so watch this space for more information!
PA Welcome Event, Ducklings Uniform Sale and Class Representatives
The Parents' Association will be holding a Welcome Event for families who are new to the school on Saturday 25th September from 12 - 2 p.m. in the Evans Hall at Upper School. We hope that many new families will be able to join them for a warm welcome to the St. Helen's College community!
The PA will be holding a second hand uniform stall for Duckings children on Thursday 16th September from 2.45 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. in the Ducklings Garden. Come and grab a bargain - we look forward to seeing you there!
The PA have vacancies for class representatives for Duckings, 5G and 6R. If you are a parent of a child in one of these classes, and would like to find out more or put your name forward, please contact the PA at pa@sthelenscollege.com.
Co-Curricular Activities
Confirmations of co-curricular activity allocations have now been sent to parents. Please make prompt payment of any fees due via your SchoolsBuddy account. Any queries concerning co-curricular activities or the programme should be addressed to Mr. Harrington, our new Director of Co-Curriculum, at lharrington@sthelenscollege.com.
'School at Work' Open Morning - Wednesday 13th October
We are thrilled that we will once again be able to welcome prospective parents into school for an Open Morning on Wednesday 13th October. Visits on this day will be by appointment only to manage the flow of visitors around the school and we know that our Year 6 children are eagerly looking forward to hosting their first tours of the school! If you have any friends or family with children who would be eligible to join Ducklings or Nursery in September 2022 or thereafter, please do encourage them to book in for a tour on this day. It really is a lovely experience to enjoy a tour conducted by our pupils! They can book in by telephoning the school office on 01895 234371 or by emailing Mrs. Smith at susmith@sthelenscollege.com.
Parking, Drop Off and Pick Up Regulations
We would like to remind all parents that it is crucial that you adhere to the school's parking, drop off and pick up regulations. In particular, please do not block neighbours' driveways on Long Lane, Parkway or in any surrounding streets. We work very hard to establish and maintain good relationships with our neighbours and the local community, and expect parents to support us in this. On Parkway, if you are using drop and go or pick up and go, please do not queue if there are more than three cars in front of you; if so, please drive to the car park and park so that you do not cause congestion along the street.
We thank parents, as always, for your support.
Snacks
We would also like to remind parents that snacks must not contain nuts. We ask that you follow the school's Healthy Eating Policy when choosing snacks. Suitable snacks are fruit or vegetables, or plain biscuits.
Posted on: 9/07/2021Weekly News - Friday 9th July 2021
Prizegiving
We enjoyed a marvellous Prizegiving Ceremony with our Year 6 leavers and parents at school yesterday evening. While this was not our usual September Prizegiving format, the evening was a huge success and it was very special to be able to celebrate the many, varied and frankly astonishing achievements of this wonderful cohort of pupils. Miss Linda Beckett, St. Helen's College Governor and Chair of our Education Committee, attended as our Guest of Honour and gave an inspiring speech which will stay with us all for years to come. Our Head Boy and Girl gave a heartfelt vote of thanks to round off their time in their positions of responsibility and we would like to thank Jena and Zail, along with their deputies Maya and Samir, for being an excellent Pupil Leadership Team this year. We were also able to pay tribute to one of our parents, Ms Jamani, who leaves the school this week after very, very many years as a St. Helen's College parent and several years as Chair of the Parents' Association. Thank you to all those involved in organising and running this event, and to all the Year 6 parents who attended to celebrate the children's successes and personal qualities.
New Pupil Leadership Team
We are delighted to announce our new pupil leadership team for the academic year 2021-2022.
Our Head Girl will be Shruthi T
Our Head Boy will be Eshan N
Our Deputy Head Girl will be Layla O
Our Deputy Head Boy will be Sahib N
Other Year 6 positions of responsibility, including House Captains and Sports Captains, will be decided upon and announced at the start of the new academic year.
St. Helen's College Voice 2020-2021
This year's school magazine, St. Helen's College Voice, has been published digitally today and is available here. We hope that you will enjoy looking through this with your children, celebrating their work and perhaps looking forward to the sorts of things they will be doing when they join their new year group from September.
We also hope that the Year 6 parents are enjoying the beautiful Leavers' Yearbooks which the school has produced and gifted to the Year 6 children as an everlasting memory of their journey with us.
Farewell Miss Walker
Today, Miss Walker leaves St. Helen's College after an amazing 27 years of dedicated service. On Monday, the London Borough of Hillingdon STARS Team made a surprise visit to our online assembly to thank Miss Walker for all that she has done over the years to promote sustainable travel and road safety for our pupils, staff and parents, and for the wider community. They spoke with passion about her dedication to these causes, and noted the many changes that she has driven through during her time at St. Helen's College, including Walk on Wednesday, the parent parking pledge, the walking loyalty scheme, increased bike/scooter storage, The Big Pedal and many more. Miss Walker introduced Junior Road Safety Officers here at St. Helen's College and, as she said to the pupils on Monday, she is hopeful that the school's excellent work in this area will continue, with the pupils at the heart of it.
Goodbye, Miss Walker, and good luck in your new role. You have been a wonderful teacher and ambassador of St. Helen's College and you will be greatly missed. We know that you will remain in the family and look forward to seeing you at many future St. Helen's College events.
Please read Miss Walker's Farewell Blog here.
Year 6 Projects
Our Year 6 children have been working independently this term on their final projects and the rest of the Upper School children had a chance to view these on Wednesday. Parents are able to view them too - simply ask your child to log on to the school system and show you the projects!
Year 6 Heart and Lung Dissection
Year 6 children have been studying ‘healthy bodies’ in science. They have learned what it means to have a healthy and balanced diet, the deficiency of vitamins that may lead to diseases like scurvy, the effect of exercise on the heart and circulation, and the effect of legal drugs in the form of alcohol, medicines and tobacco.
A crucial part of their learning is the understanding of how nutrients and oxygen get transported around the body, enabling energy to be used for life processes. The heart is the central part of this system, so in order to gain a deeper understanding and have a ‘hands-on’ experience, they undertook a dissection activity using lamb heart and lungs. They had a close observation on the structure and texture of lungs, and they cut through the windpipe that led to bronchioles and air sacs where the exchange of gases takes place. They were most fascinated by the heart with its chambers and connecting blood vessels. They identified the right and left ventricles and atria, and could explain which part had oxygenated and deoxygenated blood. They enjoyed making connections as to how the section of the heart they were cutting formed part of the pathway of the whole circulatory system that they had previously studied.
The activity left most of them curious, satisfied, knowledgeable, happy and buzzing learners. Hands on science is the best type of all!
ABRSM Music Examinations
Congratulations to all of our musicians who have been busy preparing for and taking music examinations this term. The following pupils were entered and results are shown where they are known - some children are still awaiting news of their result.
Y1
Aria M
Violin
Initial
Merit
2B
Simar
Violin
Grade 1
Pass
3B
Viren
Piano
Grade 3
Pass
Emily
Violin
Grade 2
Pass
4L
Minaya
Piano
Grade 5
Merit
Arshia
Piano
Grade 2
Merit
5A
Rivan
Guitar
Grade 2
Merit
Zach
Piano
Grade 8
Distinction
Zach
Violin
Grade 5
Merit
Chamber Choir
Well done to everyone who submitted video auditions for Chamber Choir. The standard of auditions was very high again this year! There are limited spaces available and the following seven pupils have been chosen to join in September 2021:
Natalia C
Aanya B
Amber P
Samara P
Hana H
Ruby L
Grace O'H
The Chamber Choir will be performing at the St. John's Smith Square Children's Trust charity concert on Sunday 14th November - please add the date to your diary now as this is always a very special occasion!
Year 4-6 Talent Assembly
On Monday we were treated to a marvellous special assembly during which children from Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 sang, delivered some improvisation comedy, danced, played a variety of instruments and more! The children really are so talented and it was amazing to be able to share their interests with them. Well done to all those involved.
Tennis Finals
Many congratulations to the winners of our annual tennis finals! As always, the competition was tough and every child had to play to their very best. We all really enjoyed watching them play. The year group winners were:
Year 3 boys - Sean R
Year 3 girls - Hana H
Year 4 boys - Xavier B
Year 4 girls - Arshia S
Year 5 boys - Luka K
Year 5 girls - Anjika G
Year 6 boys - Samir H
Year 6 girls - Amar C
Music Personality of the Term
Congratulations to Jessica L, who has been named the Music Personality of the Term. Jessica has always worked conscientiously and demonstrated enormous enthusiasm, over several years, in all aspects of music at St. Helen’s College. She has excellent music skills and applies and shares creative ideas successfully in class work. She is a member of the Senior Choir and Chamber Choir, and is an excellent role model within the music department as a music prefect.
Jessica regularly performs at assemblies, recitals and outside of school. As well as playing the ukulele, she also plays the piano and the clarinet and sings! She has exceptional musical talent, and is working on Grade 3 exams on the piano, the clarinet, and singing. Her melodious singing voice also helped her to gain the part of Nala in the Year 6 production of The Lion King this year, and her performance was first class.
Very well done, Jessica!
Sports Personality of the Term
Amar C has been named the Sports Personality of the Term for the summer term. Speaking about her, the Sports Captains noted that Amar has been an amazing role model to everyone and always tries her best, showing sportsmanship, kindness and perseverance in every sport. Amar always strives for excellence and always achieve it.
Amar has taken part in all the tennis tournaments from Year 3. She was in the District Sports team and also in the netball team in Year 5. When times get tough for other people or they think they’re doing poorly, Amar will support them and make them persevere to achieve their personal best.
Amar got 5 rosettes and won the Year 6 tennis tournament for girls. She also did really well during the staff v. pupils rounders game.
Congratulations, Amar!
Staff v. Pupil Rounders!
Wednesday afternoon saw our Year 6 children take on the staff in the annual Staff v. Pupils rounders matches. There were three teams of children and we are delighted to report that the staff team won all three matches. The Year 5 children might want to get practising over the summer so that they can take their revenge on the staff next summer!
Teacher for the Day
The Year 6 children had great fun on Thursday as they stepped into the teachers' shoes for the day and did our work for us! You can see photographs of them enjoying their time as staff on the Galleries page.
Reverend Sarah Smith
Many congratulations to Mrs. Smith (Year 3) who was ordained last weekend in Oxford. We are so proud of her and feel so lucky now to have a Reverend on our staff!
Mrs. Smith gave a short sermon at our Year 2-6 Final Assembly today and we know she will continue to inspire the children here with her faith as time goes on.
Cancer Research UK Fundraising
Many thanks to all those parents who have already generously made donations in support of Cancer Research UK. The link is still open so if you have not already donated and would like to do so, you can still donate by clicking here.
News from the PA
Second Hand Uniform Stall
The PA will be holding a second hand uniform stall in the school car park on Parkway towards the end of the summer break. If you are picking up from Holiday Club or just want to pop along to see what bargains you can pick up, the stall will be open from 12 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. on Tuesday 17 August 2021 and Friday 20 August 2021. This will still give you plenty of time to get along to Pullens if you aren't able to get all of the bits that you need from the stall.
Charity Cake Stall
On Tuesday 17 August 2021, alongside the uniform stall, Grace O (3M/4L) will be selling a range of delectable homemade treats, including cakes and biscuits. All items will be individually packaged and all money raised will go to Cancer Research UK. If you can, please do show your support and get yourself a little treat at the same time.
PA Class Representatives 2021-2022
We still need volunteers for class reps for: Robins Nursery, 1R, 5G and 6R. Please contact pa@sthelenscollege.com if you would like to find out more about being a class rep or to volunteer.
Year 6 Leavers
The PA were delighted to gift leavers' hoodies and individually wrapped St. Helen's College cupcakes to all of our Year 6 leavers. We wish them all well as they embark upon the next stage of their adventures!
Summer Reading Challenge
Hillingdon Libraries will be launching the Summer Reading Challenge this Saturday 10th July through to the start of September 2021. The theme this year is Wild World Heroes, focussing on nature, conservation, and the environment.
Hillingdon library staff have helped to create an engaging and exciting video to help promote this year's challenge. Here is the link to Hillingdon Libraries Youtube channel for the video- https://youtu.be/_3ZXkfSKYKA
We hope that many children will take part - don't forget that reading is the foundation for success in primary education and beyond, so it is important to keep it up over the summer!
English Writing Skills - Holiday Workshops
For those parents wishing to enhance their children’s English writing skills over the summer, please see the links below:
https://www.chelseayoungwriters.co.uk/creative-writing/holiday-programmes/courses-and-workshops/my-first-story-workshops
https://www.storyroom.co.uk/holiday-workshops/
There are very few workshops available this summer, but there are plenty of writing opportunities that can be undertaken at home. Keeping a diary is a great way to ensure regular writing and reflection, and the world around us can stimulate ideas for poetry and story writing. Creative writing is a wonderful method of self expression, so a pen, pad and imagination is a great place to start.
Summer Tennis Camps
Miss Walker and Mr. Stidder are, as usual, running tennis camps over the summer. You can find the details here and here. This is a great way to stay active and keep busy so we hope many of you will sign up!
Virtual Open Morning - September
Our next online Open Morning will take place on Friday 24th September at 10.00 a.m. If you, or any family and friends, have a son or daughter eligible for entry to Ducklings, Nursery or Reception in September 2022, September 2023 or September 2024, please do register/encourage them to register to attend. The registration link is here.
Next Academic Year
Calendar
The school calendar has been updated with dates for the autumn term. Please do check it and make a note of significant dates. STEAM Day will be taking place on Wednesday 29th September and parents may be invited to offer workshops as usual - look out for an email about this!
Uniform & Equipment
If you have not already done so, please check the Uniform & Equipment list on the School Documents page of the website so that you can ensure that your child has all that they will need for their next year group.
Funtasia/Breakfast Club Bookings
Bookings for wraparound care for the Autumn term will open on the first day of term, 2nd September, very early in the morning. Breakfast Club and After School Club will be available as usual and, as ever, we ask that you book as far in advance as you can, wherever possible, as this is so helpful for us when planning staffing, catering and other logistics.
Co-Curricular Arrangements and Bookings
We are currently finalising the co-curricular programme for the Autumn term. Bookings will open soon after the start of the term and we will send a reminder at that time to ask you to make your choices. Clubs are being planned to start from the week beginning Monday 13th September.
Autumn Term Menu
The menu for the autumn term has been published to the School Documents page. Please do take a look at it with your child ahead of the new academic year to help them to make sensible choices.
Snacks
When sending in snacks for break times, please follow the school rules and send fruit, vegetables or plain biscuits in a named snack box. In exceptional circumstances, if your child is getting very hungry or needs a second snack for after school before a club, you may send a plain sandwich (cheese, ham or similar). No high fat, high sugar or high salt foods are permitted and please do not send anything messy!
Individual Instrumental and Vocal Tuition
Please note that, from January 2022, fees for individual instrumental and vocal tuition will increase as follows:
30 minute lesson (Upper School): £22.50
20 minute lesson (Lower School): £14.50
Parents are reminded that a term's notice is required if you would like your child to stop receiving individual instrumental or vocal tuition. Notice should be emailed to Mrs. Fawbert at cfawbert@sthelenscollege.com.
FREE Pause Mother and Baby Mindfulness Classes
Starting from Wednesday 8th September, we will be running FREE Mother and Baby Mindfulness Classes at St. Helen's College for babies aged from 3 months to crawling (no crawlers allowed). If you, or any of your friends and family, have a baby who will be the right age, and you would like to attend, simply email susmith@sthelenscollege.com with your full name, baby's name and date of birth to book your place.
The classes, led by Mrs. McLaughlin, will run at 9 a.m. on Wednesday mornings, in the Evans Hall at Upper School, and there are six classes in each course. These classes will give an opportunity for mothers and babies to bond and enjoy mindful time together, and will include techniques such as mindful breathing, yoga and massage.
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