Weekly News - Friday 23rd May 2025

Year 6 Residential Trip To France    

Year 6 are travelling home today tired but happy after a very busy and exciting week-long residential trip at the Chateau de la Baudonniere in Normandy, France. 

The children had a fantastic week immersing themselves fully in the French language and culture, building on language skills established in the classroom here at school. There were copious opportunities for the children to practise their French speaking skills whilst taking part in a wide range of educational and fun activities: shopping at a local market, aeroballe, archery, raft-building, canoeing, a visit to the mini-farm and the famous parcours de sante! 

Other highlights included a visit to the stunning Mont-Saint-Michel for a picnic and meeting their French pen pals in person. What an unforgettable trip! We hope the children will remember this special residential to France, and continue the friendships forged here at St. Helen's College, for many, many years to come.

Wrens Class Assembly

On Thursday our Nursery Wrens presented an enchanting class assembly all about 'Billy No Buzz' a bumble bee who was different from all of the others. The children remembered their lines perfectly and did a marvellous job delivering them clearly and with confidence. They also sang with gusto and even treated us to some dance moves! This charming assembly shared an important theme about inclusivity and what it means to be a good friend and respect others. Well done Wrens! 

 

 

 

3B Class Assembly 

On Friday it was the turn of 3B to present their class assembly to parents and peers. The children enthusiastically shared an overview of the many lessons and activities they have been hard at work with this term. They shared exciting highlights from their recent residential trip to PACCAR, where teamwork and collaboration were high on the agenda, and explained many of the skills they developed during Life Skills Day. To top off the assembly they invited a parent to participate in a sandwich making competition to put their abilities to the test! Looking forward to the rest of term 3B are already planning their entries for the singing competition and the House TED talk competition. There is much to be excited about, thank you 3B!

 

IAPS iArt 2025

Huge congratulations to Amayra C in 2C who has been awarded second place in the Years 1 - 2 age group in the IAPS iArt 2025 competition. This is a terrific achievement as the competition is stiff and the submissions from prep schools across the country and internationally are of an extremely high standard. Amayra's artwork (pictured here) was inspired by the theme of reflection. The judges' comments highlight how well she 'used beautiful autumnal colours and rich textures effectively'. Amayra has been invited to a special IAPS prize giving event on 27th June in Mayfair to celebrate her success. Well done, Amayra, and well done to all of our other budding young artists who entered the competition too!

School Photographs

Please be reminded that on the first day back after half term, Monday 2nd June, there will be official class photograghs for all Ducklings, Lower School and Upper School pupils. Please ensure all pupils attend in full, smart summer uniform with long hair neatly braided/tied back. They may bring PE kits with them to change into if required. 

Fundraising For GOSH

At St. Helen's College we are committed to fundraising for various charities throughout the year, aided by an enthusiastic and creative pupil body who very much enjoy giving back to the community. This term we are on a mission to raise as much money as possible for Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, a very special institution currently supporting one of our Reception children and therefore extremely close to our heart. After half term we will be hosting a week of fun and exciting fundraising activities across the school to support GOSH's campaign to build a state of the art cancer care centre. At Ducklings and Lower School, children will enjoy 'superhero tog day', bingo, a danceathon and much more! A full itinerary has been sent to parents at Lower School and Ducklings via SchoolsBuddy. At Upper School the children are very much looking forward to a fun 'soak the teacher' event. Please donate generously via the Just Giving page here and let's raise as much as we possibly can for this most deserving charity. 

Tour de Hillingdon Cycle Festival

This Saturday 24th May, the Ruislip Residents' Association are organising a free, guided 30 kilometre cycle tour around Hillingdon to promote safe cycling through the borough. The event is part of the London Cycling Festival and is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy a ride as a family exploring a variety of local highlights; Swakeleys Park; the Battle of Britain Bunker; Stockley Country Park; The Polish War Memorial to name but a few. The pace will be gentle with plenty of breaks, and families with younger children may choose to ride a shorter section of the circuit if they wish. Participants should meet at Manor Farm at 9.30 a.m., with the full route expected to take three hours to complete. To register and view the full route click here. 

Uxbridge Chess Club Camp

Hillingdon & Ealing Chess Association are hosting a May half term chess camp next week at Lady of Lourdes Church Hall in Uxbridge. There promises to be fun galore with puzzles, games and competitions providing chess fans with the chance to develop their tactics and strategy with like-minded peers. Sessions will run from 10.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. on Tuesday 27th, Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th May. You can see more information and book a place here. 

 

 

 

The Great Exhibition Road Science Festival 

Imperial College London are hosting The Great Exhibition Road Festival on 7th - 8th June in South Kensington to celebrate science and the arts with a weekend of exciting free events for all ages. The festival features creative workshops, live performances and interactive exhibits with lots to discover in themed zones covering everything from tech, being a scientist, the natural world, future medicine and nextgen developments. For a full programme and to register visit the website here. 

Oak Farm Library Events

Oak Farm Library have some special half term events including a 'Brilliant Bug Storytime', 'Crafty Creators Club' and a 'Lego SPIKE workshop'. For details visit their Instagram page here. 

Free Perform Trial Class

Today the children at Lower School enjoyed a special drama workshop from Perform. The children thoroughly enjoyed being whisked off to Africa and transforming themselves into animals including giraffes, snakes and elephants! 

Perform are offering a free trial class for children who would like to attend regular classes. They hold classes in Uxbridge, Ickenham and Ruislip, for more information and to claim your trial click here. They are also running an Alice in Wonderland summer course for children aged 4 - 10 years, you can find more information here. 

 

Next Half Term

Monday 26th - Friday 30th May - Half Term Holiday

Monday 2nd  - Friday 6th June - GOSH Fundraising Week 

Monday 2nd June - Class Photographs (Full Summer School Uniform)

Tuesday 3rd June - Parents' Evening Y1 - 6

Wednesday 4th June - Girls Best Cricket Event Y5/6

Thursday 5th June - Kingfishers Coffee Morning and Class Assembly

Thursday 5th June - Online Parents' Evening Y6 and 2C

Friday 6th June - Nursery Trip to Hobbledown Heath

Friday 6th June - 3M Coffee Morning and Class Assembly

Friday 6th June - Orchestra Day at Northwood College

Saturday 7th June - LAMDA exams