Posted on: 24/03/2023End of Term News - Friday 24th March 2023
Our Easter service at All Saints Church this morning was a fitting and meaningful way to end what has been a busy and mindful spring term. Thank you to all of the parents who came, to the choirs who performed so beautifully and to our Year 6 readers who read the lessons to us all with mature understanding and great clarity.
Happy Easter to you all.
Speech Recitations and Competitions
On Monday our Nursery and Reception children recited the poems they had learnt to a willing audience of their parents. It is always quite astonishing to see children so young prepared to stand up individually (or in some cases with a friend) to speak in public. The pupils did well and we are very proud of them all.
Thursday saw the grand finals of our annual Speech Competition at Upper School. In the morning, the finalists for Years 1 to 3 performed for parents and their peers and in the afternoon it was the turn of the finalists in Years 4 to 6. Our visiting judge, actress Genevieve Allenbury, was extremely impressed at the standard of the competition and chose the following children as winners:
1C: Phoebe A-C, 1R: Sikhya R
Year 1 Winner: Sikhya R
2H: Eleanor G, 2R: Ivaan M
Year 2 Winner: Eleanor G
3B: Armaan V, 3M: Gurdaya J
Year 3 Winner: Gurdaya J
Overall Junior Speech Competition Champion: Eleanor G
4L: Avar D, 4T: Aarav C
Year 4 Winner: Aarav C
5A: Verity S, 5G Sienna D
Year 5 Winner: Sienna D
6B: Lavanya B, 6R: Ayla A
Year 6 Winner: Lavanya B
Overall Senior Speech Competition Champion: Aarav C
Many, many congratulations to our finalists and our winners. This is the culmination of a competition in which every child from Year 1 to Year 6 has taken part and, as ever, it has been a most valuable experience for all. Thank you to the parents who came to watch the finals and a big thank you to Genevieve Allenbury for visiting us to take on the extremely tricky job of judging the competition.
Singing Competition
The final of our annual Singing Competition will take place on 19th May. You can find full details and a form to register your child's entry here.
Reception Planetarium Visit
The children in Reception were treated to a visit from a travelling Planetarium on Thursday to enhance their learning for their Space topic. They were able to enter a world of planets and fully immerse themselves in what it would be like to travel through space!
Year 5 Bletchley Park Trip
Year 5 visited Bletchley Park this week, where they learnt about the development of electronic computers and the importance of code breaking in bringing World War 2 to an end. They learnt that the work carried out was kept secret for many years after the war and saw where now famous people such as Alan Turing worked, helped by still unknown code breakers. The children saw Enigma machines from the war and were able to engage with simulations of them and the Bombe code breaking machine. This was a valuable, enriching educational experience for the pupils and much enjoyed by all.
Sports News
Our cross country team took part in the UDPSSA inter schools cross country event on Monday. The children performed excellently in the wet and windy conditions. Thank you to all of the parents who came to support the teams and a particular well done to Anna K who came 4th out of the girls, just missing out on the bronze medal.
On Tuesday the Year 5/6 netball team played Laurel Lane School in their last league netball match of the season. The team had a bit of a slow start scoring goals but finished up with a 10-1 win. The girls demonstrated all of the skills they have been working on during training: marking their players, changing direction, accurate passing and some fantastic shooting!
A significant number of children from St. Helen’s College attended the UK Shito Ryu karate tournament with KML Karate Club over the weekend and did exceptionally well. These competitions provide an excellent platform for the children to get selected for the national team and ultimately represent GB at the future Olympics.
The following children competed and placed.
Myla K - Gold kickmaster
Inaya S- Bronze
Poppy H - Bronze Kata
Myla K, Inaya S, Nya O-A - Gold team fighting
Aleya S, Freya K - Gold team fighting
Freya K - Gold Kickmaster
Aleya S - Silver fighting
Naiya L - Bronze fighting
Nya O-A - Gold fighting
Several others attended and did exceptionally well. Overall the club won 20 titles and came 4th out of 25 teams overall. Myla, Inaya, Freya and Aleya are also attending the British national karate championships next week in Glasgow. We wish them well!
PA Easter Egg Raffles
Thank you to the Parents' Association for the donation of eggs and 'Duckling' which were excitedly raffled in assemblies today. We hope the winners enjoy their prizes!
Comic Relief Fundraising
We would like to thank all of the parents, pupils and staff who pulled together to support Comic Relief both inside and outside of school. St. Helen's College raised £676.00 in total for Comic Relief this year.
Residential Trip Meetings
As we look ahead to a busy summer term, we have held information evenings this week for our Year 3 and Year 5 parents ahead of the residential trips to PACCAR Scout Camp (Year 3) and The Isle of Wight (Year 5). Information evenings for the Year 4 and Year 6 residential trips will take place early in the summer term.
Summer Term Reminders
Please check the school calendar to make note of dates relevant to your child for next term. There are plays, assemblies, Sports Days and more!
The menu for the summer term is now available on the website here.
Children should return to school for the summer term in their summer uniform: girls should wear their summer dress with white socks (never with tights). Please take the opportunity over the holidays to check that your child has all the correct uniform and equipment and that it is all in good condition and named. The PA will be holding a second hand uniform sale outside the school entrance on Parkway on 31st March.
Co-curricular allocations for the summer term were sent to parents this week. If you have not already done so, please make any payments due promptly.
Free Basketball Tickets
The Thames Valley Cavaliers basketball team will play host to Loughborough Riders this Saturday at 6:00 p.m. at Uxbridge College and then Reading Rockets next Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Once again, St. Helen's College pupils are invited to attend these games for free. You can find information about both games here.
Posted on: 17/03/2023Weekly News - Friday 17th March 2023
Exhibition Day
We are very much looking forward to welcoming you all to our Exhibition Day tomorrow, from 10.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. Children should all attend in full, smart school uniform and will be proud to show you around the school and let you see their work. Please take the opportunity to visit (or re-visit) other parts of the school to see the excellent work going on throughout! Your children will love to look forward to what to expect as they move up through the school, and will also enjoy reminiscing by visiting their previous year groups.
Parking can be tricky for whole school events and so we encourage parents to walk from home or to park away from the school and walk the last part of your journey if possible. Please be sure to follow the school parking regulations and, in particular, do not park in the church car parks outside Ducklings or Lower School and do not park across neighbours' driveways.
When walking between the school sites on Exhibition Day with your children, please set the right example by using the designated pedestrian crossings on Long Lane.
At Upper School, there will be an 'eco trail', as part of which our Junior Travel Ambassadors will be promoting the Parent Parking Pledge. Please be sure to visit them and sign up. The Maxwell Garden will also be open for you to visit. There is a pond in the Maxwell Garden and children must not enter this area without an adult supervising them closely.
We look forward to gathering the whole community together for this special day.
Online Safety Workshops (Pupils and Parents)
On Monday we welcomed ECP (Education Child Protection) into St. Helen's College to run workshops with all children from Reception to Year 6. They covered a wide range of important topics around the 4 Cs of online risk: content, contact, conduct and commerce. The children learnt about how to stay safe online at an age-appropriate level and where to go if they have any problems. This followed on from a staff training session in January and was followed by an online evening session for our parents to run through the parental responsibilities to be aware of in our connected world.
House Talent Show
Congratulations to all of the children who performed in our House Talent Show this week in Thursday morning's house assemblies. The final of the show will take place next term so the chosen finalists should keep practising those talents!
Chess Club Tournament
This week we reached the conclusion of our school Chess Club tournament. As usual, it was a fun and exciting process and it has resulted in a new champion: Zakariya Mi (Year 5). Zakariya won all his games but one and is now the proud holder of our Chess Trophy!
Congratulations to Zakariya and to all of the Year 5/6 Chess Club pupils who participated.
Year 6 Junior Citizenship Visit
Monday saw our Year 6 pupils visit Brunel University for the annual Hillingdon Junior Citizens event. They participated in short, informative workshops from the RNLI, Bikeabilility, TfL, the NHS, the London Fire Brigade, the Metropolitan Police and more. All of the sessions were aimed at helping to make the transition to senior schools as smooth as possible and equipping the children with extra knowledge to be confident in how to keep safe as they embrace greater independence.
General Knowledge
On Tuesday, four teams of children took part in the Quiz Club Online General Knowledge Quiz.
The teams enjoyed themselves and did very well, competing against 75 other teams from all across the UK. The St. Helen's College teams finished at places 14, 18, 31 and 39 and this means that two of our teams will be competing in the semi-finals.
Well done to the children who took part:
Aadhya M, Aakash B, Armaan V, Shayna C, Mona C, Parisa S (Year 3)
Aaryav K, Ayush A, Rohan F (Year 4)
Anika C, Eva J, Roha K, Tiya T (Year 5)
Yousra M, Annabelle S, Arshvir S (Year 6)
Congratulations are also due to Jacob N (Year 6) who ranked 34th in the SATIPS national general knowledge competition.
Comic Relief Day
Today we all wore red to school and spent the morning supporting Comic Relief. Children in classes from Reception to Year 6 took part in a quiz designed by our charity representatives and many jokes were also shared throughout the school! Thank you so much to parents, pupils and staff for embracing the day and for the many generous donations to Comic Relief. It is not too late to donate via our JustGiving page:
St. Helen's College Comic Relief JustGiving Page.
Sports News
Our Year 5/6 netball team took part in a tournament at Reddiford School on Thursday afternoon. The girls had a super time and finished second overall after winning two of their matches and losing two. Well done to those who played.
The football team drew 0-0 on Wednesday in a tricky game against Laurel Lane.
Charity Work
Well done to Amara B (3M), who took the brave step of having her long hair cut off this week in order to donate it to the Little Princess Trust, a charity that provides wigs made from real hair to children who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment or other illnesses. Amara has also raised a significant amount of money for the cause by asking friends and family to donate to support the charity's work. Every penny raised will go towards providing wigs for children and young people helping to boost their self-confidence and make a positive difference in their lives.
It is always super to see members of the St. Helen's College community putting school values into action in the wider world. We are very proud of you Amara!
Big Spring Clean
Today is the launch of the Big Spring Clean 2023. India and Shriya have written this piece to explain:
Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean
Pledge to pick up a bag of litter - or more - from Friday 17th March till Friday 2nd April.
It's been eight years since the first Great British Spring Clean! And this year it is taking place from the 17th of March to the 2nd of April.This is the nation's biggest mass-action environmental campaign. They took a survey of people who took part last year, and the results are: 85% felt more pride in their local area and 74% said it improved their mood too.
If you want to protect our environment our school is letting all of the students of St. Helen's College help to keep our school clean.
Equipment:
Litter Picker
Gloves
Bin Bag
Hand Sanitiser (optional)
REPORTING YOUR RESULTS:
When you join the Great British Spring Clean, you become one of hundreds of thousands of #LitterHeroes on a collective mission to improve the environment. We need everyone who takes part to tell us how much they collected, what kind of litter is out there, and how it felt to take part. This will help us tell the story of the scale of the challenge and advocate for change.
Become a #LitterHero today!
Poetry Recital - Nursery and Reception
The Nursery and Reception children will be reciting their poems for parents on Monday morning (20th March). You are warmly invited to hear your child(ren) perform. Coffee will be served in the Lower School Hall from 8.15 a.m. and parents will then be escorted to classrooms to hear the recitals.
Speech Competition - Years 1 to 6
Parents of finalists have been invited to attend our Speech Competition on Thursday 23rd March. The Year 1 - 3 final will take place at 9.00 a.m. and the Year 4 - 6 final at 2.00 p.m.
End of Term and Easter Service
All parents of children in Year 2 to Year 6 are invited to join us for our Easter Service on Friday 24th March at All Saints Church at 11.00 a.m.
Please note the dismissal times on the last day of term:
Ducklings and Nursery 11.50 a.m.
Reception 12.00 p.m.
Year 1 and Year 2 12.10 p.m.
Year 3 and Year 4 12.20 p.m.
Year 5 and Year 6 12.30 p.m.
Funtasia will be running on the last day of term and can be booked through SchoolsBuddy as usual if required.
Co-Curriculum: Summer Term
Allocations of co-curriculum clubs will be sent to parents during the final week of term. Please make any payments due promptly to confirm your child's place.
Easter Holiday Club
Our Easter Holiday Club will run from Monday 27th March until Friday 14th April, excluding Good Friday (7th April) and Easter Monday (10th April). Bookings are now open. Please login to your SchoolsBuddy account to make your bookings.
PA Quiz Night
The PA hosted a quiz night at The White Bear in Ruislip on Tuesday evening which was well attended and great fun! Congratulations to the winning team.
Second Hand Uniform Sale
The PA will be selling second hand school uniform on Friday 31st March outside the school entrance on Parkway. Please donate any items you no longer need which are still in good condition - donation bins will be placed outside the Upper and Lower School entrances for the last two weeks of term. Thank you for your support.
Posted on: 17/03/2023Talent Versus Skill
Talent is God gifted ability, whereas skill is an ability in which you put your time and efforts to develop.
It is with this interesting definition of ‘talent’ that I reflect on this week at St. Helen’s College. Many of you with pupils in the Upper School will be aware that the children have been participating in the inaugural House Talent Competition. We have been thoroughly impressed and entertained by all of the pupils who have entered an act to represent their Houses: Caledonia, Cambria, Hibernia or Windsor.
The entries were very varied and as I moved between each house assembly I was fortunate enough to enjoy many superb performances. From Grade 6 pianists to our Grade 1 violinists, singers galore, magic acts, ventriloquism, gymnasts, a church bell ringer, comedy acts, poetry, naming world flags,pieces of artwork…I could continue! What is apparent is that there is such a passion for the children to share their interests, hobbies, skills and talents.
This leads me on to tomorrow when we will host the school’s first Exhibition Day since pre-covid days. We are very excited to showcase our pupils’ work tomorrow and look forward to you all touring the school with your children, reflecting on their accomplishments and looking forward to what lies ahead as you visit the other classrooms and school sites.
Your children have worked so hard all year to develop their skills and talents, not only across the curriculum but in the enriched co-curriculum which we offer. We pride ourselves in both nurturing talent and supporting the development of skill.
The debate surrounding talent versus skill and which might be most important will undoubtedly continue and much has already been written on this topic. However, I believe that there are some key differences between talent and skill:
The term talent refers to an inborn, special ability of a person to do something. A skill is an expertise which is acquired by the person by learning.
Talent is God gifted ability, whereas skill is an ability in which you put your time and efforts to develop.
Talent is often possessed by a limited number of people. On the other hand, any person can learn a particular skill, if (s)he has the capacity, capability, and willingness.
Talent can be hidden which is why it needs recognition. As opposed to Skill, it requires development, which can only be possible through practice.
Coaching may prove helpful in getting the best out of someone i.e. talent. Conversely, training is necessary for acquiring a skill, to put your best into something useful.
You may have your own views and opinions on this and I am linking to an article for those of you who wish to read more on the talent v. skill debate:
Talent Vs Skill:Which Matters More in the Pursuit of Mastery?
You have invested for your child to attend St. Helen’s College and I do hope that one day when they have left school they will look back and remember their school days as the happiest and most memorable days of their lives. The children will not remember ‘how’ they made progress but it is with such a sense of pride and privilege that we are able to support your children to nurture and strengthen their ‘talents’ and assist them in developing their ‘skills’ to enable them to thrive and flourish. Let us celebrate their journey and support them with the high and lows!
I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow to celebrate our wonderful community!
Ms Drummond
Posted on: 10/03/2023Weekly News - Friday 10th March 2023
Year 3 Visit Kew Gardens
The Year 3 children went to Kew Gardens on Monday as part of their science topic 'Plants'. They had the opportunity to take part in a workshop which involved looking at plants under a microscope, sketching different types of leaves, sorting seeds according to the way they are dispersed and matching seeds to their plants. The pupils then took their learning outdoors and were able to identify and collect different parts of a flower.
The children thoroughly enjoyed these activities before having a well earned lunch break and play in the Children's Garden. They then took a trip to the Beehive where they were able to hear what it would be like to be a bee busy at work, followed by a walk around the Palm Glasshouse where they saw many plants from around the world including the 'Smelly Foot Plant'. All of the children thoroughly enjoyed themselves and were able to bring their learning back to school on Tuesday for the Year 3 Science Day. Thank you to the parent helpers who supported us on the day.
Speech Competition Semi-Finals Complete
All of the finalists have now been chosen for this year's Speech Competitions which are to take place on Thursday 23rd March at the following times:
9.00 a.m. Years 1-3
2.00 p.m. Years 4-6
Parents of the selected finalists will be contacted directly to be invited to attend the finals. Our guest judge for this year's competition is the actress Genevieve Allenbury.
Parents of children in Nursery and Reception will also be invited to watch our Early Years children perform their poems at their Speech Recitation on the morning of Monday 20th March. Further details will be sent by class teachers.
House Talent Show
The first round of our House Talent Show took place on Monday, with children from Caledonia, Cambria, Hibernia and Windsor performing their talents to the other children in their house. We enjoyed gymastic displays, singing, artwork, magic tricks and more!
The next round will take place on 16th March and the final is on 20th March, so do encourage your children to keep practising their talents!
1R Class Assembly
We were so proud of the children of 1R on Thursday morning when they presented their class assembly all about the St. Helen's College values. They talked to us about friendliness, patience, perseverance and kindness and explained how we can all show these qualities in our everyday lives. They also told us all about Walt Disney and how he had to persevere in order to get his animated films to the screen and make such a difference to so many lives. Every child spoke clearly, with understanding, great projection and expression and the three upbeat songs were meaningful and fun and beautifully performed by all. This was a super assembly which left the audience smiling and warm inside despite the cold, rainy weather outdoors! Well done, 1R.
5G Class Assembly
5G presented an informative and lively assembly today in which they told us all about the history of dance. They performed several dances for us and there was even a 'Strictly Come Dancing' style dance off. We were all encouraged to think about how dance can be good for our well-being.
Ballet Opportunity
Mrs. Nash, our peripatetic violin teacher, will be playing in the orchestra for Cinderella at The Royal Albert Hall. This is wonderful opportunity for families to enjoy dance. Tickets are available on the link below
https://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/events/2023/cinderella/
Comic Relief Day and Exhibition Day
On Friday 17th March the school will be taking part in Comic Relief Day.
The children should come to school on Friday 17th wearing something red. They may wear a red nose if they have one (although please note that these are NOT being sold at school). Pupils can either bring in a suggested £2 donation or contribute through the St. Helen's College Comic Relief JustGiving Page.
During the day there will be a general knowledge quiz for children in Reception to Year 6, designed by pupil Charity Reps, and children will be invited to share funny jokes with their class.
Friday 17th March is a half day to allow the school to prepare for Exhibition Day which takes place on Saturday 18th March. On Friday 17th, there is no Funtasia and children should be collected at the following times:
Ducklings and Nursery 11.50 a.m.
Reception 12.00 p.m.
Year 1 and Year 2 12.10 p.m.
Year 3 and Year 4 12.20 p.m.
Year 5 and Year 6 12.30 p.m.
Children (in full, smart school uniform) and parents should attend Exhibition Day between 10.00 a.m. and 12.00 p.m. on Saturday 18th March. Additional family members are welcome to join us to see the school and the children's work.
Sports News
Last Friday the Year 5 girls took part in a netball fixture v Highgate at home. All of the pupils displayed excellent character skills from start to finish and it was great to see them play some excellent netball and display a fantastic sporting attitude towards the opposing team. Most importantly it was lovely to see the smiles on their faces and witness them making significant progress.
Sadly the fixtures on Wednesday and Thursday this week were cancelled due to the inclement weather.
Today St. Helen's College took part in a seven-a-side football tournament at John Lyon School in Harrow. This was a very enjoyable event which gave our pupils the chance to test themselves against some very good opposition and enhance their skills and team play.
Co-Curricular Bookings Reminder
The co-curricular programme for the summer term was published last week and the deadline for submitting your child's selections is midnight on Sunday 12th March. If you have not already done so, please discuss the programme with your child and then login to your SchoolsBuddy account to state their preferences. Please only select clubs in which your child has a genuine interest.
PA Quiz Night
The Parents' Association are hosting a quiz night on Tuesday 14th March at The White Bear in Ruislip. Doors will open at 7 p.m. with the quizzing starting at 7.45 p.m.
There will be a prize for each person in the winning team. Raffle tickets will also be available to buy on the night so even if you don't win the quiz, you might still be able to win a prize.
Parents, school staff, friends and relatives are all welcome to put a team together (as long as they're over 18).
End of Term Arrangements
All parents of children in Year 2 to Year 6 are invited to join us for our Easter Service on Friday 24th March at All Saints Church at 11.00 a.m.
Please note the dismissal times on the last day of term:
Ducklings and Nursery 11.50 a.m.
Reception 12.00 p.m.
Year 1 and Year 2 12.10 p.m.
Year 3 and Year 4 12.20 p.m.
Year 5 and Year 6 12.30 p.m.
Funtasia will be running on the last day of term and can be booked through SchoolsBuddy as usual if required.
Easter Holiday Club
Our Easter Holiday Club will run from Monday 27th March until Friday 14th April, excluding Good Friday (7th April) and Easter Monday (10th April). Bookings are now open. Please login to your SchoolsBuddy account to make your bookings.
Thames Valley Cavaliers - Free Tickets
Once again, Thames Valley Cavaliers are offering free tickets to St. Helen's College pupils for their double header game this weekend at Uxbridge College. You can find full details here.
TVC are also offering a basketball holiday camp at Uxbridge College over the Easter holidays, from 3rd to 6th April. Details are here.
Rainbow Recipe Cards - March
For those parents who enjoy cooking with your children, you can find our red-themed 'Eat The Rainbow' recipe cards for March here.
Easter Holiday Swimming Courses
Hillingdon Leisure Complex are running swimming courses over the Easter holidays. If you are interested in these for your child you can find details here.
View all news
