Headmaster's Welcome
Headmaster's Weekly News, Friday 15th September, 2017
Sep 15, 2017
15 September 2017
Dear Parents
It has been a very busy second week with all our activities getting underway, our first sporting matches of the year and our new parents’ coffee morning. I have really enjoyed walking around the school, watching the enthusiasm and interest sparked in lessons and witnessing the excitement as the children embarked upon their first activities. I always feel very fortunate and privileged to be amongst school children at the start of an academic year as they are testing their potential, discovering new talents and blossoming as new challenges and experiences unfold before them.
Out and About with 2E
I taught a lesson of RE this week with 2E. Their topic for the start of this term is the Sikh religion and the children began by telling me what they had learned so far. Hands shot up straight away and I was amazed at how much they had picked up from just one lesson. Yusuf told me that Sikhs believe that hair is a gift from God and that they carry a special comb to keep it tidy. Hiba said that they only believed in one God and Joshua told me the story they had learnt about Guru Nanak, the first guru. We then watched a short video that introduced a Sikh family and the 5Ks. The children completed an individual comprehension activity about the Sikh religion. Hugo was working really well, reading the text carefully and checking his understanding of certain words. I was very impressed with the work ethic of the whole class and the in-depth understanding they had developed in just a few lessons. The class had just finished when Mrs Street came to collect them for their next exciting lesson: Music!
Alumni News
Congratulations to Natalie Panagarry, former Head Girl and sister to Sasha (5M), who has been selected as Vice-Captain of England for the Netball Europe Competition. Well done, Natalie!
Celebration Assembly
It was our first Celebration Assembly of the year this morning. It was once again really interesting to listen to all the activities the children have taken part in outside school and to celebrate their success. The next Celebration Assembly will take place on Friday 8th December.
New Parents’ Coffee Morning
It was wonderful to welcome so many new families to Highfield at our new parents’ coffee morning today. Members of the PTA, governors and teachers were all present in a very relaxed and social setting.
AKS Football
The first football matches this year were played at Highfield. After heavy rain this week, it was great for the boys to have an opportunity to get out and play on our all-weather pitch. The first team to play looked very comfortable on the ball with many excellent touches which opened up the opposition’s defence. Highfield eventually won 5-1 with a number of really well-taken goals. Scorers were Henry, Alfie and Zain.
In the second game, the boys showed some excellent individual touches but struggled to find any real space. AKS capitalised on any mistakes and scored three goals. In the second half, Highfield put a lot more pressure on their opponents closing them down quickly and restricting the opposition to only one further goal.
Well done to all the boys who played. It was great to see everyone in Years 5 and 6 involved. We now look forward to our next game at home against Westholme on 27th October.
HPPTA
Welcome back! We hope you all had a lovely holiday and are ready for the new term. There will be a quick PTA meeting in the Dining Room at drop off on Monday 18th September. We would love to see you there. New members are always welcome!
Netball Practice
There will be no Year 5 and 6 Netball practice after school on Tuesday 19th September.
Curriculum Evening
The Y3 curriculum evening will be held on Tuesday 19th September at 6pm.
Lost Property
A lot of lost property has been left at school over the holidays. The majority of it is unnamed. It will be displayed in the Dining Room next week after school. After this, it will be donated to the school shop.
Tax Free Childcare Scheme
Just a reminder that the government have introduced a Tax-Free Childcare scheme in September. In order to check your eligibility please go to the following website https://childcare-support.tax.service.gov.uk/ and follow the links. The scheme is that for every £8 a parent pays into their childcare account, the government will pay in an extra £2. Parents can get up to £2000 government support per child per year towards their childcare costs, ie extended care and holiday club, not fees. If you already have a government gateway account, the checking process will be relatively simple. There have been a few “teething” problems with the site over the summer but it is now understood to be working more efficiently.
Please check as the eligibility criteria includes all children under 12 years old.
Mrs Heywood (School Business Manager)
Student Councillors
Our student councillors for the Autumn Term are: 1W: Aibhlin, 2D: Amber, 2E: Leo
3H: Ibraheem, 3M: Danial, 4S: Hashbala, 5D: Abdullah, 5M: Daisy, 6H: Hanin, 6P: Matthew
Merit Awards
RD: Ariana RJ: Aidan 1W: Amelia 2D: Aaron 2E: Manavi
3H: Megan 3M: Umar 4S: Ayesha 5D: Archie 5M: Joshua 6H: Danya 6P: Matthew
Monitor of the week: Ahmed
Thought for the Week
Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Yours sincerely
J M Duke
Headmaster
