Headmaster's Welcome
Headmaster's News - 15th May 2015
May 15, 2015
15 May 2015
Dear Parents
Year 2W Assembly
Thank you, Year 2, for your excellent assembly this morning about the Sikh faith. I always enjoy listening to assemblies that are connected with what you are studying in class. I could hear every word you spoke clearly, which was particularly impressive considering the difficult vocabulary. You were all very knowledgeable about Sikhism which was apparent in your confident delivery and when talking to you afterwards. I enjoyed watching your interpretation of the story, which is told to Sikh children, about Guru Nanak. Thank you to 2W and to Mrs Wilson for producing an assembly to such a high standard at the end of a very busy week of tests.
Congratulations! End of Test Week
Congratulations to all those pupils who have finished their tests this week and in particular to our Year 6 pupils who have had an intensive programme of levels 3-5 and level 6 national curriculum tests. I hope you enjoy a well-deserved weekend of rest and fun.
Out and About with Year 3 Music
I visited a music lesson on Wednesday morning which was made up of a small, mixed group of Year 3 children. The focus was on pitch and reading music. The children started by reading the notes from the board. By looking at the example, Ibrahim was able to identify the note B, Apala identified E and Charlotte spotted D. There was no hesitation as the children continued one at a time to read all the notes. A few children were then asked to audition for the Music Assembly while the others listened carefully to the music and tried to identify the notes and pitch. James performed Old Macdonald very confidently and Miss Macklam was very impressed with the progress he has made after just three months of playing. The class identified that James had played in the treble clef. Grace told everyone that on a piano that would be played with the left hand and Nathaniel said that the notes would be higher. We then listened to a few more pupils: Ellie said that Sophie played a note that lasted longer than the others as well as one of the lowest notes we have heard.
The class then moved on to listening to a track on the CD which helped to highlight the different notes played on a glockenspiel. The children started to identify the notes, being played in pairs, on it before writing the melody on a sheet. I watched Gabrielle and Faatimah working well together, enjoying the practical nature of the lesson and referring back to the music and information leaflet to find the missing notes.
I was very impressed by the overall knowledge of the class and how much had been covered in one lesson. The group had an obvious love and interest in music. Hopefully, I will return in a few weeks to listen to the children playing tunes on the glockenspiel.
Year 3’s Roman Day
Year 3 had a very exciting day on Thursday. They were visited by a Roman soldier! He explained about what life was like during Roman times and the children were allowed to handle and use different Roman artefacts. Highlights of the day were the Roman lunch and practising Roman drill in the playground. The children asked lots of questions and were buzzing at the end of the day with the information they had found out and the activities in which they had taken part.
Changes to Orbit (Early Years)
We have just been informed that Orbit will no longer be running its service at the end of the Summer. We know it has been popular with parents and we will be looking for an alternative provider in the coming weeks.
Infant Sports Day
I hope all our Infants will be running around their gardens this weekend in preparation for our Infant Sports Day (Reception-Year 2) which is taking place next Thursday, 21 May at 1.45pm. The weather will not stop our young athletes; it will take place indoors in the event of inclement weather.
Rounders v Oakhill at home
This was the first Rounders match of the Season (lasts week’s game was cancelled against Sedbergh Prep due to rain).
After a slow start by both teams, Highfield scored 1½ rounders to Oakhill’s 2½. Highfield then came together to discuss tactics as a team and quickly sorted out the errors which were being made. In the second innings, Highfield scored a total of 4 rounders with Oakhill scoring 2 ½. The final score was Highfield 6, Oakhill 4. We now look forward to the next match against Rossall on Wednesday. Mrs Parsons
County Chess
11 pupils from Highfield have represented the County at chess in the last few weeks. They had already qualified from the Northern regional competition to play in the final against the top 320 players in the whole country. It was fantastic to see so many players playing from one school at such a high level. All the players acquitted themselves very well against top class opposition. Many of our Highfield players are very young and have a few more years to play at this level and they have learned a great deal from this experience. I look forward to watching their progress in the future starting with this weekend when we have a team travelling down to Bristol to play in the EPSCA Semi-Final.
The following boys have represented the County this year: Isaac, Tom D, Alexander, Dev, John, Ben, Harry, Matthew, Daniel, Ivan and Eryk.
Sainsbury’s Active Kids Vouchers 2015
Thank you to everyone who helped to collect the vouchers. The final total was a fantastic 12,247 vouchers. The order has been placed and we will receive the items in the Autumn Term. Thank you. Mrs Parsons.
HPPTA
General Meeting-Tuesday 19 May at 8.30am in the Dining Room. We urgently need toy prizes for the Family Bingo - any donations are very much appreciated and can be left in the school office. Tickets for the Family Bingo are on sale in the school office from Monday18 May - £2 entry ticket includes a drink on the night. Bingo tickets are also for sale on the evening. Please help us to organise this event by buying your tickets early, many thanks.
Help the Heroes
A big thank you to everyone who attended “A Letter to the Trenches” and donated money to Help the Heroes. We were very proud to be able to send off a cheque for £234.32 to help them with the work they do in looking after wounded soldiers and their families.
Driving Safely on the School Site
I have received a number of complaints from parents about people driving too fast on the school site. Please could I remind you that the speed on site is 10 mph and to stop for pedestrians who are crossing at the Zebra crossing.
The car park is also getting busier at the end of the day. Please could parents keep a close eye on their children in the Infant and Junior playground after pick-up. Thank you.
Merit Awards
RB: Isa RF:Sarah 1D: Lucie 2M: Beth 2W: the Whole Class
3H: Hanin 3M: Apala 4D: Alexander 4M; Aditya 5H: Angi 6H: The Whole Class
Monitor of the Week: Harry
Thought for the Week
Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. John Heywood.
Yours sincerely
J M Duke
Headmaster
