Headmaster's Welcome
Headmaster's News - 16th October 2015
Oct 16, 2015
16 October 2015
Dear Parents
What a busy and very successful first half of term. We have had success in many areas from our excellent academic results in Year 6 to many outstanding performances in sport. The children have also had a number of exciting trips and visitors to the school which have really helped further their understanding of the curriculum. The All-Weather pitch is nearing completion, with the grass down and finishing touches being made so the children will be able to use it after the break. There is also so much to look forward to in the second half of term which starts with M and M’s production of The Wizard of Oz then our first Musical Assembly of the year and the HPPTA Halloween Disco.
I hope you all have a lovely 2-week half-term break and I will see you back at school on Monday 2 November.
An extract from Angi’s factual account of the Year 6 trip to The World Museum
On Monday 12th October, we visited the World Museum in Liverpool. We began with a talk about spiders, scorpions and insects in the Treasure House Theatre. I learnt:
Female spiders live longer than male spiders; male tarantulas can live up to 10 years; a female 30.
Stick insects have five eyes-two on the front and three small ones at the back.
We then had a workshop entitled: ‘Explore and discover Ancient Egypt. Here I learnt:
Ancient Egyptians mummified the heart first before putting it into the body!
Wood was considered very precious in Ancient Egypt-it was put in rich people’s tombs.
Finally, we went up to the top floor where the Planetarium was. This was a circular room with images beamed onto the curved ceiling. I was fascinated to find out:
The closest galaxy to Earth is the Andromeda Galaxy.
Telescopes can be one of two types: a refractor or a reflector.
The best part of the trip was the planetarium because I learnt more facts there and I find constellations interesting because of their stories. I would recommend any part of the museum to anyone-every room has something to offer.
Year 5 French Breakfast
One of the highlights of Year 5 is the French Breakfast which took place on Wednesday. As soon as it is spotted in the calendar, the countdown begins and the excitement was certainly building this week. Year 5 came into the Dining Room at 8am to a sight which was reminiscent of a Parisian café: French music playing; French flags and banners up; a greeting from Madame Morrice and a breakfast of croissant and jam, chocolat chaud and pain au chocolat. Each child came up to the counter and ordered their breakfast in French before returning to their table. They all really enjoyed the process of ordering and only needed a little reminder from the words that were posted around the counter and friendly encouragement from Mme Morrice. The hubbub on the tables suggested a lot of very happy and contented Year 5s; a fantastic start to the day! A member of Year 5 enquired whether every day should start like this at Highfield. Merci Mme Morrice and Mrs McGrath!
Year 3 World War 2 Morning by Zainab, Joshua A and Joshua D
Today a man came in and taught us about WW2. His name was Mr B. We learnt a lot from him. The Year 3s all got together. I was so excited! We all were in groups. We got to see gas masks, clothes, bandages and, best of all, we got to dance. We also played a game where we had to knock down cones by spraying them with water. I have to say it was really fun.
The gentleman showed us a mystery box which had a fire bomb inside and he also told us about other bombs. A fire bomb is sixty times hotter than the temperature in England. He talked about the men who were old, who were left behind as lookouts and had to sound the alarm if aeroplanes were coming. I dressed up with the clothes they would have worn with a cloak, black hat and I carried a blackout lamp. Today I really enjoyed all the activities and I learnt a lot about life in World War 2. I found the morning especially interesting because my Grandad talks to me about the 2nd World War.
Year 1 Visit to Buckshaw Tesco
I visited Year 1 on Thursday to find out about their visit to Buckshaw Tesco this week. The visit tied in with the topic they are studying in Geography, ‘Farm to Fork’. They were first split into three groups, yellow, green and red, and had to fill up their baskets with all the vegetables of that colour. They then visited the Delicatessen and learnt about the importance of hygiene and contamination as they watched a lady having to change from a red apron to a blue apron before retrieving the cooked chicken from the oven. They were also given the chance to look into the huge freezer. Isa said that they saw the chiller which was -2 and the main freezer which was -20. The guide then said, “Shall we lock your teachers in here?” which made all the children cheer! Diya said, ‘Not the teachers!’ Thank you, Diya! Evie told me that her favourite activity was making biscuits in the bakery and Reya added that she enjoyed putting the icing on top. Abdullah also told me that the baker had to get up at 5am. In their final activity, the children had to find food from around the world to fill their basket, before taking it to the till where the children took it in turns to swipe each item and then check the price on the receipt. It sounds like an excellent trip and you certainly learnt a lot Year 1. Expect them to be very knowledgeable on your next shopping trip!
Football v AKS
Highfield Priory senior boys played in a very challenging fixture against a talented AKS side. They produced a doughty rear guard performance with some great saves made by both Matthew and Aditya. Hassan produced a particularly notable challenge in the second half which brought out my inner centre back and made me smile. The game was lost 3-2. Mr Turner
Year 4 Football v Rossall School by Alfie
On 9th October, Year 4 boys travelled to Rossall to play football. In the minibus we were very nervous! The boys who travelled to Rossall were Alfie (captain), Ivan, James, Zain, Ziyad, Rory, Henry and Matthew.
When we arrived, Mr Turner started the warm-up by passing to us and practising our shooting skills. We started the match pretty well and I hit the post, almost scoring the first goal within the first five minutes. We had several chances in the first ten minutes but we were not quite able to score a goal. Highfield had more possession than Rossall and we had so many chances but we couldn’t find the back of the net. At half time, Mr Turner said we were passing the ball too much. We went back out with a bit more spirit in us, hungry to win. We started the second half with Rossall scoring a goal. It was really tough to try to score but I crossed it into the box and found Ivan who passed to Henry, on the edge of the box, who dribbled it into the six yard box and then shot; it was a goal!! Everybody went wild. After that we put a lot more pressure on Rossall. James hit the bar in the final minute but was unlucky. The match ended 1-1. Afterwards we ate sausage and chips in Rossall’s huge dining hall. It was yummy!
Netball v Windermere School
The Highfield netball teams played Windermere this week. The Pink team worked extremely hard on the court outside and moved the ball well across the court with strong passes and great communication to secure a win. Inside, the Blue and Green teams played half a game each. The Green team moved into space very well and scored 3 goals but needed to mark their players more tightly when defending. The Blue team showed great determination when trying to intercept the ball and improved footwork throughout the match. Well done to all teams! I hope you all manage to practise over half term! Miss McShane
Chess Club
After half-term, Mr Sheppeck will take over the running of Chess Club; it will be held on Monday lunchtimes in his classroom. Our first school team Chess Match will take place on Tuesday 10th November at Bolton Boys’ Junior School. A letter will be sent out to the children taking part after half-term. I will accompany the children during this match and will assist Mr Sheppeck with individual and team competitions throughout this year. Mrs Haythornthwaite
Author Visit
American author, Michael Dahl, will be visiting Highfield on Wednesday 4th November. He is an inspiring speaker and will talk to the Year 5 and 6 children about reading and the books he has written. The session will take place during the afternoon so there will be no games lessons on that day. Michael enjoys writing scary stories and some of his books will be available to purchase, and have signed by him, on the day. Mrs Haythornthwaite
Mrs Morrice’s Maternity Leave
Mrs Morrice will be going on maternity leave today and we offer her our very best wishes. She will be missed but what an exciting time she has ahead of her! We are also looking forward to Mrs O’Shea returning who will be covering Mrs Morrice’s maternity leave.
Data Protection
Attached to this newsletter is a copy of the Privacy Notice that we are required to send out each year under the Data Protection Act 1988.
Merit Awards
RD: Moin RF: Thomas 1D: Isa 1W: Emily 2M: Alaia
3J: Beth 3M; Hannah 4D: Charlotte 4S: Ellie 5H: Fatimah 5M: Suzanna 6H: Alex
Monitor of the week: Finntan
Thought for the week
If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking. Buddha
Yours sincerely
J M Duke
Headmaster
