Headmaster's Welcome
Headmaster's News - 11th December 2015
Dec 11, 2015
11 December 2015
Dear Parents
3J Assembly
Thank you 3J for your very interesting assembly about Christmas traditions and customs around the world. It was fascinating to hear about how each country celebrates Christmas. I was also impressed by the amount of words you had learnt and how clearly you delivered them. My favourite part of the assembly was your little play which gave us a chance to see you acting different parts and characters. There is no end to your talent, 3J! An excellent end to our assemblies for this term. Congratulations to 3J and thank you to Mrs Jones for arranging it.
Carol Service
Last night saw the school’s biggest ever choir, 65 children, supported by the rest of our Juniors, singing a beautiful arrangement of carols. The soloists were very impressive, performing confidently in front of a large audience. Our Head Boy and Head Girl read very eloquently, as did the members of Year 6 who read the prayers. It was a very memorable evening and a highlight of the year so far. Thank you to Miss Macklam for all her hard work and preparation for this service. Thank you to the parents who supported us on the evening. We raised over £360 for Derian House and the School Charity for this year, Baby Beat.
Year 5 and 6 Team Building
Year 5 and 6 enjoyed an afternoon of teambuilding on Wednesday. They took part in activities ranging from a blindfold obstacle course to moving tennis balls without using their hands or arms. The afternoon finished with the ball-pass activity. This was very popular, with competition being fierce and team work tested to the full. The activity was won by the team wearing the red bands and yellow bands. The speed with which the children completed each activity and their success improved throughout the afternoon as their teamwork and listening skills improved. They encouraged one another and played to each other’s strengths. There was a real buzz after their experience as they discussed each activity in detail. A very successful afternoon. Thank you to Mrs Jones for organising this event.
Christmas Fayre
Thank you again to the PTA who have worked very hard today to create a wonderful party atmosphere for the children. Father Christmas visited the classrooms, we had Christmas crafts in the Dining Room and an entertainer in the Sports Hall. It has been a very enjoyable day and it was an excellent end to a very good week. There were some rather splendid Christmas jumpers on display too!
Pre-School Christmas Show
We were entertained on Thursday morning by our very talented group of Pre-School children. They performed a range of festive dances dressed up as snowmen, a star, angels, donkeys and Father Christmas. Their confidence and enjoyment really shone through and it was lovely for all of us to celebrate the dances they have been practising with Miss Burns in her dance sessions. Hassan from Year 6 narrated ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ throughout the performance, which brought together one of our oldest members of the school with some of our youngest. A Winter Christmas Wonderland had really come to Highfield. Well done Pre-School!
Colne Chess Congress
A Lancashire Chess Association Junior Congress and Coaching day was held on Saturday 5th December at Colne, despite the terrible weather.
10 Highfield pupils attended. We had players in 5 of the 6 sections (from Tiny Pawns right up to Queens). Congratulations to all our players who continue to go from strength to strength even when moving up the sections (7 Highfield pupils achieved this on Saturday – 2 now moving up to the Kings section!). Not only did all the children play well but there was good camaraderie amongst them all as the wind and rain forced them to be held inside throughout what was a long day. Special mention should go to Alexander (who won the Rooks section) and Muhammad (who won the Knights section).
A big thank you to all the parents who supported the children, it is a big commitment at the weekends. It was nice to hear that there was some light-hearted, competitive banter from them all! Mr Sheppeck
HPPTA
Many thanks to all who supported the Christmas Party Day and Fayre this year. I'm sure you'll agree we had some great raffle prizes, which had been donated, alongside the main prizes supplied by the PTA.
A big thank you to Mr Murray for organising the Little Voices performance - an extra treat for us all this Christmas time.
Don't forget you can now buy tickets to our 'Cabaret and Dining Extravaganza' from the school office, £39 a ticket or £350 for a table of 10 - a great opportunity to enjoy the musical talent of Mr Murray and his band.
Watches in School
If you are planning to buy a watch for your child this Christmas, which you would like them to wear in school, please can it be kept to a sensible colour and traditional size.
Dates for Next Week
Tuesday Reception and Key Stage 1 Nativity 6pm
Wednesday Reception and Key Stage 1 Nativity 2.15pm
Friday End of Term
Merit Awards
RD: Leo RF: Hollie 1D: Reya 1W: Danial 2M: Evie
3J: The Whole Class 3M: Olivia 4D: Ziyad 4S: Henry 5H: Holly 5M: Olivia E 6H: Kairavi
Monitors of the week: George, Ben and Hassan
Thought for the Week
People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built. Eleanor Roosevelt
Yours sincerely
J M Duke
Headmaster
