Headmaster's Welcome
Headmaster's News - 26th February 2016
Feb 26, 2016
26 February 2016
Dear Parents
Musical Assembly
Thank you to all our musicians who entertained us on Friday morning with a range of instruments and for the wonderful singing from our ‘Young Voices’. I can already see and hear the progress from the start of the year from our individual performers and, once again, your confidence and composure were incredible. ‘Young Voices’ sang one song with lots of talent and enthusiasm and we could all see how much enjoyment they have been having with Mr Murray in their singing sessions. Thank you to Miss Macklam for arranging this Assembly and for her continued direction in supporting the growth of music within the school.
World Thinking Day
It was lovely to see all our guides, cubs, beavers, rainbows and brownies wearing their uniforms proudly on Monday and sharing with us, in assembly and throughout the day, what they do in their organisation and for explaining World Thinking Day to us. It was really good for the whole school to support this day and to find out more about other children’s pastimes and hobbies.
Rugby at Terra Nova
Two rugby teams travelled to Terra Nova on Wednesday to play their second full competitive fixture. This was the first time that the boys had visited this school in Cheshire and they were really looking forward to this new experience. It was a wonderful day and the boys really threw themselves into both games. The B team battled hard in the first half, scoring the first try after a full length of the pitch run from Noah. Terra Nova fought back using the hill to their advantage, scoring a number of tries to take a comfortable lead at half time. In the second half, the game was a lot closer with some excellent runs from Thomas and good tackling from Rohan. Even though we scored three tries, it wasn’t quite enough to win the game. We need to make sure that we tackle with the shoulder and put more pressure on our opponents. An excellent first outing for many of these players!
The A team game was a very closely fought contest with an excellent level of physicality from both sides. Highfield went into half-time one try up but Terra Nova scored an early try in the second half to level the game. Highfield stepped up their level of intensity with some excellent tackling and pressure from Oliver, Kenny and Harry and some strong running from Alex and Matthew. This led to four very good tries which left the score at six tries to three to Highfield. Another excellent performance from the boys! Thank you to Terra Nova for their hospitality and for fielding a development side.
Years 5 and 6 Netball Tournament at Sedbergh
The girls left the Sedbergh tournament feeling very motivated and positive about the day of netball. Both teams played outstandingly well and came up against some tough opposition.
The A team finished in 3rd place which is an amazing achievement considering they are mainly from Year 5. The B team beat St Pius X B team in the Plate competition and gave their absolute best in every game. The girls showed grit and determination throughout the day including Jemima scoring a golden goal to put us through to the next round. They were beaten by a powerful Mowden Hall team but both our teams were full of joy after a fantastic day of netball. Special thanks to Mrs Duke and Mrs Jackson for supporting us throughout the day. We would like to thank Sedbergh for an excellent day of netball and their pupils for providing the teachers and supporters with regular cups of tea!
Miss McShane
Football and Netball v Windermere
31 children from Year 4 travelled to Windermere on Thursday and had a wonderful afternoon in the glorious sunshine amongst the fells. The boys and girls did very well in all the matches that were played with some excellent individual and team performances. We won all our matches and enjoyed the team tea afterwards looking out over Lake Windermere and the fells. Thank you to all the parents who helped with lifts and made the trip possible.
Puzzle Challenge Day
Next Tuesday, the Puzzle Company will be running a Puzzle Company Challenge Day for children from Reception to Year 6. The children will be experiencing an hour session throughout the day which will involve activities which will help the children to develop thinking skills, logical reasoning skills and communication skills. The company will be running a shop in the Sports Hall at the end of the day which will be selling a unique collection of award-winning 3-D puzzles, games, challenges and puzzle books for both children and adults.
Open Day and Exhibition
This is on Sunday 13 March from 11am until 3pm. The whole school will be open for our current and prospective parents to take a tour. The children’s work will be on display which will give you the opportunity to see what they will be doing in the coming years. Please do come along and tell anyone else who may be interested to visit. We have had such a successful and busy year and it would be lovely to celebrate our children’s achievements with as many people as possible.
It is also an important day for our Years 4-6 pupils who act as guides to prospective parents. We will be inviting children from younger age groups to attend next week to assist with demonstrations and activities. The children really enjoy this experience and love to talk about what they do and achieve at Highfield which helps them with their presentation and communication skills. Please return your slip as soon as possible so that we can organise the timetable for tours and make sure they can benefit from this learning experience.
Primary School Sport’s Team of the Year
Highfield Priory School has been short-listed for the School Sport’s Team of the Year for the amazing achievements of our swimmers this year. The event will be held at The Guild Hall, Preston and celebrates all sporting achievements throughout the Preston region.
World Book Day
We will be celebrating World Book Day, on Thursday 3 March, by dressing as our favourite characters from literature. We do ask that the children do not wear football kits or bring toy weapons to school. Thank you for supporting this annual event! Mrs Haythornthwaite
Internet
We have had some issues with our internet connection this week and the matter has still not been resolved. If you have any questions please contact the school by phone. Any messages from school will be sent home in schoolbags until Parentmail PMX is up and running again. I apologise for the inconvenience.
Chess Congress
Good luck to all our chess players who will be attending the congress in Darwin on Saturday.
Merit Awards
RD: Yusuf RF: Sophie 1D: Isa 1W: Emily 2M: Brooke
3J: Joshua D 3M: Aditi 4D: Grace 4S: Sophie 5H: Oliver 5M: Jacob 6H: William
Monitors of the week: Muhammad and Hannah
Thought for the week
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. Leo Buscaglia
Yours sincerely
J M Duke
Headmaster
