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Headmaster's Welcome

Headmaster's News - 27th January 2017

Jan 27, 2017


27 January 2017

Dear Parents

4H Assembly

Thank you 4H for your assembly this morning all about ‘Teeth’ which you have been studying in class recently. I really enjoyed watching your acting and learning lots of different facts about our teeth from dental hygiene to the different types of teeth that we have and the jobs that they do. My favourite fact was that the longest tooth ever recorded was in Singapore in 2009 at 3.2cm long. I particularly enjoyed the poem by Pam Ayres, ‘Oh I wish I’d looked after my teeth!’ which you all performed at the end. Thank you 4H and Mrs Hill for preparing this assembly.

Rapidplay Champion!

Chess continues to be a real strength of the school. Last Saturday, Daniel, 5M, became the National Under 10s Rapidplay Champion with a score of 5.5 out of 6. Well done, Daniel!

National ISA Swimming

Congratulations to our amazing swimmers! James, Oliver, Zahara and Sophie travelled down to The Olympic Pool in London to represent the North of England in the Nationals. They were supported by a large contingent of parents and children from Highfield throughout the day. All the swimmers did incredibly well and even managed to improve upon last year’s performance. Oliver achieved three Gold Medals in medley relay, backstroke and breaststroke (including two national records in his individual events); James achieved two Golds for his individual front crawl and relay and a Bronze in his backstroke; Zahara achieved a Silver for her breaststroke and Gold in the freestyle relay; Sophie came 6th in backstroke (achieving a personal best). Our team helped the Junior Northern Team to come first overall in the country! There are over 380 schools in the organisation so the children have all done amazingly well bringing home 8 medals in total. We are very proud of you all!

Out and About

During the last few weeks, I have been doing practice interviews with our Year 6 pupils who are preparing for being interviewed by their prospective schools. This is the final stage of their preparation which started in their classes and continued in their HPSED lessons and school plays. I really enjoy this part of my role, spending some time asking questions and seeing just how far our oldest pupils have come since they have started at Highfield. We talk about what they have enjoyed doing at Highfield, their favourite subjects and activities and memorable events. The children’s faces light up when they reminisce about the past or talk about subjects that have really caught their imagination. They chatted about the parts they have played in ‘Archibald’s War’ and their time on The Charter Theatre stage in ‘The Witches’ and how playing the parts have really helped them overcome any nerves they might have about performing in public. We also discuss the current affairs that they have covered in general knowledge lessons and school assemblies. The children talk knowledgeably about the US elections and Donald Trump’s inauguration; their understanding of Brexit and how Theresa May took over from David Cameron as Prime Minister. I also ask the children to ask me questions about the school they will be going to. They ask insightful questions such as what languages the school offers or whether they teach Business Studies and at what age because they want to start their own business one day. In some of the interviews, the children are asked to discuss what their thoughts are about a statue or a picture in the room. I asked the children about my picture which was

made from the poppies from ‘Letter to the Trenches’. The children talked about the darkness representing sadness and loss but the poppies representing hope and memory. They go on to say that the poppies were found on the field of Flanders after the First World War and are now used every year on Remembrance Day.

The interviews make me very proud of our Year 6 children who I know will be fantastic ambassadors for Highfield at their interviews and whichever school they go on to next year. I hear year after year from Heads and teachers that you can always tell a Highfield pupil by their good manners, confidence and attitude to learning. Good luck to all our Year 6 pupils who are currently sitting entrance examinations and interviews.

Year 5 and 6 HPSED Exams

Congratulations to all our Year 5 and 6 pupils who took their HPSED Exam in Presentation Skills last week. Year 5 were impressive as Young Apprentices presenting their new products and adverts and Year 6 braved the Dragons’ Den with their futuristic products. The children were well prepared, eloquent and confident in front of the examiner who commented on their courtesy and good manners as well as their articulate delivery. Well done, I was very proud of you all! Mrs Duke

The Wizard of Oz

Don’t forget to get your tickets for ‘The Wizard of Oz’ from The Charter Theatre Box Office. The production is being held on Thursday 9 February at 6:30pm and involves children from Reception to Year 5.

Rugby v Rossall

Twenty Year 5 and 6 boys travelled to Rossall on Wednesday on a crisp bright afternoon to play two matches of rugby. Both matches were very competitive! In the A team game, Highfield took a while to adapt to the large size of the pitch but as the game progressed they closed down the opposition quickly and manged to release players into space to score a number of excellent tries. Noah and Charlie had a number of incisive runs and Rory, Ziyad and Zain were strong in defence. In the other game, the boys progressed from a touch to a contact game. Highfield players really enjoyed the transfer into the contact with Ahmed, Abdullah and Ivan all having notable games. No scores were taken in either game, however, I feel that honours were about even at the end of a very enjoyable afternoon. The match was followed by a well-received tea and chat with the opposition. Thank you Rossall boys and staff for hosting us and we look forward to returning next term in the cricket season.

Hockey v Rossall

The hockey team played their second match of the term against Rossall School. The first team started well with some accurate passing which opened up the pitch. Rossall scored the first goal and then Highfield scored; Millie in goal made some brilliant saves. At the final whistle, the result was a 2-1 win to Rossall. In the second match, the girls’ teamwork was outstanding and the girls started to take advantage of the Rossall gaps in play. Highfield showed great promise taking hit-outs quickly and sending the ball wide. The second result was 1-1. We will now work on our timing when tackling in practices. Well done girls!

North West Ski Federation School Competition

Saturday 11th March at Pendle Ski Club 8.45am- 3.30pm

If your child is an able skier who can complete a slalom ski course and would like to enter this competition, please see Mrs Parsons by Friday 3 February for more information. There is an entry fee and you must be responsible for your child during the event. A number of children from Highfield entered last year and really enjoyed the experience.

Sainsbury’s Vouchers

The Sainsbury’s Active Kids Voucher Scheme has started and we are collecting again this year. The vouchers you collect benefit every pupil from Nursery through to Year 6. The box is located in the entrance to the Sports Hall.

HPPTA News

2nd Annual Cabaret and Dining Extravaganza - Saturday 11th March 2017, 6.30pm at Barton Grange Hotel.

Tickets are now on sale in the school office for this year's Highfield Priory PTA adult event.

After last year's amazing success, we are thrilled that Mr Murray's All Saints Musical Productions will be entertaining us again with a spectacular evening of 'Music from the Movies'. Please come and support this evening, enjoy a meal and time with friends and raise money for our school and children. Tickets are £48 p.p. or a table of 10 for £430.

We have already secured some fantastic auction prizes but are looking for more exciting and/or unique prizes which will raise over £50 on the night. Local businesses donating a suitable auction prize will have the opportunity to advertise their products /service. If you can help please contact Claire Jones 07807 065260. Many thanks for your support.

United Utilities Work on Fulwood Row

This work will continue for the next few weeks on Fulwood Row and will cause disruption at the start and end of the day. Thank you for your patience and we apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Car Park

Please could you make sure that children are supervised closely across the Infant and Junior playground at the start and end of the day. Thank you.

Merit Awards

RD: Hanna 1D: Hugo 1W: Amber 2F: Nadia 2M: Sasha

3M: Martha 4H: The Whole Class 4S: Eva 5D: Danya 5M: Ameya 6H: Shaylen

6J: Jemima

Monitor of the week: Fatimah

Thought for the Week

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. Helen Keller

Yours sincerely

J M Duke

Headmaster

 

Highfield Priory School

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