Headmaster's Welcome

Headmaster's Weekly News, Friday 19th January, 2018

Jan 19, 2018

19 January 2018

Dear Parents

2E Topic Assembly
This morning it was 2E’s opportunity to talk to the school about what they have been studying in class recently. They chose one of their favourite topics of the year so far: The Great Fire of London. They started by showing some fantastic pictures which they had created of The Great Fire engulfing the Tudor houses in London, and reading out all the facts about the event. They told us about Samuel Pepys’ diary and how and where the fire started. They had also written diary extracts from a day during The Great Fire. This was a very effective way of illustrating what it must have been like. Year 2 then shared information from their Fire Safety visitors this week and all the important safety tips they had learnt. 2E demonstrated, in a small play, what you should do if there is a fire at home. Thank you 2E and Ms Eccles for an excellent assembly, our first topic assembly of the term.

Staff News
Mrs Bennett and Mrs Heyworth will be covering Mrs Morrice’s maternity leave later this term. Mrs Bennett will be responsible for the class from Monday to Wednesday and will continue with her Reception Class on Thursday and Friday. Mrs Heyworth, who currently teaches at Balderstone St Leonard’s Church of England Primary School and is a very experienced teacher, will be responsible for the class on Thursday and Friday. She will also be teaching French to Years 5 and 6.

The Wind in the Willows at The Charter Theatre
Tickets for ‘The Wind in the Willows’ are available now through The Charter Theatre Box Office. https://prestonguildhall.co.uk/shows/highfield-priory-the-wind-in-the-willows/
There are lots of posters up in and around the theatre and we have already had a special mention in the local press.

Out and About with 3M
I visited 3M in their ICT lesson on Wednesday. They were examining how simulation programmes can be used to predict possible outcomes and how it had been programmed. The simulation the children were looking at was one from the environment, looking at the predator/prey relationship between foxes and rabbits and the impact of other variables. The task was quite complex but after the initial introduction the children were off and keen to get started. Computers were switched on, logged in, simulations found and the children were ready within seconds. They were very good at helping and offering advice to each other. Ariana worked out very quickly that the amount of food available and the moisture conditions affected the final result. Sam also worked out that once the simulation had started you couldn’t change the variables. He waited each time for it to finish before checking the final numbers, changing the variables and then starting again. Yaamini focused on the number of foxes she added to each variable and realised that adding four foxes each time almost halved the rabbit population until she had none at all. Arianna was looking at the other variables, finding that if she increased the amount of food and increased the moisture then the optimum number of rabbits were produced. Jack had found out that if he added 20 foxes, and limited food and moisture no rabbits survived at all. The next task the children had to complete was to write down the rules for the simulation and their predictions and results for a number of variables added. It was quite incredible to see how quickly the children picked up the concepts and were able to use and understand a simulation that could have relevance in the outside world today. They were really making the most of ICT to find answers to real problems and they are only in Year 3. What will they be covering in Year 6!

Year 2 Fire Safety Talk
Year 2 were visited by local firemen on Tuesday, for a fire safety talk, with a real fire engine! A few of the children told me which part of the talk they had remembered and enjoyed.
Diya said that her favourite part was when they all dressed up as fire fighters. Hugo said that they had listened to the sound of a real fire alarm; Joseph enjoyed answering all the questions at the end and seeing what he had remembered and Luca loved listening to the sound of the siren on the fire engine.
The children also picked up a number of very important safety tips from the session, a few of which are listed below.
Check your smoke alarms to see that they are working. (Eliza)
Leave your pets because the firemen will get them. (Amber)
You must crawl when there is a fire so you don’t breathe in the smoke. (Joshua)
If fire goes on your clothes, do a pencil roll. (Bethan)
Never go back into a fire. (Sophie)
These are just a few of the points written by the children with the majority writing up to twelve each. They really took on board everything the fire fighters told them in this very important session.

Open Day - Sunday 4th March
Open Day this year will be on Sunday 4th March from 11-3pm. Children will be needed on this day, from Years 4 to 6, to act as guides and to take part in the activities. Please could you all make sure that this date is in your diaries. The children really enjoy the day and it is a good learning experience for them. It is also a celebration of all the work they have been doing throughout the year so please feel free to tour the school on the day, have a look at your child’s work and see what is in store for them in future years.
If you have a roadside property or land which would be suitable for a banner, please do let us know. Thank you.

Rugby v AKS
The under 10s and under 11s travelled to AKS Lytham on Wednesday (a very cold and blustery day!). The under 11s continued their good form, shown in the tournament last week, winning by 5 tries to 1. They played very direct rugby and manged to put lots of phases of play together before finding the gaps to score the tries. This was particularly impressive against a very good defensive side and in the windy conditions.
The under 10s, in their first game since Christmas, put in a very spirited performance, scoring three tries in the second half with a number of strong runs after some great rucks. The final score was 9-3 to AKS. They will need to work on their tackling for our next outing to St. Mary’s Hall.
Next week, all the boys will be travelling to Preston Grasshoppers for a training session on their 4G surface.

Netball v Harris
We hosted Harris school on Thursday after school. The girls played really well showing lots of good movement and teamwork. After two very hard fought competitive games Y6 won 11-8 and Y5 lost 4-2.

Student Council
Our student councillors for this term are:
1W: Ayesha 2D: Joshua 2E: Hugo
3H: Neelesh 3M: Zorain 4S: Saimah 5D: Holly 5M: Aishah 6H: Danya 6P: Alfie

Merit Awards
RD: Drew RJ: Melissa 1W: Yaseen 2D: Hollie 2E: The Whole Class
3H: Macaulay 3M: Arianna 4S: Tia 5D: Abdullah 5M: Ayesha 6H: Zain 6P: Charlotte
Monitor of the week: Grace T

Thought for the Week
Change can be frightening, and the temptation is often to resist it. But change almost always provides opportunities – to learn new things, to rethink tired processes, and to improve the way. Klaus Schwab

Yours sincerely

J M Duke
Headmaster