Headmaster's Welcome

Headmaster's Weekly News, Friday 23rd February, 2018

Feb 23, 2018

23 February 2018

Dear Parents

Musical Assembly

Thank you to all our wonderful musicians who gave us an uplifting end to the first week back after half-term. There were 21 performers from the age of 7 to 11 playing instruments ranging from the Ukuele to the Baritone. Six children were performing for the first time. We had three guitarists from one family, with a duet performed by Ziyad and Hasan. Talia and Nathaniel also performed another lovely family duet on the trombone. The confidence of all the children in front of such a large audience was very impressive. It was lovely to listen to what the children have been working on and to celebrate their achievements so far. Their hard work and practice have definitely paid off. It was a real inspiration for the new performers and for the audience to watch the talent of the more experienced players and to see what can be achieved if you continue to work hard at your music. A big thank you to Miss Macklam for organising this assembly.

Open Day
Open Day, on Sunday 4th March from 11am until 3pm, is approaching fast. Please could you let anyone know who may be interested in visiting the school and celebrating your children’s hard work and achievements this year. It is also a wonderful opportunity for you to see what lies in store for your child as they progress through the school.

Out and About with Pirates!
I returned to Reception this week and the topic, initiated by the children, was ‘Pirates’. The majority of the class was designing treasure maps on paper which had been tea stained to give it a realistic appearance. Johnny said he had buried the treasure somewhere. I asked him in hushed tones if it was a secret. ‘No!’ he replied, ‘I have forgotten to put the cross on!’ He then ran off with a ‘Ha! Ha! Pirate Maties!’ before coming back with a pirate hat on. Penny continued to explain what they had all been doing that morning and she said that she had finished her map. She was busy drawing a very pretty picture of a girl in which she had used blue and pink pipe cleaners for the hair. It was very effective and she took great delight in sharing it with me. Aidan pointed out all the different parts of his map to me: a very intimidating pirate, a duck on a pond, a number of trees and a clear ‘X’ marking the spot.
In the wet play area, a few of the boys were playing enthusiastically. Aamir explained that they were playing with lots of sea animals and told me about the flying fish, stingray and octopus which was above the play area. The boys were really letting their imaginations drive the game, taking it in turns with lots of very good interactions. Reuben was working alongside Shreya completing a pirate counting game on the whiteboard. They had to count the birds around the ship. If they got it right there was a big explosion which caused much delight! Omer, who was also helping, said, ‘Mr. Duke, I really like this game!’ Toby then ran up to me showing me his map and was delighted to point out that he had four crosses on it! He then returned later to say, ‘It now has five, Mr Duke!’. So much treasure! Samira, who had also finished her map was painting a beautiful picture of tulips. Scarlett was admiring the drawing and pointing out the similarities on the picture Samira was copying. I was reluctant to leave such a lovely atmosphere and I can’t wait to pop back when the class moves onto the topic of ‘Spring’.

World Book Day
World Book Day is on Thursday 1st March children (and staff !) are allowed to come to school dressed as their favourite literary characters. Please could children not wear football strips or bring toy weapons or props.

Costume Help for World Book Day!
Our PTA will be running a costume stall on Monday at drop-off and pick-up, giving you a chance to purchase (for £2) outfits for World Book Day.

Staff News
I would like to offer a warm welcome to Mr Nutter who joined Highfield as Chef this week. He joins us from Preston Grasshoppers where he had been Head Chef since 2000 and before that he was Head Chef at Fulwood Barracks.

Rugby v Stonyhurst
All the boys in Years 5 and 6 took part in a competitive fixture against Stonyhurst at Preston Grasshoppers on Wednesday. It was great to see all the boys in action with some of them playing in their first competitive game of rugby this term. The Under 10s lost after a hard fought game and coming back strongly in the final quarter after an improved defensive performance. The Under 11s won with some great running rugby and support play. We now look forward to our trip to Rossall next week.

Merit Awards
RD: Samira RJ: Anoushka 1W: Luca 2D: Bethan 2E: Hugo
3H: Diya 3M: Sasha 4S: Edie 5D: Katie 5M: Eva 6H: Henry 6P: Gabrielle
Monitor of the week: Danya

Thought for the Week
Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.
Henry Ford

Yours sincerely

J M Duke
Headmaster