Headmaster's Welcome

Headmaster's Weekly News, Friday 15th June, 2018

Jun 15, 2018

15 June 2018

Dear Parents

Welcome back! I hope you have all enjoyed the fantastic weather over half term. The children were certainly full of all the activities they have been up to during the break.

Music Assembly
Thank you to all our performers this morning, from Year 2 to Year 6. We watched 25 children performing on a range of musical instruments, including the violin and the drums. They never cease to amaze me with their composure and the standard of their performances. The progress they are making from term to term can clearly be seen, especially our Year 6 performers who were taking part for the last time. Thank you Miss Macklam for arranging this excellent assembly. Mr Sheppeck

ISA Athletics
36 athletes travelled to Manchester to compete in the ISA Regional Competition last Tuesday with 24 other schools from across the region. The children competed exceptionally well throughout the day across a range of disciplines. The following pupils made the finals in their individual events or in the relay: the year 3 boys’ relay team, year 3 girls’ relay team, year 6 boys’ relay team, year 6 girls’ relay team, Evie and Lucie 60m, Eva 75m, Alfie and James 80m and Grace W-Y 150m and 600m.
Lucie qualified for the national relay team coming a very, very close second in her sprint. Congratulations to all the pupils who took part and thank you to Mrs Botton for organising the event.

Out and About with Year Six
I visited a Year 6 Poetry lesson this week. The objective of the lesson was to create a poem that suggests what your character is like or what you look like using a set format. To start the lesson, they examined past Highfield pupils’ poems. In the second poem a line said,
‘I’m the noisy whistle at the end of playtime.’
Zaynab said that it must have been a very loud person!
Another line said that they were a very tall mountain waiting to be climbed. Alexandra said that it might mean that they were a patient person or a strong person. Danya said that it could suggest they were a leader rather than a follower: both very insightful comments. Zain pointed out the poem had a very set format at the start and Hamdaan said it contained lots of similes and metaphors. The next poem said,
‘I am the school whiteboard being written on all day’.
Lilland said that they could mean that they have a photographic memory. Another line said the person was ‘an ancient ruin, waiting to be explored’. Ahmed said they could have secrets or a good general knowledge.
The poems gave the children lots of ideas and inspiration before embarking on writing their own. I have included a few lines from the initial drafts below.

I’m the tallest tree in the forest.
I’m an energetic cheetah, always running.
I’m the funny comedian at the show. Henry

I’m a dictionary with words nobody has found ever before.
I’m the Advent calendar; everyone is excited to open the next door.
I’m the biggest star in the Milky Way, gleaming beautifully in the night’s sky. Ellie.

I’m the shark in the deep blue sea that no one messes with.
I’m the ant on the ground looking up at the stars.
I’m a cup of hot chocolate warming up your body when you’re freezing cold. Grace W-Y

Manor Adventure
A party of 55 travelled to Shropshire over the Bank Holiday weekend to take part in a wide range of adventurous activities (see Facebook). From speaking to the children, their favourite activities were the high ropes and water activities. The children’s camaraderie and teamwork were excellent throughout the weekend. Thank you to Mrs Jones for organising the trip, and Mr Sheppeck, Ms Eccles, Mrs Botton and Mr Drake for their support.

Whole School Photograph
We were blessed with fine weather for the school photograph on Tuesday. It was lovely to see (nearly) the whole school coming together for the photograph. The Nursery and Pre-Schoolers were particularly well-behaved in what must have been very unusual circumstances for them. The younger children were delighted to see their older monitors getting ready and gave them lots of vigorous waves. I am looking forward to seeing the final picture which I know will provide a very important memory of their time at Highfield.

Fathers’ Day Shop
Thank you to our wonderful PTA for running the Fathers’ Day shop on Wednesday. The PTA sourced an excellent array of gifts for the children to buy and we know dads will not be disappointed. Watch out for those spikes dads and I hope you enjoy your Sunday!

Infant Sports Day
Our first sports day of the season took place on Thursday. The children were all in fine form, representing their countries in blustery conditions. We definitely had a few wind-assisted performances with several amazing bean-bag throws. The children showed real athleticism in the hurdles and running races and managed the balance beam with extra care. The encouragement and support was lovely to see from all the parents and children. The teams –countries- acquitted themselves very well with the final winners being Poland. Thank you to Mrs Botton and all the staff for making this event such a great success.

ISA Cricket
Eight boys have travelled to Queen Ethelburga’s to play in the ISA cricket today to play teams from all over the North of the country. We will report back on how they did next week.

Coffee Morning
We will be hosting a Coffee Morning on Thursday 28th June to give you a chance to meet other parents and speak to staff. I hope to see many of you there. Please could you email or speak to the office if you intend to come. Thank you.

Summer Fayre
The Summer Fayre on 8th July is approaching quickly. This is one of the highlights of the year with families from across the school, as well as former pupils, coming together for a fun packed day of activities to raise funds for the school. If you are available to help, please speak to the office or a member of the PTA.

Merit Awards
RD: Esme RJ: Melissa 1W: Avni 2D: Thomas E 2E: Moin
3H: Amritha 3M: Hasan 4S: Bomi 5D: Aamina 5M: Sasha 6H: Abdullah 6P: Bebe

Thought for the Week
The best view comes after the toughest climb.

Yours sincerely

J M Duke
Headmaster