Headmaster's Welcome

Headmaster's Weekly News, Friday 28th September, 2018

Sep 28, 2018

28 September 201

Dear Parents

1D’s Harvest Assembly
Thank you 1D for a fantastic Harvest Assembly this morning. You helped us to reflect upon where our food comes from, from what we ate for breakfast this morning to what we buy in our supermarkets. You also showed us just how hard farmers work to provide our food from 5am in the morning to 9pm at night. I really enjoyed your class rendition of the poem ‘Farms are Important.’ Thank you 1D and Mrs Davidson for preparing this Assembly. I would also like to thank all the parents for providing a wonderful array of harvest gifts and for all your donations. We raised over £370 for Water Aid.

Grammar School Examinations
Good luck to all our Year 6 pupils who are sitting the Grammar School Examinations this weekend. Make sure you have a good night’s sleep, read the questions carefully and keep an eye on the time.

Visit to Bethany House
Our Year Five children visited Bethany House today to take our Harvest gifts and to sing some songs. We were all warmly welcomed by the residents who enjoyed listening to the Harvest songs which were sung beautifully by Year Five. The children then spent time chatting to the residents, finding out about their families and sharing stories from the past and the present. It was lovely to see these two generations really enjoying each other’s company. There were lots of smiles and animated conversations and the children would have happily carried on talking all day! However, lunch beckoned and the children returned to school in high spirits, happily chatting about their morning and the interesting people they had met. Thank you to Bethany House for welcoming us. We look forward to returning at Christmas with our Year Six Classes.

Out and About with Year 5
I visited a Year 5 Art lesson this week as they were in the middle of creating a Toby Jug out of clay. I was amazed by the progress they had made in just a few weeks. They had written and drawn a full and detailed design sheet which described their step-by-step approach. All the children had made their mug out of clay with just a few in the process of attaching their handles. The quality of the mugs was excellent! I admired Sienna’s jug as she was making her finishing touches before starting her design. The mug was in excellent proportion which gave her the perfect base to start the design. Hamza was starting to create an image of Henry VIII on his mug, copying his own drawing carefully. He fully described how he was starting to work on the shoulders at the bottom of the mug before progressing up to the face. Theo’s mug was really taking shape as he had already completed the nose and ears. All the children were really taking pride in their work and I can’t wait to see their finished products. This work links closely to their study of the Tudor period in history. Thank you, Year 5, for a very enjoyable lesson.

Alumni News
Congratulations to Katie Hale who has been invited to participate in the National England Talent Programme for swimming. She has also won two national medals for her age group in this year’s National Swimming Championships: Bronze in the British Open Water 2K and Bronze in the English 100m Free. A fantastic achievement and an inspiration to the pupils of Highfield.

County Success
Congratulations to Rohan ,4D, who has won both the Under 8s and the Under 9s Lancashire County Tennis Individual titles. The competition ran over a full week against stiff opposition from across the County. Rohan has also represented Lancashire in the Inter County championships. Well done Rohan!

Coffee Morning
We will be holding a Coffee Morning on Friday 12th October after drop off. This will be a very relaxed occasion which will give you a chance to chat with other parents and staff. I look forward to seeing you there.

Open Morning on Thursday 4th October
The school will be holding its Autumn Term Open Day next Thursday morning. An advertising leaflet will be arriving on Parentmail today. Please could you pass on the details to family, friends and colleagues who may be interested in visiting Highfield. Many thanks.

Under 11s Netball
On Wednesday, our U11 and U10 netballers took part in a friendly Netball Festival hosted by SMH. With lots of teams taking part, it was an excellent opportunity for the Highfield girls to practise what they have been learning so far this term. The first match was between both Highfield teams and resulted in a well-earned draw. The girls then played a further 7 matches without a break and played some excellent netball. There was some fantastic blocking of shots from our defenders, excellent interceptions and dodging into space from our mid-court players and finally some precision shooting from our shooters. The U11 team recorded 3 wins, 2 losses and 2 draws, while the U10 team recorded 2 wins, 3 losses and 2 draws.
Our overall player of the tournament for our U11 team was Sasha and for our U10 team was Tia. Well done girls! Mrs Botton

Football v Harris School
Last Friday, our Under 11s team had their first fixture of the season against Harris School. All the players showed excellent commitment against a good opposition. The team needs to work on its defensive structure but overall it was a very good first display and an excellent foundation for future games. We lost one game 4-1 and won one game 4-0. Mr Turner

Reminders
Autumn Weather - Please could you make sure all children have their coat in school.
Fruit/snacks - Please could you cut up grapes and olives as they can present a choking hazard.

Watches
No smart watches or fitbits are allowed in school. Watches should be of a reasonable size, in unobtrusive colours (not bright or fluorescent).

Dates for the Diary
2 October - Y5 to Speke Hall
3 October - Y1 to Bring Yer Wellies
4 October - Open Morning
8 October - 8.15am Dining Room HPPTA meeting, all welcome.

Merit Awards
RB: Alfie RH: Dylan 1D: The Whole Class 1W: Reuben 2E: Aibhlin
3J: Joseph 3M: Thomas 4D: Zorain 4S: Megan 5M: Hashbala 6H: Holly 6P: Sophia
Monitor of the Week: Asiyah
High 5 Award: Frank - 3J 

Thought for the Week
Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. Robert Louis Stevenson

Yours sincerely

J M Duke
Headmaster