Headmaster's Welcome

Headmaster's News, Friday 10th September, 2021

Sep 10, 2021

10 September 2021

Dear Parents

It was lovely to welcome all the children back to school last week and return to our normal
routine. The children are very excited about the term ahead and there has been a real buzz
around school as the children catch up on each other’s news and share their new
experiences.

Out and About with Reception Class

I was very keen to pay a special visit to Reception this week as they start their first full week
in school. They greeted me with big smiles and ‘Hello!’ and they were excited to tell me what
they have been up to. Our Reception children have been talking about shadows and looking
at how they can block out the light outside as well as inside to make shadows. Alex
demonstrated a bunny shadow on the whiteboard using his fingers. Niralya then told me she
had made a dinosaur shadow and Abdallah said that he had created a duck. Arthur then
raised his hand in the air to demonstrate how he created a spider shadow. This was quickly
followed by Olivia who told us about her butterfly shadow. The class then told me with great
excitement about how the shadows moved and followed them! Mrs Bennett described how
they had also experimented with different colours on a black sheet of paper to see how they
stood out from a distance. Alex shared with the class that if you mix up colours they change
and you can make new colours. Mrs Bennett asked the children to sit up smartly facing me
and explain what activities they had most enjoyed in their first week at Highfield. Joey and
Adam were first to move, crossing their arms and legs with very straight backs, responding
quickly to instructions. Martha said she had really enjoyed painting and Vivaan and Freya
said they liked colouring. Aurelio told me he loved playing with the monster trucks with a big
smile before jumping up and showing me which one he liked the best. I then followed the
class to their first PE lesson with Mrs Botton. They were focusing on movement skills: finding
space and chasing to be the first to find a colour on the all-weather pitch. The children were
really good at finding space with Dharini and Evie leading the way. Elizabeth and Sofia were
very good at showing me their jumping skills and George and Isabella dashed off to find the
colour yellow. The children enjoyed the activity, showing very good control of their
movements and loving the competitive element of finding the colours. It was lovely to see all
our Reception children so happy and content in their first full week of the term. It feels as
though they have been a part of the school community for many months. I look forward to
seeing how they progress throughout the year and returning very soon to see them in action
again.

Staff

I would like to welcome Miss Hindle who has started as our new Business Manager this
term. There will be a full handover with Mrs Heywood who will be retiring later in the term. Mr
Topping has started as our Assistant Caretaker and he will be on the car park at the end of
the day. Mrs Gilbert left during the summer. I would like to thank her for all her hard work on
a daily basis, providing an excellent menu for all our community and we all wish her luck in
her new post. Mr Nutter will be taking on this role for the start of the term.

Unity

The PSHE theme for this half-term is Unity. This will be discussed in assemblies and in
class. This is particularly important as we come together as the Highfield commUNITY once
more. Unity within our community is a real strength at Highfield and pupils really enjoy
working alongside their peers, our staff and our wider community. Please support and
discuss this theme with the children at home.

Birthday Cakes

We will be allowing children to bring Birthday Cakes in again this term. The cakes are always
distributed in class so for hygiene and cleanliness reasons please could children only bring
in individual cupcakes (preferably wrapped). This also guarantees that there is enough for
everyone. Thank you.

Artist and Composer of the Term

This term the children will be exploring the careers and work of David Hockney and Antonio
Vivaldi. If you could support this from home too it will enhance the children’s learning and it
would be very much appreciated.

Hair and Uniform Reminder

I am delighted with how smart the children are looking at the start of this term. Appearance
and manners are two areas we will be really working on with the children this year. The
winter uniform is published on our website. Please remember no jewellery (including
earrings) or ‘smart’ or colourful watches. All hair must be kept tidy and away from face and
eyes. If children wish to grow their hair long, it must be tied back with hair bobbles and clips
at school. No fashion haircuts, hair colours or hair products are allowed in school (including
haircuts below a grade three).

Merit Awards

RB: Alexander 1W: Thea 2E: Chad
3J: Muhammad 3M: Zaynah 4H: Monty 4M: Wei Ann Ho 5D: Lyla 6P: Anoush

Yours sincerely

J M Duke
Headmaster