Headmaster's Welcome
Headmaster's News, Friday 29th April, 2022
Apr 29, 2022
29th April 2022
Dear Parents
It has been an excellent start to the new term with so much happening in the first few weeks. Year 1 and Year 4 have been on school trips, all members of Years 5 and 6 have been involved in competitive fixtures and we have had our first class assembly of the term. We have a busy and exciting term ahead of us so please keep following our Facebook pages to see what we have been getting up to!
Class Assembly
Thank you, Year 4, for your assembly this morning all about celebrating our talents. It was lovely to hear you sharing your individual talents with the school. We found out so much about what you are passionate about and your talents ranged from origami and History to cycling and computer programming. What a talented class you are, with such a variety and breadth of hobbies. I also enjoyed hearing your story about the King, the Queen and their courtiers, and how they used their talents together to overcome three ferocious monsters who had stolen the palace puppies. Congratulations 4H on a beautifully presented assembly and thank you to Mrs Haythornthwaite for arranging it.
Year 4 Visit to Tatton Park
On Tuesday, Year 4 visited Tatton Park as part of the Anglo Saxon and Viking topic they are studying this term. On our arrival, we were amazed to see a replica Anglo Saxon village. We were greeted by two Anglo Saxon ladies before meeting a very scary Viking warlord! We were divided into three groups with each group taking part in hunting, cooking and defending workshops. In the cooking workshop, we tried threshing and grinding wheat before making Anglo Saxon bread cakes which were cooked over an open fire. While sitting in an Anglo Saxon hut, we learnt all about hunting and the types of things Anglo Saxons would make from the antlers which were shed by deer each year. We also went on a wild boar hunt and someone from each group was brave enough to creep up close to it! Finally, we took part in a defence workshop where we learnt how to make a wall with our shields before moving quickly into the 'tortoise' position. We were marked on how quickly we could do this and how good our teamwork was too. Some of us cowered behind our shields as the Viking warlord prowled up and down! We had a fantastic day out and learnt so much too! We also impressed all the grown-ups with our impeccable manners and our thoughtful answers to all the questions asked.
Year 1 Visit Skipton Castle by Wei Yi
We got ready and went on a coach to Skipton Castle. When we got there, our guide, Peter, showed us the dungeon, the kitchen and the Lord’s bedroom. The poor people drank ale and the posh people drank wine. The spit boys turned the wheel to cook the meat in the kitchen. Peter told us the archers shoot their arrows through the arrow slits. Peter told us how to make the Lord’s bed and the last task was how to shoot an arrow. We learnt that the castle wall was 4 metres thick and we went to the wine cellar. In the dungeon, we learnt to be prisoners and it was pitch black. The food was put in the middle and the prisoners had to get the food with one arm and leg chained to the wall. The people who lived in the castle had to sleep on the tables on top of other people’s legs in the great hall. There were no mattresses or pillows in Medieval times.
Weekday Open Morning
We will be having our weekday Open Morning on Friday 20th May from 9am-12noon. Prospective parents will have the opportunity to visit the school and see it in action with a normal timetable. If you know any friends, work colleagues or neighbours who may be interested in Highfield, please let them know. We would also be really grateful if you could share any adverts from our social media pages advertising the day. Thank you for your continued support.
Artist and Composer of the Term
This term our composer will be Gustav Holst and our artist of the term will be Edgar Degas.
Years 5 and 6 Cricket
All our Years 5 and 6 boys travelled to St. Mary’s Hall, Stonyhurst, on Wednesday to play hardball and softball cricket. In the hardball game, Highfield worked hard to build partnerships with the bat with the leading pair, Moin and Frank, hitting a number of boundaries. However, St Mary’s Hall pinned us back with some tight bowling. Highfield’s bowling showed a lot of promise and our leading wicket takers were Moin and Thomas. Although St. Mary’s ran out as the eventual winners, the Highfield team set a brilliant benchmark for the season ahead.
The boys in the softball game competed really well and were competitive with the bat, ball and in the field. Notable performances came particularly in the bowling, with wickets from Sharan, Zaidan and Luca. All the boys demonstrated good technique and with their enthusiasm and passion they will continue to build on this performance. Congratulations to all the boys and thank you to Mr Drake, Mr Bailey and Mr Forrest for looking after them throughout the afternoon. Report taken from notes by Hugo and Moin
Years 5 and 6 Rounders v SMH
On Wednesday, all our Year 5 and 6 girls played in their very first rounders match against SMH. There were lots of nerves beforehand, but the girls soon settled as the matches got underway with Highfield starting as the fielding team. There was some excellent bowling, throwing and catching on display, to prevent SMH scoring, and we even got some of their players out. Highfield then took to batting and were amazing! Some excellent balls were hit far into the field (and even over the fence!) which enabled some great rounders to be scored. Both matches were close, however, SMH just took the victory. Well done to all the girls for a super team effort.
Key Dates for the calendar
| NCTs Year 6 | Monday-Thursday 9th-12th May |
| Years 3 and 5 Performance | Thursday 19th May |
| Open Morning (Prospective Parents) | Friday 20th May |
| 3J Assembly | Friday 24th June |
| RB Assembly | Friday 1st July |
| Summer Fayre | Sunday 3rd July |
| Leavers Assembly | Friday 8th July |
| Year 6 Musical Performance | Tuesday 12th and Wednesday 13th July |
| Prize Giving | Friday 15th July |
| Sports’ Days | |
| Infants | Wednesday 25th May |
| Juniors | Wednesday 15th June |
| Reserve Day for Junior Sports Day | Tuesday 21st June |
| Pre-School | Thursday 30th June |
Merit Awards 22.4.22
RB: Eugene 1W: Enzo 2E: Megumi
3J: Ayyub 3M: Zaynah 4H: Toby 4M: Ahmed 5D: Lyla 6P: Luca
Merit Awards 29.4.22
RB: Olivia 1W: Francis 2E: Nitya
3J: Summer 3M: Arthur 4H: The Whole Class 4M: Haniyah 5D: Luca 6P: Anoush
Wishing you all a relaxing Bank Holiday weekend and Eid Mubarak to all the members of our school who will be celebrating on Monday.
Yours sincerely
J M Duke
Headmaster
