Headmaster's Welcome
Headmaster's News, Friday 27th January, 2023
Jan 27, 2023
27th January 2023
Dear Parents
The Fire Service visits Year 2
Last Thursday, Year 2 had a visit from the Preston Fire Service. The fire officers spoke about fire safety and how you should make a fire plan to evacuate your home if there is ever a fire.
Below are accounts from our Year 2 pupils.
If you see a fire, call 999. (Veda)
If there is a fire, stay low and touch the door handle with the back of your hand. (George)
Put things under your door to stop the fire from spreading. (Declan)
If your clothing catches fire you need to Stop, Drop and Roll. (Rayyan)
Make sure that your bedroom is clear so that if there is a fire you can get out without tripping. (Yahya)
Don’t plug your chargers in next to your bed whilst sleeping or you could get an electrical fire. (Haitham).
The fire officers told us that in their job they also attend car accidents. They had attended one prior to visiting us. The fire officers reminded us that wearing seatbelts is law and if you don’t you could be fined or worse, seriously injured.
Car crashes can happen because of the rain and snow. (Dhyaan)
We need to use a booster seat (Liyaana) and a seatbelt. (Poppy)
Did you know it is the law that children need to sit on a booster seat until they are either 12 years old or measure 135cm.
Chinese New Year
Highfield Priory School celebrated Chinese New Year last week. On Tuesday, we invited the Confucius Institute from Lancaster University to visit every class in the school throughout the day. I joined Year 5 for their visit. The lesson started with the children learning how to greet each other in Chinese. They discussed Chinese New Year and how it is celebrated. They also learned how to say Happy New Year and had fun sharing this greeting. 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit and the children loved discovering the characteristics of someone born in the Year of the Rabbit and in the year of their birth. They enjoyed learning about all the different animals and their characteristics. They particularly liked finding out that I was a Rat! All the children had a wonderful Chinese lunch, prepared and served by our kitchen staff. A big thank you to everyone who made the day possible, especially the staff from Lancaster University. Please enjoy the pictures on our Facebook pages.
Year 4 Art
Last week, I visited 4M’s Art lesson with Miss Jewitt. I was set a challenge as soon as I walked in through the door. Three paintings were on the whiteboard and I had to explain what was surreal about the pictures. Zarlala then described a fascinating picture of a scene through a window. Sharman showed me his book explaining his annotations about what was surreal in the paintings and how it made him feel. The children were studying art by the surrealist artist, René Magritte. I enjoyed wandering around the class, watching the children working in pairs, completing their surrealist work using little bits cut out from magazines to create larger pictures. Shomi and Brodie were working really well together, taking care with the application of each piece to their picture. Shomi explained that it was a tessellation and he needed to take care to get it absolutely right. Aisha and Alfie were also deep in conversation, making sure no mistakes were made with their picture. The children had really been inspired by the task and it was lovely to see them all working so well together. Their artwork can be seen on our Facebook page. Thank you Year 4 and Miss Jewitt for a very interesting lesson.
Artist and Composer of the Term
The artist of the term is J M W Turner and the composer is Edvard Grieg. The children will be introduced to them in assemblies and in class. Please support their interest from home too.
Under 11s Rugby v Rossall
Last Wednesday, a group of Years 5 and 6 children travelled to Rossall School to play rugby. This was our first outing of the term and we left Highfield in very snowy conditions, concerned about how cold it might be on the coast! We had nothing to fear: the sun was shining and there was no snow or ice in sight. We started with a few warm-up drills with the pupils from Rossall before getting into a tag match followed by a full contact game. The teachers from Rossall managed the afternoon really well, coaching throughout the games and really supporting the children’s development. We finished the afternoon after two competitive matches, a drink and a biscuit. A very positive first outing indeed!
Under 11s Rugby v AKS
Brighter and even warmer conditions this week on the Fylde Coast for our games of rugby against AKS. All the boys and girls who played showed excellent progress from last week in another two competitive matches. I was very pleased with their teamwork, communication and enthusiasm to improve as individuals and as a team. It is always a good sign when so many children are asking when the next game is as soon as the whistle is blown. Thank you to AKS for organising this fixture.
Netball v Sedbergh Prep
Last Wednesday we were due to play hockey and netball against Sedbergh Prep School. Unfortunately, the hockey match had to be cancelled as the pitch was covered in snow and ice, it did look beautiful though!
All the girls from Years 5 and 6 played netball and were split into 4 teams. The first match was end-to-end excitement with goals being scored from an unbelievable distance by Naina and Aibhlin. The final score was 9-8 to Sedbergh. The second match resulted in a 3-3 draw with goals from Esme and Anoushka. Sedbergh won the third match 3-0. However, the girls who played enjoyed the experience and showed great passing and teamwork. The final match was very close and finished 3-3. The cheering when a goal was scored was electric and the girls were overjoyed which was lovely to see. Thank you to all the parents who supported. Mrs Parsons
Healthy Snack Reminder
The children in Reception and Key Stage 1 are invited to bring a healthy snack into school. They should still bring their morning piece of fruit and we encourage them to eat their fruit first before they have their snack. Please choose one of the following as a healthy snack to supplement the piece of fruit:
Crackers
Breadsticks
Wholemeal bread roll
Rice cakes
Cheese, e.g. babybel, cheese string
Yogurt (pouch style)
Plain cereal bar or one with fruit
KS2 may bring in a piece of fruit, vegetable pieces or one of the items listed above.
As part of our Whole School Food Policy, which promotes healthy eating, snacks such as biscuits, cookies, yogurts with chocolate pieces, mini cheddars, popcorn etc should not be sent as a healthy snack.
PE Kit Reminder
All infant children should have white socks for PE lessons. It is important that the children put on a different pair of socks for PE and Games lessons for hygiene reasons.
Pick Up
Please can you remember that school and nursery close at 6pm each night. All children should have been collected by this time. Thank you for your support.
Merit Awards 20.1.23
RB: Lina 1W: Martha 2E: Hana
3D: Freddie 4J: Aryana 4M: Aisha 5H: Sisley 5M: Samira 6P: Sharan
Merit Awards 27.1.23
RB: Annie 1W: Aurelio 2E: Brandon
3D: Ali 4J: Ahmad 4M: James 5H: Zaid 5M: Esme 6P: Zaidan
Yours sincerely
J M Duke
Headmaster
