Habs Weekly - Junior School edition - Friday 25 November

Head of Junior School’s Message

Mrs L Flynn

With two weeks to go until the end of term, it is hard to believe all that we have achieved as a community since September. At yesterday's St Catherine's Day Service at the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban, the readings all focussed on the value of courage and my word, haven't the pupils embodied this value in abundance this term.

Through involving themselves in new and challenging activities beyond the classroom such as sports fixtures, outdoor learning, performing in assemblies, public speaking opportunities, academic enrichment sessions, chess tournaments and the plethora of ACE activities, our students have demonstrated their willingness to engage in all manner of challenges and opportunities.

As a community, we so look forward to the end of the Autumn term as the preparations for the upcoming Christmas events come to fruition and we join with parents to celebrate and share in traditions and create memories together. Rainbow and Key Stage 1 are so excited to

share their performance of The Night Before Christmas, pupils in ensembles have prepared a festive showcase of music for the Merry Music Concert and Key Stage 2 will end the term at Aldenham Chapel for our Carol service.

We look forward to welcoming you to these events and for those who use the drop off lanes in the morning, we look forward to sharing our surprise festive treat with you from Thursday 1 December.

ACE Activities

Looking ahead to the Spring Term, there will once again be the opportunity for students in Years 1 to 6 to embark on a wide range of co-curricular activities through our ACE programme. ACE activities fall into four categories and over the course of any academic year, students should aim to take part in at least one activity from each:

To view the activities on offer for the Spring Term, please refer to the relevant year group booklet using the links below:

Activities

Register of interest – Wraparound ACE

Pupils will register interest for wraparound ACE, which takes place at the start and end of the day, from home. This will be through SOCS, which can be accessed via Firefly, using this link. If you are logging in from a mobile device, you may also be asked to authorise the app.

Step by step instructions of how to register interest for wraparound ACE can be found using this guide.

Key dates

Friday 25 November

Wraparound ACE available on SOCS to register interest (from home)

12pm deadline for registering interest for wraparound ACE Week commencing Monday 5 December Register interest for lunchtime ACE (at school)

Monday 5 December

Wednesday 14 December

Week commencing Monday 9 January

All ACE activities confirmed on SOCS

All ACE activities begin

After 12pm on Monday 5 December, you will no longer be able to register interest for wraparound ACE activities. Once places have been confirmed, should there be any remaining spaces for any of the activities, these will be shared in the first newsletter of the Spring Term together with details of how to sign up.

Looking ahead

Whole School

Switch Off Fortnight - Eco Council message

POSTER AND POETRY COMPETITION

Switch Off Fortnight is an event that the Junior School participates in annually. We try hard to look after our community and our planet and Switch Off Fortnight is so important because it encourages people in our community to use less energy. We make a huge effort to switch off electrical appliances including lights. When we all work together as a team, we achieve great things.

On a day-to-day basis, it is important that everyone takes responsibility and focuses on reducing energy waste and Switch Off Fortnight motivates our whole community to take action.

This year, Switch Off Fortnight is taking place from Monday 28 November to Friday 9 December. Switch Off Fortnight is not just about saving energy for two weeks but about encouraging people to reduce their energy consumption all year round!

To celebrate the Fortnight, the Eco Council have set up a poster and poetry competiton. Your poster or poem should be centred around saving energy, and if you are submitting a poster, we recommend making it bright and colourful. The deadline for entries is 9am on 28 November. Everyone entering will earn a house point, but the winner from each year group will earn a mystery prize!

Looking ahead

Here are the Eco Council's Top Tips for saving energy and looking after our planet:

1. Always turn off the lights, television, computers and all electrical appliances when they are not being used 2. Don’t leave the tap running whilst you are washing your hands and brushing your teeth 3. Wear a jumper instead of turning the heating on 4. Recycle and reuse as much as you can 5. Walk, scoot, ride a bike or use public transport instead of travelling in a car

6. Keep the windows closed when the heating is on

By Anushka and Aishwarya, Year 6 Eco Council Prefects

Zen Den and E-Hub sign design competition

WEDNESDAY 7 DECEMBER

Next week we will be launching a competition to design a sign for our Enrichment Hub, or E-Hub as we call it for short. This is a room where small group and 1:1 support takes place. It also houses the Zen Den, a quiet space where pupils can go if they are feeling overwhelmed, upset or simply need a bit of time to themselves. Please click here to find out more about the competition.

Whole School

Looking ahead Merry Music Concert

FRIDAY 2 DECEMBER

Pupils in our instrumental ensembles are currently preparing a varied programme of seasonal classics to perform to you in our Merry Music Concert on the Friday 2 December.

We are excited to invite parents of children who are in the ensembles participating in Merry Music to our first Junior School concert of the year.

As this is not a ticketed event, you will be required to sign in. To do so, please walk from the car park and follow the signage to the Sime Hall, located in the Music School. You are welcome to sign in from 8.45am, with the concert starting at 9.15am and finishing at approximately 10am. May we also take this opportunity to remind you that all pupils taking part in the following ensembles will need their instruments and music in school on Friday 2 December:

Looking ahead

Rainbow, Y1 & Y2

Rainbow and KS1 Production

WEDNESDAY 7 AND THURSDAY 8 DECEMBER

Pupils in Rainbow, Year 1 and Year 2 are working hard to prepare for The Night Before Christmas, written by Mrs Whiteley and Miss Rockley. It will be a fun filled performance, full of singing and dancing. We hope that the children are enjoying learning their lines and the lyrics to the songs. Your help with line learning is much appreciated and will help the children feel ready for both performances in December.

We are excited to invite you to our performances on Wednesday 7 December, 2pm or Thursday 8 December, 9.15am.

Refreshments will be available in the Dining Hall from 8.30am before the performance on Thursday 8 December. Please follow the signage for the Performance Space as you exit the visitor’s car park. A sign in desk will be situated at the Dining Hall doors, from where you will directed to the Performance Space.

Seating in the Performance Space is limited, this means that tickets are limited to two per family. These two tickets can be booked for the same performance, or one ticket can be booked for each of the performances.

Tickets are allocated on a first come first served basis, so early booking is advised.

Tickets for the performances will be available online, please click here. The Box Office will open online from 9pm on Friday 2 December until 8am on Wednesday 7 December.

Looking ahead

ACE - Final week of term

Wrapround ACE will continue until Thursday 8 December for all activities taking place before and after school. There will be no wraparound ACE on Friday 9 December, when Junior School students break up for the Christmas holidays making the final date for Football Squad and Water Polo Friday 2 December.

ACE - Swim Squad

REMINDER

After swim squad on Thursdays, collection is from the Junior School playground, unless your child is attending after school care or catching the 5.30pm coach. If there is a gala during swim squad, collection arrangements will be detailed in the communication sent via Evolve.

ACE - Mandarin

TASTER SESSIONS AVAILABLE

Karen, who runs our lunchtime Mandarin, is offering two taster sessions for any Year 3 students who would like to try Mandarin ahead of selecting their ACE activities for the Spring Term. Anyone interested should meet Karen in the playground when the club bell rings on Wednesday 30 November and Wednesday 7 December.

Junior School

Christmas Disco

Date: Sunday 27 November 2022

Time: Rainbow to Year 2: 1pm to 2.30pm Year 3 to Year 6: 3.30pm to 5pm Location: Performance Space Click here for more information.

Reminders

Whole School

Car parking and safety

HIGHLY IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ

Click here to read a letter regarding car parking and safety from our Chief Operating Officer, Mr Rob Dunn.

Christmas Jumper Day

THURSDAY 8 DECEMBER

This year, on Thursday 8 December, the Junior School will be taking part in Christmas Jumper Day.

The Junior School will be raising money for Save the Children, to raise valuable funds to help disadvantaged children in the world. The money raised will help Save the Children give the world’s forgotten children a brighter future. It could help bring essentials like healthcare, education, protection and food to the millions of children around the world who are missing out on the most basic support.

This year for every £2 we collect, the UK government has promised to give £2 to Save the Children too. To find out more, click here.

We ask that pupils wear a Christmas-themed jumper or t-shirt on top of their school uniform. No headbands (for example, reindeer antlers) to be worn please. If your child would like to participate, they should bring a £2 donation to school from the week beginning Monday 5 December and hand it in to their class teacher.

London Regional Diving and Dive London, home of

Olympic Champions

London Regional Diving alongside Dive London, the home of Olympic Champions Tom Daley and Matty Lee and Commonwealth and European Champion Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix are conducting a talent search through London and the surrounding areas to look for the next generation of potential Olympic athletes to join the most successful diving program in the UK. Please see this flyer for details.

Reminders

Wraparound Care

INFORMATION

Information about our Wraparound Care provision can be found in the resources section on Firefly and in the Parent Handbook. Please use this link for quick booking access.

Snacks

INFORMATION

Our snacks list remains the same as last year and as published in the Parent Handbook. Please note that we are a nut and sesame free school; it is imperative no food containing nuts or sesame seeds is brought on site. Student Voice will be surveying our whole community regarding snacks in the coming weeks, and any changes will be published accordingly.

Class assemblies

DATES

We are excited to invite Year 3 parents to their child’s class assembly.

3A will be delivering their class assembly on Monday 28 November at 8.45am to 9.15am in the Performance Space, to which parents and guardians are warmly invited. Attending parents please follow signage to the Dining Hall doors where you will be registered and directed into the Performance Space.

3 Alpha will be delivering their class assembly on Monday 5 December at 8.45am to 9.15am in the Lecture Theatre, to which parents and guardians are warmly invited. Attending parents please follow signage to the Dining Hall doors where you will be registered and directed into the Lecture Theatre.

Reminders

Y3 to 6

After School Clubs collection arrangements

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Please be reminded that the following changes have been put in place for collection arrangements for Years 3 to 6 after their clubs.

After their club has finished, at either 4.45pm or 5pm, all KS2 students will be brought to the Junior School playground by the member of staff running the Club, and will be dismissed from the playground. Pupils will not be dismissed to the car park, so parents will be required to come up to collect them.

If your child has a Club which takes place in the Boys' School (Senior or Junior buildings) they will be taken by the member of staff to the Prep School Reception, and should be picked up in person from there.

If parents are running late, please contact the Junior School Reception.

Any students not collected from the playground within five minutes of the finish time of a club will return to the Junior School reception. They will then attend after school care at Habs Boys’ Prep, which is chargeable. On these occasions, parents will be telephoned so they are aware that collection will be from the Boys Prep school. A member of the Junior School reception team will also ring ahead to the Boys’ Prep School so they know to expect the child.

Collection arrangements for sports fixtures remain the same, and will be communicated through fixture letters.

Tooled Up

The past few weeks have offered us many opportunities to reflect upon the importance of citizenship, and the ways in which we can serve others within our community. From our Remembrance Day service to Year 6’s fabulous assembly, which highlighted the issue of anti-social behaviour, we have been considering how we can have an impact on other people’s lives in a positive way. We encourage all our students to take an active role in the communities to which they belong, and celebrating these contributions is regularly a highlight of our weekly celebration assemblies. If you would like to find out more about how you can help your child to develop altruism and empathy, as well as take an active role in supporting causes that they are passionate about, please have a look at the Tooled Up resources below:

• Books to Cultivate Kindness and Empathy - Tooled Up Education

• 35 Fundraising Ideas for Families - Tooled Up Education

Cornflower Assembly

Friday 18 November

Friday afternoon assemblies are always a time of joy and celebration in the Junior School. Our weekly Cornflower Assembly celebrates individuals who have particularly demonstrated ways in which they have embodied our school values: Courage, Curiosity, Community and Ambition. Without fail, the pupils in our school community celebrate the successes of their peers, as well as take time to reflect on the ways in which they have, themselves, taken risks, wondered why, supported others and aimed high. We cherish our Cornflower Assemblies, and hope that you enjoy celebrating weekly with us too.

Ambition

Reya (Rainbow Blue) Imaan (Rainbow Blue) Ariyana (Rainbow Red) Isla (1 Green)

Annie (1 Purple) Arya (3A) Lucy (3 Alpha)

Iris (4 Aesc) Katy (4 Aleph) Kaashvi (4 Aleph) Sophia (5 Aesc) Mia (5 Aleph) Sienna (6 Aleph)

Community

Ruhi (5 Aesc) Ariyan (5 Aleph) Alma (6 Aesc)

Mihika (6 Aesc) Livvy (6 Aleph)

Courage Curiosity

Izzy (Rainbow Red) Scarlett (2 Alpha) Isabel (3 Alpha)

Amarachi (1 Orange) Ria (2A) Ariyana (2A) Amy (2 Alpha)

Bela (3A) Ari (4 Aesc) Dora (6 Aesc)

Sewing Club ACE Focus

Year 4 Sewing Club has provided some pupils the opportunity to try a new skill and others to develop an existing passion. The first half of term involved practising stitches and using these to decorate bookmarks. More recently these creative pupils have been starting to add their individual touches to festive designs that will adorn gift tags and greetings cards.

Stella said: “I enjoy Sewing Club because I find it fun and calming.”

Anika commented: “I love working on the different patterns.”

Sienna added: “This is my favourite club, I’ve learnt how to cross stitch, and now that’s my favourite kind of sewing!”

Values in Action

Ambition, Community and Courage

During the summer holidays, some pupils from Habs decided to act on their ambitions, showed fantastic courage and auditioned for parts in High School Musical which was to be put on at the Radlett Centre. Aanya, Marianne and Livi were successful and cast into parts for the final shows, which took place last week.

They have worked tirelessly through weeks of rehearsals, supporting each other as fellow Habs pupils along the way. From learning lines and songs to memorising dance routines, they were a part of live performances to full audiences last week.

They have reflected on their experiences:

It was a pleasure to perform in front of others, allowing me to engage in activities that I love: singing and dancing. People saying well done to me afterwards made me realise that I really can do this!

They whole experience was really enjoyable as well as being sociable and we left having made new friends amongst the cast.

The songs in the show, the most well known of all being We’re All In This Together echoed our school value of community and I really connected to this message throughout the show.

News stories

Year 2 Great Fire of London workshop

On Thursday 17 November, Year 2 participated in a Great Fire of London workshop, as part of our history curriculum for this term. The children had a fantastic day exploring different aspects of life in Stuart times, such as candle making, weaving and fire fighting, fully immersing themselves into the experience. It was an amazing day, with lots of learning opportunities, that the children took full advantage of.

Melina said: My favourite part was when we dug for stuff that had burnt down. My favourite activity was the smelling thing [in the apothecary stall]. I learned that they used quills for writing.

Noor added: My favourite part was when we all lined up and got the buckets to throw [water] on the fire. My two favourite things were the apothecary and the scriveners. I learned that the fire stopped by going one way and then the other way but there was a big hole so it stopped.

4 Aleph assembly

4 Aleph performed an amazing assembly for the school this week, complete with a fantastic rap about spellings. 4 Aleph enjoyed practising and sharing their brilliant poems with the rest of the school and their parents, plus, they loved getting everyone involved to rap along with them. What a great start to the week it was!

Clare Balding, CBE visit

Our Year 3 to Year 6 enjoyed a talk from Clare Balding on Monday 21 November. She talked and encouraged the pupils to share their experiences of meeting challenge and succeeding in challenging situations and showing resilience. This was rooted in her life experience and the books she has published for young readers. Clare interacted with a lively audience of pupils, who left the talk inspired and happy. Clare also signed a large number of books, illustrating her popularity!

Year 6 Netball

On Wednesday 16 November, the Year 6 netball squad travelled by coach to Berkhamsted school. We started play around 2.30pm and ended at 3.30pm. There were six teams playing BEE netball (5-a-side). Berkhamsted were a very hard team to play. As soon as we started playing, the Berkhamsted players showered us with their amazingly quick passes and accurate shots on goal. Even though they were very good, we fought hard and kept the score going! A few people had trips and falls but we pushed through the pain and kept playing. All players enjoyed the afternoon and are looking forward to House Netball in December.

Ava and Chloe, Year 6 Netball Captains

Netball shooting competition

The Inter House Netball shooting competition returned this term, with Years 4 to 6 all participating Each pupil had 10 shots each and had to score as many goals as possible. After a good warm up, the pupils paired up and got started.

Gloria in Year 4 said: It was really fun. Even if you didn't win the competition, you still felt proud of yourself for getting it in or near the net. It was great fun watching and supporting our peers who were in the final. We worked hard to perfect our technique and by the end we were all very impressed with how well we did.

Serena in Year 5 commented: 8 competitors made it into the final round and were paired in twos. The final round was very exciting as the scores were very close ith the winner getting 8 goals from 10 shots!

Livvy in Year 6 added: This is just one of the really exciting sporting House events at Habs where each pupil from Years 6 to Year 4 competes. All the other pupils were allowed to support the finalists and cheer them on. There were whoops and cheers as balls were shot into the nets. Finally, everyone finished and there was a winner, but the most important thing was that everyone had fun!