Habs Weekly - Junior School - Friday 9 December

Habs

Head of Junior School’s Message

Mrs L Flynn

Looking back over the newsletters from the Autumn Term, it is astonishing what has been achieved. This week, we have been treated to the Santa Dash, Christmas Jumper Day, sparkle afternoon, the living nativity, the carol service and of course the Rainbow and KS1 nativity, providing such joy for us all.

At the end of such a busy term, I hope that you will all take time to appreciate the small moments, making memories together with your families. Making the most of the opportunity to pause and reflect on all that has been and all that is to come.

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas, a peaceful holiday, and a very happy New Year.

Looking ahead Looking ahead

Whole School

Spring Term curriculum overviews

INFORMATION

The Spring Term brings exciting new learning across the whole of the Junior School and once again there is a lot to look forward to. The curriculum overviews below, for Years 1 to 6, outline the topics that will be covered in class when we return in the new year.

Learning in Rainbow will continue to be led by the children’s interests and key events.

Year 1 Year 4

Year 2 Year 5

Year 3 Year 6

Lunchtime ACE INFORMATION

Students have expressed interest for lunchtime ACE in school this week and the vast majority will be able to take part in their preferred activities. Where activities have been oversubscribed, allocation of places has been done on a random basis and students who were not selected in this process have been asked to choose an alternative session to attend. In these instances, these pupils will be given first refusal if the activity is repeated in the Summer Term.

If your child has been absent from school this week, they will have the opportunity to select their lunchtime ACE activities after the holidays.

With the exception of Parkour, the Spring Term ACE programme will begin on Monday 9 January. Please refer to the ACE year group booklets for all the detailed information for each activity, including pick- up arrangements.

Family Fridays

INFORMATION FOR RAINBOW TO YEAR 6

Now that all the Rainbow children are very well settled into Habs life and as we slowly start to think about their transition towards Year 1, Rainbow Family Friday will be held fortnightly in the Spring Term. This will remain an opportunity for you to come into the classroom with your children, share a book with them and see the wonderful work that they have been doing. We very much look forward to continuing to welcome you into our Habs community.

Please see below dates for all year groups. These sessions are held 8am to 8.30am:

Rainbow 13 and 27 January, 10 February, 24 February, 10 and 24 March

Years 1, 3 and 5 10 February

Years 2, 4 and 6 24 March

Swim Squad - ACE Provision

TIMING UPDATE

Please be aware that the times for Swimming Squad will remain as 4pm to 5pm in the Spring term. A finish time of 4.45pm was originally published in the ACE documents in error.

Staffing update

ACTING MIDDLE PHASE LEADER APPOINTMENT –MRS JO MILLMAN

Following Ms Elliott's appointment as Acting Assistant Head (Pastoral), Mrs Millman will be the Acting Middle Phase Leader Phase for the remainder of the academic year. I am sure you will all join us in congratulating her on this appointment.

Looking ahead

Rainbow to Y2

The Night Before Christmas Production

PHOTO ORDERING AND RECORDING LINK

Well done to all performers for such wonderful performances of The Night Before Christmas!

The photos taken at the dress rehearsal are available to order in sizes A5 (9x6) for £5 each and A4 (12x5) for £9 each. A gallery of the photographs is available to view via this link. The cost of any photographs will be added to the next term’s bill.

If you wish to order any, please place your order via this link clearly stating the photo number/s, size and quantity you wish to order. The order form will remain open until 8pm on Friday 6 January 2023 and, once the orders have been processed, these will be sent home with your child. All proceeds from the sale of photographs will be donated to the St Catherine Parents’ Guild.

A recording of the production is available through this link.

Y1&2

ACE Programme

INFORMATION

Having reviewed the expressions of interest for Spring Term wraparound ACE (before and after school), all students have been allocated their preferences, with the following exceptions:

• Year 1 Drama (LAMDA) on Wednesday, 3.30pm to 4pm. This is oversubscribed however we are looking at offering additional sessions. You will receive an email by Wednesday 14 December advising whether you have been allocated a slot or if you are on a waiting list.

• Year 2 Drama (LAMDA) on Thursday, 3.30pm to 4.15pm This is oversubscribed and a waiting list will be created. You will receive an email by Wednesday 14 December if your child is on a waiting list.

Looking ahead

Y3 to 6

Forest School

INFORMATION

We are very pleased to share with you that all the Key Stage 2 classes will continue to enjoy a Forest School experience during the Spring or the Summer term. Forest School provides a valuable opportunity for children to connect to nature and understand more about the world around them. Research has shown that it helps to foster teamwork, problem solving, risk taking, independent thinking and creativity alongside developing practical skills.

Please click here for further information, including dates and outdoor kit advice for your child.

PE Event with Habs' Boys'

SATURDAY 4 MARCH

On Saturday 4 March Habs Junior School Years 3 and 4, and separately, Years 5 and 6 will have the opportunity to play games of netball and football alongside Habs' Boys'. Students from both schools will form into mixed ability teams on the day. This will be an opportunity for learning and skills development whilst improving match play. Further details will be sent out early next term. Please save the date.

Looking ahead

Y4

Year 4 Play

INFORMATION

We are thrilled to announce that this year our Year 4 Play is Rock Bottom. Your child has now been given their part and a script. The script is also available in the performing arts folder in Showbie, along with the songs. We would like your child to read the script and learn their lines and the songs between now and the start of next term, so that we can make a start on rehearsals when we return in January. It is important they read the whole script, so they have an understanding of the storyline and characters.

We are excited to allow the pupils ownership of their role to develop and think creatively about their character portrayal. We intend that by the end of the process the children will see the value in being part of a production; regardless of the part and number of lines, all pupils will develop their performance skills. We hope to give them a full appreciation of stage craft including the devising process as well as the opportunity to perform on stage. I hope they end the production with the understanding that there is no such thing as ‘a small part’.

We always ensure children get as equal as possible stage time. Along with performing to a large audience, the pupils will learn about teamwork, dealing with pressure, creativity, and most of that takes place during the rehearsal process, not on stage.

Not all opportunities are evident within a script, so please remind your child that we will be working creatively as a production company on the play and all creative contributions are welcome! We hope that all will enjoy being part of this team.

It will be a really creative and exciting time for your child, and we hope they make the most of this performance opportunity.

Looking ahead

Y5&6

Year 5 and 6 lacrosse lessons

INFORMATION

The PE department would like to remind parents that for lacrosse lessons next term, children will need protective lacrosse goggles. We recommend DeBeer, Vista, STX 4sight. For pupils who wear glasses during sport, please ensure that you purchase suitable protective lacrosse over-glasses.

A mouthguard will also be required: these can be custom fitted by a dentist or alternatively purchased from a sports retailer or on online. Many pupils purchase Opro, Shock Doctor or Under Armour mouthguards.

All pupils will also require a pair of football boots (studs or cleats) and red football socks; both of these items will be worn for both football and lacrosse lessons. Shinpads and lacrosse sticks will be provided by school.

Stellar Strings

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR A LETTER REGARDING STELLAR STRINGS 2023.

Jazz Summer School 2023

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR A LETTER REGARDING JAZZ SUMMER SCHOOL 2023.

Residential Trips

Stellar Strings video

FINAL CONCERT RECORDING

In the Summer Term, Years 3 to 6 will have the opportunity to take part in overnight residential experiences, each of these offering unique enrichment opportunities for the students to develop skills, engage with new activities and build relationships with their peers outside of their everyday learning environment and, for the Upper Phase, away from the school setting.

Letters giving more specific details of costs, how to give consent and payment dates for each trip will be shared with parents via Evolve by Wednesday 14 December. In the Spring Term, comprehensive trip brochures will be shared in the newsletter and there will be an opportunity to ask questions both electronically and in person.

Year 3 Thursday 18 to Friday 19 May Philosophers’ Garden, Habs Girls

To learn new skills and survival techniques and experience an overnight stay in a familiar environment.

Year 4 Wednesday 17 to Friday 19 May PGL, Marchants Hill, Surrey To develop independence, teamwork and challenge themselves to be courageous.

Year 5 Tuesday 9 to Friday 12 May Skern Lodge, Devon To explore coasts, rivers and urban geography and develop field work skills; to encourage personal challenge through adventurous activities.

Year 6 Monday 12 to Friday 16 June PGL, Liddington, Wiltshire

To develop teamwork, resilience and communication skills.

HIGHLY IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ

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

Reminders

Gifts to staff

GUIDANCE FOR PARENTS

Click here

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.

Y3 to 6 Reminders

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 are required to come to the Junior School playground to collect them.

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 after school care will be at 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.

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

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.

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

Tooled Up

As the excitement of the Christmas holidays approaches, enjoying some welldeserved family time and ensuring that our children enjoy this festive period becomes a focus for us all. Whilst the Christmas holidays can be wonderful, they can also be a stressful and overwhelming time for families for many different reasons. The Tooled Up resources below offer some tips for nurturing that precious bond between you and your children, as well as managing the issue of battles over time spent on devices, which can often impinge upon family time during the holidays.

• 50 Ways to Bond with Your Children Over ChristmasTooled Up Education

• Christmas Screen Use - Tooled Up Education

Year 2 Craft Club ACE Focus

As part of the create and construct strand of our ACE programme, Craft Club has been a source of much fun throughout the Autumn Term. Projects have included bunting for bedroom doors, dream catchers (including learning all about their origins) and, most recently, festive cards. The atmosphere is always quiet and relaxed as Year 2 have shown great concentration and originality in their creations.

It is very fun and you can be very creative. I loved making my dream-catcher and it is on my bunk bed! Neya

I like that we are able to do our own designs. I really liked making my Christmas card. Maya

I loved making my dream catcher. It's colourful and you can make it quite detailed. Raina

Cornflower Assembly

Friday 2 December

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. We cherish our Cornflower Assemblies, and hope that you enjoy celebrating weekly with us too.

Ambition

Community

Here are some some other celebrations during last weeks Cornflower Assembly:

Saffia Cader (4 Aleph), with an external gym team, won 3rd place at the London Gymnastics GFA for Floor and Vault on Sunday. She was in the Grade 1 competition. Well done Saffia!

St Catherine's Day House Poetry Competition Winners

Reya Tulsiani (Rainbow Blue)

Sarah Koradia (2A)

Radhika Wahal (3A)

Livvy Saunders (6 Aleph)

Haymi (1 Purple)

Poppy (1 Purple)

Ava (2A)

Sophia (3A)

Eliz (4 Aleph)

Mishka (4 Aesc)

Anika (4 Aesc)

Naiya (5 Aesc)

Trisha (5 Aesc)

Thuvaraka (5 Aleph)

Inari (6 Aesc)

Rosie (6 Aesc) Alice (6 Aleph)

Courage

Sophia (Rainbow Blue)

Aleeza (Rainbow Blue)

Roshni (1 Orange)

Avika (Rainbow Red)

Arya (1 Green) Anaiya (2A)

Siyanna (2 Alpha) Cressida (3 Alpha) Asha (6 Aesc)

Curiosity

Rachel (1 Green) Chloe (2 Alpha) Laila (3A)

Rayna (Rainbow Red) Evie (3 Alpha) Sophia (4 Aleph) Amber (5 Aleph)

Gloria (4 Aleph) has just been accepted to London Children's Ballet touring company. Gloria went through three stages of auditions to be accepted and will tour with them next year! LCB touring company is an outreach project for children at special schools, disabled people and people in care homes who cannot go to theatres. Well done Gloria!

Values in Action

Community and Courage

Olivia, Neya and Noor have all been courageous this week and very community minded.

At very short notice, they stepped into roles for the dress rehearsal in the Rainbow and KS1 Production of The Night Before Christmas , to cover for pupils who were absent, which meant that the rehearsal could go ahead without hitches; this enabled everyone to experience a full run through in final preparation for the performances to parents.

This is what they had to say about their decision to step up:

I was a bit nervous to start with but I said yes to help the teachers and all of Year 2. Olivia

I was a little bit scared but when I saw my sister watching me, it made me braver. Neya

I shook my nerves off and felt proud of myself for having courage and taking on the challenge. Noor

Well done to all three of you!

Community

It is not only the pupils who have been demonstrating our school values this week. Mrs Walsh has once again pulled out all the stops and brought joy to our entire Junior School community through her incredibly ambitious decoration of the Christmas tree in the Junior School reception area.

The pictures speak for themselves, with each beautifully crafted, unique miniature Christmas jumper being its own mini work of art. As a school, we want to express our thanks to Mrs Walsh for this amazing contribution to the Junior School Christmas celebrations.

News stories

Carol Service

As if this week hasn’t had enough delights in the Junior School, the preparations for Friday’s KS2 Carol Service have been a treat in and of themselves. Instrumentalists, choirs, choristers, readers and indeed all of KS2 have been working hard to give the very best of themselves to prepare for this most special of end of term events. At the time of writing, we are anticipating the culmination of all their hard work and dedication as they bring the Autumn Term to a fittingly festive close.

KS2

SantaDash

On Wednesday 7 December, all pupils from Rainbow to Year 6 took part in the Santa Dash. The whole of the Junior School, pupils and staff, were wearing Santa hats, listening to Christmas music and the pupils completed the course with fantastic energy, enthusiasm and all with huge smiles on their faces too! This was a wonderful event which enabled the whole of the Junior School community to enjoy the festive celebrations together.

Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge

Congratulations to the three top scorers, Avni, Tianlong and Isabel, in the Junior School in the Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge.

Well done to the seven pupils (pictured right) in Year 6 who scored in the top 10% of the country. They have been invited to the final round hosted by Oxford University, along with 80+ pupils from Year 7 and 9.

Year

3 visit Heruka Kadampa Meditation Centre

As part of their charity initiative, Year 3 visited the Heruka Kadampa Meditation Centre. The pupils enjoyed a discussion with John, the temple’s resident teacher. They talked about their emotions, strategies to overcome stronger emotions and even took part in some meditation. Year 3 showed great curiosity, asking John questions such as, why is meditation good for dealing with stress? How can you tell when you’re anxious?

They shared examples of what makes them happy and the things they want for themselves and for others, which included lovely ideas such as World Peace, to end hunger and healthcare for all.

I enjoyed meditating and found it really relaxing. We talked a lot about happiness. Zoi (3A)

At the meditation centre, I learned why meditation is important. Laila (3A)

On the 21 November, 3A confidently performed an assembly all about Interfaith Week. They discussed the importance of celebrating diversity and learning about others’ beliefs. A few students brought in religious artefacts and shared some customs and festivals they celebrate. A wonderful assembly linked to the value of Community!

3 Alpha

On Monday 5 December, 3 Alpha gave an assembly about kindness at Christmas time. At this time of year, a little bit of kindness can go a long way and 3 Alpha acted out the story of two spoilt children who asked Santa for so many presents that their mother had to intervene to make her children learn a valuable lesson. Luckily the children saw how awful they had been acting and changed their behaviour. They realised that they had enough toys already and that they should help others. They learnt that Christmas is about the joy of giving in a different way.

To end their assembly, 3 Alpha sang We wish you a Merry Christmas using Makaton sign language.

GFA Gymnastics

We competed in a competition called the GFA (Gymnastics For All). The competition involved a floor routine and a vault. We completed against lots of other gym clubs and Miranda came 1st and Alayna came 2nd. We really enjoyed it as it was really fun. Miranda scored highest on floor and Alayna scored highest in vault. We got to stand on a podium and that was fun because we have never stood on one before.

Miranda and Alayna (3 Alpha)

London Regional Gymnastics Competition

On Sunday 20 November, we travelled through a storm at 7am to Dartford for the London Regional Gymnastics Competition. We represented EJB Gymnastics Club and were allocated teams dependent on our age and grade. I was immensely proud to be team captain and excited for the competition ahead. The EJB squad competed against other clubs from across London in a variety of grades. It was very inspiring to watch everyone. We had to perform vaults and floor routines. There was a full crowd in the arena and an upbeat atmosphere. The judges scored all the gymnasts based on their performances. At the end of the morning, they announced the winning teams and presented medals and trophies. I was so proud when the judges announced that our had team won gold and secured a trophy. My Habs friends (Tammy, Serena and Ellie) and I, along with girls from other schools, took 1st place on the podium. I am so proud of us all and grateful to our coach for the great training sessions!

Written by Sienna (5 Aesc)

Year 6 play Netball against Radlett Prep

Year 6 secured two netball victories this week against Radlett Prep on Wednesday 30 November. The comfort of our home grounds boosted our confidence along with the parents, who supported us along the way. Both teams displayed great determination and teamwork throughout the match. Congratulations to Chloe (6 Aleph) and Carrie (6 Aesc) for for getting player of the match as well as both A and B teams’ smashing results.

JUNIOR