News

November 2007

This week is anti-bullying week. Bullying is when someone is picked on because of their skin colour, their religion, their name, or their weight. Some are picked on because they wear glasses or they do well at school, or simply because they are “different” or new. Bullying does not just happen at schools. Adolf Hitler, a German leader, picked on the Jews. Bullying should not happen at all, and if you or your friend is being bullied, then tell an adult. Don’t attack the bullies—comfort your friend. Help stop the bullies.

Hope J6R 22/11/07

Picture: Try and befriend someone who is bullied.

 

May 2007

Every Friday at 3:15 we go to strings. It is a club after school where anyone who plays a string instrument in or out of school can come to play music with other people. The instruments we play include cellos, violins, guitar and violas. Mrs Setting is our teacher, who, at the beginning of term, gives us a couple of pieces of music to learn. Everyone has different parts, such as first, second and third violin. She goes over the music with us, and then we practice on our own with her, then we put it all together. We go over it for the rest of the term, and then we perform a small concert for our parents and family. We sometimes join with the wind band.

In the string band, there are nine girls who attend regularly. Alicia, Marianne, Aayushi, Hannah, Eleanor, Annia, Alison and Ester. At the moment, we are learning two pieces called Arpeggio Waltz, and Scaly Tango.

                                 

By Marianne and Aayushi J6S

 

Head Girls diary - June 2007

Hi, it’s Annia again. I can’t believe it is almost the end of my year as Head Girl. The time has gone so quickly! Soon there will be a new Head Girl and I hope she will have just as much fun as I have had. It is certainly a good way to get to know the rest of the junior school!

Over this year I have helped teachers with many things, I have made lists, presented cheques, written things for different events, and on Tuesday 12th June it was the Junior Concert and Caitlin and I were comperes for the evening. I have also put up an awful lot of chairs for assembly!

I still do board games as a club on Monday; a lot more people come now, so I must be doing something right!

I have had a great year as Head Girl

Thank you

Annia   J6S

 

Head Girl’s Diary

Hello, I am Annia and I am Head Girl of the Junior Department, here at Highclare School, The Abbey. I am going to keep a diary of the things I do in a typical week (as head girl), and some of the interesting things that happen in the school.

The deputy head girl is called Caitlin. These are the sorts of jobs Caitlin and I do.

We present cheques to visitors or people who work for the charities we raise money for. When the volunteers came from the donkey sanctuary, we presented the cheque to the volunteers. I don’t know whether you saw in the newspaper, the article about them coming to our school.

We also help by doing jobs around the school.

Here are some of the things I do in a week.

On Monday I organise the club I run called ‘Board Games’. About 6 to 10 people can come and we play board games, and all sorts of indoor games. Occasionally, I ask some of the girls who come to board games, what they would like to play, to give them some choice.

Every Tuesday, before assembly, I go up to the hall and put some music on while the junior school come in, and again when they go out.

On Thursday I prepare the hall for junior assembly with chairs for form and vice captains, school council and the junior teachers. I also put out birthday chairs, so when you have a birthday you can sit on a comfortable chair! Then all the children sing Happy Birthday to you and you get one of Mrs Jones’s special birthday stickers.

Caitlin and I sit on the school council chairs, because when you are elected as head or deputy head girl you are automatically part of the school council. The other year groups elect school council members.

If you have any ideas that may help the school or everybody in it, please do not be afraid to e-mail us with your suggestions and they will be discussed at school council.

Until next week, have fun!

 

Writing competition success - Jan 2007

No less than 5 girls from the Junior Department at Highclare School have been successful in the Lichfield Literary Festival 2006.   Their entries in the Festival’s Writing Competition for 8 to 12 year olds, all won them high acclaim from the Judges, Highclare having 5 out of a total of 10 finalists in the competition.   Georgia Jones won both her age group and the Competition overall, with her story entitled  “ An Unusual Meeting”   She was presented with the winner’s trophy.

The other 4 finalists from Highclare School were, Florence Bell,  Charanpreet Khaira, Jemma Graham and Hope Warner.      All five girls attended a Presentation and Activity Day on the final day of the festival which included a Workshop with current author Philip Kerr, at the Garrick Theatre in Lichfield.  They then attended a special presentation, together  with their parents.

Mrs Jones, Head of the Junior Girls Department at Highclare School, said  “  This was  a good opportunity   for the girls to put their imaginative writing skills to the test.   They enjoyed writing the stories and it was lovely to see that their talents were recognised by other people.   I am, sure this will give them encouragement to go on writing in the future”

 

GYMNASTICS SUCCESS FOR BETHANY - 17/04/07

Bethany Roberts, a Year 6 pupil at Highclare School in Erdington, enjoyed fantastic success at the Birmingham School Girls’ Gymnastics Association Competition held yesterday at the Birmingham Sports Centre.

Teams from over 12 leading schools in the Birmingham area competed over many different age ranges and Bethany wiped the board with her 1st places in the U12 Vault and U12 Floor competitions, also taking the individual U12 Gold medal overall.

Mrs Viles, Headmistress said “Bethany deserves this success, she works extremely hard keeping up her practice time and fitting in her school work.   She has had an unfortunate injury over the last 12 months and it is lovely to see her back in competition”

 

Lick Child Poverty Fund Raising Event (Sept 06)

Girls in the Junior Department at Highclare School have raised a staggering £600 for the Action Aid day 'Lick Child Poverty'.

On Friday 29th September they held a non-uniform day and sold ice pop lollies to raise money.   All the money they raised will go directly to Action Aid to help transform the lives of children in third world countries (Africa, Asia, Latin America and Carribean), through education, healthcare and helping to fight for their rights.

Action Aid's Marketing and Events Officer, Andy John, said:  "Their support will make a real difference to Action Aid's crucial work with children and their families in some of the poorest parts of the world".

Mrs Toseland (Charities and Community Links Co-ordinator) led an assembly, assisted by Junior and Senior pupils, to raise awareness at the school about child poverty and deprivation.

The school has been involved with supporting Action Aid since 1996 by sponsoring an individual child.  Our current child is a little girl in India and the girls will be sending a cheque shortly for £220 to continue her education in her home town.

 

Charlie The Donkey visits school (NOV 06)

The Junior girls at Highclare The Abbey in Erdington, were delighted to welcome a very special visitor to their Assembly when their friends from the Donkey Sanctuary came to receive a donation. 

Charlie the Donkey took his role very seriously and was available for mass attention, seemingly enjoying every minute of his star status.

Pupils on the School Council had visited the Donkey Sanctuary in Sutton Park earlier in the year and decided that they wanted to support the work the Sanctuary does in helping to care for lonely donkeys.   Through a sponsored fun run and numerous smaller fund raising activities during the summer the girls raised  £950.49 , which will sponsor a donkey and go towards the new building programme at the Sanctuary.

Junior Head Girl Anya Rhodes said  “  We really enjoyed having  Charlie  in our assembly, he was very well behaved and we will be able to go down to Sutton Park to see how our money is being used “

Charitable Fund raising is a regular activity at Highclare School and the girls are now investigating deserving causes for their project for this school year. 

 

BBC Filming Opportunity!   (June 2006)

Twenty boys and girls from Highclare School had the opportunity most children dream of on Friday 30th June   -   they took part in the location filming of a new CBBC children’s television programme.   The programme is called ‘The POD’ and features a ‘Pod’ into which children are invited to go and take part in zaney activities.    If their activity is successful‘The Pod’ allows them to choose an episode of their favourite cartoon to be screened.  In other words they get the power to dictate the programme !

The pupils all rehearsed some songs and dances and their best performance of ‘Sock puppet Aerobics’ before being allowed to be filmed inside the Pod. We anxiously await the full screening of the programme which begins of 22nd July on CBBC and BBC 2 to see if their dream comes true and they are featured on the small screen.

 

It’s a ‘Royal’ Occasion at Highclare School (July 2006)

When 8 year old Isabella Gale was selected from thousands of children to attend the Children’s Party at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the Queen’s 80th Birthday, staff at Highclare Girls’ Junior Department decided to have a ‘Party’ of their own which all the children could attend.

Bunting and Gazebo’s decorated the gardens and the girls were graced with a visit from ‘Queen Margaret’  (Headmistress of Highclare School). The girls designed and made their own crowns and paraded and curtsied to their very own Queen.   ‘Royal’ games included, a Royal Quiz, Pin the tail on the Corgi, and department races which took place during the afternoon. Dress code was strictly pretty dresses and hats and for a couple of hours no running or shouting was allowed! The afternoon finished with singing ‘Happy Birthday’ and ‘God Save the Queen’

Mrs Jones, Head of Junior Girls, said “It was an afternoon to remember and truly fitting that all the girls should take part in a celebration for the Queen’s Birthday. Isabella was our inspiration for the day and has told us all about her exciting visit to London”