Over the last two weeks, Little Acorns have been exploring their new topic Mini Beast. The children have gone on a mini beast hunt, searching for a variety of insects such as woodlouse, spider, centipede, ants and worms. Children have been using their scientific skills to identify and categories different minibeast by learning about individual insects and their unique qualities.
Our children had a fabulous time making Easter Bonnets and showcasing them to their peers. They danced and sang along to their favourite tunes as they were treated to a visit from the Easter Bunny. The children were encouraged to reflect on their lives and to see Spring as a chance for a fresh start.
Join us at Rosedale College on Thursday 27th April at 7:00pm for A Night At The Musicals Dance Show! Our students have been working hard and put together a wonderful show for you all to see, tickets now available on Ipayimpact.
Refreshments will be served from 6:30pm.
The local Public Health team has informed us that there has been a recent increase in the number of cases of Measles in Hillingdon. The cases all children aged 1 to 16, and all are unvaccinated.
The current MMR vaccination uptake in Hillingdon is less than 75%, which means that 1 in every 4 children in the borough has not had the two doses of MMR vaccination that provides safe, effective protection against measles. There is variation in uptake across areas of the borough, which means that is some areas a greater number of children have not been vaccinated. This increases the risk of measles transmission in schools.
Measles is a highly infectious respiratory virus that transmits through respiratory droplets from an infected person when they cough and sneeze which is then inhaled by another person. If that person is not fully vaccinated the risk of getting measles is high.
The signs and symptoms of measles to be aware of are:
It is important that if a child is suspected of having measles, they do not attend school. They must telephone their GP or NHS 111. Measles is a notifiable disease which means all cases must be followed up, and contacts identified and given advice on what action they need to take.
For more information contact your GP or an visit the NHS information website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/measles/
Bookings for Hillingdon’s Easter Holiday, Activities and Food (HAF) programme have now opened! Through their programme of free healthy food and fun activities, children and young people can develop new skills, take part in creative and physical activities, learn about food and cooking, and enjoy a nutritious meal each day.
The holiday programme is open to school-aged children from reception to Year 11 (inclusive) who receive benefits-related free school meals. They are also able to provide a limited number of discretionary places to vulnerable children that do not meet the Free School Meal criteria, if you would like for a child you are supporting to be considered for a HAF place, please email HAFprogramme@hillingdon.gov.uk with the child's name, date of birth, address and parent contact details.
Activities this Easter include:
Find out more on their website - Easter HAF programme - Hillingdon Council where you can find out more about HAF, check out the Easter programme offer and find booking information.
Last week, our school celebrated British Science Week under the theme, ‘Connection’. Throughout the week, children were exposed to a variety of activities that had them linking Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics to their curriculum. They were engaged in Spelling Bee, Science Quizzes, Debating and Poster competitions. We ended the week with class exhibitions where parents were invited to see all the beautiful work the children had done in school. The week was a success as the children got a chance to develop their scientific skills and most of all their self- confidence.
On Friday 10th March, the Year 5 children had a fabulous day at Hampton Court Palace. They started the day by exploring the home of Henry VIII, in particular his kitchens. They soon discovered one of the worst jobs in the kitchen was being the “spit-boy”. The children learnt that this job involved continuously rotating a spit with meat on it, to ensure it was evenly cooked through. They empathised with what it would have been like and how it might compare to life nowadays.
World Book Day is one of the highlights of our school calendar at Hewens Primary School! During World Book Day, we celebrated authors, illustrators, books and the joy of reading. The children also got to dress up in their favourite book character costumes! Let’s take a look at some of the characters we had this year!
Over the course of the week, the children in Nursery to Year 6 had a lovely visit from their old friend Harrold (our healthy-living giraffe mascot) and his many friends. The workshops were interactive, with children feeling empowered through the use of well-being strategies to ensure they can articulate their needs and feelings to make healthy choices.
To help make World Book Day special – and to encourage reading for the rest of the year too – please download the free World Book Day Family pack which includes tips and tools to help your child develop a reading for pleasure habit, and find the joy in reading!
You can download more fun World Book Day resources here: https://www.worldbookday.com/resources/
Just like last year, Elm class dominated the Key Stage 1 football tournament and retained the trophy for a second year running! In comparison, the Lower Key Stage 2 and Upper Key Stage 2 finals were won by the younger classes, Pine and Hawthorn. This is the first time that we have had younger classes win a final! At hand to help capture such triumph were Pro:Direct Soccer, who are in partnership with the England Schools’ Football Association (ESFA).
To kick off the start of Schools’ Football Week, Hewens hosted its first, Football Bingo! The activity involved children selecting their chosen number from 1 to 100 before a spinning wheel generated the winning number! As the saying goes, ‘ You have to be in it, to win it!’ Well done to the lucky children, who received a Premier League 2023 Official Sticker Album along with two sticker packets! Also, don’t forget to check out next week’s school newsletter for the results from the Key Stage Football Tournaments.
