St Christopher’s School News
Summer Term 2011 Newsletter
With Easter being very late this year and the excitement of the Royal Wedding, the Summer Term has been the shortest that I have ever known. Even so, the term has been packed with events and activities.
The children of Year 6 took the KS2 SATs in May. The results have just been issued; nearly all the children achieved Level 5 in both English and mathematics. Well done. The SATs were followed by assessment week for the whole school. We have introduced a new scheme of assessments published by G.L. Assessments (NFER) to enable us to track the children’s progress in Maths, English, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning from Year 1 – 6.
On 17th March, Reception and Year 1 caught the 297 bus to the Shree Sanatan Temple in Wembley. This Hindu temple was open in May 2010 after 14 years of construction. The children were given a very warm welcome and shown around their beautiful temple.
Members of the First Aid Club took part in the National Schools’ First Aid Competition organised by St. John Ambulance. The teams completed 3 tests. Judges marked their skills in treating casualties with different injuries; a nose bleed, an insect sting, a burn and a severe bleed. The two teams came 2nd and 3rd in their session, with our first team gaining 3rd place in the London region. The contestants received goodie bags and certificates from the Commissioner. Many congratulations.
Subsequently our first team was then invited to be the junior reserve team at the National Schools’ First Aid Competition Final held at the Natural History museum on 29th June. They were put through their paces again and received a t-shirt and gym sack in thanks.
Year 4 went to the Tower of London on 23rd March. The building dates from the Norman period and has a rich history. The children researched information and acted as tour guides.
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On the same day, Year 2 met Mrs Dearnley who took the children on a Great Fire of London Walk showing and telling them interesting facts about this event. After the walk the children went to the Museum of London. Mrs Dearnley, who as well as being our Speech and Drama teacher, is a London Blue Badge Guide. A talented lady!!
St Christopher’s first Art and Sculpture Exhibition was held on 25th May. The children’s pictures, paintings and drawings were shown in the main hall and made a colourful and stunning display. The large sculptures, which were made in the afternoon workshop, were amazing! Thank you for coming to view the children’s masterpieces.
Beautiful artwork on display in the main hall.
An officer from the Metropolitan Police came to see Year 6. He gave an interesting talk regarding the importance of choices in your life and how they affect your future.
On the last afternoon before half term, we had our first ‘Talent Show’. It was a wonderful occasion with a wide variety of entertainment from violin playing to jokes and dance routines. The children and staff all thoroughly enjoyed the event.
X-Factor next year!
‘Girl in the Middle’
‘The rappers’
Skipathon – Jump Rope For Heart 2011 Thank you for your support in our recent skipathon. The children had a fun, enjoyable and energetic time practising for it. Many
children, who were not able to skip, can now. Alexander Kerley skipped 153 in a minute. Well done. Excellent results were achieved by all and £69 was raised for the charity.
Thank you for your support.
Year 6 visited Westminster Abbey focusing on its history during the Second World War. The Fire Warden’s role was very important during the Blitz and they were shown how they coped with incendiary bombs landing on the roof of the Abbey.
The highlight for Year 4 was the annual residential holiday to PGL Liddington. As always, the children had an amazing time and didn’t want to come home.
Raft building Giant swing
Archery Year 4
Year 1, 2 and Reception went to the Bracknell Lookout Discovery Centre. This is an educational centre with an area full of stunning ‘hands on’ science equipment specifically for KS1 children.
Year 5 went to the Planetarium in Greenwich which linked with their science unit on the Solar System. It was a long journey but the visual representation of the Solar system that the children watched was excellent.
The Iver Nature Study Centre was the venue for the summer outing of Year 3 and 4. The day was spent building bird feeders and bug houses out of recyclable material. The children loved the obstacle course as well!
Year 6 went for their end of year visit to Madame Tussauds. Photographs were taken of them beside all the famous film stars, pop artists and sportsmen. The visit was ended
with the children watching a 4D film about ‘Super Heroes’.
We were lucky to have a warm day for the annual Summer Fete. Year 6 provided exciting stalls and parents made delicious cakes and food to fill hungry tummies. Thank you to the Friends of St Christopher’s for organising the day and parents for helping on stalls, including Ms Francis, a mum of a past pupil. £850 was raised which will be spent on items to benefit the children.
Year 6 went to the Imperial War Museum on 4th July to enrich their studies on World War 2. They attended a workshop and viewed the large collection of vehicles used during the World Wars.
The school performed the musical commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund called ‘One Sun One World’ on 6th July. The singing was outstanding and the children’s enjoyment was evident. Congratulations to the soloists, the choir, the school and of course Mrs Pott.
Thank you for your donation of £207 to
The rain held off for Sports Day and eventually the sun shone on the children taking part in the 7 events. After much throwing, running, jumping and fun, the medals were awarded and the winning team announced - CORNWALL. Congratulations.
The Cornwall House Captain receives the Sports Shield
Thank you for coming and supporting the children and to Mrs Kaye for organising the day
English Schools Athletic Association Awards (ESAA)
Well done to everyone in Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 for achieving an Athletic award this year. The children have been working hard in a variety of running, jumping and throwing events with great success. 123 awards were gained in total. Congratulations to Qalam Trevelyan, Sephora Bengele, Alexander Kerley, Essa Yahya and Tejus Hirani for achieving a Gold Award for an individual event.
Sophie Keene, Grace McCready and Sephora Bengele for achieving the Pentathlon Gold Award, reaching a high combined score in 5 events.
Prize Giving was held at the Methodist Church on the penultimate day of term. Our guest, Mrs Kate Brice from the City of London School for Girls, gave an inspiring speech. Congratulations to all prize winners and the musicians for playing so beautifully.
Thank you for your continuing support
WISHING YOU A HAPPY AND RESTFUL HOLIDAY
A fond farewell to all our Year 6 pupils and we wish them all success in their new schools
Autumn Term starts Wednesday 7th September
Games afternoon for Year 3 – 6 start on Thursday 8th September
Swimming Lessons for Year 1 and 2 start on Wednesday 14th September
INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS’ SWIMMING GALA
Eleven competitors from St Christopher’s School took part in the annual swimming gala held at Heathfield School on Wednesday 16th November. The competitors swam extremely well and won many medals in the individual and team races.
4 gold 
1 silver 
and 6 bronze
plus silver and bronze for the girls’ and boys’ relay team.
Gold medals were awarded to Sephora, Philip and Jenny (2 gold) for their individual races.
Well done to all our swimmers
8th March 2011
EXCELLENT EXAM RESULTS FOR YEAR 6 PUPILS!
I wanted to inform you of the excellent entrance exam results that have been awarded to the children in Year 6.
Places have been offered by these schools, including 9 scholarships!!!
- Aldenham
- City of London School for Boys
- City of London School for Girls
- Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School
- Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls
- Heathfield School
- Henrietta Barnett
- John Lyon
- Langley Grammar
- Merchant Taylors’
- North London Collegiate School
- Northwood College
- Notting Hill and Ealing High School
- Park High
- South Hampstead High School
- St Clement Danes
- St Helen’s
- Swaminarayan
- U.C.S. (University College School)
CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE IN YEAR 6
Spring Ter 2011
The term started with a visit to the Natural History Museum by Year 1. The huge skeletons and moving models of dinosaurs thrilled, excited and even scared the children a little, but of course they wanted to see them again! This provided wonderful stimulus for their art work when they returned to school.
For the first time, Year 5 went to the Geffrye Museum where a series of period rooms from 1600 to the present day are displayed. Year 5 participated in a workshop on Tudor Life which links with their history curriculum.
The Open Days on 28th and 29th January were well attended and members of the Senior Choir came to give musical entertainment to the parents of prospective pupils. Thank you to Mrs Pott and all who played and sang.
WORLD BOOK DAY on 3rd March was celebrated by the staff and pupils by dressing up as book characters. Mrs McNeill was Bob the Builder for the day! £10 book tokens were awarded to Grace (Noddy), Qalam (Just William), Riyaan (Woody) and Jahnavi (Dora the Explorer) for the best costumes.
Mrs Forster and some of the children in Reception
Year 4 went to the British Museum to complement their study of Ancient Egypt. They spent time looking at the large statues and particularly the mummies. This enriched their learning of this ancient civilization.
Year 4 at the British Museum
Reception and Year 1 went to the National Gallery to look at paintings with the theme of animals. They were mesmerised by the size of some of the exhibits and the number of paintings on show. This is always a rewarding outing for the younger children.
Year 3 and 4 went to the Royal Academy to view the Modern Sculpture exhibition and participate in a Sculpture Workshop. Miss Macleod was so taken by the experience she is organising a sculpture afternoon with the Upper School in the Summer Term and then inviting parents to an Art and Sculpture exhibition on 25th May at school. Details to follow.
A big thank you to parents who accompany the children on their educational outings.
Many congratulations to Enis Baty, Grace McCready, Krishan Patel and Noah Rhilam, from Year 6, who went through to the Primary Maths Challenge Final. A bronze medal was awarded to Grace and Krishan. It’s good to know that we have some superb mathematicians at school.
Year 2 visited the Harrow synagogue on 1st March for a wonderful talk and look at the Torahs. It is a real privilege for the children to be shown their precious scrolls.
The Inter School Cross-Country Competition was held at Northwick Park Playing Fields on 10th March. The 1500m course was challenging but luckily the condition of the ground was firm. Congratulations to the Girls Team who came first; an outstanding achievement. Well done to all the runners who took part.
The members of the girls and boys cross-country teams with the girls’ trophy
A brave effort was made by the girls in the netball match against Swaminarayan. Without a full Year 5/6 team and requiring some help from Year 4, they managed a very acceptable result of St Christopher’s 16 – Swaminarayan 22. Well played girls.
The football match against Swaminarayan was played in good spirits although Swaminarayan dominated much of the game. St Christopher’s 0 – Swaminarayan 3. Well tried boys.
The Bank of England Museum was visited by Year 2 on 15th March. The children had a short presentation about the history of money and then they tried to pick up the gold bar; too heavy to bring back to school in their rucksacks unfortunately!
The main hall was full of parents coming to see their children perform in the Kerley Classical Concert on 17th March. The level of musicianship and the variety of instruments was noteworthy. Thank you to Mrs Kerley for the extra time she gives. A larger venue is being considered for next year’s concert. £11.65 was collected for the charity ‘Shelter’ at the end of the evening.
The children from Years 5 and 1 went to St Mary’s Church, Harrow-on-the-Hill. They had a wonderful time, ringing the church bell, climbing the belfry and looking at the beautiful stained glass windows. Thank you to Mr and Mrs Chandler for showing the children around this historical church.
Mrs Dearnley, the Speech & Drama teacher, has been busily preparing the children for their LAMDA exams on 21/22 March. The external examiner was pleased with the standard of the entrants. Results will be sent in 6 weeks time, including an individual report. I am sure the results will be excellent with many merits and distinctions.
Thank you for your donations on 
We donated £72.50.
The Senior Choir took part in the Barnardo’s Concert held at the Wembley Arena. They sang with 50 other schools in a mass choir of 2,000 children. The event raised £75,000 and an article about St Christopher’s was printed in the Wembley Observer on 31st March 2011. A copy is on display in school.
Photographs taken by a professional photographer are available for parents to purchase. Please follow the links if you are interested. Password: hedge2
www.hiskett.net/Events/Barnardos-Concert-March-2011/16343215_XTwuL#1228923103_aPVS4
and
www.hiskett.net/Events/Barnardos-Wembley-March-2011/16348282_wW7Uv#1229048021_ZrWvn
The residential holiday at Chateau de Chantereine was a great success for Years 5 and 6. Excursions to Rouen, Dieppe, a cheese factory and a cider farm added to the children’s experience of France. A shopping trip to the local market enabled the children to practise speaking French. Mrs Lemon, Mrs Joyce and Miss Clarke said that the group were well behaved and that it was an enjoyable and memorable trip.
On the coach....
... and at Rouen, France
The cake sale on Tuesday 5th April raised £66.65 for the ‘Friends of St Christopher’s’ fund. A big thank you to all who baked donated and bought cakes.
A sad farewell was bid to Mrs Lemon at the end of term assembly. A gift of a left handed golf club was presented to her from the parents and staff. We will miss her and wish her every success at her next school. I know she will keep in touch.
A parents’ questionnaire will be sent home next term. Please complete and return it to school as this gives us valuable feedback on areas that can be developed and improved in school.
Congratulations again to the children in Year 6 for their excellent results in the senior school entrance exams.
ASDA Giving Kids a Sporting Chance This is an initiative set up by ASDA to provide free sporting activities over the school holidays. Your child has been given two vouchers for free activity sessions. You can collect more at an ASDA store, then go on line to find your nearest participating clubs.
Have fun, keep active and be healthy!
REMINDER: please continue collecting Tesco’s and Sainsbury’s vouchers during the holidays and bring to school at the start of the Summer Term.
PE KIT for the Summer Term
This is the kit required for the whole school next term:
White polo shirt with St C logo
School maroon shorts
White socks
White trainers
Maroon cagoule (for damp days)
Maroon sweatshirt and jogging bottoms if weather is particularly cold.
Please ensure all items are CLEARLY NAMED.
Wishing you all a
Summer term starts
Wednesday 4th May 2011
Summer Term 2010
Another full term of events at St Christopher’s School
The Summer Term started with a trip to The Tower of London for Year 4. Two children had researched information about the building and its history before they went, and acted as tour guides for the class. This complimented the children’s study of the Middle Ages.
The Tower of London painted by Hannah
On the 27th April, children from the First Aid Club took part in the London Regional round of the St John Ambulance First Aid Competition. Two teams entered from St Christopher’s but unfortunately they did not proceed to the final this year. They thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon and were presented with certificates and goodie bags at the end of the day. Well done to the children and a special thank you to Grace for stepping in at the last moment.
Reception at Kew Gardens
Year 5 and Reception had a beautiful day for their trip to Kew Gardens. The sun was shining and they had a wonderful time. They saw the Wembley Arch from the top of the Tree Top Walk and the younger children enjoyed Creepy Crawlies where they saw bees working on a honeycomb.
Well done pupils and parents for supporting ‘Peter Pan Day’ on Friday 23rd April.
£137 was raised for Great Ormond Street Hospital and the number of children dressed as Peter Pan was entered towards the World Record breaking attempt.
The highlight of the term for Years 4 and 5 was the trip to the PGL activity centre at Liddington. Raft building, canoeing, zip-wire and climbing were a few of the activities on the full programme of events.
They enjoyed sharing dormitories and none of them wanted to leave at the end of the week.
Raft building at PGL Liddington
On 19th May, Year 1 and Reception went pond dipping at Ashridge Park. Many minibeasts were found including water snails, but the best part was rolling in the grass!
The Friends of St Christopher’s committee organised many events and treats this term; the School Disco, the Pizza Lunch and the Summer Fete. The fete raised £1166 which was a tremendous achievement. Thank you for your support and making it such a pleasurable occasion.
The Friends of St Christopher’s will be holding their AGM on Tuesday 21st September 2010.
The children from Years 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 took their LAMDA Speech and Drama exams on the 24th and 25th May. The exams ranged from reading a poem and talking about their toy, to reciting two contrasting poems. Thank you to Mrs Dearnley for her enthusiastic teaching throughout the year.
Year 2 visited the Science Museum on 27th May. They were captivated by the many ‘hands on’ experiments in the Launch Pad and had lunch in the ‘Lunch Pad’!! Miss Clarke said that they behaved beautifully.
The children from Reception, Years 1 and 2 went to the Barbican to participate in a concert called Little Red Riding Hood.
Well Being week happened on 14th – 18th June. The events included a parents’ workshop, skipping in aid of the British Heart Foundation, a poster competition and numerous fruity culinary delights. A delicious healthy meal was prepared for the staff by Year 5 and was beautifully presented with individually made menus.
Skipathon – Jump Rope for Heart 2010
£332.10 was collected for The British Heart Foundation. The children had a fun, enjoyable and energetic time practising and many children who were not able to skip can now. There were many imaginative skills and routines. The highest number of skips in a minute was achieved by Alexander Kerley in Year 4, 158 skips!
Barnardo’s collection boxes raised nearly £100.
Thank you for the 1101 Tesco’s vouchers, and 2287 Sainsbury’s vouchers that you collected. Mrs Kaye will be ordering a variety of new resources for the school.
Year 2 went to the Royal Mews and saw the coaches and horses used by the Royal Family on state occasions. They saw the wonderful golden coach and the children had the opportunity to dress as coachmen in the Royal Livery.
On the way, they walked through Green Park and saw an extraordinary exhibition of elephants.
The adventurous children from Years 3 and 4 spent a day at Legoland. After flying down Pirate Falls, shooting in Laser Raiders and riding in a Viking boat, they snoozed their way back to school on the coach.
The Greenwich Planetarium was the destination for Year 5. This visit supported their science topic on the solar system.
Reception, Year 1 and 2 went to Paradise Wildlife Park. The park has a wonderful collection of wild animals including great cats, camels, parrots and otters. It was a beautiful sunny day and the children had a wonderful time.
English Schools Athletics Association Awards (ESAA) Well done to all children in Years 3, 4 and 5 who achieved an award this year. 65 awards were gained in total; 5 gold awards for the 50m sprint and a gold Combined Award to Alexander Kerley.
Sports Day was another warm day but thankfully with a cooling breeze. The children ran, jumped and threw with enthusiasm in all of the events. The Sports Shield was won by Cornwall. Congratulations.
Prize Giving was held on the penultimate day of term. Our guest speaker was Mrs Jo Newman, the Headteacher of North London Collegiate Junior School. She has a special connection with St Christopher as she attended the school between the ages of 4 and 7.
Mrs Jo Newman and Mrs Alison McNeill
The occasion started with a musical introduction: the Junior Choir, recorder groups, string quartet, pianists, flutist, violinists, cellist, Senior Choir and the school orchestra entertained the parents, relations and friends who attended. Many congratulations to all the prize winners.
Wind in the Willows our Summer Concert
Mrs Pott and the children practised hard for the end of term production of Wind in the Willows. All the children in the school took part. The older children took the lead roles and the performance was outstanding. Well done to Noah, Rhea, Vivek and Qalam for their excellent portrayals of Toad, Mole, Ratty and Badger.
Mole in the Wild Wood
Toad falls in love with a caravan
Ratty
HAVE A WONDERFUL SUMMER BREAK
School starts Monday 6th September 2010
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