HHH news WELCOME! Welcome to the Summer 2018 edition of HHHnews! It's been a very busy first year for us, full of achievements, challenges and new faces. It's hard to believe that just 12 months ago we welcomed our first pupil - the school is now a hive of activity. Head Teacher's Highlights To pick my highlights from this year is quite difficult as there have been so many amazing moments, but if I had to pick a few they’d be watching Jake W spell out and say the word ‘dog’, welcoming the animals to our new purpose-built enclosure and watching pupils, parents and staff enjoy our fantastic Sports Day in the sunshine last week. Welcome to a few new faces Since our last newsletter, we’ve welcomed lots of new faces to the school, including: Charlotte Kelly - Marketing Manager
Karen Seymour - School Cook
Katie Barons - LSA
Kurtis Blake - LSA
Sarah Burnard - LSA
Michelle Measey - School Administrator
Paul Hayes - Teacher
Steve Badham - Pastoral Care Coordinator A few words from Julie Smith, Chair of the Board I am absolutely delighted to be a part of Highgate Hill House School, where amazing things happen every day. All the school staff work incredibly hard, both inside and outside the classroom to create this positive ‘can do’ team culture. My regular visits to the school, where I meet with the children and observe staff lessons re-affirms how well the school is doing. Every story of a child coming home from school smiling after enjoying learning something makes it all worthwhile, and turns our mantra of “happy, successful students” into reality. Over the next few years the school, I am in no doubt, will continue to go from strength to strength. Animal Enclosure If you keep an eye on the school Facebook page, you will no doubt have seen the photos of the animals we’ve recently welcomed to the school. The children have helped to create a purpose-built animal enclosure in the walled garden area, which has a section for our two rabbits (Mrs Cuddles and Trixie) and guinea pigs (Ginger and Dora), and then a separate area for our five chicks Dotty, Turbo, Bobbie, Raven and Princess Acorn. The animals have settled in really well, and the children are thoroughly enjoying helping to care for, clean out and feed them. Daisy competes at RDA National dressage championships After winning the regional qualifier held at Lakefield Equestrian Centre in Camelford, Daisy travelled up to Hartpury College in Gloucestershire for the RDA National Dressage Championships on 13th to 15th July. Daisy had an amazing weekend, finishing 10th out of 23 in her dressage test, and gained a distinction (88 out of 100) in her horse care and knowledge test. Sports Day On Thursday 19th July we held our annual Sports Day, and welcomed parents and carers to join staff and pupils for an afternoon of fun and games, plus a BBQ and tours of the school. Ian, our PE Instructor, organised a range of fun activities, including long jump, javelin, throwing games, a sack race, an egg and spoon race, beanbag races and a parents race! An enjoyable afternoon in the sunshine was had by all, and it was a great opportunity for new pupils and parents to meet everyone and see some of the pupils work. Ollie's Stowe Barton Update We're making great progress with the Stowe Barton sunken garden and pond restoration. So far we've cut back and burnt all the brambles, carried out crown lifting on the trees, managed the weeds, cleaned the pond, discovered a hidden statue, small inner pond in the sunken garden and a huge slate that we think may have previously been part of a slate seat, and enjoyed a wildlife wander around the orchard looking for grasshoppers and butterflies with our resident wildlife expert Izzy! It's been a hugely rewarding project to be involved with so far, although very hot work due to the amazing weather these last few weeks. Thank you to all of the pupils that have been working so hard. Summer Activity Ideas We’ve collated a few inclusive summer holiday activity providers to help keep you busy over the next few weeks. Thorne Manor Holiday Club at Holsworthy is open 8:30am to 5:30pm Monday to Friday during school holidays. Visit www.thornemanor.co.uk to find out more. South Worden Farm at Bradworthy offers supported holidays and holiday activities for children and young people with additional needs, having worked with worked as a Teacher with Special Needs Children for over 20 years. Visit www.southwordenfarm.co.uk to find out more. The Outdoors Group are offering a range of dates throughout August from their Forest School in Okehampton, from 10am to 4pm for 5 to 13 year olds. For more information, visit: www.outdoorsgroup.co.uk/holiday-clubs/ The Calvert Trust offer a range of day and half day activities, plus short residential breaks on Exmoor. Visit www.calvert-trust.org.uk/stay/dayvisits to find out more. Barnstaple Autism Event On 12th June, Charlotte and Julie attended an Autism Information event at Grosvenor Church in Barnstaple to represent the school, which was hosted by the North Devon Forum for Autistic Spectrum Conditions and ADHD. It was a great opportunity to network, meet parents and other members of the forum, and raise awareness of the school. The forum is a parent/carer led support group which is free to join, and was established in 1992 to offer informal support, which maintains contact with professionals and organises social and information events throughout the year. Summer Holiday Projects We continue to invest heavily in the school to create the best possible facilties and surroundings for our pupils, and so over the summer holidays, we are ripping out the kitchen floor and replacing with new, plus replacing all the units with stainless steel. We can't wait to see the finished article, especially Karen our new School Cook! From September, you will see new signage on your way in to school that is being put up to try and make arriving and parking at school a little easier, which will replace the small, temporary signs that we’ve been making do with in the meantime. July marks the end of an incredibly successful first year for the School, having welcomed our first full-time pupil back in in July 2017. From humble beginnings, the school is going from strength-to-strength, and I am incredibly proud of what the team have achieved in such a short space of time. We've welcomed lots of new faces over recent months - pupils, teaching staff and support staff alike, and I'd like to thank each and every one of them for the valuable contribution they have made towards making our school what it is today. I’d also like to extend my thanks to our parents and carers who share our passion for the school, for their help and support over the last year. This was recognised and reflected in our recent OFSTED inspection, some quotes included: “Relationships between staff, pupils, parents and carers are impressive” and "staff create a positive climate for pupils to learn through their passion, enthusiasm and the caring relationship they share with pupils". I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Julie Smith, our Chair of the Some Exciting News! We are very proud to share with you that we've just been announced as finalists in two categories at the Education Investor Awards, which will be held at Hilton Park Lane, London in October. The Awards are presented to organisations and individuals that have made an outstanding contribution to education, with a view to promoting excellence and recognising innovation in the private education sector. Please keep your fingers and toes crossed for us! Finally, we wish you all a fun and relaxing summer break, and look forward to seeing you all back at school on Thursday 6th September! |