Habs Weekly Junior School Edition Friday 26 January Spring Term
Head of Junior School’s message The last two weeks, 2 Ansuz and 2 Alpha have each led an incredible assembly sharing their learning with the school and their parents. They demonstrated ambition and courage through their performances; this reminded me about the importance of our performing arts curriculum which encompasses a wide range of creative disciplines, including drama, music and dance.
At Habs, we are committed to providing an ambitious education that nurtures every girls’ artistic talents. Here are some of the key reasons why performing arts is important: •Confidence Building: Participation in performing arts provides every girl the platform to express themselves creatively. It allows them to develop self-confidence and a sense of self-worth as they showcase their talents and skills in front of an audience, realising that it doesn’t need to be perfect, mistakes happen, and practice makes progress. • • • •
•
Communication Skills: Through performing arts, the girls learn the art of effective communication. Whether they are reciting lines in a play, singing a song, or dancing to a rhythm, they are honing their abilities to convey emotions, thoughts, and ideas to others. Teamwork and Collaboration: Many performing arts activities require teamwork and collaboration. Whether it's working with others in a play or coordinating movements in a dance routine, girls learn how to collaborate, compromise, and support one another. Creativity and Imagination: Engaging in the performing arts nurtures creativity and imagination. The girls are encouraged to think outside the box, explore new ideas, and develop their unique voice. Cultural Awareness: Exposure to different forms of performing arts allows the girls to explore and appreciate diverse cultures, traditions, and perspectives. It fosters empathy and a broader understanding of the world around them. Academic Benefits: Numerous studies have shown that students involved in performing arts tend to perform better academically. The skills developed in the arts, such as discipline, time management, and resilience impact more widely across the curriculum.
Mrs Claire Brown Head of Junior School
Cornflower Assembly Friday 19 January 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 with us too.
Ambition
Community
Anaya (Rainbow Blue) Charlotte (2 Alpha) Charlotte (Rainbow Blue) Anya (3A) Anaya (Rainbow Red) Anika (4 Aesc) Sophia (1 Purple) Lucy (5 Aleph) Poppy (1 Purple) Tianlong (6 Aleph)
Hannah (2 Ansuz) Serena (3A) Rosie (3 Alpha) Davina (4 Aleph) Ari (5 Aleph)
Curiosity
Courage
Imaan (1 Orange) Anaika (2A) Cordelia (2A) Rachel (2 Ansuz)
Mahvi (3 Alpha) Hana (4 Aleph) Florence (6 Aleph)
Zoya (Rainbow Red) Soraiya (1 Orange) Aleesha (4 Aesc)
Rainbow to Year 6 Information Lunch Menu
NEW
WEEK COMMENCING 29 JANUARY Please click here to view our Rainbow and KS1 lunch menu. Please click here to view our KS2 lunch menu.
IMPORTANT REMINDER Please take some time to look at the menu with your child, in advance. If your child has any food intolerances, please ensure they understand the food choices for each day. Pupils have been reminded that there are always Allergy Champions in the serveries who they can speak to if they are unsure about appropriate food choices for them.
Snacks IMPORTANT REMINDER Please kindly remember that, in line with government guidance, grapes or olives should be cut in half and cherries should be de-stoned if these foods are brought in for snacks. A full list of permitted breaktime snacks can be found in the Parent Information Booklet.
Habs Elstree Schools Foundation WOMEN IN BUSINESS NETWORKING EVENT - WEDNESDAY 31 JANUARY Please click here to view the invitation letter.
Royal Academy Young Artists’ Summer Show 2024 COMPETITION Please click here to view the letter.
Cold Weather - Uniform Reminder REMINDER With the winter weather now in full swing, please may we remind all families that all pupils will be outside before school and for breaktimes and lunchtimes and as such, need to wrap up warmly remembering that long socks or tights should be worn with winter uniform.. Only school uniform colour (matching the version of uniform your child is wearing) hats, scarves and gloves should be worn; all items must be clearly named. Please click here to review the information about the new uniform phasing in plans.
RAINBOW TO YEAR 6 INFORMATION
Wraparound Care BOOKING LINK Please click here to book your daughter into Wraparound Care.
Parent Handbook REMINDER Please click here to review the Parent Information Booklet for 2023/24.
RAINBOW TO YEAR 6 INFORMATION CONTINUED
Family Friday Once again, we look forward to welcoming all families into school for our Spring term Family Friday events, giving an opportunity for your daughters to share their work and learning environment with you. Key dates:
Friday 9 February 2024 (8am to 8.30am)
Rainbow, Year 1, Year 3 and Year 5, followed by Parent Talks
Friday 22 March 2024 (8am to 8.30am)
Rainbow, Years 2, Year 4 and Year 6, followed by Parent Talks
Classrooms will be open from 8am and you are welcome to pop in any time up until 8.30am, when we will revert to normal registration and lessons. In line with our safeguarding policy, no taking of photos or filming is permitted during the ‘Family Friday’ sessions. On arrival at school, please use the car park, as opposed to the drop off lanes, and walk to the Junior School. The middle doors will be open from 8am and from there you will head to your child’s classroom, where you will sign in. If you have more than one child involved in the event, older siblings will collect their work and meet you in the classroom of the younger sibling. Should you be unable to join your child, they will have the opportunity to bring home some of the work to share with you the evening before. If you would like your child to bring work home because you are unable to attend, please contact their class teacher.
Family Friday teacher-led workshops We are continuing to offer a range of short teacher-led workshops . These will take place between 8.30am and 9am, straight after Family Friday class based time; these will consist of a short talk followed by an opportunity to ask related questions. The workshops will be repeated in both halves of the term, and you are welcome to attend even if your daughter’s year group do not have Family Friday on that date. The programme for this term is below:
Spring Term (Friday 9 February and Friday 22 March 2024)
• Using Devices to Complement Learning • Developing a Curious Mind • Negotiating Friendships
Please use this form to indicate if you wish to attend this term. The form will remain open until Monday 5 February, and then reopen again after the half term holiday.
Year 1 to Year 6 Spring 1 Curriculum Overviews
NEW
IMPORTANT INFORMATION It is with apologies these curriculum overviews were not shared with parents in the last Habs Weekly publication before we broke up for Christmas. The curriculum overviews below, for Years 1 to 6, outline the curriculum areas that have and will be covered in Spring 1. Learning in Rainbow will continue to be led by the children’s interests and key events.
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
Rainbow Rainbow and KS1 Production 'Super Star’ Recording Please use this link to view the recording of the production.
Rainbow Family Fridays SPRING TERM The dates for Rainbow Family Fridays for the Spring Term are as follows: Friday 9 February 2024
8am – 8:30am
Friday 1 March 2024
3pm – 3:30pm (Rainbow only)
Friday 22 March 2024
8am – 8:30am
Please note that on Friday 1 March 2024, you will be able to take your child home from the classroom. On Friday 9 February and Friday 22 March 2024, there will be the opportunity for you to sign up to a variety of teacher-led workshops that will run from 8.30am to 9am (more details on page 8 of this publication) In line with our safeguarding policy, no taking of photos or filming will be permitted during the ‘Family Friday’ sessions. We hope that you will enjoy this opportunity to spend some time with your child and enjoy their learning environment.
Year 1 Rainbow and KS1 Production 'Super Star’ Recording Please use this link to view the recording of the production.
Year 2 Rainbow and KS1 Production 'Super Star’ Recording Please use this link to view the recording of the production.
2A Class Assembly
NEW
MONDAY 29 JANUARY 2A will be delivering their class assembly on Monday 29 January at 8.45am to 9.15am in the Performance Space, which parents and guardians are warmly invited to. Attending parents should park in the visitor's car park and walk round to the Dining Hall doors to be registered from 8.30am. We kindly ask parents to wait outside until a member of Junior School staff arrives to welcome you in.
Year 3 No announcement or reminders for just Year 3 this week.
Year 4 Year 4 Play 'Peter Pan’ WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2PM AND THURSDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2PM We have had another fantastic week of rehearsals for 'Peter Pan' and we are so excited about welcoming you all in to watch. Tickets for the performances can be reserved online using the box office from Friday 2 February at 9pm. A direct link can be found here. There is a limit of 2 tickets per child per performance for this production. The booking form will close on Wednesday 7 February at 8am. Thank you again for all the support and encouragement with line-learning and songpractising, click here for song link, that you continue to show your daughters through the rehearsal process. It has such a huge impact on their progress and is much appreciated.
PE Spring Term 2 2024 IMPORTANT INFORMATION All students in Years 4 will need to have football boots and football socks (any colour) for their football lessons which will take place during their PE curriculum lessons from after the February half term to Easter during Spring 2.
Year 5 Wicked Theatre Trip WEDNESDAY 31 JANUARY 2024 We are looking forward to taking Year 5 and Year 6 to see Wicked at the theatre. For further information please refer to the Evolve letter sent last week for payment and consent. Please note that if your daughter is coming back to school to be collected after the trip to Wicked, children should now be collected from the student shelter in the main girls’ school car park.
Year 5 and Year 6 Performance Opportunity Once again, we are pleased to offer our Year 5 and Year 6 girls the opportunity to audition to perform a solo or a small group piece in our forthcoming Performing Arts Evening. Girls are invited to submit themselves via video audition which should be uploaded to the folder entitled 'Performing Arts Evening Auditions' in their Performing Arts Showbie folder. Pieces should be limited to 3 minutes in length and be 'performance ready' at the time of submission. We are keen to welcome drama and dance performances in particular, as well as music, as the evening is a celebration of all the performing arts. The deadline to submit audition videos will be 5pm on Monday 26 February and girls will be notified whether they have been chosen to perform or not later that week.
Jazz Summer School 2024 Please click here for more information.
Habs Indian Music Course 2024 Please click here for more information.
YEAR 5 INFORMATION CONTINUED
5 Aleph Forest School Spring Term
NEW
IMPORTANT REMINDER 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. We will be outside for two hours whatever the weather so please could your child wear the following for the session, making sure that the clothes provided are suitable for outdoors and for getting slightly muddy: • • • •
Durable, full-length trousers (not onesies) Long sleeved top and jumper Coat Wellington boots
Please check the weather forecast for your daughter’s timetabled session (see dates below). If it is due to rain, please provide your daughter with a waterproof jacket and waterproof trousers. Please ensure that your she has enough suitable layers if the weather is due to be cold; this may include, a hat, scarf and gloves. If it likely to be hot weather, please ensure sunscreen is applied before school and that a sun hat is bought in to school. Your daughter should wear their Forest School clothes and trainers to school on the day bringing in wellington boots if not already at school, extra layers, or waterproofs if needed. If the forecast is rain it might be advisable to bring in their PE kits as extra clothes in case, they need to change after the session. Classes
Date
5 Aleph
Friday 2 February 2024 (1.25pm to 3.25)
Finally, please ensure that your daughter’s allergy, intolerances, or specific dietary information on the Parent Portal is up to date two weeks prior to your child’s session as we will be cooking and eating as part of the experience. Please contact Mrs Gibson (cgibson@habsgirls.org.uk) if you have any further questions. We are looking forward to these sessions and we hope that your daughter will greatly enjoy and benefit from this experience.
Year 6 Wicked Theatre Trip WEDNESDAY 31 JANUARY 2024 We are looking forward to taking Year 5 and Year 6 to see Wicked at the theatre. For further information please refer to the Evolve letter sent last week for payment and consent. Please note that if your daughter is coming back to school to be collected after the trip to Wicked, children should now be collected from the student shelter in the main girls’ school car park.
Year 5 and Year 6 Performance Opportunity Once again, we are pleased to offer our Year 5 and Year 6 girls the opportunity to audition to perform a solo or a small group piece in our forthcoming Performing Arts Evening. Girls are invited to submit themselves via video audition which should be uploaded to the folder entitled 'Performing Arts Evening Auditions' in their Performing Arts Showbie folder. Pieces should be limited to 3 minutes in length and be 'performance ready' at the time of submission. We are keen to welcome drama and dance performances in particular, as well as music, as the evening is a celebration of all the performing arts. The deadline to submit audition videos will be 5pm on Monday 26 February and girls will be notified whether they have been chosen to perform or not later that week.
Year 6 Production – Planned Weekend Rehearsal Sunday 9 June
NEW
IMPORTANT INFORMATION We will be announcing details of this year's Year 6 production later this term. In the meantime, in order to decide on the timings of the planned rehearsal on Sunday 9 June, we would ask parents to complete this form to show their daughter's availability by 9am on Friday 2 February. A Sunday rehearsal is a regular feature of the Year 6 production process. As the rehearsals are so intensive and condensed into a short space of time, this extra day provides invaluable time to build on the progress made during the initial week of rehearsals, and sets the cast up for production week without losing momentum over the weekend. As such, it is expected that as many girls as possible attend in order to make the most of the time spent as an ensemble.
Jazz Summer School 2024 Please click here for more information.
Habs Indian Music Course 2024 Please click here for more information.
SAVE THE DATE
Year 3 to Year 6
Junior Performing Arts Evening Tuesday 19 March at 7pm in The Prevett Hall You are warmly invited to our Junior Performing Arts Evening, which will take place on Tuesday 19 March at 7pm in the Prevett Hall. The evening is entitled 'A Celebration of Music, Dance and Drama through the Ages', and will feature the following: KS2 Chorus - this involves every pupil from Year 3 to Year 6 Junior Orchestra Junior Choir Senior Choir Brass Ensemble Guitar Ensemble Super Saxes Recorder Consort (formerly Descant Recorders) Year 3 Recorders Golden Bones Junior Chamber Strings Fabulous Four-Stringers KS2 Performing Arts Club Joint Year 5 Performance Squad Flamenco Dance There will also be solo and small group items interspersed in the programme, provided by performers from Year 5 and Year 6. Please note that girls in the ensembles and the Year 5 and Year 6 solo/group performers will need to bring their instruments into school for a rehearsal on the day of the concert. For the concert itself, instrumentalists should arrive at the Prevett Hall no later than 6.15pm, and the rest of the pupils who are taking part should arrive by 6.30pm. Pre-concert refreshments will be available for the audience in the Prevett Hall foyer. We expect the concert to end by 8.20pm. Tickets for the evening can be reserved online using the box office from Friday 15 March at 9pm. A direct link to the box office will be shared closer to the event date. There will be a limit of 2 tickets per family at £5 for each ticket for this concert. Students taking part in the concert do not need tickets. The booking form will close on Tuesday 19 March at 8am. The dress for the evening is all black: Plain black trousers or leggings and black top (with no embellishments) and plain black shoes and socks (school shoes are fine). We look forward to seeing you at the Performing Arts Evening which promises to be a varied programme and a real showcase for all involved.
SAVE THE DATE
Habs Giving Day 2024 MiniDash TUESDAY 5 MARCH (after drop off)
Attention all Junior and Prep School parents and guardians! Get the silly hats ready, get set and go! Join your child(ren) on the morning of Tuesday 5 March for our annual fun run in support of Habs Giving Day. Last year over 300 parents and guardians took part and had a lot of fun! Click here to view the MiniDash 2023 photo gallery. Every parent/guardian and child who runs (or jogs, or walks…) in the MiniDash unlocks extra cash from our challenge donors, meaning more funding for Bursaries and Community Service Partnerships, the schools’ top priorities this year. Habs Giving Day is all about celebrating community, philanthropy and taking part. Registration for the event will open on Friday 2 February and more details will be shared in the coming weeks, but for now save the date and start stretching! Please contact Mrs Sonal Dhadphale, Alumni foundation@habselstree.org.uk if you have any queries.
and
Development
Officer
at
JUNIOR SCHOOL SPORTS FIXTURES SPRING 1 2024 MONDAY 29 JANUARY
* Year 5 Netball vs Manor Lodge
THURSDAY 1 FEBRUARY
* Years 4, 5, 6 Swimming Division 10 Gala
SATURDAY 3 FEBRUARY
* Year 6 HSAA Cross Country Championships
SUNDAY 4 FEBRUARY
* Year 6 Gymnastics Trio Regionals
WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY
* Year 6 Netball vs Manor Lodge
*Invite only via Evolve
SPORTS FIXTURES SPRING 2 2024 CONTINUED TUESDAY 27 FEBRUARY
* Years 3, 4,5,6 Gymnastics vs Maltmans Green at Habs’ Boys’.
WEDNESDAY 28 FEBRUARY
* Year 5 & 6 Netball vs Orley Farm
THURSDAY 29 FEBRUARY
* Years 4, 5 & 6 Swimming Division 10 Gala at Habs’ Boys’.
SUNDAY 3 MARCH
* Year 6 ISGA Gymnastics (5 piece)
WEDNESDAY 6 MARCH
* Years 5 & 6 Football vs Berkhamsted (AWAY)
FRIDAY 8 MARCH
* ESSA Divisional Round at Woodside (AWAY)
*Invite only via Evolve
JUNIOR SCHOOL CALENDAR DATES SPRING TERM 2024
MONDAY 29 JANUARY 2A Class Assembly WEDNESDAY 31 JANUARY Years 5 & 6 Wicked Theatre Trip THURSDAY 1 FEBRUARY Years 5 & 6 Holocaust Memorial Speaker Parent Information Evening CANCELLED FRIDAY 2 FEBRUARY 5 Aleph Forest School WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY Year 4 Online Safety Workshop Year 5 Online Safety Workshop Year 4 Play Performance
FRIDAY 9 FEBRUARY Family Friday – Rainbow, Year 1, Year 3 and Year 5 Family Friday Parent Talks MONDAY 12 FEBRUARY TO FRIDAY 16 FEBRUARY Half Term MONDAY 26 FEBRUARY 5 Aesc Class Assembly Parent Information Evening – Dr Kathy Weston FRIDAY 1 MARCH 6 Aesc Forest School Family Friday – Rainbow Only
THURSDAY 8 FEBRUARY Year 4 Online Safety Workshop Year 6 Online Safety Workshop Year 4 Play Performance
The reminder dates above cover the next four school weeks, if you require further information beyond this time frame, please refer to the school calendar on Firefly.