The Quainton Herald

THE QUAINTON HERALD

The

100n o i t i d E

th

THE QUAINTON HERALD Issue 100 – 8th October 2021

HEADMASTER'S MESSAGE

Dear Parents, Happy 100th! As we celebrate our 100th edition of the Herald, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Fr Mike for creating the Herald a few years ago and Mrs Rasool who spends hours each week pulling together, editing and proof-reading all the information that the Heads of Department take such time and energy to compile. It is a fabulous read at the weekend and congratulations to all those involved in its weekly production.

We had two wonderful assemblies in the latter half of this week. On Thursday Mme Mitchell and 6AA opened our series of Black History Month assemblies by looking at famous figures from history and recognising and celebrating their achievements. As part of the assembly, Mme Mitchell looked at the life of Mary Seacole and compared her story to that of Florence Nightingale and the different ways in which their individual efforts have been documented and celebrated within our history. It was a thought-provoking and moving assembly and my thanks go to Mme Mitchell and the members of 6AA. On Friday, Fr Mike celebrated ‘Harvest’ with Years 3 to 6 and spoke to the children about next week’s Harvest collection. If you feel able to do so, we would ask parents to respond to Fr Mike’s email by providing donations to our school collection for the Harrow Food Bank.

On the theme of food, I would like to remind parents that we have a ‘No Nut’ policy at school.

I would therefore ask those parents who provide a snack for their children to refrain from adding nuts, or products that contain nuts, to the snack box.

It was a great honour to welcome our Governors to Quainton Hall on Thursday for the termly board meeting. Following a very encouraging meeting, we toured the School looking at all the new developments and discussing future plans. It is certainly an exciting time in Quainton Hall’s history and I hope to get the opportunity in the Spring to invite parents into school to hear more about the next stage of our plans and to have the opportunity to see the school in all its glory.

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HEADMASTER'S MESSAGE CONTINUED As we come to the end of this half of term, parents in Year 3 and above will be receiving Effort Grades. Parents of pupils in Year 4 and above will also receive the Cognitive Assessment scores (CATS). If parents would like to discuss these results, please contact the office to arrange a meeting with myself or Mrs Khan. It is a very useful exercise to use these results as a tracking tool to enable the School to advise you on senior school choices as well as to assess the extent to which the children are reaching and/or exceeding their raw potential.

The Pre-Prep where joined by Perform Drama on Friday and worked with the children on the theme of ‘outer space’. The workshop explored dance, drama and other types of performance and allowed the children to further develop their skills and confidence in this area. It has been a busy week for this age group as on Monday they were delighted by the work of Jion Sheibani, author and illustrator of Lily & The Polar Bears (Faber) and The Worries young fiction series (Puffin). Both events were a great success, further adding to the children’s enriched learning environment.

Our sports programme of matches continued this week with a mixed bag of result at U9 and U11 against Reddiford. I was met on the front gate this morning by an excited Mrs Byrne who was extremely proud of the girls U11 victory. Likewise, Mr Antoine was proud to tell me all about Ayaan K’s (Year 6) last minute winner on Thursday. Well done to all the children for their efforts and successes.

Following Mme Mitchell’s assembly on Mary Seacole, I would like to attach the following article and wish you all a good weekend: https://www.maryseacoletrust.org.uk/learn-aboutmary/

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ENGLISH DEPARTMENT News from the English Department: On Monday, the children in Y1 to Y3 enjoyed an interactive online workshop with Jion Sheibani, author of the ‘Worries’ series. The workshop opened the conversation surrounding the worries we can all sometimes feel and the children joined Jion in drawing their own illustrations of the ‘worries’ that challenge them from time to time.

Details of how to purchase books from Jion’s ‘Worries’ Series are listed below, along with some photographs of the children engaging in the workshop.

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ENGLISH DEPARTMENT CONTINUED Worries 1: Sohal Finds a Friend (paperback £6.99) Sohal worries about a lot of things: the dark, mutant sheep, being alone - you name it, he worries about it! So one night he tries drawing his worries to make himself feel better - and somehow they look a lot less worrying once they're scribbled down. But then imagine Sohal's surprise when he wakes up the next morning to find a set of funny, furry friends at the end of his bed!

His worries have come to life, and it's not long before Hurt, Fail, Anger, Big and Alone have turned his world upside down. Now it's p to Sohal to work out how to keep his worries under control and have some serious fun while he's at it!

Worries 2: The New Baby (paperback £6.99) Jazmin's mum is about to have a baby and Jaz is SO excited! She's been waiting forever to be a big sister and knows she's going to be brilliant at it. Okay, it might mean some changes to their family, but Jaz is sure everything will be just fine. So imagine her surprise when a host of furry, fretful friends arrive to cause some serious mischief. That's right, it's the Worries - gloomy Loner, nervous Change, pushy Jealousy and DJ Disaster, always waiting for something to go wrong. Jaz tries her best to keep her worries to herself, but with her birthday party coming up fast, they seem set on turning her into the Worst Sister EVER! 'Funny, sweet and very useful for opening conversations with anxious children' – The Guardian

If you would like to order a copy of The Worries: Jaz and the New Baby or The Worries: Sohal Finds a Friend please click on the link below to buy online: https://chilternbookshops.co.uk/product-category/jion-sheibani-event/

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ·ALL ORDERS THROUGH THIS LINK WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE DELIVERED FREE DIRECT TO THE SCHOOL FOR COLLECTION BY PUPILS, UNLESS YOU PAY FOR POSTAGE. ·PLEASE SPECIFY YOUR CHILD’S NAME AND CLASS IN THE BOX MARKED ‘DETAILS REQUIRED FOR SCHOOL EVENTS’ TO ENSURE THEY RECEIVE THEIR ORDER QUICKLY. ·PLEASE ALLOW A WEEK AFTER THE EVENT FOR DELIVERY TO SCHOOL. Page 5

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT CONTINUED This week and next, we are using our work in English to celebrate Black History Month and the children have all been busy learning about a range of significant figures from the Black community who have contributed to our history, both in the UK and globally.

Year 3 have used role play, hot seating and interview techniques to explore the life of Rosa Parks, whilst Year 4 have been re-visiting their work on ‘The Windrush Generation’ following our author event with Baroness Floella Benjamin last term. In celebration of National Poetry Day (7th October), Year 4 have been imagining what it might have been like for children their age to take the journey on The Empire Windrush and have written poems about ‘journeys’ that they will perform together next week. As part of our celebration of Caribbean culture, the children have been learning about Claudia Jones and Rhaune Laslett and the inception of The Notting Hill Carnival. Year 4 will be performing their poems ‘carnival style’, dressed in carnival masks and headdresses and with Caribbean music and dancing.

Year 5 have been celebrating Black British History using Sally Penni’s book ‘Where are you from?’ Sally’s book focuses on a celebration of both ‘the lesser known figures that have played a significant role in our history, as well as those who are blazing a trail in the present.’

The children have also learned about the crucial work Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden contributed at NASA, as well as writing letters to Mae C. Jemison, the first black woman to travel into space.

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ENGLISH DEPARTMENT CONTINUED

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ENGLISH DEPARTMENT CONTINUED Continuing with our National Poetry Day celebrations, Year 6 have learned about the life and work of Maya Angelou and have read her famous poem ‘Caged Bird’. We have looked at how symbolism and figurative devices are used in the poem to describe the struggle for equality experienced by Black people in America during her lifetime. We have linked the focus of the poem with our Year 6 class readers and have discussed other groups of people who have faced oppression throughout history. Year 6 have begun writing their own poems inspired by Maya’s poem.

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MATHS DEPARTMENT To consolidate and reinforce their learning of the time tables, Year 4 followed instructions to create a Times Table Fortune Teller.

This was an exciting way to practice the challenge of learning their times tables.

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SCIENCE DEPARTMENT Year 3 learnt about "What is inside me?" Within this topic, the pupils explored and named the functions of the main organs of the human body.

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SCIENCE DEPARTMENT CONTINUED Pupils in Year 6, engaged in a STEAM project, whereby they investigated a current leading toothpaste in the market to find the effectiveness of stain removal.

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ART AND DT DEPARTMENT Black History Month October is Black History Month and to celebrate the African-American culture, Years 1 to 6 looked at various African-American artists and have been inspired by their colours, patterns and designs.

Year 1 to 4 looked at Lois Mailou Jones and her portraits. Year 5 looked at the Ndebele tribe and their abstract patterns. Year 6 looked at Alma Thomas’s mosaic patterns.

Adam’s abstract portrait inspired by Lois Mailou Jones

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Eshan’s abstract portrait inspired by Lois Mailou Jones

ART AND DT DEPARTMENT CONTINUED Hobby art updates As part of the STEAM project, Year 4 looked at fossil prints. They carved on Styrofoam sheets, used ink and rollers to produce colourful prints.

Dharsha’s hobby art in Year 5

Artists of the Month- October

Year 1- Lani

Year 2- Nischay

Year 3- Eshan and Jena

Year 4- Rian P and Darsh

Year 5- Aymen and Aida

Year 6-William and Rishika Page 13

MUSIC DEPARTMENT Music can be heard all across the school. From Nursery to Year 6. This term has begun as an incredibly musical one. Here’s an update from the music department.

Chamber Choir We are delighted to announce the children who successfully auditioned for the Chamber Choir. Huge congratulations to the following children.

Year 3

Nieve Jena Tara Jasmine

Year 4

Tia Lara Anya Ottilie

Year 5

Aida Aditi Arushi Anoushka Riya Rian Krish Adam

Year 6

Thashini Shreya Aahana Ayaan Clara Shyam Amelia Ved Finn Eliza Sanskruti Bhakti

The Chamber Choir with our Director of Music – Mr Huw Jones.

The Chamber Choir are singing a selection of songs, including a classical piece sung in Latin and a popular Jazz song. The Choir are working towards their first performance next term and look forward to performing for you.

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MUSIC DEPARTMENT CONTINUED Nursery Our children in Nursery have been learning about the beat/pulse in music, playing musical instruments and singing songs.

Reception We are having lots of fun in Reception, learning about the beat and clapping rhythmical patterns and singing songs. Currently, one of our favourite songs is ‘She’ll be coming round the mountain’, where we play instruments and also have some fun actions.

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MUSIC DEPARTMENT CONTINUED Year 1 Year 1 always begin their lesson marching around the beautiful Chapel stamping and clapping the beat. We are also learning an upbeat song called ‘Give it all you’ve got’, which is about always trying to do your best. We have also been playing a selection of drums and percussion instruments, creating patterns and rhythms.

Year 1 rehearsing their song, ‘Give it all you’ve got’.

Year 2

Y1K clapping patterns for their song ‘Give it all you’ve got’.

In Year 2 we are learning the song ‘Do Re Mi’, from The Sound of Music. We are using solfege hand symbols for do-re-me-fa-so-la-ti-do. We are also playing rhythms and patterns on untuned percussion instruments.

Y2R Class rehearsing their song ‘Do Re Mi’.

Getting performance ready and working together as a class for the best possible outcomes.

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Y2S Class playing rhythmical patterns on percussion instruments.

MUSIC DEPARTMENT CONTINUED Year 3 Year 3 have had a fantastic start to the term in music! We are learning a lovely emotive song from a musical called Pantastic, written by Matthew Crossey and Tom Kirkham. The song is called ‘Higher and Higher’. The children also play some connecting notes using the xylophones and glockenspiels. Year 3 are also working towards a LAMDA Music Theatre Performance Exam. They are rehearsing some script and a song from the amazing musical ‘We will rock you’.

Y3JC – Rehearsing their scene and song ‘We will rock you’, from the West End musical.

Year 4 In Year 4, we have been singing the song 'Lean on Me'. Both Year 4 classes have been adding some connecting harmonies and echo lines. Y4EK have been playing the verse melody on the xylophones and glockenspiels and Y4KB have been playing a selection of percussion musical instruments along with the song. Year 4 are also rehearsing and practising for a LAMDA Musical Theatre Exam with a scene and song from the musical ‘Oliver’.

Y4EK – Practising their notes on the glockenspiels and xylophones for their performance of ‘Lean on Me’.

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Y4EK have also been working on their own rendition of ‘Consider Yourself’ from the musical Oliver.

MUSIC DEPARTMENT CONTINUED Year 5 Year 5 have been learning about rhythm, tempo and also simple and compound patterns and what differentiates them. We have also been learning a song called ‘My Way’, from the artist Aloe Blacc and adding tuned and un-tuned musical instruments. The results are impressive and we look forward to sharing the learning with you all. Year 5 are also rehearsing for a LAMDA Musical Theatre exam with a scene and song from the musical ‘Matilda’ by Tim Minchin.

Y5AA rehearsing their drumming and percussion patterns for their performance of ‘My Way’ early next term.

Y5JS have been working on their own performance of ‘Naughty’ from the West End musical ‘Matilda’..

Year 6 In Year 6, we have been working on an arrangement of the song ‘Can’t stop the feeling’ by Justin Timberlake, using un-tuned and tuned musical instruments. 6H are playing an array of musical instruments including the cajon, bell tree, xylophones and glockenspiels and also a mixture of different percussion instruments. 6Q are beginning to add some movement to their performance. Year 6 are also rehearsing for a LAMDA Musical Theatre Exam with scenes and songs from the musical ‘School of Rock’ by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

6Q have been choreographing their own dance routine to the song ‘Can’t stop the feeling’.

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Y6H rehearsing their arrangement of ‘Can’t stop the feeling’. The pupils in Year 6 are looking forward to sharing their work with you.

MUSIC DEPARTMENT CONTINUED Singing Assemblies at Quainton Hall In KS1 Singing Assembly we have been singing our welcome song ‘Hello, nice day’ and ‘The Mango Song’ which has been great fun for everyone.

KS2 Singing Assembly.

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MUSIC DEPARTMENT CONTINUED For the attention of parents:We would like to announce that there will be the ‘Welcome Music Show’ early November. We are in the final stages of planning and will confirm details shortly. This will be two separate shows at Quainton Hall School in the Susan Milner Hall and will be a celebration of all the exciting learning and fantastic progress that our pupils have made in the first Autumn term.

Years 3 and 4 will have their own show and Years 5 and 6 will also have their own performance. Our Chamber Choir, School Orchestra and a selection of our instrumental pupils will also be performing.

We would like to remind parents that we still have availability for learning a musical instrument. Children have an opportunity to learn, piano, violin, guitar, drums and trumpet or trombone with one of our fantastic visiting instrumental teachers. We are especially seeking budding musicians to begin learning a brass instrument and drums. The children do not need to have an instrument to begin with, we would like everyone to begin to learn a musical instrument.

We are currently recruiting more musicians for our School Orchestra, which is after school on a Thursday. If your child plays an instrument at grade 1 standard or above, please encourage them to join.

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SPORTS DEPARTMENT It's been a rollercoaster two weeks for both Year 3 and 4, 5 and 6 fixtures. Our Year 3 and 4 fixtures against Alpha Prep last week saw Football victory for all three of our teams, as well as success for our Netball teams, however, Year 5 and 6 results did not go all our own way.

Our Football A team tasted heavy defeat, whilst we managed to earn a well-fought draw in our Netball fixture.

There was a turn in fortunes this week, with fixtures scheduled against Reddiford for both Football and Netball. Our U9 football teams were on the receiving end of humbling defeats, however our girls won both their Netball matches under the watchful gaze of the parents, whom we have missed spectating for well over 18 months!!

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SPORTS DEPARTMENT CONTINUED We staged our very first fixture at John Lyon for the U11 Netball and our 'new home' proved to be a lucky one. The girls produced two great results, winning 8-3 and drawing 2-2. Special mention for Veera S. and Lara B. for their performances this week and to John Lyon for their hospitality (apparently the after-match tea was amazing!!)

There was late drama in our U11 Football fixture, with a winning goal from Ayaan K. in the last 30 seconds to give us a 4-3 victory. He was also nominated man of the match after the game by his peers.

There are no fixtures scheduled until we return from half term, but we thank you for your support and encouragement.

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RECEPTION In Reception this week, we have been celebrating our class bear's birthday. His name is Quainton and on Thursday he turned 5 years old! This week we have been making party hats, writing birthday cards and using playdough cakes to practice adding one more. Reception made a special birthday book for Quainton - he loved his present. We also decorated birthday biscuits for Quainton (although we helped him to eat them!).

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YEAR 1 Diwali Year 1 have been learning about Diwali in their Religious Studies lesson. The children learnt the story of Rama and Sita and spoke about popular Diwali traditions. The children painted and decorated their own Diya lamp!

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YEAR 2 Year 2 Celebrates Black History Month To aid our celebration of Black History Month, we have been learning about prominent British figures. For the children's homework task they chose their favourite British black personality and created a factfile all about them. The work they produced was simply fabulous and so had to be displayed in our Pre-Prep building for all to see! They are full of interesting facts and information about these amazing people. Everyone has commented how lovely this work is and how much we are being taught about these fantastic people!

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DRAMA WORKSHOP - PERFORM This Friday the children from Nursery to Year 2 took part in drama workshops delivered by 'Perform'.

The workshops were based on outer space and the children enjoyed using their drama skills to dance, move and act!

Here are some photos...

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PSHCE DEPARTMENT Show Racism the Red Card Show Racism the Red Card’s annual Wear Red Day will be taking place on 22nd October 2021.

However, we will be wearing red on our last day of term, Friday 15th October as the 22nd falls in our Half Term Break. https://www.theredcard.org/

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KALEIDOSCOPE This term's Kaleidoscope project on a Friday afternoon has been composition. The group have been composing a School Anthem and have made a fantastic start. Hopefully we get an opportunity to share it with you all soon.

Our Composition Group, who have been composing a new School Anthem.

Some Year 5 and 6 children have enjoyed learning how to make a range of different shapes and animals using paper in the origami Kaleidoscope session.

Siddarth with his paper crane

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Adam tackling a butterfly

WORLD TEACHERS' DAY World Teachers' Day is celebrated around the world on the 5th of October. It is also known by some, as International Teachers' Day. The event was established in 1994, and it commemorates the signing of the 1966 UNESCO/ILO Recommendation concerning the status of teachers.

To celebrate this day, Year 4 pupils made wonderful thank you cards and teachers' certificates for all of our teachers in Quainton Hall.

We wanted to say a huge thank-you for everything you do - you are AMAZING!

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WORLD TEACHERS' DAY CONTINUED

Some Facts About World Teachers’ Day

· According to UNESCO, a trained teacher has the prescribed qualifications and the minimum academic teacher training to teach at a related level · October 5, 1994, observed the first World Teachers’ Day · 100+ countries celebrate World Teachers’ Day; each state has its unique celebration · World Teachers’ Day is to promote the teaching profession · On average, primary school teachers spend 782 hours every year · Teachers’ day is not a public holiday but a global overview · The Teacher is one of the most trusted professions after doctors and nurses.

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HARVEST

Dear Parents, If we were in a rural area of the UK, this is the time of year that we would be celebrating the Harvest of fruits, vegetables and grains in our locality. Since we live in an urban area, this is not so relevant to our community, but at Quainton Hall we try to take time to give thanks for the bounty of this planet and its farmers and growers in providing food and other good things for us.

In Assembly on Friday 8th October, I talked to the children about how we can give thanks for what we have, as well as do something for our less well-off neighbours. Many of the QHS children were surprised to learn that there is a Food Bank in Harrow for those who are unable to afford to feed and look after themselves and their families.

We would like to be able to support the Harrow Food Bank again during half-term. You could help by bringing in items from the following list (all of which are non-perishable foods or household items) to School on or before Friday, 15th October so that we can give thanks for our blessings, and then pass on something tangible to those less fortunate than ourselves.

The list of items required is: Tinned Chicken Meals Nappies Size 5 Sponge Puddings Bags for Life

Children’s Toothpaste Age 6-8 Children’s Toothbrush Age 6-8 Washing Powder / Detergent Packet Mashed Potato Tinned Macaroni Cheese No baked beans, porridge, large cereal, biscuits, tea or dried pasta please – They have PLENTY! Men’s Body Wash Shaving Foam Shower Gel Honey

Please limit any gifts to items from this list! Several smaller packets / containers are preferred rather than bulk /larger packs.

If you could bear this list in mind when doing your shopping between now and then, we would love to be able to collect a good supply to pass on as our contribution to those who will really value our support.

Many thanks

Fr Mike Page 34

REMINDERS

Please remember that all nut products are prohibited in school in accordance with our policy which states:

'no nuts or nut oils are used or permitted in school by pupils, staff or visitors. Parents must ensure that any food item brought into school is completely nut free. This includes snacks, treats, artwork e.g. collages.

When emailing teachers, please could you use the following email:(teacher's name)@quaintonhall.org.uk. Pupils email their teachers using @edu.quaintonhall.org.uk.

If a child is at home due to an illness (high temperature, fever, feeling ill etc), we cannot supply the homework as this is based on the work covered in class and attendance at the class would have been vital.

If your child has to stay at home due to isolating because of a family / household member displaying Covid-19 symptoms, then we will email home some activities to mirror what is being done in class whilst you await swab results. Please contact your child’s teacher directly to request this.

Homework will not be set when parents take holidays in term time.

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JOHN LYON SCHOOL For the attention of Year 6 parents

We would like to remind all parents of children in Year 6, who are considering a place in Year 7 at John Lyon for their son or daughter, that the registration form must be completed and submitted by the closing date Friday 15th October 2021.

To register your child, please click on the following link https://www.johnlyon.org/admissions/register/

The registration form is on-line and you will not need to pay a registration fee.

If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact the Admissions team at John Lyon on 0208 515 9443 or email admissions@johnlyon.org

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HALF TERM CAMP

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QUIZ - WHO AM I? This week's Quiz Huge congratulations to all the pupils who successfully guessed James Baldwin the answer to last week’s quiz. Special congratulations to Isaac (Y3JC) who was the first to email me with the correct answer and a certificate will be awarded to him.

One of her famous quotes is “Science is a wonder. It’s like poetry and music and yet people don’t see it that way”.

She was born on March 1968, Islington, London.

She is a Space Scientist and Science Communicator.

She was honoured as a member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE).

She presents The Sky at Night - BBC.

Please send your answer by Monday via email to Mrs Alwaheidi at arwa.alwaheidi@edu.quaintonhall.org.uk

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UPCOMING EVENTS Year 6 Parents Evening (English / Maths) Zoolab Workshop in School (NUR to Year 2) TBC Effort Grades Published (Year 3 to Year 6) Wear Red Day (Show Racism the Red Card) Half Term Holiday Year 6 to Reveley Lodge (History Trip) U11 Football v St Christopher's (Away)

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14-Oct-2021

14-Oct-2021

15-Oct-2021

15-Oct-2021

18th October

02-Nov-2021

04-Nov-2021

16:30 - 21:00

09:00 - 15:30

29th October

09:00 - 12:30

13:30 - 16:00

BIRTHDAYS

We wish the following children, who celebrate their birthday in the coming week, a very Happy Birthday!

Aryav I 3JC

Jiyan G 3JC

Thashini J 6MF

Don’t forget, QHS is fully supported by social media! Whilst we try to include all of our news in The Herald and on the Website, we also share activity on our social media platforms. So please do like/ follow/ share our postings to keep up to date with everything QHS to ensure you don't miss out!

Facebook: @QuaintonHallSchool Twitter: @QuaintonHall

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Instagram: @QHSchool LinkedIn: quaintonhall