Heathcote School

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Hogwarts Day

principal@heathcoteschool.co.uk (Mrs. J. Carn) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:18:00 +0000

What an fantastic day we all had today! Both children and staff looked great in their costumes and the school was buzzing with excitement on Friday morning. To start the day off we naturally sang the Hogwarts School Song before proceeding to our Dramatic Spell Casting Competition which was won jointly by Nathan and Edward - well done boys! Our Best Written Spell Competition was won by Amber Bayford for a great spell that was also beautifully presented. See the Photos
Mrs Patten provided a great lunch which included Quidditch Pie, Broomstick Salad, Cockroach Clusters and Mrs. Weasley's Rock Cakes. See the photos
The afternoon included inter-house Quidditch matches which resulted in Griffindor coming 1st, Slytherin 2nd and Hufflepuff 3rd. The pupils also played against the staff but the staff won 6-2. See the Photos
Following that was Broomstick racing in year groups which was great fun with Alex being King of the Broomstick! See the Photos and the Winners
Lots of other activities went on in classes during the morning and we all felt that this was a really great way to celebrate National Book Week.

Jacey Carn
Principal

Click on the video to see us sing the Hogwarts Song!

Heathcote Represented Beautifully!

principal@heathcoteschool.co.uk (Mrs. J. Carn) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:30:00 +0000

Recently two of our children visited Felsted School for a Design and Technology Day. I was delighted to receive the following email from the Head commenting on the beautiful manners of our children and saying how well they represented the school too. Well done girls - we're all very proud of you!

Jacey Carn
Principal

Dear Mrs Carn,

I am sure that you will not be surprised that Sophie and Tayler were exceptionally good ambassadors for Heathcote today during our DT day, and they were a great credit to themselves. They exuded a great sense of fun, produced the best rocket (it flew further and for a longer time than anyone else's) and displayed tremendous manners. Well done!

With best wishes,

Charles Allen

Countdown to Hogwarts Day!

principal@heathcoteschool.co.uk (Mrs. J. Carn) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:53:00 +0000

Yes - it's only 5 days to go until Heathcote turns into Hogwarts for the day!! New Houses have been allocated to the children -
Nelson will become Slytherin,
Raleigh will become Hufflepuff and
Drake will become Gryffindor.
Don't forget to make your house ties to wear to assembly that day children. If anybody needs some inspiration for ideas, costumes, potions etc then have a look at the 'Heathcote turns into Hogwarts' page on the website
Notice board.

The spell casting competition is hotting up and the Quidditch teams need to start practising for their match too!!

Jacey Carn
Principal

The 3 R's - Reduce, Re-use, Recycle

principal@heathcoteschool.co.uk (Mrs. J. Carn) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:35:00 +0000

Today we were visited by Mr. Steve Collins from Essex County Council's recyling department. He gave an assembly and talked to different year groups about the importance of recycling our waste, especially plastic objects.
He showed us a wide range of products that have been made from recycled materials, including fleeces made from carrier bags, aprons made from road signs and bags made from tin cans!

Both children and staff found it very interesting and we all feel even more determined to recycle now in school.

Jacey Carn
Principal

New Banner

principal@heathcoteschool.co.uk (Mrs. J. Carn) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:37:00 +0000

We have added a new banner to the front of the school to compliment the flutter flags that were added at the beginning of term - maybe people will now start to realise that there is a school here and come and see how good we are!

Jacey Carn
Principal

Strictly Street Dance!

principal@heathcoteschool.co.uk (Mrs. J. Carn) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:26:00 +0000

Mr. Kelly's Street Dance Club started today and was very popular with boys and girls joining in the fun. Some of teachers joined in too - well done Mrs. Dines, Mrs. Barber and Mrs. Hessing. Great fun was had by all and rumours abound of a demonstration in assembly at some point this term! Don't forget to view the videos on Phanfare and to practise your routine - John Travolta watch out!!

Jacey Carn
Principal

Quiz Club Update

principal@heathcoteschool.co.uk (Mrs. J. Carn) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 11:57:00 +0000

I'm delighted to announce that the 1st Annual Independent Prep School competition will definitely be going ahead in February next year! Eleven other independent schools have signed up to take part in the competition and we are thrilled to be the first school to be hosting this event. I'd like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to Mr. Kelly for all his hard work in making this event happen. Four children (one each from Forms 3, 4, 5 & 6) will be selected to represent the school so start brushing up on your general knowledge children if you want it to be you!
For more information about Quiz Club parents can click on the link below:
www.quizclub.info

Jacey Carn
Principal

Open Afternoon 16th Oct 2009

principal@heathcoteschool.co.uk (Mrs. J. Carn) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:32:00 +0000

As parents may know our Open Afternoon is coming up on Friday 16th October - if anybody is prepared to advertise this event with a board or a poster please let the office know. Some parents have kindly offered to advertise the event in their businesses and again if any other parents would like to support the school in this way please let the office know.

Many people have commented on how great the flags look in the front playground - keep watching as soon there will be a new banner to go with them!

Jacey Carn
Principal

Roald Dahl Day

principal@heathcoteschool.co.uk (Mrs. J. Carn) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:29:00 +0000

What an exciting day it was today for the children!
Form IV were brewing deadly witches potions with Mr. Ormond and Form II had chocolate overload as they created chocolate dominoes, devised their own chocolate bars and wrote their own Golden Tickets (linking with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). Form I made some 'Marvelous Medicine' and Pre-School made 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' masks and dens. Form VI learnt about metamorphosis through 'The Witches' with Mr. Kelly and KG have been working on size and ordering with 'The Enormous Crocodile' and 'The Giraffe, the Pelly and Me'.
Don't forget to check on phanfare next week for pictures of todays events!

Jacey Carn
Principal

New Beginnings

stephen@ends-uk.com (Stephen Carn) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:10:00 +0000

Welcome back to a new year at Heathcote! There are so many new things happening this term / year - new ownership, new staff, new interactive whiteboards, new clubs (bell ringing, science, street dance and Spanish to name a few), new furniture, newly decorated rooms, new carpet............. this list just goes on.

It is an exciting time for the school and there is definitely a buzz about the school which is great to see and feel. Another new event that is really wonderful is the Quiz Club competition that is happening in February next year - Heathcote are going to host the first Essex Regional Independent Prep School Competition and four children from each school will enter to win the trophy for the region! More information will follow about this later.
To receive all the latest information without having to search for it subscribe to this blog and the information will be sent direct to your email.

Jacey Carn
Principal

Twilight Club

principal@heathcoteschool.co.uk (Mrs. J. Carn) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 14:38:00 +0000

We are delighted to welcome back to the school Miss Wells who worked previously for us before taking the opportunity to travel and work in the Caribbean. She is buzzing with new ideas for the club and I know that the children will have a great time with her. More information about Twilight Club can be found on the website in the 'Clubs' section.

Mrs Norton's Farewell

stephen@ends-uk.com (Stephen Carn) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:10:00 +0000

Flowers from every child at the end of a delightful assembly! Thank you to every child and all of the staff for such a lovely thought. Special thanks to the now year 6 and Dawn Howles for 'A Day in The Life of Mrs Norton'. They got me to a T!

More thanks to parents and staff for my beautiful gifts. I don't need them to remind me of all the great times I have had at Heathcote, and some exciting times too. But whenever I wear them I shall think of you all.

As I begin the next chapter of my life so Heathcote School moves into its next phase. You all know my love for this school and I send everyone my very best wishes for its future success. I decided I was going to retire in September 2008 not knowing what a momentous year it was going to be for Heathcote. None of us knew until the last minute what changes would occur, some were totally unexpected.

However, this September sees a recharged Heathcote and under Mrs Carn's leadership I know there are exciting times ahead. She has a wonderful team of teachers, some new faces, a great support team in the office and, most importantly loyal parents with fantastic children. The school now has the opportunity to demonstrate what I have always known - it really is the best.

Good luck and god speed to all of you.

Glenys Norton

Mrs. Norton's Leaving Assembly

principal@heathcoteschool.co.uk (Mrs. J. Carn) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 14:21:00 +0000

On 9th July Form V put on a Special Assembly called ' A Day In The Life Of Mrs Norton', written and directed by Mrs. Howles and Mr. Sadikali. At the end every child in the school gave Mrs. Norton a flower to say thank you for all her work and care during her years at the school.
She will be greatly missed by children, staff and parents. To see all the photographs and video clips go to Phanfare.

Heathcote Children's Ball

stephen@ends-uk.com (Stephen Carn) — Sat, 16 May 2009 07:28:00 +0000

Read all about the Children's Ball on Ann Northfield's
Parents Association Blog

Look at the Photos of the Children on the
Phanfare Album

Heathcote Sports Tournament 8 May 2009

stephen@ends-uk.com (Stephen Carn) — Fri, 08 May 2009 07:13:00 +0000

What a thrilling day. We had selected our squad of 5 boys and 5 girls. The opposing teams from F.K.S. Edward’s House, Elm Green and St. Anne’s Preparatory Schools arrived promptly at 12.30. An excited buzz ran through the sports hall. Mr Gladwin then explained the rules of the competition after which everyone headed out to the cross country start line.
Thankfully, the weather had now completely brightened up. Mrs Howles and helpers had got soaked during the morning setting up the course. The race was started, two laps had to be completed and everyone was cheering on their team. Mrs Rae was at the finish line giving out the placings. Well done to Alex Gravett and Francesca Coughlan from Heathcote School for being the 2nd boy and 3rd girl back.
After a short break we then moved on to a series of football and netball matches. Some very good standards prevailed. The teams were 7 a side but for both sports were a mixture of boys and girls with a 4:3 ratio. Heathcote made an amazing 6-1 win against Elm Green in netball – aided by superb scoring from Alexandra Rae and William Craig. Francesca and Will also played spectacularly. Match by match the scores were submitted and the points awarded. Until right at the end Mr Gladwin announced that we had a tie for 2nd place between Heathcote School and St. Anne’s School. It was agreed that the final positioning would be decided by a netball shoot out competition. All 10 players from each squad were to shoot. One by one the attempts were made in front of a crowd holding their breath. Mrs Collins added the scores – a tie! Again each squad had to shoot, the tension was mounting. Finally a result arose and Heathcote had clinched the second position. A huge well done to our team:

Alexandra Rae
Will Kirby
Francesca Coughlan
William Craig
Zowie King
Alex Gravett
Tayler Kallagher
Charlie Bradford
Colette Barber
Arthur Brown

Everyone then enjoyed a well deserved tea. Thank you to Mrs Patten and our P.A for providing and serving that. This was followed by the presentations. Congratulations to the winning team F.K.S. Edward’s House. It was a great afternoon and lovely to see such enthusiasm and good sportsmanship from all of the children.

Falconry Display

stephen@ends-uk.com (Stephen Carn) — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:46:00 +0000

Falconry Display
See all the Phanfare Album

Letter from Mr Gladwin

stephen@ends-uk.com (Stephen Carn) — Thu, 07 May 2009 12:11:00 +0000

Dear Parents,

Two weeks into the Summer Term and the children are now enjoying visits into the local community. This week sees all classes actively engaged in educational activities spanning across all aspects of the curriculum. Following the bank holiday, on Tuesday Year 1 children were out and about in Danbury developing their mapping skills, whilst the afternoon saw Year 2 and Year 5 children in Chelmsford, where music and art were the focus of attention. Both Mrs Carn and Mrs Dines came back to school singing the praises of the childen for both their behaviour as well as their manners, this was also commented upon by several passers by who enjoyed seeing happy and well presented children with excellent manners. Today it is the turn of Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 to visit Sandford Mill for science investigations. What a wonderful time they will have. Sandford Mill is a fantastic educational resource that allows children to explore hands on science on a large scale, thereby adding great reinforcement to our work covered in school. Mrs Hobbs and Year 5 will also be seen at the churchyard this afternoon viewing inscriptions on gravestones as part of their literacy work. I wonder whether they will come across some Latin that can be translated. PreSchool and Kindergarten children will also seen in Danbury today on their McMillian walk. Events planned for Thursday include Year 1 continuing to develop their mapping skills around Danbury, whilst Year 4 will be conducting a river study in South Woodham Ferrers. In the afternoon the whole school will be treated to a Falconry display which will be held on the top playground.The study of birds forming part of our science studies. The children are particularly excited about this visit and haven’t stopped talking about it all week, I just hope that the weather stays good for us. The week finishes on Friday with Year 5 on a team building exercise in the morning and the Heathcote Sports Tournament in the afternoon. A great way to complete an invigorating week of activity and learning opportunity.

Over the following two weeks the children in Year 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 will be focussing on applying their knowledge to the summer term assessments, subjects being assessed are English, Mathematics, Science, French, Geography and History. These assessments will take place during subject lesson time, thus enabling us to maintain the school curriculum timetable. Individual subject staff will be talking to their classes about assessment times. Year 6 will complete their SATs papers during the second half of the summer term.

This takes us through to half term where Mrs Cerikci has organised another holiday club with more new and exciting ideas and adventures. I know that she has already had a number of requests for places but they may be limited so book early to save disappointment.

The week following half term I will be leading a party of year 5 and 6 children when we take a five day visit to The Isle Of Wight. Here we stay at a PGL Camp participating in a range of activities spanning across outdoor pursuits, ICT, and Field Studies. Accompanying us on this trip will be Mrs Collins and Mrs Rae. Mrs. Collins and I have a wealth of experience of taking groups of children on these field study weeks and we extremely value the experiences that they gain from being away from home for five days.

As an exercise for younger children to experience being away from home over night, Mrs Hobbs and Mr. Sadikali will once again be taking Year 4 children to Danbury Outdoor Centre in June, where the children will have the opportunity to experience new and exciting challenges.

Sport always plays a big part in the summer term and this year is no different, with the ISA athletics event at Garons Park, Southend on Friday 12th June and of course Sports Day on Friday 3rd July. We will also be competing at the Chelmsford Primary Schools Swimming Gala at the Riverside, Chelmsford , on Saturday 6th June where we will be defending last year’s victory. In addition to this our 6 a side cricket team will be participating in the Maldon Cricket Club Tournament for Primary Schools and our rounders team will also be in action this term.

Bringing subjects to life is so important in education and to this end some of our children have school visits this term to places of social and cultural interest. These visits have a specific place in the children’s learning development. Year 2 and Year 6 will also have a series of visits from The Body Care Roadshow Team, who will be focussing on understanding how our bodies work and how to keep them in tip top condition. Year 6 children are now starting to consider their end of year science projects which this year we have combined with an ICT package to present their findings. Mr. Sadikali and I are looking forward to assessing the children’s work and we hope to be able to put them on display at Open Day.
On a lighter note we all looking forward to our whole school visit to “Bewilderwood” on Friday 19th June, it should be a fantastic day out.

As I hope that you are aware, your support is always valued at school and your Parents Association would really appreciate help of any kind. You may have specific skill areas or you may be able to offer your time which can be extremely valuable. The more people involved the stronger the Parents Association becomes. Why not give it a try, it gives you a real opportunity to meet with other parents and feel a greater part of the Heathcote Team. The next Parents Association coffee morning is Wednesday 13th May 9.00’ ish in the small hall. Hope to see you there.

Ken. Gladwin

Bewilderwood

stephen@ends-uk.com (Stephen Carn) — Fri, 01 May 2009 14:35:00 +0000

Whole School Trip to BeWilderWood
June 19th
Come and join us

http://www.bewilderwood.co.uk/

Mrs Norton's Stained Glass Window

principal@heathcoteschool.co.uk (Mrs. J. Carn) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 14:58:00 +0000

I hope that parents and children have had the opportunity to notice the fantastic stained glass window that was installed in the front door during the Easter holidays. It was created by Mrs Norton over the course of many months and it is clear to see that (like the school) a lot of love and care has gone into it. Here you see her talking to Forms II & III about the processes that the picture went through and Mrs. Norton has also agreed to bring in some examples of her work and tools to talk to the children further about. If you have not yet had the opportunity to see this lovely window then I would urge you to stop and have a look at it soon. It is both a beautiful piece of artwork and a lovely memento for the school.

Stone age man in School Playground.

stephen@ends-uk.com (Stephen Carn) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:24:00 +0000

Today Form I found a stone age man camped out in the middle play ground He had made camp and was resting up for the day before continuing on his Journey to Stonehenge.

Form I spent the day with him and learnt all about this life.

See the photos at

http://albums.phanfare.com/mrscarnclass2/3643327#imageID=64242047

We all wish him a happy and safe trip to Stonehenge.

Mrs Norton's - What a fantastic school this is.

stephen@ends-uk.com (Stephen Carn) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:13:00 +0000

What a fantastic school this is! There really is not another school like it. I have seen so many children leave here as well rounded, educated and articulate young adults who have gone on to achieve great things in their lives. One became a scientist who is now on the list to become a space woman, another was part of the team who isolated a cancer causing gene. I have seen troubled children come from other schools into our small family atmosphere where they are never missed or forgotten. Soon they start to blossom and flourish and then they start to achieve. With that achievement comes pride in their success and the seeds for the future are sown.

Playground gossip always concentrates on the negative and feeds doubts and insecurities. It is so easy to forget the positive when everyone is talking a school down. This school has a big future and your children should be part of it. They should benefit from everything this school has to offer and the developements that are yet to come.

Academically we have a tradition of doing very well, whichever teachers are on the staff at the time. New teachers are carefully selected to ensure they follow the school ethos and will continue to improve our high standards. Children who pass the 11+ do not do this because of one teacher only, they do it because all the staff are involved and play a part in that child's success.100% pass rate reflects the 100% + commitment and dedication of all the staff in all the years preceding this exam..

We have always been proud of our inhouse training which has provided us with excellent teaching assistants some of whom have gone on to gain a variety of skills including Special Needs qualifications and qualified teacher status. These people know the school systems and policies inside out and are ideally placed to ensure our high standards are met in every area. Teaching assistants are not given jobs they are not qualified to do. This year some of our catering staff are studying for NVQ qualifications.

The pastoral care at Heathcote is second to none, the children here are safe, valued and proud of their achievements. We accept that all children are different and each child is treated as an individual with individual skills and needs. Everyone here is dedicated to the welfare and educational success of your children.

I shall miss this all when I retire in July but am so proud to have been part of such a special place. I will be sad not to be part of the plans that Mrs Carn and Mr Gladwin are now making. We have an exciting new teacher to take over from Mrs Hobbs, he is very well qualified for the job and enthusiastic and I am sure the children will be inspired by him. The Foundation stage area is becoming well settled and flourishing, applications are on the increase for places in this unit. The Twilight Club is very successful and yet another area where your children can thrive.

This is a wonderful school, I have every confidence that it can continue to be a wonderful school. Your confidence in the school will ensure that this is so.

Mrs G Norton

Messsage From Mr Gladwin

stephen@ends-uk.com (Stephen Carn) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:53:00 +0000

Dear Parents,

With only two weeks remaining this term I cannot believe where the time has gone. It seems only yesterday that we were celebrating the Chinese New Year with several very successful events and lots of fabulous Chinese food.
On the academic front we are all extremely pleased and very proud of the children in Year V1 who recently received their results of the 11+ examination. With a 100% pass rate the children have performed superbly well. Added to which, all children sitting entrance examinations to Independent Secondary Schools have also been offered places for September.
Sport as always is high on the agenda at school with a great deal of pupil participation throughout the Prep classes. Recently our fantastic Yr V Boys Cross Country Team celebrated success at the Chelmsford Primary Schools Competition, winning the small schools league. The trophy is now taking pride of place amongst our other school trophies in the front lobby of the school. Congratulations to our team manager Mrs Rae and all boys in the team and also well done to all other children that represented the school in other year groups.

At the Brentwood Football, Netball and Chess Tournament recently attended, it was our Yr V Girls Netball Team, managed by Mrs. Howles, that took centre stage gaining second position overall. This was a tremendous achievement. Congratulations also to the Boys Football Team and our Chess Team who put in some creditable performances. Mr Gladwin and Mr Ewan, respective team managers, saying that their players showed excellent concentration and determination in their matches.

School Inter House Netball and Football Matches are scheduled for the last week of term and should prove to be a very competitive afternoon of sport. I hope the PA have organised their Netball Team as I believe that the Staff Team is looking very strong this year.
This week the School Play takes centre stage. The children are all looking forward to performing in front of a packed house and I am sure that once again we will be treated to a sparkling performance.

Parents are reminded that there are no school clubs during the school play week

It is wonderful seeing so many children attending Twilight Club. Mrs Cerikci has made it a very exciting place to be after school, with many new initiatives for the children to try out. This success has been instrumental in the school now offering a school holiday club. The first of which will be running Monday – Friday of the first week of the School Easter Holiday between 7.30am – 6.00pm. The club will be based in school but will include some exciting local visits. For further details please see Mrs. Cerikci or Mrs. Solsberg as soon as possible, as there are only a few remaining places left.

I hope that you have a very enjoyable Easter break.

K. Gladwin

Red Nose Day

stephen@ends-uk.com (Stephen Carn) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 17:50:00 +0000

Link to Album

Heathcote School celebrates!

stephen@ends-uk.com (Stephen Carn) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 10:19:00 +0000

100% pass rate in the 11+ examinations!

Every child who entered the 11+ at Heathcote School achieved a pass mark high enough for entry to one of the local Grammar Schools. Mr. Gladwin said, "Every child at this school will achieve in one area or another, this time we are celebrating academic success and can all be very proud of this result. It is a reflection of the hard work of both the children and the dedicated staff. Well done all of you!"