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From the HeadmasterThis has been a very productive and busy term at Hallfield. All of the new pupils and 11 new staff have made a very good start to “Life at Hallfield”.

Once again, on 11th November at 11.00 a.m. the School (Nursery, Pre-Prep and Upper school) came together to remember those who had fallen and given their lives in the First and Second World Wars and more recent conflicts. This year was very pertinent as we commemorate the commencement of the Great War in 1914. Alex Pett, a pupil from KES, played the Last Post at our short, but poignant Service. At the end of the Service, the School filed out in silence to Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’.

Miss Watton and Year 5 produced some wonderful artwork about the First World War – thoughts and reflections about the terrible conflict which changed the world forever at the start of the twentieth century. The artwork was displayed in the Upper School Hall, together with a selection of handmade poppies hanging from a camouflaged net, for parents, grandparents and guests to see whilst they enjoyed refreshments before the Service.

In our Remembrance Assembly, Mrs Anthony, Miss Thompson, Mr Thackway and Mr Batchelor shared some family memories about ‘what the First World War meant to their families’.

This year the School has also supported the NSPCC Festival of Trees at the ICC in Birmingham. The Hallfield tree has been beautifully decorated with baubles created by children, parents and staff who took part in an art workshop at the School. Thank you to Miss Watton, Head of Art and Miss Wagstaffe (both pictured) and to Miss Kent, Miss Smith and everyone who helped with the project. The event runs until 4th January and the Hallfield tree, which looks resplendent with baubles of varying sizes, proudly displaying the ‘red’ and ‘green’ of Hallfield, can be found at the Brindley Place entrance to the ICC – do visit if you have time!

On behalf of the School, Tania and I wish you and your families the compliments of the season and a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year!

Inside this issue

From the Chairman 2

PTA news 2

Hallfieldfirst 3

Pre-Prep 4

Upper School 6

Hallfield Vision 8

Hallfield School Church Road Edgbaston Birmingham B15 3SJ

0121 4541496

office@hallfieldschool.co.uk

www.hallfieldschool.co.uk

Hallfield Focus... on the Autumn Term 2014

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From the ChairmanIt is with sadness that I report the retirement of Linda Pain, our Head of Pre-Prep. Linda has been a dedicated servant of the School for 26 years and leaves us at Christmas. Such long term dedicated service is rare in modern times and Linda will be greatly missed. Linda has worked incredibly hard for the School over her time here, she has made it her focus to leave the Pre-Prep department of Hallfield in better shape than when she took over as Head, and she has achieved that goal. She has fought tirelessly for her share of capital expenditure and has, in recent years, overseen the installation of a new adventure playground, the extension and refurbishment of the Foundation and Reception classrooms. We wish her and her husband, Roger, a long and happy retirement.

Keith Uff, Chairman of Governors

PTAI am delighted to have been nominated as the new Chair of your PTA. The committee also has eight new members, and the whole team has been very busy this term.

The Halloween Disco was a fantastic event to start our social calendar and it was great to so many children (and parents!) in fancy dress.

Many came to see Santa in his Grotto, and the festive games and activities provided hours of fun for the Hallfield community at the Christmas Fayre.

We are delighted to announce, for the first time ever, Hallfield PTA and Edgbaston High School PA will be hosting a joint event - the Snowball, on 31st January 2015. This event is for parents and friends of Hallfield and tickets can be obtained from school priced at £45. We hope to see you there!

Another family event we have planned is our Easter Egg Hunt in March – more details next term.

The PTA works very hard to organise events to bring the School community together. As a current parent, I know the extra benefits provided by the PTA to enhance facilities are very worthwhile, and I would like to thank everyone for their continued support.

Seasonal Greetings!

Raj Suthi, PTA Chair

CharitiesThe Autumn Term is always a busy time at Hallfield for charity fundraising. September brought the Macmillan Coffee Morning, which was a delightful occasion. Children, staff and parents enjoyed delicious cakes, which had been kindly donated by the children. The event raised a fabulous £793.89.

At harvest time we chose to support Birmingham City Mission, by donating packets and tins to be distributed to the needy in our own city. The collection from the Harvest service at St George’s Church raised £181.02 for Saint Mary’s Hospice.

The beginning of November was a very thoughtful time in School, as we reflected on the events of 100 years ago. Hallfield children are always keen to support others in need and were very pleased to help The Little Princess Trust, which provides specialist wigs for children. The charity was set up by Tim Lowe, a Hallfield Governor, when he was Headmaster of Hereford Cathedral School, to support children who suffer hair loss through cancer treatment. Children and staff came to school in bright clothes and had the craziest hair! A day of fun and activity raised a wonderful total of £2150.86. A huge thank you to all the children, staff and parents who have given so generously in so many ways this term; we think you are fantastic!

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It has been another busy term over at Hallfieldfirst. We have welcomed many new children and families, who are all now settled well into nursery life. We look forward to welcoming many more families in the New Year.

We have been embracing the mixed weather, enjoying the sunny days as well as splashing in puddles on the wet days – nothing stops us from getting outside at Hallfieldfirst. We have been doing lots of leaf collecting as the leaves fall off the trees, and have been exploring them in a variety of ways.

In October we had Halloween and Diwali fun, dressing up as well as having lots of pumpkin play and making Diva lamps. We also had the ‘Great Hallfieldfirst Bake Off’ in November, in aid of Children in Need. The children (and staff) had lots of fun making yummy cakes which were tried and tested by Mrs Pain and Miss Adams. Although all the cakes were scrumptious, there could only be one winner – a big congratulations to Rabbits Room on their chocolate chip cupcakes. So far we have raised nearly £90 for Children in Need!

The ‘Christmas Fairies’ visited the nursery on 1st December, and with a sprinkle of their magic ‘fairy dust’ turned Hallfieldfirst into a festive wonderland.

We had a fantastic Christmas party week - dressing up in our best party clothes and having lots of yummy party food. There was some dancing and party games as well as a chance to celebrate the festive season.

We would like to wish all our children, parents and families a very merry Christmas and a happy 2015.

Hallfieldfirst News

Dates for your Diary23rd December Nursery closes at 6 p.m. for Christmas

24th December CLOSED

5th January Nursery re-opens at 8.00 a.m.

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Pre-Prep NewsTransitionTransition have had a very busy Autumn Term and the children have all settled well into the daily routine and have started to make friends.

We had fun making vegetable soup and then tasting it. Some children were really keen... others not so much!

We have enjoyed exploring the School environment and love going to the Library and using the Upper School Hall.

The PTA bought Transition some fantastic willow panels and they are in the playground; the children love running in and out of them! Thank you so much to the PTA for their continued fundraising efforts for the School.

Transition’s Christmas Trip was to Dudley Zoo to see the animals, watch a Magic Show and meet a very special person ....... dressed in red and white!

Pre-PrepA new academic year began with lots of new children joining the Pre-Prep, from Hallfieldfirst to Year 2. They have settled well and we look forward to watching them progress through the School.

The first parent workshop of the term began with a presentation on how we teach phonics and letter formation to Foundation and parents new to Reception, swiftly followed by a Parents’ Information Evening to all Year Groups. Members of staff had the opportunity to talk about the curriculum and what is expected of the children socially.

The new School Council were elected by the children in Reception to Year 2 and were soon discussing fund raising activities for this term’s charity, The Little Princess.

To enhance the Year 1 curriculum the pupils have visited Hartlebury Country Museum to study toys through the ages and Birmingham Art Gallery to learn about the portraits.

Reception (RS) visited the Build A Bear store in the Bull Ring shopping centre and created a bear for the whole class to share! Each week, the child who is awarded the Golden Rules Award will take the class teddy home for the weekend.

RS chose a brown bear who they named Bertie.

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Pre-PrepThis term Year 2 studied the Victorians and visited Shugborough Hall where they experienced how children were taught over 100 years ago. They also attended the Upper School Harvest Festival at St George’s Church.

Parents were invited to the Pre-Prep Harvest Festival which was led by the Year 2 children and the French Breakfast where they were entertained by French songs.

Christmas PerformanceThe highlight of the term was the Reception performance of The Nativity – hankies were needed! The children enjoyed visits to Conkers, Dudley Zoo and the Snow Dome and Father Christmas made guest appearances at the Pre-Prep Christmas party and the PTA Christmas Fayre.

To bring a very successful term to an end the Pre-Prep came together at St. Georges Church for a Christingle Service, led by the Year 2 children and supported by the Pre-Prep and Staff choir.

Merry Christmas and Happy 2015 to you all!

Dates for your DiaryTuesday 10th February - 4.30pm – 8.00pm Transition, Foundation, Reception Parents’ Evening

Wednesday 11th February- 4.30pm – 8.00pm Year 1, Year 2 Parents’ Evening

Friday 27th February 3.00pm Whole School Art Exhibition

Friday 6th March World Book Day – dress as a character from a book

Friday 13th March - 8.45am – 9.15am Mothering Sunday Assembly – parents welcome

Friday 20th March - 9.30am – 10.15am Year 1 Play to Parents

Monday 23rd March - All week Hallfieldfirst ‘Stay and Play’

Tuesday 24th March - 2.00pm – 3.00pm Foundation ‘Stay and Play’

Wednesday 25th March - 2.00pm – 3.00pm Reception ‘Stay and Play’

Thursday 26th March - 2.00pm – 3.00pm Year 1 and Year 2 ‘Stay and Play’

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It has been a colourful and exciting term in the Upper School! There has been lots of great work taking place in the classrooms with children working hard and producing some stunning work and displays on the walls and corridors. We have all very much enjoyed the new reading lessons that are now taking place each day after lunch break and these have provided some peace and tranquillity in amongst all of the hard work and endeavour. There has been a wide array of fixtures to savour on the sports field, as well as plenty of drama workshops, school visits and field trips for the children to enjoy. Some of Year 6 enjoyed a wonderful 4 day visit to France staying in a grand Chateau in Normandy.

They enjoyed a fantastic programme of events on site and in the local area, including practicing their spoken French at a local market. It has been a particularly productive term for our charity fund raising with money raised for the Poppy appeal, MacMillan nursing, and the Little Princess Trust. All of us here, children and staff, would like to say thanks to all the parents and families of the Hallfield community for their support of these events and for their enormous generosity, on which the success of these events ultimately depends.

ScienceIn Science this term we have introduced the Year 3 children to a range of Scientific ideas including ‘MRS GREN’, the main functions of a skeleton and the Particle Theory. We followed this with an exploration of Rocks and Soils around School. Year 4 learnt about the dangers of electricity and how to construct simple circuits as well as describing the properties of materials culminating in the superb display and assembly, showing their skills in developing truly useless objects. We even had a chocolate teapot! Year 5 discussed how materials change state and explored the water cycle as well as looking at the Sun Earth and Moon, including a visit from ThinkTank to take us for a tour of our solar system in the comfort of the Sports Hall. Miss Watton took the opportunity to design a moonscape with the Year 5s. In Year 6 we introduced the children to the dangers of using a Bunsen burner and explored burning and other reversible reactions as well as reviewing our knowledge of electrical symbols and circuits and looking at the composition of sounds.

Mr Wilkinson and Dr Anderson (pictured) received the Primary Science Quality Mark – Silver Level – on behalf of the School.

MusicHallfield Music Department has welcomed two new peripatetic teachers this term, Ms Ayton(Brass) and Ms Starkie(Piano). They join Mrs German, the new Head of Music. As ever, the department has been busy, now with two weekly sessions of choir, increased instrumental lessons and ensembles. The Harvest Festival at St Georges’ s Church was a great success with the choir singing among others, ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’ by John Rutter.

Following our very successful assembly given by visiting music staff, a letter for children who showed great enthusiasm to start learning an instrument will be coming out shortly and parents are asked to complete and return it to the school office as soon as they can. We would like to extend our provision of lessons and ensembles to more children in the New Year.

The Christmas Carol Service took place on 9th Dec at St George’s Church and the Choir sang a medieval carol ‘O Come and Join the Dance’ with traditional drones and a gentle Czech carol Lulla lullay, about rocking the baby Jesus to sleep!

Upper School News

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SportEvery boy in year 6 played in a number of competitive matches, 20 boys in Year 4 and 5 playing at least one match for the school.

The Under 11 A team played in some very close and exciting matches as well as being runners up to Harborne Junior School in the Villa Qualifying Competition for the local area and losing in the quarter final of the Shrewsbury tournament to the eventual winners - Prestfelde.

Every Under 11 team A-D produced at least one win throughout the season. The Under 10 A and B teams have become much more competitive, and improved on their results in Year 4. Under 9 A Team, was unbeaten in regular fixtures and only lost in the final of the Prestfelde A Tournament. The Under 9 B team also played well and were runners up in the Prestfelde Under 9 B Tournament.

The Vixens produced a great performance against a team from Bromsgrove to secure a 2-0 victory and managed a super draw against Solihull. The two games against Blue Coat saw the girls narrowly defeated 3-1 both home and away. The Vixens also participated along with 23 other teams in the Regional IAPS Hockey Tournament at Repton. The day was great experience - playing 5 games, resulting in 3 draws and 2 narrow defeats.

The Vixens B team had their home and away fixtures against Blue Coat. The away fixture on grass was a great learning experience. The return fixture was played against Blue Coat C team on the all-weather. A great team performance saw a fully deserved 2-0 victory.

The U10 A team have had a good term and remain unbeaten. An early victory against Solihull was followed up by three exciting draws against Blue Coat (Home and Away) and Bromsgrove. The U10 B team lost their opening fixture to Blue Coat but. since then the season has progressed well .Victory against Bromsgrove was followed by a narrow defeat to Blue Coat. Special mention to Anika De for scoring two hatricks –against Bromsgrove and Blue Coat.

The U9 A team have been the most prolific scoring team with a total of 11 goals. Special mention should go to Sana Sibal for her hat trick against Solihull. The team have played 3

matches drawing 2 – against Blue Coat and Winterfold and winning 1. – against Solihull. The U9 B team played a super match against Blue Coat. It created much excitement and finished 1-0 to us!

Operation Christmas Child

Once again the generosity of the Hallfieldian families has meant that 73 shoe boxes (a record total) are making their way to ‘good homes’ around the world; we hope that for many boys and girls, they will make this Christmas a memorable one.

Chess Competition at KES

The Hallfield Chess Team took part in the recent primary schools competition held at KES. This was an ‘individual’ event and two of our players, Aarav Duggal and Rohit Jose were among the overall winners. The rest of the team performed very well and all players quickly adjusted to the fast pace – with only 5 minutes allowed per game!

Dates for your Diary12th January Upper School Peripatetic Music Teachers Parents’ Evening

11th February Year 6 SRE Parents’ Evening

12th February Year 3 Parents’ Evening - All Subjects

26th February Year 4 Parents’ Evening - All Subjects

5th March Year 5 Parents’ Evening - All Subjects

10th March Year 4 & 5 11+ Destinations Meeting (Form Teachers and SMT)

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From the chairmanIt is a privilege to have been elected to continue as Chairman of the OHS for 2015 and I look forward to working with the committee and to meeting many OH’s, in the coming months. We have a wide variety of events planned for 2014/2015 - there is something suitable for every age group, more details can be found on the school website.

It is always a pleasure to hear from Old Hallfieldians and if you have any news, personal achievements or announcements which you would like to share with other OHs, please do get in touch.

I would like to wish all Old Hallfieldians and their families a very happy Christmas and a peaceful 2015.

With best wishes Tim Venner, OHS Chairman

Christmas ReunionOver 40 Old Hallfieldians attended the Christmas reunion at The High Field in Edgbaston on Wednesday 3rd December. Our informal reunions are becoming very popular and it was wonderful to see so many of you ‘catching up’ and enjoying the festive

atmosphere. Pictured are OH’s Kathryn Cartwright (OH Committee member) and Sadie Chana.

Friends Reunite for WeddingA proverbial posse of Old Hallfieldians supported Will Speer (83-90), on his wedding day. Will married

Debbie Humble on 20th September 2014 at Littlehampton, Sussex. The Global Brand Director for Bob the Builder and Fireman Sam (HIT Entertainment), Will certainly fixed the weather when the OH boys assembled on the beach for a group photo! They

have remained firm friends since they met as young schoolboys in the Pre-Prep Department… a long time ago!

Happy Days at HallfieldJust turned eight, I would often peer round at the older children during assemblies, thinking how OLD they are, those 12-year-olds about to take exams for “big” school.

The early challenge looked ominous as homework became more “serious” with each term. Yet Hallfield’s pastoral care supported us on our academic and personal journey as we began to grow up.

Latin with Mr Button was my highlight, along with Mr Rossi’s orchestra. Mr Hackett was, sadly, less impressed with my maths - but Mr Stevens’ suggestion I might like German led to a degree and my first “proper” job.

For sport, I LOVED the waterlogged “Game Eight” rugby pitch where tackles left you soaked. In cricket, that MacMillan fellow always bowled me out. My revenge was to take his wicket! There were also two wonderful skiing trips to Scotland...

Studying languages opened doors and I write from Brazil! (Yes, I saw some of the World Cup...)

But, occasionally contemplating the playing fields from the Redditch train I feel happy nostalgia. A good school is a lifelong blessing. Enjoy.

Chris Wright, Hallfield (Ridgway!) 1975-1980

Hallfield Vision Looking back to the future: The Old Hallfieldian Society

Dates for your diary6th Feb at 19.30 OH Quiz Night Pre-University Challenge

5th March at 18.00 Informal Reunion London

18th March at 18.00 Informal Reunion Edgbaston

16th May 16.00 to 18.00 Younger Members’ Bowling Edgbaston

12th June at 13.00 OHS v WHOBA Annual Golf Tournament

16th Sept at 18.00 Informal Reunion Edgbaston

18th Sept at 17.30 Recent Leavers’ Football & Hockey Tournament

12th Nov at 18.45 OHS AGM in the School Library Followed by drinks and canapés

Congratulations

Well done to the following Old Hallfieldians on their recent GCSE achievements at King Edward’s School:

Edward Cooke, Khalil Raja and Shiv Sharna who each received a full set of 10 A* grades – congratulations and good luck in your A Levels!

Contact the OHS

Tim Venner Chairman Tim.Venner@ Charles-Stanley.co.uk

Celia Hooper Executive Officer C.Hooper@hallfieldschool.co.uk

Tania Outwin-Flinders Communications Officer T.Outwin-Flinders@ hallfieldschool.co.uk