Our Blogs

Yesterday we received a lovely email from Mrs Carter about how our chicks are getting on. Our six girls were joined by three from a school in Watford who had also done the Living Eggs project, so they are now all together and have grown a lot! Mrs Carter sent some photographs which are in the gallery.

Here is Mrs Carter's email:

Here are some photos of the chicks. They are in a cold frame inside the big greenhouse and have a lamp on at night. Their feathers are really developing. They are eating like mad and I have to fill their feeder up twice a day. They also need a lot of cleaning out! They have enjoyed having the space to run around and try out their wings. They met the three from a school in Watford and they all get along well. The Watford trio are one week older. We hope to get them out in a house and run in the field as soon as possible but the nights have been too cold so far.
The first two photos are from when they first came here. The next two a little bit later and the last three were taken today.

The football team played amazingly well, representing Hertfordshire at today's ESFA Regional finals in Essex. They had 5 gruelling matches to play and they were fantastic! Although we didn't get through to the next stage of the competition, the team can be VERY proud of their efforts today - it was a fabulous achievement to get this far and show such skill on the pitch. Every child in the team received a medal and we also have a glass trophy for school.

We also took other members of the football club who were brilliant supporters - especially as Edward had made a fantastic banner to wave which really gave the team support and encouragement.

Thank you to all the parents who came along to watch and support; we are really glad you could make it. 

Special thanks must go to Mr Jefferies who has coached the team so well all season, assisted by Mrs Dunnigan and Miss Lean.

Very well done boys, we are extremely proud of you! There are some action shots in the photo gallery.

The chicks have grown quite a lot over the weekend; they have been eating a lot! Their wing feathers are starting to show now too. They have also taken to sleeping in the food bowl!

In the next couple of days the children in school will be able to handle the chicks and let them have a run around on the floor.

If any parents and younger siblings want to see the chicks then please do pop in after school during this week.

Wow! Class 3 were AWESOME at the Sporting Futures Dance Festival last night! The Gordon Craig was packed with children and families and a lot of talent! 

Class 3's routine was to 'Dance with me tonight' by Olly Murs in the style of the 1950's. They were absolutley brilliant and I can't describe how proud I was of them all. They had done a matinee and an evening performance so it was a long day but they behaved fantastically as ever, and did St Ippolyts proud. It was the first time we've taken part in an event like this and I don't think it will be the last if the success of last night was anything to go by. WELL DONE CLASS 3!

A huge THANK YOU to Miss Lean who prepared the class so well for their big moment and to all the other teachers and adults who helped throughout the day and evening. 

Keep an eye on the website for photos coming soon...

Our six chicks are growing well. They have started to eat and drink and are enjoying playing in the brooder box. Sometimes they run about so much that they exhaust themselves and they fall asleep on the spot - it's very funny to watch. On Friday they were cleaned out for the first time although they weren't very pleased at being put into a cardboard box! 

If you look closely you can still see the egg tooth on the end of their beaks which they use for breaking their shell. This will drop off as they get a little older. There are some new photographs in the gallery, and the chick cam will be on all weekend.

We have had six chicks hatch successfully and today they have moved into the brooder box. They are still quite sleepy and like huddling together under the warm light bulb.

At the moment they are not eating much chick feed as they still have food left in their tummies from inside the egg, but they are starting to peck around and show an interest so it won't be long until they are enjoying proper food.

This evening we will enable the sound on the webcam so that you can hear them cheeping. Remember to also check the photo gallery for daily update pictures.

Our eggs have been hatching today - it's been very difficult to concentrate on anything else!

They stay in the incubator for the first 24 hours after hatching. Their tummies are full from the yolk inside the egg so don't need food or water just yet. They also need time to stay huddled together like they would under the mother hen. 

Tomorrow they will start to go into the brooder box - keep an eye on Chick Cam to follow their progress!

Next week when they are bigger and stronger the children will be able to handle them. Parents and families will be able to pop in after school with younger siblings to see them after the weekend.

There are some photos in the gallery of the progress so far.

Everyone had a fantastic time watching The Russian Ice Stars perform Peter Pan on Ice at the Alban Arena yesterday. It was a magical adaptation of the story told not just 'on skates' but in the air too! We were kept enthralled by the flying, the rope tricks and even fire juggling. Some of the skating tricks were just incredible - and pretty nerve wracking too!

All of the children were fantastically behaved throughout the whole performance and I was so proud of them all. When I looked around they were ALL silent, totally transfixed with what they were watching - and there were lots of open mouths!

Thank you to parents and families who came to collect children at the end of the day, for parking appropriately to allow the coaches through and for bearing with us while we got all the children into school safely. Our journey had been a little problematic due to a traffic accident in St Albans city centre, hence our slightly later return, and we are very grateful for your patience. 

Thank you to all the adult volunteers who helped on the trip - staff, governors and lots of parents. We hope you enjoyed it too.

This trip was only possible through the generosity of the PTA who heavily subsidised the event to enable everyone to go. So THANK YOU to the PTA and to all parents and families for supporting the PTA's fundraising efforts throughout the year so that they have the means to contribute so well to our enrichment activities at school. 

As I write this, there is a LOT of excitement in school for our trip this afternoon! 

Just a reminder of important information for later today:

We anticipate being back around 5.30pm but will keep you updated via the texting service. When you come to collect your child at the end, PLEASE DO NOT PARK ALONG THE TOP OF THE HILL (either side) OR AROUND THE SCHOOL DRIVEWAY. We will have three large coaches to manoeuvre and it is important that their access to school is not restricted in any way.

We will take all the children back into school:

Classes 1 and 2 will be dismissed from their classroom doors

Classes 3-5 will be dismissed from the hall; please come into the hall to collect them; do bear with us if it is a little hectic! Thank you for your cooperation.

PLEASE NOTE THAT AS MRS PEPPER IS HELPING ON THE TRIP, THERE WILL BE NOBODY AT SCHOOL TO TAKE CALLS AFTER 2.30PM WHEN MRS WARNE-HOLLAND FINISHES WORK.

PLEASE TEXT OR CALL 07784 729233 IF YOU NEED TO CONTACT US WHILST AT THE THEATRE IN AN EMERGENCY.

Wow Wow Wow! What a FABULOUS afternoon at the Royal Albert Hall watching 20 members of our school choir take part in this year's Hertfordshire music gala.

Despite the very early start to make the journey into London, the children gave it their all in both the morning rehearsal and the performance this afternoon.  The sound of so many children singing beautifully in the Royal Albert Hall was breathtaking and I am sure that families in the audience will agree, it was a very special day, the memories of which will last a lifetime. 

As always, the children were a credit to St Ippolyts School, with impeccable behaviour throughout - I am so very proud of each and every one of them!

A huge thank you to Mrs Stewart who has prepared the children so well for this special day and also to Miss Patston and Mrs Margrove who helped today. Keep an eye on the photo gallery for pictures....

On Sunday 20 member of the school choir will be performing at The Royal Albert Hall as part of the Hertfordshire Schools Music Gala. They have worked very hard to learn all the words and I am sure they will have an amazing, memorable experience. Watch this space to hear how they got on next week!

Last night's Music Evening was a fantastic success; thank you to all the parents and families who came along to support the children as they showed off their musical talents!

A big thank you once again to all our music teachers, but especially to Mrs Stewart for coordinating the evening and leading music in our school.

A few parents asked why we did not have our usual collection at the end of the evening. We decided not to this year as we are very conscious of the fact that there have been several 'drains' on your pockets and purses recently - the forthcoming theatre trip, the O2 & Royal Albert Hall, the Guide Dogs fundraiser to name a few! We are very grateful for your support and generosity, but decided not to have a collection this year. 

There are photographs of the Music Evening rehearsal on the gallery page.

What a wonderful World Book Day we have had today!

THANK YOU so much to all parents and families who helped create such amazing book character costumes - the children looked fantastic at the parade this morning. Thank you also to our Governors for taking on the difficult job of judging and to the staff for throwing themselves into the spirit of things in their usual mad fashion!

Photographs of the day are now in the gallery for you to see. 

The Book Fair is still on tomorrow, before and after school in the hall; children can redeem their World Book Day tokens towards the cost of books at the fair. 

Celebrate World Book Day at The Book Fair!

Thursday 6th March (after school) 3.15pm – 4pm

Friday 7th March (before school) 8.45am – 9.15am

Friday 7th March (after school) 3.15pm – 4pm

There will be dozens of fantastic books for you and your child to browse through.
If we sell enough books, our school will get some free books in return, helping us to fill our library with lots of new and exciting books for everyone to enjoy.

Every child will receive a World Book Day book token worth £1 which can be redeemed at the book fair.

Remember to bring competition entries to win a £5 book token tomorrow morning.

Hope you can come, Happy Reading!

We had a fantastic pancake race for Shrove Tuesday today. To read more and see the teams in action see the photo gallery!

Thank you to Reverend Ann for cooking her special 'racing pancakes' once again this year, a highly guarded recipe especially for flipping!

A huge thank you to everyone who supported the School Council fundraiser on Friday - they raised over £260 towards their aim of sponsoring a Guide Dog.

Along with the fantastic donations for the Bring & Buy Sale, there were some AMAZING dog-themed cakes on offer - thank you so much for your creativity! We have some cakes left over which will be sold on Monday morning breaktime so children can bring some loose change if they would like to.

There are some photographs of the event in the photo gallery - do take a look. 

School Council’s

Guide Dogs Fundraiser

This Friday: 28^th February!

Here’s how it will work:

                   On Friday morning, please bring in items for the Bring & Buy Sale – toys, books and gift items in good condition.

                   Please send in cakes or biscuits for the cake stall on Friday morning too – it would be great if they are ‘dog themed’ but they don’t have to be!

                   Each class will come to the fair during Friday afternoon in school time. Children can bring a maximum of £4 to spend; please make sure this is in a named purse in loose change – no notes please

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                   Classes will be dismissed as usual at 3.15pm, but then can come back in with parents and families. The fundraiser will run until 4.00pm. (Please remember no buggies or prams in the hall)

                   Mrs Blencowe will be here with Gem, her Guide Dog puppy in training, and there will representatives from the Guide Dogs charity here, along with a blind person and their working Guide Dog: please do come in to meet them! There will also be Guide Dogs merchandise and information available.

Please help us to make our charity fundraiser a great success by ‘bringing’, ‘buying’ and coming along! Hope to see you there!

Thank you, from School Council

This coming Monday is our Open Session after school from 3.30pm - 6.30pm. Please do come along to see your child's books and have a look around school at their work on display. No appointment is necessary and you can stay as long as you want. 

It is also a great chance to come and see the fantastic results of this week's Arts Days on display in the main foyer. Here's a little taster of what you can see:

What a fabulous two days we have had this week for our annual arts days. The children have participated in a wide range of activities: sewing, collage, music & dance, seascape paintings, printing, clay, pastels & charcoal and more!

A huge thank you to everyone who volunteered to help – your extra pairs of hands are invaluable to us. Thank you also for to the staff for their ideas and enthusiasm, without which there would be no arts days at all!

Over the weekend we will be busy displaying the children’s masterpieces in the main entrance so that you will be able to see their work on Monday at the Open Session. In the meantime have a look at the photo gallery to see our artists in action.

Class One were FANTASTIC last week at their performance of 'The Nativity'. Big voices, confident speaking, wonderful acting and dancing and a real tear-jerker of a solo! Well done to everyone in Class 1, including all the grown ups who work really hard to enable the children to shine. Photographs have now been uploaded into the photo gallery - do take a look!