This above all: to thine own self be true,
William Shakespeare, Hamlet
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
We were delighted to welcome Phil the Storyteller into school this week to kick off our Shakespeare Project! The children were very excited to hear the story of Hamlet and will this term explore the age-appropriate themes of the play across the curriculum. They will also work with specialists on preparing for a performance which will delight our school community at the end of the term!
May Devotion – Saturday 3rd May with Mass at S. Silas at 12 Noon, followed by a procession. Click here for details.
‘Cool the School’ Auction
With several classrooms hitting 30 degrees Celsius yesterday (higher than the temperature outside), we need your support more than ever to help fund air conditioning where it’s urgently needed. Tickets for the live auction on Thursday 22nd May are available on ParentPay; please remember that there also will be an exciting online auction of very enticing prizes, so everyone can be involved in our fundraising efforts, even if you’re not free on that evening.
Please keep an eye out for further messages from your PiP reps and from the school.
Camden Schools Music Festival
We were exceptionally proud of our school choir this week, who on Wednesday attended the Camden Schools Music Festival at the Royal Albert Hall. Not only did they sing fantastically in a spectacular event, but they were superb ambassadors for our school. Well done!
Meet our new transition tiger…
Classes who are moving around school safely and calmly will get to keep our lovely Transitions Tiger in their classrooms for a whole week, celebrating their excellent transitions as a class team. Calm transitions help everyone to be safe in school and ensure learning in classrooms continues undisrupted.
Staff will be noticing which classes are showing wonderful walking* around the school. We will announce the winning class in our weekly Monday Collective Worship. Good luck everyone!
*Wonderful walking at HTSS means:
- Facing forwards,
- walking at a steady pace,
- in a straight line,
- without talking.
Moving on to secondary school
This is a very useful resource for parents of children in Year 4 and Year 5. Click here to see the upcoming secondary school events.
Art Blog
Enjoy seeing the incredible art your children have been creating on our art blog by clicking here.
Attendance and Punctuality
Our attendance is strong this week at 98%. Let’s keep it this high!
The attendance bears this week go to Year 1 with 98.6% and Year 6 with 100%.
The early birds went to Year 2 and Year 6.
Christian Vision
At the heart of Holy Trinity & S. Silas School are high expectations and depth in faith that inspire our children to grow, flourish and work together to achieve their full potential. It is our intention for all children to develop their fullest sense of self, both individually and collectively.
Strong in our faith in God, let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, by encouraging one another.
Hebrews 10: 23-25
This week we have been reflecting on the section of the Lord’s Prayer: Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. We have though particularly carefully about what is meant by ‘Thy will be done.’ What is God’s will? What does he ask us to do, and how can we do it?
In some ways, it would be easier if God just bossed us about like a bossy king or president, gave us orders, and forced us to do his will. And it would be even easier if he just took control of our minds and bodies and made us do what he wants that way. But that’s not the kind of king God is. He is more like a loving father, who respects our free will. He tries again and again to show us what he wants, but in the end he never forces us – we have to choose for ourselves.
Bible reading gives us a really good guide to how we can do God’s will, but it’s still sometimes hard to know what God wants. That’s one of the reasons why people pray – they ask God for guidance. Another way to discern God’s will is by listening to our conscience, that quiet voice inside us that helps us tell right from wrong. It’s the sense we get when there is something exciting or funny, but it’s uncaring and wrong and we shouldn’t do it. Or there might be something that is challenging or takes courage, but we know it’s right and we should do it. That’s God’s will. It’s exactly what we mean when we pray ‘Thy will be done.’ We’re saying, ‘God, please organise things so that they turn out in a way that makes it clear what we should do. Please help us listen to our conscience.’
I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience.
2 Timothy 1:3
Support for Parents
As part of our work with the PINs project (Partnership in Neurodiversity in Schools), we are excited to share an excellent resource for parents of neuro divergent children. Click on the link below to access a wealth of information, created by parents for parents:
Supporting your neuro diverse child
Behaviour Book Club
When the Parents Change Book – Buy Here
Free Counselling Service for Parents
Place2Be is a children’s mental health charity with many years of experience working with UK schools to improve children’s wellbeing and behaviour. The charity also supports parents and families and has a wealth of practical tips and advice on many areas of parenting, all of which can be accessed online, including: dealing with changes and endings; building resilience; separation anxiety; de-escalation techniques; positive body image; friendship issues; perfectionism; sleep; gaming habits; and many more. Click on the link here to access and explore the support
We highly recommend the free counselling service for parents through Camden. You can find out more and register your interest via this leaflet.
New Emotional Wellbeing Website for Young People and Families
A new NHS website, packed with emotional wellbeing and mental health information and resources, has been launched to help young people and families, as well as professionals working with them, to navigate support options.
NCL Waiting Room was produced with the help and input of young people, families and professionals. It aims to be a ‘one-stop shop’ for information on specialist mental health services, community groups, emotional wellbeing and self-care resources.
It allows young people and their parents or carers to search for, filter and share resources based on their needs and preferences.
NCL Waiting Room will continue to grow and develop, so watch this space for more details. You can visit the website here and try out the Support Hub resource navigation feature here.
If you have any feedback on the website, you can do this on the relevant pages of the site, or email rtown@tavi-port.nhs.uk
Camden Music Service
From Y1 onwards, you can sign your child up to learn an instrument in school. For more information and to download the Camden Music Service application form, please click here.
Other Community Initiatives
Camden Library
Camden Library Activities
We highly recommend these. Click here for the catalogue.
Term dates for 2024 – 2025
| First day of autumn term 1 | Wednesday 4th September |
| Half term | Monday 28th – Friday 1st November 2025 |
| First day of autumn term 2 | Monday 4th November |
| Last day of autumn term 2 | Friday 20th December |
| INSET DAY | Monday 6th January 2025 |
| First day of spring term 1 | Tuesday 7th January |
| Half term | Monday 17th – Friday 21st February |
| First day of spring term 2 | Monday 24th February |
| Last day of spring term 2 | Friday 4th April |
| First day of summer term 1 | Tuesday 22nd April |
| Half term | Monday 26th May – Friday 30th May 2025 |
| First day of summer term 2 | Monday 2nd June |
| Last day of summer term 2 | Friday 18th July |
