The Devonshire Hill Times

Monday 2 December
Christmas Tree arrives
Post Boxes available for christmas cards

Tuesday 3 December
POSTPONED: Tottenham Stadium Tour
Y3 Coral & Y4 Crystal

Wednesday 4 December
Y1 & Y2 Singing Performance - 2.30pm

Friday 6 December
Daily Mile Santa Run - £2
come to school in your festive outfit

Classroom Decorating - 2pm
parents/carers welcome

Tuesday 10 December
Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4 Aladdin Panto at Millfield Theatre

Tottenham Stadium Tour
Y6 Ammolite & Azore

Wednesday 11 December
Y5 & Y6 Aladdin Panto at Millfield Theatre

Y3 & Y4 Singing Performance - 2.30pm

Thursday 12 December
Winter/Christmas Jumper Day - £2

Christmas Lunch

EYFS Winter Production - 9.15am/2.30pm

Friday 13 December
Michael Rosen Trip Y3, Y4, Y5, Y6
at Haringey Sixth Form College

Monday 16 December
Raffle Ticket Sales Closes at 9.30am

Tuesday 17 December
Gingerbread workshop - School Council

POSTPONED: Tottenham Stadium Tour
Garnet, Onyx & Quartz

Friday 20 December - LAST DAY OF TERM
End of Autumn Term Seasonal Party

Monday 6 January
Inset Day - School Closed - Staff only

Tuesday 7 January
Spring 1 Term Begins - Children Return

During anti-bullying week, children across the school participated in a variety of activities aimed at raising awareness to the importance of choosing respect. Children produced powerful art, took part in special assemblies and discussions, they also celebrated individuality during both Odd Socks Day and Pudsey Day.  In our mission to stand tall against bullying you have helped to raise the following funds:

Odd Socks Day raised £65 which has been spent towards a new collection of anti-bullying themed books which can be loaned from the PSHE library outside of the Headteacher’s Office

Pudsey Day raised a total of £140 which will be equally divided between Children in Need and Devonshire Hill.

Thank you to everyone for their generosity and for supporting such an important cause. Please remember to always choose respect.

The projects completed for Autumn 1 Home Learning were absolutely fantastic! Not only were they so brilliantly creative but this term there were a record number of projects which means lots of stars were awarded for the star chart. We had a broad collection of projects to take us around the world, from the River Rhine to Ancient Egypt and Mecca. The children came equipped with their latest knowledge, they shared facts about how to keep healthy and active, how to complete mathematical equations and how to create brilliant still life drawings full of texture. We really did have a wonderful time celebrating all of that incredible knowledge.

Autumn 2 Home Learning is due on Friday 13 December from all children in Year 1 to Year 6. Home Learning Passports are available on the school website at www.devonshirehill.com/our-learning/home-learning/

Tickets for our annual Christmas raffle are now available to purchase from the ParentMail shop. This event depends on the generosity of our community and we are asking for all families and staff to donate at least one item to the raffle table. The more donations we receive the more winners we can draw. Last year’s raffle had a fantastic collection of sweet treats, gifts/toys for children, and home accessories.

Please bring your donations to the Office and add them straight to the table. 

All raffle tickets and fundraising donations can be paid in the ParentMail shop, please note that purchasing an e-ticket enters you into the draw electronically, you will not receive a physical ticket.

Visit ParentMail>Payments>Shop

Thankyou in advance for your generosity!

There are a number of festive events taking place across December. From Christmas cards and classroom decorating competitions, to dress up days and performances. Please ensure that you are regularly checking your ParentMail notifications and following the December Calendar of Events letter as parents/carers are invited to a number of these events.
The children thoroughly enjoy having visitors at the school, it would be brilliant to see as many families attending as possible. Access our upcoming events at: www.devonshirehill.com/letter/december-2024-events-for-your-diary/

During Road Safety week we offered some fantastic opportunities for our families which included a scooter raffle for the whole school and Bikeability training for children in Year 3 to 6. Thankyou to everyone who took part by purchasing raffle tickets to win one of six scooters. Your participation raised a total of £130 for the school. 

Well done to all of the children who participated in Bikeability training. They had a fantastic time learning how to cycle safely and with more confidence.  We’ve had some wonderful feedback from our families. Our most confident riders even applied their improved skills on the local roads in small groups.

As part of our Eco Schools action plan, members of the school council recently planted some bulbs during their lunch times. The children are currently on a mission to enhance biodiversity in our school, planting daffodils and crocus bulbs has been a brilliant starting point. In total the children planted 80 bulbs in and around the perimeter of March Wood; they are very excited to see the first signs of the vibrant flowers awakening in February. Flowers that bloom in late winter to early spring add much needed colour but most importantly they also provide pollen and nectar for insects that are emerging from hibernation. This can only be good news for the planet, great work everyone!

Throughout the month of October, children across the school participated in activities relating to Black History Month. The children produced some wonderful art and written work. Subjects covered included African Art, Harriet Tubman, Bob Marley inspired art and singing, and the Windrush generation to name a few. What a brilliant outcome and cause for celebration.

Black History Month may have ended but our enriched curriculum will continue to offer a culturally diverse learning journey which reflects and celebrates our brilliantly diverse community.

Our Nursery and Reception have started rehearsals for this year’s winter production. Children have been working extremely hard to learn the story of the Jolly Red Santa, practise their lines, learn new songs, and create props for the occasion. We are very much looking forward to welcoming our families to enjoy this wintery production on Thursday 12 December.

By annual tradition, the Head Boy and Head Girl joined Year 5 to attend a local remembrance day service for schools. The event took place at Tottenham Cemetery, bringing together a variety of generations from the local community. The Mayor of Haringey, local councillors, and veteran soldiers were joined by school children. Together they observed a 1 minute silence, lay poppies and sang together. This event was a powerful and important occasion to acknowledge those men and women who have sacrificed their lives for the freedom we have today.

Both Opal and Pearl Class are filled with beautiful artwork which celebrates the Reception learning journey over the last half of term.  The collection of creations includes firework drawings for Guy Fawkes, poppies for Remembrance Day, and snowflakes to mark the arrival of winter. If you would like to donate creative resources for the upcoming spring term projects please bring your contributions directly to your class teacher. 

This year we held our second Spooky Autumn Disco and it was a huge success!  The school was filled with outstanding outfits, of all different autumnal colours, themes and spooky styles. The Devonshire Hill pumpkin patch was filled with creatively carved pumpkins. Our talented parents/carers helped to decorate the Main Hall in perfect time for the disco which was filled with energetic dancing, singing and laughter. We would like to say a  huge thank you to everyone who made this event as special as it was and for your generous donations. This year we raised a total of £207, this has been added to our FUNdometer which can be seen on the school website: www.devonshirehill.com/news/fundraising/

Year 2 were so excited to explore historic sites during their trip to London to attend the Wren300 tour. This experience offered an incredible opportunity to bring their history subject, ‘The Great Fire of London’, to life. The children were in awe as they stood beneath the famous architecture of St Paul’s Cathedral listening to stories of architect Christopher Wren.

Inspired by a transformed London, children designed their own architecture using ink quills and building blocks. The day came to a close with a special role play session to discuss important facts about rebuilding London while dressed as key characters such as citizens, architects, and builders.

Year 5 had a brilliant time visiting the British Museum as part of their History topic ‘Islam in the Early Stages’. During their visit the children experienced the Silk Road Exhibition. They explored  lots of interesting objects with important connections to culture and history. From ceramic figurines, to jewellery, maps and clothing, each item on display has an important link to communities across Asia, Africa and Europe. One Year 5 child explained that they saw ‘a video of an ancient painting being restored and leggings made of the finest sheep skin.’ Thank you to the parents/carers who generously donated their time to volunteer on this trip.

In 2025 our school will be introducing a new school app called MyEd. In preparation for the transition from ParentMail, all parents/carers are encouraged to download the new app to their device. For now please continue to access ParentMail. More information about MyEd will follow.

All families with children starting Reception in September 2025 must visit Haringey Primary Admissions and apply before the deadline.

Please remember to share details of our Open Day visit with your friends and family.
If you are part of a community group or your workplace has a notice board please ask at the Office for some flyers to circulate within the local community.