Saint Felix Under The Stars
It has been an incredibly busy but highly productive first half of term for all the students at Saint Felix. Public examinations have begun and thus far, the students have felt very positive about their preparation and the actual papers that they have sat. They now have a much-deserved break to refresh and prepare for the second half of the examinations season; we wish them all the very best. Internal exams have also commenced, and for some, they finish today. These provide an excellent opportunity to reflect on progress made and areas to focus on for the remainder of the academic year and as they move into the year group above. Please encourage your sons and daughters to focus on the areas they have done well in and what specifically they need to improve on rather than the raw grade or percentage result. This is always their temptation, but it is key that they take away the right learning points to improve on their studies.
On Saturday evening the boarders joined the Starlight Walk, a fantastic community event organised by Blyth Valley Rotary Club and Old Hall Cafe to raise money for the Sole Bay Care Fund and Dementia Care. Along with 200 other walkers, our boarders walked a 10-kilometre loop around the beautiful Suffolk countryside. Both the students and accompanying staff were delighted to be a part of this event, and the walk raised over £3000 for two fantastic causes. As we continue to look for greater connectivity with our local community, it is so important to take part in such wonderful events. As we look forward to the Southwold Arts Festival, more opportunities will become apparent.
On that afternoon, we hosted a number of former students who returned to their alma mater for a tour of the school given by our boarders, high tea and a talk from me on the future direction of the school. It was lovely to hear their stories of Paris (you will have to find out what this means) and sunny days by the beach. Life in boarding was rather different then and our current boarders were rather surprised to hear that some of the home comforts they quite rightly expect on a daily basis, weren’t always in place at that that time! There were some wonderful conversations of bygone days and most importantly, it showed once again the true value of friendship. For many, the friends that they made at Saint Felix have become their very best friends for life.
It was wonderful to listen to so many students from both Bronte and Clough in their Musical Showcase on Tuesday. Such confidence was displayed along with some considerable talent and determination. It was particularly pleasurable to see the wide array of instruments that our younger students have chosen to learn; the future Orchestra at Saint Felix is in very good hands.
To top it all off this week, two students in Year 12 have had their works of translation into Italian and German published in the last week. Eleonora P and Dominica J have shown great academic initiative and skill in their chosen areas of study to accomplish this feat; we are very proud of both of them.
I wish you all a very enjoyable half term and hopefully, the weather will be kind. I hope that many of you will be coming to my presentation on Tuesday 4th June to hear about the changes to the curriculum and the shape of the day. I will also use this as an opportunity to update you on other areas of the vision that I first presented to you back in September. The evening will start with Pimms and nibbles at 6 p.m. with the presentation beginning at 6.30 p.m. in the Silcox Theatre.
Yours sincerely,
Matthew Oakman
Head
