Saint Felix Remembers
On Tuesday, the whole Saint Felix community gathered together in the Cloisters to remember those that had fallen across the two world wars and other global conflicts; it is always a poignant moment, and the students conducted themselves superbly with the Heads of School (Senior and Prep) along with two Year 2 pupils, laying wreathes and crosses as part of the service. In assembly the previous day, the History Department had delivered a thought-provoking presentation that looked at how and why we remember, giving the students a challenge for their reflections and thoughts as they observed the two-minute silence. The ability to reflect carefully and in a considerate fashion is not an easy one to master, but as a pivotal part of the Learner Profile, it is an area that we will continue to develop in our desire to ensure that all of our students are well-rounded, thoughtful and kind.
On that last quality just mentioned, we celebrated World Kindness Day yesterday, and as part of each and every mentoring session, the students and staff wrote about acts of kindness that have positively impacted upon them. The collective post-it notes from the whole community have been placed on the Kindness Tree, signifying the fact that kindness helps us all to grow. Whilst we have five core values at Saint Felix that were chosen by the community that are all of importance to us all, kindness does sit above and beyond. By being kind to each other, we enable each and every individual to be the very best version of themselves, and that is something that we will always see as being pivotal to who we are.
There are many highlights in any given day as Head, but there can be no doubt that the unwrapping of the new outdoor play equipment for Reception was my favourite moment this week. Seeing their joy and enthusiasm as they arranged their new turfed blocks was a joy; they displayed imagination and creativity as they designed the layout as well as building up their gross motor skills. It didn’t take them very long at all to come up with something the adults could never have done and I could not resist joining in for some fun!
Last week, it was wonderful to be able to celebrate Fireworks Evening together, and what a magnificent event it was! With record ticket sales before the night itself, it was a bumper crowd of Saint Felix students, staff, parents and members of the local community who all enjoyed some excellent food, drink and a magnificent display to top off the night. My thanks go to everyone who helped to make it possible and to the PTA for running such a marvellous stand, raising more money to help us develop the provision across the whole school. We were also very fortunate with the wonderful weather last Friday compared to today!
There have been plenty of sporting fixtures during the last few days and what a successful week it has been. Saint Felix really does punch above its weight for a smaller school and this has been clearly visible across two different sports this week, Cross-Country and Badminton. Both the Girls and Boys were Suffolk Schools Under 16 winners, showing the depth and breadth of talent in this sport and our continued thanks goes to Ms Copestake who leads this area of school life so brilliantly. We are also gaining a strong reputation in the Cross-Country arena and at the Under 11 North Suffolk Games at Worlingham, Saint Felix came 4th overall with Aurora D and Charlie H winning their age group categories and top 10 finishes for Isla C, Hugo K, Beatrice S and Jude H. According to Mr Borrer, it was not just these individual performances that impressed but the sheer grit and determination of the whole team to finish in the best possible position. Next week, we have two Senior Football sides playing Norwich School, a first for Saint Felix, and with our smart new Junior kit (thanks to the PTA), we look the part and are developing a real sense of team. We are so proud of all of our students’ sporting endeavours.
We are all looking forward to the upcoming Ski Trip to Les Deux Alpes, France, available to students from Year 5 to Year 13. The trip will take place from March 28th to April 4th 2026, flying from London Stansted Airport. For £1,890, the package includes flights, accommodation, meals, ski equipment and lessons – an incredible value for such a memorable experience. The trip will be led by Miss Wong, accompanied by Miss Rushmere, Mr Fletcher, and Mr Jones. There are only five spaces left! Don’t miss this fantastic opportunity – please get in touch with [email protected] for more details.
The introduction of the Saint Felix Diploma has enabled us to enrich and extend the curriculum in a myriad of different ways and this week our Year 7 students took a trip to Southwold as part of their programme. Here, they embarked on a fun fact-finding afternoon linked to their studies this term. They have been considering how technology and in particular AI is changing the world around us. They visited the Alfred Corry lifeboat Museum, Southwold Sailor’s Reading Room, and Southwold Museum where they listened to some fascinating talks on the
history of the town and how technology has changed the local economy. Not only an interesting but also thought-provoking afternoon as they wrestle with the past and the present and the impact on a local community in a visible way.
Some important dates for your diaries as we enter into the beginnings of the festive season whilst also looking ahead to the joys of summer. Many of our parents are heavily involved in running local businesses and shops; please do support the Southwold Festive Shopping Evening on Friday 5th December. A wonderful chance to get ahead with your present buying whilst also enjoying the festive food and drink on offer. On Saturday 29th November, our choirs will once again herald in the turning-on of the Christmas Lights and will be performing at 2.30 p.m. and I know they would all love your support. Further ahead and into the summer, please save the date for the Saint Felix Summer Ball on Saturday 27th June. More details to follow but this will be an event for older students, parents, staff, OFs and the local community with a fundraising element built in and a well-known guest speaker (to be announced). Please do begin to organise your tables of ten!
Apologies for the length of the weekly newsletter in this edition but if nothing else, it shows how busy and industrious the students and staff are!
Hoping that the weather improves so that everyone can have an enjoyable weekend.
Yours sincerely,
Matthew Oakman
Head