If You Want To Fly, You Have To Give Up The Things That Weigh You Down (Toni Morrison)
It barely seems possible that we have already come to the end of week two of the Spring term! Christmas festivities seem like a distant memory as the students embark on a new term and all that it brings; I have been so impressed by how they have all come back ready for the challenges ahead with a renewed sense of vigour for the upcoming year.
This has certainly been true for our Year 11 students who come to the end of their mock examinations. They have shown great resilience (a key element of the Saint Felix Learner Profile) and buckets of stamina. They have not complained once (at least not to me) and will have learnt a huge amount from the process; they will feel more prepared for the real event in the summer and the feedback that they will receive will ensure more targeted learning sessions over the next six months. I look forward to welcoming Year 11 parents next Friday, where I will be speaking to you all briefly before an opportunity to catch up with teachers on learning points from the mocks, progress made and areas to focus on. The process of feedback and reflection (another key area of the Learner Profile) is fundamental to the learning process. Well done to Year 11! They deserve a restful and fun weekend.
The development of student leadership is a key element of our new curriculum and is woven into and embedded within the Saint Felix Diploma, which is providing a myriad of opportunities for students to learn the skills, qualities and attributes that are necessary to lead effectively and humanely. It was therefore a real pleasure to have two meetings this week where student ideas and initiatives came to the fore with such passion, enthusiasm, and planning. The Heads and Deputy Head of School have a number of areas that they are working on, one of which will see the reintroduction of the Saint Felix Yearbook ready for the end of the Summer Term. Having read through many of the older editions, I am excited to see what they will produce. The Sports Captains came with some wonderful ideas that were well thought through and will add so much to the whole Saint Felix community. I will not divulge the details at this stage but watch this space for further news of some potentially significant events that we will be looking to host and run. Continuing the sporting theme, one of the massive benefits of not having Saturday school is that it allows our students to participate in a wide range of sports for local clubs; we really are blessed in this area with some fantastic opportunities that are available to them, such as the one with East Coast Hockey Club that is attached. Having played Hockey throughout my school and university life, I can certainly extol the benefits of a fast-paced game that combines skill, dexterity, and the need for fitness! In other sporting news, our new Football pitch on St George’s Field is now up and running and the first home fixtures will take place next week on Tuesday and Thursday; please do come and support this and our Netball team who also have a home match on Tuesday in the Sports Hall. On the Cross-Country front, Saint Felix continues to have great success with Cody H winning the Suffolk County Championships by a staggering 400 metres! He will now represent his county in the Anglian regionals on the 2nd February; we wish him all the best.
It is wonderful to hear about Holly R-W continuing her drive towards gaining her PPL (Private Pilot Licence); she has now passed all of her theory exams covering air law, principles of flight, operational procedures, meteorology, communications, navigation, and other fundamental areas for flying. It really is a phenomenal achievement at such a young age and once she has completed a few more solo hours including a five-hour 150-mile cross country flight, she should receive her licence. Additionally, and how exciting, she has some work experience lined up with the Red Arrows out of RAF Waddington. It is a wonderful example of the attributes of the Learner Profile in action with visible and tangible positive outcomes.
This week, our Prep Department were fortunate to have a visitor from the NSPCC lead a series of assemblies and workshops with our Year 2, 5 and 6 students. The children demonstrated excellent focus and engagement, learning about the importance of speaking out if something does not feel right. It was inspiring to see so many students confidently identifying trusted adults both inside and outside of school whom they can approach for support. The workshops provided valuable lessons in safeguarding and empowering our young learners to protect their well-being. As we look towards Online Safety Day, we will use mentoring sessions and assemblies to ensure that all of our students understand how to be safe in a digital world.
I hope that you all have an enjoyable weekend.
Yours sincerely,
Matthew Oakman
Head
