“I Can Accept Failure; Everyone Fails at Something. But I Can’t Accept Not Trying” – Michael Jordan
The whole school assembly on Monday continued to focus on the attributes, qualities, and characteristics of the Learner Profile that we are trying to instil in our students. Mr Williams (Head of Humanities and Social Sciences) developed on the theme of resilience by picking out five characters that had proved an inspiration to him, all showing this most remarkable of traits. Some were well-known and infamous and others perhaps less so to the student body, but each and every one of them had a powerful story behind their successes which were unique and individual to them.
Perhaps the most famous of them all was Michael Jordan, the 6 times NBA winner with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990’s, perhaps one of the greatest athletes of all-time and the main figure in a superlative Netflix documentary that I thoroughly recommend – The Last Dance. There are many great quotes associated with Michael Jordan, and Mr Williams highlighted one that is now infamous; “I have missed more than 9,000 thousand shots in my career. I have lost almost 3,000 games. Twenty-six times I have been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” Failure can be hard and tough, particularly at a younger age, but it is only by failing that we learn. It is by tasting failure and learning to cope with it that we become stronger and ultimately more resilient. A powerful message for all of the Saint Felix students to take on board.
Our GCSE and A Level students have all shown great resilience and fortitude as they continue with their public examinations. They have dealt with them admirably and have shown the other year groups beneath them how to cope with the stress and demands of a long and challenging exam season. As they enter into their final week of examinations, we wish them all the very best in their endeavours whilst reminding them gently that the very last exam is as important as the first one many weeks ago. It has been wonderful to see the GCSE and A Level Artwork this week before being moderated by the external examiner; a collection of vibrant, thought provoking and inspiring pieces that showcase the artistic talent in our school. I hope that many of you will be able to see the works from students across both Prep and Senior this evening.
Saint Felix continues to develop a strong reputation in Athletics, a sport that has gained such momentum here this term. At the ISA Prep Regionals, Amelia L won her heat (although bizarrely did not qualify for the Finals), Megan C came 3rd in a highly competitive field, and Cody H came 2nd and did qualify for the Nationals! Ronnie J came 4th in his event, Hettie S and Lola L both secured PB’s, and Ethan B jumped a highly credible 1.20 metres in the High Jump. With two more PBs on Tuesday for Eve W and Jude G in the Javelin and High Jump, and an impressive 4th for Michael H in the 100m, more and more students have started to come to the fore. This was capped off with a brilliant victory against the much larger Norwich School on Wednesday for our Year 7 & Year 8 team in a quad format where everyone competed in the 100m, 800m, Shot and Long Jump. An amazing 21 students travelled across to Norwich School to compete, and our Year 7 Boys took 1st, 2nd and 3rd!! Well done to Matthew B, Cody H and Charlie M who filled the podium places in that order. Megan C and Lola L came 1st and 2nd respectively in the Year 8 Girls competition, and Daniel B won the Year 8 Boys by a distance with PB’s in the Shot and 100m. Overall, a highly significant win for the students and thanks to the coaches who have put in so much effort this week to help them all to achieve these successes. Further success came on the Tennis Court with Oscar C, Jude G, Lilly R-W and Chloe P winning the North Suffolk U15 Mixed Doubles Tournament, beating the East Point Academy to claim the trophy. What a week of sporting endeavour!
This week, our Year 12 students went to Suffolk University for the annual UCAS Discovery Day; it is always such an exciting time for them as the end of year exams have been completed and they can begin to consider more deeply what might lie next after school. They have begun their application processes by registering with UCAS and they have booked Open Days over the next few weeks so that they can visit and see for themselves the institutions that might be right for them and hear more about the courses that they are passionate about. On a similar theme, there is an Online Careers Fair for Year 11 and Year 12 students that is free to attend, running from 7th to 11th July, with eleven different one-hour sessions covering a range of different options (details attached); please also scan the QR code to see what is available.
In addition, a number of Year 12 students are commencing their Critical Care courses in preparation for summer life guarding jobs at beaches across the Suffolk coastline, from Southwold to Lowestoft.
With the weather set fair, it looks to be a glorious weekend which I hope you will all enjoy. If you thought this week was busy, the next one has even more events packed in. It starts with welcoming back nearly 50 Old Felicians tomorrow and then continues with a Music and Poetry Evening on Tuesday night, the Year 6 to Year 7 Transition Dinner on Wednesday and the Year 11 Prom on Thursday. A busy school is a productive one where students can learn but also have fun and enjoyment along the way.
Yours sincerely,
Matthew Oakman
Head
