Chapel Services and Assemblies Make us a Community!
It is in Assemblies and Chapel Services that we come together as a community in order to share our experiences and deliver key messages. In so many ways, they are the most important elements within the daily and weekly schedule as they enable us to positively reinforce the values of the school, the importance and significance of the learner profile, and celebrate key events during the course of the year. This has very much been the case over the last few weeks with an excellent Chapel Service that celebrated the idea of differences.
We are all unique and have our own character traits, personality, likes and preferences; it is what makes us human, and it is our innate and fundamental differences that make our communities all the richer through their diversity. In the Heads of Year assembly last week, Mr West spoke about the concept of embracing and understanding failure; so often, this can be ignored and at our peril. We have all failed at something at some point in our lives; it is only through failure that we often learn more about ourselves and how to succeed. As the highly successful entrepreneur and innovator, Sir James Dyson, said, “I made 5,127 prototypes of my vacuum before I got it right. But I learned from each one. That’s how I came up with the solution. So, I don’t mind failure.” Or perhaps as the great Irish novelist Bram Stoker said in a slightly simpler way, “We learn from failure, not from success!”
In our whole school assembly on Monday, Mrs Mann talked about the importance and significance of safeguarding within our community. As our children grow up in an increasingly digital world, they are exposed to a wide range of opportunities and (unfortunately) potential risks when using the internet. At Saint Felix School, the safety and wellbeing of our students will always be the top priority both offline and online. Safeguarding is embedded within our school community daily through staff vigilance, strong pastoral care, our curriculum, assemblies and various external speakers which will take place throughout the school year. It is always important to continue to raise awareness about online safety and it is through collaboration between school and home, that we will have a better chance to help prevent online risks. By working together, we can help our children make the most of the digital world in a safe and responsible manner. A free virtual session for parents and guardians is available (with four options to choose from) via the link below which will provide beneficial advice and guidance.
For many years, the students in Clough have sent Christmas Shoe Boxes to children in need, and this year, the appeal is being organised by our Sixth Form boarders and will run across the whole school community. It was launched in our Chapel Services today and every student has been given a leaflet about the Christmas Shoe Box appeal. Shoe boxes can be dropped off at Nursery, Clough, or Senior Department Reception any time from now until the start of November. When we return from the half term break, we will send them on to children in Ukraine who have been affected by the war, and to children in orphanages and hospitals in Eastern Europe. Teams4u is a small charity that members of Mrs Meldrum’s family are very involved in, and thus we can be sure that the boxes will reach the children who most need them.
The Parent Teacher Association (PTA) continue to support the school in so many different ways and they have kindly asked me to pass on this request for help. This is a busy term, with a stall at the School’s Fireworks Night celebration, Christmas treats for Nursery and Pre-Prep, and a “Christmas Cracker” event for the whole school. If you can lend a hand, the PTA would be most grateful. You can sign up using this FORM and someone will get in touch in due course.
In other news, our very own Mr Chapman (Head of STEM), has been successful in his application to join the Advisory Board for the School of Engineering and Mathematics at the University of East Anglia. This role will help enable the strengthening of our partnership work with UEA and create further opportunities for our students beyond the school gates. Not only will our students interested in this field of study be able to tour the campus, they will also have access to their CAD/CAM workshop where they will be able to enhance their more advanced manufacturing techniques. As we continue to look for partnerships across all faculty areas, this is another new and exciting development.
With our first Open Morning on Friday 3rd October, please can I encourage you to continue to spread the good word (as I know you do) about all that we are doing here at Saint Felix. It is your continued support and help that will enable us to attract even more fantastic students to join.
Yours sincerely,
Matthew Oakman
Head