Weekly Newsletter 14th May 2021

Dear Parents

Monday brought us the latest updates on the roadmap out of lockdown and I am sure that the easing of restrictions will lift our spirits somewhat over the coming weeks. We will update you next week on how the latest information from the Prime Minister will impact our life at Barrow Hills.

On the subject of lifting one’s spirit, keeping a focus on wellbeing is extremely important. This week, Mrs Oldroyd launched a ‘Wellbeing Wednesday’ initiative for staff. At present there is a sector wide issue on supporting the mental health of those in the teaching profession. Staff continue to face the challenges of regularly changing procedures as we continue our journey out of lockdown and the uncertainties of what still possibly lies ahead.

Did you know that, based on much research, 10 Keys to Happier Living have been identified that consistently tend to make life happier and more fulfilling? These were all incorporated into our 5 Olympic Rings for the Be Amazing theme week – together they spell GREAT DREAM.

Give – When we give our time, energy and kindness to others, it not only helps them, it is good for our wellbeing too.
Relate – People with strong and broad social relationships are happier, healthier and live longer.
Exercise – Look after body and mind by exercising (walking is fine) and eating healthily.
Awareness – Spend less time worrying about what has happened and what might happen (you can’t change it) and spend more time in the present.
Trying Out – Learning exposes us to new ideas and helps us stay curious and engaged.

Direction – Choosing ambitious but realistic goals gives our life direction and a sense of accomplishment .
Resilience – We cannot choose what happens to us but we can choose our own attitude to what happens.
Emotions – Positive emotions are good for us, so make sure your glass is half full.
Acceptance – Learning to accept ourselves, being kinder to ourselves when things go wrong increases our resilience and wellbeing.
Meaning – People who have purpose in their life or feel part of something bigger are happier, feel more in control and get more out of what they do.

Niki’s mantra is that we cannot practise all of the above but at least can think of a few which may make a difference. We must make sure that we concentrate on our lives outside school too. I will ensure that I spend some more time thinking of ‘me’ in future and who I can turn to when I need to chat and share some concerns.

Fortunately, Barrow Hills provides me with many opportunities to see the ‘big’ picture in my position of Head. Here are a few of my highlights of the week:

• Year 3’s, Year 4’s and Mr Crisell’s assemblies on ‘Earth Day’, ‘Truth’ and ‘Teamwork’.
• Year 6’s history lesson in which the children animatedly discussed the causes for the outbreak of World War I.
• Finishing a cricket fixture on Wednesday thanks to the weather and my team won. (So did many others – well done, everyone!)
• Year 8’s activities sessions in which they gave presentations on and subsequently discussed, various current affairs issues such as the increasing tensions and escalating actions between Palestine and Israel.
• Watching the children enjoy themselves on the adventure playground and ensuring that Toby is entertained with a football or tennis ball.
• Going to the physio to, finally, sort out my leg which has been troubling me throughout lockdown. (Thank you Niki and Mr Shreeve for making this happen!)

I wish you all a lovely weekend and hope it gives everyone some time to relax.

Kind regards

Philip Oldroyd

Head

Pre-Prep

We have been very fortunate to have Mrs Miles back with us in Pre-Prep this week as Mrs R M Harris is recovering from an operation. Mrs Harris, we wish you a speedy recovery. Mrs Miles has so enjoyed teaching the children and being back at Barrow Hills. It has been a super opportunity for Mrs Crisell to spend the week with Reception, getting to know them a little before the autumn term; it will be here before we know it! At this point of term we do start to talk about moving on to their new classes and so begin to get them used to the idea. As teachers we genuinely feel quite sad to let them go so understand it’s a big change for them too.

In our Year 1 and Year 2 assembly today, I read the book ‘Leo and the Octopus’ by Isabelle Marinov. The book is about Leo. ‘He is a curious child but he feels different from the other children in his class and he doesn’t understand them. He doesn’t like too much noise and the commotion of the classroom can sometimes upset him. When he meets Maya the Giant Pacific Octopus he builds a friendship that assures him he is not alone.’ I had a super discussion with the children about how the illustrator of the book used calm pastel colours rather than bright vibrant colours. We talked about how it can sometimes be difficult to know how people are feeling as we don’t turn a different colour, e.g. red if we are angry and stressed like the octopus! The story was written to help educate about Asperger’s Syndrome, in a way children are able to relate to.

It is super to see children now reaching their silver badges this term and shows the hard work and effort that is being put in. I expect Year 2 are looking forward to their first away cricket fixture on Monday, fingers crossed for sunshine!

Have a lovely weekend,

Mrs Rachel E Harris

Head of Pre-Prep