Mrs Bennett’s Bulletin, Wednesday 3 March 2021

Posted: 3rd February 2021

Good morning, Prep School family,

I hope you are all well and had a great day yesterday. I had a lovely day in school. It was good to see so many smiling faces and hear the giggling coming from the classrooms, especially as the children started their day with Miss Upham and Mr Sneekes’ Fitness Club. It was high energy stuff! I needed to have a drink at the end and all I was doing was taking photos! What a great way to start a Tuesday – it filled the school, and I am sure your homes, with such a positive energy. Exercise is so good for our mental well-being. Remember what we say, healthy body, healthy mind. There are many studies which have shown that doing physical activity of any type can improve our mental fitness and well-being. For example, it can help with:
• better sleep – by making you feel more tired at the end of the day
• happier moods – physical activity releases feel-good hormones that make you feel better in yourself and give you more energy
• managing stress, worries or racing thoughts – doing something physical releases cortisol which helps us manage stress. Being physically active also gives your brain something to focus on and can be a positive coping strategy for difficult times

It is really important that we try and do a little bit of exercise each day. It doesn’t need to be running a marathon or climbing a mountain – anything that gets your heart beating faster than normal is good! I know that Mr Goddard likes doing a fitness DVD in his spare time, Mr Motivator style. Mr Greenfield is partial to a dance around his kitchen to a bit of Take That whenever he has a spare minute. Mrs Mitchell like to swim in open waters, whatever the weather (Mrs Mitchell also like a dance). Mrs Griffiths’ likes to cook up a cake storm in her kitchen to make the teachers very happy, Dr Luker like to go on long bike rides around the park channelling his inner Chris Froome and I like to belt out a musical tune at the top of my voice in the style of Elaine Paige (ask your parents!) when no one is listening, usually in the car on the way to work or when out horse riding.

All of these activities are examples of us doing something each day to help raise our heartbeat and make us feel good. I know that when I have been for a walk or a bike ride or I have given the house a good clean (Mr Bennett will dispute this is factually correct if he reads this!), that my heart is beating and I feel so much better for the rest of the day.

Can you do something today that makes your heart race and makes you feel more positive? Remember looking after your mental fitness is just as important as your physical fitness and luckily the two tend to go hand in hand!

#ChildrensMentalHealthWeek #HighclarePrepSchoolfamily #Hereforyou #Hereforeachother #Expressyourself

Days of the year theme: Carrot Cake Day and Golden Retriever Day. I have to say I LOVE cake but carrot cake just makes no sense to me at all. None, nothing. . . just why??

This week is also: Children’s Mental Health Week, African Heritage and Health Week and Cheerleading Week

Quote of the Day: “The only way to have a friend is to be one” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Friendly February calendar task (this month’s activities are based on friendship)

*Do an act of kindness that makes life easier for someone else

TOP’s weekly activity: Draw yourself as a super hero – what would your powers be? What would your costume look like? What would be your strength/weakness? What would your name be?

Life skill of the day: Sweep a floor – inside or out!

Joke of the day:

What is brown, hairy and wears sunglasses?

A coconut on holiday!

Fact of the Day: The shortest war in history only lasted for 38 minutes (house points if anyone can email me the name of the war!)

Sleeps til Santa: 324 days!

Three things I’m looking forward to today (thanks to Mrs Hinch for the inspiration): Can you try this each day? Remember, it focuses your mind on the positive and reminds us to show gratitude for things, no matter how small!

Today I am looking forward to: my morning coffee, HPP Merit Assembly and an early night.

Have a wonderful Wednesday,

Stay safe and look after each other,

Mrs Bennett

PS I may or may not have used a tad of poetic licence when talking about the teachers! Only about 7% of it thought! The rest is the complete truth!

PPS I am really sorry, I haven’t taken any photos today – I have been too busy in school. I will do some tonight and share double tomorrow!

Highclare School is proud to announce its newest Sixth Form Scholarship

Our Sixth Form Pre-Med Scholarship is now live for applicants to Highclare Sixth Form from September 2024 onwards.

The scholarship provides a bespoke programme for students aiming to enter university in September 2026 with a research-science based degree.

For more information email admissions@highclareschool.co.uk