Good morning, Prep School family,
I hope that the Bulletin finds you all well and enjoying the week so far! I hope you had a good weekend and revelled in the sun before the rain came. On Saturday, I spent some time in the garden, reading and enjoying the warmth of the sun on my face. It was so relaxing. It is something that I haven’t managed to do for a while due to many factors (mostly all those boring grown up jobs that you have to do when you are not at work. . .) but this weekend, when everyone was out or preoccupied elsewhere, I grabbed an hour to myself and I immersed myself in my book.
On Sunday, we also went to Derbyshire to visit Mr Bennett’s family. It was so important that we made it up there this weekend and I am so pleased that we did. We were talking about weekends in our staff briefing yesterday morning and I was saying to some colleagues that I didn’t feel that I was as prepared for this week as I normally am as I hadn’t done any work on Sunday. They both asked me what I had done instead. I told them about going to Matlock and all the people we had seen and the reasons why the visit had been so important. Their words and their thoughts really made me think about why I was making myself feel so guilty about having one day in the week where I did no work. I enjoy my job so much and as you all know (hopefully!), I along with every other staff member, work our socks off to make Highclare Prep School the best that it can possibly be. Did school suffer yesterday in anyway because I had had a day of not working – no! Did the children miss out on anything because I had taken a day to concentrate on my family – no! Did anything happen yesterday that I could have planned for over the weekend to avoid happening – no! They reminded me that everything we all do for our school is a journey. It’s a build-up of work over many, many months that make things go smoothly on a daily basis – not the fact I worked for a few hours on a Sunday. I was reminded that I am part of an excellent team who always look out for each other and I was also able to reflect on and remember how important it is to prioritise my work/life balance to suit the needs of both family and school depending on who needs me the most. . . I am so blessed to have a home family, a school family and a job that I love. . . I feel very lucky that I managed to see our home family this weekend and help to make special memories that I will cherish forever and not feel guilty about doing so.
Quote of the week: “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose!” – Dr Seuss.
Well-being tasks for this week: These tasks for are for a Meaningful May;
Tuesday 17 May – Make sure that whatever you do today is meaningful
Wednesday 18 May – Send someone you care about a handwritten note
Thursday 19 May – Reflect on what makes you feel purposeful and valued
Friday 20 May – Share some photos with your family and describe why they are important to you
Saturday 21 May – Look up at the sky and remember we are part of something much bigger
Sunday 22 May – Find a way to help a cause you care about
Monday 23 May – Recall 3 things that you have done that make you really proud
Jokes of the week:
Q: Why did the mobile phone get glasses?
A: Because she lost all her contacts.
Q: How did the mobile phone propose to his girlfriend?
A: He gave her a ring.
Q: What’s the most popular video game at the bread bakery?
A: Knead for Speed.
Q: Why is Santa good at karate?
A: He has a black belt.
Q: Why did the turkey join a band?
A: So he could use his drumsticks.
Sleeps til Santa: 221 days
5 things that I am grateful for or looking forward to this week:
Can you try this simple exercise in gratitude and positivity?
- I am looking forward to seeing a friend this week
- I am looking forward to going to bed early and reading my book one night
- I am looking forward to going to the cinema this weekend
- I am grateful for extended family
- I am grateful for my health
Have a lovely week and look after yourself,
Lots of love,
Mrs Bennett
