Beachborough Newsletter: Friday 6th September 2024
Head’s Blog
“The time is always right to do the right thing.” Dr Martin Luther King
It has been great to welcome the children back into school this week, and to get the new academic year underway. As well as the buzz and excitement of catching up with friends, there has been a calm and purposeful atmosphere in classrooms, as new topics and projects get underway.
We also held the first of our Information Evenings on Thursday, which was a good opportunity to encourage you to remain in close communication with the school, and to let us know as soon as possible if you feel that something is not going well, or to pass on news from home that we can celebrate. The start of a new year can be busy, and we really don’t want to miss anything important, so please do talk to us if there is anything that we need to know.
We talk a great deal about respect for one another at Beachborough, as it such an important quality for a successful community. In assembly this morning, I reminded the children of this important moral value by discussing the impact that peer pressure can have on our community.
All of us want to get approval for what we do. Even teachers like to know whether they have delivered a good lesson – have they got their point across, have the children listened to them! In a new environment, a new academic year, the pressure for peer approval can be even greater.
As I mentioned to the children, it is unlikely that someone will signpost what the group expectations are, but there will certainly be a pressure to conform, to fit in, and not to upset the crowd. All of us want to fit in with others, and the concern is that you will sacrifice your own values in order to fit in. However, the great thing about a new term, a new school year, or a new school, is that this is an opportunity to do things differently. To consider what is right and do it. Not to listen to those people who might say that it is okay to be rude to others or that it is not clever to work too hard. Instead, it is a time when you can focus on what you know is right. Make new friends, show kindness, work as hard as you can, because ultimately, you will benefit from that. Take part, join in, because you will be the one who enjoys the challenge, and finds their passion. If some people don’t want to talk to you, go out of your way to find people who you want to talk to.
So, if you want to do what is right, be prepared to challenge yourself and do something difficult. It is very easy to follow the crowd, it is very easy to stand by and see things happen, it takes remarkable courage to go against the flow, to stand up for what is right, and to make the difference that can make things better, but that is what our community is all about, for ‘the time is always right to do the right thing.’
A huge thank you and well done to Form VIII who attended Prefect Training on Tuesday, they were an absolute delight to work with showing commitment and an excitement for their roles. We are very much looking forward to working with them over the coming months.
Wishing you all a very enjoyable weekend,
Simone
Saffiya and Riyaan visit Sri Lanka!
Clemmie N and Fran T (both Form V) made and sold cakes to neighbours on behalf of Mary’s Meals this week, raising around £20.
Summer Holiday Sports Camps
Introducing our new Wellbeing Ambassadors for the 2024/25 academic year – Lyla and Edgar!
