Pix Brook A cademy News

The summer term is flying by and while we have no t necessarily had the summer weather we had last year many o ther things are as we would expect

Pupils have completed SATs examinations; spor ting f ixtures are in full swing and school trips and visits are happening The chess tournament has created some excitement and quite a number o f staff have already been humbled by some impressive year 7 and 8 pupils Its also time for the school to prepare for the next term with fur ther appointments and arrangements for the new pupils joining the school in September

These transition times are always busy and ever y year we work hard with our local lo wer schools to tr y to ensure all goes smoo thly. This is a big moment in the lives o f young people and can be ner ve wracking for parents. For tunately we are well used to this process and as we under take our f ifth intake into year f ive the strong relationship we have with the lo wer schools and extended time spent discussing pupils with them means we are well prepared.

Working in schools it is sometimes easy to forget that the extra -curricular activities beyond the normal school day are exactly that: extra The core purpose o f all schools is the day to day teaching and learning pro vided to young people in the hope that we can prepare them for their fu tures

At PBA we o ften discuss pupils “life chances” This phrase encapsulates the essence and purpose o f all schools: to impro ve young people’s life chances As educators we understand that a good education, in combination with good health and good oppor tunities will pro vide young people with the best chance to achieve their goals If we can

Walks For Health

Would you like to join a f riendly local group for weekly local walk?

Walks star t at 10 45am Meeting points for June:

1st/8th Corner o f Hospital Rd, Arlesey

15th/22nd Scou t Hu t, Baldock Rd, Sto tfold 29th The Cro wn PH, The Green, Sto tfold.

For details contact Beth Over f ield 01462 815672 facilitate this process by integrating with our core values o f aspiration, ambition and responsibility then we hope our pupils will leave with the qualif ications and attitudes that will enable them to do just that Cer tainly that is the goal o f the teachers at PBA

As we look to pro vide our broad and balanced curriculum, into year nine and beyond I am struck by the maturity and thought o f our pupils. They are already considering their options and looking for the right choices to make to enable them to achieve their goals. For tunately, as a gro wing school we are in a great position to pro vide those oppor tunities.

The plan to pro vide a range o f choices and options has been in place since the school’s inception and we have been really for tunate to be able to make some fantastic appointments for next year We will look to do the same throughou t the course o f the next academic year in preparation for when our f irst group o f pupils star t their GCSE courses

Steve Adams Principal Pix Brook Academy

Nor th Her ts Road Runners

Entries are no w open for the Standalone10k on 1st Oct www standalone10k org uk The next 1st Sat o f the month 5k at Letchwor th Common will be 3rd June at 9am Entr y is f ree and open to all abilities

We continue our training sessions with qualif ied coaches on Tues & Thurs evenings at 7pm These are open to all, why no t come along for a taster session with no obligation Contact Ian 07506429928 or nhrr.org.uk

The mental challenge…

The ironman journey continues, and training is going well. I feel physically stronger and f itter than I was, and I’ll be taking par t in two shor ter races o ver the next month, so hopefully this will sho w that I’m faster too At the moment I am injur y f ree albeit the body aches daily (I’m told this is quite normal ) Bu t picking up an injur y that might end this Ironman dream, is just one o f my many worries

As I write this, there are just 20 weeks to go, which seems disturbingly close, and it is all too easy to feel anxious abou t what lies ahead; the increase and intensity o f training and the toll that it will take on my body, the hours that I’ll need to f ind in what already seem like manically busy weeks, the cost o f training, nu trition, and various pieces o f kit There’s the question o f my bike staying f ree f rom mechanical issues no w and on race day, will I cope with the sea swim, will I make the cu t o ff time, will I be able to f inish, etc, etc

The mental battle, they say, is as much a challenge as the physical so when my anxiety spirals and keeps me awake at night, I tr y to remember what my Dad used to say. In his last few years, before the dementia f inally diminished my Dad’s gentle voice, his favourite saying was “what will be will be”. He would announce it quite absently and it was always comfor ting to hear him say these words with a calmness that I hoped mirrored ho w he was feeling. Although I tr y to take these words on board, I also kno w that on a practical level, there are things I can do to ease my worries too; I can train smar ter and impro ve my nu trition to reduce the impact on my body,

I can learn abou t my bike and practise f ixing a puncture and I can impro ve my conf idence in the open water

And most impor tantly I can think more positively So instead o f “what will be will be”, I’m sure Dad won’t mind if I change it slightly to “what will be will be up to me ”

Mumwith3

Change

Us humans o ften resist change, preferring things to remain just as they are. I was recently reminded o f ho w innate this can be. While ou t with some counsellor peers, one shared the response o f their two year old child to my f riends attempts to make an impending house mo ve sound appealing. When she made exciting promises o f a new bedroom, her child replied, ‘mummy, I don’t want a new bedroom because I want to keep my bedroom!’ It would seem that our dislike for change reveals itself as soon as we’re able to vocalise our feelings.

As adults, the desire to keep things the same can prevent us f rom seeing where we could benef it f rom change We may use the old adage, ‘better the devil you kno w’ to squash or silence any dissatisfaction or desire for change If we are too af raid o f the unkno wn elements that come with change, we may hold too tightly to all that we kno w This could be around the relationship we have with ourselves, o thers, jobs, houses, groups or any thing that gives us stability or continuity

While we may therefore resist instigating change ourselves, recent times have reminded us that change be thrust upon us at any time While unexpected change can pro ve especially challenging, I have o ften obser ved that in time enforced changes can lead to impro vements that may no t o ther wise have materialised. The opposite can equally be true, bu t either way change is an unavoidable par t o f being alive. All we get to choose is whether to resist or embrace it.

We canno t kno w with any cer tainty where change may take us bu t we can kno w what to expect when we hold on to the way things are. And if that isn’t working, we may need suppor t to make changes.

Arlesey W.I

Tuesday 13th June

Alison and Tosh Ross - Kurling

First V isit Free Come and join a f riendly bunch for a chat, cuppa and something different! We look for ward to welcoming you!