HEADLINES
By
James Saunders
IF YOU THINK YOU CAN, YOU CAN…
A huge congratulations to Riley Akers, Sophie Bloomfield, Scarlett Burks, John Cook, Otti Cousens, Maisie Darling, Khrystyna Havryliuk, Sophie Jobson and Dylan Skinner who all received Jack Petchey Awards. I had the pleasure of attending the ceremony last week, held at Alec Hunter School in Braintree and got to see a selection of the learners called onto stage to receive their award. Sophie Jobson got to go there two nights in a row as she also received an award from a local club too. The Jack Petchey Achievement Award Scheme is their flagship programme which recognises outstanding young people aged 11-25 across London and Essex.
The event itself was excellent. There was a real sense of community and a can-do attitude throughout the night. Honywood shared the stage with award winners from a range of local schools and clubs. It was lovely to see our learners on stage whilst hearing about their achievements in our community. Many of which were very personal and demonstrated excellent character and perseverance through challenging circumstances.
“If you think you can, you can!”
The Jack Petchey Foundation was set up by Sir Jack Petchey CBE to inspire and celebrate young people. Since 1999, over £160 million has been invested in programmes to benefit young people aged 11-25 across London and Essex. Sir Jack Petchey set up the Jack Petchey Foundation to inspire young people across London and Essex to work hard and reach their full potential. Sir Jack was an incredible inspiration to everyone who works at the Foundation. Sir Jack passed away last year and even at the age of 98 he took a very active interest in the running of the charity, as do the rest of his family who share his vision today.
He was born into a working class family in the East End in 1925, left school at 13 and then joined the Navy in 1943. After leaving the Navy, he began working as a clerk for a solicitor’s firm. He applied for management training but was told he would never make a businessman. Instead of giving up, Sir Jack used the £39 he was given from the Navy to buy a second hand car and started a taxi business. Through hard work and innovative thinking, he proved them wrong and built a multi-million-pound empire. Sir Jack’s experiences led to his passion to increase young peoples’ aspirations by rewarding their achievements.
What all of the award winners had in common was a positive mindset and a can-do attitude. They were not afraid of failure and embraced challenges head on.
DISNEY TRIP
A big thank you to the staff who supported this week’s Disneyland Paris trip. The feedback has been great and everyone enjoyed the trip tremendously. I enjoyed Mr Munro telling me about his rollercoaster experience in the rain and how it felt like a water ride. Trips such as this do not happen without the support of our wonderful staff. It is not just those who give up their time to go on the trips, it is those colleagues left behind who keep the school running. This week has been incredibly busy and I would like to thank the many colleagues who have supported those teachers absent.
James Saunders
This week’s challenge is about your weekly food shop. Can you do a complete shop without using any single-use plastic? If not the whole shop, can you make some swaps so that you choose items without plastic wrapping? Let us know how you get on!
Dates for the Diary
5th - 10th February
Friday 13th February
16th to 20th February
23th & 24th February
Tuesday 24th
Thursday
Wednesday