MowdenHallSchool
WeeklyNews
Week Beginning: 2nd September 2024
We are back!
Ithasbeenwonderfultowelcomeallofourchildrenbacktoschoolthisweek Ourboardersreturned onTuesdayeveningandenjoyedasuperbBBQintheHead’sGarden,andWednesdaymorningsaw thereturnofallourdaychildren;seeingtheirfacesastheyarrivedwasalovelymoment.
Thestartofanacademicyearbringswithitaplethoraof(oftenconflicting)emotions;excitement, nervousness,courage,fear…itcanbeadauntingtime.Thankyousomuchforyoursupport.Weall understandthereisahugeamounttoorganise,andappreciateallofyoureffortstoensureasmooth transitionforourchildren
AtthestartofeachtermIvisiteveryclassroom;itisoneofmyfavouritethingstodo.Thesenseof purposeIdetectedfromourYear8childrenwasencouraging;theynowtakeonnumerouspositions of responsibility and my expectations of them are unashamedly high. Nursery was incredibly industrious,andquitefranklymypresencewasaninconvenience,astheyhadfarbetterthingstodo thanchatwithme!Overalltheatmospherewasagorgeousone,ineveryclassroomandinboththe PrepSchoolandthePre-Prep.
Goingforwardwewillbesendingonewholeschoolweeklycommunicationwithnewsfromboththe Pre-PrepandthePrepSchool.Wehopeyouenjoyit.
Idohaveacoupleofrequests.Pleasecanappointmentsforthechildren,whereverpossible,bemade outsideofschooltime.Idounderstandthisisnotalwaysachievable,butwemustdoallwecanto supportattendanceatschool.
Inaddition,pleasecanIaskthatcommunicationwithmembersofstaffatschoolisbetweenthehours of 7.00am-7.00pm(unless it is anemergency).Staff at Mowdenwork incredibly hard,and their wellbeingisofparamountimportancetome.Accordingly,Iwouldbegratefulforyoursupportwith thisrequest.Idounderstandthatyourownworkingcommitmentscanmakethisdifficult,butIwould requestthatyouusetheoptiontoschedulesendanemailifyoudoneedtodothisoutsideofthese hours.
Mrs. Kate Martin, Head
Along with Pre-Prep!
WeofferawarmwelcometoallourMowdenfamiliestothefirstPre-Prepnewsletteroftheyear.We hopethisfindsyouwellandfilledwiththesamejoyandenthusiasmthatwe’veexperiencedduring ourfirstfewdaysatPre-Prep.
The smiles and excitement of the children walking through the doors each morning have been heartwarming Thisweekwe’vehadtheprivilegeofstartingtogettoknowournewfamilies,catching up with all existing Mowden families and witnessing the children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learningintheirnewclassrooms.
Weunderstandthatthefirstfewdaysofschoolcanbeabigadjustmentforbothchildrenandparents. Pleaseknowthatourexperiencedstaffarededicatedtoensuringasmoothtransition.We’veobserved that the children are quickly settling into a routine, making new friends and exploring their new surroundingswithenthusiasmandenergy
Asthefirstsevenyearsoflifeareparamountinlayingthefoundationsofallfuturelearningwereally can capitalise on making the most of every moment. Our Pre-Prep curriculum is designed to be engaginganddevelopmentallyappropriate.Wehaveexcitingactivitiesandlessonsplannedforyour childrenthatwillsparktheircreativity,enhancetheircognitiveskills,andfosteraloveoflearning.In thecomingweeks,wewillintroducevarioussubjects,artsandcrafts,music,andphysicaleducationto provideawell-roundededucationalexperience
Astheschoolyearprogresses,wehavesomeexcitingeventsandactivitiesplanned,includingaclass discoverymorningandanoutdoorWildLearningafternoonnextweek.
Webelieveintheimportanceofopencommunicationbetweenparentsandteachers.Ifyouhaveany questions, or concerns, or simply want to share your child's experiences, please don't hesitate to reachouttous.Weareheretosupportyouandyourchild'sjourneythroughPre-Prep.
Weareincrediblyexcitedaboutthepossibilitiesthatlieaheadforyourchildrenthisschoolyear.
Thankyouforentrustinguswiththeireducationandgrowth.Welookforwardtopartneringwithyou tocreateawonderfulandenrichingexperienceforthem.Let'smakethisafantasticyeartogether!
Mrs. Kirsten Knight, Head of Pre-Prep
Our theme this half term is kindness, and we will be encouraging the children to focus on this in all areas of schoollife. Theme for this half term!
Notices
ApolitereminderthatallPrepSchoolchildreninfrom Years 3-8 require a gumshield for sport Please send oneinasapifyourhaven’talready.
Thisterm,allpupilsfromReceptiontoYear8willhave theopportunitytoreceivetheflunasalsprayatschool. If you would like your child to receive this immunisation,pleasecouldIremindyoutocomplete the consent forms. These forms were emailed to you beforetheendoftheSummerterm,andforournew pupils,theyweresentoutearlierthisweek.Ifyouhave anyquestions,pleasefeelfreetocontactNurseLaura (ldanby@mowdenhallpstorg)
Thanks
Thank you to Reverend Linda Hunter for coming to school on our first day to bless our book bags We celebrated new beginningsandaskedGodtohelp us be kind to each other and to workhard!
Great North Run 2024
This year Mr Sturt is running for Heel and Toe charity, the NorthEast’schildrens’charity for those with disabilities He has been in (moderately) serious training over the summerandhopesfor1hour 50 mins of running to complete the run. Mr Sturt would be delighted if you could support this very worthwhile charity by contributing to the JustGiving page HERE Last year we collectively raised an incredible £839.00, and the hope is that we can beat this target! Thanks so much for anything thatyoucancontribute.
The new Autumn Term Calendar is available on the schools website For Prep School please can we highlighttheGlenalmondChoralWorkshoponSunday 13th October and The Prep Schools Trust Music ConcertonThursday7thNovember.Parentsofpupils selectedtoattendtheseeventsarewelcometoattend the concerts, please see the calendar for further information.
News!
IamdelightedtosharethatMiss Thompson got married over the holiday. She will now be Mrs Halsey.Inaddition,MrsAtkinson gotengaged.Iknowyouwilljoin meincongratulatingthemboth
CharacterEducationand CurriculumDevelopment
Overthecourseofthelasttwelvemonths,Mowdenhasembarkeduponthedevelopmentofamoreexplicitcurriculum forcharactereducation Thefirstphaseofthisprocesswastodefinethecharacterelementsthatwefeltwerecriticalfor aMowdeniantobecomeanoutstandingmemberofsociety.Tothisend,weenteredintoafourdimensionaldialogue withkeystakeholdersandthebusinesscommunity.Weaskedpupils,staff,parentsandbusinessleaderstogiveuswhat theyfeltwerethemostimportantmoral,performance,civicandintellectualvaluesfromtheirstandpoint Wearenowin apositiontopublishthesevaluesandhavebegunasoftlaunchofthisprocessinschool
Wewilllooktolearnandlivethesevaluesatalltimes,buteachhalfterm,ofwhichwehavesix,willhaveaspecificfocus. ThistermKindnesswillbethevirtuethatwillbehighlighted Kindnessismultidimensionalandthedefinitionbelowwill guidethewayinwhichweteach,modelandreflectuponthisvirtue
Aspartofaninclusivecommunitywerespectandtrusteachother,promoteequityandvaluedifferentopinionsanddiverse voices. We put our own and others’ physical and mental wellbeing at the heart of everything we do. We recognise the generosityofothersandstrivetobegratefulandgenerousinreturn.Wesupporteachother’sendeavoursandencourage otherstopersevere.Ourkindnessextendstothelocalandglobalcommunity.
Thiswillbeawholeschoolinitiativeandthisvisionwillunderpinallthatwedoanditwillevolveoverthecourseoftheyear. WeareworkingcloselywiththeAssociationforCharacterEducation(ACE).
Character education iscrucial forchildren because ithelpsthemdevelop essential valuesandsocial-emotional skillsthat shapewhotheybecomeasindividualsandhowtheyinteractwiththeworld.Itservesasthefoundationformoraldecisionmaking,guidingchildrentounderstandwhatisrightandwrong.Byinstillingcorevalueslikekindness,honesty,resilience, empathy,communication,community,andindependentthinking,charactereducationhelpsensurethatchildrengrowuptobe trustworthyindividualswhoactwithintegrityandreliabilityintheirrelationshipsandcommunities.
Inadditiontomoraldevelopment,charactereducationsignificantlyimprovessocialskills.Itteacheschildrenhowtorespect others, cooperate, and resolve conflicts peacefully, which are vital for forming healthy relationships in school, work, and beyond.
Charactereducationalsohasapositiveimpactonbehaviour.Byteachingself-regulationanddiscipline,ithelpschildrentoact responsibly,evenwhenfacedwithchallenges.Aclassroomwherestudentsexhibitapositivetraitlikekindnessbecomesa morerespectfulandproductivelearningenvironment.
Academicsuccessisanotherareawherecharactereducationplaysapivotalrole.Childrenwhodeveloptraitslikeresilience andindependenceareoftenmoremotivatedtotakeownershipoftheirlearning,leadingtobetteracademicperformanceand long-termsuccess.Italsoteacheschildrentobouncebackfromfailuresorsetbackswithagrowthmindset.
Beyondacademics,charactereducationprepareschildrenfortheirfuturerolesinsocietyasresponsiblecitizensandleaders.It encouragesactiveparticipation,civicresponsibility,andethicalleadership,equippingthemtocontributepositivelytotheir communities. Employers also value character traits like integrity, teamwork, and a strong work ethic, which are fostered throughcharactereducationandhelpchildrensucceedintheirfuturecareers.
Inthelongrun,thebenefitsofcharactereducationextendtosocietyasawhole.Whenchildrengrowupwithstrongcharacter, theyaremorelikelytocontributetobuildingethical,respectful,andcooperativecommunities.Theseindividualsoftenbecome rolemodelsandleaderswhoinspirepositivechange,helpingtocreateamorecompassionateandjustworld.
Mr. James Hadfield, Deputy Head