HEAD’S UPDATE
Week beginning 29th January 2024
A message from the Head For those of you who have been at Mowden a while, you will know that I consider elements of the Spring Term to be the ‘hard yards’ of the academic year. The shorter days and colder weather can make things harder for all of us, and our children are no different. Please be reassured that this is completely normal, and it is our job to help them through these times. I hope you feel that you can always get in touch if you have any concerns or worries about your children. Resilience is a concept that I regularly discuss with the children, and the following is something that I have included in Updates at this time of year for a number of years! You may often hear the following sort of comments from your children: I can’t do that There’s too much to do I’m too tired I don’t enjoy this There isn’t enough time Perhaps at times we all think or say statements like these. When we make these comments - even as a joke - they can chip away at our self confidence. They make us feel less than we are, and they turn us into a victim. We begin to expect bad things to happen and often, if we expect bad things to happen, they usually do. For many of us it is easier to tune into the negatives rather than the positives and we say things to ourselves that we simply wouldn’t consider saying to someone else we care about. Using negative language drags us down, makes us feel like we aren’t good enough, not up to the task, or being put upon by others to do all sorts of things we don’t want to do.
At Mowden we do all we can to encourage resilience by helping the children to keep their thinking on a positive wavelength. If they create a habit of telling themselves they are good enough, and that all of the effort - even the bits they don’t like - is for them. Not for their family, friends or teachers. It’s for them so they can have a happy, successful life; having the freedom, the confidence and resources to do the things that they want to do. If you are worried about your child’s resilience, I can recommend a book called The Circus of Life, by Rachel Munns. It is aimed at teenagers (and their parents), but I think it offers useful advice that can be applied to younger children also. Forgive me for referencing previous Updates, but I believe the content remains relevant and I hope it is helpful. I hope you all have an enjoyable weekend. Best wishes,
Head
Boarding We’re very much looking forward to our weekend with the full boarders and those in Year 8. We’ll be having a silent disco on Saturday evening followed by a day in Newcastle on Sunday. Our boarders have been reminded about the dorm decorations competition theme this week. We’re getting jungle vibes in some of the rooms already but we’re happily encouraging more! Home decorations and ones made in school, rather than purchased items, will receive more points.