Good morning, Prep School family,
I hope The Bulletin finds you well this week. Welcome to October and all that autumn brings. I hope you
all had a lovely weekend. My weekend was very quiet – nothing much was accomplished except
recharging my batteries, trying to fight off a cold and starting a new series on Netflix. We did venture out
to watch and support all of the runners who were taking part in the Nottingham half marathon yesterday.
Mr Bennett was supposed to be running but is currently supporting a knee injury (he says from training
so hard, I say from getting old and not listening to your body!) so we went to cheer on our other friends
who had undertaken the challenge. For those of you that know the route, it isn’t at all easy – it is full of
hills and steep ones at that! I admire anyone that can run distances. Believe it or not, I used to be an
extremely keen runner, often completing at least 5 miles a day after school to clear my mind before I
started an evening of marking and other school related work. 10k was my limit, anything after this, I
really found a struggle and didn’t enjoy it but up to this distance, I used to loose myself in my run. I can
see why people run – to completely loose themselves, to distract themselves from the madness of each
day. I have heard runners often say that they enter a meditation like zone when they are running,
focusing only on their breathing and their journey ahead. For me, I never found this kind of harmony and
peace but I did enjoy not being able to think of anything other than my laboured breathing and if my legs
would make it to my final destination! Events like the half marathon are amazing – I find them so
inspiring. I am so impressed by the participants, pushing themselves out of their comfort zones to
achieve a goal that they have set their minds too. I am inspired by the runners that are fighting their own
personal battles whilst also training to run 13 miles. The athletes that have lost limbs that complete a
half marathon quicker than I could with all of my limbs. There was a man there yesterday who had lost
both of his legs. He powered himself around the course on a bike moved only by the sheer strength in
his arms – his finishing time – just over 1 hour and 30 minutes – incredible. The sheer determination of
these people is inspiring. I also love the heart-warming atmosphere these events create – the
spectators that line the race track, the constant cheers and encouraging shouts for friends and family
but also the words of praise for people that are strangers. Mr Bennett and I stood for nearly 2 hours
cheering on people we had never met before, people that we will never see again but for those fleeting
seconds as they ran past us – we were their greatest cheerleaders. I was so proud of each and every
one of them. They achieved something yesterday that is (currently) out of my reach, something that they
had worked hard for and no doubt made sacrifices to achieve and that, deserves celebrating.
Quote of the week: “If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your
energy and inspires your hopes.” — Andrew Carnegie.
Well-being tasks for this week: These are all based on Optimistic October. It can be hard to stay
hopeful with all of the challenges in our lives. We all have a built in ‘negativity-bias’ but we can also,
relatively easily, train our brains to look for what is good. These challenges are meant to help you create
a habit of taking small, positive actions each day.
Tuesday 1 October – Write down three things that you are looking forward to this month
Wednesday 2 October – Find something to be optimistic about
Thursday 3 October – Take a small step towards a goal that really matters to you
Friday 4 October – Start the day with the most important thing on your to-do list
Saturday 5 October – Be a realistic optimist. See life for what it is but learn to focus on what is good
Sunday 6 October – Remind yourself that things can change for the better
Monday 7 October – Look for the good in people around you today
Jokes of the week:
Why didn’t the zombie go to school? He felt rotten.
What did one plate say to the other plate? “Dinner’s on me.”
Why did the pony get sent to his room? He wouldn’t stop horsing around.
What do you call a cow that eats your grass? A lawn moo-er.
Why do fish live in saltwater? Because pepper makes them sneeze!
Conversation starters:
When was the last time you really felt lucky that something had happened to you?
What smell brings back a memory for you? What is that memory?
5 things that I am grateful for or looking forward to this week:
Can you try this simple exercise in gratitude and positivity?
1. I am looking forward to visiting another school for the week.
2. I am looking forward to homemade soup and bread suppers!
3. I am looking forward to feeling better – thank you Year 6P for sharing your lurgy!
4. I am grateful for cosy evenings with friends.
5. I am grateful for beautiful autumnal sunrises and sunsets
Sleeps til Santa: 84 days. . .
Have a wonderful week and I hope that this weather improves for us all. Enjoy everything that you do,
With love,
Mrs Bennett
