Good morning, Prep School family,
Welcome to the first Bennett Bulletin of this school year! The Bulletin is back by very popular demand and I am so pleased that so many of you have enjoyed reading it over the past 3 and a bit years and have found it an interesting way to start or end your day. I also love it when you stop and talk to me about things that I have mentioned or when the children come and ask me questions about the topics discussed. As per last year, the format has stayed the same. I have attempted some ‘market research’ with both parents and children and the weekly well-being tips, jokes, quotes and of course, the most popular Sleeps til Santa part will stay! If you have anything that you would like me to add each week, please do let me know. I am always happy to mix things up!
During term time, I will continue to send The Bulletin out weekly, on a Tuesday, 8am. For all of our new parents, The Bulletin isn’t intended to be a list of reminders or things to do – that’s the job of the newsletter. It’s simply a way of me communicating my thoughts and feelings to our Highclare Prep School families and share things about our week at school that will hopefully make you reflect, smile and spread a little happiness! By the end of this Bulletin, you will already have learnt some things about me – mainly my insane love for anything Christmas.
Sitting down and writing the last Bulletin of last academic year seems like a life time ago. July seems like a distant memory but having said that, the summer holidays have flown by. I didn’t go abroad this summer, I spent most of it in Nottingham or Norfolk (new parents – I live in Nottingham, it isn’t my chosen holiday destination!). Norfolk was as fantastic as ever but not as warm as last year – I don’t think I had a day there in July or the beginning of August when it didn’t rain! It also wasn’t that relaxing. . . with a minimum of 4 children at any one time staying with us – my days of long lay-ins, a quiet morning coffee and reading my book were long gone. They were replaced with very early morning cuddles, endless sandcastle building, playing Pokémon and multiple ice-creams. However, I wouldn’t have changed this for the world. My favourite week in the year is when my whole family descends upon us in Norfolk along with close friends and this year, Patsy! This week is so most precious – special, quality time with my nearest and dearest. Patsy added a whole new dimension to the holiday this year – we haven’t had a dog in Norfolk for several years since my dad lost his beloved spaniel so to have another four-legged friend around was amazing. My 5 year old niece (Amelie) and Patsy were inseparable, Mr Bennett had a new friend to take to the pub when he wanted to escape the madness of the house, Arthur (my nephew) spent hours showing Patsy new and exciting Pokémon and I loved my early morning walks exploring places I had never been. I loved the solitude and the silence found in our walks – it made me realise that I don’t get enough thinking time – something for me to work on. One of our favourite things to do was to take Pasty to play on, and go swimming at, the beach. The pure joy of a Labrador in water and then in sand was something else! I have added a picture of her enjoying the sand! Can you imagine the state of my car at the end of the week. I hope you all managed to have a break of some sort and spend some quality time with your loved ones.
The past week and being back at school has been amazing! I have loved seeing so many smiling faces. I have thoroughly enjoyed welcoming all our new children and parents into our Highclare family and catching up with you all about all of your adventures throughout the summer. I have been so impressed with all of our new children. We have had very few tears and the children are already showing off their new found independence. Parents – I am also very proud of you too – again we have had very few tears, well done, to you! I do love the first day back and all mix of reactions we get at drop off time from the endless hugs and kisses, to smiles and happy waves, to the children that stroll in and don’t even look back to give their waiting parents a wave and my favourite has to be the parents that have had 8 weeks of time with their children and who are very, very ready to hand them back to us. . . I do giggle when the children are one foot through the gate and the parents are already in their cars heading for a well-deserved coffee! My favourite quote this time had to be “Over to you Mrs Bennett, we are off out for breakfast. Don’t call us if she keeps crying, you’re the experts – see you at home time!” – Obviously, I would have called if needed (we didn’t, she was fine!) but we are blessed to have such a wonderful parental body, one that believes in what we do daily and one that trusts us implicitly to give the children in our care the most brilliant day at school each day – what a privilege, so thank you.
I am thoroughly looking forward to the rest of this week and the continued buzz and excitement of school life – it is what gets me up in the morning and what makes every day so enjoyable!
Quote of the week: “Its not what we have in life, but who we have in our life that matters.”
Well-being tasks for this week: These are all based on self-care September. We need to learn to let go of the thought that self-care is selfish, it isn’t – it’s essential to keep us well and thriving! These tasks and ideas are good for all ages.
Tuesday 12 September – get outside and give your mind and body a natural boost
Wednesday 13 September – Be as kind to yourself as you would be to someone you love
Thursday 14 September – If you are busy, allow time to pause and take a break
Friday 15 September – Find a caring and calm phrase to use when you are feeling down
Saturday 16 September – Leave a positive message for yourself to find
Sunday 17 September – Don’t make any plans today – slow down and be kind to yourself
Monday 18 September – Ask a trusted friend to name three of your strength and celebrate these
Jokes of the week:
Why do maths books always look so sad?
They are full of problems.
Why do calculators make great friends?
You can always count on them!
What dinosaur had the best vocabulary?
The Thesaurus!
Who is the leader of the school supplies?
The ruler.
Did you know all books in the school library are the same colour?
They’re all red.
If you think you can do any better, please send your jokes to me and I can include in The Bulletin.
NEW FEATURE: COMING NEXT WEEK – KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED!
Sleeps til Santa: 103 days left and counting! For those of you who like to get in the mood early, there is now a free, dedicated Christmas film channel that is airing Christmas films 24 hours a day between now and January 2024. It’s available on most streaming channels and you know what I’ll be doing in the coming weeks. . .
Have a super week,
Take care of yourself,
Mrs Bennett
