Monday saw the state funeral of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. Across the world, millions of people paused their usually busy lives to watch this historical moment. Reflections of her life and her reign and the legacy she has left have filled screens, articles and social media alike. There are many messages we will take from this shared experience and for today,  I would like to focus on the word ‘reflection.’

Having time to stop and reflect is vital for personal growth. During school hours, finding such times can be challenging. Weekly assemblies come to mind, along with time dedicated during lessons where children are able to reflect on their learning. In adult lives, ‘life admin’ can be all consuming and can be a barrier to finding those moments of reflection. As we continue through the term ahead, we will be working together to protect time for reflection and to build life-long habits that will allow for mindfulness and thoughtfulness.

Taking one of these moments of reflection, I was able to meet with our Year 8 children this week and dig deeper into the meaning that lies behind the word ‘leadership.’ Our Year 8 children will be responsible for leading the Prep school forward this year and it was important to start with one of the biggest things to learn about leadership; teamwork!

Saturday was tangible proof of teamwork in action and I would like to express my thanks to all those who supported the Fun for Funds event as well as all those who contributed to the reflective and thoughtful Harvest festival. Whilst we can take a moment to cheer for the amount raised and the quantity of donations, I would like to focus on the way in which people smiled, helped and worked as one school. Felsted values displayed throughout the day by all our community illustrate the importance we place on actions rather than words.Thank you.

Reflections for the year that has gone by have also formed part of my meetings with parents over the past two weeks and I would like to add my thanks for your candour and openness.

To those in our community who are celebrating Rosh Hashanah this weekend, I would like to say Shana tova! Welcoming in a new year is exciting and allows for new beginnings as well as reflections to take place; I look forward to both!

With warm wishes to our Felsted families,

Miranda Norris
Head, Felsted Prep