Headlines By James Munro, Deputy Headteacher 11th December 2020
for their mind was to take 30 minutes of aerobic exercise every day.
“Our mental strength is a big factor in our recent victories” said Eddie Jones England's head coach in a recent post match interview. If you aren’t aware, the England men’s rugby team following on from their recent six nations triumph won their second trophy in short succession namely the Autumn Nations Cup and have shown great resilience in doing so. This was highlighted by last Sunday having come from behind at the interval to beat France. Jones has spent hours with his staff developing player awareness of the importance of maintaining a positive mind set. Are there things that you could, or should not do, in order to keep your mind healthy and build your mental strength? Many scientists would say yes. During these unprecedented times I know personally I have had to manage my emotions and stay positive. Back in the summer term when trying to complete my own work and manage homeschooling for my child this was a real challenge as I'm sure many other parents can relate too. My mental strength and emotions were certainly tested during such times. Health can be described as mental, social and physical well-being and not merely the absence of disease. The Mental Health Foundation notes that a good diet is important for mental health. It also suggests that diet can play a role in the development, management and prevention of several specific conditions, including depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Clearly diet cannot control these conditions, and other treatments should not be stopped in favour of a particular diet, however, diet may play a role. You are more likely to be healthy if you consume a balanced diet, with the correct balance of fats, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals, fibre and water for you. By considering what you are eating you can stay healthy. David Linden, Professor of Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, suggested in an interview that the most helpful thing that anyone could do
He explained that doing puzzles uses only a small part of your brain, and does not do anything for the rest. Aerobic exercise, by contrast, causes all the blood vessels in the body, including in your brain, to dilate. This changes the metabolic capacity of the brain. Exercise also makes the brain secrete certain chemicals, serotonin for one, which help keep neurons healthy and able to change. All this sounds like a very good thing for the brain and the body and resounding scientific evidence highlights that regular exercise leads to increased selfesteem. The mind is shaped by all the experiences, thoughts and ideas to which it is exposed. You can choose what you ‘feed’ your mind, just as you can choose what you feed your body. What you choose to consume for your mind can be described as your ‘mind diet’ (mind-set). Your ‘mind diet’ can make your mind more or less ‘healthy’. It is worth considering your ‘mind diet’ from time to time, reflecting on the following: How good is my mind diet? Is it balanced? Do I tend to focus more on negative things and need to think more positively? A good technique could be to write down something that happened during the day that went well. Am I eating healthy foods to feed a positive mind diet? As much as you may want to eat a diet of chocolate, this daily would have its pitfalls and eating broccoli although maybe less tasty is a good thing to do. Am I taking part in regular physical activity? Do I kick my slippers off and get off the sofa and engage in physical activity? It may be that a walk is a time for clearing your mind of negative thoughts and thinking positively. What effect is my mind diet having on me? You might need to ask close friends to give you honest reflection. Our C10 and C11 learners have had the opportunity this week to access additional support from 'Head Room' an organisation specialising in mental well-being. They set up a well-being tent on the school site which learners could access should they have wished to do so. Contd….
Headlines contd... They will be returning to school in the summer term offering additional well-being support during the summer examination period. Can I remind families that should you have any worries or concerns about your child's well-being to contact either their Cohort Leader or our Family Learning Team: - FLT@honywoodschool.com, so we can look to provide appropriate support for them.
Start of term arrangements Learners will return to school on Wednesday 6th January 2021 at the usual start time of 8.40am. Have a good weekend James Munro Deputy Headteacher
End of term arrangements Families will be aware that we will end the Autumn term next Friday 18th December at 1.00pm. To reward our learners for their efforts this term we have planned various events for them. For our C7 and C8’s this includes watching a live recording of the Mercury Theatre Pantomime Cinderella. We will also be celebrating learners who have consistently met our core values of Trust, Respect, Equity and Excellence throughout this term. Start of term arrangements On the 5th of January we have a Non Pupil Day. On this date and two evenings of the 7th and 12th January learning reviews will be conducted for every learner in the school. Due to Covid restrictions these will be held virtually via ‘google hangouts’. Learners and families will have been sent an invite from the staff member assigned to carry out these reviews. Details shared can be seen below: Dear Family This is the link for the virtual learning review meeting - the link has also been sent to your child. You will need to keep this email to access the meeting on the day. We would recommend that you use your child's Honywood iPad for this meeting if possible. Depending on the setup of your device, you may be asked to install the Google meets app to allow you to access the meeting. If you have any problems accessing the meeting please email ipad@honywoodschool.com I look forward to speaking to you and your child regarding their learning and progress in January. Should you have any problems regarding your possible attendance please contact the school office as soon as possible so we can try to make alternative arrangements for you.
We joined the Saffron Academy Trust in September 2019 . If you would like to find out more information about Saffron Academy Trust and the work that has been going on in our schools, please click on the link below to read the first edition of the Trust’s new, termly eNewsletter. Honywood has a school of the term focus with an insight into what has been going on at Honywood this term. https://sway.office.com/qBgQlT7zkrNTFiPt? ref=Link
Please check our website for the Inclement Weather Procedure https://www.honywoodschool.com/information/ inclement-weather-procedure/
Remember to bring a coat to school! With COVID precautions, doors and windows will be open and the building much colder!
Dates for the diary
Learning Reviews All families should have received an email with an appointment time for a virtual meeting with a member of staff to carry out their child's Learning Review on either Tuesday 5th January, the evening of the 7th January or 12th January. If you have not received an appointment please contact the school office as soon as possible —schooloffice@honywoodschool.com Learning Reviews will be emailed to families in advance of the meeting. (Please check that emails from the school are not in Spam)
We have a number of items in our lost property currently which will be disposed of just before end of term. Could you please ask your child to check to see if missing items are in our store. Please help us in the future by labelling your child’s items so they can be returned. Thankyou
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Thursday 17th December
C11 Mock results day
Friday 18th December
Last day of Autumn Term—Finish at 1pm
Monday 21st December to Monday 4th January 2021
Christmas break
Monday 4th January
School Closed NLD
Tuesday 5th January
School closed to learners—Virtual Learning Reviews to take place with families.
Thursday 7th January
Launch of Leadership recruitment to C10
Thursday 7th January
Learning reviews continue
Tuesday 12th January
Learning reviews continue
Thursday 14th January
C8 HPV vaccine 1
Friday 15th January
C10 Leadership workshop
Monday 18th January
C10 Deadline for Lead Learner and Senior House Captains applications
W/c 18th January
C11 German Speaking mocks
W/c 25th January
C11 French Speaking mocks
Reminder: If your child is unwell and unable to attend school please contact the school to report the absence. Call: 01376 - 561 231 - option 1 Email: attendance@honywoodschool.com Should your child have a medical appointment ie: orthodontist, could you please notify the school in advance via the absence reporting procedure. Thankyou