Friday 17th February
Happy Friday!
Not only is it happy Friday, it is also happy end of spring term one - how did that happen so quickly! This term has absolutely flown by and, as always, we have much to celebrate here at Olive Hill. Today you should have received a half termly update, via ParentMail.
Our year six children had the best time at their residential. Following four days of fun and excitement, they remain very tired and a few of them are losing their voices. They had an action-packed few days and thoroughly enjoyed the activities on offer, the top favourites appear to be the giant swing, the high ropes course and the zip wire. The children stayed in wooden cabins, each with their own ensuite facilities. Some cabins were tidier then others, with some children even requesting a dustpan and brush to sweep the floor (this made the camp leader, Maisie, laugh as it was the first time she had this request from a school). The food was also a big hit - full English breakfast every morning, lots of tasty options for lunch and dinner (including stuffed crust pizza), and a brilliant salad bar (think Harvester, but better). The children were an absolute joy to take away, with our staff describing it as a privilege to be able to accompany them. The centre staff were also very keen to let us know just how wonderful they had been.
The year six children who remained behind really enjoyed their activity week, Mr Brady and Miss Saleh had a great time with them also. They were very competitive when they went bowling, and it was a child who came away with the highest score (Mr Priest does not want to talk about it!).
As part of their learning experience, year two have making emergency vehicles in their design and technology lessons. This has involved learning lots of new skills when working with wood. We did have our own emergency when the wheels we ordered for their vehicles were no longer available, however, the design and technology department at Oldbury Academy (one of the secondary schools in our multi academy trust) came to our rescue.
Also this week, year five have visited the Gurdwara as part of their learning in RE. The children enjoyed the opportunity of taking their learning outside of the classroom environment, and the visit has certainly supported us to make their learning experiences more memorable. RE is a fundamental part of our curriculum at Olive Hill, we are lucky that we have many children who are experts when it comes to learning about different religions and we love to hear about their experiences. As part of our curriculum aims, we want to give our children the opportunity to actually visit the different places of worship, rather than just seeing pictures in a book or on the screen. The RE curriculum supports our children to grow and understand their world. It provides opportunities for the children to develop positive attitudes and values and to reflect and relate their learning in RE to their own experience.
As we head into the half term break, do take time to reflect on mental health and wellbeing. You will know that happiness is really important to us here at Olive Hill, but for very good reason. Mental health is defined as: a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community. Good mental health isn’t just about the absence of mental health problems such as depression or anxiety. Rather, it’s the presence of positive characteristics, such as being able to cope with life’s challenges, handle stress, build strong relationships and recover from setbacks. It includes the way we feel about ouselves, the quality of our relationships, our ability to manage feelings and deal with difficulties, and how much meaning and joy we derive from life. Short-term stress and worry is a normal part of life. It is when a problem is particularly severe, persists over time or when a number of difficulties are experienced at the same time, that we may describe a person as experiencing mental health problems.
There are many things we can do to support our own good mental health and wellbeing and that of others, including our children. This includes:
Basics (good enough housing, enough money to live, being safe, healthy diet, exercise and fresh air, enough sleep, play and leisure)
Belonging (good influences, healthy relationships, responsibilities, focus on good times and places, make friends and mix with others)
Learning (map out a career or life plan, highlight achievements, develop life skills)
Coping (understanding boundaries and keeping within them, being brave, solving problems, fostering interests, have a laugh)
Core self (instil a sense of hope, understanding other people’s feelings, knowing yourself, foster talents).
We wish you all a happy and healthy half term break, full of enjoyable moments with your family and friends.
The children return to school on Monday 27th February.