This week saw our Year 12 students create a new link with our community by visiting the Renew Cafe at the local Baptist Church, Mansfield Road. We visited for the afternoon, to hand out Christmas cards, and have a chat with the people who attend this weekly cafe. The students were interested to hear how long some had been coming to the cafe, and how it was a great focal point for the week. It was a real pleasure to see the generations connected, with dominos and jigsaw puzzles being enjoyed by both the young and old. We all enjoyed the carol singing, and certainly felt the festive spirit. It is a great life skill to embrace new opportunities and to be able to make connections with others, finding shared interests to talk about. The students all did very well and felt this built their team spirit further. We would like to extend our appreciation for the very warm welcome (and mince pies!) that we received, and we look forward to building on this link and visiting again in the future.
Our enrichment focus for this half term has been on charity and the community, with the sixth formers taking part in activities from the young to the elderly, and all have done brilliantly in developing their skills.
This is a useful opportunity to reflect on our first term as a Sixth Form – so much has happened, with the community and organisation links being a big part of it. Academic life at Sixth Form is obviously important, as the grades achieved will open doors to the future for our students. However, they are also growing into amazing young adults, and the wider life skills that are developed during our enrichment activities will always be given a key priority too. It has been a real pleasure getting to know our Year 12 students, from those who stayed on at Hollygirt to those who have joined us. So much learning and team building has happened this term – and I am a very proud Head of Sixth Form when I stand back to reflect.
With just a short time remaining of this term, I wish everyone a fun and relaxing festive break.
Mrs Brown
Head of Sixth Form