There’s always gonna be another mountain
I’m always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I’m gonna have to lose
Ain’t about how fast I get there
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb
Jake started climbing when he was 12, mainly because he was self-confessed ‘useless’ at traditional sports. At 15, he climbed Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa. By the age of 21, he had only one mountain left to climb – Mount Everest. Jake described wanting to give up, sinking into the snow about a vertical mile from the summit, knowing that the mountain had beaten him. He then saw a rock, jutting out from the snow a few metres ahead of him, wondered if he could make it there, did so, and continued in that vein breaking the remainder of the ascent into small victories.
The children at Rossall may not be climbing real mountains but the victories and steps along their journeys can be equally as daunting and can provide great opportunities for success. Whether it be swimming the length of the pool, reading a whole book, playing their first song or making a great pass, the victories they crave can be achieved through a series of small goals being reached. Who knows, we may well have an Everest climber in our midst!
I was so proud of our Year 6 children earlier this week. They created a wonderful exhibition as part of their end of year activities, displaying their information boards to the rest of the Prep pupils. The games that were designed by the Year 6s to help the children learn about the environment were truly excellent and I am positive that the rest of the pupils will have returned home with stories of the day, lots of facts and information, as well as one or two prizes! I am not sure whether it was the children, Mr Rund, or myself who was most competitive! The way in which the Year 6 children not only created but also delivered their exhibition to the younger pupils was truly a pleasure to watch.
The announcement from the Government earlier this week, was a difficult one for all members of the Rossall community. We will do our utmost to ensure that the pupils’ end of the academic year is as fabulous as we can make it. The staff have a real ‘can do’ attitude and are endeavouring to make everything work for the sake of the pupils. Not having parents inside at Prize Day is so disappointing but our live streaming should provide a sense of occasion. In addition, I intend to write to parents next week with our plans to host our sports’ day and opening of the Pre-Prep and Nursery, both events that we can invite parents to, given they are outdoors. Equally, we plan to continue to hold our Prep School Beach Party and the school trips. I know we can still provide an excellent end to the academic year for the children despite the continued restrictions.
Huge congratulations to our Year 5 & 6 cricket team, who this week won the local schools competition without losing a game! They join our Year 3 footballers, Year 4 tennis players and Year 5 & 6 netballers in all having won the competitions entered this year.
Have a lovely weekend.
Mr Turner
Headmaster of Preparatory School & Nursery