Invicta Vlogs
As we are about to embark on Advent, it seems appropriate to think about the challenges that we face at this time of the year.
As we are about to embark on Advent, it seems appropriate to think about the challenges that we face at this time of the year. Maya Angelou, is quoted to say: ‘I have learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way s/he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage and tangled Christmas tree light’. This definitely makes us have a wry smile when we fondly remember the challenges of sorting out the Christmas decorations, but equally it makes me reflect with huge pride the challenges that our students and staff have embraced so positively this week.
I really do think that we should view challenges as a positive and exciting aspect of learning which is crucial and this is something that we really do encourage at Invicta. This week, we have had students attend the Senior Maths Challenge Regional Finals, we have hosted a Primary Literacy Challenge, Michalina competed in the Kent Cooks Competition, and our Cross Country Team participated in a competition at Mote Park. In Year 7, Maria won the competition and we had a total of eight students who have now been offered places in the Maidstone Team for the Kent Championships. What an achievement! All of these challenges provide opportunities for students to work with discipline, determination and perseverance. But, at the same time, it is lovely to see the enjoyment and sense of pride that students individually gain from these challenges.
I am however, personally proud of the challenge that twelve members of our male staff have undertaken – the Movember Challenge, which raised awareness of prostate and testicular cancers by growing a moustache. On Friday, they raised an amazing £395! To have faced this challenge with humour and determination shows great willpower and essentially strength of character; qualities that I want all our students to have – so what great role models I have in our staff team!
Finally, the concept of challenge and aspiration was reinforced when thirty of our Year 9 and 10 visited Corpus Christie College, Cambridge to experience life at a challenging and inspiring university. There is no doubt that our students came back from this visit with a strong awareness of the need for aspiration and determination. Yet, equally understanding the fact that we need to challenge ourselves. A much harder challenge would lie ahead of these students, but by handling those rainy days and tangled Christmas tree lights, along with our sporting, mathematical and everyday challenges similar to those faced by students this week, we will enable our students to make the most of what is available to them, in the knowledge that challenge is a good thing. We learn a lot about ourselves, but about others too!
