Outside the Box Wednesday 13th May 2020
A newsletter helping the Box Hill School community stay together, stay informed and stay happy.
Uncertain times Boris Johnson’s weekend announcement seems to have provoked more questions than it answered. Although it seems a safe bet that over the coming weeks, lockdown will ease, we do not yet know what this will look like and how it will affect us.
Great Minds Don’t Think Alike
Uncertainty can be difficult to deal with. The human brain is essentially a prediction engine; constantly taking clues from its surroundings to try to figure out what is going to happen and therefore how best to act so as to maximise personal rewards. However, when no clear path presents itself, and even worse when a person feels like whatever they choose their actions will have no effect, hopelessness can set in. Excess concern for events that have not yet happened are what we call ‘anxiety’ and can cause significant harm to a person, physically as well as mentally.
Daily Wellbeing Tasks Take time today to just be – sit comfortably, breathe and try to focus your mind on the present moment Progressive overload – constantly push yourself out of your comfort zone. If you ran for 10 minutes last week, aim for 15 by the end of this. Read a book – doesn’t matter what, just something you love Offer your help to someone else
This is why it is helpful to focus on those things about which we are more certain and try as hard as possible to accept that uncertainty itself is not to be feared. Will this lockdown come to an end? Yes. Will you be able to see your friends and family again? Yes. Will life return to ‘normal’? Probably not; but this might be a good thing rather than a bad thing! Could it be that as a society we will have an increased respect for the fantastic work the NHS and other key workers (including teachers?) do for society? Might our communities become closer, our relationships stronger, as a result of the slowing down of the pace of life? Might education adapt more to the changes that have, out of necessity, been forced upon it by the virus, new technologies and updates in pedagogical research? Finally, optimism. The simple act of finding positives and expressing gratitude for them can reduce stress and increase wellbeing. Find something to be grateful for!
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Wellbeing The nation has been in lockdown for over seven weeks and although there are signs that it may be relaxed, there is still a distinct lack of clarity over when this will be and what the world will look like when we are finally allowed out. In the last edition there was a graphic showing five strands that contribute to wellbeing; connection, activity, attention, learning and selflessness. One further strand however would be control; the ability to have a say in determining one’s own future. In this period of uncertainty, this sense of being what philosophers call an “agent”, a being that can act of its own “volition” (will), is hugely important. When we feel powerless we become despondent, mere flotsam in the sea of life. The key therefore is to take control; set yourself goals and achieving them can lead to a powerful sense of achievement as well as the belief that you have power over your own destiny. Vital to this though is the ability to set SMART goals; Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant/Realistic and Time-bonded. Better to set a goal that is clear, that you can tell when you have achieved it, that is both doable but also worth doing and where you have set a time limit for when you will have achieved it by, than to just tell yourself you will get better at something or work harder or be happier. So; what goals will you set?
Mental Health The information to the left comes from www.studentminds.org.uk a really handy website for young people to use. Although aimed at university students the messages are applicable to younger people too. Clearly, some of these activities are not possible at the moment; so be creative! Watch a TV show or have a virtual coffee with a friend using video call or other technologies.
3 As ever, there are lots of organisations out there to provide support. Have a look at the websites to the left. Think of it this way; if you were ill, you would get help from a medical professional; so why would you not seek help for issues with your mental health?
Mindfulness The Mindfulness in Schools Project is inviting everyone to join them in a free daily online mindfulness practice. Whether you are completely new to mindfulness or already have experience of mindfulness practice, these ‘sits’ offer a chance to have a daily pause, to refocus on how you can best take care of yourselves and, in turn, of others. The daily sits take place on Zoom at 11am every day. More information and links can be found at the link below:
https://mindfulnessinschools.org/misp-sit-together/ We are currently working to create a central online hub for everything Pastoral, including a page for Mindfulness, which will allow us to give you better-quality recordings in one place. Smartphone apps are an increasingly popular and effective way to access live and recorded guided mindfulness meditation sessions. In addition to those on the left, apps such as Centr and Waking Up provide support for beginner and experienced practitioners alike.
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e-safety With so much of our work and social lives taking place online, it is important that people have the knowledge and skills to keep themselves safe. Internetmatters.org, an excellent parent-focused site, gives the following three principles: 1) Our children shouldn’t be facing risks of which we’re unaware 2) Children should be participants in their own e-safety, not passengers 3) Parents, children and schools can cooperate to improve e-safety in their communities Communication and education therefore are crucial. Listening to children and understanding the world in which they live whilst also avoiding judgement Useful Links www.internetmatters.org – A onestop shop for all things “e-safety”, aimed at parents. Bookmark this website! www.childnet.com – Hugely useful and engaging website aimed more at young people themselves. www.ceop.police.uk – A Government-funded, Police website focused more on illegal online behaviours such as cyber-bullying and grooming.
Gaming and Livestreaming Game streaming is a big deal. It offers you the chance to livestream yourself as you play your favourite games, or to watch others as they do the same – and it’s now one of the most popular forms of entertainment among some young people. Read the below link for more information: https://parentinfo.org/article/facebook-gaming-what-parents-should-know?
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Counselling Students are incredibly fortunate at Box Hill School to have access to a wonderful counsellor, Cathy Coombs. During these challenging times, Cathy is available for one-to-one remote counselling for students so please get in touch if you would like to speak to her. She is also offering small group counselling sessions to students so if either of these options appeals, email (cathy.coombs@boxhillschool.com) who can book you in. In addition, on Wednesday afternoons at 2.30pm Cathy will run a drop in ‘hot chocolate and chat’ session for years 7, 8 and 9. Please email her if you would like to attend.
Contacts Sue Salmon, Deputy Head Pastoral
susan.salmon@boxhillschool.com
James Trinder, Assistant Head Pastoral james.trinder@boxhillschool.com
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Lateral Thinking Quiz i) ii)
iii)
Which famous American was born in 1959 and couldn't bend her legs for the first six years of her life, has a brother called Todd and two sisters? You leave your tent and walk five kms due south. You then walk another five kms on a bearing of 090ď‚°. Finally you turn 90ď‚° anticlockwise and walk five more kms, returning to your tent. Inside the tent is a bear! What colour is it? A man died and went to Heaven. There were thousands of other people there. They were all naked and all looked as they did at the age of 21. He looked around to see if there was anyone he recognised. He saw a couple and he knew immediately that they were Adam and Eve. How did he know?
Pictures
Where were these pictures taken around the School?
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Advice for parents during coronavirus
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Answers (from the previous edition) i)
ii) iii)
A farmer in Somerset owns a beautiful pear tree. He supplies the fruit to a nearby grocery store. The store owner has called the farmer to see how much fruit is available for him to purchase. The farmer knows that the main trunk has 24 branches. Each branch has exactly 12 boughs and each bough has exactly 6 twigs. Since each twig bears one piece of fruit, how many plums will the farmer be able to deliver? None! It was a pear tree! What five letter word does every Oxford graduate pronounce wrong? Wrong. Before Mount Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain on earth? Mount Everest – just because it hadn’t been discovered yet it doesn’t mean it wasn’t still the highest mountain! From top (left to right): LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Periscope, Trip Advisor, StumbleUpon, Foursquare, Youtube, Podcasts, Google+, Hootsuite, Vine, Digg, Snapchat, Flickr, Facebook Messenger, bitly, WhatsApp, Google Maps, Pinterest, Vimeo, Yelp, Wordpress Art Block
Drama Roof
Dalewood Reception
Rose Garden
9 Dalewood Reception Dalewood House was completed in 1883 and designed by the eminent architect John Norton (who also designed Tyntesfield in Somerset). When it was built, it was as a private home and many of the leading experts in their field were employed to construct the house. Its stunning reception hall retains a wealth of original features including the exquisite stained glass windows which were designed and made by the company James Powell & Sons – leading glassmakers of the day. Along with many others throughout Dalewood, the windows depict an array of themes, including nature, the seasons, great literary figures, scenes from literature and music, philosophers and Victorian culture. Art Block Art Room 2 was originally a maintenance shed where the gardeners and estates staff kept tools and machinery. It was redeveloped in the 1970s and we understand that it was originally donated to the school by a parent in the early years of the school in the 1960s. The story is that it was shipped from Kingston in pieces, on the back of a trailer, unloaded and rebuilt – by senior boys at the school! This is not difficult to believe as we have testimony from some of the first pupils of the school who remember very clearly the physical tasks of building and construction set by the founding Headmaster Roy McComish. Drama Roof John Norton designed Dalewood House in the Gothic Revival style. He was heavily influenced by the work of famous architect Augustus Pugin and there are many examples of the design elements throughout the house which speak to the Christian beliefs and symbols of the era. Much of his early work was on designing large churches and it is understood that he carried some of the themes from this work into his other commissions. We speculate that the figure atop the Drama Roof is reminiscent of gargoyles and statues common to the era but there is no firm information as to its original location. Rose Garden Jerry and his team keep the grounds looking stunning year-round and are continuing to do so throughout lockdown. The pictures from the newsletter were taken by Jerry on his daily rounds.