Year 11: Farewell from Mrs McQueen

28 May 2021

 

 

Dear Year 11,

 

As I reflect back on the last five years, I clearly remember you all arriving at our academy fresh faced, some apprehensive and all ready for the next step of education.  Most of you were wearing smiles and some with nervous tears.  The time has flown by, as it always does.

 

No-one could have predicted the last few years you have had. That your formal exams would be cancelled, that you wouldn’t have been able to have a prom or prom breakfast and that you would have missed a significant amount of your time at school and the opportunity to socialise with your friends and peer groups.  What an eventful journey it has been!  

 

It has been an absolute honour to have the opportunity to see your resilience, positive attitudes and to be able to be part of your experiences as you have all returned to school.  During your time in Y10 and Y11 the whole world has had to change the way it has operated and everyone has made sacrifices. You adapted your learning with confidence and stayed determined to succeed. 

 

It wasn’t quite a Prom but our celebration together this week was certainly a memorable event and it was so lovely to have the time to see you all enjoying yourselves together.

 

All of the knowledge and skills that you have developed and the experiences that you have had have shaped you, to make you the amazing individuals you are. The hard work and dedication you have shown completing your formal subject assessments have made us all very proud. In the end, life isn’t about numbers, it’s about stories. It’s about the stories we tell each other to strengthen our memories and our sense of community.  All of the stuff you have learnt throughout your time at Outwood Academy Shafton has shaped the wonderful adults you have become. We don’t just teach you the curriculum just to get you the grades – we teach you that stuff because you have a human right to know it and because it’s your heritage and your future and because we want you to be the best you can be.

 

Now you have time to focus at home on your next steps, careers and Post 16 masterclasses. Soon you will all be embarking on the next stage of your lives with an education behind you that will hopefully allow you to achieve whatever you want to do.  Aim high, dream big and be proud always!

Now is your opportunity to shine!

 

Take care,

 

Mrs McQueen

File

Y11 Leaving AMc.pdf 283 KB