News from MCS

Annwyl pawb

We continue to be very grateful to the redoubtable Friends of MCS for their ongoing support of the School and our students. Every parent and carer is automatically a member of the Friends, who fundraise for the School, organise community events, and work with Bridges to provide a local second-hand uniform service for families. 

They have now produced a promotional film to encourage greater participation in whatever way you can help out - please click here to watch it.

Some parents and carers take leading roles in the Friends, and others help out when they can - please do consider whether you could give up a little of your time to support us in our efforts to ensure every student gets the superb education that they deserve.

In other news, we have now moved to summer uniform and a separate email was sent out yesterday regarding this. 

All the best for the weekend ahead.

Hugo Hutchison
Headteacher

Max continues his winning ways

Congratulations to Max Swayne who was the winner of the 18U Grade 4 Competition at Painswick TC at the weekend, on his favourite surface - clay.

Year 9 student Max won all his matches in straight sets. 

Park and Stride May – Monmouth School Initiative

We know that the school drop off and collection increases the number of cars on the road network. This can be stressful at any time but with GCSEs and A Levels, those precious few minutes can make all the difference to our student’s future and well-being.

The current Welsh Water/Dwr Cymru works on Monnow Street with a full closure from 23^rd April to the 28^th of May and the rock fall on the A40 is likely to add to the stress of the school run for parents and students throughout May.

Monmouthshire County Council have agreed to free parking in Monnow Street Car Park and Cornwall House Car Park Monday to Friday throughout the May Exam period 13^th May to 31^st May to support the Park and Stride Initiative. This will operate in Monnow Street Car Park and Cornwall House Car Park, (highlighted on map below, access from Blestium Street).

With the road closure in place between Nailers Lane and Agincourt Square the town centre will have much lower volumes of traffic. There are numerous safe routes to the schools from the Car Parks less than 10-minute walk through the town or through Chippenham Fields.

Encouraging students to walk or cycle to school can reduce the stress on themselves, on parents and on the network. These are the closest Car Parks on the south-west side of town and within 1km of the Comprehensive and Haberdashers Schools. For many parents, this will save a trip along the A40 and reduce traffic at peak times across Monmouth town and surrounding area.

The vast majority of Monmouth and Wyesham is within 1.25 miles (2km) of the school (20-30 minute walk). Leaving the car at home may be an option for some as we move into the Summer Term.

Neighbourhood Services

Paris Trip Expression of Interest – Current Year 10 Students

The Mathematics Faculty are exploring the possibility of running another trip to Paris from Saturday 22^nd – Tuesday 25^th February 2025 (during half-term), visiting the city centre as well as Disneyland Paris. 

The cost will be dependent on numbers but is likely to fall in the region of £625-£675 per student.  If the trip went ahead and you would be interested in your child attending, please complete the following expression of interest form (link below) so that we can ascertain demand and plan effectively. 

Please note, this doesn’t reserve your child a place at this stage, nor is the trip guaranteed to take place.

https://forms.gle/4ycXwbWiYjCreKGbA 

Responses required by Monday 13^th May 3pm please.

Following the snippet in last week's newsletter, we are pleased to confirm that the Astro turf has now been in action for the last week.

This brand-new facility will really provide us with a useable outdoor space to offer a range of activities on, primarily hockey. It has been great to have had hockey back on the curriculum and to be able to offer it as an extra-curriculuar club once again. It has been a long time coming.

We are extremely grateful to Monmouthshire County Council for funding the refurbishment and we look forward to many years enjoying it.

This week saw Round 2 of the Year 7 6–aside competition taking place. The results and tables can be seen below.

The top two teams qualify and with one fixture left for each team before the semi-final stage, it is all to play for.

A short film produced by students for students exploring friendships, exam results and future pathways has just been released featuring two MCS former students.

Alfie George who is studying Film Production at Salford University co-wrote and directed the film which follows the story of best friends about to embark on very different paths after receiving their A Level results.

During their final party at the ANTHILL, a derelict building and the backdrop to their teenage lives, they come together to express how will they cope with moving apart.

Dan Smith who is studying acting and performance at LMA London appears alongside a local cast in this thought-provoking and poignant film which might just help learners reflect on their own futures “grades aren’t the meaning of life, they don’t define you…everyone leads different lives, has different stories, I don’t want to lose the people whose stories I’m a part of.”

https://youtu.be/DmhGj2Yk8v8?si=PNNR-MS8-FnP9LBe