News from MCS

Annwyl pawb

Well, what a week it has been. Change is in the air at MCS, as it always is at this time of year at school, with Year 6 students joining us throughout the week on their transition days. We really are delighted to welcome them into our school community. They will be sad to be leaving their primary schools and the teachers that they have known for years, of course, but I know that they are also excited about what lies ahead for them in the years to come. They have had a great time this week – feedback from them has been lovely to hear.

Many congratulations to MCS Boat Club, who have successfully completed a combined sponsored row to cover the distance from Monmouth Rowing Club to Vaires-Sur-Marine Nautical Stadium, where the rowing will take place at the Paris Olympics this summer. 807km! Funds raised will go towards supporting the running costs of MCS Boat Club. Please support our athletes and club if you are able to, using this link: https://www.justgiving.com/monmouthboatclub

And finally, I must tell you about a moment at school today that definitely ranks amongst my favourite ever moments in any school, anywhere: we were treated to a superb performance by the Les Misérables cast in the atrium at 10.40am, and most of the school were out on the walkways and across the whole atrium to watch. This was a surprise performance prior to their departure to Birmingham to take part in the National Festival of Music for Youth. Lots of students and staff have since told me how much they enjoyed it – emotion abounded. It was one of those occasions where you do your best to take a mental snapshot of our school community revelling in music together. A glorious moment, and a really uplifting end to the week.

All the best for the weekend.

Cofion cynnes,

Hugo Hutchison
Prifathro/Headteacher

Our former Deputy Head Girl Alice (studying Medicine at Cambridge) graduated last week with her first degree in Biological and Biomedical Studies (Cambridge Medical students do two degrees, the first in science, the second in medicine).

We are delighted to hear from Alice's proud family that Alice has received a top first. Indeed, the top first; she’s graduating first out of 143 students in her year, across Cambridge. She’s the first medic from Selwyn College to do this in 15 years.  Alice starts clinical school in September, and will be working towards her Medical degree for the next three years, on hospital placements.

Congratulations Alice, we know you have worked so hard for this.

Please note that next week will be the final week for free uniform deliveries to school before we break up. 

This option will switch back on the second week of September, to allow deliveries to come through school.

The uniform policy is available here on our website. It includes links to several retailers for suitable alternatives to our main supplier for generic items such as shirts and pleated skirts. 

We still have tickets available for the production of Guys and Dolls Jr which takes place at MCS on 8/9/10/11th July. Please note there are only 19 tickets left for the final performance.

This is a wondererful opportunity to catch our students in lower school honing their skills before they reach the heights of the upper school production in Year 10 upwards.  They really are an amazingly talented group of students.  Tickets may be purchased through Ticketsource on the link below:

(www.ticketsource.co.uk/monmouth-comprehensive-school)

Please be aware Welsh Water work to Old Dixton Road will commence on July 4th and is expected to last until the 24th July.  The work is planned to be completed at night starting at 9pm and finishing at 5am (Monday – Friday).

Please avoid parking at the leisure centre for any of our shows. Park at rear car park of school entering from New Dixton Road.

Stocks at foodbanks are currently running very low due to increased demand, therefore, we are going to run a donation collection for Monmouth Foodbank.  Any items that you are able to donate will provide vital support for local families in need. Donations will be arranged through tutor groups with small prizes for those tutor groups who contribute the most. All items should be taken to Form Rooms,in the first instance.  The deadline for donations is Thursday 11^th July

Most needed items are:

Soups (tins and packets)
Long life fruit juice                                          
Long life milk
Tinned vegetables                                          
Tomato Ketchup                                             
Biscuits
Chocolate                                                           
Toilet rolls                                                          
Shampoo/Deodorant/Soap                                                                     
Laundry liquid/powder
Washing up liquid

They have also said that they are obviously grateful for other (in date) donations that are not on this list. Thank you very much.

A number of our students, who are Scouts at 1st Usk Scouts, will take part in a sponsored Abseil today. They are raising money for Pancreatic Cancer. Sadly, their group has been directly affected by a Pancreatic Cancer diagnosis and the Scouts want to raise funds to help the cause. 

The students taking part are:

Y9 - Finley Pearce, Theo Harrison, Dilwyn Howells, Oliver Young, Ben Burnard, Robin Fanning, Rhys Seager and Bertie Wood

Y8 - Jacob Jayne, Darcy Bull, Harry Phelps, Joshua Horsley and James Lawrence-Preston. 

If you feel you would like to sponsor the students, please use the link below to their justgiving page.  Thank you.

1st Usk Scouts - Pancreatic Cancer

Last year, the Principality Building Society approached the school to decorate their windows for Monmouth Carnival.  Following a fantastic display, we were again approached to decorate for Carnival 2024.

Our Inclusion Department, both SRB and mainstream, got down to work using the theme 'Into the Wild' with the SRB students making the tree and mainstream SRB chipping in with snails and ladybirds.

We are delighted to report that the Pincipality window display achieved 2nd place in the competition - a huge well done to our SRB students.

If you would like to see the window in all its glory, the display will be there until next week.

Our Year 8 Cultural studies Group (who helped make the bees) dropped by to see the display, following up with a visit to Bees for Development where they inspected the soap and lip balm, all produced from honey.
 

A big thank you to the ladies who let them try the chocolate whilst giving them lots of information about how important bees are to us.