Annwyl pawb

Lots of links this week - please click here if you’d like to view my video message for this week, and click here if you’d like to read the Estyn letter following their interim visit to us a few weeks ago.

The Local Authority have asked us to share this letter (click here) with you regarding their budget consultation – please do respond if you can.

Finally, many congratulations to the whole Shrek cast and crew for another unforgettable production of exceptional quality, and to the team behind the Careers and Higher Education Fair for an immensely successful event this week. Llongyfarchiadau, pawb/ congratulations, all.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Hugo Hutchison
Headteacher

School attendance has become a significant challenge for all schools since the pandemic.  Good attendance to school is linked to higher educational outcomes for students, stronger social development and improved wellbeing.

We really value your feedback; this questionnaire will be used by us to evaluate our practices in improving attendance. 

Many thanks for taking the time to complete this feedback - deadline for feedback is Monday 10th February.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1jzDEmF9bdF2Y-VlOkM38P307mAEjrWTHLho5_vpf5Kg/edit

Wycliffe Big Boats Saturday 1^st Feb recap

Last weekend was the rowing club's first event of 2025 at Wycliffe Big Boats Head.
It was a great event to test our athletes with top clubs from around the country competing.

Our Year 11 crews (J16 4X-/WJ16 4X-) were in the morning division, putting in some tidy performances and showing progression from their previous race. In the afternoon division, our Sixth Form crew of J18 4X- put in a gutsy display while our Year 10 crew WJ15 4x+ finished off strongly following catching crab which, sadly, affected a good row.

Our J18 4+ finished off the day of racing with a great win, picking up their first ever sweep win. The crew of Isaac Thomson, Lewys Baker, Hector Futcher, Archie Barrell and cox Lucas Walker capped off a great day.  We now look forward to Gloucester Head on Sunday 16^th March.

Online Safety for Parents and Carers, 5:30pm to 7:00pm at Monmouth Comprehensive School, NP25 3YT, Thursday 20^th March

This online safety training session, provided by SWGfL, will furnish parents with an insight into popular technologies and how young people utilise them. Demonstrating the massive benefits and potential pitfalls, the interactive presentation provides parents with advice, strategies, and resources to help them understand and engage with their child’s online lives in a healthy, positive, and productive way.  

"SWGfL are a charitable trust dedicated to empowering the safe and secure use of technology through innovative services, tools, content, and policy, nationally and globally. We are proud to be a world leader in online child safety, a founding member of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety as well as an advisor to Governments and a partner in the UK Safer Internet Centre. Our vision: Everyone should benefit from technology, free from harm.  

Subscribe to our free monthly newsletter to receive our latest news, content and tips about Online Safety, Security and Educational Technology."

With all the winter bugs around at the moment, we would ask that students come to school with a bottle of water/bottle to fill as they are often visiting Healthcare feeling dehydrated.

A bottle of water or their own bottle to fill at school would help tremendously to keep them hydrated during the day.

On Wednesday the 29th January we set off on the coach for London at 5am. Four hours later we were boarding the Eurostar to Paris.

Stopping off for lunch by the Eiffel Tower (a very nice burger), we took the Metro to the Gare du Nord, settling down for a 2 and a half hour train journey to Dijon, Dole. On arrival, we met with the Deputy Head of Collège Maryse Bastié, who organised the bus ride to our accommodation. 

The following two days were a whirlwind of activity and we had a great time at school, learning plenty of new French words and meeting lots of friendly French students, who warmly welcomed us into their school. We also got to experience the French lessons, which were interesting.

Our final day, Saturday, saw us taking a tour around town with some of the French students who showed us the local monuments and breathtaking views of Dole.

We were even featured in the local newspaper.  We are hoping to be able to welcome the French students to our school next year.

Lucas Barker

Shrek the Musical at Monmouth Comprehensive School was a resounding success, with sell-out performances that showcased the incredible talent of students from Years 9 to 13.

The show captivated audiences with its vibrant performances, from the hilarious and heart-warming Shrek (Luke Peters and Owain Phillips) and Fiona (Josie Asbury and Isla Davies) to the dynamic Dragon (Florence Hills and Anya Duberley).

The live orchestra, stunning set design, and impressive choreography brought the magical world of Farquaad (Stanley Kirkaldie) and friends to life. With standout performances across the board and an amazing ensemble, this production will be remembered as one of the school’s most memorable theatrical achievements.

A huge thank you goes to the parents, families, and the wider school community for their support throughout the production process. If you’d like to relive the magic or see it for the first time, a video download of the show is available for purchase. To order, please click here https://forms.gle/FEjknNy9jieEXQxm7

Additionally, a GoFundMe page has been set up by parents/friends to help fund future school productions—your contributions are greatly appreciated. Thank you to everyone who made this incredible performance possible!

https://gofund.me/dbc6cc6b

This week, we have distributed library cards to all students in school following the installation of our new digital book loaning system for the school library, wherein students can browse, reserve and write reviews on all the books available!

We have an excellent selection of books in the Library - please encourage your child to take a look.

The link to the new system can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/Libresoft-MCS and is also available on the school website under ‘Curriculum and Learning’ – ‘Learning Resource Centre and Library’.

Students have been given their individual bar code and password via their hwb email accounts, but are encouraged to drop by the library if they have any issues logging in or using the system.

Please click HERE for a useful guide to getting started and using Libresoft.