Annwyl bawb

I hope you are all enjoying this further burst of sunny weather that has arrived. In terms of student preparedness for the school day, we ask that all students bring a refillable water bottle if possible, in order to stay hydrated. These can be filled up before school, at break, lunch and after school. Students can also spend an hour a day outside in the sunshine during break and lunch, as well as outside lessons such as PE, so sunscreen is strongly advised. We are already in ‘summer uniform’, so blazers are not required.

We have the second weekend of the May Fair in Monmouth coming up, and I would reiterate the message sent out last week, which is that in previous years, various issues have arisen during trips to the fair, including our students and others, sadly further inflamed by posts on social media or sharing of videos. Unfortunately, I have had to issue significant sanctions in the past for several students, due to incidents at or around the fair. If your child is going to the fair, please could you discuss how they will look after their own safety and wellbeing. This might include them attending the fair early on rather than later in the evening, meeting your child at the fair rather than them making their own way home, and for younger students, having an adult accompany them as they enjoy the fair.

Finally, a note on exam season – initial reports from students are that the hard work over time, allied with the revision hours put in, are paying off in the exam hall. We wish them all the very best for the rest of the exams.

Cofion cynnes

Hugo Hutchison
Headteacher

Year 13 students Cara Wright and Nanci Edwards began their Duke of Edinburgh’s journey together in Year 10, completing Bronze and then Silver with the school’s support.

For Gold in Year 12, they took on different challenges - Cara completed a walking expedition in the Lake District, while Nanci completed a canoeing expedition in the same area.

Over the three years, both also volunteered regularly for their respective local sports clubs. Cara coached football for Ross Juniors Football Club and Nanci coached swimming for Monnow Swimming Club, both building valuable skills and giving back to the community.

Celebrating their Gold Award achievement in the Buckingham Palace garden with the Duke of Edinburgh was a proud and memorable moment for both. 

Congratulations Cara and Nanci.

Frankie Windebank and friend Bella Hepburn in Year 10, have entered, for the second year running, the National Downhill Mountain Bike series in the UK.

The girls are racing in various locations across the country over the spring and summer months. Competing in mountain biking for girls has been slowly growing, and in recent years participation has gained momentum with the category going from strength to strength, creating some tight and exciting racing. 

Both girls found themselves on the podium last weekend in the recent Fort William venue in Scotland. This was their second round out of five and we are very excited to see what happens in the up-and-coming rounds next month and over the summer.

Go girls!

There's still time to enter the MCS Friends Summer Raffle which closes at midnight on Sunday 18th May - tickets are on Parentpay.

There are some amazing prizes, including an Apple iPad, afternoon tea for 2 and numerous vouchers/tickets for events during the summer.

Thank you for supporting the Summer Raffle, the main fundraising event for MCSFA, which raises valuable funds to support the students at MCS during the academic year.

If your child feels unwell during the day, they should speak to the teacher taking their lesson who will call someone from the PSO team to talk to them, find out what is wrong and liaise with Healthcare.  Our Healthcare Support Worker will talk to the student and call home to request that a student is collected, if necessary.

Please remind your child of this process – students should not be calling/messaging home directly, either during lesson time or during break.  Our system means that we are quickly aware that a student is unwell, that we know where to locate them and that we can then ensure they are somewhere comfortable and supported whilst awaiting collection.

If, however, your child contacts you, please contact the school (01600 775177), explain the situation and we will then locate and speak to your child.  As mentioned above, Healthcare will contact you if your child needs to be collected.

Sergeant Morgan recently visited our school to give students an insight into a day in the life of a serving personnel. He brought along the kit he used during his deployment to Iraq, allowing students the opportunity to try on items such as body armour, helmets and respirators to experience what it’s like to wear military gear.

In addition, students had the chance to view photographs of the aircraft used overseas, examine his medals, and ask as many questions as they wanted, gaining a deeper understanding of military life and service.

We'd like to thank Sergeant Morgan for his time. It was a fantastic experience for all involved.

As we are fast approaching the date when Year 11 and Year 13 students will finish at MCS, could we please ask, if students use a locker at school, that they ensure the lock is removed and the locker is clear and clean before leaving on their last day.

Year 13 should also return their access cards to the Sixth Form Office before leaving.

If, after the last day of term, any lockers still have their locks on them, they will be removed and the contents disposed of in preparation for the new Academic year.  This ensures all lockers can be cleaned before students start the September term.

All Year Groups will be expected to remove padlocks and empty lockers before the last day of term in July.

'The Ecosystem’ is a group of Year 8 students who are trying to improve our school’s sustainability.  Inspired by a project in Year 6, they decided they would like to carry on their work to collaborate with larger companies to reduce the amount of deforestation caused by food production. 

You may click HERE to find out more about their work with Aramark, our catering partner. The link below will allow you to access allergen information for products in the Food Hall along with the relevant carbon score for each product.

Allergen and Sustainability Information

We have set up an Amnesty International Club, open to all year groups, to help promote an understanding of Human Rights and raise awareness of Human Rights abuses around the world. We meet on a Friday 3-4pm, in Room 267, with Ms Kelly.

In our first session, last Friday, we discussed some of the Human Rights issues we would like to learn more about and raise awareness of, which include such issues as the plight of the Uyghur people in China, the recent Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman, and the Israel-Gaza war.

All students are welcome to join our new group.

Emi, Carys and Summer, Year 8.

Closing Date: 19th May

Teacher of Art

Teacher of Performing Arts

Teacher of Business

Closing Date: 20 May

Teacher of Geography

Finance Officer (12 noon)