Shwmae bawb

We are all looking forward to welcoming our incoming Year 7 students at the New Entrants Evenings next week. Transition time is a really lovely time of year - a really significant life event for Year 6 students, as well as an opportunity for me to talk about our school multiple times (which is one of my favourite things to do). We then have taster days in July, before our new cohort starts in September. 

Our Summer Learning week has taken shape, after much planning by Mr Hampshire, Heads of Year and others. You can see the plans below in this newsletter. Summer Learning is an opportunity for students to have different experiences, including castle trips, Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, sports days, climbing, caving, canoeing, Eisteddford, on-site activities, countryside walks in our beautiful landscape, and much more besides. We are very grateful to MCS Friends for their financial support of Summer Learning, without which we would not be able to plan such a rich variety of experiences.

Finally a note on exams: we are almost at the end of the exam season, and our students have been superb throughout. Many staff members have commented to me that this is perhaps the best exam season that they can remember in terms of student workrate, perseverance and positivity. It is a really challenging time for exam students, and we are very proud of them all.

All best wishes for the weekend.

Hugo Hutchison
Headteacher

During the last week of term (Wednesday 16^th to Friday 18^th July) we are planning a range of exciting experiences across the school as part of our Summer Learning week.  These activities are designed to offer students different learning experiences to those available within their usual timetable.  The Monmouth Comprehensive School Friends Association is kindly supporting some of the costs of these events.

Year 7 will be visiting the oldest and newest castles in Monmouthshire, becoming expert archers and orienteers and celebrating Welsh culture in their own Eisteddfod. 

Year 8 will be able to test their metal with outward-bound activities, including caving, canoeing or climbing and discover the wonders of the beautiful Wye Valley. 

Year 9 will be walking along the Wye to the Biblins, crossing the river before lunch and showing off their talents in their own Summer Showcase.

Year 10 will look forward to their future education and career pathways, experience a musical treat and enjoy a Monmouthshire countryside walk.

Year 12 will be exploring future pathways and looking forward to applying for university, college or apprenticeships, alongside developing some new skills. 

All students in Years 7 to 9 will also test their athletic skills and compete for their Form in our annual Sports Days. 

Students are expected to wear their PE kit for these three days and ensure that they have suitable footwear and outer garments for the activity and weather on the day.  Also they should come prepared with sun cream, hat and plenty of water.

Information letters may be found on our Letters page by clicking HERE.

However, you will receive an email directing you to logon to Parentpay to give your consent for the activities.

Following the success of last year’s visit, the Taste Wagon Food Truck will be with us again this year.  The programme for the week is:

Tuesday 12.55 - Year 7
Tuesday 1.45 - Year 9

Wednesday 12.55 - Year 8
Wednesday 1.45 - Year 10

Sixth Form students are able to access the Taste Wagon during all four lunch breaks (with a ticket).

Students will be able to purchase a ticket (£1.95 – available at break time only) from 16 – 20 June to use at the Taste Wagon - please keep it safe as students will not be able to access the Taste Wagon if they have lost their ticket.  Each Year Group will have a specific ticket colour and will hand the ticket in at the Taste Wagon, during their relevant slot.  No tickets are available to purchase on the day, they must all be purchased in advance.

Could you please ensure your child’s account is topped up, to allow them to make their purchase, if they wish to use the Taste Wagon.

The toppings available for the fries will be pulled pork or beef chilli or a vegetarian chilli option, using Eat Curious Pea Protein as researched and requested by our Eco Group.  Other toppings include grated cheese, nacho cheese sauce, onions, crispy bacon bits and various sauces.

This week saw Freddie Hughes, Elliott Walker, Ethan Douglas, Shane Williams, Owen Williams, Freya Daunter, Orlaith Fletcher and Emilia Cherry set out on their Duke Of Edinburgh Expedition.  We received the following report from Miss Booker:

Arriving in Pencelli, we unloaded our rucksacks into the teachers’ tent (which had been set up in advance), had a quick snack, and then headed back to the minibus for the journey to Brecon. After a safety briefing and a few canoeing tips, Andy, Ceri, and Mandy helped us board our canoe rafts—and off we went down the canal.  Going through the locks was particularly exciting!

After passing through the lock, we climbed out of the canoes and sat by the canal to enjoy our lunch. Once the canoes were loaded back onto the trailer, we returned to camp to set up the tents.  Once that task was completed, everyone helped make dinner.  Washing up was followed by a game of rounders and there was just time for a snack and hot chocolate before bed.

After a hearty breakfast of bacon and sausage baps, fruit, breakfast pastries, and fruit juice, Andy and Mandy arrived to pick us up, and we headed back to the spot where we’d finished our canoe journey the day before. From there, we re-entered the canal and set off once again—this time paddling over the impressive aqueduct.  At times, the canal was quite busy, which really put our steering skills to the test! It was a pleasure to chat with members of the passing canal community, and everyone enjoyed hearing the wide variety of canal boat horns along the way. Back at camp, we tucked into a tasty noodle stir-fry for dinner, followed by a relaxed and sociable evening.

The next morning, the camp was packed away and we set off on our walk to Talybont, finishing up at the Canalside Cafe for a well-deserved lunch break.  

The minibus then collected us from the café and returned a group of very tired -but very proud - explorers back to school.

As staff, we were all incredibly impressed by the positivity, bravery, and resilience every student showed. It was genuinely fantastic to see each one rise to the challenge and succeed. We are so proud of them all.

Graduating this June from the Ivy League University Dartmouth College, NH, USA, Josie Harrison has been offered the Jones Media Fellowship, giving her the opportunity to work at Dartmouth until July '26. Josie will work within the Dartmouth Library’s Jones Media Center, on a variety of film and media-based projects. These include supporting film production and education across college classes, producing promotional films for the college, and supporting the collaboration between Dartmouth and the Fulbright University in Vietnam as a media specialist.

She will work in Ho Chi Minh City in December, attend the Maine Film School for further training, as well as Dartmouth, offering other professional development opportunities in Film and Media.

Josie was awarded this Fellowship after graduating with a BA (Hons) double majoring in Film & Media Studies, and Geography, with a minor in Asian Societies, Cultures, and Languages.

Josie was also named the James Joseph Kaplan Filmmaker of the Year, an award given to a graduating senior who thrives on the craft of film making, bringing passion, creativity, imagination, and a strong work ethic to their work.

We were lucky to have Josie return to MCS last July to be our guest speaker for the Sports Awards.  Josie gave a truly inspiring speech to our students - her passion for sport and the incredible effort she puts into everything in her life shining through.  She's quite an amazing person.

Will Duffield has his first TV film on the BBC shortly...

Along with his brother, Hal, a number of MCS students past and present have appeared in short dramas, music videos and 'proof of concept' scenes which Will has written, shot, directed and edited.

On Monday 23rd June at 11pm on BBC2 Wales, a short film called Alter Ego is having its first TV network broadcast screening (available on iPlayer afterwards). One of the films within  the 'New Voices From Wales' series, Alter Ego is Will Duffield's first documentary film and his debut TV credit as a director. 

When Alter Ego was first shown to an invited cinema audience ahead of being televised, there were audible and visceral responses to the dramatic visuals which Will edited to tell the story of Shyana, a young woman from Newport. It's ten minutes of captivating entertainment which took weeks to research, develop, film and then cut according to the brief from the BBC Commissioning Editors who Will was creating the documentary for. Will had a couple of months going to the Documentary Unit at Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff every week - initially for masterclasses and development meetings. Some of the meetings even took place in the Doctor Who offices with daleks decorating the walls. Will had to pitch his idea in a competitive process alongside other directors with post-graduate degrees in Film or experience in making documentary content, so it was a huge achievement when his proposed film was selected from the large number of submissions.

The professional production company team at It's My Shout supported Will Duffield and handled the logistical aspects of the shoot, such as insurance, health and safety and staffing for each call sheet on shooting days. Will had to devise a shooting script with detailed preparation for every camera angle and scene, allowing for changes during the editing process. The producers pointed out that Will was by far the youngest director they had ever worked with, yet he showed great maturity on set.

Will has been working up to this TV credit as a Director for three years. He made his first ever film at 16 and it was screened at The Savoy. He was then spotted by a graduate crew from the National Film and Television School who made a documentary about Will's filmmaking process as a self-shooting writer/director. Will was then selected as a Screenwriter for the British Film Institute Film Academy. The drama short he wrote had a professional cast and the film was screened at the BFI flagship cinema at Southbank in London when he was just 17. Will then spent work experience time doing sports journalism live edits and online content - filmed and written - for WeAreTottenhamTV in their London YouTube studio. A week as a BFI SFX Mentor based at the University of Wales Trinity St Davids in Swansea also had Will credited for editing on many undergraduate films screened at Chapter Arts in Cardiff as part of the BFI Futures Festival. Having a successful pitch and being a BBC documentary Director at 18 has been part of a serious commitment to filmmaking. It's going to be interesting to see what he does next as part of the Film degree he starts this Autumn. He also continues to make film studies and soundtrack radio and podcast shows with his brother Hal.

Amnesty MCS have been discussing Refugee Week (16-22 June) and plan on holding a bake sale at school on Friday 20th June.

They would be grateful to receive any items (shop-bought or homemade) at Reception by 9am on Friday 20th June, if you would like to donate.  This will allow them time to prepare the items for sale.  Could we ask that you do not send in any items for the bakesale that include nuts, please.  Any gluten-free, dairy-free or vegan options would also be most welcome, but could you please let us know if a product can be sold as this.

Containers should be marked with names and collected from Reception at the end of the day.

Students should bring in change if they wish to purchase items during break.

Any donations raised will be split between Amnesty International and Abergavenny Town of Sanctuary.

Diolch yn fawr for your support, it is very much appreciated.