STUDENT SAFETY AT MCS
We would like to remind you that the front entrance to the School is for students to arrive safely on foot. As you will be aware, pedestrian access from Old Dixton Road and the Burgage is limited, with some areas having little or no pavement for students to use. Please do not drive to the front of the School to drop off your child.
At the start of the day, the safe ‘drop-off’ point for students arriving by car is at the rear of the School in the car park accessed via the Dixton Road. Please use the drop-off zone (the vehicle-to-pavement area on the left) and then exit the school site. Please do not park in the parking bays to drop off your child.
If you need to park and come into School, please use the visitor car park located adjacent to the Leisure Centre, off the Old Dixton Road and report to Reception on arrival.
Students can be safely collected from the car park at the end of the school day from 3.20pm, once home to school transport vehicles have exited.
Your ongoing co-operation is appreciated to ensure that our students have safe routes to school.
ATTENDANCE
As parents/carers you will receive a text message if your child does not register with their tutor and does not arrive at session 1 and you have not already reported their absence to school (Absentee Line 01600 775284 - (MCS.Attendance@monmouthshireschools.wales). Please respond to this text message, with the reason for absence.
This should speed up the process of recording absences and staff will have more time to support students.
Your voicemail/email should provide concise details regarding the reason for absence, which ensures the absence is an authorised one. Please be aware that for repeated absences or patterns, you may well be asked for medical evidence.
ABSENCE DURING THE SCHOOL DAY
If your child has an appointment outside school during the day, could you please let the school know in advance (01600 775177) and provide physical evidence of the appointment - a screenshot of a text confirmation or a copy of an appointment card/letter - no later than the day of the appointment. This means that it is recorded at Reception and they can be signed out quickly, avoiding unnecessary delays. You may also wish to give your child a note to show their teacher, who will release them from class.
If we are not aware of a request to leave school, either via a message or a note, we are obliged to call parents/carers to confirm a child is leaving/being met at Reception. If we are unable to make contact with a parent/carer registered on SIMS as a contact, we cannot allow a student to leave the school.
YEAR 7 - USING THE FOOD HALL
Please remember that an automatic maximum daily spend of £5 is allocated to each student's account but individual limits can be set by contacting Mrs Jenkins in the Finance Department at the school: jenkinsj174@monmouthshireschools.wales
who will be happy to set the limit you require. Please remind your child of their daily limit, which includes purchases of food and drink.
We know that the range of food on offer in our Food Hall can be a little overwhelming when students first start in Year 7 – especially as students are used to a limited offer in primary school and, more importantly, they didn’t have to budget to pay for their lunch. It becomes a little more difficult for them when they are faced with such huge a choice but with a specific budget and they are often tempted to 'overspend'.
Please discuss this daily limit with your child, perhaps using the link above to go through to the menu/food list to work out the best value for their allowance. You may also wish them to only access the Food Hall at lunch break, to ensure they have enough money on their account to purchase a nourishing and filling lunch and not spend it all on snacks at breaktime. If this is the case, please contact us on the email address above and we can arrange for a note to be put on their ParentPay profile which will ensure the till operator is aware of this. Ample water fountains are situated around the school, allowing students to fill up their bottles for free.
Full details of the menus may be found on our website, by clicking HERE. At the bottom of the menus you will see the specials on offer every day in the Food Hall - all three items must be taken to the till to ensure they are put through as one of the special offers. On this page you will also find a price list.
Please ensure you have activated your Parentpay account to allow your child can use the Food Hall. If you have any queries about activation, please email Mrs Jenkins on the email address above.
Congratulations to Year 11 students Oscar Wadley and Ryan Lloyd on your rugby selection for Pontypool schools.
If you have any uniform that you no longer need, we can sell it through The Magic Cottage charity shop. Washed uniform can be dropped off in the two recycling bins next to Reception in school, or directly into the Magic Cottage Charity shop next to Shire Hall. Funds from the sale of uniform are shared equally between MCS Friends and Magic Cottage.
I applied earlier in the year for work experience at BAE Systems Glascoed Usk, filling out a questions and answers application along with a personal statement. After waiting a while, I got an email to be told I had been lucky enough to gain a place. 
We are currently looking for adult volunteers to help us deliver fun, adventure, and skills for life to young people in our area. Our unit is growing, and with more Junior Cadets (aged 10–12) joining, we need enthusiastic adults to support our activities.
