Annwyl bawb

It's been a uniquely challenging week for our whole community, and the response of everyone to the unprecedented flooding has been fantastic. Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed, both via the School and elsewhere, to support others in a multitude of ways. 

There are plenty of ways to continue to be involved, of course. You will see links later on in this newsletter, and I'd like to highlight a couple of items here:

- The Monmouth Mayor's Fund is still open for donations – please click here if you are in a position of being able to donate.

- A charity car wash run by our Fire & Rescue service, who did such sterling work during the floods and since, is taking place on November 30, from 10am until 2pm at Monmouth Fire Station. Please support it if you can.

My video this week can be found here.

We are aware that walking routes to school have been more challenging at times this week because of the recovery work going on, and we are taking this into consideration when discussing punctuality with students who walk in. It seems that this issue has lessened over the week, but do let us know of any future concerns.

There were plenty of ideas at the School Council meeting this week about how our school community can contribute to the recovery efforts of the wider community of which we are a part, and I look forward to seeing those plans come to fruition.

Finally, I'd also like to highlight and praise two occasions where members of our School stepped in this week to perform CPR on members of the public in Monmouth. A member of staff intervened whilst on their way to work on Wednesday when someone required immediate assistance, and two Year 10 students stepped in to assist another member of the public who had a medical emergency whilst they were on the way home on the same day. It is somewhat extraordinary that both occurrences took place on a single day, and it highlights the value of first aid training for all, which is already a topic of discussion and planning for future years.

All the best to you for the weekend ahead.

Hugo Hutchison
Headteacher

Jessica Saunders, Year 8, has been successful in being selected for the Wales Under 13 Regional Academy 2025/2026. 

Jessica currently plays for the Under 14 team for Monmouth Netball. 

Good luck, Jessica.

This year, friends and family who are not on Parentpay will also have the opportunity to purchase tickets, either by using the QR code below or online using:

Raffle - MCS Christmas Raffle 2025

Thank you for your support.

If you’re shopping the Black Friday sales, please remember to use easyfundraising!

Over 8,000 retailers will donate to Monmouth Comprehensive Friends Association for FREE when you use easyfundraising to shop with them.  

This means you can raise donations for us no matter what you’re buying – whether that’s gadgets, electricals, games consoles, toys, clothes, gifts or anything else! 

These donations make a BIG difference to us and don’t cost you anything extra, so please keep us in mind while you’re grabbing a bargain.  Please sign up and help us raise more at:

EASYFUNDRAISING

It would make such a difference. Thank you! 

If you wish your child to receive the flu vaccine, the school nursing service will visit the school to offer students in Years 7-11 a nasal flu spray vaccine on Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th December.

The NHS recommends that your child has a flu vaccination every year. 

It’s very important to protect your child from flu to make sure they stay as healthy as possible. The best flu vaccine for most children is a nasal spray. This is the vaccine that will be given on the day.    

The online consent form and additional information can be found here: 

E- Consent Form Link  

To help make sure the vaccine is suitable for your child, and they don’t miss out, please take time to read the information and follow the link to complete the electronic consent form as soon as possible, before the planned vaccination date, no later than Tuesday 2nd December.  Any consent forms submitted after this time may result in your child not receiving their vaccine on the day.  

We encourage parental engagement and consent wherever possible for young people. However, everyone aged 16 years and over is presumed to have the capacity to give consent themselves, unless the opposite is demonstrated. If a child under the age of 16 fully understands what is involved, they are legally able to make an informed decision to consent. They are advised to inform their parent/guardian. However, they have the right to not disclose this information if they wish.

The nose spray flu vaccine that contains porcine gelatine is the best protection against flu for children. If you want to have your child protected against flu, but you do not want them to have the nose spray, you can request the gelatine free injection instead, on the consent form, and you will be invited to a clinic.

Should you have any difficulties accessing the above link, please contact 01633 431685 for further support.  

ABUHB School Nursing Service

Following the flooding, Newport Bus have reduced the bus fares on their services in Monmouth & district.

• An adult day ticket is reduced from £6.30 to £4
• An adult weekly ticket is reduced from 18.90 to £13.

These tickets allow unlimited travel on any Newport Bus service in the wider Monmouth area, up to and including Llandogo, Trellech, Raglan and St Weonards. The tickets can be purchased on the Newport Bus app or from the driver using card or cash. 

For more info on Newport Bus service, please see

Monmouth Services: Flood updates and information - Newport Bus

British Red Cross – Cash Support

The British Red Cross has cash support available for people whose properties have been affected by the recent flooding in Monmouthshire.

If your property has been affected by the flooding, you qualify for a minimum of £100 of cash support. Your eligibility will be verified by the local authority.

This support is only available to those that make contact with the British Red Cross before 12 noon Monday 24^th November. You can do this by visiting the Humanitarian Assistance Centre at Shire Hall, 3 Agincourt Square, Monmouth NP25 3DY

Or by contacting the British Red British Red Cross National Support Line on 0808 196 3651 (Open 10am and 8pm Mondays and Thursdays, and between 10am and 5pm Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays).

Or by contacting supportline@redcross.org.uk and leaving your name, phone number, address and how you have been impacted by the flooding.

Cash will only be provided following verification of eligibility by the Local Authority. You will not be issued with support if we cannot verify that you have been impacted. 

A JustGiving fundraising page has been set up by the Mayor of Monmouth to raise money for residents affected by the devastating flooding in Monmouth.   Should you wish to donate, this is the link:

Crowdfunding For Good From JustGiving

Storm Claudia Splash page with all the up-to-date information that affected families and businesses may find useful may be found herel:

https://www.monmouthshire.gov.uk/storm-claudia/#HC

We are Calon Hearts UK, a charity that specialises in Heart Screening and Defibrillators. Since being founded 13 years ago, we have made a huge contribution to improving heart health in Wales. To date, we have supplied over 36,000 defibrillators, trained over 356,000 in CPR and screened over 27,000 hearts for potentially life-threatening conditions. We also run a mobile heart-screening initiative which we take around Wales and England.

We offer free heart screening for 12-25 year olds and for anyone 26 and over we offer part funded screening.

Our mobile Heart Screening service will be coming to a venue near you this weekend.

You can book up to, and including, the day of the session (if there are free spaces) by using the QR code on the posters below.

The Summer 2025 exam certificates have arrived and are available for collection by students in Years 11, 12 and 13 who left us in July 2025.  Students still in school will receive their certificates during Form period.

If your son/daughter left us in July 2025, they can come to School Reception to collect them or, if they are sending someone in to collect on their behalf, they will need to supply them with a note/text to grant permission.  If a sibling is still in school here, as long as they have written permission to collect, they can sign for them at Reception and take them home.

A reminder that Monmouth Comprehensive School Boat Club has been added to the Co-op’s list of supported charities. This means that every time you shop at the Co-op, you can nominate Monmouth Comprehensive School Boat Club as your chosen charity. Your support will directly benefit the club and help fund equipment, training, and future rowing initiatives.

Next time you're at the Co-op, please consider selecting Monmouth Comprehensive School Boat Club as your charity. Your contribution, no matter how small, will make a meaningful difference.

A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to the Children in Need fundraising last week - our final total was £863.15.

Thank you, too, to everyone who took part in the vote for 'best' dressed Head of Year.  The winner, with 35% of the vote, was Mr Rodda, Head of Sixth Form.

Congratulations, Mr Rodda.

Wednesday 14 January  -  7pm
Thursday 15 January  -  7pm
Friday 16 January  -  7pm
Saturday 17 January  -  2pm and 7 pm (Saturday night selling very well)

Concessions -  £10  (students/children/Seniors)
General Admission - £12

    

Ticketsource - book tickets here

Are you making the world a better place?

Could you be the next SuperKind change-maker and inspire thousands of other young people?

Please click on the link below for more information:

The SuperKind Social Action Competition