News from MCS

Annwyl pawb

It’s been another busy week as we approach the last few weeks of the academic year. Celebrations with Year 11 at their prom, which was a really joyous event with a fantastic group of young people. We are really proud of them.

The summer showcase demonstrated once again the exceptional talents of our students, expertly led by Mrs Ritter and the whole PEA staff team. Perhaps most importantly, I remain unbeaten on the table tennis tables, despite a robust challenge from Year 9 students at lunchtimes this week… (pride comes before a fall, I’m sure!). The tables are, of course, funded by the brilliant MCS Friends, as well as the bats and balls that all students can borrow from reception every day. We are so grateful to them for all that they do. Please do get involved to contribute if you can; their details are on the MCS Friends page on the website.

We are looking forward to welcoming our next cohort of Year 7 students in for their induction days next week. They will have a mixture of excitement and nerves, of course, but we know they will be welcomed to our school community warmly by everyone here. In the meantime, I wish you all an enjoyable and restful weekend.

Cofion cynnes

Hugo Hutchison

Prifathro/Headteacher

Year 9 student Millie Cross competed at the Irish Open in Dublin at the weekend, winning all her Latin and Ballroom events, including Advanced and Elite events.

This is a huge achievement as Millie was competing against Latin and Ballroom dancers from all over the globe, including Germany, Ukraine, Italy and Bulgaria.

Congratulations, Millie.

Arianne Allford (Year 9) took part in the GB Skate Artistic Dance Championships last weekend. She placed 7th out of 18 competitors.

The competition was tough as Arianne was skating at a higher level than previously, however she achieved a personal best score. Her rollart score qualified her for both her inter bronze and bronze test standard which is a great achievement.

Arianne's family are so proud of her.

Well done, Arianne.
 

We are delighted to have arranged a trip to Wales Millennium Centre on Thursday 5th December at 2.30pm to watch Hamilton. The trip aims to offer a live theatre/performance experience for GCSE Drama and Music students as well as inspiration for potential option students when they enter Year 9.

The cost of the trip is £33 and transport has been supported by a ‘go and see’ grant from Arts Council of Wales.

There are 94 available places which will be assigned to the relevant current Year 9 -12 Drama and Music students plus current Year 8 students.  An email will be sent out next week to these students, asking for expressions of interest in attending the trip.

During the last week of term (Monday 15^th to Thursday 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 and 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 Eisteddfod.

Year 10 will look forward to their future education and career pathways, visit Swansea university and enjoy a Monmouthshire countryside walk.

Year 12 will be exploring future pathways and looking forward to applying for university, college or apprenticeships. 

All students in Years 7 to 10 will also test their athletic skills and compete for their Form in our annual Sports Days. 

For the most part, 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.  

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.

Students of Monmouth Comprehensive School’s Expressive Arts Faculty are in for a busy season as they prepare for their production of *Guys and Dolls Jr.*, with tickets available on TicketSource (www.ticketsource.co.uk/monmouth-comprehensive-school) for shows running from July 8th to 11th. The students are diligently working both on stage and behind the scenes to ensure another outstanding performance.

Earlier this week, over 150 students showcased their talents during the annual Summer Showcase held on Tuesday. The event featured soloists from exam classes, the cast of *Guys and Dolls Jr.*, the cast of *Les Misérables*, the school choir, the string ensemble, the orchestra, the percussion ensemble, and the River Road Band. The highlight of the evening was a performance by Florence Hills, the winner of Monmouth’s Got Talent. The Showcase was well-received, with an audience of over 200 people in attendance. The school extends its gratitude to students and parents for their unwavering support.

Members of the cast of *Les Misérables* also performed at the Raglan Music Festival, opening its annual street party on Sunday, June 9th. The students captivated the audience with a selection of songs from the show, culminating in a rousing rendition of "Do You Hear the People Sing?" that thrilled all who attended.

In addition, five students are set to perform as soloists at the Chepstow Male Voice Choir’s Summer Concert on June 29th. They will be performing alongside the choir, the Gwent Music Harp Ensemble, and various other musical acts, promising an evening of exceptional entertainment.

Furthermore, the cast of *Les Misérables* 2024 is set to travel to Birmingham on Friday, July 5th, to perform at the National Festival of Music for Youth, joining thousands of musicians from across the country. The students were selected for this honour following their impressive performance at the Regional Festival held at MCS in March. They have been rigorously preparing a new 12-minute medley for this prestigious event. Music for Youth is renowned for providing exceptional opportunities for young musicians, with the ultimate highlight being the Schools Prom at the Royal Albert Hall later in the year.

It’s a busy but rewarding time for our students, and the school is immensely proud of their dedication and achievements.

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board are continuing to hold conversations with people in order to develop a 10-year plan for healthcare in Gwent.

We recognise we don’t have all the solutions to improve our healthcare system – and we need your help and input to understand what areas we need to focus on. 

We want people to live as long as possible in good health, but sadly we know this isn’t the reality across all of Gwent. For example, the average healthy life expectancy of women living in Blaenau Gwent is just 55.3 years, whereas in Monmouthshire it is 69.3 years. This is known as inequality, and the effects of the pandemic have made this worse for our population – but together we can change that.
Please take a look at our website, which explains the challenges we are facing at the moment, the factors affecting people’s health in Gwent, and how we hope to improve things for the future. This website also gives you the opportunity to take part in our survey: https://abuhb.nhs.wales/about-us/10-year-plan/ 

Staff will be going out and engaging with different communities over the 20-week engagement period to speak to as many people as possible. If you are aware of any groups or communities that you think would benefit from us delivering a talk about this engagement, please let us know.

You are warmly invited to attend a community event hosted by ACE (Action on the climate emergency Monmouth). The event is held at Haberdashers Monmouth School for Girls in a marquee located on the school playing fields opposite the main building. The event begins at 3.30pm on 30th June.

The day is inspired by the Haberdashers Monmouth Schools Sustainability Conference which begins on Sunday 30th June with an event celebrating local food and drinks with talks and films. A delicious and complementary community meal will be offered using high quality local ingredients and guests can choose between vegetarian, meat or delicious deforestation-free meal cooked by local school children. There will be Gin tasting and other beverages from local producers plus short films and talks by local experts about sustainably sourced food. 

Students will be taking to the stage to share their knowledge and experiences of driving deforestation free action and awareness across our country. They will be recognised for their efforts in a prestigious ceremony featuring The Future Generation Commissioner for Wales and Mary Ann Brocklesby, Leader of Monmouthshire County Council.  

These young, passionate changemakers are achieving incredible things for our planet and we are encouraging our school communities to support them. 

The event starts at 3.30pm. There will be free electric shuttle buses (Habs Monmouth) running from 3pm from Chippenham Playing Fields to the marquee, so you have time to visit the carnival first.

You can register for the event here:  A Monmouth Feast: Food for Thought Tickets, Sun, Jun 30, 2024 at 3:30 PM | Eventbrite