Dear all
We have reached the end of a remarkable academic year and there is so much of which we should all be proud. Students have exemplified our school values and our foundational principle of Work Hard, Be Kind. The everyday excellence of doing your very best in every situation has resulted in some exceptional achievements, and also in students making great progress without fanfare. There is a quiet but steely determination to persevere in so many students here at MCS that is really to be admired.
There have been some phenomenal successes across the school - on the sporting field, in classrooms, on stage and elsewhere. It has been joy to 'open up' again and welcome our wider community in to these events. Thank you also to MCS alumni who have been leading activities in recent weeks, too. If you are an alumnus and would like to contribute to school life then please do get in touch.
We have had a very successful Summer Learning week, with sports days, team-building, the launch of new courses, project work with primary schools, archery, castle vsits and even guided walks through our beautiful landscape - Offa's Dyke, up the Kymin and a Wye Valley walk included. Congratulations also to the large number of students who have completed Duke of Edinburgh expeditions in recent days.
Thank you to all MCS staff for their incredible efforts throughout the year. A particular thank you and goodbye to departing staff as they head off to new adventures or promotions elsewhere. Amongst teachers we say goodbye to are Miss Cooke and Mrs Benyon in PE, to Ms Smith in Maths, Ms Rance in Science, Ms Cummins in Drama, Ms Langton in English and Mr Bland in Technology. In addition we say hwyl am y tro to Mr Snelgrove as he takes a year away from his role.
We are also very grateful to our support staff, who do so much to guide and support individual students and groups. Thank you and goodbye to Ms Damon, Ms Rovira, Ms Cone, Mr James, Miss Bradley and Miss Harris.
A note on school email addresses over the first two weeks of the summer break. The IT service provider for our school (and all schools in the region) is migrating to a new site. As a result, we will not have access to our IT systems for the next two weeks. We are informed that service will fully resume by Monday 8th August. Emails sent to us in the meantime may not be delivered, and may 'bounce back' to the sender.
You will be aware that the new Curriculum for Wales starts in September, for Year 7 only. We are in an exceptionally strong position to start this, having spent a lot of time and effort in shaping curriculum plans. We have also been pleased to invite in schools from across the country who want to learn from our approach.
Please click here for a video message from me.
All the best for a restful and enjoyable summer. We look forward to welcoming students in September. Start dates are at the bottom of this newsletter, which is where you will always find upcoming key dates.
Hugo Hutchison
Headteacher
The following link will take you to one of the MCC’s latest stories regarding the upcoming School Bus Tracker app to be introduced to all schools in Monmouthshire from September.
