Key Notes: 6 February 2023

6th February 2023

Children’s Mental Health Week

This year’s theme for Children's Mental Health Week will encourage children (and adults) to look at how we can make meaningful connections. This week, all year groups had an assembly about how making healthy connections – to family, friends and others – can support our mental health and our sense of wellbeing. We even saw how Ian Wright (ex-England and Arsenal footballer) reconnected with one of his old school teachers and the impact that this connection had on him. Let's Connect is an initiative about making meaningful connections. You can watch this video to learn more about the theme.

Forthcoming Events

February 13th-17th – Half Term 10th – Y9 option choices forms returned 13-17th – Half Term 20th – Staff Training Day (school closed). Training day has moved from 30th June. 24th – Vaccinations DTP & MenACWY Y9. Sign up link

March 10th – Year 7 Careers event 16th – KS4 Theatre trip 17th – Year 11 individual and group photos 20th-24th – Science Week activities 20th – 11A food & nutrition practical exam 22nd – GCSE Drama exam 23rd 11D –food & nutrition practical exam 23rd – Year 8 Parents’ evening 27th-29th – GCSE Geography trip 31st – Year 7 reports to parents/carers

PE Fixtures timetable

• Tues 7^th February: Basketball at home after school (Y10/11)
• Tues 7^th February: Y8 District Cup Football v Trumpington
• Wed 1^st March: Cluster fixture at home - Y7&9 netball, Y7&8 basketball

Kooth – Mental Health Support

For Children's Mental Health Week Kooth have put together a few resources for children, young people and parents & carers that relate to this year's theme of Let’s connect. Topics include:

• Feelings of depression and low mood
• Friendship difficulties
• Family relationship difficulties with siblings

You can download the information here, or visit Kooth.com for more information and support.

Student Showcase: Physics

This week some Year 11 students have been exploring the properties of electromagnets. They made a simple electromagnet, hanging as many paper clips (end on end) from it as they could. This elicited the key ideas around how we make an effective electromagnet, the advantages of it over a bar magnet as well as uses such as magnetically levitated trains, electric bells and circuit breakers in the home. 

Teaching and Learning

Over the last few weeks, teachers have been reflecting on how they word and use learning objectives in lessons. As part of our routine at MVC for the start of lessons, we expect students to write down the date, title and learning objective for the lesson. This helps to act as a settling activity, as well as to focus students on what they will learn in the lesson. Teachers have different ways of engaging students with the learning objective, including referring to them more regularly and ensuring the end of the lesson links back to the original learning objective. This is not revolution, but with teachers tweaking their practice and thinking more deeply about this we aim to make the learning experience for all students clear and meaningful.

Post-16 interviews

Year 11 students have started having their interviews for their post-16 choices this week at Comberton Sixth Form (where we have a number of pupils interested in A-level Mandarin), Hills Road, Long Road, College of West Anglia, Oakes College Cambridge, CAST and CRC. This is an exciting time for Y11 students. Any student who has an interview either in person or virtually should email a notification of absence to absence@melbournvc.org.

Careers Guidance

Cambridgeshire has excellent career opportunities in creative arts. Form the Future are running a free online event on Thursday 2^nd March, 5.30-7.00pm to give students from Year 8 and above, as well as parents/carers a chance to listen and ask questions of career professionals in the sector.

This event has been designed to showcase the huge range of creative careers in the region. Form the Future volunteers will be able to give you a real understanding of what it takes to thrive in the creative industries. The volunteers will give an excellent insight into their work and pathways. Here is a list of just some of the companies represented:

• Sookio - Marketing Agency
• Owers Warwick Architects
• Softwerx Cloud Security
• Eric Hewitson – Fine Artist
• The Willcox Collective – Visual Media

To register a place, please click on the following link:  https://bit.ly/FtFInsightsCreative

Thank you from the Sewing and Craft Club

The sewing and craft club would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has so generously donated wool, knitting needles and crochet hooks.  They are looking forward to starting their project to make a crocheted/knitted-square blanket for charity. Thank you also to the “crazy person that crochets the postbox toppers in the village” for your encouraging note and donations. We will keep you all updated on the progress with the blanket!

Spanish

Mrs Stanley’s year 10 Spanish class completed a starter on reading - without using their books this week. They wrote some excellent short paragraphs from memory. Well done!

CCC Safer Schools Newsletter – February 2023

February’s edition of the Cambridgeshire Constabulary Safer Schools Newsletter is being sent out with this edition of Key Notes. The subjects covered are as follows:

• Safer Internet Day: encourage your child to share their online experiences
• Play the Cyber Choices Challenge: let your child show off their gaming skills
• Online Banter v’s Online Bullying: help your child understand the difference
• What is love?: help your child to recognise safe relationships
• County Line Awareness – free training course for parents and carers

Vacancies

We are currently advertising the following vacancies on our website:

• Teacher of D&T and/or Food Tech
• Level 1 Teaching Assistant
• Cabin Level 1 Teaching Assistant
• Head of Maths
• Teacher of English
• Teacher of Mandarin (Part-time maternity cover)

 

 

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