SLT Update October 12th

13th October 2018

• Last Friday, our Year 11 Prom Committee hosted a Year 7 Film Night to raise money for their Prom in June. It was really well-attended and we hope everyone had a great time. Huge thanks to Miss Joyce and Mr Barlow for giving up their Friday evening to supervise.
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• Last weekend, Holly Henry-Barnett competed in a dance competition at the ISTD national Grand finals in Guildford. Holly had an excellent competition and won her event for her age category. Congratulations Holly.
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• Our Young Carers this week made slime – it was messy, sticky and most of all fun! If you think your child could be a young carer please contact Mrs Deadman for more information. Group Dates this year are 12 Nov, 10, Dec, 14 Jan, 11 Feb, 11 Mar, 13 May, 10 Jun, 8 July.
• On Monday we had a very successful PSHE Day in which our students did a wide variety of activities, with Year 11 starting to think seriously about their Post-16 options. All Year 11 students have their log in details for UCAS and should now work on their applications at home. Mock examinations begin on 19^th November and predicted grades will determine which courses students are able to apply for.
•   Our Year 9 boys travelled to Cambridge Rugby Club on Tuesday to compete in the annual Cambridge and District Schools Rugby Union Tournament. We defeated Parkside, Sawston and Chesterton schools on the way to a very credible 5th place. Out of all the schools in Cambridge and District, this was an amazing achievement. Well done, boys.
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• Also on Tuesday, Miss Joyce was in London for the launch of the SSAT Leadership Legacy Project. Having been identified as a potential future leader, over the next year she will get to hear from a number of educational experts and explore issues around leadership, vision and values with 200 other Leadership Fellows from across the country. The course, run by the SSAT, attracts some excellent speakers; Tuesday’s course included input from Sir David Carter, ex National Schools Commissioner, and Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders. Mr Holmes was also at the event; he is one of around 20 Heads from across the country who are taking on the role of Leadership Expert, working with and supporting groups of Fellows as they progress through the year-long course.
• On Wednesday, we had a sporting fixture against Cambourne. The year 7 hockey teams had a great start, with the A team winning 7-1 and the B team 4-1. The year 9 hockey team lost 4-0, but they showed some great skill in a hard match. In rugby the year 7 A team lost 7-5 in a close match; The B team won 3-10 and the year 8’s lost 7-2. Well done to all who played. Next week we travel to Colereidge to play Parkside, Trumpington & Coleridge.
• We are 1 of only 4 schools in Cambridgeshire that have submitted votes in the national ‘Make Your Mark’ ballot running from 22^nd August to the 10^th October. Young people across the country have been asked what issues matter most to them, to determine what is debated by the UK Youth Parliament in the House of Commons on 9^th November. Year 8, 10 and 11 students were involved and voting at MVC began with some background on parliament for Year 8, following their citizenship programme in Year 7. Years 10 and 11 will also receive more information on the voting process as part of their study of Ethics and we will look to complete a series of assemblies on the topics up for debate, to allow students to make more informed decisions. We’ll have the option to open to other year groups too. Mrs Gunner, Head of Humanities at Melbourn reported, “It is a fantastic opportunity for the students have a taste of what it means to vote and allow their voice on issues that are important to them. This also allows us as a school to identify what concerns our students and to find ways to address these. We look forward to reviewing the results before the debate on the 9^th of November.”
• We were very fortunate to be able to host a visit from ‘Brightline’ as part of the Higher Cambs Tour this morning. The aim behind the tour is to allow students to investigate and discuss ideas from Christianity with people who are members of the Christian community. The band were amazing and with a great deal of energy, which led to a really enjoyable session for Years 7-9. Following on from this, there is a Youth Drop-in Café at the Baptist Church next week Tues, Wed and Thurs from 3.15-5.00pm.  Free drinks and doughnuts. Just chill out and bring your questions.
• Today, Mr Holmes is in Sheffield visiting another successful Multi-Academy Trust to see what lessons and ideas can be brought back to MVC to improve the work we are doing. Visits such as these are extremely helpful in gaining an insight into latest ideas and practice and have helped MVC and the wider Cam Academy Trust in moving forwards.
• All GCSE English Spoken Language assessments start next week. Students are reminded that they can only have the use of a power point during their presentation. The power point should not contain sentences and paragraphs, just images and key words/phrases to aid their talk.
• On Friday 19th October the History Department will be organising a re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings for all Year 7 classes. We recommend that students bring PE kit or a change of clothes in case of bad weather, as well as a suitable shield and sword. Please contact gtobutt@melbournvc.org with any questions.
• Finally, do watch BBC Look East on Monday evening. A relative of Grace Page fought in WW1 and settled in Belgium after the war, where he invented a beer. To commemorate 100 years since the invention, the town of Silly have invited all his relatives from England over to honour him with a special ceremony with the town mayor, which is being shown on the BBC on Monday. What a fantastic opportunity for Grace to go to Belgium and find out more about her family history. We look forward to seeing some photos.

 

Have a great weekend.

 

Regina Lawrence

Deputy Principal

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