Although this term has been only 5 weeks it hasn’t been any less busy and staff and students have been working hard throughout. COVID is still challenging our school community and as always everyone is stepping up and not using these challenges as excuses. This is evident in every lesson, every day.
Pat Kennedy has been a part of Meden School for many years. Pat's amazing commitment to making Meden the best school it can be has been truly inspiring. 52 years of dedication, a combination of roles, ending as a governor. I recently presented her with a luxury hamper from everyone at Meden School, as a way of saying thank you for all her time and hard work. I know that Pat won’t be a stranger and will be our guest of honour at our Award Evening in the summer term.
Meden College students have been receiving their university offers over the past two months and it has been a nervous wait for all of them. This time of year is always a time of mixed emotions for our college students, with the stress of their mock exams and the sheer joy and excitement of gaining a place on their favourite course at their choice of university. Congratulations to Adam Guy and Sophie Booth who have both received offers from Oxford University. Adam for Politics, Philosophy & Economics and Sophie for History & Economics. We are all so proud of them both, well done!
As part of our Trust Motto 'Work Hard be Kind' we have once again celebrated the hard work of our students with rewards for their Attitude to Learning (ATL) in lesson. It is always a pleasure to see so many students taking part in the rewards events. We continually encourage our students to be kind to one another and to think of others, not just by making a stand against bullies, but also by fundraising and supporting our community. Meden College students worked hard to raise money for the British Heart Foundation by selling roses. The Eco Warriors continue to raise awareness in the community about being kind to our planet.
When students start their Meden journey in Y7 we tell them that 5 years will fly by and this couldn’t be any truer as our Y11 enter their final 50 school days next term. All Y11 teachers have planned a 50-day action plan to ensure that students have the support and guidance they need to be successful in their exams in the summer. Good luck Y11!
As we are coming to the end of February and the lighter mornings and evening are upon us, I hope our staff and students have a relaxing break ready for another busy term of learning.
Thank you for your continued support.
Best wishes
Regular school attendance is an important part of giving children the best possible start in life. The aim should be to attend 100% of the time. Students who miss school frequently can fall behind with their work and do less well in exams.
Good attendance also shows potential employers that a young person is reliable.
Tips for good school attendance
DON'T BE LATE
It is also important to arrive at school on time. If a student arrives late to school every day, their learning begins to suffer. Below is a graph showing how being late to school every day over a school year adds up to lost learning time over one academic year.
Students who are late to school are issued with a break time detention on the same day. If unattended this leads to a detention afterschool. We do appreciate that, on occasion, unavoidable things happen to make you late. Please let reception know of any extenuating circumstances so we can take this in to consideration when setting detentions.
LGBT+ History Month
LGBT+ History month is a chance to shed new light on the history of lesbian, gay, bi and trans people in the UK.
This year, will be the 50th anniversary of the first Pride event in the UK and as well as looking historically at all of the things that have been achieved, they will be looking at the future. What can be achieved in the next 50 years?
At Meden we are celebrating LGBTQ+ history month throughout February in a few different ways. Students will be learning about what it is, and why it is important, as well as celebrating famous queer role models etc.
The PRIDE club will be delivering assemblies after half term and will create a display in the Hall using the artwork that they have created. Staff are proudly wearing their rainbow lanyards to show their support (see below) and students will will be offered ally or pride badges that they can choose to wear.
For more information about LGBT+ Services in Nottinghamshire you can visit www.lgbtplusnotts.org.uk
Each half term students are assessed by the Attitude to Learning they show in their lessons. An ATL report is then uploaded to MCAS (My Child at School). ATL is so important that we celebrate not only the students with the highest ATL but also those who have made the most improvement since the last ATL milestone.
Students were rewarded in a number of ways.
Celebration assemblies took place for each year group and certificates handed out in each subject as well as for their overall scores or greatest improved score.
Pizza with the Headteacher - students were invited to a 'Dominoes' lunch with the Headteacher and their head of year on the last Friday of half term.
Rewards trip - Having previously run a bowling trip and a cinema trip, we arranged for students to participate in an 'Escape room' experience. Students had the choice to complete either a Carnival themed or Museum themed room and had 60 minutes to work together to break out. Staff and students had a great time competing to see who could escape the quickest!
Well done to all those students who took part in the end of year celebrations.
Meden College student raise money for British Heart Foundation
Meden College students organised a fundraising event to raise some money for the British Heart Foundation. The charity, which funds medical research related to heart and circulatory diseases and their risk factors, is a well established charity that helps people of all ages.
For a £1 donation, students and staff could purchase a rose with a personalised message to be delivered on the last day. The scheme proved popular amongst students and staff, and a great way to let friends and those special to us that we care,whilst raising money for charity.
There are few people who don't know Pat Kennedy. Whether you are a former student of Meden, a parent or even a member of the local community, Pat has been influential in the lives of so many.
Pat worked at Meden School for many years and even when she decided to retire she didn't go far and still supported our school in her role as school governor. Probably most remembered in her role as Science Technician with the responsibility for first aid where she cared for the medical needs of everyone, staff included. If you needed anything, Pat would always have it!
Even in her retirement, Pat has been extremely busy, but it is time for her to take a step back and retire completely, and this will allow her to spend more time with her family.
Thank you Pat for everything you have done for the school. We really do appreciate it.
May you enjoy a long and happy retirement!
We all know how important teachers are to the education of our children. Often we forget about those working to support those teachers, the Support Team, who are equally as important to the running of any good school.
The Support Team at Meden work extremely hard and throughout the pandemic, they were key to keeping everything running smoothly. This half term has been particularly challenging due to staff shortages which has meant many of the team have had to take on other responsibilities in addition to their own. In recognition for all their hard work, Mr Smith arranged for a 'Thank you' lunch for the team.
Catered for by Culinary Delights, in Edwinstowe, the food was magnificent and very much appreciated by all the staff.
It is always important to remember that a successful school is not just a result of 1 person but a team with everyone working together towards the same goal.
Thank you Support Team!
The Eco Warriors continue on their mission to make our community more green with their weekly collections of recyclable materials from across the school.
3 Year 8 students, Bliss F, Megan B and Louisa R planned and delivered assemblies to all of Y7-11 last week in an aim to raise the profile of Eco Warriors in school and to highlight the importance of their work.
The group hope that by raising awareness they can inspire more people to recycle appropriate materials and to appreciate the potential damage we cause to our environment with our rubbish.
DEBATE CLUB
Debate Club has re-started on a Wednesday after school and the first debate about the trial linked to the removal of the Edward Coulson statue was brilliant.
It was great to see Y8 and Y13 students debating with each other, and all staff involved agreed that it was the best debate they had ever seen, that includes those on Question Time!
If you want to join the Debate Club, see Miss Madher for more details.
The Pandemic forced schools to look at alternative ways to do things in school and Parents Evenings are a prime example.
At Meden School we invested in Parents Booking, which is a very easy to use and convenient way of speaking to our parents/carers from the comfort and safety of your own home.
Parents Booking can be used on any device such as a phone, pc, laptop, tablet or ipad. Some parents will already have used the application successfully but we would like to continue using this application for future events so want all families to be able to access this.
Full instructions on how to use the program is available on our webite or by following the link below.
Parents Evening - Parents Booking
Please feel free to speak to us on office@medenschool.co.uk if you have any questions.
The next Parents Evening in our calendar is Year 10 & Year 12 Wednesday 2nd March 2022
Here is a list of some important upcoming events:
Year 10 & Year 12 Wednesday 2nd March 2022 from 4pm - 7pm using Parents Booking
Year 9 students will be looking at choosing their Options for year 10 & 11, this half term. Options Evening will take place on Wednesday March 16th with more details to follow.
Year 11 interviews for Meden College will take place this half term. Miss Smith will be in touch with those who have already applied. If you still want to apply it isn't too late. Visit www.medencollege.co.uk for more details of what we offer and how to apply.
ATL reports have been uploaded to MCAS. They can be accessed either through the parent portal or the child portal. If you need any help with this please contact office@medenschool.co.uk
Meden School
Train to teach with the Nottinghamshire Torch SCITT
