This half term started positively. The new cohort of Y7 students have settled in extremely well and have adapted brilliantly to secondary school life. They are working really hard, showing great eagerness to learn and have a very positive Attitude to Learning (ATL), which is amazing! It was great to see so many of the Y7 Parents/Carers attend our 'Tutor Information Evening' evening during the first few weeks. These relationships between school and home are so important and allow us to support the children effectively.
Our Ofsted report gave us all a positive boost. We are all very proud of our school and feel that comments made by the Ofsted inspectors echoed what we all see on an day to day basis. This half term is not only the longest half term but also one of the busiest and staff and students were ready for the half term break when it arrived.
September saw the introduction of some new things at Meden School; Meden Forest school is going from strength to strength and the students involved are benefiting massively from this; Our extra-curricular programme is new and has proved very popular with the students which is always so pleasing to see; The way we set and complete homework is also new. Everything now goes through the MCAS portal giving parents the ability to monitor what their child is doing at home. Despite some initial teething problems this system now appears to be working well.
Our Year 5/6 Open Evening was a big success with over 300 families in attendance; it was standing room only in our main hall! Once again it was a great evening with lots of activities for the children to get involved in. This academic year the school continues to be oversubscribed in most year groups which is strong position to be in. This is due to the collaboration of our school community; our staff, students, parent and carers, who all work together to make Meden a school where young people want to come to learn and succeed.
Offering our students more opportunities to get involved in activities outside of lessons is something we have placed great emphasis on, this academic year. Our Duke of Edinburgh programme continues to grow. More trips are being offered across all year groups and more career focused visits are planned. We are also really excited to be able to offer students the chance to get involved in Matilda Jr, which will be performed in July 2024 and promises to be an amazing show!
At the end of each half term we relish the opportunity to reward our students for their hard work and outstanding ATL and this half term was no exception. I am proud to have seen so many students receive awards both during their assemblies and the cinema trips that have taken place every day during the last week of term.
Finally, I want to thank you all personally for your continued support not only to our school but to the charity events held in school, the latest of which was to raise money for Cancer Research. Our non uniform event and the Halloween Bake Sale raised over £650 which is amazing and will be greatly received by such a worthy charity. I am constantly overwhelmed by the support of our school community who are always willing to help other people.
kind regards
On the 26th September, Meden celebrated the European Day of Languages, led by our Head of MFL, Mrs J Glassby.
Students and staff shared their experiences of other languages and were encouraged to greet each other in different languages throughout the day. There were a number of activities and competitions for the students to take part in, which included a Poster competition on why it is important to learn a language and a Duo lingo Marathon (duolingo is a program used to support the learning of languages)
POSTER COMPETITION
There were so many amazing poster entries it was hard to choose a winner. Congratulations to Will and Sydney both in year 7 for their winning entries.
DUO LINGO MARATHON
Well done to NEO & MORGAN who won the overall Duo lingo competition with 432 days spent on duo lingo between them.
Well done to everyone that entered the competition and spent at least 5 days on the app.
Students studying Art in Y11 were offered an amazing opportunity to spend the day at Chatsworth House & Gardens to support their classroom learning.
Students spent the day at the most beautiful location, taking part in an interactive talk & practical art-making activities, designed to enhance visual literacy and develop technical & creative skills. What a fabulous experience!
A great day was had by all, and students were able to bring back what they learned from their experience there and use it to influence their final work.
September saw the introduction of our new Extra-Curricular Programme, open to all students on Mondays and Tuesday afterschool.
With a wide range of activities for students to choose from, it has been wonderful to see so many students want to get involved. Activities aren't compulsory but do offer our students the opportunity to learn new skills, meet new people and to enjoy their time at school in a non academic setting.
This half term the sessions offered were as follows
Here is a round up of what some of the groups have been up to this half term...
YOGA
Students in Yoga have been learning how to relax and de-stress after a busy day at school by perfecting their poses and breathing techniques. Any student is welcome to join us. The session takes places Monday 3:30 – 4:05 in the gym.
KS3 ART CLUB
Halloween has provided so many wonderful opportunities to get creative and students have had great fun creating spooky pictures and clay ghouls that would give the York Ghost Merchants a run for their money! Art takes place every Tuesday after school 3:30 – 4:05 in B12
FITNESS
Fitness can be fun - students have the opportunity to utilise our newly refurbished and fully functioning gym. Students can use the fitness suite either Monday or Tuesday after school 3:30 – 4:05.
FOOTBALL
Footballers have been concentrating on the goal this half term. Their team work, determination and skill development has been great to see and has led to some great performances in fixtures against other schools.
ECO WARRIORS
Our Eco Warriors are currently formulating a plan to make Meden School and Warsop, a more environmentally friendly place to be. Why not be part of the change on a Tuesday after school in B15?
ROBOTICS CLUB
Our future engineers in Robotics Club have been learning techniques on how to build model robots and programme them to complete specific movements. Students can get involved on a Monday after school.
SCIENCE CLUB
No one can ever say that Science is boring. This half term, students have been carving pumpkins and doing weird experiments with toothpaste. The final product is truly amazing.
Pumpkin Video Link - click here
Next half term, our scientists are moving onto look at animals, with White Post Farm bringing in a selection for students to handle and learn about – students can get involved on a Tuesday after school.
BOOK CLUB
We meet every Tuesday for a cosy hot chocolate and a biscuit as well as reading one of the BEST books of ALL time - 'To Kill A Mockingbird'. We're aiming to finish it by Christmas then we are thinking of starting 'Fair Rosaline' - a twist on the story of Romeo and Juliet. Ks4 and Ks5 students are welcome to come along.
If you interested in joining one of the activities, just turn up (with kit if needed) and see what you think. A register will be taken for safeguarding purposes, but there is no obligation to go every week, though we hope you do! Try as many as you like!
As we focus on academic achievement in school, it is always a delight to hear about our students and their achievements outside of their Meden studies. If your child has a hobby or activity out of school that you are proud of - tell us - let us celebrate with you!
Freya Percival in Year 11 at Meden School, may look like every other hard working Year 11 student but behind that smile and modest exterior lies a talented young horse riding champion. Freya's mum like any other proud parent often updates us on Freya's progress as she continues to excel along with horse Happy.
The summer holidays kicked off with Freya attending the British Dressage Pet Plan Regional Championships at the end of July held at Kingswood Equestrian in Staffordshire. She was placed fourth and the highest placed U21 (huge number of entrants) to give her a golden ticket to the Nationals at Hartbury.
Next up was the second week of August and Trailblazers Championships in Buckinghamshire. A really tough decision was made to take her out the juniors (under 16’s) and enter her in the senior sections. Freya was ready to see what she and Happy could do with stiffer competition. This was a huge ask. Thankfully it payed off and after 3 days of grueling competition, with some personal best scores of 76%, she won the Elementary Senior Championship with 72%.
Freya has just returned from Sheepgate Equestrian in Lincolnshire, a yearly under 25 Championship. A very big 5 day show.
Freya and Happy managed an individual silver and bronze, team gold and silver - again with 70% + scores!
Next up is British Dressage Quest Regional Final Championship - Willow Banks Equestrian in Lincolnshire- only 3 riders will qualify to gain a place at the Nationals (4th October Arena UK, Lincolnshire).
Freya also intends to represent Meden this coming year at NSEA. Good luck!
Meden Forest School is new for September 2023.
What is a Forest School?
Forest Schools are nature-based communities where trained practitioners nurture learner-led exploration and discovery. Activities are designed to give the learner practical experiences, focussed on well being that give challenge, help to build confidence, develop character and improve resilience and empathy.
Mr Farnworth, our Forest School Leader takes students on both a one-to one basis and in small or larger groups. This half term, students have been exploring the outdoors. Using basic skills they have learned, to produce things out of materials in nature that we would otherwise overlook.
Here is a round up of the items created.
Snowman made by Jordan
Year 11s Learning Knot skills using a reef knot and a box lashing to make a 5-pointed star.
Toadstool made by Smirnoff
Letter rack made by Alfie and Jordan
Christmas decorations made by Lucas
Meden Forest School is always on the lookout for donations of gardening equipment and tools. If you have anything you feel may be suitable please contact Mr Farnworth kfarnworth@medenschool.co.uk
This will be the second year of running the Duke of Edinburgh programme and its popularity begins to grow. This year students who completed their bronze award will be embarking on their silver award and we continue to sign up new students to the bronze award as part of our extra-curricular programme.
The first weekend in October was the final expedition date for 7 of our Meden College students completing their Silver Duke of Edinburgh award. The group showed off their new navigation and camping skills, completing a 48km route through the peak district between Cromford and Eyam over a 3 day/2 night expedition.
Even though toes blistered and legs ached, all 7 absolutely loved the experience and it was a huge success.
The Duke of Edinburgh scheme is an amazing experience for all those involved. Participants learn new skills, build resilience and make memories that last a life time.
Just a couple of the quotes from the team include;
'It made me feel alive' and 'I have a post DofE glow'
On returning home after the expedition, Miss Woodfield, DofE Leader said "We are all rather sad that it is all over to be honest, Mr Farnworth and I were honoured to have worked with such a caring and wonderful bunch of young people."
Well done to the College students who took part in the programme.
If you are interested in finding out more about the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme, contact Miss Woodfield on lwoodfield@medenschool.co.uk
We are all very excited to bring Matilda Jr, to Meden School, led by our new Head of Drama, Mrs K Promosso-Migliore and her team of supporters.
Taster sessions took place during the final weeks of term to give all students the opportunity to sample the songs and the dance routines that form part of the show. Over 70 students attended the sessions which is amazing. The atmosphere was electric!
Attendees were then invited to audition for a main part in the show, to be performed in July 2024
After much deliberation the main parts have been cast and will be available for viewing on the Drama studio doors on Tuesday lunchtime (7th Nov).
Rehearsals after half term will be afterschool on Tuesday 7th and Thursday 9th November. for the WHOLE CAST.
More information will be released in due course on what promises to be an amazing show - Watch this space!
It is always a pleasure to celebrate students who have impeccable Attitude to Learning (ATL), who work hard and who always do the right thing. and this half term was no exception.
Students across years 7-11 were rewarded for top ATL, most improved ATL and culture code in achievement assemblies during the final week.
In addition to this a number of students were rewarded with a trip to the cinema to watch either Trolls or Mission Impossible and were treated to popcorn, sweets and a drink too, followed by a stop off at McDonald's on the way home. They all had an amazing time!
Coming up for next half term - eligible students will Ice Skating just before the Christmas holiday's which will be a nice, festive reward!
Meden School do not tolerate bullying of any kind. In collaboration with the Anti-bullying Alliance, we will be raising awareness in school during Anti-bullying week from Monday 13th to Friday 17th November.
Too often, we are silent when we see bullying take place, silent about the hurt bullying causes, and silent when we hear bullying dismissed as ‘just banter’.
It doesn't have to be this way.
Of course, we won’t like everyone and we don’t always agree, but we can choose respect and unity.
This Anti-Bullying Week let’s come together to have discussions about what bullying means to us, how banter can turn into something more hurtful, and what we can do to stop bullying. Together, we can make a difference and take a stand against bullying.
From the playground to Parliament, and from our phones to our homes, let’s make a noise about bullying.
ODD SOCKS DAY - MON 13TH NOVEMBER - GET INVOLVED!
The week will begin on Monday 13th November with ODD SOCKS DAY - where we will be encouraging Meden students to wear odd socks as a celebration of what makes us all different.
DON'T FORGET TO WEAR YOURS!
If you would like further information about the campaign here is a link to the website.
It has been a busy half term at Meden College both in and out of lessons.
Year 12 students have settled in nicely whilst Y13 students work hard in their final year.
POSITIVE AWARDS
Students in the College receive green slips as part of their reward for positive work and ATL. Tutorials compete each week and the group with the greatest number of Green Slips receives a chocolate treat.
Green slips for the half term were awarded as follows
12A - 175
12B - 212
13A - 528
13B - 443
Congratulations to Mrs Gibney and her tutor group who win the trophy for this half term.
CSI COME TO MEDEN COLLEGE
On 13th October, Meden College was the scene of a murder as Deid Mann was found dead. Luckily for all of us our Y13 Criminologists were on hand to solve the crime and his best friend duly arrested! A sigh of relief was heard right across the school!
OPEN EVENING
18th October was our chance to showcase Meden College and what we can offer current Year 11 students and lots of our current students stayed behind to help.
It was great to see so many students attend the evening where they had the opportunity to talk to teachers and discuss their options for after their GCSE exams.
Applications are now open for Meden College if you want to join us in September 2024. Please see the link below to apply.
The deadline for applications is Dec 15th for interviews in the new year.
Meden College - www.medencollege.co.uk
If you have any further questions contact Mrs Smith hsmith@medenschool.co.uk
RAISING MONEY FOR GOOD CAUSES
Meden College students put 100% in to everything they do and the fundraising event was no exception. Leading the Halloween bake sale for the whole school to raise money for Cancer Research, the students dressed suitably for the Halloween themed event.
The event was a great success raising over £650 in total.
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!
COMING UP
Meden College are looking to launch their own newsletter 'Meden College Connects' to bring you up to date with what is happening with our post 16 students - watch this space!
What is MCAS??
MyChildAtSchool (MCAS) is an online portal for parents that enables you to view your child's performance at school in real-time via the internet.
The facility allows you to access the following information for any of your Meden School Children:
You no longer need to wait for reports to be sent out, you can check whenever you want for the latest available information about your child.
WE CANNOT STRESS HOW BENEFICIAL IT IS FOR PARENTS/CARERS TO UTILISE OUR PARENT PORTAL
MCAS is easier than ever before to access - here is how:
Please note that your email address must match the one we hold on file, please contact school to change/update an email address. (office@medenschool.co.uk)
MCAS Student Portal - Accessing their Homework
We appreciate there have been some teething problems with the student MCAS portal, but going forward these should all now be rectified. Please let us know if you experience any issues.
Students have been shown in school how to access the student portal to view things such as homework etc.
We have also placed an icon on the front page of our website.
ON A PC
The icon is in the top right hand corner next to the icon of an envelope and when you hover over it you get student portal come up.
PLEASE NOTE YOU MAY NEED TO LOG ON TO SCHOOL EMAIL FIRST TO ENSURE THE ACCOUNT LINKS TO YOUR SCHOOL SIGN ON.
ON A MOBILE PHONE OR TABLET
click the 3 horizontal lines in the top right hand corner and a list appears. At the bottom of this list is the icon next to envelope icon.
Please then login with Microsoft account - this should automatically link to your school emails as it uses the same email address and password you do to access emails at school.
TIP: If it doesn't work initially - log on to your school email account in a different window.
If you have any questions please contact Mr Bonsall who is located in the Finance Office (hbonsall@medenschool.co.uk)
WHY IS ATTENDANCE SO IMPORTANT??
The answer is simple and here are a few reasons:
Any time away from school is time when missed from vital parts of a child’s education
EVERY DAY COUNTS!
Out of the 365 days in a year, there are
The government gives us classifications of different levels of attendance:
We completely understand that there are instances where absence is unavoidable due to illness or family circumstances. We all get sick, and things happen. As we go in to the winter months there is always an increase in instances of illnesses such as colds, flu as well as COVID.
We also know that sometimes you wake up and don’t feel 100%, we can all relate to that!
Often once you have woken up and gotten dressed, maybe had breakfast, you start to feel better and what you thought was illness was perhaps tiredness from a late night or a busy weekend. It is at those times when we want you to try really hard to get your children to attend school and be ready to learn. We find that many of our young people lack this resilience and it is something we want to build upon, to prepare them for life after Meden School. Many of the minor illnesses can be eased with the use of medications available from the pharmacy who can advise you on what best to take.
We would also ask you to avoid, if possible booking holidays in term time as this can really impact on lesson time as often a big chunk of time is missed. For a child it may mean that a whole topic is missed and then gaps begin to form in their education which can put them at a real disadvantage especially if not caught up on.
Remember attendance is key. How can you possibly gain all of the knowledge you need to revise and know how to answer the questions, if you aren’t in the lesson?
FOCUS ON ATTENDANCE
Over this next half term there will be a greater focus on attendance and as part of this, you may receive correspondence from school about your child's attendance. Whilst we do have a duty of care to ensure students are attending school, this is a supportive measure.
We want to support you to support your child to attend school as much as possible.
OUR DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN
If you want to discuss attendance or are looking for some support, our attendance team is both approachable and understanding. Please get in touch, either by telephone 01623 843517 or email attendance@medenschool.co.uk.
More information relating to attendance can be found on our website using the following link
Meden School
Train to teach with the Nottinghamshire Torch SCITT
