Mascalls Academy Update
Dear Parents / Carers,
I hope this update finds you and your families well.
As a start to this update I would like to thank the vast majority of parents who attended our information evenings at the start of the academic year. We recieved lots of very positive feedback as well as some additional information that you would have liked to recieve which was really useful. We will ensure that we implement these suggestions where appropriate for the next academic year. What was great was to have parents and students come into the academy to kick start the new academic year.
As always, it has been a busy start to the new year and our resilient and focused Mascalls Academy students have started as we want them to continue. Our Year 7s and Year 12s have settled in very quickly alongside our Year 11s and 13s who are currently building up to their final mock exams in Module 2. We have awarded over 34,000 positive awards to students and 1000 Golden Tickets. Thank you to you as parents and carers for your support in the achievement of these significant milestones that are being achieved by our students, without that support of what we do within the academy, their success can be limited. As I have said before and firmly believe, it is the community that surrounds our young people, combined with their hard work that ensures their success.
We have held many events so far this academic year and the support of students in some of these events have been crucial and have blown us away in their commitment to the academy and our community. Open evening and three open mornings saw us draw on the expertise of our Year 8 students who were simply wonderful in the way they engaged with members of the public and future students. We have never had such positive feedback about our tour guides, one parents saying as they left that 'If my daughter comes to Mascalls Academy and is able to communicate as confidently and articulately as our tour guide Oscar, then I will be a very happy parent'. Thank you Year 8 and Sixth form guides, you did us proud and we could not have asked any more of you. We hope that the students felt that sense of pride whilst touring that we did watching you do it.
A bumper number of over 90 Year 9 students have signed up to accomplish the Bronze Award for the Duke of Edinburgh challenge this academic year which is fantastic to see in only the second year of it running. We also have our first cohort of students embarking upon the Silver Award this year with a trip to the New Forest planned for their final trip in June. It really is exciting to see so many students taking on such a challenge and once again, we are grateful to you as parents and carers for supporting in them taking it on.
We have held our group interviews and discussions for the appointment of our Year 13 Head Students. Once again we were in awe of the way they were able to describe their journey through the academy and their reasons for wanting to give back and how they intend to do so. As one put it in their application when choosing Mascalls as a Year 5: "It was never just about results or league tables. I knew this was the school for me and declined to take the Kent Test. A decision that I have never regretted." It was a very difficult decision for Miss Shaw-Kew and I due to such a high calibre of applicants, but we are very pleased to announce that Chloe and George have been appointed as Head Students and Zach and Jess as Deputy Head students. They are supported by a team of Senior prefects who are all given an area of responsibility and will help support with Student voice across the academy through the College pastoral system.
As a reminder to parents, can I please request that students have a waterproof coat to wear for school, despite the wet and cold weather we have been experiencing the past week, many arrive without one and as a result are then wearing damp clothing for the day which is far from ideal.
Thank you, as always for your support and I wish you an enjoyable weekend.
Many thanks
Mrs Brooks
PE Update
The PE department has been running a variety of clubs in this module with over 300 students attending across all year groups. We have seen our year 7 boys and girls participate in football and netball trials and begin their competitive season alongside year 8-10 begin their seasons. We have also had badminton, fitness, volleyball and table tennis club with consistently high attendance as students learn new skills and master their competitive strategy against students in each club. Next module will see a continuation of the same after school clubs and fixtures but a change to lunch time clubs. We will update all students at the start of next module with what is on offer.
Team PE
Gen Z Debate in Tunbridge Wells
On October 10th, nine KS3 students travelled to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council for the Gen Z Debate, held in conjunction with National Democracy Week. Our assigned policy proposed a "10% tax on chewing gum sales in Tunbridge Wells to fund street cleaning." We had a preparatory meeting with Councillor Matthew Sankey on October 9th which allowed us to strategize and outline our defense for the motion. We considered counterpoints against the proposals of the other schools. On the day of the debate, we worked with various councillors who facilitated the event, alongside students from the other participating schools. Despite initial concerns, as the other schools had Post 16 students in attendance, our students well and truly held their own! During the debate, our students presented compelling arguments, resulting in our policy being voted through with the largest majority and without any modifications.
Here are some reflections from our students about the trip and their participation in the debate:
"I felt really good after I spoke a few times. In total I spoke 3 times and I was very proud of myself as I overcame my fear of public speaking" - Lauren Year 7
"The building had beautiful marble doors and golden ceilings lined with impressive architecture. It was a real treat, it was like stepping into Buckingham Palace!" - Matthew, Year 7
"The coach asked us many questions to try to boost our confidence in order to be able to speak freely without being nervous." - Harry, Year 8
Congratulations to all who took part!
Miss Sutcliffe - Teacher of English
Library News Update
The new school year kicked off with great enthusiasm as we flung open our library doors to welcome our students, old and new. Our Year 7 students embarked on an engaging library induction followed by a Roald Dahl-themed scavenger hunt!
Our very own “Poet-in-Residence” - We're thrilled to share that Katie Brush (Yr 13) has had her poem, The Onion Complex, selected for the Young Writers’ book, "The Power of Poetry - The Art of Emotion." Katie is a library regular as well as a valuable sixth form helper.
Black History Month - October is a month brimming with significance. In honour of Black History Month, our foyer proudly showcases a vibrant display featuring fiction and non-fiction books, helping our students to mark this important date in the calendar.
Book Clubs - October is also the time for all things spooky, as marked by our very own book-pumpkin! Our Year 7 book club has embraced the vibe by delving into a ghostly adventure story by Chris Priestley. Meanwhile, our Year 8+ book club members have been exploring a thrilling variety of books. Next semester both clubs will dig into the riveting shortlist of the prestigious Page Turners Book Awards. The theme for this year is "Turning the Page to Tomorrow," promising an exciting array of futuristic tales.
Stay tuned for more updates from the library!
Your librarians,
Ms West & Ms Wickham
Mascalls Academy Bake Sale
On Friday 29th September our newly appointed Senior prefect team planned and held their first event and it was a resounding success. They persuaded many of the staff body here at Mascalls to get their pinnies on and create some cakes for the event and many students and parents also contributed also. Thank you to all that did, it was a huge success and the event created a wonderful atmosphere in the quad at break and lunchtime. The students raised over £450 which is a real achievement and for such a worthy cause.
Film Studies Trip
On 21st September, Ms. Entacott and Miss Lyons took the year 10 and year 11 Film Studies cohort to the British Film Institute (BFI Southbank) in London to watch a special screening of Attack the Block (Cornish, 2011).
The film is a set text on the GCSE syllabus and challenges students to engage with some hugely important social issues within British culture. At the time of release the film was a brilliantly accessible social commentary on what the press at the time reported to be 'Broken Britain', and it remains a powerful exploration of race and class, social stigma, housing, Black British identity and nationhood.
The screening was hosted by Dr. Clive Chijioke Nwonka (Associate Professor in Film, Culture and Society at UCL) who has recently published a book Black Boys: The Social Aesthetics of British Urban Cinema (Bloomsbury); and was followed by a Q&A with members of the cast, which the students were very excited about - almost as excited as they were at the prospect of buying McDonald's in Waterloo station! The students were impeccable and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to watch this film on the big screen as it was intended.
Miss Entacott - Head of Media
The Crest Award
CREST is a scheme that inspires young people to think and behave like scientists and engineers. Thomas - Year 8, Tariq - Year 8, Eden - Year 10 and Jessica - Year 10 have been awarded their Bronze Crest Award in September. To achieve this they needed to work independently to plan and run a project addressing a real-world STEM problem set by a brief. They had to then over a number of weeks show excellent enquiry, problem-solving and communication skills. The evidence was then sent off for approval the the four students have all now recieved their certificates. Congratulations, what a brilliant achievement.
Mas10 and Mas11 Updates
A huge thank you to those who were able to attend the YR10 and 11 information evenings in September. They have been emailed to you this week but please find the links below for the most recent update.
Thank you
Mr Stamato