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Dear Parents and Guardians,
It's a great pleasure to welcome you all back to the start of a new academic year at Mascalls Academy. A new academic year brings a feeling of a fresh start for us as teachers and I hope that our students all feel that too. My assemblies this week focussed on the idea of what we achieved last academic year and what we can all achieve this year. I discussed where the students responsibilities lie and how with us all working together as a community, we can ensure that all of our students can leave us with exciting futures ahead of them.
For me, education is all about increasing the numbers of doors that can be open to everybody who leaves us at the end of their Secondary education. The qualifications students gain with us are hugely important in that process. Equally so, are how we develop a Mascalls students' character, and the importance of teaching them how to act in society and alongside other people from all sorts of different backgrounds. Building these life long skills is something we pride ourselves on and the way we were greeted by students when they returned with smiles and questions about our summer holidays etc was just wonderful and made us all look forward to the year ahead!
A remarkable start for our new cohort of Year 7 students
Our Year 7s have made an incredible start, settling into school life with remarkable ease and enthusiasm. Their positive attitudes and eagerness to learn are a testament to you all as parents and carers and we are already building some really positive relationships with them as a year group. We have been so impressed by how quickly they have got to know their way around and how much quicker they are than any other previous Year 7 cohort at choosing their lunch! The Bewl Water trips are designed to enable students to continue to find new friendships and to get to know their peers in an environment outside of school. We do appreciate your help in us being able to run these trips so quickly, but we feel it is an important part of their first few weeks. The first Shackleton group today were not blessed with the weather at the start of the day but we are sure they will have still had a great time! If I could just remind you that students Chromebooks will need to be brought in each day from Monday (fully charged) as they will be using the advisory time to log in and recieve support from their advisors with this.
Equipment - thank you!
I'd like to thank all parents for your invaluable support in ensuring that your children are well-prepared for the start of term. Your commitment to providing them with the necessary equipment has made a significant difference. Please remember to check the equipment list to ensure that they have everything they need. Any students who have forgotten something should come through the Ready to Learn gate at the start of the day where we can ensure that have all they need and then will not receive any negative equipment logs during the day.
First Point of Contact - Your Child's Advisor:
Your child's first point of contact for any concerns will be their advisor. Their name will be displayed on your child's timetable. You can reach them via email at enquiries@mascallsacademy.org.uk or through your child's College admin team using the following email addresses:
Earhart: tanya.shepelev@mascallsacademy.org.uk
Luther King: donna.luttschwager@mascallsacademy.org.uk
Shackleton: donna.hine@mascallsacademy.org.uk
IT Hiccups and Solutions:
We apologise for the IT issues we've experienced this week with BromCom and MCAS being down until yesterday. This has been a national issue, not one exclusive to us but our team have been great at finding solutions so that the impact upon our students has been minimal. We understand the frustration this may have caused, believe me, we felt these frustrations hugely earlier on in the week and are pleased they are now resolved!
Year 7 - ScoPay and MCAS:
Year 7 students have been successfully scanned onto the ScoPay system. If you're still encountering issues accessing ScoPay to add money to your child's lunch account or paying for trips etc, please contact your College admin team using the email addresses above. The My Child At School App (MCAS) login details have been shared with you all earlier this week. This is where you'll access your child's school information, including positive progress logs, Golden tickets, and any negative logs they may receive. We would ask that you check this on a daily / weekly basis and celebrate all of the successes your child has had each week. Our year 7s have already picked up over 1500 reward points and 60 Golden Tickets which is the most we have ever had in the first week!
Year 10 Chromebooks:
The new Year 10 Chromebooks have arrived! Parents can collect them on Tuesday 10th until 2 pm and Wednesday 11th until 4 pm. We apologise for the inconvenience, but signing for the devices is a requirement from the company we obtain them through. If you're unable to collect during these times, please email lorraine.hughes@mascallsacademy.org.uk to arrange an alternative solution.
A new start:
Our Year 12 students are such a positive and eager cohort, they have already impressed staff with their hard work in their first A level lessons.
Our Year 13s have returned with a renewed energy after the summer break. We know they're ready to tackle their final year with dedication and focus and we look forward to working with them in their final year with us!
Years 10 and 11 have returned with a clear determination to succeed in the build up to their GCSE mock exams. We've seen it in many lessons already, and we're here to support them every step of the way.
Year 8 students are no longer the youngest in the academy and have already stepped up to the challenge of showing our Year 7s the ropes and have supported in showing them where to go if needed, well done year 8!
Year 9 are embarking on a crucial year in their journey with us. This includes the important GCSE options process, where they'll choose the subjects they will continue to study in Key Stage 4. We'll be offering comprehensive guidance to ensure they make informed choices about this important next step, details of this will be included in our Year 9 information evening (dates below).
We are holding information evenings for all year groups in the next couple of weeks to ensure that you have had the chance to come into the academy and find out details about the year ahead for your child. We appreciate that you may not be able to attend so all information covered will be shared with parents should that be the case.
Thank you for your continued support
Mrs Brooks
Attendance Update
Attendance Update
We wanted to take a moment to express our thanks for the excellent attendance so far. Your child's consistent presence in class has is a significant factor in their academic success. Excellent attendance is essential for students to fully engage with their learning and build strong relationships with their peers and teachers. Thank you for your continued support in ensuring your child is in school each day.
Mrs Davis - Attendance Manager
Mr Illsley - Assistant Principal - Deputy Head of Shackleton College
Year 8 - WW1 trench experience day
Year 8 - WW1 trench experience day
At the end of last term the History Department took and enthusiastic group of Year 8 students to Detling Showground for a special experience run by the Centre for Experimental Military Archaeology. Students took part in a World War I experience day that brought to life their studies of this conflict. Students have been learning about why this was a 'global' war, and the workshops they participated in conveyed this brilliantly.
First up, students took part in a carousel of presentations on different themes. Guided by Andy (a historical consultant on many war movies) and his team of experts, our students found out about life on the Home Front, the rapid progress of medicine during the war, and the ever-popular 'dressing Tommy' workshop, in which a plucky volunteer was dressed in WWI uniform and gear. Each session was brilliant, with revelations and artefacts that were often quite shocking or awe-inspiring to students. We discovered that soldiers ate somewhere in the region of 4,000 kcal worth of food a day, including a huge quantity of sugar, and that women's football enjoyed huge popularity during the war before it was banned. One of the constant threads of the sessions was just how often interactions between British and colonial soldiers affected language. Words like 'blighty' and 'khaki' were imported directly from the British Empire and tended to support students' own studies that have seen imperialism as a major cause of war. The attention to detail throughout was brilliant: students loved hearing about how soldiers were responsible for making sure their partners didn't suffer from trench foot by warming their feet up... under their armpits.
Then came the truly magical part of the trip: after a brief walk, students clambered down into the trenches so painstakingly put together by Andy and his team. Students were able to trial the new light railway, which would have been used to transport heavy gear over as much as half a mile. They loved ringing the gas gong and raising the alarm for a gas attack, as well as climbing into the narrow bunks under the sandbags that slept two (somehow!). The level of immersion was brilliant - the trenches have been used multiple times for filming, and if you would like to look at the trenches students explored, this short video actually features them and they should be recognisable to students.
Throughout the trip, our students asked amazing questions and loved handling all of the artefacts as well as getting an opportunity to show off their knowledge. In fact, Andy commented that this was one of the best groups to visit the site, which is high praise indeed given how popular the site is. Thank you to the students for their exemplary behaviour and attitude, and to the members of staff who took part in this trip, Ms Morton, Miss Dunne. But the biggest thanks of all have to go to the magical Mr Matthews, who though absent from this trip, was the mastermind organiser behind it all. We look forward to another visit next year, and more exciting History trips for other year groups too!
Dr Pollack - Head of History Department
Further Maths GCSE
Further Maths GCSE
14 Mascalls Students successfully completed the Further Maths GCSE course with some exceptional grades obtained. These students undertook this course in their own time demonstrating great character, resilience and commitment. Notable standout candidates include Ted, Kayley and India who achieved grade 8 's and 7 respectively.
The maths department looks forwards to welcoming this year's cohort of further maths students with after school classes commencing next week.
Mr Harper - Maths Department
Duke of Edinburgh Award
Duke of Edinburgh Award
Is your child looking for a challenge that will help them develop those essential life skills?
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE) is a fantastic opportunity for young people to step outside their comfort zone and achieve great things alongside their peers.
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award will once again run this school year and will follow in the footsteps of two previous successful cohorts. As we wrap up our current Bronze and Silver Award Students and get ready to celebrate their many successes achieved over the last 12 months I would like to reach out to parents and guardians of our Year 9 and 10 students and advise you that over the next few weeks you will receive written communication from me advertising this years DofE programme and the steps you need to take to enrol your child on to it should you wish. We will also hold a parents information evening where we can answer any questions you may have and you and your child will have the opportunity to hear from Katrina Gadsby who is our representative from the Duke of Edinburgh Charity and from Andy Camis from E3 Adventures who run our Expeditions for us.
Over the last 12 months, across the Bronze and Silver Award, students from Mascalls have completed over 3,636 hours of Volunteering work, a Physical activity or a New Skill of their choice and have ventured out on Expeditions in the Tunbridge Wells area, in the Ashdown Forest and in the New Forest. We have completed some group volunteering too as a Cohort and last year Donated over 100kgs of Food to our local Food Bank, provided vital refreshment support for the Runners at the Paddock Wood Marathon and had a crack at serving some of the elderly members of our community in a Local Lunch.
We look forward to welcoming as many new students as possible onto the Award this year and look forward to the many successes we will see this year.
Mr Collis
Duke of Edinburgh Coordinator
Year 13 Photography
Year 13 Photography
Miss Charlton would like to celebrate and share this excellent shot taken by Adam in Year 13 as part of his A level Photography course. We will continue to share exceptional pieces of work from our students across different subject areas throughout the academic year. Equally if your child has completed something outside of the academy that you are proud of, please let us know so we can celebrate with them also!
Dates to remember:
Module 1 - Tuesday 10th September - Information Evening: Year 7 - 5:30-6:15 pm
Tuesday 10th September - Information Evening: Year 8 - 6:30-7:00 pm
Wednesday 11th September - Information Evening: Year 9 - 5:00-6:00 pm
Wednesday 11th September - Information Evening: Year 10 - 6:00-7:00 pm
Friday 13th September: School Photographs for Years 7, 9, 11, 12 and 13
Tuesday 17th September - Information Evening: Year 12 & 13 (please refer to communication from the Sixth Form Team)
Wednesday 18th September - Information Evening: Year 11 - 6:00-7:00 pm
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