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Tuesday 4 October 2016

4 October 2016

Thank you to the 30 or so parents who visited the School and joined our MacMillan Coffee Morning on Friday.  It was a pleasure having them in school enjoying each other's company over a cuppa and a piece of cake.  Whilst present they were able to witness the many hundreds of students who came along at break time to join in on the occasion.  Thank you to the members of staff and students who organised the event and thank you to everyone who supported it; in total the School raised over £600 for MacMillan.
Over the weekend a handful of Maidstonians took part in the Maidstone Small Boats Head organised by Maidstone Invicta Rowing Club.  They raced along the River Medway over a distance of 2500m in a variety of boats from Allington Marina to the town centre.  A few boys from Year 10 rowed for the club itself along with four Year 13 students who rowed for the School.  Stephen Mackie, Sam Bashford, James Doran and Dan Jones all of Year 13  rowed in a Quad, followed by Dan and Stephen rowing again in a Pair.  Well done to all of those boys, as well as the boys from Year 10 who competed well for their local club; a good weekend of rowing. On Wednesday this week we welcome Year 10 parents to attend the Year 10 Information Evening to hear from key staff about the up-and-coming year and what can be expected.  Year 10 boys are the second year group of students who are experiencing the new GCSEs and so it is vital that everyone understands what all of this means.
On Thursday I am attending the Kent Association of Headteachers annual conference.  It is a chance to hear from key speakers about a variety of matters, and a chance to network with colleagues from other schools.  Guest speakers this year include Dominic Herrington, Regional Schools Commissioner for South East England and South London & Estelle Morris, who is currently working at the Institute of Effective Education and Richard Burnett, co-founder and director of Mindfulness in Schools.
Friday is the first Charity Day of the year.  Challenger and Churchill Houses will be responsible for the day organising a number of events to raise money and awareness for the charity they are supporting which is the Italian Earthquake appeal and Syrian refugees. Students are not required to wear uniform on that day and in doing so contribute a £1 to help support the charity.  Thank you to Challenger and Churchill staff and students for overseeing the day.  Finally, congratulations to Ben Ward (9CR) who recently competed in the ASA Summer Nationals Swimming competition in Sheffield.  Ben reached the final of the 50m breaststroke and gained an excellent 7th place at only 13 years old.   He also reached 11th place in the 100m and 200m breaststroke.  Well done Ben.