Dear parents and all in the community of Mougins School,
I hope that as we reach the end of the second week of term, routines have begun to bed in and your children are happily settled down to school life again. A few pieces of news from me today.
Life after lockdown project
Miss Kench recently challenged art students to create a response to the ‘Life after lockdown’ project. The brief was to create a personal piece of work that reflects on their experience of the lockdown and the pandemic.
To view the work visit the Art page on our website https://mougins-school.com/school-life/art-gallery or the life after lockdown project site: https://lifeafterlockdownproject.com
You’ll see two fantastic outcomes created by two of our Year 10 Art students: ‘My Quarantine Life’ by Vasia Nazintseva and ‘Monochrome Time’ by Maria Saratova. Well done to both of them!
Developments in Sixth Form provision
Ms Ayerst, Head of Sixth form, writes:
We are fast developing our provision for Sixth Formers and university entrants. To that end we have established a Sixth Form tutor team, comprising Mr Hollands (HM, modern languages), myself (mathematics, computing), Mr Jones (Science), Ms Lecoy (English and Performing Qrts), Mr Carver (Humanities), Ms Ryder (English).
The Upper Sixth have indicated their areas of University course interest and students will be allocated a specific UCAS tutor from the team, with broad experience corresponding to a student’s interests. The UCAS tutor will guide them through the UCAS/university entrance process, advise on personal statements and, in consultation with subject teachers, compose references. We hope that this new, personal level of support will be effective in securing for our students offers from their universities of choice.
For the Lower Sixth, who are transitioning from GCSE work to more independent A-level study we have constructed a study skills programme, which will run over the Autumn and Spring terms, every fortnight, including sessions on personal organisation, reading and noting skills, research and bibliographical techniques, presentation skills, debating, academic resilience and keeping a growth mindset. The sessions will be taught by myself and the Head Master, and we hope that they will give a good foundation to support ambitious, resilient and independent senior students.
A more comprehensive guide to Sixth Form life and opportunities will be published to all students, and their parents, shortly. We are looking to participate in some COBIS events (which, for the moment, are all online) and inter-school public speaking and debating events too.’
Music Page
I wrote last week with details of our music programme. You might like to look at the Music page to find out a little more about the background and passions of music staff: see https://mougins-school.com/school-life/music
Covid Update
Following a slight change to French government guidelines on quarantine length, Ms Vibert, the school nurse, has updated our Covid protocol. We have also created a set of academic and pastoral support guidelines, in the event that children are away from school. I would ask parents not to email teachers directly, but use the contact points described therein. See our Covid-19 information page at: https://mougins-school.com/community/covid/.
I described myself recently to a parent as ‘Head Mask Nag’, as I circulated in the car park at pick-up time reminding folk that they must keep masks on. Could I remind everyone that this is essential and mandatory please, for all adults whether on campus or in the car park. I have written to all secondary students about the importance of this.
Ms Vibert has also asked me to mention that, despite the unseasonably (even here!) hot weather, we are getting into the time where school children develop the normal sniffles and colds of the autumn. Please follow the normal procedures if your child is unwell: get a doctor’s advice and keep him/her away from school.
Carpark
There has been a fair bit of congestion at end-of-school pick-ups recently. Perhaps that is to be expected in the new school year. I hope that parents will bear in mind the geographical constraints of the car park and drive carefully through, picking up their child(ren) quickly and efficiently, and avoid parking and lingering.
Finally
I hope all Mougins families have a great weekend, and get some rest! I will write my next newsletter at the
beginning of October.
With my very best wishes to you all.
Simon Hollands