22 May 2018

Firstly, I would like to thank the entire cadet force for last Thursday’s CCF Biennial Inspection.  The Inspecting Officer and accompanying team enjoyed an afternoon in school watching a number of activities and drills conducted by the cadets and staff across all three contingents.  Once again the students were a credit to the school and to the contingent.  Well done and thank you.

 

Last Friday we said goodbye to the ‘Class of 2018’.  The students of Year 13 are now Old Maidstonians following an emotional few hours in school that culminated in their Leavers’ Assembly and the singing of the School Song.  Thank you everyone, and good luck in your up and coming exams.

 

Yesterday afternoon the ‘Family of MGS’ met for the first time to discuss how the School moves forward over the next few years.  The workings of the Parents’ Association, the Old Maidstonian Society and the MGS Development Fund are all integral in supporting the School to further develop the experiences of the students. 

 

Congratulations to Simon Coppard of Corpus Christi House who is now the Kent U20 800m Champion.  He has been the U17 Kent Champion for the last two years, so this event was a huge step up for him as he was the youngest competitor.  The race took place at the Julie Rose Stadium in Ashford and his time was 1.54.93.  Well done Simon.

Six boys in Year 9 are all part of Coxheath and Farleigh Junior Football club: William Riggs-Sutton, William Turner, Thomas Rankin, Matthew Taylor, Owen Jeffrey and Toby Griffith.  The U14 team has made it through to the Express Cabs League Challenge Cup Final – The Jack Small Cup, to be played at the Gallagher Stadium in Maidstone on 27^th May at 12.45pm against Rochester FC. They have also, just at the weekend, become champions of the Express Cabs Primary League U14 division two. The parents, families, friends and coaches are so proud of the boys. They have worked hard the whole season, playing in all weathers to achieve this.  Well done boys for getting this far and good luck on 27^th.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday 15th May 2018

Firstly, I would like to thank the entire Combined Cadet Force for paying tribute to Old Maidstonian Thomas Walker who sadly died in April and whose funeral was last Thursday.  Thomas was Cadet in Charge of the Army Section in 2016 and so it was fitting that the current Cadet Force payed tribute to him.  It was of course a very sad and reflective occasion, Yet again it illustrates to us how we all feel about our school. 

Public examinations have now begun and will continue for the next six weeks.  Years 11 and 13 will now be busy but with the knowledge that a long summer holiday is just around the corner.  Year 12 UCAS examinations have finished and the results of these will be shared with the students just after half term.  Examinations for years 7, 9 and 10 begin next week.

On Friday we say goodbye to Year 13.  Leavers’ Day is an opportunity for the students to say goodbye to their school and for us to wish them well as they become Old Maidstonians.  Preparations for Leavers’ Day have already begun which included the distribution of Leavers’ Hoodies last Friday. 

Last Tuesday the U15 Football Squad took part in the final of the Maidstone District Cup.  We were up against our main rivals, Oakwood Park Grammar School, the same opponents we had last year in the U14 Final.  The boys played extremely well and produced a really exciting game but sadly lost 3 – 2.  Bad luck boys, but well done for reaching the final two years in a row.

Over the past three months we have been hosting a monthly mile run in partnership with the Mason Foundation. It has grown each month and last Saturday saw a good turnout, including parents, students from MGS and local schools as well as some staff. The event is all about getting out and being active, this is as competitive or non-competitive as each individual wants to make it but ultimately it is a community event.  Look out for the next monthly mile in June.

So far this year we have raised just shy of £15,000 for charity.  The four house charity days plus the BBC Children in Need and Sport Relief days have all contributed to this amazing total.  We still have one more charity day in June which is supporting the Young Lives Foundation Charity: a local charity that works to support vulnerable and disadvantaged children in Kent.  Thank you to everyone who has helped us achieve this.

Tuesday 8 May 2018

I hope you all enjoyed the bank holiday weekend.

This week year 12 students are not in lessons as they are completing their Year 12 UCAS exams.  These exams, along with everything else this year, will help staff make their predictions for any future application to university.  Best wishes to all of Year 12.  

Also this week, year 11 students will be released at some point to begin their study leave before they start their exams next week.  We have now reached the ‘business end’ of the year and so we are seeing the students knuckle down to plenty of revision and preparation.  Good luck to them too.

On Thursday the school will be paying tribute to Thomas Walker, an Old Maidstonian who left in 2016, who sadly died a few weeks ago.  He was a committed Maidstonian who loved his school, and whilst here achieved Cadet in Charge of the Army Section of the CCF and Captain of Challenger House.  Many will miss him.

Since we returned to school after Easter we have been taking part in the national art exhibition, ‘There but not there’, to remember the many who lost their lives in the First World War.  To mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the war Perspex silhouettes sit in churches, schools and public buildings to acknowledge the hundreds of thousands of people who are ‘there, but not there’.  Thanks to Mrs Birrell, one of these silhouettes sits in our hall and will do so right up until the 11th November.  The students have responded to this as one would expect.

With the weather getting warmer we are looking forward to moving school assemblies to outside in the Quad.  I always look forward to Quad assemblies as they provide an opportunity to get the whole school together in one place.  It is hoped that the first Quad assembly will take place after the half term.

The better weather has also allowed the building contractors to crack on with the two building projects: the pavilion and the science and computing building.  The pavilion, we hope, will be handed over to the school at the end of June, just in time for Sports Day, and the science and computing building will be ready for the beginning of the next academic year in September.  They are both really coming along well.

Congratulations to Joe Gosney of Corpus Christi House.  He will be attending Buckingham Palace next week to receive his Duke of Edinburgh Gold award.  He has worked incredibly hard for over a year to achieve this prestigious award.  Well done Joe.

Tuesday 1 May 2018

I cannot believe today is the first day of May, and from next month the nights begin to draw in!  Many thanks to the students and staff of the school who coped with yesterday’s dreadful weather.  There was so much rain water yesterday we had to build a temporary platform over a large puddle to allow students and staff to access part of the school.  It was all received in good spirits.

 

Tonight, parents of boys in Year 7 attend their son’s parents’ evening.  It will be the first opportunity for parents to meet their son’s teachers and to hear how they have progressed in their first year.  I am sure the evening will be a positive one. 

 

This week is the last full week Year 11 are in school; their study leave begins sometime next week.  Now is the time that they constantly have their heads in a book revising.  However, year 11 students studying history have their first exam tomorrow as they are following the iGCSE course and art students began their exam yesterday.  Year 12 students begin their UCAS exams this Friday which will continue for five school days.  We will welcome them back on Monday 14 May.  Year 13 students don’t leave us until Friday 18 May.

 

With the summer months soon upon us we will soon be allowing the students to use the field at break at lunch.  We were hoping to open the field up yesterday, but the unpleasant weather prevented us from doing so.  We hope to be in a position to open the field later in the week.

 

Many thanks to the students who have already become accustomed to the new arrangements in the Refectory.  With food their being more popular we adjusted the queuing arrangements on return to school after Easter to ease certain pressure points, and I am pleased to say that all has gone well.