Welcome to Term 4. I hope you have all had a good half term break, a well-deserved rest, and had a chance to watch some of the Beijing Winter Olympics. I expect, like me, we have all become curling enthusiasts again!
We are now half way through the academic year, and we start the new term with Year 11 completing another set of mock exams. We introduced these February mock exams about five years ago, and they have proved to be extremely helpful to all concerned. These assessments provide a further opportunity for the students to prepare for what is to come in the summer. We wait and see how the students do. Best of luck to Year 11.
We also start the new term with searching for the next school captain and school vice-captain. 18 students from Year 12 applied for the posts and just before the half term we whittled them down to eight. These shortlisted candidates are now going through a two-day rigorous interview process, and by the end of the week we will know who the two successful students are. For me this time of year is one of my favourite times of the year as I get to spend two days talking with the students who wish to become the following year’s school captain and school vice-captain. It is a delight being in their company and hearing how they feel about their school. Good luck to all of them.
Today, right across the World, and here at MGS, we are recognising ‘Twosday’. Today is 22 February, 2022, or 22/2/22, and it falling on a Tuesday makes it even more special. I know I will, but I am sure the Maths Department will be sharing this quirky date with the students.
On Friday this week the students will be at home as the staff complete their final inset day of the year. We would normally have this inset day in June but we have moved it so we can build on the work that we have been doing in school in improving the quality of teaching and learning. On Friday we will be working with Inner Drive, who are part of Eton College’s educational research programme. Based on where we believe MGS is we identified this organisation as the ideal partner to help us really think about questioning, assessment and memory retention. This is a fresh approach for us and so we are looking forward to welcoming some outside voices.
As it is still February we are still recognising LGBT+ History Month, but very soon, when we move into March, we will be expanding our inclusivity agenda and looking at Equality and International Women’s Day. The feedback we are receiving from the student body about how we are raising the profile of Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity has been extremely positive.
