20 minute read
Education
PRIMARY SCHOOL
PLAY SCHOOL NOTRE ECOLE PLAYGROUP LITTLE HANDS MVC VILLAGE COLLEGE U3A
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EDUCATION
Little Hands Karen 01763 260964
Melbourn Playgroup Jane Crawford 07842 151512
Notre Ecole Janet Whitton 261231
Primary School Headteacher Stephanie Wilcox 223457 U3A (Univ. of Third Age) Chairman George Howard 260686 Village College Principal Simon Holmes 223400 It has been a busy Summer term at Melbourn Playgroup & Melbourn Out Of School Club (MOOS).
The Playgroup has been getting the older children ready for their transition to school. We have the fortunate position of being situated on the Melbourn Primary School grounds, which has presented some wonderful opportunities for the children. The children have been on walks around the school field finding natural materials and looking for bugs. They have had the chance to practice Sports Day and enjoy the full use of the schools outdoor facilities, something we would like to thank the school for.
Fun in our outdoor area
We have had a great time taking the children in for special school lunches to get used to holding the tray and eating in the school hall; giving them the chance to experience first hand what it is going to be like at school. Practising changing into P.E. kits has also been great fun – although the P.E. lessons tend to take less time than getting changed! These simple but important skills seemed to really help the children last year and I am sure will help this year when starting on their big adventure to school.
We would like to take this opportunity to wish all the pre-schoolers lots of fun in September and we will of course miss them all, but know they are all ready for the next part of the educational journey. We look forward to welcoming back all of our younger children, in September.
Melbourn Out of School Club has also had a busy summer term. We have seen the number of children in attendance grow and we are very excited about the new reception children starting with us in September. We appreciate that this is a very anxious time for all and intend to make their experience with us as fun and as stress-free as possible.
We are very lucky to be positioned on the Melbourn Primary School grounds and make good use of the outdoor space as much as possible. After a day in school, the children love to be able to let off some steam exploring the outdoor space, playing various games and, of course, showing off their climbing skills on the adventure playground. Inside, the children have enjoyed a range of activities, from cooking to jewellery making. They are always very keen to share with us their achievements, both in school and in their personal lives. We have said goodbye to our year six pupils and would like to take this opportunity to wish them all success as they move on to new adventures in their new schools.
Melbourn Playgroup is open from 8.45am – 3.00pm, Melbourn Out of School Club is open 3.15PM – 6.00PM; 5 days a week, term-time only. If you are interested, please contact as soon as possible for places in September 2013. Sam Wainwright (Chair), Jane Crawford (Manager) & Yvette Griffiths (MOOS Leader). www.melbournplaygroup.org.uk Telephone 01763 223459 or 07842 151512 email: office@melbournplaygroup.org.uk
Melbourn Primary School PTFA
Outside the confines of the school playground, Melbourn Primary School PTFA doesn’t really shout about what it achieves, so we felt we wanted to change that and to reach out to the wider community in Melbourn. We hope that past, present and future pupils and parents might like to hear what we do and how much we achieve.
The past academic year has been incredibly busy for us and the next one is already looking to be even busier. As well as raising funds for the Primary School, we also aim to run events that the children enjoy and benefit from emotionally. This year alone, we have arranged three school discos, a village fireworks display, Christmas, Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day markets, a village quiz, and the Primary School Spring Fayre.
With thanks entirely to the support of parents and friends, the PTFA has raised the phenomenal sum of £7,500 this academic year alone. The vast majority of these funds have been donated straight back to the school for the benefit of the children: » £793 for coaches to enable every pupil in the school to see George’s Marvellous Medicine and go to the
Cambridge Arts Theatre; an experience not all children would otherwise have » £3,480 towards the All-weather, Multi-purpose playing area that the school desperately wants (more about this later) » £1,000 to maintain the school swimming pool before the summer term, to enable every pupil to have the opportunity of learning to swim » £120 for school Christmas decorations » £400 for end of term sunshine treats, which usually take the form of a fun afternoon to reward all children who have shown excellent and consistently good behaviour throughout that school term. This scheme has greatly improved pupil behaviour and this term, they enjoyed an afternoon of archery tuition! » £594 for Leavers Year books.
1st Melbourn Ball
We have also invested in a new barbecue to give you better service at our events and lighting for the Fireworks display.
Our biggest and most ambitious event to date takes place very shortly on the 14th September 2013. We are excited to be organising the 1st Melbourn Ball, which is a formal black tie ball in a beautiful marquee held in the primary school grounds.
We have arranged a night of food and dancing for you and your friends to enjoy, with a sit down three-course meal, live dance band and DJ. It’s sure to be an evening to enjoy and we hope to make it a must attend biannual village event.
Arrival drinks are at 7.30pm, with carriages at 1.00am. Tickets are priced at £55, which includes your arrival drink, meal and superb entertainment. We have a cash bar available all night, raffle, other fun games and dancing to make it a night to remember. As this goes to press, tickets are selling fast, so if you’d like to come and enjoy what is sure to be a wonderful evening, please don’t hesitate to contact us, in one of the following ways: email ptfa@melbourn.cambs.sch.uk or ali.peers@ee.co.uk, or telephone Ali Peers on 07971 475543.
All the proceeds from the 1st Melbourn Ball will go towards the ‘All weather pitch’, on which we’re focusing our current fundraising efforts. The primary school is determined to improve the quality of PE at the school and an all-weather pitch will allow them to play outdoor sports all year round, regardless of the weather, which tends to prevent t hem from using the field during the autumn and winter months.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to everyone who has helped at and supported our events this year, none of them would happen without you!
1st Melbourn Ball
14th September 2013
Melbourn Primary School PTFA invite you to a Formal black tie ball in a beautiful marquee held in the primary school grounds. Arrival drinks are at 7:30 pm, with carriages at 1:00 am A night of food and dancing for everyone to enjoy with a sit down 3-course meal, live dance band and DJ. Tickets are priced at £55, which includes your arrival drink, meal and superb entertainment. Contact ptfa@melbourn.cambs.sch.uk or ali.peers@ee.co.uk, or telephone Ali Peers on 07971 475543
A.C.T. Conference (A Common Territory)
Our small MVC team parachuted into a metropolitan world of taxis, retrospective expense accounts, Royal Opera House hospitality and bilingual multi-disciplinary meetings. It was uplifting being involved in a presentation that recognised our growing achievements as a school, and the many extracurricular opportunities that our students can access.
On day two of the conference, we migrated to Thurrock where the Royal Opera House has its workshops. We hope that our technology and art students will be able to visit these amazing facilities which are Boeing 747 in proportion. Set construction involves both artists and the craftsman. They use wood and metal to make complex prefabricated scenery that, once created, is transported by lorry literally right into the bowels of the labyrinth-like Covent Garden Opera House. Normandy Music Tour Easter 2013
Our students wowed an audience of 17 year olds in a Caen Lycee and moved an audience of retired pensioners in a large nursing home. We also performed in Mont Saint Michel, taking over a restaurant and we were broadcast to the island! Students showed great resilience as they trudged back to the coach in the pouring rain, laden down by instruments and amplifiers.
The core band was particularly impressive as they provided, in a wide range of musical genres, the basic musical score for our singers and instrumentalists to show their considerable talents.
The Tour was both a time to say goodbye to a very talented group of Year 11 students and also a hello to our next wave of performers. The tour was made possible with the support of Miss Douglas, Mrs Humphey and Monica Holcombe. Once again, a large thank you to our parents and, of course, our students, who have the spirit to surmount challenges and seek to grow in character and in musicianship. Talk Art – ‘Action Art’ – Create Art
You might think that art is without language, but in fact, inspired teaching enables young minds to take creative risks in their own art, when shared in the classroom environment. Schools can give this opportunity, which MVC is encouraging.
Three primary schools have enlisted Nick to come along, both as an experienced teacher of art at secondary level, and as an experienced artist with a national and international reputation.
On offer are a range of schemes of work developed over seven years since it was first created during Mr. Juett’s teacher training at Homerton College, Cambridge University. Now these MVC schemes have been modified to fit Nick’s artist role with Action-Art, an initiative provided by Simon Holmes, our new principal at Melbourn Village College.
MVC teacher Mr. Juett has developed some interesting ways to enhance the learning of children. As an artist, Nick is linking children’s art with his professional involvement in the art community of Cambridge. A dedicated web page will showcase children’s Action-Art, hosted by Williams Art. Our school has already exhibited pupils’ art there, both in response to the Fitzwilliam Museum’s amazing collection and in celebration of the twinning with Szeged in Hungary. A ‘Learning to Learn’ lesson combines art with technology, which is something Nick is keen to use when necessary for learning.
Perhaps your child is a pupil at MVC and has siblings at Barrington, Melbourn or Hauxton. If so, then you would have heard the word – Action-Art. It might seem strange that a visual form with its own language still requires the spoken word. Together with inspired teaching, it motivates children to paint, aided by effectively taught specialist skills. The key to Nick’s success are some wonderful resources: brushes, paints, paper, etcetera are all provided by our school.
The specialist art sessions will continue from September, so if you are a parent or carer of a child at Fowlmere, Foxton, Harston, Newton, Meldreth or Thriplow, then get in touch with Nick and he will then contact your school to see if we can arrange some Action-Art to inspire minds at your school, courtesy of MVC: juett@mail.com.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award at MVC
On the 29th and 30th June, thirty brave Year 10 students joined Comberton Village College students to take part in the assessed expedition weekend as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award. After a successful practice weekend in May, all they had to hope for was a clement weather. The weather forecast was looking mixed and it had rained all day on the Friday, but after the short journey to the Chiltern Hills, they were able to enjoy a very sunny weekend. All students shone through their determination and resilience through the two days walks, and assessors commended their camp craft, navigation skills and excellent group spirit, which meant that all students completed this part of their award with flying colours! Congratulations to all of them!
Shadowing the Carnegie Book Awards
During May and June, a group of students from MVC had been reading their way through the books shortlisted for the Carnegie Award. They have met together regularly to discuss their reactions to the books. The reading process led up to the Carnegie Reader’s Day held at St Bede’s School in Cambridge.
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On Wednesday 19th June, a group of us went to St Bede’s School in Cambridge to enjoy a day of discussion and activities based on the Carnegie Award shortlisted books. Eight books were shortlisted for the prize, but only one could win and there were no runners up. Halfway through the day, one of us from Melbourn Village College, Jeremy Bridle, was given the opportunity to announce the winner. The winner of the award was Maggot Moon by Sally Gardener.
During the day we did quizzes, discussed our favourites and ate cake and jelly babies! Yum! We were also given the opportunity to meet new people. We were put onto tables with children from Bassingbourn, Coleridge and, of course, St Bede’s. I loved the trip to St Bede’s but I really wanted Greyhound of a Girl to win because I really enjoyed it. Laura Bartholomew 8Newton4 day, and their fundraising efforts were so successful we were also given the ‘Gold Award’ for raising over £600 for the charity.
Unfortunately Competition Squad did not win the overall competition, but we will be returning next year once again to give it our best shot! ACT – A Common Territory launch at MVC with Summer Sunshine
Dance Competition Squad
On Saturday 22nd June, Melbourn Village College’s performance troupe, Competition Squad, journeyed to the University of Bedfordshire Theatre in aid of the British Red Cross.
The students performed an emotive piece entitled ‘Years Old’, which explored the work of the Red Cross and their help and support given to the elderly to ensure they do not feel isolated or alone. The students gave an excellent performance, which won them an award for the ‘Most Original Concept’. The students were exceptionally well behaved and mature on the It is hard to recall but snow was on the ground when MVC was first invited to consider joining this international project as a new schools partner. Visits from our French lead partner, visits, presentations, partner conferences, proposal writing, budget drafting and submission followed throughout the spring. All the hard work was rewarded with final confirmation of partner status from the European Union Joint Technical Secretariat late June.
ACT is a five-million Euro innovative cross-border collaboration project between leading arts and education partners from France and England, and is funded by the European Regional Development Fund Interreg IV A France (Channel) England Programme.
Led by the Orchestre de Picardie, the partners in this network are The Purcell Singers, Brighton Festival Chorus, Opera de Rouen Haute Normandie, Comedie de Picardie, Cie ECO, Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne, Royal Opera House Education, Southend YMCA, The Gateway Learning Community, University of the Creative Arts, Thurrock Music Services and now Melbourn Village College.
So the sun shone when MVC launched ACT here in Melbourn with a whole school summer picnic on in July 5th.
Principal Simon Holmes with MEP Richard Howitt at the Launch
A full week of ACTivity followed – where students explored what ‘community’ really means to us as individuals, a school, a village and as members of the wider community, thinking locally and more globally looking across the Channel to better understand our near neighbours and learn about each other.
Students had the opportunity to work with leading violinist Marie-Luce Gillet from the Orchestre di Picardie, who came to spend three days leading creative musical workshops and contributing in the research into community by sharing her language and talking with MVC students about the French way of everyday life as well as her musical career.
Some students helped to begin the process of transforming the community centre at school into the project hub, ACT CENTRAL.
Melbourn Village College will work in partnership with the five French partners and seven other English organisations to support cultural exchange, share education and heritage learning opportunities, and foster the arts and creativity on both shores of the Channel.
Melbourn Village College students will benefit from this project through workshops, master classes, international exchange visits, the creation of cross disciplinary performances, and will take part in WWI commemorative events at home and in France.
The ACT project aims to make the region a better place to live and visit through cultural collaboration, community and educational engagement with access to internationally renowned organisations, their artists and performances.
The ACT project runs until March 2015. So MVC are at the start of an exciting project that will see the whole student body benefit from long term involvement in this cross border work; year groups will travel to the Fields of the Somme next year, take part in community performances of Benjamin Britten’s Noyes Fludde on both sides of the Channel, and will work with the University of the Creative Arts and the Royal Opera House Thurrock. Students and young people will have the opportunity to work towards achieving Bronze, Silver and Gold Arts Awards and contribute to the world-wide WWI Centenary Commemoration events here and in France.
Melbourn Village College will share this work with our feeder primary schools along with our partner Village Colleges and Wysing Arts Centre in the stART Consortium.
This is a very exciting whole school project; we look forward to many cross border exchanges and inspiring collaborations in the coming two years, sharing it with our community.
Look out for the MVC ACT website and student blog. To find out more about our partners and details of the project ACTivities go to: www.act-acommonterritory.eu.
Please let us know what community means to you – answers on a post card and drop it into school reception please.
Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner
A tale of triumph over terror, Gardner’s Maggot Moon sees the unlikely young hero Standish who, like his creator, is dyslexic, stand up to a sinister dictatorship whilst friends and family around him ‘disappear’. Karen Robinson, Chair of the Judging Panel for 2013 and Youth Libraries Group Chair, said of the winners: “Sally Gardner’s Maggot Moon is a stunning and truly original book and a worthy winner of this year’s CILIP Carnegie Medal. Gripping, moving and exquisitely written, it offers a powerful portrayal of a genuinely frightening dystopia and the unlikely hero that dares stand up to it. It is an outstanding book in every sense.” German – Melbourn Students try out A-Level Languages
On Monday 17th June, Katy Francis and I had the chance to spend an afternoon at Hills Road Sixth Form College to see what German A level is like there. The first big difference we noticed that was that the teacher spoke the whole lesson in German, meaning we had to be concentrating very hard the whole time to keep up with what was going on! We spent some time in the language lab, which was also a very new experience. However, we were given a hand by some of the current AS students who later took us on a quick tour of the college and talked to us about some aspects of college life. Overall it was a great experience, it was great to have a look around the college and has definitely made me consider taking German A level. Katherine Webb Darwin Students Making History and Tepees
The first lesson of induction day for our Year 6 Darwin students was an exciting start with History. The Year 6’s learnt about the American West and the lives of the Native Americans who lived there. They studied the Native American lifestyle, including the practicalities of life as nomads who followed the huge herds of buffalo, before designing and making their own tepees. The Darwin prefects took an active part in the lesson, helping the students to put together their tepees and adding design suggestions, as well as adding their own historical knowledge from their GCSE studies.
By the end of the lesson, the classroom was filled with many magnificent tipis, decorated in a multitude of ways: some had beautiful patterns, others had depicted elements of Native American life like the buffalo hunts (though a couple of Darwin prefects were pictorially massacred as well). By the end of the lesson, the students were confident, happy and laughing, with them reviewing the lesson as ‘fun and interesting’ and ‘fun, amazing I learnt a lot.’ Then they were off to learn the Bare Necessities in their Music class from another Darwin tutor, Mr Belbin.
Aura Dootson-Graube, Deputy Head Girl, said of the day: “Everybody in History enjoyed themselves, including the prefects and it was great to be able to meet all the Darwin Year 6s before they arrive in September. Looking at the students who arrived today, we can tell that next year is going to be a great year for Darwin, and it was brilliant that the new Darwin students could meet each other, the prefects and Mr Tobutt their teacher and Head of House. We all started developing good relationships before they join us in September. Overall it was a brilliant lesson enjoyed by students and prefects alike”. Darwin Prefects, Aura Dootson-Graube, Meghan Clarke and Theo Pow.
