LocalSchoolsnews

Midhurst Rother College

Fundraising charity events

Charity is always at the heart of MRC with numerous fundraisings and events throughout the academic year. Back in October, students supported Wear Something Yellow Day, raising funds for the Young Minds charity. At the recent fireworks event a Community Bar raised almost £700, which has been divided between the MRC Parents Association and the Midhurst Community, who have used their share to purchase further large red baubles for the street decorations and presents for Santa’s Grotto at the Midhurst Street Party. Children In Need this year at MRC, saw fun events throughout the week and raised in excess of £1400. The Christmas Foodbank Collection gathered not just a vast amount food and household goods but an array of gifts and seasonal extras including books, games, socks, hats, gloves and a huge number of hot water bottles, which will be added to the Christmas Foodbank boxes. The Sixth Form leadership team in charge of charity events. These events also form part of the House challenges at the College, with each of the 4 Houses choosing their own charity. Monies raised are divided equally between the 4 House charities (Save the Children, Wellspring, Canine Partners and RSPCA) to fairly reflect the contribution all students make to events. The chosen charities this year are Austen House the Red Cross, Kipling House – Fareshare, Tennyson House- Stonepillow and Woolf HouseMacmillan Cancer Support. 2022 arrived with its own challenges and staff and students through the year have faced these challenges head on and strived to always do their best and uphold the College values of respect, happiness and achievement. www.mrc-academy.org

Midhurst C of E Primar y School

Sporting Success

Last month, our Year 5 and 6 children attended the annual Rother Valley hockey tournament. We had practised fiercely, with a great deal of commitment since the beginning of October in our weekly hockey club. Mr Ind selected two strong teams to play in the tournament, which both played well. Midhurst II’s finished 10th of the 15 teams. Midhurst I’s managed to reach the final against Camelsdale, and in a hardfought and high-quality final we played very well, winning 1-0 and qualifying for the next inter-schools’ round at The Weald in Billingshurst. A massive well done to all of our hockey players from both squads, we could not have won the tournament without each other to play with and practise against. Meanwhile, our cross-country running team have enjoyed success in a cross-country event at Conifers school. The course was challenging with lots of mud, long grass, a log jump and a stream jump and the weather made it even tougher! All the children who took part performed brilliantly, showing real grit and determination. They also showed a super team spirit, encouraging each other and celebrating successes. We had 4 individual race winners; and we won 2 of the team events; the Year 3 girl’s race and the Year 5 girl’s race. We now look forward to the next race in February. www.midhurst-primary-school.co.uk

Slindon College’s first female Headteacher

Headteacher Mrs Sotiria Vlahodimou

Over 10 years experience in special education Following a thorough and competitive recruitment and selection process the new Headteacher of Slindon College has been announced as it looks forward to further growth in Academic Year 2022/23 and beyond. Slindon College Board of Governors announce Mrs Sotiria Vlahodimou as the new permanent head of the College with immediate effect. Mrs Vlahodimou (BSc, MSc, Post. Grad. Diploma, PGCE, NASENCO, NPQH) has over 10 years of experience in special education in both the mainstream and independent sectors. She studied for her first degree in Medical Microbiology at the University of Surrey and gained her MSc and Post. Grad. Diploma whilst working full time. Following a successful career in paediatric vaccines in the Pharmaceutical Industry she gained a PGCE from the University of Chichester. Mrs Vlahodimou worked in an outstanding West Sussex special school where she refined her own pedagogy in helping children enjoy and achieve in education and gained her SENCo qualification (NASENCo). Heading up a highly qualified team Joining Slindon College in 2016, first as an Assistant SENCo and Specialist Dyslexia teacher (Level 5 Dyslexia / SpLD) and then SENCo, Mrs Vlahodimou completed her NPQH in 2021. Her extensive knowledge of educating pupils who struggle to fulfil their potential in mainstream environments is motivated by her own personal experiences of education. When she was at school she was told that she was not academic enough and not very good with languages. This led Mrs Vlahodimou to dedicate her teaching career to working with children to remove barriers to their learning. Most recently she has had a very successful track record as Acting Headteacher at Slindon College. These experiences shone through in the recruitment process amongst a strong field of candidates. Becoming the first female Headteacher in the College’s 50 year history, Mrs Vlahodimou heads up a highly qualified team in a supportive and calm setting which enables pupils to engage in a learning style that is accessible to them. Mrs Sotiria Vlahodimou, Headteacher, said: “I feel deeply honoured to be able to lead Slindon College going forward and I am very excited about the future. You can be assured that as Headteacher, I will strive to create the best education for each pupil here by nurturing their happiness and self-confidence as learners.” Independent day and boarding school for boys Slindon College is a day and boarding school for boys aged 8-18. If you’d like to find out more about how Slindon College could help your child or to make an enquiry, contact the college or visit www.slindoncollege.co.uk. Slindon College holds Open Mornings in September and March. To register for an upcoming one, visit their website, call: 01243 814320 or email: registrar@slindoncollege.co.uk. Slindon College, Arundel, BN18 0RH.