Dear Parents/Carers,
Now December has arrived and as we approach the end of the calendar year we naturally start to reflect. We arrived in this academic year determined to place COVID lockdowns well and truly in the past, opening up more clubs and activities than ever before and rewarding our students more than ever for the incredible achievements and effort they make on a daily basis.
This academic year alone we have handed out forty eight thousand rewards, golden tickets, ties and badges – as for our co-curriculum, more about that later. Students continue to impress us with their energy, enthusiasm and resilience taking advantage of many of the things Mascalls has to offer. There is much to look forward to in this module, but not without a look back first…
Swimming Gala Success
This week Mascalls Academy Year 8s and 9s competed in the Leigh Academies Trust Swimming Gala in Rochester. This was a fantastic event that has returned to the sports calendar this year after a short hiatus. The students represented the school brilliantly placing 3rd in three heats showing great individual ability and worked exceptionally well as a team making the final in the mixed relay. Finishing with an overall top 10 finish. Thank you to the students who took part!
Extra Curricular Activities
This term has been an immensely busy module with our jam packed co-curricular schedule with clubs and teams occurring at lunchtimes and after school. Currently there are over 40 clubs, teams and activities on offer to our students. The benefits of being involved in extra activities are well documented leading to:
- Improved mental health and wellbeing, decreased stress and anxiety
- Improved academic performance
- Improved social development and relationships with peers and adults
- Improved attitudes towards school, behaviour and future work
- Develop essential life skills
- Improved resilience and integrity (commitment to team outcomes)
- Higher Self-esteem
- Social and career opportunities
This is just another way we support our students in becoming the very best version of themselves alongside the outstanding support we already provide pastorally, through Place2be, through the provision of uniform and equipment items and of course a Chromebook for every student to access resources and cutting edge technology. Starkly, numerous studies have shown the amount of time teens spend alone outside of school has markedly increased over a period of years and also over the pandemic for obvious reasons and experience less family time corresponding with an increase in mental health and well being reports. Our offer aims to counteract those findings for our wonderful community.
There are 746 students who regularly take part in our clubs, teams and activities at Mascalls representing 55% of our students. The benefits reported above are evidenced amongst this group with higher attendance rates and fewer reports of anxiety. We want that for all of our wonderful students and aim for 100% of our students attending at least one club or activity.
This year so far, we have:
- First ever girls football team match with kit sponsored by Paddock Wood business association.
- Huge numbers of year 7A and B, 8, 9, 10 boys and girls football fixtures and netball fixtures
- An art department bus stop drawing project this relationship has now developed a strong link with our local community and led to another community project
- Woodwork is creating a bench for East Peckham Community Park
- A number of High performance academy lectures open to all students who want to develop in a high performance culture
- Replay Applause project in Drama – RePlay is a 5 day performance workshop aimed at reducing school anxiety culminating in a public performance
- Paddock Wood lights up- Three students from Year 10 and Year 12 represented Mascalls Academy beautifully at the Paddock Wood Lights Up on Sunday 27th November. Despite the pouring rain, these students impressed the crowd with their singing and professionalism and it was great to see so many of their friends supporting them.
- Engineering Club- represented the academy at Somerhill in the STEAM project.
- Sunday rehearsals for the dance show – second rehearsal this weekend 109 students involved performing in 5 shows over 4 days. Sold out twice!
If you would like your son/daughter to take part in any of our co-curricular activities please log into your SOCs account to book them on.
Finally, from me as always, my thanks go to the parents and carers who continually support us and your son and daughter. Supporting them to challenge themselves, to be outside of their comfort zone, to fail and then to succeed, to ultimately overcome – because that is when all the exciting stuff happens and their undoubted potential is realised.
Yours sincerely,
Mr W Monk
Principal
