MCA Newsletter
October 2023
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HEADTEACHER'S MESSAGE
Dear MCA Community,
I wanted to start by thanking you all for your ongoing support this half term in particular the care and love you have offered the family and friends of Nathaniel Shani who we sadly lost just five weeks ago. We won't heal quickly but we will support each other to come to terms with what has happened and to remember Nathaniel as the wonderful young man he was. If you or your child/ren feel like you need some additional support dealing with these events, please do contact us on mcasupport@mca.manchester.sch.uk.
Whilst processing this tragedy it's important that we continue to shine a light on all of the amazing things that our students have been involved with throughout the half term. I would like to start by telling you about the official GCSE results that have now been published for the class of 2023. MCA has achieved it's best results ever with our progress 8 score of 0.69 putting us in the top 10% of schools in the country. Our attainment 8 score is one of the best in the city and since pre-Covid GCSEs in 2019, MCA is the most improved school in Manchester for English and Maths attainment. This is phenomenal and I would like to thank of the staff, students and families that have helped to achieve this. MCA is without doubt a high performing school capable of realising amazing outcomes for our young people. This has always been our mission, to ensure that our children have the keys to unlock their future and go forward with any career of their choice.
Looking to those students that have just started with us, I would like to say a huge well done to the year 7s. You have done a brilliant job across the first half term, you should be proud of what you have achieved and I hope that you have an amazing time on your Outward Bound trips in the holidays. There have been many other things to celebrate this half term including our sports leaders volunteering to be ball boys and girls at the Davis Cup, European Day of Languages, all of the activities for Black History Month, the autumn art competition, Thrive launch, World Mental Health day and the launch of our Guardian Angels team.
We're looking forward to the next half term and want it to be our best yet. To continue to keep our young people safe and to keep raising our standards there is information in this newsletter about how to keep safe over the holidays. If you have any concerns or want to speak to us about anything, please email mcasupport@mca.manchester.sch.uk Also in the newsletter we have information on uniform expectations, information for year 11s on their upcoming PPEs and some information on attendance.
I'll look forward to writing to you again soon, but in the meantime, please have a restful holiday.
Susan Watmough
Headteacher
With you... For you... About you...
HOW TO STAY SAFE
ON SOCIAL MEDIA
When it comes to online safety, especially when using social media, make sure to be SMART!
s
m
a
TAY SAFE and don't give out your personal information to people you don't know.
EETING someone you have only spoke to online is dangerous. Always check with an adult you trust.
CCEPTING emails, files, images and texts from people you don't know can cause problems.
r
t
ELIABLE? Check information before you believe it! Is the person or website telling the truth?
ELL SOMEONE Tell an adult if someone or something makes you worried or uncomfortable.
If you are a worried parent and looking for help and advice on your child's safety online
here are some guides and websites that may be helpful.
Happy halloween
Here are some safety tips if you're planning on going trick or treating.
1. Stay in groups.
2. Wear comfortable shoes.
3. Do not eat any candy or chocolate that is not in its original packaging.
4. Stick to familiar, well-lit areas.
5. Have fun!
Make sure you look out for the Treacle Posters. These will let you know if
'trick or treaters' are welcome or not.
You can download the poster by clicking here
BONFIRE NIGHT SAFETY
On Sunday 5th November, many of us will be celebrating Bonfire Night with fireworks, sparklers and gatherings with friends and family. As fun as the night is, we need to remember to stay safe. Here are our top tips to staying safe this Bonfire Night!
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Go to large gathering and stay close to the event supervisors and parents you are attending with.
Larger displays are generally a lot safer to enjoy the evening and are less harmful to the planet.
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If you or someone you know is displaying fireworks in their garden or in a smaller get together, stay well
clear and watch from inside, away from where the fireworks are taking place.
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Everybody loves sparklers. While handling them wear gloves and long sleeved clothing including a coat or jacket.
Always hold them at arm’s length. Once It has gone out put in a bucket of sand or cold water.
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Bonfires add to the excitement of the evening. Stay well clear and make sure you’re being supervised by an adult.
Avoid wearing loose clothing and tie up long hair in a bobble or place all of it under a hat.
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Make sure to look after your pets, fireworks can scare them. Keep them indoors with windows closed and blinds
and curtains shut. The load noises and bright lights can really unsettle them.
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Most importantly stay safe and have fun!
uniform expections
We have a formal uniform and we expect every child to attend school looking smart in full uniform every day. Good attendance is essential to success at school and all students are expected to have an excellent attendance record and be punctual.
Indoor clothing, boys and girls:
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black blazer or black v-neck jumper is compulsory
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plain white shirt or blouse
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School tie representing the year group they are in
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plain black trousers or appropriate length of black skirt (not tight fitting)
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plain black socks
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plain black shoes suitable for school wear
We are pleased to inform you that we are able to supply your child with one of each of the following items in Year 7: A blazer, A tie, A PE top, and PE shorts. Parents will be required to supply the other items. We believe that our uniform is smart,
yet cost effective.
All students should also carry equipment to and from the Academy in a bag; each child will also be able to use a locker. Your child should attend the Academy in full school uniform every day.
UNIFORM Library
If you need any support we do offer a uniform library that is available to all. Please donate to us any old uniform that your child has grown out of that is still in good condition. Uniform can be handed in to reception. The uniform library will enable you to swap any donated item for any other item in the library. The more families that support us in this, the more choice we will have.
Any parent/ carer who donates uniform but does not require an exchange will receive a raffle ticket with family hampers, vouchers and treats to be won! All items are really appreciated, including PE kit and trainers.
If any student or families require support with the cost of uniform please contact us via sid@mca.manchester.sch.uk.
uniform policy
THRIVE AT MCA
We are pleased to introduce MCA students and parents to THRIVE. MCA values the personal development journey that our students go through in the five years that they spend at secondary school and this year we are highlighting and rewarding students that go the extra mile. Thrive ensures that there are opportunities for all students to develop their character and skills such as teamwork and communication outside of their normal curriculum. This can be achieved through day to day academy life, educational visits, ESAs and the pursuits our young people take on outside of school. These achievements will be recorded throughout their high school career which will then support with students as they write personal statements and prepare for their next phase of education, employment or training. This year students will be working through a number of challenges in their academic curriculum, in their personal life, but also engaging in all the wider aspects that MCA has to offer. In order to graduate students have to meet a minimum expectation of:
- Achieving 300 rewards points across the year.
- Reach above 95% attendance for the academic year.
- Engage in 1 ESA per half term with 75% attendance for the year.
- Achieve at least 8 scholarship challenges for the academic year
- Maintain a B or above consistently on progress reports.
- Meet personal targets consistently each half term.
Students can then graduate with Bronze, Silver or Gold honours by achieving higher and more scholarship challenges. Scholarship achievements will be celebrated each half term within assemblies and at the end of the year we will be holding a graduation ceremony for those who graduate with honors, which we would love to invite parents to.
We are in the process of updating our website where you can find the Thrive Booklets your child is working through
this year that detail the scholarship challenges.
PRE-PUBLIC EXAMINATIONS 1
(PPE1)
Our first Year 11 exam series takes place straight after the October half term holiday. It will begin on Monday 6th November 2023 and finish on Monday 20th November 2023. These examinations will allow students to demonstrate their progress across various subjects and prepare students for their GCSE examinations that will take place in May & June 2024. During these exams, we will have morning and after school revision booster sessions, just like in the Summer GCSE exam series. When not in examinations, all students will attend their usual lessons. Please support your child by encouraging their study at home, using online revision tools and attending any sessions they have been invited to over October half term. It's crucial that after the holidays that all year 11 students attend every day so that they have the best opportunity to realise their potential in these exams.
