MGS TIMES July 2014

Dear Parent/Carer Another year has passed that again has been packed full of hard work, developments and successes. We have continued our journey of evolution, but hopefully with a new spring in our step, and without moving away from our traditional culture and ethos. In fact, the journey forward, has actually further embraced our past and history. We have been very fortunate to have Mrs Birrell working with us this year as the School’s new Archivist. She has thrown herself into the role and found things out about the School that have been incredibly interesting. During the next year we will be creating an MGS Museum and Archive Room that will be open for all members of the School community to visit. With this new development it is hoped that the allegiance you all have with the School is further strengthened as you learn more about our history.

Despite the successes, there have been a number of changes, challenges and difficulties this year that the School and members of the School community have had to face. Throughout the challenges the feeling of camaraderie amongst the School has been evident and incredible. We are a family, and families look after each other in difficult times, and I want to thank the School for displaying such care for each other this year. I know I am biased and only see things through my eyes, but despite these challenges there has been a real buzz about the place.

One key memory for me of the year was the successful judgement we received from the Ofsted Inspection. The result was testament to the outstanding School that we value and hold close in our hearts and at this point I wish to again formally thank everyone involved for their contributions. We were all incredibly proud of the outcome, and of course slightly relieved now that they won’t be back, fingers crossed, for a while.

Schools face some of the biggest changes for 25 years and it is really important we prepare this School for those changes, but at the same time continuing with the direction that we wish to go in. This year we have reviewed and made changes to the Key Stage 4 curriculum ready for September to reflect the changes in the GCSE examinations; we have reviewed and updated our Homework Policy to take into account what parents expect; we have made changes to what we expect from our Sixth Form students to further improve the culture and ethos within the Sixth Form; we have investigated opportunities for students to make use of their own electronic devices to support their learning which we will be rolling out from September; and we have done a lot of work to develop how students can take greater ownership of their learning.

In addition to all of these developments, which will make a positive difference to teaching and learning, we have been working very hard behind the scenes getting ready for the Development/Alumni Launch. From September all students and parents will hear about how the School is going to grow over the next 10 years and how we all can support its future. At the back of this Newsletter is the School Calendar for next term illustrating key dates for you all. Please familiarise yourselves with the dates relevant to your child, but particularly note down the date for your Development/Alumni Launch. I look forward to seeing you there.

This month the Parent Forum met with me to discuss how the School is developing over the next couple of years. I shared with them the School’s Development Plan and the six main priorities that we will be mainly focusing on: The new curriculum reforms and accountability measures; how we see the House Structure evolving; the impact of the new AEN and Safeguarding procedures; continuing to achieve outstanding learning within the classroom; the role of the Form Tutor; and the birth of the Development/ Alumni Fund. The. meeting was extremely positive with many good ideas being discussed; and a lot of what we talked about will be shared to you all when you come in and meet key staff at your child’s Information Even- ing. The Parent Forum is an excellent sounding board for the School and it will remain in place for many years to come providing opportunities for robust, but supportive, debate to occur. Many thank again for those parents who were able to attend. If you would like to know more about the Forum please do contact me in September.

During the last term since Easter there have been a number of successes that we can feel extremely proud of. The rest of this Newsletter goes into detail many things we wish to applaud, but I would like to acknowledge an important one that the whole School should certainly celebrate. Back in May we were invited to the Kent Teacher of the Year Awards as the Student Services Department had received a nomination from a parent for Team of the Year. We not only won the award for Top Pastoral Team for the Maidstone Area but we also collected the prize for overall Team of the Year for the entire county. We are extremely delighted with not only receiving a nomination but for coming away from the award ceremony with the overall best team. The entire pastoral team, which includes the Student Services Department, work incredibly hard all year to support every student and this award backs up the recent Ofsted Inspec- tion and our own feelings about the School. Well done to everyone involved.

I also wish to acknowledge another fantastic Extended Learning Week which took place two weeks ago. Once again the School received many positive comments from staff, students and parents about the week, and it is something that we can all feel incredibly proud of. Thank you to everyone who was involved and we look forward to another week like this next year.

This time of year not only marks the end of the academic year but also marks the end for those members of staff who are leaving the MGS community. The Staff and Governors said their official goodbyes last night; and the students had their opportunity to acknowledge their contributions at the final assembly to- day. The members of staff we say goodbye to, and how many years service they have given, are: Ms Sherriff (RS, 2 years), Mr Hart (Director of Rugby, 2 years), Mr Byatt (Media Technician, 3 years), Ms Mott (D & T, 3 years), Ms Brookes (Chemistry, 4 years), Mr Kozinski (ICT Technician, 7 years), Mrs Lumutenga (Year 9 Learning Manager, Economics and Business Studies, 23 years), Dr Callaghan (English, 23 years), Mr Simons (Head of RS, 30 years), Dr Derrett (Head of 6th Form, Biology, 34 years) and Mrs Sanfourche (Languages, 41 years). We thank them for the continued commitment and dedica- tion given to the School and wish them all the best for their future. Particular acknowledgement must go to Mrs Lumutenga, Dr Callaghan, Mr Simons, Dr Derrett and Mrs Sanfourche who between them have given over 150 years of service to the School. This is a remarkable achievement and testament to what a great place MGS is to work and be a part of. On behalf of the many thousands of students who have travelled through the gates of MGS, thank you.

Staff leaving brings with it new faces that we will see from September. Mrs Sewell, who currently is As- sistant Headteacher at Fort Pitt Grammar School, joins MGS as the new Deputy Head to replace Mrs An- derson who left at Easter. We also welcome: Ms Kruppa (Assistant Head of 6th Form and Teacher of Languages); Ms Alloy (Teacher of RS); Mr Taylor (Teacher of Science); Mr Wong (Teacher of Mathe- matics); Mr Moorey (Teacher of PE and Director of Rugby); Mr Gymer (Teacher of RS); Mr Baker (Teacher of Business Studies and Economics) and Mr Hall (Teacher of D & T).

I finally would like to wish you all a pleasant summer holiday, enjoy the rest, and we’ll see you in Sep- tember. M. Tomkins Headmaster

Please do share any successes achieved outside of school with us so that we can include them in our termly newsletters and provide pictures where possible. Send to: [email protected] Pastoral Structure 2014-15 Head of Upper School, Years 11 to 13, Mr P Smith, Deputy Head Head of Lower School, Years 7 to 10, Mrs J Sewell, Deputy Head Assistant Headteacher KS5 Dr V Everett Assistant Headteacher KS4 Mr C Philpott Assistant Headteacher KS3 Miss R Johnson Learning Manager for Y7 Mr M Hall Learning Manager for Y8 Mr M Jones Learning Manager for Y9 Mr B Highsted Learning Manager for Y10 Miss A Lang Learning Manager for Y11 Mr P Highway

Public examination results A2 results are available from 8.00 on Thursday 14h August AS results are available from 9.00 on Thursday 14th August GCSE results are available from 10.00 on Thursday 21st August

If students are unable to collect the results in person, we need a letter signed by the candidate (Please pass to the School Office before Results Days) to authorise the results to be picked up by another person. Mem- bers of staff will be available each morning to give advice and guidance. Relevant information will also be available regarding requests for remarks and exam scripts where relevant. Leavers school books must be returned to the school before results day. The school office will be open throughout the summer holidays 9.00am - 3.00pm.

100th Anniversary of World War I

On Saturday 2nd August we will be commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the start of World War I to remember the Old Maidstonians who died in conflict. The day will begin with tea and coffee served from 10.30am followed by a formal Remembrance Service in the main School Hall at 11.00am, and then a dis- play by the school’s CCF in their current activities. From 11.45am there will be an opportunity to have a guided tour of the School. It will be an opportunity for the entire school community to come together for this very special occasion. Everyone is welcome.

CCF News: the period from Easter to the end of the summer term has always traditionally been very active and this year has proved no exception.

The RN Section: has carried out weekly afloat training at the watersports centre in Mote Park. Activities included sailing, canoeing, raft building and racing - and probably getting wet. All these activities, even getting wet, have been enthusiastically supported by the RN Section cadets and adults. A week long Clyde Fleet Tender expedition in June proved to be an excellent trip with consistently good weather and the opportunity to view a large part of the Firth of Clyde. The cadets took turns on bridge duty while the vessel was underway and gained much experience in ship handling and navigation. Considerable quantities of food were prepared and consumed to help cope with the demands of the week!

The RAF Section: has been flying high – pun intended – with cadets (Bor, Burley, and Wheeler) attending an overseas camp from 2 -11 April at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. Twelve cadets took part in gliding at RAF Kenley but sadly two cadets who were awarded gliding scholarships were disappointed when their experience was cancelled half way through due to a serviceability issue [either with the glider or the launch mechanism – not with the cadets]. Powered flying in the Grob Tutor is back in operation and RAF Wyton hosted two visits for this highlight of RAF cadet activities. Back on the ground, two visits have been made to practice shooting skills on a training range at St Martins Plain, Folkestone. Thursday training has recently focused on an inter flight competition to provide some competitive training covering a range of disci- plines. Congratulations go to Plt Off Parrish for completing his officer’s course at RAF Cranwell in June. He is now fully trained in wearing a smart uniform, cultivating a respectable moustache, drinking coffee, and maneuvering into a comfortable armchair in the Officers Mess. More seriously, he has already shown a great commitment to being involved in the RAF Section and is a very welcome asset to the Section. During extended learning week, fifteen cadets and two staff attended summer camp at RAF Brize Norton where they experienced an extensive range of activities. As well as visiting different sections of the RAF base, they had a day’s weapon handling and live firing, air experience flying at RAF Benson, and an afternoon on a low ropes course. There was also a day away from camp on adventure training, a parachute training school visit, and a look at survival in all environments. On 18 June, three cadets accompanied by Flt Lt Moores were involved in a presentation at No. 10 Downing Street, with the Prime Minister, about the gov- ernment’s Cadet Expansion Programme. Looking forward: three cadets have gained places on a demanding cadet leadership course at RAF Cranwell; nine cadets are attending a week long summer camp at RAF Lin- ton on Ouse; LCpl Goodbody has a place on an adventure training camp at RAF Troodos (Cyprus) in Au- gust, and Flt Sgt West has his International Air Cadet Exchange visit to Turkey.

The Army Section: in April organised a week of adventure training for twelve cadets in Snowdonia and on Anglesey; the basecamp was at Capel Curig Training Camp. An introduction to walking and navigation skills on Holyhead Mountain started the week’s activities. This was a particularly interesting introduction to trusting map, compass, and pacing work since you could not see much beyond the person standing next to you due to the thick fog enveloping the area. Only the mournful wail of a nearby lighthouse indicated that the sea was a steep drop down on the other side of the coast road. Rock climbing took place at an in- door centre at HMS Indefatigable because of the wet and slippery rock faces outdoors. The days following provided much better conditions for kayaking, ascending Snowdon via the Pyg and Miners tracks, orient- eering, gorge walking, and a high ropes course together with an unnerving powerfan plummet with its 100 foot drop (the worlds’ highest powerfan parachute simulator). If that was not enough there was the final sky ride which claims to be Europe’s highest and first 5 seater Giant Swing involving being strapped in a harness to a large metal bar that formed part of a serious swing experience! The bar is hoisted over 80 ft. high into the air then released to swing out over the magnificent Conwy Valley – reaching 60 mph in a second! ‘Breathtaking’ hardly comes near describing the experience. This was a week of great challenges leading to a lot of personal development and the satisfaction of facing up to and conquering those challenges.

The month of May saw a return to the more normal ’muck & bullets’ Army experience with the 24 hr. exercise “Dovey’s Delight” held at Mereworth Wood - also great fun, and a good preparation for the Army Section annual camp to come. Several weeks of Thursday training in school then finalised preparation for the camp at Beckingham in Lincolnshire during the school’s extended learning week. Fifty nine Army cadets experienced a wide range of challenging activities and a four hour journey to get to them. The camp accommodation looked as if it was left over from Dad’s Army days – very basic, crowded, Nissan huts; but what’s life without a bit of a challenge! Training included military skills, climbing, kayaking, sailing, raft building and racing, mountain biking, and a high ropes challenge. A day on the ranges gave the opportunity for clay pigeon shooting, a close quarter battle range, and live rifle firing on the 400m range. Every cadet came off this with a shooting qualification – it appears that a third of the section are marksmen! I don’t know what they do to the enemy but they sure scare me. A day of infantry tactics allowed junior and senior cadets to work separately at different basic and advanced skills leading up to our own Contingent 24 hour overnight exercise involving reconnaissance patrols, planning a minefield, and sleeping out in an impro- vised shelter overnight. This culminated next morning in a series of platoon attacks and the firing of a large number of rounds of blank ammunition. Cadets Anup Ale and Paul Tinker jointly gained the best Year 9 Cadet on Camp award. There was also a competition morning where our team came second in the drill competition and third on the obstacle course and range package. As stated at the start – it has been a very active but very rewarding period from Easter to summer. Extended Learning Week 2014 – Discovery

Extended Learning Week this year was once again a great success. While 220 students were off on resi- dential trips in this country or abroad and another 47 were engaged on the CCF Army and RAF camps, the remaining 435 boys in Years 7 to 10 were able to participate in a total of twenty different activities. The theme of the week this year was Discovery and there is no doubt that it lived up to the billing as the boys discovered new skills, new interests, new facts and new friends.

You can read more about what they got up to in many of the activities elsewhere in this newsletter. You can also find more pictures and read the ELW newspaper, MGS Inventum on the school website by going to Community and Extended Learning Week.

Organisation for the week began way back in December as teachers started to put together their ideas for the trips and activities. All the students were asked to choose three activities and we did our best to allo- cate them to one of these. We were successful in 95% of cases with only 24 boys being asked to nominate a fourth option. These boys will be given priority next year. In the spirit of Discovery we also tried hard to ensure that students tried a different activity this year to the one they were on last year.

The students are currently completing a survey on their experience of Extended Learning Week and while not all the results are in yet, with almost two thirds completed the indications are that 95% agreed or strongly agreed that they really enjoyed ELW; 91% thought their activity was excellent; 83% said they felt they learnt a lot from doing their activity and 88% agreed that ELW gave them an opportunity to meet new people and make new friends in school. With figures like these, there is no doubt that Extended Learning Week is worth all the hard work and we are already thinking ahead to ELW 2015.

Dr V C Everett Assistant Headteacher

Extended Learning Week—overseas trips

USA Geography Tour to San Francisco and Muir Woods: the city of fog aka San Francisco blessed us with clear skies and sunny weather. We went to Alca- traz, a former prison that held Al Capone and the 'Birdman'. The prison was very interesting and the audio tour helped bring the National Park to life. Later that day we had a tour of the city; we got to walk up Lombard Street which if you didn't already know is a one way street with eight hair-pin turns!

We saw the Golden Gate from Pacifico and were lucky enough to get clear views without the seasonal fog.

We saw the park and got to learn a little about the flower children of the 1960's. We travelled to Muir Woods where they host the redwoods, the tallest trees in the world; they have adapted to the dry conditions by having their leaves high so the water in the fog condenses on the leaves and drops to the ground for the tree roots to soak up. Chris Randall, James Tuck and David Depledge Y9

Death Valley When we left Bakersfield, CA, nobody thought it could get any hotter. We were wrong! Stepping out of the coach, 122F (50C) hit us hard. Nobody had felt anything that hot before! After a quick look and shop at the Visitor Centre, we headed around 5 miles up the road to a small resort (with unsurprisingly empty tennis courts) where it was even hotter! Then at our next stop we climbed a hill for some amazing views of the Badlands but also ridiculously high temperatures. It was an unforgettable experience, once in a life time, and definitely worth the travel if you find yourself in California. On to Vegas for us now! Saurav Parmar Y10

Las Vegas We arrived at Las Vegas after hours of travelling and intense heat. At first an ordinary seeming city with slightly more advertising and air conditioning. However, after setting up, being dropped off at the Hard Rock Cafe, for a fantastic meal (and guitars aplenty) by George (the coach driver) we entered; 'the Strip'. OTT springs to mind as you're assailed by lights, sounds and people (and money). As well as Casinoes, and hotels, you can't help thinking Sin City is a well earned name. Although we then had to walk all the way back, the whole experience was incredible and of course entirely unique; giving perspective to phrases like 'big spender' and 'life in the fast lane'. On Day5), after a nutritional McDs (yummy!), we had our final experience of LV and their claim to fame at the New York New York Casino; it was really interesting and fun (especially the roller coaster!). All in all we were sad when we left, but ready for state number three - Arizona. Next stop: Grand Canyon, here we come. Max Green Y10

Grand Canyon The views were outstandingly spectacular with some daredevil squirrels to add to the amazement. We learnt a lot about the geology of the Grand Canyon and how the up lift of the rock created this excellent National Park. Matthew Edwards Y10

Extended Learning Week at home

Midsummer Mayhem: during Extended Learning Week, a group of talented MGS pupils took part in the production of Robin Hood and His Band of Merry Persons. The pantomime was an immediate success due to the brilliant direction from Ms Lewis, Dr Froud, Miss Burton, the back stage crew and of course, the actors themselves.

The actors only had a week to produce this play as they were performing to Brunswick House Primary School pupils on the Friday of that week. The students, who ranged from 7 to 8 years old, had a smashing time and were a very good audience, clapping, laughing, booing and hissing at all the right moments. My personal congratulations go to Connor Braganza-Levy, 7Cl, who was Robin Hood and who has played roles in TV adverts, Morgan Richards 10Cr, who played the scary part of the sheriff, Daniel Sharp, 10Cr, AKA Molly the Dame, who had the audience in stitches and Matthew Mills, 7Cl, who played the part of the creepy crawly spider, Alan.

I think that anyone from MGS who is wondering what to do during the next extended learning week and who has an acting talent should put his name down next year. For the new Year 7’s, I would like to wish you good luck for the upcoming year and I recommend Midsummer Mayhem to you as an option for the next Extended Learning Week, as it is such a great confidence booster.

Also, my special thanks to Ms Lewis, Dr Froud and Miss Burton for directing and also to Zowie Wise, Y13 and Miss Burton for being in charge of make up and costumes. Theo Hazlehurst Y7

MGS-Craft: students successfully built the majority of the school on a gigantic scale. Students spent a week carefully measuring, converting and using maths skills to scale the building appropriately. The project was led by the pupils who self-organised their teams and time managed the project. The last day was dedicated to a Lord of the Flies theme, in which the students – true to William Goldings novel – ended up setting fire to the jungle and hunting the other pupils through the undergrowth. We hope after some modifi- cations that the digital MGS will be available for all pupils who have Minecraft to explore. MGS Craft Team

School of Rock: during extended learning week 30 students from Years 7-10 with the help of 8 Year 13s, developed into 7 bands and performed live in front of several hundred students in the school hall. During the week they learnt how to playing in a band, recorded a track and performing live on stage. They also got to meet Del Green (MGS 94-98) who has opened the Avalon stage at Glastonbury for the last 6 years. It was a successful week and we hope that the boys enjoyed themselves and continue to perform on a regular basis.

Student Bands: it has been another successful year for the student bands with 3 more band evenings, several gigs on the local circuit and a very successful extended learning week. The bands at the school continue to go from strength to strength with many more students taking part in music that a couple years ago. The quality of both the music and performances has improved over the course of the year with the shows improved by the generous donation of a new lighting system by the Parents’ Association. Next year we are planning to give student more opportunities to develop their performance skills by holding lunchtime open mic sessions, and to train students in how to use the sound and light facilities at the school. This year also sees the school say goodbye to “Black Sun” our most successful band in recent history. In their time in the school they have played gigs at the O2 academy in London, several festivals and are regularly seen at Earl’s in Maidstone. They have been a credit to the school and will be sorely missed by the staff and the younger students that they have supported over the last couple of years.

Music: Music has continued to go from strength to strength this year with the expansion of the MGS School of Rock putting on 4 fantastic concerts benefitting from better lights, better sound equipment and more talented drummers, guitarists and singers. During Extended Learning Week (ELW) we saw complete beginners learn an instrument and perform by the Friday! The staff rock band has also enjoyed being part of the fun learning new songs and performing with the boys. There have been many individuals passing grade exams on a whole range of instruments as our peripatetic teachers continue to offer first class tutor- ing. We will be sad to see the Y13 Music Technology students leave us, they have contributed so much to the music department including helping with ELW, performing in concerts with their band ‘Black Sun’ and looking after equipment. We wish them all the best for their futures at music college and beyond. During the last week of the summer term, 10 of our instrumentalists performed in our annual lunchtime concert at the United Reformed Church in Maidstone and we have been asked to return next year for the 13th year running.

The musical, Sweeney Todd, staged in December stretched the orchestra, singers, costume department (and teachers) alike but after 3 months of intense rehearsals the end result was a incredibly entertaining show which allowed our students to show off their amazing talents. Already the wheels are in motion for the 2014 musical – ‘Oliver’; we have the cast and the orchestra is prepared! Performances are planned for the end of November – See you there!

Y7 Geography Trip to Blue Bell Hill and Maidstone Grammar School: in June all of the Year 7 students went on a school trip around Maidstone and up Blue Bell Hill where we were told about Maidstone, from the view we could see. We also drew a sketch map of the view as we could see Aylesford Paper Mill, Eccles and the motorway. We also went to Maidstone town centre, walking up to South Park and around Fremlin Walk. On the walk we were looking at different land uses and doing EQS surveys to see how tidy and how much people liked coming to town, this also included asking members of the public if they enjoyed Maidstone. We found out that Maidstone is a town centre where there aren’t many Independent shops. We visited Gallager Stadium to do another EQS table and found out this was the cleanest place we had looked at. It was a good day and a fun experience. Daniel Edwards 7CR Photos

Happy 450th birthday Will 180 Year 8 boys at Maidstone Grammar School attended a 450th birthday party for playwright William Shakespeare on April 23rd then ended the day by singing “Happy Birthday, Will”, before cutting an enormous replica Globe Theatre birthday cake.

The Globe theatre replica cake was constructed of icing, shredded wheat and chocolate fingers. The birthday bash was organised by the MGS English department to celebrate the Bard's birthday. It was the 450th anniversary of his birth.

" “It is important we remember him for his literary genius; he lives on in our everyday speech, our culture and our theatres,” said Dr Froud, the school’s Head of English (pictured fourth from right).

The event took place on Wednesday 23rd April, also St George’s day, and the birthday celebrations were open to the Year 8 cohort who enjoyed a carousel of workshops on Shakespeare, his work and Elizabethan life, followed by a workshop performance of Romeo and Juliet by the Young Shakespeare Company. The Globe Theatre replica cake was constructed by Year 8 boys who volunteered to help craft the record breaking cake. The cake stood 50cm tall and was one metre in circumference. The Guinness Book of World Records have been informed. The cake was cut and consumed by pupils and staff the following day. Staff and actors from the Young Shakespeare Company surround the cake in hungry anticipation.

Mr Lozano in costume impersonates Henry VIII with his six wives in attendance.

Achievements and Successes:

MGS Rowing: Thank you again for the very kind donations from parents, Old Maidstronians and The Par- ents’ Association that enabled the School to purchase seven rowing boats and additional equipment to support the development of rowing. The boats have been named with names linked to the School and there will be a formal naming ceremony in the near future to officially mark their use. The names of the boats are: ‘Gaudeamus’, ‘1549’, ‘Olim’, ‘Meminisse’, ‘Juvabit’, ‘Old Maidstonian’ and ‘Less is More’. This last one is based on a phrase we use a lot when coaching, as in rowing, less is more.

To support these generous donations we have also made a grant application for £2000 to The Rowing Foundation, a charity funded by the Henley Stewards. This money, if we are successful, will be used to purchase more rowing machines for the School and contribute to another set of rowing blades.

A number of MGS students have already benefitted from the rowing development to date, and and I look forward to hearing their stories if they continue the sport at university, but it is now hoped that with these boats and additional funding more and more Maidstonians will enjoy the sport as I do.

Many congratulations must go to Kaan Belton, Y12 for recently being selected for the Junior Great Britain team, he will travel with the European team to France in August. Good luck to Kaan and we look forward to hearing about it next academic year.

Swimming: Ethan Burrows of 8E swam in the South East Regional Swimming Championships on the 15th June 2014. He finished 11th overall in the boys 12 year age group which was a fantastic achievement con- sidering the South East Region covers Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, the Channel Islands, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Sussex and the parts of Surrey and Kent that are outside London. Ethan is also the first person in the history of the Larkfield Swimming to swim at these Championships. Achievements and Successes:

Handball: the U13 and U15 handball teams have had a very successful year with both reaching the penul- timate round of the national competition. Both teams reached the Kent final with the U13 team finishing as Kent champions and the U15 team losing a spirited final to Borden Grammar. Both teams were selected to represent Kent in the South England tournament but unfortunately following some battling performances were unable to make it through to the national final. In addition several of our Year 11 students have been part of the U16 county squad.

Football: Congratulations to Kane Butler who has had a very successful season on the football field. Kane was part of the U19's Maidstone Grammar School first team that won the Kent Cup this year at the Gal- lagher Stadium. His hard work and skill has also made him a key player for the Kent County Schools side, where this year he was part of the team that went on to win the England Schools National final, in which Kane scored the winning goal. Well done Kane, you have done yourself and the school proud.

Judo: On Saturday 28th July, Liam McDonagh-Brown, 10S, took part in the Kent International Open Judo Championship held at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in the Junior Over 73Kg category. The event was attended by over 700 competitors from the UK, Ireland, Netherlands, France, Belgium, Po- land and Malta, and competition was fierce and to a very high standard as you would expect at an Interna- tional event. Liam was outstanding winning his way to the Final with maximum point wins in all of his fights. In the Final he came up against a player who is a current member of the England Squad, this however did nothing except raise Liam's expectations of himself, and after a tough opening Liam took control and again won by maximum points to take the Gold medal and be crowned Kent International Open Cham- pion at over 73kg. Well done Liam!

Athletics: Year 7 won their very first district athletics competition on 14 May competing against 11 other schools. Well Done to Luke Exall, James Robinson, Kerem Mumyakmaz, Callum Munro, Bradley Rich- ards, Owen Harris and Matthew Wilson.

George Duggan, Y12, came 9th in the All England Athletics event, very well done. He also broke the records for 800 metres and 1500 metres at sports day.

Robert Stanbury, Y10, won the RJ McCormick cup for his outstanding performance at sports day, breaking the long standing 200 metre record (22.60 secs), as well winning triple jump and being part of the Y10 winning team.

Golf: Richard Cheetham, Y10, has been selected to play for England Schoolboys in a golf competition, we wish him well.

Student Summer Art Exhibition: Year 13 Colourbank Graphics Cup Prize - Isobelle Cooper Year 12 Prize - Elyas Sadighi GCSE Prize - Myles Honey Guest of Honour Prize - Aimee Sherhod

Raising Funds, Raising Learning

Our big event this term was the FOOTBALL FIESTA & FAMILY FUN DAY and what a fantastic day it turned out to be. This year we made it a bigger and brighter event adding extra attractions to the usual football and BBQ, which helped make it more inclusive. For the first time we included a tombola, a cake stall, a table of sweet treats, and an assortment of CDs, DVDs, games, and other goodies for sale. On the activities side we also incorporated an inaugural tug of war competition.

The sun shone brightly adding to the competitive atmosphere and with 5-a-side football matches and Tug of War starting at 10.30am and running through to finals at around 3.30pm it was a packed programme. The round-robin matches were closely contested affairs and the finals were hard fought matches.

In Year 7 Spitfire & Challenger went head-to-head, Year 8 involved Hurricane & Spitfire and Year 9 was contested by Hurricane & Endeavour. Congratulations go to all of our competing teams and especially to our finalists as all three finals were played to extra time, with them all ending in a draw and so all three went to penalties!!! Our champions were – Year 7 Spitfire; Year 8 Spitfire; Year 9 Hurricane.

Prizes were awarded by Ian Tucker from Maidstone United Football Club, who has been a stalwart supporter of this event for many years. Our refereeing team were handed commemorative plaques and players of the champion teams each received an inscribed winner’s medal. The player of the tournament selected by the referee squad from 90+ players was Lewis Foreman of Year 7 Spitfire. Many congratulations Lewis!

The Tug of war was a taster event this year and was run for fun, with competitors largely drawn from house football teams whilst they were between matches. From the shouts and cheers it was clear that the event was well received by all and we hope to run it again with pre-organised teams next year.

Our BBQ team put in another fantastic effort and big thanks go to our cooks, servers and helpers. We had two donation days in the run up to the event and both were a roaring success due to the great generosity of MGS parents, indeed we were knocked out by the outstanding creations donated to our cake stall.

We are grateful to all of the players, parents, and visitors for coming along and we very much hope that everyone enjoyed their day.

The PATH Lottery will see this academic year’s third and final Super Size Prize to be drawn at the end of term and because of the fantastic support we have received we are able to offer 3 prizes, £100, £75 and £50. Please keep an eye out next academic year for a Parentmail inviting you to join again. For details go to the school’s website and navigate to the ‘Community’ tab. From there you can access the Parents’ page where you will find the Parents’ Association. The PATH lottery is explained in full. The ability to pay online will become available at the beginning of term in September.

We receive regular donations via the easyfundraising site where members have made purchases online and we now have 210 registered members and have raised over £1200 from donations received. This does not require our supporters to do much apart from visit their required online shop via this site and of course it is coming to that time of year when trousers need replacing, stationery has been broken or lost and trainers and other kit is now too small so PLEASE, PLEASE JOIN IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY – it’s extremely straightforward and can occasionally save you money or you might even win a competition, as one lucky parent did.

On 7th June chef Francesco Mazzei of L’Anima restaurant cooked for an exclusive table of 20 diners, presenting a tasty menu accompanied by specially paired wines from Waitrose. This whole amazing event took place on the store’s specially transformed roof garden in the Oxford Street store. And so Mr & Mrs Howson attended this fabulous evening and had a most enjoyable night with Mrs Howson helping the chef to make a risotto. In conclusion, Mrs Howson said that it was a perfect evening.

Please go to http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/mgspa , to register and shop.

The PA is supporting the Sound and Light team with a grant of almost £5,000 to buy much needed new and more modern, sophisticated equipment. The Sound and Light team supports many events in school from sports days to speech days and all manner of occasions in between. Every year, the team gives up their own time to help the PA with a variety of events such as quiz nights, the Football Fiesta and Fireworks Night that we are aiming to make even more spectacular.

The Rowing Club is to be commended for managing to raise much of the funds it needed recently to acquire boats and equipment. The PA is helping to get the club firmly established by contributing the last £1,000 it needed and by committing £500 a year for the next three years to help with river licences, repairs and other running costs. We wish the rowers well for a successful and enjoyable future.

And contributions are not limited to money. We always need helpers at events, big or small, and it is these ‘contributions’ that ultimately allow us to raise funds for the school. As the saying goes: “Time is money”. Perhaps you can turn a bit of your time into a lot of money for MGS.

Finally the Parents' Association would like to thank all of you who have supported us during this term. Please check our page regularly on the school’s website to see what events are coming up and where the funds are spent. Remember, your PA is only as good as the support it receives from you, the parents!

Why not GET INVOLVED? Are you interested in enriching your child’s time at MGS? Please contact the Parents’ Association via the school website, or talk to us at one of our events because unlike Suarez, we don’t bite!!!

We wish you all a very sunny, restful and DRY summer !!

MGS Calendar dates

Term 1

1 September 2014 - INSET Day (no students in school) 2 September 2014 - First day of Term 1 for students 8 September 2014 - Whole School Photograph 11 September 2014 - Y12 Information Evening and Development/Alumni Launch 12 September 2014 - Senior Speech Day & Church Service 16 September 2014 - Individual & Class photos 18 September & 1 October 2014- Y13 Biology trip to Wildwood Wildlife Park 19 September 2014 - Y13 Academic Interview Day for UCAS 22 September 2014 - Y9 Information Evening & Development/Alumni Launch 23 September 2014 - Y7 Welcome Evening & meet the Tutors 24 September 2014 - Y11 to 13 University Fair 26 September 2014 - McMillan Coffee Morning 30 September & 2 October 2014- Y7 Butser Ancient Farm trips 3 October 2014 - Endeavour & Invincible House Charities’ Day 6 October 2014 - Y8 Information Evening & Development/Alumni Launch 7 October 2014 - Y8 Applied Learning Day 1 11 October 2014 - Y7 PA BBQ 12 to 14 October 2014 - Y9 Ypres Trip 17 October 2014 - Y6 Open Morning 17 October 2014 - PA Zumba Night 21 & 22 October 2014 - Y8 trip to Dover Castle (half year group each day) 21 October 2014 - Y6 Open Morning 23 October 2014 - Y6 Open Evening 23 October 2014 - Last Day of Term 1 for students 24 October 2014 - INSET Day for Staff (no students in school) 27 October to 31 October 2014 Autumn Break

Term 2

3 November 2014 - First day of Term 2 4 November 2014 - Y10 Development/Alumni Launch 6 November 2014 - 16+ Options & Consultation Evening 6 November 2014 - Y11 Development/Alumni Launch 8 November 2014 - PA Fireworks 9 November 2014 - Remembrance Day Parade 10 & 11 November 2014 - Y10 DoE Presentation (Big Hall 3.30pm) 10 to 14 November 2014 - Y11 Trial exams 11 November 2014 - Governors’ Remembrance Day 14 November 2014 - Children in Need Charity Day 14 November 2014 - Y12 Licence to Kill (Mote Park) 25 to 28 November 2014 - Y12 & 13 Art and French trip to Paris 26 to 29 November 2014 - School Production 3 December 2014 - Y12 Consultation Evening 4 December 2014 - PA Xmas Shopping Event 5 December 2014 - GCSE Certificate presentation afternoon 8 December 2014 - PA Wreath Making Evening 8 & 9 December 2014 - Y11 Taster Days 8 & 12 December 2014 - Y12/13 History and German trip to Berlin 12 December 2014 - Hurricane and Spitfire House Charities’ Day 15 December 2014 - Y12/13 Chemistry trip 15 December 2014 - PA Xmas Draw 17 December 2014 - Carol Service All Saints 7.30pm (all parents welcome) 19 December 2014 - End of Term 2 (2.30pm finish)

First Day back in Term 3 – Monday 5 January 2015 (Please retain)