This week we have had performances of Peter Pan and Wendy at Medina Theatre.  The students have worked so hard during the year and their hard work has paid off!  I went to both performances and was blown away by both. A massive thank you to Mr Lyle, Mrs Peckham, Mrs Shorrock and Miss Elkin for all their hard work putting the show together. It was a very professional performance. The storyline of the performance was a family struggling with grief following the loss of their youngest child and the team decided that the chosen charity for the production was “Sands” – the UK’s leading pregnancy and baby loss charity. Over £300 was raised with the sale of the programme and tea lights.

When we return after Christmas year 11 will have their trial exams in the sports hall. They start the week beginning 9 January. Timetables will be given to students next week. They had an assembly today from Mrs Edwards on the expectations and guidance on what they need to do when they sit their exams.

As the weather is getting colder, please do remember that we do have school jumpers available to buy which can be worn under blazers. Coats can obviously be worn to school but are not allowed to be worn in the buildings. Please support us by discouraging your child(ren) to bring hoodies to school, they are not allowed to be worn and if they are, will be confiscated.

Next week the festivities begin.  We have our Christmas lunch from Chartwells after which the staff will be putting on a performance of their own pantomime!  Thursday evening we have our Christmas Concert at St John’s Church in Newport.  This is free entry so come along and join in with the festivities.  Friday we have Christmas themed mufti day and the Santa Dash.

Whilst all of these events are exciting in the lead up to Christmas, lessons will remain as normal and we expect our usual good behaviour and uniform from the students.

As a reminder, the last day of term is Friday 16 December. This will be a normal full school day, finishing at 3.10 pm. We come back to school on Tuesday 3 January 

Have a lovely weekend.

On Tuesday a group of students from Carisbrooke and Medina College and The Island VI Form performed at a concert at Osborne House. The students were fantastic and we are very proud of them. A huge thank you to Mrs Peckham and all involved in supporting the students. You can read about this further on in the newsletter.

The end of term is fastly approaching and we have many events planned. Next week is the performance of Wendy and Peter Pan at Medina Theatre. Tickets are still available and you can order them via Medina Theatre. The following week we have our Christmas Concert at St John’s Church in Newport. This event is free to attend and is promised to be a full evening of Christmas festivities. On the last day of term, we have a Christmas themed Mufti day and also our Santa Dash. This is where students run two km from Carisbrooke College to Carisbrooke Castle and return. Christmas attire is encouraged! For your child to sign up for this, please sign up via School Gateway. All students receive a Christmas hat and a hot chocolate after the run.

Our canteen is serving Christmas lunch on Wednesday 14 December and you can see the full menu in the newsletter.

Flu immunisations are taking place for students in years 7 – 9 on Tuesday 6 December. If you haven’t already completed the consent form, there is a link for information on how to do so in the newsletter. Without this, your child will not be unable to receive the vaccine – which is a nasal spray rather than an injection.

Please see our website for useful information on how to keep up to date with your child’s achievement points, behaviour points and attendance on our new Parent Portals. There is a positive correlation between students’ attendance and their outcomes. Research has shown that students with less than 95% attendance on average achieve a grade lower than those students with attendance greater than 95%. I am concerned about the drop in attendance over the last couple of weeks with all year groups but more so with year 11. They have their trial exams when we come back after Christmas. Students need to be in their lessons.

Please remember, whilst we have all of these exciting events planned, we still have two weeks of learning for students and expectations around behaviour and full uniform remain the same.

Have a lovely weekend.

Today, year 11 students either went to the Isle of Wight College or attended the Island VI Form to get a first hand experience of the opportunities available post year 11. At the VI Form they had the opportunity to experience lessons from the wide variety of subjects that are on offer at A level. I popped down to see them and feedback from them was that they enjoyed the lessons and found it very informative. Hopefully, it will give them the motivation to work hard and achieve their targets in the summer exams so that all opportunities are available to them.

The trial exams for year 11 start 9 January – the students need to be making the most of every lesson and learning opportunity. Tutors are going through weekly revision tips with them. Information on revision sessions during and after school will be shared next week.

On Thursday, a group of year 8 students went to Southampton University for them to experience ‘A day in the life of a student’ at a university. The students thoroughly enjoyed the day and said it was interesting to see how it is being a student at University.

Next Wednesday we will be welcoming a couple of our Governors into school. They will be talking to students at break and/or lunchtime to gain an understanding of how they feel about their learning, their progress and their school experiences. They will be seeking the views of parents/carers over the coming weeks.

On Saturday we had seven brave students from Carisbrooke and Medina take on the task of running Independent Arts in Newport town centre. It was a jam packed day and our students worked incredibly hard, standing in as the Managers, Hub Co-ordinators and Workshop Practitioners. They managed to beat the Hub’s previous footfall for one day by 200+ people, welcoming 453 members of the public through the doors. They raised money for the charity and organised superb musical performances from our fab VI Form students. Well done to Toby and Lily in year 11 and Louis and Mia in year 9. I thought I would share some of the feedback we received:

Your students are an absolute credit to you all. I was so touched by how they supported one another and worked so well together, they were a great team. To see their friends and families come along to champion their day was an added joy and I am really so impressed by the values the Federation instill in their pupils and the ethos of encouragement.

We have flu vaccinations for students in years 7 – 9 on Tuesday 6 December. A link to the consent form has been sent out previously. If you haven’t completed this and would like your child to receive the vaccination, please do so.

Please see our website for useful information on how to keep up to date with your child’s achievement points, behaviour points and attendance on our new Parent Portals.

Have a lovely weekend.

On Tuesday 15 November, we had a Federated Careers event held at the Medina Theatre. It was a very informative evening starting with guest speakers from some of the post 16 providers on the island. They shared the opportunities and gave guidance on the different pathways that are available. The students then had the opportunity of talking to over twenty exhibitors from island businesses, the NHS and the forces, in the sports hall. Those students who were unable to attend will receive the information booklets given out on the evening. Talking to some of our students it was clear that they left with a lot of information regarding their options after year 11.

Next Friday, most year 11 students will attend the Island VI Form for their ‘taster day’. This will give them an insight into what it is like to attend a VI Form and the differences between secondary school and further education. It is also an opportunity to find out about new subjects which would be available to them such as criminology and forensic science.

Next Thursday, a group of year 8 students will be visiting Southampton University for them to experience ‘A day in the life of a student’ at a university. We will share how they get on in next week’s newsletter.

Tomorrow, Independent Arts in Newport are allowing a ‘Student Takeover’ event, between 10 am – 4 pm. Students from across the Federation will be taking on roles such as managers, creative practitioners, meeters and greeters and fundraisers. All details have been designed by our students, including publicity, window displays, workshop ideas and music. Please pop in if you are able.

As shared last week, tickets for our Federative production of Wendy and Peter Pan are on sale, so if you have not already done so, please support our young people by buying tickets for one of the performances on Wednesday 7 December or Thursday 8 December. Tickets can be bought online through Medina Theatre.

Can I please take this opportunity to remind you that students require a suitable coat now that winter is here. With all of the rain this week, we have had students arrive at school with no coats and so very wet for the rest of the day.

Attendance has dropped at the college this week. I cannot stress how important regular school attendance is for giving children the best possible start in life. The aim should be to attend 100% of the time. Students who miss school frequently can fall behind with their work and do less well in exams.

Have a lovely weekend.