AMDG
Music Exam Success!
This week we were delighted to receive some outstanding results for our first music exam session of the year. All those entered achieved either merit or distinction!
Congratulations to the following candidates for working so hard and achieving these impressive results!
- Matthew Ansley - French Horn Grade 7 (Distinction)
- Matthew Ansley - Organ Grade 5 (Distinction)
- Rowan Kitchener - Clarinet Grade 6 (Distinction)
- Alex Nickson - Singing Grade 6 (Distinction)
- Alex Marriott - Singing Grade 5 (Distinction)
- Emma Binns - Singing Grade 4 (Merit)
- Tess Wilson - Flute Grade 6 (Merit)
- Aidan Greenwood - Piano Grade 6 (Distinction)
- Ava Massarella - Piano Grade 1 (Merit)
County Youth Orchestra success
Following an audition for the Derbyshire County Youth Orchestra, Rowan Kitchener (Syntax) has been offered a place to join the cello section.
The orchestra, known as the City and County Youth Orchestra, or CCYO, meets twice a year for residential orchestra courses and concerts. With renowned conductors such as Peter Stark and Jon Malaxetxebarria, the orchestra will provide Rowan with fantastic experience of performing full symphonic repertoire. We wish him every success with his musical journey.
Unconditional Offer for Evie
Congratulations to Evie in Rhetoric who received an unconditional offer to study Psychology from the University of Lincoln, within just 24 hours of applying! This is a fantastic achievement - well done Evie!
Rosettes for Danielle!
Congratulations to Danielle in Grammar for doing so well in her horse show last weekend. The event took place at the Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, and both Danielle and her pony performed brilliantly.
Danielle placed in a huge class of 53, and even won the 'Shining Star' award of her class. Well done Danielle!
U15s Vs Ampleforth
Despite injury and adversity, the Mount U15 boys put on an impressive show against Ampleforth last weekend. They showed real Mount Spirit and put up a fantastic defence.
A 10-5 final score against such a strong side is a great result for our young players, even if they didn't take the victory. We are extremely proud of the progress they are making. Well done boys!
We have lots of sport coming up before the end of term, including the final group match in the Rugby Vase tournament, so look out for updates.
Leicester Tigers Rugby Camp
We're very happy to be working with Leicester Tigers in 2023. In the February half term, we will be hosting their rugby training camp, and anyone wishing to sign up can do so by clicking on the button below.
Maths Week England at The Mount
We had a great celebration of Mathematical endeavour last week.
The daily puzzle caused some interesting discussions, such as on Monday whether a rhombus is a parallelogram. Tuesday asked pupils to think “outside the box”, and I was very pleased that a number of pupils could see the solution. Wednesday caused some headaches when people were jumping to conclusions based on less than careful observations. Thursday's conundrum was the hardest because there actually wasn’t a solution and this is important to remember that as great as Maths is, it can’t always provide a solution to every logic-based problem. Friday’s shape was possibly straightforward but we were most interested in the thought processes and arguments rather than the answer. Of all the responses to the daily quizzes the most notable was Joshua Olubowale (Upper Elements), who not only took part every day but really entered into the spirit of it all and was seeking more puzzles for this week!
The Year 7 pupils experienced life on the other side of the classroom with flipped learning, which meant they had to research the aspects of Maths (Fractions) that they would be teaching their class mates about. Their deliveries were enthusiastic and observing them was a real pleasure.
The lunch time video of Alan Turing portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch was also enjoyed by those that turned up to watch. It is a film on arguably the most important Mathematician of the 20th century.
We were really pleased and impressed by the entrants to the open ended competition on Friday. Pupils were asked to give a presentation of any aspect of Maths or a Mathematician. The presentations were given by Freddie Taraporewalla (Syntax) who talked about the unsolved Millennium problem of P vs NP. Aidan Greenwood (Figures) talked about the inspirational and amazing Indian Mathematician Shakuntala Devi. Joshua Olubowale (Upper Elements) gave a talk on the famous Greek Mathematician Pythagoras. Joshua had not learnt about Pythagoras at school and talked about his life as well as explaining the well-known Theorem. Isla Dimitri (Upper Elements) gave an interesting talk about the origins of some of the symbols we use in Mathematics. Hugo and Gonzalo Lliminana Oller (Rudiments) gave an interesting talk where they discussed two conundrums in Mathematics. All the presentations were interesting and excellent and the topics covered were so varied that it is impossible to award a prize to a single winner, so all those that presented shall receive a prize that will probably include a famous mathematical 3D shape.
It was fantastic to see pupils engaging in Mathematics beyond just learning what is taught in the classroom. There is clearly an appetite for this and we shall be seeking other opportunities to widen the breadth of Mathematical activity throughout the year.
Working Hard in LAMDA Lessons
Preparations for our next LAMDA exams in Public Speaking and Acting are well underway! Students are working hard, completing speeches and blocking scenes. Keep up the great work everyone.
Introducing Our New English Teacher
As you may be aware, Mrs Baker is on maternity leave and we have the fabulous Mrs Middleton as her replacement, teaching English and Digital Media during this time.
As a teacher of English Language and Literature with fifteen years' experience, Mrs Middleton has benefitted from teaching in several interesting and diverse school contexts, most recently at The International School of the Hague, in The Netherlands, where she was Subject Coordinator for English at Key Stage 5 (Years 12 and 13).
Although she has only been working at The Mount for several weeks, Mrs Middleton is really enjoying her time here and is looking forward to getting to know everyone over the coming weeks.
Murphy's Marvellous Christmas Quiz
Tickets are selling fast for Mr Murphy's Marvellous Christmas Quiz! At £2 per adult and £1 per child, this is promising to be a fantastic evening full of entertainment and Christmas cheer. Reserve your seats below, and don't forget your change to pay on the door, and for the bar!
Mr Bell to Contribute to The England and Wales Cricket Board for Men's Mental Health
House Parent and Sports Coach, Mr David Bell has been invited to contribute to the England and Wales Cricket Board's EDI Hub. This is an online platform for content focusing on themes such as race, LGBQT+ issues, disability and mental health. Mr Bell has recently been recognised for his work on the Mulligan Club, a men's mental health support group, which operates out of Eckington Cricket Club.
The club, formed by Mr Bell, and friend Mr Nathan Musselwhite received an award at the Grassroots Cricket Volunteer Awards this year, and has recently been featured on the England and Wales Cricket Board Website.
The pair formed the club during the summer of 2021, after meeting up to go for a walk during lockdown. During their hike, the friends ended up speaking at length about things that were on their minds. What started out as a one-hour walk turned into a six-hour ramble whilst they talked through their feelings.
Realising how beneficial simply talking to someone had been, the idea of the Mulligan Club began to take shape. A year later, the club continues to run every Wednesday for any male who wishes to come along. The sessions can be anything from a catch up over a coffee, to presentations and activities. Both Mr Bell and Mr Musselwhite have qualifications in mental health first aid, and this expertise is often used in the weekly meetings. The support has been phenomenal from both the club and the wider community, and the pair are looking forward to reaching out to even more people through the EDI Hub.
Well done to Mr Bell for all his achievements with the Mulligan Club, and we look forward to hearing more about his work with England and Wales Cricket.
STEM Club Judge Book Prize
In STEM club we have been judging the books for the Royal Society Young People's Book Prize 2022. We have read some wonderful stories during the judging and we are looking forward to finding out the overall winner in March.
Thank You for Your Donations
Our Christmas crate collection for St Wilfrid’s Centre in Sheffield is well underway, thanks to the loving generosity of our families. It is both wonderful and humbling to see our community come together in this way for those who are less fortunate than ourselves.
We might also add that the competition between forms is building! Above you will see 7B’s already abundant collection of donations, filling several crates. Mrs Grice’s creative vision for the end result is the Polar Express and, as you can see, they’re nearly there already!
A special mention for Luca Allcroft, who has worked with his mum to fill an amazing 10 bags of donations for the appeal.
A huge thanks also to our very own Miss Leach for donating a box of brand new Regatta waterproof coats.
Thanks to you all, once again, for helping this year’s collection to be the best yet for the Sheffield homeless.
Chaplaincy Enrichment
Students in Chaplaincy Enrichment have walked a mile and reflected on climate change in solidarity with Jesuit Missions for the ‘Walk. Pray. Change’ initiative for COP27. We stand with people all over the world who are already suffering so much due to global injustices and climate change. Next week, we will prepare a document to send to Jesuit Missions, outlining the changes we would like to see to lead to a sustainable future for all.
Headmaster's Post
On Sunday evenings here at the Mount, we have a very special activity that takes place called Shrine Prayers. For those of you who are day pupils and are unaware of what takes place, at about 17:45 we gather at the Shrine of Our Lady for a brief reflection on the day’s gospel, followed by the prayer “My Queen and My Mother” that you are all used to saying when you attend mass here each half term, then we sing the Salve Regina in Latin, otherwise known as “Hail Holy Queen” in English. It lasts for 5 minutes or so in total, but has taken place at the college since the 19th Century.
Yours in Christ
Dan Wright, Headmaster
LDS
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Created with an image by Brebca - "Baking utensils"