Transition Summer
School 2024
During the last week of July, 42 of our new Year 7 students continued their transition into Mount St Mary’s.
They participated in a number of activities and experiences to boost their confidence and build friendships that will last longer than the five years they spend with us.
Explore Languages
Leeds University Visit
On Friday 8th March, Mr Lawson took a group of Year 8 students to Leeds University to compete in a Languages competition. Students worked in groups to produce a poster on a language of their choice which they then took to the campus. They took part in language activities, a campus tour, a Russian taster session and then competed against another school, showcasing their posters and answering the judges’ questions. We are proud to say that the entry for MSM won the competition overall and we even came runner up. We actually won all the prizes. Quelle surprise!
#explorelanguagesteamMSM
‘I enjoyed learning other languages like Russian.’
‘I liked seeing what the other schools’ posters were like and competing against them.’
‘The best part was exploring campus and seeing how good it is to be at University.’
‘I loved the amount of different languages on offer and variety of cultures. I felt really welcomed and a sense of belonging.’
‘I really enjoyed learning Russian as it helped me to compare similarities and differences with language and it was informative and creative and fun.’
‘It was nice to see what other students were capable of producing and the engaging and fun activities.’
‘I really enjoyed the Russian taster session because it was so much fun to learn a new language.’
‘I enjoyed the tour because it was really interesting to see all the different parts of the University.’
‘It was entertaining, I really liked seeing the campus it really widened my horizons.’
‘It was interesting to find out about the different options available at University. It was fun seeing how the students live and finding out their honest option of University.’
‘I learnt so much information about University, most of which I was oblivious of before the trip.’
‘The behaviour during the trip was outstanding. The best part was seeing the amount of effort our students had put in during their free time and the results that they produced as a result of this – MSM won – this was as a result of the students’ hard work, creativity, engagement and dedication – well done #explorelanguagesteamMSM.’
Y10 Business Students shine at Wellington Place
Year 10 Business students were given an incredible opportunity this month to meet with industry professionals at Wellington Place, set in the heart of Leeds’s Business District.
As a school, we pride ourselves on preparing our students for the world of work and this experience was the perfect chance for students to see how the corporate world operates. A tour of the modern workspaces at Wellington Place enlightened our students to the different working environments within an office, shifting their perspectives away from a stereotypical office space and opening their eyes to a greener and more liberating way of working that kept the sense of community at its core, something our students can relate to; linking seamlessly to our values and ethos as a school.
“It was really good to hear the different journeys that people have been on to get to where they are. Not everyone took the University route, and for those that did, they ended up working doing something that they love rather than something that related specifically to their degree”
Our students stepped out of their comfort zones to demonstrate a resilience that failed to go unnoticed by the employees going about their daily business. An intimidating experience for many their age, our Year 10s demonstrated that they are already impressing industry professionals before their careers have begun. They shone in their first experience of a speed networking event, and the feedback from those leading the sessions was overwhelmingly positive.
The respect, responsibility and maturity shown by all students has secured a solid partnership that will afford MSM students the opportunity to return to Wellington Place for their work experience placements, which will be undertaken in the Summer Term.
Once again, a fantastic achievement for the individual students present on the day, whose commitment to enriching their educational opportunities will be of benefit to our whole school community. A great outcome that places significant value on the strength Retribuam has within any setting, by educating the individual for the benefit of all!
“It was really good to hear the different journeys that people have been on to get to where they are. Not everyone took the University route, and for those that did, they ended up working doing something that they love rather than something that related specifically to their degree”
“I went to Wellington Place with the impression that I would have to have a University degree to work there. The place is really posh and wouldn’t be the type of place I would ever imagine myself working at. I want to be a Lawyer in the future and this visit has inspired me to do that”
We were very lucky this year as we had some students from Leeds University, who came into school to talk to Year 8 about the opportunities available to students who choose to study languages.
They learnt about the types of jobs available to people who have language skills and the skills that people acquire by learning languages.
Our students also found out a bit about University life and they had the opportunity to ask questions about what it is like being at University. We were very impressed with some of the questions asked and answers given by our students. Well done! Bien Fait!
Kianna Leader
(International Women’s Week)
On Monday 7 March 2022, Year 8 were lucky enough to have a visit from an ex-student of Mount St Mary’s – Kianna Leader – to start our International Women’s Week.
Kianna spoke to Year 8 about her journey through MSM, her option choices, and how she did not let any gender stereotypes hold her back from making her decisions. She worked incredibly hard, and ended up achieving As and A*s at GCSE – really inspiring for our students about to embark on their GCSE journey.
Kianna went on to college and to study PPE at the University of Nottingham, achieving a 1st class honours degree. She told Year 8 that she got this far by saying ‘Yes’ to everything, not letting anything hold her back – and encouraged them to do the same. Just like our Year 8 vision, she ‘believed’ she could do it, saw herself ‘grow’ through her journey and ultimately ‘achieved’. We were delighted to be able to kickstart our International Women’s Week with such a relevant message from Kianna!
Over the past few weeks, our Year 7 Student Advocate, Miss Mulcahy, has been running group interventions with two separate sets of Year 7 students, with a focus on developing emotional resilience. Each session was based around the specific skills required to demonstrate emotional intelligence, which should support individuals with their understanding of, and ability to, express emotions and build positive relationships and self-esteem.
At the beginning of each session, students engaged with a fun settler activity which helped to establish a positive and relaxed environment that allowed for deeper exploration into each topic. During the ‘building self-esteem’ session, students learnt about high and low self-esteem, why self-esteem is important, and how self-esteem presents itself in day-to-day life. The learning process was always accompanied by peer discussion, self-reflection and presented students with the opportunity to test their own and each other’s knowledge. Students participated in fun and engaging games and activities and had the opportunity to apply their knowledge to solidify understanding. Students were also encouraged to get creative and produced their own affirmation posters, which they then took home with them.
The Year 7 team has observed the clear impact that each intervention session has had on the emotional wellbeing of individuals in school. When asked for feedback, one student stated, “the intervention has helped me to realise areas of school life that I find more challenging and has helped me to make new friends and become more confident.” Each student who took part said that they had learnt a lot from each session, knowledge and understanding that they have endeavored to apply to everyday life. When asked what they would change about the sessions, the main response was to make the interventions last for a longer duration!
It has been wonderful to observe clear engagement, enthusiasm and positivity from our Year 7s. As a year team, we will continue to award importance to, and promote, emotional resilience and make students aware of how extremely proud we are of their efforts to seize every opportunity given to them to the best of their ability, in an attempt to make progress. We hope to see them further embed their newly developed skills in every aspect of school life at Mount St Mary’s.
On Tuesday 11th January students from Year 10 gathered in the hall to once again work with IntoUniversity. The session was fantastic with students able to articulate different pathways and options for Post 16 education when the session had finished.
Students have been working hard on the scheme since Year 7 and we can’t wait to see its impact as our fantastic students prepare themselves fully for Year 11 and beyond. A special mention must go to Ketsia and Jonathan who were singled out for praise after making excellent contributions throughout the session.
On 11th January, Year 9 were visited again by Into University as part of an innovative programme that supports young people to attain either a university place or another chosen aspiration.
This particular session was aimed at the different types of courses that our students can access, and some of the Universities that are available.
The session lasted 100 minutes, and all students gained valuable information with regard to their “future selves”.
Kwadwo Sarpong in 9EMB said “the sessions are great as they give me lots of information about courses that I didn’t even known existed. I want do Law at University and have lots of choices about where to go!”
We look forward to welcoming Into University back to MSM in a few weeks’ time for a further session.
Prize Presentation 2021
Thank you to everyone who took the time to attend this year’s Prize Presentation Ceremony.
It was fantastic to see so many of our 2021 leavers who returned to collect subject prizes, attendance certificates and their GCSE certificates. Staff and Governors were extremely proud to award these to a year group who overcame significant challenge to pursue their personal best.
Thank you to Lorna Kirkwood-Thompson who performed during the event, singing a reworked version of “Together in Electric Dreams” to reflect the evenings theme – Stronger Together.
It was also a pleasure to hear from Naemi Asmerom (Year 9) who delivered our keynote address and inspired all those in attendance to be the best version of themselves.
Look out for further updates to our picture and video galleries next week as we share some of the best moments from last night’s ceremony.
Year 7 RAF Enrichment
On Monday 15th November, two separate sets of Year 7 students took part in team building workshops run by Martin from the RAF, to support their personal development. The first set of students engaged in a workshop based on expanding their communication and problem-solving skills. The students were encouraged to think outside the box to complete different activities with the help of their peers, for example untangling multiple knots without letting go of the rope. All activities required active listening, teamwork, and the use of initiative, along with the use of effective verbal and non-verbal communication. Our Year 7 students thoroughly impressed Martin and Mount St Mary’s staff with their excellent teamwork abilities and their conscientious attitudes towards the workshop. The big smiles on their faces during and after the workshop showed how much they enjoyed it. One of our students stated, “It was really fun and I’m so glad I got chosen to do it. I learnt a lot and it’s shown me that we’re stronger together.”
The second set of students engaged in another RAF workshop led by Martin, which involved students completing a RAF mission based on a humanitarian crisis. Students had to work in groups to complete different objectives which were all related to resolving the crisis. Logical thinking and problem-solving skills were put to the test whilst students used their sense of care and initiative to decide how best to support those who were in need during the crisis. Every student put 100% effort into this workshop and presented brilliant teamwork skills, which allowed students to help their peers find the correct answers to the mental challenges which were appointed to them. Martin was extremely impressed with how confident and resilient our Year 7s were in this workshop, as well as how respectful and responsible they all were. The staff at Mount St Mary’s are so impressed with how exceptionally our Year 7s performed in each workshop. We would like to give a special thank you to Martin from the RAF, who made these workshops possible along with making them so educating and entertaining.
For more photo’s of the event please click here to go to our photo gallery