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Send interest to: mthomason@matrixacademytrust.co.uk

Each year our Houses work hard to raise money for various good causes such as; Comic Relief, Macmillan’s Coffee Morning and Children in Need. In addition to this each House selects a charity/ good cause in the local area where fundraising events across the year help raise both funds and the profile of these organisations. We would like to take this time to introduce you to our House charities for the next academic year.

Centaur House – George Elliot Diabetes Support Group

Formed in 1996 the GEDSG aim to deliver support for people with diabetes and their families through a full range of activities and provision. The group also carries out some really important fundraising work and it is our pleasure to be able to add to this by naming them the Centaur House Charity for 2021/2022.

At Etone we pride ourselves in supporting each other no matter the situation and this is something that is mirrored by the GEDSG. In Centaur particularly we strongly promote the values of aiding your peers no matter what and offering a helping hand wherever you can. Therefor it is fitting that group receive our support for the next academic year.

Dragon House have chosen Guy’s Gift as our house charity

Guy’s Gift delivers bereavement support for children and young people throughout Coventry and Warwickshire. Our early intervention service is open to 5- to 25-year-olds and tackles a range of emotional concerns, preventing them from escalating and helping individuals to achieve their potential and continue their lives in a meaningful way.

Dragon have selected this charity in solidarity with all of our pupils that have suffered bereavement, especially given the current climate.  Something that is close to our hearts.

Griffin House Charity – Doorway

Doorway is an independent charity based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, working with young people aged 16 – 25 years who are homeless or threatened with homelessness. Their short-term aim is to help young people solve the immediate crisis of “no home, no money”.

Their long-term aim is to improve life chances through learning to live independently and accessing training, education and employment.

We have selected Doorway as Griffin’s charity as it’s local to Nuneaton and has supported some of our students in the past through difficult personal circumstances.

Our House Motto is Aspiration, Determination and Success and we recognise that sometimes we need to support others in order for them to achieve this. Therefore Doorway is exactly the kind of charity we feel we should support.

Phoenix: Mary Ann Evans Hospice – Charity

MAEH strive to enhance the quality of life of people who have a life limiting illness, by offering physical, emotional, social and spirtual support to them, their families and those caring for them.

Mary Ann Evans Hospice ethos supports that of Phoenix house. Our motto, ‘Never less than our best’ can be seen in the work carried out by this charity. They provide the best end of life care they possibly can to help make a person with a life limiting illness, as comfortable as possible. This in turn, can provide them and their families, some additional time to make some ever lasting memories.

This term group of year 8 pupils attended a Citizenship Course that was delivered by Targeted Youth Support and Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service week beginning 28th June. They took part in drills, basic first aid courses and developed their team work and leadership skills.  

As a result all received their ASDAN qualification which is really valuable in the workplace.  Whilst we were thrilled with the outcomes we are even more proud with the feedback the Fire and Rescue Service gave our pupils. The course leader stated “what an absolute pleasure it was to work with the students, and that they were perfectly behaved the whole week. They were excellent representatives of your school, and it was noted by the management of the Fire Service how involved they were with all activities and a pleasure to work with.”

Friday saw their passing out parade attended by Councillor Piers Daniell and Phillip Seccombe, who is Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner.  The new Chief Fire Officer observed their passing out parade and awarded them their ASDAN certificates. We are so proud of our pupils and cannot wait to send another cohort next year!

J. Frearson is an avid Golfer. He recently won the Robert Rock Golf Tour U14 Net competition. He will be taking part in the Club Championships this weekend – 26^th June. We are wishing him luck with this tournament and will let you all know how he gets on!

Q1. How long have you been playing golf for?

A1. I have been playing properly for about 4 years, but been hitting golf balls since the age of 2

Q2. How did you get into playing golf?

A2. I got into playing golf as my Dad, Nan and Grandad play

Q3. How often do you practice over a week?

A3. As much as i can, about 5 days a week, i would normally go up the golf club after school and practice for 4 until 7:30

Q4. What would a normal practice session look like?

A4. First of all i practice my putting for an hour, then my chipping and then go on the range and hit shots, or i will just go on the course and play a round

Q5. Why do you enjoy golf so much?

A5. I like the competitive side of it and playing in all the competitions, you have to think about every single shot, you get to meet lots of different people and i get to do lots of travelling

Q6. What level do you play at?

A6. I represent Nuneaton Golf Club and i also play for Warwickshire at county level, i am currently in the Warwickshire Under 14 team (im the youngest in the team). Individually i play on a National Golf Tour called the Robert Rock Junior Golf Tour where i play all over the country

Q7. What’s your handicap?

A7. My Current handicap is 22 but i am looking to reduce this over the summer, i am targeting to get down to single figures by the end of the year

Q8. What’s your greatest moment so far from playing golf?

A8. When i went to play a tour event at Southport Old Links (Liverpool) and won, there was over 100 Juniors playing in this event

Q9. What was your worst moment and What made you continue after this moment? 

A9. I was playing in a competition at South Staffordshire Golf Club, i started really badly and was way over my handicap, I didn’t want to let myself down so i had to really focus on my game and concentrate, in the end I bought my score back and ended up winning the competition

Q10. What advice would you give your peers about how to get involved in golf? 

A10. Get in touch with the local golf club Nuneaton Golf Club as they do Junior Coaching every Saturday, this would help you get started and then possibly join as a member

Get ahead this summer… Explore the possibilities. Start making plans. And focus on you and your future.

This June, we’re bringing you a whole lot of inspiration, information, and live events, with everything you need to get your future plans on track this summer – all packed into just one week!

All set and ready to apply? Get a whistle-stop tour of the UCAS essentials including live application clinics and personal statement workshops. Learn about interviews, finance, student accommodation, and more.

Still looking or keeping an open mind? Explore and meet 100+ unis and employers, take part in live students Q&As, and experience what it’s really like with virtual tours, taster sessions, and more.

Not sure where to begin and in need of some inspiration? Join live career workshops on how to get started, talk to current students about things they wish they knew, and work your way through an entire showcase of career opportunities.

So wherever you’re at with your plans, UCAS/Discovery is here to help. Sign up today to take part in what’s set to be an unmissable week. https://www.ucas.com/events/ucasdiscovery-week-393976

A new WisePay App is now available for Android and Apple devices. You can download it from the Google Play or Apple Store.

Please note that you can’t have both the new and old apps running side by side so you must uninstall the original app for the new one to work. The original app does still work so if you prefer to use this then you can continue to do so

The process for logging into the new app is the same as it was for the original app:

1. Enter the organisation code of the school (41938984)

2. Enter username 

3. Enter password

4. Child’s first name 

5. Child’s last name

Here are some FAQs and a User Guide for parents when using the new app: 

New WisePay App FAQs_V2.pdf

 WP App User Guide_V1_0206.pdf

Community project: Tree planting

One cold, wet day in December, several members of the local community met up to discuss a community project. These included Marcus Jones the local MP for Nuneaton, members of the committees at the local Rugby & Football clubs and Ms Kim Chapman the Co-ordinator of Etone Eco Council. The volunteers up at the Rugby club have been working very hard to address the flooding situation and provide more training pitches for both rugby and football. So the topic for discussion included how the local area around the playing pitches at the Old Edwardians Rugby Club, could be further enhanced for both the community and wildlife.

This area is an attractive haven for wildlife, which is accessible to the public to enjoy allowing access to Weddington Walk and the area adjacent to Sandon Park. The project was to plant saplings, to grow into large trees to provide habitats for wildlife and hope to address the problem where the pitches are unusable due to the rising water table every winter.

Applications were made and 250 saplings were provided by HS2 rail project and 420 saplings donated by The Woodland Trust in their plan to plant a tree for everyone on the UK.

Despite COVID the trees arrived ready for planting, in late April. The weather had been very dry and there was a worry that watering may be necessary…. How wrong we were!

 Several groups of students have been involved in this project from Etone College.  Year 7 Eco Council, Etone College CCF cadets, 6th form Eco Council leaders and Etone College football academy who complete projects to “Pay Back” to the community.

Tree planting is one way in which the students can help the community, and develop team working skills as well as valuable lessons about the environment.

Along with tree planting, some of the younger students spread wild flower seed to provide for the smaller animals in the area, biodiversity is vital to the health of the habitat and, as we are now very much aware, our natural spaces are vital for our mental health and well-being.

Many thanks to all our hard workers and we hope you and members of our community will continue to enjoy our local green spaces in years to come.