Over the past year, Etone has been hard at work collecting donations and funds for various local and national causes. This week we have been adding to their already impressive total of £4,000 raised since 2021 by collecting food and toy donations for the Nuneaton Foodbank and Salvation Army Toy Drive respectively. Whilst this year more than ever people are feeling the crunch of the present economic situation, pupils and staff have proved that every little helps with the whole body of stakeholder’s donation as much or as little as they could to help others who are set to have a much worse festive period. As we have previously reported the demand for the Foodbank has hit a record high and therefore it is the help of places like Etone within the local community that really makes a difference. So we can’t thank you enough for the support we have received from you all. The Nuneaton Foodbank as always were extremely appreciative of the help we have provided as were the Salvation Army and both wanted to affirm the support this will give the local area.

Despite the hard times, people are facing the school was able to beat their last year’s totals.

However, not one to stop there Etone has also taken part in Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day with an aim to raise funds to support the charity who carries out global work in protecting young people around the world. As you can see from the pictures there were some very colourful and exciting pieces of knitwear on display but perhaps the most impressive part is the fact the school were able to raise £301.54 towards the cause. Miss Stafford had the following to say “You can always count on Etone staff and pupils to get behind charitable events. We really do care about the local area and take time to encourage engagement with the local community on any issues that arise. We also recognise the national and global efforts others are making and we want to do our bit to support them all.”

Whilst we enjoyed seeing the different offerings of jumpers there were some which clearly missed the mark, despite making the same mistake last year Mr Smith delivered the same questionable attire from 2021. However others from the staff and pupil body really hit the spot.

We would like to thank all who participated and invite everybody to have a very relaxing festive period.

Thursday 8th December heralded the return of the Mince Pies and Carols event (coinciding happily with Christmas jumper day!). An invited audience of year 8s, their families and the families of the performers were treated to festive music including solos, duets, dancers, bands and choirs performing Carol of the Bells as well as some modern classics including Wizzard and Slade. The morning was brought to a close with a rousing performance of the Twelve Days of Christmas, leaving everyone in a festive mood! Well done all!

On Tuesday 7^th December Etone threw open their doors for their first Carol Concert in 4 years. Welcoming pupils and parents from Year 7 and 8 it was an opportunity to showcase the Etone Choir along with impressive solos and individual performances.

With features from the Tuesday Rock Band, the Year 10 Band… The Mulwoods, the choir as well as soloists and duos there were musical delights to suit any tastes. We were really impressed with how well our pupils performed. For many students, this was their first ever formal concert – particularly for the Rock Band. So it was lovely to see the smiles on the faces as the pupils felt the joy of performing to a live audience. This follows on from the choirs performance at St Nicholas Church last week. 

Stand out performance from the Choir with Carol of the Bells (even got asked for an encore for this). Other performances include Slade, Wizzard and Mariah Carey.

During the event money was raised for Save the Children through parents eating eating delicious mince pies and candy canes. Something we are incredibly proud off after raising over £4,000 for charity since 2021.

Thank you to our hard working students who completed a total of over 400 extracurricular sessions in preparation for this event! A huge thank you to Ms Pywell and Mr Barclay-Elliott for their conducting along with a standing ovation to Mrs Kaye-Shepheard who has organised another wonderful event.

Dance students from across the Matrix Academy Trust came together on Monday 21^st November at Turves Green Boys School to perform in a collaborative project. Each school was assigned a section of ‘Celebrate’ by Pitbull to choreograph and perform, before all coming together as one to learn and perform the final section. The event saw over 100 students come together and share their passion for dance. Students thoroughly enjoyed the experience of performing in front of others and making new friends. The overall performance shows the motivation and commitment that these students have for the subject.

On Tuesday 6^th December a group of Year 6 pupils from Queens Church of England Primary School came to visit Etone’s Mathematics department. As part of their trip the pupils had the opportunity to take part in a Mathmagicians work shop at the Etone College Sixth Form. The workshop gave pupils the chance to explore the world of Maths and develop an understanding of what it will be like for them next year at secondary. 

One of the aims of the session was to give the pupils a chance to use averages and target difficult Key Stage 2 concepts. With the help of our Year 10 ambassadors our guests were able to accomplish these challenging topics and feel a real sense of achievement. We would like to thank Queens for coming and being model pupils. 

Thank you to our Year 10, Mr Randall, Mr Griffiths and Mr McKenna for supporting with the event.

The Etone KS3 Hockey team played their first competitive hockey fixture against Twycross House school and put in a solid team performance. They battled hard and worked well together as a team. Hattie Holt created numerous chances with her speed and skill and assisted I McNeal as she scored a superb first-half goal against an experienced goalkeeper. The defensive display from S Masser, E Upton and H Randle-Morris stayed strong for the majority of the match but Etone was unlucky to concede two goals taking the final score to 1-2 to Twycross.

Well done to all who played

C Northall

S Masser

E Upton

H Randle Morris

P Chandler

D Patel

H Holt

A Adebowale

E Small

I McNeal

M Korzeniewski

Hockey will continue in January, and we are being joined by an England Hockey qualified coach to develop and establish Nuneaton school’s hockey here at Etone.

See Mrs Harris for more details

Students in Year 7 have been taking part in the Bikeability scheme this week.  This included Level 1, 2 and 3 training courses.  Students have learned off-road and on-road cycling skills and road safety. Especially considering the short days it is extremely important to take care of ourselves on the roads as we encourage healthy exercise!

The students involved have said they really enjoyed the course and have learned lots of new skills whilst having fun on their bikes. We can’t wait for the rest of the week!

Once again this year Etone College hosted the Historical Association’s ‘Great Debate’ competition. Eleven entrants from right across the Midlands attended, including our very own Year 13 student. Each student was required to make a five-minute speech for the question ‘Why does history matter to me?’, followed by two questions from the judging panel. We were particularly proud of our student entry, who spoke about the significance of their family History through multiple generations and why it is important to remember the past to secure a better, more peaceful future for all. It was a great night all round for our student orators, who demonstrated key employability skills – particularly effective communication, and later organisation when answering questions from the judges. The winner of the local heat will now go on to the next round, the Grand Final, where the overall winner will be chosen. Well done and thank you to everyone involved!

Last week we celebrated the achievements of all of our pupils during their Progress Praise assemblies. During this time we take the opportunity to shout out and reward those individuals who have done fantastic things in their first term of the year. As we publish Progress Report 1 each year group takes part in an assembly with awards to recognise:

• Most Progress made in each subject area
• Highest Achievement in each subject area
• Pupils who have achieved 100% Attendance
• Pupils who have attended 10 or more Extracurricular activities in a term
• Pupils who have made the Biggest Contribution to their Houses

Across all year groups, we are delighted to recognise the individuals and all who win an award are entered into draws to win vouchers for a shop of their choice. All those who are nominated also receive house points and their achievement certificates.

Well done to all who were presented with an award and keep up the good work as model Etone Learners.