Highlights from the first half of the Spring term
I can’t quite believe that we are already almost half way through February, in our sixth week of remote learning and next week is February half term! While the weeks are flying by and it is easy to focus on negative news, I wanted to share some particular highlights with you from the last six weeks:
- Launching our Lockdown Library – we hope that your children are enjoying our virtual library with an audiobook or eBook being released daily
- Live workouts with F45 Training – we know how important it is for our students to keep moving, so throughout the last half term, students have been enjoying live workouts so they get a break from their screens
- Student shoutouts – it has been wonderful hearing about our students’ achievements outside of IVC; read my first blog of the year to read about two who are very worthy of a mention
Once again, I share my deepest thanks for all of your support at this time; we hope the provision that we have in place has taken the onus off you to keep your children motivated and learning.
Feedback on Impington Virtual College
Thank you all for taking part in our recent survey on our virtual provision. We are pleased to see that our current model of slightly shorter timetabled lessons with a collapsed iCAS and tutor programme has been popular. We were pleased to read that the only frustrations are from the desire to be back at the College – we cannot wait to be welcoming our students back through the door when it is safe to do so!
Take a break!
During half term next week, I urge you all to have a rest from home schooling. There are lots of wonderful virtual events and online creative classes that you and the children can take part in. As part of Cambridge Film Festival at Home, “A Film I Love” returns with a series of special guests introducing a film they love. Between 19 – 21 February you can catch Amon Warmann share why he loves the film Whiplash.
There is also time for students to enter COEL’s Design the Future Workplace competition, which closes on 24 February with the chance to win some Amazon vouchers!
Looking forward
As you know, we have a planned INSET day on 22 February, which is part of our continuous professional development programme for our College staff. Most recently, this has focused on the planning and assessment for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP), which we will be launching with our Year 7 cohort in September 2021. When we launch, we will be the only state school in the UK to offer the MYP, the Diploma Programme and Career-related Programme.
With this is mind, we are making a number of new appointments in the Mathematics, Computing, History and English departments – it is fantastic to see the College growing.
Sixth form guidance meetings
Our sixth form team and I have been busy meeting with prospective students for Impington International College (IIC) over the last few weeks. It has been exciting to meet new faces from out of area who may be joining the sixth form in September, but I am so pleased to share that IIC was the first-choice sixth form for 35 of our current Year 11s, and that nearly 120 (over half the Year 11 cohort) have applied. We are very much a family here at IVC, so we take immense pride when our Year 11s decide to stay with us.
February 9, 2021
