Principal's Blog
A very Happy New Year to everyone! I trust you had a good break. At home, I had a joyous (but very busy!) time with my children filling up our house with their many friends. January is often a bleak and dismal month but, Spring is definitely in the air and students and staff have returned with their usual positive approach to an intensive pace of study and work.
Examinations for many AS / A2 students began this week. We are working very closely with schools and have begun interviewing large numbers of new students. Last minute applications to University are being processed. Coursework and other assignments are being worked on in earnest.
We have a new Students’ Union – elected by the student body in December. Congratulations to all members of the Student Union Executive which will be ably led by Yegor Ryazanov, President and Stephen Pearce, Vice President. Our students continue to get involved in fundraising for a range of charities. At the end of term, Amelia Hartley shaved her head for Macmillan Cancer Support and raised £205 from this event alone, taking her fundraising total to £800!
We are continuing to improve our support for students so that they can achieve their potential. Coming soon (next month) will be the launch of our newly improved Individual Learning Plan – Insight. This will give staff, students and parents an even better overview of individual students with even closer monitoring and tracking. Watch this space......
Yesterday evening, we held our annual Celebration and Awards Evening for students who left us last summer. For me, this is one of the most moving evenings in the College’s calendar when we celebrate students’ success and thank my staff for all they have done to support students in their success.
It was great to see so many former students and their families and to catch up with everyone’s news. As well as distribution of examination certificates, there were some well-deserved awards given for outstanding achievement, friendship and leadership amongst others. Our Guest Speaker, Damian Hinds, MP, gave an inspiring address. Do visit our Facebook page to browse through some of the photos of the event.
The run up to Christmas and the New Year is incredibly busy and exciting. I am looking forward to having time with my family, enjoying each other’s company, partaking in the traditional celebrations, opening presents and no doubt, watching my fair share of classic seasonal TV!
I wish everyone in our College community a very happy, peaceful, joyous holiday and all the very best for the New Year!
In the last week, the College has seen a surge in last minute applications to HE from our students. I am pleased that so many of our students are continuing to apply (and be successful) in the knowledge that for most of them, they will have better prospects in their future lives with a degree.
At this time of year, students can feel under pressure. All of our students have coursework and assignment deadlines and / or revision for January modular exams. Of course, there are the holidays and festive celebrations to look forward to. It’s also a time when many students take on additional part-time paid work. My daughter, Lucy, is no exception. She’s playing the university ‘waiting game’, has an interview this week, still waiting to hear from her preferred universities, has revision, coursework to complete and still wants a good social life..... Getting the balance right is crucial.
There’s more to College than exams. Our Music, Drama and Dance students have given superb public performances in the run up to the holidays showcasing incredible talent and enjoying every minute of it. Our Sports teams continue to have a fantastic season. The Hockey team remain undefeated and top of their league; the first IX Football squad are now through to the semi finals of the Hampshire cup and remain at the top of the league. Our students won the Senior Team Maths Competition beating 23 teams from both Sixth Form Colleges and the Independent sector. They will now represent Hampshire in the National Final in London on 1st February. All these students have been ably guided and motivated by my staff.
Congratulations to all!
Last Friday the College re-launched the Parents' Section of our website and I have finally been persuaded to 'take the plunge' and start a Principal's Blog.
As Principal, I try to keep up-to-date with technology but, many of my students and staff are streets ahead of me. The same is true of my own children. Still, I have been passionate about learning, exploring ideas and trying out new ways of communicating since I started teaching 28 years ago. So, here's my 1st Principal's Blog.
I am proud to say that there is always so much to celebrate at Alton College. Last week, 50 of 78 Maths A Level students who entered for the UK Maths Challenge gained gold, silver and bronze medals with one student, Ed Kirkby, gaining full marks; our 1st IX Football team beat yet another Hampshire college, securing their place at the top of the Hampshire League; Dean Gillatt, a member of our Sports Department, has been selected to organise the Boccia team at the Paralympic Games in 2012; students and staff raised over £1200 for Children in Need; we participated in the national Driving Awareness Day and will be having a week in February to raise the awareness of students about safe driving.
I look forward to seeing as many parents as possible at our Parents' Consultation Evenings on 1st and 7th of December and 10th January.
Jane Machell
Principal
