Dear MCC Family,
Introduction
Welcome everyone to 2021, the Year of Flourishing. We will draw inspiration from Colossians 3:23 which says that in everything you do you should “work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” By the Lord’s grace we will flourish, building on our foundation, which is, our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and grow in our understanding and application of our MCC Eagle’s Creed.
Because of Christ and His love for us we shall continue to soar on wings like eagles, we will run and not grow weary, we will walk and not be faint. During the course of the year our devotions, assemblies and spiritual formation programs will be organized into monthly themes based on our Eagle’s Creed. Below are the guidelines for the monthly themes that will guide us during the year.
- January – A focused Eagle
- February – God is at the centre of everything I do
- March – A responsible citizen
- April – Teachable
- May – Secure
- June – Adaptable
- July – A critical thinker
- August – An exemplary leader
- September – A confident team player
- October – I engage in a health physically active lifestyle
- November – I ride the storm
- December – Once and Eagle, always and Eagle.
During the course of January you are encouraged to “keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising him always. Follow the example of all that we have imparted to you and the God of peace will be with you in all things.” Philippians 4:8-9. Our verse for the month is Isaiah 26:3 which assures us that He will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in Him. We should focus on that which is good and positive, keeping our eyes off anything that is negative.
Whilst these scriptures are encouraging we do not take lightly the difficult times we live in, knowing that there are those among us who have been badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. There are some who have been affected through the death of a loved one or through loss of revenue. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have suffered loss of one kind or another during this time and we encourage you to reach out for any support we may be able to offer.
Our Identity
It is imperative for all parents and students to appreciate that we offer a holistic education which makes our students marketable internationally. The education we give our students goes beyond the classroom and is aimed at developing a complete adult capable of competing in a variety of environments and cultures. As a reminder for us all below is our vision which highlights our commitment to educating the whole individual. Whilst results are important, we want to stress the role of character building in the eventual success of our students when they embark on their careers.
Our Vision is:
1. To educate pupils from a Christian perspective in a Christian environment for responsible adulthood (Proverbs 22:6)
2. To equip pupils with life skills for further education, work and service, through sound teaching and learning techniques, aimed at achieving effectiveness and excellence (Ephesians 4:11-15)
3. To impact pupils and the community with Christian values through motivated, committed, highly qualified teachers (Isaiah 55:4-6)
Based on our foundation as a Christian school we seek to develop a set of key skills in all our students that allow them to maximise on the many opportunities they will be presented with as adults. It is key that each child leaves the College as a responsible citizen of his/her country as well as being a citizen of the world, with good character, critical thinking, creativity, the ability to work in collaboration with others and being able to communicate effectively.
We seek to adapt the original 5Cs of 21st Century Learning to our specific needs and identity. As in the diagram below, the most important C is Christ-likeness which is at the centre of everything we do. It is important that we all appreciate the role that both our academic and core curricular activities play in moulding each student in the way we have laid.
2021 Calendar – Academic Session 1
Our main calendar dates for this session are:
Start of session; Tuesday, 12th January
Mid-session Break: Friday, 19th – Monday 22nd February
End of session: Wednesday, 31st March
Total days: 58
Below are our key weekly activities which parents should take note of.
Mondays:
Assembly 7:40am – 7:55am
Sports 4:00pm – 4:40pm (Forms 1, 3, L6)
Tuesdays:
Sports 4:00pm – 4:40pm (Forms 2, 4, U6)
Wednesdays:
Form Time 7:40am – 7:55am
Clubs 2:30pm – 3:30pm
Sports 4:00pm – 4:40pm (Forms 1, 3, L6)
Thursdays:
Sports 4:00pm – 4:40pm (Forms 2, 4, U6)
Fridays:
Assembly 7:40am – 7:55am
Office Opening
Please be advised that the office has been open during the Zimsec exam season but only with skeleton staff due to lockdown regulations. Any parents wishing to get in touch with us are encouraged to send emails instead of trying to phone or coming to the school as they may not necessarily be successful in making contact with us. As we get to the end of the Zimsec exam period our administrative staff will become more scarce and parents are encouraged to use email for any issues they need clarified.
Some parents have asked what the position is regarding the opening of physical school. At this stage we are still waiting for direction from the ministry regarding physical school. We will advise parents once we have more clarity. In the meantime we continue to offer quality instruction on our virtual Google Classroom platform.
Textbooks & Exercise Books
I would like to clarify the position regarding issuing and distributing books to students. With regards to use of physical text books, please note that due to COVID-19 risks and movement restrictions, we are making use of e-books and other online resources instead of issuing out physical textbooks. These resources have been posted in Google Classroom for each subject, and students who have been cleared can access them.
Please also note that for the same reason, we are not issuing out note books. Pupils submit their work into Google Classroom in typed form and in scanned copies of the written work. Those who do not have scanners can download ‘Cam Scanner’ onto their phones so as to capture the image on the phone and upload into Google Classroom. We do recommend that parents buy exercise books for students to write notes in and for those not comfortable with typing to write their assignments before scanning. Necessary fee adjustment for the usual provision of note and exercise books by the school will be done in due course.
Cambridge 2020 Results
We congratulate these students for their wonderful performances. These results are a reflection of the hard work that has gone into the academics aspect of our education. I must also add that this is also a reflection of the varied levels of ability and speed at which different students learn. As a College we do not just focus on the best students but want to achieve success with students of all abilities and this may in some cases cause a distortion in analysis. We will also be engaging more with parents over the next few weeks on some of our compulsory subjects such as AS English to ensure that we are aligned on the value of such subjects.
Whilst we celebrate those who performed outstandingly it is important to highlight that passing or failing in and of itself does not define an individual’s future. Those who passed may not necessarily succeed if they fail to apply the knowledge that led to their passing. By the same token those who failed need not despair as they will have leant some valuable lessons that, if applied correctly, may lead to their eventual success in the future. We therefore encourage those who passed to remember the other valuable lessons they leant and those who did not make it to reset and attempt to sit the subjects they did not pass. Both must remember that if they master the 7Cs they will be sure to succeed.
Parent Engagement
Over the last week we have held virtual meetings with parents to discuss the progress we are making during this virtual session and also to capture concerns parents have. We conducted meetings for form 1 and 2 parents on Tuesday 26 January, for form 3 and 4 parents on Wednesday 27 January and on 28 January we met with L6 and U6 parents.
We will have these meetings every 3 weeks to ensure that we continue to develop the partnership between the College and the parents. The education process needs to be a partnership between us especially in this season of virtual learning. We need parents to ensure that students maintain good discipline and attend all lessons that they are supposed to attend. The next round of meetings will focus on parent feedback and issues as well as discussing career issues with parents of the older students.
One of the key roles parents play in this partnership is the payment of fees. We thank parents who have managed to pay their fees in full and encourage others to urgently catch up on their fees payments to ensure that we can continue to offer quality service to their children.
Student Discipline
As we continue with online lessons may parents note that students are expected to log in to all learning platforms (Zoom and Google Meet) using their college email addresses. Kindly note that a student is expected to use their own email address and identity when logging in for lessons and should under no circumstances ever share their log in details with anyone else. Sharing log in details is a serious offence and will lead to disciplinary action being taken by the college.
We have also noticed that some students deliberately miss lessons and lie to their parents about reasons for not attending their classes. We ask all parents to kindly ensure that they are familiar with their child’s timetable so that they assist us in ensuring that all lessons are attended. If parents are in the home we recommend periodic checking in to see what the child is doing and keep an eye on their behaviour.
We would also like to recommend that parents invest in effective programs to monitor their child’s online activity. This may need to be discussed with the child and also depends on the trust levels between parent and child. Younger children may need more regulating than the older students. Programs such as Covenant Eyes are useful in keeping the students accountable and also ensuring that online distractions are kept to a minimum. Technology has lots of advantages when used responsibly, but can also lead to destructive habits when usage is not controlled.
Sports & Clubs
To ensure that we are sufficiently educating the whole child we have found ways of integrating sports and clubs into our virtual program. Our sports and cubs started this week on Monday 25 January, 2021. We ask all parents to ensure that their children attend these sessions as well. This program is an important aspect of developing key interpersonal skills for teenagers and also helps them to deal with the social challenges associated with lengthy periods of lockdown.
Sports Schedule is as follows:
4:00pm – 4:40pm
Form 1s, 3s, Lower 6s – Mondays and Wednesdays
Form 2s, 4s, Upper 6s – Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Sports Classroom Codes are: U6 Sports – maoaeb4: L6 Sports – iotgfkz; F4 Sports – b6bb56m; F3 Sports – ujfvchy; Form 2 Sports: zt2652h; F1 Sports – cshiinv.
Students join by accepting their invitation to the appropriate sports Google Classroom or by using the classroom codes above. Attendance, just like lessons and clubs, is compulsory Students must join their sports meet promptly at 4pm on both allocated days in a week and must be dressed in school sports kit, with their cameras on at all times.
Club Classroom Codes were sent out on email and students should have completed the registration process last week. They can join their chosen club on Wednesdays between 2:30 and 3:30pm. Students can also find these codes on the virtual notice board.
Prayer Points
Let us continue for our country in light of the Covid 19 pandemic that has affected so many families. Specifically let us pray for the following areas:
- Thanksgiving for the rains that the whole country has been receiving and pray that we will have a substantial increase in the country’s harvest.
- Thank the Lord for His protection in this difficult time. It is not because we are clever that we are spared but by His grace.
- Pray for our students and teachers as they plough through the syllabus whilst also taking advantage of the opportunity to learn valuable life lessons which is not easy to do virtually. Let us pray especially for the F1 and L6 students who are covering new ground and need encouragement as the work may seem difficult in the initial stages.
- Pray for all families who have lost loved ones over the last month.
- Pray for all those who are unwell and in need of the Lord’s healing hand
- Pray for God’s continued protection of all our parents, students, staff, board, management and workers.
- Pray for our country to be completely delivered from this deadly pandemic and for a revival in our land. We pray that these difficulties, as unwelcome as they are, will lead us to a reliance on God’s power and provision.
Yours sincerely,
T. L. Mkhosana
Headmaster
