Principal's Welcome

Dear Parents/Carers

Welcome to our first newsletter of the school year.

We focused on our transdisciplinary theme of ‘Who We Are’ in this module. In the newsletter you will get a flavour of some of the inquiries that have taken place throughout the academy. 

I want to take the opportunity to focus on the importance of our home-school partnership. Without your support we could not achieve what we do with our pupils or provide the opportunities that we do, so thank you. The Home School Agreement was shared on the MCAS app at the start of the module but if you have not had a chance to read and discuss it as a family please do so when you can. It can be found here .

Reading

Reading at home is vital to good progress in reading. We ask that time is built into your routine to read with your child or if your child is older, to speak to them about the book they have been reading and enjoying. Pupils are working towards their '30 Reads Reward' - who will be the first pupils to achieve a prize?  Please record in the Reading Record to show any discussions that have taken place or any difficulties that were faced.  This resource can support with the range of questions that can be asked. 

Maths Champions

There are a wealth of resources to support you and your child with maths fluency through the Maths Champions section within Google Classrooms. Pupils' individual target cards are accessed through their usual Google Classroom under Classwork then Home Learning. Pupils work through targets and are assessed to see if they are confident in each area. Certificates are awarded in assembly. On the Google Classroom there are a range of games and activities to support you to support your child to develop in each area. If pupils do not grasp mental maths recall they will struggle with many areas of maths as they progress through the school. We have specific time in the timetable to work on arithmetic skills outside of the daily maths lessons, but any support you can provide at home will really help your child to progress against their targets.

Enrichment

We are always striving to improve the curriculum offer for our pupils. We will shortly be sharing our enrichment package with you. It includes details of the enrichment activities planned throughout the year to enhance the curriculum experiences. Staff plan a main visit, a local experience and possibly a visitor to come to the academy. In addition, this year staff  are planning a visit to a place of worship linked to the RE curriculum. We have listened to parent feedback and want to offer parents the opportunity to have longer to pay for visits if helpful, but also the chance to pay in full for all planned activities. Please look out for the details when they are shared. 

As you will possibly already know Miss Ingram has now started her maternity leave. We look forward to sharing her baby news soon!

Thank you for your support.  I hope you all have an enjoyable October Break. We will look forward to welcoming the pupils back to the academy on Monday 4th November.

Mrs G Stangroom

Principal

Ladybird Class

We have had a fantastic start to Year 2! The pupils are working really hard and have already matured as learners. We have been very busy with our learning which has included learning about plants in science and our traditions and beliefs in our inquiry work. We made cress heads by following instructions and planted broad beans to investigate what plants need to grow. The pupils have been very excited to watch them grow and to see how they are growing differently depending on what we have given the seeds. 

In English we used our key text The Barnabus Project’ to create our own perfect pets and to write an adventure story about them. I have been really impressed with Ladybird’s ideas and writing so early in Year 2!

In maths we have been securing our understanding of place value and we have had lots of opportunities to use manipulatives to support our understanding. 

In RE we have been learning about Islam and we shared what we  had learnt with the rest of the school in an assembly.  I am very proud of how the pupils have adapted to Year 2 and how hard they have been working. Well done Ladybird Class!

Spider Class

Module One has been very busy with the class settling into year 3 and getting used to the routines and pace, however they have adapted wonderfully to KS2 life!

In class, we have been learning about Richard Watts and the charity the money left in his will set up, as well as the Six Poor Travellers House in Rochester. The class have been very open-minded when learning about people who are living in poverty and have asked some fantastic questions to further their understanding. We ordered the events of Richard Watts' life in chronological order, created a sketch map of High Halstow village and learnt what it means to be a nomadic person.

In science, we also investigated what happens when you put white flowers into coloured water, although the results were not what we expected!

Spider Class have really enjoyed having their Chromebooks and their ocarina lessons with Mrs Ross; all perks of being in year 3!  

Cricket Class 

Cricket Class have had an excellent start to this new school year. It has been lovely getting to know each of the children and see them settle into Year 4 like ducks to water. We kick started this module by looking at our class text, ‘The Whale’ by Ethan and Vita Murrow. Cricket Class have written some fantastic setting and character descriptions on this text, truly embracing the feelings and senses that would come from being in a storm and seeing an unbelievable whale!

We started our inquiries by looking at the different types of teeth and their functions. We made teeth out of play dough and carried out a very exciting science experiment to see how various foods and drinks can contribute to tooth decay. The results of this experiment literally blew our minds as we observed the changes over time! If you would like to know more then please feel free to ask any of the children from Cricket Class as I am sure they would be happy to share their knowledge with you. We then looked at the parts of the digestive system and their functions, completing a practical activity using tights, biscuits and orange juice. This was a little bit messy but Cricket Class enjoyed every second!

We rounded the module off by writing our very own Kennings poems which truly demonstrated the great creativity that we have in our class. Also, we baked some delicious carrot cupcakes to develop our grating and cooking skills. The mouthwatering smell of our cupcakes filled the school, leaving everyone drooling!

Module 2 is going to be super fun and even more creative for Cricket Class! Mrs Fox and I look forward to seeing you all after the Autumn Break, but for now enjoy a well deserved break!

Ant Class

Ant Class have had a wonderful first module! They all came back to school looking and acting like Year 5's and eager to learn. They have immersed themselves completely into our inquiries, starting with how the Viking raid on Lindisfarne affected people’s lives. The class have written some fantastic diary entries and some brilliant newspaper articles about this historic event!  Since then, our inquiries led us to thinking about how people and communities experience change over time. We based our learning on how the Vikings changed the British community and how this has continued to change to the present day. The class truly excelled in performing scripts between King Alfred and the chief Viking, Guthrum, on the day the peace agreement was signed in Wessex!

The class have also learnt some new D&T skills, including safely using a hot glue gun. They showed great maturity and responsibility at all times whilst making their shields. During the last week of the module they have further developed their skills by creating a Viking longship! They have been able to use saws safely whilst doing this. 

Viking Day was a brilliantly memorable day, consisting of many activities, such as shield wars, weapon displays and numerous games, all whilst embedding their immense knowledge that they’ve gained over the module, and adding to it even more! 

Well done Ant Class for all your hard work this module, you have earnt yourselves a well-deserved Autumn Break!

Butterfly Class

What an adventure it has been in the first module of the school year! Butterfly Class have been very busy adapting to year 6 and their responsibilities. In English the children have been reading, ‘Skellig’. They've journeyed into a world of mystery and magic, creating descriptive writing pieces and instructions. In Maths, they have been learning new concepts such as long division and have taken on the challenge willfully! As part of our lines of inquiry in this module, we have been delving into discussions about charity and responsibility. We learnt about how charities have changed over time, as well as their purpose and function. After exploring vulnerable groups in our local community, as a class we decided to support ‘The Medway Hospital Charity’. The children have started to organise the Year 6 event and voted on a cause. In science, we measured resting heart rate and found out about how the body functions. This is linked with our focus on physical and mental wellbeing. During module one, we have been developing our independence to become critical thinkers and continue to demonstrate autonomy moving forwards.The children have worked hard this module and should be very proud of themselves.

SPORTS / PE

This module our hockey team at Leigh Academy High Halstow started with Mini Youth Games Hockey held at Holcombe Hockey Club. They played brilliantly, skillfully and respectfully all day. Out of the eight matches played, we won four games, drew three and only lost one. This meant that we finished fifth place out of 30 schools! The children also had a lot of fun learning very impressive skills from two international players from England and Pakistan!

Our next sporting event was the first Leigh Academy Trust Tag Rugby competition held at Sir Joseph Williamson Mathematical School: a brand new event! After learning some new skills and rugby rules at our training sessions, we went along earlier this week to play against the other Trust primary schools. We showed excellent teamwork and attitude, as well as applying the newly learnt skills exceptionally well. The team finished the group stages top of our group, after winning four matches and drawing in one! We unfortunately lost in the semi-final, but we were extremely proud of ourselves for our success and achievement!

GOLD PASSES - Module 1

Congratulations to the pupils who were awarded a gold pass in Module 1 for showing exemplary behaviour.

Year 1: Maddison H, Isla M, April D, Spencer W, Frank W, Matilda B

Year 2: James C, Evie M, James H, Hallie J, Lucy B, Matilda T

Year 3: Ted O, Charlotte H, Amelie B, Amelia G, Aimee C, Elsie K

Year 4: Finley B, Sienna B, Maddy J, Chloe M, Ella M, Ophelia F

Year 5: Lottie C, Francesca P, Pearl L, Ebony H, Charlotte F, Jemma L

Year 6: Deron I, Thomas G, Grace  W, Harry K, Joshua D, Finn D

House Captains 

Pupils and staff have voted for the House Captains for the year ahead. Well done to:

Chase: Herons

Leighton: Lapwings

Joshua: Redshanks

Deron: Skylarks

House Point Winners - Module 1

The results for module 1 are:

1st: Skylarks: 913

2nd: Lapwing: 645

3rd: Redshanks: 493

4th: Herons: 436

As winners of the House Point totals, Skylarks are invited to come into school on Monday 4th November 2024 wearing their own clothes with the predominant colour being Blue.

School Council

Our school reps have attended two meetings this Module and have made a great start at representing all of the pupils across the academy. The officers for the year ahead have been elected:

Chairperson: Matilda - Year 5

Vice Chairperson: Deron - Year 6

Secretaries: Thomas - Year 4 and Carol - Year 5

Treasurer: Buddy - Year 6

The two charities chosen by the School Council this year are Home Start Medway and Macmillan.  They will also be fundraising for the PTA to enhance the equipment and resources for the academy.  Further details to follow.

Breakfast Club

Breakfast Club is such a great way to start the school day. Pupils enjoy a sociable breakfast time as well as time to enjoy games, crafts and physical activity. The menu is impressive! Did you know that our pupils get offered ham toasties, waffles with strawberries, numerous cereals, toast, fruit, cereal bars, juices smoothies and yogurts!?! If you require a space for your child please enquire with our office staff.

Jazz and Baxter

Jazz has been taking a little rest at home this module. She has developed some anxiety around certain noises. It is important that her welfare is a priority, but hopefully you will see her again soon! Some pupils have enjoyed using our soft toy version of Jazz in her absence! She has still been enjoying her walks and chasing her ball!

It has been lovely to introduce Baxter to the Grasshopper Class pupils this module. They are already showing what great dog mentors they are going to be. 

Jazz and Baxter wish you all a happy Autumn Break.

Dates for your diary

4 November Module 2 starts - pupils back to school

4 November 3:30pm - PTA AGM

5 November Braiswicks - individual and sibling photographs

7 November MYG Basketball

7 November Flu Immunisations

8 November PTA Disco

28 November MYG Badminton

3 - 5 December PTA Christmas Shop

6 December PTA Panto - Cinderella

17 December 9.15am KS1 Nativity

17 December 2.00pm KS2 Christmas Show

18 December 9.15am KS2 Christmas Show

18 December 2.00pm KS1 Nativity

20 December Last Day Module 2

Please also see dates for your diary under Important Documents in the MCAS app.  Please check regularly as these dates are subject to change.