Molehill Primary Academy Newsletter
January 2021
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Principal's Welcome
Principal's Welcome
Welcome to our first edition of our new Newsletter!
I am delighted to finally begin my new role as Principal of Molehill Primary Academy and I want to take the opportunity to celebrate the exceptional work that all of our teachers, teaching assistants and support staff have completed over the last two weeks - they truly are a wonderful team, they all go above and beyond for our pupils and one another.
We are immensely proud of the way in which our pupils have quickly adapted to another new way of working and are pleased that the vast majority are all highly engaged in both live lessons and the additional independent work set on their Google Classroom. This is testament to their resilience and determination to succeed.
We have been working hard to provide parents and carers with the information they need to support the continuation of learning at home, alongside providing the much needed emotional support many of our pupils require at this time. Having children myself, I recognise the new challenges we all face when supporting young people to access education at home and I would encourage everyone to reach out and ask for our support if they need it.
Teachers have been very thankful for all of the appreciation, gratitude and comments of support from parents, it has really made a difference to their daily lives. We strongly believe that parents have all been brilliant too! There will soon be a parental survey that we would very much appreciate you taking part in, we are keen to make improvements wherever we are able to.
Mrs Laura Smith
Principal
Home Learning Top Tips
Home Learning Top Tips
Establish a routine by creating a home timetable, this will provide structure and focus, include breaks and lunch and rewards for completing learning. Teachers share all pupil timetables at the beginning of the week, these will make a good starting point.
Create a quiet work space, free from external distractions such as mobile phones and the TV, where possible.
Engage in physical activity for at least 30 minutes per day. Teachers have provided suggestions of physical activities.
Maintain a regular sleep pattern. Try to avoid late nights and extended lie-ins too often in the week, try to mirror your child’s usual pattern. Where possible ensure young people are not using mobile devices or working online past bedtime.
Celebration of Exceptional Work
Celebration of Exceptional Work
Tiger Class
Tiger Class
Olivia in Tiger class Year 2 has produced some fantastic pieces of artwork during week one of our home learning this term. The pieces titled 'Light as a feather' and 'LOVE' were created as part of a learning task Miss Butcher's added to her Art factory classroom. The house drawing was part of our inquiry work linked to our central idea - Our culture and local area may influence our homes. We have been thinking about the key concept FORM and what our homes are like.
Kangaroo Class
Kangaroo Class
As a team we wanted to thank each and everyone of you for participating in the activities that we have shared for home learning. We know that it is not easy, but we hope that you have enjoyed the activities. We wanted to share what amazing work you have all been doing in a presentation. We are so very proud of you all, both parents and children, and miss you all lots. Well done!
Click the arrows to see each student's work!
Fox Class
Fox Class
Mrs Miller is very proud of the following pupils for demonstrating a range of Learner Attributes during Live lessons over the last two weeks: Denis, Erica-Tiley, Kai, Todor, Charlie, Isla, and Ismail.
In particular they have been risk-takers, inquirers, knowledgeable learners, and caring learners. Well done!
Falcon Class
Falcon Class
Sophia, Lily and Victor from Falcon class have been completing excellent artwork as part of their home learning.
Internet Safety
Internet Safety
With the increased use of online learning and use of mobile devices it is important we take this opportunity to reflect on Internet Safety. As you know, we undertake a great deal of work around internet safety and monitor this where possible while pupils are in the Academy. However, in the current circumstances this is inevitably more challenging and we ask that parents and carers remain vigilant with regards to their child’s online activity.
The following websites have lots of useful information to help you support your child to stay safe when working online.
The following videos are supportive for families whilst explaining internet safety to children:
We are here to support our community!
We are here to support our community!
We recognise that over the last few months, as a result of the pandemic, financial circumstances may have changed for some of our families and we want to ensure that you have the support you need at this time.
If you require support with the following services, please contact us directly so that we can offer our help:
Fresh Cooked Meals, delivered chilled to be reheated in a microwave:
Soup, Main and SideFood bank parcels, including helpful recipes to make them go further
Hygiene items
Baby and toddler essentials
Friendly support / Befriending
Bereavement and Chaplaincy, as well as spiritual support
Support for Pupils
Support for Pupils
We also recognise that this is an incredibly challenging time emotionally and if you feel your child is struggling with their emotional well-being or mental health over the next days and weeks, please contact us at the Academy.
There are also a number of websites you can access to support your child:
Public Health England - guidance for parents and carers on supporting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing during the coronavirus outbreak
Childline (0800 11 11)
Shout - a crisis text line - text 85258
Food Parcels
Food Parcels
A huge thank you must go to our catering company Olive for organising and packing 50 Food Parcels for a number of our families. These families were provided with a good quantity of food for the two week period, which included fresh fruit, vegetables and a range of other necessities. A small number of the requested parcels weren't collected and therefore we donated these to Fusion Café so that our wider community could benefit too!
Science Lessons with Professor Mole
Science Lessons with Professor Mole
Badger class has some special guests visiting their live lessons this term. Firstly, Professor Mole is taking over their “sci-fri” lesson every Friday. Professor Mole, a slightly eccentric scientist is delivering live science experiments for the class to watch. All of the experiments are activities they can do at home with their family. Last week, Professor Mole and Badger class compared the density of oil and water before watching a fizzy tablet sink to the water at the bottom. The result was an afternoon of curiosity and laughter!
If this wasn’t exciting enough they also have Sam Copeland, the author of 'Charlie Turns Into A Chicken', joining them to give a reading from his book. The story has provided some much needed laughter, interesting vocabulary and the opportunity for children to discuss what happens when they feel anxious or worried. We look forward to having this popular children’s book author join us for story time soon.
Times Table Rock Stars
Times Table Rock Stars
The highly anticipated results of TT Rockstars!
Tiger Top Scores:
Aiden 9910
Jaelynn 2300
Lilly 1610
Key Stage Two have been busy competing against each other and here are the results:
Hedgehog won against Fox with 15,415 points
Top three players were:
Layla from Fox with 3669
Lacey from Hedgehog with 3149
Sameeha from Hedgehog with 3105
Badger won against Falcon with 9,253 points
Top three players were:
Cody from Falcon with 3207
Richie from Badger with 2775
Kalan from Badger with 1215
Kestrel won against Eagle with 29,569 points
Top three players were:
Raphael from Kestrel with 13,053
Danny from Eagle with 6492
Cassie from Kestrel with 6307
Introducing Star and Superstar Scientists at Molehill
Introducing Star and Superstar Scientists at Molehill
We have recently won funding to take part in a really exciting and engaging science scheme run by the British Science Association. The Crest Awards scheme inspires our young people to think and behave like real scientists and engineers. Specially designed activities give children the opportunity to explore everyday problems using science. Home learning investigations and experiments are practical and use resources that are readily available at home so we can get started straight away!
Over the coming weeks, teachers will be including these activities in Google Classroom and home learning packs. Please support your child with this and help them to achieve their Star (KS1) or Superstar (KS2) badge and certificate. Who knows what our young scientists will discover!
We have a new Facebook Group!
We have a new Facebook Group!
Our Facebook is changing. Please make sure to join our new page as soon as possible and before the 12th February so that you can continue to receive key information from this forum. Like our page and follow us here:
MyON successes
MyON successes
Total number of minutes spent on myON across the school since the beginning of term - 5290!
Year R
David 29.4 minutes
Ava-Mae 18.0 mins
Chiemeka 11.8 mins
Year 1
Maria 245.0 mins
Angelina 86.5 mins
Saaim 80.6 mins
Year 2
Olivia-Rose 182.6 mins
Keyan 167.6 mins
Millie-Ann 117.5 mins
Year 3
Nyla 151.0 mins
Roman 137.5 mins
Savina 124.7 mins
Year 4
Maisie 182.1 mins
Corey 181.5 mins
Hamza 176.7 mins
Year 5
Kemmie 96.0 mins
Isla 70.0 mins
Kyle 51.3 mins
Year 6
Emma 161.9 mins
Danny 74.0 mins
Amir 46.6 mins
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