Key Information
Please ensure you are contacting the Academy via email or text message to alert The Attendance Team if your child is going to be late or will not be attending the Academy that day. Also, please ensure you are advising the attendance team of any appointments your child may have so we can ensure students are in reception at the correct time, ready to be collected. Contact details are listed below:
Text - 07860054458
Email and attached medical evidence where possible - attendance@stroodacademy.org
Phone/ voicemail - 01634 716621
A reminder of uniform expectations shared with all students.
A reminder of Student Code of Conduct.
E-Sports After School Club
We are excited to announce the launch of our e-sports Club after school. E-sports provides an opportunity for teamwork, strategy, and critical thinking while having fun in a digital environment. Please read the letter attached here for further information. We look forward to seeing many students there.
SAFEGUARDING
For many companies who operate in the online space, attention and engagement are the holy grail. Social media sites in particular make deliberate creative choices to keep people scrolling, reading, watching and clicking. This phenomenon is known as ‘persuasive design’ and it’s being employed in the vast majority of the digital world’s most popular destinations.
A study by the charity 5Rights Foundation concluded that “…the brain's response to rewards and punishments can be leveraged through persuasive design to keep children online.” To tie in with Safer Internet Day 2024, this guide aims to educate youngsters on the effects of persuasive design – and suggests ways to insulate themselves from its influence.
As always the Strood Academy Safeguarding team are here to help. Please get in touch with us by using the below contact details:
Designated Safeguard Lead = Ms Lindsay
Deputy Safeguard Lead = Ms Barlow
College Safeguarding Officers and Contacts:
Victory = Mrs Hurley-Sherwood victory@stroodacademy.org
Hercules = Mrs Brice hercules@stroodacademy.org
Trafalgar = Mrs Phillips trafalgar@stroodacademy.org
Please note, Strood Academy has a Safeguarding email which is operating both during and outside of school hours- safeguarding@stroodacademy.org. Please reach out to us if there is anything we can do to support.
LOTTIE DRYNAN VISIT
On Tuesday 30th January, Lottie Drynan visited Strood Academy. Lottie had lived in Medway for her entire life and she was excited for the opportunity to give back to a local school. Lottie has a blog that you may be interested to read and she is very popular on Instagram, with 318,000 followers!
She led the Trafalgar assembly and a number of small group workshops to engage students in positive mental health, positive body image and improving self esteem. She led a workshop with students who have SEMH needs and this led to discussions surrounding her being diagnosed with ADHD and students felt comfortable to discuss their own diagnosis and problems they have faced. Lottie concluded the day by being interviewed by Year 11 Citizenship students who have led an investigation on beauty standards and social media.
Lottie impacted a huge number of students throughout the day, some who have since contacted her on Instagram to thank her and ask to keep in contact or ask for advice. Due to this Lottie has also very kindly purchased a handful of books supporting mental health which have been placed in the school library.
This was an extremely successful visit, one that we hope will become an annual event!
SEND Homework Support
The Endeavour Centre offers a SEND Homework Support Club every day either before school or during lunchtime. This is open to all SEND students in Key Stage 3. Our staff are on board to assist during these sessions should any student be struggling with a particular piece of homework. We urge you to encourage your child to use this to ensure they are keeping on top of homework deadlines. We hope to see many of you there.
Year 11
“Everything is important - success is in the detail”
With the February half-term break fast approaching, we would like to remind you that we will be holding interventions for Year 11 and Year 13 pupils from Monday 12th February to Friday 16th February 2024. Please see the schedule here as well as the letter attached for further information including how to sign up to these sessions.
We also have our February mock exam window coming up. The Year 11 final mock examination series are an integral part of our year 11 journey process. These mock exams are the final opportunity for both students and teachers to assess the progress students have made in their respective subjects. These February mocks will help identify strengths and areas that may require additional attention as we come closer to Summer GCSE Examinations.
Mock exams simulate the conditions of the final exams, allowing students to become familiar with the format, timing, and expectations, which can help alleviate anxiety when it comes to the actual exams. The results of these mock exams will provide valuable feedback to both students and teachers. This feedback will be used to tailor our teaching methods and support strategies to better meet the needs of individual students.
Please see the letter attached for further information on masterclasses, student exam timetables and how best to support your child in preparation for these, as well as a closer look at the completed February Mock Exams timetable.
With less than 75 school days until the Year 11s start their GCSE exams, a number of different strategies have been implemented to increase engagement and motivation, and support excellent outcomes for all. These are listed below. Please see the letter shared for more details on these.
IB Challenge Card - ‘Perfect week’
Excellence in Lesson Cards
Period 1 and 5 intervention
PE Intervention
Year 11 Morning Line up
Hot Chocolate Fridays
We thank you in advance for your support in encouraging your children to make the most of these strategies.
SIXTH FORM
Attached is the KS5 dress code for your information, as well as Expectations which have been shared with year 12 and 13 students
Year 13 interventions are well underway. We thank all students for attending these.
Early Finish Fridays: any 6th form students who achieve 100% attendance for the week have the opportunity of leaving during lunchtimes on Friday. Ms Stubbs will be liaising with eligible students. Please refer to the letter shared this week for further information on this.
Years 12 and 13 have subject-specific study periods built into their timetables, roomed into the study area. This area is now being supervised as a quiet study area to enable students to continue with their set subject work. We hope students find this useful.