Haltwhistle Academy Newsletter
Oundle School STEM Roadshow
We were incredibly fortunate to be joined by Mr Montgomery from Oundle School who invited our pupils to a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) roadshow. This roadshow inspired children to learn more about the amazing world of STEM. Our families have been invited to access the Oundle online programmes Family - ExpertEd (expertedlive.org) which offer a stretch and challenge Maths series for Years 5&6 starting on 1st March. It is free to access, and families can do so from home. Thank you @oundleschool
Learning about our heart
In Science this week year 2 discussed the importance of exercise. We were surprised to find out that our heart is actually a muscle and that we should try to exercise for 1 hour every day! We practised finding our pulse and feeling our heartbeat. Then we predicted whether certain exercises would make our heartbeat faster or not. Finally we tried each exercise and discussed the impact it had on our heart rate.
Virtual visit by author Abi Elphinstone
Years 5 and 6 joined bestselling children’s author Abi Elphinstone on a virtual event where she talked about the real-life adventures behind her stories. She shared the inspiration behind her latest book, SAVING NEVERLAND – a modern, magical sequel to PETER PAN – complete with moonpaper maps, frost-bears and a woolly mammoth called Armageddon. Abi showed the children just how easy it is to leap into stories of their own by being curious, exploring the outdoors and never giving up.
Pupil safety - vapes
We are aware that vapes are being thrown away irresponsibly in play areas around the town. Unfortunately the marketing of these shiny / glittery vapes is appealing to children and there have been a small number of incidences of children finding and 'collecting' used vapes which have been discarded. There is an obvious health risk to touching used vapes, and we are asking parents to be vigilant when allowing their child to access these play spaces. We have contacted local councillors and the town council who have a volunteer run litter collection on Sunday 19th February. Please could we ask parents to also ensure that if they use vapes themselves, these are stored safely out of children's access. Our site supervisor, Mr Rudzki is checking our large school site daily, however if parents notice a vape discarded on the open access area (old First building / field), please could they help us by disposing of the vape responsibly or bring this to the attention of a member of school staff.
Key stage 2 classes will be discussing the dangers of smoking and vaping during PSHE lessons next week.
Old First Academy site
Unfortunately the old First Academy building has been broken into again and has suffered further vandalism. Local police are aware and checking the site regularly out of school hours. We have arranged for all damage on site to be removed on Wednesday next week (including the old shed). We continue to await the handover of the site to Northumberland County Council and have been assured that this will be completed soon. Please do not allow your child to enter the school site.
Assembly - Mental Health Week - Our values and rules, and making connections with each other
It has been Children's Mental Health Week and this year's theme, Let’s Connect was all about making meaningful connections. People thrive in communities, and this connection is vital for our wellbeing. Having healthy connections – to family, friends and others – can support our mental health and sense of wellbeing.
In assembly this week with Mr Irvine, we thought about how our school values: Nurture, Believe, Inspire and Achieve connect with our school rules of Be Kind, Think Positive and Aim High. We also thought about how our school Skill Builder skills help us to achieve these values and prepare us for later life. Together they help us to connect as a school community in ways which help us all thrive and achieve highly. They build the skills we need not only to achieve well whilst we are in school, but also in any career we may choose in the future. These connections between each other help us both now and in the future.
In achievement assembly this week, we celebrated children achieving our focus skill of staying positive, but also had many children who had demonstrated excellence across the other skills. Well done everyone.
Skills builder at home
Attendance Matters
Every second in school counts, as missing school, whether by being late or taking unnecessary days off, creates more new learning gaps which need to be addressed. The best way you can support your child to recover from the lost school time of recent years is to ensure they are in school and ready to learn every day.
We want every child's attendance to be good or better. This means 96%+
Please check your child's attendance (see our app) against the class and national data. School staff are able to offer support if your child's attendance is of concern.
Please do not take your child out of school during term time as it disrupts your child’s learning and you risk financial penalties. Any term time leave of absence must be applied for more than 2 weeks before the date of leave and can only be authorised by the Headteacher in the case of EXCEPTIONAL circumstances. Please could we urge parents to book holidays during the 13 weeks of annual school holidays which are available each year.
If leave has not been authorised and your child is out of school then you may receive a minimum fine of £60 per child, per parent. If the time out of school makes your child’s attendance drop below 90% then they are known as persistently absent under the governments attendance definitions. This means that you may face prosecution through the courts.
Please help us to help your child catch up by ensuring they are in school and ready to learn every day.
Before and After School club bookings
Please click here to book a place in breakfast club. Please note that bookings must be made at least 48 hours in advance to ensure we have adequate staffing available. Please speak to a member of our office team if you need to make a short notice booking 01434 320467.
Please click here to book a place in after school care. Please note that bookings must be made at least 48 hours in advance to ensure we have adequate staffing available. Please speak to a member of our office team if you need to make a short notice booking 01434 320467.
Calendar of Events - Please scroll to see all dates
Our Parent Calendar provides LIVE dates several months ahead. This can be accessed on our school website and can be added to your phone calendar to you are always aware of forthcoming events.
School Games Gold
Skills Builder Silver
Reading for Pleasure Award
STEM Ambassador School
Ruth Miskin Award
Our school designated safeguarding leads are Susie Drake, Tony Irvine, Michelle Brewster and Bethan Allsop