Haltwhistle Academy Newsletter
Nurture, believe, inspire, achieve
Our Y6 Dream Team
We couldn't be prouder of our Year 6 children this week who have shown such resilience, positivity and determination as they completed their KS2 statutory assessments. It was an absolute delight to observe them approaching the tasks with such calm maturity. Miss Thompson, Mr Hutton and Mrs Hind have enjoyed sharing breakfast with them before school and listening to their positive, supportive comments to each other. Mrs May also remarked on how wonderful it was to be able to work on our Carnival project with the children between the tests. There has been much reminiscing about their time together in Reception class and even an "I love SATs" comment or two!
The greatest thanks to the amazing Miss Thompson and Mr Hutton who prepared the children so well and ensured they could take it all in their stride. We have a long wait for the results, but we're so pleased that the children left the week feeling confident that they had tried their best.
A massive well done to each and everyone of them!
A visit from Cora the snake and Gizmo the tortoise
As part of our animal topic the Early Years children have had special visitors this week. Cora the snake and Gizmo the tortoise came in to see us and their owners told us all about what they need to survive, where they live in their house and where they would live if they were in the wild. The children were very brave and touched the snake and tortoise to see how they felt, they were very surprised that the snake was not slimy. We were also very shocked to learn that the snake eats rats, but only eats once every 2 weeks! A huge thank you to Finlay's parents for bringing Cora and Gizmo into school.
Vet Ruth visits Early Years
This week Early Years children were visited by a Vet Nurse called Ruth from Haltwhistle Vets. She brought us lots of things to look at and talked to the children all about being a vet. She brought in some animals friends for the children to scan, to read the chip inside them. They also used stethoscopes to listen to their hearts beating, which was lots of fun. Ruth also showed us how to put a bandage on, and then the children had a go on each other. We were so grateful to the vets for allowing Ruth to come and visit us.
Year 5 Bikeability
Year 5 took part in the bikeabilty programme last week. Throughout the week, the boys and girls learnt how to communicate, observe and position themselves on their bikes whilst out on the roads in Haltwhistle. They demonstrated fantastic listening skills and behaviour . All of them showed resilience and determination and everyone passed their level 2! Amazing work year 5!
Haltwhistle Carnival!
Skillsbuilder - building our skills for life
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
If reading this on your phone, please turn your phone sideways to be able to scroll through our planned dates. You can also add our calendar to your own phone calendar to be sure you don't miss a date.
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