Haltwhistle Academy Newsletter

Street Scientists

We had a visit from Newcastle's street Scientists who guided us through the story of the solar system. We were immersed in an array of experiments exploring chemical reactions. The children witnessed exploded film canisters, an exoteric reaction - dinosaur toothpaste and tried to set three different metal alight to see the chemical change in the colour of the flame. 

KS1 Church visit

Year 1 and 2 visited the Holy Cross church as part of their RE work on the Christian celebration of Christmas. We were very lucky to have Canon Steve Wright show us around the church. We saw all of the beautiful Christmas decorations, Canon Wright explained all about the different features of the church to us and we even had time to sing a Christmas carol - Away in a Manger! Thank you very much to all at the Holy Cross Church for making us feel so welcome.  

Years 1 Science - Making Frost!

Year 1 are learning about seasons in Science and this week we focused on the weather in winter.   There was lots of frost outside last week, so Year 1 set out to explore and understand how frost could be made! The children mixed ice, salt and cold water in a tin can and waited for frost to appear around the outside of the can in science!  We learnt that frost forms when water vapour from the air lands on a freezing surface.  

Year 3 Baltic visit 

Year 3 had an amazing day at the Baltic Gallery in Gateshead. Firstly, the children were shown around an inspirational exhibition by Michael Rakowitz that explored the ideas of using gardens to create comforting places for people who have been displaced from their homes due to conflict. 

The children discussed their own ideas about what things might bring comfort that they would like if they were creating a special garden or park. They then worked with artists from the Baltic to bring their ideas to life in sketches and models. 

We were really proud of all the great ideas the children came up with and how they worked together to build their models and share their ideas. 

Christmas Fair

We raised an incredible £855.00 at our Christmas Fair last week.  Thanks you to everyone who came and supported this event.  Mrs Hind has already placed a large order for new playground equipment, a fantastic Christmas present for all the children to enjoy in the new year!

Lindisfarne Gospels with Rev'd Canon Steve Wright

Thank you to Rev'd Canon Steve Wright who led our school assembly this week. He brought a very old and precious artefact with him - a replica of the Lindisfarne Gospels. We learnt that the original cover was stolen by the Vikings, the original script was written on vellum, it was translated from Latin to Anglo Saxon and it's newer front cover was commissioned by a Bishop in Durham which encrusted with precious stones such as amethyst, emeralds and rubies. 

Early Years Moonlight walk photographs coming soon...

Haltwhistle Family Hub - courses for January

Skillsbuilder - building our skills for life

Skills builder at home

Attendance Matters - Hedwig's helping our attendance!

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.    In line with our attendance policy, we are required to refer all qualifying absences due to holidays during term time to the Education Welfare Officer at Northumberland County Council.  

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

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 school designated safeguarding leads are Susie Drake, Bethan Allsop, Vicki Ridley, Robyn Brockman, Shirley Phillips

Please speak to a member of this team if you are concerned about the safety of a child.