Haltwhistle Academy Newsletter
Nurture, believe, inspire, achieve
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Happy Easter
Happy Easter
As the spring sunshine starts to brighten our days and the daffodils bloom, we wanted to take a moment to wish you all a very happy Easter! We hope you and your families enjoy a wonderful break filled with joy, laughter, and perhaps a few chocolate treats! Whether you're planning a traditional Easter egg hunt, spending quality time with loved ones, or simply enjoying a relaxing few days, we hope it's a peaceful and happy time for everyone.
We appreciate your continued support and partnership throughout the school year. We look forward to welcoming the children back after the break, refreshed and ready for the term ahead. Wishing you all a very happy and safe Easter!
Happy Easter from Holy Cross
Happy Easter from Holy Cross
This week, we were delighted to welcome Father Steve, Vicar of Holy Cross Church, into school for a special Easter visit with the children. Father Steve spent time with our pupils, spreading Easter cheer and sharing the Christian message of hope and new life that lies at the heart of this important celebration. He explained the significance of Easter in the Christian calendar, helping the children understand why it is such a meaningful time for many people around the world.
The children also enjoyed listening to some joyful songs from the Easter services held at Holy Cross Church – a lovely way to bring the spirit of Easter into our school.
Father Steve warmly invited families to visit Holy Cross Church over the Easter period. The church will be open and welcoming to anyone who would like to pop in, whether to take a quiet moment, enjoy the beautiful setting, or learn more about Easter traditions. We are very grateful to Father Steve for his visit and for helping to make this Easter season even more special for our children.
Easter Bingo Event
Easter Bingo Event
We're thrilled to share the fantastic news about our Easter Bingo event! Thanks to your incredible generosity and enthusiasm, the event was a resounding success. We had a wonderful evening filled with laughter, excitement, and of course, plenty of bingo! The atmosphere was buzzing, and it was lovely to see so many families come together to enjoy the fun. A huge thank you to everyone who donated prizes. Your contributions made the event extra special and helped us create a truly memorable experience for everyone.
We are absolutely delighted to announce that we raised an amazing £727! This incredible amount will go to support providing first-hand experiences for your children and enhancing our playground provision.
We are so grateful for your continued support and generosity. It's because of you that we can make such a positive difference to our children. Thank you again to everyone who participated, donated, and helped make our Easter Bingo such a tremendous success.
Parent and Carer Lunches
Parent and Carer Lunches
We wanted to extend a huge thank you to everyone who joined us for our special lunchtime visit with your children! It was truly wonderful to see so many of you sharing in this special part of their school day. The children were absolutely thrilled to have you join them, and it was a joy to witness the smiles and laughter as you shared a meal together. We hope you enjoyed seeing your little ones in their school environment and getting a glimpse into their daily lunchtime routine. We appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedules to be a part of this event. Your presence made it a truly memorable occasion for both the children and the staff.
40 YEARS!
40 YEARS!
This year, we celebrate a truly remarkable milestone – 40 years of incredible service from our beloved Mrs. Beverley! For four decades, Mrs. Beverley has been the heart of our kitchen, nourishing generations of Haltwhistle Academy students with her delicious and heartwarming meals.
Imagine the countless lunches, snacks, and treats she has prepared, the smiles she has brought to faces, and the comforting aroma that has filled our hallways. Mrs. Beverley has been more than just a cook; she's been a constant source of warmth, kindness, and unwavering dedication.
Her commitment to providing our students with wholesome and tasty food has been exceptional. She's seen children grow, tastes change, and menus evolve, all while maintaining her passion and enthusiasm. Her work has been a vital part of our school experience, and we are incredibly grateful.
We want to express our deepest gratitude to Mrs. Beverley for her 40 years of loyal service. Her hard work, dedication, and genuine care for our students have made a lasting impact on our school community.
Year 5 and 6 Visit to The Sill
Year 5 and 6 Visit to The Sill
On Tuesday, the children from UKS2 took part in a practical full day session, where they learned navigation skills and put them into practice. The morning session included information and activities all about maps – exploring the different types, and discovering who might use them. Pupils used this information to locate specific areas, make their own map and a key of The Sill building.
After lunch, the navigation guide worked with the pupils outside for a practical activity, using specific equipment to learn map reading and navigation skills. They created their own field sketch of the area and discussed how these help geographers carry out fieldwork. Well done to all children, who were praised by the staff, for their excellent behaviour. A fabulous day made even better by the glorious Spring weather!
REDStart
REDStart
On Friday Year 2 found learnt valuable skills linked to money in their Red Start Session. They engaged in games and practical tasks where they had to think about spending, tracking their savings and spending and the importance of budgeting!
Year 3/4 Prehistoric Performance
Year 3/4 Prehistoric Performance
We’re still buzzing from the stone-cold talent that Year 3/4 brought to the stage in their incredible prehistoric performance, From Stone Age to Iron Age! Our young historians took us on a time-travelling adventure—no time machine needed—just pure imagination, passion, and a whole lot of flair. The acting was rocking, the singing was iron-clad in confidence, and the solo instrumental performance was a mammoth moment that left the audience in awe!
From cave dwellers to Iron Age tribes, the children told the story of early Britain with humour, heart, and heaps of enthusiasm. Their storytelling was so powerful, we could almost hear the mammoths trumpeting in the distance! A huge thank you to all the staff who helped dig deep to bring this performance to life, and to you, our wonderful parents, for your incredible support—especially with the fantastic costumes. You really helped bring the characters to life, and your creativity was truly out of this world! We are so proud of them all!
Year 2 Science
Year 2 Science
Year 2 have been busy testing the suitability of materials this week in their Science lesson. They worked in reams to see which materials were waterproof and therefore would be most suitable to make our Easter chick a waterproof coat from. Once we knew which materials were waterproof we had to consider which other properties the material would need to have to make the perfect coat.
Key Stage 1 Achievements
Key Stage 1 Achievements
Year 1 and 2 contine to celebrate their achievements in maths and reading with this week's Numbot and home reading certificate winners. There were extra special recognition this week for those who consistently read at home winning themselves a brand new story to take home and enjoy.
Diary Dates
Diary Dates
We LOVE Reading!
We LOVE Reading!
We kindly encourage you to spend at least 15 minutes each day reading with your child at home. This small daily habit can make a big difference in building their confidence, improving literacy skills, and fostering a lifelong love of reading.
Sharing stories, exploring books, or even taking turns reading aloud can be a wonderful bonding experience that supports their learning and growth.
Thank you for your support in helping your child thrive!
Attendance - Hot Chocolate Friday!
Attendance - Hot Chocolate Friday!
Pupils who are in school everyday for a week (100% attendance) are entered into a hat and chosen by random. 2 lucky winners from Years 1-6 are chosen to enjoy a hot chocolate and a biscuit or two!
Who will it be next week?
School driveway
School driveway
Please could we remind parents that the school driveway can be used at the following times only:
To drop off for breakfast club (before 8.20am)
To collect from after school care (after 3.45pm)
The drive is closed to vehicles from 8.20 - 9am and 3pm - 3.45pm to ensure the safety of the young children walking to and from school. Only school taxi's and drivers with a blue badge can use the driveway during these times and must observe the 5mph limit.
Thank you for your support.
Citizen's Advice
Citizen's Advice
Barry Sobey is our friendly advisor from Citizen's Advice. He is able to provide confidential support on a wide range of issues, will complete forms with our families and ensure that you are receiving all the support available to meet your families needs.
Barry is in school for a full day every 3 weeks. Please contact our office or family team to make an appointment.
Social Media & Mental Health
Social Media & Mental Health
As part of our ongoing commitment to safeguarding, we have recently revisited the topic of online safety with our KS2 children, particularly in relation to social media apps. We wanted to share some key information with you to help support your child's safe use of technology.
Age Restrictions:
Many social media apps have a recommended age of 13+ due to legal protections like COPPA, which safeguards children's personal information. However, even apps that meet this age requirement may still feature content that is more suited to older users. We encourage you to research any apps before downloading them, as some may have inappropriate content for younger users, even if they are over 13.
Recommended Age for Social Networking:
The appropriate age for starting social networking varies for each child. While some apps, like YouNow, allow users over 13, they may contain content best suited for older teens. We suggest considering whether your child is ready for the responsibilities and potential risks of using social media apps. Resources like Common Sense Media offer helpful reviews for parents.
Privacy Settings:
Setting privacy controls together when downloading apps can help protect your child’s online safety. We recommend checking in regularly to ensure your child is seeing appropriate content and that their privacy settings remain up-to-date. Please remember that users can sometimes falsify their age to access content meant for older teens, and some apps may even allow tracking your child's location.
Handling Upsetting Content:
It's important to have open conversations with your child about what to do if they come across something upsetting online. Encourage them to think critically about what they see and always speak up if something doesn’t feel right. A supportive and ongoing dialogue helps ensure they know they can come to you if needed.
Your Role in Online Safety:
As parents, your involvement in your child's online activity is key to their safety. We ask that you closely monitor their phone use, and if necessary, remove apps that may not be appropriate for their level of maturity. Here are a few important questions to consider:
Is your child mature enough to communicate positively with friends online?
How would your child handle negative interactions? Are they ready for that experience?
What steps do you have in place to safeguard your child from inappropriate content or location tracking?
If your child is part of a group chat, are you monitoring this closely to ensure their safety?
By staying engaged and using the available tools and resources, we can help ensure that our children navigate the digital world safely. If you do decide to allow your child access to social media, we strongly recommend that you monitor their usage closely and, if necessary, remove any apps or group chats that may pose a risk to their well-being.
Thank you for your continued support in helping to keep our children safe online.
Children's Health
Children's Health
The NHS 0-19 Growing Healthy team have launched an app to support children, young people and their families. The app is available to everyone and includes information on local services available to you.
Users can learn through interactive features and directly give feedback about services. There is a live chat function offering direct access to a school nurse and a health visitor Monday-Friday 9-5pm.
Discuss with a nurse about how to support your child(ren)'s emotional and mental health needs.
Healthier Together App
Healthier Together App
The NHS Healthier Together app has been designed to allow you to access care for your child much more easily. If your child is unwell and needs to be seen by a healthcare professional, instead of having to call your GP surgery, your surgery may offer you the option to use the app to directly inform them about your child’s symptoms. They will then contact you to decide what needs to be done. And if you are seeking help when your GP surgery is shut, it will direct you to NHS 111. Lots of other parents have already downloaded it and have found it extremely useful.
Our School Parent App
Our School Parent App
Please find information regarding our parent app 'ScholarPack Parents'. Please download the app from the app store as shown in this video.
You should have received your unique code to activate the app via email. MyEd is no longer be accessible.
Once logged in please ensure that notifications are enabled to recieve any updates.
Our fantastic office staff will be able to support with this if you have any problems.
Haltwhistle Family Hub
Haltwhistle Family Hub
Haltwhistle Family Hub, Park Avenue, Haltwhistle, Northumberland, Haltwhistle, United Kingdom
Phone: 01434 321761
Email: HaltwhistleFamilyHub@northumberland.gov.uk
Attendance Matters
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 are always available to support with attendance. Please come to the office and someone will be happy to help.
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.
Pupil illness - Please note that in line with the new attendance guidance, we need a clear reason for absence for the school register. If your child is 'poorly' their absence is registered as unauthorised until a reason is provided. Please contact the school office as soon as possible so that the illness reason can be authorised.
Under the new government policy, if one parent takes their child on an unauthorised term time holiday, both parents with parental responsibility could be subject to a fine issued by Northumberland County Council. This includes when parents are separated.
Before and After School club bookings
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
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.
School Games Gold
Skills Builder Silver
Great North Early Years Stronger Practice Hub
Lead School
Reading for Pleasure Award
Ruth Miskin Award
Our school designated safeguarding leads are Susie Drake, Alex Wood, Vicki Ridley, Robyn Brockman - Crow and Shirley Phillips
Everyone is responsible for safeguarding children. Please speak to a member of this team if you are concerned about the safety of a child.
Happy Easter
Happy Easter
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