Haltwhistle Academy Newsletter

We were thrilled to host the Dogs Trust for engaging workshops with all pupils from Year 1 to Year 6. These sessions focused on teaching children essential skills for staying safe around dogs.

Students learned about dog body language, safe interaction techniques, and what to do if approached by a dog. The workshops were interactive and informative, providing practical knowledge for all our children.

Year 1 had a brilliant time with Rachel from dogs trust who kindly paid the whole school a visit. Rachel delivered a very engaging, useful session and everyone learnt something new about how to stay safe around dogs. Rachel told us how to stay safe and be kind to unfamiliar dogs, as well as how to effectively look after and engage with our dogs at home. We took 4 important rules from our session with Rachel: dogs need space when they are eating and sleeping, they like to be able to have the choice to leave once they have said hello to us, and they like snuggles and gentle strokes with hands. 

Dogs Trust visit - Y3/4

Class CK absolutely LOVED their session with Rachel from the Dog's Trust on Friday. They wanted to share some of the things they have learned, with the wider community to help keep dogs safe and happy:

• Even though we really want to give them, dog's don't like cuddles or kisses. 

• ABC helps us remember some rules to follow when it comes to dogs - Affection shows dogs this in a way they understand; Busy don't interrupt dogs when they're busy; Choice gives dogs choice in every interaction. 

• We should always give dogs space

• We learned to be gentle and caring with dogs 

• Before stroking a dog, ask the owner, call the dog over, stroke it on the shoulder for 3 seconds and give them chance to move away

• It's best to pet a dog on the shoulder because petting them on the head can be scary 

Some of our favourite things from the sessions were when: 

• Rachel told us about her own dog Ralph and showed us pictures

• We got to stroke the fake dogs, Belle and Ted

• We tested a dog's sense of hearing with an experiment

• We made promises to keep dogs safe and happy

• We used dog ears to show we were listening 

• Rachel showed us how she trained and walked the dogs

• We used candles to test a dog's sense of smell compared to a humans. 

Northumberland County Council Careers

Life cycle of a chicken!

This week nursery children have been learning about the life cycle of a chicken. As part of our learning, we looked at pictures of Mrs. Marchbank’s hens and learnt lots of facts about them, including what they like to eat. We looked closely at their features before drawing them at the writing table. 

Year 1 Science

Year 1 has had a fantastic couple of weeks in science. We have been investigating materials, including different kinds of materials and their properties. We started by analysing different kinds of materials in small groups, feeling them for ourselves and describing what properties each material  had. We carried out an experiment to find out which materials were waterproof and which were absorbent, and concluded at the end of our experiment which materials would not be suitable for a waterproof rain coat! We have had so much fun becoming scientists, exploring and experimenting on materials .  

KS1 Visit Hexham book festival

On Thursday Year 1 and 2 attended the Hexham Book Festival. At the book festival we met author Alistair Chisholm. Alistair read us his new book 'One Cheeky Octopus' which we thought was really funny (and so was Alistair, especially in his silly seaside glasses)! Alistair explained about his job of being an author and about the job of his friend Alex Willmore who illustrated the book. Finally we did our own Octopus illustrations remembering all of the things the cheeky octopus had stolen in the story.  

Visit from Margi McAlister, our Patron of Reading

Year 2 worked with our patron of reading Margi McAllister to become authors. First Margi read some of her picture books to us; 15 things not to do with a baby, 15 things not to do with a granny and 15 things not to do with a puppy. We were then inspired to think up our own ideas for a new book what not to do with a child. Once we'd shared our ideas with tips from Margi we wrote our favourite one down and illustrated it.  

Attendance - Afternoon Tea

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

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

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 

Healthier Together App

Haltwhistle Family Hub

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

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, 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.