HWA BLOG – 15.9.23
The children across school have been enjoying their second week back. It has been a fantastic start to the new term, and I would like to highlight a few key updates and events taking place across our school.
Firstly, I am delighted to inform you that the nominations for the student council are now underway. This is an excellent opportunity for our students to develop their leadership skills, take part in decision-making processes, and represent their peers. We strongly encourage all students to participate in this democratic process and make their voices heard. The elections will be finalised early next week, and we are excited to see who will be elected to this esteemed role.
I am also thrilled to report that the playground renovations at the front of the school are nearly complete. The improvements will include new play equipment, safer surfacing, and enhanced seating areas. These developments aim to provide an engaging and inclusive environment for our students during break times, promoting physical activity and social interaction. We are confident that these enhancements will greatly benefit our students and contribute to their overall well-being.
Next week the new playground surfacing will commence, there will be some sections of the playground closed off while these renovations take place. Advance notice of closures will be communicated via Arbor.
E-safety retests have been taking place this week for students in years 8 to 11 at Hollinwood Academy. As you may be aware, e-safety is a vital aspect of education in today’s digital age. It is our responsibility to ensure that our students are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to navigate the online world safely. Therefore, we have been conducting these retests to assess their understanding and proficiency in e-safety practices.
We would like to remind all students and families that it is mandatory for students to pass this assessment in order to be allowed to bring their mobile devices to school. Adhering to e-safety guidelines not only promotes responsible use of technology but also fosters a secure learning environment for everyone.
For Year 7 students, they will be engaging in e-safety lessons first before they sit the assessment. We aim to provide them with a comprehensive understanding of online safety prior to the evaluation. The assessment for Year 7 will be scheduled in a couple of weeks, giving them enough time to prepare.
We are excited to announce an upcoming event that we believe will be highly beneficial for our school community. On Thursday, 21st September 2023, from 10 am to 12 pm, we will be hosting a Support and Guidance Event in our sports hall.
The purpose of this event is to bring together professionals who can offer advice and support to parents and caregivers. We understand that many families may be experiencing difficulties, and we want to provide an opportunity for them to access valuable resources and expertise.
The professionals who will be present at the event are as follows:
- TOG-MIND – Mental health support
- Dental Special Needs Service – Dental care for special needs
- CAMHS – Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service
- POINT – Parent Support Service
- SALT – Speech and Language Therapy Team
- A Better Life – Activity participation for all
- LD Learning Disability Nursing Team
- Positive Steps – Child support services
- Special Schools Nursing Team
We aim to make this event a resounding success, and we believe that having all these professionals under one roof will be highly beneficial for families seeking assistance. Therefore, we kindly request your support in targeting any families who you feel would benefit from this opportunity.
We hope that through this event, we can make a positive difference in the lives of our school community. If you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.
On a different note, it is with mixed emotions that we bid farewell to Rhian, one of our valued teaching assistants. Rhian has been an integral part of our school community, and her dedication and commitment to the students have been truly commendable. She has decided to embark on a new journey by moving to another school within our trust. We thank Rhian for her tireless efforts and wish her the very best in her future endeavours. Rest assured, the process of finding a suitable replacement for Rhian is underway, and we will ensure the transition is as seamless as possible.
Now let us take a moment to reflect on the progress made by our primary classes and secondary forms as they settle into school life for this academic year. Our teachers have been working diligently to provide a stimulating and nurturing learning environment, fostering curiosity, and encouraging a love for learning. We have observed great enthusiasm and engagement among our students, and their positive attitudes are truly commendable. We encourage you to continue supporting your children in their educational journey, as your involvement is crucial to their success.
Mrs Lerigo’s Class
“We have been very busy this past two weeks in Reception Class. We have all done so well settling into big school and experiencing all the new routines and class structure. The students have coped better each day and for that I am extremely proud. Next week all the children start full time, it will be so nice to have the whole class together at last.
We have started out topic ‘All about me’ and have started to get to know each other.
We have painted our faces, learnt some phonics sounds, explored nature, made cakes, sat for ‘Bucket’, been to the park on the bus and much, much more.
I am excited for the year ahead and how much the children are going to grow and develop……..we are in for a beautiful journey.”
Mrs Bramley’s Class
English lesson – “This week we have be introduced to the story Meerkat Mail, the children loved finding where Sunny was going on his adventures. we then worked as a team to decribe the main character Sunny. ”
Outdoor Education - “We have loved visiting Daisy Nook in our Outdoor Education Lessons. We have been exploring the area using our senses whilst on a walk there. ”
Mrs Oakley’s Class
“We are so proud of how the children have settled in, we can’t wait for the exciting year we have ahead.”
Miss Meadow’s Class
“We’ve made a fabulous start to year 3, with all the children making excellent progress towards their VB MAPP targets. It’s lovely to see how settled, ready to learn and engaged they have been. Well done everybody! ”
Miss Pietraszewska’s Class
“A big well done to our group for settling in so well with the new classroom and new teachers. You have all been fantastic, and we look forward to an amazing year with you! This week, they all deserve a star!”
Mr Corrigan’s Class
“We have had a fabulous first two weeks back and the whole class have settled in wonderfully, well done everyone!”
Ms Boothroyd and Miss McDonald’s Class
“The children in KS2CML/VBD have settled in really well to their new class. We have been exploring friendships and learning the story Charlotte’s Web. Miss McDonald and Miss Boothroyd are looking forward to the year ahead.”
Mrs Davies’ Class
“The class team are so proud of how well the whole class have settled back into school, we’ve made new friends and been engaged in all are lessons. We’re very excited for the year ahead. We hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.”
Mrs Quinn’s Class
“The pupils have settled back in well to school since last week and have completed some fantastic learning this week, I am so proud of them all!”
Miss Hulme’s Class
“Our class have had a fabulous start to the year and we have all settled in to class really well. We are very much looking forward to the rest of the year and all the fun we are going to have!”
Miss Tootill’s Class
“What a fantastic return to school from KS2LTO. All the children have welcome Year 6 and have embraced new changes, they have shown great maturity and independence during our first week at school. Myself and Miss Sutcliffe are eager to continue their final year in Primary and to create meaningful learning opportunities.”
Mrs Gitten’s Class
“We are so proud of the children already, we have had a great week settling in and learning lots of new things about one another! We are looking forwards to another wonderful term ahead.”
Mrs Matthews’ Class
“Class HMS have had a great start to year 6 already where we have created timelines of events during WWII and now we are learning about the evacuees and what they needed to carry with them to the countryside to keep them safe. In ICT we have been learning about code breaking. The children learned about how Alan Turing helped us to win the war by breaking the German’s secret code! ”
Miss Prescott’s Class
“7JPT have made a fantastic start to the term and have settled well into the lessons at Hollinwood Academy.”
Miss Young’s Class
“The students from Year 7 Nurture class have been just amazing. They all have made me feel really welcome and allowed me to enter their little worlds and to see what puts smiles upon their faces when in school and at home. I feel as if I have known them for a few good years. Our morning starts with checking-in how we feel and is there anything we can help one another to feel better. We then do various activities practising our fine motor skills, spatial awareness or brief tasks to wake our little sleepy heads. Our class got stuck in learning pretty straight away. They responded really well to all the lessons and completed all the tasks assigned to them at all times. In Maths we have been learning about Roman numerals; represented and partitioned numbers within 100 using various concrete manipulatives and described and continue sequences. In Science we made a start on recapping what we knew about living things and their habitat and in Geography we learnt about what are the differences between physical, human and environmental world. Computing was all about how to be safe online and in History we learnt about sanitation during the Iron Age.”
Mrs Waterman’s Class
“A wonderful start to the year in CWN, with all students settling back into our new classroom well! There’s lots of great work happening and they are all enjoying our Heroes topic this term! Looking forward to making this year, the best year yet.”
Mrs Byrne’s Class
“8SBY have been settling in really well. They have been doing some wonderful writing, brilliant outdoor education and learning all about plants in science! Well done Year 8!”
Mrs Daniels’ Class
“Here is a photo of the form 10ADS. They have received star of the week as a class from Mrs Jones, their maths teacher. She is super impressed with their great attitude to learning in her maths lessons with them this week Well done 10ADS keep up the good work.”
Mrs Jones’ Class
“Our first full week back went great, we settled on our Anti Bullying Ambassador (Josh) and our School Council Representative (Liv,) We started our Year 11 scrapbook and paid close attention in all of our lessons.
I can’t wait to see what this year brings.”
Miss Harris Class
“9KHS has had a fabulous start to the new year. We have welcomed Miss Harris to the class and managed to complete some great work. Hayden has gotten star of the week for having a positive return to school and the whole class got star of the week for having a great attitude to learning in maths! Well done 9KHS.”
Mrs Farooqi’s Class
“8TFI have had a great summer and returned to school ready to learn. They were excited to share with their classmates what they did over the summer. Over the past week they have settled in really well, despite new changes of welcoming new class teachers.”
Mrs Bottery’s Class
“7HBY are settling well into life at Hollinwood Academy and the form team is so proud of them. This week they have visited Heaton Park in Outdoor Education, played basketball in PE and read ‘George’s Marvellous Medicine’ in English.”
Mr Atkhar’s Class
“8AAR, we have had a great summer holiday we are glad to be back, we have enjoyed Outdoor Education this week, looking for signs of Autumn after the recent mini heatwave.”
Mrs Duffy’s Class
“After an enjoyable summer break year 8 GDY have come back to school raring to go. This week they have passed their Food Safety and Esafety. qualification and got back into a routine of literacy, maths in morning form. We finished the week off with a reward of bagels, biscuits and pain chocolate.”
Mrs Pott’s Class
“After a washout of a summer 9SPS have returned with the usual enthusiasm of Year 9! We have welcomed a new member to the form, Mason, we hope you enjoy your time with us. Miss Connor has also become a permanent member of staff.
The class are entering their final year of key stage 3 and the preparation for key stage 4 and GCSE’s will begin.”
Mrs Cowling’s Class
“Year 9 have settled into the new school year very well so far, welcoming a new student and have settled back in so well despite lots of staff changes and new faces around school.”
Mrs Nuttall’s Class
“It’s been a great first few weeks back for 10NNL. All the students have settled into their GCSE lessons incredibly well and have made a flying start! They have shown enthusiasm and maturity and we can’t we too see how well they all do this year. Welcome back guys and thank you for a fabulous first few weeks! ”
Mrs Sanderson’s Class
“As we settle into a new school year the year 11s have started to practise their GCSE skills and are looking forward to taking the next steps. They are planning to visit various colleges and applying for their future endeavors. We can’t wait to see what the future holds!”
Mrs Whalley’s Class
“7 DWY have made a great start in year 7. They have settled well in to their new routine and are a pleasure to have in form.”
Mrs Datta’s Class
“11SUA have settled in beautifully in their new class with their new teacher.
We already know that we are heading towards a wonderful year.”
Mrs Boutell’s Class
“10MBL have had a fantastic first few days settling back into school routine. The form have embraced the new classroom environment and have been working incredibly well together and independently.”
Inspiration Hub
“Students have started their new class this year and have been adjusting to the new routine, they very much enjoyed their outdoor ed trip to Heaton park.”
Vision Hub
“The Vision Hub have settled in really well on their return to school. Myself, Miss Ashcroft and Miss Lyon are extremely proud of their positive attitudes to learning and the fantastic work they have produced this week. We hope this continues throughout the rest of the academic year!”
Mr Gold’s Science
“In science the year 7 class have settled in well. They have been learning how to work safely in the lab and have all completed their Bunsen burner safety certificate.
The year 8 and 9’s have been working on planning and carrying out scientific investigations. The year 10’s have started their work on the GCSE course and the year11’s have continued with their GCSE where they left off at the end of last year.
We are all looking to a fun year of science!”
Congratulations to our Hollinwood Academy Stars of the week…
Mrs Lerigo’s Class
Star of the Week
Congratulations to: Albi For excellent sitting at carpet time and good listening.
Caring Star of the Week
Congratulations to: Effy. For being super interested in nature and caring for the plants.
Ms Oakley’s Class
“All my class are the stars this week for settling back to school so well.”
Mr Corrigan’s Class
STAR
Congratulations to: Mysha
For: trying something new at lunch time.
MCN photo
HWA STAR
Congratulations to: Simisola
For: great listening this week.
WOWs
Congratulations to: Lewis
For: being proud of his friends.
Miss Tootill Stars
“Our HWA star is Jake for being caring towards others.
Star of the week is Madison for her amazing English work.”
Mr Akhtar’s Class
“Charlie, for fantastic work in Spanish, your Spanish accent is amazing. Well done and keep up the great work.”
Ms Young Class
“Oliver for managing to stay in class throughout the whole week and has been working really hard in all of his lessons.”
Mrs McDonald’s and Mrs Boothroyd’s Class
Xander – HWA STAR – for making sure everybody was included during our PE lesson.
Jason – STAR – for making the right choices this week and his enthusiasm in his learning.
Wow moment – Jacob – for his positive attitude toward learning this week.
Miss Hulme’s Class
“Our Star of the week this week goes to George for being engaged and enthusiastic in our English ‘Talk4writing’ lessons and retelling the story in his own time.
Our Hollinwood Academy Caring Star goes to Derry for always following our class rules and being a fantastic, caring friend to all of his peers.”
Miss Pietraszewska’s Class
“Every child in my group got a star today, as they all deserve it.
Mrs Bramley’s Class
“Our Star of the week for caring is Zachary Adshead and our Star of the week is Lyla Lees for trying hard in every lesson.”
Mrs Gittens’ Class
“Our star of the week is Lewis! For being so caring and helpful to his classmates this week.”
Mrs Davies’ Class
“My star is Ethan for settling into his new class and participating in all activities. Anna is our caring star of the week for sharing her crisps with her friend.”
Mrs Quinn’s Class
“Olly is our caring star this week is Olly, he has made great connections with our new staff!”
Mrs Matthews’ Class
Caring star: Rafael for looking after all class members, keeping them safe at break times and helping them with working lessons.
Gerard: Joining all class discussion and engaging in all of his subjects.
Mrs Farooqi’s Class
“Jake for his participation in Spanish and geography lessons and completing excellent work.”
Mrs Potts’ Class
“Niamh for having a great start to the term and gaining 100% punctuality so far.”
Mrs Duffy’s Class
“Liam for his fantastic contributions and effort in geography.
Liam for amazing participation in Spanish.
Matthew for amazing participation in Spanish.”
Mrs Whalley’s Class
“Joshua for having a fantastic week.
All of 7DWY have made a great start in year 7. They have settled well in to their new routine and are a pleasure to have in form.”
Miss Harris’ Class
“Hayden for having a positive return to school and showing a positive and proactive approach to his learning.”
Ms Nuttall’s Class
“Luke for being so focussed at the start of his GCSE courses.”
Inspiration Hub
Jaden – Outstanding English work so far this term – Mrs Harrington
Jaden – 100% participation and effort – Miss Daniels
Aaron – A fantastic start to year 11 – Miss Hand
Aaron – 100% participation and effort – Miss Daniels
Vision Hub
Lewis ( ZRD) – Amazing effort and for staying on task – Mrs Harrington, Miss Stubbs, Miss Shaw and Miss Bluck
Have a lovely weekend!
Mrs Needham
