HWA Blog - 21.6.24
This week was the final Food Preparation and Nutrition GCSE for our year 11 students. What an amazing achievement it was for the students to finally finish their GCSEs. After the final exam this week, our year 11 students attended their prom. WOW!!! What a spectacular event this was! You all looked so sophisticated and grown up and it was lovely to see you dancing, laughing and having fun throughout the evening. It was a pleasure for us to talk to you all about your time at school as part of the Hollinwood Academy journey and your future plans as you spread your wings. It has honestly been a privilege to watch this cohort grow from being young children into flourishing young people. Here is a little glimpse into the prom as this will be a big focus in our Summer newsletter.
We are looking forward to welcoming the students back next week as they attend their Alton Towers residential Thursday and Friday.
Today we held our first transition day for our primary children and new year 7 students for September 2024. Any transition can bring challenges to children, young people, families and school staff. We are often focused on transition occurring from one school to another (i.e. year 6 to year 7 or year 11 to college) but every child and young person in our school will be experiencing transition going into the next academic year. A new year brings new routines, a new teacher (or several in secondary settings), and possible change in friendship groups and for many, this can be a really daunting experience. It was a really positive day today for our children and young people and our amazing staffing teams were on hand to support our students and their families to ease the transition as much as possible. We are looking forward to the next transition session on Friday 28th June.
Today, we also had a moderator from the AQA examining board come into school to moderate the GCSE Artwork. The exhibition was put up in the wellbeing hub and it was lovely to have lots of staff visit the exhibition to see the students' efforts and fantastic artwork.
The moderator was extremely complimentary about the clear engagement our students have had with the course and was further impressed by how diverse the work was. She praised students for developing their own ideas based on personal interests and explained that she often visits schools where work can be generic so really enjoyed the experience of moderating at Hollinwood Academy.
Unfortunately, we are unable to share pictures of the students work until after results day so look out for this in the new academic year.
Well done year 11, we are all very proud of you and thank you Mrs Whalley for all your help and support with their artwork.
Let’s see what some of the classes have been doing starting with Miss Matthew’s class…
"It’s that time of year again when we must wave goodbye to our children as they embark on their next chapters of secondary school and beyond!
Our Crucial Crew project has been a pivotal part of preparing our Year 6 students for the upcoming transition to secondary school. One standout feature of this project was the enlightening presentations delivered by the Greater Manchester Police. These sessions covered important topics such as Anti-Social Behaviours, understanding consequences, and the significance of emergency telephone numbers. Through interactive discussions, the children gained crucial insights into the risks associated with certain behaviours, like playing near train stations or tram lines, all presented in an engaging and informative manner.
In our Science lessons, the exploration of fossil formation captivated the Year 6 students, offering a glimpse into the world of palaeontology. Unravelling the complex process of fossilisation not only deepening their understanding of ancient history but also igniting their scientific curiosity, nurturing a passion for discovery.
As a well-deserved treat, the students enjoyed a fun session of Soft Play, providing a refreshing break and highlighting the importance of maintaining a balance between work and play.
Outdoor education further enriched their experiences, with thrilling cycling sessions fostering excitement and camaraderie amongst the pupils. Friendly races under the sun created lasting memories of outdoor adventures, reinforcing the joy of physical activity and teamwork.
With the end of the academic year coming to an end with transition mornings on the horizon, our Year 6 students are gearing up for the next phase of their educational journey. Sharing their thoughts and emotions has fostered a sense of community and support, preparing them for the exciting challenges that lie ahead. It has been an absolute pleasure to teach your children this year and we wish them all the very best of luck in the future!"
HMS - 21.6.24
Now to Mrs Whalley’s form…
"WOW! What a fantastic year, it is unbelievable to think our students in 7DWY are almost in year 8. I, Mrs Whalley have had a fabulous first year and am looking forward to continuing with the form. Here is a snapshot of what our students have been learning...
This week in science we have been learning about power and have been learning how to rearrange equations.
In computing over the past couple of weeks we enjoyed video editing creating our own movie about Hollinwood Academy and learning how to use iMovie to edit and add effects to our videos, we have learnt about different camera shots and gained new skills.
In English we have been learning about William Shakespeare reading and writing about his plays.
In maths we have been working hard, over the past couple of weeks we have had a few stars of the week for hard work in maths.
In food technology, we have been working on our cutting skills. This week we made sweet and sour nuggets and we made our own sauce using different ingredients and worked on our cutting skills when cutting the vegetables. It was very tasty.
During outdoor education we have enjoyed visiting different kind of stores at the retail park. We visited Pets at Home, Curry’s, Smyths and Sports Direct.
In PE this term we have been doing athletics trying to beat our personal best when running and overcoming challenges when jumping over hurdles.
In music we have been learning about riffs, we have learnt to play riffs on the keyboard and this week have practiced riffs using guitar.
In history we have enjoyed learning about the reign of Queen Elizabeth and in geography we have been learning about tourism and the positive and negative effects.
We got creative in Spanish drawing out our bedroom and describing it by annotating in Spanish.
We have been making 3D cubes from wire in Art and we plan to make a collaborative piece to display in school."
7DWY - 21.6.24
Now to Mr Akhtar form…
"As we approach the last few weeks of the summer term the class cannot believe they are halfway through their time at Hollinwood Academy. In September they will be in year 9 and pick their options for GCSE’s.
The class have had a busy year 8 and they have all grown, they all seem to have gone through a growing spurt. The class all have a great relationship with each other in the form and they have extended these relationships to breaks/lunchtimes and outside of school.
The class are very sporty and have become obsessed with the European football tournament and eagerly chat about it during form times. The class love playing football together at break and lunchtimes. Daniel has now joined Oliver taking part in football in after school club, definitely a lot of football fever in form AAR.
Our first lesson of the week is History and the class have been looking at The Industrial Revolution and how it changed Britain from the 1700’s to the 1900’s.
The class have been learning about space during science lessons this term, they have learnt about the Big Bang, how man landed on the moon, the different planets, and facts around them. The class completed an end-of-block assessment on Monday to reinforce their learning. The class have now started to learn about friction and were challenged to pull two textbooks apart, however, due to the friction of the paper they found it impossible.
In Maths the class topic this term is number sense covering rounding, estimating calculations, understanding the error interval, order of operations, calculating money, converting measurements of length, weight and capacity and solving problems involving time and the calendar.
The class are reading Blood Brothers, by Willy Russell in English they are enjoying learning about class divisions and how Mrs Johnstone was desperate to give her children the best but gave up a child to Mrs Lyon’s who is desperate for a child.
Over, the past term the class have been using a variety of techniques of printing and ink drawing in Art to create copies of drinks can and cupcakes. The final pieces based on work by Kate Bingaman-Burt look fantastic.
During Music, this week the class could either play a keyboard or guitar to practice musical cords. They learnt the song Happier. Sofia goes to choir on a Monday lunchtime as an extra curricular club and introduced Lucie and a few other girls from year 8. They had an enjoyable time singing songs by several artists including Lana Del Ray.
Outdoor education saw the class walk through Oldham town centre to the Leisure centre. The class had a tour around the building. Mr Heap explained what you could do at the leisure centre and how it is important for each of them to stay fit and active to help with their mental health.
In Geography the class has been learning about Populations and how the UK population is aging, the class were not impressed that they would have to work till they are 70+.
Computing this term is around Enterprise the class have been given a brief in which they have had to design a logo and then present the logo to the class with an outline of how they produced the design. The class were all fantastic and the winning design was…
RSE The class thought about how they help others and how they can help themselves to help their Wellbeing. They discovered Kindness is key.
During our ECHP lessons the class were shown an interactive video and they got to make decisions about the characters on the screen in accordance with what they should do about online fraud and the importance of not sharing/using the same password for every website they go on.
In PE the class together with GDY have been taking part in athletics, so far, they have been running and have been increasing the distance they are running. In the coming weeks, they will be taking part in shot put, Javelin and hurdles.
Last week in Food Technology the class made a delicious cottage pie, this week they learnt about food choices such as for religious or allergen purposes.
In Spanish the class have been researching different cities around Spain such as Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona to discover what activities they could do in each city, food and drink they could enjoy and the weather in each place.
Mr Akhtar, Mrs Barrie and Mrs Gul, wish you are all a lovely and safe summer holidays."
AAR - 21.6.24
Now to our amazing SUPER STARs and HWA We Trust STARs...
Mrs Lerigo’s STAR of the week is Ethan for being super tolerant of others and trusting his friends on the playground to play and engage in a game
Mrs Lerigo’s HWA We Trust STAR is Effy for amazing listening and following instruction all week – Effy we adore you!
Miss Bramley’s STAR of the week is everyone for trying hard this week and having a super transition morning.
Miss Pietraszewska’s STAR of the week is Freddie for trying his best and doing well in counting to 100! Well done!
Miss Pietraszewska’s HWA We Trust STAR is Roman for always being very kind to his friends and teachers! Well done, Roman!
Miss Bailey’s STAR of the week is Ohud for engaging in his learning with greater independence and lots of good listening.
Miss Bailey’s HWA We Trust STAR is Cody for choosing activities independently, especially riding the trikes on the playground by himself!
Mrs Quinn’s STAR of the week is William for tidying up in class (with only a song and modelling prompt) and my trust star is Kai for following accepting a different routine in his music lessons and joining in last week.
Mr Corrigan’s STAR of the week is Louis for some wonderful writing in Phonics this week.
Mr Corrigan’s HWA We Trust star is Maya for having a wonderful transition morning.
Mr Corrigan’s WOW moments go to Simisola and Louis.
Miss Boothroyd and Miss McDonald’s STAR of the week is Cole for settling back in after his holiday and completing his work willingly.
Miss Boothroyd and Miss McDonald’s HWA We Trust STAR is Jason for being passionate about his friendships and being a good friend.
Miss Boothroyd and Miss McDonald’s Dojo winner is Jack. Well done!
Mrs Davies’ STAR of the week is Arissa for playing nicely with her friends this week.
Miss Gittins’ STAR of the week is Ollie for keeping calm when routines have changed this week.
Miss Gittins’ HWA We Trust STAR is Mia for being patient and kind with the younger students on the swing.
Miss Gittins’ Super Spellers are Ollie, Nabiha, Hadley, Lewis, Caitlin and Joshua. Well done!
Miss Matthew’s STAR of the week is Renico for a much improved effort to stay on task in English.
Miss Tootill’s STAR of the week is Connor for retelling his new English story.
Wow moment – Zack for changing his behaviour and having a positive end to the week.
Miss Tootill’s HWA We Trust STAR is Madison for having a fantastic transition and sharing her concerns with new adults.
Miss Tootill’s Wow moment moments go to Zack. Well done!
STARS of the Week (21.6.24)
Scientists of the week is George from Miss Matthew’s class.
Well done to our secondary Hollinwood Academy STARs this week:
As the sun has been making a welcome appearance and the weather has become warmer, we need to take appropriate precautions to protect our children and young people from getting sun burnt.
Our children and young people must bring in with them a sun hat to wear but these do not always protect them fully. We recommend that you put a high factor sun cream on your child before they come to school in the morning.
If you have already given consent for your child to use sun cream whilst in school, please could you send in a bottle of sun cream clearly labelled with your child’s name. If you have not yet given consent for your child to use sun cream and would like to do so, please could you complete the consent form via your Arbor account as soon as possible.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Mrs Millard
