HWA Blog – 29.9.23
As we end this week, I wanted to take a moment to express my heartfelt thanks to the staffing team and the wider school community for their incredible support in making our recent MacMillan Charity afternoon a resounding success. Your presence and involvement made a tremendous difference, and it was truly heart-warming to witness parents connecting with one another during the event.
The event raised a total of £429.41 for MacMillan. The winners of the raffle prizes were:
Large Rabbit Cuddly Toy – Ethan (Mrs Lerigo’s class)
Indian Take Away Voucher – Hadley (Mrs Gitten’s class)
Mechano set – Eli (Mrs Matthew’s class)
I trust that everyone enjoyed the opportunity to visit the classrooms and meet your child’s class teacher and teaching assistants. Building strong relationships between home and school is a vital part of your child’s education, and events like these provide an excellent platform for fostering that partnership. We look forward to arranging more opportunities for parents to join us in school, so please keep an eye out for future invitations.
I would also like to extend my gratitude to the KS4 work experience students who generously supported us in distributing refreshments during the charity event. Their hard work and commitment were truly admirable, and they played an essential role in ensuring everything ran smoothly. It is always heartening to see our older students actively engaging with the school community, and their efforts did not go unnoticed.
Every week, Mrs. Lerigo, one of our esteemed curriculum leads, introduces the staff team to a “Sign of the Week”, which is then incorporated into lessons across various classes.
This week, Mrs. Natalia’s class has chosen to focus on the signs for walking, PE, and undress. These signs are being used not only in the classroom but also have the potential to be helpful at home. By learning and using sign language, our aim is to create a more inclusive environment for all students, including those who may have additional communication needs.
We believe that incorporating sign language into our lessons can have numerous benefits. It not only enhances communication skills but also promotes a greater understanding and appreciation of diversity and inclusion. By exposing children to sign language, we hope to foster empathy and empower our students to communicate effectively with a wider range of individuals.
We encourage you to help your child practice the signs for walking, PE, and undress at home. By incorporating sign language into your daily routines, you can reinforce their learning and ensure that they feel comfortable and confident in using these signs across various contexts.
Lesson observations continued this week. It was a pleasure to be in the classrooms observing the children thriving and engaging with their learning. During these observations, a wide range of lessons across both primary and secondary levels were observed. In Year 1, a maths lesson was observed where the teacher used various numerical representations to engage the children. This approach helps the students to develop a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts.
In English, a talk for writing session was held where students began planning their creative stories based on the book “Charlotte’s Web.” This activity allows them to explore their creativity while also developing their writing skills.
In a GCSE foundation maths lesson, the students were introduced to the concept of right angle triangles and trigonometry using Geoboards as a visual aid. This practical approach helps them to grasp the theoretical concepts more effectively.
Furthermore, in a theoretical food GCSE lesson, the students progressed from theory to practice by making a stir fry. This hands-on experience enables them to apply their knowledge in a real-life situation and further develop their culinary skills.
In a GCSE geography lesson, the students learned about how meanders are formed. This topic not only expands their geographical knowledge but also encourages critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Additionally, a KS4 handball PE lesson was observed in which all students were actively engaged. Physical education plays a crucial role in maintaining the health and well-being of our students, and we are proud to see their enthusiasm in this area.
An Employability lesson was also observed, highlighting our commitment to preparing our students for life after Hollinwood Academy. These sessions equip them with important skills and knowledge needed for their future success.
Finally, a GCSE Maths lesson focused on solving equations. This topic helps to strengthen their mathematical problem-solving skills, which are essential for further academic and real-life applications.
A common theme observed throughout these lessons was the high level of engagement exhibited by all students. We take great pride in offering a rich and stimulating curriculum at Hollinwood Academy, which enables our students to flourish academically, creatively, and personally.
Over the past two weeks Mr Ottaway has taken primary and secondary students to the Etihad Campus to participate in football tournaments hosted by Manchester City. All the students involved showcased their talents and skills as well as showing great teamwork and sportsmanship. Every player was encouraged to uphold the values of fair play and respect for their opponents. Well done everyone and we look forward to attending the next tournament soon.
This week’s class blogs…
Miss Tootill’s class…
“A warm welcome back and a fantastic start for our current and new Year 6’s. Since returning to school at the start of September, myself and Miss Sutcliffe have seen a huge change in maturity, attitude towards learning and independence.
In Science we have continued to build our knowledge from year 4 of living things and habitats by exploring classifying animals. Within History we are developing our knowledge of World War 2 ahead of Remembrance Sunday and sharing key events throughout history.
This term we have promoted our class and school rules, and have continued to share and promote our HWA Stars. This term we welcome our caring stars and share our key school values with new children.
We hope this academic year our goals are achieved, we share our learning and making our final memories in Year 6.”
Mrs Datta’s class…
“Students in 11SUA have just been most wonderful and amazing.
They have settled in well and have taken up the challenge to face their GCSE year with resilience and determination.
In English we have been learning the techniques of narrative writing.
They are now ready to write their own story!
They have been doing their best in all the other subjects and they are clearly showing that they are up for every challenge!”
Mrs Nuttall’s class…
“In English we have been studying An Inspector Calls as part of our GCSE Literature course. The class have thoroughly enjoyed reading the play and are now developing their analytical skills further by taking a closer look at character development and key themes presented within the play.
In science they have been studying cells and learnt all about osmosis this week. They have also been carrying out experiments and looking at diffusion whilst in maths, the topic this week has been angles and looking at the different types.
In employability the class have been researching a range of careers and finding out about the grades needed to secure places at college. They feel like they have a good grasp of what they each need to achieve individually in order to achieve their goals.
In Spanish the class have been learning about tenses and holidays and in geography, they have been looking at the features of rivers such as meanders and erosion. They have also been studying the features of waterfalls.
In food technology, Bobby has been making stir fry as well as looking at different cutting techniques. In art, the class have been exploring the effects created by different textures as well as making stamps whilst the Duke of Edinburgh group have enjoyed a hike around Castleshaw.
We’ve had a fantastic week and wish everyone a great weekend!”
Here are this week’s Hollinwood stars of the week.
Mrs Lerigo’s star of the week is Effy for amazing sitting for learning and much improved attention at carpet time.
Mrs Lerigo’s caring star of the week is Louie for being caring to staff and giving caring squeezes.
Miss Hulme’s star of the week this week goes to Brooke for coming up with some fantastic ideas to use when writing her own stories.
Miss Tootill’s star of the week is for Lottie for completing her work.
Miss Tootill’s caring star of the week is for Millie for being a caring friend and dealing with change.
Mrs Matthew’s star of the week is for Eli for some good contributions in class.
Mrs McDonald’s star of the week is Logan for helping his friends in ICT.
Mrs McDonald’s caring star of the week is Jacob for having a super week and trying his best .
Mrs McDonald’s WOW moment of the week is Jason for turning his behaviour around when things got difficult.
Mrs Bramley’s star of the week is Diana and caring star of the week is Libby.
Mr Corrigan’s star’s of the week are:
Congratulations to: Maya
For a wonderful week and coping really well with change.
Caring STAR
Congratulations to: Faiha
For great listening this week.
WOW!
Congratulations to: Maya
For being proud of herself
Congratulations to: Stanley
For trying new things at lunch
Congratulations to: Mysha
For asking to go to the toilet
Miss Natalia’s star of the week is for Roma for putting her home toys away during lessons and accepting that she can only play with them on break time. Well done!
Miss Natalia’s star of the week is for Roman for accepting and seeking interaction with peers and showing enjoyment when it happens!
Mrs Quinn’s star of the week is for Ollie a great outdoor education session this week, following instructions!
Mrs Quinn’s caring star of the week is for Kai for developing connections with other people which has led to more ‘first words.’ Well done, Kai!
Mrs Datta’s star of the week is for Dekon from 11SUA for always doing his best in every lesson.
Mr Akhtar’s star of the week is for Trey for being persistent with his story telling planning. You had some super ideas; we are sure your final story will be amazing.
Mrs Cowling’s star’s of the week are:
Charlie 9SCG for being a superstar settling into Hollinwood and trying so hard in his lessons.
Hasnain 7HBY – fantastic performance in Spanish
Jamie 7HBY – fantastic oral work in Spanish
Jayden 10MBL – fantastic oral work in Spanish
Honey 10NNL – really impressed with her efforts in Spanish since coming back.
Mrs Farooqi’s star of the week is Oliver for trying his best in all of his lessons and always putting in effort in everything he does.
Mis Harris’s star’s of the week are Ibraheem and Harrison
Have a lovely weekend!
Mrs Needham
