Newsletters37

>5

>10

>12

INA Principal's Newsletter

10 July 2015

Announcements Lost Property We have a number of items in lost property that need to be claimed.

Items include – Coats PE bags Trainers T-shirts Art folders Pencil cases And lots more….

If students have lost anything please could they come and check for their items in lost property before the end of next week.

Any items left over on Monday 20 July will be disposed of.

Dear Parents and Carers,

W

e have had another great week at INA! On Wednesday evening we held our first ever Sports Awards, where the achievements of many individual and team players was recognised and celebrated. Ms Abbott-Jones and the students at Phillips Exeter joined us via skype. Many thanks to Mr Beattie, Ms Hutson and Mr Healey for organising a great evening.

Next week I am sure that many of you will be joining us on either Wednesday or Thursday evening for our end of year Art exhibition and production of Oliver!

Tickets are available from the school office.

Many members of our school community will be celebrating Eid at the end of next week. If Eid falls on Saturday, we would expect all students to be in school on Friday 17th July. However, it is possible that Eid will be on Friday, in which case we would want to support students in marking the festival with their families and religious communities. Last year a number of parents requested that their son/daughter be permitted to go to mosque first thing in the morning, returning to school later in the day. Others asked for their child to be released early on the day of Eid. A small number requested the whole day off school due to the need to travel considerable distances to celebrate Eid with family members. All absence for religious observance has to be requested in advance, using a Request for Absence form, available from the Primary and Secondary school offices. If you would like us to consider a request for absence for a part day or maximum of one day, you need to collect a form, complete it with full details of the circumstances of your request and return it to the academy as far in advance of Friday as possible.

You will find details of end of term arrangements in this edition of the newsletter.

Year 9 students have their Awards Assembly on the evening of Monday 20th July and then do not come to school the next day. Years 7 and 8 have their Assemblies on the morning of Tuesday 21st July and will be dismissed at 1.20pm. Reception children have their assembly at 10am on Tuesday 21st July and will be dismissed at 1.40pm. We encourage all parents and carers to attend their child’s Assembly.

This year’s secondary Awards Assemblies will include a fantastic performance of Stevie Wonder’s Pastime Paradise from the band who played at the Barbican Ark Gala. Every single student in the school auditioned for a place in the band and those picked spent nearly a whole term preparing their parts and intricate choreography for the performance. As well as Big Band performers, you’ll also be to hear from some of our most accomplished Dhol drummers. Not to be missed!

And finally, secondary parents will be aware that on Tuesdays we close an hour earlier than the other days of the week to allow time for on-going staff training development. This has proved to be very beneficial. From the start of next term, the primary school too will finish at 3pm each Tuesday, so that the primary staff can join in with this professional development. We are aware that this may present some inconvenience to some families, so wanted to give you several weeks’ notice to make the necessary arrangements. We have compared our start and finish times with those of all the local primary schools and, even with the early close on Tuesdays, our school week is approximately 2 hours longer than most. We will run our after school club from 3pm each Tuesday at the usual hourly rate.

With all best wishes,

2 INA Newsletter

achel Macfarlane, RP rincipal

>

>>> News

Year 9 End of Key Stage 3 Awards Ceremony Monday 20th July 6.00-7.00pm

We are holding a special awards ceremony for Year 9s to mark the end of Key Stage 3. Students will go home at the end of the school day and return to school at 5.45pm, dressed formally in their finest outfits, to meet with their tutors, co tutors and tutor groups in preparation for the ceremony. The awards ceremony will commence at 6.00pm.

We would like every student to be represented by a parent/carer at the ceremony. Due to seating restrictions, we are only able to accommodate 2 adults per family and no guests under the age of 16 years. Tickets will be distributed on 6th July. Parents must bring their ticket to gain entry – one ticket per person. Parents/carers and students are invited to stay for refreshments at the end of the ceremony.

Year 9 students will work from home on 21st July, the last day of term. Please note that awards assemblies for Year 7 and 8 students will take place on Tuesday 21st July and all Year 7 and 8 are expected to attend school on this day.

Ms Spencer Vice Principal

On Tuesday 21st July we will be holding our final awards assemblies of this academic year. This is an opportunity for everyone to formally celebrate the students’ achievements in the Summer Term. There will be an assembly for each year group. Please note the times as follows: Year 7 Year 8

8.50-09:50am 12pm-1pm

At the assemblies we will be presenting awards in recognition of students’ academic progress and attainment, personal progress, development of their BRIDGES dispositions, and amount of merits gained. Excellent attendance and punctuality will also be celebrated. It is also a great opportunity for you to see some examples of the activities your child has been participating in this term.

It would be fantastic if every student is represented by a parent or carer at their year groups’ Awards Assembly. If you would like to attend, please ask your son/daughter to collect a ticket for the awards assembly from his/her form tutor. Due to limited capacity in the viewing gallery, we are unable to accommodate very many additional family members. However, if you would like a second place, please notify the school office and we will do our best to allocate an additional ticket.

I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday 21st July.

Please get your ticket as soon as possible and remember to request a second ticket which we may be able to accommodate.

Jennifer Byrne Pastoral Leader for Year 8, i/c of Praise and Recognition

INA Newsletter 3

Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th July 2015 Doors open from 6:15 for our Art Exhibition Performance begins at 7:00pm Tickets are on sale from July 1st 2015 Adult ticket -­‐ £1 Children ticket 50p

4 INA Newsletter

Secondary enrichments have been cancelled for

Wednesday 15th July and Thursday 16th July.

This is

so members of the school community have the opportunity to attend the school’s production of Oliver Twist which will be on the days mentioned.

Contact Ms Clarke or the lead enrichment teacher of your son/daughter enrichment if you have any queries.

BRIDGES to Africa On Sunday 14th June the London Club took part in a 10km charity walk across the 10 famous bridges of London!

During the day we were able to soak up and savour many of the iconic sites and buildings of London including the Houses of Parliament, the South Bank, St Paul’s Cathedral and Tower of London!

The walk was in aid of Promoting Equality in African Schools (PEAS) which builds affordable schools in Uganda and Zambia. Students were asked to fundraise a minimum of £10 and I am delighted that the grand total raised by the group was £475!

A special mention must go to Keanna and Jainna Bhalla for fundraising £100 each. Well done!

Ms Alibhai-Watson, Assistant Principal INA Newsletter 5

Humanities Trip to Ypres – 2 Places Left To commemorate the centenary of World War One and to complement the year 9 History, Languages and English curriculum, the Humanities department will be running a one day school trip to Ypres in Belgium on the 23rd October 2015. This will be a trip where students will be shown the battlefields of World War One, they will look at the poetry which stemmed from this area of Belgium and they will spend some time in the town centre putting their French to good use.

Due to unforeseen circumstances we have 2 places available on the trip. The trip is open to all students currently in year 8. If your son or daughter is interested in going to Belgium, please ask them to get a letter from Ms Balsdon (Head of Humanities).

6  INA Newsletter

The Mathematics department would like to thank all students for participating in the competition.

INA Newsletter 7

Praise and Recognition

Form Totals Year 7 N A S I W C T E

Merits 1738 1671 1585 1493 1448 1419 1291 1259

Year 8 T E A I N S W C

1258 1136 1085 1063 1059 1027 960 766

Year 9 W N E S T I A C

1045 993 964 805 784 696 605 603

52.00 50.43 49.39 49.32 48.32 44.65 41.74 34.82

Year 9 W N E T S I C A

45.43 45.08 41.91 35.64 35.00 31.64 27.41 26.30

Form Averages Year 7 A N S I W C E T

72.65 72.42 72.05 64.91 62.96 61.70 57.23 56.13

Year 8 T N E A I S W C

1 s t p l a c e : N ( 3 7 9 0 m e r i t s) 3 r d p l a c e : S ( 3 4 1 7 m e r i t s)

Jennifer Byrne Year 8 Pastoral Leader, i/c Praise and Recognition

8  INA Newsletter

ATTENDANCE

Regular attendance is a crucial factor in students’ educational development and ability to achieve their full potential.

At Isaac Newton Academy every student is set the target of 100% attendance. We know that attendance has a direct link to progress, and would urge you to really consider if a day off school is necessary.

Results for last week

7A 7E 7T 7W 7N 7S 7I 7C

98.9% 98.3% 97.8% 97.7% 97.3% 95.5% 94.6% 94.3%

Year Groups

8C 8A 8S 8I 8T 8E 8W 8N

100% 98.9% 97.8% 97.7% 96.4% 96.2% 95.7% 91.7%

9A 9N 9W 9T 9S 9I 9E 9C

97.8% 96.6% 95.7% 95.5% 94.6% 93.2% 92.9% 90.9%

Year 8 96.8% Year 7 96.8% Year 9 94.7%

Leanne Abbott-Jones Year 9 Pastoral Leader INA Newsletter 9

The BRIDGES focus for the fortnight Monday 13th July – Tuesday 21st July is:

Transferring

James Morrison is a multi-instrumental Australian jazz musician. Widely known for his trumpet playing, Morrison has also performed on soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones, clarinet, flugelhorn, bass trumpet, trombone, euphonium, tuba, double bass, guitar and piano. He transferred his trumpet-playing skills to other instruments when he took on the challenge of learning to play all of the big band instruments. Through learning all of the big band instruments, he is able to understand range in the big band, the technical challenges, how a big band works and what to expect from his musicians.

In 2013 he conducted the World's Largest Orchestra in Brisbane, comprising 7,224 musicians.

In 2015 Morrison opened the James Morrison Academy of Music, a dedicated jazz school offering a degree in Jazz performance, thus transferring to others his skills, experience and knowledge.

Morrison also composed and performed the fanfare at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Transferring Using the skill and knowledge learnt in one subject/situation and applying to another.

Behaviours Being able to transfer skills and information across subjects, making links between subjects, skill sets and experiences.

Top tips Students When you are learning, make links with other subjects and situations to help you learn more effectively and efficiently.

In your BRIDGES journal, record and reflect on the different transferable skills you use during the week.

Parents Discuss your transferable skills with your son/daughter. Explain when you use them and why it’s important to be able to do this.

Discuss how you have learnt from your mistakes and how you transfer the lessons you have learned to other situations.

Jo Spencer, Vice Principal 10  INA Newsletter

INA Newsletter 11

Music Ensemble

P r imar

e t a y Up d

The Primary staff and pupils were treated to a fantastic music ensemble by the Secondary students on Thursday afternoon. The students staged a fabulous music concert both in the playground and in the dining hall. Ms Harris summed it up by saying the Reception children ‘had a blast’; they were certainly entertained and engrossed. At the end of the session the Music teachers invited the Reception pupils to ask questions about the music and the instruments.

A big thank you to both the Secondary staff and students!

Discover Children’s Story Centre To celebrate the end of a super year and to round off our superhero/heroine topic the children will all be visiting the Discover Children’s Story Centre in Stratford. The children will be able to enjoy a range of hands-on activities and sessions provided. To find out more information please visit the following site http://www.discover.org.uk/.

Newton class and Maxwell class will be out on Tuesday 14th July, and Curie class on Wednesday 15th July. The trip will take place during normal school hours with children dropped off and collected as usual.

Afterschool Club will run as usual on both days. Enrichment clubs will run as usual on Tuesday 14th July, since Curie Class will be remaining in school that day. We are happy for the children in Maxwell and Newton classes to go to the Enrichment clubs but fully understand if parents prefer to collect their child and take them home at 3.45pm.

12 INA Newsletter

Primary Parents’ Progress Meetings – Thursday 16th July Thank you for promptly signing up for your appointments for next week’s Parents’ Progress Meetings. We look forward to sharing your child’s work and progress with you. The Primary will finish early on Thursday 16th July at 12.00pm to enable the staff time to set up the children’s work. Your child’s end of year report has been placed in your child’s book bag. We ask that you complete the section on the last page with your comments, along with comments from your child, and bring this along with you to your appointment next week.

Superhero Themed Day – Monday 20th July To celebrate the children’s successes and achievements and to end their Reception year we have decided to have a Superhero themed day on Monday 20th July.

Children and staff will come to school in a superhero costume of their choice (real or made up!) Please do not feel you have to go and buy a costume – homemade efforts are valued and welcomed!

During our superhero day we will have themed activities and games, and a small class party with a few nibbles and drinks. Please do not send any food or drink in to school as we have many different allergies and diets in the year group and need to provide specific foods.

We look forward to seeing costumes and having a super end to the year!

Celebration and Awards Assembly – Tuesday 21st July At the end of every term the children enjoy the opportunity to share and celebrate some of their learning and achievements with you. We would like to invited you all attend.

We hope that you will be able to join us.

We will be finishing early on Tuesday 21st July at 1.40pm.

Lost Property There are a number of items in the lost property box at reception, we have checked but can’t find any names inside the garments. If you think that at item may belong to your child, then please pop into reception and ask to have a look through.

INA Newsletter 13

Well done to the following children, who have been recognised this week!

Curie Class: Inaaya Ijaz – Headteacher’s Habits Award (for being independent, organised and very mature.)

Sayef Ahmed – Scholar of the Week (for putting lots of effort into his learning and big improvements in behaviour and attitude.)

Maxwell Class: Casian Ionut Toaca – Headteacher’s Habits Award (for trying so hard to make good choices.)

Kisa Fatima– Scholar of the Week (for great money learning in maths.)

Newton Class: Nadia Khan – Headteacher’ Habits Award (for being very organised and focussed with her learning – well done.)

Meerab Dar – Scholar of the Week (for fully applying herself to her learning, showing a big improvement especially in literacy and maths – well done.)

14 INA Newsletter

Primary Praise and Recognition

E

very week each teacher chooses two children from their class to receive a certificate in assembly, one in recognition of a child demonstrating our BRIDGES habit of the week, and the other in recognition of a . pupil’s academic effort throughout the week.

Janeefa Khezar Arsal Anjum Riyen Shah The following pupils have received 50 or more merits since September for making good choices and moving up to gold on the class ‘good choice chart’ – this is fantastic achievement. A special ‘silver’ certificate will be presented during Friday’s assembly.

Amber Carless Headteacher’s Lunch Well done to the following pupils who have been nominated for the Headteacher’s Lunch for Monday 20th July; an invitation will be given to the children during our Celebration and Awards Assembly. This will be the last Headteacher’s Lunch this academic year. It has been a real pleasure watching the children develop their dining habits, becoming more independent and courteous and trying new foods. I have enjoyed every Headteacher’s Lunch this year and look forward to inviting the children to dine with me again once they are in Year 1.

Zairah Ali Mariam Faheem Aariz Khan Milan Richards Aayan Hussain Ibrahim Ijaz Amber Carless

Primary Praise and Recognition

The following pupils have received 25 or more merits since September for making good choices and moving up to gold on the class ‘good choice chart’ – this is fantastic achievement. A special ‘bronze’ certificate will be presented during the Celebration and Awards Assembly.

INA Newsletter 15

At Isaac Newton Academy every student is set the target of 100% attendance.

The class with the highest attendance at the end of every week is awarded the attendance trophy during Friday’s Award & Recognition assembly.

Curie

98.3%

Maxwell

97%

Newton

97.1%

Overall

97.1%

For the second week in a row, we have Curie Class as our winners! We have one more full week of term left so let’s see if one of the classes can make it to 100% next week and really end on a high note!

It is important that the children attend school every day and do not miss any learning. Thank you for your support in ensuring your child is at school every day 16 INA Newsletter

ATTENDANCE

Regular attendance is a crucial factor in students’ educational development and ability to achieve their full potential.

"We build too many walls and not enough bridges.” Isaac Newton BRIDGES are habits of mind or learning characteristics that develop a pupil's character and learning power and enable him/her to grow into a well-rounded individual and resilient learner.

There are seven BRIDGES habits that we will be working on, which will rotate on a weekly cycle throughout the year. The BRIDGES habit of the week will always be introduced at the beginning of the week during the Monday assembly and reinforced throughout the week across the curriculum. Each class teacher will award a certificate to a pupil that they feel has demonstrated the BRIDGES focus for the week.

Each week we will update you on the BRIDGES habit that will be introduced in the coming week and offer some top tips on how to reinforce the habit at home too. Please also refer to the Primary BRIDGES wheel above Week commencing 13th July – Bravery Bravery Displaying habits of courage, leadership, experimentation, risk-taking and optimism.

At home and school: As the children will soon be moving into Year 1, it is important that they demonstrate how to be a good Isaac Newton ambassador and citizen by role-modelling excellent BRIDGES habits every day.

We encourage the children to try new things every day, whether it is a food that they have not tried before or new activities that they may not normally choose during the afternoon sessions. The children will have the opportunity this week to visit the Discover Children’s Story Centre in Stratford which will give the pupils a chance to experience and experiment with hands-on activities. I am sure they will have a lot of fun.

Tam Broadway, Head of Primary

INA Newsletter 17

Parent Information Board Future Key Dates Tuesday 14th July (Newton Class and Maxwell Class), Wednesday 15th July (Curie Class) Primary Parents’ Progress Meetings – Thursday 16th July Superheroes Theme Non-Uniform Day – Monday 20th July End of Term Recognition and Awards Assembly – Tuesday 21st July Last Day of Term - Tuesday 21st July

Guided Reading Please remember to bring your child’s ‘guided reading’ book back on the correct day.

Your child also has a home record book for you to write your comments about your child’s reading and progress. You could also include any extension activities that you may have done with the book too. Thank you for your support. If in the rare event a book is lost or damaged, we will ask parents/carers to pay for the cost of replacing the book.

18 INA Newsletter

Key Dates for 2015 Summer Term Monday 20th April - Tuesday 21st July Tuesday 14th July Reception parents meeting Ark Athletics Championship Wednesday 15th & Thursday 16th July School Production Monday 20th July Year 9 Awards Assembly 6pm Tuesday 21st July End of Term Award Assemblies

Autumn Term Monday 7th September - Friday 18th December Half Term 26th - 30th October INSET days: Monday 2nd November and Wednesday 25th November Spring Term Monday 4th January - Thursday 24th March Half Term 15th - 19th February INSET days: Monday 4th January and Friday 12th February Summer Term Monday 11th April - Wednesday 20th July Half Term 30th May - 3rd June INSET days: Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th June

Friday 8th July

INA Newsletter 19