Week 23
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As we come to the end of our first full week of this half term, it has been fantastic to see students quickly settle back into their routines and for our clubs, fixtures and trips to return in full swing. Some of our Year 8 students and staff were up incredibly early this morning to depart for their trip to Belgium and France at 3:15am! They arrived safely in France before 10am and we are looking forward to hearing more about their long, but enriching day exploring the battlefields and military cemeteries. Thank you to families who got the students to school so early and a huge thank you to the staff that have accompanied students on this trip.
Following on from our recent IT work over the half-term, we are aware that some students are having difficulty logging in to GCSE Pod to complete home learning and revision tasks. Please find attached a guide that will support students with revalidating their GCSE Pod accounts using their school Microsoft 365 accounts. Should you continue to have any difficulties logging in, please contact the school via form tutors.
With Ramadan now upon us in the month of March, we recognise that a number of our students and staff will be fasting and following the daily routine that comes with Ramadan. As a school, we will not be taking a list of students who are fasting but ask students to tell their teachers if it is appropriate. In PE, during this time, we are going to ask students to engage in all activities to the best of their ability. Teachers have planned for less intense activities and ensured that if students will be taking assessments, it is at the beginning of the day, where possible. Students will still be changing and taking part in physical education lessons, which have been planned with the awareness of some students fasting. The only exception to this, is at a competitive sporting fixture. PE teachers will be asking if anyone is fasting for their own health and wellbeing. Should a student feel unwell whilst fasting or need emergency care, we will carry out first aid and medical requirements as appropriate, ensuring we communicate with parents.
We have had a fabulous week throughout the school celebrating World Book Day with a whole school murder mystery and other activities taking place in the library every day. It’s great to have seen so many students engaging with reading and discussing and sharing the books they love.
Our Year 11 students have been taking their Modern Foreign Language mock speaking exams this week. These exams are an important part of their preparation for their final assessments and provide valuable experience in building confidence and fluency in a foreign language. Thank you for your continued support in helping our students succeed in their studies, we have been delighted with the effort and progress of our Year 11 students.
Tomorrow marks International Women’s Day, with this years’ theme being Accelerate Action for gender equality. Here at Watling Academy we are proud to actively support and provide opportunities for girls to succeed and achieve their potential, particularly in traditionally male-dominated fields such as sport and STEM. We have also shown commitment to accelerating action through our Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) workshops which are being delivered by a specialist team from the Safety Centre as part of our Wellbeing curriculum for Year 7 and 8 students. These engaging and impactful sessions aim to give students the confidence to recognise, and make a stand against, disrespectful behaviour and empower them with the individual responsibility to effect change.
You will be aware that there is a new crossing with traffic lights outside the school on Barrosa Way, replacing the zebra crossing. We have been assured by MK Council that the design of crossing is the most recent, encouraging users to look out for traffic whilst crossing. There are similar crossings installed outside other schools in MK. Users should only start to cross when the man/bicycle on the repeater panel is green, or they can hear the audible sound. At this point they have 40 seconds to cross. There are also sensors that would pick up people crossing slowly that might need extra time. Students should cross continuously and not stop at the island. Users should not start to cross if the sound has stopped. We will remind students of how to use this crossing safety in Tutorial.
Next week we are celebrating British Science week where we’ll be hosting a number of activities for Year 7 & 8 students. These include workshops run by Shimadzu, a global leader in analytical and measuring instruments, aimed at inspiring the next generation to explore careers in science, plus some after school sessions on Colourful Chemistry, Magnetic Levitation and Heart Dissection for Year 7 & 8 students – we look forward to seeing how the students get on.
Wishing you all a great weekend, let’s hope the sunny weather holds!
Mrs Fry
Headteacher
Sports Results
- Tuesday 4th March: Y8 Boys Football Vs Walton High 5-5 DRAW
- Wednesday 5th March: Y7 Boys Football Vs Walton High LOST 4-1
- Wednesday 5th March: Y10 Netball Tournament WON (see photo below)
- Thursday 6th March: Y7 Basketball Vs Oakgrove LOST
What’s happening next week?
Key events upcoming:
- Monday 10th March – British Science Week
- Monday 10th March – FOWA Meeting
- Tuesday 11th March – Y7 & 8 British Science Week Activity (after school)
- Thursday 13th March – Y7 & 8 British Science Week Activity (after school)
- Friday 14th March – Y7 & 8 British Science Week Activity (after school)
Sports Fixtures
- Monday 10th March – Y8 & 10 Basketball Vs Oakgrove
- Wednesday 12th March – U13 Indoor cricket tournament
- Wednesday 12th March – KS3 Rugby tournament
- Wednesday 12th March – Netball friendly Vs Walton High
- Wednesday 12th March – Y9 Netball Development tournament
- Wednesday 12th March – U16 girls football Vs Shenley Brook End
- Thursday 13th March – U15 Indoor cricket tournament
- Thursday 13th March – U16 & Y9 girls football Vs Denbigh
Updated dates for the diary…
