December 2019

Dear Parents/Carers,

Welcome to the Christmas Newsletter. There have been amazing things happening this term and we start with a group of student on top of the world.

The Annual Maplefields Longtown Year 8 residential took place this term. A ragtag cohort of excited

students and staff set off on a chilly December morning, and, after a brief crawl along the M6 headed

down to the cold but cosy Longtown centre; nestled amongst the foothills of the Brecon Beacons.

Students piled out of the (now slightly smelly) minibus, unloaded into their rooms and were

immediately out in the elements sliding through mud and heaving each other over 12 foot walls! After

the first challenge, the students then discovered the home cooking delights of Doris, the Longtown

cook, and after gorging themselves on chicken and potato wedges they were out once again. This time,

navigating through the frosty night time fields with only their head torches, a map and each other to

find 18 hidden way points

The next day saw the mountain challenge: students had to scramble and hike to the

top of the mountain named Red Darren. Despite some extreme elevations, deep drops

and steep scrambles all of the students faced their fears and completed the entire 6

mile circuit. On day three the group went caving. The students squeezed, scraped and

crawled through the darkness of the Porth Yr Ogoth cave system; at times crawling

chest deep through icey water and tight tunnels in the near pitch black. The group

showed immense bravery, resilience and team work to work their way through

obstacles with such fearsome names as The Toilet, The Letter Box and The Washing

Machine! Whilst the students emerged from the darkness of the caves cold, tired and

wet all of them had proved their ability to face the most difficult of tasks and conquer

them.

The final day saw the students once again wading through ice cold December water;

this time hiking in and out of a mountain valley, through rivers and underneath

glorious waterfalls. All the students completed the task which finished with a steep

scrambled up and back to the mini bus. The Year 11 helpers once again showed their

maturity by helping to ‘spot’ the other members of the group as the climbed this

intimidating incline. The drive home to Maplefields was a quiet one. After a week of

adventures the students were deservedly tired and (it is to be hoped) proud of all they

had achieved. Over the course of the week new friendships were formed and trials

overcome. With every challenge each and every student proved just how capable and

fearless they really are!

Key Stage 3 and 4 Nuture classes had an amazing time at Beckworth Emporium for our Christmas Reward Trip. Students and staff enjoyed 45 minutes of skating, laughing and showing off their skills or tumbles on the ice! This was followed by a delicious lunch in the Ice Café which included hot doughnuts with chocolate dip! Both Staff and Students would like to say Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year !!

Green class enjoyed their Christmas party.

They played games and ate lots of yummy food.

Primary, Year 7 and Nurture all enjoyed a Panto of Dick Whittington.

Children even got up on stage to participate.

Blue Class have been getting into the festive

spirit towards the end of term 2.

We all joined in with Christmas jumper day to raise money for charity

and then spent our maple points on a Christmas party at the Bistro.

Blue Class Love Christmas!

The Form Captain Reunion

This is the Form captain reunion from last year. Students each represented their form’s voice throughout the year making changes such as the lunchtime menu and golden time activities. They also represented the student-body during the interview process for new staff and were invited on additional trips as guess role models. This Picture shows Last year’s group including one post 16 guest at New York thunder bowl where they enjoyed bowling and playing pool in teams.

The next Generation:

Secondary students took part in our own election this term, they took time to consider and vote in new form captains for this year, those successful will represent the forms at meetings to ensure that our students have a voice in school. They will work with the Head teacher to help shape the future of Maplefields.

Learning to cook…. Let us make sure we

have breakfast covered

Cooking and eating play a huge part in life at Maplefields.

We’re really proud that all children will have chance to learn

about planning and preparing meals form themselves and

their families.

The full english is a special treat that always goes down

well with the children, staff and even the odd Deputy Head!

If you would like more information about learning to cook

with your children please contact us and ask about our

family projects.

*Some of our children prefer not to have their faces shared but

we don’t want anyone to feel left out so you will see the smiley

sticker hiding their identity.

Parents & Carers Group: If you would like to meet and talk with other parents and carers in an informal, relaxed setting then we would love to invite you to join our Parents & Carers group. We meet most Thursdays at school and can help with transport if that’s an issue. Email Carla Johnstone at school on c.johnstone@maplefields.northants.sch.uk for more information.

Contact Us: If you have any questions about your child’s time at Maplefields or wish to speak to someone with a question or concern please use this link to email the PA to the Senior Leadership team and we’ll be in touch. www.maplefieldsacademy.co.uk/contact-details/

This term six primary students took part in a New Age Kurling match against RedKite Academy. All pupils involved in the match had a brilliant time and shown excellent sportsmanship throughout the afternoon. This was an opportunity to prepare for a competition which will be taking place in January with lots of other schools in the county…so hopefully with some more practice we will be able to win the competition in January!