MagazineThe Heathfield Academy

ISSUE 15 - 19 October 2012

AvAilAble to view online: www.heathfield.leics.sch.uk

Heathfield’s

BIG day of

Science & Maths

see

page 4/5

Start of term Thanks to all students, staff and parents for contributing to a great start to term. The Year 7’s have settled in really well. We had a great Open Day and Evening, the students who helped were all fantastic ambassadors for the school and we are very proud of them. The Big Day of Science and Maths was a wonderful success and enabled over 170 Year 6 pupils to have a very enjoyable learning day at the Academy. We are now planning the Official Opening of the Academy ... watch this space!! Graham Jones

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Year 7 Parents’ Evening

Thanks to parents who came to this consultation. It was good to hear so much positive feedback about the youngsters’ first few weeks in school. Can I remind all parents that if you have any questions or concerns, no matter how small, please contact your child’s tutor.

Christmasreward trips

Letters for trips will be going out on the 29th October, please stick to the payment closing dates as requested. Copies of letters will be on the website if you haven’t got one, spare letters are also available from the school office. It is important to supply up to date emergency contact and medical details to the school office.

Uniformsummer will end this week! With effect from Monday 29th October normal school uniform must be worn by all students. WhIte shIrt and tIes - nO POLO shIrts PLease. See school website for more details of uniform requirements.

Please make sure all uniform is NamEd clearly!

Mobile PhonesPlease note that Mobile Phones are NOT allowed in school. If they are confiscated, a person with parental

responsibility must collect and sign for it at the school office.

YEar 8 gIrlS HPV INjEctIONS

During Year 8 all girls have the opportunity to receive HPV vaccinations.

On 12th September Wendy Turney, our school nurse, took an assembly with the Year 8 girls to explain the reasons for having the vaccinations and to answer any questions the girls had. Following this assembly information and consent forms were sent home for parents and carers of Year 8 girls.

On Tuesday 18th September the vaccination nurses came to Heathfield to give the first dose of the vaccine. To complete the course the girls need to have two more injections. The vaccination nurses will be returning to Heathfield on Tuesday 13th November 2012 and Tuesday 12th March 2013 to deliver the second and third injections of the course. As students will no longer be in summer uniform we ask the girls to bring their school PE polo shirts on these days and get changed into these at lunch time to make it easier both for the girls and the vaccination nurses.

If any girls are absent and miss any of the vaccination doses the vaccination nurses will arrange with the school to make up the missed injections at an appropriate time. All three of the doses need to be given for the vaccination to be fully effective.

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ParENtgOVErNOrS

There is still one vacancy for a parent on the Governing body of the Academy.

It is now even more important to have a full complement of parent governors. The governors will be making decisions about how the school develops as an academy, making sure the academy is properly run and ensuring that money is being spent wisely.

ANY parent can be a Governor, you do not need to have any particular skills or qualifications but you do need to care about the school being as good as it could possibly be and you do need to care about young people in our community.

If you would like to be a parent governor, or would just like more information please call the school office on 01455 842149 and either Graham Jones (Head) or Diane Buckingham (Clerk) will get back to you.

AttendanceTutor Groups with the best attendance for this half term are:

Year 7

7RHYear 8

8LDYear 9

9PH98.9% 97% 97.7%

PuPiL PREmium The Government believe that children from low income families underachieve compared with children from more well off families. The ‘Pupil Premium’ is an amount of money each school has to try to improve this situation. Much of this money will be spent on intervention work in school, but parents of children who have a free school meal, or who have been on a free school meal at any time in the last six years, or parents in a low income family or foster parents can ask the school for financial support to enable their child to do school activities, such as going on trips, that they would not be able to afford normally. Please call the school if you would like further details.

school Meals PriceThe cost of a school meal is now £2.25. This is also the maximum entitlement for pupils in receipt of free school meals. Please note that the office CANNOT give change for dinner money to go in the machines. Please make sure your child has the correct change or add funds onto the card via the internet.

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Big Day of

Doing Science in a different way was the order of the day. Putting each other inside giant bubbles proved to be very popular, having first worked out the best formula for the bubble mixture. In another laboratory the Year 6 students experimented with extremes of temperature, from peaks of several thousand degrees to below -780C.

Each year, as part of Curriculum Enhancement, Heathfield takes part in Operation Christmas Child - the world’s largest children’s Christmas project. Groups of pupils in years 7 and 8 were very busy during September, working with their tutors, putting together some shoeboxes full of toys, stationery, toiletries, hats and gloves. A non-uniform day at the end of September raised funds to contribute to the cost of transporting the boxes overseas.The boxes will be collected, along with those from other schools, churches, businesses and individuals from the local community, and sent to children in hospitals, orphanages, homeless shelters and poor communities around the world. In 2011, the Barwell, Earl Shilton and Hinckley area sent 1,546 boxes to Kazakhstan.

A big thank you to everyone who contributed in any way this year.

SHOE BOx aPPEal 2012

5...at Heathfield

The Year 6’s came to the scary maths department with a sense of nervousness and trepidation. They were all worried – after all, maths is hard, what will happen if they can’t do any of it? They should not have worried though, they soon realised that maths is, in fact, not scary at all and can be fun! All sorts went on throughout the day, including mul-tiplication bingo, the 24 game, the magi-mixer, logic cards and not to forget the unforgettable Maths Soccer!The pupils were soon enthusiastic and were having great fun, whilst at the same time, really impress-ing us teachers with their number skills and determination to solve different puzzles. Well done Year 6’s and we hope to see you again next year!

Meanwhile rockets were being built and launched, Daphnia were having their pulses taken, quite hard when they are less than a millimetre long, and food was being analysed.The day gave us the opportunity to showcase our subject and encourage students into it, for primary students to gain experience of secondary school and to experience Science in a fun way that would not be easy in a non-specialist classroom. It was great to see so many Year 6’s, they all impressed us with their eagerness to get involved.

Science& Maths

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Homework will often reinforce what a pupil has learnt in the lesson or give the opportunity for students to find out new information for themselves. It is important that all students complete their homework as this is an extremely important skill that is needed especially when they get to their Upper School and have to complete coursework. As teachers we can assess a student’s understanding of a subject by the homework they complete.At Heathfield we would expect:• Students to write clearly the homework task that they have been given and the date that it is due in. This means not just writing ‘sheet’.• Students to hand in their homework on the date that it is due in for.• Students to keep their homework in

a safe place until it is handed in e.g. a special homework folder.• Students to have seen the teacher well in advance of the due in date if they are unsure about the task or have lost the actual resources.• If a piece of homework is set on the VLE it is the student’s responsibility to know their login details and password. If they are struggling to get internet access at home they need to make other arrangements e.g. homework club.There is always help for students from members of staff to complete their homework.There is a homework club every lunchtime in ICT 1.If a pupil fails to do homework there will be a consequence e.g. an after school detention.

HOmEwOrk

HOmEwOrk tImEtaBlE clarIfIcatION Homework is not always set on the night specified in the planner but the period that the students have to do it should always include that night. For example if a teacher sets a homework on a Monday and the night for that subject homework is Wednesday the homework will not be collected until at least Thursday, so it can be done on the Wednesday. Thank you to parents who have contacted us about homework, it is always good to have feedback.

Student CounCilCongratulations to all our newly elected Student Councillors. If you have any items you want brought up in council meetings - please see your class representative.Year 77FT - Molly Goodhall, 7MR - Alfie Parry. 7RC - Lizzie Simmons, 7RH - Sophie Faulks, 7RM - Josh TaylorYear 88CC - Callam Smith, 8CM - Jacob Pears & Shanae Greet, 8LB - Jessica McVey, 8LD - Brad Smallman & Georgina Gardner, 8SS - Jess SmithYear 99AC - Kelsey Heathcote, 9EC - Kyle Olner & Owen Hughes, 9JT - Abbie Williams, 9PH - Abbie Howard, 9TW - Jessica Redshaw & Sophie Sweeney

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PE - SP rtS NEwS

PE Extra-Curricular Programme Autumn 2012

DAY LUNCHTIMES 12.10-12.55 AFTER SCHOOL 3.O5-4.15

Monday Year 8/9 Tutor Group Netball JB Year 8/9 Rugby practice RH

Cross-Country practice (all years) JB and coach Year 7 Boys’ Football RH

Tuesday Year 9 Tutor Group Rugby RH Year 7/8 Tutor Group Football RH Gymnastics Club (all years) JB

Wednesday Year 9 Tutor Group Rugby RH Year 7/8 Tutor Group Football RH Year 8/9 Tutor Group Netball JB

Girls’ Football (all years) JB Year 8 Boys’ Football FT

Thursday Year 9 Tutor Group Rugby RH Year 7/8 Tutor Group Football RH

Year 8 & 9 Netball practice JB NETBALL & FOOTBALL FIXTURES

Friday Year 7 Netball practice JB

Year 7 boys Football team results Vs. Mount Grace (Lost 7-0)Vs. Dixie Grammar (Won 4-2)Vs. Hastings (Lost 9-0)Vs. Redmoor (Lost 7-0)Vs. Abington (County Cup 1st round - Lost 3-0)Vs. Market Bosworth (Lost 8-0)

Year 8 boys Football team results Vs. Mount Grace (Lost 2-4)Vs. Hastings (Lost 2-3)Vs. Thomas Estly (Lost 2-5) Vs. Redmoor (Lost 1-5)Vs. Market Bosworth (Lost 1-4)Next fixture is away at St Martins on the 31st October.

Year 9 boys Football team results Vs. Mount Grace (Lost 6-3)Vs. Dixie Grammar (Won 3-0)

Girls netball resultsMount Grace yr7 Lost 14-2yr8 Lost Yr9 Lost 13-3 Dixie GrammarYr7 Lost 7-1Yr8 Won 2-1 Hastings yr7 Lost 7-4

Yr8 Lost 8-6Yr9 Lost 18-2Redmooryr7 Lost 7-2Yr8 Won 6-0Yr 9 Lost 7-6 Market Bosworth High SchoolYr7 Lost 9-1Yr8 Lost 10-3Yr9 Lost 20-2

TuTor GrouP coMPeTiTions:

Year 9 Tutor Group rugbyWinners: 9PH, Runners Up: 9AC Year 8 Tutor Group football Winners: 8LD, Runners Up: 8CM

Heathfield Indoor Rowing team have also taken part in the Hinckley and Bosworth School Games Indoor Rowing Competition. Heathfield came 9th.

u14 Girls Football leagueRedmoorWon 2-1Mount GraceWon 5-3

Market Bosworth High SchoolLost 4-0St MartinsWon 14-1

OcTObER19th Break-upforHalfTerm3.05pm29th BacktoschoolNOvEmbER 13th Yr8GirlsHPVInjections16th Non-uniformday ChildreninNeed20th SchoolXCounty23rd InvolvementReports sentouttoParents27th ThemeDayDEcEmbER 3rd GovernorsMeeting6.30pm6th ParentsEvening(allyears)7th LanguagesDayTrip13th ChristmasConcert19th RewardsAfternoon

Diary/What’s on

Kindle Club!

Mondaysafter school in

the drama studio‘til 4.15pm

refreshments available!

Starts after Half Term

read the latest

releases on our CoMfy

beanbag Cushions!...see Mrs Coley for more details

On Sunday 14th October, Mr Holmes and Miss Staples took part in the Leicester Half-Marathon (13.1 miles) in aid of the British Heart Foundation. The starting point for the race was Victoria Park, Leicester on a cold, but very sunny Sunday morning. Over 1,800 athletes took part in the half marathon, including ex-Heathfield Maths teacher, Mr McSorley. Miss Staples and Mr Holmes set off at a fast pace over the first few miles; however, after being overtaken by somebody in a fancy dress sunflower costume, Mr Holmes decided to increase the pace a little more. The final mile of the route took the runners uphill, through New Walk (a massive hill for the final mile!) and finally back into Victoria Park where they were greeted by hundreds of spectators waiting for friends and family at the finishing line. Mr Holmes finished with a personal best time of 1 hour 43 minutes, whilst Miss Staples clocked a personal best time of 1 hour 55 minutes and then raced off for a well-earned McDonalds!!So far, their fundraising for the British Heart Foundation has reached £369. You can still donate to their chosen charity by visiting the following website www.justgiving.com/teams/TheheathfieldDuo or by giving money to Mrs Walker or Mrs Smith in the school office.There’s also talk of doing the full 26.2 mile marathon in 2013…. Although, at the moment, Miss Staples might need some more convincing!

Leicester Half-Marathon