Principal’s Newsletter

Friday 24th October 2014

As our first half term comes to an end, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate all our new students on a great start to life at INA. It was good to see so many parents of Year 7 students at the Settling In Evening on Wednesday. I hope that you found the presentations helpful and informative. If you were not able to attend, please view the slides on the website under the community tab. Thank you to the Friends of Isaac Newton Academy (FIONA) for the delicious refreshments. It has been a week full of musical excitement! The Year 7s all took their new instruments home and we look forward to hearing the results of their half term practice. We were entertained last night by many excellent musicians at our termly Music Recital. Well done to all the performers and a big thank you to Mr Morgan for organising the event. Today around half of our Year 9 students set off at 4am for Ypres, Belgium, to visit the World War One Battlefields and hear the Last Post at the Menin Gate. We look forward to hearing all about their amazing experience after half term. Thank you to all of you who have been supporting us in ensuring that students can arrive and leave the school safely by not driving down Cricklefield Place at the start and end of the school day. I am aware that it is not easy to find nearby places to park but we would appreciate it if you did not block access to garages off the High Road when dropping your son/daughter. Also we have been asked to respectfully remind you that the Cauliflower pub car park is currently a building site and not a safe place to drop off students. I am in discussions with the Highways Department, the Traffic Enforcement Team and one of the Clementswood councillors to find a satisfactory way for parents to bring their children safely to school without jeopardising the safety of those who walk. In the meantime, thank you for your patience. I wish you all a great half term break. May I remind you that there is no school for primary or secondary students on Monday 3rd November due to staff training. The reception children return on Tuesday 4th November at 8.45am and the secondary students on Wednesday 5th at 8.25am.

Rachel Macfarlane, Principal

Parental Workshops at INA

This year we are keen to develop opportunities for parents to support their child’s learning. We will be hosting a number of parental workshops over the course of the year including sessions on:

Phonics (for Primary parents) on 19th November 2014

BRIDGES on 22nd January

Independent Learning on 20th November 2014

Understanding reports on 24th February 2015

Applying to University on 6th May 2015

Sugra Alibhai-Watson, Assistant Principal

Uniform

I would like to take this opportunity to thank parents and carers for supporting the school uniform policy this half term. Students have worn their school uniform with pride and have looked very smart. As the autumn weather starts to set in, I would respectfully remind parents/carers of our uniform policy with regards to outdoor clothing and footwear. Shoes Boys: Plain black school shoes (any laces must be black). Girls: Plain black, low-heeled shoes (any laces must be black). Boots of any kind are not permitted. This includes Kicker boots. Outdoor Clothing Outdoor coats must be plain black. No leather or denim jackets or hoodies are permitted. Hats, gloves and scarves must be plain black. Headscarves Must be official INA ones. Jo Spencer Vice Principal

Lunch Queue for Autumn 2

We rotate the order in which students go into lunch on a half termly basis. From the start of the new half term students will go into lunch in the following order: Year 9 1.00pm Year 7 1.10pm Year 8 1.20pm Jo Spencer Vice Principal

Who is that with Zayd Selant??

On Wednesday this week Christiano Ronaldo had a once in a lifetime experience. No, not playing in the Liverpool v Real Madrid qualifier for the Champions League, but getting to walk out onto the pitch with INA’s own Zayd Selant. That’s a moment he will never forget!

London Club Trip to The Museum of Childhood and the Hackney City Farm

Last Saturday Ms Balsdon, Ms Davies and Ms Macfarlane took us out and about in London. At 9:00am, we had to meet at Seven Kings station. We went down the stairs and as we arrived the train also arrived. We headed straight for Stratford. When we reached Stratford we then sat on another train and went to Bethnal Green. We had a 5 minute walk from the station to the museum. Then we had to get into a group of 4 and went exploring. After an hour and a half we all sat together and had lunch. After we ate, we went exploring for half an hour. We then all walked to Hackney

City Farm, which was a 10 minute walk, and when we arrived there were chickens everywhere. And when we went even more into the farm we could see pigs, chickens, ducks, bulls and goats. Later we went to a park and played on the swings. Finally, we sat on the train and came back home. Hafsa, 7T

Well done to the following students who are this week’s Mathematicians of the Moment. Please collect a

merit from Ms Gohil.

Praise and RecognitionAt INA, we aim to provide a stimulating, challenging and rewarding learning environment which supports learning, celebrates achievement and encourages everyone. Awarding merits, the student portfolios, informal praise in class and the end of term awards assemblies are all part of this. Please speak to your child/children on a regular basis to see how many merits they have and how they are working towards the different awards on offer.

Merits Students can receive merits for achievement, progress, contribution, or any of the BRIDGES dispositions. If students have achieved 25 merits by the end of the term, they get a bronze certificate; 50 merits leads to a silver certificate; 100 merits brings home the gold. We’ve also created the Platinum Award for anyone that achieves over 125 merits.

The fourth week’s totals are in! Congratulations to everyone in N across the three year groups as you have 579 merits in total. Second place is currently held by W with 569 merits in total and third place is held by S with 524 merits.

Don’t forget to check out the Praise and Recognition notice board and the digital screens to see if you are

mentioned as one of the merit stars of that week and to see what certificates are up for grabs at the end of

each term!

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

Year 7 Year 8 Year 9

S 255 E 211 W 251

C 249 N 191 N 242

A 228 I 189 C 147

T 189 A 187 T 141

E 174 T 181 E 123

W 156 S 166 A 109

N 146 W 162 S 103

I 141 C 126 I 82

Revised all through menu for next half term

Lunch Menu Week 1

Lunch Menu Week 2

Lunch Menu Week 3

ALLERGENS:

(D) DAIRY (E) EGG (G) GLUTEN (M) MUSTARD (S) SOYA

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. Well done to 8E for meeting the 100% attendance target last week. We would like to see more forms achieving this target every week, as the form with the highest attendance at the end of every term is awarded the attendance trophy. It is always a very close competition, right up until the day of the awards assembly, and everything can change. Last week form scores

7C 99% 8E 100% 9W 99%

7E 99% 8C 99% 9T 98.5%

7T 99% 8N 98% 9E 98.1%

7A 98.1% 8S 97.1% 9I 97.5%

7A 95.7% 8I 96.6% 9N 97.5%

7S 94% 8T 96% 9C 97%

7W 94% 8A 94.5% 9S 95.2%

7N 88.6% 8W 94.3% 9A 90.4%

Year groups

Leanne Abbott-Jones Year 9 Pastoral Leader

The BRIDGES focus for the fortnight Monday 3rd November – Friday 14th November is

Managing Distractions

Judit Polgár is a Hungarian chess grandmaster and an expert at managing distractions. She is by far the strongest female chess player in history. Polgár achieved the title of Grandmaster at the age of 15 years, at the time the youngest to have done so. She is the only woman to qualify for a World Championship tournament. She has been the Number 1 rated woman in the world since 1989 (when she was 12 years old) and has defeated ten current or former world champions in either rapid or classical chess. Polgár has trained herself to be mentally focused and to block out any inner distractions such as her thoughts and feelings, and external distractions such as the audience, other competitors and background noise when she is competing in tournaments. Managing Distractions Recognising and reducing distractions; knowing when to walk away and refresh yourself. Focusing on a specific task and ignoring things that could take your attention away from the task. Creating your own ideal environment for learning. Behaviours Being focused; listening to teachers or peers, even when there are other distractions; being able to learn regardless of personal or emotional distractions; finding the right environment to learn in; starting each day and lesson with a fresh attitude. Top tips Students Turn off your phone and the TV when completing I/L to create a distraction-free learning environment. Only play the type of music that helps you to focus. Focus on exactly what you want to achieve in a particular time slot and stick to it. If a person is distracting you, tell him/her that he/she are distracting you and what it is that he/she are doing which is causing the distraction. Parents Create a learning space for your son/daughter away from distractions. Talk to your son/daughter about how you manage your distractions both at home and at work. Discuss with your son/daughter the strategies he/she can use to become better at managing distractions. Jo Spencer, Vice Principal

Primary Update

We have enjoyed a fantastic first half term and I am increasingly proud of all the children and the visible

progress they make each week. Thank you to all our parents and carers for your support. We will be

running a parents’ workshop on Wednesday 19th November at 6pm, when we will be able to share

information regarding the Read Write Inc. phonics programme that we follow, along with some information

about the Maths Mastery approach. We hope to see lots of you then.

Headteacher’s Lunch

Well done to the following pupils that have been nominated for the Headteacher’s Lunch for the week after

half term; an invitation will be given to the children during our Friday Praise and Recognition Assembly:

Amber Carless

Kisa Fatima

Gurkirpa Hunjan

Easa Anwar

Arsal Anjum

Ibrahim Ijaz

Tulsi Jogia

The Primary Team Visit the New Building

The Primary team had the

opportunity to visit the new build

on Wednesday. For some this was

the first time they had had the

chance to explore the space, and

for others to see how much

progress has been made since

their visit in the summer term.

We all left feeling very excited

about the new building and the

fantastic teaching and learning

opportunities it offers!

Praise and Recognition

Every 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.

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

Curie Class:

Malaika Hussain – Headteacher’ Habits Award (showing good listening skills in partner work this week.)

Hamza Omer – Scholar of the Week (for working hard with his learning and good discussion work this

week.)

Maxwell Class:

Aashvi Govil – Headteacher’s Habits Award (for consistently displaying high levels of discipline in all areas of

her work.)

Rebeca Gheorge – Scholar of the Week (for using her imagination and speaking in full sentences to describe

the adventures of her paper doll.)

Newton Class:

Jasmine Gadhiya – Headteacher’s Habits Award (for being really kind and helping to staff and other children.)

Rufaida Hasnat – Scholar of the Week (for working extremely hard in all lessons and trying to label her

work with more than one sound.)

BRIDGES in the Primary Phase

“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

below.

Week commencing 3rd November – Self Discipline

Self Discipline

Displaying habits of organisation, hard-work, practising, independence and motivation.

At home and school:

We encourage the development of the children’s levels of independence every day and at every given

opportunity. We encourage the pupils to help themselves to more food at lunch time, rather than always

serving them when they ask. We encourage them to help tidy the classroom activities away every afternoon

and to know where to find and put things away. Any opportunities to do so at home will really help to

develop your child’s independence. As I have said in a previous newsletter, it is important for the children

to practise getting themselves dressed and undressed and to do and undo their own buttons and practise

putting on their own coat etc.

Every week we encourage the children to practise their handwriting and sounds at home; it is only by doing

something on a regular basis that we improve. As your child gets older it is increasingly important that they

take accountability for themselves and understand the principles of self-discipline.

Important reminder

A reminder that on Mondays the children need to come to school wearing their PE kit.

Wisepay Details

Wisepay details have been given to everyone now, which will allow you to order uniform items and also to

book a place for ‘Breakfast Club’ or ‘After School Club’. If you experience any problems, please contact Ms

Rayner who will be happy to help.

Breakfast Club & After School Club

Thank you to all the parents & carers who have supported the use of the breakfast and after school clubs

over the last half term; both are going very well, with attendance increasing gradually each week. You can

make bookings through the Wisepay facilities. If you need any further help in doing this, please contact either

Ms Rayner or Ms Heywood, who will be more than happy to help you.

Breakfast is available each day from 7.45am and costs just £2 per day. The children enjoy a range of cereals,

toast and different topping, juice or milk and fruit. Any child attending must be brought to the main

reception area by 8.20am at the latest.

After School Club runs from 3.45pm – 6.00pm and costs just £5 per hour. The children enjoy a range of

snacks each evening and a variety of games and activities.

Tam Broadway,

Head of Primary

KEY DATES for 2014-15

Autumn Term

Half Term: Monday 27 – Friday 31st October 2014 Monday 3rd November Staff Training Day (school closed to all students) Tuesday 4th November Secondary Staff Training Day (school closed to secondary

students) Monday 10th November Shakespeare Schools Festival Wednesday 12th November Year 8 English Trip to British Library Information Evening for parents of prospective Reception children Saturday 15th November Saturday Stretch: Engineering Wednesday 19th November Phonics Parent Workshop (Primary) Thursday 20th November IL Parent Workshop (Secondary) Tuesday 25th November Shaking Up Shakespeare performance for Year 9s Tuesday 2nd December Year 9 Options Evening Wednesday 3rd December Information Event for parents of prospective Reception children Tuesday 9th December Community Party for OAPs Wednesday 10th December Progress Evening for parents of Reception students Friday 12th December Christmas Lunch Saturday 13th December Saturday Stretch: Psychology Thursday 18th December Primary Christmas Play/Concert (during day)

School Concert (evening) Friday 19th December Secondary Awards Assemblies & End of Term. Secondary students

finish at 1.20pm.

Ms Chamberlain, our Finance and Resources Director, has a look around with Ms Kourris.

Spring Term Monday 5th January Staff Training Day (school closed to all students) Tuesday 6th January Staff Training Day (school closed to all students) Wednesday 7th January Information Evening for parents of prospective Reception children Wednesday 14th January BRIDGES mentoring for secondary students – pm Thursday 22nd January BRIDGES Parent Workshop (Secondary) Tuesday 27th January Holocaust Memorial Day Thursday 29th January ARK Table Tennis Championships Monday 2nd February ARK Spelling Bee Wednesday 4th February Year 9 Progress Meetings (during the day) Wednesday 11th February Secondary Music Recital Friday 13th February ARK Training Day (school closed to all students) Half Term: Monday 16 – Friday 20 February 2015 Thursday 26th February Year 8 Progress Meetings (during the day) Thursday 5th March Secondary Big Band competition World Book Day Friday 6th February Year 9 Science Live Trip Thursday 12th February Year 9 Trip to Othello at the Globe Friday 13th February ARK Mega Maths Wrangle Thursday 19th March BBC School Report Tuesday 24th February Understanding Reports Parent Workshop (Secondary) Wednesday 25th March Performing Arts Spring Spectacular Thursday 26th March ARK Debating Championships Tuesday 31st March Year 7 Progress Meetings (during the day) Progress Evening for parents of Reception students Thursday 2nd April Secondary Awards Assemblies & End of Term. Secondary students

finish at 1.20pm. Summer Term Monday 20th April - Tuesday 21st July

Half Term: Monday 25 – Friday 29 May 2015

Staff Training Days: Friday 26th June, & Friday 3rd July