Welcome
Dear families
Welcome to the Spring Term at Lodge Park School!
As we enter the Spring Term, we are filled with excitement and anticipation for the opportunities that lie ahead. A new year brings fresh goals, renewed energy, and a chance to set our sights on success. This term, we are committed to upholding the high expectations that define Lodge Park Academy, ensuring that every student is motivated, focused, and determined to achieve their best.
A key focus for us this term will be improving attendance. Regular attendance is vital for academic progress, and we are determined to support all students in developing good habits that contribute to their success. For those students preparing for exams, the importance of hard work and focus cannot be overstated. This is a crucial period, and we are here to support them every step of the way as they prepare to showcase their knowledge and skills.
Beyond academics, we strongly encourage all students to engage in the wider school offer. Our Enrichment activities, from Sports Clubs to the Raven Programme, and our exciting Music and Drama events, provide opportunities for personal growth, team building, and creative expression. These activities play a vital role in developing well-rounded individuals who are prepared for both academic and personal success.
At Lodge Park Academy, we also place great importance on the highest standards of uniform and respect towards all members of our community. These values are essential in creating a positive and respectful school environment where every student can thrive.
Finally, we know that parents and guardians play a crucial role in helping us raise standards. Your continued support is invaluable in ensuring that our students achieve their full potential. Together, we can work to create the best possible educational experience for every young person at Lodge Park Academy.
Here's to a productive, successful, and inspiring Spring Term! Let’s make it one to remember.
Warm Regards
The Senior Leadership Team
Year 8 Parent Engagement Evening – Thursday 16th January 2025
We are pleased to invite all Year 8 parents and guardians to our upcoming Parent Engagement Evening on Thursday 16th January 2025, taking place between 3.30pm and 6.30pm. This important event provides an excellent opportunity for you to meet with your child’s subject teachers, discuss their progress, and gain a thorough understanding of what they are learning and how they are engaging with the expert teaching they are receiving here at Lodge Park Academy.
Appointments will be available for you to book through MCAS (My Child at School). Each appointment will last 5 minutes, giving you the chance to speak directly with each of your child’s teachers about their academic development, strengths, and areas for improvement. This is a valuable time for you to ask questions, receive feedback, and discuss strategies to support your child in achieving their full potential.
We strongly encourage all Year 8 parents to attend and commit to this time. Your involvement is crucial in supporting our efforts to nurture and develop your child’s academic growth. By attending, you’ll be able to work in partnership with us to ensure that your child continues to progress and reach their goals.
Thank you in advance for making this event a priority in your calendar. We look forward to welcoming you to the Parent Engagement Evening and working together to maximise your child’s success at Lodge Park School.
Please don’t forget to book your appointments via MCAS in advance to ensure you secure time with each teacher.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Mr McGeown - Vice Principal – Quality of Education
The Importance of Attendance at Lodge Park Academy
At Lodge Park Academy, we are committed to ensuring every student has the best possible opportunity to succeed. One of the most important factors contributing to student progress is consistent attendance. However, we have seen a worrying decline in our school attendance recently, with current figures standing at around 90%, significantly below our school target of 96%.
This drop in attendance is a concern, as it directly impacts the academic performance and overall development of our students. A student with an attendance rate below 90% is classified as having persistent absence, which can severely affect their learning and progress. As a school, we are committed to addressing this and will be initiating heightened contact with parents of students who fall into this category.
Regular attendance is essential for a number of reasons:
1. Academic Progress:
Every lesson counts. Missing school means missing important learning opportunities, making it harder to keep up with the curriculum and ultimately impacting students' grades.
2. Examination Preparation:
For students in Years 10 and 11, particularly those about to sit examinations, poor attendance can jeopardise their outcomes. Every day of learning is vital in preparing for these crucial assessments, and students who miss school are putting themselves at a disadvantage.
3. Building Good Habits:
Regular attendance helps students develop important life skills, including discipline, responsibility, and time management. It sets them up for success, not only in school but in their future careers and lives.
We are asking for the support of all parents and guardians in ensuring that students attend school regularly and on time. Your involvement is crucial in helping us raise attendance and ensure all students are given the best chance to succeed. Please encourage your child to attend school every day unless they are genuinely unwell, and do all you can to support our efforts in achieving our attendance target of 96%.
If your child’s attendance is a concern, we will be in touch to discuss ways to improve it. We understand that there can be challenges, but we are here to work with you to overcome them and ensure your child’s success.
Thank you for your ongoing support in making attendance a priority. Let’s work together to ensure every student at Lodge Park Academy has the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Every school day counts!
Mr McGeown - Vice Principal – Quality of Education
The Raven’s Programme - Spring Term 2
We are thrilled to announce the successful launch of the Raven's Programme for Spring Term 2, welcoming a new cohort of talented students. Under the guidance of Mrs. Morgan Head of PE, the programme is already off to a fantastic start, and we are excited about the opportunities it will offer our students over the coming months.
The Raven's Programme has proven to be a hugely successful initiative at Lodge Park Academy, providing students with the chance to explore and develop their skills in a range of sporting areas – football, basketball and netball. Through expert coaching and mentorship, the programme allows students to hone their abilities, gain new experiences, and challenge themselves in ways that extend beyond the classroom.
This term, we are especially grateful for the amazing talents of our professional coaches and mentors, whose expertise continues to elevate the quality of the programme. Their dedication and passion for nurturing young talent have had a significant impact on our students, and we are already seeing impressive growth in the confidence and skills of all participants.
Looking ahead, we are immensely excited about the opportunities that the next term will bring. We are confident that this term will be even more successful than before. The Raven's Programme remains one of the highlight’s of our wider enrichment offer, and we are proud of the achievements and progress made by all those involved.
We look forward to seeing the continued development of our students and can’t wait to celebrate their successes as the term progresses. Thank you to everyone who has supported the programme so far – we are excited for the future of the Raven's Programme and all the amazing opportunities it will continue to offer.
Let’s make this term another successful experience.
Mr McGeown/ Mrs Morgan
LPA MUSIC TRIP TO NOTTINGHAM
Thirty- Eight of our top music students from Years 9-13 enjoyed an incredible concert on Tuesday at the Nottingham Albert Hall Conference Centre by the National Youth Orchestra.
We were treated to music by Ravel, Shostakovich and Nielsen and absolutely loved watching and listening to their performance!
What a fabulously musical way to start 2025!
We can't wait to be back in this beautiful building performing in March at the DRET Secondary Music Festival.
VIOLIN LESSONS
We are hoping to start offering violin lessons after Easter at LPA! They would be run by a visiting teacher from Northamptonshire Music and Performing Arts Trust who can provide an instrument for students to borrow free of charge!
Please read this Microsoft Form which contains all of the financial information including our financial support for Pupil Premium students.
LPA House New Year Cup – ‘Race Across America’
We are excited to launch a brand new House competition, the LPA House New Year Cup. House Teams will go head to head in a virtual ‘Race Across America’ from the East coast of USA to the West Coast.
The competition is open to all students, staff and wider families who can contribute to House totals by submitting a distance (km) from either a walk, jog/run, cycle or row to housechampionship@lodgeparkacademy.co.uk.
Each participant can enter a maximum of one entry per day - Entries must include your name and House, supported with a screenshot or photo of your exercise (clearly showing completed distance in KM). We will accept screenshots from appropriate fitness apps such as STRAVA and photos of screens from gym equipment such as treadmills, indoor bikes, rowing machines etc.
We aim to complete the challenge of 4,481km collectively as one LPA community, stopping off at various cities/attractions along the way. The House who contributes the furthest distance to the overall total will be crowned champions. This is a 500 House point competition (200 points for 1st place, 150 points for 2nd, 100 points for 3rd and 50 points for 4th place). 50 Bonus points will also be awarded to the highest participating House.
We look forward to receiving lots of entries – The race finishes on Friday 14th February!
House Darts Competition
It has been a really popular time for Darts in recent weeks, with the rise and recent success of teenage sensation Luke Littler and local player Ricky Evans at the World Championship Darts.
Due to popular demand we are excited to have included our very own House darts competitions which took place on Thursday and Friday this week.
On Thursday students and staff took on the ‘closest to the bull’ competition followed by a ‘highest three dart throw’ competition on the Friday.
Well done to everyone who took part. Full results to follow next week.
House Spelling Bee Competition
This terms subject specific House competition is English as students and staff represent their respective house teams in ‘Spelling Bee’. House teams will go head-to-head in a number of ‘buzz in’ and whiteboard rounds testing their verbal and written subject specific vocabulary.
The competition will take place on the stage in the main hall.
House teams require one participant from each year group, plus a member of staff.
Term 3 House Competitions
We have another action packed term of House competitions lined up this term with a further 2,000+ House points on offer.
It has been a thrilling opening two terms to the 2024/25 House Championship with Goshawk out in front, with the slightest of leads over Kestrel in 2nd.
The race for the championship is far from over and there are plenty of opportunities to add much more House points to your teams totals. In addition to the New Year Cup, Darts and Spelling Bee other upcoming House competitions include Hyrox Challenge, Basketball and The Cube.
More detailed information about each of the competitions will be shared in the lead up to each event.
Uniform – Winter Coats and Hooded Tops
As per last week's newsletter and our assemblies and notices to learners, we have explained extensively now our reasons for not having coats indoors, and for hoodies being banned on site. On the grounds of safety and equality, all learners must be without coats in the school building and hoodies are banned from site.
Going forward, we do not expect any learner to be wearing a coat inside the school building. Learners will receive an immediate lunchtime detention if a coat is on, and hoodies will be confiscated until the day's end.
If there are any concerns in this regard, please contact Mr Kirby (jkirby@lodgeparkacademy.co.uk)
The Senior Leadership Team.
SWI UNIFORM SUPPLIER
Year 8 Parent Engagement Evening – Thursday 16th January 2025 3.30pm and 6.30pm
Academy Closes Friday 14th February 2025
Academy reopens Monday 24th February 2025
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Contact Us
Telephone: 01536 203817
Email: lpa-enquiries@lodgeparkacademy.co.uk
Please be aware this mailbox is monitored by a number of individuals, please do not disclose any confidential information.
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Credits:
Created with images by carmelod - "January 16 calendar icon" • flowgics - "Woman hand writing attendance with marker" • DeshaCAM - "Symphony orchestra on stage, hands playing violin" • thodonal - "Concept of information"