Senior Leadership Team Update
The focus of whole school assembly this week was human rights. Mr Thornton spoke at length about where human rights came from and how these rights impact our lives and will impact our futures. As we finish our final full week of this term, we asked our students to reflect on this year and what they want to achieve next academic year. We have used these aspiration stars to decorate our CRA gratitude tree and help us be thankful for what we have and how we aspire to change ourselves for the better in 2024.
Wishing all our CRA families a very merry Christmas and lots of love, light and happiness in 2024.
Parking
If you drop your child off/collect your child at the end of the day, this must be done at the rear of school. Parents should not enter the school bus park, but park along the road outside. Students can use the pedestrian entrance at the rear of school. Parents are not permitted to drop off/collect at the start or end of the day from the front. If you are collecting your child outside of normal drop off/pick up for an appointment, this should be from the front, where your child can sign out correctly.
Important dates to remember
- 18th December 2023 - Year 7 Christmas Concert in CRA
- 19th December 2023 - Christmas carols in church
- 20th December 2023 - Christmas House Party, Santa Fun Run and last day of term
- 3rd January 2024 - All students return for the new term
- 23rd January 2024- SEND Coffee morning 9am-10am.
- 23rd January 2024 - Year 11 Revision Evening
Medication
Please can we ask that if your child may require medication such as paracetamol, ibuprofen, calpol or anti-histamine, that you send it to school with them and ask them to hand it to the office for safekeeping and future use if the need arises. Unfortunately, we do not have a supply to give to students.
SEND Coffee Morning
We would like to invite parents to our SEND Coffee morning at 9am-10am on Tuesday 23rd January 2024. We are looking forward to kicking off 2024 with an informal meet and greet with the SEND. This will be a great opportunity to meet keyworkers, our intervention team, and both our Assistant SENCO (Mrs Miller-Brown) and SENCO (Miss Canny). Please let the office know if you would like to attend.
Looking forward to seeing you.
Miss Canny
Online Behaviour
Malicious Communications has been an ongoing problem in Lincolnshire for the last few years now. It is one of the top 5 crimes in which our 14-16 year olds have received a criminal conviction for. Online behaviour is something we talk regularly to children and young people about within our online safety sessions. We want to also make sure parents are aware of these laws and the potential consequences our online behaviour can have in the real world, for our children’s futures. We have attached a document which outlines the different laws regarding online behaviour, this is to accompany our video aimed at parents.
Year 11 Focus.
Revision guides! A reminder that revision guides are available in every subject and can be purchased directly through us, they are available online and students can simply come down to the office to collect them. Please discuss with your child what revision guides they do not currently have.
These are valuable resources linked directly to each subject's exam board to aid student's ongoing understanding of the subject throughout lessons, support in the completion of homework, and provide opportunities for effective revision in the build-up to exams.
Year 11 Revision Information Evening – Tuesday 23rd January 2024
We would like to take this opportunity to invite you to a revision information evening we are holding on Tuesday 23rd January in our hall from 6:00-7:00pm.
The purpose of this evening will be to develop a greater understanding of the benefits revision can provide students, discuss a range of effective revision strategies to make use of, and to help support you in your role from home in supporting your child’s revision. We will also have our Faculty leaders in Maths, English and Science there to discuss successful ways to revise in their specific subjects.
This evening will serve to provide both yourself and your child with the information and guidance needed to adequately prepare for examinations, giving them the best possible chance to succeed in the upcoming February/March mock exams and, most importantly, their formal exams this Summer.
Prep Homework
Prep homework will finish on Sunday 17th December for all students in Yr7-11. The last day of checking homework will be on Monday 18th December during Roll Call. All students must bring in their Prep Folders on this day for safe keeping at school over the Christmas holidays.
Homework will resume again on Monday 8th January when students receive Spring Term 3 Knowledge Organisers and Task Sheets.
It is important that Autumn Term Knowledge Organisers are NOT thrown away but stored correctly inside Prep folders. Students will be expected to revise from these for end of year assessments.
Knowledge Organisers contain the core knowledge that students must know to be successful in their subjects. Prep homework is designed to support students recall these subject specific terms and facts during their lessons. The terms and facts on these knowledge organisers are then assessed in subject knowledge tests and assessments.
Student voice informs us that 77% of our students find their Prep homework supports their knowledge and success in subjects with 84% of students stating that the knowledge from the Prep homework is assessed routinely in their lessons. 91% of students find the Knowledge Organisers accessible and easy to interpret with 80% finding the tasks sheets easy to use.
We will continue to reflect upon and review our knowledge organisers as well as task sheets to ensure they are purposeful.
Mrs Cooper
Assistant Principal
CRA Character
Toilets -Unfortunately, we have had some repeat poor behaviour in the boys' toilets after fixing and reopening them. Miss King and Mr Thornton spoke to all male students in the hall along with Mr Simmons, our site manager. It is such a shame that a few students will let down the rest of the school in this way. We have had to lock them again and unlock them only for break and lunch, limiting entry to 3 students at a time. We talk to our students all the time about showing respect to their community and school as well as to each other. We want them to inform us if they see anything going on that they know is not right and be responsible citizens, doing the right thing because they want to, not because they have to, as our CRA Character mountain shows.
Why we do what we do?"
Every year at Charles read Academy we have a Christmas party. This is an occasion where we can build on our sense of belonging, enjoy some food and fun activities together as a school. This is combined with our Santa run where we raise money for the inspiration fund, which supports us through activities such as the winter spring and summer cup as well as music festivals and opportunities to work with elite athletes.
Times Tables
At the end of all lessons students stand behind their chairs in silence to prepare for themselves for the next lesson. From September, on a weekly rota, Years 7 and 8 will be reciting their timetables to help embed them in their long term memory.
Week commencing 18th December 2023 - 7
Accelerated Reading
Week commencing 18th December 2023 - Period 5
Teen Support.
Working Together Team.
Please follow this link for some tips / advice for families with children / young people with ASD.
Thinking of buying an e-scooter?
Lincolnshire Police is reminding parents and guardians that e-scooters are not legal to use it on public pavements or roads.
Inspector Jason Baxter said, “Our approach to this will be to engage and educate. When that fails, we will enforce. We know that e-scooters are probably on Christmas lists this year, and may be tempting in the January sales, we just want people to think twice before buying a product that’s so limited in where you can legally use it.”
Whilst our aim is to engage and educate, penalties for using an e-scooter illegally can include seizure of the e-scooter.
- In Lincolnshire, the only place you can legally use an e-scooter is on private land, with the permission of the land owner. Read more about our advice on using e-scooters.
- If you are considering buying an e-scooter, please also read this advice from Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue after safety concerns over e-scooters regarding charging and battery storage.
- As part of a trial, rental e-scooters are allowed on public roads and cycle lanes in approved areas in some cities (not currently Lincoln) provided you have the correct licence and follow road traffic regulations. Find out more about e-scooter trials.
There are also social media posts that you can share on school pages:
Table Talk
The Top 10 Red Flags in Teenage Behaviour: What Parents Should Look For
Over the next 10 weeks we will be sharing 10 of the most common signs that a young adult is struggling with a mental health challenge.
5: Self-Medicating with Drugs and Alcohol
One of the warning signs that a teen may be having mental health issues is if they are using drugs or alcohol to self-medicate. Substance abuse can start early and is a serious mental health problem that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. Early intervention for substance abuse is vital in making sure that drug or alcohol use doesn’t get worse. Getting a teen who is self-medicating with drugs or alcohol into treatment early can prevent further issues as they get older.
Some signs of substance abuse include:
- Bloodshot or watery eyes
- Poor hygiene and diminished personal appearance
- Smell of smoke on breath or clothes
- Extreme moodiness
- Irritability
- Difficulty staying focused, causing problems in school
- Secretive behaviour, hiding in their room
- Sleeping more than usual, staying in bed all day
Early help assessments
Many families and parents experience difficulties at some stage while our children are growing up. As a school we have a responsibility to try to support families and children as best we can. We have a thorough pastoral system and house system designed to provide the most comprehensive support we can as a school to you and your children. On occasions it is necessary to ask for additional support, and one way we may do this is through an early help assessment (EHA).
“These services are part of a “continuum of support” and provide help to families who do not, or no longer, meet the threshold for a statutory intervention.” (NSPCC) NSPCC go on to say that through there research “Providing timely support is vital. Identifying and addressing a child or family's needs early on can increase protective factors that positively influence a child’s wellbeing, and decrease risk factors that may be impacting a child’s life negatively.”
Research suggests that early help and intervention can:
- protect children from harm
- improve children's long-term outcomes
- improve children’s home and family life
- support children to develop strengths and skills to prepare them for adult life.
These interventions are designed to support parents who are fulfilling the parenting role and providing protective measures who need support while children push against the boundaries set.
When families require this support we would encourage them to take advantage of this service
More information can be found at the link below.
Attendance.
Attendance – Term 2, Week 8
Year 7 have achieved 1st place this week with a top attendance score beating all the other year groups, well done Year 7, great effort. There was less than 1% difference between the top 3 year groups.
The boys have pipped the girls with their attendance this week beating the girls to 1st place by 4%, well done to the boys.
Terra have finished first with the highest overall attendance this week, just beating Caeli and Aqua, well-done Terra! Special mention for Terra 7 who have achieved 97.8% and Caeli 7 with 95.6%.
Friday has seen our highest percentage of absence this week, missing just one day can have an impact on students learning experiences and outcomes.
Attendance Showcase
Well done to Alfie, who shows fantastic resilience with his attendance. Well done to Alfie.
Well done to Samuel in Year 11 for having 100% attendance. Great effort Samuel.
If your child is absent from school, please ensure you contact school daily either by email/MCAS or by telephoning the attendance line 01476 550333 ext 502. It is vital we are notified everyday of any absence for safeguarding reasons, unless previously authorised. A reason for illness will always be requested, this is to observe attendance patterns and outbreaks of illness amongst students.
Please do not hesitate to contact myself kcoleman@charlesreadacademy.co.uk on 01476 550333 ext 515 or tsandison@charlesreadacademy.co.uk ext 502 to discuss ways to support your child's attendance.
CRA - Lets work together to make every day count!
Mrs Coleman - Attendance Manager
House News
Term 2 House Competitions
Dodgeball Results
Terra turned their Dodgeball form around this week with two vital wins in the year 9 and year 11 competitions to draw equal with Caeli in the overall standings for the competition. Following the five student rounds of matches Caeli and Terra both secured two victories followed by Aqua who managed to pick up just the one victory in the year 8 competition.
Well done to everyone who took part in the competition which attracted over 100 students across each year group.
Christmas Jumper House Competition
On Wednesday (20th December) students and staff will be taking part in various Christmas themed activities in addition to the Santa Run and Christmas Party. House points will be awarded to the best Christmas jumpers, with those identified through house colours.
We are encouraging as many students as possible to wear a Christmas jumper on the day. Students who have purchased a Christmas Party ticket have already donated a percentage to Save the Children Charity as part of the Christmas jumper competition.
Santa Run will be taking place after roll call, running through period 1. The House Christmas Party will then take place later on in the afternoon across two separate sittings; KS4 from 12.20 to 1.30pm and KS3 from 1.55 to 3.15pm.
We look forward to seeing the festive action unfold. Keep an eye on the house social media platforms for updates throughout the day.
The Sporting Post
Trip to University of Nottingham
On Tuesday 12th December the scholars attended a full day of training at the University of Nottingham, alongside some of their team players and the Table Tennis England futures squad.
This enabled them to access a full day of training and coaching, led by University of Nottingham Head Coach Kelly Sibley and Table Tennis England futures coach, Nicola Deaton.
Not only are these days hugely beneficial from a Table Tennis perspective, it is also fantastic for the scholars to gain an insight and understanding into the University life of high performing athletes.
Charles Read Academy Sports Committee
We would like to invite students from all year groups to apply to be part of our new Sports Committee.
Being a part of the committee is a great way for students to share their ideas and develop their leadership skills. The committee members will be able to share the ideas of their peers, support in the organisation of sports events and be sporting role models within the academy.
The committee will meet up regularly during CRA Reads throughout the year and each member will receive a badge to wear on their blazer.
If your child is interested, please can they get an application form to complete from the PE office and return it by the 18th December.
Term Dates
Please see the latest term dates for 2022-23.
A list of diary events can also be found on the CRA Website by clicking here