Senior Leadership Team Update
It was lovely to welcome our students back to CRA on Monday and to welcome our new cohort of Year 7s. All the students looked very smart in their uniforms with only some minor issues to address. Please view our uniform policy for full list of what is/is not permitted as uniform . We have also welcomed 6 new table tennis schools to the academy, building our tennis table academy to 8 students. Most of these students stay in host families during the week and attend CRA for lessons and training. Building a sense of belonging with all our students is important and we do this through our House system as well as the relationships we forge with students and the support we offer. We are 3 Houses but 1 CommUNITY.
Buses
Please can you ensure your child has their bus pass with them everyday. Failure to produce their pass could mean refusal to use the bus to get to and from the academy and in addition a 1 day bus ban. Also, bad behaviour whilst on the bus will result in temporary bans so please can you talk to your child/children about this.
Students must ONLY use the bus that their pass is allocated to . If they are going to a different family member or friends house after school, they are not allowed to just get on a different bus. This is due to most buses not being able to accommodate additional passengers.
If you have any questions relating to this then please contact the school office.
My Child At School
Please note that we send all email correspondence via the My Child At School app. We have found this to be the most effective way of getting messages to everyone about your student/s. We rely on it to send messages relating to late transport, school closures and school events for example. If you are not yet set up, please download the app and then contact the school office for support with your log in details.
Suspension Reintegration Meetings
In this new academic year, all reintegration meetings that take place following a suspension will need to be in person. We can facilitate this with home visits where necessary, if transport is an issue. Exceptional circumstances will be agreed by the Head of School until the reintegration meeting has taken place with key staff, parents and your child. Your child will not be reintegrated into the main building of the school and lessons will remain in IE.
Prep Homework
For students in Year 8-11 Prep Homework will commence on Monday 11th September. During roll call on Tuesday 12th September tutors will check the completion of Prep Homework.
Students will be issued with new prep books to write in and where required a new white A4 ring binder. It is essential that students keep all their knowledge organisers in the ring binder for the whole year. Students will be instructed to use these throughout the year for their assessments.
To ensure students meet the expectations required, Tutors will hold two sessions per week and parents/carers can find all homework details on our school website.
Homework club will commence on Tuesday 12th September. This is an informal place where students can eat their lunch and complete their prep homework with teacher supervision. This is particularly useful for those students who have commitments after school. Homework club will be enforced where the student fails to meet the expectations of two or more pieces of Prep Homework in one week.
For students in Year 7 Prep Homework will commence on Monday 18th September. During roll call on Tuesday 19th September Tutors will check the completion of Prep Homework.
Students will receive further guidance and support on how to complete their prep homework and what it involves in the weeks leading up to the 18th September.
Year 7 parent/ carers are invited to a Prep Homework coffee morning on Tuesday 12th September at 9am. This is an information event so that parent/carers can better support their children at home.
Mrs Cooper- Assistant Principal
Year 11 Focus
I would like to take the opportunity to welcome Year 11 students back to CRA. The first full week back has seen a lot of staff incredibly impressed with the attitude and effort shown by pupils in lessons. It has been great to see so many already setting the tone for what should be an excellent and rewarding year for them.
Year 11 students will have a weekly assembly throughout the year devoted to providing messages regarding important upcoming events, information on revision strategies, as well as celebrating weekly successes. The pupils were asked this week: 'What's my why?' - as a question to see what is motivating them this year to perform to their very best. It's vital that students are showing aspiration in their thoughts to help them strive to be the very best they can.
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CRA Character
In whole school assembly on Monday we spoken about ASPIRATIONS. We asked students to think about what they want to achieve this year at CRA and to think about what they need to do to achieve it, shaping their own reality and future with choice not chance. Aspirations will be a key focus of this year to ensure our students start the year with positivity and having a mind that is open to all new experiences.
Why we do what we do?"
Every day at Charles Read Academy we have a roll call. This gives a calm and purposeful start the day. Students line up in alphabetical order in their tutor groups and are greeted by their tutors, giving a positive start to the day. Homework and uniform are then checked. As students enter the building, they are greeted by a member of the senior staff who bids them good morning. Students look at the member of staff and respond with good morning and often a smile.
Table Talk
Please take the opportunity to talk to your sons and daughters about their first full week at Charles Read Academy. You could start by asking which has been their favorite lesson this week, followed by which book they are reading in CRA Reads and what house competition is the first of the year.
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 11th September 2023 - 6
Accelerated Reading
Week commencing 11th September 2023 - Period 2
Teen Support
Returning to School
As students around the country have returned to school this week, many will have returned happy to see their friends and teachers. However, some will have feelings of worry and anxiety.
Young Minds have put together an article with some top tips about how parents can help their children.
Attendance
Huge congratulations to Caeli 7 & Terra 7 who have had 100% attendance this week, well done!!
Year 11 have achieved 1st place with a top attendance score beating all the other year groups, well done Year 11.
Caeli have finished first with the highest overall attendance this week, just beating Terra and Aqua, well done Caeli!
Tuesday has seen our highest percentage of absence this week, missing just one day can have an impact on students learning experiences and outcomes.
How does attendance affect outcomes for pupils?
Being in school is important to your child’s achievement, wellbeing, and wider development. Evidence shows that the students with the highest attendance throughout their time in school gain the best GCSE and A Level results.
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.
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
Word of the Week.
Astro: star (Greek root word
- Astronomy- the branch of science which deals with celestial objects, space, and the physical universe as a whole.
- Astrophysics the branch of astronomy concerned with the physical nature of stars and other celestial bodies.
- Astronaut a person who is trained to travel in a spacecraft.
House News.
2023-24 House Championship
We are extremely excited for another action packed House Championship at Charles Read Academy this year. With another 30 plus competitions, featuring some brand new competitions as well as some old favourites, this year promises to be as exciting as ever. There are so many opportunities across the year to get involved in, starting with 6 competitions this term to kick start the race for the 2023/24 house championship.
House Limbo – Thursday 15th September
The House Championship gets underway on Wednesday 13th September as Aqua, Caeli and Terra go head to head in Limbo. Following tradition, Limbo is the first competition on the calendar and is the perfect way to bring the CRA community together to support their respective house teams.
house points are on offer, a great sum of points to get the ball rolling on the totaliser for each of the house teams.
If you are interested in representing your house in this competition or any other on the schedule please make sure you speak to your tutor and/or Head of House.
CRA Student Archie designs Grimsby Town Football Kit
The light grey and royal blue jersey, designed CRA student Archie Wacey, is the winning entry from the competition ran by the Club for junior members of the Mariners Trust to design the third shirt for the 2023-24 season.
Archie, a season ticket holder in the Pontoon who travels to Blundell Park with his family from Grantham, took inspiration from our 2016-17 away strip (his first season watching the Mariners) and included Grimsby’s most iconic building, the Dock Tower, subtly into the detailing on the front of the shirt.
Speaking of the third kit, and how the design was chosen, Mariners Trust Chair & Fan Elected Director Kristine Green said, “The Mariners Trust board had the hard task of narrowing down from over 100 entries – those half a dozen then went to our shirt sponsor myenergi and they chose Archie’s because the design he came up with was fantastic.”
Find out more here
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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