CRA Newsletter 28.02.25 Half Term 4 - February 2025

SLT Update

All our students are busy completing either their KPI assessments or mock exams this week and it's been impressive to see their efforts in and out of the classroom with students revising hard at home to put them in the best possible position for their assessments.

With the mornings getting lighter, we want our students to do their very best to be present every day and making the most out of their education. Attendance is a focus for all our students and anything our families can do at home to support good attendance we appreciate.

Next week we have some of our Year 10 students attending the prestigious Cambridge University for an aspirational visit looking at future aspirations.

We hope you have a restful weekend as we start to enjoy the nicer weather a little.

Miss King, Head of School

Table Talk

Resilience is one of the key CRA values, but knowing how to build this in our teenagers can often be tricky. Helping teenagers build resilience is essential for their mental and emotional well-being as they navigate challenges and setbacks in life. Here are some strategies to support them in developing resilience:

1. Initiate Open Conversations

Create an open, non-judgmental space where your teen feels safe discussing their thoughts and feelings. Let them know it’s okay to talk about struggles or frustrations without fear of criticism. Regularly check in with them—not just when things are going wrong. Ask about their day, how they’re feeling, and if there’s anything they need support with. Instead of offering solutions right away, ask guiding questions like, “What do you think might help?” or “How do you want to handle this situation?” This invites them to think critically and empowers them to be part of the solution process.

2. Be a Resilient Role Model

Actively demonstrate resilience in your own life. Share your own experiences of overcoming challenges (in an age-appropriate way) to show them that it’s okay to struggle, as long as you keep trying. Talk about how you deal with setbacks, emphasizing the strategies you use to cope, learn, and grow. This can normalise difficult emotions and show that resilience isn’t about avoiding hardship, but about managing it effectively.

3. Validate Their Feelings

When your teen shares frustrations, acknowledge their emotions without immediately minimizing or offering solutions. You might say, “I can see this is really frustrating for you. It’s tough to feel like you’re not making progress.” This helps them feel heard and understood. Avoid saying things like, “It’s not a big deal” or “You’ll get over it.” Instead, offer empathy and then guide them toward thinking through solutions.

4. Encourage Growth Through Challenges

Help your teen reframe challenges as opportunities for growth. Use real-life examples or stories from your own life, or even from books, shows, or historical figures, to highlight how difficult moments can lead to personal development. If they’re facing a setback, you could say something like, “I know this is disappointing, but sometimes the biggest growth happens when we face hard situations. What do you think you could learn from this?”

5. Foster Problem-Solving Skills

Involve your teen in problem-solving discussions. When a challenge arises, instead of taking control, guide them through the process of coming up with solutions. For instance, ask, “What’s a step you could take to change this situation?” or “What’s a different approach we could try?” When they come up with an idea, offer gentle support rather than just taking over. For example, you could say, “I think that’s a good start. How will you know if it’s working?” This encourages them to take ownership of their decisions and actions.

6. Promote Healthy Emotional Expression

Encourage your teen to express their emotions, but help them find healthy outlets like talking, journaling, physical activity, or creative pursuits. If they feel like bottling up emotions, gently suggest they try different methods for expressing themselves. Set an example by openly discussing your own feelings in healthy ways, which can create a culture of emotional openness at home.

7. Set Realistic Expectations and Offer Support

Help your teen set achievable goals based on their interests and passions. Work together to break down larger goals into smaller, manageable steps. Celebrate progress, no matter how small, to reinforce their sense of achievement. Offer to help with time management, whether through planning together or providing tools, so they don’t feel overwhelmed by expectations.

8. Teach Stress Management and Coping Strategies

Share stress-reduction techniques you use, such as deep breathing exercises, mindfulness, or physical activities like yoga or walking. You can make it a family activity, like having a daily mindfulness moment together or exercising together. Help your teen find their own stress-relief methods that feel right for them and encourage consistency in using those tools.

9. Create Space for Reflection and Growth

Encourage your teen to reflect on their challenges and how they coped with them. You might ask, “Looking back, what did you learn from that situation?” or “How did you manage to keep going despite everything?” This reflection helps them internalize resilience and strengthens their ability to handle future challenges. Celebrate resilience as a process, not just as an outcome. Acknowledge that learning and growing through struggles is just as important as achieving success.

10. Be Patient and Persistent

Building resilience is a long-term process, so be patient with your teen’s progress. Don’t expect them to “bounce back” quickly after every setback and recognize that building resilience is about continuous practice. Check in regularly to reinforce the conversation and offer continued support, but also give them space to apply what they've learned in real-life situations. By engaging in these conversations in a thoughtful, supportive way, you help your teen not only understand resilience but also practice it in their own lives. Your active involvement and consistent encouragement can have a lasting, positive impact on their emotional and mental strength.

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 beginning - 3 March 2025 - Times table is 9

Accelerated Reading

Week beginning - 3 March 2025 - Period 2

Attendance.

Attendance – Term 3, Week 5.

Year 8 have ended the week in first place for overall attendance, well done year 8. Year 9 finish in 5th place.

The boys have had another great week beating the girls to 1st place beating the girls by a huge 7 %. Come on girls, lets see if we can pull it back next week!

Terra have finished first with the highest overall attendance this week, beating Aqua by 3.5%, well-done Terra! Special mention for Aqua 8 with 92% and Terra 8 with 95% excellent effort.

Friday has seen our highest percentage of absence this week, please let me know if you begin to see a pattern in your child’s attendance. Missing just one day can have an impact on students learning experiences and outcomes.

Please may we remind you that absences for increment weather will not be authorised, unless the school is closed.

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!

Leave of absence request

A Principal can only authorise a leave of absence in exceptional circumstances. We will take into account the Government guidance when considering what the exceptional circumstances are- all applications are considered on a case-by-case basis. You may be able to take your child out of school in exceptional circumstances, providing an application is made in advance by the parent/carer, this request complies with Government guidance and the leave is deemed to be ‘exceptional’ by the Principal.

If you take a leave of absence without our permission or if your child fails to return by the agreed date if permission was granted, then this will be recorded as an unauthorised absence and noted in your child’s record. You might also be issued with a fixed penalty notice for this absence. If your child has not returned within 10 days of the expected date of return then, after consultation with the Local Authority, we may take your child off our school roll.

As examples, the following reasons are not considered to be exceptional circumstances:

• availability of cheap holidays
• periods overlapping with beginning or end of term
• visits to family
• renewing passports

Requests for leave of absence will only be considered if made in writing. Please ensure you use the leave of absence request form to do this.

To request a leave of absence, please use this form.

Mrs Coleman - Attendance Manager

Holiday Warning Letter

The Sporting Post.

Term 1 Sports Newsletter 2024

PE kit reminder - 2024/2025

The standard PE kit is as follows:

• CRA House PE top (compulsory)
• CRA PE shorts or skorts (compulsory)
• CRA PE Hoodie (compulsory)
• Black socks. These can be purchased from any provider.
• PE track pants / leggings / skins - optional - must be plain navy or black. These can be worn under the CRA PE top, shorts or skorts. These items should have no logos/writing/labels. These can be purchased from any provider.

Sports trainers- These can be purchased from any provider. No fashion trainers.

Girls will take part in hockey and boys will take part in rugby during PE lessons. Gumshields and shinpads are recommended for their safety.

Shinpads will also be needed for girls' and boys' football.

Moulded football boots are also recommended as students can wear these on the 3G artificial surface and grass field.

Please can all students be collected from the BACK of the school when being picked up from after school clubs and fixtures.