Samuel Ryder Academy
Issue: 9 Date: 11 Nov 2016

Dear Parents and Carers

In the last couple of weeks we have held our first Parents’ Consultation evenings of the academic year.  Last week was for Primary parents and this week, at the other end of the age spectrum, was the Sixth Form Parents’ Evening.  It was lovely to see so many parents in school, hearing about the progress being made and the strategies they could employ to help.  Thank you to all the staff involved.

 

Next week the Year 11 students have their mock GCSE examinations.  This is a very important part of the process in preparing students fully for the exams in the Summer. I know they have been working hard and preparing fully for the exams - good luck to you all!

 

As I write the newsletter the bell has just rung to signify the end of the minute’s silence for Remembrance Day.  On Sunday, as in previous years, Samuel Ryder will be represented in the Remembrance Parade in St Albans, with students and staff from both the Primary and Secondary phases involved.  It is a really special event and we are the only school taking part, so please do go and pay your respects on Sunday if you are able.

 

As always, if you have any comments or suggestions I would be pleased to hear from you, please contact me at head@samuelryderacademy.co.uk.

 

Mr Gauthier

Headteacher

 

School Closure Notification Information

With the winter weather approaching it may be necessary, should we experience severe weather conditions, to close the school or make alternative arrangements during normal school hours.

In these circumstances we shall inform parents by the following means:

SRA Website:  www.samuelryderacademy.co.uk

Twitter: @SRASecondary

Twitter: @SRAPrimary 

 

Primary Phase News

Attendance Award

As you know, outstanding attendance at school is a key factor in how likely children are to succeed with their school life endeavours.  Therefore, during our Celebration Assembly we will be giving out an attendance award to the class with the best attendance for the week.

Last week our attendance award went to Warwick class with an impressive 98% attendance for the week.  Congratulations!

Check next week’s newsletter to find out who won the attendance award this week and the overall attendance for the first half term. 

 

Use of Images on Social Media

A reminder that while we do permit photographs to be taken during assemblies, we ask that parents be mindful of the privacy of both children and teachers within the school and do not share photos on social media unless they are of your child ONLY.  Unfortunately, we have had incidences recently where group photos have been shared on social media and, if the problem persists, we may have to review our policy on photography during assemblies.

 

Can You Help Give a Career Talk?

This week you will have received a letter regarding opportunities for you or a colleague to come into Samuel Ryder Academy to give a talk to a group of secondary students about your career.  If this is something that you are able to do or know someone else who may be able to offer a unique perspective on their chosen career, then please return the slip that was attached to the letter letting us know that you are interested.

 

Birthdays

Birthdays of children from Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will now be celebrated in the Key Stage 1 assembly held every Wednesday.  This week we celebrated the birthdays of James and Lucia – many happy returns!

 

Stars of the Week

Rose Sharman - Orange Class - for writing a very clear set of instructions for brushing teeth.  Her sentence writing was superb – capital letters, finger spaces and full stops all used accurately.

Bryn Wakelin-Smith - Yellow Class - for his impressive, imaginative and descriptive language in both spoken and written work.

Emily Attril - Green Class - for her super set of instructions on how to make yourself invisible. She used brilliant adjectives, imperative verbs and adverbs in her writing. Well done!

Musa KhaliqPurple Class - for making good progress in his reading due to the effort he has been putting in recently at home and at school.

 

A Week in the Life of Primary

Year 4 have been learning about the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings; this week we have created some fantastic Viking longboat artwork...

Year 3 have been creating some wild and wacky hair designs and learning about cave paintings from the Stone Age...

Year 2 have been learning about the Great Fire of London and have produced some fantastic artwork which is now displayed around the school...

Year 1 have been looking at St Albans and have produced some brilliant artwork showing the cathedral...

Reception have been learning about Diwali and have looked at creating Rangoli patterns.  They also had a visit from one of our parents, Ms Patwardhan, who talked to them about Diwali tradition and customs...

 

The children are all working really hard at the moment and have produced some truly wonderful work. 

 

Remembrance Day Parade

We will be attending the Remembrance Day parade in St Albans on Sunday 13th November where we will join the procession and then lay a wreath at the war memorial.  This year marks 100 years since the start of the Battle of the Somme in World War I.  Remembrance Sunday is a time to remember all who suffered or died in that war and in subsequent conflicts while serving in the armed forces.  Thank you also to the parents who have been selling poppies and Remembrance Day merchandise this week.  

 

Poster Competition Shows Our Caring Side

Our current value in Primary is ‘Caring.’  During assembly this week the children were given the opportunity to enter a competition to design a poster about caring for a pet.  The winning poster will be displayed in Pets at Home St Albans, who have also generously offered a £20 voucher for the winner.  The deadline is on Friday 19th November and participation is voluntary.  We’re looking forward to seeing everyone’s creations!

 

Bronte Makes a Splash at Swimming Gala

Congratulations to Bronte who were winners of our Year 4 swimming gala, followed by Austen in second place and King in third.  Well done to all who took part!

 

Reminder: Morning PE Club

Please note that Mr Barlow's morning PE club on Mondays and Fridays will now take place indoors.

 

Volunteer Safeguarding Training Dates

As highlighted in last week’s newsletter, we require all parents who volunteer in the class room to undertake safeguarding training.  Unfortunately, we cannot accept volunteers unless they have completed the training.  Training will take place on Monday 14th November and Friday 18th November at 9am – please report to Reception where are member of staff will meet you.  The session will last approximately half an hour.  Thanks again to all our parents/carers who volunteer – your support is very much appreciated.

 

Primary Diary Dates

Autumn Term

 

Sunday 13th November

Remembrance Parade

Monday 14th November

Year 3 Celtic Harmony Trip

Friday 25th November

Inset Day – school closed

Thursday 1st December

PTA Bag2School (drop off bags in Primary playground or Reception Mon 28th Nov- Wed 30th Nov)

Friday 9th December

Inclusion Parents’ Coffee Morning (Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder)

Saturday 10th December

PTA Festive Fair (12-3pm)

Wednesday 14th December

Reception Nativity Play – Matinee and Evening 2.15-3.15pm & 5.30-6.30pm

Friday 16th December

Reception Trip to Willows Farm

Monday 19th December

KS1 Christmas Parties

Tuesday 20th December

KS2 Christmas Parties

Wednesday 21st December

Years 3 & 4 Carol Concert

Wednesday 21st December

Autumn term ends – 12.15pm

Spring Term

 

Thursday 5th January

Inset Day – school closed

Friday 5th January

Inset Day – school closed

Monday 9th January

Spring term starts

 

Secondary Phase News

Aeronautical Challenge for Year 10 Maths Students

On 21st October, five other Year 10 maths students and I were invited to go to MBDA Systems in Stevenage to take part in a competition against six other schools.  When we arrived, we were given a tour of the site, and were even shown where they test the missiles and how they do it.  I found it very cool and interesting.  After that we began to plan how we would go about building our airship and what features would be most useful to include.  We would attach it to a weather balloon and control its direction using string.  The aim was to pick up objects from tables placed around the room using a hook, magnets and some Velcro.  We had to write our ideas and strategies onto a flipchart and then present them to a judge once we had finished planning.  After this, we took a break and ate lunch. Next, we had a talk from an Airbus Space and Defence representative about the work they do. They also spoke about how the number of satellites orbiting the earth is becoming a problem as there are too many of them.  Overall, the talk was interesting and informative.  Finally, we began the competition and we managed to gain lots of points for lifting our airship above five metres into the air.  In the end we didn’t win, though I thought our teamwork was good and we all had fun.

Makenzie Wortley

Year 10

 

Drama Students Take Centre Stage at Abbey Theatre

Students had an amazing afternoon on Wednesday at Cardboard Citizens' production of 'Cathy' at the Abbey Theatre.  Cardboard Citizens is the only professional theatre company made up of homeless and ex-homeless people and is currently touring Cathy across the UK, visiting St Albans for two days this week.

The play explores the resonances in today’s society with ground-breaking Ken Loach film Cathy Come Home 50 years ago, telling the emotive story of Cathy, a single mum with a teenager who ends up losing her home and then her child.  In a unique, interactive experience, students had the chance to change the outcome of the play, first by discussion and then by use of the theatre itself.  Alfie Watts (Y9) and Nazmin Begum (Y11) both took turns on stage as the main characters alongside professional actors, who commented on their talent and confidence.  Well done all who took part!

 

Go Green Leaders Go!

This week our Sixth Form Green Leaders participated in the Green Leaders Training in preparation to deliver assemblies to our feeder Primary Schools on sustainability. It was fantastic to observe the students engaging so positively with Mrs Cox from our Academies Trust link: Sir John Lawes School. The students made numerous excellent and insightful contributions to our discussion, showing a clear determination and commitment to raising awareness of sustainability. We look forward to being a part of their journey towards producing and delivering inspirational assemblies to our local community over the next few months. We will return in the New Year with updates…

Mr K Barry – Head of Year 11

Mrs L Hyslop – Head of Geography

 

 

Academy Cabinet Meeting 

This week we had our first meeting together as an Academy Cabinet for this academic year.  With our Cabinet being formed of students from across the entire Academy, we have divided into three subcommittees.  As a result, students have joined the subcommittee where they feel they will have the most to contribute out of a choice of: -

-          Community

-          Charity

-          Student Experience

During the meeting we shared ideas to enhance the experience for all members of our Academy Community, with numerous insightful contributions coming directly from our students. These ideas will now be taken forward to the Senior Leadership Team for further discussion.  During the remainder of this term, we will be planning our upcoming events including the Anti-Bullying Conference and Green Leaders events.  We would like to thank all members of the Academy Cabinet for their wonderful contributions and look forward to our next meeting on Wednesday 7th December.

Mr K Barry

Head of Year 11

Lille Christmas Market Trip – 16th December

The faculty of Modern Foreign Languages is offering a day trip to the Christmas Market of Lille on Friday 16th December, open to all students of French from Year 8 to Year 13.  We are planning to leave the school at 5am and will return around 10pm.  The cost of the trip will be £56 per student, which includes the return coach journey, Eurotunnel crossing and insurance. 

The trip will provide students with the opportunities to develop their skills in French speaking whilst shopping and mixing with native French speakers. They might even buy a few Christmas presents! There will be more than 80 wooden chalets full of gift ideas, nativity figurines, Christmas decorations and festive food. The students will be able to find regional specialities there as well as waffles, gingerbread and other delicacies, which can be taken away or eaten on the spot.  Further information about the trip and a reply slip can be found via our website.

Please note that all participants will need a valid passport to go to France.

 

Artwork of the Week

Our Artwork of the Week this week is our fabulous wall of macro fruit, painted by Miss Jones’s Year 7 class. Amazing!

 

PE

Netball

On Tuesday our Year 7 girls had to work exceptionally hard to beat a strong, talented Loreto netball team.  Izzy Paas played particularly well as the captain, giving encouragement and support to all of her team.  The final score was lower than usual, 4-3 to SRA, due to very good defensive play from both teams.  It is very pleasing to see so many girls turning up to play in the netball team now - keep up the good work girls!

On Wednesday we had 11 Year 7 girls attend the match against Sandringham; all the girls were given some court time although those who train most played more.  Unfortunately, we played the most successful team in the league so far and were defeated 15-3.  However, our best players were our defence which gives an indication of how good the Sandringham girls were!  Their shooter was exceptionally accurate, giving our girls something to aim towards. Well done to all the girls; they never gave up and improved by the last quarter. 

 

Football

On Saturday 5th November SRA Year 10 had a football match against Townsend.  When we got to the pitch the grass was wet from the damp night and the balls soon got wet as well.  The match started with SRA kicking off and a pass backwards, which soon got intercepted by Townsend.  The first 10-20 minutes of the game was spent by SRA kicking the ball out of play and feeling unconfident.  Then Townsend had a weak shot on target which was stopped by the keeper but because the striker came closer to finish it off, the wet ball slipped out of the keeper’s hands and they scored an easy goal.  Throughout the rest of the half, SRA was more confident and made much more forward balls which the referee called offside.  Until halfway, the game looked like a tug of war, with each team having shots and opportunities as we ended the half.

In the second half, we started to attack and Josh put a beautiful ball forward to Bill, who finished it off.  Townsend wasn’t going to let us get away with a goal so they started attacking back.  Josh put another through ball forward to TJ who side footed it straight down the middle at the keeper.  Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one who missed, and after a couple more misses, Townsend saw an opportunity to attack.  However, we defended well, with Josh running back from the other half and kicking it out of play.

Following a throw on from Townsend and a perfect cross, they finished it bottom right corner.  At this point in time we had 10 minutes left and we needed a goal.  A couple of failed attempts and good runs later by all the team, we still couldn’t score.  Leaving ourselves exposed in defence, Townsend saw the chance that came with it and got the ball to the 18 yard box.  Even though we had most of our players back by this point, they had a shot which accidently deflected off Josh`s head and went top left corner.  After this, we knew we couldn’t win but everyone tried their hardest to score and not let in another goal.

Final Score 3-1 Townsend.    

Bence Varga

Year 10

 

Forthcoming Sports Fixtures

Date/Time

Fixture

Venue

Saturday 12th November

Years 7 & 8 Boys Rugby v Tring School

Venues tbc

Saturday 19th November

Years 7, 8 & 9 Rugby v Nicholas Breakspear

Venues tbc

Tuesday 22nd November

Year 9 Netball v Beaumont

Home

 

Secondary Diary Dates

Autumn Term 2016

 

Sunday 13th November

Remembrance Sunday Parade

Monday 14th November

More Able: Geography Waste Awareness

Monday 14th November

Year 9 Spelling Bee

Mon 14th – Fri 18th November

Year 11 – Mock Exam Week

Tuesday 15th November

Year 7 Spelling Bee

Wednesday 16th November

Year 11 Spelling Bee

Wednesday 16th November

Year 12 Deloitte Mentoring

Thursday 17th November

Year 8 Spelling Bee

Friday 18th November

Year 10 Spelling Bee

Wednesday 23rd November

Year 11 Oaklands College, Welwyn Campus Taster Sessions

Thursday 24th November

Sixth Form Conference at St Albans Cathedral

Friday 25th November

Sixth Form Friday lectures

Friday 25th November  

Inset Day – School Closed

Monday 28th November

More Able: Music Competition

Tuesday 29th November

Sixth Form Open Evening

Wednesday 30th November

Year 11 Oaklands College, Smallford Campus Taster Sessions

Thursday 1st December 

Year 10 Curriculum Evening

Friday 2nd December

Year 11 Mock Exam Results Day

Tuesday 6th December

Year 11 Parents' Evening

Thursday 8th December

School Production

Friday 9th December

School Production

Saturday 10th December

PTA Festive Fayre 12-3pm

Tuesday 13th December

Christmas Music Showcase

Friday 16th December

Lille Christmas Market Trip

Wednesday 21st December

Autumn Term ends for all students 12.30pm

Spring Term 2017

 

Thursday 5th January

Inset Day - School Closed

Friday 6th January 

Inset Day - School Closed

Monday 9th January 

Spring Term Starts

 

General News

News from the PTA

British Legion

Many thanks to all of you who have helped to sell and bought poppies over the past couple of weeks. We are sure that we will have made lots of money for this fantastic cause.

 

Bag2School

All primary parents will have received a bag2school bag this week, secondary parents are welcome to fill any bag and drop at reception for attention of the PTA on one of the dates listed below.

Bag2School is a free fundraising scheme which works in partnership with schools to help them raise money from their donations. They operate throughout the UK; collecting and selling unwanted textiles to importers and wholesalers in many countries of Eastern and Western Europe, Africa and Asia with the majority going for re use. We have our collection date on Thursday 1st December, the more bags we manage to fill the more money that will be raised for the PTA. The school receives 40p per kilo collected! So far you have all helped to raise over £600 with Bag2School! Please fill your bag with any of the items listed below (good quality only please): Please note no textiles (bedding, curtains etc.) will be accepted.

·        Men’s, Ladies and Children’s clothing

·        Paired Shoes

·        Handbags and bags

·        Scarves and ties

·        Jewellery

·        Soft Toys

Please bring your filled bags to the primary playground on one of the following mornings (by 9am): Monday 28th November, Tuesday 29th November or Wednesday 30th November.  The Bag2School van will collect from the school at 9am on Thursday 1st December so please do not bring any bags to school after this time.

 

Christmas Treeasy

With Christmas fast approaching, it’s time to let you know of our fantastic partnership with Christmas Treeasy who will deliver and recycle your Christmas tree with the added bonus of the PTA raising money.

For every tree sold to staff, parents, relatives, friends and work colleagues, Christmas Treeasy will donate between £3 and £5 (size of tree dependant) to the PTA by the start of the new school term in January.

Christmas Treeasy specialise in only the very best top grade trees, the non-drop Nordmann Fir Christmas trees, which they will deliver free of charge direct to your home. For a small additional fee there is also the option of recycling, whereby they collect and recycle trees in the New Year.

This year there are seven dates available for delivery (more dates may become available) and trees are of short supply, so please order early to avoid disappointment.

There are a variety of ways to order your tree,

  1. Through school via the order form attached here. Return this with payment to the school reception in a sealed envelope.
  2. Online at www.christmastreeasy.co.uk where we can take credit card payments, please choose your school from the drop down list.
  3. By phone, calling 07710 407149 or 07989 072090
  4. By direct email at enquiries@christmastreeasy.co.uk  this year’s order form is attached.

You can also follow Christmas Treeasy and your delivery on facebook: www.facebook.com/christmastreeasy and on Twitter: @XmasTreeasy

Please mention your Samuel Ryder Academy in all correspondence to ensure a donation to the school.

 

Donations for the Festive Fair

It’s that time of year again where we are asking for lots of donations from you to help the Festive Fair be as profitable as possible. This year we are looking for any of the following items, if you are able to donate any then please place in the buckets in the primary playground or pass to reception.

  • Unwanted gifts which would be suitable for men, women or children
  • Biscuits / Christmas puddings / Yule logs
  • Bottles  (if these are alcoholic, please give directly to a member of staff as opposed to putting them in the donation buckets. Secondary children must not bring alcoholic donations into school; parents may drop at reception for collection by the PTA.)
  • Soft toys for the Teddy Tombol
  • Sweets for use as prizes on class stalls

Please mindful of the school no nut and sesame policy when making these donations. ('No Nut & No Sesame' policy - please refer to your 'Allergy Awareness' booklet and adhere to the 'Food Exclusion Box' on page 2.  This booklet can also be found under 'Letters home' on the main page of our Primary School website.)

We are also seeking raffle prizes; if you are able to donate a prize please speak with your class reps to get it to the PTA.

If you are able to spare any time on Saturday 10th December between 12-3 to help at the Festive Fair then please do sign up via PTA Social or let your class rep know that you would like to be involved. 

Many thanks as always for your support.

The PTA 

 

Last Chance for Lost Property

Following last week’s reminder regarding the sizeable volume of lost property we have amassed, all uncollected items have now been passed to the PE department to be used as spare kit.  We have received several new unnamed lost property items in the office this week, which will be disposed of next week if not collected:
  • • Grey/Black Slazenger drawstring bag with PE kit in
  • • Black with silver strips Adidas bag with football boots in
  • • Age 12/13 Gap blue sleeveless coat
Any named lost property is returned to its owner if it comes to the office so can we remind parents/carers to label both clothing and bags so that we can reunite items more easily.  
 
 

Invitation to DSPL SEN Information Event

DSPL 7 (St Albans, Harpenden and Villages) is providing parents/carers with an opportunity to discover more about the SEN expertise and provision in the district with a special free event on Wednesday 16th November.  Representatives from over 30 specialist organisations will be in attendance, including specialist advisors, educational psychologists and service providers, offering an excellent insight into the support that is available for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.  The event will be held at St Albans Girls’ School, Sandridgebury Lane, St Albans AL3 6DB from 10am-12pm.  Further information can be found via our website.