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SWA E-Newsletter #152

E-NEWSLETTER  •  ISSUE 152

A Message From Principal, Mr Martin

As we approach the end of the Summer term, there are a multitude of activities and events taking place. We have finished all GCSE, BTEC and A Level exams, which ran exceedingly well. I want to personally congratulate all of our students on their attitude, commitment and resilience.

This week we received the exciting news that we have been awarded the Eco-Schools Green Flag Award, which celebrates the ecological achievements of young people and the next generation of innovative, inspirational environmentalists who are actively engaged in protecting our planet.

Last week our fabulous Summer Arts Festival returned after a two year break. It is one of the highlights of the year and includes choirs, bands, drama, art, textiles, percussion, brass, wind and dance performances. This year we also had fantastic performing arts contributions from Shefford Lower School, Pix Brook Academy and Etonbury Academy. It was great to see the students on our stages doing what they love and performing live to family and friends. At the weekend, we had yet more DofE expeditions camping, cooking and walking in the sunshine and sometimes pouring rain. I’d like to thank all of Mrs Mason’s team, who give up their free time to support our students in achieving this fantastic award.

Our annual Pride Week event took place last week organised by students with the support of Miss Yadav and Mr Unite. The week included cake sales, sports events, information stands and a rainbow non-uniform day to help raise funds for the following three Pride charities: Sparkel, Mindout and Outside Project. It was a successful week and grows every year.

The Royal Navy were recently on site working with our food technology students and department. They discussed how they cater for hundreds, if not thousands, of sailors at sea on battleships, aircraft carriers and submarines. The students were totally enthralled by what they heard and how the chefs manage to cook for everyone, during a force 9 gale or whilst on maneuvers.  

This week has been Year 8 transition week, with our induction evenings on Monday and Tuesday, where students and parents attended the academy to meet their new tutor, measure themselves for uniform and listen to presentations about SWA from myself, their new head of year Miss Priano, Mr Butler and our two head students. Year 8 pupils have experienced a number of taster sessions, had an assembly, sampled our canteen food and met staff whilst touring the school site. It was great to have students and parents back on site, after two years of online events. Next week is the turn of the Sixth Form, with students attending the Sixth Form Induction Day.

Finally, next week is the A Night at the Musicals production, please see below about purchasing your tickets online.

Messages From Heads of Year 

Year 9, Mrs L Clark

 

As we enter into the last month of our academic year, we are taking the time to reflect on our progress and achievements this year. Students will be taking part in reflection activities with their tutors during registration and we would love to hear about any reflective conversations you are having at home. We will also be asking students to submit their 'highlight of the year' so we can share some of the amazing experiences Year 9 have been a part of with the whole year group.

The upcoming online Year 9 PRE on 7th July from 3:30 – 7pm is another opportunity to both reflect on Year 9 and plan ahead for Year 10. Please do make sure you have appointments with your child's teachers and encourage your child to join the conversations. A reminder including the link to book your appointment has been sent out on Edulink, please check your spam/junk boxes.

Finally, we invite you to come to support our fantastically talented students preforming A Night at the Musicals; an exciting production for you and your family to enjoy. Performances are running from 7pm on 5th - 8th July at Samuel Whitbread Academy. The link to purchase tickets can be found below.

Year 10, Mrs C Kirkman

 

Having returned from maternity leave, I’m really impressed to see our Year 10 students modelling our school values within their lessons and around the school. I have also been pleased to see that the vast majority of the year group are neatly presented and consistently meeting our uniform standards. It has been great to see how the students have matured and are focused and committed to their learning. With only a few weeks left of the academic year, I would encourage the year group to use this opportunity to reflect on their mock results and speak to their subject teachers to find out how they can best prepare as they move into Year 11.

In the upcoming weeks, a subject and written tutor report will be sent home which will provide you with detailed information on how your child is progressing in their subjects, and specific targets to further improve on. As a year team, we would encourage you to read through this report with your child. Should any queries arise following the report, please contact the relevant subject teacher or your child’s form tutor in the first instance.

Last week was Pride Week which saw our year group engage with a range of activities developed by the school Diversity & Equality team. I am really proud that the team includes a number of Year 10 students who were directly involved in creating and developing the resources used with support from staff.

Year 12, Mr C Tonking

 

Our Year 12 students were off timetable last Friday to complete their ‘Next Steps Day’. This was an opportunity to further inform our young people of their potential future options. We had sessions on the UCAS process and personal statements, as well as alternative routes such as apprenticeships and school leaver programmes. We also had a session titled ‘finance for your future’ which was delivered by Miss Philbin, Head of Business, which engaged students with important information regarding financial decisions they will have to make in the coming years. We hope the students found this day informative and interesting. These last few weeks of term are incredibly busy for the year group, with Internal Progression Exams, work experience and Sports Day to come. We thank parents for the support and guidance they are giving the students at this crucial time.

 

YEAR 13 PROM

We are looking forward to seeing our Year 13 at Amberleigh Gardens on Friday 8th July from 7.30pm to 11.30pm.  This will be a lovely celebration of their time with us – and a well-deserved party considering all the disruptions the year group has had to endure.

SUMMER ARTS FESTIVAL

Last week saw our annual Summer Arts Festival, the idea of the event is to celebrate and showcase all the wonderful art, drama, music and dance that happens at Samuel Whitbread Academy as well as other schools in the local area. This year we had Shefford Lower, Pix Brook Academy and Etonbury Academy join us. There were performances from SWA Choir, SWA Dance, ETA Rock Band and SWA Drama. It is such a wonderful event that unites all the schools in the area, we already look forward to next year’s Summer Arts Festival.

A NIGHT AT THE MUSICALS

Next week sees our final production of this year, A Night at the Musicals. The show is a compilation of songs from 15 different musicals such as: Rocky Horror Picture Show, Prince of Egypt, Wicked and Six. Students have worked extremely hard towards this and we would like to open up a special offer for Samuel Whitbread students where you can come along on Tuesday night for just £2!

Head to ticket source, click on concession ticket and enter the code: SAMWHITSTUDENT2022

Make sure you book in advance to avoid missing out.

We look forward to seeing lots of you in the audience.

YEAR 10 FOOD TECHNOLOGY NAVY VISIT

We were lucky enough to have the Royal Navy come in for three sessions with the Year 10 food students. The Navy spoke to the students about what life is like as a Royal Navy officer and the apprenticeship schemes they offer. After the presentation, students were then given ingredients with instructions and asked to produce a main meal and dessert. Students were only given a short period of time. The students’ work was then judged by the officers and a few members of staff. The students really enjoyed it and there were prizes for the successful groups.

YEAR 11 INTO 12 INDUCTION

All students who have applied to join our Sixth Form and received conditional offers should have been sent a letter this week with their Induction Day timetable for Wednesday 6th July. If there are any questions about the induction day or their timetable please email swa-sixthformadmissions@bestacademies.org.uk with your query. 

We start the day at 8.20am in the Main Hall, and our SWA Year 11 students will still be able to use their current bus passes for SWA buses on this day. We expect students to wear dress code details can be found on our website. The day finishes at 3pm and students will be able to use the Sixth Form facilities including the café during the day.


PRIDE WEEK

To celebrate Pride and LGBTQ+ history month, we dedicated a week full of activities to educate our students on the LGBTQ+ community. In registration, students were shown a presentation created by the Pride and Diversity committee, the slides include information about the community and personal stories from students in the school.

On Monday, the students made and presented a pop-up stall that other students could visit to further their knowledge, which included a few famous faces who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community.

The schools' librarian, Miss Freeman, created Pride bracelets for anyone who borrowed an LGBTQ+ book during the month of June, and created a special Pride teddy which could be claimed during that week for students taking part in the Golden Ticket book competition.

On Wednesday there was a cake and badge sale, the donations for the cakes went to Sparkle, Mindout and The Outside Project.

Finally on Friday was the sporting event, which challenged students to try and beat the teachers at their chosen sport.

Thank you to all the students and staff who got involved in activities around the Academy, and a huge well done to the students and staff involved in piecing it together this week, it was brilliantly executed.

ECO COMMITTEE, GREEN FLAG

DANCE SUCCESS 

Exceptional Year 9 dancer Caitlin D is currently at the Dance World Cup in Spain. She received second place out of 72 entries in Contemporary Solo with an insane score of 98.7%. Next, she has the opportunity to dance at the Gala, which is reserved for the best dancers with scores of 96% or higher. We are very proud of you Caitlin, huge well done!

BEACH TOUCH RUGBY

On Friday our U18 mixed squad travelled to West Wittering Beach for a Beach Touch Rugby competition. We took a squad of eight players, not really knowing what to expect from the day. The team managed to win all three of their pool games, putting them through to the quarter finals of the Cup competition. They won the quarter-final 5-1 and won the semi-final against Worthing A in extra time, with Lara J scoring the winning try! We then played Worthing B in the final, having beaten them in the group stage already the team were confident they could come away with a positive result. The squad rotated a lot due to tired bodies but the players worked so hard and managed to win the final 4-2 to become Cup winners!  

Outstanding performances from all throughout the day but most notable were from Ben R and Sarah M. After collecting the trophy we were pleasantly surprised to also win the competition’s “Sportsmanship Award”, voted by opposition players and coaches. This was fitting recognition for eight players who are not only extremely talented sportsmen and women, but also fantastic role models and ambassadors for our school. Well done to all that played!

YEAR 8 TRANSITION


MRS ABBOTT

Many of you will know Mrs Abbott as our fabulous Year 9 Pastoral Support Officer, who has been with the Academy for over eight years and has supported four cohorts of Samuel Whitbread students. This month, we wish Mrs Abbott a fond farewell as she moves on to an exciting new role within BEST. Mrs Abbott has made a profound impact on many young people and has worked tirelessly to ensure students feel safe, supported and are able to access the education they deserve. She leaves behind a legacy with the pastoral team, too. Each of us have learnt from her and been guided by her over the years. We wish her the very best of luck in her new adventure and will miss her terribly!

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Samuel Whitbread Academy E-Newsletter
 
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Samuel Whitbread Academy
Shefford Road, Clifton, Shefford, Bedfordshire, SG17 5QS
Tel: 01462 629900  •  Fax: 01462 629901
Email: swa-info@bestacademies.org.uk