This is my last blog of the academic year and what a year it has been! It will certainly be one to remember, after taking over the Headship in December and leading the school during a global pandemic for the last four months. As I stated in my letter on Thursday, the government expects all students to return to school in September and the staff and I are looking forward to this return, as the months of lockdown have been as difficult and frustrating for us as I know they have been for you. It will be lovely to welcome the students back to school as we have missed them all.
The Government has set out detailed guidance for school leaders so we can put proportionate protective measures in place for the students and staff. By putting certain controls in place, we aim to reduce the number of contacts that the students have during the school day. A detailed risk assessment has been carried out and we will continue to monitor and change this in line with any new guidance from the government so Hollinwood Academy will be open for all students on Monday 7th September 2020. We still have a lot of planning and preparation to do over the summer break and I will endeavour to keep all of our families up to date via ParentPay.
Our school leavers’ celebrations continued this week and it was lovely for staff to see the students and wish them well. It has also been the last week of online learning from home and what a week it has been. Let’s have a look at the final home learning post…
This week there have been a number of certificates and awards. A special thank you to Ms McMurray for putting together this amazing video for the Hollinwood Academy home learning awards..
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Miss Daniels has a special message:
”Have a very Happy Holidays everyone. You have all tried so hard these last few months at home. I am very proud of you and you should be very proud of yourselves!!! I am so looking forward to seeing you all in September. Take care and stay happy, safe and well.”
Thomas received two certificates this week. One for his efforts in the New Bridge Rockathon, and a special certificate and prize from Ms Potts for his outstanding efforts with his Maths whilst he has been at home. Maia and Decklan were extremely proud to receive their New Bridge Rockathon certificates and prizes too. Well done!
Last week, Miss Rudge received a very exciting phone call from Jenny at Relax kids Oldham to say that our funding bid had been successful! 🙂 Hollinwood have worked with Relax kids previously, and the work they do is just incredible! We hope to use our new funding to reach a number of children who will benefit from some wonderful mindfulness intervention next year. We have also arranged for a one-off parent class to be delivered too!
We really are in a very strange and scary times and it seems that everyone has gone into panic mode. Fear and panic can weaken our nervous system and therefore make us more susceptible to both physical and mental illness. Children need reassurance and calm right now to help them manage the changes and help them rest and relax through this uncertainty. These parent sessions will provide an overview of the Relax Kids Programme for parents and families, with a number of tips and techniques to take home to support families’ mental health and wellbeing. If you are interested in attending this session, please email Miss Rudge at zrudge@newbridgegroup.org to book a place for September.
This week in art pupils were asked to create a ‘Protest poster’…” A protest is an expression of how you feel about something. People protest about lots of different things, every day, all over the world”. Most recently, there have been lots of stories on the news about the ‘Black lives matter’ protests. These protests were held all over the world, and people were expressing their thoughts following incidents of police brutality. Pupils could design their posters about anything they are passionate about or something they wish to change. Miss Rudge is very proud of our efforts.
Maia has produced this fabulous virtual model of Hollinwood Academy using Minecraft..
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Lenni has made some delicious biscuits..
The pupils onsite have been busy again this week..
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Here are some messages and memories from the wonderful staff team at Hollinwood Academy..
- A message to KS2CML from Miss McDonald, Miss Hill and Miss Richardson:
We just wanted say that it was SOOOO lovely to see you all on Wednesday! We have missed you soo much and it was wonderful to come and say hello and give you a little ‘thank you for being great’ gift. We are sad that our year got cut short but we will see you next year and remember, we are still here for you to nip downstairs if you need anything when things get back to normal. Also, what a wonderful treat we received from our visits, thank you all so so much for our cards and presents. You are such a lovely, thoughtful class and I am very lucky that my first year teaching at Hollinwood Academy was with a class as special as you all! Have a wonderful Summer and we shall see you in September.
- A message from Mr Corrigan:
It has been a special two years together as a class and a joy from start to finish. Thank you everyone for all your hard work and I look forward to seeing everyone back safe in school in September.
- A message from Miss Rashid and Miss Sanderson:
I would just like to say how proud myself and Miss Sanderson are of our students during the last few months. Each and every one of you have faced challenges, however, as always you have approached them with confidence and made it to the end of the school year! To our year 11s, good luck, whatever you go on to you will all be fabulous. Have an amazing summer, stay safe, stay positive and keep smiling. - A message from Miss Rudge:
This is just a snapshot of our lovely ole Creative year at Hollinwood! Cannot wait to see what we create next year and proud, as always of our wonderfully creative pupils..
- A message from Mr Hartley:
I just want to say a massive well done to all the students in KS4DHY. You have shown what a fantastic group you are. I am really impressed with your resilience and hard work since lockdown and hope you all have a lovely summer.
We would also like to say thank you and good luck to Miss Gold who will be moving to Miss Meadows’ class next year. Below are some of the messages from our students to Miss Gold:
‘Miss Gold, thank you for supporting me in lessons. I wish you good luck in Miss Meadows’ class and goodbye. I’ll miss you and won’t forget you.”
“Thank you for being nice to me and helping me with my work in class.”
Miss Gold, Thank you for being patient with me and supporting me with my learning.”
- Ms Collinge shared some wonderful memories of her class from the last academic year..
- Miss Simms has shared a special poem to her class..
Our final message and photos are for the Hollinwood Academy leavers:
- What a year! I have had a lovely (emotional) day today visiting you all and I’m missing you all already. Good luck in college, you have all worked so hard this year and deserve all the amazing things coming your way in the future. Remember you can achieve anything you put your mind to. Please keep in touch lots of love Miss Stubbs xx
The students’ iPads can remain at home over the Summer period and they can access Showbie but no new learning will be set. I do ask that the students bring their iPads, leads and chargers in with them on Monday 7th September.
Miss Gordon and myself had a meeting on Thursday regarding the Key Stage 2 playground equipment and swing and we are hopeful that this work will commence towards the end of August so it is ready for September. We then had a further meeting on Friday regarding the Secondary playground as we hope this will start to take shape just outside school on the tarmac area. Mr Hartley and Miss McMurray cannot wait for the School Council to hold their first meeting so they can decide on extra playground resources for the students at Hollinwood Academy.
We are all looking forward to seeing the students back in school in September and we would like to thank you for your continuous support.
Please continue to take care, follow the safety guidelines and look after yourselves and your family.
Mrs Millard
Click here for a special message from our Chair of Trustees, Steve Williams
You can find all our previous blog entries here