HWA Blog - 3.7.26
With two reward trips, Geography fieldwork, Transition Day, and our Berlin adventurers enjoying an exciting international experience, school has certainly been buzzing with activity this week. It has been wonderful to see our children and young people engaging so positively in the wider opportunities that school life offers beyond the classroom.
One of the real highlights has been hearing directly from our students. Student voice feedback has told me just how much the reward trips were appreciated, with many students commenting on how enjoyable it was to celebrate their hard work and achievements with their peers. These experiences help create memories and reinforce the importance of attendance, effort, and positive behaviour.
Transition Day has also been a great success. Both staff and students have shared how much they have enjoyed the opportunity to meet new teachers, experience different classrooms, and begin building confidence for the next stage of their educational journey. For many, change can feel daunting, so it has been lovely to see students embracing the experience with enthusiasm and positivity.
Meanwhile, our Geography students have been able to bring their learning to life through fieldwork, applying classroom knowledge in real-world settings, while our Berlin travellers have been representing the school brilliantly, broadening their cultural understanding and creating memories that will stay with them for years to come.
As we move towards the end of term, weeks like this remind us of the importance of providing a rich and varied school curriculum and experience. These opportunities help our young people develop confidence, independence, resilience, and friendships, alongside their academic learning. Thank you to all the staff who have organised and supported these events, and to our students, who continue to make us proud with their enthusiasm and engagement.
Sharing the highlights of this week…
WOW moment – shout out to Eliora.
Well done, Eliora, for riding a bicycle for the first time.
This is a huge achievement and a wonderful milestone. Learning to ride a bike takes courage, determination, resilience, and lots of practice, and you should be incredibly proud of yourself. Even when things felt a little tricky, you kept going and showed great perseverance.
Riding a bike for the first time is a big step towards becoming more independent and confident. It is fantastic to see how much you have grown and how willing you are to challenge yourself and learn new skills.
Keep up the amazing work, Eliora, this is something to celebrate, and we are all very proud of you.
Rewards Trip
This week, on Wednesday and Friday, our secondary students enjoyed a well-deserved rewards trip to the cinema, where they watched Toy Story 5, followed by a fun game of bowling and a delicious lunch at the bowling alley diner. All students were a credit to Hollinwood Academy throughout the trip, and I am so pleased that everyone had such an enjoyable experience. A huge thank you goes to Miss Bones and Mr Heap for organising such a fantastic event, as well as to all the staff who supported on the trip. A great success all round.
Rewards Trip
Billy Harrison
Thank you Billy for your fantastic contribution and the great effort you have shown. Hollinwood Academy appreciates your generous decision to donate your sponsor money towards the development of our sensory room. Your support will make a real difference, and we are all looking forward to seeing the finished space come to life in September.
Billy Harrison
Student Council
For their final meeting of the school year, Student Council representatives from both primary and secondary came together to share ideas, discuss improvements, and help shape future opportunities for all students. The meeting was filled with enthusiasm, creativity, and thoughtful discussion.
Students put forward a wide range of exciting ideas for lunchtime and enrichment activities, including a Pokémon Club, Basketball Club, Mindfulness Drawing Club, as well as opportunities for Show and Tell and student-led debates. It was clear that representatives are keen to see even more opportunities for students to explore their interests and collaborate with one another.
Fundraising was another key focus, with suggestions such as sponsored walks, bake sales, and “Teach the Teacher” days to raise money for school improvements and charitable causes. Students were also passionate about ensuring every voice is heard, proposing suggestion boxes, QR code surveys, assemblies, and a new initiative called “Talk Tuesday” discussions to gather views from across the school.
There was great excitement around future events, including ideas for a Hollinwood’s Got Talent competition and cultural celebration days. Students also suggested enrichment opportunities such as restaurant visits to support the development of social and independence skills.
A particularly important discussion centred on inclusion and diversity. Students spoke positively about last year’s Cultural Day and expressed a strong desire to see more celebrations of different cultures, awareness weeks, and special events throughout
the school year. This reflects the council’s commitment to creating an environment where everyone feels represented, respected, and valued.
Strengthening links between primary and secondary phases was another key priority. Representatives suggested initiatives such as Reading Buddies, shared activities, and more joint council meetings, following how much they enjoyed working together this time. Additional ideas included introducing Library Monitors and launching a School Mascot Design Competition.
Finally, students shared ideas around rewards, recognition, and sports, including ordering more achievement badges, exploring new positive behaviour rewards, introducing a “Teach the Teacher Day,” and considering a Secondary Sports Day.
We would like to thank all of our Student Council representatives for their fantastic contributions this year. Their ideas, dedication, and commitment to improving school life continue to make a real difference to our community. We are excited to see many of these ideas develop over the coming year.
Student Council
Berlin
I have been keeping up to date with Mrs Millard, Mrs Watson and Mrs Mayers this week, hearing all about their Berlin adventures, what an amazing experience it has been for everyone involved. The photos say it all, with students clearly having a fantastic time and making the most of every opportunity. It certainly looks like they haven’t stopped, and I imagine they may need a well-earned rest once they return home, staff included. They are due back this evening, and I would like to wish them all a safe flight and onward journey. Well done to everyone for making it such a memorable trip.
Berlin
Let’s see what has been happening in the classroom...
In Mr Corrigan’s class…
English:
Our Talk for writing model text this half term is The Gruffalo. We have embedded the key themes of the story and this week we are innovating the story using our own ideas.
Phonics:
Our new phonics book is Barker. This week we are planning and writing a newspaper article.
Maths:
Our maths topics this half term are Time and Mass, capacity & temperature. In Time this week are telling time to 5 minutes.
Science:
Our science topic this half term is Growing up. This week we have been exploring the life cycle of humans.
DT:
Our focus this half term is Structures. This week we are planning and building a chair for a bear.
Geography:
The question we are asking ourselves this half term is... What is it like to live by the coast? To help us answer this we have explored the human features of Weymouth and collected data.
ICT:
Our topic this half term is Data handling. This week we have been exploring life on the International Space Station and inputting data into a spreadsheet.
Music:
Our focus in music this half term is Pitch. We have been reading and performing musical notes through singing and playing percussion instruments.
MCN - D&T
In Miss Bottery’s class…..
It has been a busy week for 9HBY.
In art, the students have been finishing their Japanese inspired cereal box. They are looking amazing, and it was great to see them in 3D format. Well done on all your hard work.
In EHCP, we looked at risks and independence. We defined risk, gave everyday examples of risk, and talked about how we can reduce them. We also looked at how adolescents have a different perception of risk to adults, at the time when they want increasing independence from adults. Finally, the students came up with their own scenarios for when there may be a risk, and the class discussed what would be the best steps to take.
In music, the students have been looking at different genres of music and making riffs for these different styles. It’s sounding really good so far and we look forward to hearing the finial pieces.
This week in outdoor education, 9HBY visited the velodrome at the National Cycling Centre. Our visit coincided with some the Team GB training. They were so quick, and the students were amazed by how steep the banking is on the track. They also had a look at the BMX track. We also discussed paralympic events, and how inclusive sports are.
Friday was reward day for Y9. In the morning, we watched Toy Story 5 at the cinema, followed by lunch and some bowling. It was a great day and gave the students time to socialise with their peers and a well-deserved break. We were especially impressed by the number of strikes and spares scored by the students – they would have certainly beaten us!
Only one week until the form visits the beach as part of their geography studies. Here’s hoping the weather gods smile on us at this second attempt.
HBY
And now… what had been happening in our Music lessons….
Music at HWA: A Busy and Creative Term.
It's been another fantastic term in the Music Department, with students across all year groups developing new skills, exploring different styles of music, and creating some incredible work.
Year 7
Year 7 have been discovering how music is used in video games to tell stories, represent characters, and create different atmospheres. We began by exploring the sounds of early video games and the world of 8-bit pixel graphics. Students then put their creativity to the test by composing their own chiptune-inspired tracks using the BeepBox app on iPads, producing some truly impressive results.
Year 8
Year 8 have been busy developing their instrumental skills this term. So far, they've tackled guitar, bass guitar, ukulele and keyboard, with drumming coming up next. It's been brilliant to see their confidence and musicianship grow, and some students are already showing signs of future rock stardom.
Year 9
This half term, Year 9 have been experimenting with musical fusion, combining elements from a wide variety of genres and traditions. From classical music and funk to traditional Chinese music and rock, students have explored how different styles can work together to create something new and exciting. Using GarageBand alongside instruments such as electric guitars, ukuleles, pianos, accordions and even kalimbas, they have composed some wonderfully original pieces.
Year 10 Arts Award
The Year 10 Arts Award class have been making excellent use of the new instruments recently purchased for the department as they prepare for their end-of-term performances. Alongside developing their performance skills, students have been exploring the importance of self-evaluation and reflection in music. By analysing their own work and setting targets for improvement, they have made fantastic progress throughout the term.
Year 11 Arts Award
A huge congratulations to our Year 11 Arts Award students, who have now completed their coursework after months of hard work and dedication. Their commitment has really paid off, and we are incredibly proud of what they have achieved. We wish all of
them the very best for the future, especially those who are continuing their musical journey at college next year.
HWA Choir: Summer Fair Preparations
The HWA Choir are busy rehearsing for their upcoming performance at the Summer Fair. Their setlist includes songs by Rag 'n' Bone Man, James Bay and AJR, and they're sounding fantastic. Following their performance, choir members will also be helping to run the karaoke session so start warming up those vocal cords and get ready to sing along.
It's been a wonderful term of creativity, collaboration and musical achievement. We look forward to sharing even more exciting performances and projects in the months ahead.
Now to our amazing SUPER STARs and HWA We are We trust each other STARs
Miss McDonald’s STAR of the week is Freddie for having an amazing g attitude to learning this week, especially in maths and English. Miss McDonald’s HWA We trust each other goes to Roma communicating really well when dysregulated and using her regulation board through the day.
Mrs Bailey’s HWA We trust each other goes to George - For accepting change and responding well when things haven't quite gone your way this week.
Mrs Bailey’s STAR of the Week is Jack - For recognising when you need a sensory break and requesting to go to the quiet room with an adult.
Mrs Lerigo’s and Mrs Sutcliffe's STAR of the Week Adam for a wonderful end of the week. He has used the toilet independently and read his reading book with Miss Callan.
Mrs Lerigo’s and Mrs Sutcliffe's HWA We trust each other goes Finley has had a great transition session this week. He has also done some fabulous talking a writing this week.
Mrs McDonalds’ and Mrs Bramley’s STAR of the Week is Zachary for coping well with change this week.
Mrs McDonalds’ and Mrs Bramley’s we trust each other star goes to Roman for being trusting when the dentist came to visit this week.
Miss Silcott-Boyd’s STAR of the Week is Henry M for Excellent contributions during class.
Miss Silcott-Boyd’s We trust each other STAR goes to Issam for Showing a great attitude to learning.
Miss Pietraszewska’ s HWA We trust each other goes to Sienna for her amazing progress in writing. Sienna has overcome her fear of holding a pencil and is now independently copying words. What incredible progress she has made!
Miss Pietraszewska’ s STAR of the Week goes to Ivy for following her drinking chart brilliantly, drinking more water, and doing an amazing job during her third transition day in her new classroom. Well done, Ivy!
Mr Corrigan’s STAR of the Week is Kian for some wonderful creative writing ideas in English.
Mr Corrigan’s WOW moment is Kian for helping his friend with their seatbelt.
Mr Corrigan’s congratulates Albi-Lee & Jack for being proud of their friends.
Mr Corrigan’s We trust each other goes to Teddy for listening to his friends and trying something new.
Miss Hulme’s STAR of the Week is Gabriel for always being such a great helper in class and looking after our belongings.
Miss Donbavand’s STAR of the Week goes to Holly for great ideas in English during shared writing.
Miss Donbavand’s HWA We trust each other goes to Simi for joining in with online quizzes and games with her peers.
Mrs Boylan’s STAR of the Week goes to Louis for working hard and engaging every lesson this week.
Mrs Boylan’s HWA We trust each other goes to Faiha for accepting adult help and trying her best to regulate when feeling upset.
Miss Davies’s STAR of the Week is Maja for having a fantastic week.
Miss Oakley’s STAR of the Week is Issac- For being so kind and helpful to his peers this week.
Miss Oakley’s HWA We trust each other goes to Harry- For an amazing outdoor education session on the bikes.
STARS of the Week (3.7.26)
Well done to everyone.
