Principal's Update
Year 11 students have completed their touchstone assessments this week and will be receiving the results and feedback to inform their next steps. Students should use this feedback to help them know what to revise and which gaps to fill in preparation for their mocks in November.
Students will all receive an attitude to learning report this half term and formal assessments for years 7-10 in November.
We have reminded students that we recommend wearing masks in the corridors and in social spaces to minimise the risk of Covid transmission. We have continued with our one-way system and will continue with this at least until half term. Please remind your child about the importance of washing their hands and using hand sanitizer in each lesson.
It was great that we had so many students who were successful in the summer cup trials and the summer cup itself. Our students worked well as a team and were very well behaved. Students will be celebrated in the whole school assembly on Monday and some details have been shared on Twitter.
We had our first open morning event, in addition to our open evening last week and we welcomed ten families into the Academy. We have another ten families joining us this coming week and have had to advertise a third open morning on October 4th due to the popularity of these events. Please let any interested parents know that these events are available for students in year 6 who are thinking about joining us at CRA.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Mrs Jones
Catering
The return to school has seen an exciting new menu at Charles Read provided by Caterlink, which you can view by clicking the link below.
If you have any questions or suggestions about the catering service at the Academy please dont hesitate to contact us so we can discuss with Caterlink.
Parent Pay
If you need a Parent Pay login so your child can add monies to the payment facility, please contact the office for a username, then follow the notes in the attachment below
Mr Linforth - Academy Operations Manager
Home Lateral Flow Testing
With positive cases increasing in Lincolnshire and across the UK, especially prevalent in unvaccinated children, its now more important than ever to ensure we are all following the guidance and recommendations from the academy in respect of face mask being worn in communal areas and on transport. Please also encourage your children to practice regulars handwashing and sanitising procedures both in school and at home, to reinforce the messages we are sharing with them throughout the day.
When you complete lateral flow tests at home on a Sunday and Wednesday evening, please report the results via these links to both the NHS and also CRA.
If you require further kits, students can collect these from reception.
Did you know that parents and support bubbles of school children, as well as anyone who has to leave home to go to work, can now get rapid Covid-19 tests twice a week. Order yours now here.
Further guidance from the Government and Department of Education in respect of home testing can be found below:
A copy of the risk assessment and privacy policy relating to Lateral Flow Testing can be found on the CRA website.
Mr Linforth - Academy Operations Manager
Homework
A big thank you to students and parents for embracing the new Prep Homework strategy. Students have made a very positive start and the school have received good feedback from the students.
Students will be informed in lessons which sections they need to complete but they can also find details by following the year group links below. there will also be a link to this information set as a termly homework via the student portal and it will also be accessible via the Homework section in the parent information tab of the website.
On Monday staff will be checking that the homework from Friday, Saturday and Sunday has been completed.
A short video on homework expectations can be found on the CRA website or by clicking below:
Please talk to your child about this new approach to homework and the consequences if they don’t complete it or don’t complete it to a satisfactory standard.
Mrs Cooper -Teaching & Learning Lead
Humanities Department: Geography GCSE
Tutor2u.net Geography have produced a series of live revision events for GCSE AQA Geography students. These will be broadcast at 6:30pm each Thursday from their website or YouTube Channel.
The first of these sessions is on Thursday 23rd September covering Tectonic Hazards: Plate Boundaries. The sessions are recorded and can be watched at an alternative time.
Mrs Cooper- Head of Humanities
CRA Values
A strong team of CRA students have been selected to represent Charles Read academy at the summer cup.
Our new year 7 students they have shown courage to put themselves forward and excelled in their chosen discipline.
We know the students will encourage one another to try their best and show resilience on the day.
There has been a buzz around the academy in the build up to the big day and lovely to hear the students discussing their aspirations of bringing home the medals.
Behind the scenes our staff have worked really hard to prepare for the day to ensure a smooth enjoyable day for all.
Watching the staff and students depart the academy to head off for the event we all feel very proud of them.
All our CRA values together.
We are very proud of them all.
Uniform expectations
It is vital that we ensure everyone is adhering to the Academy Uniform Policy - details of which can be found here.
Students without a medical note will go into IE for incorrect uniform.
Outdoor coats
Outdoor coats can be worn during breaks and before and after school, but should not be worn when walking inside the academy. May we also remind you that hoodies are not appropriate, and shouldn’t be worn as a replacement for an outdoor coat.
Face Masks
Masks are recommended to be worn on all school transport, during transitions between lessons and in communal indoor spaces. Please ensure you have a spare mask just in case it requires changing throughout the day. We appreciate that communication whilst wearing a mask can be tricky, so please see the poster below for tips on effective communication whilst wearing a mask.
Masks should be blue or black and plain and worn at all times whilst inside the school buildings.
Careers' Corner
Please visit the Careers' page on the CRA website for this weeks update and details of previous publications.
This week in Science, year 7s have been learning about energy efficiency and this has led to a career focus on the Energy efficiency engineer.
An energy efficiency engineer conducts energy audits to inspect, survey, model, and analyse the primary energy flows (mechanical, electrical and thermal) in existing residential, commercial and industrial buildings. The purpose is to reduce energy consuming and improve energy efficiency.
These engineers develop solutions for improving energy consumption and use. Through research, design, documentation, and construction they implement green solutions, cutting down environmental impact and cost.
Careers in energy engineering include those in wind and solar energy.
Most Important Skills for Energy Engineers
- Reading—Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Science—Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Mathematics—Using mathematics to solve problems.
Please continue to talk to your children about careers and if further information on any career is required please speak to the careers team.
Mr Otchere - Careers' Lead
Thinking Ahead – My Future, My Choice
Attention Year 8 & Year 9!
- What are your future plans & career possibilities?
- What plans to do you have after you have completed your GCSEs?
- Do you plan to go on to further/higher education? If so what courses might you study?
- What career ideas do you have for the future at the moment?
In year 7, 8 and 9 you will be learning new skills and knowledge that will give you the confidence to help you plan your next steps. This process starts with your careers education in school which will encourage you to think about your strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes. You will also start to make some important decisions that could influence your future career path as you will be choosing your subjects to study for GCSE. This process will begin for all Year 9 students early next year.
Each week we will show you examples of the various careers linked to the subject you are studying. This week’s career idea is ‘Jobs related to Biology'
Mr Otchere - Career's Lead
Welcome to CRA
Hello, I have recently moved across to Lincolnshire from Herefordshire - I do love the rural counties and enjoy what a beautiful part of the country CRA is found! My special interests in science are psychology and neuroscience, but I also love reading fiction and looking through art galleries whenever I'm not doing either of those. I am enjoying meeting my new colleagues and the pupils at CRA and I look forward to getting involved in all the house competitions!
House News
Aqua crowned House Limbo champions
On Friday 17th September Aqua, Caeli and Terra went head to head in the first house competition of the year, Limbo. The atmosphere was fantastic as students and staff were once again able to attend the event to show their support for their houses. Each house selected 6 participants, one person across each year group and a member of staff who dressed up in house coloured grass skirts and flowers to really bring the competition to life.
It was the first competition for the new year 7s who showed real courage and confidence to step up and perform on the stage in front of an audience. After a few rounds of singing and dancing their nerves settled and the party atmosphere really got going. Bouncing off the noise created from the audience, participants stepped up their performance ready for the final rounds. More and more students were eliminated as the pole lowered and following some closely contested rounds it was Ryan in Terra 11 who finished 3rd to earn his house 50 house points. The final two saw two year 8 students battle It out for the Limbo crown, Annabell of Caeli and Logan of Aqua. Their was nothing to separate them both heading in to the final round but it was Logan who managed to keep his balance to successfully limbo under the final pole and secure 125 points for Aqua. Annabell with a fantastic performance earned Caeli 75 points to their total.
Well done to everyone who represented their house teams and displayed the CRA values throughout the event. The next house competition is Football taking place week commencing Monday 4th October.
Harvest Festival – House Collections
Two more weeks remaining to contribute to the House Harvest Festival collections, in support of the local foodbank.
To contribute to the Harvest Festival we are appealing for your donations of food items and household products. Please do not donate fresh food products. Items need to have a long shelf life, with the items outlined in the photo being requested by food banks across the country.
Last year the CRA community provided the equivalent of 126 meals for the local community, who were extremely grateful for our generous donations. We would like to top that this year if we can and try to encourage as many of our CRA community to play their part, supporting those in need.
If you feel this is something you can support with please send in your child with your donations. Your child must then notify their form tutor on their donation before placing items in the House box which will be situated on the stage in the main hall.
The deadline for donations is NOW Friday 8th October
Follow us on the House social media platforms, Twitter and Instagram, for all the latest news and results from each event including action shots from the competitions - @CRA_HouseChamp
Mr Webb - Games Master
Table Talk
Impressions
Our students all wear the CRA uniform with their respective house ties. When they are in the street or a public place we are keen for them to act responsibly as the uniform represents all of CRA. This makes an impression of our academy.
This week we have had the pleasure of our new CRA school Governor, Lorna Page visit the academy for the first time.
She was very impressed with our students - their appearance, manners and attentiveness in lessons.
The first impression when meeting a new person, visiting a new place or a brand new experience will last for ever.
The key to a good impression is to present yourself appropriately.
First impressions are crucial. They can make or break an opportunity.
How are you going to ensure you make a good impression?
Word of the Week
(Greek word root)
Cosm: Universe, world, order (Greek word root)
• Cosmos: the universe seen as a well-ordered whole
• Microcosm: a community, place, or situation regarded as encapsulating in miniature the characteristics of something much larger.
• Cosmology: the science of the origin and development of the universe.
Miss Brealey - Head of English Faculty
Library Update
In true storybook tradition, my dreams came true over the summer holiday, and I started the new school year in the CRA Library with boxes and boxes of beautiful books to unpack! At last, I believe we have a library to be truly proud of, with brand-new books to challenge the most curious minds and encourage diversity and inclusivity – as well as books to tempt our most reluctant readers. I haven’t yet managed to put all the new books on the library system, but they have been flying off the shelves as soon as they are ready to go out on loan. The biographies of the England football team have been particularly popular, along with anything by Malorie Blackman or Alex Bell - but we have also had several students asking for Charles Dickens and Charlotte Brontë because they have been enjoying listening to Great Expectations and Jane Eyre during the DRETreads sessions. How brilliant is that?
This year students have been asked to change their books either in tutor time (on their designated day), or during break and lunch time. Some of the new Year 7s have been taking the lead with this new routine, popping in regularly to quiz and pick up a new book. Please remember that you are allowed to take out two books at a time, to lessen the chances of running out of reading matter during Drop Everything And Read sessions. I would also like to remind Year 10s and 11s that they are still welcome to borrow books even though they are no longer have regular reading sessions or quizzing as they did in KS3. Reading has so many benefits; it helps you to improve your vocabulary, develop empathy, make sense of the world around you, and improve your focus – as well as helping you to relax, lower your blood pressure, and sleep better!
Over the next few weeks, I will be looking for librarians to come and help with the lunchtime rush. Last year we were very limited with what we could do because we had to keep the students in bubbles and quarantine the books; this year, I hope that there will be no such issues! If you are interested, please talk to me, and we will arrange some training sessions in a week or two.
If you haven’t set foot inside the library yet, please come and see the new books we have to offer! My aim is to find something to appeal to everyone in the school, and if you have any requests, I will try my best to fulfil them for you.
A plea for any overdue library books! You can easily recognise a CRA library book by the orange sticker on the spine. I have had a large number returned since we came back to school, but there are still more than 100 books outstanding. Each book costs £5 - £20 to replace, and I absolutely don’t want to start issuing fines! If you leave your books on the library desk, I will put them back into the library, no questions asked. I don’t bite!
Lastly, please follow @CraLibrary on Twitter for occasional updates and photographs of some of our fabulous new books!
Mrs Spilberg - Librarian & TA
Year 11 Focus
This week the process of selecting our Head Boy and Girl as well as all house roles has begun. Pupils started the process by standing up in assemble and giving a brief overview of what they thought were the key characteristics that make up a good leader. Everyone who took part spoke excellently and showed a mature understanding of what it means to be a leader at CRA. They demonstrated all of the CRA values by having the confidence to stand up and address the whole school, they showed resilience by not using a script and keeping going if they forgot any of their key points. They are all demonstrating ambition and aspiration by putting themselves forward for the roles, which in itself takes a lot of courage. Finally they showed respect for each other by applauding each speech as it finished and supporting those that found it a difficult challenge.
Teen Support
Children regularly use different websites and apps from their parents, and it can be hard to keep up in this ever-changing digital world.
But the things that help keep children safe online are often similar to the things that keep them safe offline.
Talk about what they think is normal online and what behaviour to expect from others and from themselves.
Encourage them to think critically and question what they see online. Talk to them about where they go to get information they trust, talk about fake news, fake followers and scams. Help them develop a healthy suspicion of whether people are who they say they are.
Share your knowledge and experience of relationships. For example, sometimes people seem nice at first and then they turn out to be mean. Let them know that you know this, they can talk to you about it. And that you won’t panic or punish them if they do.
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 commencing 27th September 7 times table
Accelerated Reader
Week commencing 27th September during period 4
Credits:
Created with images by DariuszSankowski - "book glasses watch" • silviarita - "salad fruits berries" • monicore - "notebook pen pencil" • maciej326 - "globus earth world" • Peggy_Marco - "financial equalization help stock exchange" • geralt - "entrepreneur start start up" • kvrkchowdari - "choose the right direction career direction direction" • MabelAmber - "dock feet footwear" • 14578371 - "sun reflection color colorful" • FabyGreen - "quotes carpe diem word" • webandi - "to dye watercolor colour" • AhmadArdity - "books bookshelf library" • geralt - "college student library books" • minanfotos - "friends sunrise young" • geralt - "mathematics formula smartphone" • Wokandapix - "olympics sport rock" • Alexas_Fotos - "calendar months wood"