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Greenacre Staff creating visors, headbands and scrub bags for the local community.

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GREENACRE ACADEMY

NEWSLETTER

This issue:

#StayatHome

Learning from Home

PiXL Guidance

Mental Health Week

Staying Creative

Rewards

Online Safety

Dear Parents / Carers and Students,

Another term has passed without our whole school community being together,

but it certainly hasn’t been a term without its highlights.

Our social media platform on Facebook has proven a wonderful way for us all to

keep in touch and share the many incredible things our boys have been doing.

We’ve seen stories and photographs of our boys completing a wide variety of

wonderful tasks, including our students: cooking, building, repairing, supporting

their parents at home, helping their brothers and sisters, working together with

their families, studying, reading, quizzing, helping their community and even

starting up entrepreneurial ventures! If that isn’t skills for life in action, I don’t

know what is! It has truly filled me with pride, seeing what incredible things our

boys are doing and I thank you, as parents, for sending them.

I’d also like to thank you for the many wonderful comments of support to each

other on every social media post. In school, when students look at each other’s

work and give feedback and praise, we call it peer assessment. What I have

seen on these social media platforms is parents supporting one another’s

children by giving feedback and praise with a ‘well done’! Perhaps

we should call it parental assessment!

Message from Mrs Bridger

the heart of the school isn’t there - which is all of our

boys! It’s a quiet place without them and I cannot wait

for our school community to be back together again,

however that may look. I thought about how much the

boys tend to change after the usual 6-week summer

holiday break; voices a bit deeper, a growth spurt so that

they are that little bit taller, and I wondered how

different our boys will look when we return. I’m sure I’ll

have many more towering over me (not difficult!) when

we return!

What this time has shown me is that Greenacre is more

than an all-boys secondary school: it’s a community and

a strong one at that! Our Skills for Life strapline is truly

embedded and that’s most definitely been seen during

this period, both from students and staff.

I will end this piece by saying that I miss every one of

you, and we are all still here for every one of you, just in

a different format. Parents, I will continue to keep you

updated with any developments.

Stay safe, look after each other and sending you my love

and best wishes.

Mrs S Bridger

Headteacher

GREENACRE ACADEMY NEWSLETTER Spring 2020

During this term, we have seen the incredible VE Day

stories and photographs, which were particularly

poignant and brought home the real struggles of war

and what our grandparents and great grandparents did

for us. We truly remembered them.

My staff have been telephoning all students to check in

on them and support them with their home learning; I

would like to send a huge thank you to them, who as

ever, rise to any challenges they are faced with. During

these challenging times, our staff remain engaged with

the school community.

As I said in my letter yesterday, we will shortly be moving

to a better home learning platform, which will be far

more interactive and easier for all to access and for staff

to give feedback and monitor work that has been set and

completed. Do please check your son/ward knows his

‘sflt’ email address and password as he will need this to

fully utilise this system. If he doesn’t, please get in touch

with us.

Year 11 have begun to work on their Sixth Form subjects

and I urge them all to please try and get ahead with your

A levels and do as much reading and pre-work that we

are setting as you can.

Year 9 will shortly start accessing their chosen option

subjects next term and this will be good for them to

work on new and exciting GCSE subjects in preparation

for the next step in their education journey.

I was in school earlier this week and, although we do

have our doors open for students of key worker families,

Message from Mrs Bridger

...Continued from previous page


Greenacre #StayatHome

GREENACRE ACADEMY NEWSLETTER Easter 2020

Excellence

Everything you do at home should be to the highest

standard possible, not just the school work you are

completing. Making your bed - is the duvet neatly put

back on your bed; are your curtains open; is the room

clutter-free? All of these things will make for a better

studying environment.

Motivation

As well as completing your daily schoolwork, have a goal

that you wish to achieve by the end of the day. Make a

note of it so you can look back on things that helped you

stay motivated when normal activities were not an

option. Share them with your friends and teachers; help

others to stay motivated when things get tough.

Perseverance

More than ever, keep on going to get that work

completed, help around the house, it is not an easy time

for parents and carers so help them to complete

everyday tasks that we take for granted whilst at school.

Listening

Listen to those at home with you. What are they saying

about the world we live in right now; how does that

affect you? Listening to younger siblings will help them

feel better and also help with any fears they may have.

Employ Me at Home

Organised

Do you have all the equipment you need for the day

ahead? Plan what work you are completing and in what

order, prepare accordingly. Have all equipment together

to prevent any disturbances or delays in completing

tasks. Ensure they are submitted to the correct teacher

and on time.

You

You are very much in control of your learning. YOU make

this opportunity count. YOU can contact teachers for

advice and support. YOU can make a difference

for YOU. YOU can also support at home and be involved

with family activities; YOU can play your part.

Manners

“Manners maketh the man”. Please and Thank You go a

long way, especially in times of uncertainty or pressure.

Remember those at home with you really will appreciate

it when you say it. Encourage younger siblings to use

their manners too!

Employability

Everything you are doing at home in relation to your

studies all goes towards your tomorrow, including your

EMPLOY ME values.

It has been amazing to see so many examples of our students displaying Skills for Life during this difficult and

uncertain time! Here are just a few examples of how you can continue to embody these skills and values at home.

7


A big hello to my wonderful year group and your

amazing families! I hope you are all keeping well,

keeping motivated and healthy.

This term, I have received some amazing work via

emails, photos of what you are getting up to at home

and your daily schedules. This has given me some great

ideas of how to keep myself busy.

I have also been out into the community doing ‘Doorstep

Rewards,’ which has been lovely. I have really enjoyed

having a quick chat with you and your families, all from a

safe distance of course.

Please continue to complete work at home, it is

important that you are accessing your subject work,

reading and keeping your brains ticking over. I would

love to hear about the books you have managed to read

during the lockdown, this is one of my favourite things to

do, so send your recommendations my way – that

includes you parents/careers!

The weather has taken a bit of a turn over the last week,

however the sun is due to be back, so at least we have

that to look forward to, I have purchased my first BBQ

and am planning to be grilling until my heart is content.

Year 7

I thank you all for your hard work this Academic year,

not just since lockdown but before when everything was

normal. I also want to thank the awesome year 7 form

tutors, you guys have worked day and night, supporting

your form groups – I couldn’t do this job without you

behind me. They have been calling, emailing, teaching,

guiding and praising each and every one of you which

has been a huge team effort. I sincerely hope that we get

to see you in school before handing you over in year 8,

to the wonderful Mr McGregor, who I must say is very

lucky to inherit such a terrific year group.

I think all that is left to say is keep your spirits up, keep

working hard and look forward to the year ahead, as

things will get better and we will be reunited with friends

and family soon.

Feel free to email me at any time, I really do love hearing

from you.

Stay Safe.

Miss Murphy

Head of Year 7


8

First and foremost I would like to take this opportunity

to wish you all well and I hope that as time goes on

things are becoming easier for all of you and your

families. As you are probably more than aware, there are

no current dates set for school to return in any capacity

as of yet, but I, like many of yourselves, hope that this is

sooner rather than later.

I have personally spoken with a number of Year 8s and

have even visited some of you at your homes – socially

distanced of course! I would like to pass on a big thumbs

up from so many of your teachers. Large numbers of you

have been working incredibly hard during all this, and in

the long run you will all be glad you did. As a teacher, I

would also like to extend my own thumbs up to all the

parents out there that have been guiding, helping and

well, being teachers to their children all this time – well

done parents!

Now, I would be remiss in my duty as Head of Year if I

didn’t stress to a small minority how important this work

is. It is not for me. It is not for your teachers. It is not for

your parents. It is for YOU! You cannot and must not

allow yourself to fall behind. There is no excuse for not

doing anything and any students who find themselves in

lower sets next year or struggling to keep up will only

have themselves to blame, unfortunately.

If you find that you are struggling with work, accessing it

or completing it, please don’t hesitate to contact your

subject teacher directly, your form tutor, or to let a

member of staff know there is an issue during their

routine calls to you all. You will be in year 9 soon, the

year where you take your options and make choices

which will guide your future – please take this seriously.

Year 8

It is looking increasingly likely that I will no longer be

your Head of Year when we return, and I will be handing

you over to Ms Ware of Year 9. With that being said, we

have one final term. Please keep this in mind and

remember how much an industrious, hard working and

high achieving year group you all are. Do not lose what

made you great, in all this mess. Keep up being the best

year group in the school (I would say that but…) and

make us all proud – don’t give up!

Please stay safe and continue to follow government

guidelines as they change and adapt. We are so close

now, please don’t give in. If there is ever any way in

which I can help, please don’t hesitate to contact me

[email protected]

Be amazing,

Mr McGregor

Head of Year 8

mailto:[email protected]

9 young to enlist and when he was old enough he was not

able to enlist due to poor health, however, he was a

sergeant in the Air Training Corps in the village where my

family lived.

My Grandad’s brother was in the Somerset Yeomanry

and my Great-Uncle was a private in the King’s Own

Regiment and was a prisoner of war. My Nan was only

11 when the second world war broke out. She was the

youngest of 9 children, 7 of which were boys, who

enlisted in either the Army or the Royal Air Force. I am

very glad that I was given the opportunity to learn about

my family’s efforts in the war as it is so important that

we continue to remember the sacrifices that others

made for us.

I am sure you are keen to find out about your options

subjects for year 10. The wait is very nearly over as

further information will be sent out about this shortly.

Try to continue to remain motivated and persevere with

the work that is being set for you. You will be starting

your GCSEs next year and you need to make sure you are

in the best position possible to be ready for this.

As difficult as the current situation is, we are still capable

of working together and making progress. Please send

work to your teachers where you can, they will be more

than happy to give you feedback. Please email myself or

your teachers if you have any questions.

Finally, I’d like to say keep working hard, keep positive

and stay safe!

Ms Ware

Head of Year 9


I hope that you and your families are keeping well. Last

time I wrote an item for the newsletter I had hoped that

when the next newsletter came out we might find

ourselves in a different situation.

Despite the challenges we face, I have seen so many

examples of students and their families rising to the

challenge and turning this uncertain time into positive

experiences. We have had a student in year 9 write and

perform a song (accompanied by his mum), other

students in year 9 have been developing their baking,

painting, woodwork and basketball skills, as well as

turning garages into gyms and helping younger siblings

with their school work. Not only this, but I have also

been so impressed with the motivation and

perseverance of the students in year 9 with their

dedication to their school work. Both form tutors and

class teachers have told me about the number of

students who continue to work hard on their school

work at home.

With this fantastic work in mind, we have started weekly

rewards for students who are nominated by teachers. If

you have been selected by your teachers, you will

receive a doorstep delivery of some tasty treats. A huge

congratulations to this week’s winners in year 9 who

were: Harry Cossey, Lewis Atwood, Thomas Robinson,

Tyler Thurlow and Charlie Wells.

I hope that, despite the restrictions, you were still able

to enjoy some VE day celebrations. It was lovely to see

the contributions on the Academy’s Facebook page for

VE day from staff as well as students. I didn’t know a

huge amount about my own family during the war but

have since found out a few things. Being from the West

Country, they were fortunate that they did not have to

suffer any German bomb attacks. However, they often

saw planes and doodlebugs going across the Bristol

Channel towards Cardiff. I know many evacuees from

London were sent to Somerset to try to keep safe. My

grandad was only 14 when the war began, so was too

Year 9

10


Firstly, I hope this article finds you and your families fit

and healthy. I was wishing that by the time I wrote this

second article since the lockdown began we would have

had a date that we could all return to school. Currently,

we don’t have a date so we need to in the large part

continue what we are doing. As a country, we are going

in the right direction and I urge you all to carry on

following the Government's guidelines.

Now, if we are being honest with ourselves,

unfortunately, year 10 has been hit the hardest by this

pandemic. The reason being is that it has now almost

halved your teacher contact for your GCSE’s. Obviously, I

must stress that this isn’t your fault, however, you must

push yourself to complete as much work as possible.

With such a huge year coming up, you cannot afford to

relax and fall behind. With this in mind, you must be

completing the work set on the website, sent directly to

your school email and on the various apps GCSE Pod,

Tassomai etc. The work you complete must be sent back

to your subject teacher so they know what you have

done and can determine your strengths and weaknesses.

You should have been in contact with your specialist

subject member of staff by now. This is a focus on a

particular subject that you may have needed a little

boost or extra support in. I must stress that this doesn’t

become the only subject you complete work for, you still

need to do work for your remaining subjects.

I am hearing more and more about the amazing work

being completed by the vast majority of this year group.

It makes me proud to hear how you are using ingenious

ways to complete work, revise and also challenge

Year 10

yourself on a daily basis. With this in mind, we have

started to reward the students who have shone on a

weekly basis. If you have been selected by your teachers,

you will receive a doorstep delivery of some tasty treats

by yours truly (I promise I won’t be grumpy). A big

congratulations to this week’s winners who were:

Reece Horwell

Michael McDonagh

Joseph Chesney

Ryan Sinden

Joshua Whitmill

Again, I thank you all for your hard-work this Academic

year, not just since lockdown but before when

everything was normal (remember that). I also want to

thank the entire staff body who have been involved in

one way or another with year 10. They have been calling,

emailing, teaching, guiding and praising each and every

one of you which has been a huge team effort. I sincerely

hope that I get to see you in school before having to

hand you over to Mr Roberts in year 11.

I think all that is left to say is keep your spirits up, keep

working hard and look forward to the year ahead (tie

colour, prefects, summer). Feel free to email me with

any problems, concerns or good ideas/work.

Stay Safe.

Mr Franklin

Head of Year 10

1 1


What a year it has been for you all, it has been a

pleasure to be your Head of Year this year, and you each

deserve credit for the work that you have put in – it is

the toughest year of your time in school and you have

embraced the challenges that have been put before you

in good spirit and humour. You have shown great

amounts of resilience and perseverance from the outset

and it has been a privilege to have been on this journey

with you all.

In these troubled times, it is hard for everyone to know

what they should be thinking and doing and in order to

prepare for the ‘next steps’ in your academic journey – it

is made especially hard as we don’t know when this will

be and how this will look! We are all in this together and

I’d like to remind you that you are not alone; if you do

need any help, support or guidance please feel free to

email your Greenacre Academy teachers as they will be

more than happy to help you.

Amongst all of the uncertainty, there is certainty that we

will return to education, sooner rather than later and in

order to make this reintegration more seamless and

successful, I’d like to offer you my thoughts on how you

can best position yourself.

With GCSE’s being awarded based upon teacher

assessments rather than actual summer exams, you will

be awarded a grade at the discretion of your teachers,

then reviewed by Exam Boards - based upon your mock

exam and assessment performances. For many of you,

this will be a fair reflection on your academic

performances, but for some of you, it may feel quite

unfair because you have been stopped just as you were

building momentum towards ‘the real thing’ and you

may believe that you were capable of producing a

performance that is superior to your performances in

your mock exams. If you are one of the latter, then you

will be given the opportunity to sit actual GCSE

Year 11

examinations next year, should you wish to do so. If this

is the route you are intending to take, then ensure that

you are continuing to ‘review’ the work you have

covered during year 10 and 11. By revisiting the work

regularly, you will enable yourself to retain that

information and be in a strong position when the

opportunity arises; by doing this, you will also reduce the

need for large amounts of revision.

In addition to ‘remaining familiar’ with your GCSE work, I

would strongly advise all of you to prepare for next year

– you are likely to have so much spare time, away from

family, friends, activities etc. that you should try to

harness this and derive some positives from this

situation. I’m aware that there are a number of you who

may be unlikely to want to do this, and I fully appreciate

the reasons why this may not be at the front of your

mind but if you are able to do a little or a lot, only YOU

stand to benefit. When it comes to grades in Sixth Form

or College, you want to achieve the best you can – this

headstart could be the difference in a good or great

grade and put you at the front of the queue for that

sought-after job or apprenticeship. With this in mind, we

have prepared transition resources for you on the PGW

website; here you will find materials for the sixth form

courses and also the more popular college courses too.

Remember, one day soon this crisis will all be over.

When you look back, you can look back at the upset,

pain and destruction it has caused to so many and be

rightfully angry, but you can build a silver lining too –

one that had a positive effect and outcome on you, your

life and future chances! Vision, attitude and desire could

be the difference.

1 1


Aside from all of the worry and concern we currently live

amongst, it has been fantastic to hear about students who have

continued with their learning, showing perseverance and great

motivation during lockdown – of which these are just a few (and

there will be more to come):

Josh Searing - worked hard this year to better himself in all

subject areas this year. He has strived to improve his art and

written work in particular, despite the school closures, showing

a fantastic level of commitment and dedication to his studies.

Dylan Bourner – has really committed to his studies this year

and maintained this level of commitment from home. He has

strived to complete his work to a high standard and has

produced Art coursework of high quality in particular.

Edward Nolan – for his excellent preparation for PGW sixth

form courses, he has been undertaking practical work with his

dad at home.

Samuel Rayfield – has demonstrates outstanding Skills for Life

by managing to balance his schoolwork commitments with his

part-time job and helping out with work at home too.

Caleb Johnson – for using his Skills for Life in order to find

employment and having to travel a significant distance

independently. He has still managed to keep on top of his

schoolwork, demonstrating excellent organisation and

commitment.

Ted Johnson – has not only been keeping up with studies and

has been supporting his younger brother with his work too –

Team Johnson!

James May – made excellent progress throughout the year and

the closure of the school has done little to hamper his progress

– he has shown organisation, motivation and perseverance in

abundance!

Jack Burnham – persevered to make exceptional progress

during the course of the year and has maintained his excellent

motivation despite the Academy’s closure.

Ewan Hawks – had an excellent year in his studies and has not

been deterred whilst working remotely. He is working hard to

build a solid foundation for next year’s studies.

James Broadhurst – he has shown willingness to go above and

beyond in the pursuit of excellence – his attitude to his studies

Year 11

is exemplary. He has maintained his high standards of work

during the closures showing great motivation and excellence!

Byron Osiyemi – for perseverance and motivation across all of

his subjects this year. He has shown perseverance, motivation,

excellent and organisation throughout the year and continues

to do so whilst working remotely.

Lee Hepburn – Independently secured an apprenticeship and

has produced work beyond what is expected of him on

numerous occasions this year. He has shown excellent

motivation, listening skills and employability.

Alex Davis – has demonstrated great organisation, perseverance

and employability throughout this year and has produced some

excellent Engineering coursework, way in advance of the

deadline, which is an incredible achievement!

Lemuel Ogundipe – Has excelled in his remote working. He has

shown outstanding motivation and excellence in the work he is

producing, most notably his written work.

Euan Kemm - worked tremendously before the school closure.

Engaging maturely with his studies and demonstrating great

listening skills, increasing his employability.

Cruz Hunter – a role-model to all, the epitome of what a Head

boy should be! He has amazing leadership qualities and all of

the attributes of a fine student. The prefect team were

outstanding this year and that was in no small part down to

Cruz’s lead.

Owen Summers – is a conscientious student, with a strong

work ethic and a desire to achieve excellence. He has used the

closures as an opportunity to improve his written and English

work; regularly sending work to his teachers and showing

motivation, perseverance and listening to act upon the

feedback he is given.

Stay safe and stay strong!

Mr Roberts

Head of Year 11

timetable of their lessons which they would normally

have had each day. Students who we can see are

working, via emails that are sent, use of apps and/or

quizzes being completed are being identified for entry

into our rewards scheme.

Year 10 and 12 in particular, will still be taking GCSE and

A-Level exams next year and therefore it is vital that this

precious learning time is not lost. Subject teachers have

been contacting students where coursework needs

completing and Year 10 have been paired with a

particular subject teacher in order to focus their

learning. Please ensure you keep up with your studies

and ask for advice, if needed, by emailing with your

teachers.

If you have any suggestions as to steps we could take to

improve the home learning we are providing for

students, please do contact us with feedback or ideas so

that we can continue to ensure the work we provide is

meaningful and supports learning at home during these

difficult times.


Learning from Home Here at Greenacre Academy, we have been so impressed

by the Skills for Life our students have been

demonstrating in their learning from home during this

period of lockdown. We understand that these are

difficult times and one set way of working does not work

for all. We wouldn’t expect to see any single set way in

which students are learning best at home. This has been

proven by seeing the photographs being sent to

[email protected] from parents and students,

showing us what home learning has been taking place,

has been fantastic! We would warmly welcome any

more submissions sharing home learning practices that

have been taking place to share ideas and reassure

everyone that there isn’t just one way to learn.

The weekly work we set on the OneDrive, via the school

website, in each subject is based around the work

students would have been completing if they were in

school. In order for students not to fall behind in their

learning, we would highly recommend students working

through their subjects aiming to spend around 3 hours a

day, split into manageable chunks, following a similar


Learning from Home

We would love to see how you’re keeping busy during the break, so please send us updates on what activities you’re

participating in. Also, below you will find 12 activities which you could take part in at home. Do you have brothers

and sisters? Maybe challenge each other to see how many points you can achieve throughout the week!

KS3 students

Routine

To support our health and well-being whilst learning and working at home, it’s more important than ever to have a

routine. Routines enable our minds to keep busy and our days to go quickly, therefore we recommend that you have

schedule to follow each day. Please look at the helpful tips below to support you with this:


Learning from Home KS3 students

Tune-in!

In our last newsletter, we recommended educational TV programmes and films you could watch as a family. Which

ones have you watched so far? Maybe choose 3 that you will watch this half term:

BFG – Netflix

Matilda – Netflix

Gangsta Granny – Netflix and BBC iPlayer

Horrid Henry – Netflix

A Series of Unfortunate Events – Netflix

Gnomeo and Juliet – Netflix

Macbeth – Amazon Prime

Much Ado About Nothing – Amazon Prime

To Kill a Mockingbird – Amazon Prime

Fantastic Mr Fox – Amazon Prime

Billionaire Boy – iPlayer

Noughts and Crosses – BBC iPlayer

Mr Stink – BBC iPlayer

The Boy in the Dress – BBC iPlayer

Divergent – Netflix

Insurgent – Netflix

Allegiant – Netflix

The Maze Runner – Netflix

Twilight – Netflix

Hunger Games – Amazon Prime

The Mortal Instruments – Netflix

Lord of the Rings – Netflix

Harry Potter series – Sky

His Dark Materials – BBC iPlayer

The Hobbit – Netflix

Dickensian – Netflix

Great Expectations – Amazon Prime

A Christmas Carol – BBC iPlayer

Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas – Amazon Prime

The Golden Compass

Charlotte’s Webb

Percy Jackson

Treasure Island

Alice in Wonderland

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Romeo and Juliet

Oliver Twist

Until then, here are a few suggestions:

Maintain a routine - this offers structure and can

relieve stress

Try meditation - there are an abundance of apps that

specialise in this e.g. “Headspace”

Visit a mental health related website e.g. “Young

Mind,”, “CALM,” “NHS.UK” etc. There are many

options, across all of these websites, that may prove to

be useful

Talk to somebody you trust - this could be a family

member, friend, or even a teacher. All teachers’ email

addresses can be found on the school website

Identify, and make note of, the positive aspects of your

day. It is vital to maintain a positive outlook, despite

everyday hardships that may arise

These are just a few suggestions, but everyone is

different and unique, so it is important that you try a

variety of methods until you find the one that best

suits you and your individual needs.

Finally, I would like to send my best wishes to anyone

reading this piece; I hope it finds you safe and well. I

would also like to send positive thoughts to those who

have been personally impacted by the pandemic. The

virus has had a huge impact on the world we live in, but

we must remain positive and hopeful that this will pass

in time and we can begin to return to some sort of

normalcy in the near future.

Jonnie Carroll

Year 12


Mental Health Awareness Week Mental Health Awareness Week (18-24 May 2020): how

can we preserve our mental health during a global

pandemic?

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK.

Mental health had long been considered a fairly taboo

subject, with young people often choosing to keep their

feelings and struggles to themselves, rather than sharing

the burden of their trials and tribulations with those

around them. Fortunately, this appears to be changing

and evolving for the better as the media industry, and

the world in general, are seemingly becoming far more

conscious of mental health issues and attempting to

shine a light on them in a way that has previously been

unheard of. I hope this can continue as mental illness is

an extremely important issue and I believe it is equally

important to look after our mental health as it is to look

after our physical health (especially during the ongoing

global situation we find ourselves in). As a result, I hope

you are all doing your best to support mental health

awareness, this week in particular.

I’m sure we can agree that these are trying times for all

of us, and we will all be experiencing some sort of

anxiety at this time. However, there are several

measures that we can put in place to ensure that we are

looking after our psychological well-being. There are a

variety of resources on the home learning section of the

school website that may be helpful for students and

parents; the academy have been working tirelessly to

ensure that all students are staying as safe as possible in

the midst of the current situation and this will continue

until a date is set for some form of a return to regular,

face-to-face learning on our school site.

1. Go to the Greenacre Academy website

2. Click on ‘Useful Links’

3. Click on ‘Accelerated Reader’

4. Log in to their AR account as normal

5. Quizzing can be found on the middle orange button –

‘Accelerated Reader’

Now more than ever, we are so pleased to see students

using a wide range of ‘Skills For Life’ and British Values.

During this time, it is lovely to see the boys showing their

motivation and perseverance with their studies, as well

as them striving to become more independent.

English KS4

Term 5 has been our second term in lockdown and the

second term of working from home. It has been a

challenge for everyone and I know personally how

difficult it can be to self-motivate, especially when the

sun is shining. Home Learning is very much a work in

progress but the understanding of how this best works is

improving all the time for both teachers and students.

Year 11 have continued to work on their English GCSE

even though it must be difficult to persevere with work,

when how the work may impact on results has been

unclear. The Year 11 teachers have worked hard to

ensure that the information that goes off is accurate and

fair. It has been their fervent wish that all the hard work

of Year 11s will result in each and every student getting

the grade that they deserve.

Year 10 have been working on the Power and Conflict

poems for their Literature GCSE. This is a topic that

students often need a lot of guidance with so it's

heartwarming to be told by Year 10 teachers that their

students are showing great motivation and perseverance

in tackling these poems. We will continue with poetry in

Term 6. Hopefully Year 10 will soon be back in the

classroom, but only when we can be sure

that it's safe.


English KS3 English

The English Department is extremely proud of the effort

that the boys have been putting into their English home-

learning tasks.

All KS3 students have been focussing on dystopian

fiction, with Year 7 reading Collins’ Hunger Games, Year

8 have been reading Noughts and Crosses by Malorie

Blackman, and Year 9 have been reading Orwell’s novella

Animal Farm. It has been wonderful receiving a wide

range of work from students and we have enjoyed

reading the work that students have been completing

whilst you are at home. We have also enjoyed hearing

parent and student feedback on the new books you are

studying this term.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind you

that even though students are working from home, all of

the English department teachers are here to support

you. We have also provided links to also access the texts

the boys are studying on Audible, and there are also

films that match the texts too! If students are finding

that they are wanting some more challenging work; or,

would like to do some more research on the text that

they are studying; or, want to try something more

creative linked to the text, there are additional tasks on

the Home Learning Instructions on the One Drive.

Furthermore, we are continuing to encourage students

to read at home as often as possible. Reading

encompasses our school values and is an important skill

for employability in the future. It also gives pupils the

opportunity to: explore, adventure, take a trip around

the world, and travel to brand new places, all without

ever leaving home.

To encourage to pupils to continue their reading whilst

at home, we would like to remind students that they can

take their Accelerated Reader quizzes at home on their

mobile phones, tablets, or laptops. These quizzes will

work on Audio-books too! To do this, students should:

Maths Learning Mats

We have uploaded Learning Mats for KS3 and

KS4, which have lots of short, fun Maths activities

for students. Click on a year group to get the Mat.

Year 7 NEW - Home Learning mat

Year 8 NEW - Home learning mat

Year 9 NEW - Home learning mat

Year 10 Maths KS4 home mat.pdf

Year 11 Maths KS4 home mat.pdf


Mathematics Take Part In A Survey

Statistics is an aspect of Mathematics that requires collecting, displaying and analysing data. Becoming involved in a

survey provides valuable insight into this topic, so here are a couple of fun activities that you can participate in from

home, which will also help to provide important data for wildlife conservation.

Butterfly Conservation Garden Butterfly Survey https://gardenbutterflysurvey.org/index.php

British Trust for Ornithology Garden BirdWatch https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/gbw

Working From Home – Maths Resources

www.mathsgenie.co.uk

www.corbettmaths.com

www.mathsisfun.com

www.gcsepod.com

www.mathsapp.pixl.org.uk

www.onmaths.com

www.whizz.com

https://greenacreacademytrust-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/homelearning_sflt_org_uk/EhHtCei6_q5FtCj2qhLnxNEBxRvD9rdMyA0ogRouUl3UEw?e=qgykT2

https://greenacreacademytrust-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/homelearning_sflt_org_uk/Ek31gnQRuGtPj3ZOYIa_4h8BYDTbACsqygcgKB1QtMNpzg?e=L2GnN1

https://greenacreacademytrust-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/homelearning_sflt_org_uk/EjZDkDAKE1pCiAXqkIsPWVEBJojwPb8mug8d79s4RotrYA?e=Ft9dzg

https://greenacreacademytrust-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/homelearning_sflt_org_uk/EZYkuOk1wRxItmVQ4AYW5u8Bo0VKEpEw4ktr_lSPtbLoXQ?e=tuNnOO

https://greenacreacademytrust-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/homelearning_sflt_org_uk/ET2rXjMxQOJDlvG_vkpUn9EBgd4gACU_8lLz_JVsPIebSQ?e=xeSf9u

https://gardenbutterflysurvey.org/index.php

https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/gbw


Mathematics Maths-Whizz

It is great to see that so many of our KS3 boys have been making full use of Maths-Whizz while at home. An hour a

week in Tutor Mode and three progressions will significantly help a student’s understanding of basic maths.

Most Progress Made So Far This Term

Best Use Of Tutor Mode This Term

Students answer a range of science based multiple

choice questions to support student academic success.

Their goal is to complete the – ‘daily goal challenge'.

Students should use Tassomai to support their science

education for 60 minutes a week.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPVhTlZoM7y9vG-pS8EycXA/featured

How to log on:

Launching Tassomai for Students

Your School Code: 31OGQ639

New Students:

1. Students who have not used Tassomai before need

to visit app.tassomai.com/signup and enter your

unique school code, from above.

2. You should then enter your details (name, email

address) and create a password you will remember

and save it somewhere you won't forget!

3. Select a class or year group you are in from the

dropdown menu

Returning Students:

1. Students that used Tassomai last year should not

create a new account - instead they should log in

using the same details as last year.

2. They will be prompted to select a class when they log

in for the first time this academic year, and then

they're ready to get going!

3. If they've forgotten any of their details, Mr Hilleard

can update them for you. Please see the email below

for support.

Mr Hilleard - [email protected]

Please remember to stay safe and keep your learning

active and ongoing.

Mr Martin

Head of Science


Science Boost your Science Grade!!!!

It is no secret that practice enables fewer mistakes to be

made and possibly leads to perfection! With this in mind,

the Science Department has a revision app available

called Tassomai. This has proved to be a useful learning

tool for past students as it supported their learning and

revision process, not only in the lead up to examinations

but with the supporting of learning throughout the

science GCSE course. Tassomai themselves have

provided a guarantee that if students complete 75% of

the revision tasks upon the app they will receive at least

a level 5 grading within this subject.

In these uncertain times, it is imperative that students

consolidate and revise learning already delivered so that

gaps in knowledge do not become an issue upon our

return to normal schooling. Parents; please, therefore,

support your son/ward with accessing this useful

learning and revision tool.

Tassomai has made this revision app available to all year

groups during the lockdown period. It is therefore

expected that all students log onto this app and utilise it

to its full effect. It is recommended that the students

spend at least one hour a week using this revision tool. It

is expected that year 10 students spend at least two

hours a week using this tool and the same amount of

time on it as they go into year 11. KS4 students,

therefore, are expected to use this app throughout year

10 and 11 leading up to the science GCSE examinations

accessing the app and meeting the daily set goals.

Tassomai is an intelligent online learning program

helping students at all levels achieve outstanding results

in science. Using Tassomai builds knowledge, boosts

confidence and reduces exam stress.

The learning platform can be accessed by smartphone,

tablet and computer once you have signed-up.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPVhTlZoM7y9vG-pS8EycXA/featured


Many art galleries and museums from around the world

have their own catalogues featuring high-resolution

images of their extensive collections available to view

online. Here are some examples:

Tate (UK):

https://www.tate.org.uk/

Royal Academy of Arts (UK):

https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/

National Portrait Gallery (UK):

https://www.npg.org.uk/

Museum of Modern Art (US):

https://www.moma.org/

Museum of Contemporary Art (AUS):

https://www.mca.com.au/

National Gallery of Canada (CAN):

https://www.gallery.ca/

Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris (FR):

https://www.mam.paris.fr/en

National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (KOR):

https://www.mmca.go.kr/eng/

Do send photographs and updates of your creative

outcomes: [email protected]

Mr Larkin


Art & Photography

There is a whole wealth of resources available to help

get you creative and inspired during the lockdown.

Grayson Perry, the English contemporary artist, has a

Channel 4 series that aims to tap into the creative spirit

of the housebound nation. https://www.channel4.com/

programmes/graysons-art-club/episode-guide

Keith Tyson, 2002 Turner prize winner, founded a free

Instagram academy in March “to put together creatives

and those who want to learn”. It regularly shares

projects, activites, lessons and tips by artists.

@isolationartschool

A number of top artists have clubbed together with

Colchester gallery, Firstsite, to create activity packs for

families seeking entertainment

during lockdown. The activites

found in ‘Art is where the home is’

require no special equipment to

complete. Activites range from

making sculptures from excess

stockpiled toilet roll; to making

signs to cheer neighbours up.

https://firstsite.uk/download-artist-

activity-pack/

Google Arts & Culture works with cultural institutions

and artists around the world. Their aim is to bring the

world’s art and culture online so that it’s accessible to

anyone, anywhere. You’re able to view thousands of

ultra high-resolution images, and enjoy in-painting tours

curated by experts. Using Street View, you can travel to

iconic landmarks, step inside museums from around the

world and take virtual tours. This is just some of the

content available to learn about, experience and

appreciate art and culture from different periods and

places with out having to leave your home.

https://artsandculture.google.com/

Staying Creative and Inspired

https://www.tate.org.uk/

https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/

https://www.npg.org.uk/

https://www.moma.org/

https://www.mca.com.au/

https://www.gallery.ca/

https://www.mam.paris.fr/en

https://www.mmca.go.kr/eng/


https://www.channel4.com/programmes/graysons-art-club/episode-guide

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/graysons-art-club/episode-guide

https://firstsite.uk/download-artist-activity-pack/

https://firstsite.uk/download-artist-activity-pack/

https://artsandculture.google.com/


Music & Performing Arts

Normally at the end of Term 5, we are celebrating the

success of students having participated in the ‘Trust

Variety Show’, which is always a wonderful event,

showcasing students from across all the schools in the

Trust. Sadly, this year, life is very different for us all and

whilst we may not be having our usual school

experience, I know lots of our students have been busy

at home songwriting, dancing, composing,

choreographing and scriptwriting. Our students continue

to amaze us with their resilience and ability to be

extremely creative as always, demonstrating our Skills

For Life Values of Motivation, Excellence and You.

Here’s a little snapshot of what some of you have been

up to!

What a fabulous, talented bunch you lot are!!!



Young Voices at Home

On Tuesday 2nd June at 2:30pm, students from across

the world are being invited to participate in the world’s

largest concert! Young Voices, the largest children’s

choir in the world and the Guinness World Record

holders for the world’s largest simultaneous sing, invite

you to join together with children, teachers and parents

all over the world to sing “The Power in Me”! All you

need to do to join in the fun is follow the simple steps

below:

Go to www.youngvoices.co.uk

Click on The Power in Me Singing Challenge and sign up!

Go to YV at home to find all the resources you will need

to learn the songs at home.

Before the big day - take part in the #PowerinMe Singing

Challenge and film yourself singing the song’s lyrics “I've

got the Power In Me" and post it online with the hashtag

to see who responds completing the song’s chorus

"You’ve got the Power in You! (Please make sure that

this is with the permission of the parent or legal

guardian)

Stay safe and have fun singing! #SFLEnjoyment

All KS3 Students

Please continue to check the Home Learning platform

weekly for an update of work that you can complete at

home. We have tried to make the work fun with lots of

quizzes, word searches and some creative practical work

too. Just click on the folder for your year group and the

week that we are in and work your way through the

uploaded work.

Year 10 PA Students

Please use BBC Bitesize Drama when completing

Component 1 work and check your emails regularly to

see what work has been marked and any improvements

that need to be made. There have been lots of resources

uploaded on to the learning platforms and, as always,

please do email us with any queries. We are here to help

you and happy to call you and speak to you in person, if

that helps!

Year 10 Music Students

Please continue to check the Google classroom, as Miss

Breckin and Miss Twyman are regularly uploading

coursework and will expect you to be adding your video

evidence for components 1 and 2. Don’t forget you can

ask questions directly on there if there’s anything you

are unsure of. They are both more than happy to give

you a phone call if that is easier for you.

Year 11 Music and PA Students

Please check the PGW Learning Platform for your

subject, where you will find ‘Transition’ work to help you

with the move from Year 11 to Year 12. This work will

help support your transition from GCSE to A Level

courses, when we finally do return back to school.


Community Help

One of the biggest challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic

has been ensuring that the more deprived students

within our Academies, who are in receipt of Free School

Meals, either continue to receive food in the absence of

on-site catering or get vouchers through the national

scheme run by Edenred.

The Skills for Life Trust has been working hard to create

food parcels that are able to be shared across all schools,

including Greenacre Academy. The Trust has paid for

two big food shops and there have also been donations

from Medway Street Angels, Time for the Homeless and

Free food in Medway and Kent.

Trust staff have been bringing in food donations to help

and the students within Trust academies have also been

helping to put the parcels together. Trust staff have

donated money directly, too. To continue to offer this to

our deprived students, we are welcoming donations.

If you would like to donate non-perishable food to the

effort, please contact the school office to arrange a

socially distanced drop off/pick up.

Alternatively, if you’d like to donate money directly,

please use the bank details below. Donations of any

kind, and of any value, would be hugely appreciated.

Account Name: Skills For Life Trust

Sort Code: 40-31-06

Account Number: 33667790

Please use the Reference ‘Food Bank’

Thank you for your help!


Whilst you are off from school and working from home,

we are going to continue to give you the opportunity to

enter a range of our exciting competitions that are on

offer. All of the competitions are going to be combined

with WGS and finals/performances will be organised

upon our return to school.

For you budding musicians there is a song writing

competition.

For the actors and directors out there we have a

play writing competition.

For you crazy TikTok’rs (who will remain nameless

for now!) there is a create your own TikTok dance

competition.

For full details of each individual competition, please

visit the Home Learning platform for your year group, in

either Music or Performing Arts and get creative, you

never know, you might actually win!

Good Luck and stay safe.

Mrs Kelley, Miss Breckin, Miss Murphy

& Miss Twyman

Competition Time ! !


Rewards

I want to start by saying ‘WOW,’ we have been receiving

some of the most amazing work, photos, videos and

displays of Skills for Life I have ever seen!

As you know, when we are in school there are lots of

rewards and praise we can give you, however, it is

slightly more difficult to tell you what an amazing job

you are doing when we are working so far apart.

You will be pleased to know, you may receive an

E-Postcard or a doorstep delivery, for your great effort,

work and Skills for Life.

Please don’t forget to send you photos to

[email protected] and we will hopefully be at a

doorstep near you soon!

Take care, stay safe!

Miss Murphy

You are all awesome!



Online Safety

With the increasing use of computers and the internet to

complete their schoolwork, it is paramount that students

and parents/carers are ensuring that they are safe at all

times. The internet and online technology provide new

opportunities for young people’s learning and growth,

but it can also expose them to new types of risks.

Useful websites for advice and guidance:

https://www.internetmatters.org

https://www.intofilm.org

https://swgfl.org.uk/online-safety/10-online-safety-tips/

Keeping your Children Safe!

Online Etiquette

Whilst you are using the internet and social media a lot

more, your etiquette is important and you want to be

portrayed in the right way with the best manners. Ways

to ensure this are:

1. Be respectful

2. Be aware of the language and punctuation you use,

it is easy for someone to misread what you have

written.

3. Be careful with humour and sarcasm

4. Always check your spelling and grammar

5. Do not post or share inappropriate material

6. Be forgiving. Remember you might perceive

something differently to someone else

7. Develop your research skills when trying to answer

some questions in your work and if you are still

stuck, send a polite email to your teacher requesting

some help

8. Always read through what you have written before

sending

9. Think before you type

10. Be kind and professional

https://www.internetmatters.org

https://www.intofilm.org

https://swgfl.org.uk/online-safety/10-online-safety-tips/

Spring 2020

GREENACRE ACADEMY NEWSLETTER

We are still offering career support to all of our students,

even after they have left us. Students are encouraged to

contact Marie Colgan from Chatham Job Centre

([email protected]), or Emma Inch from IAG,

Medway Council ([email protected]) for any

support or guidance needed. Both advisors are more

than happy to help with: careers advice; job and

apprenticeship searches; applications; CVs and cover

letter writing; interview skills, and anything else that our

students might need extra help with.

Students should check their school emails regularly, as

they will find job and apprenticeship vacancies listed, as

well as communications from their teachers. Also,

remember to keep an eye on PGW Sixth Form's

Facebook and Twitter accounts for career opportunities

and updates.

Please can students let Ms Giordano know if they are

successful in securing a job, apprenticeship or training

opportunity? ([email protected])

Supporting Careers

Our university applicants have displayed fantastic

organisational skills by completing their Student Finance

applications in time for the 22nd May deadline.

They have been given details of bursaries that they

might be eligible for, but should also register with

GrantFairy.co.uk which will give them an idea of other

grants and bursaries that might be available. Students

are advised to also check with their universities to make

sure that they're not missing out on any additional

financial support.

Student Finance

As we continue to navigate through this difficult and

uncertain time, we wanted to reassure you that the PGW

team are still here to help and support you.

We hope you are taking the time to access your school

email account. Even though we’re not in school, Ms

Giordano is still sending out a wealth of information to

you e.g. you were recently sent the details about

apprenticeships with Virgin Media and Vodafone.

Please remember that we have our own dedicated

learning area: By accessing the PGW website and logging

in to the ‘Home Learning’ portion of the website, you will

find folders for every subject. Within each folder will be

revision material, work, reading material, coursework

support etc. for you to access and work through

(http://www.sflt.org.uk/pgw-sixth-form/home/homelearningstudents/).

Although school is currently closed, that doesn’t mean

that your teachers aren’t working – far from it! Your

teachers are working from home and all staff are

contactable through their email, of which a list of email

addresses can be found here: http://www.sflt.org.uk/greenacre/

about/teaching-staff-2/. Please do keep in touch with your

teachers regularly. Staff are ready and waiting to accept

work from you, answer questions and offer guidance.

We now know that coursework will play a big part in

deciding what your final grade will be. Therefore, it is

vital, that any coursework you have which is outstanding

is completed to the absolute best of your ability. At a

time when your final grades are dependent on your own

body of coursework, it is imperative that you take

ownership for your coursework and make sure that it is

of the best possible standard.

We hope that you are keeping safe and well during this

time and following government guidance about social

distancing, your safety is of paramount importance to us.

If you have any pastoral concerns during this period of

school closure, please don’t hesitate to contact us:

Mr Mallia [email protected]

Ms Wall [email protected]

as we are keen to help you in any way possible.

Take care, stay safe and keep in touch.

Mr. Mallia and Ms. Wall

Dear Students,




http://www.sflt.org.uk/pgw-sixth-form/home/homelearningstudents/

http://www.sflt.org.uk/greenacre/about/teaching-staff-2/

http://www.sflt.org.uk/greenacre/about/teaching-staff-2/




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