NEW YEAR: NEW RESOLUTIONS Welcome to our first Newsletter has been to develop our students for other activities and get a healthy of 2019. At the start of a new year, as independent learners. This is an 8 hours’ sleep! our thoughts inevitably turn to new ongoing challenge for some who Whatever your resolutions, I wish you resolutions, and in assembly on the instinctively ask for a teacher’s all a healthy and happy New Year. first day of term Mr Nicholson and I help before exhausting all other shared the magic numbers behind available strategies. Our approach is With every best wish! our resolutions with Year 11. For Mr summed up in the phrase 3 before Nicholson, the magic number was 5 me, which represents our expectation as he tries to curb his chocolate habit that students will first, think for and increase his intake of fruit and themselves, secondly, consult their vegetables. For me the number was learning resources and, thirdly, discuss 10000 as, armed with my Christmas with each other, before asking for help. present fit bit, and in fierce competition RICHARD HEDGE The third number (and one which I with my daughters, I try to increase the Headteacher shared with the Year 11 students in number of steps I walk each day. their first assembly) applies to all of For our students I want to suggest those students who are preparing three other numbers that could for external exams. The number is 2 usefully underpin resolutions for them because we can guarantee that all at the start of a new year. The first is 8. students who complete 2 hours of School closes Whether it is the increasing popularity structured revision activity, targeted of electronic devises or some other at the topics within each subject for half-term mystery cause, there has been a they have identified as their areas marked increase, here and elsewhere, of weakness, will boost their grade. on Friday in the number of students arriving for This might be completing past paper school too tired to learn effectively. questions, it might be preparing cue 15th February The solution is simple. If all of our cards or mind maps or it might be using students set themselves a target of one of the online revision sites that can and re-opens getting 8 hours sleep every night, we be accessed through the student links could be certain that they would be tab on the home page on the website. on Monday alive and alert at the start of the next It is certainly better to start now, doing day. Designating bedrooms as device some revision every evening than to 25th February free zones would be a good first step in rely on lengthy sessions a few days achieving this. before the exam. At a rough calculation it is perfectly possible to complete 2 2019 The second number is 3. One of our hours of revision, have four hours free key aims over the last few years www.macclesfieldacademy.org [email protected] 01625 383100 ANNUAL CONCERT The last week of Christmas term saw our annual concert which involved more items of music than ever before. A wonderful mixture of styles from mass rock guitars and drums to classical pieces and students own compositions which were all warmly received by the packed audience. The students excelled themselves once again, as did the staff, who joined with the students to perform Bohemian Rhapsody and gain a standing ovation!! PARK LANE SCHOOL AND CANCER RESEARCH On the last day of the autumn term, The Macclesfield Academy School Council organised a non-uniform Christmas jumper day. Over £400 was raised which will be split between Cancer Research and to help Park Lane School refurbish their hydrotherapy pool. Both good causes were decided by the students within the school. A BIG thank you to everyone that donated and took part. SUPPORTING THE CHRISTIES Melissa Forshaw and Elissia Harrison in Year 7 planned, organised and ran a cake sale in December for The Christie in Manchester, which specialises in cancer care. They baked many cakes with a little help from their families and ran the sale over two days raising £58.15. This is an amazing achievement. Well done girls!! VACANCIES Kitchen Assistant required at the Academy: Monday to Friday (Term time only), 12.00 - 14.30pm, £7.83 per hour Please contact Angela on 01625 383141 for any further information 2 www.macclesfieldacademy.org [email protected] 01625 383100 LISTENING TO OUR TEACHERS On Friday lunch time, of childcare that is available for representatives from a staff teachers at times like parents working group that has been evenings, and how with the set up to discuss the ways to Macclesfield traffic was often help The Macclesfield Academy impossible to go and collect help teachers with dependants their children or even pop home met with David Rutley MP. to see them before meetings. Staff discussed the need to David also listened to the fact be able to retain good quality that teachers were working very teachers here in Macclesfield. long hours due to the changes in Many of our teachers come from exam syllabuses and SEND paper outside Macclesfield because work. The high cost of childcare house prices are so high. This was also discussed as this often makes it very tricky for teachers deters teachers from coming to drop off and pick up their back to teaching. Although own children who often go to many of our teachers feel more schools outside the Macclesfield comfortable about returning The working group will continue area. For staff that do not live to work, as we have a nursery to meet here at the Academy to in Cheshire East, getting their on site, even though it seems a find ways of making teachers children in Cheshire East schools shame to many that we do not lives more liveable and helping in Macclesfield is very hard. have a primary school here on them with the juggle of Staff also discussed the lack the learning zone. dependants. THE WRONG SHOES The students and a lot of staff wore Children in Cambodia rarely the wrong shoes to school to raise receive gifts so it was a money for Christmas presents for pleasure for us to help out. children in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Here are a few photos, and This initiative is organised by the you can also follow this charity Heartprint. There was a link to the giving of the variety of shoes and an array of presents at Heartprint colours! Mrs Lucas was hoping to House, and also if you raise enough for 10 Christmas packs, wish to donate to the but we surpassed that and raised charity yourself this enough for 15 packs. Each child is their website: received a toy, educational supplies, www.heartprint.org.au/ a water bottle, a t-shirt and a Hygiene pack (containing soap, a www.youtube.com/ toothbrush and paste and for older channel/UCoU3xPrua_ girls, sanitary protection). lDZVCrRNoJSPA www.macclesfieldacademy.org [email protected] 01625 383100 3 VISITING LOCAL ARTIST Marc Jackson is a very successful illustrator/cartoonist living in Macclesfield. Marc has illustrated for various publications including the BEANO and Aces Weekly to name but 2. Marc runs drawing workshops in schools, the library and once a month at Waterstones. Charlie Clarke with one of Marc visited the Graphics class at the Marc’s drawings Academy to offer advice and tell the students a bit more about himself. Lewis Murch has chosen Marc as one of the illustrators he is researching so was able to get some valuable tips. Marc with Lewis Murch Lewis’s Peter Rabbit in the style of Marc Jackson WELL DONE TO THE CHESS TEAM The Macclesfield Academy Chess Team entertained A return fixture will happen in this New Year where Tytherington in a hugely anticipated fixture. Who Tytherington will undoubtedly field a stronger team. would be successful and who would be vanquished? Well done to the boys who represented A team of 6 pupils from each school competed and The Academy: Will Harrison, Akshat Agarwal, the final scores were, The Macclesfield Academy Antonio Cerval-Pena, Ben Ward, Chris Wilson 14.5 points: Tytherington 2.5 points. & Will Richardson. ROTARY CLUB COMMUNITY AWARDS We once again celebrated Lilly Bethell and Tyler Smith who community achievements at have worked with Tiny Adventures The Macclesfield Academy. and St Georges street Baptist Church The Rotary Club once again and also a year eleven student, kindly agreed to fund a Ellie Kirk was honoured for the number of awards for time she gave up to help the local students who go above and library during the summer holidays, beyond in the communities helping out with the summer reading in which they live. challenge. Mrs Halsall, Deputy Head said: “The Macclesfield Academy This time awards went to: is once again incredibly pleased Gabe Geary who works in to be celebrating being part of the the community as Silk King. community which we serve and Shelby Pope who gives honouring young people who are at up her time to help in the heart of making a difference to the local community the place where we live and work”. as Silk Queen. 4 www.macclesfieldacademy.org [email protected] 01625 383100 SPORT CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS We are delighted to announce that April Wright-McLean will be representing Macclesfield District after qualifying for the Cross Country County Championships coming 7th in the Macclesfield District Cross Country Championships in October. FOOTBALL We have recently started hosting a 7-a-side football league for years 7, 8 and 9, competing against local The Year 8 team schools such as All Hallows, Poynton, Tytherington and Eaton Bank.