WINTERNEWSLETTER December 2020

Thoughtful student cares for his community Earlier this year Dear parents, carers and friends following a trip to It has been a momentous year for fair and a traditional Christmas Newcastle, Year 7 the whole country. At about this lunch! Mrs McMullen, Miss Hall student George, asked same time last year, we watched and Dr Willis have done wonders for donations and Greggs events unfold in Wuhan as the in creating a choir performance meal deal vouchers for virus took hold. No-one imagined with one student filmed at a time! the catastrophic events that would Some of our students have also his birthday so he could overtake us. Now a year later, we are participated in a local church virtual donate them to the hearing news of a vaccine that brings service. It’s amazing what socially homeless people he had us immense hope again for the distanced things we have managed seen in Newcastle. future and we are grateful to those to get up to and the students have scientists who have been working thoroughly enjoyed them. During October half term, tirelessly for this breakthrough. There have been crimes against George and his family were Our students have been through fashion as Christmas jumpers, ties able to deliver over £200 a lot, and so much change has and socks were donned to raise worth of vouchers to the happened, that it is at times difficult money for charity. Our local care Newcastle Foodbank. George to comprehend! Systems in school homes, we hope, have enjoyed our bought some meal deals are very complex and controlled, students' lovely singing via our social and gave them to some yet our students are coping media channels at a time when our very appreciative people magnificently (although longing for students would normally be visiting on Northumberland Street normality). We are so proud of them. the residents. in Newcastle. Newcastle Foodbank contacted the When we reflect on the lockdown Fundamentally, Christmas is about family and invited them along period, as difficult as it was for so family and a time for making to meet Newcastle United many, we did feel that we were able memories, excitement, and fun. We Football Club player, Isaac to work very closely with you and also always remember those for Hayden, who regularly donates build strong relationships. We would whom it is a difficult time. like to take this opportunity to thank to the foodbank. you for engaging with us during the All those connected to Hermitage are a crucial part of a We were delighted to hear turbulent period. Together we are the news, which once again working on establishing a culture wider family and we want to wish shows how kind and caring our where kindness and compassion are you all a very Merry Christmas, as families are! at the forefront of our relationships we recognise and value every one of with each other. This is vital in the you, and hope for good health and social media world, where things can happiness for all in 2021. rapidly become unkind and we thank those parents who are keeping a Darren Stewart close watch on this difficult terrain! Head of School Dr Janice Gorlach This year we have celebrated the Executive Headteacher twelve days of Christmas with displays, carols, festive films, a craft Meet the babies Meet our staff's little bundles of joy, born over the last academic year... bringing hope and happiness IMPORTANT DATES at such a turbulent time! for your diary Due to the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic, we cannot commit to any fixed school events at the moment.

Please keep checking our website and social media channels for the latest updates.

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Keeping our children safe whilst online Due to increased time spent indoors, our children and young people may have been spending more time than usual online. We understand that is it hard for parents and carers to keep up with the latest games, apps and social media, however the NSPCC have created a very handy tool to help stay informed of the risks involved.

It also includes useful information such as age rating as well as top tips for usage and staying safe. www.net-aware.org.uk We're social! Follow our social media accounts to stay up to date with all of the latest news from around the Academy!

@hermitage_acad @hermitageacad Our very festive kitchen staff really are providing the Christmas cheer! With Christmas music playing in the dining hall and the smell of turkey in the air our students and staff have experienced a real festive treat.

Students and staff have had an Thank you to all those involved amazing Christmas lunch this and for all your hard work Student year and are so grateful for during this turbulent period. the opportunity to have a little We have all been well fed and success! get together (socially distanced looked after by our fantastic This term, we have and safely… of course!) Festive catering team and for that we tablecloths were laid and are truly grateful! launched our 'Monday decorations placed to really get Marvels' and 'Great everyone in the festive spirit. Eights' initiatives to celebrate the many successes of our brilliant Year 7 and 8 students. The idea behind the Monday Marvels initiative is to celebrate the fantastic work our Year 7 students are doing both in lessons and in the school community. Monday marvels are students who give 100% effort in everything we ask, demonstrate The show must go on! fantastic behaviour and who are It has been a challenging year for all of us and great role models to their peers. the drama and dance department have had to Alongside Year 7, we have be particularly imaginative in creating practical launched Great Eights, a weekly lessons that are fun, purposeful and covid-safe. celebration of students who have demonstrated consistently We love running extra- Drama clubs have been high standards of work in curricular clubs and activities exploring improvisation and lessons and who have gone for our students and were dramatic styles and dance above and beyond with a devastated when we had clubs have been working on a particular task or been a great to cancel our planned 2020 Christmas themed dance which ambassador or role model for production of Hairspray. We we hope to film and present on their subject. We awarded our have been limited in what we the school website – look out first Great Eights in November can offer in the way of extra- for it! and look forward to celebrating curricular activities this term, more students each week. We however, we are delighted We would like to extend clubs will be launching more initiatives to say that we have been to include Year 9 students very soon! able to take some tentative in the new year, but this will steps towards re-starting our depend on available space at drama and dance clubs for our lunch times. We hope to work younger students. towards drama and dance films A big thank you to and, fingers crossed, begin everyone who took part We have trialled the clubs for plans for a live production for in the Christmas cake Year 7 and 8 students this term the summer. raffle, we have raised with numbers kept strictly limited and year groups kept If you have any questions about £125 for the local hospice! separate. The studios are the clubs please contact Mrs Thanks so much for Ms well-ventilated and activities Johnson or Mr Lauder. Carruthers for organising do not involve close contact or (and her mum for baking movement which requires deep the delicious cakes!). breathing.

Reindeer. They sleigh every time. Christmas jokes? Christmas

Who tells the best best the tells Who

JOKE CORNER JOKE

singing just as soon as we can! can! we as soon as just singing

enjoy the letters and we promise to be back back be to promise we and letters the enjoy

the faces of the residents. We really hope they they hope really We residents. the of faces the

students shared funny stories to bring a smile to to smile a bring to stories funny shared students

residents. Some letters included poems and the the and poems included letters Some residents.

written some messages of good will to the the to will good of messages some written

Students across all year groups have very kindly kindly very have groups year all across Students

to find a way to reach out. out. reach to way a find to

unable to do this, but we still wanted wanted still we but this, do to unable 9 and Jordan in Year 10! Year in Jordan and 9

Year 7, Leah in Year 8, Molly and Adanna in Year Year in Adanna and Molly 8, Year in Leah 7, Year residents. Sadly, this year we are are we year this Sadly, residents.

huge congratulations goes out to: Jumanha in in Jumanha to: out goes congratulations huge

and making the day of many elderly elderly many of day the making and

It was so difficult to select the winners but a but winners the select to difficult so was It

hearts out at our local care homes homes care local our at out hearts

like in 2050. The responses were amazing! amazing! were responses The 2050. in like our students are found singing their their singing found are students our

short story describing what Christmas might be be might Christmas what describing story short Normally at this time of the year year the of time this at Normally

Students were tasked writing the opening of a a of opening the writing tasked were Students

this Christmas... this

‘Christmas of the Future’. Future’. the of ‘Christmas

a creative writing competition entitled entitled competition writing creative a

It won't be lonely lonely be won't It

activities, the English department ran ran department English the activities,

As part of our ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ Christmas’ of Days ‘Twelve our of part As

Creative writing Creative

very happy Christmas! happy very

Mrs Dixon would like to wish all of our crafters a a crafters our of all wish to like would Dixon Mrs

and friends. friends. and

thoughtful ideas. thoughtful

made some lovely pieces to take home to family family to home take to pieces lovely some made

and it was a pleasure to review so many many so review to pleasure a was it and

students really got into the Christmas spirit and and spirit Christmas the into got really students

sure. The students really loved being involved involved being loved really students The sure.

tree decorations and festive cards. Our Year 7 7 Year Our cards. festive and decorations tree

talented artists at Hermitage Academy, that's for for that's Academy, Hermitage at artists talented

to the library after school and make some some make and school after library the to

to narrow them down. We have some very very some have We down. them narrow to

Each year group had the opportunity to come come to opportunity the had group year Each

came flooding in and it was extremely difficult difficult extremely was it and in flooding came

Christmas card competition. The entries entries The competition. card Christmas crafts to get in the festive spirit! spirit! festive the in get to crafts

talent in our 'Twelve Days of Christmas' Christmas' of Days 'Twelve our in talent

creating some seasonal Christmas Christmas seasonal some creating

Our students really showed off their artistic artistic their off showed really students Our

in the run up to the end of term term of end the to up run the in

Every year group has been busy busy been has group year Every competition

Christmas crafts Christmas Christmas card card Christmas Say hello to our new members of staff! Miss Wolland Miss Stevenson I have joined the I have joined the MFL department, teaching both French and science department this year. I studied Spanish. Before starting my teaching career five years ago, equine science at university and spent I was lucky enough to spend some time working abroad. I part of my degree studying abroad in worked as an English language assistant in Malaga and also as Pennsylvania. Since then, I’ve spent some a holiday courier working in the north of France. I have really time with horses and then with a primary enjoyed my time at the Academy so far and I look forward to Year 6 class. I’m a biologist and have a sharing my love for languages with you all. fascination with anatomy, which is made even more interesting when you get to chop things up! I look forward to Taking seeing you all in science soon! Mrs Barnes on the role of head Miss Taylor of English has been I am the new ICT and everything I expected and Mr Teasdale I have been computer science teacher here at more - staff have been a teacher of ICT and computer the Academy. I have spent the past welcoming, students are science for over 12 years. During six years in schools whilst working motivated and inquisitive, that time, I have spent 10 years as for the North East Learning Trust, and I’ve even managed to a teacher at Prudhoe Community working in the communications make my way around the High School and two years as a and marketing department. I maze of corridors without head of ICT and computer science have really enjoyed my first term getting lost (well, not too at High School. Computer at Hermitage especially getting often). I look forward to science has always been a passion to know my students (special working with staff and and led me to study internet shout out to my form class 7H parents alike in the coming computing at Northumbria who are just wonderful!). I look years to ensure that University. Since graduating I forward to continuing to share the English department have also completed a PGCE my love of technology with all my supports every student to at Sunderland University and a students and (hopefully) making achieve and flourish on M.Ed in practitioner enquiry at ICT/computer science one of their their academic journey. Newcastle University. Computer favourite lessons! science and ICT are such exciting subjects to teach. The digital landscape is always changing it is becoming increasingly

important to be confident using Miss Hannon Mrs Turner I’m the new second in science. I moved I join the Academy digital technologies in a range of up to the North East this summer from after being assistant situations and environments. near Sheffield. I’m really excited about headteacher at a living close to the seaside as it has always school in Hartlepool, been about three hours away everywhere head of sixth form else I’ve lived! I studied physics at in Essex and head of university for three years and one of my business studies in Miss McKenzie 2020 was favourite topics to teach is astrophysics West Yorkshire. As a year of big changes for me. (space!). I’m looking forward to seeing assistant headteacher, I was supposed to be moving you all in the science corridor soon! I am excited to be house, starting a new job and part of a great team, getting married. Unfortunately, working together to only 2/3 things happened due shape the future of to obvious COVID situation Hermitage Academy. (still Miss for now!) but, luckily, Mrs Armstrong I started my teaching My role focuses on starting at Hermitage Academy career at Thorp Academy as an NQT 16 years developing teaching was one of them. After working ago. I have experience working within pastoral and learning at the at for the last and also as second in department. I decided school. I have the three years I have enjoyed (after hitting the big 40!) that this had to be privilege of visiting the transition to a bigger the year I jumped into a new chapter of my many classes and community at Hermitage career. What a change it has been, but I have seeing a variety of Academy. As well as being felt so welcomed by the staff at Hermitage. lessons across all a maths teacher I am very I feel excited by the opportunity to help subjects. Everyone has musical and in my spare time develop our Hermitage maths department been so welcoming, enjoy playing the piano and and I am looking forward to being part of the and I feel part of the trombone as part of a band. future successes that are to come. community already. Keep making MUSIC!

Christmas community Violin lessons carol service We were delighted to have The parish of St. Mary and St. Cuthbert held a some fabulous violins contemporary carol service on facebook, on Sunday donated to school during the summer. Our violin teacher, 13 December. We are delighted that recordings of Mr Stokoe, has started violin our students singing were used in the service. lessons with a small group Well done to every musician student, Rebecca Meacher, who and we are looking for more who has worked hard to was selected to deliver one of students to begin lessons in prepare and record a piece. the readings about the story of January. If you are interested, A special mention for Year 8 Christmas. please see Mrs McMullen or Miss Hall.

Year 7 musicians! Year 7 students have shown real enthusiasm for music this term and we have seen a lot of young talent in our fortnightly lessons.

Working safely in bubbles, Aisha: “I love my lessons students have performed because making your own music many pieces of music on the is impressive. I never thought I keyboard, learnt more about could do it before now.” Live music the different elements of music and created their own pieces Oliver: “ My passion is music. I making! using the Ignite programme to now understand so much more We can’t wait to all be singing edit their work. Here are some and I like listening to different again, the time will come of the things they have said… music and learning to do more.” soon! In the meantime, we have been rehearsing with Marcus: “I love the keyboard and Cameron: “It’s fun coming into some super soloists and it has inspired me. I now love lessons and learning music.” socially distanced small music and can read some notes.” Olivia: “I get to play the piano groups so that we can continue with our ‘live music making’. Casey: “The best thing in music which I love and it has boosted is when you can show the class my confidence in playing.” A special well done goes what you have learned during to the Year 10 and Year 11 the lesson.” GCSE music students who have produced some quality performances!

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day was performance of the Last particularly poignant this Post on her cornet in a year for everyone. One central part of school. of our talented Year 13 students, Sarah Heeley, The school was still, and delivered a stunning we remembered.