4 October 2019 Attendance Winning Forms Penwortham Priory Post Each week the attendance officer calculates the form with the best attendance for ‘Year 11s’ and ‘The ‘Rest’ of the school. As the Year 11 form groups are smaller than the others, they are more likely to achieve full attendance. Therefore to ensure fairness, results have been separated out. This week’s winners are: Year 11 - R1 (100%) Rest - D2 (100%) Well done to Mr Henshaw‘s and Mr Scott’s forms. New Faces in the Science Department There are three new additions to the Science Department at Priory. Gaming Grammar Language Learning Mr Bedford is the new Head of Science, taking over from long-serving Ms Young. Mr Game (French) Bedford was second in his department at Sutton Academy in St Helens where he spent 10 years. This year, we will be using the Gaming Grammar language “Being Head of Science has extra responsibilities and it’s an exciting new challenge learning game (https:// for me,” said Mr Bedford, who completed a Science Degree at Liverpool John Moores www.gaminggrammar.com) University and then a PGCE. “I was always good at science at school, especially to support your child with chemistry, and I enjoy the variety of working in a school environment.” learning grammar in French. Mr Wade is the new biology teacher and Mr Barron teaches chemistry – both did their Gaming Grammar contains PGCEs together at Edge Hill University. mini-games practising different bits of grammar in Mr Wade is from Penwortham and went to Hutton Grammar School before completing French. To use the game, his PGCE at Albany Academy and Fleetwood High School. “I always enjoyed science, your child will create an I had good and bad teachers when I was at school and the good teachers pushed me account using their name and and made me want to be a teacher,” said Mr Wade. school email address. Mr Barron completed his PGSE in Blackpool and Burnley and is enjoying his time at Parents of pupils learning Priory so far. French have been emailed a letter providing information “When I was at school, my science teachers were really good and their creativity and about what will happen to the enthusiasm rubbed off on me.” data gathered in the game. Please read this carefully. At the end of the summer term, Science teacher Mrs Massey was also successful in her promotion to Assistant Head of Science. A copy of this letter can be downloaded from >> Photo - Mr Bedford (left), Mr Wade (top right), Mr Barron (bottom right) https://www.priory.lancs.sch. uk/parents/letters Learn to Succeed KEY DATES Year 7 Settle Factor Weds, 9 October Sponsored Walk Year 7 pupils have now been a member of our school Tues, 8 October - community for a month and we would therefore like to invite POSTPONED parents/carers and their child to the Year 7 Settle Factor Sponsor forms to be Evening. returned by Thurs, 10 October This is an opportunity to meet with the House Progress Tutor and discuss how Deputy Head’s Breakfast your son or daughter has settled into life and learning at Priory. Taking the right Tues, 8 October 8.30am steps to achieve their very best starts in Year 7 and this opportunity, early in the (by invitation) year, allows us to build a good working relationship between home and school for every child. It is imperative that your child attends with you, in full school Year 7 Settle Factor uniform. Parents Evening Weds, 9 October 2019 If not done so already, your child should now make an appointment with their 3.40pm-6pm House Progress Tutor at a time of your convenience between 3:40pm and Drumming Workshop 6:00pm on Weds, 9 October. Fri, 11 October 2019 Period 1 (Year 7 Creative Year 7 parents will also receive their Arts Classes) individual log-ins for Synergy, our new behaviour and communication Mid-Term Closure software, that enables parents to monitor their child’s behaviour and achievement 21-25 October 2019 at school instantly. Theatre Trip - Everybody’s Talking About Jamie: The Mrs Crank will be in the Learning Centre where Year 7 parents will have Musical the opportunity to ask questions about Synergy on the evening, along with Weds, 27 November 2019 demonstrations of the software in use. (Drama pupils by invitation) Mrs Hopes will also be in the Learning Centre to GCSE Poetry Live discuss the PixL Edge programme with Year 7 Manchester Palace Theatre parents too. 2 December 2019 (Year 11 pupils) Letters have been given to all Year 7 pupils. Reply slips should be returned to their House Progress Tutor indicating your attendance. A copy of the letter can also be downloaded from the school’s website at: www.priory.lancs.sch.uk/parents/letters Parent & Pupil Logins In assemblies, pupils in Year 8-10 will be given letters for both pupil and parent logins. Most Year 11 parents have received their login following the recent Aim & Ambition evening; the remainder, alongside the pupil logins, will be given out during their assembly. Year 7 parents - see above. Learn to Succeed Sponsored Walk - Postponed Due To Weather Due to the recent torrential rainfall and an inclement weather forecast we have unfortunately taken the decision to postpone the sponsored walk from the date planned next Tuesday. The walk will still take place and we will make a decision of the new date by observing the forecast. We will aim to let all parties know of the rescheduled date at least three days in advance. The focus therefore, at this point in time, remains on the continued fundraising. Due to the postponement, sponsor forms should be returned by Thurs, 10 October. We are raising money for the development of a legacy garden to add to our outstanding open space environment. The monies raised from the 6km Penwortham walk aim to provide us all with the best working environment and leave a legacy for the next generation of pupils coming to Priory. We are hoping to have the same fantastic response as we did four years ago when we raised enough to purchase a minibus. Frequently Asked Questions...Q&A with Mr Watters • On the day, pupils should wear appropriate clothing for the walk (see below). They will remain in these clothes through the rest of the day; pupils do not need to bring their uniform to change into after. • Replacement or additional forms can be collected from the school office. • Whilst we are encouraging pupils to raise as much as they can, we understand that not all families are in a position to do this. Children will not be given a detention or likewise for lack of fundraising effort. • There have been several pupils who have asked if they can RUN the sponsored walk. The answer is YES. Mr Eastham and Mr Graham have agreed to join those running. We need to know if pupils are intending to do this prior to the sponsorship day. Pupils must see Mr Watters to register their interest as soon as possible. • Pupils should return sponsor forms to their form tutor next Thurs, 10 October. We will then have a few days to sort out any pupils who have forgotten their forms. Sponsor forms will be returned to pupils after they have completed the walk so that they can collect the pledged money. Money will need to be returned to school within 7 days of the walk. • So, sponsor money is to be collected after the walk has taken place. What to wear? Pupils can wear their own suitable clothing. The sponsored walk will eventually go through some fairly boggy path so trainers with a good grip would be best, with a spare pair of shoes to wear in school after. A good waterproof will be essential. What else will they need? Pupils will need a refillable water bottle to fill prior to and after the walk to remain hydrated. We are also asked through risk assessments to ensure pupils wear sun block. Bringing a couple of biscuits/snacks would be a good idea as the dining room will not be open until an early lunch once all pupils are back. Any further enquiries can be forwarded to organiser and geography teacher, Mr Watters [email protected]. sch.uk. Learn to Succeed Priory’s Referees are on the Ball! Penwortham Priory Academy students are hoping to keep their cards in their pockets as they officiate at the South Ribble Primary School Central Venue Football Tournament. The Year 8 and 9 students have all undergone a course with the Lancashire Football Association, the Football Laws Awareness Course. Following the completion of the course, students were able to complete the Basic Referee Course and they can now referee in the local leagues and at the South Ribble tournament, for Years 5 and 6, which is held on Priory pitches. “Students were selected due to their excellent commitment to extra- curricular sport and their enthusiasm to do it,” said Mr Bullock, Head of PE & School Sport at Priory. “A lot of those who did the course play football and it gives them a broader view of the game. They understand that the job of the referee isn’t an easy one!” One of the students Connor Players wanted for girls only teams said: “I enjoyed the course but there were a lot of rules, Make new friends, have fun and learn new skills there were a lot of new rules as well I didn’t know about.” Referees: C Clark, O Snape, A Evans, L Cawood, I Marshall, H Jones, A Robinson, Z Alty, R Bertram, J Thompson, C Mitchell, K Read (missing from photo), R Kane, L Webster.