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A Message from Principal, Mr Martin
Today was Year 13’s last day of lessons, before they start their exam leave. They have celebrated this momentous occasion in the usual fashion, although slightly lower key this year, with the risk of Covid disrupting the exams. I would like to congratulate Year 13 for being such a fantastic year group. It goes without saying that their time at SWA has not been uneventful; but, throughout their years with us they have shown incredible resilience, empathy and determination. Together, they have celebrated the good times and supported each other during the difficult days, and that is true friendship. Whether they are going to University, college or starting an apprenticeship, we wish them all the luck in the world on the next steps in their journeys.
The Year 10s have now completed their mock exam season. The students were focused and learned the processes quickly. Formal examinations for Year 13 and 11 start with a vengeance from Monday and continue to the end of June. If you have a child sitting exams over the coming weeks please ensure they have read the information from the exam team, including: equipment lists, what to do if you are running late, revision resources and advice available online for managing stress. Please keep reminding your child to take regular breaks from their revision schedule, get plenty of sleep and eat a ‘proper’ breakfast. This is an important time for our students and we wish them luck in the coming weeks.
It was great to see the Duke of Edinburgh students last week having a fantastic time in the sunshine walking in Dunstable Downs. A reminder that The Drama Department has its production of ‘Too much Punch for Judy’ running on Monday and Tuesday next week, please see below for tickets. We had several cup finals in football and handball last week and I'm pleased to say we are now U14 boys district and county champions.
We have uploaded the BEST Academic Calendars for 2023/24 to our website to support you with planning ahead for important events. The term dates are the same for the whole cluster.
Finally, last Thursday was the one year anniversary of the sudden and unexpected loss of Poppy, in last year’s Year 11, who was a much loved friend and student at Samuel Whitbread. A group of staff and her close friends met in our memorial garden during period 5 to share a few words and plant a Japanese cherry tree in her memory. It is incredible to think that 12 months have passed and she is sorely missed every day, by those who knew and loved her. Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time.
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Messages From Heads of Year
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Year 9, Lois Scott:
This month has seen a flurry of activity for Year 9 as our sporting teams compete for victory once again, our athletic clubs got into full swing and the Year 9 Duke of Edinburgh cohort enjoyed their first weekend expedition. The Summer term provides ample opportunity for your child to get involved in extra-curricular activities, so please do take a look at everything that is on offer via our website, click here.
As the weather gets warmer, please ensure that your child has the correct uniform, which both adheres to our uniform policy and is functional for school. You can find information about our uniform expectations by clicking here. Please note that the blazer remains a compulsory item. Students may ask permission to remove their blazer during lessons.
We have had the pleasure of celebrating the successes of many of our Year 9 students this month. Some even had the honour of attending lunch with the Principal to congratulate them on their achievements. Please continue to share your child's successes out of school with us as we love hearing about them!
The Year 10 mock exam period finished on Tuesday and I am pleased to say that on the whole it was a big success. I was incredibly impressed at the vast majority of the year group who approached the exams with dedication and maturity, especially considering this was the first time they had been in any formal exams on a large scale. Once we have the results and time to reflect on progress, we will sit down and assess any changes we need to make for the next mocks in November/December, including any exam access arrangements.
This week in form time we have been addressing various issues in assemblies and discussions around mental health week. Hopefully students have found these useful and as always we encourage you to have positive conversations with your children around these issues.
Lastly, as the warm weather (hopefully) starts to become more regular, uniform for some students is starting to slip in standard. Could you please address any uniform issues asap.
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YEAR 9 DofE PRACTICE EXPEDITION
Last weekend, our Year 9 DofE (Duke of Edinburgh) completed their practice expedition in preparation for their expedition later on in the Summer term.
 
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TOO MUCH PUNCH FOR JUDY
Our Keystage 5 drama company has been busy rehearsing and finalising their production “Too Much Punch for Judy”. There are still tickets available for Monday and Tuesday night, you can purchase tickets on by clicking here.
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NIGHT AT THE MUSICALS
Time is running out to buy your early bird tickets for Night at the Musicals! Two adult tickets and two concession tickets for £20. To purchase your tickets, please click here.
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CODING COMPETITION
On 30th April, ten of our Computer Science students took part in the Lockheed Martin Code Quest Challenge 2022, where over 1600 students and 627 teams globally competed to solve a range of programming challenges. Our teams did exceptionally well, with one team coming 3rd nationally within their category. This was a particular achievement for Ollie, Dalip & Molly given that Ollie and Dalip only started programming using ‘C#’ in September and Molly in March (having attended a number of our Code Quest Academy Sessions).
Well done to the following students who took part in the Code Quest Competition and to those who attended the Code Quest academy sessions prior -
Year 12 Ollie and Dalip, Year 11 Robert, Logan and Nathan, Year 10 Molly, Jack, Adam and Daniel and Year 12 Mentor Support Thomas Hayward.
A thoroughly enjoyable day was had by all. Thank you to Richard Ward, from Lockheed Martin, for running the Academy C# training sessions.
A big well done to all involved.
 
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MODERN FORGIEN LANGUAGES - DO YOU KNOW ABOUT “BASTILLE DAY” ON 14TH JULY?
The MFL department, led by Mrs Reydet-Clark, would like to get you involved in making Thursday 14th July a memorable day regarding French culture at Samuel Whitbread Academy! We are looking for creative, enthusiastic, artistic students and staff who are truly enjoying learning the language to contribute with a small group to organise an event at lunchtime. All ideas welcome.
Please email your interest to Mrs Reydet-Clarkno later than midday Monday 6th June 2022.
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MODERN FORGIEN LANGUAGES - THE WHYNOTLANGS PROGRAMME
The WhyNotLangs programme encourages young people to continue with language learning to A Level and beyond. SWA students would experience university-style language teaching and hear from Cambridge undergraduates about their experiences of language learning and of studying at the University of Cambridge.
Event details:
20 June 2022 - WhyNotLanguages@Cam – Taster day for Year 12 French, German or Spanish students. Time: 09:45am – 3:30pm (registration from 09:15am)
Including a seminar in language of current study, a sample university lecture, a taster session in a lesser-taught language e.g. Arabic, Russian and Portuguese, and Q&A.
21 & 22 June 2022 - WhyNotLanguages@A Level – Taster days for Year 10 students of French, German or Spanish. Time: 09:45am - 3:00pm (registration from 09:15)
Includes a workshop in current language of study, taster sessions in lesser-taught languages, and Q&A.
Each school/college may propose up to 10 students (per key stage). They welcome students who are and who are not currently considering language studies at A level or at university.
Their aim is to provide students with an enjoyable experience and sessions will be designed to stretch and challenge.
There is no charge for these events.
To apply, please email your interest to Mrs Reydet-Clark no later than midday on Wednesday 25th May 2022: places will be allocated and confirmed by Friday 27th May. Successful applicants will then need to supply attendee details by Monday 13th June.
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CENTRAL BEDFORDSHIRE SEND CONSULTATION
Central Bedfordshire has a consultation open regarding proposed changes to the way in which children with Special Educational Needs are supported in school. We would encourage all parents to have their say, please click here to find out more.
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AUTISM BEDFORDSHIRE
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AUTISM BEDFORDSHIRE
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STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING PROGRAMME
This year we introduced a Strength and Conditioning programme, promoting female confidence within a gym setting. This was created to aid the development of strength performance within our Year 11 female sports teams.
The group have worked incredibly hard every Friday afterschool since the beginning of the year. They have come on in leaps and bounds across the 3 core barbell lifts that require complex movement which strengthens core and stabiliser muscles: squat, bench and deadlift. The group have not only built their strength and confidence with these lifts, but have battled through very intense conditioning workouts to improve endurance and power within their chosen sports.
Mrs Anderson, the lead coach of the program, said "I could not be more proud of how far the girls have come and the dedication they have put into their training. They have been a brilliant group to work with and I wish them all the best with their next steps. I hope to see them back next year."
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FOOTBALL FINALS
Over the last two weeks there has been a variety of football finals happening amongst the year groups, we are excited to announce that our U14 boys team are district and county champions, this is an amazing achievement and we couldn’t be prouder. Also, a huge well done to our U15 and 1st XV team who came runners up against strong sides. Our U14 Girls’ football team competed in the county cup final, in which they also came runners up. We are so proud of all the players, they’re hard work after school and at lunch times is shining through.
 
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Samuel Whitbread Academy E-Newsletter
You are receiving this because you are a Student,
Parent, Carer, Governor or Member of Staff at SWA.
Samuel Whitbread Academy
Shefford Road, Clifton, Shefford, Bedfordshire, SG17 5QS
Tel: 01462 629900 • Fax: 01462 629901
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