As we draw to the end of the first full term, I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate all our Year 9 students on their progress and achievements so far. The year group have consistently shown the school values and every morning I take the opportunity to praise their positive behaviour choices.

In the last two weeks of term we have a number of events taking place which we hope our Year 9 students will enjoy and engage with. The first being our annual Rotary Shoebox appeal – we’re asking each tutor group to come together and donate gifts that can be sent to children in need. The second is our Student Christmas Fair which will take place on 14th December, each tutor group will design and run a stall to raise money for charity. The tutor group who raises the most money will be rewarded with a pizza lunch from Mr Martin. Thirdly is the school pantomime, Sleeping Beauty, taking place next week. I am really excited to see the hard work of our Year 9 students who will be participating in the show.

On the last day of term, we will have a non-uniform day where students can choose to wear Christmas jumpers and we’ll be holding an achievement assembly to celebrate the successes of the students from the term. If you have any concerns or questions about your child then please do not hesitate to contact their form tutor and the year team.

There have been lots of exciting tasks happening in our registration this month as we continue our focus on school values. One of the most exciting tasks is our annual Rotary Shoebox appeal. This year, our tutor groups are competing against each other to see which group can donate the most boxes in support of the charity. With shoeboxes already coming in thick and fast, I wonder how many boxes Year 10 will be able to donate? Please ask your child's tutor for more details about how to support.

The weather has certainly turned more seasonable over the past two weeks. Please can you ensure that your child comes to school with their blazer, which is a mandatory part of their uniform. Students may also wear a plain black jumper under their blazer. Please note that hoodies are not acceptable at school and will be confiscated.

As we fast approach the Christmas break, please do help us in encouraging, praising and motivating our Year 10 students. They continue to impress us during this long term and continually demonstrate their fantastic attitude to learning, respect and determination. Well done Year 10 and keep going!

Another round of mocks has been completed! A big well done to all Year 11s for making it through an exhausting two weeks of exams. You have been great at conducting yourself in a mature and sensible manner. I hope you have a restful weekend, you have earned it!

There are catch up mock exams for those that have missed core exams over the past two weeks. Please speak with Tutors regarding days and times for these.

As the days are getting colder we are seeing a rise in hoodies. Please be reminded that hoodies are not allowed in school and coats must be worn over the top of blazers.

Finally, the Year 11 Prom will be held on Tuesday 11th July at Offley Place. There will be a letter with all the information, sent to you in the new year.

Have a great weekend.

Thank You
Year 11 Team

As we approach the end of their first term, our Year 12 students have reflected on their predict reports and set themselves targets. We’ve been extremely impressed with the work ethic and attitude in their first term, and have sent a record number of praise letters for excellent attitudes to learning. We kicked off the Year 12 phase of the Sixth Form darts competition this week and so far tutor groups A and D are through to the next rounds.  Our charity focus is collecting in tutor groups for the Rotary Shoebox appeal, and we are extremely grateful for all donations. The final stages of planning their food festival stalls for the 14th of December are well underway and we are looking forward to tasting some international delicacies.

At the time of writing this we have sent off 49 UCAS applications, and it’s looking likely we will send off another 100, or more, before 25^th January (national deadline). I’m pleased to see so any many students have responded accordingly to the instructions, guidance and reminders given to them, as well as booked their “Check to Send” meetings. We are already booked up for the first two weeks of January, therefore down to the final slots available. Please remind students to come and book so that it is not too late.

We have multiple Christmas themed activities happening as we end this term, so please keep an eye on our school’s social media for this.

As we look towards the end of term, there will be a prize draw using our new Praise Tokens. Students engaging in registration, working effectively around Sixth Form and embodying our school values will receive a Praise Token for them to put into our Praise Post-box. There will be some real prizes to be won so do encourage the Year 13s to get involved.

Medical Conditions
It has come to our attention that there are a few medical conditions on our data base that no longer apply, for example some children may have had childhood asthma or allergies that they have grown out of. All student records, including primary, come up to upper school and unless a parent has said otherwise it stays on their record.
Our canteen staff are made aware of food allergies and do their best to alert your child when purchasing food, so it is important that our records are kept up to date.
Can we please ask that you go to the medical section on your child’s Edulink and amend/remove anything that is no longer applicable to your child.

Non-Prescription Medications in school
Students are permitted to carry non-prescribed medications for their own use, we encourage a small amount of these to be carried on their person so should they need to take they can without having to take time out to visit the medical room. Please note we do have emergency Paracetamols and Ibuprofen however, if you or your child knows that they may need pain relief during the day (for example, they have a head cold or they have their period), please send them to school with their usual dose. As you can imagine in, a school this size it is hard to keep a stock of these and so we can’t always guarantee that we will have some. Students will only be allowed to collect medication for pain relief during break and lunchtime.

Flu Vaccines
Please be aware the immunisation team are planning to come into school on 12th January 2023
For all Year 9, they have said that they may include older year groups if there is sufficient vaccine.
The link for the consent forms will be send via Edulink once we receive it from the team.

Period products
Here at Samuel Whitbread Academy we are part of the period product scheme, this is available to all state maintained and 16 to 19 education organisations in England. It provides free period products to girls and women who need them in their place of study. Period products such as pads and tampons, should be available for all who need them, when they need them, in order to access education. Having periods should not be a barrier to education for anyone. Making girls and women aware of the scheme is vital to making sure they can access period products when they are needed and to reduce the stigma surrounding periods.

Please tell your child to come down to the medical room should they need supplies

We would like to remind parents and carers of the process when reporting a student absent from school / leaving school during the school day.

Absence from morning registration, student absence should be reported by telephoning 01462 629900 (option 1) or 01462 628041 before 11am. If you have left a voicemail, you do not need to send an email.

Appointments should wherever possible be arranged out of academy hours. If this cannot be avoided and your child needs to leave for an appointment during the school day, please could you provide them with a note. This will need to be shown to their teacher if they need to leave whilst in a lesson and to reception staff when signing out. If they have a note, there is no additional need to contact us to make us aware.

If you have medical appointment slips / letters that you would like to share with us, students can hand these in at reception at the time of signing out or a copy can be sent via email to Mrs Martin.

Term Dates are published on our website and may differ from those published by Central Bedfordshire.

If you need any further information or have any questions in regards to attendance, please contact the Attendance Office on 01462 628041 or via email.