Dear Parents and Carers

Welcome to the first newsletter of 2022. We haven’t been back long, but there’s still plenty to report.

Parent/Carer consultation group

Thank you to the volunteers to be part of the parent/carer consultation group, following my request in my letter earlier this week. We have a group of 15 already and we’ll be in touch soon with a date for the first meeting. Part of the consultation is regarding our future development with communications. You may have already noticed that some announcements are sent via both Class Charts and MyEd. The use of Class Charts in this way will form part of the consultation.

Covid-19 update

Further to my message yesterday, I can confirm that following the change in guidance from the DfE, students and staff are no longer required to wear face masks in classrooms, unless they prefer to do so. The current guidance indicates a further relaxation of expectations to wear them in communal areas too, on Thursday 27th January. I will send confirmation at that time as required. I realise there will be mixed views on the use of face masks in the academy, given the high rates of infection in the area. However, we continue to work with Public Health Salford on the most appropriate guidance for our community, on an on-going  basis.

Golden Ticket week

This week has been Golden Ticket week and it has been wonderful to see so many students receiving these and proudly sharing with me, other staff and of course you all at home. Our Golden Ticket weeks come round at least once per half term, so there are many opportunities for students to achieve them, on top of any other rewards, throughout the year.  A big well done to everyone who achieved one this time around!

Perimeter fencing

I am pleased to report that after a very long period of planning, work to install perimeter fencing around the playing fields will begin on Monday 24th January. This will help to ensure that the site is as safe and secure as possible. Students and staff will really benefit from the fields being enclosed during PE lessons and Sports Days, when the field will be inaccessible to anyone not from the academy. The installation is likely to take between 5 and 7 weeks, but will not create any disruption to either PE lessons or the wider academy.
Best wishes for the weekend ahead

Matt Hacker

Principal

What’s Going On
Christmas Jumper Day

Thank you to all students, parents and carers who joined in and supported the Christmas Jumper Day in December.

Our students came dressed in their festive attire to raise money for Save The Children and also to show festive spirit for the holidays!

As an Academy, we raised £308!

Thank you all for #DoingWhatMattersMost and succeeding together.

Macmillan Cancer Support Fundraiser

In September, here at Walkden, we held a fundraising event with Macmillan Cancer Support to raise money for the charity. We can now say we proudly raised a huge £501.30 for the charity!

Macmillan Cancer Support provides specialist health care, information and financial support to people affected by cancer. It also looks at the social, emotional and practical impact cancer can have whilst campaigning for better cancer care within this country.

Supporting this organisation is extremely important, whether that is by hosting events or attending them to show support.

Once again, we would like to thank anyone involved in this event and say how deeply proud we are to be able to make a contribution to better the lives of those affected by Cancer.

For more information on Macmillan Cancer Support visit:

https://www.macmillan.org.uk/

Cadet Leadership Programme

It was fantastic to see our Senior Cadets developing their leadership skills in preparation for the possibility of promotion with the Cadet programme. 

Students took part in a series of practical tasks that challenged their ability to work as a team, think outside of the box, whilst at the same time, think about the attributes of what makes a good leader.

Following  Sgt CMADE, cadets were then faced with planning and preparing their tasks so that they could effectively take on the role of leader. 

The course was a huge success and we look forward to providing the cadets with good news in the coming week.  Look out for those cadets who have successfully made the grade and who will now take a leadership role within the contingent. 

Student Poster Competition 2022 FINAL CALL: How Maths Helps People – Written by Mrs Meah

Deadline 31st January 2022

The Brief

Make a persuasive poster which shows how maths can be used to help people. Aim it at high school pupils.

How Maths Helps People – Poster Instructions/Criteria

Make your poster about one way in which maths is helping people (this could cover a whole theme such as medicine or the environment or it could cover just one way in which maths helps us.)

Choose A4 size – you can use a computer, draw it by hand or use a mixture of methods.

Make sure your poster is a poster – it should look good as well as being informative.

Remember your target audience – you are showing high school students the importance of maths. Would your poster look good on your classroom wall?

Make sure it is all your own work – no copy and pasting text. If you download an image, provide a credit/link for the photo (or you may want to include your own drawings.)

Do your best – you could win an Android tablet!

Poster Guidance

To get you started, we recommend looking at the following PowerPoint to give you ideas about how maths helps people:

https://www.mathscareers.org.uk/how-maths-helps-people-poster-competition-2021/

Religion Trip – Mrs Crane

Here at Co-op Academy Walkden we strive to provide every child with an outstanding education.

As part of this mission the Philosophy, Religion and Ethics (PRE) department took a small group of year 11 GCSE Religious Studies students to visit two local places of worship to support and enrich their GCSE curriculum knowledge.

They visited Bolton Parish Church (Anglican) and Zakariyya Jaam’e Masjid Mosque.

This was a wonderful opportunity for the year 11 pupils to have an experiential learning opportunity to tour the mosque and Church and have a question and answer time with the leaders of both places of worship.

This trip has proven to be an intrinsic part of the pupils development of knowledge and understanding of Christianity and Islam.

World Book Day Competition

Could you be the next Banksy?

Are you as passionate about reading as you are about expressing your artistic talents? You could be exactly who we are looking for! 

As part of this year’s World Book Day celebrations, students will be invited to submit a review of their favourite book.

Every student who submits an entry will receive a brand new, not for sale bookmark designed especially by one of our students. 

Entries to submit your own designed bookmark are open now! Your design could be selected to be printed and produced for every student who submits a book review, meaning it will be seen and shared by students across the whole academy.

The sky is the limit- colours, images, inspirational quotes about reading, famous lines from poetry- your design can be anything you like. The design template attached can be used, or on paper the template should be 15cm long, 4cm wide.

Entries can be sent electronically to amy.harrison@coopacademies.co.uk, or handed in on paper to your English teacher. Make sure to add your name and form group on! Deadline for entries is Friday the 4th of February 2022.

Hospitality & Catering – Written By Mrs Bentley

Our Year 11 Hospitality and Catering students have completed their practical exams this week. Myself and Mrs Kettle are immensely proud of them. Each and every student has shone.

They have produced professional 3 course menus which have blown, not only us away with the standard, but the rest of the staff that have visited the Food department this week.

They have all been amazing . Huge well done from Mrs Bentley and Mrs Kettle. We would also like to acknowledge the support from our parents. You are instrumental in the organisation of these exams and the trialling of these wonderful dishes.

Maths Puzzle – Provided by Mrs Meah – Maths Teacer

Here is this edition’s Maths puzzle:

The number 4 bus and number 5 bus both leave the station at 8am.

No. 4 left every 20 minutes and no. 5 leaves every 34 minutes.

When will they next leave together?

Email your answer to Mrs Meah via walkden.info@coopacademies.co.uk and get a shout-out in the following newsletter.

Celebrate Success

Has your child done something amazing inside or outside the Academy?

Why not get in touch and let us know about it?

We want to feature our students’ successes in the newsletter and let our community celebrate with you.

Email success stories and feedback to walkden.info@coopacademies.co.uk.

Got feedback about the newsletter? Let us know at the same address!

We always appreciate your feedback.

Have a fantastic weekend & stay safe!