Newsletter 29/11/2024

Associate Principal's Message

Dear families,

I cannot believe it’s only 3 weeks before the end of this term, it seems to have flown by. Soon we will be moving swiftly into a new year before we know it.

This week’s theme in morning meetings was generosity. We know that when it comes to the festive season, people can feel the pressure to buy lots of gifts and spend lots on food and drink when budgets might be tight. But generosity isn’t just about the gifts you give; it is how you use your time and spirit for the benefit of others. We’re encouraging our scholars to take more responsibility for their local community and be seen supporting those less fortunate than themselves, for the mutual benefit of all. As I’ve said before, if you notice any scholars in our uniform demonstrating that, do let us know, we’d love to celebrate that.

Finally, we have had several visitors with a variety of roles and responsibilities this week, including executives from Barnsley Council who are looking to work more closely with the school to ensure we’re getting the resources we can to support our scholars to thrive and succeed. We’ll continue to promote initiatives they’re running so that you and your children can access these where necessary, so continue to look out for these in the sections below.

Have a great weekend everyone, and once more, here’s to a great week ahead.

Kind regards

Mr Arezoo

Associate Principal

Key Dates

Tuesday 3rd December – England Lionesses Trip (KS3)
Thursday 5th December – Go Higher Trip (Y8,9,10 Careers trip)
Friday 6th December – INSET Day
Tuesday 10th December – Y11 Mock Results Day
Wednesday 11^th December – Higher Education Progression Partnership (HEPP) Multiple Intervention Workshop 1 (Y8/Y9)
Friday 13th December – Flu vaccinations (All year groups)
Tuesday 17^th December – Post 16 Options Information Day (Y8-11)
Wednesday 18th December – Year 11 Subject Review Evening
Monday 23rd December – Friday 3rd January – Christmas break
Monday 6th January – INSET Day
Tuesday 21st January – BAE Sytems STEM Workshop (Y7)
Wednesday 29th January – Year 7 Subject Review Evening
Monday 17th February – Friday 21st February – Half term
Wednesday 5th March – Year 9 Subject Review Evening
Friday 21st March – INSET Day
Wednesday 26th March – Year 9 Options Event
Monday 7th April – Friday 18th April – Easter break
Monday 21st April – Easter Monday Bank Holiday (school closed)
Monday 5th May – May Day Bank Holiday (school closed)
Wednesday 21st May – Year 8 Subject Review Evening
Monday 25th May – Friday 30th May – Half term
Monday 23rd June – INSET Day
Tuesday 24^th June – GoFurtherGoHigher (trip 3 Y8-10)
Wednesday 16th July and Thursday 17th July – Year 6 Transition
Friday 18th July – Last day of school
Monday 21st July – INSET Day
Tuesday 22nd July – INSET Day

INSET Day

Please remember, Friday 6th December is an INSET day and the academy will be closed to scholars.

Parent and Carer Code of Conduct

Please see here for our Parent and Carer Code of Conduct. This will be displayed around school in meeting rooms and in reception.

Dearne Dates for your Diary

Please click here for up to date Dearne Dates for Your Diary

Community Events

Barnsley, it’s time to get cooking!

Share your recipes for a chance to win a £30 Barnsley gift card and feature in a community cookbook.

Submit your entries via email to WhatsForTea@barnsley.gov.uk.

All cooking abilities are welcome, as long as the recipes are easy, affordable and nutritious. Entries need to be submitted by an adult aged 18+. Please include the ingredients, a picture of your meal and why you like to make this recipe with your submission.

#WhatsForTeaBarnsley

HeppSY Survey

As a school, we work closely with HeppSY (the Higher Education Progression Partnership South Yorkshire) to promote university as a potential Post-18 pathway.

In order for HeppSY to understand our school’s cohort with regards to aspirations, plans for the future and understanding of Higher Education, they are running the following survey.

If your son/daughter answers all of the questions, they will be entered into a prize draw to win either a £20 or £100 high-street voucher.

Please use this link: https://shusls.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b15O62ZjNjxrAX4 and the password, SHU, to access the survey.

Homework Schedule

Please see the homework schedule for all scholars:

KS3 Homework (Year 7, 8 and 9)
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Sparx Science	Self-Quizzing	Sparx Maths	Self-Quizzing	Sparx Reader


KS4 Homework (Year 10 and 11)
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Sparx Maths	English	Science	Option A	Knowledge Quizzes
Sparx Maths	English	Science	Option C	Option B

Please click here to access the Astrea Academy Dearne Homework Policy.

Safeguarding

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue would like to bring to your attention the dangers of young people playing on frozen water as well as entering icy open water:

Frozen water: Do not to go on to frozen lakes, ponds, canals and reservoirs under any circumstances. Children and pets are particularly at risk when tempted to play on the ice formed on open water during cold weather. Do not walk or climb onto the ice to attempt a rescue and certainly don’t get into the water, you may become the next casualty.
Cold water shock: The UK is a cold water country which means no open water is above 15 degrees. A public swimming pool is between 26-28 degrees. Many fatalities are caused by the cold temperature and how it affects someone when they enter the water. Firstly it causes a deep intake of breath, during which dirty water will usually be mixed with the air breathed in. Blood will be directed to their core to protect major organs, restricting supply to their arms and legs which are needed for swimming. This makes it very difficult for someone to swim and is often how lives are lost.
Pets: Should be kept on leads when near frozen water and owners should refrain from throwing objects onto the ice for them to retrieve.

Don’t give in to peer pressure from friends – the ice may look solid from the surface but will not hold your weight and could crack when stood on. It could be the last thing you do.

What to do if you get into trouble in the water

If someone can’t climb out of the water, it is not advisable, as many people think, to move about in the water to keep warm while waiting for help. Instead they should conserve their energy by keeping as still as possible.
If you see someone fall through ice or in trouble in water call 999 and ask for the fire service. Keep your eyes on them until we arrive. Do not walk or climb onto the ice to attempt a rescue.
If you fall into the ice keep calm and shout for help. Spread your arms across the surface of the ice in front of you. If the ice is strong enough, kick your legs to slide onto the ice. Lie flat and pull yourself towards the bank. If the ice breaks, work your way to the bank by breaking the ice in front of you away. If you cannot climb out, wait for help and keep as still as possible. Press your arms by your side and keep your legs together. Keep your head clear of the water. Once you are safe, go to hospital immediately for a check-up.
What3Words: Please make all young people aware of this location app. Download it to their smartphone so that if they do get into difficulty we can locate them efficiently, even if they are in a remote area.

If you are visiting the coast this year ensure children are supervised by an adult at all times and only swim where lifeguards are present.

For more advice on enjoying the water safely go to www.rlss.org.uk or www.rnli.org

To ensure key information is at parents fingertips, we are trialling the use of a new WhatsApp Channel to share key whole school messages.

Please follow and share with other families in the Astrea Dearne Community. Don’t forget to turn on notifications!

Here is the link to the channel:

Term Dates

Term dates for the 2024/2025 academic year can be found below.

We do have spare paper copies in the academy reception if you would like to collect one.

Vaccinations

The school nursing team will be in school on the dates below for vaccinations:

13th December – Flu vaccinations (Year 7 to 11)

29th January – HPV (Year 8)

22nd and 23rd April – DTP/MenACWY (Year 9 only)

10th July – Catch up session for all year groups

MCAS

All payments for school are now made via the MyChildAtSchool App. You can top up lunch accounts using the dinner icon within the App. You will then be given the option to ‘add dinner money’.

Menus

Our catering menus have been updated for the Autumn term. Please see the link here for the new menu.

Nut Free School

Please note that our school is a nut free zone. We have scholars and members of staff in school who have serious nut allergies. Please do not send scholars into school with any products which may contain nuts.

Absence Reminder

What should I do if my child is absent from school?

Students are legally required to attend school every day and should only be absent in real emergencies. If your child is not in school, they must have a justified reason.

If your child is absent from school, please contact school before 8.30am and leave a message clearly stating the reason for the absence.

Telephone our dedicated absence lines 01709 892211 (Option 2)

Send a message via the ‘My Child At School’ app

Year 7 Mrs Parkin – Clare.Parkin@astreadearne.org
Year 8 Mr Crew – Gary.Crew@astreadearne.org
Year 9 Mrs Laycock – Lindsey.laycock@astreadearne.org
Year 10 Mrs Mason – Julie.Mason@astreadearne.org
Year 11 Mrs Dickinson – Keeley.Dickinson@astreadearne.org

Vacancies

We currently have vacancies to join our team at Astrea Academy Dearne. Please see below for a link to the My New Term recruitment site. Please contact school if you would like any further information.

Astrea Academy Dearne – MyNewTerm

Communications

You can contact us by calling reception on 01709 892211 or emailing info@astreadearne.org

We use the My Child At School (MCAS) to communicate with our parents and carers. MCAS is the online platform that allows us to share information live with you. It enables families to view live data including a student’s timetable, list of teachers, number of rewards and behaviour points and so on. If you have not yet registered for MCAS and would like some support to do so please contact school reception or you can follow this guide MCAS and Communication – Dearne Academy (astreadearne.org