Learning Today for a Better Tomorrow Dear parents/carers and pupils, As the Summer term, and academic year, comes to its final few days, looking back, I am amazed at what we at Priory staff, governors, pupils and parents have accomplished. It has certainly been an exciting year! I remember it all started in September when we shared our good news with everyone our age range change approval. Since then it has been all go with the curriculum planning and preparation, recruitment of new staff, exam centre approval and building changes, to name but a few. As such, you will not be surprised to hear that we look forward to the new academic year with enthusiasm and confidence. The last few weeks have been, as always, a busy time at Priory. One of the highlights of this half term was the Family Fun Day. It was great to see the whole community coming together, having fun and enjoying a range of fantastic activities. It was also marvellous to see one of our old pupils, Mrs Irene Mason, now 94 years old. I really enjoyed our chat and managed to have a photo opportunity as well! It was truly a wonderful day. My sincere thanks go to our fantastic PSA, especially to Mrs Sinden and Mrs Clear. May I also say a big thank you to all the governors, staff, parents, children, friends and family who helped tirelessly throughout the day. Other notable events have included the sports day, inter country sports competitions, multi cultural days and Lovers Walk musical charity event. A big thank you to all those staff and helpers who made it possible. I must not forget to mention how wonderful it was to see so many parents, pupils and governors at our open house, Meet the new team. Another wonderful piece of news that I would like to share with you all is our children s success in the recent SATs. With 98% level 4+ and 64% level 5 in maths, 98% level 4+ and 61% level 5 in reading, one could not be more proud! Finally, I would like to say a huge thank you to all our pupils and parents throughout this current academic year. I would also like to thank all staff for staying true to compass in our pursuit of excellence. Last, but not least, my sincere thanks go to our Board of Governors for their dedication and commitment to the growth and well being of our school. Please note that on the last day of the term, Wednesday 23rd July, our year 8 pupils will be leaving school at 2:00pm, whilst the rest of the school will finish at 3:30pm as usual. I wish you all a very happy, safe, and hopefully sunny summer break. Yours sincerely, Mrs M Smith (Headteacher)
Headteacher s Commendation Congratulations to Rosie Morris (Year 5) and Robbie Coe (Year 7) for being nominated for this award by their English teachers, Mrs Van Vuuren and Miss Scott. Rosie and Robbie are the spelling champions as they have achieved 100% throughout the year. What a fantastic feat! Value of the Month The Value for this month is Integrity. School Day: Please note from September 2014 Breakfast club starts at 7:45am, children should enter via the Main Reception entrance Gates will be open for all other pupils at 8:00am Years 5 and 6 will start at 8:20am and will finish at 3:00pm (Please note that year 5 children are expected to arrive at 8:45 am, on the first day of the term, 3 rd September) Years 7, 8 and 9 will start at 8:35am and will finish at 3:15pm Please also note that we will have some provision for siblings who walk to school together. Uniform Our uniform guidance is available on the school website and on request from the school office. In summary: Years 5 and 6: Plain light blue shirt with regular collar, school tie, navy blue v neck pullover with Priory logo and black trousers or black knee length skirt. Years 7 and 8: Plain white shirt with regular collar, school tie, navy blue v neck pullover with Priory logo and black trousers or black knee length skirt Year 9: Plain white shirt with regular collar, school tie, navy blue v neck pullover with Priory logo and black trousers or black knee length skirt, navy blazer with school logo. (To ensure that adequate supplies are available BestLook in Dunstable have asked the current Year 8 parents whose children are staying in Year 9 to order the Navy blazer now for collection in July/August. Please contact them directly if you have any queries: 01582 603603.) All pupils are expected to wear black school shoes. Jewellery is not permitted, other than one plain pair of stud earrings and no face or body piercings are allowed. Make up and nail varnish/nail art are not permitted and hair colour should be restricted to natural colours and longer hair must be tied back with a simple band. Additional uniform guidance for all pupils is also available on the school website. Attendance It is very pleasing to report that our attendance figures for this academic year have continued to rise considerably on previous years to reach a creditable 96.58%. Our pupils appear to have become much more resilient to minor ailments and most now realise the direct correlation between excellent attendance and academic progress. However, requests for holidays in term time have become more prolific, despite a recent amendment (September 2013) to the 2006 Pupil Registration Regulations which states that headteachers cannot grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances (usually as the result of an extreme family trauma). In light of this, the local authority has made the decision that, with effect from September 1st 2014, the Access and Inclusion Service will no longer issue an initial warning to parents but will proceed directly to impose a 60 fine. If the fine is not paid within 21days, it will increase to 120 and will further escalate to prosecution in the local magistrates court and a fine of up to 1,000 after a 28 day period of non payment. The fines are levied on the basis of one fine per parent per child. Please also be aware the Fixed Penalty Notice remains in place for the duration of the child s time in school and that, should further unauthorised holidays be taken, the local authority would be prepared to escalate individual cases to prosecution. It is at the local authority s request that we are sharing this information before the start of the new term.
School Visits/Events Year 8 Africa Day Students had a fantastic day experiencing African dance, drumming and craft activities organised by the Year 8 team. Thanks to all the pupils who made the effort to dress for the occasion you looked amazing! Year 6 USA Day Year 6 chose the USA for their multi cultural day and pupils spent the day learning to line dance; they made pancakes; played basketball and did some research on an American state. It was a really enjoyable day for all concerned! National School Sports Week The children enjoyed a great week of sporting activities, including netball, football and athletics. Mr David, Leader of PE is also very keen to give a summary of our sporting achievements for 2013/14, please see a summary attached with this Newsletter. Lovers Walk Concert We are very pleased to report that our school band, under the direction of Mrs Jenkyns, helped to raised 250 for a local hospice by playing at the Lovers Walk concert. Debate Club Miss Scott and Miss Larkman have been busy every Thursday lunch time for the past few weeks, nurturing our budding speakers in the art of debating. Topics have included The Moon Landing fact or fiction and animal testing. Sea Cadets We are looking into the possibility of running an after school club from September which would be an introduction to the Sea Cadets. Please see Mr Waring for more information. DT Food Technology Please remind your children that any remaining DT ingredients will be thrown away on Friday afternoon if not collected from the Food Technology Room. Please also ensure that all containers/lids are labelled so they can be safely returned.
Warmer weather advice We suggest that pupils always bring a water bottle to school which can be refilled from our water fountains. If your child forgets their water they can buy a bottle from the school office for 30p. In warmer weather your child may also like to bring a hat for break and lunch time and also apply sun cream before they come to school. Important Dates Wednesday 23 rd July Last Day of 2013/14 Term 1 st and 2 nd September Staff Training Days Wednesday 3 rd September Pupils return to school for Autumn Term 2014/15 w/c Monday 27 th October Half Term Friday 19 th December End of Autumn Term Monday 5th January 2015 Staff Training Day (pupils return to school on Tuesday 6th) w/c Monday 16 th February Half Term Friday 27 th March End of Spring Term Monday 13th April Staff Training Day (pupils return to school on Tuesday 14th) Thursday 7th May General Election Staff Training Day School Closed to pupils w/c Monday 25 th May Half Term Friday 17 th July Last Day of Term Parents are welcome to contact the school at any time during the year to discuss the academic or pastoral progress of their children. Please note that class teachers should be the first point of contact. Also available in large print, audio and Braille on request, please call for details. www.prioryacademy.co.uk * * * * * * * * Learning Today for a Better Tomorrow A message from our Governors As we come to the end of a busy and exciting academic year we would like to pass on our thanks for the dedication and hard work of all of the staff. The challenges of the new age range preparation have been met head on and we look forward to welcoming all the new staff and pupils joining the academy from September. The first Year 9 group will bring a new dimension to the school but they are all existing valued pupils at the academy and, as such, it is business as usual albeit, with a new blazer to mark this new phase of the academy. The SATS results are once again testament to everyone's efforts and in no small part reflect the strength of a positive home / school partnership where the continued support of the parents / carers can make a significant difference to what the academy is trying to achieve for the pupils. Assuming the staff find their new classrooms when they come back after the holidays, we look forward to another great year at Priory!
Priory Academy 2013/14 A Sport Summary Year 5 2 nd in Boys football tournament 1 st in Girls football (mixed Year 5/6) went on to level 3 and came 2 nd in whole county! 3rd in Dunstable & Houghton Regis Basketball Tournament 2 nd in Netball Competition 1 st in Swimming Competition (Yr 5&6 mixed) 2 nd in Dunstable & Houghton Regis Sportshall Athletics 4 th in Cross County. Year 6 Winners of Boys football tournament - went on to level 3 (county) and came 5 th. 1 st in Girls football (mixed Year 5/6) went on to level 3 and came 2 nd in whole county! 2nd in Dunstable & Houghton Regis Basketball Tournament Winners of Netball Competition represented Dunstable in County Festival 1 st in Swimming Competition (Year 5&6 mixed) 2 nd in Dunstable & Houghton Regis Sportshall Athletics 1 st in Cross County. Year 7 1 st in Cross County Winners in both Boys and Girls Basketball Leagues Great Achievement! Both went on to County level and performed brilliantly finishing 3 rd and 4 th respectively. 2 nd in Netball League Girls football team making it through to the last 128 in the national cup 3 rd in Football League 4 th in Rugby League Girls finished overall 2 nd in District Athletics competition at Stockwood Park Boys finished overall 5 th in district Athletics competition at Stockwood Park. Year 8 2 nd in Cross County Event Boys and Girls won the Dunstable tennis tournaments. They are both entered into the county finals at the end of July. The Girls Basketball team finished 2 nd in their league The Boys Basketball team finished 3 rd in their league 1 st in local netball league. The team also went to Condover for the weekend. They won the plate while away. A huge achievement! Girls football team making it through to the last 128 in the national cup Boys came 3 rd in Football League 2 nd in Rugby League Girls finished overall 3 rd in District Athletics competition at Stockwood Park Boys finished overall 1 st in District Athletics competition at Stockwood Park. I think you ll agree that this was a very successful year well done and thank you to all those who competed and came to regular practices