Hall Park Academy

nEWSLETTER

Christmas 2023

Read our Christmas 2023 newsletter which includes all the amazing things our students have been doing this term.

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A Message from

Mr Crossley

As the first term of this academic year draws to a close it is a busy time for everyone associated with Hall Park Academy. There is much to celebrate in this half term which you will find in the pages of this newsletter.

Students and staff have been getting into the festive spirit with several events in the final few weeks of term including, the very successful Christmas Concert, the Christmas card competition, a festive bake off and Astle’s Christmas Cracker – our annual talent showcase. Well done to all students who took part and thank you to all staff members involved with the organisation of these events. Our annual Festive Food Bank collection was again very successful – thank you to all families that donated.

We marked Remembrance with a moving display of ceramic poppies created by key stage 3 students. Sixth Form students and a selection of students from school leadership groups joined members of the local community at a Remembrance service.

A number of successful trips have gone out from school this half term including, a trip to the Christmas markets in Cologne, Germany, a trip to visit sites of historical significance in Poland, an English trip to the theatre to see A Christmas Carol, an art trip to a local gallery, visits to local employers for Year 11 students and a PE trip to watch the Vitality Roses Netball team play. All excursions were thoroughly enjoyed by students, and I again would like to thank all the staff involved in organising and taking students.

Our comprehensive co-curricular programme is in full swing, and we recently launched The Locker Room to make this even easier for students to access. Participation in co-curricular activities is an important part of school life and counts towards students’ pledges.

We have also been celebrating the remarkable achievements of some of our students out of school. Two students recently excelled in local taekwondo competition, another two students took time out of their half term holiday to participate in a beach clean, one of our students has taken part in trials for the England Ice Hockey team and we are proud to have a local boxing champion in our school! We are always keen to celebrate and share the achievements of our students, and if you have something that you would like us to recognise, please let us know by completing here.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your ongoing support and wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Headteacher commendations

At Hall Park Academy we look for opportunities to celebrate and reward excellent attitudes to learning. A Headteacher’s Commendation Award is awarded to students who have shown outstanding work, exceptional progress and achievement in their lessons.

A massive well done to the exemplary students pictured below. Their teachers nominated them for a variety of reasons and they've now each received commendation from Mr Crossley for their hard work this term.

taekwondo champions

Recently Year 11 students Jack and Ella participated in a regional taekwondo competition.

Jack was extremely successful, winning gold in sparring, gold in high kick, and silver in breaking (think smashing pieces of wood!).

Jack said, "I had to spar against someone two belts above me. On paper you would say they were the favourite to win, so it was a great feeling when I beat him!"

Ella was also ahead of the competition, securing a gold medal in power breaking, silver in the jumping snap kick and bronze in patterns and sparring.

We are immensely proud of our students and their outstanding achievements!

Beach Clean

Hall Park Academy students Oliver and Julian took time out of their recent holiday to help clean a local beach in Cape Verde.

They woke up very early in the morning and worked together with other people from the hotel and members of the Sea Turtle Hatchery nearby.

Cleaning the beach helps to maintain a safe and friendly environment for the local wildlife, such as the sea turtles pictured.

We are very proud of the boys for their selfless work.

National ICe Hockey Trialist

Congratulations to Aimee Oliver on being selected for England Ice Hockey Trials. Aimee attended the first part of the selection process in September in London.

The day consisted of various activities before then participating in a lesson within a classroom setting. She then made her way back down on to the ice for more drills, training and a competitive game.

Due to a very successful day, Aimee was invited back to the next part of the selection process in November, where she made another great impression in several on and off-ice activities. She has made it through to the next set of trials which will take place in December.

Wishing a very well done to Aimee for getting this far and please keep us updated!

Boxing superstar

Jamie Caress, one of our Year 12 students at Hall Park Sixth Form, has been lighting up the local boxing scene!

Training 3 times a week at Eastwood Boxing Club over the last 5 years, Jamie has been working his socks off to become the best boxer in Eastwood.

With 20 fights under his belt, Jamie has just secured the East-Midlands Light Welterweight title!

An outstanding achievement for the young man. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for our champion!

Hall Park Academy are delighted to have strong links to the community, with many local businesses working together with the school to help provide rewards and opportunities for our students.

We were delighted to welcome representatives from David Wilson Homes to Hall Park Academy as part of their community outreach.

The company generously donated several footballs to our PE department, and even had a professional photo-shoot with some of our sports students.

We would also like to say a special thanks to Morrisons who continue to donate prizes to our many different events and initiatives. Pictured is our very own Miss Bradley accepting a donation of chocolates for our chocolate charity raffle in support of the local flood victims.

Students have been donating items to the Hall Park Academy Festive Foodbank for a number of weeks leading up to Christmas. These generous donations were given to Eastwood Food Bank, where they will then be distributed to members of our community who need them the most.

A huge thank you to students, parents and staff who made a contribution!

Any students who have donated to the festive food bank, harvest festival or charity chocolate raffle can add this to Pledge 5 of their pledge book in tutor time.

"Pledge 5 - To organise and actively participate in fundraising events."

In a dazzling display of talent and creativity, Hall Park Academy recently hosted its Expressive & Performance Arts (EPA) evening, leaving the audience captivated and delighted. The EPA team showcased a diverse array of performances that highlighted the school's commitment to nurturing artistic expression.

The stage came alive with fabulous solo items, each performer delivering a captivating and memorable experience. The Matilda choir, musical ensembles, dance and dramatic performances added layers of depth and variety to the evening, creating a rich tapestry of artistic endeavours. The audience was treated to a feast for the senses as students presented not only their musical talents but also demonstrated their acting prowess through readings and dramatic pieces.

The success of the evening was evident in the positive comments made by impressed parents, as well as the countless happy and smiling faces of the students who revelled in the opportunity to showcase their artistic abilities. The Expressive & Performance Arts evening at Hall Park Academy stood as a testament to the vibrant and thriving arts community within the school, fostering a culture of creativity, self-expression, and artistic excellence.

On Monday 18th December, the Astle Christmas Cracker treated attendees to a rich showcase of talent. The lunchtime event, hosted with flair and enthusiasm, featured an impressive array of performers including singers, dancers, rappers, and tap dancers. Each act contributing to a vibrant and festive atmosphere.

The audience was treated to an exceptional display of skill and creativity, ensuring that everyone left with hearts full of Christmas cheer.

Notably, the Astle Christmas Cracker wasn't just an entertaining affair; it also embodied the spirit of giving. All proceeds from the event were dedicated to the Astle House charity.

Christmas Card Competition

Students entered our annual Christmas card competition with a variety of entries coming into the art department. Pictured are some of our winning designs that were also printed and sold at our Christmas events at school.

Congratulations to our winning entry created by Elvie Hickling.

festive Baking Competition

Congratulations to all students who participated in this year’s Festive Baking Competition.

There were over 20 entries, all of which looked delicious!

Hall Park took part in the national anti-bullying week on 13th November.The theme this year was ‘Shout out against bullying!’ and we encourage all our students to report any incidents of bullying and to support anyone they see being a victim of bullies.

Bullying can be reported in the bullying box found in House Support or by sending an email to antibullying@hallparkacadmy.org.uk . Students can also report it to any adult within the school who have all undertaken anti-bullying training provided by Notts County Council.

One of the themes looked at during the week was how cool it is to be an individual and students were asked to wear odd socks to celebrate this.

Another area considered was the mental health of the students. We teamed up with Ant and Dec to promote talking about things that are bothering our students. Each student was asked by Ant and Dec to complete a homework about any issue that worried them, meaning we can now do some work on these concerns.

At the beginning of December, we took 46 Hall Park students who study German to the Christmas markets in Cologne and Aachen, and we had the most wonderful time!

Our days were filled with visits to the Lindt Chocolate museum, the Olympic Sports museum (with a game of football overlooking the River Rhine) and a fascinating walking tour finding out about the history of Cologne. There was the opportunity to practise lots of German, ordering Bratwurst and souvenirs at our visits to four Christmas markets!

The students behaved impeccably and were a credit to Hall Park. They have made memories for life, learnt more about German culture and had the chance to put their language skills into practice.

Our first Modern Foreign Languages residential abroad since 2019 and we can’t wait for the next one.

Also, a big thank you to the team of staff who accompanied the students on this trip!

For the first time since before Covid, our much-anticipated and largest foreign residential was once again able to take place over four activity-packed days in October.

2023’s Poland trip saw one hundred students and ten members of staff fly to the beautiful city of Krakow, famously declared as the capital of the General Government by the Nazis in 1939 (something which kept the city safe from destruction) and its rich history of the Jewish community during the Holocaust, a topic all of our students study throughout their time at Hall Park.

Setting off very early on 12th October allowed the group to make best use of the first day by splitting into small groups and taking a guided tour of Wawel Castle, a beautiful medieval complex made up of a cathedral, courtyards and palaces in which Polish monarchs lived.

On the second day we took a steady walk to the Jewish quarter, taking in the city’s sights along the way, where we were given a group tour of the thought-provoking photographic exhibition in the Galicia Jewish Museum. Whilst at the museum, we had the honour of meeting two holocaust survivors and hearing their personal accounts of survival and escape as children; Monika Goldwasser and Anna Janowska Ciacka.

Later on, students topped up their energy levels by sampling some traditional Polish street food ready for some more walking, this time along the Vistula River towards Oskar Schindler's Enamel Factory where we again broke off into smaller groups for guided tours of the factory and the museum exhibitions, a highlight of the trip for many who watched Schindler’s List before departing. Walking home, we saw what remains of the ghetto walls as well as the Ghetto Heroes Square where Jews were rounded up and deported to their deaths. This is also where The Empty Chairs of Krakow have been erected, each one of the 33 chairs conveying man’s inhumanity towards man and representing 1000 lives lost.

A walk back to the hotel and a three-course meal later, Mr Fenby led an evening walk to Krakus Mound, allowing students to take in the mesmerising view of the city floodlit at night.

Although a difficult experience, on the third day we visited both Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps, an encounter which helped students really understand the horrors that that Jewish community experienced during the Holocaust. Students entered under the famous arched sign at Auschwitz, toured the exhibitions, walked through the original gas chamber, and saw for themselves the remains of the people who were deported there. In the afternoon we were able to go to the top of the famous Birkenau watchtower, walk around the entire Birkenau camp with a guide, see the barracks used by prisoners and witness the remains of the gas chambers.

On the final day we saw Krakow city centre, including a visit to the now infamous waxworks museum, taking time to absorb the beauty of Krakow Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The trip was a great success. Not only did interacting with their peers in a different setting allow students to forge new friendships and develop their social skills, but they also received an immersive educational experience, surpassing the understanding any text book could give them, which we hope will remain with them for a lifetime.

As the Poland trip is biennial, we hope to take another group of students on this fantastic experience during the 2025 autumn term.

The aspirational programme has been in full swing again this term with students engaging in trips and events across multiple year groups.

A selection of our Year 11 students visited the Tranquility Centre at Heanor Gate Spencer Academy and Vision West Nottinghamshire College to discover alternative options for study following their GCSEs this coming summer.

Year 10 students took part in a Careers & Futures Enrichment Day. The day consisted of assemblies, workshops and practical sessions that have got our students thinking about their futures beyond their GCSEs, including writing CVs, learning about university and beginning to prepare for their upcoming mock interviews.

Our Year 10 students were encouraged to dress to impress for their mock interviews today as part of the Aspirations Programme at Hall Park Academy.

All students had an interview with an external professional. The students really rose to the occasion and feedback from our esteemed visitors was overwhelmingly positive!

This event builds on the work they have previously done during their Enrichment Day earlier this half term.

A massive well done to those who attended today and a huge thank you to our visitors who played the role of interviewer.

Our Aspirations Programme will continue in 2024 and we look forward to our next set of events!

Year 12 A Level Art and a selection of Year 11 GCSE Art students were joined by local freelance commercial artist Julian Bray, for a specialist workshop.

During the session, Julian talked through his portfolio and career, offering tips and advice on what it takes to be an artist.

He also provided a number of highly skilled demonstrations, before then working with the pupils on a one to one basis whilst they practised and honed their own skills and techniques, taking on board Julian's advice and experience.

All the work produced is not only a fantastic addition to the students' portfolios, but will also be used as part of their individual GCSE/A Level coursework submissions.

The pupils had a fantastic day, and Julian was extremely impressed with the pupils and Art as a whole within Hall Park Academy, with a view to coming back in the near future to work with more of our students.

Year 12 A Level Art students went on a trip into Nottingham to gain experience of the Nottingham art scene. They visited and spoke to the curators in the Clarendon and George Thornton art dealerships, before spending time in the Nottingham Contemporary and having a guided, behind the scenes tour of the Surface Gallery. Some of the exhibitions were extremely eye opening, giving the students a much wider view of artwork, how it can be interpreted and how it can be presented.

Walking through the hustle and bustle of the Christmas market, along with a more relaxed jaunt through the cultural and artistic hub that is Hockley, the students also had the opportunity to take some fantastic photos and produce a selection of observational drawings, all adding to their workshop portfolio.

A fantastic, interesting and educational day was had. We hope to return in the near future to see upcoming exhibits!

Year 10 students took a trip to the Nottingham Playhouse in the city centre to watch a performance of A Christmas Carol. They got to see the novella brought to life by a fantastic group of actors, led by film and TV star, Keith Allen.

The show included dancing, snow falling from the sky and ghosts flying around the auditorium which really captured the imagination of the students! Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the play and have since found it useful when studying the story in English lessons.

Year 10 GCSE Drama students recently performed in a DH Lawrence Experience. The audience consisted of parents, members of the DH Lawrence Society and staff at Nottingham University. The students have been working with Miss Mason to devise an ensemble piece based on DH Lawrence and his life. The resulting performance was both powerful and thought provoking, which combined a mixture of scripted, ensemble, choral work and readings.

The students have been privileged to receive workshops with the English faculty at Nottingham University, working alongside Jim Moran and Andrew Harrison, DH Lawrence experts. It was the first time the Year 10 class have performed, but you would never know it. Here's to many more.

Matilda rehearsals are well under way and it promises to be an amazing show. Tickets will be available after Christmas on ParentPay. We hope to see you there!

Hall Park Academy staff and students joined members of the community to pay their respects to those who have lost their life in service to their country.

Mr Cardwell performed the Last Post, whilst all students observed the 2 minutes silence during tutor time in school.

This year our Key Stage 3 students created ceramic poppies inspired by the public art installation in London in 2014. Students had one art lesson to work collaboratively to either create a poppy from clay or to paint the poppies once fired. These were then displayed in the communal areas outside the dining room for all students and staff to admire.

This academic year our Sixth Form Centre has a leadership team comprising of Head Boy and Head Girl, plus four other new roles. Secretary, Charities Officer, Social Co-ordinator and Committee Co-ordinator. For Halloween they put on a glorious bake sale to raise money for charity. They were supported by other members of Year 13 and there wasn’t a crumb left!

In other news Year 13 have been busy writing their UCAS applications or cover letters for apprenticeships whilst Year 12 have been getting to grips with A Levels and the jump from GCSEs. We have also had a number of outside speakers come in to speak to to the sixth form. VIA came in to speak to Year 13 about driving safety and Yipiyap spoke to the Sixth Form students about benefits of a gap year and what students can choose to do with their time.

This term has seen over 300 students get involved in our co-curricular programme.

Many students have been regularly taking part in rehearsals for the school musical, Matilda, whilst others having been travelling around the country playing football in the English Football Schools Association cup. Whether you want to improve your cooking skills, get creative in art, take part in a range of experiments and dive deeper into science, or learn the benefits of Yoga and Mindful Movement, Hall Park Academy has something to offer!

A huge well done to the following:

• Erewash house for having the most students engage in curriculum plus
  
• ALH for having the most engaged tutor group
  
• Abbie Pearce for engaging in the most clubs out of anyone in the school
  
• Abdur-Raheem Um Ige for engaging in the most sport related activities
  

If you have any questions about our co-curricular programme, please do not hesitate to contact

Miss Farmery at farmerya@hallparkacademyorg.uk

Our academy promotes activities that widen our students’ experiences through our Curriculum Plus programme. This includes opportunities to participate in sport clubs, the performing arts, trips abroad, cultural experiences and character-building challenges.

These experiences help to develop our students’ self-confidence, build their resilience and feel a sense of belonging. They also challenge our students to learn new skills and find a passion that they can take with them throughout their life.

This half term we are launching The Locker Room at Hall Park Academy. The Locker Room is a digital guide where students and parents can find information on the school’s PE co-curricular offer, which will include a weekly timetable of available activities, upcoming fixtures and events, virtual challenges and top tips to improve health and wellbeing.

Students can take part in activities they already love or choose to try something brand new. We encourage all students to get involved and choose at least one or two Curriculum Plus activities.

To access The Locker Room, please click the hyperlink here or scan the QR code above using a mobile device.

Mini Master Chef continues to be a popular co-curricular club with students in years 7-9 developing their cooking skills. So far, students have made ginger biscuits, rocky road, fresh pasta, witches fingers, Halloween decorated cakes and focaccia to name a few!

The PE department and Hall Park students were delighted to watch the Vitality Roses, England’s netball team, take on South Africa this winter.

It was a very close game which came to a nail biting end with England winning 53 - 50. This meant that England were crowned the Vitality Netball International Series Winners!

It was a great feeling to be in the crowd as England lifted the trophy to all the cheers and screaming from Hall Park students!

It was a great opportunity for Hall Park students to see a top level Netball match and learn some more rules about the game. We look forward to taking the students to see Harlem Globe Trotters in the New Year to have a similar experience in basketball.

The Year 7 Football Team are on fire!

Year 7 boys played their first ESFA cup match with a tough match at Repton. The lads had to defend hard in the first half but went behind early on to a well-constructed Repton goal; however Hall Park slowly played their way back into the game and looked to hit Repton on the break.

A well worked corner routine saw Jagan smash the ball into the top corner from twenty yards. From then on Hall Park defended well trying to hit Repton on the break.

With no more goals the game went to penalties. Our super keeper Finley saved two of the Repton spot kicks, while Will and Max coolly put their penalties away.

The reward in round two is an away trip to Wolverhampton Grammar School.

Year 10 started their ESFA national Cup campaign with a visit from Serlby Academy. A comfy 12-1 win means we embark on another cup run.

A hat trick from Regan, and six other players getting on the score sheet, mean we now face a long journey to Oaklands Academy in the next round!

Meanwhile in the South Notts Cup we travelled away to Beckett School in West Bridgford and came away with a 3-2 victory with goals from Sam, Regan and Fraser. That sets up a round 2 clash with Carlton Le Willows being our opponents.

Reminders

Class Charts

Class Charts allows parents/carers access to their child's live behaviour and attendance information, as well as giving students a place to organise their homework.

The app also allows communication between school and home.

We have had lots of positive feedback from staff, students and parents.

We will be increasing our use of Class Charts for communications, information and updates about school. It is therefore useful that all parents sign up.

If you are yet to log in to Class Charts and would like help to do so, please contact our IT support team at itsupport@hallparkacademy.org.uk or ring the school reception.

the school drive

There has been a noticeable increase to the number of cars accessing the school drive to drop off students in the morning. This increase of traffic is not only dangerous for students who are walking to school but also causes a build-up of traffic trying to access and egress the site which then results in students being late and causes disruption to learning.

We have an arrangement with Morrisons where students can be dropped off and collected.

Students who are late due to traffic congestion will be required to complete a break time detention in line with the school policy.

If your child has specific needs that requires them to be dropped off and collected on the school site, please contact the school using the contact form found here. Those who already have arrangements in place please continue as normal.

Your co operation with this situation is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for reading

Don't forget, you can catch up with all the latest Hall Park Academy news by following our social media pages.