- Head Teacher Update
Head Teacher Update – 23 February 2024
Dear all,
I hope that all Archer families had a lovely half term.
Across the week we have focused on kindness through our ‘Random Acts of Kindness’ week. I have long believed that Maya Angelou, author and poet, hit the nail on the head when she said “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Our focus on kindness has provided a timely reminder that how we interact with others on a daily basis is one of the most important things we do. It does not matter who we are, how we treat others is one of the defining features of kindness. I hope those random acts of kindness may have landed in some Archer homes.
You will be aware that the government has introduced new guidance to schools regarding mobile phones. Please note that our restrictions and expectations surrounding mobile phones remain unchanged, smart phones are banned and whilst students may carry a basic model mobile phone (brick phone) these must be tuned off and not used during the school day. Our rules have been in place since 2015 and have been incredibly impactful in keeping our students safe and reducing any unnecessary distractions to learning.
Parents are asked to support their young person in making good choices here. The spotlight shines on Year 8 next week as the year group prepare to make their curriculum choices. I look forward to meeting all parents and students on Wednesday evening.
With my very best wishes,
Miss Harrison
Headteacher
Key Dates for the Diary
Key dates over the next two months:
February
- Mon 26th Feb-Fri 1st Mar – LitFest
- Wed 28th – SEND parent coffee morning, 9.15am
Year 8 Foundation GCSE Options evening, 5-7.30pm
March
- Friday 1st – Year 9 and 10 Careers Fair
- Mon 4th-Fri 8th – Year 10 Work Experience week
- Tues 5th – Great British Dance Off competition
See our Event Calendar for more key dates.
Upcoming Events
- Upcoming Events
Funky Bingo Night for Parents
- Event Date: 14/03/2024
The Archer Parents Association are delighted to present…
Funky Musical Bingo Night! An entertaining evening of bingo with a twist, open to all parents.
Thursday 14th March 7.30pm. Buy your tickets on ParentPay. £22 for one, or £160 for a table of 8.
Sit with friends or make new friends and play hilarious musical bingo, hosted by a professional bingo entertainer. A full dinner is included in the ticket price. There will be vegetarian / meat options and a cash bar. All proceeds go towards building a new drama studio at Archer.
Book your tickets today!
News
- Sports
Sports: Year 9 Basketball Team Wins!
Congratulations to the Year 9 basketball team who won 20-14 against Saracens High School on Thursday!
- School News
Duke of Edinburugh Awards
Congratulations to Isabella F, Evie R, Ilan C, Shreya B, Cara S and Weronika S on receiving their Bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards! Their dedication, resilience, and commitment to personal growth are truly commendable. Well done!
- School News
Random Acts of Kindness Week: 19-23 February 2024
This week, staff and students across the school have taken part in Random Acts of Kindness. We have been delivering small, kind gestures to one another to spread positivity and happiness throughout our school and to bring a smile to the faces of friends, peers, and colleagues.
- Sports
Extra curricular sports club begins 26 Feb 2024
Extra-curricular sports clubs begin again on Monday 26th February. Please check the timetable below for the updated clubs on offer.
Clubs guidelines:
- Students who do not have PE on the day of their club will be able to change into their PE kit at the end of the day. They must not wear their PE kit during the day.
- Students must be prompt to training sessions and bring a water bottle.
Year 10 and 11 netball and football training is taking place during core PE lessons.
- School News
Math Departments Update
Woodhouse College Mentoring Programme
Every Wednesday, students from Year 11 have had the opportunity to receive mentoring from Woodhouse College students after school. These sessions have been well attended and it has been great to see former Archer Academy students support students in Year 11.
UKMT Maths Challenge
Congratulations to the Year 9, 10 and 11 students who participated and received certificates in the UK Maths Trust Intermediate Challenge. Three students have been invited to participate in the next round.
The Junior Maths Challenge, which is for students in Years 7 and 8, will take place on Thursday 25th April. See past papers for this challenge.
GCSE+ King’s College Maths School
Students in Year 9 were given the opportunity to apply for the GCSE+ programme at King’s College Maths School. Below is an account from Zara J-M and Sarah Q who attended the first session this month.
“The GCSE+ Math course is a weekly programme at King’s College Maths School where you can explore maths problems and work with like-minded people from all over London. We were lucky enough to attend the launch event this Thursday alongside few other Archer students. At the launch event, we were given a briefing on the Math School’s values and what the course will be about.
Throughout the two-year course, we will be exploring many GCSE topics and concepts. We will be strengthening our understanding and improving our reasoning skills. We will also expand on some GCSE topics to allow a better understanding of Further Math and A-level topics.
During the lessons, we are constantly supported by teachers, student helpers and our peers. All the attendees were kind and willing to help each other learn by explaining all questions and asking questions. We thank Mrs Sampson for introducing this programme to us and the King’s Maths School for providing us with this wonderful opportunity.”
nrich
The nrich website contains a wealth of information on mathematics, including live problems, activities to help students think more mathematically and advice for parents to support their child at home.
This information can be found on the following links.
- Library Corner
Library Corner – 23 Feb 2024
Events
On Thursday the Archer Academy participated in the North London Heat of the National Literacy Trust’s Reading Champions Quiz. Our Year 7 and Year 8 teams did admirably and had a great morning displaying their extensive knowledge of children’s literature!
The Y8s celebrating a correct answer
Our able Y7 Team
Pastoral Reading
The Year 7s have beat the Year 8s with 20 students getting 100% on their Pastoral Reading Quiz vs. Year 8s 12 students. Each 100% earned 5 merit points!
The longlist for the prestigious Carnegie Medal for Writing came out over half term—do any of them look interesting to you? When the shortlist is announced in March, Ms Appelquist will be running a Carnegie Shadowers Book Club. Watch this space!
Have a great week everyone, and keep reading!
Heads of Year Updates
- Heads of Year Updates, Year 11
Year 11 Update – 23 Feb 2024
Unbelievably, we are in our last uninterrupted half term of Year 11’s Archer journey. I can’t quite believe it myself.
We really are at the business end of it all. I would please encourage you to be reminding students that one last push is what we need. At this point the time left until the start of their exams is approximately the same amount of time they will get in holiday time after. They can do it!
Please do continue to keep an eye of the Year 11 bulletin sent out every Friday for key information, and point your child towards additional opportunities wherever possible. Please also get in contact with your child’s form tutor if you/they need anything over the coming weeks.
Stars of the week
Emma W – for taking a leading role in the leavers committee
Phillip M – for showing such dedication to his studies
- Heads of Year Updates, Year 10
Year 10 Update – 23 Feb 2024
Work Experience – I would like you all to know that employers have been emailed this week to complete the final confirmation of your child’s work experience placement, due to take place the week after next.
In Wednesday’s assembly I discussed the work experience booklet with your child and explained the process as a whole. Rest assured, I will do more and more of this as we draw closer to Monday 4th March.
If your child has not got a place, we are working hard to allocate them one. We will be in touch with you next week either way!
If there are any updates with regards to your child’s work experience placement then please do email me directly, as soon as possible.
I would also like to point out that on Friday 1st March we have the Careers Fair event taking place at school for students in Years 9 and 10.
Stars of the week
Jaye R and Itay H – for making a very accomplished start to life at Archer Academy
- Heads of Year Updates, Year 9
Year 9 Update – 23 Feb 2024
I hope you all had a wonderful break. It was lovely to hear how students spent their time away from school.
Year 9 started the week off with their final Options Assembly delivered by Mr Ruffles. The GCSE Options form will go live on Monday 11th March and will close on Friday 16th March. If you child is still unsure of which options to choose, please could I encourage you to reach out to Heads of Departments directly for support.
The week ended with an assembly from Mrs Brami to prepare them for Careers Day next Friday. Mrs Brami is looking forward to handing out gift card prizes (individual prizes) and Krispy Kreme doughnuts (form prize) to the best and most detailed careers booklets. The winners will be announced on 1st March.
Upcoming dates and events:
- 1st March – Year 9 Careers Day (workshops, assemblies and careers fair)
- 12th March – Learning Review Day 2
- 20th March – INSET Day
Stars of the Week
- Emily B (9BDE) – for always helping the teacher in her enrichment
- Ketevan A (9KCL) – for revising hard for her upcoming science assessment and supporting others to do well
- Heads of Year Updates, Year 8
Year 8 Update – 23 Feb 2024
What a fantastic start to the new half term!
Just before the end of last term, Miss Harrison delivered a special assembly to mark the beginning of the Year 8 into Year 9 Foundation GCSE Options. Next week, Head of Departments will be leading on assemblies to ensure students feel well informed about the different options. Our Options Evening is on the 28th February – next Wednesday. Parents/Guardians, if you are yet to RSVP and book your slot for the evening, please do so at your earliest convenience. The evening will provide you with all the information you need to guide and support your child through the options process.
It was great to speak with many of you at Parents Consultation Evening. I hope you enjoyed quality time with your teachers and found the meetings helpful. If you have subject specific questions following your meetings, please contact your child’s subject teachers directly for further clarification. Their emails can be found on the school website.
Stars of the week
Elliot H-S (8FHA) & Nancy S (8FHA) for their consistent hard work and excellent behaviour in lessons.
- Heads of Year Updates, Year 7
Year 7 Update – 23 Feb 2024
Well done to Year 7 on their first week back and for getting involved with their learning from the off! Teaching staff have been impressed with the creativity shown and effort made so far. I have been particularly impressed with the work that has been collaborative and analytical on display in Geography and Thematics respectively.
Thank you to the students that support Year 6 Stretch and Challenge lessons on Fridays, it was a pleasure to see you in action. We also enjoyed 7JRW’s bake sale which was a lovely end to the week. I look forward to next week’s Spelling Bee competition that will be completed in Year 7’s English lessons. And not to forget, well done to the students that took part in the National Literacy Quiz! The breadth and variety of our Year 7’s engagement in school life fills me with pride.
On Tuesday 12th March, we will have our second Learning Review Day, an important moment to discuss your child’s academic progress. Please do ensure your appointment is booked with your child’s tutor, or myself if that option is available. Students will be completing reflection on targets that they made in November to see how much progress they have made towards them.
Stars of the week
Bo G 7MDV – for being empathetic and kind to your peers
Emilio S 7SGR – for showing a great attitude to helping in the community