I hope you are well. The weather is forecast to be a cooler this week so we will revert back to the usual uniform expectations for students. A reminder of these is here.
We said goodbye to Year 11 on Friday. They got their shirts signed in the sunshine together and brought lovely gifts and presents in for staff to show their gratitude, appreciation and respect. We look forward to seeing them at the Alton Towers trip on Tuesday and our Leavers’ Lunch next Friday (23rd June) which starts at 1pm. Students only now need to attend if they have exams and they should attend in full school uniform. The next (and final) exam of the Summer is DT today and students sitting that exam should arrive for 8am. They will leave around 11am. I will write to all parents of Year 11 again today to confirm arrangements for the Leavers’ Lunch next Friday.
A reminder to all parents of students in Years 7-10 that they will leave school at 12.25 on Friday to accommodate the Year 11 Leavers’ Lunch.
It was brilliant to see some of our Year 10 students at Oxford University last week and there is lots going on this week too. Our termly Student Survey opens on the app. There are events involving KPMG, Goldman Sachs and CORE Us. I welcome any parents who want to join us to celebrate the work of CORE Us and diversity in our city a the Reflections event on Tuesday 27th June. Tickets are still available. It’s our third Opportunity Day on Thursday too and we are excited about the range of activities on offer. More information about Opportunity Days can be found here
We have an exciting opportunity for some of our gems to go along to 10 Downing St on Friday with students from the other 3 CORE academies. This is part of the partnership work with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and some students will have a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet the Prime Minister and showcase their tennis skills! These are the kind of opportunities you get by attending a CORE academy.
It’s Refugee Week across the UK and we are proud to be a place that steps forward to welcome families new to the country and the city, as an accredited ‘Refugee Welcome School.’
It’s also ‘Windrush Day’ on Thursday and students will be reading stories from a wonderful book called ‘The Place For Me’ (which is available in our library), detailing inspiring tales of sacrifice and bravery, featuring first-hand, authentic accounts of the Windrush generation.
This Wednesday is also ‘Thank A Teacher Day’ and students will be writing their ‘gold stars’ to award their teachers. If you have some special words of thanks for anyone at Team JQA, you can also share these with them by completing this short form here.
Year 10 continue their exams and these have started really well, being mature and We had an assembly with Year 10 last week and shared our exam expectations with them. A copy of these and their Year 10 exam timetable can be found here. Year 10 students do not need to attend CORE Extra on Tuesday for the next two weeks as they have exams.
I must remind parents of students in Year 10 about being on time for school.
As always, you can call the Academy on 0121 729 7220, leaving a message if the line is busy and we will get back to you. Our line is very busy in the daytime so I encourage parents to use the voicemail facility by pressing option 2. If you would like urgent support, you can always reach Mr Bibb (our Designated Safeguarding Lead) on option 4.
You can always contact me directly at: [email protected]