Last week we had our annual celebration of foreign languages
and cultures in Languages Week, with competitions, calligraphy classes,
traditional dress, greetings in the language of the day and much more. Monday
began with Mandarin, moving through Italian, German, Spanish and French as the
week progressed, while Cucina did an excellent job of catering according to the
food culture of each country. The week was so enjoyable that I am already
looking forward to the House Language, Literature and Culture competition, and
that does not take place until March.
In the meantime, there is plenty to keep us occupied, and
the House Year begins this week with House Tug of War on Tuesday. It is closely
followed by the House Music Competition on 10 November, the auditions for which
have already taken place, and more House Sport competitions in the run up to
Christmas.
Thank you to all of the families who have taken the time to
visit the school following Open Evening. I am thoroughly enjoying showing you
all around, and am looking forward to the final few tours in the run up to
half-term. Please remember that it is essential that application forms are
submitted on time. Missing the deadline can have serious consequences, and I
have known families to miss out on a place at The Bushey Academy because their
form was sent in after the deadline. We are oversubscribed, and I want to make
sure as many pupils as possible get their first choice place.
It has been an exciting few days for the Sixth Form, with
members of both Year 12 and Year 13 meeting with students from four other
schools and professors at the Open University building in London to discuss
religion and conflict over time. Separately, Dani Leigh Davidge, Abbie Butler,
Adelina Frumuselu, Stefi Miller, Michael Wooler, Laura Kidd and Bethany Cummins
from Year 13 all graduated from the Brilliant Club Scholars programme, which
involved them completing a degree level project under the supervision of a PhD tutor.
The celebration event took place at Kings College, London.
And finally, some great sporting news as our Under 13 girls football team saw off Queens’ School to reach the next round of the County Cup. We
keep our fingers crossed for the next match.
Upcoming events through October include:
5 October – The first of this year’s Proud to Belong Parent
Forums from 5.15pm to 6.15pm. This is a chance for parents to meet members of
the academy and have your questions answered. Please see the letter emailed to
parents regarding how to submit a question.
Also on 5 October, running from 6.15pm to 7.15pm, Year 11,
12 and 13 parents are invited to attend sessions on helping students to revise
for exams.
From 10 to 14 October is Year 12 and 13 Parent Contact Week,
when subject teachers will call parents to introduce themselves and update you
on your child’s progress.
On 19 October is our annual Celebration of Success Evening.
Invitations to the families of prize winners will be sent out soon.