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15/10/20

Year 8 students performing their Haunted House composition. https://t.co/Qpqr0SHDqf

15/10/20

Final day of learning in our temporary building at Whatley Avenue. https://t.co/srMjroz7jK

15/10/20

Retweetd From Harris Wimbledon PE

Year 7s battled the rain to compete in the house hockey competition. Well done to Butler house for winning. Thank you to Chris from and Jack Turner, Wimbledon and GB hockey player for refereeing. https://t.co/aulvWI1Job

09/10/20

Our virtual Prospective Parents Evening 2020 is now available to view online https://t.co/IOkCi7D7cC https://t.co/dNwYIcbe5e

09/10/20

Just arrived! Our new film introducing our staff and students https://t.co/TQyHtxhse3

09/10/20

Retweetd From Harris Wimbledon PE

The 1st round of the house football competition took place yesterday. It had an incredible turn out and after a slow start, goals eventually started going in. Next week will be the final 3 games, who will become the year 7 house football winners! https://t.co/vkKpNE7oIX

07/10/20

Our virtual Prospective Parents Evening 2020 is now available to view online https://t.co/IOkCi7D7cC https://t.co/RopD5oryrD

07/10/20

Our Harris Experience students are about to embark on a voyage of academic growth like no other! Through a variety of opportunities, they will develop; gaining confidence to deliver their authentic voice. Destination: Oxbridge and the Russell Group Universities. Kudos! https://t.co/eMIUcLi7KB

06/10/20

Language leaders are developing their vocabulary over and above what they learn in lesson. Their aim - to teach Spanish to local primary school students. https://t.co/OaGplTS6qL

06/10/20

LEGO League robots are nearly constructed, now time to learn how to code... https://t.co/w8BeF99RuL

05/10/20

Students in Year 8 have been writing some fantastic essays about the English Civil War. Here’s Sara’s essay on the causes and her Try Now; learning how to write like a historian! https://t.co/z4ANQM63zw

30/09/20

The PE department leading on extracurricular sport - this morning Table Tennis! Very popular with our Year 8s https://t.co/a0o557iK6X

29/09/20

Our virtual Open Evening will be available from 5pm Tuesday 6th October.... https://t.co/BBlCB8zUeB

24/09/20

Be part of the Harris Academy Wimbledon! Learn more about us by joining our virtual Prospective Parents’ Evening on Tuesday 6th October. In addition, we will be holding Virtual Open Mornings. Visit: https://t.co/aVDzkxfjFc further information and to register. https://t.co/BnmeQHybMk

23/09/20

The first outcomes of exposure printing / cyanotypes from the Year 7 Photography Enrichment group https://t.co/AGeFf6NLbM

18/09/20

Congratulations to Aaryan , who completed the GSL Summer Catalyst programme over the summer. Aaryan worked extremely hard to achieve all six certificates. Well done! https://t.co/0rGP2SvWSZ

17/09/20

https://t.co/qDCgQFhl18

17/09/20

Extracurricular clubs kicked off this week! We’ve had a range of clubs from Netball to Scientific Drawing where students have learnt to draw an anatomically correct heart - complete with a real heart to inspire! https://t.co/j3Mxh19gdx

15/09/20

An update from the new build! https://t.co/vZrrXwLyPO

06/09/20

For those using the coach service from South Wimbledon, students should arrive for their designated departure time. School will officially start at 10.30am but students arriving on their own at HAMD should aim to be at the school for 10am.

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Welcome from the Principal: Mrs J Larizadeh

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Harris Academy Wimbledon.  We are a co-educational secondary academy set up provide an excellent education for children in Wimbledon. We opened our doors in 2018 and in November 2020 move into our brand-new building with our first three year groups. We will grow year on year, eventually serving children ages 11-18.
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Academy Life

9 October 2020Newsletter 09/10/20Arrangements for moving into the new build. As I explained last week, students will have a remote learning day on Friday 16th October to enable us to pack up the buildings ready for the removal company on Monday 19th October.  Please ensure your child understands that this is a working day and half term begins at 3pm! During the first week after half term, each year group will attend for an orientation day of the new building.  At all the other times between 8.30am and 3pm, students should be at home completing remote learning.  Please see the separate section of the newsletter about how to access work through our Virtual School.     Monday 2nd November: 11.20am - 3pm. Year 9 in school, years  7 & 8 working remotely Tuesday 3rd November: 11.20am - 3pm . Year 8 in school, years 7 & 9 working remotely Wednesday 4th November: 10.20am - 3pm. Year 7 in school, years 8 & 9 working remotely Thursday 5th November: Year 7 arrive at 8.15am, year 8 arrive at 8.45am and year 9 arrive at 9.15am Friday 6th November: All students start at 8.25am   I understand that students have already had a significant amount of time at home in the last 6 months but it is important that we allow time for students to understand how the entrances/exits and routes around the building will work for each bubble.  Teachers will ensure that students have plenty of work to complete during this time and please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. As we have been unable to open our doors for our Prospective Parents Evening, we have made a film to show the community how wonderful our school is.  Your sons and daughters make our academy a very happy place.  If you get chance, please click on the link    to watch it. Due to the move, this will be the last Newsletter of the half term.  I would like to thank you for all your continued support and wish you an enjoyable half term. Best wishes, Mrs Larizadeh https://0e58658be539ee7325a0-220f04f871df648cf4a4d93a111e3366.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/harris_secondary_wimbledon/uploads/document/091020-Newsletter_v1.pdf    
2 October 2020Newsletter 02/10/20I am delighted to confirm that we will be moving into the new building over half term. On Friday 16th October, the students will need to complete their lessons remotely as we need to pack up at both sites before the removal company arrive on Monday 19th October. Teachers will set work and your children should remain at home on this day and complete it. As you can imagine, to get the building ready, there will be a substantial amount of work for staff over half term.  During the first week after half term, students will be required to come in for an orientation of the new building at different times. I will publish the programme next week but during the first three days, students will be required to work from home for a period of time while each year group is shown where everything is in the building and how to move around safely.  This staggered start is even more important due to our health and safety requirements for COVID-19 and keeping our bubbles separate. However, until Friday 16th October, it is business as usual!  The students have settled into the academic year and they are producing some excellent work.  We have spent a significant amount of time visiting lessons across all year groups; we are delighted with the focus, engagement and hard work of the students.   Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.  Have an enjoyable weekend. Mrs Larizadeh https://0e58658be539ee7325a0-220f04f871df648cf4a4d93a111e3366.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/harris_secondary_wimbledon/uploads/document/021020-Newsletter.pdf
25 September 2020Newsletter 25/09/2020My earliest memory of being read to as a child was my mum reading ‘The Tiger Who Came to Tea’ by Judith Kerr.  I absolutely loved the story and couldn’t hear it enough times!  It is about a girl called Sophie who is having tea with her mother when the doorbell rings.  In walks a tiger, and Sophie and her mother end up having tea with him.  The book captured my imagination and allowed me to enter this imaginary world of tigers eating all the cakes and drinking all the water in the house. Next week, we are going to focus on the Power of Reading.  Mr Maurice will set the scene in his assembly where he will talk students through his own journey from a reluctant reader with diagnosed dyslexia, to an avid reader who always has a book on the go. The key message is that, once on the path to reading, all can immerse themselves in the wonderful world of books. At Harris Academy Wimbledon we will be encouraging all students on their journey to becoming great readers through our Friday Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) time, where House Groups will be reading together with no other purpose in mind that just pure, unadulterated enjoyment.   Please can I encourage you to support your children to read and to go and see our wonderful librarian, Ms Nylinder,  if they would like some suggestions. We are still on track to move into the new building straight after half term.  I hope to have the final confirmation very soon and then I will write to you with all of the details.  Next Friday (2nd October) is an INSET day.  https://0e58658be539ee7325a0-220f04f871df648cf4a4d93a111e3366.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/harris_secondary_wimbledon/uploads/document/250920-Newsletter.pdf
18 September 2020Newsletter 18/09/2020In the last two weeks, we have given out over 5000 reward points for the excellent effort students have shown in their work; you should be very proud of them.  I am very proud of how they have approached school and our new way of working.  They keep in their bubbles, use the hand sanitiser and wear their face masks without any fuss which means that teachers can focus on great teaching and learning and providing fun extra-curricular activities.  There was a buzz in the playground as 80 Year 7 students waited to work with the professional football coaches, lots of laughter in the Year 9 Geography Club and great concentration in the Year 8 Technology club.  Mr Arnold co-ordinates all the extracurricular clubs, so please don’t hesitate to contact him if you have any questions.  Year 9 students are making their applications for the position of Head Boy and Head Girl before the closing date on Monday.  All the students get to vote for their Head Boy and Girl in the next couple of weeks.  The new building is looking fantastic.  The 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors are now finished and the 1st floor isn’t far off.  That just leaves the ground floor and the externals to finish by half term.  We are on track to move in over half term and are really looking forward to it.  Have an enjoyable weekend, Mrs Larizadeh. https://0e58658be539ee7325a0-220f04f871df648cf4a4d93a111e3366.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/harris_secondary_wimbledon/uploads/document/180920-Newsletter.pdf
11 September 2020Newsletter 11/09/2020It has been wonderful to see the students back at school.  They have settled in well to the new routines and have already completed some excellent work!  Particular congratulations to Year 7 students who have completed their first week at secondary school.  I have been very impressed with how the students have adapted to the new routines; they have kept in their bubbles and worn their face masks as required.  We are going to make a slight change and ask everyone to wear face masks whenever they are moving in the corridors which means they will need to wear them at break and lunch time.  Once they have purchased their food and are sitting down they can remove them.  We are looking forward to extra-curricular activities starting next week.  We have welcomed new teachers and support staff for the start of the Academic year.  Please find below a list of all the staff.  If you need to contact anyone, please email info@harriswimbledon.org.uk and your message will be forwarded.  Have a good weekend, Mrs Larizadeh   https://0e58658be539ee7325a0-220f04f871df648cf4a4d93a111e3366.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/harris_secondary_wimbledon/uploads/document/110920-Newsletter.pdf    
10 July 2020Newsletter 10/07/20This is the last edition of the newsletter for the academic year.  It was wonderful to welcome some of the students back today and we are looking forward to seeing everyone between now and the end of term; they all looked incredibly smart in their uniform!  Our most important event of the year, Virtual Honours Evening is Wednesday 15th July.  You have been sent a letter which contains the virtual link and you can find a copy of the programme here.   It is split into two halves, with Year 8  at 6pm and Year 7 at 7pm.   I would just like to reiterate what I said in my letter yesterday:  No matter what your experience of lockdown, parents have been terrific: on behalf of all staff, we want to thank you for everything you have done to support your children’s success over this period, and to support our school. The letter outlines our plans for opening in September and you will find a copy of it here.   I will write to you again at the end of August with an update on our plans, but I am very much looking forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday 7th September.  Thank you for all your support and have an enjoyable summer.  Best wishes, Mrs Larizadeh https://0e58658be539ee7325a0-220f04f871df648cf4a4d93a111e3366.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/harris_secondary_wimbledon/uploads/document/100720-Newsletter.pdf
3 July 2020Newsletter 03/07/20  We have had a fantastic week.  We had over 1500 entries into the different competitions for Virtual Sports Day and students fully engaged with the Virtual Careers Day completing their own personal plan for a career of choice.  It will be fascinating to see how personal plans change over time.  We welcomed all of our new staff on Monday for an induction day and met all of our new Year 7s virtually; we are especially pleased to be welcoming 17 siblings into Year 7.  Teachers have been busily marking significant pieces of work and writing reports.  We are very impressed with the standard of work we have received and I would like to thank you for encouraging your children during this challenging time. We are really looking forward to welcoming everyone back for their review meeting next week.  You should have received a letter from me, via email , outlining when your child needs to attend.  If you haven’t received the letter, please contact Mrs Kirby. If you have any further questions, please contact Miss Pocock (Year 7)  or Mr James (Year 8). Yesterday, we received the guidance for return to school in September.  The first thing to say is that I am absolutely delighted the government has said all students can come back. We have learnt a lot in lockdown about how to deliver virtual education, and families and staff have been outstanding, but children need the routine of normal school life and they also need to see their friends and teachers.  It is vital that we get students back to school in September, and the government has made attendance compulsory unless there is a statutory reason for children to be absent.  We will be running a full school day with breakfast clubs, homework clubs and extracurricular activities.  I will write to you in full next week with how our different bubbles will work and the safety measures we will have in place.  Until then, I hope you have a relaxing and enjoyable weekend. https://0e58658be539ee7325a0-220f04f871df648cf4a4d93a111e3366.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/harris_secondary_wimbledon/uploads/document/030720-Newsletter.pdf
26 June 2020Newsletter 26/06/20Next week, there are some changes to the school timetable. On Monday, all students will participate in our Virtual Sports Day.  Mr Riches has posted information in the Newsletter and in the Student Bulletin explaining how the day will work.  There are also a number of videos on Twitter which show how to complete the different events.  I’d like to thank him and Miss Timmins for all the work they have done in preparation for the event. Tuesday is Virtual Careers Day.  Students need to follow the guidelines that Mr Arnold has shared with them.  There is also further information in the Newsletter and in the Student Bulletin. We are looking forward to welcoming all students back between the 10th and 15th July.  All students will be invited into the academy in groups of 7.  Each house will be split into four groups and one group will attend each day.   Time House 9.30-11.30am Butler 10 – 12pm Wilberforce 10.30- 12.30pm Nelson 11 – 1pm Rutherford 1-3pm Morris 1.30-3.30pm Gibson and Dowding Group 1: Friday 10th July Group 2: Monday 13th July Group 3: Tuesday 14th July Group 4: Wednesday 15th July. You will receive a letter during the course of next week which outlines which group each student is in and the time they need to attend the academy.  Students need to attend in school uniform.  The academy is COVID SECURE and I will send out the guidelines students must follow in the letter you will receive next week.  It is really important that all students attend so we can celebrate the end of the school year. There has been a lot of speculation in the media about what will happen in September.  I still haven’t received any guidance from the government and so we cannot finalise our plans.  As soon as we have the information, we will let you know.  Last week, we published information about purchasing school uniform for September.  There is further information in the newsletter today and on the school uniform page on the website.  Please note the types of coats, shoes and trainers students need to have.  The deadline for guaranteeing delivery from the uniform company for September is the 7th August. Best wishes for a lovely weekend.   https://0e58658be539ee7325a0-220f04f871df648cf4a4d93a111e3366.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/harris_secondary_wimbledon/uploads/document/260620-Newsletter.pdf  
19 June 2020Newsletter 19/06/20I hope everyone received my letter yesterday regarding the delay to the new build.  It is disappointing, but we have happily operated from Whatley Avenue for the last two years and I know that we can continue to do this for the first half term of next academic year.     At the moment, we do not know what the government advice will be with regards to all students returning to secondary schools in September, but as soon as we know, we will finalise our plans and let you know.   In the meantime, the government have said that we can invite all students into school for a review meeting before the end of term.  We plan to invite all students into the academy between the 10th and 15th July.  We are currently putting the plans together for this and are very much looking forward to seeing everyone.  We will send out more information next Friday on how this will all work.    Next week, the students will be set a ‘significant’ piece of work in each subject and there is a link in the newsletter so you can see an overview.  Thank you for the tremendous job you are doing home schooling your children.  Please keep encouraging them to respond to virtual registration by 8.45am and to complete and submit all their work.   We understand the challenges of caring for families, working and supporting with home schooling so please do not hesitate to get in touch if we can support you.   I wish you a relaxing and enjoyable weekend. https://0e58658be539ee7325a0-220f04f871df648cf4a4d93a111e3366.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/harris_secondary_wimbledon/uploads/document/190620-Newsletter.pdf
12 June 2020Newsletter 12/06/20We were appalled by the events that led to the death of George Floyd in America but we also know that the challenges that black people face are not exclusive to America and we must address systematic inequality in our own country and ensure that all people, irrespective of ethnicity, are treated equally and given the same opportunities. We care deeply about our own community and feel a huge sense of responsibility to ensure that everyone is provided with an outstanding education so that they have full choice and opportunity for the future.  Challenging racism matters to us and we are fully committed to diversity and equality.  However, we are also acutely aware that it is not just about the words that we say but the actions that we take.  Mr Maurice has written a piece for the newsletter about how we have been developing our curriculum during the course of this year and the plans we have in place for English and History for 2020/21.  Student voice is always at the heart of our community and we will continue to have open and honest conversations with our students and the wider community.  Ms Nylinder, our librarian, is ensuring that as she is building our new school library, it is inclusive, culturally relevant and diverse. However, we also know that every day we ask our students to reflect on their work and identify how they can make progress and do even better.  This is also a commitment that we make of ourselves; we must look at where we can do better by reflecting on our work and listening to the views of our community.  We will set up a more formal process for this through the WPA in September but in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly.  As you are aware, we are in phase 3 of our Virtual school and a key part of this is the live tutor session every Wednesday morning.  This week the focus of the session was on ‘Positive Action’ and we were incredibly impressed by the contributions your children made to the discussion.  We know that learning remotely is a challenge for everyone but please ensure your son/daughter is keeping up with their work and don’t hesitate to get in contact if we can do anything further to support you. https://0e58658be539ee7325a0-220f04f871df648cf4a4d93a111e3366.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/harris_secondary_wimbledon/uploads/document/120620-Newsletter.pdf
5 June 2020Newsletter 05/06/20Welcome back to the second half of the summer term. I hope you managed to enjoy some of the sunshine during half term. Phase 3 of the virtual school has started very well. The new House Tutor time session was very successful and tutors were impressed with the participation from the students. Please ensure your son/daughter is completing virtual registration everyday and participating in all of the live ‘Teams’ sessions. We continue to offer learning on site for children of key workers and vulnerable children. We now have four different ‘bubbles’ of children coming every day. If you feel your son/daughter falls into one of these categories, then please do not hesitate to get in touch. New teaching appointments are now complete and we will welcome 10 new teachers to our excellent team in September. They bring a wealth of experience and expertise and we are very much looking forward to them joining us. Please keep encouraging your children to compete all of their work remotely and don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need any support. https://0e58658be539ee7325a0-220f04f871df648cf4a4d93a111e3366.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/harris_secondary_wimbledon/uploads/document/050620-Newsletter.pdf
22 May 2020Newsletter 22/05/20Schools are all about communities and when I look back over this half term, I am so proud of our whole community for working together to find new ways of communicating and for supporting each other.   I am particularly proud of the students who have risen to the challenge of the Virtual School and produced a lot of excellent work. Following the parent, student and teacher surveys we have made a few changes to the Virtual School provision and will begin Phase 3 on Monday 1st June. On Wednesdays mornings from 9-9.30am students will have a live Teams session with their House Tutor. This session will be linked to our Human and Life Skills curriculum and focus around student wellbeing.   On Wednesday afternoons, we are introducing a series of screen free challenges. Students will be encouraged, where they can, to work with a virtual partner to complete them.  To enable this to happen, we have made some slight changes to the timetable which you can find  here: https://0e58658be539ee7325a0-220f04f871df648cf4a4d93a111e3366.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/harris_secondary_wimbledon/uploads/document/Phase-3-Timetable-.pdf You will know from the calendar that students were due to have their examination week during the second week after half term.  I don’t think it is appropriate to have an examination week, but each subject will ask students to complete a significant piece of work which they will need to send in. Teachers will set the work through the lessons and students will need to spend 45 minutes completing it in lesson time. This work will be set between the 15th and 26th June. We will send out more information about this after half term. This significant piece of work will be marked with a percentage and returned to the students.  We will publish end of year reports on 16th July and will include this percentage within an average of other assessments completed during the year. Students are not required to complete any revision for these pieces of work as they will be able to use their books when they are completing them.  However, please encourage your child to make this their best piece of work. I would like to emphasise that I do not want the students to do any work over half term.  It is a time for relaxation and a time away from screens. The 29th and 30th June will be screen free days and teachers are currently planning some exciting challenges for students to complete during these days. Lessons from 13th - 16th July will also be slightly different and will focus on transition to the year above.  This is especially important for the Year 8 students who will move from Lower to Upper School.  Mr James is Assistant Principal / Director of Upper School and begins this role from 1st June.  He will be responsible for the pastoral care of the students in the Upper School and will be in touch with Year 8 parents after half term. It is my ambition to invite all students (in small groups of 15) for a session on site during the week of 13th July but I can only do this if it is safe to do so.  I will continue to follow the government advice and be in touch closer to the time if we are able to do this. We will hold a Virtual Honours Evening on Wednesday 15th July at 6pm.  Please save the date. Thank you for your continued support and best wishes for a safe and happy half term. Happy Eid to all our families who will be celebrating this weekend.     https://0e58658be539ee7325a0-220f04f871df648cf4a4d93a111e3366.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/harris_secondary_wimbledon/uploads/document/220520-Newsletter.pdf
15 May 2020Newsletter 15/05/20As you are aware the government have asked primary schools to re-open from the 1st June and for secondary schools to open for Years 10 and 12 later in the month.  As the current government advice stands, we cannot open for Years 7 and 8 but will remain open for children of key workers and vulnerable children.  Consequently, the development of an outstanding Virtual School is always central to our planning.  Thank you to everyone who spent time completing the survey, I am truly grateful for the time you spent on this and all the support you have given us during this time. The survey was overwhelmingly positive.  We received 129 replies and 100% are satisfied with the communication between home and school and 94% are satisfied with the overall virtual school experience.  I am really pleased with this response but know that we need to continually review and improve.  We received a range of comments.  Most parents feel we have the level of work, support and expectation about right and where some parents commented on the work not being enough, an equal number of parents commented on the work being too much.  These range of views are expected (and respected) as we are all working in different settings with different pressures and challenges. The broad themes that came through for us to develop were: · To try and find some ways to introduce some screen free time · To support students with time management/submission of work · To support the students with some more interaction between teachers/each other · To continue to provide feedback to the students on their work All the comments you have made will help us refine the Virtual School for Phase 3 which will start straight after half term.  I will update you next Friday with more details once we have had time to digest your feedback, the students’ feedback and the feedback from teachers. The well-being of your children is central to everything that we do.  Therefore, it is important that if your child is feeling anxious about any of the work or finding it too much, that you contact us individually so we can support you and them.  Equally, please let us know if you have any issues with devices or internet connectivity as we may be able to help.  I recognise the incredible juggling act you are in as you supervise your children learning at home and complete your own work. I hope everyone continues to stay safe and well. With my very best wishes for a lovely weekend. https://0e58658be539ee7325a0-220f04f871df648cf4a4d93a111e3366.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/harris_secondary_wimbledon/uploads/document/150520-Newsletter.pdf
7 May 2020Newsletter 07/05/20We expect to hear an update from the government over the weekend about their plans for schools re-opening in the coming weeks and months ahead.  I am  very keen to welcome more children back to the academy when it is safe to do so,  but we must wait for the government advice before we put our plans together.  It is highly likely that remote learning is going to continue in some form for the foreseeable future as the return to school will be a phased approach.  Therefore we continue to improve and develop our Virtual School every day.  You will find a link here to a  parent survey as I am really keen to hear your views on what is working well for your child and whether you have any ideas on how we can improve the Virtual School experience.  I am delighted to report that the confidence amongst your children in using Teams and the other aspects of the Virtual School is rapidly improving and we are seeing a lot of excellent work every single day.  The teachers are also becoming more confident and are able to refine how they present their work to the children.   If you get chance to watch the new video format of the student bulletin this week, you will see some of the tremendous work the teachers are putting in to develop remote opportunities for the students.   Thank you for your daily encouragement of your children to complete their work each day and please do not hesitate to get in touch if you need any support. I would like to wish you a very enjoyable Bank Holiday weekend.  https://0e58658be539ee7325a0-220f04f871df648cf4a4d93a111e3366.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/harris_secondary_wimbledon/uploads/document/070520-Newsletter.pdf
1 May 2020Newsletter 01/05/2020I hope everyone continues to be safe and well. I had a great virtual meeting with the student council on Wednesday and it was lovely to hear their voices.  They were overwhelmingly positive about how we have set up the Virtual School and were able to access and submit their work as requested.  They asked for some virtual extra-curricular activities and gave us a few tips on how we can make the experience even better.  We are learning all the time about how to develop our new way of working so we are grateful for any feedback we receive. It is possible that some children are finding a number of things challenging at the moment due to the combination of a change in routine, social distancing, working remotely and worrying about friends and family.  I wanted to let you know that our pastoral systems are still very much in tact to support both you and your children.  Your child’s tutor is the first port of call for any concerns and they are still available via email for any of their House group.  As I have said before, students are not restricted to just contacting their tutor, they can contact any teacher they feel most comfortable talking to. Mrs Jones, our school counsellor, is still offering considerable support for a number of children and is available to support other children if needed.  Please don’t hesitate to contact Mr Walsh if you think your child would benefit from some confidential counselling. As I said last week, I understand it is also a challenging time for parents as you face a new set of challenges.  We have published some more guidance in the newsletter this week about how you can support your children with their learning.  Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any further questions. https://0e58658be539ee7325a0-220f04f871df648cf4a4d93a111e3366.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/harris_secondary_wimbledon/uploads/document/010520-Newsletter.pdf
24 April 2020Newsletter 24/04/20I hope you all continue to keep safe and well.   I am consciously aware that working from home, caring for the family and supporting your children with their education is not only a juggling act but a challenge.  I would like to reassure you that we are here to help as much as we can and you shouldn’t hesitate to get in touch with us.  If your children develop a good routine, this should help them manage their school work and equally ensure they have some time to relax and get some fresh air.  Please ensure your child has a place to work and has written out their new timetable. We suggest the routine below but understand that if you are sharing devices, you may not be able to stick exactly to this routine.  1. Students are up and dressed by 8.30am and complete virtual registration before 8.45am. 2. From Monday to Thursday, students complete 30 minutes of exercise from 9-9.30am. 3. On a Monday, students watch the assembly before their lessons start at 9am. 4. On a Friday, students watch the live briefing for students at 9am before completing their human and life skills work. 5. For the rest of everyday, students follow the work that is set on the on line platform and click on to the link if it is a live lesson. 6. During the scheduled break and lunch time, students move away from a screen. 7. At the end of the school day, students get some fresh air before they begin their homework. Please find a link to some tips for managing well-being and building resilience at home which we have published on the Virtual Page of the website:  https://0e58658be539ee7325a0-220f04f871df648cf4a4d93a111e3366.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/harris_secondary_wimbledon/uploads/document/Wellbeing-guidance.pdf If you have any questions or feedback on the Virtual School, please don’t hesitate to contact us on info@harriswimbledon.org.uk and your email will be directed to the right person. https://0e58658be539ee7325a0-220f04f871df648cf4a4d93a111e3366.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/harris_secondary_wimbledon/uploads/document/240420-Newsletter.pdf
3 April 2020Newsletter 03/04/20I hope that you and your families are keeping well.  The Virtual School The first two weeks have gone incredibly well, and we are delighted with how the students have settled in to their new routines. The teachers have been working very hard to finalise plans for the Summer Term and we plan to make some changes to the Virtual School after Easter.  These changes will help us collect work from students and have more interaction. · We are putting in place a new timetable for all students so that every day they have a mix of academic and practical work. · All students will be required to submit work weekly to their teachers in Maths, English, Science, Geography, History and Spanish.  In other subjects, students will be required to submit work but not every week.  These submissions will come through a variety of means (through interaction with teachers via Microsoft Teams, through completing on line questions or uploading work).  We will continue to communicate the work in the same way through the Shared Area. · Teachers will be available through the video link of Microsoft Teams at different points in the week.  Students will be able to post questions about the work and the teacher will be there to respond to them. If students are unable to access Microsoft teams then they can continue to use the email system to contact their teachers. As we will have more daily interaction with all the students through Microsoft teams and the submission of work, weekly phone calls to students will be more targeted and will focus on students who have limited access to the internet or are not engaging in the Virtual School as we would expect them to. We will update the Virtual School page on our website by Friday 17th April and all students will be sent an email with their new timetable on Monday 20th April.  We suggest that they either print this out or write it out and put it in a place they can see it during the day. The Summer Term Virtual School will begin on Tuesday 21st April.  All families will receive a phone call on Monday 20th April to check that they have the new timetable and are aware of the new system. Thank you for all your continued support during this extraordinary time. With my very best wishes for a safe and peaceful Easter. https://0e58658be539ee7325a0-220f04f871df648cf4a4d93a111e3366.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/harris_secondary_wimbledon/uploads/document/030420-Newsletter.pdf
27 March 2020Newsletter 27/03/20I hope that you are all keeping well and coping with these extraordinary times. We have been in contact with both students and parents during the course of our first week and I am very grateful for all the positive messages we have been receiving.  I really would like to thank the excellent staff we have at Harris Academy Wimbledon who really couldn’t be doing any more than they are doing at the moment.   We have been meeting (virtually) and reviewing our Virtual School which will continue to evolve and develop in the weeks ahead.  Our numbers are small for our key worker school but we hope we are making a positive difference.  I’d like to thank Mr Gonzales for keeping the building open to the high standards that we always have.  Please support your children in developing good routines for home learning:  complete the virtual registration by 8.45am and then work through the timetable as if it was a day at school.  Students can contact their teachers to ask them any questions and we are always here to help any of our families.  Please encourage your children to regularly check their Harris email address as this is how we are communicating with them.  We shall continue to do our best for our learners and please don’t hesitate to get in touch.   https://0e58658be539ee7325a0-220f04f871df648cf4a4d93a111e3366.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/harris_secondary_wimbledon/uploads/document/270320-Newsletter.pdf
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