Dear Parent / Carer
The final week of the half term has been incredibly busy, particularly for our performing arts students! Last night, the Performing Arts department hosted its annual Spring Showcase. It was fantastic to see the incredible talent at Rushden Academy and the diverse range of performances from students across all year groups, including the sixth form. We are immensely proud of our students for their hard work and dedication, especially those who performed for the first time in front of a sell-out audience!
We are now looking forward to A Night at the Musicals in April, an event that will help raise funds for our summer production of Shrek. Meanwhile, KS3 students are working hard in preparation for their upcoming performance of The Wizard of Oz in May.
Our performing arts students have also contributed to Safer Internet Week by performing ‘Add Me’, a powerful piece highlighting the dangers of social media. This performance was showcased at local primary schools and The Deco theatre. We are honoured to be invited each year to share this important message, and we are incredibly proud of our sixth-form students for their work on this Theatre in Education unit.
As part of our rewards programme, we held our half-termly rewards assemblies this week. These assemblies provide a valuable opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our student community and reflect on their successes.
On Wednesday, we celebrated student attendance with our half-termly prize draw. Students with 95% or higher attendance were entered into a draw, which was broadcast live across the school via Google Meet. This event helps unite the whole school in recognising students with excellent attendance. For those who didn’t quite meet the 95% threshold this time, we reset the draw each half term, giving all students six opportunities to qualify throughout the year.
As we move into the next half term, we will begin preparing for our Easter rewards celebration. Mr Smart will continue to share details of this event, including the success criteria, via social media and assemblies.
Our Sports Leaders also hosted another successful sports session at Whitefriars Primary School this week. We always receive fantastic feedback about these events, and we are incredibly proud of how our students embody the #TeamRushden values.
As a reminder for after half term, due to Mrs Broughton starting her maternity leave, Mrs Evans will be taking over the Head of Year responsibilities for years 7 and 8. Year 9 students will be supported by Mr A. Smith in his role of Director of Key Stage 4.
We wish all families a wonderful half-term break and look forward to welcoming students back to the academy on Monday, 24th February 2025.
Yours sincerely,
Mr J Firth
Principal
