Dear Parent/Carer
As we approach the end of a very busy and productive half term, I want to share with you some of a few of our achievements.
It has been great to welcome our 240 new Year 7 students into the Sharples Family and to watch them settling so well into their new school. Our Sharples Tie Ceremony may have been virtual this year, but it was still a fantastic opportunity for us to welcome each individual student into our learning community. Despite the many challenges we have faced in recent times, Sharples continues to live by our motto ‘Learn, Dream, Achieve’ which we place at the heart of everything we do. Every day, across classrooms in all curriculum areas I see highly effective learning taking place and showcasing that Sharples is a caring, inclusive learning community where pupils achieve well.
In addition to our classroom provision, we have worked hard to ensure that our students have had access to high quality enrichment activities. This half- term 60 of our Year 8 students attended a History Trip to Styal Mill and many of our students have engaged in activities linked to National Space Week. We have also continued to make the most of virtual opportunities, with Sharples students attending a range of Good to Great Lectures hosted by prestigious guests. In addition, our Year 7 have now signed up to an extensive range of lunchtime clubs and are working towards the completion of their Sharples Baccalaureate.
Over the past few weeks, we have also hosted a number of open events to enable the families of Year 6 pupils to see our school in action; as usual our students did us proud and were great ambassadors for Sharples. Many families visited us for our Open Evening and their feedback has been extremely positive. I would encourage parents/carers to follow Sharples on Twitter and to read our weekly newsletter in order to keep up to date with the numerous opportunities which are provided to support and encourage our learners.
For those of you who have consented to your child being part of the on-going Covid home testing programme, we will be providing your child with additional test kits prior to the half-term break. We recommend that you maintain the twice weekly testing routine through the half-term break and that you continue to upload the results using ‘TestRegister’. If you have consented to your child receiving the Covid vaccination, please be aware that the vaccines will be administered on Monday 1, November.
As we move into winter and the inclement weather sets in, it is important to note that your child will be outside at some points during the school day. It is therefore recommended that your child has a warm coat and an umbrella with them every day. In line with guidance from Public Health Bolton, we would also strongly recommend that your child has a face covering with them every day, which should be worn in communal areas e.g. corridors/school buses.
On a final note, I hope that you all enjoy a well-earned half term break and I look forward to welcoming our students back to school, ready for a prompt start to registration at 8.45am on Monday, 1 November 2021.
Yours faithfully
Ms Webster
Headteacher
