We are excited to launch a new pupil leadership opportunity in school! Our PD Ambassadors will champion all of the exciting events that are taking place in our school to help us develop into young people who make outstanding contributions to modern British society.
If you are interested, make sure to let your Form Tutor know - the deadline for this is Friday 24th May 2024.
The week after half term brings the Scholastic Book Fair to school. The Library will be open to all pupils to visit the book fair from Tuesday 4th June until Friday 7th June, before school, break time and after school.
Scholastic will be providing a fantastic selection of classic and newly released books at discounted prices for pupils to purchase and keep. And every book you purchase helps raise funds for the school library.
We have 5 £5 vouchers to give away to spend at the book fair, all pupils that complete an Accelerated Reader Quiz or submit a book review to the library will be entered into a draw to win a voucher, the more quizzes you take or reviews you submit, the more chancres you get to win a voucher!
Pop into the library to find out more.
We are very proud of M Harris Year 7 who won the trust wide Pi Day competition. Pi day is the 14th March (3.14) and is celebrated worldwide to make maths more fun and relatable. This year Matrix Academy Trust asked it’s pupils to “bring pi to life”. M Harris created a beautiful poster based around the popular you tube video helping pupils memorise the digits of pi. She was awarded a £30 voucher for being the best entry across the whole trust!
Our year 10 and 11 Duke of Edinburgh students have began their preparation for the expedition coming up in June, working towards their bronze award. We will be venturing into the wilds of Cannock Chase for a walking and camping expedition, and have been working on map skills, cooking and putting up tents in preparation. A great spirit of teamwork and togetherness was demonstrated and we look forward to a successful bronze expedition.
The exam season has begun and all pupils have been given a copy of the Year 11 collapsed timetable showing the exams and exam preparation sessions.
All pupils should use the following exam tips to help them prepare for their exams:
We wish all of our pupils the very best of luck!
Embarking on a journey beyond borders can be a transformative experience for students, offering them a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in different cultures, languages, and traditions. Recently, a group of 35 adventurous pupils from across Matrix Academy Trust had the incredible opportunity to explore the city of Stockholm, Sweden through the Turing Scheme. This government-funded scheme enables pupils to experience other cultures.
Our first activity was a visit to the Paradox Musuem, which offers an engaging exploration of optical illusions. Visitors are invited to pose for some great pictures as part of these illusions, before walking to the Avicii Experience, where our pupils enjoyed DJing alongside the groundbreaking DJ and producer, experiencing his music in a unique and immersive setting.
Later that afternoon, our students had the opportunity to visit Gamla Stan, Stockholm's charming Old Town, exploring landmarks such as the Royal Armouries. They also delved into the world of Nobel laureates at the Nobel Prize Museum, learning about the importance of science, literature, and peace in shaping our world.
On our second day, we visited the Vasa Museum in Stockholm. As you step into the museum, you're greeted by the Vasa ship, a preserved warship that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628 and was salvaged centuries later. Our pupils also enjoyed exploring Lego versions of the world's most famous shipwrecks.
Following this, our students had the pleasure of exploring the iconic music of Sweden. At the ABBA museum, they were immersed in ABBA's iconic costumes and memorabilia, exploring interactive exhibits and singing and dancing along to timeless hits.
On day three, we paid a visit to the Tekniska Museum of science, technology, and innovation. Here the pupils enjoyed interactive exhibits, followed by lunch at Max Burgers – Sweden's (significantly better) answer to McDonalds.
In the afternoon, we took a scenic boat tour around Stockholm's archipelago, where we got to see the city's iconic landmarks from a unique perspective. And in the afternoon, the competitive natures of staff and pupils kicked in with an outdoor escape room adventure around the historic town. Divided into teams, pupils navigated their teams and their teacher through the narrow cobblestone streets, solving clues and unravelling mysteries, where only one of our groups solved the clues to find the final code!
On day four, our pupils had the opportunity to visit Töjnaskolan, a Swedish school located in the suburbs of Stockholm. Stepping into the classrooms of Töjnaskolan, our pupils were struck by the differences between British and Swedish educational systems. Aside from being instant celebrities, they noticed smaller class sizes, a longer lunchtime and no school uniform. The visit sparked discussions between both sets of pupils about the different educational models, encouraging our students to reflect on their own learning experiences and cultural perspectives.
On day 5 was a visit to Skansen, the world's first open-air museum, showcasing Swedish life from centuries past to the present day. Our students were delighted to explore the native animals of Sweden, with the highlight of the visit being the opportunity to hand-feed some of the friendly birds that call Skansen home.
On our final day, our pupils experienced an adrenaline rush at Skypark Vaxholm, an exhilarating outdoor adventure park. They navigated treetop obstacle courses, zip-lined across forests, and conquered thrilling challenges, pushing their limits and building confidence.
As our pupils bid farewell to Stockholm and boarded their flight back to London Heathrow, they carried with them memories that will last a lifetime. The trip embodied Matrix Academy Trust’s ethos of Education without Exception. Through experiences like the Stockholm trip, we empower our students to open their minds to endless possibilities and shape them into compassionate, informed global citizens.
In March, pupils across Matrix were invited to enter a Maths competition to celebrate Pi Day. Pupils were asked to use their imagination to bring Pi to life and to illustrate a real life example of Pi. We received entries from Smestow Academy, Etone College and Turves Green Boys School. M Harris from Smestow was our overall winner and has received a £30 Amazon voucher. C Bettison from Etone College and E Keegan from Turves Green Boys' School received a £10 Amazon voucher for runner up prizes.
Huge congratulations to all three pupils!
This week, during progress assemblies, pupils in year 7 to 10 were awarded Sparx maths badges. A Sparx maths badge is awarded to a pupil who achieves at least 2 levels within 1 school term. This means that they have gained over 20,000 XP on Sparx maths. Pupils who achieve this have shown a huge commitment to, not only completing their weekly homework but, completing additional targeted tasks and independent learning. Pupils have dedicated time to improving their mathematics on a regular basis and their teachers have seen noticeable improvements in their mathematics both in class and in their assessments.
This week we have been raising money for our house and 6th form charities. Not only did we have a football tournament earlier in the week, but today we have had a samosa sale and the chance to "soak a teacher!" at breaktime.
Our Heads of Houses are the best and have put themselves in the stocks to raise money for all our good causes!
On Thursday 25th April pupils in 7X1, 8X1 and 8X2 took part in the UK Junior Maths Challenge. Pupils were presented with 25 challenging mathematical problems to encourage problem solving and reasoning skills. Pupils only had 60 minutes to complete the task and they needed to apply their knowledge of the maths curriculum to interesting and unusual problems. We look forward to receiving the results in a few weeks.
Smestow Academy
Windmill Crescent
Castlecroft, Wolverhampton
West Midlands
WV3 8HU
T: 01902539500
postbox@smestowacademy.co.uk
Monday - Thursday: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Friday: 8:00 am - 3:30 pm
