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:

• Pupils need to be in school at 8.30am at the latest, the canteen is open from 8am.​
• A free breakfast on exam days will be available from 8.30am. ​
• Breakfast exam preparation sessions begin at 8.45am.​
• Morning exams begin at 9.30am.​
• Afternoon exams begin at 1.30pm.​
• After the breakfast exam preparation session pupils need to make sure they go to the toilet.​
• Make sure pupils know their seat number for each exam.​
• Before the exam line up in the canteen in the correct row their seat is in.​
• Remove everything from their pockets and put it in their bag – all they need are two black pens, a pencil, ruler and a calculator.​
• Make sure their mobile phone is turned off and inside their bag.​
• Enter the exam hall in silence, place their bag at the side of the hall and take their seat.​
• Take a deep breath, relax and do your best!

We wish all of our pupils the very best of luck!

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 25^th 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.

Year 9 had another opportunity to take part in a STEM Day project, pupils showed fantastic team skills by planning and designing a HS2 tunnel bridge. It was a great day where pupils had the opportunity to show their creativity and leadership skills. Well done to all pupils who got involved and a big congratulations to the winning team (F. Mohammadzai, S Singh, M Michalak, O. Olawale Lawal)

Also a big thank you to Andy Bruno from small peice trust for hosting the stem day and to smestow staff for getting involved !

The cost of school uniform can be daunting and is yet another financial pressure on many parents. The Uniform Swap Shop is open to everyone and there’s a great range of uniforms available. While it is great if parents can bring some uniform to donate themselves, they really don’t have to bring anything at all.

Drop into St Columba’s in Castlecroft Road in Finchfield (WV3 8BZ) every Sunday afternoon during the holidays between 12 and 2.30pm or every Friday during the school term 3.15 until 6pm.

J Flora (7G1) and D Rana (9G1) welcomed Graiseley students to their house assembly in style this week! The two boys showcased their talents with an energising and cultural performance that they performed at the Matrix Pupil Awards Ceremony last week. This showcased the rich diversity and talent we have here at Smestow Academy.

Last week, pupils in years 11-13 had an assembly which focused on positive mental health during the exam season.

We talked about the importance of revision but how it is as equally important to reflect on whether or not we are practicing self-care at what can be a stressful time.

At Smestow Academy we are encouraging the use of our acronym to “reflect” and our poster is displayed around school for all pupils as a reminder of the importance of positive mental health.

This week our newly appointed Prefects took part in their two-day training programme. Day one consisted of visiting Challenge Academy and Baggeridge County Park where Prefects spent the day on a variety of team building activities. The afternoon saw Prefects, Miss Davey, Mr Craig and Mr Patel take on the high ropes and the ‘plunge’ from the top. All Prefects pushed themselves to their limit, this year seeing some of the boys take to the high ropes not only attached to each other but also blindfolded! A big congratulations for all those selected as Prefects, this year proved really difficult with the high calibre of applicants.