Our first Badger’s Print of the new academic year is here, packed with news, celebrations, key dates and useful information for our families.

We hope you enjoy catching up on everything that has been happening at Badger Hill so far this term.

Proud to be a Badger 💜🐾

🏅💪 An Inspiring Afternoon with Sean Gaffney 💪🏅

Badger Hill Academy had a fantastic fundraising afternoon on Monday as we teamed up with the Great Athlete programme to raise money for new sports equipment for our school. 💜

We were incredibly lucky to welcome Invictus... Games and Commonwealth Games competitor Sean Gaffney, who put our children through their paces with an energetic sponsored fitness circuit. 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

The hall was filled with energy as the children got their bodies moving, their hearts racing and cheered one another on throughout the challenge. It was wonderful to see so much Team Spirit, Resilience and encouragement on display, with our Badger Values shining through from start to finish. ⭐💜

After the circuit, the children enjoyed an inspiring Q&A session with Sean. He spoke openly about his life, the barriers he has overcome and the determination and motivation that have helped him achieve so much in sport. His message linked perfectly with our value of being Aspirational, reminding our children of the importance of continuing to challenge themselves and aim high. 🌟

Sean left us with a brilliant motto:

“Be good today, be better tomorrow.” 💪⭐

A huge thank you to Sean for spending the afternoon with us and to our children for throwing themselves into the challenge with such enthusiasm. We were incredibly proud to be Badgers. 💜🦡

📣 Sponsorship reminder

Please remember that all completed sponsorship forms and collected money need to be returned to school by Monday.

Thank you to our whole school community for your continued support. 💜

🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️ Cross Country Stars at Redcar Racecourse ⭐

What a fantastic day our Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 children had competing in the cross country event at Redcar Racecourse. ☀️

We took 40 children along to represent Badger Hill across six races: Y3/4 girls, Y3/4 ...boys, Y5 girls, Y5 boys, Y6 girls and Y6 boys.

The sun was shining, the atmosphere was brilliant and our children were fantastic from start to finish. They were incredibly well behaved, showed wonderful sportsmanship and, most importantly, ran their hearts out. 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️💜

We were especially proud to see our Badger Values shining through throughout the day. Our children showed fantastic Team Spirit, encouraging and supporting one another before, during and after each race, as well as Respect for their fellow competitors, staff and everyone involved in the event. ⭐

Every single child gave their very best effort and represented Badger Hill with pride and enthusiasm. There were certainly some tired legs by the end, but there were also lots of very proud faces. 💜

🌟 A very special mention has to go to Scarlett in Year 5, who produced an absolutely incredible performance to finish 4th out of more than 80 runners in the Year 5 girls’ race. To finish so high in such a large field of runners is a phenomenal achievement, and we are incredibly proud of her. 🏅👏

A brilliant day of running, resilience and representing our school.

What fantastic ambassadors for Badger Hill 💜⭐

Cleveland School Sport Partnership CIC

🌱 This Week in Nursery🌸

Our little learners have been busy hands-on explorers this week. Here is a look at what we've been up to:

Budding Gardeners 🌷
We rolled up our sleeves and transformed into fantastic gardeners. The children grabbed their gardening tools ...to clear weeds from our flower beds, added rich compost, and mixed it thoroughly into the soil. Then, we dug deep holes to plant special bulbs. We learned that with a little care and patience now, these bulbs will grow into beautiful, colorful flowers come springtime.

Making Our Mark 🎨
Circle power took over our creative areas this week! We practiced our fine motor skills by drawing circles everywhere—tracing continuous circles in the sand tray and painting vibrant round faces on the easel.

Maths & Music 🐸
In our maths area, we've been practicing counting through song. The children loved singing along to Five Little Speckled Frogs, using the interactive sound buttons to jump into the pond and keep count together.

Another wonderful week of growing, creating, and learning together! ✨

⭐ FULL HOUSE FRIDAY ⭐

A huge congratulations to Lilly (KS1) and Jack (KS2) who were both winners in our attendance raffle this week. They have both had 100% attendance all week and have earned themselves a £10 B&M voucher each.

Who will our lucky winners be next week? ...👀

🚁 Great North Air Ambulance Visit 🚁

On Monday, the children were lucky enough to learn all about the incredible work of the Great North Air Ambulance Service. 💛

We found out how the charity helps people in emergencies, how much it costs to keep the service running and who... makes up the team on board. The children were fascinated to learn that the helicopter crew includes a doctor, a paramedic and a pilot, and that their aim is to bring the hospital to the patient, wherever they may be. 🚑🚁

We also discovered that during the night, the team uses a specially equipped emergency response car instead of the helicopter. 🌙

The children learned about the importance of fundraising to help keep this amazing service going, including the popular ‘Do a Mile for Miles’ challenge, featuring their mascot, Miles! 🐾

A huge thank you to the Great North Air Ambulance Service for taking the time to visit us and teach the children about such an important and life-saving service. ❤️

Great North Air Ambulance Service