What Parents and Carers Need to Know about Fortnite Chapter 4

Like Super Mario Bros, Sonic the Hedgehog and Pokémon before it, Fortnite is one of those video games that’s carved out a place in more mainstream pop culture, beyond consoles and computers. You’ll almost inevitably have seen Fortnite-branded merchandise, from clothing to backpacks to action figures – while the developers, Epic, are reportedly exploring film and TV options. This welter of spin-off products and media projects suggests (not inaccurately) that Fortnite’s fan-base tends toward the younger end of the age spectrum. This, as our #WakeUpWednesday guide points out, entails parents and carers keeping a watchful eye open for hazards including phishing scams, expensive in-game purchases and inappropriate language over Fortnite’s audio chat.

As of January this year, Fortnite was registering as the second most-played video game by pre-teens in the US, ahead of Minecraft and closely behind Roblox. Consider also that one in five (22%) Fortnite fans devotes a minimum of 10 hours per week to the game, and that 77% of Fortnite players have made at least one in-game purchase.

Clearly, habitual repeated Fortnite marathons and the likelihood of spending actual money on that ‘must-have’ new weapon or outfit are among the most frequent risks for young gamers. As this week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide outlines, however, those aren’t the only potential hazards in Fortnite that that trusted adults need to be mindful of.

Science Fair

Throughout the term Key Stage 3 pupils have been learning about forces, within the last three weeks of lessons they have been planning their own investigations based around a particular topic.

Pupils have worked extremely hard with this and have had lots of fun in the process of testing out there inventions.

When it came to the Science Fair there was nothing but enthusiasm from our students demonstrating the knowledge that they had gained to explain their experiments to both parents and carers, along with physics students from our school as well as the University of Lincoln.

Pupils also had the chance to have a go at an pendulum experiment that we did not have in school, which was great fun too.

We would like to thank the effort made by everybody to make this event a success, it was just a lovely afternoon.

Leaping to the Call.

Science fair experiment leads to a surprising outcome. On the success and immense interest in his ‘Moon Shoes’, one of our Year 7 students has taken it on them selves to use this interest to start a collection for the British Heart Foundation. Charging 50p a viewing/demonstration; so far, the student has managed to collect over £11 and the total is still climbing.

We are incredibly proud of his ingenuity and creativity, not to mention his altruism.

Truly inspiring.

"Local employer Lincolnshire Co-op is to run a month of careers-related activity at Athena School in Lincoln, with help from the LEP’s own Careers Hub.

Activities throughout January will focus on Lincolnshire Co-op and its different areas of activity. Talks and enterprise sessions will showcase the different opportunities for careers and skills development at the society, and all students at the school will take part."

Click here to find out more about the Lincolnshire Co-op's visit to Athena School!

“Swap Shop” – clothes wanted!

The Swap Shop at Athena is open every Friday between 1pm and 2pm.

Where you'll find decent quality clothes, shoes and uniform, that can be exchanged for other clothes, shoes and uniform, of a similar or even better quality. No money will be involved in this venture and it will be an environmentally friendly way, where we can help the students and their families, without it costing them a penny. The Swap Shops will be held on a Friday afternoon each week and it is our aim to get as many students involved as possible. To keep this project replenished, we are asking staff and any parents or carers, if they have and are prepared to donate, any items that still have good life left in them. Please bring any donations into school and either speak to or e-mail Karen Hann, if you require any more information. Many thanks, in anticipation of your help.

'We need you to help our school community'

Peer mentoring will continue throughout the whole year.

You can nominate any time, so please do start using the form.

This is greatly appreciated by all the pupils and will have really positive outcomes.

[cms:asset 2461 title="WE NEED YOU nomination letter for all front of school"]

We work with the Mental Health Support team (MHST). We can refer pupils to the service and they can signpost us to varying support to cover lots of areas of mental wellbeing and the struggles our young people face. We have set up two parent drop-ins with the team so that parents and carers can get support and strategies and ask questions about their child.

If you wish to discuss the support further, with a view to a possible referral, please contact the school office in the first instance.

Please see the link below.

To book in for an appointment, please initially contact the school office and leave your name with them and your availability - we will then send you a team link or book a face to face appointment time through the MHST depending upon which you prefer.

If you are not available on these dates, still please do get in touch and we can arrange a time more convenient for you.

If you have any question or queries about any support you feel your child or you may require, please don't hesitate in contacting the school.

We look forward to hearing from you and this being a real support to you for your child.

We understand that some of these issues can cause concern for parents and carers, as not everything on the internet is appropriate for every age group. The National Online Safety page provides support and advice for parents and carers who may be concerned about the material that their children are accessing online.

You can find the website here.

If you are struggling to access this information, please contact the school and you will be provided with a paper copy.