December Letter

Dear Parent/Carer,

 

I would once again like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your continued commitment, support and understanding with the strict Covid-19 safety measures we have put in place in school. These are strange and difficult times but we continue to try and make school as ‘normal’ and as welcoming as possible for our children, while maintaining strict Covid protocols. 

 

I am sure that you understand that every decision and action we take has a multitude of different factors and considerations behind them. I appreciate that some of these measures can be challenging to comply with but they have been very carefully planned to ensure the school follows government guidelines to remain Covid secure. 

 

There have been, over the last few weeks, many reports of Covid outbreaks in the local and wider community.  This is a timely reminder for us to stay vigilant and to strictly maintain our Covid safety measures to help our community remain safe and well and our school open. Again, thank you for your commitment and support with this. 

 

Parent consultations:

This week marks the end of four weeks of parents’ evenings. Thank you to all the parents and carers involved in the phone consultations. It was certainly different and the teachers have all commented on how much they enjoyed the chance to speak to you about your children’s progress. 

 

Warm clothing:

Government guidance remains that a well-ventilated room, with free-flowing air, minimises the spread of the Covid virus. Therefore, schools are advised that doors and windows should remain open to allow fresh air in. With this in mind, we would recommend that children wear an extra layer of clothing under their uniforms or bring a body warmer during these cold months. 

 

Filming: 

We are staging a promotional filming event next term - date to be confirmed. A virtual tour of the school will be created, along with photographs of the children and aerial of the school site. We will then release the video and images on our website. As you know, we have a policy in place regarding the taking, making and use of images and you will have previously signed a consent form stating whether your child could be photographed. If you have any concerns regarding this, please contact the school office.

Walk to School:

As part of our efforts to improve our children’s fitness and to also help the environment, we would like to encourage all our pupils to walk to school as much as they can. We understand that some people do have to drive due to the distance they live from school but we request that you park up away from the school gates and walk the final part of the journey. 

 

School drop off and pick up:

Now that the systems for dropping your children at school are working more smoothly and are more familiar to you, here are some reminders to make sure we are all playing our part in keeping everyone safe and the school open.  

·       Please use the correct gate (according to the Year group of your child) when entering the school grounds.

·       If there is a queue when you arrive, please give way to others to ensure social distancing is maintained. 

·       Wear a mask when on the school site or queuing, if you are able to do so. 

 

The vast majority of you are doing these things and we thank you. If you are not dropping or collecting your child, please inform the person responsible about the one-way system and the expectations above. 

 

School dinners: 

May we respectfully remind all parents that you should never accumulate arrears in your school dinner payment balance. School meals are charged at £2.30 per child per day. All payments should be made via our online portal www.parentpay.com

 

If you need any assistance with your account or your circumstances have changed recently and you feel you are eligible for Free School Meals, please email or call the school office.  Please do talk to us so that we can arrange an affordable payment plan. 

 

January return:

The school will be closed on Monday 4th January for an INSET day (staff training).  

Children will return on Tuesday 5th January.

 

Wishing you all a safe and relaxing Christmas break.

 

Mrs Sarah Jack

Headteacher