Dear Parents,
It has been a busy week at school! As I am sure you are aware, there are a few confirmed cases of COVID19 in school. I appreciate that this is a bit of an anxious time and I am grateful for your on-going understanding and support.
A couple of key points – please do not, at this stage, use an LFT test or request a PCR test for your children under 11. If they do not have any symptoms and are feeling well, you may gain a false sense of security from a negative PCR, only for children to develop symptoms a couple of days later. These PCR tests are not pleasant for anyone, and I’m sure your child will not appreciate having to take 2 in quick succession!
Please also bear a thought for our teachers! Previously, a class was usually ALL in isolation due to the ‘bubbles’. Now, there are children needing to access work due to individual self-isolation meaning the teachers have to plan both for in person teaching and adapt for remote learning. A lot of extra work goes in to this. Please bear with us, particularly if it is your child’s first day of isolation, and work will be sent through. The priority, though, needs to be on ensuring the children rest up and recuperate if they are are unwell. As a rule of thumb, if you would not send them in to school due to their ill health, please don’t ask them to plough through all the home learning!
You should have received (or about to receive) an invitation to sign up for learning reviews for 19th or 20th. Due to the continued high rate of covid locally, we have decided that these will again be held by zoom. Zoom links will be sent out next week. It is an important opportunity to find out how your children have settled in to the new school and how you can support their next steps in learning.
Life Base
We were lucky to have a visit from Kate and the Life Base this week. In previous years, you will recall Key Stage 2 children walking up to the ‘Life Bus’ but we are so pleased to have been able to offer this provision to children in Key Stage 1 too! The children sat in a specially adapted inflatable tent and took part in a PSHE session, perfectly tailored to their age. I’m sure the children will be able to tell you all about it! We place a high emphasis on supporting children to develop their knowledge and awareness of all matters around health and well-being and this annual event provides an extra opportunity to build on these skills.
Mini-Marathon
We were so pleased to welcome Tim Hill and Ruth Pierson to school yesterday to share their Marathon experiences. It was inspiring to hear about their successes and fascinating to find out about the marathons around the world. The children were amazed by the support between the athletes and the sheer determination needed to complete these super-human events! Below, you can find some links to the video clips that were shared as I am sure that some of the children would love to watch them again and share them with you.
I am sure that this experience spurred the children on as they completed their own Mini-marathons. It was lovely that many of you were able to come and cheer the children on as they crossed the finish line and it was great to have an event where the school community could come together. I’m sure you’ll agree that the gloomy weather didn’t dampen our spirits! Currently, the sponsorship total stands at over £1,700, which is a great boost to our fundraising efforts for the MUGA. It’s not too late to donate, please head over to our local giving page: https://localgiving.org/fundraising/bidboroughptaminimarathon/
Many thanks to Mrs Hill, Mr Carrick and the whole team of helpers for their support in organising this event. If anyone needs convincing of the need for an all-weather pitch, do pop by and look at the state of the field this afternoon following rugby and football clubs!
Have a great weekend.
Kind regards,
Julie Burton
Headteacher
#WeRunTogether - Virgin Money London Marathon 2021
Marathon Des Sables
Newsletter - 8th October
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