Dear parents,
We hope you and your families are all well and have had a good, if a very different, Christmas.
January return
We are sure you will have seen this weeks’ media coverage of the Government’s latest announcement for the start of term. To confirm, there are no changes to our published reopening for Nursery to Year 6. St Bernadette’s will reopen from Tuesday 5th January. Monday 4th January is a PD day so school will not be open to children.
Staggered times
Thank you for dropping and collecting children at the staggered times we have had in place this year and your support with attendance. Last term we had a record high in terms of attendance – thank you! Timings will remain unaltered as we move into 2021.
Please be reminded that to manage social distancing guidance we would like prompt drop off and collection times. Also please be careful in the light of recent weather of icy conditions.
| Nursery | Reception | Y1/Y2 | Y3/Y4 | Y5/Y6 | |
| Drop off time | Morning: 8.30-8.40am
Afternoon: 12.15-12.30pm |
8.30-8.40am | 8.40-8.50am | 8.50-8.55am | 8.55-9.00am |
| Collection time | Morning: 11.15-11.30am
Afternoon: 2.30pm-3.15pm
From class/EYFS playground
|
2.30-2.40pm
From class/EYFS playground |
2.40-2.50pm
Y1 – Zone 1 Y2 – Zone 2 |
2.50-3pm
Y3 – Zone 3 Y4 – Zone 4 |
3-3.10pm
Y5 – Zone 4 Y6 – Zone 3 |
To maximise curriculum time and minimise disruption to lessons, families with multiple sibling links should arrive at the earliest sibling time slot. Parents should collect at the latest time slot therefore please collect oldest children first and proceed to younger children’s exit points.
PE
Please also be reminded that from January we will be asking children to wear PE kits again (Rec-Y6). PE kit consists of: a t-shirt in your child’s house colour, plain blue shorts, trainers (for outdoor use) and plimsolls (for indoor use), a purple hoody and navy joggers. We do not permit branded t-shirts/football tops etc so please ensure children come to school in the correct attire on their set days:
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| · Reception, Y5 | · Y3, Y4, Y5 | · Y6, Y4, Y2 | · Y1, Y2 | · Y6, Y3, Y1 |
Google Classroom
Under current guidance, unfortunately bubble closures may occur from time to time. In the event of a year/school closure we use Google Classroom/Google Video Meet to maintain children’s learning experiences. Please can children complete any home learning in their homework books – for the foreseeable future please can we kindly ask you to check these but not return them to school. Please regularly practise logging onto your child’s class page for homework so you can access this as required. Also please be reminded that if any children are absent, as a result of COVID testing or Track and Trace, key skills work will be placed on the Google Classroom class pages weekly.
Tier 4
We understand that being placed in Tier 4 will cause some concern about returning to school. The increasing number of positive COVID cases, both locally and nationally, will have caused anxieties among many of us. As a school, we have put in place stringent measures that mitigate as far as possible the transmission of the virus, while at the same time minimising disruption to both you and your children. Please be assured of our continued vigilance in this respect in ensuring your children are kept safe.
And finally,
A Hope and a future
On Tuesday 5th January the whole school will be engaging in a Trust project – ‘A Hope and a future.’ We will be having a special retreat day where we will focus on the message of hope and looking forward with positivity! It will be a lovely way of starting the new year…’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ Jeremiah 29:11
Either Tuesday 5th or at some point this week please could all children bring in a small, clean, empty plastic bottle – children will place a message of hope in them which will in turn be displayed in our prayer garden.
Further updates
If we receive any further DfE/Trust updates we will be in touch. Please be advised, however, that schools do not get any advance notification of government announcements and our response is often in real time.
Thank you for your continued support and flexibility in these ever-changing times.
Kind regards
Mr Conway and Miss Brady
Reflection
‘The same everlasting Father who cares for you today will care for you tomorrow and every day. Either he will shield you from suffering or give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace then and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginings…do not be disheartened by your struggles, but always rise up again and again with fresh courage. We shall steer safely through every storm, so long as our heart is right, our intention generous, our courage steadfast, and our trust fixed on the mystery of a loving God.’
St Francis de Sales, a heart centred humanist Christian from around 1600AD
