February newsletter 2021
Dear parents, parishioners and friends of St Bernadette’s,
What a strange month…. I am sure like us, you hoped we would not return to school closures following our enforced period of absence in March 2020. We cannot thank you enough for the way you once again are supporting your children in their home learning. Although the approach to home learning has moved on drastically since our last prolonged closure (live lessons/Google classroom), we really appreciate the levels of support that are required of you as a parent – thank you!
Staff are really trying their hardest to make it the best possible provision in such difficult circumstances. We have been delighted with the children’s engagement in live learning and most importantly in their response to the tasks on offer via Google Classroom.
Timetable
Please continue to engage in our timetable for remote learning. We have tried to stagger times for the consideration of families with multiple siblings requiring devices but once again if you need to loan an additional device please contact school asap.
Please can children access the morning live learning at their allocated times. Teachers will place weekly, the expected daily learning on Google Classroom but each day will explain learning in their morning sessions. Children can stay on line, or leave and work independently following the teacher input. The afternoon session is a drop in session for children who need further support/clarification from their teachers. One afternoon a week, teachers will also inform children of a remote PE session they can join.
Prayer life is so important, particularly in these difficult times. Each Wednesday afternoon we would like all children to log into our weekly Collective worship as outlined below. Links are available via your children’s Class page:
- Reception and Nursery: 1.30pm
- Year 1-3: 2pm
- Year 4-6 2.30pm
On Friday’s, our weekly House meeting will be pre-recorded and added to Class pages for children to watch at a time of their choosing on the afternoon.
| Class | Morning Live lesson 1 (all children)
Explanation of daily activities |
Afternoon drop in
(M, Tu, Th, Fr) Support session as directed by teacher or for children/parents requiring additional support |
| Nursery | 10.30am | 1.30pm Nursery online Collective worship |
| Reception | 10am | 1.30pm |
| Year 1 | 9.30am | 1pm |
| Year 2 | 9.30am | 1pm |
| Year 3 | 9.30am | 1.30pm |
| Year 4 | 9am | 1.30pm |
| Year 5 | 9am | 2pm |
| Year 6 | 9am | 2pm |
Please note, teachers may occasionally adjust timings if unavoidable disruptions such as staffing pressures/bubble closures etc occur or add additional live learning experiences but this will be communicated with you/children directly.
Welfare calls
School staff enjoy hearing how you are and if we can support in any way. They will contact you regularly to offer educational support but most importantly to see that you are all safe and well.
Basic skills
Reading: (Rec-Y6) As a school, we appreciate the importance of reading and how vital your role is in supporting us with this. Reading regularly, opens doors to children’s imaginations and helps them maintain their progress across the whole curriculum.
To support you with home reading during these enforced closures, Miss Cuff has purchased additional e-books in line with our reading schemes (Oxford Reading Tree and Accelerated reading). This will allow you to practise reading at home – please sign records as normal and inform your teachers every 100 reads. We will celebrate this in house meetings.
Miss Cuff will send out official communication to outline how to access e books (EYFS-Y3 Oxford reading tree and Y4-6 Accelerated read books) in the coming week.
Rockstars: (Y1-6) Children have in their reading records, log on details to a times-table resource ‘Rockstars’. Knowledge of times tables is the bedrock to mathematical development. You should also have your child’s white skills booklet –please record in the back of the white records, your practice of key skills and inform your teachers every 50 practices. Again, we will celebrate this in house meeting.
Mr.Bourner has created a learning video to explain the rationale behind our Reception to Y6 ‘100 read’ scheme and our Y1-6 ‘Times tables’ booklets. If you have not already seen it please visit our school website and please continue to support our initiatives– it makes a massive difference! https://stbernadettes.npcat.org.uk/curriculum-support-videos/
E safety
School safeguarding leads have been made aware by Middlesbrough Council of dangers relating to an app called OMEGLE – ‘a chat app’. Apps like these present risks to young people accessing inappropriate content, explicit imagery and exploitation.
As children are now accessing more online material, please regularly remind children around keeping safe online and discuss and monitor positive ways of communicating with others. School are happy to discuss placing restrictions on home devices – if you would like to discuss this further please contact school. Please raise any concerns regarding inappropriate online activity, or communication immediately to myself or your child’s class teacher.
The following websites are recommended by GOV.UK-please have a look:
- Thinkyouknow (advice from the National Crime Agency to stay safe online)
- Internet matters (support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online)
- Parent info (support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online)
- LGfL (support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online)
- Net-aware (support for parents and carers from the NSPCC)
School’s Out
Numbers in our School’s Out provision, are obviously very low at present and where staffing pressures allow we will continue to remain open to key workers. To ensure we can plan adequately for staffing, please inform the school office if you are going to be collecting from School’s Out after 4pm.
Virtual Clubs/P. E
With current lockdown restrictions in place, many of our usual outlets for physical health are unavailable at present.
Teachers are inviting children to weekly P.E lessons via the afternoon link on their Google Classroom.
In addition, NPCAT will be publishing a ‘Weekly Workout’ designed for all children, young people and adults to take part in. Mrs. Smith will be highlighting these and other virtual clubs to you across Twitter. Please encourage the children to access these. We would love you to respond via our Twitter using the hashtag #NPCATSportSuperstars. In turn NPCAT Sport would like to share some of these active photos (yours and in school tweets) via their public social media accounts (no individual names will be used). If you do not want your child’s sport photo to be shared via NPCAT media outlets please inform the school office or email [email protected] by Monday 1st February.
Timetable – commencing Monday 24th January
Monday – Motivation and Weekly Workout
Tuesday – Tuesday Tips for Keeping Fit
Wednesday – 60 Second Challenge
Thursday – Teaser Trailer
Friday – NPCAT Sport Superstars Showcase
Parent portal
We have launched a new Parent Portal called ‘Arbor’, which will ultimately replace our current systems: eschools and ParentPay. Please download the app if you haven’t already. 96% of parents have already done this. Your log in details have been emailed to you. Please contact the office if you need any support.
If you haven’t done so already, please complete your consent via the app for children’s participation in live lessons this weekend.
School website
Please visit the COVID section of the school website to access support videos, COVID information, emergency contact details and our remote policies. https://stbernadettes.npcat.org.uk/ – COVID 19 tab.
ParentPay
As we approach the end of this half term, please can we ask that all items on ParentPay are paid in full. There are some payments outstanding for Christmas crafts, school meals and schools In/Out.
FSM
As we face our 3rd lockdown, if you are struggling financially in any way, we would strongly urge you to complete a FSM form (Free School Meals). If you would like to discuss this further or have any questions please contact school and speak to Mr Conway/Miss Brady directly. By accessing this support, the WE CAN HELP YOU NOW through food vouchers/hampers!
For those children eligible for ‘free school meals’, a voucher system has been introduced this week wc 25.01.21. Vouchers will be provided for children eligible for free school meals during school closures (term only). If this applies to you and you require further clarification or have not received your voucher please do not hesitate to make contact.
Hope and a Future
In the first day of term Miss Brady led a whole school liturgy in line with our Trust theme: ‘A hope and a future.’ Work has been celebrated via our school fence. Future liturgies and related actions will continue to link with this theme.
Future events
Robinwood (June 2021)
Unfortunately, it is likely that we will cancel the Year 6 residential this June. We are awaiting clarification from Robinwood on this process and will update Year 6 parents accordingly.
School closures
This week, the Prime Minister announced that it will not be possible to resume face-to-face learning immediately after the February half-term and instead hopes it will be safe to commence the re-opening of schools at the earliest from Monday 8 March. Education settings, as well as parents and carers will be given at least two weeks’ notice to prepare for a return to face-to-face education. We will of course keep you updated on future announcements, but as we have communicated previously, we find out in ‘real time’ too and have no advance details other than what you also hear/read.
In line with Government guidance, we will continue to be open to Nursery children and from Reception to Year 6. We are only open to vulnerable children and the children of critical workers. Unfortunately, we have had a few bubble closures this month so it is vital we continue to limit in school numbers where we can to contain the spread of coronavirus; so please, if you can, keep children at home at this time. If you do need to go to work to support the country’s fight to tackle coronavirus, contact the school office or our email school ([email protected]) by 3pm each THURSDAY to request a place in our school for the following week (N-Y6). Please inform school if your child is having a packed lunch a school dinner (hot/cold options available daily). Also ensure school are aware if you require a School’s Out place beyond 4pm.
Staffing news
A reminder that Mrs Whitfield will be returning to teach in EYFS w/c 22nd February following her maternity leave. Mrs Whitfield has had several ‘keeping in touch’ days. She will return for 3 days a week and work alongside Mrs Andrews and Miss Lumley.
And finally,
Wednesday Word
Please find below the link for this Sunday’s Gospel reading and explanation activities:
https://www.paperturn-view.com/uk/wednesday-word/teacher?pid=MTA101634&v=16.7
February half term
Please be aware that school will close as usual over February half-term and will not be open to vulnerable children and the children of critical workers during that week. The children will not receive any additional work that week either.
THANK YOU!
Once again – thank you for all that you are doing to support your children. We would like to reiterate our thanks to the school staff and to you all for your unwavering support during this very difficult time. The positive messages give school staff a huge lift! Thanks for the 32 people who have already responded to our survey. If you haven’t yet completed our remote education survey, your feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Remember although school is closed to many at present – we remain open to you all if you need us! Please contact Mr Conway or Miss Brady via the school office if you need anything at all. We continue to face significant difficulties together, and we will continue to rise to the challenge.
God Bless,
Mr P Conway Miss S Brady
