March 2021 Newsletter
Dear Parents, Carers and Children,
We hope that you all enjoyed some downtime during February half term. We have been delighted with your engagement in our live lessons and our Google classroom. We hope the break reinvigorated the children’s enthusiasm and we have been delighted with how they have begun this new term – thank you for your commitment and support…only one more week of home learning!
Over the February break, the season of Lent began. We shared via Twitter a lovely reflection from St. Francis which really resonated in these difficult times. Lent is an opportunity to renew and refresh ourselves as we await the celebration of the Risen Lord so for those of you who want to give things up, perhaps take inspiration of Pope Francis:
General updates
Wider opening
As you will now be aware, the Prime Minister last week announced plans for the full return of primary children from w/b 8th March. We cannot wait to see the all the children in person again. Full details of the full reopening of school will be issued early next week. Please be reassured that we will be guided by Government guidelines and will put in place robust risk assessments to ensure we keep our staff and your children safe.
Home learning and new timetable
Please can children continue to access the morning live learning at their allocated times over the next week. The expected daily learning will be on Google Classroom each day – if anyone requires resources in advance of this please contact your child’s class teacher.
Following feedback, we have tried to provide even more variety to our remote timetable this week. As well as the core learning (RE, Writing and Maths) and live PE lessons, French activities etc we have added weekly Reading lessons and on afternoons, Wellbeing Wednesday’s and Fun filled Friday’s so children can enjoy emotional and mental health activities, baking, painting or even watch a film! We hope this allows children (and you) a bit of ‘downtime.’
Online reading
A lovely way to connect with children during these stressful times, is by reading together. As such, we hope you enjoy engaging in our new online reading content. Reading opens the door to so many opportunities. If you need any support accessing independent reading books please contact the school office or your child’s class teacher.
Social media
If you are not already a follower, please follow us via our Facebook page or for Twitter request to follow us @stbernadettesm We only accept names on Twitter we recognise so please inform your child’s class teacher/school office if you have requested to follow us but we have not accepted you.
FSM Vouchers
Please note that all families in receipt of free school meals, (non-universal KS1 meals), will receive Government vouchers this week and next. They will cease from w/b 8th March when children return to school.
Nursery Places
If you have a child (or have friends or family with a child) who is due to start nursery either this year or next, and haven’t yet completed an application. Please contact the school office. Nursery places are available for 15 hours, morning or afternoon, and also 30 hours (full day sessions).
Local grant
You may have seen across local social media about our school receiving a £250,000 grant following recent housing developments. We can confirm our application for building works was successful and we look forward to sharing the plans with you in due course once the grant has been received.
RSE
This week we shared with you a brand-new Relationship Education programme for Catholic primary schools, titled ‘Life to the Full.’ The information provided a brief overview of this programme including a link to the parent portal and consultation tool. Once you have completed the consultation tool, please complete the parent questionnaire. We would really appreciate your input. We will teach our RSE curriculum in the summer term this year and then throughout the academic year in 2021-2022. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask Miss Brady.
Live lessons
There are still a small number of parents who have not consented to new Live lesson form. We have sent a reminder via your Arbor app- please open your app and complete the consent if you haven’t already.
February Events
E-safety week
On the w/b 8th February all children across the school explored a variety of age appropriate e-safety themes. Mr Bourner led a whole school assembly and this was followed up by discussions and activities relating to our whole school theme: ‘Together for a better Internet’ focussing on online identity, and asking our children to consider whether they and their peers are truly free to be themselves online. By opening up conversations around online identity, the aim was help us work towards creating a safer and inclusive internet. If you would like further information regarding securing your children’s technical devices please contact Mr Bourner or the school office.
St Hilda Day
On Friday 12th February, Miss Brady organised a Hilda day to celebrate the life of St Hilda, and increasing our understanding of her good deeds. We hope you enjoyed the day – the work shared with class teachers was fantastic! Hilda is one of our 4 school house groups. We will celebrate our other 3 Saints on dedicated Friday’s throughout the academic year.
Trust Audits
The Trust Standards team met with school leaders on 2nd February to discuss our remote education offer – they were extremely complimentary about our provision. On 10th February school leaders held remote discussions relating to safeguarding. All procedures and practices were in place.
Sport Updates
Mrs Smith was delighted so many children enjoyed the ‘Home Court app’ – this fun and interactive tool for regulating fitness in a competitive way is one of the many benefits to the digital world we now live in.
Mrs Smith will continue to highlight virtual workouts / 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.
Mrs Willet Fitness Workouts
Thank you to Mrs Willett for giving us all a ‘Joe Wicks’ style workout – our children and staff are loving it! Please join us on a Friday at 2pm via your child’s Google Classroom page. Everyone is welcome!
Future events
World Book Day
World Book Day falls on Thursday 4th March 2021. Miss Cuff has provided a flyer to outline our activities to support this exciting event, both in school and from home. Miss Cuff will host a live whole school assembly at 9am and will post all activities onto Google Classroom. The link for the assembly will be in the children’s Class Pages.
Red Nose Day
Red Nose Day is taking place on Friday 19th March. We will have a twist day where the staff will dress in uniforms and the children can dress like teachers (basically their own clothes). Please make any donations directly into ParentPay, all contributions welcome (minimum of £1).
Parent Consultations
Because of the remote learning the majority of children have been partaking in since January we will NOT have our usual March consultations. If any parents have any particular concerns or queries please raise them through your regular welfare calls or contact school. We will look to reschedule parents evening for the Summer term, once the children have had time to settle again and teachers can discuss attainment and progress more accurately.
PTA meeting
We will be holding a virtual PTA meet next week (Thursday 4th March, 7.30pm). We will discuss how future fundraising could look in the coming terms – if you are free to join us your input would be most appreciated. Please use this link to attend the meeting. https://meet.google.com/zrb-bhve-yce
Lenten Liturgies
This year, as we cannot invite you into school, we will share our annual reflective, prayerful Lenten liturgies via a video link. We will have class bubble reflections rather than mixed year groups. During Holy week we will record each class bubbles Liturgy and upload them to Google Classroom for families to share together. Year Six will also share with us a live Stations of the Cross on Maundy Thursday. The link will be available again via Google Classroom.
Year 6 2020-21 Residential (June 2021)
Regrettably, in view of Covid19 we have had to cancel the Year 6 residential visit to Robinwood. We will communicate with you details of refunds in respect of this trip in due course. We will look to organise some appropriate activities for the Year 6 group when it is safe to do so.
Year 6 2021-22 – Robinwood Residential (October 2021)
It is very difficult to plan ahead at present so as things stand we have not confirmed a date for a Year 6 residential (Robinwood or Northumberland). Once restrictions ease and the vaccination roll out is more widespread we will consider overnight residentials again.
And finally,
We could not be more grateful for the support you have given your children during these unprecedented times. Thank you! Let us hope, like the Prime Minister announced this week, the good times are in sight again.
Stay safe and see you Monday 8th March
Mr.P.Conway Miss S Brady
Head Teacher Head of School
