Dear Parents and Carers,
A reminder that we are closed on Monday 14th June for an INSET Day.
COVID - A Message from Bristol City Council
Dear families,
In light of an increased level of cases of COVID-19 in our schools, which includes a number of cases of the Delta variant first identified in India (VOC-21APR-02, lineage B.1617), we are taking great care to track, trace and contain infection in line with our Local Outbreak Management Plan and national public health guidance.
National Public Health guidance has not changed, however, we encourage families to be extra vigilant during this time. It is really important that we do everything we can to make sure there is no additional risk to the wider community. We are responding to an ever-evolving situation which means our Public Health teams must act quickly, effectively and flexibly.
It is so important at this time of gradual ‘unlocking’ and with a new variant in circulation, that we all follow these four key steps:
Secondary school students should continue to carry out twice weekly lateral flow (rapid) testing; this helps us to identify positive cases of the virus where people have no symptoms.
We encourage families to make full use of facilities across Bristol to carry out twice weekly lateral flow (rapid) testing; parents, carers and guardians can collect tests from local pharmacies, Bristol collection sites or by ordering on GOV.UK.
If you or your child has symptoms of COVID-19 or get a positive lateral flow (rapid) test result, you must self-isolate immediately and book a PCR test.
Anyone who is self-isolating because they have been in close contact with someone who's tested positive, should also book a PCR test to check whether they were also infected – however, they will still have to self-isolate for the full 10 days if they have a negative result.
As ever, if children are not feeling well, please consider carefully whether they need to kept home, and if they or other family members develop COVID symptoms whilst at home, arrange a test.
The main symptoms of COVID-19 are:
- a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back
- a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours
- a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
About 1 in 3 people with COVID-19 do not have symptoms but can still infect others. This is why lateral flow (rapid) testing is very important.
We have been encouraged by the uptake of lateral flow (rapid) testing by school children, families, parents, carers and guardians to date and want to thank everyone who continues to participate.
This form of testing is quick, free and helps to pick up positive cases of the virus where people have no symptoms and are highly infectious. By identifying these positive cases early on, we can quickly enable people to self-isolate and cut off the chain of transmission.
It is very important that everyone is extra vigilant in light of these rising infection rates. As ever, if children are not feeling well, please consider carefully whether they need to be kept at home.
Thank you once again for your patience, flexibility, and sacrifice during this challenging time.
For more information about how and where to get lateral flow (rapid) tests, visit the local authority website.
If you have symptoms and need to book a PCR test, visit GOV.UK.
Support is on offer through the We Are Bristol helpline for anyone who needs emergency assistance getting food, medicines or guidance about financial support to self-isolate. Call 0800 694 0184 for free if you need help.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your school.
Chill Time Klub
At the moment because of Covid 19 restrictions we are only offering Chill Time Klub to parents that need it for work. We must limit the children, to keep the children and staff as safe as possible. Unfortunately this limits the freedom the children have had at Chill Time and restricts what they can do and play with. We hope to be back to normal as soon as it is safe to do so.
ZigZags
Please can parents not park or pull up on the zigzag lines outside of school. They are there to keep our children safe. Thank you.
Breakfast Klub - some updates
We are pleased to announce that Breakfast Klub will start again, after the holiday, for children in Reception - Year 6.
However the way in which we are organising the club is changing as well as a moderate increase in costs:
The cost is now £1.50, which includes breakfast (please note that children will not be given breakfast if they arrive after 8.20am). We are aware that some parents are concerned about the increase in cost - we will review this and let you know if any changes can be made.
Parents and carers will need to pay using the School Gateway app - we cannot access cash payment.
Due to the new system, we are asking for parents and carers to make a minimum payment of £7.50 (covering 5 sessions) which will avoid the school paying additional fees.
To access the School Gateway App the office needs your email address on the system
All sessions must be booked online using the School Gateway app by 7.30am at the latest, for each day being booked.
If you have any difficulties accessing the School Gateway app, please contact Mrs Martin after 10am
Unfortunately we cannot yet offer Breakfast Klub for nursery children. This is because of the need for a higher level of staff supervision needed. We are planning to welcome nursery children to a breakfast club as soon as possible.
Places Available
The school is almost full but we do have some space available in a number of year groups. If you know somebody who might need a school place, please ask them to contact the school office.
Faith Newsletters
From now on, we will be sharing a monthly faith newsletter that celebrates the Catholic ethos of the school. As we move through Lent towards the end of a very challenging but incredibly successful term, our eyes are fixed on the message of hope that Easter brings. Click on the link below.
Medical Appointments
The start and end of the school day is very important and it has become noticeable that children are being collected early for different appointments. Please can you make these appointments for out of school hours.
When there is an unavoidable appointment, we will request evidence to authorise the absence.
Attendance
Well done to the following classes who had attendance at over 97% this week:
- Year 5 with 97% attendance
Headteacher’s Awards
The following children will receive an award in next week’s Celebration Assembly. Videos of Celebration Assemblies are now shared on our Facebook page.
Reception -
- Michelle - for showing determination in her PE lessons to move around the hall in various ways and participate alongside her peers.
- Esme - for making a fantastic start to school by throwing herself into the adult led activities as well as playing alongside others during her own play.
- Reggie for asking fantastic questions to others when talking about our holidays during carpet time.
Year 1 -
- Rocco - for his fantastic independent writing about what he did in the holidays.
- Kamil - For working really hard in maths on fractions to find halves and quarters.
Year 2 -
- Ivan- For showing respect and understanding in our RE lesson and drawing a super picture of a Mosque.
- Toby- For achieving 100% in his Arithmetic test. What a superstar!
Year 3 -
- Kaiden- For always going above and beyond to help others. Kaiden is a fantastic role model to other children and is always the first to offer help to other children and adults (even helping his peers to tie their shoelaces). What a star!
- Emily- For showing fantastic enthusiasm in maths to tell the time using both analogue and digital clocks.
Year 4 -
- Harley - Harley responds to every challenge he faces with positivity and enthusiasm. He is the class cheerleader, always encouraging his classmates with words of motivation.
- Freya - Freya has continued to impress us with her diligence and hardworking approach, not only in class, but also at home. She showed great kindness this week in our swimming lesson, helping her classmates and supporting them when they felt nervous or unsure.
Year 5 -
- Emily W - for her considered use of new vocabulary which really brings her setting to life - painting a picture in the reader’s mind.
Year 6
- All of Year 6 - For a brilliant week! You’ve worked hard to find solutions to problems. You have supported each other and you have been fun to teach - well done!
Dates for Diaries
INSET - Monday 14th June.
Term 5 - Term 5 starts Tuesday 20th April 2021 to Friday 28 May 2021.
Term 6 - Monday 7 June 2021 to Wednesday 21 July 2021.
Start of 2021-22 school year - Monday 6th September
Yours sincerely
Matt Condon
Headteacher
