Dear Parents and Carers,

Start and end of school day - COVID

This morning I had a really useful discussion with parents about staggered start and end of day times. I had explained that we had intended to revert to normal timings, however the recent increase in infections due to the Delta variant had made us rethink and keep the existing arrangements to avoid large groups congregating outside of school at the same time.

As soon as we can relax these restrictions - we will. 

Again, thanks to the parents for having this discussion with me this morning.

Dealing with Problems

If parents have any problems regarding their child, they are always advised to see the class teacher. Alternatively you can always speak to Mrs Selway or myself on the front gate, or speak to the team in the office who will find the right person to help.

Recently we have had problems being shared on Facebook that have not been shared with the school. If we are told what you are worried about, we will always do our best to address your concerns.

Safer Internet Use

We have recently had some issues in school with children viewing inappropriate materials online. Can I remind you all that the following materials can help parents and children use the internet safely at home:

Please visit the UK Safer Internet Centre for more information for parents and carers -

• www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-centre/parents-and-carers
• Also, just a reminder that the following information can be found via the school website (www.ctk.education):
• NSPCC - Speak out. Stay Safe.
• Think you know
• Childline
• Domestic abuse advice
• Internet safety
• First Response contact details 

A Reminder - COVID - A Message from Bristol City Council

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 always, if children are not feeling well, please consider carefully whether they need to be 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

Can we again ask all parents and carers to inform us if your child has these symptoms. 

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 

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.

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.

Special Needs and Disabilities Information

There is information available on the school website regarding support for children with special needs and disabilities. Please click here to link to the information. 

Punctuality

We also have a number of children who are regularly collected late from school. Whilst we understand that parents and carers may be occasionally late collecting their child, it is unacceptable when this is a regular occurance. 

If you are late, due to unforeseen circumstances, please let the school office know.

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.

WE DO HAVE PLACES AVAILABLE FOR RECEPTION 2021

Attendance

Well done to the following classes who had attendance at over 97% this week:

• Year 6 with 98% attendance.
• Year 2 with 99% 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 - 

• Lilanna for writing over a page for the ‘Bog baby story’ thinking about the beginning, middle and end of the story.  
• Tad for blending using his known phonic sounds and reading sentences in his reading book. Tad has come on a long way with his reading. 

Year 1 -  

• Ryder - for his fantastic enthusiasm and participation in maths this week. You did so well with partitioning numbers - Well done!   You were also a fabulous helper on Friday morning.

Year 2 -

• Year two children - For working on a variety of skills in our PE session.  This included balancing on different parts of our body, passing the ball and beanbag using different body parts, communicating and working in a team.

Year 3 - 

• Bridie- For an incredible improvement in her reading since joining CTK at the start of the year. Bridie reads with great enthusiasm and expression and is always trying to challenge herself with tricky books. What a star! 
• Conrad- For working hard to build his resilience when things are difficult. Conrad has shown a brilliant, grown-up attitude to his learning this week. We are so proud! 

Year 4 -

• Jaiden- For working hard to build his resilience when faced with tricky situations. Jaiden also scored highly on his reading comprehension assessment which was very well deserved! 
• Cheyenne- For creating a fun rhyming poem inspired by Pelican Pelican. Cheyenne researched information about the snow leopard and used the facts to write an entertaining poem.

Year 5 -  

• Archie and Alexander - for taking their first attempts at a sketch, refining their technique and producing a great piece of art.

Year 6

• Marta - For supporting others to play nicely together. You helped Bernice and Chris to build a new playhouse and helped them work together.
• Jenson - For being our unsung hero during art this week. You were a fantastic helper for Miss Channing and the class. 

Dates for Diaries

End of school year - Wednesday 21 July 2021. 

Start of 2021-22 school year - Monday 6th September

Yours sincerely

Matt Condon

Headteacher