Headteacher Newsletters
June 2020
Dear Parents/Carers,
As we make our way to the end of the most unusual term I think we are ever likely to experience, I wanted to update you on the current situation in school and all of the upcoming events.
Virtual Class Meetings
Thank you to those of you who have supported your children in joining our first live virtual class meetings through Microsoft Teams. Each of the teachers commented on how lovely it has been to see the faces of those children who have not been in school and I am sure the children relished the opportunity to see some of their classmates. We have been holding similar online calls for the children in school to give them the same opportunities as the majority of them are not with their usual class teachers in their bubbles. Apologies to those of you who attempted to join the calls but encountered technical difficulties logging in – we are currently working with ICT Services to resolve these issues and if you had problems but have not let us know, please do so by telephone or via e-mail to admin@meolebrace-pri.shropshire.sch.uk.
The School Office
The School office remains closed to visitors except for pre-arranged appointments. We therefore ask that any messages be relayed via e-mail or telephone call for everyone’s safety.
Uniform
Ordinarily at this time of the year, many parents/carers would be purchasing new uniform for next term, but we have been unable to facilitate this in the usual way as we cannot welcome additional people into school with the safety measures we have in place. We are accepting online orders as before though and if you purchase any uniform, but your child is not currently in school, you will then be able to arrange a date and time with the school office to come to collect it.
Follow Us on Twitter
If you are yet to do so, please follow us on Twitter @Meole_Primary – we will use this increasingly to share school activities and to keep you up to date with all the latest news and events.
Virtual Sports Week
Instead of our traditional Sports Days, this year we are going to have our first ever virtual Sports Week with a series of challenges to be released each day during the week beginning Monday 6th July. This is an event for us all to get involved with at home and please share your children’s efforts by e-mailing photos and videos to the class teachers or Tweet them to us @Meole_Primary. Staff will be sure to share our attempts with you too and it would be great to see everyone getting involved to keep us active and connected. To find out more, visit our Twitter feed or the dedicated page on our website:
http://www.meolebraceceprimary.co.uk/page/sports-week-2020/77753.
Virtual Move-up Meetings
By now those of you with children in any year group other than Year 6, will have received a letter with information about classes and teachers for next year. Because we are unable to hold our usual Move-up Morning, we are going to host virtual meetings with the children’s new class teachers on Microsoft Teams during the final week of term beginning Monday 13th July. These meetings will be for entire classes with the teachers and the children both at home and in school and will be an opportunity for all of the children to see each other, to meet their new teachers and to hear about their new classrooms. It would be wonderful if every child in each class could be on these calls so if you have been having difficulties with Microsoft Teams, just let us know. Please see the guidance and policy for video conferencing sent out previously and look out for the e-mail invitation to come.
Virtual Year 6 Leavers’ Assembly
This year our annual Year 6 Leavers’ Assembly will be held online. Children in school and at home will be able to take part via video conference and parents/carers will receive an invitation to join the call in order to watch it online at 9.30am on Friday 17th July, the last day of term.
Holiday Club from Embrace
As they have in previous years, Embrace will be running a holiday activity club out of the school. They will of course be working within the same the government guidelines as schools so there will be limited availability. You can book places directly with Embrace by visiting:
https://club.bookingyoyo.com/?company=5bc7484a3ed84.
Next Term and Beyond…
While we await government guidance, what school will actually look like after the summer holidays still remains unclear. We have had confirmation this week though that there will be “full attendance” in September which is why we have gone ahead with the release of our planned class and staffing structure. As soon as it is clear what restrictions are still going to be in place, we will let you know our plans and of any necessary alterations to our usual provision.
With regards to the children all coming back to school full time, it will be essential that we work together to help them settle back into routines, while providing them with a safe, nurturing environment in which to learn. I have seen a lot in the media recently about the supposed need for children to “catch up” but learning is not a race and never has been. Teachers and Teaching Assistants will simply do what they always do – work with the children to get to know where they are in their learning in all areas of the curriculum and support them in making their next steps.
Finally, I wanted to thank you all for your co-operation and patience throughout the lockdown, partial school closure and re-opening to the government-selected pupil groups. There have been times this term when I have felt sadness that we have been unable to have all of the children back and thinking about the things we have missed out on: Sports Days, the Summer Fair and the Year 6 leavers’ celebrations to name just a few. However this has been far outweighed by the sense of pride I have felt in our school community – your support and understanding has enabled us to make the best of the situation and the children’s positivity and determination in everything they do, both at home and in school, has been truly inspiring.
When the world was told to keep apart, we stayed together.
Yours sincerely,
Mr. Henry Bray
Headteacher