Gendros Primary School - Parent Newsletter 09.02.2021
Dear Parent/Guardian,
I appreciate you are anxious to have some information regarding the return to school for our youngest pupils. There is currently a great deal of discussion going on with the local authority regarding mitigating risks and forming an operations plan.
Last Friday, Headteachers attended a meeting with representatives of TAG (the Technical Advisory Group, the group of scientific and technical experts who provide advice and guidance to the Welsh Government). At this point, I can share the following points TAG made:
*We find ourselves with a small window of opportunity to ease restrictions with regard to small children
*The R rate is now averaging at 0.7 that gives some room for cautious relaxation
*Bubbles need to be exclusive
*We now have a window of opportunity to evaluate the impact of opening schools
with a very small adjustment a cautious approach will see the impact of returning children before deciding what other year groups can return.
Currently, there is a delay in the WG guidance around which schools can design their risk assessments for the return to school, so I cannot offer you any solid information at this point.
I will keep you updated as soon as I have new information.
Dean J Phillips
Headteacher
Gendros Primary School
Home learning update
Dear Parent/Carer,
I hope you and your family are well, we are very thankful to you for continuing to support your child in their home learning. The purpose of this letter is to give you a brief update as to how the home learning provision is being facilitated.
Daily Microsoft teams teacher/pupil ‘check-in’ sessions
From the start of home learning your child has been expected to log onto live Microsoft Teams sessions usually at 9.00/9.30am. each morning. This allows for any general queries to be addressed, activities to be set and for class teachers to pass on any relevant information in regard to activities that have been set for each class. We believe that this fosters more of a community feel to the home learning and allows for social contact between pupils.
Welfare/engagement calls
You should receive a telephone call from your child’s class teacher during the week commencing Monday 11th. January. The purpose of these calls are to enquire as to the welfare of your child /family and to check on the levels of engagement/ participation in home learning activities. The focus of the calls will provide help and guidance where necessary. Please note that calls will display as number unknown and won’t necessarily be the school telephone number.
Learning Packs
School staff have been busy conducting daily Microsoft teams live sessions, marking completed work and planning next step activities along with responding to pupil/parent queries. Please be mindful that as a school we are unable to provide paper learning packs and all activities/resources are sent via Microsoft teams or email.
Additional Support
If a lack of an appropriate device is preventing your child from engaging in home learning we will try our very best to loan you a device until your child returns to school. Often, we have been able to resolve issues through working together.
It has been appreciated when parents/carers contact the school to explain if their child is not able to learn from home due to illness, or any other reason.
School staff will continue to make courtesy phone calls to parents to check to see how the home learning is progressing and to see if any other support can be offered. If you require support digitally please communicate this to your child’s class teacher or alternatively email our family liaison officer- familyliaisongendros@gmail.com / telephone school with any queries.
We fully appreciate that for many pupils and parents/carers the coronavirus pandemic continues to be a difficult time to navigate, and home learning poses many challenges. Your ongoing support is valued more than ever, and we look forward to the day where life and school can return to normal, in the meantime please keep safe and well.
Yours sincerely,
Dean J Phillips
Head teacher
Letter from the Headteacher
Last week of term arrangements
Dear Parents/Carers,
Firstly, many thanks for your patience and support during this fast-changing educational landscape. Yesterday evening you should have received an squid email and a letter from the Director of Education; the two forms of communication explained next week’s school arrangements at a national and local authority level, respectively. The purpose of this letter is to give clarity to next week’s arrangements for Gendros Primary School.
From Monday 14th December the school will transition to a distance learning model where pupils will follow a Microsoft teams session meeting in the morning and complete set activities throughout the day. Due to some classes previously self-isolating they have experienced this aspect of the school’s blended learning model. Class teachers will email pupil hwb email accounts to provide guidance. Provision for vulnerable children will be available at school and if critical workers need emergency childcare please contact the school to check eligibility by 2pm. today. School will telephone you to confirm any childcare request you have made. Please do not send your child to this provision next week if it has not be authorised by school.
Please be aware any pupils that have agreed emergency childcare eligibility for next week would not physically follow their normal timetable but instead will be supervised separately in area where they can will be given fun activities to complete. Eligible children in school next week should bring their own packed lunch.
Reinforcing the importance with your child to be at home and learning until 18th December during school hours, is crucial not just for your child’s education but also to support the community’s collective efforts in reducing the current infection rate.
Please report to the school immediately if your child tests positive for Covid-19. The school would then contact relevant parents if further self-isolation is necessary. Please do not assume that NHS TTP will contact the school on your behalf.
I hope you share my gratitude to the outstanding professionalism, commitment, care, and integrity school staff have demonstrated during this most challenging of terms. Likewise, pupils have shown an elevated level of social responsibility and kindness to one another through following Covid-19 safeguarding measures. Your role in reinforcing these important messages is hugely appreciated and has significantly contributed towards the safe and smooth running of the school.
All pupils should be returning to school on Monday 4th January. We have all learned, during the last few months that circumstances can change quickly so please be mindful that your child’s return date could yet be amended. If that is the case, we shall endeavour to communicate the change as quickly as possible. I recognise that the rising local infection rates and the potential of having to self-isolate over Christmas has caused concern amongst pupils, parents, staff, and the wider community. We have heard of many accounts where pupils have not met their grandparents since March and would be devastated if they would have to self-isolate again due to another positive case in their class and therefore not able to meet with their extended family on Christmas Day. We are confident that the ever-improving blended learning provision will ensure a high-quality continuity of learning until the end of term.
I hope now we can all look forward to spending Christmas with our family, and loved ones, with an added degree of reassurance. Finally, I would like to wish you all a relaxing and enjoyable festive break. Please contact the school if you have any queries.- familyliaisongendros@gmail.com
Yours sincerely,
Dean J Phillips
Head teacher