LONGWELL GREEN PRIMARY SCHOOL 1st May 2020 Inspiring ... · 5/1/2020 · Social connections,...
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LONGWELL GREEN PRIMARY SCHOOL - 1st May 2020 ‘Inspiring Learning’ www.longwellgreenprimaryschool.co.uk [email protected] Dear parents, carers and children, We now come to the end of 5 weeks (including 2 weeks over the Easter Break) of official school closures, although as you know school has remained open for all but the bank holiday for children of keyworkers. I want to say a well done to my staff who have been ready and willing to support the rapid changes we have needed to make, and deal with the multiple modifications to their roles with a smile and sustained commitment to go above and beyond - they are doing a sterling job. I also want again to pass our gratitude and thanks to those in keyworker roles; it is a demanding and emotionally draining time and some continue to keep us safe while others allow us to keep some level of normality with food and essential services. Thank you so much! More and more I have been thinking about the things in the past I have taken for granted that perhaps I shouldn’t have –running water in our taps, our rubbish being taken away, our post being delivered to name a few. There are so many things that I must admit, I am now looking at in a different way. I know everyone has their own uniquely challenging circumstances, be them financial, emotional, medical or so many others. We all know the only thing we can do to alter this national situation is to follow the isolation advice, and however slow the change may feel, our actions are having an impact. I have been heartened by parent com- ments (via dojo and email) saying how you have appreciated being able to do some smaller things that we do not usually have time to: to do a bug hunt, watch the birds from your window, sit on the sofa and snuggle up with a good book. These small things are small, but each one is something amazing in its own right. Children – you have been incredible too! The superb things we have been hearing about you has blown us all away. Your imagination and creativity is astounding and each photo shows a beaming smile. Well done for keeping going, doing some school work, maybe some other work, (hopefully some jobs around the house too!), helping out people you live with, having fun, making each other laugh and smile and showing us all how to make the most of this very unusual time. Well done each and every one of you! This is certainly a testing time for everyone, and I repeat that as a school we do not know any more than you do; we honestly receive our updates from the 5pm briefings too! As I have said on the website (under home learning) if you think we can help in any way, not just with school things either; please contact us and remember if we can do nothing else we are happy to listen. We can’t promise anything, but we will try our hardest to help if we can while fulfilling our primary role at present to support children of keyworkers. As light relief, there are many celebrities doing something to support, but this one made me smile (Michael Buble. Sofia Reyes and BNLs bit of quarantine pop 'Gotta Be Patient') https://youtu.be/N7AsvmaSNU8. It’s amazing what can be achieved with two brush drumstick and a kitchen work surface! Parents and carers; you are all doing an astounding job with your children. Yes, some children will engage readily with learning and others will need a little more coaxing, and that is ok too (see https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/apr/21/dont-turn-your- home-into-school-lego-prof-of-play-on-lockdown-learning - I apologise for the second half of the article which is political and I am not endorsing or otherwise this view, I just liked the first half of the where the focus was on play at home at this time). I have written something in more detail later in this newsletter to discuss home learning, so please see page 2 this for more info. Parents and carers, the care and pas- sion you are putting into the time at home with your children is in itself something to be cherished. When this is all over and things have returned to normal, it will be those small things that we will remember and those mag- ical moments that your children will never forget. Keep up the amazing work you are doing children, parents and carers!
Transcript of LONGWELL GREEN PRIMARY SCHOOL 1st May 2020 Inspiring ... · 5/1/2020 · Social connections,...
LONGWELL GREEN PRIMARY SCHOOL - 1st May 2020
‘Inspiring Learning’ www.longwellgreenprimaryschool.co.uk
Dear parents, carers and children, We now come to the end of 5 weeks (including 2 weeks over the Easter Break) of official school closures, although as you know school has remained open for all but the bank holiday for children of keyworkers. I want to say a well done to my staff who have been ready and willing to support the rapid changes we have needed to make, and deal with the multiple modifications to their roles with a smile and sustained commitment to go above and beyond - they are doing a sterling job. I also want again to pass our gratitude and thanks to those in keyworker roles; it is a demanding and emotionally draining time and some continue to keep us safe while others allow us to keep some level of normality with food and essential services. Thank you so much! More and more I have been thinking about the things in the past I have taken for granted that perhaps I shouldn’t have –running water in our taps, our rubbish being taken away, our post being delivered to name a few. There are so many things that I must admit, I am now looking at in a different way. I know everyone has their own uniquely challenging circumstances, be them financial, emotional, medical or so many others. We all know the only thing we can do to alter this national situation is to follow the isolation advice, and however slow the change may feel, our actions are having an impact. I have been heartened by parent com-ments (via dojo and email) saying how you have appreciated being able to do some smaller things that we do not usually have time to: to do a bug hunt, watch the birds from your window, sit on the sofa and snuggle up with a good book. These small things are small, but each one is something amazing in its own right. Children – you have been incredible too! The superb things we have been hearing about you has blown us all away. Your imagination and creativity is astounding and each photo shows a beaming smile. Well done for keeping going, doing some school work, maybe some other work, (hopefully some jobs around the house too!), helping out people you live with, having fun, making each other laugh and smile and showing us all how to make the most of this very unusual time. Well done each and every one of you! This is certainly a testing time for everyone, and I repeat that as a school we do not know any more than you do; we honestly receive our updates from the 5pm briefings too! As I have said on the website (under home learning) if you think we can help in any way, not just with school things either; please contact us and remember if we can do nothing else we are happy to listen. We can’t promise anything, but we will try our hardest to help if we can while fulfilling our primary role at present to support children of keyworkers. As light relief, there are many celebrities doing something to support, but this one made me smile (Michael Buble . Sofia Reyes and BNLs bit of quarantine pop 'Gotta Be Patient') https://youtu.be/N7AsvmaSNU8. It’s amazing what can be achieved with two brush drumstick and a kitchen work surface! Parents and carers; you are all doing an astounding job with your children. Yes, some children will engage readily with learning and others will need a little more coaxing, and that is ok too (see https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/apr/21/dont-turn-your-home-into-school-lego-prof-of-play-on-lockdown-learning - I apologise for the second half of the article which is political and I am not endorsing or otherwise this view, I just liked the first half of the where the focus was on play at home at this time). I have written something in more detail later in this newsletter to discuss home learning, so
please see page 2 this for more info. Parents and carers, the care and pas-sion you are putting into the time at home with your children is in itself something to be cherished. When this is all over and things have returned to normal, it will be those small things that we will remember and those mag-ical moments that your children will never forget. Keep up the amazing work you are doing children, parents and carers!
Home learning and Hand Washing As I said on page 1, very well done everyone for all you are doing at home. I know that your children are going to be going in and out of their level of engagement with work, and each child is going to be dif-ferent. Through communication with school staff, it has become appar-ent that some families are finding the work, and indeed the workload, tricky at times. Please remember that we are setting work for every level of engagement and we don’t expect it all to be done. Well done for those who are, but please remember, the government are clear that there is no minimum expectation on home learning or what should be done at home. They say: No one expects parents to act as teachers, or to provide the activities and feedback that a school or nursery would. Parents and carers should do their best to help children and support their learning while dealing with competing demands. DfE guidance on homeschooling https://www.gov.uk/guidance/help-primary-school-children-continue-their-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19 https://theskillstoolkit.campaign.gov.uk/
At Longwell Green, we recognise that this is a difficult time for everyone. Home schooling is not necessarily the top priority, but some element of structure and continuity for children is important to support their mental health and for some, it will help with their sense of security. The DfE also says: What support is available to parents to help them maintain their family’s wellbeing while their children are at home? Social connections, alongside exercise, sleep, diet and routine, are important protective factors for mental health. Materials to promote and support mental wellbeing are included in the list of online resources we have published to help children to learn at home. Public Health England’s Rise Above platform supports young people. The Department of Health and Social Care is providing £5 million of additional funding to support mental health charities to increase their provision for adults and children at this time. Social isolation, reduced exercise, and bereavement, may affect children’s wellbeing in this period. Resources to promote and support children and young people’s mental wellbeing include: MindEd educational resources for adults about children and young people’s mental health, which is relevant for par-ents and carers as well as volunteers, teachers, and other professionals working with children the Every Mind Matters platform which supports looking after your own and other’s mental health
guidance on looking after wellbeing and mental health during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
guidance on supporting children’s wellbeing and mental health
All NHS mental health trusts are setting up 24/7 helplines, and seeking to use digital and virtual channels, to contin-ue delivering support during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. We hope this helps. Each person is unique, each family is unique and each response to home learning is also go-ing to be unique. Keep doing the amazing job you are doing, and know that we will help in any way we can, but also know that you are doing a fantastic job! DfE guidance on hand washing https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public https://e-bug.eu/
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Learning in School
In school last week the children were learning all about allergies as it was Allergy Awareness Week. They learnt about the top 9 allergens and the sorts of foods they hide in. The children also learnt to search food ingredient lists for common allergens listed in bold, italic or underlined font. We fin-ished the day with a fun group game of rounders in the sunshine.
Y3 YouTube stars! We had a lovely thank you from Toby Savage (Leader South Gloucestershire Council and Councillor for Longwell Green) Hi Mr Brown and school team, Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed reading this week’s update – and
watching the youtube! This talented bunch of pupils brought a smile to my face after a busy week! Thank you for everything you are doing to help our community through these challenging
times. Regards ,Toby Savage. It is great to know that you Year 3 YouTubers are being viewed by such important people. You are stars!
A free information book explaining the coronavirus to children, illustrated by Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler https://nosycrow.com/blog/released-today-free-information-book-explaining-coronavirus-children-illustrated-gruffalo-illustrator-axel-scheffler/
The KS1 and KS2 children at school made and sent 100th Birthday Cards to Captain Tom Moore!
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Here are some more examples of the amazing things you are doing at home!
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LR with her green blue peter badge earned by drawing a picture about the
environment.
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