Dear Parents/Carers,
I hope everyone managed to get some time together over the Easter weekend. We certainly enjoyed some wonderful weather. School remains open for vulnerable pupils and children of key workers and I will manage the staff who are able to be here each day to ensure that the children we have are safe and getting as close to a normal day as possible, while at the same time protecting the welfare of the staff and their families. I will also ensure that any staff who have come in to school over the Easter break get some time off themselves to be with their families. We do not yet know how or when this will all end. All we can do is help each other and pray that we get through this difficult period as quickly and safely as possible.
Bimpe Fuwa RIP
It is with a heavy heart that I have to end this short newsletter with news of the tragic passing of our recent ex-member of staff Bimpe Fuwa. Bimpe only left us in January to start her new school in Kent near to where the family had relocated last summer. She was taken in hospital on 1st April with a chest infection, tested positive for Covid-19 and was put on a ventilator on 5th April but sadly died in the early hours of Saturday morning. I know several parents had seen a message on Instagram announcing her passing over the weekend but I wanted to let everyone know today. Although she was no longer working at St Joseph’s, she still felt very much one of our own and we mourn her passing as if she was still here. I know the current staff and other ex-members of staff who I have spoken to over the last few days are in complete shock that this could happen to someone they worked alongside and held in such high regard. Her positive outlook on life and her deeply held religious beliefs made her an inspiration for many. I know many of the pupils will be very upset, particularly the children in 3K who she worked with this year and 4RB who she supported last year when they first came to our school. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, particularly her husband Ade and her two children Gabrielle and Raphael who were of course pupils here as well. With the current situation we do not know about any arrangements. I am speaking to Bimpe’s brother in law this week and he is keeping me updated. We will be looking at holding some kind of memorial service for her both in school and near her home later in the year when we are all back together.
More than ever please take care, stay safe and look out for each other.
Yours sincerely,
J Alexander (Head teacher)
