Dear Parents/Carers,
Hope everyone is well and continuing to cope with the ongoing situation we are all facing at this time. Just a quick catch up and some updates to share with you. One constant at the moment seems to be the lovely April weather; it makes each day seem that little bit better and brighter as we deal with the many challenges. It has also made school an even nicer place to be for pupils and staff.
School Opening
School continues to be open for vulnerable pupils and children of key workers and as before, 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. We are not sure how long this will last for, at least the next 2 to 3 weeks when the Government will review the current lockdown. There are lots of rumours flying around about when and how schools might re-open but we will wait for definitive guidance from the Government and Department for Education. I think speculation about possible openings is not useful at this time and causes confusion rather than re-assurance.
Meanwhile we continue to run school for some pupils. Over the last 5 weeks of lockdown, we have had a regular group of pupils coming each day plus some staff children. Of course some children who were eligible to come to school have not been in for a variety of reasons or children who did come at the start are no longer attending. If your circumstances have changed recently and you would now like a place for your child in school that can be arranged. I have been contacted by some parents this week who were enquiring about their children coming to school and I have been able to offer them places from next week. All I would ask is that if you would like a place for your child from next Monday onwards, can you please contact the school by e-mail or by phoning us by 3:00pm tomorrow. This helps us to plan ahead, particularly for staffing and also because we need to send a list of pupils who attend school each day to the local authority. The revised school day runs from 9:00am to 3:00pm and we offer a free school dinner for everyone who wants one. The children need to be in school uniform on Mondays and Wednesdays, PE kit on Tuesdays and Thursdays (we have the services of a Leyton Orient sports coach on those days) and Friday is non-uniform day (but no need to bring the usual £1).
This offer is available to children who were attending before and can now return and children who wish to start either next Monday or at some time in the future while we have the partial closedown. Please let us know as soon as you can.
Home Learning
Of course the vast majority of our children will remain at home during the current lockdown. On Tuesday we sent a text to all parents guiding you towards updated and revised home learning resources. These include additional links, a suggested timetable for a typical day of home learning and some good advice on staying safe online.
Parents and Children – Messages and tasks will be posted up on the Year Pages Message Boards via the main School Web-site. Please ensure that you both check these regularly.
www.stjosephsjun.waltham.sch.uk >> classes
Children – as well as reading the messages, always check j2homework, which is accessible after logging on to myUSO. We recommend that you always logon first via myUSO in order to access all resources including j2e and EducationCity.
Free School Meals
During the partial closure of schools, the Government and Local Authority are keen to continue to support families eligible for free school meals, including the recent introduction of a national voucher scheme. It may well be that with the economic effect of the current crisis, more of our families may now be eligible for free school meals. We have put a link on our school website for parents to check if they might be eligible and to apply for it. Even if you have not been eligible in the past, if your circumstances have changed it would certainly be worth checking.
Again can I finish this letter by reminding everyone to make sure you are following the Government guidelines on social/personal distancing etc. With the on-going nice weather and the continued lockdown in place, it remains tempting to get out more than is wise or safe. The more restraint we show now and the bigger sacrifices we can make both as individuals and as families, the quicker we will get through this crisis and start to get back to some kind of normality, including getting all our schools fully open again.
Please remain safe and healthy and let’s help and look out for each other during these difficult few weeks until God willing we get through this. Remember that social distancing does not mean emotional distancing.
Yours sincerely,
J Alexander (Head teacher)
