Dear Parents/Carers,
Hope everyone remains well and continues to cope with the situation we are all facing at this time, but also getting some time together as families. The early days of lockdown in March seem a lifetime away and we will all have our own stories to tell when it is all over. I have been keeping a personal diary since February to record each day, my experiences both in school and at home and reflections on the world around us. This newsletter is a quick catch up and some updates to share with you.
School Re-opening in June
The school reopened last Tuesday 2nd June for Year 6 pupils and the key worker and vulnerable pupils. So far, 34 Year 6 pupils have attended in their small groups, each coming to school for 2 days and around 24 key worker and vulnerable pupils have attended. We are staggering arrival and departure times for all the groups who are coming to school and it is important that these times are adhered to as closely as possible. We are also staggering play times and lunchtimes. The Year 6 groups are in their own classrooms and have their usual Year 6 staff which is good, the key worker and vulnerable group have now moved upstairs to the Year 5 classrooms and continue to be taught by a rota of teachers and LSAs who are able to come to school. I think it was quite strange initially for the Year 6 pupils returning to school for the first time in several weeks and indeed for the other pupils getting used to a different timetable, but they have all adapted really well and this week we are settling into a good routine. My thanks to the staff who have been wonderful in their commitment to the children, not only in their education but in their emotional well-being. Well done to all the parents who have been very supportive and kept us informed of any changes etc.
Home Learning
Of course the majority of our children will remain at home during the current lockdown. We aim to regularly contact parents guiding you towards updated and revised home learning resources.
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. We have put a link on our school website for parents to check if they might be eligible and then advice on how to apply if they are.
School Refurbishment
I am pleased to say that all the current refurbishment was completed over the half term break and we were able to re-open as planned on Tuesday 2nd June. The last part for now was the main hall and despite some technical difficulties, mainly due to the size of the hall and height of the ceiling, it was finished in time and the scaffolding went last Sunday. All that remains is the lower school corridor and my office but these will be done during the summer break (whatever that break might look like!). With the new lights, plus of course the skylights which were put in last year, the school looks a lot brighter, is more energy efficient now and most of the asbestos has been removed.
Next Steps
I have outlined above where we are at this current time with the phased re-opening of the school. What happens next is anyone’s guess! I think it is fair to say that the original government plan to get every primary child back in school for a month before the summer break is now very unlikely to happen. With the current restrictions it is almost impossible to have any more than half the children back and even that would be incredibly challenging with staggered timetables etc. Since March it has been my upmost wish to have all the children back before the end of term, but with every passing week this becomes increasingly unlikely. We may even have to start looking at the possibility of not being able to re-open fully in September. I know this is very frustrating for all of us but in the current climate of uncertainty, we have to be guided by the government and the local authority. I will of course continue to keep you all updated on any developments. All I can say is that whatever happens next, I will remain at St Joseph’s for the foreseeable future.
Again everyone please remain safe and healthy and let’s help and look out for each other during these difficult few weeks. During the month of May I said it was good to pray to Our Lady every day to ask her to help us all during these sad and challenging times. I think this is something we can continue to do every day even though we are now in June. Take care everyone.
Yours sincerely,
J Alexander (Head teacher)
