Over St. John's CE Primary SchoolHead Teacher Blog: Friday 23rd October 2020
Date: 23rd Oct 2020 @ 11:18am
Harvest Donations
Thank you so much for all the very generous donations that have been sent into school for the Mid Cheshire Foodbank. After the half term, we will collect it all together and take a photograph which I will share on here, before taking it down to the foodbank. The foodbank usually weigh all the items and then share with us the weight of the donation.
We have not been able to do our usual Harvest Service in church this year and we have missed being able to celebrate how grateful we are for all that God provides, but we have talked about the importance of saying thank you through our Collective worship this week.
As a school, we are currently thinking about how we may be able to replace our usual Carol Service – which will also not be able to happen as usual this year – and we will let you know what form that will take nearer the time.
Collection of Children from Linmere
Thank you to all the adults who collect from Linmere classroom at the end of the day. Things have been a lot smoother over the past week and as such, we will be able to continue with the pickup in the way that we have been doing this half term.
Alert on Sweets Containing Cannabinoids
Public Health England are urging people to be vigilant after a batch of sweets, containing THC, a cannabinoid found in cannabis, were recently intercepted by officers in Blackburn as well as Cumbria.
The confectionery items, disguised in 'Nerds Rope' packaging (see photo below), contain the cannabis oil which could be 50 times stronger than a joint.
Lancashire Police officers recently intercepted the items at a post office in Blackburn, with officers in Cumbria finding a package due to be delivered in Windermere.
If you have any information about these sweets or have been offered them for sale, please call 101.
Blakemere
Today has been a bittersweet day for the children in Blakemere as it has been their last day with Miss Hartley as their class teacher as Mrs McLaughlin returns from her maternity leave after the holiday. Miss Hartley has been a fabulous class teacher in Blakemere since January and I am pleased to say that although she will not be Blakemere’s class teacher anymore, we are fortunate that she will be staying with us for the foreseeable future, initially working with groups of children in Blakemere and Linmere and then in other classes after Christmas. It will be fantastic to welcome Mrs McLaughlin back to school and at the same time continue working with Miss Hartley.
Parents Evening
Just a quick reminder that Parent’s Evenings will now all take place after the holiday. If you originally booked for 21st or 22nd October, you will need to rebook for either the 11th or 12th November or any available slots on 4th or 5th November. After half term, we will send out a letter explaining how to use Microsoft Teams and how the evenings will run. This will be new to us all and we look forward to seeing how it works.
#WakeUpWednesday
League of Legends is one of the most popular games in the world. It’s a highly-competitive online battle arena esports game which is available on Android, macOS and Windows. Apple recently announced, during its iPhone 12 launch event, that it will soon be coming to iOS too, in the form of League of Legends: Wild Rift. Players play in teams and can end up playing alongside people they don’t know. That’s why National Online Safety have created a guide to help parents and carers understand exactly what League of Legends is all about. Please download your guide below.
Applying for Reception Places for September 2021
If you have a child who is turning 4 years old between now and 31st August 2020, or know of a child who is, then the application round is also open for them to apply for their Reception place. The timescale is slightly different for this and you have until 15th January 2021, but like the secondary school place, before making your application, it is important you view the Starting School booklet. To apply, you will need to create an account or log in if you have an existing online account.
Reminders
School dinners cost £2.30 per day, £11.50 per week. Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 receive free meals as part of the government’s Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) scheme. Dinner money must be paid in advance via the School Money system as we do not accept cash in school anymore due to our COVID-19 Risk Assessment.
If you are in receipt of benefits and think that you may be entitled to free school meals, please click here for more information and support and how to apply. It is very important to apply for free schools meals whatever year your child is in, even if you receive the UIFSM in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, as the school receives a sum of extra money to further help support your child and their education.
Absence During Term Time
Please may I remind you that schools are not allowed to authorise pupil holidays in term time. Any child going on holiday in term time will receive an unauthorised absence. Our registers are regularly checked by the Education Welfare Service and parents may be issued with a fine from the Local Authority for unauthorised absence, which is currently £60 per child, per parent and this rises to £120 if paid after 21 days but within 28 days.
Confirmed Dates for the Autumn Term 2020 – new dates are highlighted
Friday 23rd October: School closes for half term
Monday 2nd November: School reopens
Tuesday 3rd to Friday 6th November: Artist working in school in all classes
Wednesday 4th November: Parents Evening 4pm – 5.10pm
Thursday 5th November: Parents Evening 4pm – 5.10pm
Wednesday 11th November: Parents Evening 4pm – 5.10pm
Thursday 12th November: Parents Evening 4pm – 5.10pm
Friday 18th December: School closes for Christmas – if government COVID-19 guidelines are still in place, finishing times will be as follows, but I will keep you updated:
Blakemere at 1:45pm
Linmere at 1:45pm
Oakmere at 1:50pm
Delamere at 1.55pm
Sandymere at 2pm
Hatchmere at 2.05pm
I hope that you all have a lovely half term holiday.
Take care,
Mrs E Snowdon