5th December 2022
Dear Parents and Carers,
The flu vaccine team came to school this week to administer vaccines to the children whose parents had signed them up for the preventative treatment. As we all know, there are a few unsavoury bugs and viruses around at the moment and the spread of these seems to be on the rise. We will be reminding the children of the importance of washing hands thoroughly before eating, and the importance of using tissues to ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ when coughing or sneezing. These two small steps can make a difference when trying to limit the spread of viruses.
As a parent, there may be times when you are unsure if you should send your child to school if they appear unwell. We would ask you to follow NHS guidance and I am including the link here to the information they have put together for parents. Remember, if you child has vomiting or diarrhoea, keep them at home for 48 hours after the last episode. This is because they will be infectious to others until this time is passed. Also keep you child at home if they have a temperature. Please read the information from the NHS for any further queries, or ring the school if you are unsure.
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
Next week, it will be singing, dancing and glitter galore as we hold our EYFS and KS1 nativities. The dates and times for these are listed below in the ‘upcoming dates’ section. As usual, they will be held in the school hall, and the children and staff are getting very excited to share their performances with parents. A lot of work goes into the organising and rehearsing of these magnificent events, and I would like to offer a big thank you to the staff who have done a fantastic job pulling it all together.
Wrap Up Warmly
Please can we remind parents to send children to school wrapped up warmly. An extra base layer/vest, or additional jumper is encouraged. The heating is on every morning in school but we are also trying to keep classrooms ventilated to reduce the spread of illness. The school has CO2 monitors to support us in achieving the balance between ventilation and warmth.
Swimming/PE
As part of his role, our sports coach Mr Chidgey monitors attendance at Swimming and PE lessons. He has noticed an increase in requests for pupils not to participate in Swimming and PE due to mild coughs or colds. Our school policy is that, in general, if a child is well enough to be at school then they should participate in swimming and PE. There are of course exceptions but overall, the things that mean a child cannot swim or do sports, such as a temperature or a tummy bug, are the things you would keep your child off school for. We do understand that children can feel under par if they are recovering from a cold so we would therefore ask that you inform us of this so we can keep a close eye on them during the day, through all lessons including sports, so we can ensure they remain well enough to be here. Please feel reassured that we would get in touch with parents if we felt a child was no longer well enough to be at school. Therefore, please can we ask that if your child is in school, they come with the PE and/or swimming kit needed for that day.
Christmas Raffle
There was a great response to the call for prizes for the Christmas raffle on our Mufti Day last week. Please contact the school office if you need any extra raffle booklets, as these can be provided. We will hold the draw for the raffle in the last week of school and notify winners directly. Do make sure you put clear contact details on the tickets so we can ensure prizes can be claimed easily.
Reception Intake Applications
Time to start school? If you have a child born between 1st September 2018 and 31st August 2019, then now is the time to apply for a place at our school for admission from September 2023 onwards. You must complete an application form that is available from the school admissions team at County Hall, Somerset County Council. Please ensure you apply by the closing date of 15 January 2023. If your child is Catholic, you must also provide a copy of the baptism certificate to the school by this date.
Best wishes,
Edwina McDonnell
Upcoming Dates:
Tuesday 6th December – EYFS Nativity at 2.30pm
Wednesday 7th December – KS1 Nativity 2pm matinee performance
Thursday 8th December – KS1 Nativity 6pm Performance
Friday 9th December – Christmas Book Fayre 2.45pm – 5.00pm in Sports Hall
Tuesday 13th December – Christmas Dinner Day and Christmas Jumper Day
Wednesday, 14th December – Carol Concert at St George’s Church, 9.30am. Parents welcome.
Thursday 15th December – End of Term Mass in School, 9.30am. Parents welcome.
Thursday 5th January – Start of Term Mass in Church, 9.30 am. Parents welcome.
Friday 6th January – Open Day, Prospective new parents, 9.30am.
Friday 13th January – KS2 Disco / KS1 Movie Night – further information from the PSG soon
Friday 3rd February – KS1 Disco / KS2 Movie Night – further information from the PSG soon
