9th September 2022
Dear Parents and Carers,
This Week in School
When I started this newsletter, the news of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II hadn’t been announced. We are all very saddened by this news. The Department for Education guidance states that schools should remain open during the period of mourning, and encourages us to celebrate the life of the Queen through assemblies, lessons and activities. We gathered together today for a special assembly to commemorate her majesty, Queen Elizabeth II and finished with a minute’s silence to mark her passing. We also lowered our flag, which now flies at half-mast.
At the time of writing, we have not had guidance for the day of the funeral, but it is likely that if it occurs on a school day, schools will be closed. We will keep you up to date on this as we know more.
There may be a small number of children who, for personal reasons or circumstances, feel more affected by this news than others. We would like to reassure you that staff will be very sensitive during this time, and if you feel there is anything we need to be aware of, please contact your child’s teacher and we will support as best we can.
In other news, we have had a wonderful first week back at St George’s and, as always, the children have outdone themselves with their excellent behaviour and positive learning mind-sets. In every classroom, I have seen pupils who are happy, settled and keen to impress their new teachers.
On Wednesday, we had our start of term Mass in Church and our Year 6 children led this very confidently. Father Tom was so impressed with the children’s clear responses and their lovely singing. Thank you to Mrs Gavins for organising the Mass, as a lot of work goes into preparing the children and producing the Mass booklet. Thank you also to Mary Tighe and Anne Twort for their support with the music.
For those parents who are new to the school, I would like to welcome you to our school community and encourage you to read the newsletter every week, as it contains lots of important information (such as key dates in the school calendar) and will help to keep you updated about the life of the school.
Swimming Clubs
Due to staffing issues, we are not in a position to begin our after school swimming clubs yet. We hope to begin these after half-term. We will update you when we have further information.
School swimming lessons will continue as normal.
Parking
On the whole, our one- way system works well and we are very lucky to have the facility of parking on-site, as many town-centre schools cannot offer this.
The beginning of the school year is the perfect time to be reminded of the rules of our one-way system, which I will outline below. Please understand that even one person ignoring the rules can cause disruption in the form of blockages and delays. We ask that you:
- Follow the one way system to drop off/collect your child.
- Do not leave your car while you are parked in the lane. This applies to the morning drop-off and the afternoon pick-up.
- Please don’t leave large gaps between cars when parked in the lane. We need to fit as many cars in the lane as possible to ease congestion further back in the queue and avoid cars spilling out onto the Mount.
- While cars are parked in the lane, access to Nunsfield Court and the Church needs to be kept clear at all times. Do not block this access when you are entering through the school gate at the bottom of the lane. Please ensure this gate to the school, and the opposite gate to the Church, are kept clear.
- If you park at the Church, you must still follow the one-way system. Do not drive back up the lane.
- Please return to your car as soon as you have collected your child. Parents who are blocked in can feel quite frustrated when they see others chatting on the playground, which can cause delays.
- Do not park in the staff car park, on the double yellow lines at the school entrance, or along the wall adjacent to the school entrance. There are ‘no parking’ signs indicating this.
- At morning drop off, please reverse park in the bays on the playground and keep the main thoroughfare clear. If there are no spaces left, go around the one-way system again.
Please be reassured an adult will remain to supervise all children until they are collected.
We encourage as many families as possible to walk, scoot or cycle to school in the good weather as this really helps!
We really appreciate your support and understanding with this. It is our aim to ensure that all children and families are safe and can pick up as efficiently as possible.
Meet the Teacher
You are invited to attend our ‘Meet the Teacher’ sessions after school on Monday next week from 3.35pm onwards. Your child’s new teacher will informally introduce themselves, and allow parents to visit the classroom and have a look at some resources. It is an excellent opportunity for teachers and parents alike to say hello and put a face to the name. I will hold a short meeting beforehand in the school hall for parents. Both new and established parents are welcome, and I will do a short presentation. If you are worried about being blocked in by parents attending these meetings, we encourage you to park off site on this occasion. Thank you for your understanding.
Best wishes,
Edwina McDonnell
Upcoming Dates:
Monday 12th September – ‘Meet the Parents’ – 3pm Mrs McDonnell to meet with parents; 3.35pm meet the class teacher
Wednesday 12th Oct – Harvest Festival Service in School, 9:30a.m.
Sunday 16th October – Harvest Mass at Church, 9.30 am
Monday 17th October – Parents’ Evening 5.30 pm – 7.30 pm
Tuesday 18th October – Parents’ Evening 3.30 pm – 5.30 pm
Saturday 22nd October – Sunday 30th October: SCHOOL CLOSED (Half-Term)
