Dear Parents/Carers,
Please find below the outline plans for each class next week. These only provide ideas and timetables.
The more detailed/direct teaching videos will be sent out daily via Teams (Years 4-6) and Class Dojo (Nursery-Year 3).
As next week progresses more activities/teaching videos will become available so please keep a close eye on Dojo/Teams.
As always, if you have any queries or issues, please contact your child’s teacher or the school.
Miss Clemes, Mr Gillett and Mrs Neal
Please find attached some maths booklets with ideas to support your child at home. Please note that these are quite challenging, despite the Year group labels so you may want to go down a year or two to start off with. In general, it is better to practise a skill lots of times and really learn it than to work through as much as possible quickly. Good luck!
Dear Parents/Carers,
As we, once again, find ourselves in the position of remote learning, which we now know will be until at least the end of January, I wanted to send you a message with ideas, support available and other information.
Educating children at home is really difficult as many of us with young children appreciate. It is important to realise that we cannot replicate school at home and that learning will be very different. Each family will have different circumstances and wellbeing is important. Some will have limited access to computers/devices, some will have more children at home and some parents will be trying to juggle home working and home learning! However, learning is also important so we have been working really hard at school to try and give your children the best possible experience and you as much support as possible.
Support Available:
Learning:
All classes will receive daily input from their teachers. From Nursery-Year 3 this will be via Dojo and in Years 4-6 via Teams. Now we are in a further lockdown it is essential that children do engage with this online learning. To make this as easy as possible we have pre-recorded teaching videos as opposed to live teaching. The pre recorded sessions are safe and can be looked at your convenience which is invaluable if you are sharing laptops or working at home.
As a minimum, please try and do the following with your child:
If you are having difficulties motivating your child to complete work, it may help to have a dedicated time slot each day, perhaps before TV/Screen time. The feedback you receive when you share work with the teacher should aso help to motivate them. In addition, all teachers will be using Dojo points and Dojo winner of the week to reward effort and good work. Please share anything you have done! We want to know if you have been out bird watching, made cookies, made an obstacle course in the garden or camped in the living room.
Other ideas that might help you are:
Other points:
We have had a few technical issues, particularly in the infant classes with Class Dojo. Some are school based and some are home based but please bear with us whilst we try and work them out.
We have been asked to remind parents/carers about the importance of social distancing, hand hygiene, face coverings and ventilation. The new strain of Covid is far more contagious and children are more able to transmit it, so it is very important that they stay at home unless exercising with the family.
If you have any queries or concerns, please let us know. We can advise, help or even review the way we are doing things!
We will continue to keep you informed of any developments and news as soon as we can.
Take care and stay safe,
Helen Woodford
Please find below a letter from the Director of Education. He outlines the importance of engagement in online learning. This letter will be followed up with specific advice from Crynallt school by tomorrow.
Dear Parent / Carer,
You will be aware that the Welsh Government has agreed that all schools should move to online learning until January 18th. Schools will remain open for children of critical workers and vulnerable learners; our special schools will also remain open, subject to risk assessment, as will our Learning Support Centres. Please discuss individual circumstances with relevant head teachers.
Schools remain safe settings. They operate under scrutinised risk assessments and apply robust control measures based on the four key protective behaviours of hand washing, social distancing, ventilation and the wearing of face coverings. These behaviours remain effective in reducing the spread of the new variant of the Covid-19 virus if adhered to correctly. However, we also know that education settings being open can contribute to wider social mixing and given that infection rates remain high in NPT, we welcome the decision to migrate to online learning.
Our schools have prepared well for online delivery and we are confident that the provision will be stimulating and relevant, building on your children’s previous learning.
We would strongly urge all parents / carers to engage with schools in order that their children fully benefit from home provision or, where applicable, access learning at their school setting.
Educational provision will continue and learning will be scheduled on a daily basis modelled on normal practice. We strongly advise that all pupils prepare for their school day as they would normally and to attend their remote learning provision in the exact same way as they on a school day.
We expect the Welsh Government to review its decision over the next week or so and in light of decisions already taken by other UK governments, it is reasonable to expect that this arrangement could be extended. It is therefore vitally important that remote learning is not viewed as a short gap arrangement and all pupils should participate in this provision in order to continue with and progress their education.
Your children’s teacher will still be guiding their learning at this time. Please follow what the school is setting. You should speak to your children’s school first if you want additional help and advice about how to support their learning.
Your children’s teachers know them well and will want to help, for example with advice about:
• the best way to support your children’s learning
• how to access help for their specific needs
• what to do if you or your children have questions about their work
• what to do if you or your children are feeling overwhelmed about school work
• what to do if you do not have access to a suitable internet-connected device to access online learning activities from home (help is available to support families via your school or local authority).
Your children’s school should always be your first point of contact and if you are contacting your children’s school or teacher you should use the communication channels your school has set up for this.
We expect schools to be delivering a mix of learning opportunities, which will include where relevant, recorded and / or live lessons, a range of digital communication and sign-posting to learning resources. We expect schools to contact pupils individually where this is deemed necessary and to discuss progress in learning with both pupils and parents / carers.
The effectiveness of this provision will be measured, in significant part, by the extent pupils engage with it. Pupils have a key part to play in making this experience meaningful. We acknowledge that these are challenging times in our lives. However, learning must continue to be a key priority for children and young people.
These arrangements can be made to work effectively and can benefit our pupils – your children. Whilst we all have a responsibility to stay at home wherever possible and adhere to the restrictions placed by Welsh Government to suppress infection rates, we also have a responsibility to ensure that learning continues to light even our darkest of days.
Yours sincerely,
Aled Evans
Director of Education, Leisure and Lifelong Learning, Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council
Dear Parents/Carers,
I am so sorry to be messaging you with further changes to the start of the school term. As most of you will know, the Welsh Assembly Government have made an announcement this evening saying that schools must now remain closed for most pupils until Monday 18th January at the earliest.
Staff have been in school today receiving training and preparing for two days of online learning. Tomorrow we will develop further online learning for pupils and work to develop further blended learning. You will receive work from your child’s class teacher by Thursday morning at the latest and they will provide you with regular work and ideas until at least Friday 15th January.
In the meantime, if you are a keyworker and need childcare, the school will provide this on from Thursday Thursday 7th – and Friday 15th January inclusive. The childcare will run between the hours of 8.15am (Breakfast Club) and 3.30pm and will include educational activities. You will qualify for this if one parent is a keyworker and you have no other childcare available. Examples of keyworkers are: NHS staff, emergency services, those employed as carers for vulnerable people, Track, Trace and Protect staff, education staff and food distribution. If you need to use this childcare please let your child’s teacher know via Class Dojo OR telephone the school office tomorrow (Tuesday 5th January) so we can organise staffing.
If you have any queries or issues, please contact the school office or your child’s teacher via class dojo. We will help in any way that we are able.
At the moment we expect school to open for face to face learning on Monday 18th January and I will keep you informed about this as soon as I receive further information.
With regards,
Helen Woodford
Dear Parent/Carer,
I hope this message finds you all safe and well. Many of you will have read conflicting reports in the press about the way in which school will reopen in January. Having received clarification from the local authority this morning, I hope this message sets out clearly the arrangements in Crynallt.
We have already planned an INSET day on the 4th January when staff are receiving training on the new Welsh Curriculum. In addition to this the Welsh Assembly Government have provided us with two further days. These days will be used for:
1) Staff training and review of the risk assessment in school as well as ensuring staffing levels are appropriate for a full re-opening of school;
2) To give staff time to work on developing blended and online learning further. This will ensure that if we do have further closures or self isolation periods we are fully prepared with high quality support for pupils.
As a result of these days school will reopen to all pupils as normal on Thursday 7th January. We expect face to face teaching will resume on this day for every class.
The only possible change to this will be if we have significant staff absence which impacts on our ability to open safely. Examples of this may include: a large proportion of teachers off school and no cover available, no First Aiders on site or no Senior Managers on site. To date we have managed to open keeping to all health and safety requirments and it is our aim to continue to do so.
I hope you all have a safe and happy Christmas.
Take care,
Helen Woodford
Dear Parent/Carer,
Please find below links to Christmas activity ideas from class teachers.
Not all classes are here as some are working via Teams. If you require any support with this please let us know or contact the class teacher via Class Dojo.
Reception Christmas Home Learning
Christmas grid 2020 Year 1 and 2
Dear Parent/Carer,
Please find links below to daily counting and maths practise you can do with your children. Just choose one or two of the suggestions to work- don’t try and do it all! These do not need to be printed– just opened and looked at! Please note the Year Group labels are for guidance only and these are challenging. Please start your child where they are comfortable and work upwards. We want them to be confident with what they are doing.
Dear Parents/ Carers,
All class teachers will be in contact via class dojo, Teams or Hwb to provide work for the children over the next few days. Below you will find some ‘extra’ work in case you need further ideas or have difficulties accessing the internet. Please contact school if you need any support or help with this.
Whole School:
Make a Christmas rainbow picture for your windows or a wreath your door. Here are some videos which may help with this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNAw4bfcw9s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2czd9jkstc
Design a Christmas jumper which symbolises 2020. Bring in your designs to school so we can make a display and chose our favourite one! There may even be a prize!
Nursery- Year 2:
Reception Complete the Pattern
Junior Classes:
Christmas Around the World Reading Comprehension Middle
Christmas Around the World Reading Comprehension Older
Christmas Around the World Reading Comprehension Younger
Twelve days of Christmas Maths
Here are someother ideas and suggestions of things you can do/websites to access:
https://www.thespruce.com/activities-for-kids-parents-enjoy-together-4069734
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/50-things-to-do
https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/support-for-parents/things-to-do-with-your-child/
https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/advice-for-parents/fun-ideas-learning-at-home/
DEAR PARENTS/CARERS,
WE HAVE BEEN ASKED TO SEND THE MESSAGE BELOW TO PARENTS FROM THE LOCAL AUTHORITY.
MESSAGE FROM THE LOCAL AUTHORITY
END OF TERM ARRANGEMENTS AT NEATH PORT TALBOT FOR PRIMARY AND SPECIAL SCHOOLS
Pupils of a primary school age and those attending special schools will be moving to distance learning provision in NPT from Tuesday, 15th December, onwards. Schools will be delivering learning remotely and ensuring that pupils continue with their studies until the end of term on December 18th.
It is vitally important that all pupils engage with this on-line provision and we must emphasise that, on the advice of Public Health Wales, children and young people should not be allowed to meet with friends and congregate in public places. This remains a school week and all staff and pupils are expected to respect it as such.
This decision also allows families to pre-isolate for the Christmas break (e.g. not mixing outside of the household) for one incubation period (10 days). This is seen as an effective way of lowering the risk of infecting others. Self-isolation remains of paramount importance for anyone with COVID-19 symptoms.
Head teachers will be making local decisions regarding the support for vulnerable pupils who will be expected to attend according to the school’s advice and schools are advised to accommodate children of key workers. Transport will continue to be available to those pupils who currently qualify for home to school transport.
This is not an early Christmas holiday, and we request that pupils and parents do everything they can to minimise contact with others.
All pupils can make a difference to reducing the transmission of the virus by staying at home, engaging with their learning and by being responsible in their actions.
Those pupils attending school on Tuesday 15th – Friday 18th will be able to receive a meal or can bring a packed lunch to school. Those pupils in receipt of free school meals will be provided with a meal.
Pupils entitled to free school meals who are accessing their learning from home will be provided with a BACS payment as has happened previously.
PLEASE LET YOUR CHILD’S CLASSTEACHER KNOW VIA CLASS DOJO OR PHONE THE SCHOOL OFFICE IF ARE A KEYWORKER AND YOU REQUIRE CHILDCARE NEXT WEEK. THIS IS ONLY AVAILABLE IF YOU WORK IN;
THIS SHOULD ONLY BE USED IF YOU HAVE NO OTHER OPTION. IT IS ESSENTIAL WE HAVE THIS INFORMATION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.