Dear Parent/Carers,

Please find below the most recent updates and information from school:

INSET DAYS

The first of our INSET days will be on Monday 2^nd November 2020 which means children will return to school after half term on Tuesday 3^rd November.

Monday 21st December and Tuesday 22nd December 2020 will also be INSET Days meaning the school will close for pupils on Friday 18^th December.

Breakfast Club

Breakfast Club will resume on Monday 5^th October. If you responded to the class teachers’ messages on Class Dojo to say you would like a place you should now have received confirmation that you have a place. The club is now FULL for Monday but we will monitor the situation and as soon as we are able to offer extra spaces safely, we will do so.

We would also ask that you only use this facility if there is no other means of child care at home. A letter detailing arrangements is now on the school website.

DROPPING OFF AND PICKING UP CHILDREN

About 70% of parents are following the one way system when in school which is great. Let’s see if we can get this percentage higher! 

By doing this we are working together to keep our children and their families safe and keep the school open! Cases of Covid 19 are rising and many more schools are affected so the more care we take to avoid unnecessary social contact the better. Can I appeal again for all parents and carers to follow the systems in place? We understand these may be inconvenient, especially as the weather gets worse but the whole school community can achieve the safest possible environment by working together.

Quick reminders:

1) Please enter the school site via the front entrance at the correct time. Do not come early.

2) If you drop children in Miss Evans, Mr Fitchett and Mr Bridgman’s classes, please leave via the back entrance unless you are dropping junior children off OR you have mobility issues/buggies. In this case, please walk up the DRIVE not the path until you get to the zebra crossing where you can leave via the path around the bus bay.

3) All parents dropping junior children should leave via the path around the bus bay.

4) Parents dropping children at nursery and Reception classes can also leave via the driveway/bus bay.

IMPORTANT

A reminder that all schools have been advised to provide parents with a single email address that they should use to inform head teachers if their child has a confirmed positive case of COVID-19.

It is as follows: covid.crynalltprimary@npt.gov.uk

The email should contain your child’s name, class and a phone number.

A member of the school leadership team will contact you as soon as possible after receiving the email.

Full details of our Positive Covid 19 Protocol can be found on the school website.

https://crynallt-primary-school.j2bloggy.com

Headlice:

We are still having reports of headlice in school, especially in the Reception class. Please check your child’s hair regularly and treat as necessary.

CURRICULUM NEWS

Newsletters during these challenging times seem to lack any positive information but the children in school have been amazing! They have been really busy learning about Picasso (Year 3), Children’s Rights, dinosaurs and Spies.

It has been lovely to see how well they have settled, especially our new children in Nursery and Reception. They have coped so well with school after such a long break and it has been lovely to receive the positive messages about their progress already. Walking round the school at the moment I am struck by the way the children are applying themselves, the calm atmosphere and the smiles! They are really enjoying being back with their friends in school.

Stay safe,

Mrs Woodford

Please find below a letter with information regarding the opening of Breakfast Club and a Risk Assessment:

RA Breakfast Club

Breakfast Club letter

Dear Parent/Carers,

Please find below the most recent updates and information from school:

INSET DAYS

We currently still have six INSET days to use this academic year. The first two days in September were planning and preparation days to support with the changes that needed to be made to school due to Covid 19. Therefore, they were not deemed as INSET days.

The first of our INSET days will be on Monday 2^nd November 2020 which means children will return to school after half term on Tuesday 3^rd November.

Monday 21st December and Tuesday 22nd December 2020 will also be INSET Days meaning the school will close for pupils on Friday 18^th December. The three other INSET days will be in 2021 and dates will be sent to you as soon as possible.

Breakfast Club

We plan to resume Breakfast Club from Monday  5^th October 2020. PLEASE NOTE that class teachers asked for interest in Breakfast Club via Class Dojo and we only have space for pupils who have been registered via Dojo. The club is now FULL. If you have been allocated a space, teachers will confirm this with you by Tuesday.

We would also ask that you only use this facility if there is no other means of child care at home. A letter detailing arrangements will be sent via Schoop and put on the school website by tomorrow. This will be accompanied by a risk assessment.

TEST, TRACE, PROTECT TO AVOID A SECOND WAVE

The Health Board and Councils run the Covid-19 testing and contact tracing service.

TEST – If you have Covid-19 symptoms visit www.sbuhb.nhs.walesand follow the Covid-19 link to get a test. Alternatively, call 01639 862757 (9am-8pm) to book a test, or Freephone 119 for a home-testing kit.

TRACE – If you test positive you will get a phone call from the contact tracing team.

PROTECT – If the contact tracers get in touch you must follow the advice to keep Wales safe

IMPORTANT

All schools have been advised to provide parents with a single email address that they should use to inform head teachers if their child has a confirmed positive case of COVID-19.

It is as follows: covid.crynalltprimary@npt.gov.uk

The email should contain your child’s name, class and a phone number.

A member of the school leadership team will contact you as soon as possible after receiving the email. The email address will be monitored during weekends and evenings outside school hours.

Full details of our Positive Covid 19 Protocol can be found on the school website.

https://crynallt-primary-school.j2bloggy.com

CURRICULUM NEWS

The children have been enjoying a range of activities in school around the topics of dinosaurs and Spies and Gadgets! Our infant children have been busy in the dinosaur role play areas, sorting and comparing dinosaurs and they enjoyed looking at Mr Jenkins fossil collection. One of the other highlights has been Year 5 now thinking I am planning on stealing Queen Elizabeth’s jewels from the Tower of London through a school trip! They found this out via an audio recording of two spies who are spying on me which they had to transcribe!

DINNER MONEY

As you can imagine, school is very busy at the moment. Covid 19 has generated very large amounts of paperwork/extra duties- to name a few risk assessments, absence management, lunchtime and break duties, cleaning etc. We also still have significant dinner money debt which takes hours to chase each week. It will also be taken from school budget, having a negative impact on all the children in school. Please pay this off by the end of this week and help us to spend our time on the urgent matters in school at the moment.

Once again, I would like to thank you for your support, kind messages and communication. These are difficult times but by supporting each other we can do the best for all our pupils and families. If you have any queries or issue, please let us know and we will attempt to help!

Stay safe,

Mrs Woodford

 

 

 

Please find below a link to our protocol which we will use in the case of a positive Covid 19 case.

Thank you

Covid 19 Protocol

Dear Parents/Carers,

I have a number of updates and reminders this week.

1) Please support us in getting your child to school at the right time. We have still got children without siblings arriving early (up to 30 minutes!) and many arriving late.  If the numbers of children arriving early continue at the level they are now, we may have to stop children without  entering class before their designated times and we really don’t want to do this. As the number of Covid cases rises we need to ensure we socially distance effectively in school and the staggered entry and exit times are key to this.

2) We currently have over £1,000 of outstanding dinner money debt. This comes out of the school budget which is already under enormous strain due to Covid 19 costs. Please can I appeal to you to pay off this debt immediately?

3) A reminder for the parents who have not yet signed up to Parent Pay.

4) The children have really enjoyed the good weather over the past two weeks and we have managed to get them outside as much as possible. This is beneficial for learning and wellbeing. In general, the children have been amazing. They have adapted really well to the changes in school and have been brialliantly behaved. They are a credit to themselves and you.

5) We have put together packs of work for children who may be off school for more than a few days due to Covid 19 restrictions. If your child is likely to be absent due to track and Trace or a family member having symptoms, please let us know. Alternatively, there are many ideas for activities on our website under the news section. You will need to scroll down and click on ‘Older Posts’ to find them. We will continue to add to these ideas over the term.

6) Please complete the data collection sheets that are now on Schoop. Having up to date contact details for all pupils is essential at the moment.

7) Schools have been informed that they are expected to open Breakfast Clubs in the next couple of weeks. We are currently gathering numbers to see how we can best organise this whilst keeping children in their ‘bubbles’. More information will follow but it is looking unlikely that Breakfast Club will be open to all children every day.

8) We have recently been provided with a Covid specific email address. This is: covid.crynalltprimary@npt.gov.uk.

If you have any information and concerms about Covid 19 please use this email address at any time to let the school know. It will be checked regularly by members of the Senior Management Team every day, including evenings and weekends. Please inform us immediately if:

• Your child is showing symptoms of Covid 19
• You child has been contacted by Track and Trace
• A member of your household is showing symptoms
• A member of the household has tested positive
• Your child has tested positive- it is ESSENTIAL that you contact school immediately if this is the case!

Please include a phone number in your email. We may need to phone you from our homes and do not always have access to records as they are stored in school. We will not always ring you back but may need to, especially if your child does test positive.

A letter detailing our Positive Covid 19 Case Protocol will be published on the school website by tomorrow morning.

Many thanks for your continuing support. It is invaluable during these difficult times and I know staff appreciate the kind and positive comments.

Warm regards,

Mrs Woodford

Please find below a link to an information leaflet regarding Covid 19. It contains useful phone numbers and guidance.

Swansea_Bay_leaflet_final_Eng

Dear Parents/Carers,

Firstly, I would like to thank the large majority of you who have worked so hard with us to make school drop offs and collections as safe as possible. Despite some early teething problems on the lower junior playground we now seem to be in a routine that is working quite well.

As with anywhere at the moment, there are a small minority of adults dropping off/collecting who are finding the new routines challenging. Staff are available to support with this but we are unable to correct every adult who is walking the wrong way or not adhering to social distancing. I have had a few queries about this, largely asking why small numbers of adults are not following procedures and if so, why everyone else has to? My response is that the more of us who work to follow exits and entry procedures, follow the one-way system and bring children to school at the correct time, the safer the school is for the children, staff and all our families. As such, I would ask you to continue to keep to the rules regardless of anyone who is not. We will continue to encourage and remind adults of these rules in the hope that 100% of the school community follow them. This is a difficult and challenging time for everyone and it looks as if this ‘new normal’ will be with us for a long time so please continue to support us.

General reminders about this are:

1) You should not be dropping children to school early unless they have siblings who have an earlier start time. We are having children arriving in school at 8.10am for an 8.30am start and others who are due to start school at 9.00am being dropped at 8.40am. This defeats the purpose of staggered entry and exit times and reduces the chance of successful social distancing;

2) Please do not come on to the school grounds early to collect your child. Today, we have had several parents on site 15-20 minutes before their child is due to finish school. Again, this makes social distancing difficult;

3) Parents who drop off children in Years 1 and 2 should be entering school at the main entrance and leaving through the back entrance UNLESS they have buggies or mobility issues. This is to reduce congestion at the main gate and assist with social distancing;

3) Parents who drop children at the junior yard should leave via the path next to the bus bay (marked with blue arrows) so avoiding parents who are entering the yard.

My Child is Unwell, what shall I do?

There is a very good, short video by a doctor on the Parent’s Facebook Page explaining when to be concerned about symptoms. The three main symptoms to watch out for are:

1) A dry, continuous cough. This does not include a cough that is part of a cold so if your child has the ‘sneezes’, a runny nose etc they should be fine to attend school.

2) Loss of or change to taste or smell;

3) A high temperature. This counts as a possible symptom even if you think your child has an ear or throat infection. They will need a Covid 19 test anyway.

If your child has any of these symptoms of Covid 19 they must be kept home until you can arrange a test. If this is the case please inform the school immediately. The whole household should self-isolate for 14 days so please do NOT send siblings to school. If the test comes back negative all your children can return to school immediately unless your child has had known contact with someone who has had a confirmed case of Covid 19. If this is the case they must remain home for 14 days.

Other information:

• The topics the children are learning about this term are:

 

        Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2: Dinosaurs
        Years 3, 4, 5 and 6: Spies and Gadgets

 

• We are hoping to restart Breakfast Club for all pupils by the end of September. More information aboutt his will follow.

Many thanks for your continuing support,

Mrs Woodford

covid 19 sept 2

Please find above a link to a letter with updated information.

Thank you

Dear Parents/Carers,

We have had numerous phone calls today from parents who have said they are not aware of the arrangements for the this week and next. As a result I have copied the arrangements below. If you are aware of any parents who are not on Schoop could you let them know which classes are starting on which days please? Can I also remind parents that all the information posted on Schoop is also on the school website under the ‘news’ tab. It has also been shared with admins from the Parents’ Facebook page and they have posted it on this group. You can check any of these places for information.

Staff will be available tomorrow morning and Friday morning to direct you to the correct doors and classrooms.

Year Group	Start Date
Nursery	From 14th September onwards. A date for your child to start will be given to you by Mrs Kneath.
Reception	7-11th September- either am or pm. Miss Hawes has been in contact to provide you with a time. 14-18th September all pupils from 9.00am-1pm (to include lunchtime) 21st September onwards: Full time
Miss Evans, Mr Fitchett, Miss Roberts, Miss Morgan, Mr Parvin, Mrs Gittins	In school Thursday 3rd September NOT Friday 4th September. Full time from 7th September
Mr Bridgman, Miss Todd, Mrs George, Mr Gillett, Mrs Neal, Miss Clemes	NOT in school Thursday 3rd September but in school Friday 4th September. Full time from 7th September

Dear Parent/Carer,

The summer holidays are nearly at an end and we are really looking forward to welcoming the children back to school for the Autumn Term. We’ve been asked to publish our draft risk assessment for returning to school which can be found below. With any risk assessment, it is reviewed regularly to ensure it is fit for purpose and using the most up-to-date guidance available:

Return to school risk assessment

The school will be having two preparation days on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd of September. Following that, children from Years 1-6 will have one full day in school on EITHER Thursday 3rd September OR Friday 4th September. They will then start back full time on Monday 7th September.

Reception children will start part time on the 7th September and Nursery later in the month. Reception and Nursery teachers have already made contact with parents to provide details about this.

Start and end times are staggered for your children. We would ask parents to ensure that they maintain social distancing in the yard when dropping off and collecting the children and leave promptly. Please ensure your child arrives in school on time. We do not have staff available to supervise before school and lateness will be difficult to manage.

Further details about reopening, one way systems and start and end times can be found in the letters below:

coronavirus letter September 2020

parent-guide-infants sept 2020

parent-guide-juniors sept 20

 

Free School meal payments will be continuing pupils already in receipt of them. The last payment will be made on Monday 7^th September 2020 (this covers up to Friday 11^th September 2020). Children who are having payments into their bank account will have to continue to pay for school meals for the 7th-11th of September or you can provide a packed lunch if you prefer. They will revert to Free School Meals from Monday 14th September.

Please be aware that Breakfast Club will not initially be running when we go back to school except for pupils who are arriving early on the Tonmawr bus. However, we are working hard to get it back in operation safely. We aim to have it running as soon as possible.

If you have any questions or concerns please give the office a ring and one of our clerks will be able to help you. Alternatively, you can email crynalltprimary@npt.school