Classrooms

Nursery Message

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5 years ago
Posted on 29th Apr 2021 by

Update from Miss Cook

29.4.21 update

Dear Parents/Carers,

I have not heard back from the authorities as yet and so can not update as much as I would have hoped.

As I have said previously, I will be on site before 7am tomorrow to meet a Health and Safety leader. We will assess the situation then and immediately update you. Everything hinges on the weather.

I think it is likely that we will open, but it would be wise to have a plan b in place just in case. I know this is not at all ideal and apologise for that.

This I’m sure will be the last day of uncertainty for us all.

Many thanks

Miss Cook

Headteacher

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5 years ago
Posted on 29th Apr 2021 by

Update 29th April 2020

Update 29.4.21

Dear Parents/Carers,

As some of you will see, the plume of smoke is still in existence, but thankfully staying away from us.

I am meeting the Health and Safety council Lead onsite at 7am tomorrow to assess the site again.

The strategic update meeting between the council, health professionals and the fire department is happening now and we will receive some predictive information shortly.

We hope to again be open tomorrow, but as I have said, if smoke changes direction and puts the school as a direct hit, we may need to rethink.

I will update you later today with more probability information when I receive it. We are sorry that we can not give you a 100% straight answer at this time.

Thank you for your understanding.

MIss Cook

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5 years ago
Posted on 29th Apr 2021 by

Update from Miss Cook – 29th April 2021

29.4.21 update (apologies as I know there are a lot of updates)

Dear Parents/Carers,

We have just concluded a site walk with a council Health and Safety officer.

We have been advised that the smoke, though unpleasant, is not harmful to us.

We now have a system in place which involves regular assessing and takes into account the ventilation needs linked to Covid.

The children are allowed outside for short periods of time (dependent on our assessments).

Just to reassure you, they are busy enjoying their learning and seem oblivious to the situation that is going on.

There will be another update to the council from the fire department at 2pm this afternoon. This will be about the plume of smoke and the potential movement overnight.

I have been assured that I will get any relevant information that will support us in decision making for tomorrow.

I am ever hopeful that we will remain open, but as I hope you can appreciate, this is a major event and the impact has to be very carefully assessed and planned for.

Many thanks

MIss Cook

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5 years ago
Posted on 29th Apr 2021 by

Under the sea art

We had a great response to the online creative activity yesterday. Thank you so much for taking part. 🌊🐳🦀🦑🐙 I have really enjoyed seeing their little faces light up when they brought them in to display.

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5 years ago
Posted on 29th Apr 2021 by

Update from Miss Cook

Update 29.4.21

Dear Parents/Carers,

I have been in contact with the council and got to the site very early myself to check out the situation. It is incredibly difficult to judge what is going to happen, but the weather forecast is good, indicating the smoke will rise rapidly. The school building/site is currently not affected and therefore the decision has been made to open today. We will clearly monitor the situation very carefully as time progresses and make decisions as to whether the children go out to play or spend playtime indoors. We are receiving advice from the Health teams as we move forward.

As I have said before, it is so tricky to predict what Mother Nature will do, but we are trying so hard to.

We thank you for your support and understanding at this time.

There will be updates throughout the day.

MIss Cook

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5 years ago
Posted on 28th Apr 2021 by

Update from Miss Cook

Update 28.4.21

Dear Parents/Carers,

Thank you for your ongoing patience during this difficult time. We have now been updated by the Council.  The fire is still burning, though thankfully much more under control. The aspect that no one has any control over however, is the weather. Teams of people are looking at detailed forecasts and trying very hard to predict what will happen overnight.

We may open to all children tomorrow (including Breakfast and Afterschool Club). However, we are asking that you to have a plan b up your sleeve should we need it. The predictions so far indicate that the plume of smoke could be pushed our direction by morning. Therefore, there is a chance that our air quality will deteriorate if a number of factors come into play. I will receive an early morning call based on facts gathered from our site and the Council/Fire department and we will post immediately after that.

I just want to make everyone aware that the chance of closure based on changes in weather patterns does exist.

I know this uncertainty is a real frustration to everyone and if we could be 100% sure, we would be.

I am hoping to post by 7am at the latest.

Kind regards,

Miss Cook

5 years ago
Posted on 28th Apr 2021 by

Nursery phonics

Today, if possible, please can you work on the letter “c” with your child for letters and sounds.  When we say the sound “c” we do the action of a caterpillar crawling across a leaf using our hands.  One hand is the leaf and the other is the caterpillar.  When writing “c” please help your child form the letter from the top and then draw downwards.  We say “curl around the caterpillar” as we are writing.

Can your child then find objects around the house with the “c” sound in it eg cup, can, sack.

Please send in a photograph of your child’s writing and any objects that they find using evidence me.

If your child is very confident they could also have a go at trying to write the sounds in the objects that they found.  In addition they could also look at how “c” changes to “ch” in words such as “chip”.

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5 years ago
Posted on 27th Apr 2021 by

Further Update From Miss Cook

Dear Parents / Carers,

I have just been updated by the Council and as promised, I am letting you know straight away what the situation is.

They have informed us that we need to keep our school closed tomorrow.

This is an evolving situation and it is unclear where the plume of smoke will be tomorrow and so the decision was made by the Council, to enable you to make arrangements with more notice.

As stated previously, we will be continuing our online learning offer, so please refer to your child’s class page for more information.

We are hopeful that the situation will soon be resolved, resulting in the safe reopening of our school.

More information will be shared as we receive it.

Regards

Miss Cook

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5 years ago
Posted on 27th Apr 2021 by

Latest Update

Dear Parents/Carers,

I have just received an update from the Council concerning this ongoing difficult situation and want to pass this onto you promptly to aid your planning.

The fire is still active and fire crews are still in attendance at the site. The issue is that they have not got precision accuracy, when it comes to predicting what the weather forecast will do between now and the morning.

This aspect is key, as they need to know if the wind will pick up and what direction this may blow. The wind affects the way the smoke plume will move and therefore the impact on air quality in the targeted area.

I have been told I will receive a call early tomorrow morning instructing me on whether we can open the school or not. I know this is not ideal and have asked them to call me as early as ever possible, so that I can inform you all straight away.

On the plus side, we do have online learning to fall back on should we have to close. Teachers are brilliant at adapting their offer and I really hope the children have been able to access this today.

Fingers crossed the weather conditions are kind to us and therefore allow us to reopen safely. As ever, I know communication is key and I will of course let you know as soon as I know.

Many thanks,

Miss Cook

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5 years ago
Posted on 27th Apr 2021 by

School/Nursery Closure Update 27th April 2021

Dear Parents/Carers,

Apologies for the late notice concerning our school closure today. We received the information from the council and immediately informed all staff and parents. We understand that organising child care with no notice is a real stress for many.

As I hope you know, we are always very reluctant to close school and only do so when absolutely necessary.

I have just come off the phone from a representative from the Health and Protection team and been told that the situation is ongoing. I asked about the probability of us being closed tomorrow and they told me that was unknown at this time, but that they will update me as soon as possible.

I will let you know their instruction on this as soon as we have been told.

In the meantime, all staff have been instructed to move to online learning straight away. Please do support your child in accessing this learning so as to limit the impact of the school closure. Again, we understand this could be difficult depending on your own circumstances. Staff know that parents could find it difficult to find enough devices and support and therefore they will ensure the online offer can be carried out by children independently.

Thank you for your support, more messages will come through later on this afternoon.

Miss Cook

Headteacher

Newdale Primary School and Nursery