Our Nursery provision is currently closed until Friday 15^th January and all staff and children are isolating as we have had a confirmed positive case of Covid-19 in Nursery. Last night School received the first guidance from the Government informing us that Nursery and our Two Year Old provision can be open to all children who absolutely need it. Home is the safest place for your children right now so I would urge you only to send your child to School if you have absolutely no alternative child care provision. It would really help limit the risk to staff and children in School and also help the nationwide effort to limit the spread of this new, more transmissible, variant of the Covid-19 virus.

Before Nursery can open more fully I have to complete a risk assessment which means I need accurate numbers of children that will be attending to ensure we have adequate staff to meet the ratios required. It is critical that you complete the attached form by Tuesday 12^th January at 11am to allow me to schedule the staff and ensure we are providing the safest environment possible. Once we have definite numbers of children and my risk assessment is complete, you will receive a text message if your child has been allocated a place in Nursery. Your child will not be able to return if you have not completed this form so please help us by not turning up for Nursery if you have not received a text message confirming the place.

I know the parents at Grindon Infants are very supportive of School and want the absolute best for their children so I trust that you will only send your children to School if you have absolutely no choice and I would like to thank you in advance for your continued support. As always, the staff and I are here to support you in any way we can with your child’s education so please do not hesitate to contact us regarding any queries about home learning or returning to School.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=4bX9PW6uf0-Q3bSo8qlzDbpeA0gapA1Fu6nl_JzV195UQk9DTlpGUDBSU0xLR1dTOVM0Q1YwRDFHTC4u 

Dear Parent / Carer

Well, this has certainly been an unusual and unexpected start to the year! Firstly, I’d like to wish you all a happy new year and hope this letter finds you and your family safe and well. I would like to apologise for any confusion and anxiety caused by the reopening of school on Monday but we found out at the same time as you at 8pm on Monday evening that we had to close, despite being told that all Schools must open for the Spring Term as planned the previous day. It has been a very challenging few days to say the least, but a huge positive is that we got to see lots of our lovely children again for one day on Monday following the Christmas holiday.

As we approach the end of the first week of lockdown and home schooling, I just wanted to reassure you that you are doing an amazing job. Many of us, like many of you, are working, looking after vulnerable people and home schooling our own children so we totally understand the pressures you are facing at the moment.

School is open but only for Key Worker parents who have no other childcare options and for our vulnerable children as home is the safest place for everyone at the moment.

Thanks to a massive team effort from all of the fantastic staff at Grindon Infant School we have now started remote learning for those children at home and providing provision for some children in school. For those children at home, staff are working incredibly hard, as they did during the last lockdown, to teach Key Worker children in School and also support you with tasks for the children to complete at home to ensure they don’t have gaps in their learning. The children cannot afford to not complete the work this time as they missed so much learning last year-we really need your help to ensure the children don’t fall behind with their learning.

To make this easier we have created a new section on the website called Home Learning and every year group has their own page where a plan for the week plus resources will be placed to support you. This will be added on a Friday for the following week allowing any of you who are working to plan your week or maybe even complete some activities during the weekend if during the week is a struggle. Each week children will be asked to complete a daily Phonics, English, Maths and Topic activity. Spellings and handwriting will be a weekly task. There will be a mix of resources available; videos to watch, games/activities on Purplemash and some may be paper based activities. Reminders for daily activities will be sent via MarvellousMe daily. The work set is in line with what we would have been teaching in School to ensure the children keep up and staff will continue from where you last taught when the children return. I am aware that many of you are tasked with working on your own jobs from home and this is conflicting with your child’s learning needs. That is why we are sending the work as we are, so you can take your time and fit it in wherever you can. Videos can be watched over again to improve understanding. Remember, in school your child is required to learn alone for some of the time. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions with the work as we are happy to help in any way we can. Remember to also try to prioritise some ‘down time’; in school your child has lunch break and playtime so they need this break.

We would like you to keep all of the home learning that your child completes and when the children return they can bring it in to show us as I am sure they will be very proud of it. We are also asking you to email us each week some work that the children are proud of and staff will still be choosing a ‘Star of the Week’ and sending MarvellousMe badges to praise the children and keep them motivated. We have already received some emails and videos showing what the children are doing; this has really cheered us all up!

You should have all now received a telephone call from your child’s Class Teacher informing you of how we are going to support you. If you have not then please ring the School Office. We know lots of the learning is internet based so we have offered paper based copies of the resources and books for children to write in for those parents who would like them. We really are trying our best to support you and if there is something that we have not thought of that we can help with then pleased contact us.

The staff and I are really missing all of the children already and please remember that although we are closed then we are still available to offer help and support. You can contact us via telephone Monday to Friday between 8:30am and 4:00pm or if you leave us a voicemail then we will call you back. Alternatively you can email us through the school website. We are in the process of setting up new email addresses for each year group so that you can contact the Teachers directly. As soon as these are set up we will let you know.

Finally, I would like to thank you all for your understanding and kind messages of support. It has been a very turbulent few days where we had to respond quickly to government directives. However, we have received so many complimentary comments from you and this has helped us a lot to focus on ‘getting on with the job’ and meeting the needs of our children and their families. We are all here, working hard to support you all and will continue to do so throughout this period of lockdown.

Stay Safe and Kind Regards

Mrs A Charlton
Head Teacher

Dear Parents,

We have been made aware of a member of our school community who has tested positive for COVID 19.

We know that you may find this concerning but we are continuing to monitor the situation and are working closely with Public Health England. This letter is to inform you of the current situation and provide advice on how to support your child. Please be reassured that for most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.

The small number of children who have been in close contact with the individual who has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) have received a text informing them that their child must stay at home for 10 days. The letter below is just for parents who have received a text message alerting them that they have been a close contact.

What to do if your child develops symptoms of COVID 19

If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19, they must not come to school and should remain at home for at least 10 days from the date when their symptoms appeared. Anyone with symptoms will be eligible for testing and this can be arranged via https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test or by calling 119.

All other household members who remain well, must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. This includes anyone in your ‘Support Bubble’.

Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection

The 10-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill.

Household members should not go to work, school or public areas and exercise should be taken within the home.

If you require help with buying groceries, other shopping or picking up medication, or walking a dog, you should ask friends or family. Alternatively, you can order your shopping online and medication by phone or online.

Household members staying at home for 10 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community

If you are able, move any vulnerable individuals (such as the elderly and those with underlying health conditions) out of your home, to stay with friends or family for the duration of the home isolation period.

Symptoms

The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of:

• a new continuous cough
• a high temperature
• a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)

For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.

If your child does develop symptoms, you can seek advice from the nhs.uk website at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/check-if-you-have-coronavirus-symptoms/. If you are concerned about your child’s symptoms, or they are worsening you can seek advice from NHS 111 at https://111.nhs.uk/ or by phoning 111.

How to stop COVID-19 spreading

There are things you can do to help reduce the risk of you and anyone you live with getting ill with COVID-19

Do

• wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
• use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
• wash your hands as soon as you get home
• cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
• put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards

Further Information

Further information is available at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Yours sincerely

Mrs A Charlton
Headteacher

The following letter only applies if you have had a text message today.  Date: 06.01.2021

FOR PARENTS OF CLOSE CONTACTS OF COVID 19 at Grindon Infant School

Advice for Child to Self-Isolate for 10 Days 

Dear parent or carer,

We have been made aware that we have a confirmed positive case of coronavirus (COVID-19) at Grindon Infant School.

We have followed the national guidance and have identified that your child has been in close contact with the affected child. In line with the national guidance your child must stay at home and self-isolate until 14.01.2021. Your child can return to School on 15.01.21.

If your child is well at the end of the 10 days period of self-isolation, then they can return to usual activities.

Other members of your household can continue normal activities provided your child does not develop symptoms within the 10 day self-isolation period.

Please see the link to: Guidance for contacts of people with confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection who do not live with the person

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-contacts-of-people-with-possible-or-confirmed-coronavirus-covid-19-infection-who-do-not-live-with-the-person

 What to do if your child develops symptoms of COVID 19

If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19, they should remain at home for at least 10 days from the date when their symptoms appeared. Anyone with symptoms will be eligible for testing and this can be arranged via https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test or by calling 119 .

People who do not have symptoms should not request a test unless this has been specifically requested by Public Health England or the local authority.

All other household members who remain well must stay at home and not leave the house for 10 days. This includes anyone in your ‘Support Bubble’.

The 10-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill.

Household members should not go to work, school or public areas and exercise should be taken within the home. If you require help with buying groceries, other shopping or picking up medication, or walking a dog, you should ask friends or family. Alternatively, you can order your shopping online and medication by phone or online.

Household members staying at home for 10 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community

If you are able can, move any vulnerable individuals (such as the elderly and those with underlying health conditions) out of your home, to stay with friends or family for the duration of the home isolation period

Please see the link to the PHE ‘Stay at Home’ Guidance:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection

Symptoms of COVID 19

The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of:

• new continuous cough and/or
• high temperature and/or
• a loss of, or change in, normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)

For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness. 

If your child does develop symptoms, you can seek advice from the nhs.uk website at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/check-if-you-have-coronavirus-symptoms/. If you are concerned about your child’s symptoms, or they are worsening you can seek advice from NHS 111 at https://111.nhs.uk/ or by phoning 111.

How to stop COVID-19 spreading

 There are things you can do to help reduce the risk of you and anyone you live with getting ill with COVID-19

Do

• wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
• use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
• wash your hands as soon as you get home
• cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
• put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards

Further Information

Further information is available at

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Yours sincerely

Mrs Charlton
Headteacher

We are creating a new Home Learning Tab on the home page of the website but while we wait for this to be created Home Learning will appear on this page.

 Year 2

• Book Questions
• Flowering Plant Observation
• Wednesday Make-equal-groups-2020
• The Big Breakfast book
• Science

Adobe Reader
You may need a product like Adobe Reader (free download) to view our PDF documents on our website.

Schools Covid Checker

We need your co-operation in an important matter. One of our pupils is receiving medical treatment for cancer which puts them at risk if they are exposed to measles, chicken pox or shingles.

Please let us know immediately if your child is suspected of having measles.

Our pupil is also at risk from chicken pox and would need to be given an injection within three days of contact. If your child is suspected of having chicken pox, you should let us know.

It is also important that you let us know if there is shingles in your household.

Your child is not at any risk whatsoever from this situation. However, the health and wellbeing of our pupil who is at risk, does depend on the co-operation of all other parents and we hope you can help us.

With many thanks.

A story we thought you might like to share with your child about worries a story to share with your child about worries.

There is a video on YouTube which you may wish to watch with your child in preparation for them returning:

A Book for Children about Coronavirus – click on the link

 

 

• coronavirus-workbook-for-children
• cco-childrens-guide-to-coronavirus