Dear parents and carers,

Happy New Year to all of you! Thank you for making sure the children have come back to school ready to learn. And to those of you who have not been able to return yet – get well soon!

This week I have seen some fantastic art work going on as children are introduced to their new themes – the Shang Dynasty in Y3, Plastic Pollution in Y6, and the EYFS children all dressed up in different roles as they learn about different jobs as part of their superhero theme.

Staffing News

I am sorry to give you this news, but at the end of this term, our Family Support Worker, Mrs Poole, is retiring. As you may know, I call Mrs Poole ‘everyone’s guardian angel.’ She is an exceptionally well-valued member of Team Tynings, by parents, children and all of the staff and she will be missed terribly. However, Mrs Poole has made the right decision for her, her health and for her family, and I know she is looking forward to spending more time with her grandchildren. Very sad news for us, but a happy decision for Mrs Poole and her family – she has exciting times ahead!

(We will be taking a collection for Mrs Poole - if you wish to contribute towards this, please send into the office in a sealed envelope.)

We advertised for a replacement before Christmas, and I am pleased to say that Mrs Nic Dutton (formerly Y2 teaching assistant) was successful in securing the post. Mrs Dutton is working alongside Mrs Poole this term, getting to know the ropes, meeting our families and also undertaking training to ensure she can hit the ground running in Term 4. I know Mrs Dutton will be a fantastic support to all of us – children, parents and staff.

Covid regulations and impact

At the moment, regulations seem to be ever changing! We are being told to urge you to make sure you have had the vaccines and the booster, and to make sure we do everything we possibly can to keep school open and as normal as possible. As you can imagine, issues arise when staff members are absent, but we continue to do our best, and will only move to remote learning if we absolutely have to.

As mentioned earlier in the week, we do have contingencies in place. These are:

Handwashing and sanitising frequently through the day

Extra cleaning during the school day

Not gathering in large groups – online assemblies, KS2 having lunches in their classrooms

Staff wearing masks around the school building, and minimising contact with each other by having two staff rooms, staggering lunches, and online staff meetings.

Asking parents and carers to wear masks on site.

Well ventilated classrooms

LFTs twice weekly for all staff

What you should do if your child has symptoms or tests positive:

This guidance has not changed. If your child has a high temperature, persistent cough and loss of smell/taste, you must book a PCR for them. I am also informed that there are some other symptoms now associated with covid, such as headache, runny nose/cold symptoms. This makes things very difficult to decide if anyone has covid or not, especially at this time of year! To be on the safe side, book a PCR.

Lateral flow testing (LFT) is also encouraged; as staff we do this twice a week, unless a close contact and then we do it daily, which is also the recommendation for you and your families. Twice weekly LFTs hope to pick up those who are asymptomatic, and guidance given yesterday is that those who are asymptomatic no long need to book a PCR, but should isolate for the 7 days.

Whichever test is taken to determine a case of covid, children may now return to school after two negative lateral flow tests, the first of which should not be taken earlier that day 6 of test results. This is of course, if they are well enough and they do not have a temperature.

In school, we keep a record of every child who is off with a positive test result – this enables us to determine if we have an ‘outbreak.’ If we have an outbreak, we then get in touch with local public health to determine what further actions we might need to take, such as staggering lunches further, staggering the start and end of the day etc. It is only under very exceptional circumstances that a class, year group or the school, will be closed. At the moment, we do not have any ‘outbreaks’ in our school, but we do have a small number of children who are absent with post-Christmas Covid.

Car parking:

We really want to keep all of our neighbours and parents happy, and our children safe, so would appreciate everyone making sure that they are parking sensibly, safely and legally around the school. Unfortunately we have been sent this photo this week, of a car parking on double yellow lines on Eastleigh Close. We know parents and carers can often be in a hurry, especially in the mornings, but please park safely!

2022 CLUBS Terms 3 & 4

Please find a list of clubs that are available for Terms 3 & 4. If clubs are already full, please feel free to express an interest and you will be added to the clubs waiting list. If your child secures a place in a club, you will receive a message/letter from the member of staff running the club to inform you.

Please tick which clubs you are interested in and return to the office by Monday 10^th January. Thank you!

Please see the attached poster for iinformation on a speech and language drop in session to be held on 20th January. If you would like to book a session, please contact the school office.

https://thetynings.schoolzineplus.co.uk/_file/media/5499/s_l_drop_in_sessions_20.1.22.ppt

Please see the attached shopping list from the Resound food bank.

SHOPPING LIST – January 2022

NO pasta please as we have lots!

Also, please no bottles of fizzy drinks or water – thank you

• Tinned minced beef
• Tinned fish (NOT Tuna)
• Tinned corn beef
• Tomato based pasta sauce
• Tinned carrots
• Tinned mushrooms
• Box/sachet mashed potato
• Tinned rice pudding
• Sponge puddings
• Jam/Marmalade
• Male/Female deodorant
• Toothpaste
• Washing-up liquid

Please find attached the Community Learning prospectus for January.

https://thetynings.schoolzineplus.co.uk/_file/media/5498/jan_prospectus_2022_final.pdf

It can also be accessed via the link: https://bit.ly/3Jau0nN

Enrolment events are taking place the first week of January, so you can go along for a chat about the choices – there will also be information at these events on Works for Youth, Future Bright and We Work for Everyone – all aimed at supporting people, whether young, old and/or with a disability, to improve their job skills and access to work opportunities.

Congratulations to the following children who have received the "Champion of the Week" certificate this week:

Hedgehogs - Toby,  Squirrels - Sofia-Elena,  Owls - Honey,  Robins - Oluwatobi,   Deer - George,  Foxes - Zac,  Bats - Conor,  Badgers - Ismaeel,  Kingfishers - Theo,  Woodpeckers - Hannah,  Otters - Alex,  Pine Martens - Amelie,  Falcons - Demi,  Kestrels - Maddison G.

Congratulations to the following children who have received "Hot Chocolate Friday" packs:

Hedgehogs - Araya,  Squirrels - Teddy,  Owls - Edith,  Robins - Sammy,  Deer - Ellie,  Fox - Isabelle,  Bats - Reggie,  Badgers -  Fearne,  Kingfishers - Elodie, Woodpeckers - Connor,  Otters - Maime,  Pine Martens - Isabel,  Falcons - Kai,   Kestrels - Sonny.

Upcoming dates for the diary:

Friday 18th February: Last day of Term 3

Monday 28th February: Start of Term 4, children return to school