Dear Parents and Guardians,

 

Our first full week back has been wonderful but has flown by.  It has been such a pleasure to spend time with the children, especially getting to know our new Reception children and the two other pupils who have joined us since September.  Last year we tried hard to give the Reception children the support of a buddy but with separate bubbles, it was very difficult.  This week has shown me the true value of the system for both our Reception and Year 6 and we have also given our Year 1s a Year 5 buddy.  The care and responsibility shown by Goldfinch is something for us to be very proud of.

 

The children have settled to new routines and the learning going on in all classes is exciting to see.  This week we have also started a slightly different approach to collective worship.  We will continually review and adapt but it has been wonderful start and I look forward to being part of more learning and collective worship experiences next week.

 

So many children have started clubs this week and I know Mr O'Reilly is organising matches and tournaments.  Beehive has been well attended, sessions can be booked via their website.  Thank you to NSsport and Beehive, the children love the sessions.

 

I know ordering uniform has been a challenge for us and Mrs Lawrence is working so hard to fulfill orders (thank you Mrs Lawrence).  Supplies have been hard to come by and this has also led to the delay in the fleeces arriving (hopefully soon) but other orders have now been delivered.  I would like to thank you for your patience and once all orders are fulfilled we will expect correct uniform for all children.  I have noticed this week a few children wearing incorrect uniform in regards to socks and shoes, please ensure you follow our Uniform policy.

Girls should have white socks with summer uniform and grey socks or tights with winter uniform.  Boys should wear grey socks.  Shoes should be black with no ankle boots allowed.

As we interviewed our Year 6 children for their Prefect role, they spoke of how important it is to wear our uniform correctly with pride.  Thank you for your support with this.

 

I will be sharing information in an email on Monday regarding Covid as I have received further information from Wokingham that I will pass on to you.  The key message is 'Be cautious, be kind, be careful'.  It is vital that we care for each other as a community.  We all have our own concerns, fears and circumstances which impact how we feel and behave in regards to Covid.  Please can I remind you to keep your child at home if they are unwell and if you feel you need advice on what to do in relation to Covid, please email or call the school.

 

Whilst we are delighted to be working 'normally' in so many respects, we are keeping certain measures in place to keep us safe.  The Covid figures for Wokingham are high and the number of cases in both primary and secondary schools reflect this.  Thank you for all you are doing to keep our school community as safe as we can be.

 

I want to finish by sharing my thanks to the staff.  They are working tirelessly to engage, inspire, develop and care for every child.  They are proud of the children and are delighted to welcome them, teach them and help them to shine.  I know you will join me in thanking them, sometimes just for the little things that we know make a big difference.  We are starting the school year, as always, with high aspirations for the children and our partnership is truly valued in achieving that.

 

I wish you a wonderful and safe weekend and I look forward to seeing you next week.

With kind regards

Jacquie Vanstone