Posted on: 24/09/2021A Message from Steve MortonA very big hello and an even bigger thank you to you all for giving me such a warm welcome back to our school. Walking through the school gates each morning with the sun on my face (other weathers are available!) fills me with joy and energy for the day. Buckland St Mary is a wonderful place to be and your children make our school its heart. The term is off to a great start with all the children settling back into their classes with a skip in their step and a smile on their face. I have even seen a few of the teachers doing the same!!! Our discovery sessions are underway and this term. I hope you have all received and understood your child’s curriculum maps and that they are pride of pace on the fridge door! All the children are currently thinking as scientist, geographers and artists and learning the specific vocabulary to be able to speak with confidence when discussing them. They are honing their skills and working on some amazing projects. We hope to be able to share all of their amazing art with you later in the year. I look forward to getting an opportunity to chat with you on the playground over the coming weeks and we, as a school, look forward to sharing with you all of the marvellous things that we are planning to achieve as the term progresses. Categories: 1 CategorySchool News
Posted on: 3/09/2021Welcome Back!Dear Parents and Carers, We hope you’ve enjoyed a restful summer and that your children are ready for the new school year - we can’t wait to see them again! The government has now officially removed all the previous restrictions on social distancing, consistent groupings and isolation of close contacts (‘bubbles’) for schools. This allows us more freedom in how we operate, however we are mindful of the uncertain nature of the pandemic as we move through the autumn term into the winter. Infection rates in Somerset are currently high and it is likely that there will be further spread in the months ahead. Children (and staff) who test positive for Covid-19 will still be required to self-isolate for 10 days and so to ensure the smooth running of the school, it is still very much our intention to do all we can to reduce transmission of the virus, whilst prioritising education for all our children. Arrival at and departure from school We continue to recommend face coverings on site during busy periods, but as with the national guidance, this is now a matter of personal responsibility. We are fortunate that the site allows us to maintain sensible social distancing and so we plan to revert back to pre Covid drop off and pick up arrangements. A member of staff will be on the playground from 8:45am for all children and classes will open at 8:55am for a prompt 9am registration (nursery will continue to be 9am-3pm). The school day will end at 3:10pm. Parents/carers will be able to drop off and collect their child/children as per normal arrangements. These arrangements have worked well to ensure a calmer start and end to the school day, whilst fostering greater independence in the children. If you give permission for your KS2 child to walk home by themselves or to be collected by someone other than main parents and carers, please make sure you have updated this information with the main office during the first week of the term.. Other arrangements We will of course continue to ensure that frequent hand washing and education on the importance of good hand and respiratory hygiene remains in place. Classrooms will be well-ventilated throughout the school day as part of our normal practice. We are looking forward to returning to some shared collective worships with the children. We will also be resuming our range of extra-curricular after-school activities - more information on this to follow next week. The first day of term is Wednesday 8th September for all year groups excluding Reception (please see Year R-specific letter for your details). Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to working with you for our children in 2021-22. We will write to you again next week detailing our Covid-19 outbreak management plans and what this might mean if cases in school rise. If you have any questions or you need to speak to us about your personal situation, we are here for you - please do not hesitate to get in touch. Yours faithfully, Steve Morton Head of School Categories: 1 CategorySchool News
Posted on: 24/09/2021
