Junior School Return to School Update - 5 August 2020 Hamilton

Dear Parents

I trust you are all looking forward to the start of the new session and resuming, or beginning, new routines. We are all excited about welcoming the children back into school and establishing safe and purposeful procedures, along with quality educational experiences.

We invite you to join us for an online Meet the Teacher session on Wednesday 19 August via your child’s Office 365 account. The first session will begin at 6:30pm, concluding at 6:55pm sharp; the second from 7:00pm – 7:25pm. One of the sessions will be recorded if you are unable to log in to attend. Your child will receive 2 email invitations, one for each session. Please only choose one session to RSVP to.

If your child will not be starting school on Thursday 13 August due to any reason, please let me know as soon as possible, if you have not already done so.

Please find below a list of information you will need to read carefully prior to the start of school. As indicated previously, we will be monitoring your child’s wellbeing closely and will take some time to ascertain specific needs in relation to the curriculum. Please always keep us updated with family circumstances or any information that will help us support your child. As necessary, contact your child’s class teacher via email, Mrs Tonner Senior Teacher, or myself.

Recovery Curriculum
Scotland’s curriculum – Curriculum for Excellence – helps our children gain the knowledge, skills and attributes needed for life in the 21st century. COVID-19 has changed many areas of our lives, yet our curriculum framework continues to apply. The core principles of Scotland’s curriculum and the four fundamental capacities at its centre remain critical in putting learners at the heart of education.

The flexibility Scotland’s curriculum provides, empowering us to make the decisions needed to provide a curriculum that is adaptable and responsive to the diverse needs of individual learners and which reflects the uniqueness of their communities, will be vital during the Recovery Phase.

We have established clear parameters for what we will be focusing on and how we will achieve it. Please find our Statement of Intent and Curriculum Rationale which is a basis for our Recovery Curriculum HERE. More information will be available to you via the Curriculum Overviews and Timetables, yet to be published on Teams.

Times
Staff will be on duty each morning near the bottom of the stairs from the carpark to direct and help pupils.

J1 to J4, as much as possible, please arrive between 8:30 – 8:45 for your child to walk down the side of the building and through the green gates. If you arrive after 8:45, please ask your child to go to the main entrance to be registered in the foyer. We appreciate your flexibility with the change in time for the school day. It will be important to be on time for school as lessons will begin at 8:45am immediately after registration.  

Thank you for your understanding, only J1 – J3 pupils may be accompanied by parents or carers to the bottom of the stairs in the mornings. Parents doing so will then need to leave the carpark via the opposite side using the marked pedestrian pathway, instead of walking back through oncoming pupils walking down the path. Please be considerate of others by following pathways and all guidance in relation to physical distancing.

J5 to J7, as much as possible, please arrive between 8:45 – 9:00 to walk down the side of the building and through the green gates. If you arrive after 8:45, please ask your child to go to the main entrance to be registered in the foyer.

As per the whole school communication, all Junior School pupils will be escorted to the top carpark each afternoon at either 3pm or 3:15pm.

For those with a Senior School sibling or who take a bus home, we will continue to provide supervision from 3pm – 3:30pm. Pupils will be escorted to the bus from supervision as normal.

Breaks
Junior School pupils will stay in their class groups for all breaks. This means a staggered system will be introduced with designated areas for classes to eat and play in. As much as possible, we will be eating lunch outside. We will not be sharing equipment across class groups; please do not allow your child to bring in toys etc, as there will be specific equipment available for class sets.

If the weather is inclement, we will eat in classrooms and play indoors as normal.

Equipment
All pupils from J1 – J7, please bring in a cushion to keep at school. The cushion will be used outdoors for specific lessons and at lunch times to eat if the weather is dry. Whilst the cushion does not need to be of waterproof material, it must be clearly labelled with name. The cushion will be only be used by your child.

Please also ensure your child has their blue waterproof uniform jacket at school. This will be a requirement for all pupils depending on the weather to participate in outdoor learning and play.

J1 – J3, please send in a pencil case that contains a set of colour pencils, a writing pencil and an eraser. This pencil case will remain at school for your child’s personal use. We will provide all other stationery requirements, as per the Junior School Handbook, which you can access HERE.

J4 – J7, please see the Equipment List in the Junior School Handbook, HERE.

Your child will only need to bring their usual morning snack to school each day in a small bag. They do not need to bring anything else, apart from their Library bag on their designated day which will be allocated next week. J6 and J7 pupils are expected to bring their new Chromebook with them to school each day.

Clubs and Aftercare
As indicated earlier, wider curricular clubs will not be operating in Term 1.1, either before, during or after school. We hope to reinstate them after the October break depending on government guidance. You will receive an email with information and necessary links at a later date.

Our Aftercare facility will be operating as normal, with procedures in place to limit engagement across class groups. Much of the time will be spent outdoors with limited use of shared equipment. If you require this service, you can access the booking form HERE.

The booking form will be live from 7pm tonight, Wednesday 5 August and will close on Wednesday 12 August at 10pm. As places are limited, we cannot guarantee that you will be successful in your request. You will be notified by Friday 7 August as to if you have secured a place.

Please note the change in session times and fees which are noted on the booking form. Ad hoc places may not be available the first half of this term. I will let you know once we have ascertained availability. If you are requesting an Aftercare place, please also read and sign the Aftercare Policy HERE. You can either fill the necessary section in and email it to [email protected] or send it to school with your child on the first day.

To pick up your child from Aftercare, you will need to use the intercom system at the gate to request access to the lower carpark. You will also need to inform the staff member at the gate of the collection password you have chosen for your child. The password must be noted on the form included in the Aftercare policy as referred to above. Your child will then be sent out to the lower carpark through the main entrance for you to collect.

Please note, the lower carpark is closed to all vehicular access from 3pm – 3:45pm each day.

Homework
All Homework will be issued through Teams on Office 365. If you have any difficulties with access, please email [email protected] .

Nightly readers will not be issued in Term 1.1. Those classes who have nightly reading, please be assured that your child will continue to have access to books and will have regular opportunities to be listened to during the school day. We still encourage all parents, no matter the age of your child, to read out loud to your child as often as you can. If you would like suggestions of books to read for your child’s age group, please contact our Librarian Mrs Lane, on [email protected].

Teachers will explain their Homework routine at our Meet the Teacher session on Wednesday 19 August.

Infection Control
As indicated in previous communications, we will be adhering to government guidelines regarding infection control closely. Pupils will be instructed on our new regime which includes how to wash hands correctly and when to wash their hands. Depending on their age, this will be monitored closely. Before the start of the school year, please take a moment to watch this video with your child, reiterating that this is the procedure they will be expected to complete at school.

Assemblies
As per government guidance, we will not be conducting our twice weekly assemblies. Once the term has begun, we will trial an online assembly format that pupils can take part in simultaneously in their classrooms.

For those who continued to raise money for Eric Iremaharindhe our sponsor child, please feel free to send in the money raised in order for your child to put it in the money box in the Junior School Office. If you would prefer to transfer the funds electronically, please note it as JS Sponsor Child in the transaction and either let myself or your class teacher know. We very much appreciate your support in this initiative.

Your child’s wellbeing and safety are of prime concern for us. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. I look forward to a smooth return to school and a positive and rewarding term.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs Jenny Paterson
Head of Junior School and Nursery