Dear Parents and Caregivers
As Governors we have been very busy during the last term. We were proud to be able to contribute to the recent OFSTED inspection. Leaders, staff and families have put so much into the children’s learning and it was good for others to see the hard work.
The most important task for us at present is to appoint a new Headteacher for September. It is a daunting job to find somebody to continue all of Mike and Tracy’s excellent work over the years. However, I am delighted to tell you that we have had a very strong field of candidates applying. Obviously, during these times, we have had to adapt procedures meaning that staff and children will not all be able to meet the candidates, but we have put in lots of new ways of ensuring that senior staff and all governors are involved. We know that we can make a good choice for our school.
And now it is nearly Easter, the sun is shining and we can meet in groups of six outside. Hopefully soon we can get our hair cut too! I hope you and your families have lots of fun over the holidays, and fingers crossed, the children will come back to school for a wonderful summer term.
With very best wishes
Claire Axten and Andy Shepherd
Co-chairs of Governors
Website posts you may have missed:
Help with booking meals via Parent Pay
Easter holiday activities (Library gardens)
A letter from Gavin Williamson to the children
Gardening – week 10. I love the pencils!
News items and updates
Attendance at Elmhurst – w/c 22nd March 2021
Whole school – 95.6%
Year 3 – 94.1%
Year 4 – 96.8%
Year 5 – 96.6%
Year 6 – 94.5%
Reading at Elmhurst
Well done to Elm class in reaching the reading target for last week – two weeks running! This means that all children in the class read to an adult on at least four occasions. Something that we are aiming for all children to do.
Let’s all aim for 100% across all classes. Thank you for your support in this.
Bikeability – a reminder
In an effort to return to some semblance of normaility in the summer term, we have booked two provisional Bikeability sessions for Year 6 children.
Group 1: Tuesday 4th/Wednesday 5th May – now fully booked
Group 2: Monday 17th/Tuesday 18th May – 11 places are still available
If you would like your child to take part, please contact the school office before the end of the first week back, Friday 23rd April. Places will be offered on a first-come first-served basis.
Easter activities
SASP
SASP, Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership, have provided a range of resources for young people, families and holiday club providers to use during the Easter Holidays as part of the Holiday Activities and Food Programme.
More details can be found here: EASTER ACTIVITIES
BBC Breathing Places
BBC Breathing Places was a major BBC Learning campaign to inspire and motivate you to create and care for nature-friendly green spaces where you live.
Getting out and enjoying nature can have great benefits for you.
Although the link to the site has now been archived, this is still a great resource. Have a look and go for a wild walk!
Easter activity club at the Library gardens
Wells RFC Girls rugby
Mental Health support
Please remember that help is out there if needed, not just for the children but for the adults as well. We all need help at times.
You can find links to lots of resources on our mental health and well being pages: Parents and Pupils
These links may also help: Every Mind Matters and Young minds
Mind Ed also has some very useful resources for families. The guidance on parenting in the digital age links with our concerns about increased online activity and the impact it can have on relationships and well being. Definitely worth a look!
Website gallery
You can have a look at the gallery here: Elmhurst Lockdown Gallery 2021. We have added some of the Year 6 Performance Poetry videos from Yew class – they are definitely worth a look!
Test and trace over Easter
Whilst we hope that everyone has a safe Easter, we still need to have a plan in place should a child or member of staff have a positive test result in the first 48 hours of the holiday.
The guidance says that, where a pupil or staff member tests positive for coronavirus, having developed symptoms more than two days since being in school, the school SHOULD NOT be contacted. In this instance, parents and carers should follow contact tracing instructions provided by NHS Test and Trace.
For the first two days after teaching ends, if a pupil or staff member tests positive for coronavirus having developed symptoms within two days of being in school, the school is asked to assist in identifying close contacts and advising self-isolation, as the individual may have been infectious while they were in school.
If this is the case, you will need to inform the school. We have set up a Google form for parents to complete:
We will check our emails twice daily during this 48 hour period. We will only be responding to test result emails during this time. All other emails will wait until we return to school.
We will then contact any parents and staff who are “direct contacts” in order to inform them of the need to isolate.
And finally…
Mrs. Chard has been busy with the gardeners this week developing the memorial area for Mrs. Murray who passed away in January. Sarah and Murray, the chickens, have returned to their newly refurbished coup.
The cherry blossom tree, the clematis and bench will provide a beautiful space at the front of the school for all members of the school community to reflect on all those we have loved and lost at Elmhurst over the years.
