Linden Primary School eNewsletter

Dear Parents and Carers,

“Unity is strength…where there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.”

Never has this been truer than over the last 6 weeks! I don’t know about you, but this lockdown period has, at times, felt incredibly hard and very different to last Spring when the days were longer and warmer and the summer was ahead of us. That being said, there have been some wonderful moments and I want to thank all parents, carers and staff for coming together, working as a team and supporting our children whether in school or at home. The remote learning process has been a steep learning curve for us all and I have thoroughly enjoyed dropping in on the live meetings and being able to see some of the work that the children are producing.

Our device down day has been a very welcome end to the term and I hope that the half term break allows you all time to switch off from the craziness of being a key worker, parent teacher or from working from home.

As far as we know, the situation with schools will be remaining the same until at least the 8th March and an announcement of how schools will return to a full re-opening is expected the week beginning Monday 22nd February. As soon as we have received the guidance and had time to work out what that means for our school and community, we will be in touch.

All remote learning and in-school provision (for vulnerable and key worker family children only) will recommence on Monday 22nd February.

Take care, stay safe and best wishes.

Lucy Collins

During half term we have been asked to be available for test and trace purposes. Where pupils or staff still attending their school test positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) during the holidays, having developed symptoms within 48 hours since being in school, school must be informed.

The DfE have asked schools to make school families aware of the following arrangements regarding positive cases in the holidays.

Where a pupil or staff member tests positive for coronavirus (COVID-19), having developed symptoms within 48 hours since being in school, (up until 3:30pm on Sunday 14th February) Lucy Collins should be informed on 07951606121 – please do not leave a message – ensure you speak to Lucy.

If we are informed that a pupil or staff member has developed symptoms and tested positive for coronavirus within 48 hours after teaching ends, we will make a phone call to inform the relevant children of their need to self-isolate.

Where a pupil or staff member tests positive for coronavirus (COVID-19), having developed symptoms more than 48 hours since being in school (after 3:30pm on Sunday 14th February), the school should be emailed on: [email protected] Parents and carers should follow contact tracing instructions provided by NHS Test and Trace.

Government’s Stay at Home guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection

As you were aware, one of our Linden Trees had reached the end of its life in the junior playground and tree surgeons arranged to fell and remove the tree.

However, the none of the tree will go to waste, it will 'live on' as part of Linden Primary's Forest School and will be used in many ways to create fun and educate the children, whether building a den or finding a seat whole tree is being recycled. Keep your eyes open for a new storytelling chair in base camp too.

This week at Linden we have been looking at Internet Safety for Internet Safety Day 2021 (Tuesday 9th February). Children in and out of school took part in activities which had them looking at how to stay safe whilst they are online and what to do if they have a problem. More than ever Internet Safety is a topic which we need to be talking about and supporting our children with.

Below are some links to some useful websites with more information.

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/

https://www.internetmatters.org/schools-esafety/parent-online-support-pack-teachers/

https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day-2021/i-am-parent-or-carer

https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/

Fantastic watercolour art produced by Year 2 inspired by time they spent out in Forest School bird spotting, linked to their science work

As we send this out, we are coming to the end of our 6th week of remote learning provision. We would like to start by thanking you all for your immense efforts and support over the last 6 weeks. During this time, we have managed to get a good level of engagement from 97% of children online. We have been really pleased with the feedback and have listened carefully to suggestions from parents, helping us continue to develop our practice.

Within those 6 weeks, with almost 400 active Microsoft Teams users, we have had over 250 live sessions, set over 500 different assignments, sent out over 12,000 channel messages, and we have received over 21,000 electronic pieces of learning!

The children have been great in adapting to the changes and definitely deserve a break. We will be resuming remote-learning on Monday 22nd February.

As always, we appreciate your feedback on our Remote Learning provision. This survey is still being monitored regularly.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=-RVJYREnEUau3Sd6sYh7iA04ODK8rbFOixd6NrpGTe1UM1lXRzRaR1hWRVMwMVRQWk4zWERETklXTy4u

The Stars of the Week ending 5th February :

School

Home

Reception

Toby Sandford Smart

His number bond work and confidence in class.

Leo Jackson

Being creative and working hard at home.

Year 1

Esme Bee

Excellent effort and attitude in school.

Leo Cleal

Effie Langwood

Amount of effort they have put into English this week.

Year 2

Ana Unhurian

Her hard work this week in school.

Keshav Mehta

For his engagement in all aspects of home learning.

Year 3

Jolie Dixon

For her informative bird factfile.

Jonah Gibson

For his engagement in all aspects of home learning.

Year 4

Zane Mant

*chosen by class

Excellent work in Maths this week and always helpful to his friends.

La’reya Esson-Rose

A beautiful piece of writing.

Year 5

Lucy James

For her confidence in sharing her work.

Iris Brown

Her never ending enthusiasm with her learning.

Year 6

Kaci-Jane Barnett

Always trying her best.

Sabina Lazokova

Her excellent effort in home learning.

The Stars of the Week ending 12th February:

School

Home

Reception

Blake Elcock

For his hard work and online learning this week.

Year 1

Henley Maher

For his excellent reading and all of the pictures he has been sending in.

Mason Pemaj

For putting 100% into his home and school learning.

Year 2

Cruz Davis

For his outstanding effort in school this week.

Charlie Cachia

For his amazing effort in all of his learning tasks.

Year 3

Isla-Rose Rickards

For her hard work in class this week.

Sophia Gale

For consistent engagement and positive attitude to learning.

Year 4

Joshua Chew

For showing lots of effort in his work.

Amelia Rahman

For an excellent ending to her story.

Year 5

Millie Phillips

For her excellent contribution in class this week.

George Ballam

For his participation in the live meetings.

Year 6

Alissa James & Megan Murphy

For their excellent engagement in class.

Ollie Viner & George King

For going over and above with their home learning.

KS1 - Infants

Argh! There’s a Skeleton Inside You!

Quog and Oort are off to Kevin’s birthday party but – oh no! – their spaceship is broken. They turn to readers to help mend it by pushing and pulling, lifting and prodding. Ta da! It’s fixed! This storybook is bright and bold with only a short sentence or two on each page and large encyclopaedia-style illustrations of bones and muscles for curious children to pore over.

KS2 - Juniors

I Cosmo

Cosmo and Max are best friends, but though they were born at the same time, they have very different worlds. For Cosmo is a dog, and Max is a boy, and 13 in human years is very different to 13 in dog years. This charming, original story brings together the fun of canine freestyle dance and the heartbreak of divorce into a single, moving story about families, and what happens when no amount of effort and love is enough to keep them together.

We just wanted to let you know what is happening at Gloucester Library during the current circumstances. Although we can't have people in the library building at the moment we still have plenty of resources and activities on offer. Below are two documents outlining our Click and Collect timetable where customers can reserve and collect items.

Also a document which details our Facebook group Cre8 at Gloucester Library, which has lots of craft activities, printable resources and up to date library information.

CRE8 - as a downloadable PDF

Gloucester Library Click and Collect Timetable - downloadable PDF

Adult Education in Gloucester have wellbeing courses coming up online for parents.

Two lovely experienced tutors who can help you find a way to living calmly through these stressful times.

There is a mindfulness course in the evening, Calming the Mind from 7:30-8:30. Hopefully you will be able to have some child free time and can find new ways to relax through this course.

Calming The Mind Evening Course Information

Happier and Calmer helps explore the science behind feeling better. It is running termly, starting again on 24 February.

Happier and Calmer Wellbeing at Home Course Information

Please find attached a leaflet that gives information on a technique we have been using in school to support children understand their feelings. This was sent out in September 2020 but in the current circumstances we thought it would be a helpful reminder in how you can support your children at home to learn about their emotions and react to situations in appropriate ways. We hope that you find some of advice on the leaflet useful and something that you can use with your child at home.

Click here:

Emotion Coaching Leaflet

If you have any questions regarding this information, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Please e-mail the office and they will forward on any e-mails to Mrs Davidson for you.

Improve Your English and Help your Child on Zoom

Here is the file as a downloadable PDF:

Improve Your English Fridays - click here

Here is the flyer as a downloadable PDF:

Happier and Calmer Wellbeing at Home - click here

Free School Meals

What are the qualifying criteria for Free School Meals?

Your child might be able to get free school meals if you get any of the following:

* Income Support
* income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
* income-related Employment and Support Allowance
* support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
* the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
* Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
* Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
* Universal Credit - your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)

Children who get paid these benefits directly, instead of through a parent or guardian, can also get free school meals.

How long will it take to get a response?

You will receive an instant response as to whether you are entitled to free school meals once you have submitted your claim. All you need is your National Insurance Number and a current email address.

When your application is received, your eligibility will be checked with the Department for Education, Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue and Customs. If unsuccessful, children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will still receive universal infant free school meals.

More information from Gloucestershire County Council, and to apply:

https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/education-and-learning/school-transport-and-free-school-meals/apply-for-free-school-meals

Covid-19 Fund for Children

Please see attached an application form for the COVID-19 Children’s Fund from Gloucestershire County Council. The Children’s Fund is to support vulnerable children, young people and their families during the challenging and unprecedented times of the Coronavirus outbreak.

Eligibility

To access support from this fund you must be or have one or more of the following criteria from each heading at the top of the form – Section A, B and C. To ensure you are able to get the support you need please send a photograph to show proof of your eligibility with the completed application form to the following e-mail:

[email protected]

If you are unclear of what to evidence to send, or require help completing the form please let the school know. The school is also able to provide a supporting statement for your form, please contact school via the admin e-mail if you would like a supporting statement. If you have a social worker, they are able to provide a supporting statement for you.

Children's Fund Application Form

DFE offer of data to support home learning

Increasing data allowances on mobile devices to support children learning at home:

The Government has announced that schools can now request help to increase mobile data allowances for children and young people who meet the following three criteria:

• Do not have fixed broadband at home
• Cannot afford additional data for their devices
• Are experiencing disruption to their face-to-face education

These will be provided by the Department for Education at the request of the child’s school.

The scheme temporarily increases data allowances for mobile phone users on the following networks:
• Three
• SMARTY
• Virgin Mobile
• EE
• Tesco Mobile
• Sky Mobile
• O2

If you meet all three eligibility criteria (in the bullet points above), please email the Deputy Head Teacher via the office e-mail address [email protected] with the subject FAO Mrs Sasha Davidson – data allowance and with the following information:

-the name of the account holder and your phone number
-the mobile network of that device (for example Three)
-Whether you are a mobile contract, or Pay-as-you-go
-Your child’s name

School can then make an application on your behalf. If successful, your network provider will send you a text message to confirm. (Please note, we have had no information provided on how long this will take).

In the event that additional mobile data isn’t suitable for your family, there is a further option for a 4G wireless router to be provided. To access this please email [email protected] with the subject FAO Mrs Sasha Davidson – 4G wireless router setting out why this is the best option for your family, your name and your child’s name, and this will be requested on your behalf.

Please see below a Privacy Statement provided by the Department for Education, which they need to provide as they are asking for your personal information to be sent to them. These details are needed so that extra data can be requested from your provider on your behalf

Privacy statement
1. For the purposes of data protection, I need to let you know that the Department for Education (DfE) is running the Mobile Network Offer through schools and their trusts or local authorities.
2. If the offer is taken up by an adult account holder, the school or social care team will share the account holder’s name and mobile phone details with the DfE, who will share these with the relevant mobile network operator.
3. The mobile network operator will use that information to increase the data available for the account holder’s mobile device, as long as they qualify for the offer.
4. The adult account holder’s personal data is only shared with their mobile network operator for the purposes of the offer. No names of children or other adults, other than adult account holder, are shared with the DfE or the mobile network operator.
5. No personal information will be shared with the DfE if you do not want to take up the offer.
6. If you want to know more about how your personal information will be used before you take up the offer, we can send that to you first.
7. If you decide to take up the offer, you’ll get a text message from the Department for Education with more information about your data protection rights.

Account holders with monthly contracts need to be over the age of 18.

Other Sources of Help

Gloucester Foodbank

George Whitefield Centre,
107 Great Western Road,
Gloucester,
Gloucestershire,
GL1 3NF

e: [email protected] t: 01452 309683
https://gloucester.foodbank.org.uk/

Gloucester Feed The Hungry

Gloucester Feed the hungry is a volunteer organisation to serve the homeless and vulnerable in our community providing hot meals, free haircuts, clothing and emergency food parcels.

e: [email protected]
e: [email protected]
t: 07905 417266

Do you know a child who loves to sing? Applications to become a Gloucester Cathedral Chorister are now open from girls and boys, aged 6 to 9.

Cathedral Choristers are educated at the King’s School in Gloucester and experience a unique way of life and benefit from a wonderfully enriched musical and
academic education. They play a central role in Cathedral worship and are privileged to sing in one of Gloucestershire’s most beautiful buildings. Choristers grow in confidence and independence and receive expert musical tuition, music theory and singing lessons.

Choristers’ lives are enriched by a busy programme of concerts, nationally and internationally. They are also encouraged to participate in the academic, sporting and cultural life at King’s, benefiting from the care and friendship of the family atmosphere within the School and the Cathedral.

Voice Trials will be held on 24th and 26th February. No special coaching or voice training is required to attend a Voice Trial. The Cathedral Director of Music looks for boys and girls who have an interest and ability in singing and a confident approach to challenges. Choristers receive a generous fee remission and for pupils who require further financial support, additional bursaries may be available.

To apply, or for further information, please visit https://www.thekingsschool.co.uk/admissions/choristers

Keyworker Provision

The next bookings will open on Tuesday 23rd February at 9am. Further details and bookings are via the SZapp.

If your circumstances change and you no longer need your child's space that day or your child is unwell, please call the office every day of the absence with an update.

Please dont forget about our competition!

More information will follow about these dates

School Terms, dates and holidays for 2020-2021
Monday 15th February – Friday 19th February 2021	Half term break
Monday 22nd February 2021	New term starts
Friday 26th February 2021	Wraparound Care Logo competition closes
Wednesday 31st March – Friday 16th April 2021	Easter Break
Thursday 1st April 2021	INSET day: school closed for pupils
Monday 19th April 2021	New term starts
Monday 3rd May 2021	Mayday Bank Holiday
Thursday 27th May 2021	School photographs
Monday 31st May – Friday 4th June 2021	May Bank Holiday & half term break
Monday 7th June 2021	New term starts
Monday 21st June – Friday 25th June 2021	Year 5 Bikeability Cycle Training Scheme
Tuesday 20th July 2021	Last day of school for pupils
Wednesday 21st July 2021	INSET day: school closed for pupils

School Terms, dates and holidays for 2021-2022
**Please note: INSET days have not been confirmed for 2021 - 2022
Thursday 2nd September 2021	School opens to all
Monday 25th October – Friday 29th October 2021	Half term break
Monday 1st November 2021	New term starts
Monday 20th December – Tuesday 3rd January 2022	Christmas holidays
Wednesday 4th January 2022	New term starts
Monday 21st February – Friday 25th February 2022	Half term break
Monday 28th February 2022	New term starts
Monday 11th April – Friday 22nd April 2022	Easter holidays
Monday 25th April 2022	New term starts
Monday 2nd May 2022	May Day bank holiday
Monday 30th May – Friday June 3rd 2022	Half term break
Monday 6th June 2022	New term starts
Friday 22nd July 2022	Last day of school