Dear parents and carers,
Remote Learning
Thank you for your patience and support as we find a solution that works for as many people as possible. I am sorry that there have been a few technical glitches this week, but I would like to thank the staff for their perseverance in adapting to new routines and machines. If you have any queries about the learning, do send a message to the class e-mail account, but if your query is about more general matters, please continue to use the office address.
Staffing News
This coming week we say goodbye to Katie Rayner in the office. She finishes with us on Wednesday and then heads off to start her new job – we wish her well. We are putting in place interim arrangements in the office whilst we consider what structure will work following the ending of the joint arrangements with Bletchingdon School.
Parenting Support
Many people are finding it hard at the moment to parent, work and teach. If you would like some support, you may be interested in Parentalk – the Primary Years: a six-week parenting course created by the national charity Care for the Family, running on zoom on Tuesday evenings this term. Parenting is a tough job – a rollercoaster ride of joy and fun, anxiety and heartache. Parentalk is an opportunity to reflect, learn and support one another. It’s not just for people with problems – we can learn from each other’s experiences both in the good times and the hard times. The course is a mixture of video material and group discussion and is both informative and great fun. Parentalk – the Teenage Years has been run in three secondary schools in Oxford and over 400 parents have done the course. You can see more information and a short video about the course on the Care for the Family website .The course is being organized by the Akeman Benefice (local churches) and will be led by Vicky Lavy, a Care for the Family facilitator and local mum with three grown-up boys.
The course will run from 7:30-9:30pm on Tuesdays, starting on 26 January 2021. We plan to run it online, using Zoom, due to the Covid restrictions. The subsequent dates for the course are 2, 9, 23 February and 2, 9 March – there is no session in half term.
The course fee is £10 per family. A Financial Assistance Fund is available for parents who are in receipt of specific benefits. To book your place please email Joanna Clifford, Children and Families’ Coordinator, Akeman Benefice, joannaclifford.akeman@gmail.com – closing date 20th January, 2021. If you have any questions or would like more information then email Vicky at parenting@standrewsoxford.org
Please note that although it is being organised by a church, the content is secular.
This week we congratulated:
Willow Class: George, for an amazing ball run in Forest School;
Ash Class: James, for great engagement in all of our calls this week; Jude, for being a kind friend to others and producing an excellent picnic in Topic.;
Oak Class: Hermione for fantastic engagement with home learning; Emily D for excellent effort in all her work this week;
Beech Class: Jack F, for a positive attitude to all his work; Bella, for being a helpful technical wizard.
For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.
Dates for the year (provisional)
15/02/2021 Half term week
31/03/2021 End of term
19/04/2021 Start of term
03/05/2021 Bank Holiday – school closed
28/05/2021 May Day
31/05/2021 Half term week
07/06/2021 Beech Class residential
01/07/2021 Sports Day
07/07/2021 Ash/Willow production (afternoon)
15/07/2021 Oak/Beech production (evening)
21/07/2021 Leavers’ Service
End of term
22/07/2021 INSET Day – school closed
01/09/2021 INSET Day – school closed
02/09/2021 Start of term