Dear Parents and Carers,

 

Thank you for your patience prior to this third update on school contingencies and procedures. You will appreciate that this is a fast changing set of circumstances which needs flexible but well thought out planning.  As some people still say they haven’t received correspondence we are going to put all correspondence on the website:

https://www.thehillsacademy.co.uk/page/?title=Letters+Home&pid=24 and urgent information on the home page.  Please do check the website regularly for updates.  At the risk of sounding bossy (apologies I am rather bossy!) :

 

You must:

• Ensure that we have the right email address for you – the teachers have clipboards in the classroom – please check. Respond asap to the test email teachers will send you in the next 48 hours
• Not send your child to school if he/she has a cough, temperature or a cold for one week – email me and work will be provided (give us 48 hours to mobilise this).  headteacher@thehillsacademy.co.uk
• Inform me by email if you have chosen to keep/isolate your child at home, stating the reason and that you understand the implications – again work will be provided (give us 48 hours). headteacher@thehillsacademy.co.uk
• Help your child to understand how to wash his/her hands properly
• Communicate, as much as possible, with the school via email rather than face to face

 

Changes to school routines from Tuesday 17^th March (until further notice):

• Children in Years 1 to 6 will wait on the school playground in the morning. Teachers will be on the playground at 08:30 to collect them and they will line up behind their teacher.
• Children in Reception and Nursery will be dropped at the outside door at 08:40
• Children in Prime Time will be dropped at the external door as usual
• There will be a member of the office team on the playground each morning to receive medicines etc
• At 3:30 children going to Prime Time will be collected and teachers will bring their classes to the playground lined up in alphabetical order.  They will release children to parents and carers one at a time. This will be slow so be patient with us.
• All assemblies*, performances, visits (including swimming), events and non-essential school visitors and volunteers are cancelled.
• Theatretrain and Premier Sport clubs are cancelled
• Teacher led clubs will continue as normal this week.
• External music teachers have been told they can come in to teach as long as they are well and clean their hands immediately
• The parent consultation sessions are cancelled and the school will decide upon a suitable alternative. Reports will be issued as usual.

 

*I am sorry to disappoint the parents of children in Mrs Pointon’s class who were hoping to have their assembly on Friday. Mrs Pointon will video the assembly and make it available.

*There will be no Spring Assembly

The School will:

• Provide regular updates on the website and post all letters in the ‘Letters home’ section
• Provide three ability levels of work for each year group for each week in the section of the website labelled ‘our learning’ and this will be set up by the end of the day on Wednesday (please be patient as we fine tune the best ways to do this).  Parents/Carers of children with special needs will be contacted separately by Mrs Thomson with alternative/additional learning packages
• Ensure there are contingencies and planning in place to manage full and partial closure of the school

 

Thank you for your attention and patience. Please don’t forget our Foodbank appeal this week. Equally if you find yourself in difficulty or short of food please do get in touch – if we can help we will find someone who can.

 

Best wishes

 

Moya Whitehead