Author: Mr Langford
Golden Achievers Friday 1st May
Congratulations to all of our Golden Achievers this week. A huge well done to:
R2 Joseph Ross
R3 Harrison O’Brien
R4 Albert Lourenco-Simous, and a very happy birthday to you Albert.
R5 Daisy Challinor
R6 Ava Cherrington
R7 Bailey Lowe, William Mort and Jamie Roberts
R8 Harley Rawlings-Jones
I am hugely proud of all of you, well done.
Please everybody check out why these wonderful children have been nominated for Golden Achiever this week on each of the class pages.
Mr Langford
Internet Safety Page on the Website
Firstly, I would like to congratulate all of our Golden Achievers this week. A huge well done to Sonny Gallagher, Jasmine Mansell, Freya Hopkins, Fellix Bacon, Belle Stackhouse, Maddie Bennett, Lily Price and Riley Pearce. I am hugely proud of all of you, well done.
We all know the benefits of the internet, especially during this time of Covid-19 lockdown, and we are all very aware of the dangers that the internet can pose. Keeping our children safe whilst they use the internet is of paramount importance; there need to be safeguards in place to ensure our children stay safe online.
How we provide protection for our children online, across all the devices currently available, can be a confusing and, quite frankly, daunting task. To support parents with this, staff and I have put together an Internet Safety Page which can be found by clicking the ‘Key Info’ tab on the home page of the website. It gives practical advice about how to keep our children safe online including videos for children to watch and links to some excellent websites which give internet safety advice for parents.
I ask that everybody has a really good look through the page. I also ask that if any of you have suggestions that you feel would improve the page, or you feel we have missed something important, especially if you are an expert in the field of IT, then please contact either myself or Mrs Andrew; we will then edit the page accordingly.
Thank you all, please stay safe and please keeping following all Government Covid-19 guidelines.
Mr Langford
Summer Term
Dear parents
Firstly, I hope you and your families are safe and are coping as well as possible with life under the coronavirus lockdown; our thoughts are with anybody who has been directly affected by this terrible virus.
Thank you all for your responses to the questionnaire I posted before the Easter holiday; we have had over 70 responses. The vast majority of the responses were overwhelmingly supportive and appreciative of the way Pontesbury staff have responded to the coronavirus crisis, so thank you. I will be posting a summary of the principal outcomes from the questionnaires later this week.
As you know, schools will remain closed for the foreseeable future so we will be carrying on, as we did before the Easter holiday, with staff providing daily activities for all children at home whilst providing support for the children of key workers from today at Mary Webb school.
Meanwhile, please stay safe and follow the government guidelines:
Stay at home
- Only go outside for food, health reasons or work (but only if you cannot work from home)
- If you go out, stay 2 metres (6ft) away from other people at all times
- Wash your hands as soon as you get home
Do not meet others, even friends or family. You can spread the virus even if you don’t have symptoms.
I will keep you all informed of any changes to the situation and sincerely hope that, when it is safe to do so, we get back to normal as soon as possible. I know that all staff are missing the children terribly.
This situation is tremendously difficult and stressful for all and our lives have been turned upside down by this terrible virus. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you feel you need any support, guidance or advice about home schooling or have any other concern, whatever the reason.
Please stay safe
Mr Langford
Well Done Platinum Achievers!
A huge and thoroughly deserved well done to Tom Land, Heather Philips, Chloe Cherrington, Ivy Rhodes, Ellie Treacy, Madeleine Livsey and Dylan Bebb for receiving the Platinum Achiever award for outstanding work and effort, especially whilst working at home, at the end of the Spring term. I deeply regret not being able to present your awards myself.
I hope you enjoy your Button and Bear book tokens and find a fantastic book to enjoy and keep for the rest of you lives. Choose wisely! If you need any advice, then please message Mrs Rowe: she will be able to recommend something wonderful for you.
Congratulations again
Mr Langford
Website and Home / School Survey
Dear Parents
I would be very grateful if you could find the time to complete the survey below. I am seeking your views about our new website and the ways in which we are communicating with you during the Covid-19 crisis. Your views are important, especially when it may be a significant amount of time before normality returns.
To access the survey, please click HERE.
Many thanks
Mr Langford
Easter Break – School Closure
Dear Parents
Our school will be closed for the duration of the Easter break. Our provision for the children of key workers will resume on Mon 20th April. We will contact those parents accessing the key worker provision in the week beginning 13th April, to request information about when the provision is needed etc.
During the break we will not be posting home learning tasks on the website or on Google Classroom. Everybody needs a change of pace to mark the start of the Easter break; it has been a very strange few weeks but we hope everybody can enjoy some time together and find ways to relax during this difficult time.
Mr Langford
Golden Achievers
Congratulations to all our Golden Achievers this week. They are thoroughly deserved and a big WELL DONE! It seems very strange not standing in front of you all and presenting them!
Also, well done to everyone else for working for working so hard at home in these difficult times. I sincerely hope you are all keeping well.
I look forward to continuing to watch your fantastic efforts via the class pages.
Stay safe
Mr Langford
Free School Meal Information
Dear Parents
The Government will be publishing details shortly about how the entitlement of children in receipt of free school meals will continue during this period of closure.
They are currently developing a national approach to providing support through supermarket and shop vouchers.
Advice is that there will be a choice of:
- e-vouchers (where available) – which you can email directly to parents
- gift cards – which may be more suitable if parents do not have access to the internet
School will contact parents whose children are eligible for free school meals separately to explain how this process will be rolled out as soon as we have clear information.
Throughout this closure period, the school kitchen will remain closed. If your child is in school on Monday (by invitation only), please ensure they bring a packed lunch. This will not affect your eligibility for an e-voucher or gift card.
There will not be e-vouchers/gift cards for those children who usually receive a free meal by virtue of being in key stage 1 and early years.
Mr Langford
Key Workers
Dear Parents
I would be very grateful if you would contact school today by 2.00pm at the latest to inform us if you feel you are a ‘Key Worker’ in the fight against Corona virus, as identified in the government advice.
Please bear in mind that the advice clearly states:
“If children can stay safely at home, they should, to limit the chance of the virus spreading.”
The school phone number is 01743 790226.
Many thanks to those who responded via the website form yesterday. Unfortunately, we do not have sufficient responses to be able to allocate our places for Monday yet.
Parents of those children who we are able to offer a place to, will be contacted directly today. We will require ID/evidence of your place of work when you drop your child off.
Please note, places allocated are not on a full-time Monday to Friday basis, but limited to school cover provided for the hours and days you specifically work.
Mr Langford