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5.4.20 Update Contents: Easter Childcare, Lunches, Additional Pupil Work and Letters to the Children

Dear all,

Easter

As we hit what would have been the Easter holidays, we remain id this new way of working. We will be open for child care for those key workers who need it. We will be one of the few schools, in South Tyneside, open over the Bank Holidays.

Good Friday – we will be open from 10am – 2pm. Please supply your own packed lunch.

Easter Monday – we will be open from 10am – 2pm. Please supply your own packed lunch.

There will be a new sign in sheet for the whole week in the main entrance. Please just initial under each day when you sign your child in and out.

There will be no Facebook event. If you are unsure or suddenly need to use the childcare, please just turn up on the day. Feel free to drop me a message the day before so I can update the team for that day.

Google Classrooms won’t be manned by staff over the Easter two weeks. We are asking them to focus on their own families and health during this time. I will continue to check into the Facebook page and to my messages but not as frequently. Thank you for supporting this.

Lunches

For children using the child care in the next two weeks, please keep Parent Pay topped up if you plan to take a school packed lunch. You are more than welcome to bring your own.

Free School Meals – packed lunches being collected will continue for now. The office is working on the voucher scheme which should start after Easter. You will be contacted directly about this.

Additional Pupil Work

Staff will release extra work after these two weeks (if still closed). Most will find this on Google Classroom whilst Key Stage 1 will have new work posted out. Please continue to exercise your own judgement to support your child academically and for their mental wellbeing.

Letters to the Children

As some of the pupils don’t have access to their class teacher, letters will be posted to the Facebook page and school website across next week. Where staff have access they may respond to any comments left, else any comments will be passed to the teacher by other means. We hope this helps continue relationships and support your children.

Stay safe!

Happy Easter holiday to all our families and staff! May it be a healthy and happy one to all.

It officially starts now with our virtual conga.

Tips for Looking After your Emotional Well-being During

Isolation and School Closures

• It is really important to to look after you general health where possible as this can have a huge impact on your emotions. Being asked to stay at home means you may do less exercise. Exercise is really important for your emotional well-being.
• There are a number of things you can do at home to keep yourself active.
• Walk in your local area (unless we are told to stop doing so) , walk the dog, go for a run, go on a cycle ride, exercise in your garden, do some cleaning or gardening, use a trampoline, use a hula hoop, use your stairs to walk up/down on.

You can use the videos below to inspire your exercise or try some from YouTube

1. https://www.sportengland.org/news/how-stay-active-while-youre-home
2. https://www.nhs.uk/10-minute-shake-up/shake-ups
3. https://watch.lesmillsondemand.com/at-home-workouts
4. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51933762

• Make sure you are sticking to your routines where possible. It can be very tempting to sleep in or nap during the day but sometimes this can make us feel worse. Regular bed times and similar sleep/wake times are good for keeping our bodies in a routine.
• We are very lucky to have lots of open spaces and parks where you could go for a walk or run. Being outdoors – even if this is on your doorstep or in your garden will lift your mood.
• Learn something new, staying at home is an ideal time to learn a new skill, some new words in a different language, a new recipe, or some key facts about a certain topic. Learning something that interests you is extremely good for your well-being.
• Do something creative – make a photo collage, learn how to draw something new, paint your nails, learn some origami, or build something. This gives us a sense of achievement and is guaranteed to lift your mood.
• Connect with others using technology. It is important to keep connected with your friends and family
• Think about your social media use- whilst it can be very good for connecting with your friends and family members- it can negatively affect our well-being. Limit your social media use where you can. You can put your phone on flight mode if you still wanted to use it for other things like listening to your music.
• Be careful with the information you read. There is lots of incorrect information online about the Corona virus- only trust information that comes from the government or NHS websites. Misinformation or reading people’s opinions may increase your anxiety unnecessarily.
• Think about how much time you spend talking and reading about the current situation as this can affect your wellbeing. It’s perfectly fine to say to people ‘can we talk about something else..’ or log out of social media/ click off news websites to give your brain a break.
• You may find that with everyone staying at home that it is busy and more stressful. You may need to ask for time or space out. Run a bath or use head phones and relaxing music to switch off and have some time for you. There are lots of free relaxation apps (Headspace, CALM) or music on YouTube.

Useful Sources of Further Support

https://www.southtynesidelifecyclementalhealth.nhs.uk/

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/for-children-and-young-people/

Peer Support Message Boards

On message boards like The Mix or Childline you can share how you’re feeling with other young people, as well as asking for information and suggestions for support

There might be other message boards or online groups that you find. But sometimes you might see posts, images or comments that are upsetting. It’s a good idea to look for groups that:

• have moderators, who can make sure everyone sticks to the rules
• have guidelines about what you can and can’t post
• are for your age group
• make you feel better, not worse
• don’t encourage you to do anything dangerous or harmful to yourself.

Support in a Crisis

If the young person is open to a service currently- You can contact that service for urgent support.

A young person in crisis can be triaged through the non- emergency ambulance number 111 (*please note this service by be extremely busy*)

You can also contact Children & Young Peoples Service – If you are under 16

Intensive Community Support Team

0191 5665500

If you or a family member is an immediate danger to themselves or others then call 999

During this time away from lessons we know most our pupils will have increased screen time; please monitor and look for support if you are worried. Here are some fantastic links if you have concerns.

Radicalisation advice hub

North East

https://act.campaign.gov.uk/

https://www.ltai.info/

1.4.20 Update Contents:Easter – Home Work – Free School Meals

Easter Set Up

Dear all,

The school will be open over the Easter holidays with confirmation to come regarding Good Friday and Easter Monday. As per our previous Facebook post, we would like to close but wish to ensure all families are supported. If we do open over these two days, it would be from 10am-2pm and parents will need to provide lunch.

New attendance – Rather than confirming your attendance each day on a Facebook event, we would like you to fill out the new Google Form to indicate your child(ren)’s attendance over the two-week period to help us plan activities. Please can you complete this to the best of your knowledge, ie shift patterns etc by Friday 3^rd April 6pm https://forms.gle/VPorBG6TSNdTRmWh8

Please complete the form for each child. We recognise plans and work can change, but your best fit will help us.

Over these two weeks, lunches will be in the form of a packed lunch. Parents can send children with their own packed lunch if you wish.

Work from school

Teachers will not set any additional work over the Easter period but new work will be ready either via Google Classroom or posted out to you after the two-week period.

We still have no indication of when schools will reopen. Please try not to panic about your child being left behind, we will be here for them. We’d encourage pupils to do something educational each day but not placing additional stress on yourself or your child. Looking after your family’s mental health is as important as their physical health at this time.

Free School Meals

We will be switching to the voucher system as soon as we have the go ahead that they available and working. Eligible parents will be contacted. Initial information was for after Easter but they may be ready before. When we know, you’ll know! Until that point, packed lunches will continue to be collected from the school main entrance.

Thank you for your continuing support!

Stay safe!