Dear Parents,

It is essential that all parents read this letter immediately.

Phased Re-Opening of School June 2020 – Plan 1

Dear Parents,

Voucher Update

I appreciate your patience with school whilst setting up the FSM Vouchers with Edenred. This has been a very difficult task due to the unprecedented demand on their website.

Currently all e-vouchers from Wednesday 1st April and the two week Easter Holiday have been authorised. We are expecting another release today for this week and on a rolling basis every Monday until further notice. For those who ordered paper vouchers we know you have only received one voucher to date. The system is not allowing us to print out your vouchers. Please be assured we will get these completed as soon as we can.

Free School Meal Eligibility – New Claims

If your financial circumstances have changed during these challenging times you may be eligible for Free School Meals.

We are able to check this by completion of a short form which we then send to Durham County Council.

To complete the form will require:

• N.I. Number
• DOB Parent/Carer
• Knowledge of benefits being claimed

Please call school to arrange collection of a form.

Thankyou

Mr Farnell               

Vikki

Nursery Activities: Children 2 to 4 Learning at Home

How to help young children learn at home
You can help your child to learn through the little things you do with them, for example:

everyday conversations
make-believe play
games with numbers or letters
reading together
involving them in the things you are doing, such as household chores, and talking with them about it
Find ideas for new things you can try at Hungry Little Minds. Click this link.

You do not need to set separate time or plan complicated activities dedicated to learning. These activities can be incorporated into everyday life and play.

You know your child best. Avoid forcing them into lengthy planned activities if they naturally respond better to a mix of shorter activities. This can stop them getting bored or frustrated and keep them active, interested and learning through things they enjoy.

Keeping active
Young children should be active for at least 3 hours a day in total.

It is also good to get some fresh air every day. If you do not have a garden and are taking children outside to exercise, make sure you follow the rules on social distancing.

While inside, there are plenty of things you can do to keep children active, such as:

playing hide-and-seek
seeing who can do the most star jumps
making an obstacle course
playing music and having a dance-off

Television and using digital devices
There are lots of ways to help your child to learn such as reading together and make-believe play. You can also use what children have watched on television or the internet to help their learning. Talk with them about what they are watching or use their favourite TV characters in other games and activities.

Digital devices such as a laptop, desktop, tablet or smartphone can help some children learn. If your child does use them, try downloading some apps that will help them learn.

Set age-appropriate parental controls on any devices young children are using and supervise their use of websites and apps. See advice on keeping them safe online.

Try sharing things your child makes with your friends and family online and encourage others to do the same. Your child might enjoy seeing things they have made on the screen or seeing what other children have done.

You can also visit Hungry Little Minds for ideas of activities to do together without using a device.

Online-Learning: Summer Term 2020

As the lock down and school closure continues, we aim to support you by providing recommended activities for the day for all classes  from Reception to Year 6.

Today has seen the launch of the Oak National Academy, this is a website that provides free lessons for all pupils, with no log-ins or passcodes required. We are now recommending that all pupils follow the daily activities on this website. There are three hours of learning per day, which can be completed at any time during the day, however, the lessons are in sequence so please be aware to always start on a Monday and work through.

Some of the activities require work sheets, we are currently working on putting together packs of these resources for collection: further information to follow.

Here is a copy of the plan for Week 1. OAK Curriculum Overview Week 1

Please follow the link below:

Oak National Academy

Click on the link to see advice, support and resources for parents teaching from home.

Looking After Yourself Looking after your children