Parent Zoom Meetings

Just before the Raya break, I hosted Zoom sessions for parents. I was delighted to see over 200 parents during the course of four meetings. This shows that parent engagement continues to be at a high level, even during the lockdown period. Since attendance was so high in the Zoom meetings, I intend to host further sessions by year group, once we have notice from the government and a clearer picture of when we are able to open the school. It was especially satisfying to hear and read many positive comments about online learning in Early Years and Primary, and in response to requests in Key Stage 2 for additional Google Meet in subjects like the Arts and Computing, some timetable changes will come into effect on Tuesday, June 9th. As before, GM sessions for students are optional as long as learning is taking place and work is being submitted that shows your child’s learning. Please check Google Sites on Friday for timetable changes.

Planning ahead

Most of you will know that when school opens, we will not be able to bring in all the children at once. Social distancing for continued benefit to staying healthy will be the crux of how we manage our classes. As Peter has mentioned in his messaging, we will not be making any formal announcement until we are sure that our plans fall within the SOPs from the government. However, we are starting to prepare for the students’ return. This week, a group of teachers are in school, trialling Blended Learning lessons. With half classes in school and half at home, this will be yet another new experience for all of us. Blended Learning will become the next ‘norm’ until it is safe for all students to be present at the same time. During this week, we are making a series of videos to show all teachers how Blended Learning can work, and examples will be shared with parents once editing has been done!

Holiday changes

Monday June 8th is a public holiday in honour of Agong’s birthday.
Monday 29th and Tuesday 30th June are removed from the holidays, so these will become school days.

Wellbeing

As always, the wellbeing of everyone in the community is paramount, and we hope that students and parents continue to participate in ‘feelgood’ activities. Your child should have the opportunity to socialise with their friends in Google Meet at least once a week. This is especially important for ‘only’ children or where there is a big age gap in siblings. You can help your child to socialise by organising private Zooms or Google Meet outside of school hours. You can also talk to your child about good hygiene practice - hand sanitising, hand washing and avoiding touching their face. We will continue to give those messages in school. Until we meet again, I hope you continue to stay safe and stay healthy. 

Lynne Cadenhead