Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• Team Short Wood

  Fri 13 Nov 2020

  I want to start this update by paying tribute to all of the members of our school community who have come together over the recent weeks to ensure our school is open and that our Short Woodies are able to learn and thrive. 

   

  The resilience of our pupils in such uncertain times is inspiring, they have responded brilliantly to the altered routines and have shown a great sense of determination to continue their learning journeys.  

   

  Thanks to all of you at home who are supporting your children in and out of school,  and supporting the school in following the new rules and routines set out in our risk assessment.  We really do all need to work together to get through this tricky time,.

   

  Our staff team are showing the same resilience as our pupils.  Everyone is pulling together - going above and beyond their usual duties.  Situations can change quickly at the moment and the positive, can do attitude of the team ensures the children are at the heart of everything. We have all really appreciated the support of our Governing Body and the kind words of many of our community who recognise the dedication of our team above and beyond their professional responsibilities.

   

  We realise that when we have to close bubbles it is a cause for concern for many of you.  Please be assured we are doing everything we can in school to minimise risks and where cases do arise we work closely with the local Health Protection Hub to follow the guidance in place.

   

  If your child has to self isolate and are well; whether that is as a result of a bubble closure at school, a positive test of a household member or if they or a household member are awaiting test results due to showing symptoms, we do want to support their learning at home.  We have learning packs available to send home and we are using Class Dojo portfolio to post teaching videos and provide personalised feedback to your child.  Miss Taylor has created a short video to support you in accessing Class Dojo portfolio if you have not already done so.  We will be showing your child how to use this in school in the coming weeks, just in case they need to be off school. It can be viewed on the Class Pages of the website in supporting home learning or by following this link:

   

  https://short-wood-primary-school.primarysite.media/media/using-dojo-portfolio-a-guide-for-parents

   

  Please ensure you are signed up to Class Dojo - if you need any help with this contact school and a member of the team will help you.  By working in this way our teachers can continue to deliver the same learning to the children at home as those in school.  We understand the pressures for parents and carers when children are learning from home - by developing this approach we hope the children can access the learning at a time that works for your home situation.  We can only ask that everyone does the best they can. Please continue to feedback to us about what works well and the tricky parts.  Our team in school are great at finding resolutions to all sorts of challenges.

   

  We are also working with our staff on remote teaching - some of your children will have experienced this over the last few days.  It is inevitable that we will have staff absences due to needing to self isolate or support their own family situation, so, we are using Microsoft Teams to enable staff to link into the classroom from home.  The technology can be a challenge at times but we are working hard to resolve issues and support your children in the best way we can. 

   

  If your child needs a home learning pack and has not received one please contact the school.  If your child is off ill they are not expected to be doing the home learning.

   

  By working together we will emerge from these times and move forward.  Please continue to follow the rules in and out of school.  During the current National Lockdown households should not be mixing, we are trying really hard to maintain our bubbles in school to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus.  We know not being able to visit family and friends is difficult but we must continue to all play our part in beating the virus, and maintain hope and optimism about times ahead.  A positive mindset can achieve so much.

   

  As always please get in touch by phone, email or Dojo and a member of our team will be there to help.  

   

  Have a great weekend.