January 2022 Newsletter
4th January 2022
5th January 2022
January 2022 Newsletter
Dear Parents and Carers,
Firstly, I’d like to wish you and your families a very happy New Year and a warm welcome back to the new term here at Lemington Riverside.
Today we welcome Mrs. Atkinson and Miss Quinn, two new teaching assistants who join our Early Years team here at LRPS.
Covid Updates:
You will no doubt be aware that there are high numbers of positive cases both locally and nationally at the moment. Our aim is to keep school running as smoothly and safely as possible for all of our children and staff. Alongside other schools in the Outer West Learning Trust, we will be re-introducing a number of measures to help keep Covid levels as low as possible in our school, these will include:
- Hand sanitiser will be offered to all children on arrival, with regular handwashing throughout the day.
- Children in Years 1 through to Year 6 will return to sitting in rows in classrooms facing the front of the room.
- Classrooms and communal spaces around the school will remain well ventilated throughout the day. We now have Carbon Dioxide monitors in all classrooms to help monitor air quality.
- When indoors, children will remain in class groups for the majority of the day and assemblies will be delivered online.
- We encourage parents/carers to wear a face covering when in and around the school grounds and wherever possible limit pick up/collection to 1 parent per child.
We will continually review these measures and adapt/change them as necessary based on the latest guidance we receive from the Department for Education, Local Authority and Public Heath England.
If your child is displaying any Covid symptoms, do not send them to school and seek a PCR test as soon as you can – these can be booked online by going to www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling NHS 119.
eSchools app:
We are pleased to introduce our new Lemington Riverside app. The eSchools app can be downloaded from the Apple and Google Play online stores to your mobile phone/tablet (see the photo at the bottom of the letter so you know which icon to look for in the app store) – it is completely free to use. You will receive a personalised letter with your username so that you can get yourself set up on the app - you will not be able to use the app until you've received the letter. The icon for the app is in the picture above. We will use the app and also a text messaging service to send you updates and important information from school. We would strongly encourage all parents/carers to download the app as this will be our main form of communication as we move forwards.
NHS Track and Trace remain responsible for informing parents/carers if your child has been a close contact of somebody who has tested positive, but we will also use our eSchools app to inform and warn you if somebody in your child’s area of the school has tested positive so that you are aware and can closely monitor your child for symptoms. If your child has been in close contact with a positive case and is aged 5 years and over you are strongly advised to do a lateral flow test on them every day for 7 days. Children under 5 can complete a lateral flow test at the parent/carer’s discretion.
Changes to Covid self-isolation guidance:
If your child tests positive for Covid-19 on a lateral flow test (the 30 minute tests) you must then get a PCR test to confirm the result. If your child’s positive result is confirmed then you should follow this guidance:
Day 0 – This is the day your child’s symptoms started or the day they tested positive if they had no symptoms.
Day 6 – Your child should take a lateral flow test on this day, if it is negative, take another test 24 hours later on day 7 – if the second test is negative, your child’s self-isolation period can end. If it is still positive, your child should remain in self-isolation until day 10.
Day 10 – Following the end of day 10, your child can end their self-isolation. If they still have a high temperature, they should self-isolate until the high temperature has ended.
I know that the guidance can be quite confusing and has changed so much - if you’re not sure about anything, just give us a call in school on 0191 267 4315 and we can talk you through it.
If your child is self-isolating we will offer work for them via the SeeSaw app if they are well enough to complete it. If your child is entitled to income-related free school meals and are self-isolating, please advise the office so that we can provide a school lunch for collection if you wish to order one.
Riverside Wraparound:
Our before and after school wraparound is open again this term between 7:45 – 8:45am and 3:15 – 6pm every day. To find out more visit our website and go to the ‘Parents’ tab and then select ‘Riverside Wraparound’. To book your child into the wraparound provision, please contact Nicole in the school office on 0191 267 4315 or email admin@lemingtonriverside.newcastle.sch.uk
Mr. H
Mr. Heeley (Headteacher)