Summer 1 2020 Newsletter
20th April 2020
20th April 2020
SUMMER TERM 1 UPDATE:
Dear Parents, Carers and the Community of Lemington,
Today I would usually be writing to you welcoming you back following the Easter holidays, but we all know things are very different at the moment. Even though our school – like all others in the country - remains closed for now for the vast majority of children, there are still lots of updates to give you from Lemington Riverside.
WELCOME TO MR. SAYERS AND MISS HARLAND:
From today, we welcome two new teachers to our team here at Lemington Riverside Primary School. Mr. Sayers will be teaching our older children in Key Stage 2 and Miss Harland will be teaching our Year 1 children. Mr. Sayers and Miss Harland were appointed from almost 100 teachers that applied to work at our school – they will be fantastic additions to our teaching team! I would like to place on record our thanks to Miss Buzzeo who ended her time with us at the school at the end of last term.
NEW ASSISTANT HEAD TEACHER:
Mr. Murphy has been appointed by the Governing Body and I as our new Assistant Head Teacher. Mr. Murphy will continue to teach our Year 6 children but now also becomes a part of the Senior Leadership Team and will be responsible for Key Stage 2 (Years 3-6) and will lead maths across the school.
FREE SCHOOL MEALS:
We have been working hard over the Easter Holidays to sort Free School Meal vouchers for all children who are entitled to benefit-related free school meals. These vouchers can be spent in supermarkets. If you are entitled to these vouchers you will have received (or will be receiving imminently) a letter explaining how the system works and also your first voucher. We have tried to get this system sorted as quickly as possible, but as you may have seen on the national news there have been many issues with the new Government system that are beyond our control. No free school meals will be delivered to homes now that this system is in place. I would like to place on record my thanks to Mrs. Carver and the kitchen team for their hard work over the past month.
HOME LEARNING:
We continue to provide work for your child to be completing at home if you wish to use it. On our website in the ‘Pupils’ section, you will find:
- A full 7-week programme of home learning packs relevant for your child’s age.
- A list of links to free resources that are recommended by the Department for Education to support your child’s learning at home. The BBC will also be offering daily online lessons from today (20th April 2020).
- A special NHS home learning project.
- Additional ‘Homework Menu’ challenges to keep your child busy.
- If your child is in Nursery or Reception, Miss Jeffcock and Mrs. Corr continue to upload activities and challenges for your child on the Tapestry app.
FURTHER SUPPORT FOR YOU AND YOUR CHILD:
The times we live in at the moment are difficult and unusual for us all. We have a number of ways that we can support you, your child and your family:
- Check out the ‘Covid-19 Support & Advice’ section on our website for links to a range of local services who can provide support on advice on a range of issues including employment, mental health, benefits, housing and much more.
- We are aiming to check in over the telephone with all families every week during the closure period. This phone call will usually come from a member of our Senior Leadership Team or Paula Stones, our Family Support Worker.
- The school office will be manned by Mr. Heeley between 9am and 3:30pm Monday-Friday during term time if you need a chat or have any queries. You can call on 0191 267 4315 or email admin@lemingtonriverside.newcastle.sch.uk
WHEN WILL SCHOOL RE-OPEN?
As yet, despite what you read and hear in the media, nobody knows when schools will re-open fully for children. As we have done all along, we will continue to follow the advice of the UK Government, Public Health England and the Newcastle Local Authority. We will always share updates as soon as we can on our social media pages and website so please follow them if you have them.
School continues to be open as a child-care provision for a very limited number of children:
- Children whose parents/carers are key workers critical in the response to COVID-19 and cannot arrange alternative child-care.
- Children who have an allocated Social Worker.
- Children who have an Education & Health Care Plan (EHCP).
If you think your child qualifies for a place in our child-care provision you must contact Mr. Heeley on 0191 267 4315 or email admin@lemingtonriverside.newcastle.sch.uk to check your eligibility and to confirm a place. This is because, to protect our staff as best we can, we are running school on a skeleton staff and need to ensure we have the correct staff to child ratios in place.
THANK YOU…
I would like to thank you all for your continued support and positive messages during these difficult times. You continue to demonstrate what a wonderful community we live in here in Lemington. My team and I will remain here for you throughout this and very much look forward to seeing you all in the not too distant future.
Take care,
Mr. Craig Heeley
Head Teacher