30 Mar Message from Headteacher Miss Prayag
Dear School Family Community,
Over the past few weeks and days we have all worked through rapidly changing events due to the current national health crisis. Schools are officially closed. There are schools, including St Mary’s, which remain open at the request of the government to support those who are critical to the Covid-19 response.
We understand this time may be unsettling for many. It is important to follow the government guidelines to help keep you and your families safe during this time. Should you wish to communicate with school you may use the email address for our parent community. This will be checked during the school’s wider closure. We will do our best to get back to you by email within a week. School communications will also be sent through our text2parent messages.
Home Learning packs were sent out with children to support home learning. The packs also included several London Grid for Learning (LGFL) website links for fun learning activities, with your child’s passwords. As well as this, the school website has further information to support you and your child at home with learning. Please go to the Classes section on the school’s website and click on your child’s class page. You will see two tabs; Year Group News (posts from your class teacher) and Year Group Home Learning (which includes a suggested timetable to help structure home learning, and weekly home learning activities which your class teacher will upload). At this stage, we do not know how long schools will remain closed. Changes to home learning will be communicated with you.
Whilst children remain at home, you may find it helpful to chat with your child about their school vision and what they learnt at school about being a shining light, ‘let your light shine’. It could be useful to see how they could apply this at home, for example letting their light shine by helping a younger sibling with a learning activity, doing their best home learning, or keeping their room tidy. During collective worship children really enjoy singing. A moment of reflection at home, followed by a song could be a good way to help children to focus, for example, on a key value for the day or week. Children are familiar with The Lord’s Prayer, which they may want to say as well. In time, we will post on the website ideas for reflections which you could use at home. The St Mary’s staff team are looking forward to hearing how children have let their light shine whilst they remain home.
During the health crisis we all face, I thank our wonderful St Mary’s School Staff Team and School Leaders who are now on the frontline and who continue to shine with their care and devotion to our school community. I also thank those who have sent messages of thanks, gratitude and care to school, and who have offered to volunteer during the national health crisis.
I look forward, along with our Staff Team, to when we can fully re-open school and welcome you all back again to St Mary’s. In the meantime, we continue with our home-school learning partnerships through the communications outlined, and through the school website.
You are in our thoughts and prayers.
God bless,
Genevieve Prayag
Headteacher