I can hardly believe that we have begun another year! Where does the time go to…? I sincerely hope that Christmas time and New Year was a happy time spent with families and appreciating all the gifts that we have been given (…and not simply the wrapped ones we received on Christmas Day) and I truly hope that 2022 brings you all happiness, peace and every blessing.
We have begun our new school term with eagerness and enthusiasm, following the example of the 3 wise men, following Christ’s inspirational light to lead us to all the possibilities of what we can achieve this year!
Attached is a presentation the children have seen in class this week, reminding us all of the new life and new possibilities Jesus offers us - not just this new year - but every day! You may want to watch it again with your family.
Online Safety
I am also attaching January’s online safety newsletter for parents. This month it has some information regarding Fortnite and Tik Tok which will be useful to read.
We hope you find these a useful resource to look at for latest information.
There is also a safety fact sheet which you may find helpful which gives further information about ‘Fortnite’s latest chapter (Chapter 3)!!!!! You can find this by clicking HERE
Human Relationships & Sex Education (HRSE)
A reminder to parents that Our Lady’s, as all schools, Relationships and Sex education (RHE) became compulsory in 2021 as part of our Personal, Social, Health and Relationships education curriculum. You can see from the policy and our vision that this teaching is rooted in our unique Catholic identify - it is called HRSE (Human Relationships and Sex Education as directed by the Lancaster Diocese). We recognise that as parents you are the first educators and through working in partnership together we can support children as they grow to be the ‘best versions’ of themselves.
OUR VISION for HRSE…
“At Our Lady of the Assumption, we are inspired by Jesus to be the very best we can be. We look after one another and show respect and love through our relationships with one another. Jesus is invited into our hearts. In the Beatitudes, Jesus invites us to lead a full life with him by explaining what makes people blessed or happy. This is about understanding how loving our neighbour enables us to be happy too. Therefore, having a good relationship with ourselves and the other people in our lives makes us grow and flourish, and we respect that everyone is a unique and beautiful part of God’s creation. We are all children of God, called to grow in love for him through the person of Jesus Christ and to spread the Good News through the action of the Holy Spirit”
The button below takes you to a comprehensive guide to the materials we will be using (Ten Ten) and how our vision as a Catholic school is embraced.
When you click on the buttons (above & below) you will be asked to join the school portal:
Our Username is: ol-assumption-fy4
Password: fish-chips-5
As a school we have taken the decision not to teach the sex education parts of the programme, but understand that children will have questions related to this topic. We will teach puberty as a stand alone lesson when pupils are in Upper KS2 with the support of our school nurse. We will inform parents when this will take place. As you will see any lessons which discuss body parts, plant/animal reproduction, or life cycles are directly taught through science.
The information is here for your reference. As with any curriculum area, if there are any questions your child’s class teacher will be happy to discuss class curriculum coverage with you.
Latest COVID guidance…
COVID-19 infection rates are very high and the Omicron variant is spreading rapidly. Infection rates in the North West are now among the highest in the country. It is therefore vitally important that we all take steps to reduce the spread of COVID-19 infection in the community to save lives and protect the NHS.
‘Quick Reference’ guide…
Covid Symptoms
· a new continuous cough — this means coughing a lot, for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours
· a high temperature
· a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)
What to do if your child has symptoms
If your child develops any of the COVID symptoms above or tests positive on a Lateral Flow test please do the following:
¨ Keep them at home and do not send them into school. Call school as soon as possible to inform us of your child’s absence and the date of the test.
¨ Organise for them to have a PCR test as soon as possible and if that test is positive your child should remain at home. The isolation period includes the day your symptoms started (or the day your test was taken if you do not have symptoms), and the next 10 full days.
¨ People who live in the same household as someone with COVID-19 can also take a PCR test, as they are at higher risk of being infected even if they do not have symptoms. DfE
¨ If the test is negative and your child is not poorly they can return to school. Check if you and anyone else your child lives with need to self-isolate.
Whilst awaiting the PCR result, the child should continue to self-isolate. If the PCR test is taken within 2 days of the positive lateral flow test, and is negative, it overrides the self-test (LFD) test and the child can return to school, as long as the child doesn’t have COVID-19 symptoms. (DfE)
Changes from December
You may be able to end your self-isolation period before the end of the 10 full days. You can take an LFD test from 6 days after the day your symptoms started (or the day your test was taken if you did not have symptoms), and another LFD test on the following day. The second LFD test should be taken at least 24 hours later. If both these test results are negative, and you do not have a high temperature, you may end your self-isolation after the second negative test result.
To further reduce the chance of passing COVID-19 on to others however, if you end your self-isolation period before 10 full days you are advised:
· to limit close contact with other people outside your household, especially in crowded, enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces
· to wear a face covering in crowded, enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces and where you are in close contact with other people
· to limit contact with anyone who is at higher risk of severe illness if infected with COVID-19
· to follow the guidance on how to stay safe and help prevent the spread
But are able to return to work/school taking sensible precautions.
You should however, follow this advice until 10 full days from when your self-isolation period started.
Visual examples of when to end self-isolation if you have had COVID-19 symptoms or have received a positive COVID-19 test result
Remember - always err on the side of caution to help to protect everyone in our community.
Parent Governor Vacancies
Our Lady’s Governing Board currently has vacancies for two parent governors. Being a governor can be very rewarding, do not worry if you have no experience in education matters as training and support are available from Blackpool Governor Services and your colleagues on the governing body.
Have you thought about becoming a Parent Governor?
Becoming a Parent Governor offers you the opportunity to make a contribution to the life and work of our school. Governors play a key role in the leadership commitment of the school and work together with the headteacher, staff and other governors to ensure that Our Lady’s provides a challenging and supportive environment for our children.
Who can be a Parent Governor?
All parents and carers of registered students are eligible to become Parent Governors. Every parent, whether or not you live with the student, is entitled to be nominated as a Parent Governor and to vote in a Parent Governor Election. Someone who has parental responsibility or day-to-day care of a student is also eligible to serve and to vote.
Parents/carers who have paid employment in the school or who are elected members of the Local Authority are not eligible to stand in these elections.
How long do Parent Governors serve for?
The usual term of office is four years from the date of appointment with a review meeting after the first year. If you choose to, you can complete your term of office even if your child has since left school.
How are Parent Governors nominated and elected?
If you would like to put your name forward please complete the nomination and application forms and submit a statement stating why you would like to be a governor (no more than 250 words). If more than one nomination is received, an election will be held and the ballot papers for this will be sent to all parents and carers.
If you are interested and would like to find out more, then why not contact us. We look forward to hearing from you.
Finally…
On Thursday I joined our Year 3 & Year 4 children to celebrate the Epiphany with the parish; what a lovely way to renew and invigorate the soul. Fr Frank even taught us some Japanese! (ask your child about that one!) Father made us all think about how we are each using the gifts God has given us to be the very best that we can be; real food for thought. The Wise Men followed that star to find God’s true gift, that miracle in His only son. Like them, we have to find our way to Christ and we can only do that by spending time in His presence and discovering Him in the face of others.
Our Yr 3 & Y4 children were so reverent and prayerful and being with them for this lovely mass, was such a delight – thank you children! The only sad part of this lovely experience was that the rest of the school were missing… we normally all celebrate this feast day together as a whole community.
Despite the rain, wind and freezing temperatures, the children have returned with such enthusiasm and have engaged straight away with learning. It is uplifting to see such focus and problem-solving going on already and a real thirst to find out more.
I wish you all a safe and happy weekend…. whatever the weather may bring!
Miss Haggerty
