Dear Parent/Carer

 

The National School Voucher order has been placed for your child who is entitled to benefits-related free  school meals and is currently at home

The period is for 18.01.2021 to 16.02.2021 (4 weeks) and the amount of the voucher is £60

In the next couple of days you will receive an email from Edenred with a 16 digit code and a link to the redemption site : www.freeschoolmeals.co.uk

Once you receive the link you must :

1.      Click on the link www.freeschoolmeals.co.uk

2.      Enter the unique 16-digit eCode

3.      Select your chosen supermarket and check out

4.      Your eGift cards will arrive by email within 24 hours

 

Please note that the supermarket vouchers cannot be used to purchase age restricted products , such as cigarettes and alcohol

Please refer to the parent/carer user guide for help :

https://www.edenred.co.uk/Documents/DfE/DfE_FSM-voucher-scheme_Parent-Carer-Userguide.pdf

Could parents who were contacted about receiving a FSM food parcel please collect it as soon as possible. We are unable to continue to provide refrigerated storage so they must be collected.

Dear Parent/Carer,

 

It has been confirmed that during the closure, schools should continue to provide free school meals or food parcels for pupils who are eligible for benefits related free school meals.

 

The DFE have announced that the national free school meals voucher scheme will soon be available again to provide support to families who are eligible for benefits related free school meals during term time. This will be managed centrally by the Department for Education and provided by Edenred.

 

Eastcroft Park have been contacted by Edenred and it has been confirmed that Eastcroft Park cannot order any vouchers until Tuesday 19th January 2021. Once these Vouchers are ordered it can take up to four days for parents/carers to receive the email containing information on how to download their voucher.

 

The voucher will cover the period between 18th January to 12th February (4 weeks) and will be worth £60 the scheme does not cover half term .

Further information will be sent out by parentapp/website/twitter

The email address used will be the one we hold in school - if you need to amend your email address you have only today to change it by emailing eastcroft@knowsley.gov.uk

 

Also if you require any further information please email eastcroft@knowsley.gov.uk - thankyou

 

FSM INFORMATION

 

Dear Parent/Carer

 

Further to the government announcement on Monday 4th January 2021 and the closure of schools, it has been confirmed that during the closure, schools should continue to provide free school meals or food parcels for pupils who are eligible for benefits related free school meals. I can confirm the first ten day food parcel box will available to collect on Friday 15th January 2021. You will be contacted by the office to confirm your collection slot in accordance with guidance on social distancing at all times.

 

If you require any further information please contact the office on 0151 477 8210 or email eastcroft@knowsley.gov.uk Thankyou and safe stay

Details of upcoming family learning courses can be found on the attached flyer:

 

Family Learning

Hi everyone, wishing you and your family a Happy New Year. Below you will find some information about the latest Family Learning courses on offer. Please get in touch if you would like any more information, or to book onto one of the FREE courses.

Letters and Sounds - If you would like to know how you can support your child with learning to read and write, we offer a one off workshop called ‘Letters and Sounds’. These sessions are offered remotely via Zoom and take about 1 hour. You will be given information on ‘Phonics’ and ideas for how you can support your child.

Week commencing 18^th January 2021 Letters and Sounds – 1 session

 

SHARE is a 3 week course of fun learning activities for you to enjoy with your child. We have an Early Literacy and Early numeracy version for parents/ carers of children in Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 (Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2). We also have a Numeracy or Literacy Share course for KS2 (Year 3, 4, 5, and 6). You can do any or all of the courses on offer. We will provide you with the activities, instructions and resources, and support you to have a successful learning experience. The course is delivered via Zoom. You will meet for an hour per week as a group and carry out the activities at home with your child. See the timetable below for further details.

Week commencing 25^th January 2021 - 3 weekly sessions

To book a place choose the day/time which suits you best and ring/email the relevant tutor.

Ann - 07825 117 482 ann.curley@knowsley.gov.uk

Annmaria - 07825 117 500 annmaria.miller@knowsley.go.uk

Sharon - 07825 117 499 sharon.fitzgerald@knowsley.gov.uk

Vicky - 07825 117 487 victoria.powell@knowsley.gov.uk

 

ALL Family Learning courses are FREE to everyone. If you do not wish to use Zoom but would still like to take part in our courses, please get in touch and we can  discuss other ways we can support you to take part. We look forward to working with you soon. 😊

Monday 11^th January 2021

Dear Parents/Carers,

I would like to thank you for your patience during such a confusing and difficult time for schools, parents and children.

 

As you will be aware, Knowsley has one of the highest infection rates in the country. As of 4^th January the rate stood at 1,123 per 100,000 people and it is expected that cases will continue to rise. Therefore it is essential that we follow the Government rules and stay at home wherever possible.

 

Below is an update on Critical Worker places and the school’s remote learning arrangements. I hope this will answer any questions you may have and provide additional information on how you can support your child’s learning at home.

Thank you once again for your continued support in keeping the school community safe.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Miss Julie Withey

Head teacher

 

Critical Worker School Places

All Critical Worker places have now been allocated and each of the teaching ‘bubbles’ are at the maximum capacity. The capacity has been calculated following a risk assessment to ensure safe staffing levels, social distancing and the school’s ability to also provide quality remote learning to those children at home.

 

Following the Government announcement that schools were closed to most children, we have been inundated with requests for Critical Worker school places. I apologise if you have been unsuccessful in your request but due to the high demand we had to prioritise places where both parents are Critical Workers, unable to work from home and have no other childcare options. Some of our teaching staff have also been refused Critical Worker places for their own children as most schools have used the same criteria to prioritise places.

I appreciate that this is disappointing for some parents as the Government guidance stated that at least one parent who is a key worker could request a place. However, this has to be dependent on the circumstances of the school and the demand for places.

 

At Eastcroft Park we are operating one teaching bubble in each Key Stage which caters for Critical Worker children and also vulnerable children. We currently have two teachers available in each Key Stage who alternate between teaching in school and providing remote learning for their class. Unfortunately, due to staff shielding and staff illness, we are unable to safely increase the number of teaching bubbles and also provide quality remote learning for the majority of children at home.

 

If you have been allocated a Critical Worker place please consider the following;

• Can you make any other childcare arrangements which would be safer for your child and family?
• Whilst primary age children rarely become seriously ill from the virus, schools act as a ‘vector’ for transmission. Children can spread the virus to people around them and by sending your child to school you may be putting children, staff and your family at greater risk.
• Can you work from home?
• Do you need a school place for every day you have requested?

 

Please contact the school if you wish to discuss any changes you would like to make to your current arrangements.

 

Remote Learning

I hope that you have been able to access the remote learning packages available on the website and Seesaw. As this is a new way of working for everyone, I anticipate that there will be a few technical issues to begin with so please do not hesitate to contact your child’s class teacher or Mr Youngman if you are experiencing any difficulties. You can contact these teachers either via email or through your child’s Seesaw account.

 

Each week you will be provided with a range of activities and a suggested timetable for each day. I appreciate that some parents may find it difficult to stick to the time table particularly if you are working from home or have more than one child to support. The timings for the activities are flexible and activities can be completed at the most appropriate time for you and your family. However, it is important that your child has regular contact with their teacher through live sessions and catch up meetings. Therefore we would ask that you make every effort to join the live sessions at the allotted times. Teachers will inform you in advance and send an email with a link to invite your child to the session.

 

Although all classes will receive the appropriate amount of quality work for the age group, the way in which this is delivered and responded to by teachers may differ depending on their teaching commitment in school. For example, teachers who are working from home due to shielding and therefore not required to teach in school, maybe able to deliver more live sessions and respond to children’s work more quickly.

 

Devices

We have now allocated all available devices for loan. We are currently waiting for the delivery of a small number of devices. If you do not have a way of accessing the online learning and genuinely require a device please email Mr Youngman (reception@eastcroftpark.co.uk) and we will contact you as soon as a device becomes available.

 

Paper Copies

Some parents have requested paper copies of the work. Although this is an option, we must stress that paper copies should only be used as a last resort. The online learning packages provide quality teaching videos and interactive learning activities which are an essential aspect of the remote learning package.

 

BBC

The BBC has announced that it will be putting materials on TV, iPlayer and online. These resources can be used to supplement (not replace) the remote learning that is set. TV programming for primary school pupils will be on CBBC between 09.00 and 12.00 every week day.

This may be useful for working parents who are unable to devote time to home learning during that time of the day.

 

Well-being

Each week teachers will provide activities which will help to support your child’s well-being during such difficult times. If you have any serious concerns about your child’s well-being please contact the class teacher and we will do our best to support you. 

 

Finally, it is important that your child engages with remote learning every day (Monday-Friday) and completes the work that has been set. It is essential that we work together to ensure that your child does not fall behind.

 

During the previous school closure in March, the number of children accessing remote learning was very disappointing. Teachers will monitor the work accessed by the children and contact parents when concerns arise.

 

 

The BBC has announced that it will be putting school materials on TV, iPlayer and online. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-55591821.

 

These resources can be used to supplement (not replace) the remote learning that is set.

 

How can it be accessed?

Online - learning resources for children of all ages can be found on the BBC Bitesize website.

TV - programming for primary school pupils will be on CBBC between 09:00 and 12.00 every weekday. Programmes for secondary school pupils will be on BBC Two, between 13:00 and 15:00.

Red Button - the Bitesize Daily lessons will also be shown on the Red Button service on TV.

iPlayer - all episodes will be available on catch-up, on-demand on iPlayer.

All the resources and content on the Phonics Play website https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/ has been made free as we are in another lockdown, with the aim to help us continue to home school in the best possible manner.

The content can be accessed with the below credentials.

Username : jan21
Password : home
 

Healthy Knowsley have developed a free online family cooking course for families to do together. Additionally, they have also developed an online family fitness course where parents and their children can get fit and active together in their own homes. If you are interested in either of these courses then if you let class teachers know then we can refer you for a place as these courses are referral only for places.

I have recently signed us up with Vodafone who have just launched their Schools Connected initiative (https://www.vodafone.co.uk/mobile/pay-as-you-go-plans/schools-connected).  The programme is designed to help those disadvantaged children struggling to access education because of a lack of connectivity.  We have a number of data SIMs with 30GB free connectivity for 90 days to give away to those who request them. They would require a phone or MiFi dongle/router to work but could be really useful to support remote learning if you have ni or limited WiFi connectivity. An old Android or Apple phone could be used, for example, to create a WiFi hotspot to be used on any device meaning that a broadband router would not be necessary. If you would like one, email me at reception@eastcroftpark.co.uk

 

Regards

 

Mr Youngman