Here are some of the lovely Christmas Sharing Stars made by the children of Eastcroft Park School.

4^th December 2020 

Dear Parent /Carer

Information for Christmas 2020

Please find below the following information in relation to Christmas 2020 at school

Christmas Cards: Each classroom will have its own post box; children will be able to post their class Christmas cards into the post box up to 11^th December 2020.  The cards will remain in quarantine and given out to children week beginning 14th December 2020.

Friday 11^th December: This day will be full of Christmas activities

Save the children charity Christmas jumper day –the charity is asking’ Just grab a jumper and donate  £1 to Save the Children!’

your child will be able to wear a Christmas t/shirt, jumper or a Christmas hat.

Santa Dash 2020 : Schools across the country are coming together on Friday 11^th December to deliver a Christmas Santa Dash. The emphasis is about physical activity for all children in each year bubble while spreading some Christmas cheer. Children can wear Santa Hats to complete a jog/run/walk around the grounds.

School Christmas dinner – please let the office know if you haven’t returned your slip to confirm your child is staying for Christmas dinner.

In the afternoon each class will be watching an online pantomime – 'Robin Hood and His Socially Distanced Men! and will taking part in fun activities from the pantomime  

Monday 14^th December 2020:         Years 3 and 4 class party day

Tuesday 15^th December 2020:        Nursery/reception class party day

                                                            Years 1 and 2 class party day

Wednesday 16^th December 2020:  Years 5 and 6 class party day 

Christmas party food will be provided by Bernie our school cook. Due to the current restrictions in school we are not allowed to accept food donations from home

Wednesday 16^th December 2020:  Breakfast with Santa

Each child will be able to attend breakfast with Santa this year. Children will be in their own class room for breakfast and for when Santa makes his magical visit to Eastcroft Park!

To cover the costs please could each child make a donation of £1.00

School will close for the Christmas school holidays on Thursday 17^th December 2020 at 1.30pm (please note the change of time)

School will re-open on Tuesday 5^th January 2021

If you require any further information, please contact your child’s class teacher or contact the office on 0151 477 8210 or email eastcroft@knowsley.gov.uk

Thank you for your continued support this term and enjoy your Christmas break

Miss Julie Withey

Headteacher

Kirkby Christmas Star – bringing the community together at Christmas 2020

We are working with the Kirkby Collaborative of Schools and  Tower Hill and Shevington Together group to bring the Kirkby  community together.

The idea is to  encourage everyone in Kirkby  to put up a Christmas symbol in their window with a Christmas message for the community.

It was agreed that a star should  be the symbol that everyone uses, as this has diverse appeal and religious and non religious affiliations.

By putting up a star in the window  the idea is that everyone is thinking of all other members of the Kirkby community at Christmas – and the star is the symbol we are using to demonstrate that togetherness and unity at this difficult Christmas time.

Your children will be making a star in school during the remainder of this month – and they will bring the star home on Tuesday 1^st December so they can all be put on the window  together on the 1^st to  shine a light throughout  the Christmas month.

Members of the Kirkby community without school children can also create  their own star. You may wish to share the message to embrace other members of the community and community groups.

Dear Parents/Carers of Year 4 children,

We have been advised by Public Health England that there has been a confirmed case of COVID-19 within the school.

We have followed the national guidance and have identified that your child’s class bubble may have been in the proximity of the affected person. Your child may have been in close/direct contact with the confirmed case as defined by Public Health England.

Governors and I have made the decision to follow the national guidance as we must take every step to ensure the safety of the children, staff and the school community. Therefore, as a precautionary measure, the children in the Year 4 class must self-isolate for 14 days. As the affected person has not been in school since Monday 16th November, the isolation period will end on Monday 30th November and children can return on this date.

Miss Bennett will set work for the children during the isolation and she will be in touch via Seesaw to explain how the work can be accessed. If your child has difficulty in accessing the work please contact the school and we will make any necessary arrangements.

It is not recommended that you access a test unless your child begins to show symptoms, as even if the test comes back negative your child will still have to self- isolate for 14 days.

The rest of your household does not have to self-isolate and other family members can attend school as usual.

If your child needs to access a test during this time, please inform school of the results.

Please be assured that we are doing everything we can to minimise the risk to your children and I thank you for all your support in following the new arrangements.

I would be grateful if parents/carers would refrain from using social media to discuss this matter as rumour and speculation can cause unnecessary upset and panic.

Please read the attached information and if you have any questions, contact the school and I will be happy to speak to you.

Thank you again for your continued support in such challenging times.

Miss J Withey

Head teacher

Please see the link to the PHE Staying at Home Guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19- stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection

What to do if your child develops symptoms of COVID 19

If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19, they should remain at home for at least 10 days from the date when symptoms appeared as advised in https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance

You should arrange for testing for your child via https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-getting-tested or 111.nhs.uk or primary care

All other household members who remain well must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill. Household members should not go to work, school or public areas and exercise should be taken within the home.

Household members staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community

If you are able to, move any vulnerable individuals (such as the elderly and those with underlying health conditions) out of your home, to stay with friends or family for the duration of the home isolation period

Symptoms of COVID 19

The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of:

·           new continuous cough and/or

·           high temperature and/or

·           a loss of, or change in, normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia) For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.

If your child does develop symptoms, you can seek advice from NHS 111 at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/check-if-you-have-coronavirus-symptoms/ or by phoning 111.

How to stop COVID-19 spreading

There are things you can do to help reduce the risk of you and anyone you live with getting ill with COVID-19:

·           wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds

·           use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available

·           wash your hands as soon as you get home

·           cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze

·           put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards

Further Information

Further information is available at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Unfortunately, it has become necessary to close the Y4 bubble due to potential exposure with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. All parents/carers should now have been notified.

Miss Bennett will be providing home learning via Seesaw for the Y4 children. Although siblings are fine to attend school (and should do so wherever possible), it may have implications for siblings of these children if parents/carers are unable to provide childcare for the Y4 children and also bring siblings to school. These children should access the 5 day home learning package from the remote learning page.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM REMOTE LEARNING

What happens when a bubble goes home?

If your child is sent home from school to self isolate, they must not leave your home or garden for 14 days.

They should try to stay 2 metres from others in the house if possible. You should not have visitors to your house to see the child unless they are: part of your support

bubble (one other adult or one single parent family); childcare bubble (one other household) or they are from health or social care and it is necessary to see them.

The other people in the house do not have to self isolate, they can continue to go to school/work as long as the child is being looked after at home. If your child develops Covid symptoms, make sure you have them tested.

Government expectations:

• All schools should provide remote learning immediately if a child is asked to self-isolate.
• It should be high quality and be similar to what has been taught/is being taught in the classroom.
• All schools must be ready to provide remote learning.

 Schools should provide:

• Log in details of a software platform like Google Classroom/Seesaw etc with instructions of how to use it.
• A printed pack of work for your child if you do not have any internet access through your phone or at home, this may be provided in bulk to adhere to social distancing guidelines.
• Work that covers a range of subjects and equals a similar amount of learning to what would happen in school – this may be a weekly/daily set of tasks.
• Frequent feedback from a teacher/TA on their work – this should be in line with the school’s marking policy so should be at least once a week.
• The ability for you or your child to ask questions about the work if you are struggling.
• Explanations of some of the work provided – this could either be a video/audio by someone else (BBC/National Academy/Youtube) or by the teacher themselves.
• If your child has special educational needs then the work provided must be at the correct level. The work may also include activities to help achieve targets on your child’s personal provision plan or Education Health and Care plan.
• Work that children can do independently so as to not put a strain on families’ time. Contact you during the period of isolation if longer than 2 weeks.
• If you are struggling with resources such as pens/paper please discuss this with your school.

Parents should provide:

• A routine similar to school with similar timings for breaks, bedtimes etc.
• A quiet space for your child to work and perhaps to do live lessons if this is on offer. Ask school if you need help.
• Not expect the child’s teacher to be contactable every day (they may be unwell or have childcare issues themselves).
• Read the school’s Code of Conduct and Remote learning policy so you know what to expect from your school.

The full document can be found here.