It has been good being back in school again. I was fortunate in that I only experienced mild symptoms when I had Covid but being stuck in a room by yourself is not as good as it sounds - especially as I was not even in my own room because it is in the process of being refurbished. Luckily I was able to come out of my holding pen on the first Monday of half term so I was able to enjoy a good break before returning to school.

As we had such a major outbreak before the half–term we had to operate in ‘outbreak’ mode this week so next week is going to be far more exciting for the children. Because we have very few cases of Covid in school now, as I explained in the newsletter, we will be returning to our ‘normal’ mode of operating on Monday and, hopefully, we will be able to remain like this for the foreseeable future. All the extra-curricular clubs are starting again (with the exception of karate which will now start after Easter) and it is World Book Day on Thursday. The children love coming dressed in their character costumes and the staff are also doing something but you will have to wait to see what it is on Thursday!! Children in Year 2 have also got their ‘Fire of London’ day to look forward to. This was cancelled because of our Covid outbreak and although we were offered an online version we thought the children would get far more from the ‘live’ version and they will finally get to experience that on Friday.

I know that a lot of children will be going home nervous today because it is when they receive their annual school report. I do not think that any of the children have too much to worry about. Do share the reports with your children but please do focus on the comments which offer constructive advice on how they can improve in their learning. We work hard on developing a growth mind set in school and it would be good if this is followed up at home.

I hope you all have a great weekend with no Covid restrictions. It will be interesting to see how we manage with that or whether they will need to be re-instated in the future – only time will tell!

 

 Many of you will probably have noticed that I have not been on the school gate this week and this is because I have fallen foul of the dreaded Covid virus – for the SECOND time. Fortunately, my symptoms have been very mild and I have been able to work from home. I know that a lot of people in Little Heath have been in similar circumstances and I hope everyone who has had Covid or has still got it is well on the way to recovery. The Covid team from Hertfordshire did contact me and, fortunately, they did say that as a school we could not have done anymore to restrict the spread of the virus. Apparently, although the Omicrom variant presents with milder symptoms, it spreads far more readily and as primary children have not been vaccinated, they have been more susceptible to catching it. As we have had such a significant outbreak, the children will remain bubbled and all after school clubs will be cancelled for at least the first week after our return. We will review this situation at the end of the first week.

May I also remind everyone that if your child is feeling unwell that you do not send them into school. With so many Covid cases in school I do ask that you get them checked for Covid before sending them back in and if their symptoms persist you test them for a second time. As I mentioned in my last blog even if your child does not present with typical Covid symptoms can you please get them tested for Covid because many people who have tested positive have had none of the typical symptoms.

I would like to wish you all a good half term. Hopefully, this holiday will give us the break we need and when we return Covid will have left Little Heath. I look forward to being back in school and seeing you all again on February 21^st.

 What a week it has been - just when I think we are ‘out of the woods’ with Covid it comes back to haunt us. It has not made too much difference to the lives of the children in school because we have had Covid restriction strategies in place since Christmas. However, I do ask that if your children are feeling unwell and you do think it is Covid please test them before you send them into school. As well as the usual symptoms of a persistent dry cough, a raised temperature and a loss of smell or taste children can also develop a headache or an upset stomach when they have Covid so please test your children if they do show these symptoms. It is highly unlikely that schools will shut because of Covid but we do want to keep as many children as healthy as possible so they do not miss any school time because of illness.

Anyhow, enough about Covid - let us discuss what is actually going to be happening in school next week. Next week is national Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Week and the children will be carrying out a number of activities related to this in school. We think that these activities are very important because taking care of your mental health and personal wellbeing helps ensure that you have a happy and healthy life by allowing you to manage all the ups and downs that we all experience in our everyday lives.

As well as Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Week it is also Safer Internet Day on February 8^th. This is a very important event because children use technology for everything and whilst it is an excellent resource to have they need to know how to use it safely to ensure that they do not engage with any unsuitable people or websites. After we have had this day it may be good to have a discussion with your child to see what they have learnt so you can reinforce the safety message that we will have delivered in school. 

I would like to finish by thanking you all for your support during this very challenging time. You have all been very understanding about the adaptations we have had to make and you have been very good in getting your child tested if you think they may have had Covid. This support has made my job a lot easier and I am most grateful. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.