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.