Dear Parents / Carers,

At the end of our sixth week of school closure, I hope that you are all continuing to keep safe and well?!

Please find below, further information regarding this week’s updates. As always, if you have any concerns, questions or queries, please do get in touch.

Best wishes to you all,

Mr. Leon Cox

(CoxL32@hwbcymru.net)

Video Message to the Children:

I have recorded a short video message to the children (please excuse the DIY haircut).  It can be viewed by visiting our school website, or by following this link - https://www.mayalsprimary.co.uk/home-learning/

Home Learning Gallery:

Thank you to all those who have shared their home learning with us.  It is brilliant to see how so many of you are embracing ‘Home Learning’.  Please keep sharing – through Hwb, Twitter and especially through Class Dojo!!

To view our home learning gallery, please visit our school Twitter account, or follow this link to our school website - https://www.mayalsprimary.co.uk/the-home-learning-gallery/

Unable to access online resources?:

This week, the local authority have asked all schools to indicate how many learners they have that are ‘Digitally Excluded’?  What is meant by this, is all learners who do not have access to an appropriate internet-connected device and/or internet connection, to engage in online learning activities from home.

Both the school, and the local authority, are looking at measures that we can be put in place to support these learners / families, during this extended period of school closure. 

If you consider yourself to meet this criteria, or are in general, are really struggling to access the online resources, then please do get in touch with me as soon as possible.

Food bank:

In these extreme times, there are many families that are in desperate need of support.  We have been asked by the Holy Cross Church to remind our school community, of the food bank that continues to be situated next door to the school.  Understandably, there has been a drop in the donations that they have received of late, but at a time when demand is rising, they are obviously more grateful than ever for any donations they receive.

The arrangements for dropping off items are exactly the same as before, where items can be left in the collection bins in St Faith's Chapel, any time between 10.00am and 5.00pm.  Thank you, in advance, for any support you may be able to offer.

Class photos:

At this time of year, we would normally be making the most of the weather, and our beautiful school grounds, to take class photos.  Unfortunately, with the current situation, this is not going to be able to happen in the normal way.

The photographers that we normally use, Roz and Kirsty, have contacted the school to suggest an alternative class montage that they can produce. 
They will be in touch with you via email, over the coming weeks, to show you what the montages look like.  There will then be an option to purchase them, but of course, there is no obligation to do so.

Moving forward?:

You may be aware that earlier this week, the Welsh Minister for Education, Kirsty Williams, announced the ‘Five Key Principles’ that determine how and when children may return to school.

The five principles stated are:

• The safety and mental, emotional and physical wellbeing of students and staff
• Continuing contribution to the national effort and strategy to fight the spread of COVID-19
• Having the confidence of parents, staff and students – based on evidence and information – so that they can     

            plan ahead

• Ability to prioritise learners at key points, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds
• Consistency with the Welsh Government’s framework for decision making, to have guidance in place to support

            measures such as distancing, managing attendance and wider protective actions.

Unfortunately, these principles do not give use any clear indication as to when, or how, we may return to school; although, from reading further sections of her announcement, it is likely to be in a gradual / phased approach.  As soon as we have any clearer guidance, I will share it with you immediately.

The full statement can be found, by following this link - https://gov.wales/education-minister-sets-out-five-key-principles-schools-return

HAPPEN Project: Impact of Home Learning

Members of Swansea University’s HAPPEN team, are conducting research into what impact this lockdown may have on our children.  If your child is in Year 4, 5 or 6, and you would like to take part in the survey, please follow this link - https://happen-wales.co.uk/thehappensurvey/

Let's get Louis to the top - please follow this link to view his video and register your vote!  #TeamMayals

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2539455912827305&id=377823782323873&comment_id=2540450556061174&notif_t=feed_comment_reply&notif_id=1587413965070862&ref=m_notif#

Dear Parents / Carers,

Unbelievably, this week is the first week of the Summer term!  Normally, we would be returning from the Easter break, and gearing up for the last third of the academic year.  This year however, we are faced with a somewhat different scenario.

We hope that this update finds you well and coping with these exceptional times!  We are missing the children, but hope that they are enjoying the extra time at home with their loved ones.

Please find a few updates below, but as always, if you have any concerns, questions or queries please do not hesitate to get in touch.

As always, best wishes,

Mr. Cox

(CoxL32@hwbcymru.net)

We have been asked, by one of our Dads, to share the information below:

A mental health and well being chat for men, which is usually held every Friday, is now available via Zoom chat.

The meetings take place every Friday, between 11am and 1pm.  They can be accessed by following this link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/3238134668
Everyone welcome!

Dear Parents / Carers,

As we now move into week 4 of school closure, I hope that this letter finds you and your families, well!  We hope that you are coping with the massive change to daily life, and are managing to keep yourselves busy.

Happy Easter:

On behalf of the staff at the school, I would like to wish you all a happy Easter!  A very different Easter for us all, but a good opportunity for us to reflect on everything that is going on at the minute.

In school, the children would normally have been busy making Easter bonnets and decorating eggs.  If you have decided to do any Easter craft at home (or have a message or done anything cool) please take a photo and share it with us.  It would be lovely if I could put a photo gallery together, to share with everyone, and cheer everyone up.  Please send them to CoxL32@hwbcymru.net, and I will share them over the next week.

Emergency Childcare Update:

As I mentioned in last week’s update, we are still providing daily childcare for the families of critical workers.  We continue to be based at Bishopston Comprehensive, and are providing childcare from 8.00am to 5.00pm. 

The most up to date information about childcare can be found on the local authority website, by following this link - https://www.swansea.gov.uk/covid19schoolsandcolleges

Free School Meals:

The local authority are still providing ‘Grab and Go’ bags for families entitled to free school meals.  These meals can be ordered daily, and collected from Bishopston Comprehensive.

Please get in touch if you are eligible and interested in accessing the meals.

Home Learning:

Our staff are continuing to update the online tasks for home learning.  They are also keen to find out how you are doing with them?  You can interact with your teachers by sharing work through Hwb, J2E and Class Dojo. 

In the links below, are some fresh ideas and challenges for you to have a look at.  The top link takes you to the virtual ‘Swansea’s Got Talent: Kids’ competition, where you have the chance to win £150.  It would be great if you could share these videos with us too!

Back to School:

There has been no mention or indication of when we may all return to school.  Understandably, the local, Welsh, and National Government are focusing their attention on containing the spread of this awful virus.  Until this is done, and until the lockdown begins to be lifted, it is inevitable that we will continue to remain closed.

This picture is, of course, changing daily.  As soon as we know any information, we will be sure to pass it on.

Keeping in touch:

We continue to keep updating our new website and posting Tweets on Twitter.  Links to home learning ideas, and all previous updates / correspondence can be found there.  Please keep a look out for any new information.

Lastly, I want to again wish you all continued good health at this very difficult time.  We miss you all, and look forward to seeing you all soon.  Please remember that we are here, should you need us for anything.

Take care,

Mr. Cox

Dear Parents / Carers,

I sincerely hope that this letter finds you, and your families, well !

In what continues to be uncertain times, can I thank you all for your continued support and for your positivity in dealing with the extraordinary situation that we find ourselves in at the minute.

Emergency Childcare Update:

As you are aware, despite the fact that our school is not open; our staff are still providing daily childcare for the families of critical workers.  We continue to be based at Bishopston Comprehensive, and are providing childcare from 8.00am to 5.00pm.  Our staff have been keen and eager to come in and provide a much needed service for these families, and will continue to do so over the Easter holidays.

The most up to date information about childcare can be found on the local authority website, by following this link - https://www.swansea.gov.uk/covid19schoolsandcolleges

Home Learning:

As a school, we completely understand that accessing and utilising online activities can be difficult; and is not the same as being in school.  We do also realise that many families have different circumstances; such as having to share technology, and also parents trying to juggle the unenviable task of working from home whilst caring for children.  I myself have a 7 year old and a 4 year old in the house, so I know exactly how difficult it is!

What we want to stress, is that these are extreme times, which are resulting in changes to our daily lives.  Please don’t feel pressured to try and get everything done!  Don’t get worried by the fact that it is 10 o’clock and your children haven’t done their maths yet!  What is important, is that you are all coping with the situation.  Things that can help are: trying to stick to regular meal times, trying to get an hour’s fresh air / exercise a day, and setting achievable work goals each day.  All these help to add a focus and a broad routine, to help break up what can sometimes feel like long days. 

We are however, glad to see that many of our children are making the most of the resources on J2E, and also using the links on our school website.  The staff have been adding to the activities and will continue to do so in preparation for the Easter holidays.

We are also regularly adding new ideas and challenges to our school Twitter feed, and on the ‘Home Learning’ section of our school website.  We have recently added information, that we have received from the local authority, regarding home learning for children with additional needs - https://www.mayalsprimary.co.uk/supporting-additional-learning-needs-aln/

Food Bank:

A massive thank you to those who donated items to the foodbank at the Holy Cross Church.  We are also aware that parents from our school have made monetary donations to the Red Café.  Thank you!

Please do remember though, that these food banks are also there for our families who are in need.  Please do get in touch if there is anything that we can do to help.

Lastly, on behalf of the school, I want to wish you all the best of health at this very difficult time.  Please stick to the government guidelines, and hopefully we will beat this terrible virus sooner, rather than later.

Take care,

Mr. Cox

Dear Parents / Carers,

I sincerely hope that this letter finds you, and your families, well !

This is truly a remarkable time, where we are all getting used to living in a very different way.  We miss being in school with the children, but hope that they have started establishing new routines and are busy making the most of their time at home.

Home Learning:

Our teachers have been looking closely at the work that children have been accessing on Hwb, Sumdog and TT Rockstars.  Most children have made a very good start! 

Please remember that we would love you to share what you have been doing.  Either share it with your teacher’s Hwb address, with me (CoxL32) or by tagging us in a Tweet on Twitter (@MayalsSchool).

Over the next week, staff will be adding more resources to the ‘Home Learning’ packs, but if you are looking for something different to do in the meantime, why not try out some of the links below:

• Join Joe Wicks for an upbeat way to start your day.  At 9am every weekday, Joe undertakes a half hour fitness routine that the whole family can join in:  https://www.thebodycoach.com/blog/pe-with-joe-1254.html

• Cosmic Kids Yoga – Short yoga videos, designed for children.  Excellent for calming, relaxing and re-focusing attention: https://www.youtube.com/user/CosmicKidsYoga

• BBC Supermovers – Interactive videos to support with Maths, Literacy, PSE and PE: https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/supermovers

• Letters and Sounds – A wide range of free phonics resources aimed at younger learners - http://www.letters-and-sounds.com/

• White Rose Maths – Home Learning resources that provide a new maths lesson for every day.  These excellent resources are updated weekly: https://whiterosemaths.com/homelearning/

• Or you could use the time to learn essential skills that don’t require school resources, such as:

Learn how to tell the time,

Learn how to tie your shoelaces,

Learn how to make a meal,

Learn how to get yourself dressed,

Learn how to tidy your room at the end of every day,

Or even, learn the words so you can sing along to your Mum or Dad’s favourite song.

Moving Forward:

As you know, we are all dealing with the changing picture of this crisis on a daily basis.  This week, school staff have been providing emergency childcare for the children of ‘Essential Key Workers’ at Bishopston Comprehensive.  This is due to continue next week.  There has currently been no information or indication as to when schools in Swansea will re-open for all pupils.  As and when we receive any information, we will be sure to share it with you.

Please remember, we are here should you need to contact us during the time of school closure.  This can be done through the contact page on the new school website, or through email to CoxL32@hwbcymru.net.  We will try our best to get back to you the same day.

Wishing you all the best of health at this very difficult time.

Take care,

Mr. Cox

Dear Parents / Carers,

At the end of a week of uncertainty and change, it feels that now the weekend is here, it is time to breathe a deep sigh of relief.  However, as we are all fully aware, this is very much the beginning of a long and difficult time for us all. 

The term ‘unprecedented’ is currently being used frequently throughout the media, and there is no doubt that these are very unique times and circumstances; where we will be required to work for one another, across the nation, to deal with this crisis.

On behalf of all the staff at the school, I would like to pass on our thoughts and best wishes to all our children and families.  Please be sensible, please take care of each other, and please follow guidance.  We wholeheartedly want to see every child and family member back in school, happy and healthy, when we do finally return.

As I mentioned earlier in the week, even though the school building is closed, we are still here if you need us.  I will access my emails on a daily basis, and can pass any messages onto staff if you need.  A reminder of the contact arrangements are below.  (I have also included a few other important reminders below).

Once more, best wishes all.

Mr. Cox

Dear Parents / Carers,

Apologies once again for the late email!

Our school remains open to all pupils who wish to attend tomorrow.  As has been the case throughout the week; we fully respect and understand your decision, should you decide to not send your child to school.

School will then be closed, to the majority of pupils, from Monday.  When we have more information regarding the length of closure, I will ensure that this information is passed on to you immediately. 

Emergency Childcare Provision

We have today received some information regarding the childcare provision that will be available next week.  However, I am attending an emergency meeting at Bishopston Comprehensive tomorrow morning to try and sort the details.  I will share these with you once they have been finalised.

One aspect that has been clarified by the local authority, is that of eligibility.  From Monday, childcare will be provided only for children of essential workers.

‘In the first instance, essential workers will be all NHS staff, those employed by the emergency services, prison workers, social care workers and school staff.

To access this provision both parents / carers or a single parent/carer need to be an essential worker as noted above.’

We believe that we had several responses to yesterday’s form, which do not fit this criteria.  We have been asked to send out a second form, to all those who responded, to clarify exactly how many parents are eligible for the provision.  We will send this out tomorrow.

Thank you

Lastly, on behalf of myself and the staff, I would like to say thank you to those who have contacted the school, over the past week, with messages of support.  It is a difficult time for everyone, but these messages really impact positively on morale and are always appreciated greatly.

Thank you again,

Mr. Cox

Dear Parents / Carers,

Since writing to you this morning, it has been announced by the Minister for Education that all mainstream schools will close by Friday (March 20^th) at the latest, with the Easter break being brought forward.  Her full statement can be found by following the link below:

https://gov.wales/statement-minster-education-kirsty-williams-school-closures-wales?fbclid=IwAR0xxSVE7UJ6o3koG5wntNJ0WsjphKQRt0ZqBw_tEDhC17MlnPVw9Zea6aE

Our Plan

As things stand, we are planning to remain open to all pupils until the end of this week (both Thursday and Friday).  However, as I mentioned this morning, we have been affected by staff absence and if this situation worsens over the coming days, we may need to consider phased closure before Friday.

Home Learning

Today, all ‘Home Learning’ resources have gone live.  By accessing our new school website you can find links to educational websites and tutorials showing you how to access the ‘Home Learning’ resources that our staff have collated.  This link will take you directly to the page: https://www.mayalsprimary.co.uk/links-and-resources/

If you are having trouble accessing these resources, please let us know over the next couple of days.  During the school closure, the resources will be added to periodically by the teaching staff.

Contact

I want to reassure you all that while the school building may be closing, we are still here for you, if you need us.

You will be able to contact us directly through the school email, through my personal email, or through the contact form on the new website.  The three addresses / links for these are below:

• Mayals.primaryschool@swansea-edunet.gov.uk
• CoxL32@hwbcymru.net
• https://www.mayalsprimary.co.uk/contact-details/

I will be accessing the three mailboxes daily, and as long as I am well, will aim to get back to you on the same day.  If you would like to contact any of our teaching staff or our Wellbeing manager, Mrs Clay, could you please use the contacts above, rather than Class Dojo, and I will pass the message onto them.  As always, please refrain from contacting the staff through social media. 

Emergency Childcare Provision

As I mentioned in the email sent out earlier this evening, the local authority are working quickly to try and organise some degree of childcare for frontline workers.  Schools have had very little information, other than being asked to try and ascertain the need in each school. 

We were sent this request at around 3.40pm this afternoon and have been asked to submit our results by 9.00am tomorrow morning, at the latest.  Could I please ask that if you fall into any of the categories listed below, that you follow the link and (if you haven’t already done so) complete the attached form as soon as possible. 

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=Ug4_TzS3ZEGUCRtgHRR5k5OU8z2vx7ZBmyGr8Gr9zEFUOUJTVk9PTTdHRU83TE8wUzFBOFBUUDFZRS4u

Categories:

All public sector workers

All care service workers (either public or private)

Both parents who work in one of the above, or are a single parent / carer.

Note

I will continue to keep in touch over the next couple of days, and as soon as we know more I will be sure to pass on the information.

To all our children and families who are in isolation; please look after yourselves and let us know if there is anything we can do.  To all our families not in isolation, try and relax tonight and we will see you in the morning.

Best wishes,

Mr. Cox