St



|St Mark’s V. A. School |[pic] |Ysgol Sant Marc G. C. |[pic] |

|Merlins Bridge, Haverfordwest, | |Pont Myrddin, Hwlffordd, | |

|Pembrokeshire, SA61 1JX | |Sir Benfro SA61 1JX | |

|Headteacher / Prifathro: Mrs. H. Cale | |E-mail / e-bost: | |

| | |head.stmarks@.uk Website | |

|Tel. / Ffôn: 01437 767623 | | |

| | |s-VA-website/ | |

Child’s Name ……………………………………

Dear Parents/Carers,

Following guidance from the Welsh Government and Pembrokeshire County Council Education Department we are looking forward to welcoming our Foundation Phase children back to school after Half Term. We will have a staggered approach for the first week and from 1st March we hope the Foundation Phase (Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2) will be in school every day. On Monday 22nd February we will be making plans for the safe return to school and then from Tuesday the children will experience one day in school to prepare them for returning every day.

The day for your child’s initial day in school is ………………………………………

Staggered Time ………………………..

In line with Welsh Government and Local Authority guidance we have looked at every classroom to make sure we have a safe environment for every child and staff member. NO toys from home will be allowed on school premises. No book bags will be used, we will review this during the term. Apart from a coat, children will not need to bring anything else to school.

We plan that each Group will have a teacher and a member of support staff in order to minimise any risk of infection, and to provide appropriate health and safety, wellbeing breaks and lunch and break cover. We will continue to have strict hand and surface hygiene, one way systems, staggered break times and lunchtimes for all children. Children will not be mixing with other children outside of their bubble.

Staggered start and finish times We will continue to have staggered start and finish times but we have changed the timings. We want to have the same start and finish times for family groups but we still need to control the number of people that are here at any time so that we can avoid any mass gatherings on site. Only one adult should bring and collect the children each day. Please work with us by bringing and collecting your children at the allotted time and by not staying to talk to other parents. Class 1 and Class 2 children should enter through the main green gate and go straight to their classroom using their classroom door. Class 3 children should use the pedestrian gate and walk past the main entrance, and through the side gate to get to their classroom. Staff will be there to receive them. There will also be staff at the front gate if you have any messages to pass on or you have any queries.

Lunchtime Arrangements Children will eat their lunch within their bubbles so that they can remain in their bubble group. We provide free school meals to eligible families, if parents feel that they may be eligible for free school meals, please contact the school. Parents who pay for school dinners can continue to do so, using the online payment system. Children may choose to bring a packed lunch from home, but we ask that it arrives in a clean box/bag.

The school will provide named individual water bottles for each child and they will be sterilised each day.

Children and adults will be reminded regularly of social distancing requirements, with markings and signs in place.

Toilets: Social distancing will be managed for corridor areas for toilet breaks and staff will monitor closely. Children will be encouraged to sanitise their hands before going to the toilet and to wash their hands after they have been to the toilet.

Hand Washing: Frequent hand washing/hand sanitising will be carried out throughout the day – there is plenty of soap and sanitiser for everyone, children and staff.

Cleaning: High use surfaces/doors will be cleaned every 2 hours. Mr Lewtas will continue his

thorough cleaning routine throughout every day. Our experiences throughout 2020 mean that we have good routines already in place.

Uniform: Children can wear school uniform – we have some in stock if you wish to purchase more. If uniform is a problem, don’t worry we know it is difficult to go shopping at the moment. Sensible, warm clothes will be fine, we know it is difficult to shop for clothes at the moment.

Breakfast Club There will be no Breakfast Club in the Hall but any children who need a breakfast will receive one in their classroom on arrival. No child should arrive at school before their given time – no waiting.

Playtimes Playtimes will be staggered to ensure social distancing.

Ventilation We will make sure that the classrooms are well ventilated and that there is plenty of fresh air circulating. Outside doors and windows in the classroom are open during then day. We will also be making good use of the outdoor spaces whenever we can. Please make sure that your children have warm clothes (perhaps wearing a vest or T-shirt as an extra layer) and a coat every day.

Face Masks Children do not need to wear face masks but our staff will be wearing masks in order to prevent the spread of the virus. Staff will also be using Covid self tests twice a week to make sure they do not have the virus. Parents should also wear masks when they are at the school gate.

Online work Because the teachers will now be teaching the children in school there will be no online lessons for Foundation Phase children after half term. Foundation Phase teachers will continue to put the weekly challenges online for the first week so that there are ideas for keeping busy and learning at the times the children are not in school during the first week. We will of course continue to provide online learning for our KS2 pupils.

If children or anyone they live with has COVID 19 symptoms (see below) they should not attend school, please phone the school to let us know – testing may need to be carried out. 

Symptoms: Cough; shortness of breath/difficulty breathing; fever/chills; sore throat; new loss of taste/smell.

If your child has Covid symptoms, please keep them at home for 10 days. The rest of the household should self-isolate for 10 days. We will be engaging in the Welsh Government Test Trace Protect programme to make sure that any potential Covid outbreaks are managed effectively. We will contain any outbreak by following local health protection team advice. This may mean returning to lockdown for a specific bubble or the whole school. WE DO NOT WANT THIS TO HAPPEN PLEASE FOLLOW THE GUIDANCE AND KEEP ST. MARK’S SAFE.

Children falling ill during the school day will need to be collected immediately. It is essential that we limit any risk of passing any infection on at this time. If the school feels that a child is ill parents will be phoned and the child must be collected. It is important that we keep everyone safe.

Please be aware that this letter is as accurate as possible at the time of writing. Due to COVID19 things can change very quickly. We will keep you informed of any changes which may have to be made.

In order to keep transmission low as we take cautious first steps we will work with you to reinforce Keep Wales Safe messages. Parents/carers should continue to be vigilant including socially distanced behaviour at school gates, not permitting sleep overs or other household mixing outside of school, and not sending children to school if they have symptoms or have tested positive for COVID-19. Children should not playing out in the streets with children from other families or going into each other’s house, even if they are in the same bubble at school.

Staff will be in school on Monday 22nd Feb to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you for your continued support during these challenging times.

Mrs Heather Cale - Head teacher

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