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Posted on: 17/04/2020
Welcome to the Summer Term - update from Mr Moses
Dear Parents and Carers
I hope this finds you and your families happy and healthy having enjoyed a good Easter.
With the Summer Term set to start on Monday, albeit in our continued surreal circumstances, I thought it would be a good idea to update you all on various bits of news and information to ensure the best possible start to the next chapter of Learning at Home.
Easter Club and Holiday Bingo
In a slightly different guise, school has remained open over the past couple of weeks to support Key Worker families. Children who have attended our special Easter Club have enjoyed participating in a range of games and activities led by an enthusiastic team of volunteer teachers and support staff. I would like to thank all those volunteers for their help and contribution - a truly above and beyond effort!
Doing its best to fill the gap of normal Easter Holiday trips and pursuits, Holiday Bingo has proven a popular alternative. Children have been ‘getting’ active, crafty, creative and outdoors whilst tackling a variety of activities and challenges. Remember, children can email their class teacher on their class address to share any successes or outcomes they are particularly proud of.
Contact with Class Teachers
If you have not yet been in contact with your child’s class teacher either at all or over the past few weeks then please can I encourage you to do so at your next and nearest opportunity. Teachers are enjoying electronic communication with their class members and receiving some of their Learning at Home to review and offer feedback – it would be a shame for anyone to miss out! The email address for your child’s teacher is available on their Year Group Learning page of the school website.
Learning at Home
Going live on Monday will be our first Summer Term week of Learning at Home. All being well our updated approach to uploading the information should mean it is available by midday if not before.
Task and Answers
As highlighted in our newsletter, going forward we will be providing the task AND the answers where appropriate at the same time. This will allow children to receive more immediate feedback on their tasks and support you further in guiding your child to their best possible outcome.
Maths Learning
To improve this part of the Learning at Home offer, we are going to be using the White Rose Hub Home Learning site going forward. White Rose Hub is the scheme we use at school and your child will be familiar with the images, language and strategies used.
- The Home Learning is organised into weeks with five lesson blocks which should be completed one a day.
- Each day offers a short video to explain the learning in an engaging, visual way, a worksheet to complete and the answers so children can self mark and make corrections straight away.
- The worksheets are suitable for most children and we ask that they work for thirty minutes and complete as much as they are comfortable with. As a rough guide, most children will be able to complete the first two pages, many will complete three pages and the fourth page offers a greater level of challenge.
- The sheets do not have to be printed off – children can write down the answers in their Learning at Home books.
- The learning for each week with the link to the website will be outlined in the overview Weekly Suite of Learning.
- Children who learn Maths with Miss Trott will have a separate email communication from her with guidance on approaching the White Rose Hub Maths provision.
We will continue to evaluate the Learning at Home offer and will make appropriate updates as necessary to ensure it continues to be as engaging and easy to use as possible – keep an eye out for a Mindfulness upgrade soon.
Returning Learning
Remember that your child’s class teacher would like to see their completed writing task and the topic activity to review and offer feedback on. This should be sent via email to the class teacher’s address at the end of the week. It can be attached as a photograph, a PDF or as a document, whichever is most appropriate and easiest for you.
Planning for Learning at Home
When it comes to planning your child’s learning week, please remember that although the actual task will obviously change, the time expectation, subject areas and quantity will only differ slightly, if not be the same. This should allow you to set a weekly timetable if you wish and use it week on week, or modify your plans to suit any particular circumstance that arises.
In This Together
Please remember that the teachers are also working from home as well as supporting those children currently still attending school. They are trying their utmost best to meet their teaching commitments and those of any poorly colleagues that may arise but also care for their families. As we are sure you can appreciate, clearly this is a tricky balance and can sometimes mean that slight delays are possible in the learning provision or feedback—your understanding is appreciated.
Online Safety
The internet and the many opportunities it provides, whether it is keeping us connected or helping with learning, is proving an especially helpful tool at the moment. However, it can have its drawbacks and if not used or monitored appropriately, can make children vulnerable to online difficulties and dangers.
The Online Safety page of the school website has been and will continue to be updated with the latest guidance and links to creditable and useful websites. I would encourage all parents and carers to visit it and the links it contains to ensure best practice and approaches are being adopted at home.
Learning at School
Reigate Priory will continue to be open for certain children including those of Key Workers. These families will be contacted directly via Parentmail to share further detail. If you are contacted, please ensure you respond as soon as possible so we can ensure suitable staffing and lunch provision. Children who take part in Learning at School will access the same learning which has been provided to those at home but led by school staff.
A Favour
I would really appreciate it if you could pass on my letter to your child. I would normally welcome them back in our Monday Whole School Assembly so I thought it would be nice to follow up my initial letter from last term – I hope they enjoy receiving it and having a good read.
Once again, I would like to thank you all for your support to date and going forward into the new term. I hope the adjustments that we have made to Learning at Home assist you in better supporting your child and hopefully make things a little bit easier – you are doing a great job in really unique circumstances and I am very grateful for your efforts!
Be Well
Mr Moses
