Dear Parents and Carers,
Well – we did it! After six months, our RMS family has been reunited and everywhere we turn, our school is full of happy children – smiling, learning and playing together in their bubbles.
I would like to extend a very warm welcome ‘for all,’ but especially to our new starters and their families, as they embark on an exciting journey through RMS. We will be ‘doing all the good we can’ to enable every child to love learning and flourish in our school. Welcome to Miss Dowson our new class teacher in Dentdale, to Mrs Pyatt who will be working alongside Miss Wood in Widdale and to Mrs Dozey and Miss Whitbread, our student teachers who will be working alongside Mrs Swinbank and Miss Collinson.
Our staggered playtimes and lunch times are working well, with a daily hot meal choice and a sandwich choice. Welcome to our new cook Emily, who is working out how she can provide hot puddings in the coming weeks and will also be offering special lunch promotions.
As expected, most of our new routines have gone very well, but there are some things that we need to tweak to further improve safety now that we are at full capacity. I would like to say a huge thank you to you for all your support this week. Our whole school community has shown kindness and respect to each other, adhered to social distancing, kept to the one-way system, exited the site quickly and followed our new routines to keep each other safe. Please can you continue to arrive at school in your allotted time and not before, so that we limit congestion around the school site and limit adult to adult contact. We do have spaces in our Wrap Around Care and Foundation Stage Wrap Around Care if you need childcare before or after school. Please contact the school office to book a place.
We have a small number of parents and carers with pushchairs who cannot exit the site via the rear playground because of the steps. So you will now see them exiting the site in a slightly different way, whilst still adhering to social distancing guidance. Please do not allow children and toddlers to play on the large play equipment at the start and end of the day.
Teaching children how to keep safe online at home and school is a priority here at RMS and all children in Year 1 – Year 6 have taken part in an age-appropriate internet safety session this week. I have been made aware of a real and particularly nasty viral post going around on Tik Tok and other social media sites. Tik Tok are dealing with the situation and the post should be cleared very soon. The post is highly distressing for both adults and children. I would encourage you to be vigilant when your child is on-line and strongly recommend that your child stops using Tik Tok temporarily.
I would encourage children not to bring mobile phones into school, however children in Year 5 and 6 may bring in mobiles, only if they need them for walking home alone. Children must hand these into their class teacher at the start of the day, where they will be sanitised and stored securely until the end of the day. If your child is bringing a mobile into school, please remind them that they must hand them in as soon as they arrive in school. Thank you for your support with this.
We have been keeping our school well ventilated and encouraging lots of active learning and learning outside too:
This term, our whole school curriculum theme is “How do I care for my body and mind?”. Wharfedale, Dentdale and Nidderdale launched their learning with a mindfulness day yesterday and enjoyed sensory activities, yoga, beathing and other mindfulness activities. Staff have shared photographs on Dojo. Year 5 and 6 are also enjoying a mindfulness day today. All children have enjoyed a week of inspirational maths, which encourages a growth mindset and love of learning. Our Nursery and Reception children have enjoyed getting to know each other and exploring their environment. Mrs Welch, Mrs Auger and Miss Wood have been really impressed with the children’s positive attitude and readiness to learn this week. It has been lovely to welcome the children back into school. Arkengarthdale, Wensleydale and Widdale’s first ‘Wonderful Wednesday’ went really well, with the children enjoying French, Music and PE with different teachers. Our Year 1’s and 2’s in Malhamdale, Coverdale and Littondale have enjoyed their rainbow challenges in the continuous provision.
Regular communication is going to be particularly important as we navigate our way through this ever-changing COVID landscape. So please let us know if you or anyone in your family has symptoms, are waiting for test results or need to self-isolate and we will support you with remote learning and in any way we can. School will also provide regular updates through letters and Newsletters via Parent mail, Tapestry and Class Dojo.
I would like to say a big thank you to Ben from Eye Catching Signs for our new door signs. We love them…
And finally, your support this week through all of this has been superb and very much appreciated by all – so a huge thank you once again from one incredibly happy Headteacher! Have a lovely weekend.
Kind regards,
Mrs S Stevenson
Headteacher