Well what a very strange week as we come to the end of March. We have had a small number of children
in school and therefore a skeleton team of staff. The Government guidance is asking parents, even if they
are key workers, to make alternative provision for their children if it is safe and possible to do so and this
is absolutely critical in ensuring the school closures have the desired effect
We are looking to provide Emergency Provision for the Easter holidays but, and I cannot
emphasise this enough, this provision is only for children of Critical workers who have no
alternative provision. We are trying to minimise staffing levels to comply with the
Government advice of staying at home where possible.
Home Learning
Now you have had a week to get into the swing of Home Learning. I am sure there have been lots of
challenges for children and parents trying to get to grips with this. There are lots of ways for you to access
the Home Learning. (Home Learning page for generic resources, Homework class pages, MyMaths,
Purple Mash, Class Dojo) We are able to track who is accessing these platforms and who is not. Please
make sure that you access the various resources and that there is no lost learning, even if you are not in
school. I am delighted to see that some children are really putting full effort into the work online. Instead
of the Headteacher’s Certificates usually given on Friday Assemblies, I will be sending Home Learning
Certificates to those children who are seen to be giving their best. For those children, who have not yet
engaged with the Home Learning, we will be contacting the parents to offer further support. Alternatively,
each class has a class e mail and the Class teacher can communicate with you and support your learning
through these. Mr Beattie has also been very busy setting up the Dojos. This is a great platform to share
learning. Parents please respond to the invite to join Class Dojos. You should have received an invite, if
not contact your class e mails. Teachers are now starting to put up a gallery of pictures and this is great. I
might need to give parents some prizes too for creativity!
Please make sure that you aren’t giving your parents a hard time too. They are likely to be juggling lots of
balls all at once at the moment. They are likely to be trying to be teachers, as well as doing their own jobs
if possible and still running the house, cooking, cleaning, washing and trying to keep everyone sane and
safe… and all this without being able to go to the pub!
Staying inside
How tough has this been? This has been difficult for everybody, especially in the good weather and when
people aren’t always following the guidance. If you have a garden or a yard, then it is a bit easier. I was
watching the TV and one family was cooped up in a very small flat on the twentieth floor, with no balcony
and two very young children. Even in this adversity, the family were smiling and trying to make the best of
it. This is what we have to try and do. Turn the negatives into positives. What can we learn from this? How
can we make best use of our time? Can we learn a new skill? Can we become more independent
learners?
I want to share a few ideas for Sensory Snacks from a Training Consultant, Jennifer Nock that are easy to
deliver throughout the day. She wants to stress that currently, both adults and children are likely to need more movement and activity than normal, because we are all experiencing raised levels of anxiety. Please
see the attached sensory break ideas. Obviously, some of the activities can’t be used yet (highlighted) but
the majority may help with concentration and focus for both adults and children.
Online Safety
Although, we want you to access the online resources, we do want you to manage your screen time and
remember the online safety rules. Teachers will be reminding you of this on their class pages. This is a
good opportunity to play board games and read and be creative. Make a reading log of everything you
read. When we get back to school, I wonder who will have the longest Reading Log.
We played Frustration this weekend. It was a newer version than when I played it as a child. There was
no Pop-a-matic, but a paddle and a genie (of all things!) instead…not quite the same but good fun with the
family anyway. My biggest difficulty this week has been getting my 80year old Mum and 85 year old Dad
to face time and join in Zoom remote with others in the family. We got there in the end and she still cannot
fathom the “miracle” of it all. It’s a great way of staying in touch.
Thank you
Thank you once again to the whole school community. We are working together as a team and this has
been very evident in the last couple of weeks. We are not sure how long this will last and we need to be
ready to adept and change and, however difficult, to stay strong and positive. Please send in your pictures
and news so that we can all stay connected as St Mary Magdalene’s Family.
Keep safe and God Bless.
Please see below contact details for teachers. Please note that some staff are currently working from
home and some staff are in school. I have included my e mail address also. We may not be able to
respond to e mails immediately so please be patient. The situation may also change for some staff
members, so we will need to then ensure that their work is covered and that you have a point of contact.
Teacher Contact Details
Year Group Teacher Contact Details
Reception Mrs Worrall aworrall@st-marymagdalenesrc.lancs.sch.uk
Year 1 Miss Round nround@st-marymagdalenesrc.lancs.sch.uk
Year 2 Mrs Graham jgraham@st-marymagdalenesrc.lancs.sch.uk
Year 3 Mrs Monk dmonks@st-marymagdalenesrc.lancs.sch.uk
Year 4 Miss Anderson landerson@st-marymagdalenesrc.lancs.sch.uk
Year 5 Miss Quadri squadri@st-marymagdalenesrc.lancs.sch.uk
Year 6 Mrs Robinsworth krobinson@st-marymagdalenesrc.lancs.sch.uk
Headteacher Mrs Parkinson head@st-marymagdalenesrc.lancs.sch.uk