Dear parents and carers of Stepney Park Primary School,
Once again, we have some lovely photos and news for you later on in this newsletter. I hope you will enjoy reading about the great things that the children in our school have been up to.
Holiday:
At last, the half term holiday has (almost) arrived! We have had a very long 8 week half term, and everyone is looking forward to a well-deserved break. I can’t thank the staff enough for their hard work and commitment. They have been brilliant in supporting me in ensuring that Stepney Park Primary School has had a successful start. We have had some challenges along the way, but together we have solved some of the early teething issues, taking feedback from parents into account.
I would also like to thank you, the parents and carers. You have been supportive, cheerful and patient- this has been much appreciated!
Staff who are leaving:
Sadly we are having to say goodbye to two members of staff at the end of this half term, Jim and Kem.
Jim initially came to Smithy Street in January 2012 as one of the Year 6 teachers and later on became the Deputy Head. Jim has been a fantastic teacher; he has excellent relationships with the children in his class and across the school, has amazing subject knowledge, a great reputation across the Local Authority and has been a very well liked and supportive member of staff. His impact on the children, staff and the whole school community has been immense, and he will be hugely missed by all of us.
Kem has been one of the Smithy HLTAs since May 2017. She has been involved in teaching all of our children, from Nursery to Year 6! She is one of the few members of staff who knows all children by name. Not only has Kem taught the children, she has also supported children by giving them excellent pastoral care.
I would like to extend a great big ‘thank you’ to them both! I know I am speaking on behalf of the whole school community, when I wish them all the best in their future life and careers.
Birthday celebrations:
Unfortunately we can’t allow children to bring in birthday cakes and party bags. We need to make sure that children who are allergic are not at risk of having an allergic reaction. Although it could be argued that party bags do not need to contain any food that children might be allergic to, we feel allowing them to be handed out might put pressure on parents to potentially spend money they can’t afford. A chocolate, such as a Celebration or Quality Street can be handed out at home time, but children need to take them home and show their parent to ensure it is safe to be eaten.
Medical Appointments:
Please try to make all medical appointments outside of school hours. We really want to ensure that children do not miss any school, unless strictly needed.
Covid symptoms:
Please do not drop your child off to school if you are suffering from any Covid symptoms, however mild they are. Please stick to NHS guidance and self-isolate with your family . This is to protect the children, staff and whole school community.
Parents’ meetings for Year 5:
To all Year 5 parents: please read a letter inviting you to a remote ‘Meet the teacher’ meeting, this will be given to your child soon. As you know, we are in the process of developing a system to do the remote parents’ meetings; the Year 5 experience will be used to roll this out across the rest of the school soon. This is so we can provide parents with more information about what their child is learning in school.
Remote learning:
Some parents have asked us what their child can do on their Chromebook at home and how they can support them at home with their school learning. Please read the "Remote Learning" section of our website for more information. All the information needed will be in the ‘Student Hub’. It is still under construction and we will be adding to it over time. There is information on how to access Google and our learning websites and apps are there.
However, the most important thing that parents can do is read with their child every evening. Listen to them reading and talk to them about the story. This will really help their learning in all the other subjects.
When your child is using their Chromebook, they will be connected to the internet. You must be aware of what they are doing online at all times. We have unfortunately had a few instances of children behaving inappropriately when online. We need to ask again for parents to constantly check what they are doing while our children learn how to act and behave properly online.
Ponchos:
Please remember to make sure your child takes their poncho to school each day, so we can make sure they (and their chromebook) can stay dry in the event of heavy rain.
Parent Governor Ballot:
Parents will be emailed the link to the online Parent Governor ballot form on 23rd October 2020. If you don’t receive the ballot form link or would like a paper copy instead, please contact the school and we can send it to you.
Have a nice and restful half term holiday.
Kindest regards,
Edith Philipsen
Headteacher- Stepney Park Primary School.
