Yesterday’s Masked Reader was Mrs Hands. Well done to the children who correctly worked this out.
A video of another member of staff reading in disguise has been added below. Watch the video before using the clues to help you to try to work out which member of staff is reading. Remember to post your answer.
Clues:
1) This person is female.
2) She can wear glasses.
3) She is not married.
Tomorrow you will find out who is behind today’s disguise.
This week, as part of our World Book Day celebrations, we will be running a ‘Masked Reader’ competition. Each day, a video will be posted of a different member of staff reading an extract from a children’s book. However, the staff member will have disguised his/her face and voice. Each day, it is your task to use the clues given to you to work out who is behind the disguise. Children in Years 1-6 will need to post their answer on Google Classroom and children in Reception can email Mrs Jilks their answer. The names of the children who correctly identify the member of staff each day will be put into a prize draw at the start of next week.
Tomorrow you will find out who is behind today’s disguise.
Here is today’s video:
Clues:
1) This person likes to wear black clothing.
2) This person has been a member of staff at All Souls for several years now.
3) This person is married.
Please find below the contents of a letter which is being emailed to all parents today. It can also be downloaded here.
Dear Parent(s)/Carer(s),
We are delighted to be able to welcome all pupils back to All Souls from Monday 8th March. We know that 2021 has not started as many had hoped or imagined and we have greatly missed seeing our children and families during over the last two months. This letter should hopefully answer many of the questions you may have regarding the reopening of the school and reassure you that we continue to take seriously our role in keeping our children, families and staff safe during this pandemic. We have all worked too hard and come too far to now let our guard down as restrictions are slowly being eased and so we ask that you read this letter carefully and discuss its contents with your child so that they are best prepared for the return to school.
Drop-off at the start of the school day:
As during the Autumn term, there will be a staggered start to the school day, however, this will now be determined alphabetically by surname as opposed to year groups. This will allow all children from a family to arrive at school at the same time. We will be operating four 10 minute arrival windows, which have been allocated as follows:
8:30-8:40am – Children with surnames beginning A-D & Nursery children and their older siblings
8:40-8:50am – Children with surnames beginning E-K
8:50-9:00am – Children with surnames beginning L-R
9:00-9:10am – Children with surnames beginning S-Z
As you arrive at the entrance to the school drive, a member of staff will be there to greet you and direct your child(ren) into school. Only parents of children in Nursery will be allowed along the driveway – and they will be able to take their children around to the classroom as was the case before Christmas. Children in Years R-4 will enter the school site from the pedestrian gate, which will also be manned by staff members and into the school building through their classroom door. Years 5 and 6 children will enter via the hall doors and make their way to their classroom.
Collection at the end of the school day:
At the end of the school day, for most children, the routine will be as it was during the Autumn term. Reception and Years 1-2 will be dismissed from their classroom doors at 3:00pm. The significant change however, will be that any parents who are collecting children from Years R-2 will then also be able to collect their children from Years 3-4 (from their classroom doors) and from Years 5-6 (from the hall doors) as they make their way off site – as opposed to waiting for these to be dismissed at 3:15pm. Staff will ensure that children in Years 3-6 who have younger siblings are ready at 3:00pm. For all other children in Years 3-6, they will be dismissed at 3:15pm as previously, from the playground (Years 3-4) and the drive entrance by the hall (Years 5-6). We ask parents to support us in keeping the school site as clear as possible by ensuring that they arrive and depart promptly when dropping off or collecting. Please do not congregate in groups and resist the temptation to enter into conversations with other parents.
Uniform and equipment:
We are acutely aware that some parents have purchased uniform which has so far remained unworn which, if not used, may become redundant soon. Therefore, we are a flexible approach to uniform for the remainder of the academic year to limit any further financial burden on families. We are giving children/parents two options with regards to unform:
1) Children can continue to attend daily in their school PE kit (a combination of PE top with navy shorts or tracksuit as appropriate)
2) Wear a traditional school uniform (Winter or Summer) on non-PE days and arrive at school in PE uniform on the days where PE is timetabled. Class teachers will inform you as to which days this will be and any changes will be notified via the weekly newsletter. Please note that our current risk assessment does not allow for children to change for PE in school.
If you require any additional uniform, please note that Andy Blair is open for click and collect from March 1st – the details of which are available on his website (https://coventryschoolwear.com/).
PE tops can continue to be purchased directly from the school.
Irrespective of whether PE is scheduled, please ensure that your child has a pair of outdoor trainers (and ideally wellies too) in school at all times as exercise and outdoor learning will continue to play a vital part in our recovery curriculum. As always, please ensure that all items of clothing are clearly labelled with your child’s full name.
Aside from a lunchbox and water bottle, children should not bring any other items in to school each day. Once we are again settled into a routine, we will give you details as to how reading books will be issued and returned.
School Lunches
School lunches will be continued to be available as usual and should you wish for your child to have these, please order and pay in the usual way. As during the Autumn term, children will, for the time being, continue to eat their lunch in the classroom.
Before and After-school Provision (All Sorts)
Currently we are uncertain as to the future of the before and after school provision due to the financial impact of the last 12 months. Unless there is a significant uptake of places it is unlikely that the service will be financially viable and may have to permanently close. We are aware that a similar picture exists locally and nationally. We also know that this will cause considerable anxiety for many of our parents and so we therefore need to work together if we are to secure the future of All Sorts extended school provision. As a matter of urgency, and by midday next Tuesday by the very latest, if you are requesting use of the service from the 8th of March, please contact Sharon Bennett ([email protected]) detailing all sessions that you would like. A decision can then be made and parents informed with as much notice as possible. All Sorts Early Years care has not been impacted to the same degree and therefore will continue as normal.
Curriculum
We are currently working with our teaching staff to make the necessary adjustments to the curriculum so that the children, upon return to school will be cared for and time curriculum time is used as effectively as possible. A brief newsletter, welcoming your child back, containing information and a brief outline of the curriculum for the next few weeks will be emailed out next Friday.
Extra-curriculum activities
We are looking to resume a range of extra-curriculum activities after the Easter Holidays once further local and nation guidance has been issued. Details of these will be sent to you in due course.
Finally, we’d like to re-iterate how much we are looking forward to seeing the children return to school. Thank you for your support throughout these difficult times and the support we know you will give us going forwards.
Best wishes,
Mrs Quinn
World Book Day, which takes place on Thursday, 4th March, 2021, celebrates the joy and value of books and the art of reading. The worldwide events of the day are particularly aimed at children. Whether your child is at home or at school, he/she can still mark the day.The theme again this year is ‘Share a Story.’ Parents and carers are encouraged to share a story book with their child/ren.
World Book Day is running a SHOW YOUR SHARES competition this year that, with your consent, your child might want to participate in. A story share could be: reading at home with your family, reading your favourite book, reading in an unusual location, sharing a story with your pet, reading a book whilst dressed as your favourite character, and more. For the next four weeks, World Book Day will award prizes for the best story shares with a different theme each week. The prize is a £100 National Book Token a £100 National Book Token per family, per week with the best pictures featured in the World Book Day online gallery. You have to upload a photograph or video of your story share onto the following page https://www.worldbookday.com/show-your-shares/ Please keep an eye on the school website for details for each week’s theme. This week’s theme is ‘Books That Make You LOL’. Upload a photograph or a video of you reading a book that makes you laugh, or of you sharing a story in a silly way or you reading dressed as your favourite funny book character.
This year each child will be issued with a single-use digital version of a £1 World Book Day token. The token can be accessed by clicking on the following link: https://www.worldbookday.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/booktoken_PrimaryUK.pdf This token can be either printed at home or shown to sellers on a phone or on a tablet screen. This can either be exchanged for one of the special £1 World Book Day books, or it can be used towards the cost of any book or audiobook priced at £2.99 or more. The token can be redeemed at most major supermarkets and bookshops. To find your nearest supermarket or bookshop visit: https://booksellers.org.uk/wbd Vouchers are valid from 18th February, 2021, up until 28th March, 2021. However, due to the fact that bookshops are currently closed, the tokens will be honoured beyond 28th March, 2021, while stocks last.
On World Book Day, if your child currently attends school as the child of a Key Worker, he/she may attend school dressed as his/her favourite book character or in his/her pyjamas. If your child is at home, he/she can still dress up. Each class teacher will schedule one of their weekly ‘catch-ups’ via Zoom on this day so that the children at home have the opportunity to show their costumes or pyjamas to others. As the theme is ‘Share a story’, class teachers in Years 1-6 will pre-record a video of them reading a book out loud. However, the story that the children in these year groups listen to won’t be read by their class teacher but by another teacher. Reception will have their weekly story time on World Book Day with Mrs Jilks.
Also, on Wednesday, 3rd March, 2021, during a device-free afternoon, children across the school will be asked to transform a hard-boiled egg into an image of their favourite book character. I am informing you in advance as you may wish to purchase some resources during your weekly shop.
The joys and benefits of reading are enormous and we, in school, hope to continue to encourage and enthuse your child with a love for reading that will last well beyond World Book Day, 2021.
Thank you for your support.
Today marks the beginning of our Lenten journey. Next week, when we are back to learning, we will be having daily reflections about this special season which will be accessed through Google Classroom. Please find below a copy of the Lenten calendar from Walk with Me, do your best at home to live out some of these daily challenges.
Lent is a time of repentance, fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter. It is a time of reflection where we reflect on who we are and the people we aspire to be. Today and in the coming weeks, we aim to focus on our relationship with God, often through choosing to give up something or to volunteer and give of ourselves for others. As we think about these promises, let us think of making a true sacrifice as an individual or as a family to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
This special time marks the beginning and the end. We came from love, we live in love, we return to love. May our Lenten journey as our All Souls’ family be a sharing of this love with all creation by opening our hearts to Him in trust. May our Lenten promise focus on creating in us quiet places where God can refresh and heal us, and we can come and rest awhile.
May we remember that ‘we are dust and to dust we shall return.’
Today is Safer Internet Day – a lesson has been posted on Google Classroom that your child should be taking part in.
There are so many new apps and games that children are using now that is hard to keep up and know the risk associated with them all or how to make them safer to use. On our website I have added information about many of the new and popular apps and games that children are using like Tiktok, Instagram and Among Us. They provide you with the risks associated with these apps or games and some safety tips for you to follow to help keep your child safe whilst using them. Please click on the link below to view them.
https://allsoulsschool.co.uk/popular-apps-and-games-your-child-may-be-using
Tip of the Day
Set an example
Show your child how you question and evaluate online content….
If you come across a fake news story, or get sent a phishing email, discuss with your child how you spotted it and what you did. Why not ask them for a second opinion? Your child may have already heard about it or seen something similar, and if not, it’s a learning opportunity for both of you. Seeing a parent actively question and evaluate online content teaches young people the importance of doing the same.
The Go Parks Active Schools Challenge is now live. If you get a chance please visit your local park and scan the QR code found on a banner or poster. Each day you scan this code you will gain points for our school and hopefully help us win the competition. Remember you must be with an adult to submit your entry.
Starting on Monday 1st of February All Souls, along with every other school in Coventry, will be taking part in the Go Park Active Schools Challenge. Banners with a QR code have been placed around many parks in Coventry, when these banners are scanned points will be added to our school. We are asking you to safely visit your local park to scan this code to gain points for our school. You can only scan a QR once per day and it must be an adult that submits the entry. Taking part in this challenge will hopefully get more children and adults to our local parks helping to keep ourselves fit both physically and mentally. You can also get other family members, friends and neighbours to take part as long as they are staying safe and only visiting their local park – remember to tell them to add their point to All Souls. Below is a slide show with more details about the event please click through each slide to get more information. There is a slide on there highlighting all the parks that have banners – remember you can only scan one banner per day and this should be from one of your local parks. Each week there will also be a theme to the week with various different challenges that can also gain extra points – more info about these will be given at the start of each week.
Hopefully, you are all going to try and get out to your local park and get as many points for All Souls as possible – GO Team All Souls!
This Thursday (28th January 2021) CAFOD will be presenting one of their live assemblies. The focus this term is ‘Water of Life.’ These assemblies are important as they are broadcast to all national schools so even though we are all apart, we are still connected.
In this assembly, CAFOD travel to a place called Afar in Ethiopia, one of the hottest regions on earth, to meet people who make long journeys to collect water because it is so scarce.
The Primary assembly is at 9.30am. The link is below and you can access more information including resources https://cafod.org.uk/News/Events/School-assemblies
If you cannot access it at 9.30 it will be available afterwards following the same link. The children have accessed these twice since September, so will be used to their format. It would be lovely if in your household you could light a candle and take a few minutes of quiet to listen and respond to the assembly.
