Dear Parents
Thank you for all your support during this very busy week in school. We have been grateful to the additional parents who have come forward to offer their voluntary services in case of staff shortages. We are so blessed with our very positive community – thank you.
This Week in School
This week we have focussed on Black History Week in school. Mrs Sharp began the week with a whole school collective worship sharing the stories of the saints St Josephine Bakita and St Martin de Porres; the children were reminded of the importance of inclusion and respect for everyone and about our mission statement that we are each “uniquely created and loved by God.” Each year group has then focussed on a different element of Black History, linking into their History Curriculum. The children were very enthused about the project and some were shocked by the historical treatment suffered by those they learnt about. As a Catholic school we are committed to ensuring that all are welcome and that we set the standard for Diversity and Inclusion - to that end, we will be contributing to a Xavier Diversity and Inclusion Committee and this is something we will revisit in the Coffee and Conversation forum with parents at a later date. We would love to hear your views.
This week Year 6 Garnet Class have received responses from the Sherwood House residents to their “Mission Week” pen pal letters. It has been delightful to see how much both residents and pupils have benefitted from this small Act of Service and we are keen to keep this positive contact ongoing through the school year. At a time when care homes are once again reducing visitors, we are proud that our Year 6 pupils are enjoying reaching out to support those in our local community.
Next Week in School
Another opportunity to support our local community comes in the form of our annual Harvest Collection. This year, Year 4 Opal Class Mission Week falls during Harvest time. They are looking forward to a trip to the allotments on Monday to enjoy learning about a true Harvest and they will be accepting donations for Hersham Foodbank later on in the week. Please see the detailed info further on. The Foodbank has supported many in both our school and local community during this difficult year and we are delighted to have the opportunity to reciprocate.
This coming Sunday (18th) is dedicated to children around the world praying the Rosary for peace and unity. Aid to the Church in Need have written about the purpose of this prayer here: https://mcusercontent.com/04bcc8430c87c5529461e65e6/files/3952a859-99d1-4788-b1b4-6698c3e6109a/cover_letter_2020.english.pdf Our children will be saying the Rosary in school on Monday (as they have throughout October). On Sunday, you might choose to join the international 
“One Million Children praying the Rosary” initiative as a family. There are some top tips here: https://www.catholicicing.com/praying-rosary-with-children/ and the Mysteries of the Rosary pictures can be found here: https://catholic-kids.com/picturemysteries.html
Elmbridge Tier 2
As you will have heard, Elmbridge residents have now been placed in Tier 2 on the Government’s traffic light system. This means we are no longer allowed to have household mixing indoors and so for our children, this will mean especially no playdates or indoor activities with friends at half-term. Let’s pray that the weather remains not too cold and not too wet so that they can wrap up warm and still enjoy each other’s’ company in the park over the holidays!
We have been informed today about a second positive case in our school community. Looking at the dates, we don’t believe the transmission was within school and as the case was not in school during the infectious period, it has not resulted in any further bubble closures. As with the first case, the person who tested positive is not experiencing severe symptoms, which is always a huge relief.
In a school setting, the Tier 2 restrictions do not impact our daily routines. We are continuing the good hand hygiene and the bubble systems to reduce transmission and limit contact between children. We are doing all we can to ensure school remains open to all. Please help us with this by observing the guidelines outside of school and especially at pickup and drop off on school premises. Please do continue to maintain a safe social distance (2m) at pick up and drop off and stick closely to designated times (including waiting off school premises if you have a little time between slots). We will continue to keep these arrangements under review.
Parent Consultations next week
We are looking forward to our first virtual parent consultations next week. The technology has worked well in training and we hope it will be a positive experience for everyone. Please be aware that if there were to be any technical glitches, teachers will call you briefly to complete the consultation via phone if need be. The slots are 10 minutes long – please log on beforehand and be ready to take the call on time as there is no leeway for teachers to extend / change the slots if you are running late. Appointments with Mrs Evans (SEND) are also available via the School Cloud system.
Thank you for your continuing support for the school. We wish you a lovely weekend.
All best wishes
Catherine Burnham
We have continued to receive brick purchases and generous donations from you throughout the summer, thank you, for your continued support, especially in these unprecedented times. As you can see, work has started, and it is very exciting. If you would still like to purchase a brick or donate, we are still taking orders as we are at 62% of our target.
