{"id":4738,"date":"2020-06-13T18:25:41","date_gmt":"2020-06-13T18:25:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/nl\/kirkshawswebsite\/?p=4738"},"modified":"2020-06-13T18:51:39","modified_gmt":"2020-06-13T18:51:39","slug":"mrs-ns-notes-13-6-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/nl\/kirkshawswebsite\/2020\/06\/13\/mrs-ns-notes-13-6-20\/","title":{"rendered":"Mrs N’s Notes, 13.6.20"},"content":{"rendered":"

I hope that our newsletter today can answer some of the questions I know you have around our eventual return to school and nursery.\u00a0 I have spoken to some of you this week and I know that many of your concerns centre around the numerous rumours flying around social media.\u00a0 So I hope to tell you the truth as I know it today, mid-June.\u00a0 Please keep in mind that these plans could change at any time, led by advice from the Scottish Government or local authority.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We intend to return to school and nursery in line with all establishments in Scotland in August.\u00a0 Over the past few weeks our staff have been working hard, to modify our school and nursery environments.\u00a0 Whilst this may be one of the more obvious changes, please keep in mind this is not all we are concerned about.<\/p>\n

In our attempt to Get It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) we continually keep in mind key Health and Wellbeing Indicators, often shortened to SHANARRI (ask your child about these – you may even be treated to a wee SHANARRI song!).\u00a0 In this period of change in education, we continue to keep ALL of these indicators at the forefront of our planning.\u00a0 So, what does SHANARRI look like in Kirkshaws?<\/p>\n

SAFE<\/strong><\/span> – All classrooms have been changed to accommodate 2m social distancing. All excess furniture has been removed to allow for a deep clean daily. Pupils will have their own tray of resources that they will not share with anyone else. Our learners should not bring a pencil case to school. We will provide everything they will need; pencils, rubber, sharpener, etc. At the moment, advice is that children should not bring school bags or lunch boxes to school.\u00a0 Packed lunches should be brought to school in a plastic bag, which will be binned immediately after lunch. We expect school dinners to continue, serving a reduced menu daily.\u00a0 Children will be socially distanced when eating lunch too.\u00a0 Movement around each classroom and around the school will be kept to a minimum.\u00a0 Your child’s safety in school is paramount in all of our planning, but this is not all we are considering.\u00a0 Please read on to find out what else we are focusing on.<\/p>\n\n

HEALTHY<\/span><\/strong> – Frequent hand-washing and spending time outdoors have been key features of a healthy lifestyle during this time.\u00a0 We will, of course, continue to promote these, but we will be considering much more. Our normal health & wellbeing curriculum will continue to be taught, encompassing all aspects of Curriculum for Excellence including; Mental, Emotional, Social & Physical Wellbeing, Choices & Change, Physical Education, Food & Nutrition and more.<\/p>\n

ACTIVE<\/span><\/strong> – PE and playtime will not look the same as it did back in February, but we will ensure your child is not cooped up at a classroom desk for their whole school day! We will take every opportunity to take our learning outside and include physical activity and active learning regularly.\u00a0 Children will play in their designated playgrounds, which have not changed, but they will not visit other classrooms or playgrounds; staying instead in their own ‘bubble’.\u00a0 Some traditional games, such as tig, will need to be modified, but I know our young problem-solvers will come up with modern alternatives!<\/p>\n

NURTURED<\/span><\/strong> – We have all been going through a time of rapid change.\u00a0 All school and nursery staff have been undergoing training during our time working at home, to equip us to care for and protect your child as they transition back to us in these unprecedented times.\u00a0 We do not underestimate the upset some children will feel being separated from their families for the first time in several months. We need you to trust that we believe your child’s emotional wellbeing is most important at this time.\u00a0 We will care for them as our own.\u00a0 We will work hard to re-establish those close relationships which are so important here in Kirkshaws.<\/p>\n

ACHIEVING<\/strong><\/span> – Your child has the right to an education and this has not changed.\u00a0 We are committed to ensure they continue to receive a broad general education.\u00a0 At the moment, it is planned that all pupils will receive a minimum of 2 full days in school each week.\u00a0 Teachers will plan tasks to be completed during their days in school and nursery and also activities to complete at home throughout the week.\u00a0 Some, but not all, of this work may involve using digital technology.\u00a0 If you do not have internet access or a suitable device at home, please notify me by email (gw09nicolsonalison2@glow.sch.uk).\u00a0 \u00a0NLC are planning to help here by providing devices on loan during this time to primary school pupils.<\/p>\n

RESPONSIBLE<\/span><\/strong> – As our children learn the new rules around school and nursery in 2020, they will step right back into their roles of decision-makers.\u00a0 New pupil voice opportunities will empower our learners to shape the rules and routines of the new-look environment.<\/p>\n

RESPECTED<\/span><\/strong> – Nothing has changed here.\u00a0 Your child is unique and special.\u00a0 We know that all our children will return to school and nursery, having had different experiences during Lockdown.\u00a0 All opinions and viewpoints will be listened to and accepted as we re-connect and enjoy each other’s company once again.<\/p>\n

INCLUDED<\/strong><\/span> – We are a community who are proud of our identity.\u00a0 Despite all the rumours flying around just now, WE HAVE NO PLANS TO CHANGE OUR SCHOOL UNIFORM<\/strong><\/span>. The key thing moving forward is that children should come to school wearing CLEAN CLOTHES and these clothes should be washed on their return home. If you find this difficult, and need to dress your child in casual clothes some days, we will not pass comment on what any child is wearing.\u00a0 However, we will continue to promote our school uniform and look forward to seeing all our children return in full uniform on their first day in August<\/strong>.\u00a0 (All schools are making their own decisions around uniform, so please do not worry if you see other instructions on social media.) Should national or local guidance change around this, we will update you on our position at the earliest opportunity.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

AND FINALLY – WHAT DAYS WILL MY CHILD BE AT SCHOOL OR NURSERY AND WHO IS THEIR TEACHER\/KEYWORKER?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I am sorry, I cannot tell you this yet.\u00a0 Despite what you may have heard, North Lanarkshire has not finalised<\/strong> a model for our return. I have been told I should not expect any definite decision until the final week of term.\u00a0 I am also in the process of finalising staffing arrangements.\u00a0 As a result, I expect to send out notifications of classes, teachers and days you should attend by email in the week beginning 22 June.\u00a0 We will send out a test email, followed by a text this week.\u00a0 If you receive a text, but not an email, please get in touch to update your email address (gw09nicolsonalison2@glow.sch.uk).<\/p>\n

Click here to watch a useful ebook which will help prepare your child for some of the changes they will find on their return in August.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I look forward to welcoming our new P.1 boys and girls for a short visit this week.\u00a0 We also plan to invite our returning nursery children to see the changes in their environment too.\u00a0 New nursery boys and girls will also be invited to visit in August for an induction visit before they start properly.<\/p>\n

As always, please do not sit at home worrying about any of this.\u00a0 Pick up the phone or drop us a line and we will answer your questions to the best of our knowledge.\u00a0 It is also worth keeping an eye on NLC official channels on Twitter, FaceBook and their website.<\/p>\n

#InThisTogether\u00a0 #PartnershipWorking<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I hope that our newsletter today can answer some of the questions I know you have around our eventual return to school and nursery.\u00a0 I have spoken to some of you this week and I know that many of your concerns centre around the numerous rumours flying around social media.\u00a0 So I hope to tell you the truth as I know it today, mid-June.\u00a0 Please keep in mind that these<\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":157,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[93,12686],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nursery","category-whole-school"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/nl\/kirkshawswebsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/nl\/kirkshawswebsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/nl\/kirkshawswebsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/nl\/kirkshawswebsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/157"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/nl\/kirkshawswebsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4738"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/nl\/kirkshawswebsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4738\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4744,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/nl\/kirkshawswebsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4738\/revisions\/4744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/nl\/kirkshawswebsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/nl\/kirkshawswebsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/nl\/kirkshawswebsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}