Good afternoon

I hope that this email finds you and your families all safe and well. We seem to be settling into these unusual times and finding new and creative ways to fill our days. I have been in touch with a number of families and will continue to do so on a regular basis, unfortunately when I call it will come up as an unknown number on your phone. It has been really nice to speak with you and the children and hopefully, I have managed to alleviate some of your worries and concerns.

Last week myself and Mrs Wilson from Holy Family were on hand to distribute some jotters and pencils to allow learning to continue. It was lovely to catch up with you all who came along on the day. We hope to repeat this next week as well as Mrs McKay and I making some deliveries of stationery and learning packs for families who are struggling to access online learning. We will keep you updated with further details at the start of the week.

We hope that most of you have been accessing our online learning – our teachers have worked incredibly hard to create fun and stimulating activities on a daily basis and I thank them very much for this. There are lots of different activities available for you to dip in and out of – remember these are just a guide and no one should feel under pressure to try and do all tasks every day but have a look and see what’s available.

It is not mandatory to complete or participate in our online learning. Our main focus is the health and wellbeing of our children and their families so if online helps you then please join in, however, if your child is happy to do their own thing such as reading, drawing, listening to music, researching, baking, anything at all then that is absolutely fine.

Our online learning is to give parents a sense of routine and a starting point and I certainly know that all of the parents I have spoken with are doing a mixture of school-based activities and their own activities. If you find that the online learning is causing stress then please do not do it, it is not worth it. Enjoy your time as a family, use this time to recharge your batteries and have fun together.

North Lanarkshire Council has also issued some Home Learning advice on their website for parents under the Coronavirus section

There is also advice regarding Free School Meals on their website and please visit that if your circumstances have changed.

I have attached some guidance for children who may be struggling with the situation which I hope that you may find helpful. If you or child are really struggling then please email me and I will aim to respond to you as quickly as possible.

Please take care of yourselves and stay safe. I can’t wait to see all of your new hairstyles on your return (mums and dads too!)

Mrs Paterson