Start of term – August 2021 

We hope that you have all had a wonderful summer holiday and have stayed safe and healthy.

We look forward to seeing our Nursery bairns and P2-P7 pupils back and welcoming our new P1s on Wednesday 18 August 2021.

 All Nursery bairns should use the main Nursery front door and P2-P7 pupils should enter through the main school front door. The P6/7 classroom fire exit door will not be used for entering or exiting the school.

Please could parents of P1 pupils drop off at P1 Playground Fire Exit, until your child is confident to travel on school transport or to walk in from the car park on their own or with siblings/friends.

P1 pupils will be accompanied by staff (and later on by P7 buddies) to the buses/car park at 3:00 pm.

Primary Staffing & Classes for August 2021

 Pupils will be supported in class by our current LSWs Mrs Sarah Hutcheson, Mrs Sheila Morrison and Mrs Brenda Peebles and ASN Teacher Mrs Lisa Emslie as well as our new members of staff.

Welcome to our new members of staff:

Mrs Sheila Nicolson – LSW – Th/Fri & LSA/Supervisor (Mon-Wed)

Mrs Clair Gillespie – LSA (Th/Fri)

Mr Duncan Bradley – Supervisor (Th/Fri)

Mrs Emma Webb – Nursery Practitioner (Mon & Fri)

Miss Anya Arcus – Nursery Support Worker

Snacks

These are provided free for Nursery pupils. Please could primary pupils remember to bring a small, healthy snack and water bottle each day for morning break.

Things to bring

Primary pupils will also need to remember to bring their schoolbag/blue Tingwall Homework bag, an art shirt and PE kit, to leave in school for the term and to wear a jacket and shoes that are suitable for playing outdoors.

Pupils may also bring their own stationary items,  but please do not bring in any toys or valuables from home.

If you have not yet replied to the email asking if your pupil will be taking milk this term, please could you let the office know as soon as possible.

School Meals

These will now be free for all pupils from Nursery through to P4. The introduction to free meals for P5 pupils should start in January 2022.

More information about the term ahead will follow later this week.

Kindest regards

Cheryl

Mrs Cheryl Spofforth

Head Teacher

Please could parents share the letter below, with their bairns before they return to school or Nursery on Wednesday.

Dear Pupil,

Welcome to early learning and back to school.

Thank you very much for all of your hard work undertaking learning in different ways since March last year. I have been so impressed with how you have been able to adapt and keep learning while there have been lots of changes.

I wanted to write to you as you begin a new session at school or your early learning and childcare setting. I know you will be excited to start a new class, to meet friends and staff but you also may be a bit nervous or worried. I want to let you know that all staff in Children’s Services have been working very hard to get things ready for everyone’s return and to make sure that you and the staff are safe.

There will be hand sanitiser available throughout your setting and our cleaners will be working very hard to keep you safe. We are going to ask that you continue to stay 2 metres away from staff in your setting, and that secondary pupils continue to wear a face covering in school unless they are exempt. I would also ask secondary pupils to please take two lateral flow device tests before coming back to school and then continue this twice a week when school starts. You may have heard that some 12 to 15 year olds who are more at risk of COVID and all 16 and 17 year olds are going to be invited to receive their COVID vaccination. I have included a link to some information on this for you if you are in those age groups. COVID-19 vaccine information for young people (healthscotland.com)

If you have anything you would like to ask me or if you have any ideas, I would love to hear from you, you can email me on helen.budge@shetland.gov.uk or phone my personal assistant, Arianne, and leave a message on 01595 743967.

Yours sincerely,
Helen Budge
Director of Children’s Services

Congratulations to Jenny in P5, who won first prize (£10),  in the Quiz organised by the Tingwall, Whiteness and Weisdale History Group.

We’re so looking forward to having the rest of our P4-7 pupils in, to complete our Tingwall family!