Dear Parents and Carers,

Seesaw

We’ve been delighted with the uptake of the Seesaw app and have had lots of positive
comments regarding its ability to allow you to have a greater participation in your child’s
learning. We are always happy to answer any questions about it and remind you that
Miss Foster has uploaded a handy video guide on our website in the ‘Newsletters’ section.

Lunchtimes

We have been taking advantage of our beautiful grounds to eat lunch outdoors and will continue to do so as long as the weather allows us to do so, so please make sure your child brings a coat into school now that the days are getting colder.

The ‘cold option’ for school meals is continuing for the foreseeable future as they are much easier to
handle and distribute to the children in their classes.

Class ‘Bubble’ Groups

As we outlined in our parental handbook, we have implemented a series of measures to ensure that each class in the school remains apart from each other, and the amount of adults coming into contact with each class is kept to an absolute minimum.

We have staggered start and end times to the school day, as well as different times for break and lunch with each class having their own areas so that they are kept apart from other classes.
We have also ensured that this extends to Breakfast Club, so the pupils are remaining in their classroom for this and are not using the hall, again to ensure that they come into contact with as few people as possible.

The children have responded very positively to this as we understand it is not easy for them, especially if they have siblings and want to see friends from other year groups, and we appreciate your continued support with this and the other measures we have put into place.

The safety and welfare of all pupils, staff and parents is of paramount importance and we will continue to implement these measures as long as they are needed. I wanted to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the hard work and dedication of the St. Gabriel’s staff who are going above and beyond at the moment to ensure the school runs as smoothly as possible.

APPOINTMENTS

If you have an appointment that requires you to collect your child early from school please can you ensure that you notify us at least 24 hours in advance to ensure we can put measures in place. We encourage you to telephone us if you have any queries during the school day or contact us by text or email rather than coming to the office in person, thank you.

FLU IMMUNISATION

Please note that the school nurse team will be carrying out influenza immunisations for all pupils on Tuesday 24th November.

HEARING SCREENING

The pupils in Year 1 missed their hearing screening last year as the school was closed, so we have been notified that it has been rescheduled and will now take place on Friday 2nd October.

INSET DAYS 2020-21

The school will be closed for INSET training on the following dates this year –

Monday 4th January 2021
Monday 22nd February 2021
Monday 7th June 2021
Monday 19th July 2021
Tuesday 20th July 2021

There will be one other training day that has yet to be confirmed.

CONTACT DETAILS

It is very important that we have the correct contact details including telephone number and address, so please let us know if these change so that we can update our records.

ABSENCE

Please can we remind you to contact us by phone, text or email if your child is not in school with a reason for their absence. If we are not provided with a reason we have to mark the absence as unauthorised.

MUSIC TUITION

Please note that there is currently no music tuition available in school. Gwent Music are reviewing their risk assessments and procedures so that music tuition can resume as soon as possible, and we will update you as to their plans when we have more information.

WATER BOTTLE AND PACKED LUNCH

Please can you ensure your child has everything they need for their school day including water bottle
and packed lunch, so that they are not having to be handled by additional people if they are brought in late.

JEWELLERY

Please can we remind you of our jewellery policy as outlined in our parental handbook –

The wearing of jewellery is discouraged although a watch and stud earrings may be worn but they are the responsibility of the child. All jewellery must be removed by the child for PE and Games. If earrings cannot be removed because the ears are within 6 weeks of being pierced the child must not take part. The safety of pupils in physical lessons is paramount.

We kindly ask that no hooped earrings, necklaces or rings are worn to school, thank you.

FRIENDS OF ST. GABRIEL’S

Due to the ongoing situation with we have been unable to hold a number of fundraising events. We would appreciate any support you are able to
offer at the moment and so would encourage you to take a moment to visit
the address below and take part in our school lottery, thank you.

https://www.yourschoollottery.co.uk/lottery/school/st-gabriels-r-c-primary-school

Another way you can help the school raise money is by using the link below when you do shopping online –
Raise FREE donations for Friends of St Gabriel’s EVERY time you shop online using @easyuk. Over 4,000 shops and sites will donate including all the big names like eBay, Argos, ASOS, Expedia, M&S, Just Eat, Uswitch and many more!

https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/friendsofstgabriels/?utm_campaign=raise-more&utm_content=t3

COVID-19

It is inevitable at this time of year that pupils will develop sore throats, runny noses and cold symptoms. However, these are different to the symptoms of COVID-19 which are:

• a new or continuous cough
• a high temperature
• a loss of or change to sense of smell or taste

If your child develops any of these symptoms, even if they are mild, you need to:
• book a test for them by phoning 119 or through the online portal: https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test
• keep your child and any siblings home while you await the results of the test
• follow the advice provided when your child receives their test result
• phone school on 01633 273937 or email stgabriels.primary@newportschools.wales and let us know that your child is unwell with COVID-19 symptoms and that you have requested a test and also to notify us of the result

To reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading, there are things that everyone in your family can do to help. These include:
• washing hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
• using hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
• washing hands as soon as they get home
• covering their mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve (not their hands) when they cough or sneeze
• putting used tissues in the bin immediately and washing hands afterwards

Further information on symptoms and self-isolation can be found here: https://gov.wales/symptoms-and-self-isolation-contact-tracing

Further information on NHS Wales ‘Test, Trace’, Protect can be found here: https://gov.wales/test-trace-protect-coronavirus

For general information on COVID-19: https://gov.wales/protect-yourself-others-coronavirus

The COVID-19 online symptom checker can tell you if you need medical help and advise you what to do: https://gov.wales/check-if-you-need-coronavirus-medical-help

Thank you,

Mr J Llewellyn
Interim Headteacher