Dear Parents and Carers,

The new school year is upon us and while we cannot yet say we are returning to normal, it’s certainly a step in the right direction. We are very much looking forward to beginning the process of welcoming our pupils back tomorrow and very much hope they are all looking forward to coming, meeting their new teachers and seeing their friends once again.

I understand that there will be many anxieties among some of our pupils as they return, but rest assured that their wellbeing, happiness and safety will be of the utmost priority to us all and we will do everything we can to ensure that the transition back into school will be smooth and comfortable. I hope this also gives parents and carers added reassurance, as I’m sure those anxieties will also be evident amongst yourselves. Please do not worry. We aim to make the school a happy and nurturing environment and create the best conditions we can for them to resume their learning. We have followed the safety guidance and the school has been made as safe as it possibly can be.

There are a few things I would like to bring to your attention and also remind you of, ahead of us opening our doors tomorrow. You have previously received the schedule of which classes are in on which days this week and next, as well as the breakdown of pupils in Nursery, Reception, Years 1, 2 and 3 attending tomorrow and Friday. There were many details I shared with you in my letter on August 21st and I’d be grateful if you could revisit the information included, to refresh your minds.

In addition, I would like to point out the following clarifications/amendments to arrangements:

Year 5 and 6 Pick Up – We are now asking for parents to enter the school hall at the end of the day to pick up their children. Please ensure you are socially distanced. The children will be dismissed in the hall.

Wellingtons – In order for us to be able to allocate playtime space for our 4 contact groups separately, classes will spend some time on the school fields. As the grass will be wet on many days, we request that all pupils bring in a pair of wellingtons to be kept in school, so they can wear them when they have their allocated time on the field. Please ensure they have their name on!

Walking Home – Year 5 and 6 are always given the option of walking to and from school on their own, subject to parental consent. If you wish to have that conversation as a family and give that permission, we have a form in school for you to fill and sign.

School Bags – In order to minimise the amount of items being sent in and taken home on a daily basis, we ask that unless your child is having a packed lunch prepared at home that your child does not bring in a school bag. We will however, be using book bags for reading books and homework for all pupils.

Year 3 – Miss Davies, Class 3 teacher, has been called at short notice for an operation, which will take place later this month. This means that for at least the first half term, Miss Davies will not be teaching Year 3 and we have once again asked Mrs Jan Hughes to step in to cover. You will all know Mrs Hughes well, as she so capably stood in for Mrs Liddy last year after her accident. I’m fully confident she will continue to do an excellent job for us. I’m sure you’ll all join me in wishing Miss Davies well and we look forward to her return.

Nursery Bags – Could Nursery pupil bags that include their change of clothes be kept in school on the children’s pegs please and not brought back and forth on a daily basis.

Nursery School Lunches – When the new pupil forms have been received and processed, you will receive a log-in for Parent Pay. Once activated, your child will be able to have a school meal if they stay on for Giggles in the afternoon, which must be paid for in advance please. The current cost is £2.20 per meal.

Finally, I am appealing to everybody to please follow the national guidelines of social distancing on site. There will be many people attending at the same time, particularly at 3.15pm, so please be patient with one another, allow time for you to get where you need to go and please arrive and leave promptly so the flow of human traffic is as smooth as it can be.

We’ll see you all very soon!

Yours sincerely,

Bryn D. Jones
Headteacher

Dear Parents and Carers,

I very much hope you all remain well and are enjoying the summer. We are now approaching the final period of the holiday and I wish to update you and provide additional information regarding the new term. You will recall I wrote to you during the last week of term to outline our plans for the staggered reintroduction of all our pupils, so that we are able to confidently welcome the whole school back in advance of the expected date of September 14th. We have met as a senior leadership team and a Governing Body to discuss the structure further and will go ahead as initially planned. Below, I have shared the timetable with you once again and provided further details. I have also specified in the attached document on which day your child will attend when the Nursery, Reception, Years 1, 2 and 3 classes are split on the 3rd and 4th of September.

Timetable

Week 1
Day / Date Year Groups
Mon 31st Aug Closed for all – Bank Holiday
Tue 1st Sep Closed for pupils – Planning Day – LA organised
Wed 2nd Sep Closed for pupis – Planning Day – LA organised
Thu 3rd Sep Nursery (50%) / Reception (50%) / Year 1&2 (50%) – Mrs Liddy
/ Year 3 (50%)
Fri 4th Sep Nursery (50%) / Reception (50%) / Year 1&2 (50%) – Miss Bevan
/ Year 3 (50%)

Week 2
Day / Date Year Groups
Mon 7th Sep Nursery / Reception / Year 3 / Year 5 (100%)
Tue 8th Sep Year 1 & 2, Year 4 / Year 6 (100%)
Wed 9th Sep Nursery / Reception / All Juniors (Years 3, 4, 5, 6) (100%)
Thu 10th Sep All Foundation Phase (Nursery, Reception, Year 1&2) /Year 3/Year 6 (100%)
Fri 11th Sep All classes back

Week 3 Onwards – All classes in as ‘normal’

Further Information and Guidance

Contact groups – The guidance states that we should establish contact groups of pupils in the school. This helps us manage social distancing and also put measures in place to restrict those groups mixing with one another where possible. Contact groups are as follows: Nursery & Reception, Years 1 & 2, Years 3 & 4 and Years 5 & 6. Because of these arrangements, there will be no school assemblies, nor mass gatherings of pupils. Pupils will be expected to play outside within their contact group. Pupils for each contact group will have their own designated toilet.

Social Distancing – The directives regarding social distancing have changed somewhat over the summer with regard to pupils. The 2 metre rule no longer applies to children of 11 and under. We will however, whenever and wherever possible, be encouraging and reminding pupils of the need to remain apart as much as is practicable. Our staff will be asked to observe the guidelines to remain 2m apart at all times.

Hand washing – As before, all persons entering the building will be asked to wash their hands on entry and also expected to repeat at various times during the day.

School lunches – These will resume in the normal way, sat on class tables apart in the hall to maintain contact groups. Those having sandwiches will eat in class. Pupils having sandwiches should bring their lunch in a lunchbox and take it home each day.

School start and end time –These will remain as before- with school starting at 9am and finishing at 3.15pm. Please ensure you are punctual in dropping off and picking up. I’d also be grateful if you could ensure you do not arrive before 8.50am (unless you child attends breakfast club) and also leave the site promptly.

Breakfast Club – This provision will resume from September starting at 8am, but we ask that only pupils attend whose parents require it for childcare purposes in order to restrict numbers. Entry to Breakfast Club is via the hall door.

Giggles – Giggles will reopen from September. Please contact Anna for information.

After School Club – This provision will resume from September, with measures put in place to keep pupils safe. We will be using the hall to assist in maintaining distancing between contact groups. Again, please contact Anna or the office after we reopen to register.

After School Activities – These are suspended for the time being, in order to maintain contact groups and allow us to focus on operating safely and in an organised manner from day to day.

Uniform – We request that pupils wear school uniform. We ask that all pupils ensure they change from their school clothes as soon as they return home each day.

PE – We want to avoid pupils changing in and out of their PE clothes while in school. On the days the pupils will be having PE, they will be asked to come to school in their PE kit. We will let you know on which days each class will have PE.

Pencil cases – We ask that each child brings in their own pencil case containing the following resources: writing pencil, eraser, sharpener, coloured pencils (5 max), ruler. This will be kept in school in their drawer which only they will access. Please ensure the pencil case is as small as possible, so it fits in the drawer.

Healthy Snacks – Snacks will not be provided by the school for the time being. Water and healthy snacks brought in by pupils must be clearly marked in a disposable bag. Please do not send in cakes for birthdays as we cannot share food.

Visitors – We will aim to restrict the amount of visitors entering the building. Any visitors will need to leave their name and contact details for ‘Test, Trace and Protect’ purposes.

Entry and Exit Points – You will recall I shared a video before the partial reopening of Rhos Street School in June. We are going to continue with the same arrangements, except for one specific area. Foundation phase parents will no longer go down the grass bank to leave the site. They are now requested to enter the gate via the path at the bottom and follow the top path on exit going down the zig zag path rather than down the bank. There will be a greater number of people on the site, so please work together to observe social distancing. Please remain patient with one another to achieve this. Please click on the following link to refresh your memory of the arrangements as outlined in the video – https://youtu.be/zmB1GPRuz7w

Where do I bring my child at the beginning of the day?
We encourage as many families as possible to walk their child to the school. We ask that only one parent walks their child to and from the site. Families should walk together but remain socially distanced from other families. Please do not arrive earlier than 8.50am and leave promptly after dropping off your child/ren. Any parents with buggies can pass their child on to a staff member in front of school, who will then guide them on site via the correct entrance. Any pupils on bikes can pass their bike to a staff member, who will then place it by the racks in front of the office. On arrival to school there will be a one way system. Please observe the signs. Foundation Phase pupils are to enter school via the lower gate and will be directed up the path to their class by a staff member. Parents can then go up the steps inside the gate and exit via the top Nursery gate. Years 3 and 4 are to enter the main reception door with Year 5 and 6 pupils to enter via the hall door. No parents will be permitted to enter the school building. Please only visit the office if it is completely essential, otherwise please telephone or email.
All pupils will travel in one direction to their classes to be welcomed by their teachers. There will be clear signage to help them travel in the correct direction safely. Foundation Phase pupils will enter via their classes external door after walking up the path. Years 3 and 4 will travel up the main corridor to their class. Years 5 and 6 will go through the hall, exit the other hall door and enter via their classes external door. Pupils will go straight into class and not assemble on the yard as they would normally do.
All pupils and staff will be asked to wash their hands on arrival to the site as well as on the following occasions:
– before and after handling food
– before and after handling objects and equipment that may have been used by others
– where there has been any physical contact
– after people blow their nose, sneeze or cough.

Where do I pick up my child at the end of the school day?
Foundation Phase will be dismissed via their cloakroom door. All Key Stage 2 pupils will be sent home via the same doors they entered the site, Years 3 and 4 will leave via main reception and Years 5 and 6 from the hall. Please wait in the parent pick up zone. May I once again ask parents to arrive on time, exercise social distancing and leave the site promptly.

New parents – There are a number of new families joining us at the beginning of term. These includes parents of Nursery pupils, but we also have many new pupils joining classes from Reception all the way up to Year 6. I understand that due to the lack of familiarity with the school and its site, that much of this information may be confusing, but please do not worry. There will be staff about at the front of school each morning to guide you in the right direction.

COVID-19 Guidelines and the school community – There are many procedures we need to follow as a school, to keep our school community safe and we take this responsibility seriously. In order to do this effectively, we must rely on the co-operation of every person who comes onto the school site and the people who live in those households. It is absolutely essential that everybody follows the guidelines and expectations in terms of quarantine, self-isolation and testing to ensure we do everything we can to mitigate the spread of the virus, particularly as we head into the autumn and the colder months. Please read the information below.

Procedures for illness – If a child develops symptoms of COVID-19 during the school day, they will be placed into sick-bay, parents will be called to fetch them and organise a test. They can return to school if they test negative and have recovered. However, isolation for positive cases is 10 days for the child and 14 days for other family members.

Quarantining – The government has specified that any families need to quarantine for two weeks on returning from holiday from certain countries abroad. If you have been abroad to any of those countries, please ensure you follow those guidelines.

Test, Trace and Protect – If you have been informed through the ‘Test, Trace and Protect’ system that your family needs to isolate, please do not send your children to school and follow the guidance you have been given.

Infection Control – We are provided with guidelines on how long pupils should be kept off school and I have attached them for your reference. As before, I must stress that you should not send your child to school if they are ill and this is ever more important now as a cough, and a temperature are also symptoms of many non COVID-19 illnesses, so if we do not co-operate with these procedures effectively, then the school could face significant disruption and potential risk of closure once again. I’m sure you’ll agree that’s the last thing we want!

Attendance – Again, we need to work together closely in respect of attendance. If your child is absent from school, it is essential you inform us telling us the reason for absence. Please do by phoning the office and leaving a message. Alternatively, you can email me.

Times remain uncertain and the school community needs to work together closely and positively to ensure we manage this period effectively. When we reopened before the summer, everybody co-operated wonderfully and I’m sure I can count on your ongoing support and collaboration going forward.

As ever, if you have any further queries or concerns, please email me and I will respond.

Enjoy the rest of the summer break and we look forward to seeing you in September.

Yours sincerely,

Bryn D. Jones
Headteacher

Dear Parents and Carers,

I’m sitting at my desk on the last day of term, reflecting on what has been a tumultuous year. We all had to deal with the terribly sad and sudden loss of Jill before Christmas, before the onset of the COVID-19 crisis took increasing hold of our lives in every aspect. When the school year started in September, none of us had any idea what would be ahead of us, yet here we are having made it to the end of the summer term, still standing, still fighting the good fight and still ready for whatever comes next!

However, like everybody – staff and parents alike, I am delighted to be able to press pause, to switch off and step back from matters to do with school even if it is just for a little while, before planning resumes for opening in September. Everybody has played their part and I’m grateful to staff, parents, pupils and Governors for their ongoing efforts. We need to continue to pull together in the same vein going forward and I have no doubt that we will. There is a triumph in adversity and I told much the same to my staff this week; that they can hold their heads up high, knowing they have done great things in unprecedented circumstances. Many people from many different walks of life have stepped up superbly in this crisis and I hope this is one thing that will be remembered when all the dust settles. Those people include our Key Worker parents, whose childcare provision comes to an end today at the school. We are proud to have helped Key Workers in the Ruthin area to undertake their crucial work.

One would hope that home learning on the scale it has been taking place is coming to an end. The huge progress made in this area is one that surely can be built upon, but aligned more closely to the ongoing class activities, particularly if we do have to endure further restrictions at some point in the future. My thanks again go to you parents for the efforts made to support your child during this period. I know it hasn’t been easy, but I’m sure your endeavours have been very worthwhile and I have every confidence we will get everybody up to speed and back in the swing of things in no time, come the new term.

In terms of our staff, I wish Mrs. Lewis well as she begins her period of maternity leave in September, we wish a happy BIG birthday to caretaker Mr. Thomas over the holidays and I’d also like to thank Jayne Mayers who has superbly supported Class 2 and filled the gap left by the loss of Jill. We also look forward to welcoming Miss Sproston back from her period of maternity leave in September. Best wishes also go to cleaner Sophie Green, as her baby will be born over the summer!

Because of COVID-19, it’s been a long time since we’ve heard any news on the new yard, but I’ve sought an update from the Local Authority and have been provided with the following message:
“Work on the new yard is expected to start in the autumn of 2020. During the lockdown, work on the design of the yard and preparation of the tender documents has taken place. Progress has been impacted by the lockdown period but it is now intended for the tender for the work on the new yard to be published at the start of August 2020.
The site compound and access is planned to be created through Welsh Government land and the construction site will be securely segregated from the school. This will ensure the safety of site users and will enable the work to take place independently from the school.
A further update will be sent to confirm the appointment of contractor and start date of the work.”

There is also a Reading Challenge taking place this year and I have attached further details to your emails. I’ll also provide a link to a Sustrans active travel questionnaire, gathering information with the aim of increasing the number of pupils travelling actively to school. The survey will also help measure how Covid-19 has impacted on active travel uptake.

The partial reopening has been a big success and it’s been lovely to share some photos on Twitter of the pupils in class, on the field, on the yard and down at The Living Classroom. A special mention for Year 3 pupils who wrote to various Key Workers and had a lovely reply from the Glan Clwyd Intensive Care unit. I’m sure their letters lifted the spirits of all who read them.

We also got to say goodbye to our Year 6 pupils this Monday as they assembled, socially distanced, to come forward and receive their hoodies. Many of them have recorded goodbye videos and I’ll be sending a link to that video to Year 6 parents later today.

So there we have it! The end of year like no other, but with plans in place for hopefully calmer, gentler times in the near future. I’ll be in touch over the holidays as plans evolve, but in the meantime have a brilliant summer with your loved ones. Look after one another, stay safe and enjoy yourselves!

Yours sincerely,

Bryn D. Jones
Headteacher

Dear Parents and Carers,

It’s been another rewarding week, as pupils have returned equally positive and excited about spending time with their teachers. The arrangements have continued to work well, so a huge thank you once again to all!

We have but a week of the school year left and I’m sure with that fact comes genuine anticipation at the opportunity to draw a firm line at the end of an academic year like no other and be able to look forward we all hope to brighter, more straightforward times in the near future.

Here at the school, we seem to have spent the whole period of COVID-19 planning, reacting and responding to a whole range of challenges, with more facing us no doubt! From setting up Key Worker childcare, to establishing home learning, to planning and communicating how we were going to safely reopen the school, to then planning the class structure for the new academic year – there’s been lots to consider, much to organise, much to digest.

Now, following the Education Minister’s announcement that schools are to reopen fully by September 14th, we must once again take stock, think ahead and plan the best way to do this safely and in an organised manner. We must also consider how to use the two weeks at the beginning of September to ensure a smooth transition for new pupils, new year groups, pupils moving to full time education and those moving from Foundation Phase to Key Stage 2. I will be in meetings with the Local Authority, along with other Headteachers, over the next few days as well as liaising closely with my Senior Leadership Team, staff and Governors to ensure we use the time well and build capacity in the school to secure a safe organised process.

You’ve had to put a lot of trust in us over recent weeks and months and I very much hope you feel that your trust has been repaid, while we successfully opened safely for restricted numbers of pupils for the end of term. Now we ask you to do the same again, as we prepare to reopen in full. Rest assured that once again, we’ll do our very best to make Rhos Street School as safe as possible amid a positive happy environment in order for us to continue our work educating and nurturing your children. I will of course communicate clearly how we will approach this task in order to address any anxieties you will understandably have. As ever, we will all work together to make this work and once plans are in place I will let you know.

As is normal at this time of year, I am in a position to share with you the class structure for 2020-21.
Nursery – Eleri / Kelly
Reception – Mrs. Bourne
Years 1 and 2 – Miss Bevan and Mrs. Liddy
Year 3 – Miss Davies
Year 4 – Miss Price
Year 5 – Mrs. Davies
Year 6 – Mr. Davis

From the beginning of the Autumn term, Mrs. Lewis will begin a period of maternity leave, so Miss Price, who has of course been working with Year 4 for two years in both a full time and part time capacity in tandem with Mrs. Lewis, will take on the class full time for this period. We wish Mrs. Lewis well! I am also particularly excited also to see the team teaching approach taken in Years 1 and 2 with Miss Bevan and Mrs. Liddy. It is a model I’m very much looking forward to seeing develop and grow, as we move towards the introduction of the new curriculum in 2022.

We’ve also had to plan beyond September, as this is the time of year when I normally send out letters asking for deposits for residential visits to Nant BH in Years 5 and 6 and Pentrellyncymer in Year 4. However, I don’t think any of us are in a position to be committing to residential visits for the foreseeable future, so have postponed these activities that were due to take place in the Autumn term. It is disappointing, as they are always a highlight of the year and as we monitor the ongoing situation, I hope to be able to reschedule activities in the new calendar year. The Year 3 visit to Glan Llyn in January is still pencilled in but at present, I do not foresee that going ahead either, I’m afraid.

Year 6 is a year group I particularly feel sympathy for, because their final few months at Rhos Street, usually packed with opportunities and activities has been very different. However, we have organized a little ceremony on Monday 2pm, outside while socially distanced to present them with the hoodies kindly organised by Jo Jones. T-shirts will also be presented to those pupils who did not order a hoodie. We look forward to seeing them all together for once last time before we break for the summer. Could only one parent accompany each child please.

This time of year is often packed with transition activities, but as you’ll be aware, we can’t welcome our new Nursery to show them round, can’t introduce Year 2 to Key Stage 2, Year 6 haven’t been able to visit Brynhyfryd and our classes haven’t been able to move up to their new teachers for a morning. However, we have done our best to plug the gap. New Nursery parents have been sent information packs and introductory videos, on Google Classroom Junior pupils have been given the opportunity to share which projects they’d like to study from September, Year 6 have been sent a Power Point by Ysgol Brynhyfryd and finally, all teachers have recorded a brief video by way of introduction to their new classes in September. Those videos are being posted to Google Classroom for the pupils to view to help break the ice of getting to know a new teacher in September. I will also email links to the videos to each respective classes parents early next week.

Teachers have also this week and last, endeavoured to contact all families whose children have not yet returned to school, lending support and to check if everybody is ok. Messages have been left with families who have not been able to take the call, so please get in touch if we can help in any way.

All end of year reports have been sent out by now via email. If the email address you have previously provided us with has changed, please let me know and I will send you the report.

It seems such a long time since late March, yet in other ways, time has flown. With a week to go, I want to once again thank you all for your support and resilience while we’ve all hung in there! It is as ever, very much appreciated.

Yours sincerely,

Bryn D. Jones
Headteacher

Dear Parents & Carers / Annwyl Rieni a Gwarchodwyr,
What a sincere pleasure it’s been this week to welcome back so many familiar faces. The pupils may be taller and their hair either grown much longer or buzzed much shorter, but it was fabulous to see their smiling faces. I think many of them had butterflies as they arrived, but everybody left with a spring in their step and many even went as far as saying they wanted to return the next day! It was also great to catch up with parents. More than anything it was a relief to see that everybody seemed to be in a good place, which from my point of view was and is the primary purpose and aim of these sessions – making sure everybody was ok.

My sincere thanks to everybody for their cooperation and support in making sure everything was safe and organized. It really was appreciated and we can at least look forward to the final fortnight, knowing that everybody is on board. Hopefully, by then we will have an idea of what to prepare for, when the new academic year starts in September.

Yours sincerely,

Bryn D. Jones, Headteacher / Pennaeth

Wellbeing Activities – There were some lovely activities in class and none more so than in Year 4, where the children got to feed their worries to Bob the Monster. What a great way to get things off your chest!

Reminders for Next Week – Could all pupils ensure they bring a couple of snacks and a water bottle on their allocated day with teachers. This includes Key Worker pupils for their educational session. Please make sure hats, sun cream and coats are worn depending on the weather.

Childcare Arrangements – Key Worker provision continues until the end of term. When I am informed of arrangements for the holidays, I will be in touch.

End of Year Reports – End of Year reports have been sent out to Nursery and Reception parents plus siblings yesterday. Year 1 and 2 reports will go out today with Juniors’ going out early next week.

Academic Year Dates 2020-21 – I have attached the finalised academic dates for next year.

Jay’s Bike Ride – A special mention for Jay in Year 1 and his charity fundraising for Chester Zoo. His aim was to cycle 30 miles and raise £300 for the zoo. He has now completed the bike ride and has raised an amazing £400! What a fantastic effort!

Giggles – Please see the attached image regarding details for Giggles, which will be reopening in September.

Dinner Money – As we close accounts for the year, I’d be grateful if you could check your Parentpay accounts to ensure that all dinner money debts have been settled.

Year 6 Hoodies – We will be holding a brief, socially distanced ceremony to present Year 6 with their hoodies at the school as a way of goodbye. This will take place at 2pm on Monday July 13th at the front of the school. I know this is a difficult thing to ask, but in order to make the event as safe as possible, it would be preferred if only one parent accompanies each child. A Google Classroom task will be set up for pupils to confirm attendance.

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you all remain well, positive and cautiously hopeful as we see restrictions being lifted slowly and the virus seemingly in retreat.

It is now over three months since our schools became very different places, but we are finally in a position to reopen, albeit for significantly fewer pupils. I am very much looking forward to being able to talk about what our pupils have been doing at school in the weekly newsletter from now on. It’ll be great to include some pictures of smiling children, excited about being reunited with their teachers and being able to see some of their classmates, even if it is from a social distance.

The contents of the letter set last week have been complemented by a video which I hope helps you visualise where to go and what to do in order to ensure a safe and organised reopening. Many thanks for the positive feedback regarding the video. I am pleased you have found it helpful.

I have attached the guidance letter once again and made a couple of amendments, following further considerations this week. They include these slight changes and clarifications:
1. As shown in the video, Foundation Phase pick-up for Reception, Years 1 and 2 will now be straight from the classes cloakroom door. Please enter the site via the bottom gate and path and exit via the top Nursery gate. Clear signage shows where you should stand, socially distanced.
2. Any child arriving on their bike and needing help, can pass their bike onto a member of staff, who will place it by the rack. There will be staff at the front of the school to assist.
3. Staff will also be on hand to escort childen of parents with buggies.
4. The climbing frame and wooden mushrooms in the Foundation Phase area have been made out of bounds.

I am really looking forward to seeing you next week and as I said in my letter last week, I’d be grateful if you could have a positive chat with your children to reassure them about coming back, but also help them understand the rules they need to follow to keep themselves and everybody safe. If they haven’t seen the video yet please show it to them, as I included a message for all of them at the beginning.

I am sure it will be a really positive experience for everybody who attends and will be a very useful exercise in the lead up to the Summer holidays which as I informed you earlier this week, has now been confirmed to start on Friday, July 17th. We were aware that the situation with the extra week at the end could potentially change, so planned for each week’s arrangements to mirror one another, giving regular weekly check-ins rather than a block of days, so thankfully the timetable shared with you remains the same, minus the cancelled final week of course.

May I thank you for your trust in us, your anticipated co-operation and support in these challenging times. Have a great weekend and see you next week!

Yours sincerely,

Bryn D. Jones
Headteacher

Dear Parents and Carers,

A very productive but full-on week nears its end. We’ve made great strides over the last few days, putting together the complicated jigsaw that reopening the school is proving to be. We have first of all put measures in place that encourage social distancing. We have co-ordinated safe routes around the school building, internally and externally. We have put up signage to remind, guide and assist everybody to travel safely. Classes have been reformatted to welcome the smaller groups, with desks moved and one way systems established. We have cleaning stations and procedures for regular handwashing. It may be unfamiliar, but it’s been done as child friendly as possible and is of course for the benefit of their safety. Children are adaptable and will see plenty that they recognise, despite these changes; most significantly, their very welcoming teachers, who will be excited to see them!

On top of all this, we have conducted the complicated task of getting our heads around the logistics of having various year groups, spread across different days, with siblings in on the same day, plus a boy/girl balance and a rota for staggered breaks in allocated play zones outside. Side by side with that, we’ve sorted the restart of our Key Worker RSS childcare provision from Monday and allocated staff to care for those children for the rest of term on a rota basis.

All identified risks have been mitigated as much as possible. Those measures have also been included in the letter I sent to you earlier this week, so that the whole community is informed and on board with the way forward. The sheer amount of factors that staff have had to consider in this whole process, has been staggering and I am very grateful to them for their input to put together this plan, which is one I am very confident will work.

When the Minister of Education first announced the framework by which schools would reopen, I was very much in opposition. This was because of the scale of demands on staff to put such a plan together in such unprecedented times, on top of ensuring the paramount considerations regarding safety were in place. I should never underestimate what the staff can pull off though, despite those astronomical demands and we have all worked together positively and diligently to make the school as safe as we possibly can. Governors have been much encouraged by what we have done and from the significant positive feedback received from the school community, parents have been too, when they would rightly be in need of great reassurance.

Shielding – One thing I would like to request, is that any families with a member living in the household who is shielding, but is intending to send their child back, contact me directly for a discussion. Public Health Wales guidance indicates that they should not return without a very strict risk assessment, to determine whether it is appropriate.

Welsh Government – Please be aware that discussions continue nationally, regarding many elements of the framework for reopening schools. If the situation changes in any way, or any amendments need to be made to the plan as a result, I will let you know.

Key Worker Childcare – The Ruthin Hub has been a positive example of schools working together to provide childcare for our Key Workers. As schools now begin the process of reopening, that childcare now reverts to the parent school. We want to wish all the pupils we’ve got to know over the last few months well as they return! There can be no additions to the list of pupils accessing this provision, without a discussion regarding eligibility with myself, so please get in touch if you need this service and all carers in the household are Key Workers, having no alternative childcare. Many thanks.

School Uniform – You will be aware from the plans put in place, that our pupils will not need any school uniform until September at the earliest. I have been in discussions with Workplace Worksafe, who are very understanding of the situation and wish to be supportive and helpful to any parents regarding uniform orders. I will liaise with them over the Summer as the picture becomes clearer, so that they will have enough stock when the time is right. I am sure they will address any queries you have directly.

Twitter – I understand and acknowledge that Twitter has been quieter this week, due to the scale of the work taking place here behind the scenes. However, please continue to share your activities, experiences and photos and we can keep everybody enthused and motivated, through seeing all the positive home learning that is going on.

Have a lovely weekend and remember I am always the other side of the email inbox to address and respond to any of your queries.

Thank you for your ongoing support. It means a lot. Please tell your children to keep smiling – we’ll see many of them soon and can’t wait!

Yours sincerely,

Bryn D. Jones
Headteacher