Recent letters shared with parents and carers.
9th November 2021
Dear Parent or Carer
As you know, we continue to do all we possibly can to maintain high-quality, face-to-face education for all of our Galley Hill pupils while also doing everything we can to keep our school community safe. Since the start of the year, we have had to plan for the possibility of an outbreak (considered to be 5 positive PCR tests across the school or 10% of a class) and consider what actions we would take to reduce further spread.
Unfortunately, an outbreak has now been declared at Galley Hill due to the number of positive cases here. In line with the latest national guidance and as required by the Public Health team of Hertfordshire County Council we are therefore implementing our Outbreak Management Plan and will be reintroducing the following measures until 07.12.21 when they will be reviewed to see if they are still necessary. We may continue to add additional measures should the situation continue to become worse.
Face Coverings
Start and End of the Day
Limiting activities
Re-introduction of bubbles
Testing
.
General COVID information
Symptoms
If you are not sure whether you or your child’s symptoms suggest that they have coronavirus or an everyday cough or cold, you can consult this online NHS symptom checker: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/
For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness. If you are concerned about your child’s health or the health of anyone else in your household please seek advice from your GP, use NHS 111 online https://111.nhs.uk/ or call NHS 111.
There are things you can do to reduce the risk of getting COVID-19:
Further information is available at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
Thank you for your co-operation, we wish those affected by coronavirus (COVID-19) a speedy recovery.
Yours sincerely
Mrs E. Birch
Headteacher
Appendix A
How to book a test online when you have been identified as a close contact but do not have symptoms yourself
Dear Parents/Carers
On Thursday 9th December 2021 we have arranged to take Year 2 Diamond and Pearl Class on a trip to Windsor Castle.
This trip will be relating to our History topic ‘Castles and Coronations’. We will be having a workshop to learn all about the Castle. All children should be dressed in school uniform. The coach will be leaving the school at 9.15am and aims to return at approx. 3.15pm.
The children will need a packed lunch from home or we can supply a school lunch providing this has been ordered in advance. NO glass bottles, cans, fizzy drinks, chocolate or sweets please.
The cost of this trip will be £15.00 per child, which covers the transport and entrance fees.
*You are more than welcome to pay in instalments if this is more suitable, School Gateway will show a reducing balance allowing a number of instalments to be made, however the full balance must be paid by Friday 26th November 2021.
Please log into your child’s school gateway account to give parent consent and make payment by Friday 26th November 2021. If you would like to order a school packed lunch, please ensure to order this in the comments section. School packed lunch MUST be ordered in advance, cannot be ordered on the day.
Please can we make you aware that when trips are arranged, the cost is based on the total number of children in that particular year/class group. Depending on venue, we usually have to pay in advance. If for any reason your child is not in school on the day of the trip, unfortunately, we will not be able to refund you as payment to the venue and transport will have already been paid for. Thank you for your support in this matter. Unfortunately, if insufficient funds are received, the trip will have to be cancelled. If you have any queries or difficulties paying this, please contact the office.
We will require parent volunteers to help out on this school trip, if you are available on this day and would like to help, please advise us in the comments section on Gateway or speak to the class teacher. We will confirm with you nearer the time is your help is required.
Yours sincerely
Mrs Ewer Mrs Reynolds
Diamond Class Teacher Pearl Class Teacher
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If you have not already activated your School Gateway account. It’s quick and easy to do. All you need is your email address and mobile number that school holds on record for you. Download the app: If you have a smartphone, please download School Gateway from your app store (Android and iPhone). OR Visit the website: www.schoolgateway.com and click on ‘New User’. You’ll receive a text message with a PIN number. Use this PIN to log into School Gateway. |
Dear Parents/Carers
We have arranged to take the Year 4 children on a trip to Cadbury World, Birmingham. This will take place on Tuesday 13 July. We will be having a special talk and a tour of the Museum.
In class we are learning about Chocolate and the Mayans.
All children must be dressed in school uniform.
The coach will be leaving the school at 9.15am and aims to return at approx. 5.30pm. We will keep you fully informed regarding the return journey.
The children will need a packed lunch on the day. However, they can bring their lunches in a rucksack as this will be easier to carry around all day.
NO GLASS BOTTLES, CANS OR SWEETS PLEASE.
Those children who receive Free School Meals, can pre-order one via the School Gateway app.
The cost of this trip will be £23.00* per child (this can be paid in 2 instalments), which will cover the cost of entrance and the coach. This can be paid online via the School Gateway payment system along with giving parental consent. Cash or cheque are also accepted. Please can cheques be made payable to Galley Hill Primary School.
*Please note that the price slightly increased at the time of booking.
Please can we make you aware that when trips are arranged, the cost is based on the total number of children in that particular year/class group. Depending on venue, we usually have to pay in advance. If for any reason your child is not in school on the day of the trip, unfortunately, we will not be able to refund you as payment to the venue and transport will have already been paid for.
Thank you for your support in this matter.
Unfortunately, if insufficient funds are received, the trip will have to be cancelled. If you have any queries or difficulties paying this, please contact the office.
**Due to COVID, bubble restrictions and sufficient staff ratios, we do not need any parents helpers for this trip **
Yours sincerely
Mrs Brooks-Smith Miss Hosein
Year 4
Dear Parents/Carers
As your child is now approaching the end of their time at primary school, we would like to organise a treat for them. On Monday 19 July, we would like to take all of Year 6 children to LEGOLAND.
The cost of the trip will be £17.00 and this includes entry to the park and transport there and back. The cost of the trip can be paid online via the School Gateway payment system along with giving parental consent. If you require assistance downloading the app, please see below or pop into the office. Cash or cheque are also accepted. Please can cheques be made payable to Galley Hill Primary School.
The children may take a maximum of £10 spending money on the day. Children should bring their spending money in a named envelope or secure purse/wallet. The children will need to be responsible for this money for the duration of the trip. This money should not be used to purchase their lunch – please see below for details regarding packed lunches.
All children can wear non-school uniform/leaver’s hoodies along with comfortable shoes and a waterproof jacket. They may bring a poncho for the water rides if they have one. If the weather is kind to us, please ensure that children have a hat and suncream.
The coach will be leaving the school at 9.00am and aims to return at approx. 6.00pm. We will keep you fully informed regarding the return journey. Please ensure your child knows whether to walk home or wait to be picked up.
The children will need a packed lunch on the day. However, they can bring their lunches in a rucksack as this will be easier to carry around all day. NO GLASS BOTTLES, CANS OR SWEETS PLEASE.
Those children who receive Free School Meals can be provided with a pre-ordered packed lunch on the day. Please request this in advance via School Gateway.
As the children will be representing the school, we will have high expectations of behaviour. Any child whose behaviour is inappropriate between now and the trip will lose their place and no refund will be offered!
As this is not an educational trip, ALL children will be required to pay the full amount by Monday 5 July at the very latest. If no payment has been received, your child will not be able to attend the trip. If your child does not wish to go, they must still come into school as normal on that day.
Yours sincerely
Miss Duggan Mrs Spooner
Year 6
9 June 2021
Dear Parents/Carers
We have arranged to take the Year 3 children on a trip to Bekonscot Model Village, Beaconsfield. This will take place on Wednesday 7 July 2021.
In class we are learning about 3D models for our Art learning this half term. By the end of this unit, we will designing and creating our own model village complete with movable elements to our model buildings.
All children must be dressed in school uniform.
The coach will be leaving the school at 9.15am and aims to return at approx. 3.15pm. We will keep you fully informed regarding the return journey.
The children will need a packed lunch on the day. However, they can bring their lunches in a rucksack as this will be easier to carry around all day.
NO GLASS BOTTLES, CANS OR SWEETS PLEASE.
Those children who receive Free School Meals, can pre-order a school packed lunch via the School Gateway app.
The cost of this trip will be £13.50 per child, which will cover the cost of entrance, a train ride and the coach. This can be paid online via the School Gateway payment system along with giving parental consent. Cash can also accepted.
We would like some extra adult helpers on the day, if you are available and would like to come. Please state on School Gateway when you give consent and make payment.
Please can we make you aware that when trips are arranged, the cost is based on the total number of children in that particular year/class group. Depending on venue, we usually have to pay in advance. If for any reason your child is not in school on the day of the trip, unfortunately, we will not be able to refund you as payment to the venue and transport will have already been paid for.
Thank you for your support in this matter.
Unfortunately, if insufficient funds are received, the trip will have to be cancelled. If you have any queries or difficulties paying this, please contact the office.
Yours sincerely
Miss Keal Mrs Birtchnell Mrs Higgs
Year 3
10th March
Dear Parents/Carers
On Thursday 25th March and Friday 26th March the children will be taking part in a sponsored ‘Bunny Hop’. We will be raising money for the Peace Hospice. Children will be running or walking whilst wearing bunny ears! These ears will be provided by the hospice. You may remember we previously took part in the Elf Run which was a great success!
Foundation and Key Stage 1 will be running for 15 minutes, Year 3 and 4 20 minutes and Key Stage 2 will be running for 25 minutes.
Class teachers will talk to the children about the Peace Hospice Charity and how their sponsorship can make a difference.
Children in Nursery, Reception, Year 2, 3 and 4 will be running on Thursday 25th and Year 1, 5 and 6 on Friday 26th March. Please ensure on this day that children have appropriate clothing they can change into for the run, spare shoes and a water bottle.
A sponsor form will come home with your child on Friday 12th March. Sponsor money is due back in on Tuesday 13th April when we return from Easter Holidays.
Unfortunately due to current circumstances we will be unable to have spectators but we do appreciate your support! We are excited about seeing all the children back together and getting in the Easter spirit! Thank you for your support for this deserving charity.
Yours sincerely
Miss Penning
PE Subject Leader
Dear Parents / Carers,
RE: PARENT CONSULTATIONS
As you will know from the newsletter, we have listened to feedback from the autumn term and have now identified an online system for virtual parent’s consultations via video call. Over the next couple of weeks, we will be holding appointments for parents and class teachers via School Cloud Parent’s Evenings System.
We feel these appointments are more important than ever in this current climate. It will give teachers and parents the opportunity to discuss how their child is progressing with their learning and for parents to ask for advice and support with remote learning as appropriate.
The system will work on any internet connected device and two parents can login to the appointment from different locations if this works better for you and your family. We are intending for appointment booking to go live tomorrow (Tuesday 2 February) at 12noon. We are using this technology for the first time so please be patient with us through any teething issues and of course contact the school office if you encounter any on-going issues or need support.
You access the booking system via this link: https://galleyhill.schoolcloud.co.uk/. You should then be able to login using your child’s name and date of birth. Once you have booked your appointment, you should get an email confirming the time and with a link to click on at the appropriate time of your appointment. In order for the system to run smoothly, they are strictly timed 10 minute slots for each appointment. The teachers have no control over these and cannot extend the time of the appointment. The system will give you a count down at all times but it will automatically cut out after 10 minutes. We cannot override this so please accept our apologies in advance if you get cut off!
We have heard from the experience of others that the system does not work so well if all teachers are online at the same time. For this reason and due to the way the teachers are currently working, each teacher is setting their own parents consultation appointment times. These will be held between Thursday 4 February and Thursday 11 February. Each teacher will have morning appointments (approx. 8:30am – 10:30am), lunch time appointments (approx.. 12noon – 2pm) and late afternoon appointments (approx. 3:30pm – 5:30pm) available. We hope that with the convenience of being able to login from anywhere, one of these times will be suitable for you all. If you cannot make any of the times available for your child’s class teacher, please contact them to make a mutually convenient phone appointment. We will endeavour to send you a list of which days each teacher has appointments tomorrow morning to make this easier for you in the booking process.
We really hope this new system is a success in allowing you to keep in touch with your child’s class teacher. Following the consultations, we would welcome any feedback as ever.
Yours faithfully,
Mrs E. Birch
Head Teacher
Unfortunately our email and texting service is currently down. I expect too many schools are trying to use it simultaneously. Here is an update regarding school tomorrow:
Dear Parents,
I expect you will have just heard the announcement Boris Johnson has made that we are going back into lockdown and schools are switching to remote learning as from tomorrow. Once again, we had no prior warning to this announcement being made and had been prepared to open tomorrow as usual.
Obviously it is very late for us to put in place all preparations to switch to remote learning by tomorrow morning and to identify all children who qualify for a place at school as the child of a critical worker or because they are considered to be vulnerable. We have therefore made the decision to ask all staff to come into school tomorrow so that we can open every class.
If you think your child qualifies for a place in school during this lockdown (because you are a critical worker or because they are vulnerable: have an EHCp or a Social Worker), please send them into school tomorrow using the usual time and entry point for their class. We can then spend the day identifying who does and does not qualify for a place and ensure that on-going arrangements can be put in place. A full list of who qualifies as a critical worker can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision#critical-workers.
Unfortunately our remote learning offer for tomorrow will not meet the standard we hope to achieve going forward as the teachers simply do not have the time to prepare for this but we do have some activities on our website that the children can access tomorrow. These can be accessed here: https://www.galleyhill.herts.sch.uk/remote-learning-3/. Please encourage your child to access some learning tomorrow. There will be an expectation for them to be completing learning activities set on a daily basis.
I am incredibly sorry for the short notice regarding this closure for the majority of our children but, as previously, we are contacting you as quickly as possible following the announcement. I will of course write to you tomorrow with further details as soon as we have them.
Thank you for your continued support.
Mrs Birch
1 January 2021
Dear Parents / Carers,
I would like to begin by wishing you all a happy new year. Let us hope that 2021 brings us some relief from these difficult times that we find ourselves in.
After much uncertainty, you will no doubt be aware that, on Wednesday, the government announced that most primary schools will be returning to face to face education next week. This will mean that, as things stand, our Galley Hill children should all be back in school with us on Tuesday 5 January as planned.
We are absolutely committed to the education of the children in our care but I am also committed to trying to keep our whole school community as safe as possible in these worrying times. You will all be aware that cases are continuing to increase and we all have a shared responsibility to keep ourselves and each other safe.
As parents, there are many ways that you can support us with this:
Thank you in advance for continuing to work with us so we can educate your children as safely as possible at this time. We will be continuing to update our risk assessments, following official guidance and keeping you informed throughout this term. It does appear that things are changing rapidly but we continue to be informed of things at the same time as the general public. We will respond to any changes as quickly as we can and of course update you all.
We very much appreciate your continued support.
Yours faithfully,
Mrs E. Birch
Head Teacher