Getting the outdoors ready for spring.
Well done to our Key Worker children who worked really hard to get the outdoors tidy. Together we all managed to fill 16 garden bags with twigs, take up the old climbing frame matting and fill a skip with rubbish.
Support with using Hwb
Support with using Hwb at home.
Thank you to Mrs. Williams, we have support sheets ready for you to use when accessing Hwb from home.
Some time ago, when moving homework onto Hwb, we sent you Hwb user guides. These are still all available on the front page of the school website and can be found using the Hwb tab.
If you don’t have a computer, there are other ways to access Hwb.
Different Ways to Access Hwb at Home
Pupils in Class 3 and 4 will be trialling the use of Teams this week for a catch up session with their teacher. If this is successful, we will shortly be using this with classes 1 and 2. If you are not familiar with Teams, please use this guide created by Mrs. Williams to help you log on to Teams.
For ease of reading, all of these documents will also be available in the Hwb section on the front page of the school website.
Diolch.
Mrs. M. Teague
School Update
School Update: Monday January 11th
Dear Parent / Carer,
I hope you all had a safe and enjoyable Christmas break. These are very difficult times for all of us with many people being affected in so many different ways. Although we are all aware of the exceptionally high Covid rates, it is disappointing that once again we find ourselves in the position of home learning, which we now know will be until at least the end of January.
I appreciate that teaching children from home presents many challenges. It is important to understand that home is not school and learning from home will be very different. Every family is living through different challenges and it is vital that we do not lose sight that the wellbeing of everyone within the family should be priority at this time. We understand that some families will have limited access to computers and that some parents, whilst not key workers, will still be expected to work from home.
However, it is important that we continue to stimulate the minds of our pupils in as many ways as possible. Throughout the current lockdown, teachers will provide pupils with home learning which engages them in a wide range of activities and at different levels. It is important that pupils and parents do not get too hung up on the notion that worksheets provide the only form of learning. Making a cake and measuring the ingredients, setting up a shop in your living room, putting on a puppet show made from socks and a cardboard box, all provide valuable learning for the children. In addition, please remember to read with your child daily and ensure that there is time for the children to get some exercise.
Throughout the learning set on Hwb we will do our very best to support you and to provide the children with the best learning that we can. Many parents comment on how the children are telling them that they can’t do the work. All of the work set will have been covered in some form in class however many children may have forgotten. Some work set will be set for different levels. If your child is struggling you could try the easier level first to help them refresh their memories. Alternatively, children can contact their teacher through J2message for help. Please remember to use the class page and not the private message to the teacher. As the private message cannot be overseen by others, it is safer for all involved to use the class page.
Teachers will feed back to the pupils on their work using a speech bubble. However, please be mindful that all teachers are also working in school to manage the Hub for the children of key workers. On these days you may find that the teacher takes longer to reply to your messages.
In addition we will notify you through Schoop of other resources or activities which have become available. For example the BBC are broadcasting many programmes on CBBC from 9am every day. These include BBC live lessons and BBC Bitesize Daily as well as Horrible Histories and Operation Outch. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize
There is a lot of talk about live lessons. Whilst this may work for older children in comprehensive schools, this is not how teachers deliver their learning in primary schools. Many teachers will deliver different lessons at the same time through a carousel, sit with groups working at different levels, provide different resources and possibly support some children with a teaching assistant. Whilst we recognise that it is important for the children to see each other and their class teacher, this week we are going to trial using Teams in Hwb for children to have a catch up session with their teacher. This week we will begin with class 3 and class 4 as they are more familiar with Teams having used it in class. On Friday Mr. Allen and Mrs. David set up class groups in Teams and are currently sending out invites for the children to log in to the meeting on Wednesday afternoon. A guide is currently being prepared by Mrs. Williams to help the children log in and get started. In the weekly meetings children will be able to discuss any difficulties they are having with their learning, talk about what they have been doing and see their friends. We hope that the meetings will run every week for approximately 20 minutes. Children will have the choice as to whether they have their cameras on or not and whether or not they wish to speak. If this is successful we will look to set this up for classes 1 and 2 for the following week.
If you are having any difficulties with the home learning, please contact the teacher in the first instance through J2message. If you are unable to login through HWB, please contact the school so that we can provide you with support and your login details. If you are experiencing any difficulties which we don’t have the knowledge or experience to help with, please contact us as we may be able to help provide you with the number of an agency that can help you.
We all want to beat this and get our pupils back in school. We have been asked to remind you that the new strain of Covid is far more contagious, so it is very important that they stay at home unless exercising with the family. We have also been asked to remind you about the importance of social distancing, hand washing, face coverings and ventilation.
Please all take care and stay safe,
Kind regards,
Mrs. M. Teague
END OF TERM ARRANGEMENTS AT NEATH PORT TALBOT FOR PRIMARY AND SPECIAL SCHOOLS
END OF TERM ARRANGEMENTS AT NEATH PORT TALBOT FOR PRIMARY AND SPECIAL SCHOOLS
Pupils of a primary school age and those attending special schools will be moving to distance learning provision in NPT from Tuesday, 15th December, onwards. Schools will be delivering learning remotely and ensuring that pupils continue with their studies until the end of term on December 18th.
It is vitally important that all pupils engage with this on-line provision and we must emphasise that, on the advice of Public Health Wales, children and young people should not be allowed to meet with friends and congregate in public places. This remains a school week and all staff and pupils are expected to respect it as such.
This decision also allows families to pre-isolate for the Christmas break (e.g. not mixing outside of the household) for one incubation period (10 days). This is seen as an effective way of lowering the risk of infecting others. Self-isolation remains of paramount importance for anyone with COVID-19 symptoms.
Head teachers will be making local decisions regarding the support for vulnerable pupils who will be expected to attend according to the school’s advice and schools are advised to accommodate children of key workers. Transport will continue to be available to those pupils who currently qualify for home to school transport.
This is not an early Christmas holiday, and we request that pupils and parents do everything they can to minimise contact with others.
All pupils can make a difference to reducing the transmission of the virus by staying at home, engaging with their learning and by being responsible in their actions.
Those pupils attending school on Tuesday 15th – Friday 18th will be able to receive a meal or can bring a packed lunch to school. Those pupils in receipt of free school meals will be provided with a meal.
Pupils entitled to free school meals who are accessing their learning from home will be provided with a BACS payment as has happened previously.
Spreading cheer throughout hospitals in South Wales
Spreading cheer throughout hospitals in South Wales
Most of the children have been busy creating Christmas pictures which have been displayed on walls in hospitals around South Wales.
(Unfortunately not all of the pictures scanned in the same way but we have tried our best to get a copy within this post for you to see the wonderful drawing which your children have created.)
Class 1 Christmas pictures
Class 3 Christmas Pictures
Class 4 Christmas Pictures
Class 2 Christmas Pictures
