News Round- Up
Dear Parents and Carers
I would like to welcome Kelly Flitterman to the governing body as the recently elected Parent Governor. Thank you to those parents who put their names forward for election. Your contribution to the process demonstrates your continuing support and this is much appreciated.
In the next few days please look out for the Parent Questionnaire which will arrive in your email in-box early next week. We are seeking the views of parents on a general basis which will inform our future planning. This may lead to a more focused questionnaire in the future depending on the outcome of our work.
Some of you may have noticed that an area within the junior playground has been cordoned off because of scaffolding. Haringey Council responded immediately to our pleas when our boiler failed, and we were put to the top of the list above other schools. Classrooms have been heated via electric heaters, supervised by the class teachers. We have been monitoring the children and advising them to put their jumpers or cardigans on in class, and even their coat should they feel cold. There have been no problems.
You will have seen my email earlier this week advising all parents to remain vigilant during the darker months, particularly at drop-off and pick-up times. Children in Years 5 and 6, where most travel independently, were involved in a special assembly on Thursday afternoon about being safe and managing stranger danger.
I would like to remind all parents and carers that school STARTS at 8.50am – not 8.55, not 9.00, not anytime after this. Gates are open for children to enter the playgrounds in plenty of time. The gates will close at 8.50am. Children arriving late should report to the office so that we can track their attendance. This causes severe disruption to the smooth running of the school office but more importantly if your child arrives late, they will often feel anxious about joining their class when all their friends are settled – your child won’t know what the expectations are for the morning. They are playing catch up and this impacts on their learning – every time they are late to school.
Having monitored attendance this week some parents will receive a letter from me asking to see an improvement in punctuality. If you have any underlying concerns that you would like to discuss, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s class teacher, in the first instance.
We are all looking forward to the Friends of Tetherdown Winter Fair which takes place on Sunday 5th December (see school website calendar for times). Of course, I am working closely with Mia Jenkins to establish the safest ways to run the Fair, which will mean that as many stalls as possible will be located outside. One or two events will need to be managed indoors, and we will refer to our covid risk assessment and government guidance on managing safely. We hope and pray for dry weather. And of course, the Winter Fair cannot run without parent support, so please, please sign up to give a little of your time to support the wonderful work of our Friends of Tetherdown Committee in raising much needed funds for your child’s educational experiences at Tetherdown. Thank you in advance for your support.
On that note, we are seeing covid numbers in classes on a regular basis and as we are experiencing a higher than normal number of cases in Reception, we will be instigating the school’s break-out management plan for this year group. This will reduce the risk of spreading the virus as we limit eating of school dinners to the classrooms and cancel indoor school clubs (French Club and Debutots Club) for Reception Classes only, for the week. Reception children may continue to attend Breakfast and After School Clubs as numbers are minimal. At lunchtimes, Reception children will have their school dinner delivered to their classroom in a bento box, served up by the kitchen staff. They will continue to play outdoors in their Reception year group bubbles. We appreciate that this will be a change of routine, but it is a necessary action to reduce the spread of the virus within the school, as advised by Haringey Public Health. All other daily routines for all other year groups stand.
Thank you to those parents reporting their child’s covid positive status on our online system (accessible via the school website). It really helps us to inform and advise key stakeholders quickly and helps us to manage arrangements for absence among the staff. We will advise you by email and also text moving forward of new cases within your child’s class. As we move into the winter period, and mindful of the national and London picture pertaining to numbers of cases, you may want to consider how you and your family interact with other families in the lead up to the Christmas break. We know play dates are an important part of the children’s social development and enjoyment of friendships, but possibly some careful planning around this might be beneficial to all involved, particularly as we see cases coming into school which causes anxiety among the staff. We all want to enjoy our Christmas break with our families. I had covid last year for the entire Christmas break and the staff and I would really appreciate your support and consideration on this.
Thank you.
Tony Woodward
Headteacher