Dear Parents
There are quite a few reasons to say thank you this week, which seems like a good way to begin this newsletter:
- First of all, a huge thank you to parents who have been so vigilant about protecting our community from the impact of positive COVID tests.
We have had four positive cases in school since 8th March, but happily only one of these has resulted in a bubble closure (and we can’t wait to welcome back Year 4 Opal Class next week!) The best way of avoiding bubble closure is to ensure that any child who is unwell stays off school and, if there is any doubt about the cause, takes a test.
Some children who have tested positive have exhibited cold-like symptoms and sore throats or headaches rather than the more typically stated symptoms, so please continue to be very cautious, especially as we go into this final week of term! We really don’t want to have to call 30 families and tell them they are required to self-isolate for the Easter holidays!
- Secondly, thank you for your immense response to keeping Arch Road a safe place for our children. We estimate 98% of parents have been using alternative methods of getting to the school gate and the resulting drop in traffic is fantastic! Nevertheless, on Monday morning, there was a further instance of a “near miss” between a parent’s car and a Reception child. The child was unfortunately very distressed – none of us wants to have this experience for our children. Thank you for continuing your efforts to keep Arch Road safe and please encourage your friends to do the same!
- Thirdly, thank you for all your support for the Buy a Brick scheme for the Hall – as advised earlier in the week, the first frame of bricks (122 of them!) is now full and we are looking forward to displaying them proudly on the wall of the new hall. The Hall Extension Fund has reached almost £110,000 and Governors are very grateful for your fantastic support. The Fund Total Target is £150k, so Governors are still accepting donations and new standing order forms are welcome at any time of year. Governors will also be claiming Gift Aid on any donations over the last four years, so if you have donated and haven’t yet filled in a Gift Aid form, please consider doing so, so that Governors can reclaim tax paid on the donation (at no further cost to you) and maximise the benefit of your generosity!
Looking ahead, we are beginning to make plans for the Summer Term and for September as follows:
As mentioned last week, we will be running only active outdoor clubs during the Summer Term and teacher-run clubs will be free to all children for this term only. We are keen to promote higher activity levels for all children and will be encouraging all children in the year group bubbles to access the active clubs before or after school as appropriate, but please just let your child’s class teacher know if you would not like them to participate with their year group for any reason. Details of Summer Term Clubs for each year group bubble are here.
- DoE Volunteering Opportunities
We are conscious that some of our Cardinal Newman leavers and other secondary pupils are participating in the Duke of Edinburgh Award, requiring them to complete three months of voluntary service. We would love some after-school voluntary support with PE, after-school club or gardening in the Summer Term, so please contact the school office if you have a teenager who would like to volunteer in this way.
- Extra-curricular activities for September onwards
We have always run a wide range of clubs at Cardinal Newman. The hall extension has given us both a clean sheet and additional space for which to plan extra-curricular opportunities from the Autumn Term of 2021 onwards. We can’t run every possible kind of club, but we would love to have some input as to what the children (and you as parents) would like to see for extra-curricular opportunities at Cardinal Newman. We have set up a survey and would ask interested parents in NEXT YEAR’s Y1 – Y6 (current YR to Y5) to complete it together with each of their children in turn. Our apologies to our current Y6 children – but we know you will also have lots of exciting new opportunities at secondary school! The link is here: https://forms.office.com/r/Qhe4af1VCx
Holy Week
Stations of the Cross - Thank you to Y4 Opal children and staff who prepared this week’s Stations of the Cross – with the added challenge that their bubble is closed and they are currently working from home! It was a lovely way to finish our reflections on the Way of the Cross and we were delighted that Fr Bill was able to join us in school and visit the Reception children in their classes.
Holy Week liturgies – Next week in school, we will be focussing on the events of Holy Week as we prepare for the great celebration of Easter on Sunday. Our liturgy on Thursday will incorporate the Washing of the Feet as we reflect on Jesus as a model of service for our lives. During this year, the children have seen many wonderful examples of key workers serving others and we will give them the opportunity to reflect on the service they have experienced and what they can do to serve others.
Parish Holy Week activities – Both of our school parishes are open and holding a full schedule of liturgies for Holy Week. If you haven’t been able to get into church recently, it would be wonderful for the children to have the opportunity to participate in Mass with their parish on Easter Sunday. There are booking systems in place for the Masses to ensure the church remains COVID-safe. Please find St. Erconwalds’ website here and All Saint’s/St Barnabas website here . The details for the parishes over Holy Week and Easter are here:
St Erconwald’s
1st April Maundy Thursday 8.00 pm Mass of the Lord’s Supper
?2nd April Good Friday 3.00 pm Liturgy of the Passion
3rd April Holy Saturday 8.00 pm Easter Vigil
4th April Easter Sunday 9.15 am & 11.15 am
All Saints/St. Barnabas
Please click here
Please check the parish websites in case of any changes to Easter services.
Easter
In school, we will celebrate Whole School Mass for Easter at the end of the first week back. The readings will be led by Year 2 children and the Mass will be streamed as usual to our school community.
On Maundy Thursday, (1st April) the school day finishes after lunch. Children can be picked up with the usual staggered times, as follows:
|
Year Group
|
Pick up time
|
|
Reception
|
12.30
|
|
Year 1
|
12.40
|
|
Year 2
|
12.45
|
|
Year 3
|
12.50
|
|
Year 4
|
12.55
|
|
Year 5
|
13.00
|
|
Year 6
|
13.00
|
All best wishes for the weekend
Catherine Burnham
Headteacher
