This week, it is hard to get away from news about the Coronavirus and so I will begin with that! I am receiving daily emails from Public Health England and I am trying to communicate as much as I know, without bombarding parents with information. Communication will happen weekly or when there is an important change nationally or locally, but otherwise, we will do our best to keep calm and carry on. We are working closely with other Xavier schools and will follow the expert advice from the government. The latest government updates can be found here . There is a letter today (click here ) communicating the next stage of the process and what that will mean for our school.
As advised this morning, the biggest change is that the advice is now to self-isolate for 7 days if a child has a persistent cough or high temperature. Please inform the office in the usual way if this is the case; absence for the purposes of self-isolation will be authorised. You will be aware that there are staff and families within our school community who belong to particularly vulnerable groups: those with reduced immune systems due to chemotherapy; those with weak heart / lung conditions; the elderly with underlying conditions. It is particularly important that we follow the government advice in order to keep our whole community safe.
There are no plans to close our school at present; I am aware that the news of schools closing in other parts of the world has made this possibility seem likely, but there is no imminent plan for this in the UK. In the event of a whole school closure, work will be set on the school website, in the same way as for snow days. It is not school policy to set work for children who are off school (while school is open) and so work will only be set for all children in the unlikely event of a whole school closure.
I am aware that holiday plans for Easter and beyond have been disrupted and with that in mind, wanted to let you know the term dates for the coming academic year (2020-21) in order to facilitate your forward planning as much as possible. Please see below.
And in other news…
Red Class Mission Week – Red Class had their first ever Mission Week this week. They made the exciting trip to the church on the school minibus. Red class have focussed on the children choosing with their families how to follow our Lenten Mission of 'Giving' or 'Helping Others' for their mission.
Y3 Children of the Eucharist – In place of collective worship today, Y3 children had their second session of Eucharistic Adoration with the charity Children of the Eucharist. We had some quiet time in the chapel, in front of the Blessed Sacrament and the children said prayers for their families and friends.
Y4 Coral Class had their class Mass this afternoon and we were thrilled to welcome lots of family and friends to join them for Mass in their classroom. They sang and read beautifully and those who attended said how intimate the Mass was in a classroom setting. Well done Coral Class!
Chris Duke – author “Lucy’s Blue Day” – We had a visit from author Chris Duke this week, supporting our learning about mental health awareness. Topaz Class used Chris’s book for their Mission Week assembly and were thrilled to hear him read it to them in person. The book focuses on how we all feel blue sometimes and give children strategies for dealing with their “blue” days.
Ruby Class Mini-Olympics – All the children in Ruby Class competed in the Mini-Olympics today. We are thrilled that they have all had the opportunity to represent our school in sports. They were very enthusiastic about entering the games and had lots of fun! For further sports news, please see Sports section below.
Y2 Florence Nightingale Day – Y2 have enjoyed a themed day as part of their Florence Nightingale topic. They all looked fantastic in their dressing-up costumes and they enjoyed performing some simple songs to parents at the end of their fun-packed day!
There’s really never a dull moment at Cardinal Newman! Thank you for all your support of the many exciting activities going on. We couldn’t run the trips and events without significant financial and logistical support from parents, so thank you to all the helpers and all who have supported the PA in so many ways! Next week we are looking forward to Science Day on Monday, with Science workshops funded by our brilliant Parent Association!
Have a great weekend.
All the best
Catherine Burnham
Collective Worship theme: Fairtrade (led by Fr Marco and the Fairtrade team from Salesians)
“Whatsoever you do for the least of my brothers, that you do unto me.”
Prayer Intentions
For all those worldwide who are suffering from the Coronavirus.
For those who have died and those whose anniversaries occur at this time.
For those who work hard to produce crops, that they may receive a fair price for their work.
Some of the children’s prayers:
For our world, that there’s no more plastic in the ocean.
For my grandad (and for all our family)
Thank you for people who look after me.
