St Peter’s Church (Byers Green) is holding a Christmas Tree Festival on 10, 11 & 12 December 2021.

Our children have each made a decoration for our school tree which is situated to the right hand side as you enter the church.

Everyone is welcome to visit free of charge but any donations to the upkeep of the church would be gratefully received. There will be a raffle and refreshments will be available. Each child will receive a small treat at the end of their visit.

Tickets will be sold separately for a special prize – a Stihl balance bike worth around £100 (see picture below).  These tickets are also available from school (£5 per ticket).

 

Dear Parents/Carers

I am writing in response to our consideration of the update we shared with you last Thursday https://www.byersgreen.durham.sch.uk/coronavirus-update-02-12-21/.

After carefully reviewing the information in relation to our own individual situation, we have decided not to introduce any additional measures in school at this time. We will, of course, continue to give close attention to ventilation, cleaning and respiratory and hand hygiene. As always, we will remain vigilant and will not hesitate to reintroduce the measures which we had in place during the previous academic year (e.g. staggered starts and finishes, staggered playtimes and lunchtimes or class bubbles) should these become necessary at some point in the future.

It is with regret that we have made the difficult decision to cancel the trip to the Gala Theatre to see the annual pantomime which was due to take place next Wednesday afternoon. With the ongoing uncertainty about the impact of the Omicron variant and the majority of adults yet to receive a booster jab, we feel that it is better to adopt a cautious approach to any situations which could potentially put our children, staff and wider school community at greater risk of infection, especially so close to the Christmas holidays.

As mentioned previously, we will ensure that a full refund is provided to anyone who has already paid for pantomime tickets. Please bear with us over the next few days as we organise this.

The following events will take place in school next week:

CHRISTMAS MOVIE AFTERNOON – WEDNESDAY 15 DECEMBER Each class will have the opportunity to watch a Christmas movie and enjoy some sweet treats.

CHRISTMAS DINNER AND CHRISTMAS JUMPER DAY – THURSDAY 16 DECEMBER The children and staff will be able to enjoy the traditional Christmas dinner on Thursday 16 December. If your child normally has packed lunch but would like a Christmas dinner, please let Mrs Blenkiron know as soon as possible. To add to the festive feeling, children and staff are invited to wear Christmas-themed clothing on this day.

CHRISTMAS PARTIES – FRIDAY 17 DECEMBER The children will be able to come to school dressed in their party clothes on this day. The parties will take place in classrooms with a range of fun games and activities – refreshments will also be provided.

School will close for the Christmas holiday on Friday 17 December 2021 at 3.15pm. We return on Wednesday 5 January 2022.

Take care and stay safe.

Mr W. Kirtley (Headteacher)

Please see the letter below from the Spennymoor Foodbank:

Spennymoor Foodbank letter

 

Dear Parents/Carers

Please see the letter below from Amanda Healy (Director of Public Health) and Jim Murray (Head of Education & Skills) which we received this morning.

Final Parents and Carers Omicron Additional Measures Letter – 1-12-21

We are in the process of considering this information in relation to our own individual school situation and aim to provide an update early next week.

Take care and stay safe.

Mr W. Kirtley (Headteacher)

Thank you for your contributions to this year’s Children in Need collection. The total raised was £90.00.

Dear Parents/Carers

The Local Authority recently asked all County Durham schools to consider introducing additional measures in response to an increase in COVID-19 cases across the county and a rise in the rates in school-age children. It was clearly stated that the measures were not compulsory and it was recognised that headteachers were best placed to know what may work in their individual settings. Having carefully reviewed the information with governors and staff, it was decided that we would not make any immediate changes to our current procedures and continue to monitor the situation both locally and in school.

The most recent figures (https://www.durhaminsight.info/covid-19/ published 16.11.21) show a decrease in COVID-19 cases across the county as a whole and also a drop in the rates for school-age children. Therefore, as the situation stands at the moment, we are not intending to reintroduce the measures which we had in place during the previous academic year such as staggered starts and finishes, staggered playtimes and lunchtimes or class bubbles. We feel that it is vital to try to keep the children’s experience in school as ‘normal’ as possible for as long as we can. Close attention will continue to be given to ventilation, cleaning and respiratory and hand hygiene.

Currently, we are still planning to attend the pantomime at the Gala Theatre on Wednesday 15 December. If this event has to be cancelled, for any reason, a full refund will be provided.

However, in the interests of everyone’s safety, we will continue to take a cautious approach in relation to events for the wider school community. Therefore, the forthcoming parent-teacher meetings will be held via telephone call rather than in person. Unfortunately, it also means that we will be unable to host our normal Christmas performances in school again this year. Nevertheless, we are still planning for the children to take part in an infant nativity and a junior show. Just like last year, these performances will be recorded and the resulting videos will be posted on our website during the last week of term.

Other measures suggested by the Local Authority which we will be promoting are as follows:

• PCR testing for all adults and pupils if they are a close contact of a positive case in their household*.
• Daily LFT testing at home for 7 days for any adult or pupil in key stage 2 (year 3) or above who is a household contact of a positive case and is exempt from isolation and continues to attend school. The testing of primary age pupils is at parental discretion. Testing should start from the day the household member has symptoms or if they don’t have symptoms from when they tested positive*.

*Note: People who have tested positive with a PCR test within the last 90 days should not be encouraged to test unless they develop new symptoms.

Please be reassured that, for most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.

LFD Testing advice

We would recommend you have a supply of LFD testing kits at home in the event you are requested to use them. You can order home testing kits to be delivered to your home here www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests

Or you can collect LFD kits at Community Collect sites across the County. To find your nearest collection point please enter your post code here maps.test-and-trace.nhs.uk

If you pick up tests from a pharmacy, you may be asked for a ‘collect code’ this helps the NHS match your details to the tests. To get a ‘collect code’ please visit  test-for-coronavirus.service.gov.uk/collect-lateral-flow-kits

Please register the result of your home test at www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result

What to do if your child develops symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) or tests positive for COVID-19

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are recent onset of:

• new continuous cough and/or
• high temperature and/or
• a loss of, or change in, normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)

If your child does develop symptoms, they should get a PCR test and remain at home at least until the result is known. Book a free PCR test at www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test . If positive, your child should isolate for 10 full days after their symptoms appeared.

If you are concerned about your child’s symptoms, you can seek advice from NHS 111 at 111.nhs.uk/ or by phoning 111.

If your child has a positive test result but does not have symptoms they should stay at home and self-isolate for 10 full days from the date the positive test was taken. This isolation period will be extended if they go on to develop symptoms by counting 10 full days from the day following their symptom onset.

You must always register the result of your home test at www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result

Help, support, and further information.

To help you comply with the requirement to self-isolate, the County Durham Together Community Hub can provide access to essential supplies, financial support and emotional support as well as other services. Please visit www.durham.gov.uk/covid19help or call the Community Hub on 03000 260260 for further details.

There is also support available the coronavirus section via durhamlocate.org.uk

Finally, we would like to thank you for everything you’ve done to keep your family and community safe, and for your patience in continuing to support our school during this challenging time.

Take care and stay safe.

Mr W. Kirtley (Headteacher)

Thank you for your contributions to this year’s Poppy Appeal. The total raised was £168.86.

FAO: Parents of Y5/6 children

Please see the information below from Durham University about a trial that we have agreed to take part in:

Creativity Collaboratives Trial – information for parents

Please see the message below from Durham County Council:

Whether it’s finding fun things for the kids to do, paying for extra childcare, or even just all that extra food they seem to eat, the school holidays can be a struggle for many families. Covid-19 has meant that many people’s incomes have been reduced and children and young people are keen to get out and spend time with their friends.

This October half term our Fun and Food programme is providing fun activities with healthy food for children and young people. Activities are provided by range of partners including schools, voluntary and community sector groups and sport and leisure services.

For information on Fun and Food activities during the October half term holidays check out www.durham.gov.uk/FunAndFood

We will be adding activities to the list so please keep checking back to find out more about the fabulous opportunities in our community.

Please see the letter below which contains details about how to provide consent and also further information about the nasal flu spray.

Byers Green Primary School_Flu Parent Letter 2021