Saint Gabriel's Catholic Primary School - St. Gabriel's Catholic ...

Saint Gabriel’s Catholic Primary School
                                  Wilnecote Lane, Tamworth, B77 2LF Tel: 01827 213910
                                                  E-mail: office@st-gabriels.staffs.sch.uk
                                                  Website: www.st-gabriels.staffs.sch.uk

21st January 2021

Volume 12 Number 18

Dear Parents

IF YOU OR A FAMILY MEMBER TAKE A TEST AS A RESULT OF COVID
SYMPTOMS, WHICH ARE:
          A HIGH TEMPERATURE (FEVER) – HOT TO TOUCH
          A NEW CONTINUOUS COUGH
          A CHANGE TO YOUR SENSE OF SMELL OR TASTE
YOU MUST SELF-ISOLATE AND STAY AT HOME, AS A HOUSEHOLD, UNTIL
YOU RECEIVE YOUR RESULTS.
PLEASE NOTIFY SCHOOL (USING THE EMAIL ADDRESS BELOW) OF YOUR
RESULTS, EITHER WAY, TO PROTECT THE SAFETY OF OTHERS IN OUR
SCHOOL COMMUNITY.
confirmedcovidcase@st-gabriels.staffs.sch.uk

INSET DAY – Friday 29th January – DEFERRED
Following consultation with the governing board, it has been decided to defer the
planned training day on Friday 29th January 2021. School will be open for critical
worker and vulnerable children.
This staff training day will be re taken at a date during the summer term. Thank
you.

Parents/Carers Mask Wearing
Thank you to all those parents and carers who have been wearing a mask once coming
on to the school grounds. This is to protect yourselves and to protect others. Thank
you.

Catholic Virtues – Spring Term
For this half term pupils and staff at St. Gabriel’s will be learning and growing to be
GRATEFUL for their own gifts, for the gifts of other people, and for the blessings
of each day and GENEROUS with their gifts, now and in the future.

Lent 2021 – Cafod ‘Walk for Water’
Next Thursday (28th January) – during their virtual ‘Water of Life’ assembly - Cafod
will be launching their Lent 2021 campaign - ‘Walk for Water.’

‘Walk for Water is the only Lent challenge you need: 10,000 steps a day - done your
way. Every day. For 40 days. Go the distance this Lent and help to end water
poverty.’

There will be information in your child’s Sway about how to access the assembly and
we will sharing more information and resources in our newsletter next week. If you
would like to find out more now, please visit https://cafod.org.uk/Fundraise/Walk-
for-Water

National Lockdown
Residents, businesses and schools in Staffordshire must now rally once again as
the country is placed in Lockdown 3 to help prevent the NHS becoming
overwhelmed by the new strain of Covid-19 this winter.

In an address to the nation on Monday 4 January 2021, the Prime Minister Boris
Johnson confirmed the third lockdown, including the closure of schools to most pupils
until the half term on February 15.

The key changes are:

         To go out for essential reasons only: Such as going to work if you can’t work
          from home, shopping for necessities, limited exercise and providing care
         Primary schools and secondary schools will move to remote learning for most
          pupils
         Summer exams will be suspended
         People who had previously shielded will be asked to do so again

Message from Staffordshire’s Director for Health and Care: Dr Richard Harling
“We all need to stick to the basic rules of hands, face and space, work from home
where we can and get tested if you are out working through lockdown.”
"We are seeing the biggest increases in the 19 to 34 year-old bracket, with many in
this age group not only likely to be working but also seeing more people, so we would
appeal to working people of this age group in particular to get tested on a regular
basis.”

Big Garden Birdwatch 2021

During the weekend of 29th – 31st January 2021 the RSPB will be holding their annual
Big Garden Birdwatch – and you can take part! All you need to do is to spend an hour
counting the birds you see in your garden and then tell the RSPB what you have seen.
Taking part in the Big Garden Birdwatch helps the RSPB to build up a national picture
of our garden bird population. It is open to experienced twitchers and absolute
beginners! If you would like to sign up please visit
https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/birdwatch/

Staffing
Please be aware that the new government guidelines mean some staff are classed as
clinically extremely vulnerable. On-going self-isolation for staff due to their own
need or needs of family members means there is a reality of us not having a full work
force.
We are therefore running with less than a full staff team at this time, this week 4
members of staff have been unable to attend work.
The start of Lateral Flow Testing for staff in primary schools means there is
also the chance, at short notice, of disruption to planned lessons or the need
for bubble closures.
We appreciate your understanding of this matter. Thank you.

Remote Learning – Devices
Thank you, again, for your engagement and patience. The switch to Remote Learning
can bring a number of frustrations and challenges – especially at this early stage – as
well as new opportunities and different ways to learn. As approaches and ways of
working change, we will continue to update you.
Please also be aware that planned learning opportunities may have to change, at short
notice, i.e. where staff are called away for testing or for isolation reasons.
Please also note that teaching staff are available within working hours (9.00am until
4.30pm). We thank you in understanding to only expect communications within these
times.
Please see previous e-mail sent last week, giving information and guidance on
how you can use a range of devices to access TEAMS! Xboxes, play stations
and consoles can be used to do this, so please follow the advice.

Reading at home
Please could we once again emphasise the importance of reading at home with your
children. All children practise reading skills in school on a daily basis but you have a
vitally important role to play in helping your children to become better readers and
develop a real enjoyment of reading. It is important that you spend time little and
often looking at, sharing, and discussing stories together to develop your children’s
confidence as readers. Ideally spending 10 minutes each night reading with your child
would be fantastic but any time you can spare will help to encourage and reinforce
essential reading skills! Thank you for your ongoing support.

Please find attached some information from Mr Bright regarding reading for
pleasure at home. Thank you.

Help and Support
Any parent finding themselves struggling or in great difficulty with housing or
finance, please approach us, in confidence. We may not have the answers but we may
be able to signpost or help.
If you do not approach us, we cannot help, so please be assured of confidentiality in
approaching us! We have been able to support a number of families previously and
are ready to continue to try to do so.

Family Hub/Shop
Please be aware that any family in crisis i.e. short of food or basics can contact the
drop-shop project at the Sacred Heart. See detail below:

Tamworth Telephone Support Line – Community Together CIC
This is just a reminder to let you know that Community Together CIC are continuing
to provide support.
Tamworth Telephone Support Line 01827 59646
The support line is there for anyone and can connect people and give people access to
a wide range of support including -
       Access to Food
       People struggling for medication pick ups
       Befriending / Check in calls
       Activity Packs
       Unemployment support
       Debt/Finance/Benefits
       Support with Home Energy

Citizens Advice Mid Mercia - EU Settlement Scheme
Citizen's Advice Mid Mercia are working alongside the Government in order to reach
out to all of the families in Tamworth and East Staffordshire to support them with
their EU Settled Status. The Government has recognised that not all families are
aware that they need to ensure they have been granted settled or pre-settled status
by the end of June 2021.

The middle of January can always seem a bleak time at the best of times. The
national emergency only makes it more so.
Never has a sense of love, hope, peace and joy been more important to have in our
lives. Hope in particular is important for us all as we look at where we are and look to
the future.
Simple acts of kindness at this time can make such a difference to others. Be as
kind and considerate, as you can be, to those around you at this time.

Lord Jesus,
Give us the grace to hear your voice and the strength to continue working for your
kingdom in this time of pandemic.
Do not allow us to be indifferent to those who today suffer the loss of a loved one,
or who suffer from the absence of work.
Amen.

God Bless

Yours sincerely

John P Hayes
Headteacher