Rossett News Update - 25 September 2020
I would like to congratulate all of our students for the resilience they have shown over the last two weeks, and to thank the staff for their flexible approach to a very different September start. In the lessons I have taught in the last two weeks, I have been pleased to see our students' respectful maintenance of distance protocols and their consideration of others, in their year group 'bubbles'.
We are aware of an increase of cases in Leeds and in other surrounding schools and remain vigilant in our tracing of student groups. I would respectfully ask all parents to read the letter from the Government, received at school today (and in the link below) to see new clarification around Covid-19 possible symptoms.
Open Day 2020 - Saturday 3 October
Rossett School Open Day is going 'virtual' this year with exciting events and activities planned throughout the morning of Saturday 3rd October 2020. A range of presentations and live classroom events will take place and you will have the opportunity to put questions to current Year 7 students at the school. You will also be guided through a tour of the school site and see an introduction from the Headteacher, Ms Woodcock. Please click here to register for this year's virtual event.
Coronavirus Testing Advice from Public Health England
Public Health England has produced a letter for schools and colleges to share with parents which explains when a child requires a coronavirus (COVID-19) test and what the symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are.
The intention of the letter is to support parents and carers in identifying when their child needs to self-isolate as a result of displaying coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms and answer some of the questions parents may have around testing.
Coronavirus and attendance
If your child has any of the symptoms described in the attached parental letter from Public Health England, they must stay at home and arrangements need to be made to have a test. You must call the school absence line (01423 564 444) and leave a voicemail informing us about the situation the reason your child is not in school.
If your child has been off school for a reason related to Covid-19, it is vital that you contact us before they return and give us the reason they are returning e.g. a negative test result.
We would also ask that Parents/Carers are mindful of quarantine regulations when booking holiday destinations for the half-term break. We realise this presents great frustration however, we are sure that you wish to avoid quarantine on return from your holiday abroad and further interruption to your child's education.
Free School Meals
All parents have received a letter this afternoon regarding eligibility for Free School Meals. If your situation has recently changed, you may now be able to apply for this funding. The letter is also attached here for your convenience. Please contact your Year Team SSO (Student Support Officer) or DOL (Director of Learning) if you have any questions.
Learning Resource Centre
We now have 'book returns' boxes situated in each of our year group 'bubbles' and would ask parents to encourage their children to return any library books that they have at home. Students have been emailed to remind them of the titles they have borrowed.
Coming soon: We are launching a ‘Click & Deliver’ library service whilst the Learning Resource Centre is unavailable. Students can log into the Accessit web page for Rossett LRC’s library catalogue and reserve books they would like to borrow - which will then be delivered to them in school. The QR code for the app is below, and students should click SSO and input their school user name and password when instructed. The short video below gives more information on how to reserve books. Books are being quarantined to minimise risk so there may be some delay in the turnaround of books. We recommend reserving a second or third choice to avoid disappointment.
Sixth Form Newsletter
Our Sixth Form Team have been delighted with the way in which students have risen to the challenge of returning to school and the resilience and responsibility they have demonstrated in adapting to the changes in their learning environments.
For further updates and news relating to the Sixth Form, please click the link here for our newsletter.
Face Coverings on School Transport
Whilst we have a small number of face coverings that we can supply to your child at a nominal cost in case of emergencies, we would strongly recommend that you send your child to school with a spare in case their mask is misplaced during the school day. As a reminder face coverings are required to be worn on all school and public transport for the full length of the journey. (Some bus companies are refusing to take students without the appropriate face covering).
Parking
We would like to remind you to park with consideration to our neighbours when collecting and dropping off your children from school. Congestion in the locality is an increasing problem as we have returned to school and we are also concerned for the safety of our students. Please also remember to turn off your engine whilst waiting to minimise the risk of pollution to pedestrians passing by.
We would like to further remind you that parking in the Ashville School car park is not allowed. Thank you for your support.
Mental Health and Wellbeing
We have taken great care to consider the wellbeing of our returning students and have made this a focus of our reopening plans. The pastoral teams continue to provide a high level of support for our students, enhanced by additional staff training they have received. The following links may be helpful in signposting your child to further support should they need it.
The Go-To – www.thegoto.org.uk – is a portal or ‘single point of information’ for the wide range of mental health support services available to help children and young people in the county address their social and emotional health needs.
https://www.kooth.com/ https://www.minded.org.uk/
H Woodcock
Headteacher
