Dear Parent/Carer,
Happy New Year!
As promised, this is an update on the current Omicron situation and the national ‘very high’ risk level.
Omicron is highly transmissible and one of the most important things that Public Health Wales need us to do is to ensure that parents do not spend time at the front or back of the school mixing with one another when they are dropping off or collecting their child.
Only one parent is allowed to collect a child. Please do not bring any other family members.
We are asking you to ‘drop and go’ when you are at the school and to socially distance whenever you are at the school waiting. Members of the Senior Leadership Team in the school will be at the gates first thing to help supervise children and to pass on any messages.
It is also very important that you or your family members wear a face covering, if you are able to, to stop you transmitting Omicron when you are unaware that you have it.
There will be no additional changes currently to the information that I sent out at the end of term.
These are the key points:
- School will reopen on Thursday 6th January for all pupils
- Children will be kept in Bubble Classes and contact with other pupils will be reduced to the bare minimum.
- The start and finish times will stay the same. There will be no staggered start and finish times.
- Parents and carers will be expected to socially distance and to drop their children very quickly (‘Drop and Go’) in the morning and not wait around by school. They will also be expected to wear a face covering, unless exempt.
- Breakfast Club will not run for the first two and a half weeks and I will review the situation on Friday 27th January. This is because we will be unable to separate all the classes safely in the Cadog Hall (annexe) or the Middle Hall.
- Free School Meal Vouchers will be provided for Wednesday 5th January. School meals will be available for all pupils who want one, on Thursday 6th January. Meals will be taken in the classroom.
If the areas outside school can be kept as clear as possible, and safe, and we can make the systems work, then there should be no need to change these arrangements, but we will review them on a daily basis to ensure that we respond to anything quickly.
I will give you further details on isolation periods and any other information after a headteachers’ meeting with Newport City Council tomorrow morning.
Please Remember
- If you child has any Covid symptoms, please do not send them to school, but arrange for a PCR test.
- Also, please do not come to school if you have symptoms, or are waiting for the result of a PCR test.
We already know that there is huge bed pressure and concern across the Aneurin Bevan Health Board, so anything that you can do, will help to keep all of our community as safe as possible.
Thank you for your kind co-operation with this.
Yours sincerely,
H Vaughan
Headteacher