Friday 22nd January 2021

Newsletter – 22nd January 2021

Parent Consultations

We will be setting up parent consultation sessions over the next few weeks. Consultations will happen between 25^th January and 11^th February, these will take place via Zoom or telephone call. Slots will be 15 minutes each and will be available to be booked online via My Child At School.

Bookings will open this evening (Friday 22^nd). There will be multiple days per class. Zoom links will be sent by email separately.

If you have any problems accessing My Child at School then please contact the office and we can arrange access for you, or book in a slot for you.

Coffee and Catch-up

Mrs McCaughran and Mrs Pickard are hosting an informal catch-up session for parents and carers next Wednesday at 6pm. If you would like to attend the zoom meeting, please email the office (office@fulbourn.cambs.sch.uk). This will be a chance to talk to the heads in an informal meeting. If you would like any general questions answered, could you ask them in your email. If you have any specific questions about your child, please email the office so that these can be answered directly – they will not be addressed in this forum. Look forward to seeing lots of you on Wednesday.

Home Learning

Thank you all for your fabulous home learning. The children have been producing some wonderful work and we know how much effort that requires from all parents. We are here to help you with any aspect of home learning.

The timetable and contact email addresses for teachers can be found on our Home Learning page on the website – follow the link for Timetable (https://www.fulbournprimaryschool.co.uk/home-learning-1/).

Remote Learning Agreement

On Friday 15^th we sent Teams and Big Cat logins for each child. This email also included our Remote Learning Agreement. If you haven’t yet replied to agree to it, then please do so. The agreement can be found on the Home Learning section of the website (https://www.fulbournprimaryschool.co.uk/home-learning-1/). If you have any questions or concerns then please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Safeguarding Policy Appendix Update

We have updated the Cambs and Peterborough Safeguarding Policy appendix - January 2021. You can find it on the policies page of our website: https://www.fulbournprimaryschool.co.uk/policies/. Safeguarding children in our school community is always a priority for us, and especially so during these difficult times. As a school community we need to continue to work together to keep children safe. If you have any concerns about a Fulbourn Primary School child then please contact us (office@fulbourn.cambs.sch.uk). Full contact details can be found in the safeguarding appendix. 

Parent Survey

Thank you to everyone who completed the parent survey for the Governing Body. We will be sharing more information regarding your feedback as soon as we can.

Notifying us of Covid Cases and Absence

If your child tests positive for Covid (whether they have a place in school at the moment or are learning from home), please email the office immediately (office@fulbourn.cambs.sch.uk), regardless of the time of the day/night or the day of the week/weekend. Please tell us your child’s name, the date that symptoms began, the date of the test and the date you received the result.

Please complete the online absence form as soon as you can in the morning if your child is unable to learn that day. Again, whether they have a place in school or are learning from home. So, for example, if they are sick (tummy bug, etc) or if they have Covid symptoms and are too unwell to learn. The form can be found on the website in Parents and Carers, Student Absence (https://www.fulbournprimaryschool.co.uk/student-absence-1/).

Applying for Free School Meals

The Cambridgeshire County Council has redesigned their online form for families wishing to check their free school meal (FSM) and Pupil Premium eligibility.  Significant improvements made to the online application process enable parents/carers (in most cases) to get an instant result of the outcome of their application. https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/children-and-families/schools-learning/help-with-school-learning-costs/free-school-meals

It is not necessary for parents of children who currently receive FSM to reapply; this entitlement is protected until the end of March 2022. However, applications do need to be made for younger siblings who are starting school.

The form is quick and simple to complete. Once an application has been submitted for a child, if the family do not qualify at that point, we will continue to check for future entitlement throughout that child’s school life, informing parents if they become eligible.  It is vital, therefore, that schools/families inform us of any changes to their name or address.

Families can access the online application https://cambridgeshire-self.achieveservice.com/service/Apply_for_Education_Welfare_Benefits. The Education Welfare Benefits Team are happy to answer any queries and can be contacted on 01223 703200 or ewb.fsm@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

Winter Support Grant

The Cambridgeshire County Council’s Winter Support Grant is available to help any family who may need extra support. This website has more information and links to the claim form. This isn’t just for children who qualify for free school meals, it can be accessed by anyone who need support. https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/coronavirus/winter-grant-scheme

Fulbourn Community Aid

Fulbourn Community Aid are continuing to offer support during the pandemic.  They can:

• Help with shopping
• Collect prescriptions
• Lend a friendly ear if you just need a chat
• Put you in contact with support organisations who can provide a hot meal or financial assistance
• Assist with other needs where they can

Contact them via:

• Phone: 01223 665 051
• Email: fulbourncommunityaid@gmail.com
• Facebook: Fulbourn Community Aid
• Or, find out more at their website: www.whatwillhelp.org/fulbourn

Recruitment

Please see the Current Vacancies page on our website (https://www.fulbournprimaryschool.co.uk/current-vacancies/) for details of our Pastoral Leader and School Business Manager roles.

La Jolie Ronde

Kristine Bantick is continuing her online French classes contact her on 07721 633808 or by email: kristine.bantick@lajolierondeclasses.co.uk if you would like further information.

Support from Sustrans

Sustrans Outside In (www.sustrans.org.uk/OutsideIn) provides fun ideas and inspiration for parents to bring education, health and wellbeing activities into your home. Parents can access resources by registering for the free parent newsletter. Over four weeks, you’ll receive weekly videos, themed activities, games and challenges designed by experienced school officers.

Child mental health and wellbeing

Amid the Covid 19 pandemic, supporting the wellbeing of children has never been so important. This resource is designed to offer advice on how parents can safeguard their child/ren's mental health and promote their wellbeing and is available as a document and short video presentation.

The link to both resources is here:  https://ssscpd.co.uk/education/parentsandguardians/child-mental-health-10-tips-for-parents/-/pj==

PTfA Update

Upcoming events:  

February: ‘Challenge me’ – Individual sponsorship event.  

Please see attached poster and sponsorship form. The sponsorship event will be running from 1^st – 28^th February and you can choose anything you like – walking, reading, drawing, running, baking….or even a 12 hour silence….. The main thing is to challenge yourself! Once you have completed your challenge, collect your sponsorship money and donate it to the JustGiving link: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/fulbournprimarylibraryappeal 

March: The Great Lockdown Bake off – details to follow…. 

Thank you!!! 

Thank you to everyone who has donated to the school iPad appeal which was set up by Liz Blackmore. I am very pleased to say that this appeal raised an amazing £2,025!!!! The PTfA have topped up this amount slightly to cover the final cost and the school will be placing an order shortly. This boost to the technology available to the children will be a wonderful addition to current resources so a huge thank you to everyone who has helped achieve this total! 

Ways to support fundraising: 

• The following websites enable you to select Fulbourn Primary PTfA as your charity and a percentage of your spend directly to the PTfA:  

Easy Fundraising (https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/fulbournprimaryptfa/)  

AmazonSmile (https://smile.amazon.co.uk)