Friday 3rd December 2021

COVID update

This week has been a very challenging one in school as we have managed with significant staff absence and worked hard to minimise an outbreak of positive cases, particularly in Key Stage 2. 

Current Covid number in school

We have worked closely with the Local Authority and Public Health England to constantly review our risk assessment and outbreak management plan to minimise transmission. 

We are continuing to:

• Ensure regular, stringent hand washing and sanitising for all staff and children
• Maximise ventilation in all parts of the school
• Ensure adults wear masks in communal areas
• Ensure adults retain a 2m distance from one another
• Increase cleaning throughout the school, especially frequently touched surfaces
• Ask visitors to take an LFD test prior to arrival
• Ringfence phases indoors to minimise indoor contact between children from different phases.

  We have also gained permission to introduce the following additional measures:

• We have asked all children in upper, middle and lower school to take a PCR test once  positive cases have been identified in their phase
• We have recommended that all staff take daily lateral flow tests for the next 7 days
• We are recommending that all Key Stage 2 children take twice weekly lateral flow tests to help identify asymptomatic cases
• All children that present as unwell during the school day will be sent home
• Siblings of children that are symptomatic will be sent home to get a PCR test at the same time as the symptomatic child

How can you help?

Very few of our positive cases have had typical Covid symptoms and the children have instead been generally unwell with sore throats, tummy aches and headaches.  In the run up to Christmas, while we manage this outbreak in school, please help us by not sending your child into school if they are unwell.  Please also follow advice about getting children tested and together we will identify both symptomatic and asymptomatic cases within the community to minimise the spread. 

Key Covid symptoms you should be aware of include:

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

Additional symptoms that may be early warnings of COVID-19 in children include:

• upset stomach
• headache
• sore throat
• unusual fatigue

Some highlights from this week

Middle school have been busy making delicious, healthy wraps, children have also been enjoying playing chess.

Upper school children have been earning their pen licences for working on their handwriting and presentation.  Well done everyone!

Welcome!

We are very pleased to welcome a new member of staff to the school office team.   Philippa Cooksey has joined us as Finance Administrator and will be working in the front office with Olivia Maury.

PTfA Carols and Cakes

Please come along a little early on Friday 10^th December and let the school choirs get you in the mood for Christmas.  We will also be selling cakes and raffle tickets for our Christmas Hampers, so don’t forget to bring some cash!

Just a reminder that lower school are collecting RED items, middle school GREEN and upper school WHITE/SNOWMAN THEMED items for the hampers and we would be really grateful for your contributions.

We would also love some volunteers to help us sell raffle tickets and cakes on the day.  If you would like to help, please email us at fulbournprimaryptfa@gamil.com

St. Vigor’s Church Gift Service 12^th December 2021

St. Vigor’s Church needs your help to provide Christmas hampers for local Fulbourn residents – please see the information attached.

Big Fish Schoolwear – Christmas Break Details

Please see the letter below from Big Fish Schoolwear with details of their Christmas order deadlines.

Christmas Lunch

We hope that your child will join us in having a Christmas lunch at school on 9^th December – please see the menu below:

JS Sports – Christmas Camp

JS Sports will be running Winter Christmas Sports Camps at Fulbourn Primary School on Monday 20th, Tuesday 21st, Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd December.  For more information, please see the poster.

To book places please follow this link:  https://www.jssports-education.co.uk/holiday-activities-v1

Fulbourn Winter Festival

This Sunday!

Information from Fulbourn Arts:  Don’t forget to light up your house and join the self-guided walking tour map!  Send your address to Sarah at sesmason@hotmail.com who’s compiling the map which will be published on the Fulbourn Arts website www.fulbournarts.org on the Winter Festival page.  There will also be a QR code to link to the map and it will be put up for you to scan at the Festival on Manor Walk.  There will be a full schedule of free music performances all afternoon!

Lantern making workshop Sunday 5th December between 10am and 12am near Manor Walk

Children who do not attend schools in Fulbourn but who might like to make a lantern and join in the lantern walk the school children in Fulbourn are doing to the turning on of the Christmas lights on Manor Walk, should contact Deanna Tyson at deanna@deanna-tyson.com.  Please note, numbers and times are limited.

Fulbourn Primary School families – if parents would like to take their children along and join in the singing at Home Close, could they arrive there for 3.00 p.m., with their blue lanterns.  After the singing, the parade will walk to St. Vigors.

Anglia Ruskin University – Myopia/Short-sightedness study

ARU are currently recruiting children aged 6-14 for a clinical trial at Anglia Ruskin University Vision and Eye Research Institute in Cambridge, to trial a spectacle lens for controlling progression of myopia (short-sightedness).  Children enrolled on the trial would receive free myopia control spectacles (usually only available privately) for the 1 year trial duration.  For more information please see the document below:

Early Intervention Family Worker Team

Cambridgeshire County Council’s Early Intervention Family Worker Team offer a support line where parents and carers can speak to a friendly professional from the Team about any child or young person aged 4 to 12 in Cambridge and the surrounding areas.  Please see the poster below for more information

Notifying us of your child’s absence

For any student absence, can we ask that you fill in the student absence form on the school website. There is now a quick link button on the home page.

If you choose to email, the more information you can provide, the more helpful it is to the office team. Please do not use Seesaw or any other email address to report absence.