Principal's Letter, 25 September 2020
Thank you very much for your support and positive feedback this week, in connection with equipping your children with face coverings/masks. I have been incredibly impressed to see how quickly our students have adapted to wearing them outside of their bubble areas, when queueing for the canteen, when purchasing food in the canteen itself and for a couple of minutes as they enter and leave site. Your children are a credit to you.
The reasons for wearing masks to keep each other safe and slow the spread of the virus are widely documented. We have seen the advice and understand the need for selflessness at this time, the need to follow the rules and consider those around us who may be clinically vulnerable, particularly with the current rise in cases and the new tighter measures outlined by our Prime Minister earlier this week. As Principal, I take my duty of care to every student and staff member very seriously and I pray fervently that working together, we will progress through this academic year without needing to self-isolate any classes or bubbles. I am indebted to you for working in partnership with us to make sure we can continue to give our students the best education in the safest way possible.
As we approach the mid-point almost of this half term, we will be beginning to hold our year group events and the details of these are below.
- Virtual Year 10 Information Evening
Due to Covid 19, the Year 10 information evening this year will be a virtual event. Please click here to join the meeting on Thursday 1st October at 6pm. There will also be a link on the website. Prior to joining the meeting, you will be asked to enter your name. First names only are sufficient; please then wait in the lobby to be admitted. Please switch your camera off and mute your sound. There is a chat facility for questions and how to access this will be explained at the start of the meeting. The evening will provide key information. - Year 7 Tutor Phone Calls
A letter has been issued to year 7 to bring home today outlining how to book a ten-minute telephone appointment with your child’s tutor for w/c 12th October 2020. I cannot emphasise enough how important it is to have these conversations with tutors to hear how your child is settling in, review learning and homework and raise any concerns you may have. The booking system opens at 4pm today. Please click
https://ormistonsixvillagesacademy.schoolcloud.co.uk to book your appointment. - Year 11 Information Evening
As for year 10, the Year 11 Information Evening will be a virtual event and it is essential that parents join this event. The link will be available on the website and will also be shared in next week’s letter. - Canteen – adding funds to accounts
Please can I appeal to you to top up your child’s account electronically. If you are unable to do this electronically, please discuss with your child the need for them to use the cash machine in the cafe before school. The Auto-Top facility has been reinstated for those payers who already had this before it was disabled during lockdown. We are waiting to hear when the next batch of availability will be released. For those of you new to the system, the Auto-Top facility enables an automatic top of funds (the amount specified by the payer) when the account balance falls to a set level (also specified by the payer). It means that the child never finds themselves with a zero balance. - Consultation on Admissions Arrangements
On 1st October, we will begin a six-week consultation to make an amendment to the oversubscription criteria. Full details of the proposal will be available on the website from 1st October. - Covid Symptoms
There has been some confusion this term relating to when it is necessary to keep your child at home and when your child may attend school. Last week, I outlined the main symptoms of coronavirus (high temperature, a new, continuous cough, a loss or change to your sense of smell and taste) and the action to take. Further details can be found on the following link: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms.
Students lost a high number of teaching hours during lockdown, and it is essential that all students aim for resilience and are only absent from school if they are displaying Covid symptoms and must self-isolate and get a test, or if another member of the family has symptoms and the family must self-isolate, or they have another ailment and are truly unfit for school. If your child has other mild symptoms such as a cold but is fit for school, they should and must attend. Your support in encouraging your child to soldier on if they are slightly under par will not only benefit them educationally now but will prepare them for life in the work place later.
Mr P Slaughter, Principal
