Welcome back from Mrs De La Haye

Dear Parents & Friends of St John’s School,

Hello and “Welcome Back Everyone!” I hope we are rested and ready to begin a new term. We trust that Covid will not disrupt our school activities and plans this year.

Processes for the start of this term.

We have been given guidance to support the safety of staff and pupils at the beginning of the school term. This guidance includes:

Staggered starts and finishes to the beginning and end of the school day will no longer be required at the beginning of the term. This will be reviewed every few weeks due to the number of cases that may occur over time.

Entry and Exit into and from school.

Each pupil needs to come to school between 8:30 - 8:45 am and enter school through their classroom door. Years 5 and 6 will enter through the main entrance.
Nursery drop off times will be - 8:45am and collection at 2.45pm from the Nursery Entrance.
Each morning, Years Reception to Year 4 will enter via their classroom door.
Years 5/6 will enter through the main school entrance.
Please be aware that parking and build up of traffic around the school – particularly from 2:45 -3:15 pm – will be very busy. Walking, car sharing or parking in the village is recommended. There is nothing the school can do about this congestion. People in the village become highly frustrated if parents block the entrance to their homes. Please consider ways you can alleviate this situation where possible.
Please can parents with questions or concerns, either contact Mrs Falle, who will leave a message for their class teacher, or speak to the class teacher at the classroom door at drop off and pick up time. We will have a teacher on the road to help with pupils exit of cars and another teacher in the playground to guide pupils to their entry point.
To reduce risk of covid spreading, we are discouraging parents inside school at the beginning of each day unless it is essential.
At the end of the school day, we will encourage parents to meet their children outside their classroom door. Years 5 and 6 will exit through the main entrance. Nursery will leave school at 2:45 pm and other classes at 3:00pm.

Covid processes.

Key stage bubbles will be able to play together at break and lunchtimes and mix in school.
However, currently, Rec/ KS1 bubble will not be able to mix with the KS2 bubble.
Staff will wear masks/ visors when walking around the school. This is to protect the school community.
Staff will keep 1m distance from each other and where possible – from pupils.
The school will remain well ventilated and regular hand washing will be required by pupils and staff.
Only 15-minute key stage assemblies can take place in school. No school assemblies are permitted yet, due to ensuring that adequate space is available in the hall. Unfortunately, still, no singing in school.
The PTA AGM and Curriculum meeting, Pop-ins and parent meetings are unable to take place at the present time. The PTA AGM will take place in the hall with an invited quorum of key PTA members. All documentation will be emailed out to the school community.
Staff will have lateral flow tests twice a week and regular PCR tests every half term.
Pupils/staff displaying any potential sign of covid symptoms, will be sent home for parents/ staff to organise a PCR test with contact tracing.
Direct contacts will be asked to have a PCR test and if this is negative, pupils/ staff can return to school. Those who require a test must stay away from school until they receive a negative result – even if they feel well. This is to stop the spread of infection.
We hope to continue with trips and visits but will seek guidance with these.
All processes will be reviewed in school and with CYPES on a monthly basis and will be subject to change if cases increase.

Staff news

We are delighted to welcome Mr Hagon, our new teacher working in Year 4 with Mr. Pallant. I know he is very excited to be part of St John’s School Team.

We will enjoy an exciting Staff Inset Day on Monday September 6^th. We will reflect on the history skills being developed as part of our whole school Jersey focus. During this term, we will continue to work on our interactive approach to science learning and teaching, and how pupils will journal their understanding. Science is an on-track subject area for us this year, providing opportunities for questioning, investigation, challenge and reflection, as we deliver and connect a range of scientific thinking. Geography is also an on- track subject for us, as we seek to dive deeper into what makes outstanding Geography teaching and support our pupils develop into “Geographers”.

It is lovely to welcome new members into our community – this includes children and their families in Nursery, Reception, as well new pupils, who will begin an exciting journey at St John’s School.

Written permission is needed before children can arrive at school earlier than 8:30 am. This permission is only granted in exceptional circumstances, as the school has limited space to seat children at this time, as the classrooms are being prepped for the day and the hall is being used. Please do not leave children playing in the playground between 8:15 - 8:30 a.m. No child can be outside unattended; it is a health and safety issue. School begins at 8:45 am and children arriving after this time are recorded as late. Parents of children in Years 5/6, who will be walking to and from home from school independently, need to notify the school. This is to help us care for your child’s safety.

Please remember that the school will be closed throughout the day on Thursday September 9^th – Battle of Britain Day - when staff will be working on developing peer coaching skills and developing plans in different subject areas; as well as setting their targets for the year with the Leadership Team.

Our second school inset day will be Monday 25^th April 2022 and therefore, our Summer Term will begin on Tuesday April 26^th, 2022.

We are positive that the academic year 2021 -2022, will be an amazing year- even with Covid restrictions still in place. We look forward to supporting our pupils develop as learners through our exciting curriculum plan this academic year.

Yours sincerely,

Trudie De La Haye