Dear Parents/Carers

We would like to welcome our children back after the Christmas break and provide an update for the coming half term.

As before Christmas we will continue with the following measures –

• Limit the number of visitors within school, please contact the School Office if you would like to speak to a member of staff in the first instance. All visitors must wear a face covering.
• We will continue with the additional attention given to ventilation, cleaning and hand hygiene measures.
• We will reduce mixing between year groups where possible.

The current Government Guidance for a positive Covid 19 case is as follows –

• If there is a case within your household, other members do not need to isolate and children can still come to school.  – ‘People who are fully vaccinated, or children and young people aged between 5 and 18 years and 6 months, identified as a close contact of someone with COVID-19, should take an LFD test every day for seven days and continue to attend their setting as normal, unless they have a positive test result or develop symptoms at any time.’
• The main symptoms of Covid 19 are still – a high temperature, a new continuous cough and a loss of taste and smell.
• The Isolation period following a positive case has changed – ‘Individuals may now take LFD tests on day 6 and day 7 of their self-isolation period. Those who receive two negative test results are no longer required to complete 10 full days of self-isolation.’

Please keep school updated and inform us of a positive case. If leaving a message before the office opens at 8.30, please give full details of your child’s absence so we can determine what is Covid related as quickly as possible.

Breakfast club will start on Wed 5^th Jan and the children will be kept socially distanced.

There are no after school clubs/sports clubs for this first week – updates will follow.

Swimming will go ahead on Wed 5^th Jan, a text will be sent out separately regarding this.

Thank you

Dear Parents/Carers

Message from the Immunisation Team at the South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust

Could you please call us on 0191 4028179 if your child needs an alternative flu vaccine due to the porcine gelatine ingredient.

Thank you

Dear Parents/Carers

I just wanted to update you what will be happening in school in the lead up to Christmas. As you maybe aware, we are limiting visitors to school and holding virtual events where possible. This is to ensure, we are minimizing contacts in the school environment. We are also encouraging children to regularly wash their hands and keeping classrooms well ventilated.

Parent’s Evenings will be held via telephone this term. Your child’s class teacher will be in touch if they haven’t already done so. Merit Assemblies will occur within school as will the Attendance Shop. The pantomime has been put on hold for now, but will occur in 2022, restrictions permitting. Christmas dinner day will be on Friday 10th December. This will be the only meal available from the school kitchens on this day. Your child is welcome to wear their Christmas jumper or other Christmas clothing too. Christmas jumper day will also be held on Friday 17th of December. This is where we will be raising funds for Save the Children. We suggest a donation of 50p or a pound.

All year group Christmas events will be going ahead as advertised. Specific information will be given by your child’s teacher or what they need and what the event will look like.

Although this is not how we might have wanted Christmas to look like, we will do our best to make it enjoyable for the children. We hope 2022 lets us get back to a more normal existence.

Can I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all at Monkton Academy!

3rd December 2021

Dear Parent/Carer,

As you may be aware, the school has recently been awarded the PSQM (Primary Science Quality Mark) for the teaching of Science across all year groups. This would not have been possible without the hard work of all pupils and also the dedication of the staff to Science as a subject. However, as Science Coordinator I intend to make sure that these high standards are not only consistently met, but also that we continue to develop the subject within our curriculum. In order to do this, I must ensure that the impact of this is evaluated at regular intervals so that I can adapt and improve things as we move through the year in order for the children to continue to receive the best teaching and learning in Science as possible.  Therefore, I will be collecting information from not only pupils and staff, but also from yourselves as parents and carers, as your opinions are incredibly valuable to us as part of a home/school partnership.

I have attached a short questionnaire which I would be grateful if you could take a small amount of time to complete and return so that I can gain an idea of the ‘bigger picture’ that the children are bringing home with them after their Science learning so far this year. Please be completely honest, but can I also ask that the answers focus specifically on Science only, although if you feel that Science has impacted on learning in other areas of the curriculum I would love to hear that too.

After two difficult years we have all learnt that Science has never been more important in terms of its impact on our daily lives and I thank you for your continued support in this area. I will be repeating this activity with pupils, staff and parents again this year at  termly intervals in order to further evaluate and maintain the progress we are making in this subject.

Thank you for your time and I’m looking forward to hearing your responses.

Yours sincerely,

Mr Bircham

Science Lead/Coordinator

Do you want to borrow a Chromebook to help your child?

We have the opportunity for parents to borrow a Chromebook from school. This is what we use instead of laptops.

If you think that this maybe of use to you, please let us know by contacting the school office. The children log on as they do at school and have access to all the same software. It will certainly help your child and uses the same Google platform.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Dear Parents/Carers

We are noticing an increasing number of mobile phones being brought to school.

If your child must bring a mobile phone for safety reasons, it MUST be handed into the school office on arrival. If not, it is considered unauthorised .

It is then confiscated and will only be returned to the child’s parents.

Thank you for your co-operation in this matter.

Dear Parents/Carers

Thank you to everyone for helping us in our recent fundraising activities. We have raised the following amounts for two worthwhile causes. –

Poppy Appeal –  £291.89

Children in Need – £129.55

Also a big thank you to all children who brought in plastic bottles for our poppy display outside of school.

Dear Parents/Carers

Tempest Photography will be in school next Tuesday 23^rd November to take individual photos. Unfortunately due to the current COVID restrictions we cannot accommodate sibling/family photos.

Thank you

 4th November 2021

Dear Parent/Carer,

Following the information released earlier this week regarding Coronavirus restrictions from South Tyneside Council I can now inform you that the following clubs will run on the dates specified below for specific year groups. This is to minimise the cross year group interaction. 

• Nutrition Ninja’s will run on Mondays with no changes

• Breakfast Running Club: Please can students wear a few thin layers which can be removed easily, along with hats and gloves as this will remain outside as long as possible. 

Tuesday: 9th, 16th and 23rd November will be for Year 3 & Year 4 pupils only. 

Tuesday: 30th November, 7th December & 14th December will be for Year 5 & 6 pupils only.

(This is for those children who already attend this club, if you are interested in your child being part of this club, 07:30 – 08:15 am please let the office know). 

• Year 5/6 Rugby Club will be outdoors as long as the weather permits then a mixture of indoor sports will be offered. 

Tuesday: 9th, 16th, 23rd November will be for Y6 pupils only.

Tuesday: 30th November, 7th December & 14th December will be for Y5 pupils only. 

• Y3/4 Sports Club 

Thursday 11th, 18th, 25th  November Y4 pupils only.

Thursday 2nd, 9th, 16th December Y3 Pupils only. 

• Y5 Swimming will continue as normal.

If you have any questions regarding the above activities please contact the office.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs Moat

Sports Lead