At Birchwood Avenue Primary School, we are fully committed to the safeguarding of pupils and take online safety very seriously. With the support of parents, we pro-actively teach our pupils how to keep themselves safe.

HEAD’S NEWSLETTER Educating hearts and minds

Birchwood Avenue Primary School Friday 13th March 2020 It has been a fortnight of exciting events and achievements at Birchwood. Last Sunday, our choir performed exceptionally well in the Hertfordshire Music Gala. This was an amazing opportunity for them to not only visit London but to perform alongside other school choirs and a live orchestra in the Royal Albert Hall. Miss Brown, Mr Pettifer and I were so impressed with our children, who represented Birchwood Avenue brilliantly with exemplary behaviour. On Monday, we also took part in the Welwyn and Hatfield Dance Festival. This was a great opportunity for our dance troupe to perform their brilliant routine that they have been preparing. Thank you to Mrs Cattermole and Mrs Griffiths for organising this. It’s also been a busy time for our Speed Stackers! Birchwood Avenue’s efforts have paid off and, once again, we have made it to the County finals next week. Well done to all of our Speed Stackers and thank you to Miss Smith. Lastly, today has seen all of the children take part in Sport Relief by running an impressive 10 laps around our field to total 1 mile. We successfully managed to raise £95.20. Well done to everyone for their effort - I know that Rolo definitely enjoyed the exercise! Wishing you all a lovely weekend, Mr Read

Important Dates: Thursday 19th March Phonics workshop – 3.30pm Tuesday 24th March Y5 Hatfield House trip Wednesday 25th March PSHE workshops – 2.15pm/4.30pm w/c Monday 30th March Parent Consultations Book Fair Friday 3rd April End of term – 1.30pm finish Monday 20th April INSET day – school closed Tuesday 21st April Pupils return to school

Coronavirus I know that many of you may be worried about Coronavirus. I would like to reassure parents/carers that we are following daily advice from both the Local Authority and Government, which currently includes a clear message that schools should not close. The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of a new continuous cough and/or high temperature. If your child or anyone within your household have any symptoms of coronavirus, however mild, stay at home and do not leave your house for 7 days from when the symptoms started. You do not need to call NHS111 to go into self-isolation. If your symptoms persist past 7 days, you should contact NHS 111 online at 111.nhs.uk. If you have no internet, you should call NHS 111. It is important to inform the school office of this so that we can obtain a reason for the absence and follow our plans accordingly. At present, I can confirm that we do not have any staff, children or parents diagnosed with Coronavirus. Please follow the Government’s self-isolation guidance when staying at home: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-people-with-confirmed-or-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection We continue to teach our children basic hygiene measures, including regular handwashing. It is important that we carry out the good hygiene we should all be doing anyway for colds and flu as this will significantly disrupt spread. § Catch it, Bin it, Kill it : Sneeze into disposable tissues “Catch it”, dispose of them “Bin it” and then wash hands

with warm soap and water or use hand sanitiser gel if it is not possible to wash (“kill it”.) § Wash your hands regularly with soap and water § Avoid touching your face unless you’ve just washed your hands § Ensure surfaces are cleaned with good detergents regularly (eg handles, worktops, light switches etc)

At Birchwood Avenue Primary School, we are fully committed to the safeguarding of pupils and take online safety very seriously. With the support of parents, we pro-actively teach our pupils how to keep themselves safe.

Phonics Workshop for Parents As you may know, the statutory phonics screening check takes place each June. All children in year 1 and those in year 2 who need to re-sit must take part. To help you support your child and to give you more information about this, Mrs Mowatt will be running a workshop on Thursday 19th March from 3:30- 4:30pm. There will be chances for you to see what the check is about, ask questions and find out what you could do to help before having a go with your child. Phonics is such an important skill and building block for reading. We work with it all through the school, not just in year one. If your child is not in year one or year two but you are keen to help them with their reading you are also welcome to attend. It was fantastic to see so many of you at our last phonics workshop. We hope to see you all on Thursday! Sharing Safeguarding This week’s focus: The journey to and from school Remember: If you have any concerns about a child, please speak to one of the school’s Designated Senior Persons: Mr Read, Miss Brown or Mr Hawley. Alternatively, telephone 0300 123 4043.

School Uniform For all uniform and PE kit enquiries, please see our website.

Contact Us * admin@birchwoodavenue.herts.sch.uk ( 01707 262503

@birchwoodavesch

At Birchwood Avenue Primary School, we are fully committed to the safeguarding of pupils and take online safety very seriously. With the support of parents, we pro-actively teach our pupils how to keep themselves safe.