May 4, 2020

Dear Parents and Carers

I hope this finds you safe and well and gearing up for another week. We have no news on if and when the school will reopen as yet and what this might look like. We, like you, will be following the news as usual this week to see what the plan of action might be. There won't be a celebration assembly this week but keep your eyes peeled for a special message from the staff coming out later this week (I hope...technology willing!).

I'm glad that you are finding the home learning useful.  I am pleased that we are able to keep in touch with the children regularly in this way, as many schools are not able to do this. Please do remember that there are a wealth of activities online and otherwise that your children can do if they finish work quickly or need extra engagement. Class teachers are best placed and more than happy to answer any questions on this for you.  The website 'Twinkl' has a wealth of activities - just navigate to your child's year group or the year above/below to suit them. Other suggestions are: 

http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/  

https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/primary/zd7p47h

https://www.themathsfactor.com/     (Carol Vorderman's maths website)

Well done to Five Bridges class who finished second in the Sumdog competition last week! Great achievement! 

It has been lovely to see the children's developing life skills as they learn to bake, tie shoelaces and build models. We shouldn't underestimate how important these activities are also.

FITNESS:

If you're finding Joe Wicks a bit much (or not enough), here are some alternative ideas to keep your children active:

DECATHLON HOME WORKOUTS: FOR THE MORE ADVANCED!

Decathlon are hosting live home workouts on weekdays Monday-Friday. Sessions will be 30-45 mins long and will include Bodyweight Hitt, Abs mobility, Core, Strength and Tabata sessions and more.  Please see link below. 

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/live-fitness-sessions.html?SPMID=jCxFyM6pgfLp7YAOmRPWxg&PMSRC_CAMPAIGN=CMP_020528&utm_medium=email&utm_source=decathlon_united%20kingdom&utm_campaign=relational_20200419_livefitness

YOGA

Yoga is very useful to help calm and relax you.  There are lots of different YouTube videos although they are aimed mostly at younger children or adults.  This link is suitable for all age ranges: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X655B4ISakg

Cosmic Kids is for younger children but could be used if you want to do some gentle exercise and have a laugh too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbCjkPlsaes

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT:

A new helpline has been launched to support parents and carers who are worried about how their child is coping during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Dorset Council’s Educational Psychology Service has set-up the helpline to support those who are worried about their child or teenager during the lockdown.

The helpline number is: 01305 228300. It is open from Monday to Friday from 9am to 4.45pm. Callers need to ring and make an appointment for a 30 minute phone consultation.

Calls are confidential unless there is a risk of harm to the caller, their child or someone else. Brief records are kept of each call.

The service is open to all families in the Dorset Council area.

For Somerset families, if you feel it would help to talk to someone, please contact:

Mindline Somerset’s Coronavirus emotional support helpline on 01823 276 892. Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

https://www.camhs-resources.co.uk/ is a site created for young people, carers and professionals to pool together lots of helpful resources from across the internet that are available to help support you and your child/ren's mental health and well-being. I hope that you find it helpful.

Take care and stay safe.

Best wishes

Emma