Headteacher Update
Dear Parents and carers
I hope that this update finds you well.
As time moves on and we ‘get used to’ what is unfortunately now considered our new norm for the present time, we all find ourselves facing a new and different set of challenges. It is understandable that at times we all experience anxiety and that is why we have developed the well-being page on our website.
https://www.st-marys-jun.hants.sch.uk/page/?title=Emotional+Well%2Dbeing&pid=326
Finding space in the day to just be is really important for everyone. Our children are used to stillness each day after lunch and for those who remain in school we have continued to do this. If this is something you have not had a go at yet – try it. Just 15 minutes to clear your mind and to recharge your batteries can make all the difference.
The teachers continue to put activities up on our website and are trying as much as possible to provide a balance of activities that can be done online, those that do not require a computer and some that can be done independently. For the older children there are also some more open ended tasks so that they can work on their independence in readiness for secondary school.
All of the work and advice can be found in the Parents Section of our website – How to help your child:
https://www.st-marys-jun.hants.sch.uk/page/?title=How+to+help+your+child%2E%2E%2E&pid=67
In these uncertain times, the most important thing is to maintain some sort of structure to the day and we have previously provided you with some sample timetables as a starting point. Attached to this update is a different way of thinking about this in terms of a checklist. I hope this is useful for those of you who want to try a different approach.
In our initial correspondence, we shared all of the teacher’s email addresses with you and many of you have made use of these to share news of work done or to raise concerns. We would ask that you continue to do this and to remind you to copy in the whole year group team just in case your child’s teacher is not available for any reason.
Year 3
Miss Ecektt n.eckett@st-marys-jun.hants.sch.uk
Miss Sherlock e.sherlock@st-marys-jun.hants.sch.uk
Mr Whincup a.whincup@st-marys-jun.hants.sch.uk
Year 4
Miss McGregor d.mcgregor@st-marys-jun.hants.sch.uk
Mr Gibbs a.gibbs@st-marys-jun.hants.sch.uk
Mrs Gill s.gill@st-marys-jun.hants.sch.uk
Year 5
Mr Rundle m.rundle@st-marys-jun.hants.sch.uk
Mrs Parsons h.parsons@st-marys-jun.hants.sch.uk
Mrs Candy e.candy@st-marys-jun.hants.sch.uk
Mrs Pressner f.pressner@st-marys-jun.hants.sch.uk
Year 6
Mr King e.king@st-marys-jun.hants.sch.uk
Miss Cosgrove c.cosgrove@st-marys-jun.hants.sch.uk
Mr Rimell p.rimmel@st-marys-jun.hants.sch.uk
SEND queries
Miss Bunkle j.bunkle@st-marys-jun.hants.sch.uk
Music Lessons
Mrs Malone r.malone@st-marys-jun.hants.sch.uk
Please note that either myself or Mrs Lillywhite are in school each day if you have any general queries or safeguarding concerns.
Over the last few weeks we have heard from many families who have used the chance to be out and about to develop their child’s cycling skills. This is a great opportunity while the roads are quiet to ensure that your child is confident and knows how to remain safe when the traffic eventually returns. The Hampshire Road Safety team have produced some really good resources to support families with this – please see the attachment.
Peace Poles
Congratulations to the Connor Family on their lovely pole, with additional bird box. This is the first photo I have had of a completed one, so if you have made one please send in a photo.
See the website for a photo of the finished pole.
Learning Support Assistant (LSA)
We are looking to recruit a LSA to start in September. The position is part time – 21.25 hours per week (term time only) and includes lunchtime cover. If you or someone you know would be interested in the position. Please follow the link below to the Hampshire Schools vacancy page:
https://hampshire.education-jobs.org.uk/Vacancy/SearchResults
Finally, I would like to point you in the direction of our message to all of the children (if you have not already seen it), with the involvement of every member of the St Mary’s team. Follow the link below to see our personal message to you all:
All of the weekly updates are also posted in the news section on the front page of our website if you need to look back over any of them.
Please take care of yourselves. We all miss you and are looking forward to a time when we can get together again.
Best wishes
Caroline Welch
Headteacher