St James E-News
17th December 2021
Welcome to the St James Primary School's E-News, a weekly roundup of the latest goings on at the school.
Latest Headteachers Blog
Dear Parents,
A big thank you to everyone for all your support this term, especially in the last few days. From staff shortages to the sharp rise in Covid cases this week, it has been a challenging time. I appreciate the concerns a few parents have had about the additional testing that was advised by the UKHSA yesterday, but this measure is designed to protect the whole school community and ensure the school remains open. Yesterday, three children tested positive after taking a lateral flow test and this has meant that those children have been able to isolate immediately and not mix with their class.
We are all wondering what the next few weeks will bring, but as always, the school staff are committed to supporting your children whatever the circumstances we are all in. I know staff are worried about the rise in cases and what this means for themselves and their families, so I would like to thank the staff for their ongoing resilience and optimism at such a difficult time.
There are news stories currently circulating about whether schools will reopen in January. At the moment we are expecting to reopen on 4th January, unless otherwise directed by the government. I will contact you if anything changes before then.
Lastly, but most importantly, I hope you all have a happy, restful Christmas and we look forward to seeing everyone again in the New Year.
Valerie Elliott
School Notices
-
Sinbad, The Elstead Panto Written And Directed By Mr Gardner - Tickets On Sale Now
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/elsteadyouthpantoCome along and help us raise money for charity. This, and every year, we are 'Panto with a Purpose'; all our profits will go to two charities.
This year we are raising funds for Target Ovarian Cancer. Information here: https://targetovariancancer.org.uk/ We are also raising money for Phyllis Tuckwell. Information here: https://www.pth.org.uk/This year's panto is Sinbad, providing great entertainment along with a bar, a café, a shop and a raffle with some AMAZING raffle prizes too! Not only this, but we are probably the cheapest panto around, with tickets a maximum of £8. Come along and join the fun!
- Reception and Junior applications for September 2022 - the national closing date for Reception and Junior applications for September 2022 entry is 15 January 2022. Surrey Admissions strongly encourage online applications via https://www.eadmissions.org.uk/eAdmissions/app. Parents can apply online from a smartphone or tablet as well as a laptop. If parents are unable to apply online, they will need to request a paper application form via the Surrey Schools & Childcare Service (0300 200 1004, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm). The completed paper application form must be received by Admissions (to their Quadrant Court address) by 15 January, so parents must allow time for the post to reach them. If parents need to apply on paper, Surrey Admissions recommend that they send applications by recorded post. Full information is available on Surrey's website at www.surreycc.gov.uk/primaryadmissions. The Surrey Schools & Childcare Service can also provide impartial help in completing an application.
Applications received after the closing date without an exceptional reason will be treated as late and will not be considered until all on time applications have been processed. This may jeopardise the chance of a parent being offered one of their preferred schools for their child. - 2021 Poppy Appeal - thank you to everyone who donated to this year's Poppy Appeal. £255.50 was raised by St James Primary School.
- Drop in sessions with our Home School Link Worker, Helen Owen - The role of the Home School Link Worker (HSLW) is to support families with a range of issues at home or at school. This includes offering support with:
Parenting challenges and/or access to courses/information
Families who are experiencing difficult times (e.g. financial concerns, illness, separation, addiction, domestic abuse, bereavement etc.).
Helping complete forms such as: Disability living allowance, school trips etc
Helping families access additional support or resources
1:1 sessions are available on Wednesdays. To book an appointment email Helen on hslw@st-james-elstead.surrey.sch.uk or ring the school office to request a call back.
Letters This Week
The following classes have had letters uploaded to the Parent Portal this week. Note: You will need to login to view this area.
- Penguins
- Owls
- Whole school
Covid-19 Information
- Please remember; if your child (or a member of your family) has Covid-19 symptoms please do not send your child to school - Please immediately arrange a PCR test for your child and inform the school office as soon as possible. Please do not send your child to school at least until you receive the test result and not before they are well. Whilst Government guidance no longer requires members of the household of someone testing positive to isolate for ten days, we would ask that you keep your child at home for the period of isolation to give a further level of protection to the physical and mental health all members of our school family.
All contacts of suspected Omicron cases do not need to isolate provided they are fully vaccinated and completing daily lateral flow tests.
Weekend Results: It is very important that you continue to notify us of Covid-19 test results still over the weekend by using the below email address.
results@st-james-elstead.surrey.sch.uk
A negative result will require a confirmation from the school before your child and siblings can return to school. Please do not send your child back to school until we have been in touch with you.
PTA News
Please click on the link below to find out about activities planned for next week and next term.News Blogs
Blog of the Week: Click on the picture below to find out more about the kestrels' gingerbread village.
Click below to view all the latest News Blogs:
Dates for your diary
View the school calendar for the latest information
Advertising Hub
Please see latest from our advertising hub:
School Meals
View this weeks school meals menu: