St James E-News

25th February 2022

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,

We are now actively exploring ways of running our own school lunch service and are currently putting together a business case for the Governors. However, we are looking for someone with either project management knowledge and/or catering experience who can drive this project forward for us. Ideally, someone who can research the legislation and requirements for a lunch service, liaise with the local authority, (with support from the school) and on a more practical level develop menus, order food, help with recruitment and launch the service. The school is prepared to pay a small fee for these services, as we appreciate there is quite a lot of work involved.

If you are interested in this role, please send an email of interest to info@st-james-elstead.surrey.sch.uk for the attention of Lisa Nichol, our School Business Manager and we'll get back to you. If you know of anyone who would be interested in this role, please do pass on the information.

In light of the changes made to Covid regulations this week, please read the school Covid-19 information below. As before, please do not send your child into school if they are unwell and arrange a PCR test if they have Covid symptoms. We are starting to resume face to face assemblies for infants and juniors separately and over the next few weeks we hope that we can start to return to pre-Covid arrangements, particularly inviting parents back into school as volunteers. We have missed you!

Best wishes for a lovely weekend,

Valerie Elliott

School Notices

Eco Team Fundraising Challenge Ends Today! - Our Eco Team are fundraising so that we can apply for our Eco Schools Green Flag. Please see the flyer on the Parent Portal for details.
School Access Update – We hope that the necessary tree work that affects the school field will be completed during the week commencing 7^th March. Until then, we ask you to continue to access the school through the car park and West Hill. Access to the scooter rack outside Year 2 is out-of-bounds - please use the gazebo on the KS1 playground.
Early Years and Key Stage 1 Reading Scheme and Reading Spine - We are pleased to share the new reading initiative for children in Early Years and key Stage 1. Please ensure you read the information on the Parent Portal
Donated books for Book Swap/Donations - the last date for donations is Monday 28th February. Please see the letter on the Parent Portal for more details.
Open Classrooms - these continue next week, at the end of the school day, giving parents an opportunity to view their child's work in the classroom. Please see the dates for each individual class.

Friday 25th February - Y1 Owls

Monday 28th February - Y6 Eagles
Tuesday 1st March - Y5 Kestrels
Wednesday 2nd March - Y2 Robins
Thursday 3rd March at 3pm - Y3 Kingfishers

Walking Instructor Vacancies -The Safer Travel Team at Surrey County Council are recruiting for Walking Instructors to run our new Feet First: Walking Training programme. please follow the link below for all the relevant job details and how to apply.
Surrey County Council - Job details (surreycc.gov.uk)
Interviews will be held from next week onwards.
Additional Financial Support for Families - We are aware that some families may be experiencing additional financial challenges at the moment. If you are in this situation, we may be able to help you access some financial support. You can email our Home School Link Worker Helen Owen - hslw@st-james-elstead.surrey.sch.uk with regards to this.
Bikeability Cycling Instructor Vacancies - The Cycle Training Team at Surrey County Council are recruiting for Bikeability Cycling Instructors. Please click here for more details.
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. 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
Robins
Whole school

Covid-19 Information

Please remember; if your child has Covid-19 symptoms please do not send your them 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.

In the light of the recent Government announcement the following guidance from Surrey LEA takes effect from Thursday 24th February;

Pupils/Students and staff should attend if they are well
Pupils/Students and staff should stay at home if they are unwell – schools/settings should refuse entry to those that are symptomatic or unwell
Have a PCR test if you have COVID-19 symptoms and stay at home and avoid contact with other people if you test positive for at least 5 full days and then continue to follow the guidance (tests will remain available until the end of March 2022)
Get vaccinated
Let fresh air in if meeting indoors, or meet outside
Wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces, especially where coming into contact with people you do not usually meet and when rates of transmission are high
Wash your hands and follow advice to “Catch it, Bin it, Kill it”