Archive for January, 2022

Newsletter 27/01/2022

St Luke’s CE Primary School Newsletter

27.1.22

Dear Parents,

The number of covid cases is increasing across school.  There are now cases in all but one of the classes.  The symptoms in the children have ranged from 24hours of feeling unwell to a slight raised temperature, flu like symptoms to upset stomachs.  Please be vigilant and test your child if you think they may possibly have it.  Remember the best defence in primary aged children is lots of handwashing and catching and binning coughs and sneezes.

This week the children in KS2 have enjoyed an online production by the Red Earth Company.  Their performance has sparked a lot of thinking and follow up work.  The children have enjoyed both the production and the work.

Talking of productions children in Kestrels, Peregrines and Ospreys brought home letters about a trip to the ballet if you have not yet returned your child’s slip please can you.  If the letter did not make it home or you have misplaced it, please ask and we will send you another.

Our change 4 life champions went to New Mills Leisure centre this week for their training.  I am looking forward to hearing their plans to help us all be a little bit healthier.

Our representatives on High Peak Kids Council, a pupil parliament for the schools in the PEGS cluster, tell me they are starting a campaign across the cluster about parking.  All the schools, I am told, reported that parking and traffic outside their school is a problem.  Watch this space for more information about how they want us adults to help solve this problem.

Our IVengers, our online safety ambassadors, are also gearing up to give us our challenges for this term.  They are doing some really good work around helping all the children stay safe online.

With so many children helping us all learn how to be happy, healthy and safe it feels as if the future is in good hands.

Stay happy and healthy

Alice Littlehailes


Newsletter 20/01/2022

St Luke’s CE Primary School Newsletter

20.1.22

Dear Parents,

We have been really lucky this week and been able to welcome a dancer from The Northern Ballet into school.  The children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 all had a class workshop with her.  They loved hearing about their new ballet based on Pinocchio and becoming dancers themselves.

Congratulations to everyone who took part in the Glossop Jog, we won the trophy for the school that raised the most money. An amazing achievement.

You will all have heard that the Covid rules are changing next week.  The planned changes will not affect school.  The isolation rules will still apply so if a child tests positive they need to isolate. If they have no temperature and test negative on a lateral flow on day 5 and day 6 they can return to school on day 6.  If they get 2 negative tests on 2 consecutive days after they can come back in.  After 10 days they can come in unless they have a temperature.  We have had relatively few cases here.  To help you we have been letting you know if there is a case in your child’s class.  As close contacts are now asked to test for 7 days we are letting the parents of older children who sit on a table with a child who has tested positive know so they can make a decision about daily tests.  I know this may feel a little arbitrary and children play outside together possibly getting close but there is much less risk of infection outside.  We will continue to keep this under review.  Thank you for all you are doing to keep all our community as safe and well as possible.

Some of the Year 5 & 6 children have been watching The Royal Institute Christmas Lectures at lunchtimes.  This year they have been all about viruses.  I watched them over Christmas and found them brilliant, so informative.  Interestingly so did an infectious diseases doctor I know who also was very impressed by them.  They are still on IPlayer if you want to find out more about how tests work, the way pandemics work or how viruses infect us and mutate.

January is often considered to be the hardest month of the year, dark and cold.  If you are struggling even a little bit remember we are here, sometimes all you need is a friendly chat.

Stay happy and healthy

Alice Littlehailes


Newsletter 13/01/2022

St Luke’s CE Primary School Newsletter

13.1.22

Dear Parents,

Happy New Year. It feels very odd to be wishing you that on the 13th of January but my good wishes are still real. I hope we all have a good year in 2022 that our dreams stay big and our worries stay small and we never have to carry more than we can hold. I know there will be ups and downs across the year but I hope that at the end of the year we can all say on balance this year has been ok.

The children have come back in ready to learn, which is fantastic. A number of them have been given smart watches for Christmas that connect to the internet and or can take pictures or films. I would ask that the children do not wear these to school but keep them for home.

Swimming re-starts next week on Thursday 20th for Year 2 and Year 6. They have five weeks of swimming up to half term.

Before we broke up for Christmas I received a number of complaints about the parking outside school. Please remember not to park on the pavements or block people’s drives. It is often better to park a little bit further from school and make sure everyone is safe.

Just a reminder that holidays during term time are not something I can authorise, the rules state:

In September 2013 the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 came into force. These regulations make it clear that Headteachers should not grant approval for any leave of absence during term-time, including holidays, unless there are exceptional circumstances. These regulations also state that holidays cannot be authorised retrospectively.

Any requests should be on an official school absence request form and handed into the school office for consideration prior to any holiday/leave arrangements being made.

You may be issued with a Penalty Notice should leave be taken which is not authorised. If unpaid this could lead to prosecution under section 444(1) of The Education Act 1996.

As you know the number of Covid cases across the county is very high and I know a number of people had covid over the holiday. Since coming back we have already had a number of cases reported to us. Please remember to follow all the guidelines and keep vigilant. The rules for primary school children are that if they are a close contact of somebody who has tested positive they can continue to attend school as long as they have a daily lateral flow test for 7 days. If the test becomes positive or they develop symptoms they must isolate. The isolation period is 10 days unless they test negative with a lateral flow test on day 6 and day 7. These rules also apply to vaccinated adults.

Covid has led to more people becoming eligible for free school meals. If you think your child might be eligible you can apply at checking@derbyshire.gov.uk, by phone 01629 536400/535743 through the website www.derbyshire.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals . Please do apply if you think your child might be eligible even if they are in Key stage 1 and already get a free meal, as school receives additional funding.

PAS is restarting after school clubs next week. I have attached all the information. You can book a place by going on www.pas.uk.com/onlinebookings

Stay happy and healthy

Alice Littlehailes


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