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Parentmail 27.1.22
Dear Parents/Carers,
We wish all our families who are celebrating on Tuesday 1st February, a happy Chinese New Year. If you have any traditional dress your children would like to show us, they are welcome to wear their outfit to school - it would be lovely to see them. Here's a link to a story read by Mrs Williams all about Chinese New Year
https://lakeside-primary-school-cardiff.primarysite.media/media/chinese-new-year-story-1
NSPCC Number Day Friday 4th February
Next Friday is NSPCC Number Day in which pupils and staff are invited to come to school wearing something (or everything!) with numbers on it. We will be collecting money for the NSPCC on the gate in the morning and look forward to seeing some of the ingenious costumes our Lakeside families come up with!
Covid Update
Although Wales moves to Alert Level Zero on Friday 28th January, schools will be keeping all of their mitigation factors in place until half term. This is because there are still high numbers of cases amongst staff and pupils across the City. This means that there will be no change with the indoor afterschool clubs until this point.
The isolation period will move to five days in line with the rest of Wales. If your child tests positive for Covid 19, they must self isolate for 5 days. If your child has two negative LFTs on the morning of day 5 and day 6, they may return to school. If either or both of these LFTs remain positive, testing must continue until your child has two consecutive negative tests, or they reach day 10, before they return to school.
Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend
A reminder that the Big Garden Birdwatch takes place over the weekend, in which families all over the country record how many birds they see in their gardens and report this to the RSPB. Use this link for information https://www.rspb.org.uk/globalassets/downloads/biggardenbirdwatch/2022/bgbw_guide_printable_english_v2.pdf
Please remember tomorrow is an inset day!
Wishing you all a warm, safe and pleasant weekend. Look forward to seeing you all back on Monday.
Best wishes,
Rachel Mitchell
Headteacher
Upcoming events
January 2022
February 2022
March 2022
April 2022
June 2022
TERM DATES & INSET DAY/Bank Holidays REMINDER
Term dates 2022-23
Monday 5th and Tuesday 6th September are INSET DAYS
Pupils return to school on Wednesday 7th September
Parentmail 21.1.22
Dear Parents/Carers,
We have again been lucky with the weather this week and the children have been able to spend plenty of time outside in the sunshine.
Thank you to the PTA for purchasing and organising their new storage container in place of the old shed that was at the front of the school. It was delivered this week, to the great excitement of the children who saw it arrive. Space is at a premium in school and we’re grateful that the PTA came up with this practical solution (and matched it to the school colour).
Year 5 Cycling Proficiency
Next week will be busier at school as Year 5 start their Cycling Proficiency training on Monday. Look out for a lot more bikes arriving on Monday and leaving on Thursday.
Chinese New Year
Also next week, in celebration of Chinese New Year on 1st February, Chinese Dance workshops will take place over the course of Wednesday and Thursday. The New Year will be the Year of the Tiger!
Covid Update / After-School Football Club
From today, crowds are allowed to return to sporting events and there are no limits on those attending outdoor events. This means that Football club on Tuesdays can revert to being for Years 5 and 6 – this will start on Tuesday next week (25th January). Hopefully, the indoor clubs will return to mixed year groups soon.
Choir (FP Hall) |
Football |
Gymnastics (FP Hall) |
Monday 24th Jan – Year 6 Monday 31st Jan – Year 5 Monday 7th Feb – Year 6 Monday 14th Feb - Year 5 If a session is cancelled for any reason, it will NOT be replaced. The dates above are fixed |
Tuesdays Years 5 & 6
|
Tuesdays for Year 3 Sam has informed us that due to numbers and restrictions she can only run sessions for Year 3 at present. Hopefully this won’t be for too long. |
HALF TERM BREAK |
Please don’t forget that next Friday – Friday 28th January – is an INSET DAY.
Wishing you all a warm, safe and pleasant weekend.
Best wishes,
Rachel Mitchell
Headteacher
Upcoming events
January 2022
February 2022
March 2022
April 2022
June 2022
TERM DATES & INSET DAY/Bank Holidays REMINDER
Term dates 2022-23
Monday 5th and Tuesday 6th September are INSET DAYS
Pupils return to school on Wednesday 7th September
Dear Parents/Carers,
The first full week back of the Spring term has been a very cold one! Thank you for ensuring that your children are wrapped up in plenty of layers as we try to balance Covid guidelines against cold classrooms. While the forecast is still for cold weather next week, it looks as if the iciness of this week will be gone – let’s hope so! It’s lovely to see the children outside enjoying the sunshine on these lovely winter days.
I’m delighted to be able to report that we have not had to close or partially close any year groups, though some of you will have received warn and inform letters. We appreciate your vigilance in not sending symptomatic children to school and your readiness to act promptly should symptoms develop whilst your child is at school.
School finish time update
Following Mark Drakeford’s announcement today that rules are relaxing for outdoor events, we have decided to dispense with the staggered finish times from Monday 17th January. Pick-up times for your child/ren will revert to what they were before (i.e. 3.30pm for Key Stage 2; 3.15pm for Nursery and Reception; 3.25pm for Years 1 & 2).
Changes to AFTER-SCHOOL CLUBS
Gymnastics will restart on Tuesday for Year 3 only – there are still some spaces available. If your Year 3 son/daughter would like to sign up for gymnastics this term please visit Clubenrolment.com/Gymnastics4schools to book a place, or email gymnastics4schools@yahoo.com for more info.
Choir (FP Hall) |
Football |
Gymnastics (FP Hall) |
Monday 17th Jan – Year 5 Monday 24th Jan – Year 6 Monday 31st Jan – Year 5 Monday 7th Feb – Year 6 Monday 14th Feb - Year 5 If a session is cancelled for any reason, it will NOT be replaced. The dates above are fixed |
Tuesday 18th Jan – Year 5 Tuesday 25th Jan – Year 6 Tuesday 1st Feb – Year 5 Tuesday 8th Feb – Year 6 Tuesday 15th Feb – Year 5 If a session is cancelled due to staff absence or bad weather it will NOT be replaced. The dates above are fixed |
Tuesdays for Year 3 Sam has informed us that due to numbers and restrictions she can only run sessions for Year 3 at present. Hopefully this won’t be for too long. |
HALF TERM BREAK |
Year 5 Cycling Proficiency
All Year 5 parents/carers should have received letters to return to school by now, regarding Cycling Proficiency.
Class 5V will receive their Cycling Proficiency training from 24th January and Class 5T will start their training on 31st January.
Parking in the area around school
We understand that Woolaston Avenue was blocked earlier this week. Residents have asked us to remind those of you who drive your child/ren to school and park in and around this area to be careful not to block driveways and the road when you park. Thank you.
Wishing you all a warm, safe and pleasant weekend.
Best wishes,
Rachel Mitchell
Headteacher
Upcoming events
January 2022
February 2022
March 2022
April 2022
June 2022
TERM DATES & INSET DAY/Bank Holidays REMINDER
Term dates 2022-23
Monday 5th and Tuesday 6th September are INSET DAYS
Pupils return to school on Wednesday 7th September
Dear Parents/Carers,
It was a great pleasure to welcome pupils back to school yesterday. They were very happy and excited to be back, though the weather was particularly wet at exactly the wrong moment for going home! I think I need a bigger umbrella!
Our focus in school at the moment is on keeping teaching and learning as normal as possible alongside an awareness of the potential impacts of the current Covid situation on pupil wellbeing. I am always so impressed by their – and your – ability to adapt to new guidance and arrangements. We are hoping that the additional measures we have in place at the moment, including staggered finish times, will not be in place for very long. As good ventilation has been recognised as the most effective way of preventing the spread of infection, we are endeavouring to open doors and windows as much as possible, so please ensure that pupils come to school wearing plenty of warm layers. The CO2 monitors promised by Welsh Government have arrived at school for each classroom and are in the process of being set up.
Home learning books are being sent home with your child/ren. This is only a precaution in case of a sudden move to remote learning. They include any log-in details you might need in the event that this happens.
A reminder of the changes to finish times:
Start times remain the same. The Schools’ Health & Safety Team has confirmed that as the children come in to school gradually over a 15-minute period, we do not need to stagger arrival times. Where you collect/meet your child(ren) also remains the same. Please remember to wear masks when dropping off and collecting your children. Thank you.
Year group |
Pick-up time |
Nursery am |
11.30am |
Nursery pm |
3.15pm |
Reception |
3.05pm |
Year 1 |
3.10pm |
Year 2 |
3.20pm |
Y3 |
3.20pm |
Y4 |
3.25 pm |
Y5 |
3.30 pm |
Y6 |
3.15 pm |
Wellbeing Class |
Individual taxi times |
Please can parents/carers collecting a child/children from Foundation Phase leave the playground via the lower gate, even if they have children to collect from the Key Stage 2 gates. Thank you.
Changes to AFTER-SCHOOL CLUBS
Football will now alternate between years 5 & 6 until Half Term, as below. We are awaiting confirmation on Choir and Gymnastics clubs. These arrangements will be reviewed after the Half Term Break.
Choir |
Football |
Gymnastics |
No session Monday 10th (Mrs Wilkinson is awaiting confirmation from Music Service that we are able to run choir in school) |
Tuesday 11 Jan – Year 6 Tuesday 18 Jan – Year 5 Tuesday 25 Jan – Year 6 Tuesday 1 Feb – Year 5 Tuesday 8 Feb – Year 6 Tuesday 15 Feb – Year 5 If a session is cancelled due to staff absence or bad weather it will NOT be replaced. The dates above are fixed |
No session Tuesday 11th (We are awaiting confirmation from the Gymnastic coaches that the club can go ahead in school) |
HALF TERM BREAK |
Polling
We have received notification that Lakeside Nursery will no longer be used as a polling station whenever there’s an election. The council has made arrangements to use The Discovery as a polling station instead of Nursery.
Wishing you all a warm, safe and pleasant weekend.
Best wishes,
Rachel Mitchell
Headteacher
Upcoming events
January 2022
February 2022
March 2022
April 2022
June 2022
ON |
FROM |
TO |
|
INSET DAY |
Friday 28 January, 2022 |
||
Break up for Spring Half Term |
Friday 18 February, 2022 |
||
Spring Half Term |
Monday 21 February, 2022 |
Friday 25 February, 2022 |
|
Back to school |
Monday 28 February, 2022 |
||
Break up for Easter holiday |
Friday 8 April |
||
Easter Holiday |
Monday 11 April, 2022 |
Friday 22 April, 2022 |
|
Back to school for Summer Term |
Monday 25 April, 2022 |
||
EARLY MAY BANK HOLIDAY |
Monday 2 May, 2022 |
||
Break up for Half Term |
Friday 27 May, 2022 |
||
Summer Half Term |
Monday 30 May, 2022 |
Friday 3 June, 2022 |
|
JUBILEE BANK HOLIDAY |
Monday 6 June, 2022 |
||
INSET DAY |
Tuesday 7 June, 2022 |
||
Last day of term for pupils |
Thursday 21 July, 2022 |
||
INSET DAY |
Friday 22 July, 2022 |
||
Term dates 2022-23
Monday 5th and Tuesday 6th September are INSET DAYS
Pupils return to school on Wednesday 7th September
Parentmail 4.1.22
Dear Parents,
Happy New Year to all our Lakeside families! I hope that you all had a restful break with opportunities to catch up with family and friends.
As you are aware, the council created two closure days for us to be able to plan for rising cases and the impact of the Omicron variant, particularly on staff absence. This includes teachers and teaching assistants, cleaners, mid-day supervisors, our caretaker, admin staff and leadership team members. Following a detailed review of our situation and an assessment of the various likely scenarios, I’m delighted to say that school will be open on Thursday to all pupils and we look forward very much to seeing them.
ADDITIONAL MEASURES – January 2022
Cardiff Council has placed schools at a Very High Risk level, which means additional measures will be put in place to ensure the safety of pupils, staff and visitors to the site.
In addition to our current measures that are in place, we are now also doing the following:
START & FINISH TIMES
We are aware that many families found staggered school starts and finish times challenging, so start times will remain the same as they are at the moment, however, to ease congestion at the end of the school day, we are adjusting the pick-up times slightly, as follows (please note that the collection points remain the same):
Year group |
Pick-up time |
Nursery am |
11.30am |
Nursery pm |
3.15pm |
Reception |
3.05pm |
Year 1 |
3.10pm |
Year 2 |
3.20pm |
Y3 |
3.20pm |
Y4 |
3.25 pm |
Y5 |
3.30 pm |
Y6 |
3.15 pm |
Wellbeing Class |
Individual taxi times |
Parents collecting a child/children from Foundation Phase must leave the playground via the lower gate, please, even if you have children to collect from the Key Stage 2 gates. Please remember to wear masks when collecting your children. Thank you.
DRAGONFLIES
The facility will continue as before, with all the mitigations that were in place last term (year group bubbles); weekly staff Lateral Flow testing will increase to three times per week.
CLUBS AND EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Choir, football and gymnastics after-school clubs are under review as we complete our preparations for a safe return to school. We will confirm our decision regarding these as soon as possible.
Year 5 Cycling Proficiency is planned to go ahead, as are Key Stage 2 swimming lessons this and next term, but will be reviewed regularly with Covid rates and risks in mind.
IN THE EVENT OF YEAR GROUP HOME LEARNING / NEED FOR PUPIL ISOLATION
A return to Home Learning will be a last resort and any periods of Home Learning will be kept to a minimum. Home Learning is most likely to occur when staff availability is extremely low and we are unable to cover absences. Hub provision will be available during this period. Thanks to the flexibility of our staff we have been able to maintain full-time provision for all pupils so far and will make every effort to ensure that this continues.
Thank you so much for your patience in these uncertain times and for your continued co-operation regarding mask-wearing, distancing and getting yourselves and your children tested. I look forward to welcoming you all back on Thursday.
Best wishes,
Rachel Mitchell
Headteacher