St James E-News

8th July 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,

Following the government's announcement this week about moving to Step 4 of the Covid recovery programme we have been digesting the latest guidance from the DfE, and I will send out a letter early next week about the new arrangements. The good news is that in September we will mostly be able to return to school life as it was pre-pandemic, all being well.

This week our new outdoor gym on the KS2 playground was finished and the children have been trying it out today. We funded this project with our Sport's Premium money which we receive from the government each year. The money is ring-fenced and can only be spent on specific items that will increase children's fitness and participation in sport. It is with this money that we also funded half of the trim trail cost and the running track.

We decided that the first class to use the gym should be the winners of the PTA Penny Wars, and this was Owls who raised over £150, which was £90 more than the next class! Thank you to everyone who contributed, and this raised £450 overall for the children's Christmas parties. The PTA are looking for volunteers to replace the current committee in the autumn, they raise vital money to keep our school pool running along with many other projects, so please do consider giving your time, however limited, to help out.

Best wishes for a lovely weekend,

Valerie Elliott

School Notices

Please continue to follow the Government advice not to send your child to school if they are unwell, including if they have a cold. Please ensure that your contact details are kept up to date, if your child is unwell at school we will need you to collect them promptly.
Governor Survey - We emailed parents the link to the latest Governor Survey last week. The Governors would like to hear from all parents and would be grateful if you would click here to follow the link and let us have your feedback before the end of term. It is equally important for us to hear positive feedback as well as constructive criticism.
Impromptu Mufti Day Tomorrow - Football fever is here! To celebrate England's football success so far in the UEFA Euro 2020 competition, we will be having an impromtu Mufti Day tomorrow, Friday 9th July. Please bring your child to school in a football shirt or coloured clothes to support any country's football team.
Summer Reading Challenge - Farnham Library is delighted to invite pupils to sign up for the Summer reading Challenge which begins this Saturday 10th July in all of their Surrey Libraries and runs until 18th September 2021. Younger siblings can join in too with the mini challenge for children aged 3 years and under. Please see the letter on the parent Portal for more information.

Covid-19 Information

IMPORTANT - If your child or a member of your family has symptoms of Covid-19 you must get them tested as soon as possible using a PCR test. A lateral flow test can only be used to test people who do not display any symptoms
Please remember; if your child or a member of your family have Covid-19 symptoms please do not send your child to school - Please immediately arrange a test for the symptomatic member of your family and inform the school office as soon as possible. Your child and all members of your household will need to self-isolate at least until you receive the test result.
NEW COVID-19 INFORMATION FROM PHE - In response to the transmission of variants of concern, Public Health England (PHE) South East, is advising all close contacts of COVID-19 cases to get a COVID-19 PCR test (ideally 5 days after exposure or day five of isolation) whether or not they have symptoms of coronavirus COVID-19
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 which is monitored out of school hours.
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.