Friday 8^th January 2021

Dear Parents,

I hope this letter finds you well and you find the information outlined useful as we update you further on the situation at school.

Firstly, I wish to remind our families that they are able to contact us should they need help, advice or support. If we can help, we will. School is open, albeit to restricted numbers of pupils – staff are working both on site and remotely to support the continuation of learning for all pupils. Some routine school operations have been put on hold due to a number of factors related to the current situation, for example due to staff needing to self- isolate or needing to fulfil their own care commitments.  Some others areas of school operation may take a little longer to complete than under ‘normal’ circumstances. We know the vast majority of our parents understand and thank you for your patience. We aim to get all school operations running as close to normal as soon as we possibly can, especially in the case of extended childcare provision for our frontline workers. Hopefully, the local and national picture relating to COVID-19 will begin to improve and this will help in these endeavours.

Secondly, to support with communication at this challenging time and so that parents receive a response as soon as possible, I wished to clarify who parents should firstly contact at school.  If it is any matter relating to learning – remote or on site – please contact class teachers on the email addresses outlined below. This also applies if you wish to consult with your child’s class teacher about your child’s wellbeing during this difficult time. Our technicians are continuing to address any issues linked with Microsoft Teams and I know some children are beginning to contact school staff directly via MSTeams for support with their learning, although we know this is understandably more likely to be our older pupils, and they should continue to be able to do so.

Miss Hughes (Reception & Year 1) - misshughes@cropthorne.worcs.sch.uk

Mrs Komor (Year 2) - mrskomor@cropthorne.worcs.sch.uk

Mrs Jones (Year 3) -  mrsjones@cropthorne.worcs.sch.uk

Mrs Hunt (Years 4&5) - mrshunt@cropthorne.worcs.sch.uk

All other queries, such as arrangements for children of key workers and those who are vulnerable, Free School Meals, or to contact myself or Mrs Evans please do so via office@cropthorne.worcs.sch.uk. The office is not able to be routinely staffed at the moment so parents should firstly contact Mrs Evans via email.

Thirdly, I wish to thank our parents and staff for the incredible work they are doing to support the children with their learning. We know it is extremely challenging, with everyone in their own unique personal circumstances. Stay in touch, stay safe and know that we are here for you.

Finally, I very much hope that our children and parents are able to set aside schoolwork this weekend and get some well-deserved rest after what has been an extraordinarily difficult week for everyone.

Yours Sincerely,

 

Rob Bothma

Headteacher