School News
Update – 18th March 2020
There are currently a number of staff who are unable to come to work either because they are required to self-isolate due to members of their household having symptoms or because they are in the ‘at risk’ groups.
I will be using supply staff, student teachers and teaching assistants to cover classes and some teachers who normally work part time have offered to increase their hours for which we are extremely grateful. 15% of our pupils are currently absent from school, it is therefore likely that classes will be grouped together for certain points during the day.
Please be assured that we will always keep the children safe and we will not put large numbers of children in one class.
We continue to try and reduce the number of adults and visitors coming into school so all meetings, groups and ‘Grab a Grown Ups’ are cancelled.
At the moment guitar lessons are continuing but all other music lessons have been suspended. If parents have questions please can you email the school office on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and someone will get back to you.
School Absences
We are aware that you may be having problems getting through the school office in a morning to report absences as the phones are particularly busy.
Therefore, to report an absence for the next few weeks please follow the guidelines below:
If your child or any person in your household has a new persistent cough or fever/high temperature everyone in the household must stay at home for 14 days. If your child is absent for this reason please notify the school by sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. before 9am on the day of the first day of absence stating that they are self-isolating for 14 days.
If your child has any other symptoms please continue to ring 01666 502275 to report your child’s absence, again before 9am on the morning of your child’s first day of absence.
Many thanks for your continued support.
Please read this letter for the latest update from Mrs Woolley on the corona virus situation.
We have a vacancy for a parent governor which we are keen to fill as soon as possible.
St Mary’s Primary School has always aimed for a partnership with parents, which undoubtedly brings great benefits to the children. One of the most significant ways you can help in promoting this aim is to volunteer to be a parent governor. The governing body's main tasks are to support the school, ensure that pupils receive high quality education and plan for future development and improvement.
If you are interested in finding out more about this important role please read this letter and see the nomination form.
If you are interested in becoming a governor, please contact the school office with your nomination (self- nomination is acceptable), which will need to be with the school by 12.00 noon on Wednesday 18th March.
We would like to say a HUGE thank you to all the children who have entered our World Book Day competition.
Firstly, I would like to say a huge thank you to all the parents who have sent in such encouraging and supportive emails over this difficult time.
I have forwarded these on to all the staff and governors and they have been truly uplifted by your concern. I am very proud of our school community and how admirably everyone has responded.
Please read this letter for further details on how we are moving forward this week.
Please see this letter for details of the school re-opening on Wednesday 4th March.
I fully appreciate how worrying and upsetting this weekend has been for everyone at St. Mary’s School and indeed Tetbury as a whole.
Suddenly coronavirus is very close to us all and naturally our first thought is for our children and how we can protect them. It is clear from the many messages I have received and the activity on social media that there is a huge amount of anxiety amongst our parent body and the wider community.
I have received too many emails to be able to answer them all individually but I hope this letter will help answer some of your questions.
This letter from Public Health England gives further information on the recent corona virus case.
A member of staff at the school has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently getting all necessary support and advice from health services.
Whilst I fully understand this will cause anxiety amongst the school community, I can assure you all necessary steps are being taken to minimise risk to others. A deep clean of the school was carried out on Saturday 29th February. All people who have had contact with the person have already been identified, contacted and know if they need to exclude themselves from school.
From a health perspective it’s not necessary to close the school, we do have some operational difficulties with staff numbers and so I have taken the decision to close the school, hopefully reopening on Wednesday.
The best thing we can all do is to make sure we follow the public health advice which is to:
- Catch coughs and sneezes with a tissue, dispose of the tissue in a bit immediately and then wash your hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer
- Wash your hands with soap and water (or use hand sanitizer) frequently and especially on arrival and before leaving home or any childcare or educational setting, before cooking and eating, after using the toilet, and after breaks or sporting activities.
I will update you when I have further information to give.
You can keep up to date with national advice and Information regarding coronavirus by visiting https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
Yours sincerely
Mrs Jo Woolley
Headteacher
Breakfast with a Book!
On Wednesday 22nd January, we hosted our first ever early morning reading session, ‘Breakfast with a Book’.
We are delighted that so many Year 3 parents, carers and grandparents attended to learn more about how we teach reading, eat chocolate croissants, and most importantly have fun sharing amazing books and comi
cs.
As this was so successful, we intend to make ‘Breakfast with a Book’ a regular event, choosing different year groups to attend each month. Dates and times will be published in the newsletter.
Please remember, if you do have any questions regarding reading, see your child’s class teacher or Mrs Cartledge. We are always happy to help.
