Latest News
Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
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Wednesday 3 March 2021
Wed 03 Mar 2021Dear Parents / Carers,
We hope you are all safe and well and managed to get outside for some walks / bikes rides during half term.
We are looking forward to welcoming all the children back to school on Monday 8th March. Measures have been put in place to ensure the safe arrival and exit of all pupils and parents. There will be a one way system on the path and the drive, which will be clearly sign posted, for you to follow the correct route for your child's class. Staff will be visible to guide you around our one way system to keep everyone safe.
Please be patient with us in the coming days, as we have to get 250 children into school and parents off the premises as safely as possible. We will rise to the challenge! For the system to work we will need all parents to adhere to the exact drop off and pick times as this will avoid congestion and the number of parents on site at one time. Please find this information on the table below:EYFS
ENTRANCE
Drop Off Time
Collection Time
Enter and Exit via…
OAK
8.55
3.20
PATH
LILAC
8.45
3.10
PATH
WILLOW
8.45
3.10
PATH
MAIN
ENTRANCE
Drop Off Time
Collection Time
Enter and Exit via…
HAWTHORN
8.55
3.20
DRIVE
YEAR 5
8.45
3.10
DRIVE
YEAR 4
9.05
3.30
PATH
PLAYGROUND
ENTRANCE
Drop Off Time
Collection Time
Enter and Exit via…
YEAR 6
8.45
3.10
DRIVE
YEAR 3
9.05
3.30
DRIVE
If you have more than one child at the school, you can choose which time would be best to drop your children off and collect them. Please contact each of your child’s class teachers’ via email so they can have your children ready for collection.
Can all parents/carers ensure that they wear a mask when dropping and collecting children off at school, unless exempt from wearing one. Also can you ensure that you are mindful and adhere to the social distancing rules.What we do believe is that our community – staff, children, parents, grandparents and carers will be happier now that children are back with their friends and with their teachers.
Many thanks,
Mrs Perry -
Wednesday 3 March 2021
Wed 03 Mar 2021Dear Parents and Carers
Thankfully we are approaching the time when all the children can return to school and be with their classmates. School sent out a letter last week with some minor changes to the arrangements for coming on to the school premises and then leaving at the end of the day. This letter will be sent out again today.
Please remember that although the children will all be back in school, we all need to continue to stick to the Government Guidelines and more importantly to the school's risk assessment, on social distancing. The children will return to all the arrangements we put in place for September. They will still be sanitising their hands on the way in and adhering to all the systems we have put in place.
We, as a community, are not out of the woods yet. Infection rates, although decreasing are still high. As a result we all need to keep to the guidelines and keep each other safe. Please can parents wear a face covering while on the school premises, unless there is a reason why this should not be the case.
Once our children get back in to school we want them to stay here and we need your continued help to do this.
Any further information on school re-opening will be sent out later this week if needed.
Keep safe and well and I look forward to seeing you all on Monday.
Mrs. Perry
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Friday 26th February
Fri 26 Feb 2021Friday 26th February 2021
Dear Parents / Carers,
We hope you are all safe and well and managed to get outside for some walks / bikes rides during half term.
We are looking forward to welcoming all the children back to school on Monday 8th March. Measures have been put in place to ensure the safe arrival and exit of all pupils and parents. There will be a one way system on the path and the drive, which will be clearly sign posted, for you to follow the correct route for your child's class. Staff will be visible to guide you around our one way system to keep everyone safe.
Please be patient with us in the coming days, as we have to get 250 children into school and parents off the premises as safely as possible. We will rise to the challenge! For the system to work we will need all parents to adhere to the exact drop off and pick times as this will avoid congestion and the number of parents on site at one time. Please find this information on the table below:EYFS
ENTRANCE
Drop Off Time
Collection Time
Enter and Exit via…
OAK
8.55
3.20
PATH
LILAC
8.45
3.10
PATH
WILLOW
8.45
3.10
PATH
MAIN
ENTRANCE
Drop Off Time
Collection Time
Enter and Exit via…
HAWTHORN
8.55
3.20
DRIVE
YEAR 5
8.45
3.10
DRIVE
YEAR 4
9.05
3.30
PATH
PLAYGROUND
ENTRANCE
Drop Off Time
Collection Time
Enter and Exit via…
YEAR 6
8.45
3.10
DRIVE
YEAR 3
9.05
3.30
DRIVE
If you have more than one child at the school, you can choose which time would be best to drop your children off and collect them. Please contact each of your child’s class teachers’ via email so they can have your children ready for collection.
Can all parents/carers ensure that they wear a mask when dropping and collecting children off at school, unless exempt from wearing one. Also can you ensure that you are mindful and adhere to the social distancing rules.What we do believe is that our community – staff, children, parents, grandparents and carers will be happier now that children are back with their friends and with their teachers.
Many thanks,
Mrs Perry
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Thursday 25th February
Thu 25 Feb 2021Dear Parents and Carers,
It is World Book Day on March 4th. The children usually come dressed up as a character from a book. This year the day will be deferred until all the children have returned, so that no one misses out.
Mrs. Perry
:)
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Wedneday 24 February
Wed 24 Feb 2021Dear Parents and Carers
It is with much relief that we will welcome our children back on March 8th. I am sure that you are as relieved as we are!! All the children will return on that day. School will be re-instating the systems that were in place in the Autumn Term with some, what we hope will be, improvements. (More information to follow by the end of the week.)
Having said this, COVID is still with us and the disease has seemed very close to home in this latest lockdown. Many of us, both in school and at home, have experienced COVID close at hand. Therefore, we still have to take great care. Our Risk Assessment will be reviewed and will be put on the school website before March 8th. It will remain in place for the foreseeable future.
Smarties will remain closed until I am satisfied that our Risk Assessment is working well and that our children have returned safely. Clearly this will be as soon as possible.
I look forward to seeing all the children back on March 8th.
Keep safe and well.
Mrs. Perry
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Monday 22nd February 2021
Mon 22 Feb 2021Dear Parents and Carers
I hope that you have all had a restful half term holiday?
I have received an email from Bury's Director of Children's Services, March 8th is still the date from which schools will start to re-open. That is how things stand at the moment, but there is no detail about what this will look like. Therefore, I am unsure whether all the children will be able to return or whether the return will be phased as it was in June. The hope of all the staff is that we can all return and be together.
When the Prime Minister gives more detail later today, we will know more.
In light of this, until March 8th, school will continue with remote learning twice daily. We have increased the number of Zoom sessions to two following requests from a significant number of parents. However, school recognises the pressures on working parents. The work for the day is on your child's class page each morning. If a second Zoom each afternoon is not feasible within your working day then clearly school would not wish to put any further pressure upon you. The pressures on all of us are already significant. Complete what work you can in whatever way is best for your family.
If a second Zoom gives more structure to your child's day then this is what school was hoping to achieve.
If one Zoom is sufficient to meet your needs then this is also what school has always hoped to achieve.
School will re-open to children of critical workers and to those who are vulnerable on Tuesday 23rd Feb. Today, I will be consulting with Miss Glover and Miss Gaff to further identify how best to support our youngest children.
Keep safe and well.
Mrs. Perry x -
Friday 12 February
Fri 12 Feb 2021Dear Parents and Carers
I would like to say how proud I am of our school community this half term. I know what a struggle remote learning has been for many of you. Staff have worked very hard to provide good online learning for the children. It has been a steep learning curve for all of us.
Teachers will be putting on two Zoom sessions from the 23rd February. (Monday 22nd is a PAD day and staff will be in school for training.) The morning session will be at the same time and will include registration and the explanation of the morning's work. The session at 1pm will also be a registration session with an explanation of the afternoon's work so children now need to attend. Parents from across the school, have asked for more structure to their child's day so this change is in response to your request.
We look forward to what the Government has to say about schools re-opening on February 22nd and really hope that all children will be able to return very soon.
Can I wish you all a very happy half term. I think that it has come at the right time!!
Keep safe and well.
Mrs. Perry.
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Wednesday 3rd February 21
Wed 03 Feb 2021Dear Parents,We have looked at the provision of Zoom meetings for home learning and have decided to offer an additional Zoom Meeting everyday between 1.00pm - 1.30pm. This session will be used for your child(ren) to ask their teacher anything they were unsure about from the tasks that have been set for the day. The class teacher will be posting details of the zoom meetings on google classrooms each day.The weather has been a challenge this week just to add to the other challenges that we all are facing. The children who are in school are missing their friends very much and we look forward to a time when we can all be together again. Lets hope that that comes about as soon as possible. School staff think you are doing an amazing job in these difficult circumstances.Keep yourself safe and well.Mrs Perry and Mr Longworth -
Friday 15th January
Fri 15 Jan 2021Dear Parents and Carers,
We have survived another week!! I know that the start of the new term has brought many last minute changes and stresses, but our St. Margaret's community is doing really well. We moved to remote learning for the majority within 36 hours of being told that schools were open only for critical workers and vulnerable children. The move was fairly smooth. This is an admirable achievement for all of us!
On Monday, when a significant number of institutions: schools; colleges and universities moved to online learning there was an understandable strain on the internet. Thank you for your patience. I think generally things were working much better by the end of the week.
It has been lovely to see the children in school and also in Zoom meetings and on Google Classrooms. Staff have been working on these - an area they are not trained for. I am proud of the way they have 'got to grips with it' and I am proud of the way the children and our families, have done the same.
This afternoon I have met (virtually) with Christian Wakeford, our local MP, and I have told him the realities of what life is like for us at the moment(In school and at home). He will take this information to his future meetings and we have his support.
Hopefully next week will be a little calmer. Please keep safe and well this weekend.
Lots of love,
Mrs. Perry x
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Tuesday 12th January
Tue 12 Jan 2021Dear Parents and Carers,
I am pleased to say that our remote learning sessions have run more smoothly today. Thank you for bearing with us!! Staff are working extremely hard to make this work!
I have received a letter today from Bury's Assistant Director for Learning, Julien Kramer. He has provided an update for parents about National Lockdown Arrangements. Please select the link below to view this letter.
The numbers of children in school remain high and in some classes are putting pupils and staff at risk. Please read this letter and if you can possibly keep your child at home, please do. A big thank you, to those of you who have already decided to do this.
I have capped the numbers of children offered a place, in some classes, on health and safety grounds. Any child needing a place will be added to a waiting list. I know how hard this is for you and your families and I genuinely look forward to when we can all be in school, together again. Any decisions I make are for the benefit of our St. Margaret's community.
Thank you again for all your support and good wishes.
Keep safe and well.
Mrs. Perry :)