Latest News
Keep up to date with all the news happening in school
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Enjoy your Summer Break
Fri 24 Jul 2020Dear Parents and Carers
What an emotional end of term that was for all of us. I am really pleased that I got to see every Year 2 leaver and tell you how amazing you have been. This was never the end of your time we envisaged with you but I hope you found it special and liked your books. We loved your video- it is beautiful. Thank you also for all your lovely cards and gifts and our bench for outside the classroom. We really have been spoiled!
Thank you also to all the Year 1 parents and children who came to say goodbye to your teachers too. I know many of you joined in your zoom story time with your new teachers. Everyone knows Miss Salter and Miss Apsey from assembly time, who are looking forward to getting to know you properly in September. Miss Whitehead stayed with Mrs Charles for the day, so children could meet her. Mrs Moth sends her best wishes to Otter class and hopefully you all managed to chat to Mrs Belton and Mrs Campone our Year 1 Leader. I would like to say a special thank you to Mrs Campone as she collated the Otter reports and made sure you all had well being zoom calls.
Thank you, also, to our Year R parents who came to say goodbye to our Year R team on your last day. It was also Mrs Wombell’s last day for now, as she is going on maternity leave from the beginning of September. She has been overwhelmed by your kind wishes.
We also bade Mrs Anderson farewell, with a socially distanced tea party at the end of the day. She has been a brilliant team member at BWIS and is one of the happiest, hardworking members of staff I have ever known in my teaching career. We wish her all the best for her retirement, and hope she manages to go away for a holiday in a term time soon!
It has been the strangest of times, and we all, children and staff, got used to our new way of working in school pretty quickly. We cannot wait to see you all again and to welcome our new children in September. We will keep you updated with any guidance, but will try not to overload you with information during this break. All your children were happy and we will continue to build on this when we come back. Their well being, setting in to new classrooms and changes, will be our priority. Although we cannot have long discussions at the door, with our new staggered drop offs and closed to visitors office, we are still available by email in September or call and we will get back to you. Please read the large FAQ document posted last week and the summary sheet as many of you asked questions about the new arrangements. Everything is in those 2 documents and Mrs Charles has also posted a risk assessment with them too.
We would all like to thank the many parents and children for the kind words and gifts you gave us at the end of term. We were quite overwhelmed and grateful. I would also like to thank my amazing staff. Every single member played an important part during our time working with keyworkers and opening wider. Mrs Palmer answered every query along with her office team, Mrs Ely, Miss Ely and team made sure the school was clean and looked after our wraparound care, our Senior Leadership Team, Mrs Charles, Miss Salter, Miss Turner, Mrs Campone and Miss Turner helped make decisions and organised their teams. Our younger members of staff helped teach everybody new IT skills (quickly). Every single member of staff have all been amazing. I cannot praise them enough and they were all superstars, putting our children first in every decision. They also surprised me (and made me cry) with a gardening gift card and a beautiful card with very kind words for leading them through the last few months. I have said it many times, but I do not mind saying it again. I am very lucky to work with such a brilliant staff, amazing inquisitive children and supportive parents and governors. BWIS is a unique and special school, where we all learn together, sprinkled with happiness.
On that note, I would like to wish you all a lovely summer.
Best wishes
Mrs Riches
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Goodbye to our Year 2 Leavers
Wed 22 Jul 2020
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Update Monday 19th July
Mon 20 Jul 2020Dear Parents and Carers
Our end of term is nearly upon us and will soon be into summer break. It feels wrong calling it a holiday this year as it has, for many, been a stretching time as a parent or in your work, and we now have 6 weeks until we return on Thursday 3rd September. We look forward to welcoming our Year R and Year 1 children back to their new classes and to our new starters, who will start part time on Thursday 3rd.
School will be strange when you start back, either here or at the juniors. In BWIS there is more frequent handwashing and cleaning. We are eating lunches in our rooms. We are not mixing outside in different year groups and we will not be using the hall. Our clubs will not be starting back, only wraparound care. We will be continuing to use technology for our classes and for our meetings. We will continue to keep you updated with any changes or expectations as we transition through these different times.
I am pleased to announce that as well as Earlybird club, we will also be welcoming Treetops club back to site. We will therefore be operating wrap around care from 8am-6pm. Year Group bubbles will be separated in both clubs, with risk assessments revised as need arises/government guidance changes. Please see our Treetops page for details on how to book. We are very pleased to announce that we will be accepting childcare vouchers from September, so please contact the school office to ensure we are accepting your vouchers.
On Tuesday we will be saying goodbye to our Year R children. They will be seen out of class with their LSA and need to come to school with a bag for their bits and records of achievement. Your teachers will then be in the turning circle to say goodbye at the end of the day. If your child has not been in, please go to the turning circle after 2,45, where your teacher will have your child's record of achievement and books.
On Wednesday we will be saying good bye yo our Year 2s, who will be leaving for the juniors, and our Year 1s for the summer break. Both Year groups will need to come in through the brown gate by reception and go around the one way system to their class, accompanied by a grown up. Bring a large bag for your books and records of achievement. Year 1 children will then be signposted to exit through the carpark (the large gates by the kitchen), whilst Year 2 parents can exit by the Year 2 gate.Hopefully we will see everybody to say goodbye to. If you don't think you are going to make it and would like someone else to collect, please let us know in writing prior to the day. If you do not have anyone to collect, please let us know asap, so that we can get your belongings to you.
I am also pleased to announce that Mrs Atkinson will still be with us in September in 1-1 capacity part time.
I am sure there will be more updates through the summer and nearer to the start of term, and that there may be questions or worries that will come nearer to that time. I hope that you may be able to have some family time where you aren't trying to juggle life and work. We look forward to seeing many of you again soon.
Best wishes
Ginene Riches
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To Year 2
Fri 17 Jul 2020Hello to all Year 2
We are really sorry that the server crashed during our meeting- we did get to see you all before it did and your singing was amazing! We can’t wait to see you on Wednesday and thank you for the lovely surprise presents this morning- the fruit baskets are gorgeous!
See you soon me hearties!yohoho!
Mrs Riches and year 2 team
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Summer Reading Challenge 2020
Wed 15 Jul 2020The summer holidays are fast approaching!
We would like you to keep reading at home as much as possible.
To keep you going you could join in with the Summer Reading Challenge and meet The Silly Squad. Follow the links below to find out more.
https://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/
https://www.bwis.org.uk/english-1/
Have a fun and safe summer!
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Update 14/07/2020
Tue 14 Jul 2020Dear Parents and Carers
Thank you for being patient with us regarding our organisation for us reopening in September. I am sure you will appreciate there is a lot to get organised and think through from an operations point of view. We will be running our Early Bird session from the hall from 8am at £4 per session. We will be accepting childcare vouchers from September as payment.
Treetops will also be running from the hall. I am meeting with the owner this week, and as soon as their risk assessment is submitted and approved they will be in touch with parents..
Below is a link to our organisation based on current government guidance. This could change before September, and if it does, will be updated accordingly. If you are unsure of anything, please do ring us. We have made a summary sheet, which is a much quicker read, which can answer any immediate questions.
https://www.bwis.org.uk/information-letterspamphlets/
Our Goodbye Day is creeping up on us very quickly. Our special Leavers Books have arrived ready for all our Year 2 children. They are beautiful and made myself and the Year 2 teachers cry when we looked at them. I will try not to cry next Wednesday when I see all Year 2 children! It is such a strange end to such a strange year, but I hope that you have booked your time to come and see us.
We are also saying goodbye to three staff members on Wednesday. Mrs Atkinson, who started as a mum at the school and then worked in Year R, Mrs Goodridge who has been with us for a few years and Mrs Anderson, who is retiring, has been with us for a very long time. We will be sad to say goodbye to all three, but wish them well in their future endeavours. If anybody would like to leave a goodbye card or message, you can leave them with any teacher and they will be passed on.
We hope you are all keeping well. Please do call us if you need to know anything before the summer holiday. We will be available to answer any questions up until the end of next Wednesday.
Best wishes
Mrs Riches
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Update 2/7/2020
Thu 02 Jul 2020Dear Parents and Carers
You will find an email in your inbox today, detailing the End of Year Arrangements for your year group. Our last day in school for Year R children will be on Tuesday 21st July (pick up normal time). We will be sending out times for Year 1 and 2 children to come to our 'Goodbye Day' next week. If there are any questions about the arrangements please telephone and talk to us.
The government guidelines are changing rapidly. The 'Guidance for Schools' for September was released today. We now need to look at this and make plans for what this will look like in our school and what we will need to do. Once we have done this, we will email it to you. if anyone would like to read the guidance, please click on the link below.
Guidance on Coronavirus and any other questions are on the government website below. From 4th July restrictions, in most of England, are being lifted. It will still be wise to check the guidelines, as they do lay out more information.
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
We hope that the new section of video introductions on the website to introduce the learning for the week is proving helpful. There is also a new 'stories for reflection' section too. Over the next few weeks, your child's next Year Group will be creating a 'Welcome to Year 1/Year 2' page to replace the meetings usually held in school in September. We are bringing these forward into the virtual world. Year R children who have not been attending will have a story with their new class teacher via zoom. For Year 1 children going into Year 2, there will be a zoom session with your new teacher and for Year 2 children there will be a goodbye class zoom with your teacher.
Keyworker groups for Year 1 and 2 will continue to run on Wednesday 22nd July. However, we are asking all parents to only use it on this day if you absolutely need it as our teachers will be busy saying goodbye to Year 1 and 2 children. For Year R, we ask that you see Tuesday 21st July as your last day as our Year R teachers will be busy making 1-1 zoom calls with children coming to our school in September.
I hope you are all keeping well. Thank you for the lovely emails I have been receiving from you. One said 'I wouldn't want your job'. I have to admit, it wasn't something I ever imagined! Your teachers have also loved having lovely emails too, so thank you very much.
Best wishes
Mrs Riches
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Update 18/6/2020
Thu 18 Jun 2020Dear Parents and Carers
I hope you are all keeping well. I know the news of lots of our children not coming back to school before the end of term has left lots of parents feeling upset. We are continuing to follow the guidelines from the government and will not be increasing school places due to lack of staff and rooms. Whilst the 15 children in a class limit is in place we are restricted to what we can do. We are monitoring the situation closely, and hoping for further relaxing to enable us to do some face to face transition before the end of the year (probably towards the end of July). For our Year 2 children moving to Year 3, we are looking for ways to try to say goodbye. We are all very upset by the situation and want nothing more to open our doors for everyone. Very sadly, we cannot.
Yesterday it was confirmed to myself and other heads during a webinar with Public Health England that we are still currently classed as stage 4 in the pandemic. They confirmed we were at the bottom of stage 4, and are hoping that we will move to stage 3 soon. We are still restricted by class numbers and to think of our classes as a social 'bubble' or 'pod'. This is to limit the spread of infection if somebody has a confirmed case of Covid-19. We were advised to remind parents that social distancing is still in place. Some elements have been relaxed, however limiting how many people you see/are in contact with is important. Please find attached the latest guidance regarding social distancing. If your child is attending school, they are already in a social bubble with up to 15 children and two members of staff. If it comes to our attention they are mixing with different larger groups of children outside of school, such as the park , who are not in their school bubble, then potentially you are putting the whole school at risk of closing if we have a confirmed Covid case. In the case of keyworker children, we will retract the place offered, if children are attending any group activities with children who are not in their bubble. There are waiting lists for both groups, so your place will be filled quickly.
We hope everyone has enjoyed their zoom calls last week. I know the teachers have allocated time for them each week to talk to the children. We are also updating blogs and videos as well as the learning on Year Group learning pages. The children in the Keyworker bubbles are doing exactly the same learning set as their respective year groups, and this is the same for Year R children who are not in school. Keyworker children attend on days their parents need them to, not every day, so there is no advantage for them. It is a necessary for keyworkers to do their essential roles, as recognised by the government. Because the groups grew much bigger, as per the wider opening guidance from 1st June, we were able to create a Year 1 group and a Year 2 group, making some curriculum work possible. It is still not like school as we know it and lots of activities take place outside as they are at home. We have been amazed at the learning that is taking place by the majority of families-both set by us and by you! All the children are happy when we call and we love hearing from them. I have put a new story to share on the video section today.
Lastly, we had a visit from our new Otter class teacher, Miss Miners, this week . She said hello to all the current Bat Class, who will be with her in September. It was lovely for them to see their new teacher.
I hope you are all keeping well
Best wishes
Mrs Riches
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The end of Year R's first week back
Fri 12 Jun 2020Dear Parents and Carers
We have had a successful first week back with our Year R children. Our one way system and longer drop off time has meant a continual flow around the school, rather than lots of children waiting. The teachers have all loved teaching children in a class again. I can hear some of them making their zoom calls to small groups at the moment. I tried my first one yesterday as an 'open' zoom, with some parents and children in Year 2. It was lovely to see you! Don't worry if you missed it. Next week I will try some more of these. I will email a link out with different time slots for different classes, and you and your children can pop in to see me on zoom.
The DFE (Department For Education) updated their information yesterday for parents and carers. Lots of parents have asked me about the 'big plan' for catch up over the summer that was announced by the prime minister the night before last. Headteachers have not been given any more news than parents, and we find out information at the same time as you. As soon as I hear any more, I will let you know.
Please find the link to the updated guidance below:
I too was disappointed by the announcement of children being unable to start back, especially with more venues opening. I hope that the government continues to endeavour to find a safe solution for children returning to school
I hope you are all keeping well
Mrs Riches
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Monday 8th June
Mon 08 Jun 2020Dear Parents and Carers
Today we saw some of Year R children return to school. I cannot tell you how lovely it is that we have children in school again. We have all missed them so much. Although some were a little hesitant on the way in, they were really excited to see their friends and any nerves were soon forgot. We have made a little video for all parents in Year R. For those who have children in, it is a little way to see that they are ok. For those parents who are still undecided about coming back to school, seeing it in action may help you to make a decision. We have even managed a last minute surprise for Bubble 6-Mrs Wombell will be able to be with them outside at lunch time! This was organised very last minute but they are so excited!
Click our video here:
http://bishops-waltham-infant-school.primarysite.media/media/our-year-r-first-day-back
You will all be receiving ZOOM invites for Fridays with your teachers (Otter class your zoom meetings will be with Mrs Campone and Mrs Belton). We will be holding them in little groups, so hopefully everyone will have a chance to talk. Before the meeting you may want to get some things that your child wants to show their teacher that they have learned or made (saves them running off to find them). A grown up will need to stay in the room during the meeting. We are getting a lot better at technology, and thank you for bearing with us on our upskilling. Teachers are really enjoying talking to all the children and answering all your emails. Some teachers are a lot better at telephone calls and some are a lot better at emailing. We are all still learning at these strange times. Now teachers are in class Monday to Thursday, Friday is our day for catching up with you all. Hopefully you have all seen the learning on the site for this week.
If you have a child starting in Year R, then you should have found your way to our new parents page. Here, there is lots of information for our new starters. Over the next few weeks, more videos will be added here. We are also getting a pack to deliver to you for the summer holidays before you start. Hopefully we will have a few transition face to face sessions in very small groups and will let you know your teacher and classes soon.
https://www.bwis.org.uk/starting-school-new-parent-information/
All children in Year R, 1 and 2 will be moving to their next year group as the class they are in normally e.g. Bat Class will move as a class. This is to help with transition back into school, whenever that may be. It isn't how we normally do things, but we want to ease any anxieties and the familiarity of their classmates will hopefully help when we start back. I said to many of you that the children are more excited about seeing their friends than adults when they were in keyworker groups. The same has happened in the Year R Bubbles.
Year 2 had a treat in their emails on Friday with their video from Mr Campbell all about their new classes. If you haven't watched it have a look in your inboxes (it is restricted viewing to Year2 children only, so I cannot post a link here).
We would like to welcome Miss Ellie Miners to our growing team. She will be in Otter Class next year, while Mrs Moth will be out of class, teaching in all year groups. For children currently in Bat class, Miss Harper will be your new teacher. We will be putting pictures and videos of Miss Miners, along with Miss Whitehead and Miss Harper on our website soon.
Lastly, I heard about a free virtual festival that is starting on Saturday that anybody can attend. Some of the workshops look good fun, especially the craft ones. It is called 'The Happy Place' Festival and is being organised by Fearne Cotton. If anybody finds any other good websites, please pass them along to us and we will promote them to parents on here.
https://www.happyplacefestival.com/
Kind regards
Mrs Riches
