Dear Parents and Carers

 

“To follow Jesus means to share his love for every human being.” Pope Francis

 

Parking

After further complaints around parking I have been in contact with Ashford Police. They have confirmed that they will be visiting the area to offer “advice” to those who do not seem to understand the law about parking outside school gates and on Zig-Zag yellow lines.

 

I am now collecting the registration numbers of vehicles which are illegally parked and will publish these now on the weekly newsletter. Hopefully this will only be a temporary measure.

This week’s illegally parked: LN16KWZ, BN63AWM

 

Queuing at Pick up times

I have received a complaint regarding people jumping the queue at pick up time. This can be very annoying to those who have been waiting and shows lack of courtesy. Can we all remember to treat one another with kindness and consideration which are part of our school values.

 

COVID Infection Rates

COVID infection rates in primary schools are rising and we at St Simon’s are no exception to this. We have had lower numbers of infection than some of the other Ashford primary schools and we are all thankful for this, and hope and pray that our infection numbers remain low among staff and pupils.

 

We are trying to avoid having to put in place our COVID 19 Outbreak Management Plan which will see us reverting back to separate class bubbles etc. so please can I urge all parents if your child is feeling unwell please give them a lateral flow test before sending them into school.

 

Welcome to Mr Macmillan-Parks

Today we welcomed Mr Macmillan-Parks to the school. Mr Macmillan-Parks will be covering for Mrs Morrison when she leaves us for her maternity leave. I am sure that Mr Macmillan-Parks will soon settle into life at St Simon’s and everyone will make him feel very welcome.

 

White Rose One Minute Maths App

For all the children in Year 1-3 there is an amazing app to help the children with mathematics. It is matched with the main scheme of work we use for teaching mathematics in the school “White Rose Mathematics”.

The app can be downloaded by clicking hear: https://whiterosemaths.com/1-minute-maths

 

Seven reasons for downloading the app:

1. Excellent practice – and no distractions.
2. A clear, intuitive process that children pick up straight away.
3. No login or internet access needed. Just download and play.
4. Enjoyable and motivating… How many can they get correct in one minute?
5. Helpful hints match those used in class.
6. Brilliant for building number fluency and confidence.
7. It’s FREE!

NSPCC Times Tables Rock Stars

Children in Key Stage 2 are invited to take part in a national Times Tables Rock Stars competition which is open until 7:30p.m today.

 

50^th Anniversary Logo Design

We are running a competition for the children to design a logo for our 50^th Anniversary which we will be able to use as part of our celebrations. More details to follow at a later date.

 

With best wishes

 

Peter McCabe