 |  | Sixth Form Bulletin | | | Mrs Rogers' Words Week 12 |  | | Mrs Rogers shares her thoughts on the last full week of learning before Christmas in Sixth Form here.
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| | | From the Office | A message from the Executive Head
Dear Parents and Guardians
As we approach the end of term, pupils and staff are busying themselves for what will be a very unusual Christmas for most of us. My sign off to you this calendar year contains important information for the holiday period and the Lent Term.
Like all schools around us, we have been affected by Covid-19, both in terms of our individual wellbeing and our provision. Due to your support as parents and the intelligent actions of your children, we have been able to run a fairly full programme and curriculum, although it was disappointing to have to close our Nursery this week, so close to the end of term.
From Thursday 17 December
The holiday period is beset with rules to minimise the risk of spreading the virus. Please follow this link, which offers guidance on the government's regulations for Christmas gatherings. The unsettling thought for all friends, families and schools is that the country may go into lockdown at the start of January if the rise in Covid cases surges, as has been suggested by 631many scientists. We sincerely hope this will not be the case, and that the Claires Court community can return as planned on Wednesday 6 January.
During the Christmas break Claires Court school will be closed, but you are still required to report a Covid-19 related matter throughout the holiday period, which is the statutory guidance from the Department for Education (DfE). While the DfE states that schools need to have contact provision for six days after school breaks up, we would like to maintain this link with you for the duration of the Christmas holiday. If you need to report a confirmed Covid-19 case, please fill in our electronic form which will be sent to you in a separate email.
We will not be running a holiday club programme during the Christmas break. Very few parents requested this provision in our questionnaire and we would like to give our Nursery area a ‘reset break’ before returning in January.
The Lent term
It is our intention to offer an after school activity programme, Covid-19 restrictions permitting. Thanks to so many of you for sharing your preferences on our recent questionnaire. Based on your feedback and the practicalities, the activity offer will be a reduced programme, and we intend to have early buses running on Monday and Friday evenings. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will be the activity days with a later bus service, although not as late as it was pre-Covid. Rather than leaving the Senior Boys site for the home journey at 5.35pm, buses will leave at the end of activities at 5.15pm, ensuring an earlier arrival home. More information will be available in the end of term information pack.
Each Division will have a slightly different activity programme structured according to the needs of the pupils and parents. This specific information will be shared with you on the last day of term. There will be no need to sign up to the activity programme before Christmas as, apart from study and wrap around care, activities will not begin until Tuesday 19 January. This will provide time in the New Year for pupils to choose options carefully and for the school to evaluate our provision according to which tier the borough is in at that time.
Our catering offer will remain the same as it is now in terms of weekly block booking, although the menu will alter slightly. However, the booking of this will be moving to the report portal, rather than via a 'google form' from January. The deadline for bookings remains 4pm the Thursday of the preceding week. Further details of this new booking system will be shared with you at the end of term, but for now please ensure your child(ren)'s dietary information that we hold on the report portal is correct and up-to-date.
Finally
While Christmas arrangements and family ‘bubbles’ are going to ensure that this will be a holiday season like no other, I hope you are able to relax and enjoy time with family and friends where appropriate. I wish you all a safe and Happy Christmas.
Best wishes
Justin Spanswick
Executive Headteacher
Lunch Bookings from January
Next term, hot school lunch bookings will be made via the report portal (rather than google forms). You can book these in the same way you would book activities or study and after school care. A few points to note:
- The deadline for orders continues to be Thursday 4pm of the preceding week and bookings also continue to be made on a ‘one week block’ booking basis
- Please ensure your child(ren)’s dietary requirements held on the report portal are correct and up to date.
- You will need to ‘join group’ for a Monday lunch (either main/meat or vegetarian), which will then include your child for the full week Monday to Friday
- Lunches will automatically be booked for your child every week for the remainder of term, unless you choose to ‘leave group’ (this needs to be done prior to Thursday 4pm of the preceding week). This will permanently cancel your child’s lunch booking unless you ‘join group’ again
- Therefore if you wish to book lunches for the term for your child, you only need to ‘join’ the lunch group once, and this will automatically roll over week on week, so you are included and will be charged until you ‘leave’ the group. A help document can be found here
- Costs for the first week back in January (i.e. 6 - 8 January) will be done on a pro-rata basis. prorated accordingly.
Christmas Jumper Day
Our Sixth Form celebrated “Christmas jumper day” and Christmas lunch in style, whilst showing some of the donations we have collected for Foodshare’s Holiday Hunger Project. Sixth Form Jumper Day collected over £100 and Mrs Hall’s Christmas mask sale raised £65 which will all go towards our Sixth Form charity, the Alexander Devine Children’s hospice in Maidenhead.
Holiday Hunger Project
The donations for our charity, the Holiday Hunger Project, keep rolling in - many thanks to those of you who have contributed. We are still collecting until the end of term. We would be grateful for donations of any of the following items:
- Tinned Macaroni or Ravioli
- Tin or jar of hot dogs
- Crisps
- Cereal Bars
- Jelly pots
- Rice pudding pots
- Biscuits
- Multipacks of chocolate biscuits eg kitkats
- Chocolates/sweets
- Dried fruit
- Small cartons of juice
- Fairy cakes and swiss rolls (with a long shelf life)
- Small fruit pies
- Cartons of custard
- Crackers
Many thanks for all your help with this.
Sixth Form Drivers
With Driving Test centres now re-opening, this is a good time to remind you that any Sixth Form student who drives to school needs to complete a “permission to drive” form. These are available from the Sixth Form office.
Mrs Johanna Axtell - School Nurse
Mrs Axtell, who has looked after Sixth Form and their ailments and injuries for the last few years will be leaving us at the end of this term. She has been offered an irresistible job opportunity. I would like to thank her for all she has done for us, especially over the last few difficult months. We wish her well in her new venture.
The Government Economic Service Degree Apprenticeship Programme
Join an exclusive webinar on Monday 14th December from 4pm to 5pm with the Government Economic Service to find out about their Economist Degree Apprenticeship Programme, opening for applications the very same day.
With over 70 vacancies available, this is the chance for students, parents and carers to find out how to apply. Book your place here.
Wednesday 16 December
School will finish at 4pm on the last day of this term, Wednesday 16 December. There will be no games activities that afternoon. Instead students will be in school to enjoy a Christmas interform challenge, Christmas themed snacks and a Christmas gift. Students should bring in Christmas hats to wear for the afternoon festivities. |
| | | | | | 1 College Avenue, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 6AW
Tel: 01628 327560 Email: sixthform@clairescourt.comPlease note all our School privacy notices can be found here. Please ensure you keep you and your child's information up to date. You can login to the report portal to change any details or alternatively, please contact your school office. | | | | | | |
