Dear Families and Friends,
It has been a couple of weeks since my last email. That isn't because nothing has been happening – quite the opposite! There has been an enormous amount to organise, introduce and fine-tune at the beginning of a new school year.
And, as we regularly remind the children, learning isn't something that stops when you become an adult. Every day really is a school day! One of the Bible verses that captures something of this is: “Let the wise listen and add to their learning.” (Proverbs 1:5)
Whether we are learning something completely new, improving the way we do things or occasionally discovering how not to do something, there is always another step we can take.
One important piece of work over recent weeks has been finalising our updated arrangements for children with allergies. We have children (and adults) in school for whom exposure to particular foods can have very serious consequences, so this is something we all need to take seriously. Please do not send unlabelled treats or foods into school where the ingredients are unclear, and please be particularly careful when preparing packed lunches. Our school remains nut-free, so packed lunches must not contain nuts or products such as peanut butter or other nut spreads.
It really is about something very simple: we look after each other.
And, of course, there is another solution… Have a school meal! Take a look at the SwiftKitchen app and you will see the range of tasty meals available each day. There is plenty of choice, ingredients and allergy information are clearly managed, and you may even save yourself the morning battle with the lunchbox!
Another big change this term is our move from MarvellousMe to the Juniper Education app. It is really important that every family downloads the app because this will increasingly become our main way of communicating with you. As well as messages and notifications from school, the app allows you to see useful information including attendance, and you can use it to tell us the reason for your child's absence. There is more functionality coming too, so please: download the Juniper Education app today and use the codes emailed to you to link your child or children to your account. If you haven't received your code or are having difficulty getting connected, please contact the school office and we will help.
And while we're talking about learning, on Friday morning, while trying to sort something in Juniper, I somehow managed to turn off access for every member of staff in school – including myself. That wasn't quite the digital transformation I had in mind. It took a little while to get everybody back in again, but perhaps there was a useful reminder in there too. We often celebrate speed – responding quickly, acting quickly and getting things done quickly. But the quality of our decisions matters much more than the speed at which we make them. Sometimes the wisest thing is to stop, check, think and then act. I may even try that myself next time.
Tickets for the FOBS Autumn Disco went on sale on Friday and are available from the school office for just £1 each. For our younger children, we ask that Lower School parents or carers stay with their children during their disco. Our KS2 children will attend the later disco independently, giving them the chance to enjoy the event with their friends. FOBS would also really appreciate some additional help, particularly with sorting and tidying afterwards. If you could lend a hand, even for a short time, please let the team know.
Events like these only happen because members of our school community are willing to give a little bit of their time – so thank you.
With so much happening at St Bart's, it is increasingly important to stay connected. Our school website is continuing to develop, and we are adding and improving information all the time. Please take a look regularly, particularly at our Latest News • Class Pages • the school calendar • social media links • important information for families. Between the website and app, we want it to become much easier for families to know what is happening and what is coming next.
This term, the children have been learning some new songs. Some connect with our continuing theme of bravery and courage, while others are helping us prepare for Harvest and think about thankfulness for everything we have. We've shared links below to our YouTube channel, so why not have a listen with your children and join in at home?
A small warning, however: they are rather catchy. So, if you find yourself making tea later in the week while unconsciously singing one of them, I'm afraid there is very little we can do to help.
Thank you, as always, for working alongside us. Whether it is keeping one another safe, staying connected, volunteering at an event, learning a new system or simply admitting when we've got something wrong, we are building the kind of community we want our children to experience: one where we care for one another, keep learning and grow together.
Yours sincerely,
Mr Restall & The St Bart’s Team
