Message from the Headmistress
Dear Parents,
COVID Update
You will be aware of the rather alarming figures for positive tests for Coronavirus in Nottingham and that there will be an announcement shortly about what tier the government is placing both the City and the County on in terms of local restrictions. We have no pre-knowledge of the detail here, but we can safely say that school will still be open for children who are free from symptoms and with no requirement for self-isolation. We are working hard to retain the school as a Covid-safe space and thank you for your contribution to this.
Our risk mitigation plan is under constant review and we share with you the pupil/parent facing sections of this as it is amended.
For today:
- We have decided against resuming our game activities at sites which require bus travel for the next half term. This will be reviewed again at Christmas. Some fixtures, in sports where distancing is possible and where the journey to the venue can be made on foot, have resumed (one arranged to date).
- We are now asking staff in Junior School to wear masks/visors in corridors and public indoor spaces on site.
- We request that parents, when collecting pupils, remember to socially distance on the Avenue.
- We will be providing the NHS Track and Trace QR code on our entrances for visitors to the school.
Please let me know if you have any suggestions for how we can further mitigate the risks.
Friends of Hollygirt
The meeting scheduled for tonight has been cancelled. Sadly we are too short of committee members at the moment and are going to pause the committee until the Summer Term. We will aspire to re-establish it, with a full new committee then. In the meantime, we hope to retain the school’s Second Hand Uniform Shop, see below… we will also continue in the Friends’ name to do things like the school hoodies and Christmas cards to continue to generate funds to the account. These will not be allocated to school projects until the committee is running again. Many thanks to the committee members still with us who have supported the activities of the group over the past few years. We will get back to you soon!
Second Hand Uniform Shop
The school’s Second Hand Uniform Shop offers a perfect opportunity for us to contribute to the environment by recycling. Parents donate unwanted items, which are sold at a fair price to other parents. We have a Facebook group for the shop which is managed by Angela (Reception and Year 5 parent) and Roberta (Marketing Manager) which can be joined here. We are grateful to the parents, especially Ms Pykett who manages the shop on behalf of the Friends of Hollygirt and to Mrs Bamber who has been fulfilling parents orders at this time. On-going sales will be added to the Friends’ fund and these profits will be used to increase the opportunities for your children. If you are requiring any items, please enquire via the Facebook group or directly to Mrs Bamber on andreabamber@hollygirt.notts.sch.uk.
Uniform Shop – Schoolwear Solutions
Raaj from Schoolwear Solutions will be on site for parents, by appointment, on Wednesday 14th October in 9 Villa Road from 4pm for ordering and collection of new school uniform items. If you wish to make an appointment please contact Raaj on 07728535853.
Parking
Can I remind parents to park responsibly on Villa Road and on the corner of Villa Road and Cranmer Street. I have had concerns expressed by our neighbours, who are concerned about safety. Senior parents, could you consider coming a little later and permitting your children to stay in Homework Club. Picking up at 4.15pm – 5.00pm is significantly easier.
Food
Whilst the grab bags for lunches in Senior School are varied and filling, we are working towards being able to supplement this offering with hot food on some days. It is being trialed in the Junior School first and we are hoping it will be available for Senior School pupils at some point in the second half of term.
Halloween
On Friday 16th, children are allowed to wear a Halloween themed accessory. Pupils should be in their full school uniform as usual.
Have a lovely weekend.
Mrs Hutley
Headmistress
Message from the Head of Juniors
Click here to view this week’s Stars of the Week
Dear Parents,
Happy Friday!
Thank you to everyone who attended Parents’ Evening this week, a slightly different format this year but seemed to work really well. If you were unable to make these times, please arrange an alternative appointment with Form Teachers.
On Wednesday, the children in Nursery to Year 2 participated in a Fairytales and Enchanted Forest drama workshop with Perform (the leader of these sessions was of course socially distanced). They played lots of games pretending to be different characters, went on an adventure to find the book, and learnt a fairy dance and song. In addition to being great fun, these sessions built confidence. The children have brought home information on further workshops should this be something you are interested in.
Children have again participated in workshops on the Art Engagement Project run by Nottingham City Council. This week, they were looking at patterns and logo design. The children are thoroughly enjoying these sessions and a huge thank you to Nottingham City Council for allowing us to be part of this.
Mrs Keyworth would like me to pass on her thanks to all parents and children who took part in the Poetry Read Off. She was so impressed with the enthusiasm shown by the pupils in each year group and also by the fact that so many of the children chose to write their own poem. The videos of EYFS and Key Stage 1 were lovely to watch and it will be very hard to pick out the winners. Key Stage 2 finalists will be performing in assembly on Wednesday 14th.
This year, the school aged immunisation service will visit school on 4th December 2020 to deliver the nasal flu vaccination to pupils. Please complete one consent form for each of your children by visiting: www.nottinghamshireimmunisations.co.uk/Forms/Flu
The unique code for Hollygirt School is: NG122912
The option to consent or decline the vaccination is at the end of the questionnaire so please complete the form even if you do not want your child to have the vaccination. For more information visit the website and if you experience any problems, please contact the team on SAIS@nottshc.nhs.uk.
We are trialling a hot lunch for Juniors next Thursday 15th October. The menu will be on the website shortly. If this is logistically successful, we will be starting hot food at lunchtime for juniors, 3 days a week from after half term. We hope to roll this out to seniors once we are secure in the operations and can mitigate the additional risks.
On Friday 16th, children are allowed to wear a Halloween themed accessory. No full costumes please and children are to wear their school uniform as usual.
Have a lovely weekend,
Mrs Wright
Head of Juniors