Glenealy School Newsletter
26th November 2020
Message from Chris
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Following the announcement by the Government last week that Years 1, 2 and 3 will revert to online learning, we have been pleased to see the children switch so quickly to the digital learning experience. Whilst this will have been challenging for the children and families in these year groups, we are as committed as ever to ensuring the children receive the best possible experience.
On the school site, the years 4,5 and 6 children have continued to work very hard. Importantly we are continuing to remind children of the importance of personal hygiene and social distancing.
Hygiene and Social Distancing
I would encourage parents to be as cautious as possible regarding children’s health. Along with the preventative measures we are taking to prevent Covid-19, we are also aiming to ensure there are no outbreaks of Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (URTI).
We ask for parents continued support in keeping the school free of URTI, so that on-site lessons can continue. In particular, please report to Sue Beer, our school nurse, and do not send your child to school if they display any of the following symptoms:
Fever of >37.5 forehead skin temp
Nasal congestion
Runny nose
Sneezing
Sore throat
Cough
Headache
Muscle aches
Generalised malaise
Temperature Checks
For children in Years 1, 2 and 3 who are working at home, please continue to monitor your child’s temperature each day and add this to the ESF app. For those in Years 4,5 and 6 please continue to add temperatures to the ESF App each morning before the children leave the house.
EDB and Application to Return to Full School Day
We have submitted and are continuing to work with the Education Bureau (EDB) to gain approval for having students at school for full days. However, we have been informed that EDB has closed their approval process temporarily and, as a result, Glenealy will not be able to move to full days at the moment.
You may be aware that some ESF schools have been able to gain approval for full days. This is merely a timing issue (approved before the process was suspended) and we expect to gain approval for full day school as soon as the process is re-opened. We expect that this may not happen until the start of Term 2.
Years 1,2 and 3
Currently, according to EDB advice, we are expecting that years 1,2 and 3 can return to the school site on the 7th December. As of today, there have been no further announcements regarding this and accordingly we are planning for their return. However the EDB may make further announcements regarding this during next week. I will endeavour to update parents as soon as possible if there are any changes to this plan.
Christmas Celebrations
As you all know, we usually would run a Christmas Carol concert on the school site on the last day of school term. This year, unfortunately we will not be able to do this due to the social distancing regulations.
We are however working on plans for a virtual celebration that we hope will give the Glenealy community a little Christmas cheer as we reach the end of the first term. More details will follow.
Best wishes,
Chris
Green Team News
Get Redressed Month Short Story Competition Winner
We are proud to announce that Brendan Kwan in 4K won first prize for his short story, 'My Yellow Spotted T-Shirt' (please see pictured below). Well done Brendan for taking action and spreading the word. As a community, let's keep looking for positive ways we can all think and act to support Redress by remembering to recycle (donate), reuse, remake, and reduce clothing waste.
Dates for your Diary
Friday 11th December 2020 (3:00 pm)
End of Term 1