Don’t forget to join us in 10 minutes for whole school Show & Tell!!  The link has been sent my email – and the theme is your favourite Film or TV Programme – Busy Bees are looking forwards to seeing and hearing from their friends at home!

This will probably be the last one as next week we are off to London and then we are back in school!

Good Morning Brown Clee!

This week we have been thinking about how important having a Growth Mindset (positive, can-do’ attitude) is, and also reminding ourselves that it is ok to make mistakes, and that through identifying errors and mistakes and learning from them.

Another learning skill that children need to develop, is to know when to ask for help, and not to be scared to ask for help.  Have a watch of this video from the Pace Trust and see what you think…

We all have things that we find difficult, and it is impossible to do everything yourself – no matter how independent you are.  So it is really important, particularly in class, to not be scared or worried to ask for help – we are here to help  – it’s our job!

Sometimes you might need your friends to help – you might feel sad or lonely, but unless you ask for help how are they to know that you need help?

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
Thank you for people who are there to help us.
Please help us never to feel like we have to manage all alone.
None of us is expected to exist in a vacuum.
Please help us to be aware of the needs of others
And to offer help in whatever form that may take.
Amen.

Good Morning Brown Clee!

Yesterday we learnt about how important it is to use our brains – and that by using them we can actually grow our brains – we develop them!  We also learnt about the importance of having a growth mindset.

We use the phrase “Growth Mindset” a lot in school, and you will see displays about this concept. Growth Mindset is an approach to teaching which promotes mindset as being more important than initial ability in determining the progress made by pupils in their mathematical understanding. Pupils with a growth mindset will make better progress than pupils with a fixed mindset.

Here are some examples to give you an idea of the difference between having a growth mindset or a fixed mindset…

Pupils with a growth mindset

• Believe that talents can be developed and great abilities can be built over time
• View mistakes as a learning experience
• Are resilient
• Believe that effort creates success
• Think about how they learn

Pupils with a fixed mindset

• Believe that talent alone creates success
• Are reluctant to take on challenges
• Prefer to stay in their comfort zone
• Are fearful of making mistakes
• Think it is important to ‘look smart’ in front of others
• Believe that talents and abilities are set in stone, you either have them or you don’t

We believe that everyone can succeed, it just involves having a goal/ambition/dream, believing in yourself and working hard to achieve that goal.

One aspect of developing a growth mindset is how we deal with mistakes and how we overcome obstacles and challenges.  Have a watch of this lovely story about a girl called Vashti, who thinks she can’t draw. But her teacher is sure that she can. She knows that there’s creative spirit in everyone, and encourages Vashti to sign the angry dot she makes in frustration on a piece of paper. This act makes Vashti look at herself a little differently, and helps her discover that where there’s a dot there’s a way.

Have a moment to think about the story – can you learn anything from it?

My message to you today, is don’t be worried about mistakes – they help us learn, and they should help to motivate us to want to improve.  We all make mistakes (even parents!) but it is how we deal with them and learn from them that helps us to become better people.

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
You know that we are human and you know that we make many mistakes.
Help us not to be defeated by our mistakes but to see them as a learning process.
Forgive us when our mistakes hurt other people.

Amen.

A slight tweak to the timings for families with siblings when school fully re-opens on 8th March – please can all families with children in different classes, arrive at school at the earliest time, and collect at the latest time – as this maximises time in school – thank you!

Due to success of the previous whole school show and tell sessions, we are holding another one this Friday at 10.30am.  So far we have had themes of “My Pets”, “My Favourite Toy” and “My Favourite Book/Story” – the theme on Friday will be “My Favourite Film/TV Programme” – which is tricky to ‘show’ but children could name their favourite film/tv programme and then talk about why they like it, what it is about and why they would recommend it to their friends.

I will email the link to the Microsoft Teams meeting on Friday morning, and please remember to join muted.  The sessions have worked really well so far, and are a lovely opportunity for children to ‘meet’ socially and just see their classmates and friends.  Even if your child doesn’t wish to speak, they are welcome to join to just watch and listen!

Good Morning Brown Clee!

Yesterday we thought about signs of Spring and how they can give us optimism and hope that things are brightening up!  It was so lovely indeed to see and feel the warmth of the sun in the afternoon!  Following the announcement last night, things are definitely brightening up in terms of getting back to normal in school too!  We are so happy that we can welcome all children back into their classrooms in 2 weeks time!

This week I would like to think about the importance of having resilience and motivation with learning (sometimes called Growth Mindset) and I’d like to begin with this video.

What did you learn from watching it?  Did you know that you could make your brain grow?!?  How amazing is that!  However it will only grow if we use it – and that is what we are asking everyone to focus on for the next 2 weeks with the remote learning – that you use your brain to practise key skills and carry out all work independently – so that you are using your own brain – and not borrowing a parent or siblings brain!

We know that it can be challenging when we are asked to learn something new, or are given an activity that seems really difficult – and we talk a lot about persevering and never giving up – resilience.  But it takes time and effort, and isn’t always easy!  But imagine if Steve Jobs had given up and not persevered – there would be no ipads or iphones!

So today, as you carry out your remote learning – make sure you are using those brain cells and firing your neurones through lots of practise and perseverance – and you will grow your brain!

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
We all face challenges.
They may be difficult, tough and even overwhelming.
We pray for calmness and peace as we approach these challenges.
We pray that when we feel like we are caught in the middle of a storm,
Your words will comfort and support us as we remember that:
‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.’
Help us, today, to keep going with the right support when the going gets tough.
May we always be willing to ask for help.
Amen.

Following the announcement that schools will be opening to all children form Monday 8^th March, I thought it would be helpful to remind parents of some key information relevant to the safe and smooth operating of the school in this Covid19 world.  The start and end of day times and procedures remain the same, but here is a reminder:-

Start of the Day

*Siblings are to arrive at the time of the eldest sibling

End of the Day

*Siblings are to be collected at time of eldest sibling (if this includes a sibling in Class 1, then please collect from the infant playground.

• Please arrive and depart promptly.
• Please ensure you maintain 2m distancing at the start and end of the day – this is so important to keep the class ‘bubbles’ apart. If there happened to be a positive case of Covid19 within school, and the class ‘bubbles’ were not kept apart, then this could lead to school closure – which we do not want to happen.
• Children should only be collected by members of their own family/household or support bubble.
• Class 3 & 4 Parents: Please be considerate of local residents’ property and access when collecting children at the end of the day from the top gate.
• If you are going to be late collecting, please notify the school, and then wait until after 15:25, when all other children have left the school grounds.

Care Club

• Care Club will be available, but we kindly stress that parents should only book Care Club if absolutely essential and not as a convenience. We have a limit to the numbers that we can take and we need to ensure that we prioritise those essential workers.
• Bookings can only be made a week in advance, and should be made by noon on the Thursday for the following week – so the earliest booking for the week beginning 8th March is Monday 1st March.
• Further details in Care Club Procedures.
• Care Club Procedures

Illness / Self Isolating

• Please keep children at home if they are ill.
• If your child is displaying any coronavirus type symptoms, then they need to stay at home and be booked for a coronavirus test.
• Inform the school that your child/children won’t be attending due to self-isolating, as well as whether it is due to having symptoms and going for a test, or whether they are a primary contact of someone who has tested positive.
• Let the school know when the test is booked.
• As soon as the results of a test are known please inform the school via email: admin@brownclee.shropshire.sch.uk (out of hours) or a phone call (in hours). This is really important.
• Ensure the school has an accurate email address, as if children are well they will be expected to follow our Remote Learning Policy

Communication

Due to the need for prompt arrivals and departures, as well as social distancing, we kindly remind parents that they ring or email the school with any queries.  If the query is general then please use the admin@brownclee.shropshire.sch.uk address, or if it is specific to a class then you are welcome to use the class email addresses.

Uniform and Belongings

• We do feel uniform is really important, so kindly ask that full school uniform, including appropriate black school shoes are worn.
• Children can wear PE uniform all day on PE days.
• Children must bring in minimal belongings, so just a packed lunch (if required) and waterbottle, waterproof coat and reading book, all in ONE bag please.

Thank you so much for all your positive support throughout the Autumn Term and the last 8 weeks.  We know that school is still going to be operating in a Covid secure way rather than normal, and we look forwards to your continued patience and understanding so that we can keep school as normal as possible for the children, whilst respecting everyone’s safety and well-being.

We hope that you have had a good half term break, and managed to get out and enjoy the (slightly!) better weather!   In preparation for the return of all children to school (hopefully on 8^th March) we want to do everything we can to make this transition as smooth as possible.

We are very aware that children will have had different experiences during the lockdown, and as such our key priority is to do everything we can to enable all children to return happy and confident, as well as being prepared to get back ‘into the swing’ of learning as soon as possible.

With the disruption to children’s education over the past 12 months, we aim to do everything we can so that all children are as secure as possible at the end of this academic year in order to prepare them for a strong start in September. We have already identified the key learning that we need to reteach, and we have prioritised future learning across the school’s curriculum.

In order to prepare for a strong return to learning in school, the remote learning activities for the next 2 weeks will be focusing on the consolidation and practise of key skills/knowledge, as well as re-establishing essential learning skills such as active listening, concentration, work stamina and independence. So the priority is on the learning process and the thinking rather than the end result. Following any lengthy absence from school, we always notice a drop in these skills and have to re-establish them at the start of new terms.

We are aware of the challenges that families have supporting children with the remote learning, and of the time and effort it involves from parents, and we are very appreciative. Last half term was a long one, and we want to maximise the impact of the time and involvement that parents put into supporting the children at home, so for the next 2 weeks the focus is very much on practising and revising and preparing to start back in school ‘ready to learn’.  We will also be providing extension opportunities for those children seeking greater challenge.

We would also like to take this opportunity to say thank you for all your support and engagement, whether it has been with supporting with the remote learning, participating in Show & Tell sessions or just by communicating with us with questions and any issues – we really appreciate the partnership so that we can work together to do the best for the pupils at Brown Clee.