Yesterday we posted about the FOBCS “Wear Something Christmassy Day” that we are having on 18th December – the last day of term.  Please note that there will be NO PE or Forest School that day for any of the classes.

FOBCS (our fabulous PTA) would like to share the following letter to keep parents up-to-date with what FOBCS are planning for Christmas celebrations – which sadly have to be limited this year!

Xmas Letter

Can we please ask that the flu vaccination forms and allergen forms for Chartwells are returned as soon as possible.  The flu vaccinations are next Tuesday and without the forms being returned the children will not be able to receive the vaccination.

The Nasal Flu Immunisations are due to take place next Tuesday 1st December here in school.  We have now received the Consent forms and these are being sent home with the children today.  Please could you return these by this Thursday 26th November indicating whether you consent or decline.

We are rapidly approaching that time of year when we celebrate Advent and that word beginning with ‘C’ that we daren’t mention until December 1st!  We have, and continue to, put much thought into how we can ensure that we provide the children with festive fun in a Covid secure manner!  Please read the attached letter for further information – and we hope that you will understand and support us with the changes that are having to be made.

Season of Goodwill

It has been brought to our attention, that an independent, scientific not-for-profit organisation is seeking schools to participate in a Covid Symptom Study to help the scientific world better understand Covid19 and it’s spread.  We have registered as a school but it also needs parents to sign up – please see the following letter for further details.

Covid Symptom Study

We have emailled out (Class 1,2 and 3) and sent home in paper format (Class 4) a letter and booking form for the Autumn Term Parent Feedback Appointments, due to be held in the week beginning 16th November by phone.

If you wish to book an appointment, the booking forms need to be returned by Tuesday 10th November, either directly to your child’s Class Teacher or by the Class email address (you can find this on the booking form).

Letter to all Parents

Class 1 booking Form

Class 2 booking Form

Class 3 booking Form

Class 4 booking Form

We are getting increasing numbers of children who are having to self-isolate so we thought it would be helpful to give all families a reminder of the procedure if you or a family member has to self-isolate and have a Covid19 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 – which is also attached.
• The school has a legal duty to provide remote education under the Coronavirus Act 2020 Provision of Remote Education (England) Temporary Continuity Direction. This requires the school to provide remote education for children unable to attend school due to coronavirus (COVID-19).

We are hoping that we do not need to close a class or the school, and we are continuing to do everything we can to ensure we are operating in a Covid19 secure manner.  However, with increasing cases, including in the local area, we need to be fully ready in case this happens.

We fully appreciate the challenges that working parents have, especially if they are self-isolating and also still working from home.  We are also aware of limitations with broadband and numbers of devices, especially when there is more than one child carrying out remote learning.  Please, please talk to us – we just want to do the best we can to provide an education to children, many of whom have got at least a 3 months gap in their learning.

Remote Learning Policy 2020

Good Morning, we are looking forwards to being back in school with all the children tomorrow morning.  We are really pleased that we are being allowed to stay open even though the country is approaching a second lockdown. It is important to remind everyone of some of the key procedures that we have in place to protect families within our community and also to keep the school open and functioning safely.

• 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.
• Please keep children at home if they are ill.
• If your child or a household member has a Covid19 test, please keep the school fully informed.
• We kindly re-emphasise that parents should only book Care Clube if absolutely essential – particularly now that we are entering a lockdown.
• During the upcoming lockdown, we feel it only right that children should only be collected by members of their own family/household.

Thank you so much for all your positive support with the procedures last half term – we felt that the school was operating in as safe a means as possible.  The children were absolutely amazing at learning the new routines, including a one-way system, 2m distancing and entering/exiting toilet routines. We are looking forward to another happy but busy, hard-working and productive half term.

Good Morning Brown Clee!

Today I would like us to think about the Harvest and why it is so special.  Normally, at this time of year we would walk up to church and hold our Harvest Festival in our beautiful village church, led by Reverend Terry, but sadly we are not able to do that this year.

So instead we will celebrate together here instead – and I thought a Harvest Quiz would be a good idea!  The quiz will teach you about the history and importance of celebrating the Harvest Festival, and hopefully at the end everyone will have learnt something new!  It is relatively simple – you only need answer yes – or no!  So you could put your thumbs up for Yes – and thumbs down for No!

Q1. Is harvest festival named after the time when the crops have been harvested?

Q2. Is harvest festival a celebration of the food grown on the land?

Q3. In the UK, are harvest festivals in churches traditionally timed to coincide with a new moon appearing at the end of September or the start of October?

Q4. Do harvest festivals in churches give Christians a chance to thank God for the food we eat?

Q5. A long time ago, in the UK, was harvest festival celebrated in August?

Q6. During the 1800s, did farmers celebrate the end of the harvest by eating a harvest supper of roast chicken?

Q7. Did the first harvest festival in a church happen in the year 1743?

Q8. Did the first harvest festival in a church happen in Cornwall?

Q9. Hundreds of years ago, when the last farm worker brought in the last sheaf of corn, was that worker called the king of the harvest?

Q10. Are corn dollies traditionally made out of wheat?

Q11. To celebrate the harvest in Mexico, are the trees next to the church decorated?

Q12. In France, do harvest festivals celebrate the vegetable harvest?

Q13. Is the harvest festival celebrated in the Jewish festival of Sukkot?

Q14. In Alaska, is the harvest celebrated at the end of the cod-fishing season?

Q15. Do people in Barbados celebrate the sugar cane harvest?

How did you do?

Harvest Festival is an important celebration in the Christian calendar, and it helps us to be thankful for all the farmers and agricultural workers around the world that work so hard to ensure that we all have food on our plates.  It also helps us to appreciate how fortunate we are to have plentiful food, and helps remind us that there are many people who are not that fortunate.

If you would like to make any dry food donations to Bridgnorth Food Bank then please donate the Ditton Priors Post Office – particularly in the current situation, every donation really helps!

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,
Thank you for the sunshine and the rain, which help crops to grow in the fields.
Thank you for all the farmers who grow, look after and harvest the food that we eat.
Thank you for all the adults who cook and provide us with food when we are hungry.
We pray for children in the world today who are hungry. Please help us to play our part in making the world a fairer place for all.
Amen.