23rd March 2020, 4pm
Monday 23rd March 2020
Altrincham College Coronavirus Bulletin
Dear Parents/Carers,
School was open today for the children of key workers and vulnerable children. Time was set aside for homework and students also took part in art, PE, MFL activities and watched a film at the end of the day. Staff support was outstanding and the students all seemed to enjoy the day.
Numbers were relatively low today. It seems that families wherever possible are following Government advice to STAY AT HOME as far as they can, which I would support.
Trafford Council have set up a link on the Council website to support parents who require assistance in locating provision for their child should their child’s school close. Queries should be raised on-line via the Family Information Service (FIS) and the link is:
https://www.trafford.gov.uk/residents/contacts/secure/family-information-service.aspx
The FIS will liaise with Council officers to provide a solution.
The Government are also asking schools to highlight the following two documents again:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-school-closures.
Trafford SEND Forum are constantly updating their information to support parents of students with Special Educational Needs. This can be found here:
http://www.traffordparentsforum.org/
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Tesco Altrincham who arrived at school today with food which we made up into hampers and distributed to our families most in need. Dobbies Garden Centre also donated milk and eggs from their kitchens which were surplus to requirements and these were given to the students present in school today. Thank you to James the Manager there! Such acts of generosity are wonderful in the current climate and we are delighted that the students and their families of this wonderful school have benefited.
Some 6th form students were concerned about accessing work from home. I have asked Mr Smith (IT Manager) to give remote access to 6th formers from today. If you have any trouble with remote access, please call or email school and ask to speak with Mr Smith who should be able to help you.
And finally, a message from one of our Parent Governors to everyone today:
From a parent to parents!
Today you find yourself at home with your kids!! Not what anyone was expecting, least of all our children.
As a parent/carer who has ended up home schooling for a variety of reasons at different times in my children’s lives, I felt a quick letter of reassurance would help.
- Don’t panic! They will learn and they will be fine and so will you.
- We are all in this together and the staff at Altrincham College are working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure you have all the resources you and your children need. In fact, they will most likely have more access to an abundance of resources than ever before, so this is a time for great opportunity.
- Let them be part of choosing their timetable for the day/week. Allowing them to be involved in their day to day learning will give them ownership of their work and the freedom to be able to choose how and when they learn.
- Listen to them. They may be anxious and worried about what’s going on and how the current crisis will affect them. They may also be worried about you and their family members so reassurance may be the number 1 priority for your kids right now.
- 2-3 hours of quality learning at home a day can be as effective as a whole school day so don’t necessarily expect your kids to stick to the same timetable as if they were in school. Some may learn better later in the day and others will want to get up and get it all done so they can relax. All of it is ok.
- Set boundaries at home to fit in with you all. We have an internet off at night rule to help everyone not just the kids! This may not work for everyone but if you find yourself with a child unable to get up during the day then perhaps this is something to consider. ( I speak from place of experience not judgement).
- Ask for support. You can contact your school and ask for help. You are not expected to become your child’s teacher.
- Try to have fun. 😊
Kind regards
Ms K. Earle