Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
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Checking in
Sat 25 Apr 2020Hi everyone,
Well as another week goes by I continue to be thankful for all the lovely things that I hear and see that the children and their parents have been up to. We know you are taking time to enjoy the time where you can whilst appreciating that this is a very difficult time.
We still have no news with regard to school reopening but are making plans within school for when this happens. We know it will be a peculiar transition whenever or however it occurs so will be ready to take on that challenge for everyone once the process starts.
There have been a couple of questions as to how the school will respond to holiday bookings if they have to be rescheduled due to lockdown. As always the school will look at any requests on an individual basis however evidence of unavoidable rescheduling during term time will be needed. This will not apply to any holidays which were booked during term time as these would have been unauthorised.
Next week the teachers will be holding Zoom sessions with their classes to touch base and begin reintegrating the children back into a whole class format. Information on how to join this if you wish your child to participate will be sent by each teacher detailing the time and how to log on to the meeting.
I have placed a letter under the parents tab about online phonics sessions
(phonics is one way we teach children to read). These lessons are aimed at Reception and year 1 children but may also be useful for some year 2 children who need a little extra support. The sessions are daily online and are led by celebrities including children's TV presenters. Please use this resource if you are able.
We hope that you and all your families are keeping safe and well and we hope to see you soon.
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Friday update
Wed 15 Apr 2020Hello everyone,
I hope you are keeping well and safe and managing to build some normality into your daily routines as well as getting up to some new things which you may not have had the time for before. We have loved hearing and seeing what you are up to - it really makes us smile!
Next week there will be staff on site every day so if you have any questions or concerns please contact the school office. If you have any issues which you would like to discuss with me confidentially then either call the office saying that you need to speak with me or would like me to call you back if I am not available. We are here to support you in whatever way we can so please remember to get in touch if you need us.
Some parents have been contacting school with questions about the free school meal vouchers. The vouchers that are being issued are only for children who have an existing Pupil Premium claim. This is a claim that is made through Derbyshire County Council ( DCC) which parents are directed to once their child starts school or if their financial circumstances changed. All children under 7 receive a meal through the Universal meals system-this is not the same as the pupil premium system- not all under 7s are entitled to the vouchers. We know that this is a little confusing but the vouchers are allocated on the information provided to us by DCC after a succesful claim has been made.
Obviously we recognise that many families may be experiencing financial difficulties at this time. If you think you may be entitled to free school meals under the pupil premium scheme please apply through the process on the Derbyshire county council website. The criteria for applying/eligibility can be found through this link
I cannot guarantee how quickly these claims will be processed at the current time or if they are looking at new claims at all.
I know that lots of you have been communicating with the teachers directly and I would personally like to take this opportunity to thank all the staff at Dovedale who have worked so hard to keep our families connected at this time and have continued to prove- if any proof were needed -what an amazing team they are.
As a school we have no further information as to when schools will fully reopen but will keep you informed with any information we receive.
Keep safe and we hope to see you all soon!
Sarah Houseman
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Friday update.
Fri 10 Apr 2020Hi all,
Well that was another week!
I hope you are all managing to keep safe and well and if possible enjoy the sunshine.
The little things seem to be very important at the moment and it's lovely to see that the NHS clap is getting bigger around the streets and bringing people together-even if it is at a distance.
If like me this week has been a bit of a struggle for you as we listen out for any positive news and know that the lock down will continue as it stands for another couple of weeks at the least I hope you know that we think you are doing a great job!
Every adult in school can't wait to get back to normal and this is a testament to your children and ultimately to you. Our 'usual' working day is made a delight as we learn from so many wonderful little people. You as parents have enabled them to be kind and respectful and during this difficult time we hope you remember this.
We are currently living in a very different world from the one we were in only a few weeks ago but Dovedale school is grateful for its community and the support we have received from our parents and we believe that when we return back to 'normal' we will be a stronger community for it.
Take care all and keep safe.
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Online safety
Tue 07 Apr 2020Hi all,
As your children and young adults may be accessing the internet more frequently at the present time please see the link below for support with online safety.
Either paste into the search bar or control and click.
Keep safe!
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Friday updates
Fri 03 Apr 2020Hello all!
Well we are at the end of another peculiar week and I hope that you and your families are all keeping well. I know you're all keeping busy one way or another and being creative with the time you've been given! We have had some lovely messages from parents and we are thankful for such a great school community!
We have had a strange week in school with up to 19 children at anyone time in this week which is a little odd but Miss Nadin, Miss Bestwick, Mrs Reed, Miss Mercer and Mrs Thomas have all been enjoying themselves with their little groups. These key worker children have been an absolute credit to their parents, so sensible and caring towards each other and they have made the job here all the more enjoyable. We are happy that we can support those families who are doing their jobs to keep us safe.
Over the Easter break I am requesting that the teachers get a little head space so it will be holiday as usual. You can however continue to use the headteacher@dovedale.derbyshire.sch.uk email for communication if needed.
The link below is a website which is offering free parent resources for children including E books so you may wish to sign up to this as an additional resource.
Audible have also got lots of free audio books for both adults and children.
The children this week spent some time writing letters and making cards for the local nursing or residential homes and we have had some lovely letters from the old Vicarage Care home, Treetops and Alexandra nursing home. We are happy we've helped put a smile on some faces.
We hope you all keep safe and well and I will continue to update you with any relevant information.
