16/10/2020

One week to go until half term and Covid 19 rears its ugly head

Well, yet another very busy but challenging few days.

As you know, last week we had to send a number of Year 11s home following the news that one of our students had tested positive. This week, one of our TAs who works with small groups of children across all years also tested positive so, as a result, a further group of students will be spending the next fourteen days in isolation.

What was massively encouraging was the way that staff and students came together instantly as one extended team and demonstrated the strength of the community that is a feature of Blacon High School. This helped our internal track and trace system run very smoothly and those students who had been affected were identified quickly and waited patiently in the Hall to be collected. Once again, we would like to say a massive thank you to parents and carers for their on-going support; their prompt response means that we have been able to keep the school open, albeit for reduced numbers. As always, we will continue to keep everyone updated via the school website, social media, text, email and letter.

Staffing

No need to worry about staff shortages at Blacon High School. Meet our newest receptionist: Paddy. He’s our therapy dog but is happy to lend a paw anywhere around school. Also, he’s about to launch his own social media account so you will all be able to follow all of his antics online.

Google Classroom

If your child is isolating, please remember that this is not a holiday. Staff will be uploading work onto Google classroom and may also be offering live lessons in real time. Several staff have already been running live lessons this week, which went really well. All students should have recorded their class codes for Google Classroom by now and many of them have been logging in regularly since they returned to school in September.  If you are unsure how Google Classroom works, please ask to be invited to your child’s classes to enable you to keep track of what they should be doing. 

A cold front

Please be aware that the school building will continue to remain closed to students during break and lunchtime in an attempt to maintain the best possible cleaning protocols and minimise any risk of the virus spreading. We are aware that autumn is here and winter is on the horizon, so the weather will begin to impact on students during these times. Please ensure that your child has a warm, waterproof coat, preferably with a hood. However, to help the situation, the school has purchased several extra covered areas which will be in place when students return after the half term break. This week, the new student leadership team made their presence felt by choosing the colours.

Face Masks

Along with the rest of the local authority and in an attempt to minimise the risk of infection, we recently made the decision that appropriate face masks must be worn in all communal areas of the building. On the whole, students have adapted well to the wearing of masks and we have purchased a small quantity of disposable masks to support this. However, please ensure that your child comes to school each morning with a clean, disposable mask or a washable, reusable mask; these can be purchased very cheaply and are freely available in most stores. Please ensure that you are wearing your mask to protect yourself and everyone else.Amazing artwork

Year 7 have done some exemplary self-portraits in Art.

Thanks to Madison, Fran and Amelia for sharing their fantastic work.