As we end a busy week which has seen all of our pupils back in school for at least part of a day, I want to thank you for your patience and cooperation as we continue to feel our way through the fog of regulation and guidance.
These past two weeks have allowed us time to tweak systems and consider issues that were unforeseen, and I wish to relay a few points to you in advance of Monday.
Covid-19 Symptoms
Should a child present with symptoms in school, a parent/guardian will be asked to arrange transport home and be given guidance to follow. Part of this guidance will be to contact school with details of any test or GP advice, and a slip to return to reception on return to school. If your child has to be tested, but school is unaware, please ring reception and a guidance form will be emailed to you. Please do not e-mail or contact Form Teacher or Head of Year with Covid-19 related information.
The School Day
I have been at the gates every morning and am happy that the timings of arrival at school are naturally staggered. I will continue to monitor this, but hope not to implement a more formal process. From Monday, pupils in Year 8 and 9 who currently use the Newtownards Road entrance should turn left before the main school gates and use the side gate to Curran Building. Also, Year 8 will be dismissed at 3.10pm and Years 9 and 10 will be allowed to leave at 3.15pm.
As we are cannot currently hold a Games period, parents of pupils in Year 11 and 12 have been sent a text message with a link asking for consent to allow them to be released at 2.10pm on Wednesday. Pupils will remain in school until consent has been given by a parent or guardian. Junior pupils will be supervised during Games, and PE classes for all will continue as normal.
Lunches
We will be introducing a pre-order system for Years 8-10 which will allow junior pupils to select meals for the incoming week that will be delivered to their base room before lunchtime. The pupils will have their accounts debited internally. Please ensure that your daughter has money on her account for school meals before she orders, either by ParentPay or by lodging cash in the machines provided. Next week’s order form which will be in Monday’s register. Pupils who take Free School Meals should also use this form to order.
Years 11-14 may use the canteen as normal. Years 13-14 may also go out at lunchtime; please note that hot food bought at lunchtime, e.g. pizza or fried chicken, cannot be brought back to school.
ParentPay
The School Finance Office will no longer handle cash or cheques. We would encourage all to sign-up to the ParentPay app, through which you can make payments including those to canteen, school shop, trips and voluntary contributions. If you need assistance in signing on, please contact Mrs Craig in the Finance Office.
Face coverings
The wearing of masks is now mandatory in corridors and communal areas in school, and on all public transport to and from school. If your daughter has a medical reason not to wear a mask, please contact reception with evidence from a medical practitioner, and an exemption card will be issued. I am proud of the standard of behaviour and appearance of Bloomfield pupils, so it is disappointing to hear that a small number of our pupils refused to wear masks and social distance on the Glider last week. It would be helpful if you could remind pupils of their responsibilities towards others.
Pupil-Teacher Communication
Since March, the electronic communication between pupils and teachers has increased markedly, and we will continue to use e-mail and Teams as we develop our blended learning approach. Pupils have been instructed that only c2k e-mail addresses should been used, and that all communication must be appropriate. We will be using the videos below to teach pupils how to best construct e-mails and use the forums in Teams, and I will be instructing teachers who receive inappropriate e-mails or read posts which do not follow these guidelines not to respond to requests, and, if necessary, to follow up using the School Citizenship policy.
Discussion Board Etiquette
How to email a teacher
Parental Communication
If you need to contact school, do so using the school telephone number, 02890471214, or e-mail address, info@bloomfield.belfast.ni.sch.uk. Please note the e-mail address used for updates and newsletters, bloomfield233@c2kni.net, is outward facing only and is not regularly monitored. Please
do not contact individual teachers directly by e-mail unless they have asked you to do so.
Pupil Illness
Should a pupil appear unwell or display any of the symptoms of Covid-19, they should not be sent to school. Symptoms of Covid-19 include:
- a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature), or;
- a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual), or;
- anosmia – the loss or a change in your normal sense of smell (it can also affect your sense of taste)
Finally, I have been reminded over the last two weeks that what makes Bloomfield special is the interaction between pupils and staff. It is fantastic to have the pupils back again after so long; we have missed them.
Kind regards
Principal
