Hello everyone,

I hope you all had a good half term. I will be sending out a letter in the coming days regarding our COVID procedures and the latest government guidance. In the meantime, we ask that any children with COVID symptoms or who are unwell do not attend school and we thank you in advance for your support in keeping everyone safe..

Donations for Ukraine

Some of our pupils have asked what they can do to help people in Ukraine.  Please see a poster below with information on collection points. If it is easier for you to bring any donations to school, Hannah Lins has offered to drive donations to the nearest collection point next week.

FREE access to this Friday’s First News

First News – a children’s newspaper which we subscribe to in school for our older pupils – are giving all parents FREE access to this Friday’s full First News edition.

Please use this link, to gain access to the week’s news stories, including the 6 page Ukraine report.

The six-page special report has been written specifically to help teachers, parents and children understand what’s happening, presenting the events in a non-sensationalised and unbiased way. We also showcase some of the positive actions and people that have come out of this terrible event, to show children there are more good people than bad in the world.

News from Severn Loop

March Loop 2022

Dear Friends,

Hi everyone,

Well, we’ve managed to get to the end of half term without having to close due to Covid, storms or snow!

Covid-19

We have seen Covid cases rise significantly in school over the past fortnight.  If your child tests positive on Saturday 19th or Sunday 20th, please notify me ASAP at head@bicton.shropshire.sch.uk so that I can identify and inform close contacts. We also request that all children have a lateral flow before returning to school on Monday 28th February which will help us keep others safe. Thank you in advance for following this request.

Cash for Schools Competition – We need your help!

News from Severn Loop

Dear Friends,

Thank You Message from Mrs Walton

Parking issues

Thsi is a polite request to all drivers coming onto our school site at drop off and pick up. We are very fortunate to have such a huge car park for a primary school but we need everyone to use it responsibly to keep pedestrians and other drivers safe and free from harm.

Please do not park opposite the zig zag lines on Bicton Lane as this is causing a hazard.

Please DO NOT park around the island on our car park, especially when there are empty spaces, as this is preventing other vehicles from entering and exiting spaces.

Thank you for adhering to this request.

Policy updates

Please see below some policy updates for your information and we thank you in advance for taking the time to read these.

Snow and Bad Weather Policy and Procedures February 2022

No Smoking Policy February 2022

Mobile Phones and Cameras Policy (including Smart Devices) February 2022

Hello everyone,

We have seen an increase in positive COVID cases across the school this week and I thank you for carrying out daily LFD testing where your child has been identified as a close contact.  The symptoms we are seeing are wide ranging and generally not the 3 main symptoms. Common symptoms in our pupils are a runny nose, tummy ache, head ache, sickness and sore throat.

We really do understand how difficult it can be for you to arrange childcare if your child is ill but we ask you not to send your child to school or nursery if they are unwell. Thank you for your support with this.

Mrs Johnson

News from Severn Loop

Dear Friends around Severn Loop,

February Loop 2022

Happy February (almost)! I hope you are all well. Please find attached the February Loop (our monthly newsletter). It is Forest Church this coming Sunday (Albrighton, 3pm)- all are welcome! The instructions are below…

                What to bring

Do wrap up warm and bring wellies/ walking boots. We are really grateful to the Downes family for their hospitality. Joe Downes is going to lead us in a walk/ talk around the farm, where we’ll learn about sheep farming. As always, there will be the opportunity to do some free-range exploring around the church, and a craft or two for those who are so inclined…. if it’s raining we can use the church for those who would rather stay in one place!

Please bring your own picnic. We will eat in the Monkhouse Granary (by kind permission of the family) where there will be a kettle to make a hot drink. I’ll bring tea bags etc, and have ten mugs – so do bring your own if you would like to.

                The Plan

We will be flexible, depending on who comes along, and we also want to keep things fairly informal. Here is an outline of the afternoon:

3pm- Opening prayer and welcome from Hannah, with an introduction from Joe Downes (Albrighton Hall Farm)

3.15-3.45pm- Activities, which will include the option of a farm tour/ walk, some exploring and crafts (both around and in the church)

3.45pm- A worship service in the churchyard, where we will be planting a tree together to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee- Sunday is the day itself!

4pm- Picnic Time in the Monkhouse Granary

                 Directions

Heading out from Shrewsbury take the Ellesmere Road out of town. At the Ellesmere Road Roundabout, take the Wem road (A528- still the Ellesmere Road too!). Continue for a mile or so, and the road enters Albrighton. When you see the church on the right, indicate right, and turn into the lane (signposted Albrighton Hall Farm/ Monkhouse Granary/ Church car park). Turn immediately right again for the church car park. We will meet there!  The postcode is SY4 3HP. 

Caregivers are responsible for their children at all times, I will bring a First-Aid Kit and the Risk Assessment will be available to look at. We do have cover if it’s rainy- so please don’t be put off by the weather!

With love, prayers and blessings,

Hannah x

Autism West Midlands – FREE Webinars:

For parents, carers and professionals throughout the region, watch “live” or via an automated link to watch a replay.  Click on the links to find out more including registration details –

Understanding Autism – Friday 18^th February 9.30am-10.30am

https://autismwestmidlands.org.uk/events/understanding-autism-webinar-west-midlands-18feb22/

Autism and Anxiety – Friday 4^th March 9.30am – 10.30am

Bookings open soon – please check the “events” section of our website

How Autistic People Process Information – Friday 18^th March 9.30am-10.30am

https://autismwestmidlands.org.uk/events/how-autistic-people-process-information-webinar-18mar22/

         HALF TERM FAMILY EVENT 

Attingham Park – Tuesday 22^nd February 10am – 12pm

https://autismwestmidlands.org.uk/events/attingham-park-walk-for-shropshire-families/

         WEEKLY Zoom Advice slots – every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday

For those who would like some face-to-face contact, we are offering this virtually via video appointments. Zoom works well on mobile phones. To book a 45 min advice appointment with a specialist autism advisor please book via our shop

https://autismwestmidlands.org.uk/events/online-autism-advice-shropshire/

         Virtual Support Group for Parents – Wednesday Mornings 10am-11am & Wednesday Evenings 8pm-9pm – NOW 1^st and 3^rd Weds of each month

From the New Year, we moved our online support groups to twice a month via the Zoom platform. This is an opportunity to talk with other parents, share ideas, and offer support.

If you would like to join either of the support groups, please email the team at shropshire@autismwestmidlands.org.uk

         Advice and support

We continue to offer advice and support over the phone and via email. Parents/carers and professionals can contact our small team directly to arrange an appointment please call:

Mon, Wed, Fri              – Wendy Cowton            07900784186

Weds, Thu, Fri              – Emma Hegenbarth      07881109480

Tue, Wed, Thu             – Dawn Lewis               07706309382

Email                             shropshire@autismwestmidlands.org.uk

Helpline                          0121 450 7575

Hello everyone,

Thank you to everyone who has arranged a PCR test for their child, if they had one of the 3 main COVID symptoms, and for regularly testing using LFD tests  as requested. We have had several positive cases in school over the past fortnight so by carrying out testing you are helping reduce the risk of transmission.

News from Severn Loop

Dear Friends around Severn Loop,

Hello everyone,

I hope you are keeping safe and well and that you had a good Christmas and New Year.

Please see below our latest Covid-19 risk assessment and we thank you in advance for taking the time to read this. Please note this was written before the changes to PCR testing were issued today (Wednesday 5th) but our procedures remain the same.

Remember...if a pupil has symptoms they should not attend and must get a test. Also, if a parent or sibling tests positive, pupils should not attend until they have also had a test and received a negative test result. This will reduce the risk of transmission and help us keep Covid out of school and nursery – thank you.

Bicton COVID-19 Risk Assessment V23 04.01.2022

We ask that all children have a lateral flow test before returning to school or nursery this week. This will help us to keep all our pupils, staff and families safe by helping to identify any asymptomatic cases and reducing any risk of transmission.

If you do not have any lateral flow tests at home, we can provide you with a test to carry out at the start of the day on Thursday. Providing your child does not test positive, they can then come into school or nursery and they will not be ‘marked’ as late on this occasion.

We thank you in advance for your support with our safety measures.

Best wishes,

Mrs Johnson and staff x

Hello everyone,

Thank you for all your support over what has been a very busy few weeks. We cannot begin to tell you how grateful we are for all of your efforts in helping us get to the end of term safely!

Christmas Fair update

It was so wonderful to see so many of you at our Christmas Fair on Wednesday and thank you for sending in donations if you were unable to attend. Monies are still coming in to FOBS for sweets and selection boxes but so far it looks as though we raised approximately £1500! This is an AMAZING effort and we would like to thank everyone who bought raffle tickets, sweets, selection boxes and who came along on the day and supported the event.

A huge thank you goes to FOBS who have worked tirelessly over the past few weeks – you are all amazing! Thank you as well to parents who worked hard to source prizes for the raffle, who made gifts to sell at the Fair and who came along and helped on the day.

Governing Body news

Please see below our latest Governing Body newsletter.

governor-newsletter-Dec 2021

Daily testing of close contacts for COVID-19 – updated guidance for schools

Adults who are fully vaccinated and all children and young people aged between 5 to 18 years and 6 months identified as a close contact of someone with COVID-19, are now strongly advised to take a lateral flow device (LFD) test every day for 7 days.

We request that all children take a lateral flow test before returning to school or nursery on Thursday 6th January 2022. All our staff will continue to test at least twice weekly when we return to school.

Grab a jab at the Darwin Shopping Centre

Details of walk-in clinics in Shropshire where you can get booster jabs and vaccinations are here

The pop-up vaccination clinic at the Darwin Shopping Centre in Shrewsbury will be open 7 days a week in the run up to Christmas.

Shropshire Council has been working with NHS partners to extend the opening hours of the clinic to support the national COVID-19 booster campaign, and help offer booster jabs and vaccinations to 160,000 people by the end of December.

The clinic will be closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day but will re-open on 27 December.

And finally (and what you’ve been waiting for…!)

Even though we couldn’t invite you into school for a Christmas performance, we hope the children’s Christmas video makes you smile as much as it has us. PLEASE DO NOT SHARE THE VIDEO with anyone outside Bicton School and Nursery and it MUST NOT be uploaded to any social media or messaging platforms. Thank you for adhering to this.

We wish you the most wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year.

Take care and stay safe,

From Mrs Johnson, staff, governors and all of our amazing children! xx

Christmas fair update 13.12.21