From the virtual to the real world
I never thought it would come to this – tuning into BBC Parliament at 3:30pm on a Monday afternoon, 22nd February to be precise, to listen to a Prime Ministerial statement. And then as for cheering when he announced the full re-opening of all schools with effect from Monday 8th March, well, I really truly honestly never thought it would come to that! Information on the return to St Peter’s for all pupils on Monday 8th March will be shared is a separate letter, and we can’t wait to welcome the children back to school.
During this week, all staff at St Peter’s received refresher training on cyber-safety and the many potential pitfalls of the on-line world for children that go hand in hand with the benefits of the internet. The training was delivered by our on-line safety consultant Lee Haywood, and he will be available for parent consultations during our remote parents’ evenings of 21st and 28th April – booking details to follow in early March.
For now, though, here is a link to Lee’s company website Parent Zone, which will be of interest to all families with children and teenagers at home:
https://www.onlinesafetyuk.com/advice-for-parents/
Mr R Cunningham
Headteacher
Winter art
Inspired by the current cold snap, the children in Year 4 (aged 8 and 9 years old) at St Peter’s created these stunning winter tree silhouettes and landscapes.
Having mixed remote and in-school learning for the best part of 6 weeks now, pupils and staff alike are ready for a half-term break before a partial return to school on Monday 22nd February. We remain ever hopefully of a wider return of more pupils to school from Monday 8th March, Covid permitting.
Mr R Cunningham
Headteacher
Hearing and listening
Over the past fortnight in Religious Education, children in Year 3 (7 and 8 year olds) have learnt about the Bible story of Samuel being called by God, and how at first he mistook it for the summons of his master Eli. Building on the instruction Eli gave to Samuel of “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.”, the pupils reflected on the difference between hearing and listening. By linking this to their own lives, and usually involving instructions from their parents that they may have heard but not necessarily listened to, the children were able to understand more fully how important it was for Samuel to listen to God’s call rather than just hear the voice of his master. As we continue this period of partial school closure, and this work being done by home learners as well as school attendees, the need to listen to the true word of the Lord is perhaps a good way of helping us to balance out some of the more “catastrophising” news reports that we still hear about education. We all have a lot to learn from the children in Year 3!
Mr R Cunningham
Headteacher