Dear Parents,
As another week of remote learning draws to a close, I am once again left incredibly proud of all members of our Rossall community. The sheer happiness and resilience being displayed by our pupils is nothing short of outstanding. Over the course of the week, the teachers have begun to virtually meet all of the pupils online through Zoom, reporting back to me that the excitement of the children to see one another, was palpable. The initial shyness was quickly overtaken by a genuine thirst for knowledge of what each other has been up to whilst not physically in school. On top of our already successful Google Classroom offering, this venture has provided the additional social element that is missing by learning in a virtual environment.
The videos and images that continue to be sent in for classwork, display outstanding learning beyond the confines of the classroom and have left me sitting at my desk with a smile on my face. Whether it be children baking, cooking, ironing, bike riding, news reporting, dressing up, dancing, gardening, singing, painting, chalking, or simply just learning at their work stations, they are going above and beyond what we could ever have expected. There is no doubt that this situation has been a difficult one for the children to come to terms with on many levels, but I am positive that they will come out of the other side of it stronger, wiser and more determined.
I have been equally impressed by the way in which parents have articulated how well they are working together as families at home. The way in which our family units are learning to get along with one another in new and difficult circumstances can be somewhat problematic! Working at home does not only apply to the children and, as a staff, we are committed to endeavouring to provide learning opportunities that do not require continuous parental input. Obviously, this can be difficult with our youngest pupils and that is why our timetable holds a great deal of flexibility within it. I am sure that there have been moments within every household when tensions have been frayed, as we all try to continue with our various commitments, so please do rest assured that we are on your side and will do whatever we can to support and help you and your children, every single day.
I am looking forward to watching a variety of video clips over the weekend, and putting together our first virtual ‘show and tell’ assembly for the Preschool children. Another opportunity for me to smile… it is incredibly important that we keep doing that.
I wish you all an enjoyable and relaxing weekend.
Mr Turner
