It was a longer than usual celebration assembly this Friday, with so many pupils to congratulate and celebrate. Sporting superstars, outstanding learners, safe cyclists, incredible role-models and talented mathematicians were all celebrated this morning, for their super achievements and efforts. Mrs Street led the assembly song, accompanied by pupils from across the school, signing the lyrics to the audience. We are a talented school community, with pupils to be very proud of and Friday mornings are always a great reminder of this.

Thursday was World Book Day. There is always a good reason to read a book and an even better one to share a story with someone else and pupils at Bowmansgreen managed to do both of those things in abundance on Thursday. Pupils took part in a range of book related activities, to support this year’s theme of ‘Reading is Power,’ including  poetry reading and helping to write a school story. A paired story time took place in the afternoon, involving all pupils across the school. Reception enjoyed hosting Year 6 in their classroom and settled down to hear a story or two with their older friends. Thank you to Miss Ottley for organising our World Book Day activities.

Hertfordshire County Council is keeping schools up to date with information and advice regarding coronavirus. The national guidance remains that schools do not close. We appreciate that some families will naturally be worried about local coronavirus cases within Hertfordshire. The local authority have stressed that current evidence indicates that most cases appear to be mild, with patients experiencing flu-like symptoms and that the new cases of coronavirus are nothing unexpected. The latest updates for Headteachers are around what schools should do if  a member of the school community should test positive for Covid-19 or comes into close contact with somebody who has. The local authority is discussing and planning strategies around possible and likely scenarios for schools and we will update the school community accordingly, if or when necessary.  In the meantime, it is school business as usual! We will continue to be proactive about hygiene routines and school cleanliness and ensure that school is well resourced and equipped to fulfill the ‘Catch it, Bin it. Kill it’ guidance.

Next week, Bowmansgreen will be supporting British Science Week, through a range of curriculum activities. You can look forward to finding out more about your child’s learning during science week, at our next curriculum evening on Thursday 2nd April.

Please be reminded that parent consultation evenings take place on March 24th and 26th. See your child’s class teacher if you have not yet made an appointment.

Enjoy your weekend.

You may have noticed something different about the front of the school since returning after half-term but couldn’t quite put your finger on it….
Unfortunately, the large Lombardy Poplar tree, that had stood for many years by the school entrance, had to be felled during half term. It never recovered from being hit by lightning a couple of years ago and, unfortunately, had to come down.

As you will be aware, there has been a lot of information in the news about a strain of coronavirus called COVID-19. This includes information relating to schools, including those returning from trips to Italy over half term. Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) have reassured all schools that none of the trips run by Hertfordshire schools were within the ten towns which the Italian authorities have put on quarantine measures and Hertfordshire residents remain at low risk. HCC have advised that taking basic hygiene precautions remains the best way to reduce the chances of spreading any virus, a message that we have reinforced to all pupils. The Department for Education has communicated guidance for educational settings in conjunction with information and advice from Public Health England which we are following and will closely monitor as it is updated.

We have again managed to accumulate hundreds of items of lost property during last half term, including coats, shoes, bags and football boots. None of the items are named so cannot be returned to their owners. Please could we remind parents and carers to name all items of children’s uniform. Weather permitting, we will have a used uniform sale alongside our monthly book swap, on Friday 13th March. Please come along to top up your child’s uniform.

National headlines frequently refer to statistics that support a worrying trend of poor mental health amongst school-aged children. This is alongside rising reports of self-harm and anxiety. These are not just increasingly common trends, they are real issues for some of our families. As a school, we will continue to teach and support our pupils to look after their physical and mental health and look at ways of building their resilience and self-esteem. We are continuing to develop and improve our therapeutic provision so that we can provide early intervention for our families, which in this climate of funding and service cuts, is not easy to achieve. If you would like more information or you are worried about the mental health or emotional well-being of a child or young person, the NSPCC and Young Minds websites are good places to start. If you are concerned about your own child and would like some support or information from school, please see your child’s class teacher or contact me via the school office.

Please can we remind families that children are not allowed on the playground equipment at the end of the school day. Pupils are aware of this expectation and we would appreciate your support in ensuring that it is reinforced.