Thursday 2nd April- 9am

First of all, I hope everyone is safe and well. We are nearing the end of our second week of school closure and there is little to indicate that this health crisis is easing. Please ensure that you are doing everything to keep yourself and others safe.

We 'should' now be looking forward to the start of a fun filled 2 week holiday but that is obviously not the case and the next few weeks will see us all trying to make the best of this difficult situation. There is little doubt that different situations bring different pressures and all of us are having to respond to something that we are not comfortable with. Do look out for each other and ensure you allow some time to focus on your own wellbeing as well as that of others.

Maintaining our partnership with the children and families of Tudor Primary remains our key priority. We are stronger together and we have been thrilled with the amount of contact that the vast majority of Tudor families are making with school (in a range of ways!). Teachers are enjoying a consistent dialogue with the children in their classes and there is nothing more uplifting than when a child shares the super work that they have completed at home. We have seen super animation videos, musical masterpieces as well as awesome maths and english work. Remember that EVERY classteacher is keen to be informed about your child's work and we pledge to help in any way we can. We are evaluating the interaction with families and we are putting additional actions in place for those who may be experiencing some difficulty. Children only get ONE chance at an education when growing up and I do believe we must all expect the best for them.

Some of our community (of all ages) are likely to be finding this situation incredibly difficult. Do look at the 'Wellbeing and Safeguarding' section of our website for additional tips, guidance and support. Quite simply though, the more we engage with each other (and look out for each other), the less isolated and alone any of us will feel. To hear about some of the online 'reading time' and other activities that the children have been enjoying along with their classes just evidences the natural joy they have when they see and hear each other. Tudor Primary will continue to provide such opportunity.

During the 'holiday' period, creative learning activities will continue to be set. Parent feedback has informed us that the Tudorites are getting into that 'routine' and a break from this could be detrimental. Therefore, do encourage your children to have a go at those artistic and/ or creative ideas that will be online. Your 'Friends of Tudor Scrapbooks' (we are still waiting for more of these - sorry!) can help the children express themselves...

Towards the end of the holiday period (wb 13th April) there will be an opportunity for all families to collect some more substantial pre printed learning support materials. The school has invested heavily in this as we believe this is the most effective and efficient way that children can access learning. We will be using online learning platforms (more on this to follow), for children to share work and be given additional teaching guidance but we do not want to over burden families with an unfair expectation on huge amounts of printing. We WILL need you, though, to use one of your daily exercise opportunities to come to the school and collect a pack. Be assured this will be done safely- we will stagger collection times and we will ensure the appropriate social distancing.

Do have a look at the class blogs (not just your own child's class) and see what cool things have been going on recently. You can check out those online music jamming session and masterpieces of animation. You can also see the teachers themselves responding to challenges FROM the children as well as those physical activities set by Mr Higgins. Our twitter pages also evidence some of these great things. I hope they help bring a smile to all in your family!

There remains a LOT going on in our 'Tudor World'.

#TeamTudor

Monday 30th March- 2pm

It has been a few days since the last update on this information feed. I do hope that all parents (and children) read the  detailed newsletter that I sent home at the end of last week. More than ever, a continued commitment to seeking key information is vital.

The teaching team continue to set a range of fun learning activities for children and we are keen to get feedback about how we are supporting our young learners (and their families). Feedback received so far has been pleasing in relation to the learning packs. The fact that parents are not asked to be totally reliant on printed worksheets is something we identified as being important- the school is happy to invest in professionally produced resources and we wil be expanding on this commitment in the coming weeks. As a parent myself, I recognise the difficulty in structuring these 'different times' for children and I pledge to ensure the parents of Tudor Primary are able to be supported throughout.

A change in Red Class:

In other news, parents in reception class were informed today that Mrs Pamplin will be leaving us after the Easter holidays. Whilst we are sad to see Mrs Pamplin depart, Miss Jessica Adams demonstrated within her awesome application and interview that she will be a super replacement. I am sure that we will continue to see a lot of Mrs Pamplin as she is sure to continue to help Tudor in a range of ways- once #TeamTudor, always #TeamTudor.

When Miss Jessica Adams was successful in the interview process (nearly two months ago), we did not predict she would start at Tudor Primary in such a period of school closure but she is certainly keen to make a big impact with red class alongside the rest of the EYFS team.

Keeping that engagement going...

Teachers and the leadership team are currently monitoring the engagement between home and school from all families and we are thrilled that the vast majority of families are maintaining the partnership that is so vital between home and school. If you are finding anything difficult, please contact the school. Teachers are contactable by email and the admin@tudor.herts.sch.uk email remains available too. We remain highly committed to you all and we pledge to help in any way we can.

Keep an eye on the communication- from sports activities on twitter to the daily teacher blogs on the website- there's a lot on offer from Tudor Primary...  

Mr Weightman     

Wednesday 25th March- 1pm

We have reached the mid point of this first week. There is no doubt that this period of our lives will be unlike any other. Please do follow the guidance from the government and keep your families safe.

The teaching team continue to get good feedback for the range of learning support activities that we are currently providing. Please be assured that we will refine and enhance this provision in the coming weeks (and maybe months). The key aim is engaging your children and helping them feel a part of their school even when they are at home. Evidence suggests that the majority of families are working with the school and the children are enjoying the interaction with their teachers. Please use the class emails (it is the class name and then the usual email- for example, 3S@tudor.herts.sch.uk for Miss Houston's 3S class).

I will be increasing the regularity of our newsletters and these will be sent to all families by email as well as shared on the website/ twitter pages at the end of each week. The content will obviously be adapted to our current needs and I will share helpful tips and ideas on supporting children at home as well as giving you the 'official' newsfeed for all things Tudor.

Mr Higgins' online sports activities are proving popular and I am sure many of you enjoy seeing the ideas he has for you each day. I like the balance between creativity, sport and fun- the perfect mix!

As time goes on, we are trialling different ways to support families when they are at home. I do not think we should simply ask families to print off pages and pages of online material and I know that 'interaction' with teachers needs to be sustainable. ALREADY THOUGH, children that are sending emails (examples of work, etc) are getting some detailed responses from teachers and this is being delivered from our youngest learners to those in year 6.

We continue to support the community in a range of additional ways and over 100 local elderly residents have already received some super gift parcels. Food drops offs are available and we are keen to reach out as much as we can to support families (and individuals) in this difficult time. Do contact the school (admin@tudor.herts.sch.uk) if there is anything we can do to help- after all, we remain WITH you and we are FULLY committed to your children's social and academic development.   

The more you engage with us, the EASIER it is for us to get that support to you.

#TeamTudor

Tuesday 24th March- 1pm

Update on how Tudor is working in other areas

So far:

-over 100 gift packages given to elderly residents in the locality

-we're now supporting DENS with provision of regular meals/ packed lunches

Contact community@tudor.herts.sch.uk if you know of any local needs! #TeamTudor

Monday 23rd March - 8pm

Good Evening Everyone,

There is no denying that today was a rather strange day. I do hope, though, that all of our young Tudor learners had a good go at their first day of learning from home. 

It is great to hear that MANY of you have already contacted your teachers on the new email addresses (see posts below for guidance). They PROMISE to support you and the more you do this, the more you will realise that we are TRULY with you all. 

You may have noticed that we have slightly reorganised the website to make the class links easier to find. The HOME LEARNING tab is now much more prominent at the top. Find you year group and ALSO USE THE BLOG to find further detail. This is found in a separate drop down menu within your year group page. Answers and support to the work can be found in there and you'll be able to find more activities to keep you flying forward!

Keep those pictures coming in and share your stories about how things are going. 

If there's any other ideas you have, email the school on admin@tudor.herts.sc.uk and we will do what we can to make this new experience of Tudor learning even better.

We can honestly say that we missed you all today and school was a much lonelier place without the laughter and smiles that you all bring each day. Please DO KNOW that your teachers are keen to remain by your side and we hope that you are able to keep in contact with us using the email option.

Don't  forget to get involved with the other daily challenges too - Mr Higgins' fitness challenges will be regularly updated.

GO FOR IT #TeamTudor!

Mr Weightman 

Sunday 22nd March- 6pm

Good Evening,

Tomorrow should have been a Monday morning like any other but, as we all know, it is going to be very different. The children of Tudor Primary will not be putting on their blue jumpers or cardigans like they are so used to doing. They will not be sorting their book bag and they will not make their way to their classroom door to find their friends inside. As adults, we can try and empathise with what this will feel like for our young learners but I am not sure any of us can really fully comprehend what the future is going to bring.

The teaching team are determined to give their all for the children and I encourage all families to help their children access the activities that will be presented to the children. Your child's teacher is accessible via email (classname@tudor eg 4V@, 2R@, etc) and we hope to engage with the children and make them feel as fully involved as possible. As time goes on and more information becomes clear, we may need to further refine and enhance our approaches but I do feel that Tudor has been pro-active in planning for this 'different' situation. 

Some teachers have placed timetables in their blogs that you can use to help organise your days. As a parent myself, it all becomes a little more manageable when days are broken down into sections- after all, it's what we do each day anyway. As headteacher, I pledge to be as contactable and (safely) available as I can be. If your child/family would benefit from a phone call from school then please feel confident to request this. Also, if it's your child's birthday then do expect a phone call from the team too.  Many ideas are washing around our heads at the moment and I just hope we get the balance right. All at #TeamTudor will certainly be trying their best. 

Vulnerable people of all ages within the community are in our thoughts. Some members of the 'Tudor Teaching Assistant Team' are now in charge of distribution of the amazing donations that the school has received. One of their first tasks is to deliver a gift package to residents in a number of local care homes for the elderly. Many of these residents have been unable to see visitors and if there is anything that the team at Tudor can do to help them then we will try our best to bring some joy to them. Do remember to contact our new email address of community@tudor.herts.sch.uk if there is someone in our community that needs some support. It could be a gift of some food or even a letter from one of our caring pupils.

Those children who receive (benefit related) free school meals can also still collect a meal each day. If there are families that are struggling with provision of daily lunches, please do contact us- we pledge to help in any way we can. Our school has been selected as a hub from the provision of meals so we are in a good position to help.

School meals available for collection between 11.30am and 1.30pm. (Keep an eye on website for latest information)

A few parents asked me to speculate 'how long' all this could on Friday as they collected their children. The honest answer is that no one knows- it certainly does not seem to be a short term measure. The more we read the news, the more concerning the picture looks.

To conclude, good luck everyone with what tomorrow brings and remember that we will be one more day towards the end of this situation. Stay in contact with the school and remember that we are all still #TeamTudor!

Mr Weightman

Friday 20th March

As this week draws to a close, there is clearly a lot of uncertainty about what the next period of time may bring. The vast majority of children are going home from Tudor Primary today and they are unsure exactly when they will see their friends, see their teachers, play on the playground, walk into assembly, spend time in their classrooms. We pledge that we will continue to be involved in their lives and we are determined to make sure the range of activities and supports that are accessible to them will help engage them in a fun way.

If the last few days at Tudor Primary have given us an indication about how strong our community is we should all feel very confident. We have been overwhelmed with offers of support (in a range of forms) as well as the wonderful donations that have been received from individual families and international companies.

In relation to Tudor's support of the wider community, an email will be set up. This email is:

community@tudor.herts.sch.uk (this email will go live in the next few days)

If you know of  any elderly/ vulnerable people in our local community who would benefit from a gift parcel of food (and other nice things!), do email the community@tudor address and we will aim to get these delivered in the subsequent period. TKMaxx have donated a phenomenal amount of food items and this has further complemented the donations from the Tudor parent community. A number of staff and parents have put their names forward to make sure that these care/ gift packages can 'make a difference' in these difficult times.

I hope that the children enjoy the learning activities. I have heard of some amazing additional plans that are in store and I only hope these do work and make the positive impact that they could have.

I must conclude this letter by sharing my adoration for the team at Tudor at this time. The children have been amazing and they are being incredibly brave. For some of our younger learners I am not sure that they really recognise what is going on but in many ways that can help protect them. The staff team (if I allowed them to) would commit to working 12 hours a day for as long as they physically could- we do have to manage our own expectations, though, and I have a duty of care to their wellbeing.

Please be supportive to each other and encourage your children to engage with Tudor using the range of opportunities that we have set up.

We have committed to supporting a high number of families with provision of 'in school care' in the next few weeks (and beyond). Our community has a large number of KEY workers who are CRITICAL in helping the country work- I am proud that we have been open to them as well as pro-active in helping things to return to normal.

After all, we are all in this together.

#TeamTudor