10th

July 2020

Mere Close, Off Mere Road, Leicester. LE5 3HH. 0116 253 6092. Email: office@bridge.leicester.sch.uk Website: www.bridge.leicester.sch.uk

Have a fantastic summer holiday!

School re-opens on Tuesday 1

st

September 2020.

MESSAGE FROM MS. MAHIL: Dear Parents/Carers, What strange times we find ourselves in?! As the new Headteacher of Bridge Junior School, I must say that the last two terms have been a very challenging time for all of us but you have offered me an amazing, warm wel-come into our School and community. I know that this will be rekindled when we start the next academic year. The last six months have been tough yet also rewarding, thanks to our superb staff, children and the support and encouragement offered by you, our parents and carers. Despite the difficulties that the awful Coronavirus has presented, there have been a huge number of achievements; recognised in celebration assemblies, in your child’s reports (which were a pleasure to read) and recent online learning successes that have been shared weekly on our website during the lockdown. Please have a look on our website if you haven’t done so already (under the Children tab Celebration of Learning.) I wish you all a restful, happy and safe summer holiday and look forward to seeing

you again on Tuesday 1st September 2020.

TERM DATES FOR NEXT YEAR: Please keep these dates safe to refer to. They are also available our website under the ‘Parents’ tab on the homepage and then by clicking on ‘Useful Information & Term Dates.’

GOODBYE AND GOOD LUCK: At the end of this term we say a fond farewell to Mrs. Race and Miss Simon. Mrs. Race will be retiring after six years at Bridge, teaching in the LAND mobile and in Year 6. She contributed greatly to the outside grounds at Bridge, creating two outdoor pictures with plastic bottle tops, growing and tending to the many flowers, herbs and vegetables in our planters as well as cooking with the produce. Miss Simon, a Teaching Assistant in Year 4 this year, worked with us for just under three years. She was popular amongst staff and children alike for her helpful, caring and friendly nature. We will miss you both and wish you all the best for the future. As we couldn’t hold our usual ‘Goodbye’ celebration assembly we’ve given Mrs. Race and Miss Simon the chance to write a few words to the children. Please have a look on the next page.

Autumn Term (1) Tues 1st Sept 2020 - Fri 16th October 2020

Half Term Holiday Mon 19th October - Fri 23rd October 2020

Autumn Term (2) Mon 26th October - Fri 18th December 2020

Christmas Holiday Mon 21st December – Mon 4th January 2021

Spring Term (1) Tues 5th January 2021 - Fri 12th February 2021

Half Term Holiday Mon 15th February - Fri 19th February 2021

Spring Term (2) Mon 22nd February - Fri 26th March 2021

Easter Holiday Mon 29th March - Fri 9th April 2021

Summer Term (1) Mon 12th April - Fri 28th May 2021

Bank Holiday Mon 3rd May 2021

Half Term Holiday Mon 31st May - Fri 4th June 2021

Summer Term (2) Mon 7th June - Fri 9th July 2021

Summer Holiday begins Mon 12th July 2021

GOODBYE TO YEAR 6: Here are three messages from your teachers: Mrs. Lepora: After four years, your time at Bridge is over. You have been an incredible year group and we are proud of every-thing that you have achieved. We wish all of you the very best as you transfer to secondary school and we look forward to hearing all about your achievements over the next few years. Miss Rudkin: Class 2, this would have been our last week together... It’s finally time for you all to move on and begin your next huge step into secondary school. I hope you enjoy the summer and good luck on your next journey. I wish the very best for you all and I’m sorry that I didn’t get a chance to see you one last time. I have enjoyed teaching you and will remember you all forever. You will do so well in life because you’re hard working, kind, caring and friendly. Mrs. Manning: Class 3, I have really enjoyed being your teacher and getting to know you all. Wishing you much success and happiness in your new school and in the future. Remember, you can do it if you to and try hard!

STAYING SAFE: The summer holidays are for relaxing and having fun but please can we remind parents to ensure that your children understand the importance of playing safely, cycle safety, road safety, online safety and being aware of stranger- danger.

SEESAW: Please note that teachers will not be setting any lessons on Seesaw over the summer holiday. If children would like to continue learning throughout the break, please refer to our website under the ’Children’ tab for plenty of activities and useful web links.

FREE FOOD AND ACTIVITY PACKS: Highfields Adventure Playground will be distributing free food from the

afternoon of Monday 13th

July 2020 (provided by Fareshare). It will be available

during the summer holidays to anyone in need. The food will be in the form of ‘grab bags’ - available daily either to eat at the Playground or take away. In addition, food parcels with enough food for three days will be available for families on a weekly basis. Highfields Adventure Playground have also teamed up with the Arts Council to provide free Activity Packs for children. If you require any further information, please contact Kevin. Address: Highfields Adventure Playground, Mere Road, Leicester. LE5 5GQ. Tel: 0116 262 4592. Email: kevin@highfieldsadventureplayground.com

Playfair

GOODBYE FROM MRS RACE: As we come to the end of the summer term 2020, this is my last piece for the monthly Newsletter. Like those of you who are in Year 6, I too am leaving Bridge Junior. I have been a teacher for four decades and am now retiring. I must say that it has been an amazing job to do! Before I cam to live in Leicester, I taught at school in Kent (where I was born) and London. In Leicester, I have taught in two fantastic schools, Charnwood Primary on Nedham Street and here at Bridge Junior. It has been a delight and a privilege to work with so many amazing children from this vibrant and diverse community. It is difficult to choose highlights from my time at Bridge but I will pick out a few: finding lots of interesting ways to improve our use of English, working creatively in teams, developing skills of co-operation and problem-solving, growing our own flowers, fruit and vegetables in the playground, making and sharing delicious treats including: strawberry jam, crab apple jelly, beetroot and pear chutney, different potato dishes, vegetable soup, bean and tomato salad, fruit salad, chapatti pizzas, pancakes, gingerbread biscuits and festive star biscuits, making the Christmas tree using coat hangers and decorating it with milk cartons, collecting plastic bottle tops and making outdoor pictures and singing together in school meetings. I am particularly sad that so few children were able to be in school this term, but I did enjoy being able to teach a bubble of lovely Year 6 girls for a few weeks before I finished. No-one could have foreseen the global Covid-19 pandemic and the huge impact it has and will continue to have on all of our lives. Everyone involved at Bridge: pupils, parents and staff, I wish you well as you move forward. Stay positive and work together. Give each other all the support you need, I will be thinking of you all. Thank you to you all, I have loved being part of the very special community that is Bridge. Mrs. Race.

GOODBYE FROM MISS SIMON: Thank you to all the staff for your help, patience and support you provided me. Thank you to the amazing children. You are all wonderful and I will miss you truly. To the groups I worked with, remember: ‘can’t’ is a negative word and you may feel that you cannot now, but you will! Believe in yourselves: you’ve got this!!!

WATER FOUNTAIN DESIGN COMPETITION: Leicester City Council launched a water fountain design competition for all schools in Leicester, which children took part in during lockdown. Sonia from Class 1 won. Congratulations Sonia and well done. Sonia’s design sends all the correct messages for protecting our planet. Sonia’s design with be professionally produced and appear on the back plate of all 8 water fountains in Leicester and Bridge Junior School will have a permanent display in the Haymarket Bus Station next to the water fountain.

Well

Done

Sonia!

WHITE ROSE MATHS:

FREE parent work-books for children in Years 1 to 6 are available to use over the summer or during next year. Please click on the link below to access: https://whiterosemaths.com/resources/primary-resources/parent-workbooks/

NEW LOCAL WALK-IN, INDOOR COVID-19 TESTING CENTRE:

Available from 8.00am-8.00pm, seven days per week at Highfields Centre. Please feel free to share this information with anyone who has Coronavirus symptoms: high temperature, continuous new cough, loss of taste or loss of smell.

Address: Highfields Centre, 96 Melbourne Road, Leicester, LE2 0DS. Tel : 0116 253 1053 Website: www.highfieldscentre.ac.uk Email: info@highfieldscentre.ac.uk

Coronavirus guidance in different languages is available at: https://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council/coronavirus/coronavirus-information-in-other-languages/

FAVOURITE PARTS OF THE SCHOOL YEAR 2019-2020: Thank you to all of the children who wrote about their favourite parts of the school year on Seesaw. We chose the best entries, displayed on this page and the next one. Congratulations if you were chosen!

FAVOURITE PARTS OF THE SCHOOL YEAR 2019-2020 CONTINUED: