Tuesday 5th May
Hello to our lovely community. I hope you’ve had a good day. Apologies that I am late with the blog today - I have just finished a conference call with Mr Priest, Mr Holder and Miss Walters and we talk a lot! Naturally, most of our conversation is about all of you and how we can support you during this time. Grown-ups, we are here to support you as well, please phone the school office if you have any queries at all - we will do our best to provide the answers or find the answers for you.
Grown-ups, we also welcome any feedback that you may wish to provide. We are currently running both a physical school and a virtual school - and this is going to continue until restrictions have been lifted. We also have lots of staff members who are juggling working from home and home-schooling, so we do have some idea of what you may be experiencing in your homes. It is really important that you contact us directly so we can offer support, or guidance, or share your frustrations, and help to reassure you that you are being a great parent under the most difficult of circumstances and you are not alone.
Did you know that school has been closed for over six weeks now? That is longer than the school summer holidays! How are feeling about it all? I am finding not seeing my family really hard and cannot wait to give them all a big hug (or a cwtch, as we would say in Wales). There is lots of pressure on the government to lift some of the restrictions that are in place, including returning to school, but it continues to be super important that we look after the health of our nation and listen to what the scientists are saying.
The government are busy working on an exit plan, this exit plan will provide the population with details about how they plan to lift restrictions whilst continuing to protect people’s health, especially those who are most vulnerable.
A few weeks ago, the Prime Minister of Norway (Erna Solberg) held a special press conference for children - during the conference children had the opportunity to ask questions about the coronavirus and the government response to it. What would you ask our Prime Minster, Boris Johnson, about the coronavirus?
Here are some examples of questions that the children of Norway asked:
Can I have a birthday party?
Can I visit my grandparents after I went to a shopping centre?
How long does it take to make a vaccine?
What can I do to help?
We would be very interested to know the questions you would ask about coronavirus and about how the government plan to lift restrictions, email us at: children@olive.dudley.sch.uk. We can’t promise that Boris Johnson will personally answer questions, but we will do our best to provide you with an answer or an explanation. We might even forward some to the Prime Minister, but I have a feeling he is VERY busy at the moment.
We are so proud of all of you - mums, dads, aunts, uncles, carers and grandparents included - these are very strange times indeed and you are all doing your best, and that is all anyone can ever ask of you. Do you know children, that years from now - when your children are in school (and I am retired and living by the beach) - they will learn about the year 2020 and the coronavirus pandemic that shook the world in their history lessons. Just like you learn about Florence Nightingale, Henry VIII, World War II and life in Victorian Britain. I wonder what the history books will say… what do you think?
We miss you.
Stay safe.