Please see the latest notes and letters sent from the Prep. Department.
Summer Term 2021-2022
Spring Term 2021-2022
Covid Guidance – email sent 28.3.2022
You will already be aware that we have a high number of COVID cases within the department in addition to 4 members of staff, hence the communication sent to you on Saturday. I have a responsibility to protect the wider school community including families with vulnerable members of both staff and parents.
If you have a COVID case in your immediate household, please will you not send siblings into school whilst we try to contain the spread of the virus to both staff and children and hopefully prevent further restrictions over the next 3 days.
I am fully aware of the current guidance and school is working with Salford’s Public Health Department.
Thank you in advance of your support.
Kind regards
Judy Nairn
Important Information COVID-19 – email sent 26.3.2022
We have had a sudden increase in COVID 19 cases within the Prep. Department. We ask for your support in helping us to reduce the spread of the virus within our school community. Please ensure that your child does not come in to school if they have any signs or symptoms of cold or flu including a cough. Any children displaying any of these symptoms in school will be sent home with a request that a PCR COVID test is administered to the child. We also request that you administer a daily Lateral Flow Test if a member of your household has tested positive for COVID. Please find attached the latest advice from Salford Council.
We ask you to read the following measures that will be taken in the Prep Department from Monday 28th of March until the end of term on Thursday March 31st. These measures are being used to minimise the mixing of classes in the department particularly indoors.
· Late Club will be closed for the week. All children must be collected at their normal dismissal time at the front of the Prep. building.
· After school extra-curricular clubs are cancelled for next week.
· The KS 1 trip to Manchester Airport will go ahead with children in class bubbles.
· Early Club will open at 8 a.m. in the Prep Hall with Key Stage 1 pupils remaining in the Prep Hall. Children will sit in class bubbles in the hall. EYFS children will be escorted to their classroom.
· Parents are asked to wear a face covering if entering the Prep Buildings.
· Further details of Tuesday’s sporting fixtures will be emailed on Monday to relevant families.
We very much hope that these measures along with the Easter break will allow us to return to normal school activities next term. Thank you in advance for your support with this matter.
Letters of support to the children of Ukraine – email sent 11.3.2022
Thank you so much for your generous donations to our Ukrainian humanitarian appeal. With over 1.5
million refugees crossing into neighbouring countries thus far, the need for equipment and supplies is
great and we are delighted that your donations are to begin their journey to the victims of the crisis –
arriving at the Polish/Ukrainian border in a matter of weeks.
Today, our Kindergarten and Reception class children have been writing letters of support for children
affected by the crisis. It is evident the positive impact this could have on those in such a desperate
situation and we encourage you to ask your child to do the same over the weekend, should you wish.
This activity may provide you with an opportunity to discuss the war in Ukraine with your child directly
and help them make sense of what they are hearing about these events. Should you require assistance
with this, the BBC Newsround website has a digital hub dedicated to providing age-appropriate
content, including advice for young people that may be feeling upset by the news.
Visit: https://bbc.co.uk/newsround
IMPORTANT: Please accompany any letters with an envelope stating who it is from and their age, e.g.
Letter from Grace, aged 5
Bridgewater School, England.
Please note that all letters MUST be in school at drop-off on Monday 14th March.
These will accompany the donations being delivered to a distribution hub in Wrightington on Monday
morning, where they will then be sorted, packed and stacked ready for the trip ahead.
Thank you.
KG to Y13 Cake Sale Monday 14th March 2022 – email sent 7.3.2022
Please find attached letter regarding a whole school Cake Sale taking place on Monday 14th March to raise money for youth homelessness charity Centrepoint.
All donations of cakes (either home-made or shop bought) would be greatly appreciated on the day.
Thank you.
Judo restarting – email sent 4.3.2022
Please find attached details of our plans to restart Judo at Bridgewater, a paper copy of the letter has gone home with students today.
The enrolment fee for the 9 weeks is £55.00 and cash or cheques, made payable to Judo Club, should be handed in at the school office together with the enrolment slip at the bottom of the letter. Please note, spaces are limited.
Urgent help needed for Ukrainian refugees – email sent 3.3.2022
As the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine worsens, aid workers on the Ukrainian-Polish border are witnessing tragic scenes. War refugees with children are facing freezing temperatures and, having spoken with the Polish Integration Support Centre (PISC), they urgently need our help in the following ways.
How we can help:
1. Help raise vital funds – 10 ambulances needed now. Visit their JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/anna-buckley-334?fbclid=IwAR1cZJ-DLJ_IQUaqT_0KncXaUXcLBJFcARw8jQAvVOmkf4eBp1Ka6hOTHeo
2. Donate – they have specifically asked us for thermal under-clothing (vests / leggings) for children & adults. Please bring to school before 9.30am tomorrow (Friday 4th March) to enable us to transport to their depot in Wrexham ready for transport this weekend
3. Volunteer – help needed with processing of donations & loading of trucks at the Polish Centre ‘Wilno’ Manchester, Worsley Road, Eccles M30 8BL. After 10am today and tomorrow (3-4 March). Or at the Polish Social Centre in Bury (Back East Street, BL9 0RU) between 10am and 9pm today.
Thank you so much.
World Book Day – email sent 1.3.2022
Please be reminded that this Friday, 4th March, we will be celebrating World Book Day in school.
EYFS – Dress as your favourite book character – Children are invited to dress up as their favourite book character for the day. They are encouraged to bring that book with them on the day.
PREP – Bring your favourite book – Children in Prep I – VI are invited to bring in their favourite book in for the day. They will keep this book with them at all times. At random times over the day, a bell will sound and all children must stop what they are doing to sit and read their book! Children will also be asked if they’d like to perform a small excerpt from their book during class time.
Prep Choir – email sent 19.1.2022
As part of our extra-curricular activities, we are excited to announce that the Prep Choir will be restarting next Monday 24th January. If you were able to watch the Christmas Service 2021 video (https://bridgewaterprep.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=17974&action=edit) , you will see how many of the children were enjoying singing at the church. Our Prep Choir will provide a fantastic opportunity for the children, not only to develop their enjoyment and engagement with singing in a team, but will encourage self-confidence, resilience, promote social skills and a wonderful sense of wellbeing.
We will be delighted to invite all children from the Junior classes (Prep III – Prep VI) and look forward to seeing those who have already been in choir, as well as welcoming new members.
The Choir will meet in the Prep Hall every Monday lunchtime for 30 minutes, starting at 12.50pm, finishing at 1.20pm.
There will be no auditions; children can just come along for the first two weeks to see if they enjoy singing in the choir. After two weeks, the children can decide if they would like to commit to regular weekly attendance.
Choir membership is free and all you need to bring is your voice and a smile – Miss Bradnam and Mrs Sweeney will provide the rest!
We very much look forward to building on our excellent tradition of singing in the Prep Department, and performing in public later this year.
Prep Cross Country Running Club – email sent 17.2.2022
Please find attached details of our cross-country club at lunchtime on a Friday for pupils in Prep III to Prep VI.
Salford Schools Cross Country on Sat 22 Jan – email sent 18.1.2022
The final cross country race is this coming Saturday with all children in Prep III, IV, V & VI invited to represent Bridgewater Prep in the Salford School Cross Country race.
Date: Saturday 22nd January
Venue: Buile Hill Park, Eccles Old Rd, Salford M6 8GL
There will be combined age group races at the following times:
Year 3 & 4 Boys – 9.30am (Distance approx. 1000m)
Year 3 & 4 Girls – 9.40am (Distance approx. 1000m)
Year 5 & 6 Boys – 9.50am (Distance approx. 1500m)
Year 5 & 6 Girls – 10.00am (Distance approx. 1500m)
Please arrive at least 15 minutes before the start time of your child’s race as races start promptly.
There are no changing facilities at the race venues. Competitors need to come ready to compete in suitable footwear and full Bridgewater PE kit.
Mrs Tunney will be at the start line for each race to meet everyone who is taking part. Mrs Tunney will also collect the finishing tickets (and hopefully some more top 20 certificates from our runners at the finish line).
Clever Cogs Learning – email sent 17.1.2022
On Thursday 27th and Friday 28th January we have a company called ‘Clever Cogz Learning’ coming into school. This was originally booked for June 2020 but was postponed due to the Covid pandemic.
The company offer a unique learning experience that allows children and staff to work together to overcome problems, challenges and celebrate success.
Children from Prep II up to Prep VI will be able to enter an ‘Escape Room’ and work together to solve clues and riddles to escape the room. They will also have follow up sessions in the classroom to consolidate their learning and experience.
Children from Kindergarten to Prep I will take part in an immersive learning experience called ‘Early Aspirations Street’ which aims to improve skills in numeracy, literacy and help the children’s emotional wellbeing.
We are very much looking forward to this delayed visit and if you would like further information please visit the website www.clevercogz.com for more information.
The cost of the visit is £9.00 per child which should be paid via your ParentPay account.
Kind regards
Mrs C. Davies
Prep I Class Teacher and Numeracy Co-ordinator
Stagecoach – Friday School – Starting January 2022 – email sent 11.1.2022
Please find attached information regarding new Stagecoach classes taking place at Bridgewater School on Fridays between 4.30pm and 7.30pm.
Open to 6-18 year olds, the new term runs from Friday 14th January through to 1st April 2022*. (For younger children aged 4-6 years, please see Saturday classes.)
*2-week trial option available.
To book, or for further information, please visit www.stagecoach.co.uk/Salford
Prep Late Club – email sent 10.1.2022
The Late Club facility will re-commence today, 10th January. I would like to make it clear to you the arrangements for using this facility during the current COVID-19 outbreak affecting both children and staff.
· If possible children should be collected on time at the end of the day:
o KG and Reception – 3.15pm
o Prep I and II – 3.20pm
o Prep III and IV – 3.25pm
o Prep V and VI – 3.30pm
· The late club facility should only be used if your work circumstances mean that you cannot collect at the end of the day.
· The late club is not there for children who simply want to stay in school and I am sure you can appreciate this.
· Late club will now be charged from 3.45pm.
· LATE CLUB WILL BE LOCATED IN THE PREP DEPARTMENT LIBRARY WHICH CAN BE ACCESSED VIA THE METAL GATE AT THE SIDE OF THE PREP BUILDING.
· Whilst we recognise the importance of late club as a service, please could I ask you to only use it if necessary.
If you wish to discuss any matters related to Late Club, please contact Mrs. Nairn.
EYFS and KS1 NSPCC Number Day – Fri 4 Feb – email sent 10.1.2022
This year the Prep department has signed up to take part in the NSPCC Number Day which is on Friday 4th February. This will be a fantastic opportunity to take part in fun maths activities in school as well as raise money for the NSPCC.
A big part of the day for Key Stage 2 children is linked with our TTRockstars on line homework game which is used by children from Prep II to Prep VI. So we invite all children including EYFS and Prep I to dress up as Rock stars for the day and contribute a donation of at least £1.00 towards the NSPCC.
The children in EYFS and Key Stage 1 will be taking part in fun number games in their classrooms during the day and teachers will be awarding prizes to the children during our ‘Number Day’ assembly on the Friday afternoon.
Class teachers will be talking to the children about this in their lessons.
We look forward to a fun day.
Many thanks in advance for your support.
KS2 NSPCC Number Day – Fri 4 Feb – email sent 10.1.2022
This year the Prep department has signed up to take part in the NSPCC Number Day which is on Friday 4th February. This will be a fantastic opportunity to take part in fun maths activities in school as well as raise money for the NSPCC.
A big part of the day is linked with our TTRockstars on line homework game which is used by children from Prep II to Prep VI. So we invite all children including EYFS and Prep I to dress up as Rock stars for the day and contribute a donation of at least £1.00 towards the NSPCC.
Over the next few weeks the class teachers will be looking carefully at the children’s use of TTRockstars. Children from Prep III to VI should try to use the Studio game zone as much as possible to achieve their ‘Rock star’ status. We will also be looking at how much effort and time children are putting into using TTRockstars to help learn their times table facts.
We will have a special assembly on Friday 4th February where selected children will take part in a TTRockstar challenge with special prizes awarded to the champions in each class. Younger children will have the opportunity to take part in different number games and challenges in their classrooms too so that everyone has a fun maths day.
Class teachers will be talking to the children about this in their lessons.
Prep II Football Festival – Fri 21 Jan – email sent 7.1.2022
All pupils in Prep II are invited to take part in a football festival on Friday 21st January at Manchester City Football training grounds. We will leave school at 9am and expect to be back for lunch time. Parents are able to come and watch in the viewing area of the ground and may be asked to wear a mask.
Children should come into school in their Bridgewater PE kit and bring shin pads, a refillable water bottle with them and maybe a snack.
Please advise by return email if your child is unable to take part, alternatively they can inform Mrs Tunney directly
Shin Pads for Games/PE – email sent 6.1.2022
Due to the nature of the activities in Games/PE this term (Football), it is necessary for the safety of your child to have shin pads as part of their Bridgewater PE kit. Basic shin pads are absolutely fine.
Thank you for your understanding.
Prep Games Lesson W/C 10 Jan – Cross-country – email sent 6.1.2022
Next week’s games lesson for Prep III-VI will be cross-country (Tuesday Prep III-IV, Thursday Prep V-VI). Please ensure your child brings a pair of trainers into school that you don’t mind getting muddy and possibly wet. Please also provide a carrier bag to put them in afterwards.
Children will be able to choose a level to aim for and have nothing to worry about.
Bridgewater School - Prep. Department 