This week Miss Parker's team will be in Codsall Middle School.  Parents will not be able to contact St Nicholas from now on and any urgent queries should be directed by email to the relevant person 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Miss Parker 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Miss Pugh SENCO account 

If anyone has a concern of an urgent or personal nature which requires a discussion please call Miss Parker on the school mobile phone on 07572889524, whilst appreciating that I may be with children and it may take a time to respond.

Please click here and scroll down for some Palm Sunday ideas from Mrs Robb.

It was great to see some new users to TTRockstars contributing to the battles this week and the number of participants in 3A doubled this week! Keep logging on and playing and next week’s battle will run on Thursday 9^th April from 10am-5pm.

Year 2 - 

2R - 12,047 top scorers – 1^st Benjamin 2^nd Fraser, 3^rd Kai

2S – 7998 top scorers 1^st Isla 2^nd Eadee 3^rd Lottie

Year 3 –

3P – 18, 652 Top scorers- 1^st Evan 2^nd Jai 3^rd Callum

3A – 9731 top scorers 1^st Thalia, 2^nd William 3^rd Joe

Year 4 –

4G -15,983   Top scorers – 1^st Ruben  2^nd Iestyn 3^rd Euan

4SB – 10,063 Top scorers – 1^st Avni, 2^nd Sienna 3^rd Isaac

Well done to 2R, 3P and 4G!

Our 2nd week of closure draws to a close and just a little message of thanks to all of our families for their support for the school and the community during this time.   The staff and I have been overwhelmed by well wishes, messages sharing work the children have produced as well as offers of help.    St Nics and its community really are a strong team.  I thought it might be nice to share some of these:

• Parents offering to donate their Free School Meal hampers to others
• Parents offering to deliver hampers to others for the school
• Parents offering to volunteer and support with staffing
• Parents sharing their children’s work and well wishes (one Y4 boy ran his own Cross Country event in fields near his home on the day he should have competed in his inter school event – commitment!)
• Parents needing childcare being flexible with the school when their child’s attendance (when only 1 child) might lead to a disproportionate risk in terms of number of staff needed (caretakers, cooks, teachers, office) for the provision to be sensible to have open.
• Children sending cards and pictures in.
• Zoom calls and emails with classes (this was a lovely idea, but a bit crazy in reality as those of you who have had a go at home with your children will appreciate)
• A year writing project where each child writes a part of a story and passes it on to the next via email.
• Staff who have already done their bit, encouraging and supporting those with childcare needs or those they feel might be more vulnerable to let them come in and take their place and do extra.
• Staff who never normally work together or with particular age ranges, mucking in and doing their best, even if it might feel like they are out of what they thought was their comfort zone – they have been amazing!
• Staff at all levels doing their bit with humility and a smile on their face (no less than when Mr Mills has skyped us from his home to do his own Joe Wicks in school).  
• Parents sharing ideas, resources and websites.
• Governors and parents emailing their thanks to the school and showing appreciation for the home learning activities.  
• Staff in isolation, supporting one another with feelings around not being able to be in and keeping one another going.

Can I say a big thank you also to some of our unsung heroes, my site staff: Trev and Martin, Mrs Currall and Mrs Kilvert in my office who have kept things going behind the scenes, my dinner staff, cleaners and catering team.   Without them supporting the teaching staff we would struggle.

Finally a well done to Mrs Robb’s team, who have finished their first week in charge of childcare: Mrs Sollom (a force to be reckoned with on the creative front), Mrs Dhami, Mrs Lowe, Mr Gough (our digital whizz!), Mr Mills, Miss Griffiths, Mrs Hughes, Mrs Brisley and Mrs Jackson ( I think that is everyone!).

Even though we are promised a sunny weekend, please stay at home and follow government guidelines in the hope that we can all be out and about again sooner rather than later.

Take care all.

Miss Parker

Please see message below from MidCounties Co-Op

Can you help us to help others?

I am writing to you as one of our local schools and educational partners to ask for your help to support vulnerable people in your community.  We urgently need volunteers and vehicles.  Let me tell you more.

We are delivering food to vulnerable people

We are now able to deliver basic food essentials to people who are self-isolating and can’t get out to shop.  Demand is growing for this much needed support.  Our colleagues in our food stores are taking and packing telephone orders from vulnerable people.  We need your help to deliver them.

We need volunteers and vehicles

Are you able to make a vehicle and a driver available to deliver these much needed groceries?  We don’t need an everyday commitment – we can work deliveries around your availability.  It could just be one afternoon a week if that works for you. 

Drop me an email back or give me a call on 07970 167536. If you know of any other people who might help – community groups, local businesses that aren’t trading then please put them in touch with me. 

If you want to know more

If you want to know more about the service we are offering to vulnerable, isolating people then click here https://mid.coop/HomeDelivery

If we are learning one thing from the Coronavirus pandemic it is that we only succeed if we pull together. 

Thank you for your support in advance,  

If you would like to send a picture of your children’s rainbows at home to Miss Bolton by the 9th April she will try and include them on the front cover of the school’s Sunshine and Rainbows magazine.   Likewise we will send some off digitally to be used in other public places to share a message of hope.   Please note that when sending your child's work in you are consenting to it being published online and potentially on social media.    

For the children who are in school over the Easter holidays which will be based at Codsall Middle School just a reminder that they should:

• wear suitable outdoor clothing
• bring in a bag and full change of clothes (including underwear) as we normally would have access to this at St Nics in case of an accident or getting wet
• bring a packed lunch and any snacks and bottle of named water
• bring a scooter or bike if they would like to play on one
• bring a sun hat in sunny weather and sun cream
• bring a cleaned out milk carton if they have one (to make something with)

Parents can drive onto the Codsall Middle School car park as the site will be very quiet anyway.   At the far end of the car park you will see a blue gate as pictured below, your child will enter for the session through that gate and be handed back to you at collection time.    We have set up a room to use at Codsall Middle and taken our toys and resources down to make it familiar to the children.

As we only have 3-4 children in over the next two weeks, staffing will be minimal.  Miss Parker will meet parents on Monday morning and be wearing her trusty St Nics coat, so look out for me if you don't know where to go.   Please prepare your child for the fact that we will be somewhere different.   We are aware that this situation in itself is alien to the children who are attending school for childcare without their friends and usual teachers, we want them to be as relaxed and happy as possible.

Booking forms for the two weeks after the Easter holdiays will be published online next week and parents notified.  Please try and complete these and send them back to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. as promptly as possible so we can increase or reduce staffing as required.    If you do not get bookings in before the deadline, we may have to refuse your child a place so please do ensure you return these.   

The team of staff in school next week will comprise of Miss Parker, Miss Sullivan, Mrs Morecock, Mrs Swan, Mrs Brady, Mrs Sparrow, Miss Gittins.   Any questions parents have can be directed to them on site or as usual to Miss Parker at the email address above.   

New battle will be running today between 11am and 5pm.  Miss Parker will announce winners online.   Please do encourage your child to have a go.   

2S vs 2R

3A vs 3P

4G vs 4SB 

Who will win?     

Nothing can stop the Spring and thank goodness for that!    We hope that many of our families are getting out for their daily walk, scoot or run.  The area around Codsall has some lovely fields and countryside to explore so make the most of this time to explore.    Next week is RSPB Bird Watch week.  We have done this in school in the past, so this link may be of interest to you and get you and the children out of the house with something to do.   It is worth a look.

Please see 02.04.20 update from Miss Griffiths: https://stnicholas-closure.weebly.com/nursery.html

Please see Facebook page at the attached link if Autism Outreach support may be valuable to you and your family in this time.   I think it is fair to say that some resources that might be shared on the page might be of value to children who do not have and may never have an Autism diagnosis too. 

If you do access this page and comment, please do respect that for some families this may be an essential lifeline and support network without face to face access to different support networks and services for their children and be respectful and considerate of this.   (I know you will) :)

A more personal message here (apologies to those who feel this is self-indulgent but there may be somebody who can identify with some of this), about how things are going chez Miss Parker.

Since the lockdown I have been mainly working from home and trying to juggle two small children, work and keeping in touch with all who are isolated that I feel responsible for: family, friends, pupils, their parents and colleagues.   I have no hesitation in letting you know I am a failure.  

This week,

• I have not got anywhere near my way through the Nursery activities that Miss Griffiths has shared and at times become frustrated at my son’s lack of attention to the knowledge I was so desperate to impart.
• I have probably shouted at my children and not had the patience they might have been better served by, as I felt the pressure of trying to keep all the plates spinning and their incessant demands or needs for attention were getting in the way of getting things done as quickly as I would like.
• I have felt guilty that I am at home with my family, when my staff are in school and I feel I should be there.
• I have felt angry that my long suffering other half seems to be able to get on with his work as the children are at the age that sometimes only Mommy will do.
• I have failed to respond to an email until chased (those of you who know me well enough, know I try to deal with things efficiently when I can).
• I have fed my family less than nutritionally balanced meals and at times given in to allowing another packet of sweets or an ice lolly when normally that might have been a treat.
• I have forgotten to reply to the text message from a member of staff who was waiting on my answer to organise their own plans.

These are just a few and certainly not exhaustive.   My reason for sharing… with all that is in the news and the pressure we are all under, I am ok with being a failure in all of the ways this week and last.   I wouldn’t want these to become lifelong habits of course and every day I will start with a renewed energy to be better.  

If these times have taught us nothing else about ourselves is to value our health, our people and our experiences.   But they have also taught us that we are doing ok, we are stronger and more resilient and resourceful than we think.   On social media and in the news I have seen so much about homeschooling and timetables for children and so on. This for some families is absolutely working and helping them through this difficult time by maintaining order and structure.   Equally I have seen families who are doing their best just to get through each day with everyone maintaining their own sanity and having a much more fluid response to managing the situation.   Whatever suits you is fine I would argue as long as your children and you are physically and mentally healthy as a result.  

As a sibling and child of ambulance service staff, I understand full well the reality of what is happening outside of our homes.   I know many of our families are in a similar position by nature of the work they do, these months we hope will pass and we will survive through them.   In years to come our children will remember how we managed these times and I guess the key message I wanted to get to parents this evening is that you are doing a great job.   The ideas you are sharing with us staff show you have risen to the challenge of leading your children through this time educationally and emotionally.

There is no policy we can follow or textbook that will help us to do it one way or another, but we are doing it.   If your child isn’t learning the phonic sound they should be, don’t beat yourself up about it today, applaud yourself that they are safe and happy and loved.   Let the children junk model (my recycling bin is empty and my house is filled with tat that we have made but means something to my son), let them play and explore.   Be flexible and let them learn when they tell you they are ready (especially the little ones) and trust that those amazing people in schools will be ready to bridge any missed learning when schools reopen.   With the increasingly harrowing news reports, which I fear will only worsen lets shield them from this as much as possible by taking the pressure off ourselves.  I am a failure this week and that is ok.   But…we are all safe and well.   So my goodness I am going to celebrate that and so should you for yourselves!   Three cheers for the St Nics families!

We miss you all so much, each and every one of you.

Please see another link  housed on our weebly here  which gives children an opportunity to look at Art exhibits in a virtual tour of Wolverhampton Art Gallery.  Please do use this time to share things that interest you and that are important to you as a family during this time.  We will most likely (and in lots of ways hopefully) never have this time again.   Spend some time teaching your child all the things that would be on the curriculum if you were in charge of the national curriculum.     You and your child/children will most likely get the most out of this.

Some of our budding Year 3 authors have started work on a story, kickstarted by Evie with a super introduction the story is being developed and emailed on to others to continue it. I am very pleased to see the children using their writing skills, as well as collaborative skills to create a literary masterpiece.   I promise to share the finished piece with you all when it is complete. Well done all!

Mrs Robb and her amazing team have been busy this week in school with the small number of children needing emergency childcare.   One lovely activity has been writing prayers to be displayed at the church for others during the crisis.   Whilst the church congregation may not be able to meet and worship, we thought it would be nice for the children to still have a presence at Easter time.   Thank you to Mrs Sollom for her fab idea and putting it into action, so that they are available for anyone to see who may walk that way on their daily walk. We are sure they will bring a smile to others.