A note from Mr Applegate

• We said “thank you” and “goodbye” to Mrs Greer today as a staff. We are grateful for all that she has given at St Mark’s over the years, and wish her all the best. We also want to say thank you to Mrs West, one of our cleaners, as she finishes next week.
• Thank you for your support this term -it’s been a long 7 weeks, but made easier through your help, encouragement and partnership.
• We don’t know exactly when government covid restrictions will be relaxed or removed, but rest assured we will act carefully and in good time. We want it to be in a planned way, too. Remember, it’s been 2 years since we’ve had normal assemblies with 650 children in the hall, lunches in the hall, break times with multiple year groups, and more. We’ve got lots of furniture to move back and discussions to have with staff and children. We also want to take what has worked well in our new covid way of working, and blend that in with what we miss from pre-covid days. All of that needs careful organisation and practice. We’ll keep you posted, but please don’t expect everything to change immediately when Boris announces his decision.
• A huge thank you to our FOSM team who do so much work in the background. You are appreciated. This also comes with a plea. At the end of the year, we will have vacancies in key roles, including treasurer and secretary and chair. These roles are critical, and we can’t have a FOSM without them. Please can you think about taking on one of these roles, and get in touch if you’d like to find out more. Without these roles filled well before September, we simply will not have FOSM in September 2022. What a sad thought 🙁
• I noticed this article on the BBC this week about Roblox. Children can really enjoy the game, but as with anything, caution is needed. You may want to also take a look at our family agreement, shared on Safer Internet Day.

Have a great half term! Mr Applegate