Page 2 - Abbereley Hall Dec2020 Newsletter

ABBERLEY ADVENTURES
2
Covid-19
We have implemented careful measures to ensure the safety of our community. There has been a focus on hygiene throughout the school and we have ensured that pupil bubbles have kept apart wherever possible. Adults and the older children have worn face- coverings where appropriate and families who have experienced symptoms have stayed away until test results have been obtained. A few pupils have been required to isolate but, thankfully, we have not had any positive cases amongst our staff or pupil body. This is partly down to the measures we have had in place but we have also been very lucky and so we must not become complacent as we head into 2021. We have had the benefit of being able to use the SAMBA II testing machine at Malvern College and, more recently, we have obtained our own rapid-testing kits where we have been able to have a result within 15 minutes. Reading the newspapers today, it looks as though further restrictions and guidelines may be imposed on schools in January. We will follow the guidance as it unfolds and update you of any developments.
School Values
As I have said many times, our pupils are instilled with excellent manners and values but we plan to introduce a set of School Values so that, as a community, we have a a common moral framework and a set of values that we all agree to uphold and that we can reflect on and grow with as a community. I have continued to discuss these in my weekly assemblies and we have focused this term on Kindness, Gratitude, Courage, Forgiveness, Respect and Tolerance. In January we will make some final decisions and then work hard to embed our chosen values at school and to ensure that we model them as adults. Values Based Education is a well-respected educational movement and it has had a profound and positive impact on schools throughout the world. To learn more and to see an excellent TED talk given by its founder, Dr Neil Hawkes, please have a look at the VbE website by clicking here. I aim to deliver a presentation for parents in the New Year to expand on why I am such a fan of Values Based Education and why I feel that it will help us all to thrive here at Abberley.
Charities
Christmas came early to Abberley Hall as pupils packed and wrapped shoeboxes for children who may not otherwise receive a present. Mrs Besley spoke to pupils about the project and showed a video of children receiving their boxes last year. The pupils rose to the challenge and brought in a vast number of beautifully wrapped and thoughtfully packed boxes. Some children had made Christmas cards and toys and all had thought carefully about who their box was for and what to include.
Harry Tang has been a loyal supporter of Hwange Schools in Zimbabwe and he has visited the project personally. Harry spoke with our younger children about the charity as part of their African themed ‘Wild Week’. The children learned about the project and raised money through baking and selling cakes. They also each wrote to a child from the school and they are looking forward to getting a reply. We hope to maintain links with the project and to be able to support them further in the future.