Happy New Year! We are eight days into 2021 and already so much has happened! We have welcomed all pupils back to school for only one day and then it was swiftly back into lockdown. There was a flurry of activity among staff and the school community to put arrangements in place so that children of key workers could come into school while remote learning provision was rapidly deployed for pupils learning at home. There has been snow and ice and cold. We have officially welcomed a new Head Teacher. Needless to say, it’s been busy and has required a lot of team effort.

The KFC theme this term is fellowship and it is especially appropriate in this challenging time. The Greek word Koinonia means ‘that which is in common’ and is often translated as ‘fellowship’ or ‘community’. Other translations include ‘union’, ‘partnership’, or ‘being yoked together’. A yoke is a shaped piece of wood that goes across the shoulders, often linking two animals. By combining their strength, it helps work to be done and burdens to be carried. Fellowship expresses the quality of relationship within the Christian community. A central element of being a family is interdependence: all are needed and valued and each person is important to the whole. At Stanhope Barrington every member of the school community is valued.

2021 promises to be unique and one that will require strength, perseverance, grace and adaptability. We are fortunate at Stanhope Barrington to be part of a strong community. A community that pulls together to support one another when life is turned upside down. So as we move forward lets remember that we are all in this together although the path ahead of us is unknown. It reminds me of a quote from The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien:

“Do not trouble your hearts overmuch with thought of the road tonight. Maybe the paths that you shall each tread are already laid before your feet, though you do not see them.”

I wonder what the next 357 days of 2021 will bring? Whatever comes our way I know we will meet the challenges TOGETHER…

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 2 Corinthians 13:14

Wow what an amazing term – in so many ways. It has been a real privilege to be the Acting Head Teacher here at Stanhope Barrington C of E Primary School. It has also been a huge challenge. As you know we converted to an academy on 1^st April 2020 right in the middle of a national pandemic and lockdown. As such the real impact on the school was not really felt until we returned to school in September. In September, we had to reopen the school in a Covid secure way to ensure the safety of our children, families and staff. I cannot thank everyone enough for sticking to our Covid Risk Assessment and supporting us to keep everyone safe.

We are one of the very few schools who have not had to close a bubble or indeed the school and that is thanks to the hard work and dedication of the whole team. The logistics of staggered starts, playtimes, lunchtimes and collection times has put real pressure on our teaching teams who have risen to the challenge and gone above and beyond in delivering high quality learning opportunities for our children. Our focus throughout has been the emotional well-being of our children and it has been lovely to see so many of our children skip into school each morning. They are really happy to be back and have adapted so well to our new school routines.

Towards the end of the first half term we carried out baseline assessments to identify gaps in learning and after half term we implemented our Catch Up Programmes to support children. I am delighted that following the end of Autumn Term assessments, it is apparent that these interventions have been extremely successful with huge amounts of progress evident. We will continue with the Catch Up Programmes over the Spring Term.

We have also had to develop a Remote Learning Plan in the event of a school closure or bubble closure. This plan will outline exactly what will happen and what will be provided in terms of home learning and will be available on our website in the new year.

We have all thoroughly enjoyed advent and the celebration of Christmas in school this year. Initially, it felt like Christmas in school would be a much reduced or restricted affair but our team have been creative and innovative and we have been able to deliver a range of exciting and fun activities which the children have enjoyed immensely.

During this, my first term as Acting Head Teacher, I have experienced so many emotions but the one that will remain with me over the Christmas holidays is that of being so overwhelmed and humbled by the generosity and support we have received from our Stanhope Barrington family and community. The extremely kind donations have literally left me lost for words and the kind words of support and appreciation have kept me going through some tough times.

This is a special place to live; a special place to work; a special place to learn and a special place to belong.

I wish you and your families a very safe, peaceful and happy Christmas and look forward to welcoming you all back to school on Monday 4^th January 2021.

After an extended period of time away, we are delighted to welcome everyone back to school. This has been an unprecedented time of uncertainty but somehow we have all found our own unique ways to navigate through this very strange time. We have made memories and have figured our way through worries and massive changes to every detail of our lives.

It has been wonderful to see the children back at school, again. Their exuberance and joy at seeing their friends and teachers has been nothing short of uplifting. The whole school community has been incredible at making sure that the school’s reopening plans have worked, thank you! It makes me so proud to be part of such a special place and community.

As I was leafing through my notebook today, I noticed a Bible verse that I jotted in the top, dog-eared corner of the page dated 16 December, 2019. I have no recollection of writing it or why I wrote it on a page that contained a list of things to do in the run up to Christmas, but it struck me as poignant and relevant to what we are all experiencing now. It was from Joshua 1:9…

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

So, as we put one foot in front of the other and take one day at a time remember that we are all in this together. I wish everyone faith, hope and strength for the year ahead.

Sarah I., Foundation Academy Councillor

Hello everyone, my name is Caroline, and I have been leading Forest School sessions at Stanhope Barrington C of E Primary School.

I hope you are keeping well, and finding things to keep you entertained in this strange time of ‘lock down’.

With the weather being so beautiful, and as I have a great love for the outdoors and all things ‘Forest School’ related, we’ve spent a lot of time outside as a family. As a mum to three energetic children, I am often on the look outlook for creative outdoor things to do with them. Here’s some of the things we have done recently that you might like to try at home too:

Make a mini kite:

1: Make a diamond shape from newspaper/tissue paper/plastic bag.

2: Sellotape/glue a cross shaped frame made from lightweight sticks (willow works well) to the diamond cut out.

3: Attach some string to the centre of the cross (to hold onto whilst flying it)

4: Add a tail to the bottom point of the kite, using ribbon or more newspaper. This helps the kite to balance in the wind and stops it from going round and round.

Now go outside and enjoy flying your kite. We found ourselves bursting into song, Mary Popping style: “Let’s go fly and kite…”

EXTRA: Make a bigger kite! Experiment with different lengths of tail / how is it best to attach the string / make the diamond shape out of different materials. Which flys best?

Balance stones:

Collect some stones on your daily walk and see how high a tower you can make.

How many stones can you build with before it topples over?

Have a competition with others in your home.

Make a den:

Using sticks, chairs, cardboard boxes, old sheets/blankets, string, rope etc. Try and be creative.

When I was a kid I loved to make dens (in fact I still do) and to imagine that I was living on a deserted island. Perhaps you could create a story, whilst sitting in your den, about where you imagine your den to be and the adventures you get up to. I always wanted to be part of the adventures in ‘Swallows and Amazons’.

RSBP Challenge:

In the forest school sessions at school we had been completing the RSPB challenges. This can also be done at home by signing up to the Family Wild Challenge.

It is a free resource and there are plenty of activities that you can get involved with which will help you connect with nature; bug house building, bird box making, bug hunting, bird cake recipe etc. Take a look and work towards your RSPB Wild Challenge Bronze award.

I hope you have as much fun doing these activities, as we have.

Take care,

Caroline

One of the things we do to celebrate is to sing. We sing on state occasions and for birthdays; at football matches and at Christmas. It’s something we do together.

But singing on your own isn’t so much fun, and you certainly can’t make harmony with just a single voice. We need a band or a choir or a crowd to feel we are part of something bigger than just us.

In the early days of the Corona virus lockdown in Italy, people were opening their windows and singing to each other across the streets, from balcony to balcony. That was their way of saying that they weren’t forgetting each other and that they realised how much they needed each other. In Stanhope and the Weardale villages we don’t live at such close quarters and much of the time we are keeping apart because we are afraid of catching the virus from one another.

But we need to keep in touch when we can’t get together, and it’s good to look forward to the day when we’ll sing together again. The birds are singing, the lambs are playing and one day we’ll join them. Till then each of us needs to practise alone for being part of the bigger world one day.

On the verge of World War II, the poet Berthold Brecht wrote this brief Motto:

In the dark times

Will there also be singing?

Yes, there will be singing

About the dark times.

Dear Parent/Carer

I am writing to you as an incredibly proud Chair at what can only be described as the most challenging period in this generation’s history.

I am sure you will join with me in recognising and thanking every member of our school team for their dedication and commitment to keeping our school open for the children of key workers. To keep the school open relies on our Breakfast Club Supervisors, Teachers, Lunchtime Supervisors, Admin staff, Catering staff, cleaners and of course, our Senior Leadership Team (Mr Myers and Mrs Cross) – all of whom are stepping up and coming into work in direct contradiction of the government guidelines to stay home. Like all key workers, they have their own families, their own vulnerable relatives and their own children to protect but not one of them has asked to be taken off the rota. They have come together as the outstanding team they are, they are supporting each other and I would expect nothing less from them.

I am also proud of our school’s approach to the crisis. I would echo the updates given recently by Mr Myers and Mrs Cross – our main concern at the moment in the psychological impact on our children, parents and community. I am proud that this is the focus of messages and activities on our website and I am proud of the messages we have received from parents who have been reassured by our approach. Please spend this precious time with your families in your household and enjoy this time rather than arguing over school work. I have every confidence that our teachers will ensure that every child achieves their full potential when they return to school.

In the midst of this crisis, our school has also joined the Durham Diocese Multi Academy Trust. With everything else that has been going on it has almost slipped under the radar somewhat. However, on 1st April 2020 we did indeed become a MAT and left Durham County Council. There has been a huge amount of work going on behind the scenes to ensure that this transfer has gone smoothly and given the huge changes that have taken place in terms of our administrative systems, financial systems, technology, policies and procedures, I have been staggered at how smooth the transfer has been – again down to the hard work of the Senior Leadership Team. They have not only led us through the Covid-19 crisis but have also led the school into a new phase in it’s history. As usual this massive piece of work has taken place quietly, behind the scenes and without any drama or fuss and due to Covid-19 without training! If the school was still open for business as usual, I am confident that parents and children would see no difference whatsoever and this is what we aimed for.

As a result of the move to the MAT, I am actually writing to you as Chair of the Academy Council. Our Governing Body has been renamed as an Academy Council and is now accountable to the overarching Academy Council of the MAT.

Therefore, it is with much pride that I thank our team for everything they are doing; I thank our families for doing their bit – staying home and staying safe; I thank the key workers in our community and I thank everyone for their continued support for our amazing school.

Yours sincerely,

Dr S Haynes

Chair of Academy Council

Stanhope Barrington CofE Primary School

Reading about the heart pebble the children created last week reminded me of a reading I used several times in services around Valentine’s Day (1 John 4: 7-12). Not surprisingly it’s a reading about love, but it also seems very appropriate for a time like now. The reading talks about how God is love, and goes on to say something I find amazing; that as we love one another, God lives in us.

How incredible is that, that as we show love to our family, our friends, our neighbours, even folks we don’t know, God is living in us? Sometimes we wonder where God is when life is a struggle, just like now. But I’ve seen and heard about lots of people showing love to one another over the last few weeks – neighbours getting shopping for each other, people calling up for a chat, children creating rainbows as messages of hope and encouragement; schools keeping in touch with families; all sorts of workers going above and beyond their normal responsibilities, the excellent care of the NHS, and many more examples – each in some way an act of love. And if God is love then God lives in us in each of these acts and through each of them God is present with us, God is made real in our lives, even in the midst of struggle.

1 John 4:7-12 New International Version (NIV)

God’s Love and Ours

⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰ This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

Hi everyone, I’m your new priest, Claire. As soon as I started work here this coronavirus started so I am sorry I haven’t met any of you yet. These are strange days for us all as we get used to living life very differently. For a start, no school! I have three girls aged 15, 13 and 8 so we are busy with a routine each day of school work which is set for them and also lots of time to be creative and enjoy the outdoors (safely). I expect you all are doing the same. We are all very lucky to live in such a beautiful place and we can easily get out into the fields around us to see the lambs and the first signs of spring – there is new life all around us. No doubt quite a few of you live on farms so maybe you are helping out with lambing. I love being outside as I feel close to God there, in the middle of all of that beauty and wonder. It’s great to get outside, even just in the garden, and feel the air on your face and see trees bursting into life. I love to listen to the birds singing – can you identify some of the birds by their song? I like the curlew – such a strange and wonderful sound. Every day, in everything we do, God is with us, through good and bad times.

You might like to use this prayer:

Holy God, you are always with me.

You are with me when I get up and when I go to bed.

You are with me when I am laughing and when I am sad.

You are with me when I am working inside and playing outside.

There is nowhere I can go which is far from your love.

Today I am feeling …….. (say how you are feeling) because ……. (say why you are feeling like this)

Help me to know you love me and you never leave me.

Amen.

If you would like to ask me to pray about anything too, perhaps about something or someone which is on your mind, then you can ring me on 537063 or email on clairemcclelland@icloud.com

Hope to meet you all before too long. Best wishes, Claire”

On Monday we decided to paint a pebble to represent every single child in our school. We have placed them in a heart shape at the school entrance so that every key worker knows that we support them.

We chose the heart shape because it shows that everyone is accepted at our school no matter who they are.

By Rosie (Class 4)

 Spending time cultivating plants is relaxing and satisfying. It’s also really easy (ish!).

We have been growing our own vegetables from seed for the last four years and in the current climate, it has become a more important part of our routine than ever before. You don’t even need a garden as lots of veggies can be successfully grown in a pot or window box in a small back yard or on a balcony.

Growing plants from seed is a brilliant way to entertain children and it teaches them a bit of science along the way. It’s cheap, you can order everything you need online and you get delicious produce at the end!

This week Annie and I have filled growing trays with compost, made a hole for the seeds and planted the seeds and then covered them up. Annie wrote a plant label for each type of seed and then we gently watered them. A sunny window sill is the best place to germinate seeds and watch them sprout. Annie has planted peas, broad beans, mangetout, lettuce, spring onion, artichoke, cucumber and tomatoes. We are lucky to have a greenhouse but most of these seeds can be grown outside in a sunny place.

When the young plants are large enough we can gradually transfer them outside to plant in big pots or in the ground. At our house, we have to guard against rabbits so we have some wire fencing to protect the precious little plants. Annie says ‘It’s really really fun and I would recommend it!’

There is lots of information and further advice on growing vegetables from seed on the internet if you need any extra help.

By Hannah and Annie