Hornby St. Margaret's C of E Primary School

9th December

Raffle Tickets and prizes

The hampers look amazing!! Please don’t forget to return money and completed ticket stubs to school, if you would like more tickets, let Hannah in the office know. Please return any unsold tickets so that they can be reused.

The Raffle draw will be Live in the PTA Facebook group on Tuesday 13^th December.

Christmas Performance

Wow!! What a performance we had at Church on Tuesday, the children were amazing and it was lovely to see so many of you in Church, All the infant children are taking home a certificate for their fantastic performance in the production. Thank you for all your support with learning lines and costumes, it made a great event!

Robin Hood pantomime on Wednesday

We are going to the panto! We are still outstanding a few £5 payments for this trip which has been subsidised by the School and PTA. Please note that we will be back at approximately 4pm from this trip.

Christmas dinner and party buffet lunches.

These will be provided next week by Lucy and Danielle in the kitchen, on Tuesday, we will be having a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings and on Friday we will be having a party buffet with a selection of different foods.

If you would like to have a lunch on either/both of these days, please order a school dinner the day before.

Christmas post box

The Christmas post boxes are out in Infants and Juniors, you can send a Christmas card to any child in school by posting in the post box and our postman will deliver to your friends.

Strep A and Scarlett Fever

Please see recent guidance attached. We may have a case of Scarlett Fever in school and, whilst Strep A is very uncommon, we want to keep you well informed without causing undue stress.

Rugby After School Club

Scott will continue with the rugby sessions, but they will move to Tuesdays after Christmas, the first session will be Tuesday 10^th January 3.30pm. if you would like your child to attend, please let Hannah know.

Stamps

We have a large quantity of the new barcoded stamps in the office – if you would like to buy any at the current cost, please pop into the office and we can sell them – just in time for the Christmas cards!

95p First Class and 68p Second Class.

School Money

Please have a check of your School Money balances for this Autumn term as some of them are over £50, we are also still outstanding some money from last academic year! Please see Hannah in the office if you are having any difficulties paying.

Dear Parent(s) / Carer(s),

Re: Increase in scarlet fever

We are writing to inform you of a recent [national/local] increase in notifications of scarlet fever to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), above seasonal expected levels.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the signs, symptoms and the actions to be taken if you think that you or your child might have scarlet fever.

Signs and symptoms of scarlet fever

Scarlet fever is a common childhood infection caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, or group A Streptococcus (GAS). It is not usually serious, but should be treated with antibiotics to reduce the risk of complications (such as pneumonia) and spread to others. The early symptoms of scarlet fever include sore throat, headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. After 12 to 48 hours, the characteristic red, pinhead rash develops, typically first appearing on the chest and stomach, then rapidly spreading to other parts of the body, and giving the skin a sandpaper-like texture. The scarlet rash may be harder to spot on darker skin, although the ‘sandpaper’ feel should be present. Patients typically have flushed cheeks and be pale around the mouth. This may be accompanied by a bright red red ‘strawberry’ tongue.

If you think you, or your child, might have scarlet fever:

• contact your GP or NHS 111 as soon as possible
• make sure that you or your child take(s) the full course of any antibiotics prescribed. Although you or your child will feel better soon after starting the course of antibiotics, you must complete the course to ensure that you do not carry the bacteria in your throat after you have recovered
• stay at home, away from nursery, school or work for at least 24 hours after starting the antibiotic treatment, to avoid spreading the infection

You can help stop the spread of infection through frequent hand washing and by not sharing eating utensils, clothes, bedding and towels. All contaminated tissues should be disposed of immediately.

Invasive Group A Strep (iGAS)

The same bacteria which cause scarlet fever can also cause a range of other types of infection such as skin infections (impetigo) and sore throat. In very rare cases, the bacteria can get into the bloodstream and cause an illness called invasive group A strep (iGAS). Whilst still very uncommon, there has been an increase in iGAS cases this year, particularly in children under 10 years old. It is very rare for children with scarlet fever to develop iGAS infection.

As a parent, you should trust your own judgement.

Contact NHS 111 or your GP if:

• your child is getting worse
• your child is feeding or eating much less than normal
• your child has had a dry nappy for 12 hours or more or shows other signs of dehydration
• your baby is under 3 months and has a temperature of 38C, or is older than 3 months and has a temperature of 39C or higher
• your baby feels hotter than usual when you touch their back or chest, or feels sweaty
• your child is very tired or irritable

Call 999 or go to A&E if:

• your child is having difficulty breathing – you may notice grunting noises or their tummy sucking under their ribs
• there are pauses when your child breathes
• your child’s skin, tongue or lips are blue
• your child is floppy and will not wake up or stay awake

Stop the spread

During periods of high incidence of scarlet fever, there may also be an increase in outbreaks in schools, nurseries and other childcare settings. Children and adults with suspected scarlet fever should stay off nursery / school / work until 24 hours after the start of appropriate antibiotic treatment. Good hygiene practice such as hand washing remains the most important step in preventing and controlling spread of infection.