Dear Parents,

I hope that you are all safe and well.

Over the last three months, we have improved and innovated our use of technology. Teachers had never used Microsoft Teams before lockdown, or really appreciated the possibilities afforded by Office 365. For many of us, these tools are now commonplace, and we are beginning to see the potential power of these applications.

I have been planning for September, and I am working on three scenarios:

1. Everything is back to normal
2. We are back in full-scale lockdown
3. We are somewhere in between (a bit like where we are now)

In each of these scenarios- but particularly the second and third- the use of technology is going to be vitally important. If your child doesn’t have access to a computer, laptop or tablet at home, please talk to a teacher about this when they next phone you.

As we become increasingly able to use technology for teaching, it will be important that they have a device to use at home. It only needs access to the internet- no other apps will be required. There are some reasonably priced tablets like a Kindle Fire 7 which cost around £50, rather than a very expensive iPad (which is what children usually want!)

One of the educational apps we are trialling is called FlipGrid. This is designed to give children a voice so that they can still feel part of a community. I would love to hear from children about what they’ve been doing during lockdown, and what message they would like to give to the St John’s School Family.

This is a secure app designed for schools which integrates with Microsoft Teams. Children will need to log on using their school email address. They click on a green button and the camera in the laptop/tablet will record them straight into the Grid. The video can only be 1 minute 30 seconds long. No video will be published until it has been moderated, and all videos can only be seen by other children and staff from St John’s.

If you would like to join in:

Children and Staff click on this link and log-in with Microsoft: https://flipgrid.com/93138006

Parents can also record themselves giving a message to the St John’s School community. You will be able to log on as a Guest. All you need is an email address. Please click here and enter your details: https://flipgrid.com/802dd6c9

I hope to hear from you soon!

Best wishes,

Mrs Seymour