**LATEST UPDATES - Children's Mental Health Week, FAST Testing and School Closures**

Place2Be's Children's Mental Health Week - EXPRESS YOURSELF

This year’s theme is ‘Express Yourself’ and is about helping children to find ways to share their feelings, thoughts, or ideas through creativity. This could be through art, music, writing and poetry, dance and drama, photography and film, and doing activities that make them feel good. This is not about being the best at something or putting on a performance for others. It is about helping children to find a way to show who they are, and how they see the world, that can help them feel good about themselves.

Click HERE for Ten:Ten's video resource for Children's Mental Health Week

FAST Testing

FAST Testing, which use lateral flow tests, is available for anyone who lives or works in the borough and cannot work from home.

Testing is free, there is no need to book and is only for people who show no symptoms.

If you do have symptoms you need to book a covid-19 test through the NHS – details of how to do this can be found here – rochdale.gov.uk/Coronavirus

FAST testing is available at the following sites:

- Rochdale – Nye Bevan House

- Heywood – Heywood Sports Village (both a walk in site and a drive through site)

- Middleton – Bowlee Sports Centre

- Pennines – Hare Hill Bowling Club

(Please note that disabled parking is in the park outside the bowling club. All other parking is at Littleborough Cricket Club on Denhurst Road. Vaccinations are taking place at Littleborough Sports Club. Please bear in mind when planning your journey that Littleborough Primary School is obviously open)

Sites are open 8am-7pm Monday to Friday and 10am – 4pm at weekends.

We recommend that you get tested twice a week.

For more information on FAST Testing please visit rochdale.gov.uk/FastTesting The press release on FAST Testing can be found here. You can use this content on your own website to promote FAST Testing.

SCHOOL CLOSURE

Following the Prime Minister's announcement on Monday 4th January 2021, St John's RC Primary School will be closed to all pupils from Tuesday 5th January. Remote online learning activities will be available for all pupils via the SeeSaw app from Wednesday 6th January. If your child is unable to access the internet, work packs will be available from the school office from Thursday 7th January - please contact the school office to arrange to pick up a work pack if needed.

During the school closure we will maintain communication with you and will update the school website as new information becomes available. We will continue to work with outside agencies to support our pupils and their families. If you are in need of support or have any worries, please contact our Pastoral Manager via the school office.

**UPDATE** Monday 11th January 2021

Unlike the first lockdown, schools with nursery classes have been asked to operate their nursery provision as normal. Therefore our nursery class will be open for your child's usual morning, afternoon or full-day provision, unless the guidance changes.