< Return to Newsletters and Communications
Dear Parents and Carers,
I do hope that this message finds you and all of your families safe and well.
Although it is technically a Bank Holiday, our schools remain open and I just wanted to write and update you on some of the work that colleagues across the Trust have been doing to help our heroes in the NHS at this most challenging time.
In the last two weeks we have been working collaboratively with the NHS and Kent County Council to coordinate our responses, along with other schools, to the NHS’s desperate need for personal protective equipment. I strongly believe it is our duty to do all we can to support our public service colleagues during our nation’s hour of need, and I hope that what we have done so far will fill our Trust community with a sense of commitment, purpose and pride, as the fight goes on against COVID-19.
So far:
- We have offered our mini-buses and, potentially, some of our volunteer drivers to the NHS for the transportation of NHS personnel.
- We’ve arranged for every usable pair of science goggles to be given to the NHS as PPE.
- Miss Khatkar, Mrs Holman and other staff have already produced over 300 protective face masks for NHS workers using a 3D printer, with the offer of hundreds more to come. (see photos attached)
- We have donated rubber cleaning gloves to NHS workers as PPE.
In addition to this, we have been asked to make disposable bags for NHS personnel to use. Mrs Molloy has already started to make many of these from her home, but we will need more material. To this end, I’d like to make an appeal to you. If you have any old or unused pillow cases, please, if you are able, can you donate them to the Trust so that we can continue to make as many bags as possible?
Mrs Molloy and others will be making more disposable bags from our campus on Monday, 20 April. So, if you are able to donate any pillow cases, please, without breaking any social distancing guidelines or making any unnecessary, non-essential journeys, can you make arrangements to get them dropped off in main reception at The Canterbury Academy before that date. I completely appreciate that this will mean you’ll have to think differently about getting them here and, I’m sorry, I don’t feel able to best advise you on how you might do that, given I would absolutely not wish to compromise the current guidelines in place from our government.
Both Mrs Holman and Mrs Vinn are happy to help try and coordinate things and/or answer any questions that you might have on vholman@canterbury.kent.sch.uk or evinn@canterbury.kent.sch.uk
Let’s, please, continue to do all we can to support our NHS heroes. Thank you very much in anticipation.
Continuing the theme of positivity and support, as you know, our Trust’s performing arts team have been working with you all to develop our ‘We’re Still Standing’ tribute, to thank and show appreciation to those of our friends, families and colleagues that are going above and beyond during this testing time. The response from you all has been quite staggering. Mrs Watson was inundated with videos of you all: children, brothers, sisters, cousins, mums, dads, aunties, uncles, grandparents, our entire community all still standing together, dancing, singing, playing instruments and doing your very best Elton John impressions. Well, now, I am delighted to say that the video has been edited and is ready for its premiere. IT. WILL. BE. EPIC!!!
So, on Easter Sunday, we will be releasing our Trust community’s ‘We’re Still Standing’ video across all of our social media platforms. Please, if you have not already done so I hope that you will now join one, or all, of our social media channels;
- You can follow us on Facebook by going to https://www.facebook.com/TheCanterburyAcademy/
- We are on Twitter too, go to https://twitter.com/CantAcadTrust
- And, our Instagram page is on https://www.instagram.com/the_canterbury_academy_trust/
I might, possibly, maybe have had a sneaky peak at the trailer, and I hope that once you have seen the video you will feel as passionately as I do that it represents everything we stand for as a Trust community.
Moving forward, just a quick reminder that If you have not already done so and wish for us to make provision for your child through the Easter holidays, including Bank Holiday Monday, please can you let us know by contacting:
- If you attend The Canterbury Primary School, contact bfarrell@canterbury.kent.sch.uk or call 01227 462883
- If you are in years 7 or 8 at The Canterbury Academy, contact abanbery@canterbury.kent.sch.uk or call 01227 463971
- If you are in years 9,10 and 11 at The Canterbury Academy, contact jbrooke@canterbury.kent.sch.uk or call 01227 463971
- If you are in the sixth form at The Canterbury Academy, contact shadlow@canterbury.kent.sch.uk or call 01227 463971
Please do enjoy a restful and healthy Bank Holiday weekend. We are here for you all and please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, for any advice or even if you would just like a chat.
We’ve come so far already, so please do continue to stay well, stay safe and stay home.
My very best wishes to you all,
Faithfully yours,
Jon Watson
Trust Executive Principal