Dear Parent/Carer,

Many thanks for your support and kind words around the sad loss of Mrs Orton. It is lovely to see how much she meant to all of the staff, children and families and to be able to pass on to her family what a tremendous difference she made to the lives of our children at Newlands. We have put a Book of Condolence in the office area and invite you all to pop in when convenient and leave a message or memory if you so wish.

Staff have been speaking with the children about Mrs Orton today. They have had the chance to talk, share memories and complete activities if they wished. Continued support will be offered to children as and when required so please let us know if you feel your child needs any additional support at this difficult time.

We will be coming together as a whole school on Friday 26th April in a special assembly to share our memories and to celebrate Mrs Orton’s life by singing some of her favourite songs. We would like to extend this invitation to any parents who may wish to join us. The special assembly will take place in the hall starting at 2.30pm. Please note the hall will be very full so it may be standing room only but you are more than welcome to share this time with us (no prams or young children please).

Just as a reminder, staff will have the opportunity to attend a service of remembrance with Mrs Orton’s family. In order to facilitate this to happen, we will be closing the school early at 2:30pm on Friday 3rd May. We will appreciate your support in collecting the children early so that staff are able to pay their respects to a much loved colleague. We will be making plans for a longer-term memorial for Mrs Orton in the future. We are keen to work with her family and the children on a fitting tribute and will share these plans with you all once they are ready.

Thanks again for your support for our school community at this sad time.

Karen Mellor

Headteacher