Dear Parents

Parent Governor Elections

The results of the recent election are:

Therefore Cress Davidson, Helen Reid and David Rowlanes are elected as Parent Governors for a four year term, and we welcome them to the governing body. My thanks also to the other three parents – I am glad to see there are more willing volunteers!

Selsdon Library

Storyteller Pat Ryan will be visiting Selsdon Family Reading Group on Saturday 12th November from 2.30 – 3.30pm. He tells folk tales, wonder tales, myths and legends, riddles, rhymes and proverbs from all around the world. For more information please contact Liz Rose at the library (020 8657 7210).

Remembrance Day

We will be having appropriate assemblies for the children on Friday 11th November relating to Remembrance Day. Poppies are now on sale in school.

Water

We had a professional survey carried out on the water system for hot water in the junior toilets last week. I thought parents of junior children may wish to know the current situation, so I have copied part of the report (f or the technically minded!). The reports states that: Excessive hot water temperatures have been reported in the Junior Girls WC which is fed, as depicted below by a rather antiquated Thermostatic Mixing Valve (TMV.) The purpose of a TMV, in any application, is to blend hot and cold water, which have, under legislation, to be supplied at above 50ºC and below 20ºC respectively, to an acceptable level of between 37ºC – 43ºC at the outlet/s.

A slight conflict exists in that to alleviate the situation temporarily and to prevent any scalding incidents, it has been decided to reduce the temperature of the source hot water to a level below guideline recommendations. The guideline minimum outlet temperature is set at 50°C to minimise bacterial growth in water systems. To counteract any growth it has also been decided to raise the temperature of the source heater to pasteurisation levels every Friday, when the pupils have left, to minimise any such growth. It must be pointed out that the system, due to its design, can be considered very low risk in terms of bacterial infection, which is the reason the scalding issue has been given priority.

It has been requested that the Site Manager records the weekly pasteurisations and the temperatures attained in the Water Services Logbook until such time as the problems are alleviated or refurbishment takes place.

In the short term, during the half term holiday, an Engineer removed and cleaned the system strainers (filters) in order to rule out the slight possibility that the problems exist as a result of poor flow, leading to a blending imbalance in the old valves, e.g. too much hot and not enough cold. Following on from this a draft scheme will be drawn up for an alternative installation complying fully with current legislation, which, will then be submitted to three Contractors for costing.