In the fall of this semester, Primary School Principal Matt and Chaucer Anna Upton explain how she has alleviated the concerns of parents, created a friendly atmosphere for students and strengthened “their” school community. Since the schools remained in contact with their parents during the closure of the school, in September there was no need to fully rebuild these relationships and parents reacted well by sending their children back to school. When parents saw how quickly their children got used to school, they felt safe and confident in our schools and with their students. With the introduction of the new curriculum all staff felt prepared and ready to send their children back to school in September. During the summer semester we created the Reunion for Recovery and Survival program, which focuses on the social, emotional and mental needs of children and staff. Our schools also used several breakfast programs for our needy and vulnerable children to make sure they were fed and ready for school day. We are very pleased with the high attendance, which in most of our schools regularly exceeds 97% per day; only two children from all over the Trust did not return home early in the year. Our schools are working hard to create a welcoming environment for them to return, including putting up balloons and rainbow flags on their first day of return. Teachers were there with a smile, positive body language and praise. Based on tools and resources, positive relationships are crucial – we all need time to explore barriers and find ways to strengthen relationships between schools. During the summer, Matt Crawford, the principal of Federation Trust, led a program designed to help “their” trusted schools meet the challenges of the IAD 19 epidemic. During this period, we took care of our school community by constantly seeking the input of teachers and parents and ensuring that we have systems in place to keep in regular contact. The program was central to everything we did and helped us put the emotional well-being of our children and their families first. We engaged all schools and their staff to make them feel valued and appreciated in the challenge and safety of working on trusted teams. At the beginning of the period, staff absenteeism was very low, allowing children to interact with them on a regular basis. Parents also appreciate the Breakfast Clubs, and we will soon establish afternoon clubs in our schools.