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Dear North Tawton Friends and Families, It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas! The decorations are up, the children are practicing their nativity and carols, and there is a definite winter bite in the air. Will we have snow before the 16th? Thank you to everyone for making our Christmas Fair so much fun! As always, our FONTS team organised a great event. The children enjoyed selling their wares and our choir sang beautifully to the crowds. Please make sure you sign up for the Santa Dash, or sponsor someone who has!  There is so much happening at school over the next two weeks, please keep an eye on dojo for specific details. Wednesday 6th December 4pm - Y1 & Y2 Nativity for families Friday 8th December 1.45pm - Y1 & 2 Nativity for families Thursday 7th December 2pm - Y6 Christingle at the church Sunday 10th December 6.30pm – Carols at the church Wednesday 13th December - Christmas Lunch wear Christmas Jumpers! 2.30pm - Nursery & Reception Christmas show Thursday 14th December 2.30pm – Christmas Carol sing a long – all welcome! Friday 15th December – last day Sunday 17th December - Santa Dash Wednesday 3rd January - Welcome back to school Class News As always, please click on the links below for class news · Sycamore Class · Hazel Class · Ash Class · Willow Class · Beech Class · Chestnut Class · Oak Class · Acorn Class Parents and Carers can access Dojo for communicating with teachers and for reminders about events and class news All the very best Tara Penny  Dear North Tawton Friends and Families,
Lest We Forget Rev Spence led an assembly for the children to learn about the meaning of Remembrance Day. Children wrote beautiful prayers which are displayed in school in our reflection area by my office. Thank you to all who contributed to The British Legion. Parent Forum Thank you to the parents who came to our Parent Forum last week. I shared curriculum updates and priorities for the year ahead and I listened to parent views and ideas. Parents said they would like more information and workshops to understand how we teach maths, more opportunities for children to pursue their own interests, and we agreed that we really want a minibus! I will be following up all the suggestions made and getting back to you on progress. Book Fair Thank you to all who came to our Usborne school book fair last week. Your purchases earnt the school excellence commission and we were able to buy books for the school. The books have now been delivered so please collect from classes if you didn’t get them on Friday. Happy reading! Wreath Making The school hall was transformed into a wreath making workshop on Friday evening! Thank you to all who came and especially to all who organised this. The wreaths looked amazing. North Tawton will have the best dressed doors in Devon this Christmas! As always, a huge shout out to our wonderful parent group who organise events throughout the year and raise much appreciated funds for the school. Christmas Fair Our next FONTS event is our Christmas Fair straight after school on Friday. There will be stalls in the school hall, and up the stairs left to Year 4 (Ash Class) and right to Year 3 (Willow) and the rooms next-door. Children have been making Christmas themed items in their Design and Technology lessons this term. Please come and collect them for a voluntary contribution of £1 to go towards FONTS funds. As our Christmas Fair is this week, we will be decorating the school a bit earlier than usual! Class News As always, please click on the links below for class specific news · Sycamore Class · Hazel Class · Ash Class · Willow Class · Beech Class · Chestnut Class · Oak Class · Acorn Class And parents can access Dojo for communicating with teachers and event specific news. Best wishes as always to our friends and families, Tara Penny Principal Dates for your Diary Friday 24th November - Christmas Fair, straight after school in the hall and Y3 & 4 classrooms Monday 4th December 2pm Y1 & 2 Nativity Dress Rehearsal for school children Wednesday 6th December 4pm Y1 & 2 Nativity for families Friday 8th December 1.45 Y1 & 2 Nativity for families Thursday 7th December – Y6 Christingle at the church 2pm Sunday 10th December – Carols at the church 6.30pm Wednesday 13th December 2.30 N&R Christmas show Thursday 14th December – Christmas Carol sing a long – all welcome! Friday 15th December – last day  Dear North Tawton Friends and Families, Thank you for your support and understanding regarding the school closure. I hope everyone was safe and well yesterday. Considering the reports of local flooding and trees in the roads, it certainly was the right decision to minimise travel and ‘batten down the hatches’ to keep our children safe. Our school was checked by our estates team to make sure it was safe for us today. Staffing news I am delighted to let you know we have Katie Curnow Clarke and Lizzy Squires joining our staff team. I know you will join me and the staff in welcoming them to our school community as staff (they are already part of the community as parents!) they will become familiar faces to our children in Reception and Y2 initially. I do have sad news too. Sarah Keen will be leaving at Christmas. She has been successful in being appointed to a new role and promotion which we are extremely happy for, but we will miss her greatly. I will let you know as soon as we have recruited both her class teacher and SEND role. Remembrance Day Poppies will be on sale for a charitable donation from Monday. We will hold a silence at school on Thursday in our assembly led by Rev Spence. Attendance In assembly this week we thought about what we love about our school and the importance of having good attendance. Not only do we want all of our children to have a good education and every learning experience, we also what them to build and maintain friendships and develop resilience. This will help them foster good habits for the future. Many of the children admitted to sometimes not wanting to come to school, but when they get here that feel fine. Of course, if they are ill, we don’t want them here! We will always send children home if they are too poorly to be here. Attendance at North Tawton is low compared to other schools across the trust and nationally. Time off for holidays is not authorised and may result in a fine from the authority. Reflective clothing As the nights get darker, please consider what you and your children are wearing to be safe. This picture was shared with me and is a shocking illustration of how important it is to be seen.  Reach Out
Life can be hard, particularly this time of year. If you are struggling financially, emotionally or health wise; please, please seek support. There should be no shame attached to asking for help. We encourage the children all the time to tell us if they are worried, say if they don’t understand something and ask for help. We adults need to be better at this! Here are some links you may find supportive: Legal support Home - Citizens Advice Devon (cabdevon.org.uk) Mental health support Devon Mind, leading the fight for mental health in Devon TALKWORKS | Mental Health Support for Devon (dpt.nhs.uk) Lots of other services can be found here: Pinpoint thousands of services and community groups across Devon (pinpointdevon.co.uk) Class News As always, please click on the links below for class specific news · Sycamore Class · Hazel Class · Ash Class · Willow Class · Beech Class · Chestnut Class · Oak Class · Acorn Class Parents can access Dojo for event specific news. Parent Forum To find out more about our plans for the future, and to have your views and ideas heard, please come to a Parent Forum on Thursday 9th November at 9am. Best wishes as always to our friends and families, Tara Penny Principal Dates for your Diary Friday 3rd November Usborne book fair in the school hall after school Week of 6th November – Parent meetings; please sign up with teachers Sunday 12th November 10.35am Remembrance Parade, 10.50am Church Service. Thursday 16th November - 9 - 10 Parent Forum Friday 17th November - Non-school uniform, please bring donation for our Christmas raffle. Friday 24th November - Christmas Fair, straight after school in the hall and classrooms Monday 4th December 2pm Y1 & 2 Nativity Dress Rehearsal for school children Wednesday 6th December 4pm Y1 & 2 Nativity for families Friday 8th December 1.45 Y1 & 2 Nativity for families Thursday 7th December – Y6 Christingle at the church 2pm Sunday 10th December – Carols at the church 6.30pm Wednesday 13th December 2.30 N&R Christmas show Thursday 14th December – Christmas Carol singalong – all welcome! Friday 15th December – Last day of Autumn Term It has been a busy and exciting term! Thank you all for making it such a success. Please ask your children what their highlights have been. It might be an event such as the author visit or Magic Show, working with the Devon Wildlife Trust, dressing up for Dingle Dangle Scarecrow, joining our choir or playing on the new playground markings, a book they have read such as The Explorers or The Fox and the Star or a particular lesson such as swimming or maths. We have been busy and have lots more exciting learning and events planned for the term ahead!
Respect This term our assembly theme has been Respect. We have been thinking about how we show respect for others, for our environment and for ourselves. We have heard Bible stories to learn how Jesus showed respect for others and how we can follow his example. I of course have been playing Aretha Franklin's classic banger R E S P E C T! Black History Month October is a month when we particularly focus of the achievements of black women and men from history. We have been learning about famous people such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Junior, events including The Bristol Bus Boycott and we have found out about sports and music icons. We have also been enjoying some African and Caribbean tradition tales about a spider trickster called Anansi! Attendance Unfortunately, we have had a recent spate of illness and a lot of children away this term. I hope they are all well for the holiday, and of course for the return to school! We do have very low attendance in comparison to other Trust schools. We will be sending letters in the new term to keep you aware of your child's current attendance percentage and offer support where attendance is becoming a persistent issue. Please remember to make non urgent appointments for after school and in holidays where possible, time off for family holidays are not authorised. Farewell Today we sadly said farewell to Mrs Day. The children wrote lovely messages in their class cards and presented them to her in our assembly. She has helped so many of our children to overcome barriers to learning, administered first aid in emergencies, dried tears and tied shoelaces, supported children to develop friendships and resilience, and she has made us all laugh, a lot! We all wish her the very best in her exciting new role and thank her for all she has given to our school community. Wishing everyone a fabulous half term week, Tara Penny Principal We would like to thank the North Tawton Town Council for providing the school with a defibrillator. A defibrillator is a device that gives a high energy electric shock to the heart of someone who is in cardiac arrest. It is located so that anyone in our community can access it, day or night. Please come through the main gates – they are not locked. Walk across the carpark or around the path if it is not safe to do so, towards the school main entrance. The defibrillator is on the wall on the left, it can be accessed without entering the locked gate. There is excellent training and information on both the British Heart Foundation and St Johns Ambulance Defibrillators (AEDs and PADs) - how and why to use them - BHF How to do the primary survey and DR ABC - First Aid Advice | St John Ambulance (sja.org.uk) There are four other defibrillators located in North Tawton The Square in an unlocked clear box on the wall of North Tawton Town Council, 14 The Square, EX20 2EP. Fore Street in an unlocked clear box on the wall of Fore Street Garage, EX20 2ED, near to North Tawton Rugby Club at Taw Meadows and Taw Bridge. Strawberry Fields in an unlocked clear box on the granite wall of Strawberry Fields, EX20 2GX, facing the roundabout. North Street in an unlocked clear box near to the Bowling Club gates in North Street, EX20 2ES.  Dear North Tawton Friends and Families, Harvest Thank you for your donations to our harvest collection. And thank you to the children who helped collect bags from classes and to then deliver them to the church. We had long arms afterwards! It was great to see the children dressed up for Dingle Dangle Scarecrow! This always makes me chuckle as it is such a unique celebration of our rural community and our connection to food and farming. This Sunday, you are welcomed to attend the Harvest Family Service at St Peter's. It’s starts at 11am. Food Banks Please don’t be embarrassed about seeking support if you need it. Many people in our community are struggling financially at present, and visiting a food bank or community fridge can help tide you over during a difficult patch. Locally we have Okehampton Food bank which is open Friday mornings and our Community Fridge situated in Merry Go Round, North Tawton where you can also buy preloved children’s clothes. Follow on Facebook for their events. Some people prefer to go further afield for support, which I think is really sad as there should be no stigma attached to accessing help. Here are links to links to places in Devon where support can be obtained. Northern Devon Foodbank - The Trussell Trust Play Time! Thank you so much to FONTS for organising our new playground markings. It has been great fun to see children (and adults too) hopping, skipping and jumping in to school and at playtimes. Can you name all of the animal prints on the pathway in? This is an ideal opportunity to remind our families to use the pathway to come into school and not go across the playground. Covid If you have covid, or covid symptoms, please be sensitive to others. Please wear a mask and keep your distance from our staff and other families. We do have members of our school community with health issues and our staff do not want to have any time off sick. Many thanks for your understanding. Farewell Dannielle Day will be leaving next week for an exciting new role at a local nursery. We will miss her hugely. She has worked with many hundreds of children here across the classes and with most of the staff at some point or another! She has been a great support to our families and I know you will join me in saying thank you and wishing her all the best. She has a wonderful career ahead of her and we hope she will keep in touch with us. We are advertising, so please let people know who might like to join our brilliant team of staff. Careers with us | Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust (dartmoormat.org.uk) Class News Please click on the links below for class specific news, including our visiting author last week! · Sycamore Class · Hazel Class · Ash Class · Willow Class · Beech Class · Chestnut Class · Oak Class · Acorn Class  Best wishes as always to our friends and families,
Tara Penny Principal Dates for your Diary Sunday 15th October – Harvest Family Service - 11am at St Peter's Church Friday 20th October – Break up for half term Monday 23rd October - Horrible History at Sampford Courtney Week of 6th November – Parent meetings and Remembrance services tba  We are overwhelmed by your generosity! Thank you very much! All donations will be taken to the church at the end of the day and from there go to our North Tawton Community Fridge to support our neighbours. Thank you again!
Dear North Tawton Friends and Families,
It has been an exciting first full week back at school. Our staff have been working hard to prepare exciting lessons by researching the subject matter for each unit of work carefully and considering the best ways to teach this to our children. I am delighted to report that the children have settled brilliantly into their new routines and there is a busy buzz across the school! Already we have had a FONTS AGM, children singing at the Whiddon Down Music festival and a show by Magic James. More on all of this next week! Class News Please click on the links below for class specific news · Sycamore Class · Hazel Class · Ash Class · Willow Class · Beech Class · Chestnut Class · Oak Class · Acorn Class Teachers will be holding a class meeting for you to come in and find out more about the class routines and term ahead. Attendance It is absolutely vital that children are in school every day! Every day lost is a lost opportunity for developing social skills, learning and causes a gap in their education. Our school attendance last year was lower than most schools and has been highlighted as a concern we need to address to ensure we are giving our children the very best opportunities to flourish. Obviously if children are ill, we need them to be at home recovering! The NHS ‘Is my child too ill for school?’ guidance is a really helpful 'go to' if you need some advice. School Dinners We are delighted with the new school menu. Mandy and Nikki have been working hard to prepare and deliver the new recipes and I can confirm the meals are delicious! If you have not signed up, please have a look and consider doing so. This week we had an unannounced visit from the Health Inspectors! We are delighted to maintain our Five Star rating! Wrap Around Care Unfortunately, as so few people signed up for this, we have not been able to go ahead with providing Premier Breakfast Club and After School Club. The company, understandably, have to be sure this will be financially viable for them, and we cannot afford to compensate any losses. Having spoken to a few parents this week, I know there are some who would really benefit from this. I am happy to resume a contract with them if there is enough parent interest. Please let me know! Your school needs YOU! The Advocate role replaces that of a ‘traditional’ school governor, within primary schools in the Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust. Advocates are there to provide assurance that: · the strategic vision of the Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust – ‘to provide the highest possible education for all local children, in order to ensure pupils from all backgrounds are able to succeed’ is being enacted · stakeholders in the school (parents, pupils, staff and community) are listened to, respected and involved and this is evident through the lived experience of the school · Christian values are promoted and evident through the lived experience of our Church schools This is achieved through a combination of visits to the school, a presence at school events and ongoing dialogue with all the stakeholders of the school (Parents and carers, pupils, staff, volunteers, community groups and individuals, church and church communities, and so on). Advocates are generally linked with one school only, and in terms of commitment, the expectation is as a minimum, at least one visit is made to the school in each term, and attendance at one formal meeting each term. There are three distinct roles:
North Tawton Primary School currently have the following vacancies for Advocates: 1 Parent & Pupil Advocate 1 Community Advocate For an informal chat about the role and responsibilities of an advocate, or to obtain an application form, please contact the Lead Governance Professional: [email protected] Thank you for your interest, and we look forward to receiving your contact. Wishing everyone a lovely weekend, Tara Penny Principal  Roles and Responsibilities of FONTS (Friends of North Tawton School) committee
FONTS is the name of our school PTA. We all form part of FONTS but there are officer roles which need to be filled at an AGM each year. We have summarised the key responsibilities for all named roles as a guide for parents or carers who may be interested. If this all sounds a bit formal, please don't be put off, it is very much a team effort and this guide is meant to be an information tool, especially for those new to the school or committee. If there is anything you would like to know, please ask any of the current committee member. CHAIR The Chair provides leadership for the committee, sets the agendas and manages the meeting in line with the agenda. They ensure that issues are properly debated and an agreement is reached. The chair must remain impartial and makes sure that all parties have a voice and the opportunity to participate in decision making. The chair is the main link between school and the committee, and ensures that the committee fulfils its role as set out in the constitution. Key responsibilities and characteristics: • Provide leadership and enthusiasm. • Delegate tasks and monitor their progress • Be organised and inclusive • Set the Agenda for Meetings and run the meeting in an efficient and timely manner
VICE CHAIR The Vice Chair deputies for the Chair when necessary and supports the chair in all aspects of their role, to ensure FONTS is conducted in accordance with the wishes of the representatives of FONTS and upholds the constitution. Key responsibilities and characteristics:
SECRETARY Secretary supports the Chair to build effective communication links between the school and FONTS. The Secretary deals with all the correspondence that FONTS receives, circulates agendas and minutes and keeps track of attendance and actions agreed at meetings. The Secretary may also be involved in co-signing cheques on behalf of FONTS. Key responsibilities and Characteristics:
TREASURER The role of the treasurer is to manage and control the funds FONTS raises. Although all the committee members have an equal responsibility for the control and management of the funds the treasurer ensures that accurate financial records are kept and best practice procedures are followed for counting money, banking and making payments. The Treasurer should have a basic understanding of book keeping as they need to record all income and expenditure, details of the amounts received and spent, and have the information available for every Committee Meeting. Key responsibilities and Characteristics:
COMMITTEE MEMBERS Ordinary Committee Members work alongside the Officers, contributing ideas, helping to organise events or running smaller projects. They also have an important role to play alongside the Officers of FONTS in ensuring good communication with the rest of the School, encouraging participation and enthusiasm for the events organised by FONTS. PARENTS AND CARERS- ORDINARY MEMBERS OF FONTS Parents and Carers of children at the School are automatically Ordinary Members of FONTS. The FONTS Committee informs them of the events and projects that are due to take place. The Ordinary Members participate in, and benefit from, the events run by the Committee. They may attend FONTS Meetings, but they cannot vote on decisions made by the Committee. All parents and carers are encouraged to help at the fundraising events. Information on help needed is usually publicised on dojo, Facebook and through other channels. |
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