![]() Dear North Tawton Families and Friends, Happy Valentines day! In assembly this week, we found out who Saint Valentine was and why he is remembered. St. Valentine was a priest who lived in ancient Rome under the rule of Emperor Claudius II. Legend has it that he secretly married couples when it was forbidden to do so. He believed in the power of love and wanted to help others find happiness. Unfortunately, Emperor Claudius found out about St. Valentine’s actions and put him in prison. Even in prison, St. Valentine showed kindness and healed the jailer’s daughter, who was blind. Before his execution, he sent her a note signed, “From your Valentine,” which started the tradition of exchanging heartfelt messages on Valentine’s Day. He was made a martyr on February 14, in 278 AD. He is the patron saint for love, but also epilepsy and beekeepers! The children reflected upon the word love and that it can be a feeling we have for our friends, family members as well as for romance. (for when they are much older, obviously!) In the Bible, St. Paul says: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians A great message for us all to think about as we show our love to others. Talent Show Today was our long awaited talent show! After lots of rehearsals, auditions, more rehearsals, changes of songs and line-ups, we had our ten final acts! Very well done to all of our finalists. We had a wonderful afternoon of singing, dancing, comedy, music and magic. Thank you to Anande James and Coach Kai for being our judges. Unfortunately Councillor Jen Palfry was unwell and unable to come. We were all impressed with the quality of the acts. The over all winner was Sofiia with her beautiful ballet. Photos to follow after the holiday! Saints Sports Today we said farewell to Coach Kai who is moving on to another school. We will have a change to our PE days after half term as they will be Tuesdays and Fridays for all classes. Attendance Update After a few weeks of staff and pupil sickness, our health and attendance this week has fortunately improved. To find out what we have been learning, please click on the links to our latest class blogs: Sycamore Class Hazel Class Willow Class Beech Class Chestnut Class Acorn Class Parents – please make sure you are signed up to Dojo as this is where we post information about class and school events. This half term, please support out local Brownies and see their production of Dick Whittington. Dates for your diary
Thursday 6th March – World Book Day – dress up and parent events in classes Friday 21st March – Red Nose Day – school council to confirm details Monday 12th May – Friday 16th May – SATS Week Tuesday 17th June – Friday 20th June Y6 Cambridge Residential Wednesday 25th June – Y6 Okehampton Transition day 1 Thursday 26th June Y6 Okehampton Transition day 2 Tuesday 1st July Sports Day (8th as a backup in case of rain!) Tuesday 8th July KS2 Evening performance Wednesday 9th July KS2 Evening performance Thursday 10th July KS2 Afternoon performance Wednesday 16th July 10 am Y6 Leavers Assembly Wishing you a happy half term break Tara Penny Principal Dear North Tawton Families and Friends, Chinese New Year We learnt about Chinese New Year in assembly. We acted out the story of the Jade Emperor choosing the animals to name the years. This year is the Year of the snake. Thank you so much to Mandy, Nicki and Meradith for preparing a special Chinese New Year Lunch! We had chicken noodles, veggie wraps, Chinese fruit, biscuits and fortune cookies. We used chop sticks and listened to traditional Chinese music. The kitchen servery looked amazing, as did our chefs! Talent Show We are so proud of all of the children who came along to an audition over the past two weeks. We have been treated with lots of different acts and the children have enjoyed being an audience as well as performing. It takes courage to stand up and perform in front of others, so well done to them all. We can not showcase them all, so after lengthy deliberation and tough choices, the finalist are, (in no particular order) drum roll please….. The Ghost Busters – William, Rupert, Eloise, Lyra and Ada The Diamonds – Willow, Amelia, Poppy, Lola, Mia, Grace, Brooke, Delilah and Adaline The Little Frogs - Friday afternoon Nursery The Magnificant Magicians – Layla and Emily Ben Sofiia Francesca and Friend Raf Sheeran- Rafie The Crazy Dads - Clayton and Evander The Blossoms - Lily Rose, Amelia, Tabitha, Evie May Please come along to the show at 2pm next Friday. Attendance With the horrible bug doing the rounds, the attendance of children and staff has dropped dramatically. Thankfully we seem to be out of the worst of it. We track attendance of all children across the year. When attendance drops, we do follow up with letters and meetings, even when the absences are authorised. We always want to work with you to identify barriers and plan for improved attendance in the future. Please do not see this as anything other than us fulfilling our role to ensure children have every opportunity to thrive. To find out what we have been learning, please click on the links to our latest class blogs: Sycamore Class Hazel Class Willow Class Beech Class Chestnut Class Acorn Class Parents – please make sure you are signed up to Dojo as this is where we post information about class and school events. Dates for your diary
Thursday 6th March – World Book Day – dress up and parent events in classes Friday 21st March – Red Nose Day – school council to confirm details Monday 12th May – Friday 16th May – SATS Week Tuesday 17th June – Friday 20th June Y6 Cambridge Residential Wednesday 25th June – Y6 Okehampton Transition day 1 Thursday 26th June - Y6 Okehampton Transition day 2 Tuesday 1st July Sports Day (8th as a backup in case of rain!) Tuesday 8th July KS2 Evening performance Wednesday 9th July KS2 Evening performance Thursday 10th July KS2 Afternoon performance Wednesday 16th July 10 am Y6 Leavers Assembly All the best Tara Penny Principal Dear North Tawton Families and Friends, Staffing News Jess Nuthall will be leaving at half term for a new post. We will be very sad to see her leave and I know you will join me in thanking her for being a great class teacher and wish her all the very best in her new role. Chloe Brooking will be Willow Class teacher on Mondays and Tuesdays and will be taking classes across the school on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I am delighted to announce that we will have three other new staff joining us shortly. Jenny Dunster will be joining our mealtime staff team, May Whybrow will be joining Karen and Kath as a Nursery Teaching Assistant and Amelia Nye will be supporting children as a Teaching Assistant. Talent Show Talent Show auditions are being held over the next two weeks. Please support your children to come along and have a go! Finalists will be announced on Friday 7th February. The show will be at 2pm on Friday 14th February. Please come along and support our shining stars! Class News To find out what we have been learning, please click on the links to our latest class blogs: Sycamore Class Hazel Class Willow Class Beech Class Chestnut Class Acorn Class Parents – please make sure you are signed up to Dojo as this is where we post information about class and school events. Attendance Update When children are away from school, whether authorised or not, letters are sent to parents to invite them to a meeting to discuss reasons for absence. These meetings have been helpful to enable us to work together to identify barriers and plan for improved attendance in the future.
Burns Night On Saturday, I will be celebrating Burns Night. This is a Scottish tradition where we celebrate Robert Burns, a Scottish poet, on his birthday. The Selkirk Grace is a prayer written by Robert Burns which is shared on Burns Night to remind us to be thankful for the things we have. Some hae meat and canna eat, And some wad eat that want it, But we hae meat and we can eat, Sae let the Lord be Thankit! Which translates as: Some have more than they need, Some have very little We have just what we need Thank you, God! Wishing you all very good health, or as they say in Scottish Gaelic ‘Slàinte mhath,’ pronounced Slanj-a-va! Tara Penny Principal Dear North Tawton Families and Friends, What a busy festive December we have had at North Tawton! Santa Dash We started the month with our Friends of North Tawton School Santa Dash. Great fun and got us in the Christmas spirit! Thank you to all who took part and to our FONTS for organising. Special thanks to Evie Compton for making this happen for the second year. Sixty took part in Friends of North Tawton School Santa Dash | creditoncourier.co.uk Lights on at North Tawton North Tawton Town looks amazing with the Christmas Tree in the square and the new Christmas lights. Thank you to all who came and sang with the choir at the grand turning on of the lights. Crowd counted down for lights switch on at North Tawton | okehampton-today.co.uk Pantomime Trip A huge thank you to Miss Collins and Miss Ruby for organising for Chestnut, Beech, Willow, Hazel and Sycamore classes to see Cinderella at Exeter Northcott Theatre. This trip was subsidised by FONTS donations and school performance ticket sales. Christmas Lunch Once again, Mandy and Nicky cooked a delicious Christmas lunch for us. Turkey and veggie roast, with all the traditional trimmings. My favourite meal of the year! Thank you to FONTS for the crackers. Our school dinners really are tasty- I have at least two each week! Christingle Year Six led a very moving and meaningful Christingle at St Peter’s Church. They read the Nativity and explained the meaning of a Christingle. They sang beautifully and paraded their own Christingles. Nursery Christmas Celebration Our Nursery children were very brave and put on a Christmas Celebration show for their families. They showed their nativity pictures, shared a Christmas story, sang songs, and showed us Makaton signs too. Families then enjoyed hot chocolate and mince pies. Christmas Market We had a change of location for our FONTS Christmas market this year. Instead of being at the school, we held the stalls at the church. Please let us know what you thought. FONTS and the school are always trying to improve our events and make them more accessible. St Peter’s Church Carol Service The evening Carol Service is quite a formal affair. Very well done to the children who attended and a special than you to our small choir who sang Silent Night. The adult choir were very impressed! Carol Concert at school The carol concert at school was very well attended by families, thank you for coming and joining in! We enjoyed singing some of our favourite traditional carols as well as some Christmas songs including our school favourite - Dominik The Donkey! A Bundle of Joy Well done to Beech and Chestnut children and staff for putting on a fantastic Nativity. They sang beautifully, acted brilliantly and remembered their cues. The hard work from the adults at school and home as well as the children really paid off. Thank you! We have also done lots of work between the festivities! To find out what we have been learning, please click on the links to our latest class blogs: Sycamore Class Hazel Class Willow Class Beech Class Chestnut Class Acorn Class Parents – please make sure you are signed up to Dojo as this is where we post class and event information. Attendance this Term: 94.74% Beech and Hazel are improving, but Sycamore is still in the lead! 18 children received certificates for 100% attendance in assembly today. A Fond Farewell to Mrs Budiman, Mrs Ware Miss Ruby and Mrs Curnow Clark Please join us in thanking Mrs Budiman, Mrs Ware, Miss Ruby and Mrs Curnow Clark for all of the hard work they have given to our school and community. We wish them all the very best. And welcome! To Miss Warwick who will be teaching Chestnut Class and to Mrs Hamilton who will be teaching Beech Class. A message from Miss Florence Warwick: Hello families, I am beyond excited to be teaching in Chestnut Class in January. I have been working in Nursery for over a year and have loved getting to know the children, team and school and using this to now begin my teaching career. I know the children in Chestnut class well from their time in Nursery and Reception last year but have also spent time reacquainting myself with all the class over the last few weeks and preparing for January which has been a privilege. I hope to make the transition and change as positive as possible, and I look forward to seeing everyone in the new year. A message from Mrs Rebecca Hamilton: I am excited to be taking over as the teacher for Beech class in January. My background is that after studying for an English language and literature degree, I spent a number of years teaching English in France. Since moving back to England, I have also taught in primary schools in Devon. As a teacher, I enjoy teaching every subject across the curriculum. However, I am particularly looking forward to teaching English, sharing my passion for stories and finding out about all the books your children love to read. In January, I will be building on the fantastic work the children have already started this term. I will also be keeping you updated about what we will be learning. I look forward to getting to know you and your child. We are also excited to welcome Mrs Jenny Dunster who will be joining our meal time assistant team and Mrs Chloe Ashford who will be joining as a teaching assistant. Look after yourself, and each other I saw these on Facebook this week and thought it was a good reminder for us all to look after ourselves and each other at this time of year: I find this prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson very helpful at this time of year
Help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake. Amen. I wish every member of our North Tawton Community a very gentle holiday period. Buon Natale Веселого Різдва Wesołych Świąt Kisimusi yakanaka Nadolig Llawen Joyeux noël Tara Penny Principal Upcoming Dates: January Tuesday 7th January – Back to School Wednesday 8th January at 5.30pm - Y6 Residential Parent meeting at North Tawton Dear North Tawton Families and Friends, Snow Days Thank you for your support and understanding last week during the school closures. I appreciate that for many of you, this will have been an inconvenience. The CEO makes the final decision as to whether to close a school – and as you can imagine, it’s not an easy one. There will always be people who disagree with the decision and many who will be significantly inconvenienced either way. The decision was made as timely as possible as the weather is so unpredictable, and it had to be a dynamic risk assessment school by school. I am personally grateful as I did not want any staff or parents to feel pressure to drive in potentially hazardous conditions. I did enjoy hearing the children tell us all about the fun they had in the snow! ![]() Children in Need A huge Pudsey thank you for your generosity, we raised £132.20. Children in Need really is a worthy cause, and I am so please we support this each year. The children saw a clip of Paddy McGuinness completing his 300 mile bike ride in our assembly. We reflected on the fact that we had fun and wore comfy wearing pyjamas to school, he really did go above and beyond to raise money through his own incredible hard work and discomfort. We look to people like him for inspiration in our own lives. ![]() Spring menu We received excellent feedback (pun intended!) from parents and children who sampled our Spring Menu last week at parents’ evenings. Thanks to Meredith from our Educatering Team and of course to Mandy and Nikki for preparing the food. Our school dinners really are delicious, and good value! I have at least two a week! Christmas is coming….. As it’s December 1st on Sunday… next week we can officially get Christmassy! Learning will of course be taking place, just with an added twinkle of tinsel in the background! Talking of Christmas, we have been asked to sing Christmas carols at three community events! Sunday 8th December for the turning on of the North Tawton Lights - meet at the square at 5.30pm. Please wrap up warm! Friday 13th December at FONTS Christmas Fair at the church straight after school. Sunday 15th December for the annual Christmas Carols at the church – starts at 6pm Please wear Christmas jumpers! Words for Christmas carols will be provided (ones we have learned in school) ![]() We also have our school Carol Concert on Thursday 19th December at 10am Can you name all of the reindeer? We have been learning them for one of our songs! You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen But do you recall The most famous reindeer of all? Meet our new PCSO! We are pleased to welcome Sean Jones, our new Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) for the North Tawton area. A PCSO plays a key role in keeping our community safe and supporting local schools, like ours with safety and wellbeing initiatives. “I’m excited to be part of this community and look forward to getting to know all of you. My goal is to support students, parents and staff and work together to create a safe and welcoming environment for everyone. Please don’t hesitate to come and talk to me if you have any questions or concerns”. The presence of a PCSO in our area not only helps to maintain security but also promotes positive relationships between young people and the police. He has been in school and met the children, and he has led assemblies about road safety. When you see him in the area, please say hello. If you need PSCO support – please contact He’ll be at Merry Go Round for a Community Drop Mon 9th December 3:00PM - 4:00PM Well done to Sycamore and Willow for first and second places. Term Time holidays are unauthorised and can result in a fine from Devon County Council. Coats Please make sure your children have warm coats in school each day. If you have a spare coat, please consider donating to our school – we would really appreciate them for those who need them. Parking and dropping off outside school Please do not park or drop off children on the zig zag area outside school. It is incredibly dangerous. Please hold on to younger children when walking up Exeter Street. We had a near miss last week which was very upsetting for those who saw it. A Fond Farewell to Mrs Budiman Mrs Ware and Miss Ruby Please join us in thanking Mrs Budiman, Mrs Ware and Miss Ruby for all of the hard work they have given to our school and community. They are leaving at Christmas, and we will be very sad to see them go. We wish them all the very best in their new ventures. The children and the families of their current classes have already been informed. Mr Whittley and I are interviewing for class teachers today and we will share news of new staffing as soon as it is finalised. See you on Sunday for the Santa Dash! All the very best, Tara Penny Principal Lots coming up in December!
Sunday 1st December - Santa Dash Sunday 8th December – 6pm North Tawton Lights Monday 9th December – Pantomime Trip! Wednesday 11th December – Christmas Lunch and Christmas Jumper Day Thursday 12th December at 2pm - Christingle Service led by Y6 pupils at the church Friday 13th December - Christmas Market at North Tawton Church from 3.30pm Sunday 15th December – Carols at the church Tuesday 17th December at 2pm - Christmas Performances by Reception, Y1 & Year 2 Wednesday 18th December at 4pm - Christmas Performances by Reception, Y1 & Year 2 Thursday 19th December at 10am - Carols in the hall – all welcome Friday 20th December - Last day at school Monday 23 - Monday 6 January - Christmas Holidays (inclusive) January Tuesday 7th January – Back to School Wednesday 8th January at 5.30pm - Y6 Residential Parent meeting at North Tawton Dear North Tawton Families and Friends, It’s been a very busy two weeks! I was very impressed with the way in which the pupils thought about Remembrance in assembly and how they stood respectfully in silence on Armistice Day. Thank you for your generous donations to the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal. We had fun wearing odd socks on Tuesday for Anti Bullying Week and pyjamas on Friday for Children in Need. Wearing odd socks for Anti Bullying Week is metaphor to reinforce our message of accepting difference. We spoke of the role of the bystander and how it is up to all of us to stand up to prejudice, bullying and all unkind behaviour. ![]() Children in Need is a long standing charity who do excellent work supporting children across the UK. We marvelled Paddy McGuinness and his huge feat raising an outstanding amount of money (£7,000,000 and rising!) for the charity riding a Chopper (I remember those!) 300 miles from Wales through North England to Scotland. We will count our donations and let you know how much we have raised for this worthy cause. The Bookery Thank you to Karen and Cathie from The Bookery in Crediton who delivered their selection of new titles kindly funded by Friends of North Tawton. They showed us the books and read the blurbs, we can’t wait to borrow them from our school library. Not only that, they also brought a car load of extra books so we could take some home! Thank you so much! Please support our local bookshops! Calling our keen singers! We have been asked to sing at two community events! Sunday 8th December for the turning on of the North Tawton Lights - meet at the square at 5.30pm Sunday 15th December for the annual Christmas Carols at the church – starts at 6pm Year Six Residential I am delighted to let you know that we have secured accommodation and transport for a Foundry Y6 residential to Cambridge. Our aim is to provide lots of exciting educational opportunities, as well as a few treats! Cambridge has a whole host of places to visit including museums, galleries, places of worship, gardens and walks and boat trips on the river. The aim will be to experience city life, compare the city to our rural Devon towns and villages, and add to the learning the children have been doing in school in history, RE and science. Also of course, a wonderful opportunity to experience time away from our familiar environment, build independence and confidence and make friendships across the schools. We will have a meeting Wednesday 8th January at 5.30pm at North Tawton to share the details and for Y6 families to ask questions. Why do we go on a Year Six residential? Residential school trips allow children to build independence, experience a different place, improve teamwork and enhance their social skills. Going with the other Foundry Y6 classes (Exbourne, South Tawton and Chagford) , not only reduces costs, it gives our classes the opportunity to meet up with other pupils their age. By interacting with their peers in a different setting, students learn to communicate more effectively, collaborate, and appreciate the value of teamwork. It helps them to build resilience, independence and problem-solving skills. Being away from home and around other children helps them to navigate unfamiliar situations and make decisions on their own. Going to a different place, such as a city, enables our pupils go to art galleries and museums and have diverse cultural experiences. There has been a significant improvement in attendance this week, well done everyone who has been in every day. Only one class has maintained the goal of 97% well done Sycamore. It’s the time of year when we do expect a drop in attendance due to colder weather colds and we know there have been some nasty bugs around.
This is helpful advice from the NHS Is my child too ill for school? - NHS (www.nhs.uk) Holidays are unauthorised and can result in a fine from Devon County Council. Reminders Please do not park or drop off children, outside the school. It is incredibly busy and dangerous. Children need a coat every day! Please put names in jumpers! We have a growing collection of lost property by the office. Parent Forum Thank you to those who attended the parent forum. The minutes can be read here All the very best Tara Penny Principal North Tawton Parent Forum
Friday 8th November 2024 1 Welcome and Introductions Tara Penny, Principal welcomed all. As small group but great to have two parents who are new to the school attending as well as some who have attended many meetings previously, including representation from Friends of North Tawton FONTS. Two parents emailed apologies and asked for sports fixtures to be raised (later in minutes) Tara explained Anande James role as parent advocate. 2 Our Trust Three Main Aims Tara explained the three aims of the Trust for the year ahead. All staff are working toward these broad aims in very specific ways. Raise attainment - All children prepared for the next year of education with the skills and knowledge they need Eradicate gaps - Equitable provision and outcomes for our most underserved young people Drive belonging - All young people, staff, and communities feel connected, heard and valued 3 Analysis Some specifics we are focusing on at North Tawton raise attainment and eradicate gaps which parents can support at home:
Class teachers will provide advice on how to support at home in upcoming parent meetings. 4 Attendance Children do get ill, and of course we don’t want them here unwell, however we do have below average attendance levels for our Trust and national average. We track and support individual children and families where attendance is becoming a concern. We also monitor groups of pupils by demographic including SEND as nationally, these pupils tend to miss more school than others. Our motto is “If they are well enough, send them in!” We will always send children home if we are worried about their health. Holidays are unauthorised. Parents asked if work can be provided for children so they can catch up on missed work if off ill. Tara explained the challenges for staff to provide this on the specific day, but said she would raise with the staff team. Some parents said they use the White Rose (maths) links given to support 5 Split / Mixed Classes After a lot of parent unrest at the end of the year, parents attending, and ones Tara has spoken to over this half term, report class mixing has been smooth and have no concerns. Parents appreciated the class meetings early in the year and are reassured. Tara agreed that for 2025/6, parents and pupils will know the class structures and teachers in the as soon as possible for effective transition. Year 6 being a small unmixed class has been received well and parents appreciate the class having bespoke curriculum. Parents asked if this will be the case next year of if current Y4 Y5 mix will move together. Tara said she would consider this depending on pupil numbers and staffing, but agreed again that the decision will be made and communicated more timely. 6 Wrap around Care Tara has tried to organise wrap around care, but not enough families signed up to make it financially viable for the company to set up. The Trust has secured funding for breakfast club and afterschool clubs so we are going to offer again. Details to follow… 7 Parents and Community Friends of North Tawton (FONTS) have lots planned, but need help! All parents are members. Please follow FONTS on Facebook and attend their meetings. The work they do for the school is so appreciated They fund trips for classes, equipment such as our sound system and staging, books for our library, musical instruments and even small things like crackers for Christmas lunch. 8 Thoughts, Ideas, Questions Parents raised concern that there have not been any sports fixtures this year. Tara said she would follow this up. We currently don’t have a sports lead. Dojo is well received by most parents as main form of communication and for reminders. Mixed views on school having a Facebook page as not all parents use Facebook. Actions
We will be addressing these as a school team. Thank you again for your attendance and support of our school Dear North Tawton Families and Friends, Thank you to all who came to our Harvest Celebration at St Peter’s yesterday. Year Six led the service telling us all about Harvest. They explained why we collect food at this time of year and led thanks to our farmers. They performed Ted Hughes poem There Came A Day and shared their own poems about Autumn. Autumn Leaves falling on the ground The sun gone behind the clouds Summer time ended Autumn has started The bitter cold is coming It is the sign of winter The death of summer. Autumn is the killer A henchman for winter. By Ralph I was particularly struck by Ralph’s poem as has used personification and captured the mood of the Ted Hughes poem. The whole school sang our school favourite Harvest Samba, Autumn Days (those lyrics!) and a very emotive rendition of Through the Tears. Thank you for all of your contributions to our harvest collection. They are at the church and will be taken to Merry Go Round so they can be distributed to local families in need. Families in Grief You will remember that a team of our staff completed ‘The Barney to Beach’ sponsored walk to raise money for Families in Grief. The whole walk raised £15000 for this very worthy charity. I am delighted to say that Team NT raised £1490 of that total! We are so proud of them for doing this and hugely grateful to everyone who sponsored them. Times Table Rock Stars Times table Rock Stars is a computer programme our older pupils use to learn and embed times table facts. It is very popular and competitive! Today we had a wonderful time dressed up as rock stars and invited our families in to take part in mathematical challenges. Thank you to our wonderful catering staff Mandy and Nichola, for making a themed menu especially! To find out what else we have been learning, please click on the links to our latest class blogs: Sycamore Class Hazel Class Willow Class Beech Class Chestnut Class Acorn Class Parents can also access Dojo for photos of children dressed up. Year Six Residential We were so disappointed that the residential to France was cancelled due to lack of available funding. I have been working on an alternative for our Foundry Year Sixes. I am working on a trip to a city, for four days / three nights in June, with a budget of asking parents for no more than £300 per child. We will have more details after half term, watch this space! Children in Need Friday 15th November This year we are raising money for Children in Need by wearing our pyjamas to school for the day. If possible please bring in a donation of £1 for wearing our pyjamas to school. This is an incredible charity and as a school we would love to raise money to help them in their work. Thank you 😊 Attendance to date Well done to Hazel and Sycamore for creeping back up.
Parent consultations Please make sure you book in an appointment to meet your child’s teacher and discuss their progress and targets. Teachers will send an invite via Dojo for a convenient day and time during the week beginning 11th November. Halloween If you celebrate Halloween, I hope you have a fun time. If you allow your children to take part in Trick or Treat please make sure that are safe! Appreciate that not everyone takes part in Halloween celebrations. Some children, and adults, find Halloween quite scary and knocking on doors is not welcomed by all community members. Fonts have organised a scarecrow trail – so do look out for them as you walk around the town next week. Maps available at Eco Mojo. I hope everyone has a wonderful half term week, Tara Penny Principal Dear North Tawton Families and Friends, October is Black History Month in the UK. It’s a time when we specifically focus on learning about Black history as it is a part of our history which has been underrepresented. By learning about the contributions and achievements of Black individuals and communities, our pupils gain a broader perspective of history that goes beyond a Eurocentric narrative. It helps them appreciate the diversity that has shaped societies, cultures, and nations throughout history, fostering empathy and a sense of justice. Teaching Black history empowers students of all backgrounds, particularly Black students, by ensuring that their heritage and cultural contributions are represented and celebrated. This can help build self-esteem and a sense of belonging, as children see themselves reflected in the stories of historical figures who made significant contributions to society. For all students, learning about Black history creates a foundation for critical thinking, encouraging them to question injustices and take pride in the diverse fabric of the UK. Most people will know the story of Rosa Parks in USA, but do you know that in Bristol a group of men also boycotted buses due to racist segregation? We will be learning about this important movement this week. We have worked hard as a Trust to develop or curriculum to make sure our children learn about a diverse range of people, countries and cultures throughout the year. Book amnesty Do you have any school books lurking under beds at home? Please bring them to school! We seem to be missing a lot of our free readers in particular. No judgement! We will jus be happy to get them back in to reading circulation again! Collection Pease let us know if your child is being collected by someone else. It is time consuming, and also very embarrassing for the person collecting, if we have to ring you to check. ![]() Merry Go Round Do you have any good quality toys your children are no longer using? Don’t wait until after Christmas to donate preloved toys and clothes. Please support our local community by donating before. Merry Go Round is a wonderful community asset and they will be delighted to have lots of preloved toys to sell in the run up to Christmas. Class News To find out what we have been leaning in each class, please click on the links to our latest class blogs: Sycamore Class Hazel Class Willow Class Beech Class Chestnut Class Acorn Class Upcoming meetings:
Volunteers Induction Friday 18th October 9.30am A safeguarding and health and safety induction for our new and current volunteers . Parent Forum Friday 8th November 9am after dropping off the children. I will share with you the aims for the year, and how we are progressing so far. I'll ask you about your views on breakfast club and after school clubs and I'll aim to answer questions. Please let me know if there is anything in particular you would like me to address. Juice and biscuits provided! Parent Consultations These will take place during the week of 11th November. Please see Dojo for appointments times to meet teachers and discuss your child's progress to date. Please see Dojo for details and reminders of our upcoming events, Wishing all of our community the very best, Tara Penny Principal |
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