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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.  Dear North Tawton Friends and Families,
A heartfelt welcome to our new families and to all the families we know well. After a lovely holiday, a Leadership Conference and two intense days of staff training preparing for the new term, it was an absolute pleasure to welcome back our children and families, and welcome our new ones too. Thank you so much to FONTS for making up the Reception welcome packs, these were very much appreciated. Please come along to the coffee morning on Wednesday after drop off to meet the FONTS team and other reception parents. Please all come along to the FONTS AGM on Thursday after drop off. We need to elect people to roles of chair, treasurer and secretary, please don’t assume the same people are able to do this again! Thank you all for your support these first three days as we get used to new ways of working with our Hub Administration Team and our Information, Communication and Engagement (ICE) Team. Also thanks to everyone who has signed up to our new menu. I can confirm it is delicious! Wishing everyone a wonderful week ahead as we get familiar with our new routines and exciting learning. Tara Penny Principal |
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