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Dear North Tawton Parents and Families, We have rising covid cases in our North Tawton community and the surrounding area, with many of our pupil’s older siblings contracting the virus this week. At school presently we only have one child, from year 3, who has had a positive PCR test. They are isolating and keeping safe and well. We do have rather a lot of people with coughs and colds this week. It is a good idea to have a PCR test just to be sure, so thank you to those of you who have done this and let us know. We would have loved to have held a school service in the church next week to celebrate Harvest, however, this is just not a wise idea. We will have a special sharing assembly on line for you to watch from home. You can only access this via your child’s log in. I will send the link out on Dojo on Thursday. Black History Month This week I have read the children a story written by Floella Benjamin (people around my age will remember her from Play Away and Playschool!) She came to England from Trinidad when she was a child and was quite struck by the differences in food, climate and welcome. In her story she talks about how she always wanted to meet the queen, and when she was an adult, she did! In class children have been learning about a range of important history makers, including Michelle and Barak Obama, Rosa Parks, Mary Seacole, Mo Farrah and Usain Bolt. Photos on Monday We will have our photographer in on Monday for school photos. If you have a nursery child who is not attending on Monday, but would like an individual, class or family photo, please come to school at 9am and we will accommodate you. This will take some organisation, so please be patient with us! Clubs A huge thank you to the staff running clubs after school. I have really enjoyed the buzz of activity in school between 3.30 and 4.30! I have heard excellent singing from our choir (I’m delighted we are raising a new generation of Bon Jovi fans!) seen creative ideas in craft club and art club, budding actors in drama club, watched children develop their sporting skills and cooperative behaviours in our sports clubs, and seen the muddy footprints from forest club adventures! Next week Craft Club will be for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. I will let you know next week the arrangements for after half term. An Invitation from FONTS Please come along to the AGM (part 2) on Thursday 21st October. We’ll be in the school hall, straight after school pick up. FONTS are still looking for a new Treasurer, a role that’s needed to ensure that fundraising can continue. Looking forward to seeing you there! Thank you FONTS Committee Email friendsofnorthtawton@gmail.com/ message FONTS on ClassDojo Craft and Community Recreational day at Okehampton College Sports Hall and Pavilion in the Park.  This is set to be a fantastic event, and we are being joined by organisations providing activities, crafts and promoting local services with a focus on mental health.
Come along and do a spot of early Christmas shopping, reconnect with local groups and find out what is going on in the local area. This is set to be a fantastic event, and we are being joined by organisations providing activities, crafts and promoting local services with a focus on mental health. Come along and do a spot of early Christmas shopping, reconnect with local groups and find out what is going on in the local area. Dates for your Diary Monday 18th October - School Photos Thursday 21st October 2.30 Harvest Assembly (on line) Saturday 23rd October – Craft and Community Recreational day at Okehampton College Sports Hall and Pavilion in the Park. I hope you have a lovely weekend, Tara Penny FONTS AGM – Thursday 21 October
Straight after pick up in the school hall At this meeting we will be voting in a new Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary. The committee is still looking for someone to take on the Treasurer role. Please message FONTS or come to the AGM to find out more. The AGM is open to everyone. Please come along if you can, especially if you’ve volunteered to be a Class Representative – it would be great to get everyone together. Thank you to everyone who has come forward to take on roles, it means a lot to the school to have FONTS supporting it. Dear North Tawton Parents and Families,
Do ask your children what the highlights of their week have been. The highlights of my week have been taking Y4 to the church for a ‘real’ baptism and joining in with netball club after school on Thursday. Gate Opening Times We open the gates at 8.45 so there is plenty of time for the children to come in to class, settle in and start their early work. All children should be in school and learning by 9am at the latest. Please support us so all classes have an easy transition in to the day. Thank you! Black History Month This week in assembly, I told the children we would be learning about important people who have changed the world for the better. I asked the children to draw what an important person who has made history might look like. The children had some time to think about this and draw what they might look like. I then asked what kind of person they had drawn: male or female: older than me or younger than me; a person from a very long time ago, or someone living now, and if their person had light skin like mine or darker? The vast majority of children drew very old, white men from long ago. While there are many white men from long ago who have been important people in history, I told them this month we would be learning about lots of different kinds of people who have contributed to world history. We started by learning about Nelson Mandela who led the fight for equal rights and freedom for black people in South Africa and eventually ended apartheid. Throughout their time at North Tawton, the children will be learning about women and men from different cultures, countries and traditions and the contributions they have made to world. Every October we have a particular focus on Black History. Clubs Due to no more covid cases, we are still able to run clubs next week. We will keep this continually under review. Next week Craft club will be for Year 3, 4, 5 and 6. Free neurodiversity, young people's mental health and wellbeing Training The Aim Group are able to support North Tawton parents with several Free online Level 2 Accredited Courses available to Parents and Staff to help better understand some key issues around neurodiversity, young people's mental health and wellbeing. Here's some of our most popular subjects available:
We also have some other fantastic courses around areas such as Mental Health First Aid, Safeguarding and Prevent, Equality and Diversity, Business Admin, plus many more. All courses are accessed online within a 6-week window and are completed on a laptop or computer at the learner's home. No Exams or endpoint assessments are involved, and the courses are purely detailed Q&A based with all the information needed provided, which is available to you 24/7. Once finished you can do as many as you like, however you can just do one course at a time. The only criteria the learner must meet to be eligible, is the following.. Aged 19 or over on or before 31st August 2020
The course is completely free, but the learning provider reserves the right to charge a drop out fee in the event a learner enrols but then drops out without providing a reason (please note this is down to the individual and will be highlighted when I call you once registered). That said, the college will grant extensions if the learner has a reason as to why they won't be able to complete it within the 6 weeks. Please note: under the college request a short zoom induction will need to be attended to ensure we get you successfully enrolled onto the correct course If you are interested in undertaking one of these Free Online courses, then please let me know so I can send over the relevant enrolment details. FONTS – UPDATE – 8 October 2021 Following the recent AGM, FONTS are still looking to fill committee roles. FONTS is a registered charity and as such is legally required to have a Chair, Treasurer and Secretary in order to operate and raise funds for the school. Unless there’s a full committee in place by October half term (Chair, Treasurer and Secretary), all FONTS activities will have to stop. This means no Christmas cards, no Christmas fayre, no book fair, no Bag2School collections, no summer event, and no leavers’ hoodies. Thank you to everyone who has already put their names forward to be Class Representatives. Oak, Chestnut, Ash, Hazel and Sycamore classes do not have two reps yet. If you can spare a few hours a month to take on a committee or class rep role, let us know. Thank you FONTS Committee Email friendsofnorthtawton@gmail.com/ message FONTS on ClassDojo Dates for your Diary Week of the 11th October – Parent Meetings Monday 18th October - School Photos Thursday 21st October 2.30 Harvest Assembly (on line) Monday 25th October – Friday 29th October – Half Term holiday I hope you have a lovely weekend, Tara Penny Following the recent AGM, FONTS are still looking to fill committee roles. FONTS is a registered charity and as such is legally required to have a Chair, Treasurer and Secretary in order to operate and raise funds for the school.
Unless there’s a full committee in place by October half term (Chair, Treasurer and Secretary), all FONTS activities will have to stop. This means no Christmas cards, no Christmas fayre, no book fair, no Bag2School collections, no summer event, and no leavers hoodies. Thank you to everyone who has already put their names forward to be Class Representatives. Oak, Chestnut, Ash, Hazel and Sycamore classes do not have two reps yet. If you can spare a few hours a month to take on a committee or class rep role, let us know. Thank you FONTS The Saints South West Mutli-Skills Sports Club for Girls and Boys (KS2) takes place on Friday's afterschool 3.30-4.30pm. If your child is interested in attending or would like a free trial please click on the link below for booking and payment Our schedule | Saints Southwest | Powered by ClassForKids (class4kids.co.uk)
Booking is done online and although the club is currently full, places are 'first come first serve' for each new term, so just add your child to the waiting list to receive a notification when booking opens. Dear North Tawton Parents and Families,
Another week has come to an end, and as to date (Saturday afternoon) there are no more staff or pupil Covid cases. We do need to proceed with caution, as I have said in my emails this week, and maintain vigilance to reduce the likelihood of spread. Please continue to wear masks at drop off and pick up. We will not have whole school assemblies this week but will keep reviewing our situation. Emailed to all families 30th September 2021
Dear North Tawton Families I am writing to inform you that we now have four confirmed cases of Covid19 in our school. The cases are in Y1 and Year 3, we also have a child from year 2 who has tested positive on more than one LFT , but not on PCR tests. The pupils and staff are isolating and, thankfully, none are seriously ill. Earlier today, I rang the DFE help line to report this number and have been advised to continue our safety measures to reduce possible spread. They have sent me a 'Warn and Inform' letter which I have attached to this email. I realise that this is a worrying time for you and your families and would like to reiterate that we are following our risk assessment closely and doing everything we can to ensure good hygiene and ventilation in school. Looking at clubs today and tomorrow, we only have 8 children for Choir, so they can be distanced safely inside and Netball and Saints Sports can go ahead as they are outside, we will review clubs for next week and be in touch. Our risk assessment and contingency plan can be found on our website. Please be assured that I will keep you fully updated on the situation moving forward, With best wishes, Tara Penny Dear North Tawton Families,
Farewells and Welcomes This week we sadly said goodbye to Mrs Adams and to Rev Weldon. We wish them both the very best in their careers ahead and hope they take many happy memories of the school with them. We have welcomed Mrs Aston who has been working alongside Mrs Adams this week to learn all about our office systems. We also welcome Mr Cutler who we already know well, he will step in until we have a new Reverend at the church. Communication If you have a message for a member of staff, please email admin@ntcps.org.uk and Mrs Aston or Mrs Cassels will make sure this is passed on. Staff do not monitor Dojo when they are teaching, so important messages can be missed. It’s easy and free to use your library! You can borrow books, take part in activities and use our computers or Wi-Fi.
It's free to become a member of the library, either join online or by visiting staff in the library.
We have a range of free resources that all library members can access online:
Book Amnesty 8 September – 8 October Got an overdue book on your conscience? 📚 Couldn't face returning that DVD after losing it down the back of the sofa three years ago? Return your horribly overdue items to your library during our Book Amnesty, and your fine will be waived, no questions asked Saturday 2nd October ~ Okehampton Fun Palace 09:30-12:00 Fun Palaces is a national campaign to put culture in the heart of local communities. It is an annual weekend of action - arts, science, craft, tech, digital, heritage and sports. We are offering a creative community morning of free taster activities. If you would like to take part, sharing a skill or learning a new one, please contact Okehampton Library. Current activities include ukulele and patchwork. For more info about Fun Palaces visit their website. funpalaces.co.uk Tuesday 5 October ~ Celebrating 'Libraries Week' 08:00-10:00 ~ A cuppa and a croissant. Pop in before school for a book. 18:00-20:00 ~ Late Night Library Opening, with light refreshments. View our local history collections, including the Wardhayes picture collection, which is located throughout the library building. All our usual library services will be available, and staff will be on hand to tell you about all our digital services. Half Term Event, 25th - 30th October - TBC, please check our Facebook page or website for details: www.devonlibraries.org.uk/okehamptonlibrary READING WELL Collection for children - Books to help you feel better A collection of books free to borrow from Okehampton Library. Reading Well for children recommends reading to help you deal with worries, feel better and boost your mood. The books have been chosen by children, carers, health experts and librarians. Devon Libraries is part of Libraries Unlimited Libraries Unlimited is a registered charity. Every penny raised goes directly towards library services that help make a difference to people’s lives and communities. To donate, please visit librariesunlimited.org.uk Regular events Adults Every Tuesday 13:30-14:30– Knit & Natter Bring along your knitting, stitching, crochet or other portable project, for a chat with like-minded crafters. Tea and coffee available at 50p a cup. Knit and Natter takes place in the children’s area of the library. A small selection of baby toys will be available during these sessions. Children and Young People Tuesdays 10:00-10:20 & 11:00-11:20 - Bounce & Rhyme For under 5s and their carers Free – booking in advance essential Wednesdays 09:30–10:15 - Duplo Builders & Storytime for ages 0-5 Free - no booking necessary Saturdays 10:30–11:30 Lego Builders for ages 5+ Free - no booking necessary Book Track for ages 6+ during library opening hours Free, ask staff for further details Children under 8 must be accompanied to all events by a responsible adult Please see our library website or Facebook page for any additional events and library services www.devonlibraries.org.uk Opening Hours Monday 09:00-17:00 Tuesday 09:00-18:00 Wednesday 09:00-13:00 Thursday 09:00-17:00 Friday 09:00-18:00 Saturday 09:00-13:00 FONTS AGM (Annual General Meeting)
Tuesday 5th October Straight after school pick up – in the hall Everyone is welcome, children can come too (with something to occupy them if poss J) Please come to the AGM and support FONTS, we are facing closure without people to carry on the good work. We need to come back together after the last couple of disrupted years. Our school needs FONTS!! We are all busy, but this is our school, and the events held and the money raised by FONTS helps make our children’s experience all the better. The main committee roles are Chair, Treasurer and Secretary. In order for FONTS to continue there has to be people in these roles. However these are not the only roles, Class Reps for each class would be great too. Also, just knowing that the committee have people willing to help out is great. Please talk to Julie Steward (Chair / Treasurer) Philippa Sims (Secretary) about the roles, or send FONTS a message. Thank you FONTS Committee Email friendsofnorthtawton@gmail.com/ message FONTS on ClassDojo |
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