Flourishing! I wonder if any children have come home and told you about our new 'Chagford Blessing' which we are closing every assembly and act of daily worship with. It's a short prayer which sends us out from the hall calm and peaceful and ready for the world. Children are invited to join in with the blessing but no one is ever made to join in if they don't feel comfortable doing so. Some children like to stay quiet then join in with the 'amen' at the end. Our blessing is adapted from a blessing that the Reverend Paul likes and uses regularly so, even when he has gone, we will have a daily reminder of him. Why not ask your child if they can remember the words to our blessing? Year Four children entertained us hugely in assembly on Wednesday. They had written and practiced their own version of 'Going to the Volcano' by Andy Stanton which they performed with great confidence and enjoyment. They made us smile and made us proud. I love 'Going to the Volcano' - it's a funny, silly rhyming book which is lots of fun for children to chant along with you but it is also a really good reminder of how we can work together as a community to challenge each other, to support each other and to care for each other - it's like a bright, colourful aide memoire for our school vision - Community - Challenge - Care. Wildlife Champions' Bake Sale Our brilliant school Wildlife Champions came to me and asked if they could run a Bake Sale to rasie funds to improve our grounds for wildlife. They want to raise enough money to buy a good quality pond liner so we can create a habitat for frogs, newts and water loving invertebrates. It was short notice but we put the word out and now we await the results. I wonder how much they will raise. If you are not a big fan of cake or cake sales but you would like to donate towards the pond liner, Elaine will very happily accept donations at the school reception. PTFA Open Meeting - all welcome The PTFA are holding a meeting next Tuesday 17th January at 3.40pm in Mr Newland's class room. This will be to discuss new ideas and planning of events over the next term. The PTFA are always looking for new members so please feel free to come along. Celebrating the Earth Our next Celebrating the Earth event, on Tuesday 24th January, will take a focus on Health and Wellbeing - specifically the positive impact on wellbeing of being in nature. We very much hope that a group of Chagford children will be involved to sing. Everyone is welcome to this event - it will be family friendly and not too long. It starts at 5:30 and be all finished by 6:30 at the latest - the second half of the event is time for meditation and reflection, with a break beforehand so you can leave without any trouble at approximately 6:00. We do hope that a lot of our children and their families will want to attend. It should be a lovely event. Farewell to Reverend Paul
I am sure that you already know that the Revd. Paul is due to leave us at the end of January to take up a position in Cambridgeshire, I am also sure that even though it is tinged with a little sadness, we will all wish him well in his new life. Paul will be officiating his last church service in Devon on Sunday 29th January at St Michael’s commencing at 9.30 am. To ensure that everyone has an opportunity to thank him for his friendship help and guidance over the last 11 years, we will be able to say goodbye at an informal ‘bring and share’ leaving Party on Saturday 28th January in the Jubilee Hall from 5.30pm until 10.30pm. There will be a ‘pay’ bar and background music provided by a variety of local people. We are also planning to create a ‘Memory Book’ of his time with us in Devon to which everyone is invited to contribute. To make this easy we are inviting you give us your memory of Paul whether it be a few simple words, a memory of an event, a piece of poetry, a photograph, or a mixture of these. They can be handwritten or typed but the paper should not be bigger than 25cm square and of a thickness that will allow them to be mounted into a bound book. Contributions need to be with Rosemary Bleakman (rosemary.bleakman@btinternet.com or Roseland Parely Hill Chagford TQ13 8HZ) before Monday 23rd January 2023. We also plan to present Paul with a significant gift that that will be a constant memory of his happy times in these parts, and we would welcome any contributions that you feel able to give. Contributions can be made; 1. in cash or cheque, made payable to Chagford Parochial Church council and endorsed ‘Pauls Gift’ on the reverse. These should be given to Rosemary Bleakman or put, in a sealed envelope marked Paul Gift, into the donation box in the Church entrance 2. by bank transfer to Chagford Parochial Church Council, Lloyds Bank Sort Code 30-96-23, Account No 25587068. Please reference your transfer as ‘PAUL’S GIFT’, or 3. by card by following either the link below or by scanning the QR Code https://givealittle.co/campaigns/642dd67b-18e1-464d-8f7a-c155dab9bf67 Flourishing! Welcome back to school everyone. I hope you all had a restful and enjoyable Christmas break. As ever, it immediately feels as if we were never away. Children have returned to school very happily and the atmosphere around the school has been calm and pruposeful with learning carrying on just as normal - well done everyone. In Collective Worship this week we've been thinking a great deal about New Year's Resolutions. Some of the staff have shared their resolutions and invoted children to hold them to account for them. Mr Finch has resolved to keep doing art activities at least weekly and asked the children to check up on him to make sure he keeps that up. Mr Newland has resolved to keep up his Korean language lessons - the children will keep tabs on that too. As a school we have made some New Years Resolutions too - we have linked them to our school vision and agreed to have a check up conversation weekly. For our 'Community' strand we have decided we will run at least three events to welcome our community into the school this year - look out for those. For 'Challenge' we have agreed that all of us will challenge ourselves to try something new. I'm looking forward to hearing about all the new activities and experiences that the children (and adults) take on to deliver on this resolution. In 'Care', the children decided they wanted to take Care of the environmant - not just around the school but globally so there will be work to do to figure out how we can deliver on that. These are great resolutions - great thinking and discussion from the children! Staffing Changes We are very sad that our friend and colleague Emily Coleman will be moving across to our sister school South Tawton in a few weeks. Miss Coleman has been at Chagford for some time and is a very much liked and respected member of the staff body and the school community. She will be very much missed but we are glad she is staying within the Thre Hares family of schools and that she will remian within Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust. We are very glad indeed to announce that we will be welcoming Katherine LLoyd back to take the Year One Class. Mrs Lloyd taught our Year Twos while Miss Robertson was on maternity leave and impressed us all with her hard work and her kind and friendly personality. She did a great job with the Year Two children and I am sure she will be terrific with the Year Ones. While I am very sorry that Miss Coleman is leaving us, I am delighted that we will be welcoming Mrs Lloyd back on a permanent basis, she will be a valuable addition to the staff team. Families with children in Year Four will be aware that Ms Barton has been unable to attend work for some time now. Sadly, she has made the decision to make that a permanent decision. We are very sorry to lose her and wish her very well in her new role. Mr Frewin has agreed to teach an extra day each week which is good news and will give the children more continuity. The Fridays in Year Four will be taught by Julia Denny, a very experienced and reliable teacher who has taught in this area for many years. Thank you! A huge thank you to our PTFA for all the brilliant events they ran and facilitated last term. Children enjoyed the Mini Monster bash, the Christmas Fayre, Woodland School, help wioth funding for trips and much much more. A project that you might not have heard about is the work to make the group room upstairs more suitable for use as a nurture space. This room, the one we used to call The Pancake Room and now call The Nest had been undersued for a while, it was unnattractive and filled with mismatched furtniture. With help and funding from the PTFA it has been decorated, furnished with rugs and beanbags, equipped with sensory equipment and genrally made in to a place that is a pleasure to be in and which creates a much more suitable environment fro children to calm or to work on social and emotional skills. Thanks to everyone who has been involved - especially to Zoe and Adam. Volunteering at Chagford Primary We now have six parents and carers regularly volunteering at the school to support the children. They are reading with children, supporting learning and helping to supervise breaks and lunch times. Two more people are currently finishing up their training prior to starting in role. Volunteers really make a huge diference to what we can offer our children. Hopefully, it is also an enjoyable and satisfying role to play. If you're considering giving some time to help out, have a word with Lennie McGowan or Elaine in the office to see about the next step forward. We would very much like to have you. Chagford Eco-Pantry A reminder that the Eco-Pantry is still very much open for business and that everyone is welcome to make use of it. You do not need to be signposted from another organisation or to be in receipt of benefits to take items from the pantry - everyone is welcome. Use of the pantry is gradually increasing as more people get to know of it and get used to it being there. We love to see this as, otherwise, that food would go to waste. If you have excess food, hygeine or cleaning products do please donate too - at the moment most of our stock is brought from the church. That's fine but it would be great if we could become a little more self sustaining. Next time you are in the school reception area do take a look and, if youre short of food or something catches your eye, poleas do know that the pantry is there for everyone. We would like to make you aware, through our partnership with The AIM Group, of 2 fully funded and FREE courses which are available to any adults within our school communities, whether you are a member of staff, a parent/carer/guardian, volunteer, governor etc.
The AIM Group have partnered with the UK's leading colleges to provide a brand new fully funded (free) level 2 qualification, which is the first of its kind! What Is Neuroscience? Neuroscience is the study of the brain and its impact on behaviour. It is an exciting field of research that has huge significance to anyone who supports babies or young children. This qualification is designed to give learners an introduction to the subject and to share with them some of the remarkable insights it has given us in terms of how the infant's brain develops, and how this is affected by a range of external influences. Course Information This is a brand-new qualification, launching in January which will look to provide learners with practical advice on how to promote healthy brain development in the critical first seven years of their life. This course will also support how children develop vital self-regulation skills, such as learning how to deal with emotions such as fear, anger and sadness in the correct way. Typically, a qualification of this level would cost a learner £100's to enrol onto. The only criteria you must meet to be eligible, is: Aged 19 or over on or before 31st August 2022 Have lived in the UK/EU for 3+ years Not already on a Government funded course Ready to complete the course which will be starting from 23rd January If you are interested in undertaking this free online course or would like further information, then please complete the following link. DMAT Schools: Neuroscience in Early Years Qualification Application Link > This will then allow The AIM Group to contact you to discuss and get you started on your chosen course Take care when scrolling for the course and be sure to select either - Neuroscience in Early Years - Level 2 (you will find it right at the bottom of the list) If you have any questions prior to expressing interest, call Chris Greenfield on 0203 900 3091 extension 213 or drop him an email at christopher.greenfield@theaimgroup.co.uk Please Note: This must be applied for before the end of January (to ensure we do not surpass funding capacity)
Are you looking for a flexible, achievable, and manageable way to retake your GCSE English and Maths? This alternative GCSE retake can provide just that. Online classes are designed to develop your confidence and the foundations to progress on to higher level English qualifications. It can also enable you to use your skills in everyday life, both personally and professionally. Functional Skills English Level 2: Eastleigh College: Reading | Writing | Speaking | Listening | Communication Functional Skills Mathematics Level 2: Eastleigh College: Whole Numbers | Fractions | Decimals | Percentages | Using Common Measures | Shape and Space | Handling Information and Data | Solving Mathematical Problems So, what to do if you are interested? Course delivery:
Eligibility Criteria: · Does not have a GCSE C or above already in the chosen subject (example, if you have a B in English, you would not be able to access this) · Over the age of 19 as of 31st August 2022, and have lived in UK for the past three years with a Valid Passport or Driving License · Not currently be enrolled onto any other gov funded course. To register your interest please click this link > DMAT Schools: English and Mathematics Functional Skills Level Two Qualifications Take care when scrolling for the course and be sure to select either - Functional Skills English-Level 2 or Functional Skills Mathematics-Level 2 If you have any questions prior to expressing interest, call Chris Greenfield on 0203 900 3091 extension 213 or drop him an email at christopher.greenfield@theaimgroup.co.uk If you are interested in either the Neuroscience or the Functional Skills courses, please get in touch with Chris Greenfield ASAP as there is limited capacity to access on both of these courses. Flourishing! This week was a great week for 'flourishing' - we saw every child from Pre-school to Year Six performing on stage in a series of events that made my heart swell with pride. Our Nativity Play on Wednesday was a delight. Year Two children had composed their own retelling of the story of the first Christmas and spoke confidently while children from Reception and Year One acted the story out following their lead. It made the most hard hearted of us smile and brought a tear to the eye. Children from pre-school made an appearance too and charmed us with 'Twinkle Twinkle'. I was proud to be the head teacher of a school that could make such a calm, loving and inclusive Nativity show for parents and carers to enjoy. On Thursday, Key Stage Two performed their Christmas Concert twice - they sang a range of seasonal songs, many of which were new to me, and children from Year Six recited poetry linked to Christmas. Highlights included a beautiful, confident performance on handbells of the 'Walking in the AIr' theme from 'The Snowman' and the wonderful poem 'The Jesus Room' which stopped me in my tracks at last years Christmas Concert. Finally, on Friday, we had our second trip to the church of the school year. This was especially moving to me as it will be the Reverend Paul's last church service with the school before he moves on to his new parish in Cambridgeshire. He has been such a friend to the school, and to me personally, I shall be very sorry to see him go. Once again the children's singing was beautiful. I loved especially to hear 'O Little Town of Bethlehem' which has long been my favourite Christmas Carol and is now, even more so, in the new melody and arrangement that the children learned for the concert. So many people have played a big part in making this week's events happen. I shan't manage to thank everyone but I have to pay special tribute to Miss Coleman and Miss Pollard for thier lovely work on the Nativity, Chloe Brooks-Warner and all the other members of the PTFA committee who volunteered time and effort to support the events and, especially, Mrs Armstrong who made a herculean effort to teach the children all the repertoire for the concert as well as training the Year Six pupils for the poetry recital and the hand bells. We are so very lucky to have her on the staff. The Jesus Room by Christopher Woodland The Jesus room is not a chapel Or a church or a shrine Or anything like that. It is not even sacred ground in town or garden. The Jesus room is inside the head, inside the heart, inside the body, Inside the feelings, but no one knows Quite where the exact location is. It is not really a room at all And the Jesus discovered there Does not come care of religious dogma Or some archbishop or priest Or politican or minister Or anybody like that. Indeed when you go into the Jesus room You will find no one there, Only space… emptiness… energy. You will, however, feel the vibration If you are very still and quiet. And as you tune in to the power of the place You will sense a presence, a mystery, You will hear the poetry of the Jesus room. PTFA Christmas Fayre Huge, huge thanks to Zoe and to everyone who made last weekend's Christmas Fayre such a success. The grotto which Izzy, Anna and others somehow magicked out of our PE store was breathtaking, the refreshments were delicious and all the various stalls were well chosen and well run. It made me very happy to see people from all parts of the Chagford community come together to make this event happen. Quite unsentimentally, I thought of our school vision 'Community, Challenge, Care' and how I could see every aspect of that reflected in what was going on the hall. The team raised more than £1000 on the day, this is money which will go straight to improving the quality and range of provision that we can offer our children - it genuinely makes the most enormous difference. In recent months, for example, the PTFA have funded the Woodland School sessions that our pupils have enjoyed so much, helped towards trips and visits for families where money is tight, furnished and equipped the redevelopment of what we used to call 'The Pancake Room' and now call 'The Nest' as a nurture hub and much, much more. There's a lot to celebrate about Chagford Primary and our hardworking, cheerful PTFA is a big part of that. Christingle Service and Carols in the Square The Reverend Paul has asked me to mention two events to you all. The Christingle Service tomorrow (Saturday 17th) at 4 p.m. in the church of St Michael the Archangel will be fun and inclusive way to encourage your children to reflect on the meaning of Christmas. All families are very welcome to come along to make a Christingle together, everything you need will be provided and help will be on hand. The event won't last more than half an hour. If you don't know what a Christingle is, or have never made one before, this is your chance to find out! Carols in the Square will run from 6:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Come along and gather outside The Pepperpot to sing lots of old favourites. If you play an instrument do bring it along and join in - guitars, mandolins, melodeons, concertinas, violins, clarinets and everything that can make a joyful noise is welcome. I have been assured that all the carols will be in 'easy keys' so I shall bring my D/G melodeon along and a pocketful of harmonicas and add to the wonderful din of a community singing and playing together. Thank you to Helpful Holidays and to Astor's Bookshop Mr Finch had a very happy time visiting Astor's Bookshop in its new location in the old NatWest Bank building on Thursday. Our friends at 'Helpful Holidays' had donated £250s worth of book tokens to us as a 'thank you' for the children's designs for their calendar. I was able to buy every class a pile of brand new books to add to their book corners. These were gift wrapped and opened on Friday to 'oohs' and 'ahs' in almost every case. There's nothing quite like unwrapping a brand new book with its wonderful 'new book smell' to help build a love of reading. A massive thank you to Helpful Holidays for this - £250 is a good deal of money and we are very grateful indeed for it. Thanks to Astor's for letting me strip bare the children's section on the same day as the late night shopping - I hope it was ok to see all the beautiful stock waltz out of the door and into the boot of my car! If you haven't checked the new shop out yet, do go and have a look - it's a lovely new space for the town. Thanks also here to the benefactor/s who donated us a similar sum through The Bookery in Crediton, allowing us to buy books for some of our pupils individually. Working on that project with The Bookery was one of my very happiest tasks this week, and one which will make a real difference to a good number of children this Christmas. A community food project to help local people Chagford Pantry is a new community-led food project that is here for anyone who is struggling or facing difficulty in the local area. It’s run by the community, for the community. Anyone can use it, and anyone can donate food or funds. This Christmas and New Year we will also be delivering 40 or more hampers for residents. THANK YOU to those of you who have donated food, money or time to support our Pantry. There are two Pantry locations – one at the back of Chagford Church (open every day 9am – 7pm) and during term time, one at our brilliant Primary School. To use the Pantry: You don’t need to be referred to access food, we invite anyone who is struggling and needs food to come and help yourself to some cupboard essentials. If you or someone you know needs help but can’t get to the Pantry please contact: whiddonparishes@hotmail.com. To donate: We would love donations of non-perishable, in-date food (as well as sanitary products and pet food). You can drop off food donations during opening hours at Chagford Church or you can donate funds for Chagford Pantry here: https://bit.ly/chagfordpantry Chagford Pantry is a joint initiative between St Michael the Archangel, Chagford and Chagford Primary School, with support from local people and businesses. If you’d like to be involved, drop us a line on stmichaelschagford@btinternet.com Flourishing! It's wonderful to see the children growing in happiness and confidence as the year wears on. A child bounced up to me at the gate to show the comic he had made with such pride that it made me very grateful indeed to do the job I do. I see children become excellent writers. A child doing equations using fractions that not only could I not have done at his age but which I'm not sure I could do now. I see children loving their PE lessons - there's been some amazing gymnastics going on - and children fascinated by their science. One special pleasure this week has been listening to the practicing for the Christmas Concert next week. 'O Little Town of Bethlehem' is sounding just wonderful thanks to the care of the children and Mrs Armstrong's brilliant work. Another particular joy was Christmas Jumper Day on Wednesday - we loved the children's pleasure and pride in their decidedly individual choices of festive overgarments. Happy days and happy memories. Thank you to everyone who took part and for all those donations for the Christmas Fayre's Tombola. We have our Collective Worship together every afternoon and it's wonderful to see that culture and practice becoming ever more deeply embedded. We were fortunate this week to have a visit from James Forshall from Romilly's Foundation to speak to us about the small charity he runs, named after his daughter who died sadly early, which helps to offer education to street children in Sub-Saharan Africa. We love to have visitors and speakers so if you'd like to visit or have something to say which would interest the children do get in touch. We want children to understand that our community of learners goes way beyond the school gates out into the world. If your child was moved by the assembly and you'd like to learn more, you can find the charity website here. Christmas Fayre We look forward to welcoming as many of you as possible to our Christmas Fayre tomorrow. This is being hosted by the PTFA in the school hall between 2-4pm. The Fayre is open to the general public as well as people from the school so please spread the word! There will be a lot of different things to do from making decorations, carol singing, refreshments, a raffle and tombola, and much more. Please note we are only able to accept cash. As this event is being held out of school hours, we politely ask that all children are supervised by a responsible adult and that children are not permitted to be anywhere else in the school other than in the hall for the Fayre. We look forward to seeing you all there. The PTFA Committee Mel Stride MP visits Chagford Primary We were pleased to welcome our MP, Mel Stride, to Chagford Primary today. He toured the school and took an interest in every area from Early Years to Key Stage Two. It was an excellent opportunity to talk to the children about how a parliamentary democracy works and what the job of an MP is. I think that, as adults, sometimes we have a habit of overestimating how much children understand about the world of politics - it was great to have a meaningful opportunity to talk to them about how the system works, how MPs are elected and how not everyone gets what they want. We modelled an election in assembly and thought about how people whose favourite candidates don't get to win might feel but how we can all respect the fairness of the system. Mr Stride was interested to hear all about the strengths and challenges of our school and we were able to explain some things that would really make a difference. He promised he would try to help if we got in touch to follow these up. Mel met with a group of children from Years Five and Six who got to ask him questions about what he does. The children showed themselves and the school off really well - they must have been nervous but they didn't let it show. Poppy and Benji B asked Mr Stride about the best and worst aspects of being an MP - he said the best bit was knowing that, in your job, you can make a difference- even if only a little difference to people's lives. He said the worst bit was that sometimes people aren't very kind to MPs. Benji C asked him if he had always wanted to be an MP. He said that actually he had done lots of things before he thought of it but that he had always been interested in politics and that when he was about 48, he had decided that he wanted to be active politically and that was where it had started for him. Ellawyn asked Mr Stride if if he got to spend much time in Devon or if he had to spend all his time in Westminster to which he replied that because it takes such a long time to get from his home in Devon to Central London it just isn't possible to commute and he does spend most of the time in London but that he made sure that whenever Parliament isn't in session, he spends as much time as he can in the constituency. Jess asked Mr Stride about how she could become an MP and he explained a bit about how elections work. Finally, Max asked Mr Stride how people could get in touch with their MPs if they wanted to ask a question or ask for help - he said that if you just google 'Who is my MP?' and put in your postcode you can find his email address and the phone number for his office. Perhaps we should encourage the children to write to him with their thoughts and concerns. Scouts' Christmas Post Many of you will know that several of our Chagford children are part of the 1st Moretonhampstead Scout Group, either as Cubs or Scouts. This year, the Group is running a Scout Christmas postal service in Moreton and Chagford, and nearby villages, raising money for two charities: St Jerome Centre, a children’s home in Kenya (stjeromecentre.org.uk) and Force, Exeter’s cancer charity (forcecancercharity.co.uk). Read on to find out how it works and where will the Scouts will be delivering… The delivery areas will be: Moretonhampstead, Doccombe, North Bovey, Manaton and Chagford. Please don’t post cards addressed to other areas and please don’t post cards for the Scout Post in the Royal Mail post boxes. Please note, you do NOT need a stamp! Where can I post my cards? In Chagford, Blacks and the school have kindly agreed to host the postboxes. (Of course, If any other business is keen to volunteer then please get in touch!) The postbox in Blacks is just inside the door on the left, and the box at school is in the main reception. How much does it cost and how do I pay? It costs 35p per card (or you can post three for £1. Just put your money in the Scout Box by the card collection box. If you don’t have any cash, but would like to use the service to support the Scouts’ fundraising efforts, please contact the Group Leader, Mike, or the Treasurer, Mel (yes, her again!) to make arrangements (contact details below). When will the cards be delivered? They’ll be delivered in the week before Christmas. We are only doing one delivery round, so please don’t include invitations for events before Christmas! Is it legal? Yes, as long as it’s only Christmas or New Year cards. And - if it’s not too early – Happy ‘Preparing for Christmas’ from 1st Moretonhampstead Scouts. Mike Collins, Group Scout Leader (moretonscouts@icloud.com) Mel Holyoak, Group Treasurer (mel@theholyoaks.com) Three Hares Local Stakeholder Board With the lead-up to Christmas, we have been quite busy these last couple of weeks, but in a really wonderful and positive way. Our thanks to our three schools for inviting us in over a frantic period in the school year, so we can appreciate the fruits of the children and staff’s labour! I have just returned from North Tawton’s Carol Concert at the school which was utterly joyful! I absolutely loved the mix of music and singing, and particularly loved “Oh come all ye faithful” when they started the chorus quite loudly (when it’s meant to be quite quiet) and I was thinking “Goodness, how are they going to get any louder?” but sure enough, by the third repetition, they were raising the roof! One of the best parts of being a governor is seeing the children being themselves in a safe environment at school, and it was so clear to me how much the kids were enjoying themselves. David Spence, our new governor based in North Tawton, also attended and was able to see the school “in action” (as well as applauding his own children!). Another great part of our role is being recognised by the children… Last week, I was lucky enough to be invited on the joint Chagford / North Tawton Year 6 school trip to the Energy for Waste plant in Devonport, Plymouth, so I spent all day with twelve of the Y6 North Tawton pupils. If you’re a parent of any of those children, I have to say what an absolute delight they were to hang out with. And it was even nicer to be recognised by them today at the school, as they called out to say “Hi!” to me. In the meantime, all of our governors have attended the “Ringfenced Funding” training, which helps us to understand what additional monies the schools receive for Pupil Premium, Sports Premium etc, and how that is spent for the benefit of the children. We are booking meetings with the Principals and Sports Leads for each school early next term to monitor how those funds are being spent in each school, and the impact of those spends. Liz has alo managed to visit South Tawton a couple of times, where she was impressed with the great progress Early Years have made with their reading using the Read Write Inc platform, and this was reinforced by one of the children telling her how happy they were that they could “read words now!” We hope to see you at one of the school’s festive events – between us, we are hoping to get to as many as possible. Mel & Liz mholyoak@dmatschools.org.uk edavidson@dmatschools.org.uk Woodland School It was very cold today - especially in the morning - but we Dartmoor folk aren't easily put off and classes from Year One to Year Six enjoyed another session with Kael in a very frosty Woodland School area. Classes played 'Head Honcho' learned about tawny owls and made pcitues of their favourites parts of the site using materials they found within it. Thanks, as always to the PTFA who fund this for our children, to Kael for runnning the sessions and to Chloe-Brookes Warner who gives up her time to support Kael and to look after the fire. It is a beautiful thing to be able to offer our children and it's terrific to see the enjoyment and engagement that comes from it. Dates for Your Diary PTFA Christmas Fayre - Saturday 10th December 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Nativity Play - Wednesday 14th December 2:30 p.m. Carol Concert - Thursday 15th December 5:00 p.m. End of Term - Friday 16th December First day of Spring Term - Wednesday 4th January 7th December 2022
Dear Parent / Carer, You may have seen recent news reports concerning cases of suspected or confirmed scarlet fever. This has also been referred to as “Strep A”. We are writing to inform you that there has been some increase nationally in notifications of scarlet fever to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), above seasonal expected levels. We would like to take this opportunity to provide some information about this illness, and to raise your awareness of the signs and symptoms to look out for. Although scarlet fever is usually a mild illness, it should be treated with antibiotics to minimise the risk of complications and reduce the spread to others. The symptoms of scarlet fever include:
If you think you, or your child, have scarlet fever, please take the following actions:
Children who have had chickenpox recently are more likely to develop more serious infection during an outbreak of scarlet fever and so parents should remain vigilant for symptoms such as:
You can find more information in the guidance: Scarlet fever: symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. Further advice can also be obtained from the Health Protection Team during office hours. Please see below for links to further information and FAQs. In school, staff will continue to be vigilant about looking for symptoms and encouraging pupils to maintain good hand hygiene. Hand washing remains the most important step in preventing such infections. Staff and pupils will be encouraged to wash their hands at the start of the school day, after using the toilet, after play, before and after eating, and at the end of the school day. Hand sanitiser is available. Yours sincerely, Ed Finch, Principal Further information: Scarlet fever: symptoms, diagnosis and treatment Scarlet Fever Frequently Asked Questions Health Protection Team for UKHSA South West Centre Health Protection Team Follaton House, Plymouth Road, Totnes, TQ9 5NE swhpt@phe.gov.uk Phone: 0300 303 8162 option 1 then option 1 Flourishing! As ever, children at Chagford Primary School have been flourishing this week. Years R, 1 and 2 have been working on their unique and very special nativity play. The Year Twos have the job of telling the story, while the Reception and Year One children act it out following the storytelling. Everyone gets to pick their role and do what they need to do to share the challenge and responsibility of telling the story. It will bring tears to your eyes. Do please come along on 14th December at 2:30 pm. Year Five have been working out of their skins to write their own myths based on stories they've heard from Ancient Greece and the Norse world. They have been on fire and have written some terrific stories. I was impressed and very pleased by some children who went way beyond what they had previously been able to show us, Great work Year Five. Year Six enjoyed a trip to the recycling centre in Plymouth. It was led by an excellent guide who made the experience really meaningful for the children. Lovely work. Year Two have impressed us by getting on with life without missing a beat with their new teacher - Mrs Robertson back from maternity leave and very happy to be back at work and thriving in Year Two. We all enjoyed the beauty of the world this morning in the first proper frost of winter. Chunks and plates of ice were retreived from buckets, wheelbarrows and tyres sparking curiosity and wonder. It's easy to forget how special things like frosty grass or a frozen puddle are - it's a joy when the children remind us. It was beautiful seeing so many parents and carers at our Friday Celebration today and even more beautiful to see so many people volunteering to take part in our weekly 'Attitude of Gratitude'. The evenings are nearly as dark as they are going to be, the weather has been foul and colds and viruses seem to be everywhere but in our community of learners the knack of gratitude seems to run strong. Celebrate a Life We will be attending the Celebrate a Life event at Cross Tree opposite the Jubilee Hall at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. There will be carols, mince pies and mulled wine. You will be able to add a star to the tree in memory of a loved one. Children from the school will join together to sing 'Away in a Manger' led by Mr Finch. We have the words printed off so all children are very welcome indeed to come along and join us to sing together. This event will be raising money for Cancer Research, the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Charity and for Hospiscare. These are causes very close indeed to many of our hearts, so do please come along to take part, to share joyful memories of loved ones and to raise a little money for these very worthwhile charities. Stars for the tree can be bought in advance from Uptown but don't worry about attending if you haven't been able to purchase a star in advance - this will not be an issue. You are invited to bring a small hand torch. Christmas Jumper Day Our Christmas Jumper Day is this coming Wednesday 7th December. Children are invited to wear a Christmas Jumper if they have one or any other warm and cosy jumper, and to bring a donation for the tombola at the School Christmas Fayre. A tin of drink, a can of beans, a box of chocolates, a bottle of wine - bring something you wouldn't mind winning, add it to the pile and we'll enjoy each others jumpers. This is NOT the school Christmas dinner which will be the following Wednesday 14th December. The Christmas Fayre is next Saturday 10th December from 2:00 till 4:00 in the school hall. The PTFA would love to see as many people as possible there. Miniature Pony Christmas Experience Our friends at the Miniature Pony Centre have put together a special offer for children attending Chagford Primary. Any children attending the school and their immediate family members (siblings, parents and guardians) -- can all get a reduced price ticket for only £12.00 (normal price (£17.95 each).
Christmas Hampers As an extra activity for the Christmas period our friends at Chagford Eco Pantry are preparing hampers full of good things to distribute. Do you know someone who you think might welcome a Hamper - maybe a neighbour, an elderly person in the area or a family who haven't got a huge amount to spare at the moment. It's fine to nominate yourself if you could do with a bit of extra help. There are hampers waiting at the Eco Pantry at St Michael's and you can just come along and help yourself or, if it is easier for you, or if you have any special dietary requirements, you can call Lucy Tufton on 01647-432314 and she will be happy to make up a special hamper and have it delivered to your home. Don't worry about the cost of this - the church has received a very generous donation to fund the project so you will be helping the church and the community to fulfil their mission if you do nominate someone to receive a hamper. This will be a lovely way to spread random acts of kindness - do get involved. If the stock of hampers runs out, it will be replenished - so if you go into the church and there are none there please don't lose heart. Check again in a day or two or just give Lucy a call. Thank you to everyone for organising this and to Lucy for heading it up - 01647-432314 . Dates for Your Diary PTFA Christmas Fayre - Saturday 10th December 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Nativity Play - Wednesday 14th December 2:30 p.m. Carol Concert - Thursday 15th December 5:00 p.m. End of Term - Friday 16th December First day of Spring Term - Wednesday 4th January Attendance This week attendance has fallen back to 93.4%. This is a percentage point back from last week and below national levels. There has been an absolutely horrible cold going around which has impacted many of us, myself included so there's no blame. Sympathies to everyone who has had it or who has been looking after poorly little ones. A point that I've been asked a couple of times in the last few weeks is "If my child is poorly in the morning but perks up in hte day, should I bring them to school?" The answer is an absolute 'yes'. If your child is well enough to come into school - even just for the afternoon session - they should be at school. We will be ahppy to see them, they will be off the sof and off your hands and they will stand a good chance of learning something interesting or doing something useful. In purely administrative terms, we mark each morning and afternoon as separate sessions. A child who comes to school every day for a week attends ten sessions. If they miss a morning but come in for the afternoon that's nine sessions and 90% for the week. We are happy to welcome the children at any time so if they perk up soon after school would have started then why not bring them in for ten forty-five. They'lll get to have break time with their friends and won't miss the lessons between break and lunch. Woodland School
We'll be having another Woodland School session this coming Friday 9th December. Children will need wellies, coats, hats and gloves most likely. Thanks to the PTFA for funding this. Woodland School Our pupils had another great session with Kael today thanks to the generosity of the PTFA. Children explored the site, made maps from found natural materials and investigated the skin of a fox. Once again, some children astonished us with their knowledge of the natural world while others showed how much they enjoyed this way of learning by drinking in all the new knowledge. Huge thank yous go to Kael for facilitating the sessions, Chloe for being his hard working assistant right through the day, the PTFA for funding this experience for the children and everyone who has ever bought a cake or a raffle ticket or come along to a mini monster bash or a coffee morning - every penny the PTFA makes goes towards enriching the children's experience at school. Chagford Eco Pantry A reminder that the Pantry in our reception area is there for everyone to use. You don't need to be signposted from any authority or to be in receipt of benefits. If you're short of a tin of beans or fancy a biscuit with your tea just pop into the reception area and have a look at what is available this week. A lot of this is overstock from local cafes and businesses, and is food which would end up going to landfill if you don't divert it. I would like to see the whole range of the community dipping into the pantry to reduce waste and to share in the bounty. Do me a favour and take something next time you're passing so that everyone in the community knows that they can. Here's a picture of our good friend, Lennie, helping herself to a tin of beans. Be more Lennie. By the way, that amazing-looking Christmas Pudding is still there - someone come and pop it in their cupboard for the big day. Three Hares LSB The final member of our current LSB to introduce is Reverend David Spence, who recently moved to North Tawton with his wife, Ellie, and their four children, two of whom attend North Tawton Primary School. David moved here from Witney, near Oxford and is looking forward to doing more work to link the school and the community, through his role in the church and as a governor. David’s specific role is a Foundation Governor and he will work alongside Mel (the other Foundation Governor) to cultivate respect for the spiritual and moral beliefs of the Christian traditions, and champion & monitor the integration of Christian values across all aspects of school life. Whilst Chagford is the only Church of England school, the Three Hares principals are all keen to welcome David into their schools, where he will also bring a fresh pair of eyes to the overall ethos and vision of the schools. This week, James Warner, our Safeguarding Lead, has undertaken safeguarding visits to all three schools. Each visit took about two hours, and included a meeting with the Designated Safeguarding Lead (who is the principal in each of our schools), a sample check of the Single Central Record to ensure its compliance (the SCR is a statutory requirement for all schools, and stores records & details of all staff, volunteers etc, to ensure all appropriate vetting checks have been carried out, and all details are current); a walk around the school to observe safeguarding issues; a chat with some staff to check their understanding of safeguarding; and a talk to a panel of pupils to assess their perspective on safeguarding. James will report back to the LSB at our next meeting in January, although if any urgent issues had arisen, these would be highlighted and dealt with immediately. We would like to thank the principals for inviting us to their various school festive events. A number of us are able to attend different occasions, and are really looking forward to seeing the children and staff getting into the Christmas spirit! Do please say “Hi” to us, if you see us – we are always keen to meet you and it really helps us in our overall objective of gathering stakeholder voice! Mel & Liz mholyoak@dmatschools.org.uk edavidson@dmatschools.org.uk Thank You Mrs Lloyd - Welcome Back Mrs Robertson We are very sad today to be saying goodbye to Mrs Lloyd who has been teaching Year Two since the start of the school year in September. She has become a much-loved part of the school community and she will be missed as much by the staff as by her Year Two Pupils. It's lovely, however, to welcome back Mrs Robertson after her maternity leave. She'll be teaching the Year Twos now and I know she is ready to give them engaged and enriched learning. I can't wait to see what they get up to. COATS We are deep into November now - it's December next week - and some children are still coming to school without coats. I know that Dartmoor children are a hardy bunch but I'm seeing a lot of damp, chilly children after play times. I know that a lot of them are probably saying, "Oh, we don't need coats", but, using the power invested in me as principal, I'm saying "Yes you do". Feel free to take my name in vain and if your child is refusing to wear their coat to school tell them, "I'm sorry but Mr Finch says you must!" UPCOMING EVENTS Parents' Evening - Thursday 1st December School Photos - Thursday 1st December PTFA Christmas Fayre - Saturday 10th December 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Nativity Play - Wednesday 14th December 2:30 p.m. Carol Concert - Thursday 15th December 5:00 p.m. End of Term - Friday 16th December First day of Spring Term - Wednesday 4th January Attendance
Our attendance today was 94.9%. Thanks to every child and every family who are coming to school on time every single day. We would love to see an uptick and for us to be regularly getting back into the upper reaches of the 96 percents or even, I dream of it, the 97s. Of course, if your child is poorly and needs to be off school then that is your call but don't forget that walking inbto school generally has an extraordibnarily healing effect on poorly children. Also, remember that if they are feeling a bit rubbish in the morning but perk up a bit by elevenses, it's fine to bring them into school for the rest of the day. Please remember that I cannot 'allow' term time holidays. Those will always go down as an unauthorised absence. We are always grateful to be informed so that we aren't worrying where your child is or if they are safe but we cannot and do not authorise absence for reasons like visiting realtives or taking postponed holidays. Please remember that we teach in sequences. A day's absence may seem neither here nor there but to the child it can be more than that. If we've been planning how to build our own catapults to explore forces and your child misses the day we actually build them then that's a big thing for them. If your child misses the nday we plan out our story and is then in school on the day we write them up but without a plan then that's a big thing too. We know that the vast majority of parents and carers are doing their utmost to get their child to school each day. Thank you for that - we know it's makikng a difference. Theatre Alibi - the Parcel Huge thanks to the PTFA who funded and organised our visit from Theatre Alibi today. The children came into the ahll to see a huge package addressed to 'Chagford Primary School' and over the next hour were astonished to see what was in the parcel and what came out of it. This is what the blurb said... "A giant mysterious parcel has just arrived and, as if that isn’t exciting enough, it soon becomes clear that two people live inside it! They travel around the world, deciding where to go by placing their finger on a map and posting themselves there. They have breathtaking stories to share of magnificent travels, friendships made and the many marvels of the postal service. But how did they come to live in this parcel? Why have they posted themselves here? And where are they off to next? Come along and meet this intriguing pair, they’ll even show you around their astonishing little home. From the outside it may look like a regular package, but once opened it transforms into something quite wondrous, and full of surprises…" Children were invited to write to the two characters who live in that mysterious box - I'm told that each and every letter gets a response. So, if your child would like to take up this opportunaity, please address letters to; Kit and Tobin c/o Mrs Edgell Emmanuel Hall Emmanuel Road Exeter EX4 1EJ Children laughed and laughed and also thought a bit. What a wonderful opportunity to experience something right out of the ordinary. We are so grateful that the PTFA help us to offer our pupils such a range of rich experiences. UPCOMING EVENTS Parents' Evening - Wednesday 23rd November and Thursday 1st December School Photos - Thursday 1st December PTFA Coffee Morning - Saturday 19th November 10:00 - 12:00 a.m. PTFA Christmas Fayre - Saturday 10th December 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Nativity Play - Wednesday 14th December 2:30 p.m. Carol Concert - Thursday 15th December 5:00 p.m. End of Term - Friday 16th December Helpful Holidays Calendar Competition The children have been absolutely agog to hear the winners of the Helpful Holidays Calendar COmpettition. This was going to be announced in assembly this afternoon but I'm rather glad we didn't - the children would probably have popped with excitement. Anyway - the waiting is over - here are the winners... January – Satori Diffey, age 7, Chagford Church of England Primary School February – Lottie Broughton, age 6, Chagford Church of England Primary School March – Leo Davis, age 6, Chagford Church of England Primary School April – Tabitha Stevens, age 7, Chagford Church of England Primary School May – Evangeline Warner de Paula, age 7, Chagford Church of England Primary School June – Sam Chambers, Chagford Church of England Primary School July – Matilda Rowe, age 8, Chagford Church of England Primary School August – Louis Lawrence, age 7, Chagford Church of England Primary School September – Frida Lawrence, age 9, Chagford Church of England Primary School October – Faye Thomas, age 9, Chagford Church of England Primary School November – Charlie Goudge, age 10, Chagford Church of England Primary School December – Benjamin Chambers, Chagford Church of England Primary School Worms There has been an outbreak of worms in Key Stage One. This is an irritating but entirely treatable condition. We encourage children to wash and sanitise their hands throughout the day but we would advise every parent to be vigilant. This information comes from the NHS website. ThreadwormsThreadworms (pinworms) are tiny worms in your poo. They're common in children and spread easily. You can treat them without seeing a GP. Check if it's threadwormsYou can spot worms in your poo. They look like pieces of white thread. You might also see them around your child's bottom. The worms usually come out at night while your child is sleeping Other symptoms can include:
Treat everyone in your household, even if they do not have symptoms. Tell the pharmacist if you need to treat a child under 2, or if you're pregnant or breastfeeding. Treatment might not be suitable and you may need to speak to a GP. Attendance Attendance is creeping back up again after quite a dip in the last few weeks. Today we had 96.4% attendacne which I regard as being 'not quite good enough'. As I've shared before, I would expect attendance in a primary school to be at or above 97% in the absence of serious factors. There have been some bugs going around making children poorly and, of course, if a child is ill, especially if there has been dihorrea or vomiting involved, we really don't want them to be at school to pass it on to others. As parents, you are the ones who need to make the call and we respect your choices. I would just encourage you to help children come to school if you think the case is 'borderline', so often we see children perk up soon after they arrive at school and it has to be better for them to be at school learning with friends than frowsting on the sofa feeling sorry for themselves. And, of course, if they do take a turn ofr the worse and really do need to be at home, we can always call you. Another factor that has been knocking attendance in the last few weeks has been unauthorised absence. As a head teacher there is no statutory way that I can authorise termtime holidays or visits. This is not about the school, the trist or the county - it is law. We are grateful that you inform us about holidays that you choose to take in term time because that means that we know where your child is, and we do not have immediate safeguarding concerns, but it will still be marked down as an unauthorised absence and may add towards trigger points where it raises concerns. When you are at your child's parents evening, do ask for your child's current attendacne percentage - you may be surprised how much a day here and a day there might add up to a significant amount of absence. Children with higher attendance do better at school. REAL PE
We were privileged to have a day this week with the fantastic trainers from REAL PE. REAL PE is a scheme that takes a really fresh look at physical education - focussing less on traditional sports and more on creativity, social and personal aspects, health and fitness and applying physical learning. It's a really great addition to our teaching which seems to really work for a lot of children, especially some who have been feeling left out or turned off by a focus on football, netball, rugby and other games. On Thursday we hosted a trainer from the organisation who gavce every class a model lesson so that teachers could observe and adapt their teaching. Each class had a ball, learning new games, new activities and new ways to learn in PE. Thanks to Mr Frewin for organising this. Woodland School Every pupil in Years one to six enjoyed a session in our woodland area with a brilliant outdoor activity facilitator on Friday. They learned how he makes fire with a bow drill, got to handle a tanned badger skin and think all about the wildlife we share our landscape with. They explored the area and made little shelters - which were tested with a watering can! HUGE HUGE thanks to the PTFA for making this possible and to Anna Goudge and Chloe Brooks-Warner without whom it would not have happened. Thanks to Kael who ran the sessions - they really were very much appreciated by the children and we'd love to do more of this going forward. Do enjoy this gallery of gorgeous photographs from the day - we are really blessed. Thanks As most of you will know, we have been struggling with staffing at Chagford Primary this week. Lots of people have been poorly and we have been working very hard to keep the school fully staffed and safe for all the children. Sadly, as a result, we had to cancel our attendance at the Castle Drogo Cross Country Competition. We just didn't have enough staff available to make sure it could happen safely. At the end of the day, the children's safety is our very top concern and if we can't be really sure we've done everything we can to mitigate risk we have to cancel. I'd like to say a big thank-you to everyone who helped to keep us going this week: the volunteers who came to help us cover lunch break; the supply teachers who did such a professional job; the colleagues who supported them; and, by no means least, the children who dealt with new adults in their classrooms with grace and flexibility - you made us proud. Three Hares LSB It was great to introduce two new governors to our Local Stakeholder Board at our half-termly meeting held yesterday. These meetings follow a set agenda prescribed by the Trust which help keep us focused and ensure we don’t get side-tracked by discussions that may make the meeting overrun… Last night, our meeting lasted about 1½ hours, and we often find that we are joined briefly by children or pets that require our attention, and usually earn a little “aaaah” from the rest of the group! Leonie McGowan was formally appointed on Wednesday this week, which was perfect timing for her first meeting. Lennie is our new SEND Lead Governor, replacing Dr Ben Morris who recently stood down. Lennie has particular expertise in this area, as she has a child with autism, and therefore brings a wealth of knowledge and real-life experience with her. We are very lucky to have her join us. The SEND Lead Governor role takes the lead on monitoring SEND provision (although the LSB retains collective responsibility) and: • is the link between the LSB and the schools (Principals and/or Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo), reporting to the LSB on steps being taken to ensure compliance; • ensures appropriate challenge to leaders so that SEND remains high on the schools’ agendas and that the schools have high aspirations for SEND pupils; • understands how the schools identify who is a SEND pupil, including at points of transition; • familiar with the individual school’s SEND policy; • understands how specific money (e.g. Pupil Premium) is allocated; • discusses with the Principals / SENCo the outcomes of the schools’ monitoring and evaluation of the provision and effectiveness made for pupils with SEND; • understands how the schools approach teaching to SEND pupils and makes reasonable adjustments to ensure SEND pupils access a broad and balanced curriculum; • knows what additional support is available to SEND learners. We agreed as a Board that we will commence our school visits again this half term, and hope to meet some of you at the school gates, or at one of the upcoming events, be that the Remembrance Day Services or Christmas festivals – or anything in between! Mel & Liz mholyoak@dmatschools.org.uk edavidson@dmatschools.org.uk Remembrance Day
At school, we marked Remembrance Day three times this week. On Wednesday in our Collective Worship, the Vicar, Reverend Paul, spoke about what we choose to remember and how we choose to remember it. Mrs Armstrong took a Collective Worship and focused more on understanding the specifics of Remembrance Day- what it marks and what we need to remember. On Friday morning at 11:00, all the children from Years One to Six stood in perfect rank on the playground and observed the two minute silence. We heard the bells from St Michael the Archangel and then the sounding of The Last Post. Children's behaviour was perfectly respectful and they had interesting thoughts to share. Pupils and families are very warmly welcomed to join the service of Remembrance at the church on Sunday morning. People will gather from 10:30 before the service which will take place outside at the War Memorial. The service is intended to be fully inclusive for children and to those of many faiths and none. There will be readings and a few words. It will be all over by 11:30 at the latest. Please do go along if you are able to. It has been a strange week weatherwise with torrential rain which made driving in the lanes really quite scary at times and then, on other days, glorious autumn sunshine. Similarly, for us at school, it has been a week with joys and challenges. We have had a number of staff off sick throughout the week. One colleague caught Covid while away on half term and has been at home isolating since so as to be sure not to pass it onto us. Other staff have had various coughs and colds. I expect the same has been true for parents and carers, so please accept our warmest sympathies - I hope you are able to keep the house warm and to take the rest you need to get better. The joys of the week have been considerable however. Joining in with the 'Celebrating the Earth' event at the church on Tuesday was very special, and lots of children have been involved in sporting fixtures including tag rugby and netball. The school has been calm, kind and purposeful. Huge well done and thanks to our Year Ones, Twos and Threes who have been very flexible and accommodating around staff absence. Year Two in particular have shown the best of themselves as they have split up to join Year One and Year Three for their learning. Here's hoping that next year everyone is back in school to teach and that we can get back to normal. Chagford Eco Pantry The Chagford Eco Pantry is up and running and ready for business in the recpetion area at the front of our school. It is stocked with a mix of fresh, dry and canned foods and other useful things like cleaning products, nappies and sanitary products. There's some treats in there too. Do come along and have a look. This project is entirely dependent on two sets of people. Those who donate and those who take the donations - we need both! You do not need to be signposted to the eco-pantry - it's there for everyone. You do not need to be in need or receiving benefits - it's for everyone. If you see something you fancy in the pantry, it's yours to take. If you have been too busy to grab something for tea please take what you can use. If you like fresh veg and know that the produce in Lidl doesn't last so long, feel free to check out what is in the pantry. Times are hard for many of us and they are going to get harder through the winter - the eco-pantry can help ease the pressure for every family - come along and help yourself! Similarly, if you have surplus, do please share! The logo for the eco-pantry was designed by our pupil Max Horncastle. We were very pleased to see this story celebrated in the Parish Magazine! Town Twinning Project Friends in Moretonhampstead have been in touch to let me know about their twinning project and to invite us all to get involved. Moretonhampstead has been twinned with Betton in Brittany for over forty years and has an active link. They are really keen to invite younger people and families to get involved in the Twinning Adventure. Twinning, they say, offers a unique cultural, affordable and educational experience. They write; "We had a very successful visit from our Betton Twinners in August, including a visit to Chagford Show. It was particularly heartwarming to notice how many young people joined in with the activities we provided and mixed well with the young people from Betton. On Friday 11th November 2022 we are hosting a Bring and Share Supper, combined with a small AGM, which will be held in the Moretonhampstead Community Centre at 7p.m. We will be providing information and encouraging new participants to join us in our planned 2023 visit to Betton." Families from the Chagford Primary Community are very warmly welcomed to this event. Local Stakeholder Board Update
This week, we would like to introduce Mike Davies. He is a solicitor and has been living in Okehampton for 18 months with his wife and two children, who both attend South Tawton Primary School. Mike has recently joined the Three Hares LSB, and will take on a Lead Role in Resources, which includes interrogating how pupil premium and sports premium money is spent, and its impact on the children. As a new governor, there is plenty of mandatory training to be undertaken first and actually, all governors annually revisit their training needs to identify any gaps that could be filled. For example, we have all recently ensured our Safeguarding Young People, The Prevent Duty, and Data Protection training is up to date, so we are fully able to engage safely and appropriately with the pupils and staff at all three schools in the Three Hares. Away from our desks, Liz and I have recently enjoyed attending harvest festivals at Chagford and North Tawton. It’s been an absolute joy to see the churches full of youthful energy blasting out Cauliflowers Fluffy, alongside more traditional Harvest hymns. We have also attended a few meetings led by the Trust, most notably the Chairs Forum, which is a useful opportunity for us to speak with the other LSB Chairs within the Trust, and find out what everyone else is up to, to identify any risks or challenges we are facing, and to raise anything we feel needs to be brought to the Trust’s attention. As always, if you would like to contact us, please email: mholyoak@dmatschools.org.uk or edavidson@dmatschools.org.uk Mel Holyoak & Liz Davidson |
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