Newsletter 12th July

STOP PRESS!!
I was ust about to press 'go' on this newsletter when I received the published report from our Ofsted inspection last month. I am very pelased to share that we recieved 'Good' in all areas. I will share the report with all of you later today. 

Rainbow Day
What a wonderful sight it was when all the children poured into the playgorund on Friday wearing their bright and beautoiful Rainbow colours. I saw children happily wearing favourite colours, children in facncy dress, children with face paint, children with head dresses and falgs - all to celebrate the wodnerful diversity of our worl and the people in it. Different faiths and cultures, different passions and abilities, different family structures, different ways of thinking. All special, all unique, all welcome.
Classes took part in activities loking at celebrating diversity thoughout the day and came together to share their results in assemb ly at the end of the day. It was just wonderful to welcome more than thirty parents and carers into that assembly. We haven't been able to do that for so long now and it felt very special to be able to do so now. We will be invoting parents and carers into Friday assemblies very much more frequently next year and I do hope you will be able to join us some time.
The assembly finished with a poem from poet Henry Normal - I thought I would share it here as it's very apposite indeed.

'This is not a House of War' by Henry Normal

This is not a house of war
Everything I want for my children
I want for your children
Everything I wish for me
I wish for you

This is not a house of fear
This is a house of life
How can I not see myself in you?
If you look, how can you not see yourself in me?
You are respected as much as I am
You are of worth in equal measure
You are family
You are us

This is not a house of intolerance
This is a house of acceptance
We are the house – you and I
This is where you belong
This is where we belong
This is your home
This is our home

Summer Fayre
Huge thanks to the whole team whjo made our SUmmer Fayre such a lovely event on Friday. It was organised and run by the whole PTFA and thanks go to every one of them but special thanks for a massive effort go to Sue Bifani, Lucy Clements and Chloe Brooks-Warner who made a Herculea\n effort to pull it toether then managed to look so serence on the dayt that no one would have guessed how hard they had worked.
I don't yet have a ball park figure for the fundraising - Sue will tell me when everything has been counted up and the floats have been taken out. There is still time to buy more raffle tickets - we will pull the winners on Friday.
There was so much to do - windmill making with Anna and Ed, the card game, tombola, welly wanging, rowing machine challenge, penalty shoot out, raffle, amazing face painting, swat the rat and much more. The samba band played, people enjoyed drinks in the shade - it was the very picture of a perfect Summer Fayre. Thank you to every single person who helped to make it happen, who came along and spent some money or got together with frineds anbd creAthat lovely, inclusive, friendly feeling. 
Well done to all the children who made their own games and activities for others to play - Charlie's sock pairing game was a real hit.

Work Party/Ground Force Team
There's a few jobs around the school that I would love to get taken care of before we all head off for our summer holidays. I am going to come in to school on Saturday 16th July at 9:30 a.m. and I would love to see any parents, carers and community members who are free and willing to come and give a hand. I expect to work until 12:30.
If you can help out with any of these jobs do come along and give me a hand and bring any tools that might be useful.

• Remove foam matting from the area under the trees and remove the posts that supported the adventurous play equipment that was removed when we moved into the new school building.
• Paint the EYFS fence.
• Use existing heaps of aggregate to level path to amphitheatre.

We will want wheelbarrows, shovels, rakes, spades, heavy hammers, paint cans, wide brushes. If anyone has a clue how we can get the stumps of posts out without having to comletely dig them out I will be especially grateful! Tea, coffee and biscuits will be on offer.

Sports Day
Sports Day is happening this Friday with an event for key Stage One in the morning and an event for key Stage Two in the afternoon and with a finale for everyone in the afternoon. Look out for comms from Mr Frewin, our sports lead, with greater detail and finalised timings. You are welcome to attend the morning, the afternoon or both - it should be a lot of fun. The finale will include the famous Chagford Primary Year Six Sepctacular which parents of our leaving children will not want to miss.
With the weatehr forecast to be hot you will want to make sure that children are suncreamed up, are wearing tops that cover shoulders and upper arms and have a hat. If it really is much too hot we may opt to gaive the children a break or shorten the event. We would be very grateful indeed for the load of gazebos and event shelters to protect children when they are not competing - do let us know if you can help out with this.

Leaver's Service
​Our service at the church for our leaving Year Sixes is in the morning of the last day of term, 22nd July at 10:30 a.m. All parents, carers and extended family of the children who are moving on to new things are very warmly welcomed to attend. 

Summer Holidays
The school will break up at the nmormal time on Friday 22nd July.
CHildren return to school on Wednesday 7th September.

Punctuality and Absence
We have noticed some 'drift' in the last couple of weeks and it does feel like some families are getting children to school a little later than they have been. This impacts on the effectiveness of the start of the day. Can I please encourage everyone to make sure children are on the playground ready to line up before the bell rrings at ten to nine. Of course we all get delayed sometimes but I think it would show respect to the school, to the other pupils and to the teachers if we could make puntuality a real habit across the school. Let's not let this slip in the last fortnight.
A lot of families are requesting days of absence at the moment. As principal it is not in my gift to grant days off for holidays or visits to relatives. There is simply no protocol under which I am permitted to do this. Of course we understand that following the panemic the opportnities to see relatives that we have not seen for years are very important and we sympathise entirely.
I do ask families to fill out an absence request, that way we know where you are and do not become concerned for the safeguarding of the children, however absence for these reasons is registeredas 'unauthorised' pon our system. When pupils have more than ten sessions of unauthorised absnce I am required to contact families to let them know that attendance has fallen below the required level. When necessary I may request the involvement of an education welfare officer to support improved attendance.

Family Friendly Event at Exeter Library - Saturday 27th August

Messages from OCRA
OCRA is holding its annual sports week from Sunday 17th to Sunday 24th of July this year, we’d love for you and your family to be part of it.
There are 3 simple ways to get involved:

1. Create a team and take part in one of the competitions OCRA and partners are running: Countdown Cricket tournament* 17/7; Badminton 18/7*; Mixed Rounders’* 21/7; Mixed Hockey* 24/7; Family Sports Day 24/7. (*small charge payable)
2. Your child to take part in the OCRA 13 mile challenge https://ocrasport.org.uk/product/ocra-13-primary-school-challenge-2022/
3. Attend on the day with your family and friends to take part in all the activities and hopefully have a great day with us. So far we have cricket, badminton, archery, fencing, gymnastics, virtual reality gaming, Zumba, football, tennis and much more!

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