Newsletter 30th September

The Strolling Mummers

We were very happy to host a visit from The Strolling Mummers this morning - they performed last night at the church as part of the Celebrating The Earth programme of events and came into school to entertain the children.
The Strolling Mummers are walking a long route through Devon and Cornwall performing each day in a different village or town and accepting the hospitality of local people to be fed, watered and given space to put their tents up. Our Chagford based friend Howard is part of the group so it was especially right to welcome them to the school. They explained that doing this project puts them in touch with the kindness and generosity of the people we live amongst and that this feels heartening and healing in these difficult times.
Mumming is an old English tradition.  Amateur actors play rambunctious versions of folk stories with lots of physical humour, silly jokes and songs. Mummers often tour around pubs and bigger houses at Christmas time. It was lovely to see this version of the old tradition.
The story that our Mummers told was the old tale of St George, the dragon, Saladin and, of course, the Doctor of Physik. The show was enjoyed very much by the children, about half of whom ended up on stage as horses to help pull St George's tooth out. We sang to the Mummers at the end of the show to say 'thank you' to them. Two children got so carried away that they decided to join The Strolling Mummers and go off on their travels with them. I hope we see them again...
What a happy day.

Kyan String Quartet
Year Three and Four had a visit from the Kyan String Quartet today, a group of young musicians from the Royal Academy of Music who are involved with a project at the Okehampton Music Centre. The quartet introduced the children to their various instruments and to the music of various composers such as Haydn and Benjamin Britten.
The Quartet had a lot of fun with the children.  They invited birthday girl, Ellie, to come to the front and conduct them as they played 'Happy Birthday to You'. They also played a fascinating game where they played the melody of popular theme tunes all on one note so that we had the rhythm without the melody - the children found this really hard but lots of them recognised the theme tune from 'Wallace and Gromit'!

Huge thanks to the Two Moors Festival for organising this and to Devon and Torbay Music Centre for funding it.

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The Railway Children Return at the Jubillee Hall tomorrow - Saturday at 10:30. A really enjoyable film for all the family. Note: this is the recently released film set long after the story of the original film. Jenny Agutter reprises her role but with a new cast of children and a new adventure set in the Second World War.
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Halloween Disco - the PTFA will be inviting us all to a spooky themed early evening disco on 4th November. Look out for more details soon.

Reading Open Morning - join us next Thursday 6th October for a reading open morning. Join Mr Finch in the hall for a quick welcome then make your way to your child's class to join in a fun reading lesson. See what the classrooms are like and see how things have changed - and haven't - since you were a child! You might even get an idea for how to talk about reading with your child.

Parent Carer Forum
Join us at 6:00 p.m. 13th October to have your say on the school and your child's experience. We will be looking at the school's values and how we live them out for the children and the community. Challenge us to set our sights higher and support us to deliver for every child.

Brass Lessons at Chagford Primary
On Thursday we had a fun demonstration from our new brass teacher Harry Napier. Harry offers lessons on Trumpet, tenor horn and - if pushed - trombone. Harry is also a cellist and double bassist and he showed off his range palying lots of interesting and varied pieces of music. Mr Finch was moved to hear Bach's Cello Suite No 1 in G minor played so beautifully in the hall as the children processed out of assembly. Thank you Harry.
t was great to welcome to Harry to the school. If any children are interested in learning a brass instrument have a word with Elaine in reception and she can put you in touch with Harry to make arrangements.

WORMS!
Always a depressing one this. A couple of parents have let me know that their children have had worms. Typical ways of spotting this are that the child has a very itchy bottom - especially at night - or has what looks like pices of white thread in their poo. Worms can pass from child to child if the children aren't being very thorough in their handwashing. We do our best to remind them of this but it won't hurt for you to back the message up at home.
Worms are easily and effectively treatable so there's no need to worry - just get it sorted as it's uncomfortable and embarrassing for the child while it lasts. Have a word with a pharmacist and they will help out.
There's more information about worms from the NHS website here.

OCRA Half Term Activities
No sooner back to school and we're out for Half Term Holidays! Our activity programme is online and booking now. Sport & Art returns Tuesday and Thursday. Don't forget Breakfast Club, Afternoon Club and All Day tickets.

With only three days of Activity Camps, be sure to book early for your favourites.

We start with Athletics and Mini Athletics,on Monday 28th with a Halllowe'en twist to Create & Craft in the afternoon.

Wednesday 28th sees the return of Fencing with metal an archery with sharps.

Cyclo-cross runs (pedals!) alongside an extended Football Camp following Mini Football on Friday 28th. and Mini Dance, and the return of Archery with sharps.

Check out the full listing at ocrasport.org.uk/holidays and book now to avoid disappointment for the rest of the programme.
Book online now

If you have any queries, please contact holidays@ocrasport.org.uk.

*For GDPR reasons, we're again asking parents to complete a paper registration form on the day of each activity.

Mini Athletics Camp (3-5yrs)
Mon 24 Oct 2022
10.00-11.30pm
£5.00
Develop your track and field skills and take part in races!
Bring waterproof clothing and a drink.
Meet at and pick up from the Pavilion in the Park.
BOOK NOW:
Mini Athletics Camp (3-5yrs) Mon 24 Oct 2022, 10.00-11.30pm

Cyclo-cross (8+yrs)
Fri 28 Oct 2022
10.00am-12.00pm
£6
Cyclo-cross for confident cyclists with their own bikes ready for the trail; tight turns, rough ground and gradients.
After an initial bike safety check and rider’s hazard awareness test, get those wheels turning…
Riders must have a roadworthy bike, safety helmet and hi-vis vest.
Meet at and pick up from the Pavilion in the Park.
BOOK NOW:
Cyclo-cross (8+yrs) Fri 28 Oct 2022, 10.00am-12.00pm

Create & Craft Camp (6+ yrs)
Mon 24 Oct 2022
1.00-3.00pm
£6
Create and craft some spooky Halloween treats.
Meet at and pick up from the Pavilion in the Park.
BOOK NOW:
Create and Craft Mon 24 Oct 2022 (6+yrs) 1.00-3.00pm

Afternoon ClubBook now:
Afternoon Club (6-14yrs) Tues 25 Oct 2022, 3-5.30pm
Afternoon Club (6-14yrs) Thurs 27 Oct 2022, 3-5.30pm
3.00-5.30pm
£7
The fun keeps going with games and activities!
Meet at Parklands Leisure Centre sports hall, pick up from the Pavilion.
Don’t forget our all-day tickets for Sport and Art with Breakfast and Afternoon Clubs.

Design a Christmas Card for Mel Stride MP

Dear Mr Finch ,Our MP Mel Stride writes;

I am pleased to announce that I will be holding another of my annual Christmas card competitions this year.

I am asking primary school children in Central Devon to design a festive card inspired by their own interpretation of the Christmas celebration. The winning entry will be sent to well over a thousand constituents and fellow Members of the House of Commons and House of Lords.

This year, I will be sending out an electronic Christmas card. There will be one winner and two runners-up. The winner will have their Christmas design shown as the image upon opening the e-card and will also receive a small prize. The runners-up will also have their designs included in the e-card. All three children will have their name, age, and school displayed under their design.

I very much hope that your school will be able to take part. If time cannot be found to complete this in class, please do encourage children to have a go at home. Entries should be received at mel.stride.mp@parliament.uk, or my Westminster office at the above address, no later than Friday 4th November. Submissions will preferably be in an electronic format (or if a physical card sized at 190mm x 130mm) and be accompanied by the name, age, and school of the artist responsible.

If you have any questions, please do let me know. I look forward to receiving your designs.

With best wishes,
 
Mel