Newsletter 6th January 2023

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. 
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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. 

1. Advanced Child Development (Neuroscience in children) Level Two Qualification [25 Questions] completed online over 4-6 weeks.

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 [email protected]


Please Note: This must be applied for before the end of January (to ensure we do not surpass funding capacity)

1. Functional Skills in English or Maths Level 2

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:

• This is very much tailored to the individual. The online tutor will work with learners on an individual basis, so there are no set "taught" sessions for the learners to attend.
• All work is supplied on the learning platform and learners can have calls and teams' meetings with their tutor to support with progress.
• Completion time is 12-20 weeks dependent on learner ability (this is accessible 24/7 online) 
• learners WILL have a virtual exam at the end to complete their qualification and will be allowed one free resit per qualification
• For any subsequent resits, the learner will be charged the examination administration fee plus the Examination Board fee (handled by Eastleigh College)

 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 [email protected]

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. ​