Newsletter 6th June

Flourishing
Rehearsals for Fantastic Mr Fox are hotting up and several of the songs are now becoming even firmer ear worms than last year's 'This Is The Chagford Show'. It's going to be terrific. Tickets on sale very soon. I believe that Lydia has already been in touch regarding workshop days for costume and scene prep. If anyone has a good strimmer and/or hedge trimmer they will be especially welcome - the amphitheatre is badly in need of its annual haircut.
Year Three were away at Meeth Quarry today enjoying their watersports day. I hear that it was just glorious. Both Mr Newland and Mrs Armstrong were absolutely beaming when I spoke to them after school - the children had had an immense time and were an enormous credit to themselves, to their families and to the school. I expect they'll be exhausted this evening but it will have been be worth it. Photos as soon as I have them I promise.

Chagford Pantry
☕️ ☕️ 🍰 🍰 A message and update from us all at the Pantry.
As from the 5th June we shall be having a once a week session in church, every Monday from 10 til 12 with the FULL PANTRY.
Please know, you will be VERY welcome. There’ll be coffee and cake too if you fancy a cuppa.
Please let us know if this is a difficult pick up time for you and we could make alternative arrangements…
The school pantry will continue still,in the term times. ☕️ ☕️ 🍰 🍰

Rainbow Day -  Friday 23rd June
Friday 23rd June is our Trust Rainbow Day. We are encouraging our children to wear their favourite colours to celebrate. This is an opportunity for us to reflect upon our similarities and differences so that all of our children learn to understand that there are people in the community and wider world with characteristics similar and different to their own. It is a day celebrating respect and inclusion.
 
We call it Rainbow Day as the rainbow is a Christian symbol of God’s love for us all.  The rainbow flag is steeped in history from a symbol of maritime peace, the cooperative movement, LGBT equality and more recently, support for the NHS.  The colours of the rainbow are different but come together to make something beautiful. This year will be especially important to many of us as we remember our colleague, Suzie Stevens, headteacher at St James Primary School in Okehampton who started the Rainbow Day tradition at that school and who we lost earlier this year.
 
We will be asking children to think about equality and when people may be treated unfavourably. We anticipate they will think about people with different physical abilities, cultures, religions and families. We are careful to talk in an age appropriate way and give children space to explore questions and develop their own thinking.

We will start the day with an assembly led by Year Three, after that classes will take a day off maths, phonics and other 'normal' curriculum areas to work together looking at brillaint books that promote inclusion and respect. In the afternoon we will parade to the Jubilee Park where we we have a beautiful, colourful picnic. Children will be given a tasty snack and a drink and there will be some fun and games as well as a moment of reflection. Families are very welcome to join us from 2:00 p.m. to enjoy this with us. Zoe Francis is, I believe, looking for volunteers who will help to make this possible - do give her a shout if this would be something that would speak to you.

Photo Day 16th June
Please note that next Friday, 16th June, will be our Class Photographs Day. The etam of professionals will be in to try and capture your child and their class at their very best so if we can have the cleanest t-shirts and jumpers ever and the smartest of haircuts ready to roll we'll give you a lovely photo to treasure forever!

Summer Weather
Typing this will probably curse it, but here goes. It has very warm and sunny this week and maybe that will continue. We strongly advise you to slip, slap, slop. Slip on a light longer sleeved t-shirt or dress that really covers shoulder and uper arms, slap on a hat of some sort (named inside as those do go a'wandering), and slop on plenty of suncream. School staff cannot apply sunscreen but we are very happy to encourage children to do it themselves if you want to supply them with their own spray bottle.

Sports Day
​Sports Day this year will be on Wednesday 19th July. The children will particpate in a carousel of activities culminating in some races. As always, the empahsis is on fun and participation but, nonetheless, the house cup will be hotly contested. Parents and carers will be welcome to join us for the afternoon session to watch the culmination of the events and any of them who feels up to it will be more than welcome to join in the relevant mums and dads (male carers and female carers) races. Year SIx parents won't want to miss the legendary Year Six Spectacular. Mrs Armstrong will be putting out a call for supersoakers for that special event before long I suspect.

Chagford Show
We had a special assembly on Wednesday from some of the Horticultural Society Comittee Members who organise the children's section at the Show. They hoped to encourage as many young people as possible to take part in the competitions. There are lots and lots of classes for children and young people in the show and it's all about inclusion. There's everything from arrnaging flowers in a decorated welly boot to making a model animal out of vegetables. Your child should have brought a letter with all the classes on it home on wednesday. If they did not, just let us know and we will sort out a spare.