Last week, we got the news we've been hoping to avoid: one of the pupils received a positive result for Covid-19. Since Wednesday, the year 6 class have been 'remote learning' while self-isolating. Four staff members, including myself, are also having to isolate.  Wednesday saw a flurry of emails as we sent individual log in details for google classroom to each of the year 6 pupils and helped them to log onto the platform. Work for the children was published on the year 6 blog for Wednesday, but, since Thursday, Mrs Everett has provided all their lessons on the google classroom platform and the children have been completing their work and 'turning in assignments' for marking and feedback. Tomorrow morning, there will be a 'live lesson' at 9am for all year 6 pupils to attend.

Before the children left school on Tuesday, we explained that they would need to be completing a full day of school remotely and would not be able to treat this time as a holiday. I'm delighted to say that the vast majority of pupils have risen beautifully to this challenge, are completing all work set each day and have handed in some excellent pieces of work. Well done, Year 6. We very much look forward to seeing you back in school on Monday 7th December. Until then, please keep up the good work. As always, if there are any problems with technology or the google classroom platform, please let me (Mrs Marvin) know. If you need support with the work content, please email Mrs Everett.

Key Stage 2 Hot Dinners
Just a reminder that all children will be able to have hot dinners in school from tomorrow. Please book these for the week in advance through your school gateway accounts. Please remember that dinner choices are no longer taken during morning registration, but should be completed by parents in advance. Thank you for your support with this. Please could all parents ensure that they have made a booking on the system, even if it is for a home packed lunch - this helps us to know that everyone's choices are made and to ensure that no lunches are missed. The menu can be found here.

PTA NEWS
We are holding our next PTA meeting via Zoom on Monday 30 November at 8pm. Please email Katie ([email protected]) if you would like to be included in the Zoom invitation. 

WREATH MAKING
A massive thank you to everyone who bought a kit and joined the online Christmas wreath-making class on Friday evening - it was great fun, the kits were amazing (thank you to Hannah and Nan Passmore for the huge amount of work that went in to them) and the results were absolutely beautiful! They raised a fantastic £370 for PTA funds. 

VIRTUAL BALLOON RACE
There is only one more day to buy and design your balloons ahead of the big launch from Harrods on Tuesday 1 December. Only £3 per balloon and national and local prizes to be won! (http://bit.ly/stballoons). 

BAG2SCHOOL
We hope you may have had/will have a chance to sort through your wardrobes for unwanted textiles ahead of the collection on Thursday 3 December. Please bring your items in a bin bag and drop them in the staff car park by 9am on the day (please do not drop off before Thursday as there is nowhere to store them). Collection will be made between 9am and 1pm.

Please spread the word, as anyone in the community can contribute, so do tell friends and family. Just a reminder of what to/not to include: What IS accepted: 
Good quality clothing
Paired shoes
Handbags
Hats
Bags
Scarves and ties
Jewellery
Lingerie
Socks
Belts
Soft toys
Household linen
Household curtains
Household towels
Household bedding. 


What is NOT accepted:  
Duvets and blankets
Pillows and cushions
Carpets, rugs and mats (including bath, shower and toilet mats)
Soiled, painted, ripped or wet clothing
School uniforms with and without logo
Corporate clothing and workwear
Textile off-cuts, yarns or threaded material

PTA 100 Club

This month's winners of the 100 Club were

1st     40     Ruth Murray
2nd    35     Katie Wright
3rd     69     Zena Balson

There is a double draw in December so there will be six winners!  New members of the 100 Club are welcome at any time.  Please email the school office for a sign up form and confirmation of the subscription payable if you would like to join.

Wray Valley Trail
Lookig for something outdoorsy to do at the weekends or in the Christmas holidays? Mrs Bonnett recommends the Wray Valley trail for a lovely bike ride or dog walk.
​https://www.dartmoor.gov.uk/wildlife-and-heritage/dartmoor-story/dartmoor-story-pages/places/wray-valley
​

Sarah Marvin and I were pleased to welcome parents to a virtual meeting on Thursday evening, where we shared our continuing aims for school improvement at South Tawton Primary School. Having already met with parents at Chagford and North Tawton, this was the third of our meetings within the Three Hares. I am delighted that our Chair and Vice Chair of our Three Hares Local Academy Committee (governors) joined us, along with Hazel Fox (DMAT Interim CEO) and our link Trustee, Morgen Witzel all available to take questions. Unfortunately, Dan Morrow the incoming CEO for the DMAT was unfortunately unable to attend at the last minute, due to a situation he needed to attend to in his current trust. However, he is very keen to meet parents and has promised to join us on another occasion soon.
If you would like to view the presentation, please click here.
We are very proud of the excellent reputation that South Tawton has earned and continues to develop. The staff are really committed to school improvement and due to their hard work and professionalism, the children have made a happy and settled return to school since September.

Current School Improvement Focus:
Vision
Over recent weeks, within our Three Hares leaders’ meetings, we have been discussing our Three Hares vision. We are keen to share our thinking with all stakeholders over the coming weeks in order that everyone’s views are reflected. Fundamentally, we aim to craft a statement which describes our goals for every child who makes the journey through one of our schools.


Three Hares Curriculum
Having introduced all of our children to the ‘Three Hares’ theme last academic year, lockdown gave us the opportunity to take a fresh look at our curriculum, together as a Three Hares staff. We have launched into teaching and learning this year, with some new themes which deliver a broad and enriching learning journey, as children make their way through our schools.
Teachers and subject leaders are able to share good practice through our monthly Three Hares staff meetings, where over time, teachers will benefit from systems which will reduce their workload, enabling them to share, modify and develop plans and projects across the schools. We have shared training opportunities for leaders, teachers and support staff, providing not only value for money, but also the benefits of collaboration and shared discussion across a broader context.


Partnerships
South Tawton already enjoys a wonderful relationship with its parents and local community. We hope to continue to build upon this, extending our communications to ensure that we are able to welcome parents from beyond South Zeal and local villages to sustain our current number of pupils which ensures we can keep single-age classes in the future.


Remote Learning
One of our focus areas this term, is to develop our capacity for delivering remote learning. Staff are currently being trained in the use of Google Classroom, which will enable children to login with a Google email address allocated to them, from a device in school or at home. They will be able to access projects set for them and submit their completed work and receive feedback. We are also working on enabling teachers’ face-to-face online contact, should we need to close a bubble or even close the school at any point in the future.


Catch-up
Since our return in September, teachers have been carefully assessing children’s knowledge and understanding of key concepts. We have identified some gaps in spelling, grammar and maths. Our catch-up plan is already being implemented and with the benefit of government funding, we will be able to deliver individual and small group interventions. We have also purchased a variety of resources which will ensure any gaps in learning will be quickly and efficiently filled.




Premises
We are pleased that improvements to the fabric of our old building will be underway soon. Following the replacement of gates and fences over the summer holidays, we will soon see the gradual removal and sympathetic refurbishment of windows and doors, in line with the listed status of the buildings. Refurbishment of the front façade of the YR/Y1 building are also due to take place this year.

Over recent months, with the support of the DMAT, we have undertaken a feasibility study, looking into the possibility of bring our pre-school onto school site. We will keep you posted in the progress of this project.

I am delighted to say, we have been able to appoint a Three Hares Site Officer, Mr Steve Kiff, who will work across our schools to specifically support premises projects, repairs and maintenance.


Three Hares Partnership
In addition to the aforementioned benefits of working as a trio of schools, we continue to plan ahead for the time when we can physically bring our children together. We still aspire to have children working with their peers in other schools, getting to know new friends as they move up through primary school and into secondary education as a larger cohort. Other opportunities could include: joint day visits, residentials, inter-school events, festivals, music, clubs, competitions and matches, both sporting and other themed events.

As our partnerships grow, we are keen to bring our communities closer together. Already, due to this partnership, we have seen children in Chagford and North Tawton benefit from the generosity of two sets of Chagford parents who have sponsored the first of year of a three year subscription to the school library service. This means that all three schools once again enjoy delivery of quality books each half term.

We are currently looking into developing partnerships with schools in contrasting parts of the UK, as well as investigating more far-reaching links with schools in other parts of the world in the future.


Fundraising Strategy
Mel Holyoak, our Vice Chair of Governors has been instrumental in developing a strategy to provide additional financial support for our Three Hares primary schools. We are excited to launch a brand new fundraising initiative, asking for support from parents, carers, local businesses and communities to provide the children of our schools with access to the best possible school learning experiences. This initiative is being undertaken collaboratively with the PTAs of the trio of schools that make up the Three Hares. We also hope to forge stronger relationships between the schools and their local communities, not just for the children of today, but for those of the future.
Within the Three Hares, we focus on providing local children with the best possible start in life, both from an academic and lifestyle perspective, to ensure that they are all given the tools and resources they need to be prepared to move into further education and their future workplace as well-rounded, skilled, confident and unique individuals. Our hope is that, as a result, they will grow up and continue to contribute to our community as adults. As you may already know, government funding for schools has been substantially reduced over the years, to the point that our schools are now spending up to 90% of their budget on staff alone. Historically, a school would have expected to spend up to 75% of its budget on staff. This is not bad budgeting on the part of the schools – it is the sad truth of the public purse, and the cuts that have been made in education. We have developed a wish-list has been separated into several categories that could be supported, as well as a legacy project, designed to be long-lasting for the school with a “Yours Today, Theirs Tomorrow” sentiment. Each category provides several examples of how your donation would be used, together with a target fundraising goal. The final decision in relation to how those funds will be spent (but strictly adhering to their specified category) would be made by school leaders, in conjunction with the Local Academy Committee.
Donations can be made which will support projects within 5 categories:

· Legacy projects – these will benefit current and future children of the school;
· Teaching and Learning
· Premises
· Sports
· General School Fund.

More details of each category can be found on the PowerPoint presentation, and information will also be available on the school website soon. The DMAT has supported this venture with the purchase of fundraising software which will enable parents, relations, community and businesses to support South Tawton Primary School, or the Three Hares trio of schools. Rest assured, that any donations made for this school in particular, will be strictly restricted for use in South Tawton only. As a charity, all donations received will enable the school to claim an additional 25% of the value of the donation from the government, at no extra cost to the benefactor.

Amazon Wish List
In addition to our fundraising website and in collaboration with the PTFA, we have also created an Amazon wish list, which has been populated by the staff of the school, with all sorts of items to support and enhance teaching and learning. This will be updated regularly and ranges from the smallest of items to much bigger aspirational items. Whilst we recognise the obvious convenience and vast range of Amazon, we are committed to supporting our local community so, wherever feasible, please be assured that the school will endeavour to use monies raised to make purchases locally and use local businesses and trades. ANY improvements we are able to make enriches the children’s school experience, and adds value to the school environment, making them attractive to potential new pupils and families. In turn, this generates additional funding for the schools – the amount of funding the school receives from the government is dependent on the number of pupils. So the more pupils that are attracted to the schools, the better funded the schools become. The schools' leadership and staff are also eager to forge stronger relationships between the school and local communities and would love to hear from you with any ideas you may have about ways we might do this together. Our wish is to create a school where the saying, “It takes a community to raise a child” really holds true. Finally, it is really important that we stress that we appreciate that many families may not be in a position to offer anything. We would never ask or expect anyone to put themselves under any kind of strain to contribute.


Three Hares Governance
Emma Neath, our Chair of Governors will soon be contacting parents about two vacancies within our committee for the role of parent governor. There are vacancies for two Parent Governors to serve on the Three Hares Academy Committee, which is the governing body across Chagford, South Tawton and North Tawton Primary Schools, and part of the Dartmoor Multi-Academy Trust. We are very keen to encourage parents and carers of registered pupils to nominate themselves to become part of our Academy Committee. More details and nomination forms will be issued shortly.

Thank you
We are grateful to all the parents who were able to attend the meeting last week; whilst we look forward to meeting with parents face-to-face in school again one day soon, we hope that meeting virtually using ‘Teams’ invites was helpful means of keeping in touch with school leaders in the meantime; it also provided a great opportunity for a ‘Q&A’ session.

Thank you for supporting this wonderful school.

With kind regards,

Elizabeth Underwood                              Sarah Marvin
Executive Headteacher                           Head of School

Meeting for Parents
It was lovely to see so many of you at our meeting for parents on Thursday evening. Thank you to everyone who attended and were so supportive! More information about the meeting can be found on our new Three Hares Blog:
Three Hares News.
​The PowerPoint presentation for the evening can be found here. A summary of the points covered will be sent out next week. 

Christmas cards
I'm starting to get enquiries about whether the children are able to give each other Christmas cards this year. I have taken advice on this from our Health and Safety lead and have learnt that, whilst we will be unable to have a central collection box for cards which will be delivered to all classes, children are still able to distribute cards to their friends within their own class bubbles.

Tempest Photos
We now have confirmation from Tempest that you can order pictures from either of the two photography sessions. Please order online wherever possible.

Key Stage 2 Hot Dinners
From Monday 30th November, we will be offering hot meals to Key Stage 2 pupils. You will receive an email when the menu is live and open for bookings on School Gateway.

Virtual Assembly
On Friday, we trialled our first virtual assembly with several classes across the school. We had some problems with the audio connection, but it was lovely for the classes to all see each other. Hopefully, we will get the sound issues sorted out this week and the Friday celebration assembly can once again take place weekly. Well done to all of our certificate winners - many of whom won certificates for their acts of kindness during Anti-bullying week. Congratulations also to the Green Team who earned the most team points in the last two weeks.

Ventilation
As stated on our risk assessment (here), we are keeping the classrooms as well ventilated as possible with doors and windows open to reduce any spread of the virus. This does mean that the classrooms are colder than usual, please encourage your children to wear plenty of warm layers with their school uniforms.

Resources from Devon libraries
​The school library service have produced the lovely advent calendar below. More downloadable resources to link to this advent calendar can be found here.

​PTA NEWS
All you need to know this week are the following key dates:

- You only have until tomorrow (Monday 23 November) to order your wreath ahead of the virtual Zoom WREATH-MAKING CLASS on Friday 27 November!

- Please buy and design your balloons for the exciting VIRTUAL BALLOON RACE ahead of the big launch from Harrods on Tuesday 1 December! Click here for more information.

- Don' forget to sort out your wardrobes and cupboards ahead of our BAG2SCHOOL collection on Thursday 3 December. (Details of what to/not to include are on last week's newsletter) Please don’t bring items to school this week - we cannot store them.

​Meeting for Parents of South Tawton Primary School
We would like to invite you to a meeting on Thursday 19th November at 6pm, where parents of the school will be able to hear from various school leaders. We would like to explore with you, our vision for the school, both in the short term and for the years ahead, as well as share some exciting new projects for school improvement.
School Leaders attending include:

• Elizabeth Underwood, Executive Headteacher,
• Sarah Marvin, Head of School
• Emma Neath, Chair of Governors
• Mel Holyoak, Vice Chair of Governors

There will be opportunities for you to ask questions about topics discussed, as well as any other issues you may be keen to raise.
 
In current circumstances, the meeting will be held virtually on Microsoft Teams. You do not need to have an account, merely clicking the link to 'join the meeting' will enable you to participate in the session. Please be aware, that by joining the meeting, your name and or email address may be visible to other participants. The joining link was sent out by email earlier this week.
 
There will be a 'chat' facility which will be monitored in order that your questions can be raised during the Q&A session. We will also ask you to 'sign in' with your name and child's name on arrival, in order that we have a register of attendance.
 
If you have a question that you would like to raise in advance, please email the school administrator, who will collate a list in preparation for the meeting.
 
I hope that you are able to join us and we look forward to seeing as many parents as possible on this occasion.​

Anti-Bullying Week
This week (Monday 16th November to Friday 20th November) is National Anti-bullying week. Classes will take part in activities and lessons to highlight the importance of this. The Anti-Bullying Week organisers have worked with over 300 young people and 100 members of school staff to develop the theme for this year's Anti-Bullying Week. 

The Anti-Bullying Week 2020 manifesto for change is as follows:
"This year, more than ever, we’ve witnessed the positive power that society can have when we come together to tackle a common challenge. 
Anti-Bullying Week is no different. Bullying has a long lasting effect on those who experience and witness it. But by channelling our collective power, through shared efforts and shared ambitions, we can reduce bullying together. From parents and carers, to teachers and politicians, to children and young people, we all have a part to play in coming together to make a difference. 
We’re all a piece in the puzzle, and together, we’re united against bullying."​

Children in Need Day
The children (and staff) all thoroughly enjoyed wearing their pyjamas to school on Friday to raise money for Children in Need. Some parents even joined in and wore nightwear to work! So far, we have raised an amazing £202.43 for the cause. Thank you to everyone who took part and donated. We also had some amazing entries into our yellow photography competition as can be seen on this link. 

Tempest Photographs
Please pay for your photos online wherever possible (the details are on the order form), rather than sending envelopes into the office.​

Virtual Balloon Race
Have you bought your virtual balloon yet? Remember that the balloons will begin their flights on 1st December and need to be bought and customised before then. Click here for more information.

More PTA news
A big thank you to EVERYONE for the funds recently raised by the non-uniform day, autumn trail and cookery book - as well as helping to fund the new playground markings (which the children will be able to have fun with from tomorrow!), the money raised has also paid for an exciting set of phonics resources for the KS1 and pre-school children, including sound and picture cards, magnetic letters, ditty books and get-writing books. 

As we won't be able to hold our usual Christmas Fayre this year, it would be great if you could continue to support our alternative upcoming fundraisers: 

Make a Christmas Wreath - if you or anyone you know would like to take part, we need your orders by Monday 23 November please, as we need time to prepare the kits ahead of the event on Friday 27th at 8pm. Here's a reminder of the details:
Buy a fantastic festive wreath-making kit, then join us on Friday 27th November at 8pm for a virtual Zoom class with expert instruction to create your wreath.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED...
1. Pick a style: Rustic, Glitzy or Traditional
2. Email [email protected] to order your kit by Monday November 23rd. Use the subject ‘Christmas Wreath’ 
3. Pay £15 via PayPal (or cash by arrangement)
4. Your kit will be sent home with your child on Friday 27th November (or pick up by arrangement) 
5. Join us on Friday 27th November at 8pm via Zoom!

Bag2School - we are pleased to announce that we have organised a clothes and shoe collection on Thursday 3 December. 

Bag2School is the UK's leading textile recycler and the scheme helps raise much-needed school funds but also helps the environment by diverting unwanted textiles away from landfill. As well as fundraising it also raises the awareness amongst the children of the benefits and importance of recycling and reuse. 

By getting involved in this collection, you have an opportunity to sort though your cupboards and wardrobes and donate unwanted textiles in a bin bag. As separate email will be sent out to list what to include and what not to include. 

Donations are welcome from anyone in the community, so please tell grandparents, friends and neighbours, so that they can have a sort out too! ​

What a great range of photos we've received for our 'unusual yellow thing' photo competition.  
Thank you to all who took part.  

   Our winners are:
KS1 - Tilly, Year R, with 'Doctor Banana'  
KS2 - Joe, Year 5, with a yellow rhino! 

​Here is a slide show of our entries, enjoy the yellow theme. 

Many of you would have seen new playground markings being installed today. I'm hoping that they will bring a new lease of the life to our playground and that the children will have great fun using them. A big 'thank you' must go to the PTA for all their fundraising efforts and their support in helping this project go ahead. 

Remembrance Sunday
They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old: age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. 

This morning, I attended the outdoor and socially distanced Remembrance Service at St Andrews Church to represent our school and lay a wreath. Bethany, Archie and Reggie were also there representing their Brownies, Cubs and Beavers. On Wednesday, members of any of these groups (and also Rainbows) are invited to wear their uniforms to school for the day instead of their school uniforms. Remembrance will be discussed in classes and we will be observing a silence at 11am.

Many thanks to Mrs Glover and Mrs Bonnett who have produced our fantastic remembrance display. 

Breakfast Club and SAINTs football club
Through this period of lockdown, we are able to keep Breakfast Club open as it is for the purpose of childcare.

​Unfortunately, the current regulations mean that we will be unable to host the SAINTs football club until restrictions are lifted on December 2nd. The guidance from the Department for Education is printed below for your information.

Out-of-school activities (including wraparound care) may continue to operate if their primary purpose is providing registered childcare, or where they are offering other childcare activities, where this is reasonably necessary to enable parents to:

• work or search for work
• undertake training or education

Virtual Balloon Race
The PTFA have signed up for an online balloon race in order to raise much needed funds virtually as normal fundraising efforts are hindered by the coronavirus pandemic.

The world’s only virtual balloon race system offers a 100% eco-friendly way to raise money. Mike Phillips, Managing Director of Ecoracing.co, explained, “It’s a seven-day computer simulation race where everything is real except the balloon. The software uses current live weather data to determine the progress of each balloon and each entry can be tracked on Google Maps and Satellites once launched. It has no negative environmental impact on all wildlife, climate change, plastic waste or litter.”
​
He continued, “You can buy a virtual balloon for £3 and give it a name, colour, shape and pattern. In addition to this, you can select different features of your balloon, such as weight, which will determine its flight performance in order to enhance your chances of winning.” Mike added, “It’s a fun and easy way to raise funds for a cause, which kids and adults alike love.”

Keep a lookout for more details being released over the coming week, building up to the launch on 1st December, and we hope you all enjoy this chance to raise funds, engage in some friendly competition and participate in some purposeful STEM based learning! If any members of our community would like to donate prizes for this, please let us know.