Newsletter 12 Autumn Term 2021

5/12/2021

This week saw two external checks on school systems. On Monday, we had a visit from the NSPCC to carry out a safeguarding audit and make sure that we are doing all we can to keep our pupils safe at school, online and at home. The auditor was delighted by all that he saw and said, "If my children were the right age, I'd want them to come here.' What a lovely endorsement!

On Thursday, we had a Devon County Council Health and Safety audit. Again, everything was found to be in place and the auditor was happy with all of our procedures and risk assessments.

New email address

Our SENDCo, Miss Bennett, has had a few email changes recently and is concerned that some emails from parents may not be reaching her. Please discard any old addresses you may have and contact her on [email protected]

Christmas!

On Wednesday 15th December, we invite all children to wear their Christmas jumpers and most Christmassy outfits. The children do not need to wear uniform on that day, but we would like them to dress as Christmassy as possible. You do not need to buy a Christmas jumper especially for this day, but can add glitter, Christmas decorations or tinsel to any clothes.

From next week, we will have a Christmas post box in school for the children to send each other Christmas cards. Please ensure that all envelopes are clearly marked with the recipients name and class so that we can ensure that our elves can make all deliveries successfully.

At this time of year, children often like to bring in presents for their friends. Please could all gifts be exchanged outside of school time to avoid any pupils feeling left out or upset by this.

Please click here to read the latest news from Okehampton Library.

PTA News

Christmas Wreaths
A big thank you to Hannah and Nancy for working so hard over the past weeks to put the wreath kits together. It was a fantastically fun and creative evening which raised great funds for our children. Thank you to everyone who joined in.

Coloured Hampers
The hampers look fantastic…...

Thank you for all your delicious and inventive donations.
You have one week left to sell as many tickets as you can! Remember - the coloured hamper which has the most tickets sold will receive a reward! More tickets are available from the PTA, your teacher, School Office or South Zeal/Sticklepath shops.
Please remember to write on the back of raffle stubs the colour of the hamper/s you would like to win. You can enter as many times as you would like! Ticket stubs and money must be returned to your child's class teacher no later than Monday 13th December 2021.
The draw for the hampers will be on Wednesday 15th December 2021. Good luck everyone!

Bags to School
Do you have unwanted clothes, accessories, home linens or soft toys getting in the way at home? Why not donate them to our Bag 2 School collection?!

Drop Off Site:
The Pavilion, South Zeal

Dates for Drop Off:
Sunday 5th December ~ 4-5pm
Monday 6th December ~ 3-4pm
Tuesday 7th December ~ 8-9am

Christmas Packs
These will be available from your child's class teacher from Monday for £3 each. Crammed full of activities to keep everyone busy and entertained during the holidays.
King Arms Big Fat Quiz of the Year
Our friends at the Kings Arms in South Zeal are having their big end of year quiz on Wednesday December 29th. This is always a really fun event for all and they have kindly chosen the PTA to be their benefitting charity this month.
In exchange we really need a few volunteers to help out on the night, collecting in quiz sheets, counting up scores etc. If you can help, please get in touch at [email protected] ASAP.
We also need donations of wine, chocolates and other raffle prizes. We appreciate we have been asking for a lot of donations recently, but remember all process feed directly back in to enhancing our children’s experiences at school.
PTA 100 Club
Year 2 did November's draw last week and the following numbers won:
5 Tristan Grimes
52 Steve Whiteley
82 Jamie Yates
Congratulations!

There are still some numbers available so if you would like to join the 100 club then please email [email protected] for more information.

Next meeting
Thank you to those who came along, albeit virtually, to our meeting on Monday. It was a very productive meeting and we are cooking up some fun fundraising ideas for next term. We are always looking for new ideas and new people to join us!
Date of next meeting - Monday 10th January 2022- 8pm - all welcome! Email [email protected] to be sent the zoom link.