Newsletter 2 Autumn Term 2022

A big welcome to South Tawton to all our new families.

Monday 19th September

As I'm sure that you are all aware, the school will be closed on Monday 19th September for the funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II.

We have a condolence book in our school office. Please do come in and leave a message in this book before Wednesday 20th September. After this date, the South Tawton pages will be collated with those of other schools across our Trust.

Parking

I have received numerous complaints in the last week about inconsiderate and dangerous parking in the village. The double yellow lines in the village are intended to ensure that the children can walk to school safely; parking outside St. Mary's Church and on corners severely reduces visibility and raises the risk of an accident. Please use the car park at the recreation ground or the King's Arms instead of parking in the village and also consider whether you can lift share or walk to school. 

On Friday 16th September, there is a funeral in the village with a send off at the King's Arms in the afternoon. This will mean that the pub carpark will be full and there will be extra cars in the village. Please be aware of this and do all you can to find a safe alternative solution. 

Parent Information Evening and Meet the Teacher

We will be holding an Information Evening for parents in school on Wednesday 28th September at 6pm. There will be a presentation in the school hall followed by a chance for you to meet your children's teachers. Members of the PTA and our Local Stakeholder Board will also be available to answer any questions and meet you all.

Please note that there will be Phonics Information evenings held over TEAMs next week. Year R Tuesday 20th September at 7:30. Year 1 and 2 Wednesday 21st September at 7:30. Links will be sent out shortly. 

Make up and Jewellery

I'd like to take this opportunity to remind all parents and pupils that make up (including nail varnish) is not allowed in school. Please help us by reinforcing this rule at home and helping your child to remove any make up before attending school. 

The only jewellery items which are permitted are stud earrings and watches. 

School shoes should be plain black, brown or navy.

For PE, please ensure that all pupils have a white T-shirt or black/navy shorts. 

French trip for Year 6 Pupils

We are delighted to announce the details of our Year 6 residential next year to Normandy in France.  We have secured funding to take all Year 6 pupils from Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust Primary Schools in the summer term. Following a rigorous and competitive application process, Mrs Jordan (Trust French Lead) and Mrs Underwood (Trust Executive Principal) received the news that all travel, accommodation and visit costs for 230 pupils and 50 staff will be covered by the government’s Turing Scheme funding. 

Year 6 pupils will deepen their knowledge of History, RE, Art and PSHE through a range of inspirational visits including; the Bayeux tapestry, Mont St Michel, the D-Day landing beaches and the magnificent new British Normandy Memorial. Pupils will of course also further develop their confidence to speak French through a shopping challenge at a market, as well as visits to partner schools in Normandy. This residential will also enable Year 6 pupils across the Trust to unite and develop friendships in preparation for secondary school.

There are meetings planned for Y6 parents and pupils in all schools this half term. If parents are unable to make the date and time of the meeting, please let us know as you may be able to join a meeting at another school. The South Tawton Primary School Meeting is at 3:40 on Friday 7th October.

The Turing Scheme is the UK’s global programme offering opportunities in education and training across the world and enabling pupils to develop new skills and gain international experience. This year, the Turing Scheme received 513 applications, a significant increase on last year. Whilst most applications from universities were successful, Dartmoor MAT was one of only 4 schools in the South West which was awarded a grant through this highly competitive application process.

Harvest Festival St Andrews Church Sunday 25th September

Invitation! Make an animal model out of vegetables or fruit and bring it with you to our Community Harvest Festival at St Andrew’s Church, South Tawton, on Sunday 25th September at 11am. There’ll be a prize for the best one!

Devon Citizen's Advice Column

Please read the column below from Citizen's Advice regarding the cost of living crisis or click here to read it as a pdf.