Newsletter 7 Autumn Term 2022

The first half term break has arrived and we wish you all a lovely, restful week. The children have made a fantastic start to the school year and will hopefully enjoy a little time off. This term, as always, has been a whirlwind of activity, events and education and I'd like to say a very big thank you to the entire staff team for always going the extra mile to help the children feel safe, valued and cared for. 

​OCRA Girls' Football Tournament

On Tuesday 18th October, 36 girls from Years 3-6 travelled to Tavistock to take part in the OCRA Girls' Football Tournament. Almost 270 girls took part during the day and there was some fantastic footballing skill on show. 
The South Tawton teams showed incredible team spirit throughout the event, and all enjoyed the experience. Well done to everyone who took part! 

Year R Story Sacks

Year R Children and staff have been very excited to see the launch of our new Story Sack lending library.  Each week, every child takes home a Story Sack and returns it every Friday to swap for another.  The sacks are based on various popular children's stories as well as a wide range of themes with information texts such as space, dinosaurs and bugs.  They contain 2 books, puppets, games and activities that parents and children can share at home.  We hope that families will enjoy spending time sharing these stories, playing the games and developing lovely language and conversations based on different topics.  
We are most grateful to Zenna Jessop for sewing each sack with beautiful fabrics to match the theme of the book; they look wonderful outside and in. 

Attendance

	Attendance last week	Attendance so far this year
Year R	​91.8%	93.7%
Year 1	92.9%	95.6%
Year 2	99.5%	98.1%
Year 3	99.3%	99.0%
Year 4	93.8%	96.6%
Year 5	92.4%	96.5%
Year 6	98.7%	97.2%

Well done to Year 2, who had the highest percentage attendance this week and also to Y3 who have a fabulous 99% attendance for the whole half term. 

Why is it important for children not to miss school?
All parents want the best for their children and for them to get on well in life. Having a good education is important to ensure that they have the best opportunities in their adult life. Children only get one chance at school, and your child’s future may be affected by not attending school regularly. If children do not attend school regularly, they may struggle to keep up with school work and will miss out on the social side of school life. Poor attendance can affect children’s ability to make and keep friendships; a vital part of growing up. Setting good attendance patterns from an early age, from nursery through primary school will also help your child later on in their life. 

What might the impact of poor attendance be on your child?
In primary schools, less than 65% of children achieve good results in English and Maths with an average of 15 days absence a year compared to almost 90% where the average is less than 8 days. Parents can be very surprised at how quickly their children can accumulate 15 days absence within a year. 

Upcoming Events

Week commencing Monday 24th October - Half term holiday
Monday 31st October - Y5 Dartmoor Ranger Walk
Tuesday 8th November - Tempest Individual Photos
Thursday 10th November - Open afternoon for September 2023 intake
Week commencing Monday 14th November -  Anti Bullying week  
Friday 18th November -  Children in Need day 
Monday 28th November -  Flu immunisations
Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th December - YR and KS1 Xmas play 
Wednesday 14th December -  Whole School trip to Northcott Theatre
Thursday 15th December -  Christmas Lunch and Christmas Jumper Day
Friday 16th December -  Last Day of Autumn Term
Tuesday 3rd January - Non Pupil Day
Wednesday 4th January - First day of Spring term

Many calendar and term dates can be found in the calendar at the bottom of our website home page.
2022 23 Term dates can be found here.
2023 24 Term dates can be found here.

PTA News

Thank you to everyone who helped with our winter clothes and cake sale this week, we are so grateful for those that are able to give up time to help at events. Not to mention that there are some very talented bakers amongst you! Of course we want to also thank those who came along to spend some money. We raised a brilliant £135.00!
We hope you all have a wonderful half term break and look forward to more exciting events as we head towards Christmas, including the ever popular wreath making workshop which will be back in the school hall.
​
We are very grateful to South Zeal in Action for asking us to provide refreshments for their upcoming Family Theatre event, which comes highly recommended. All profits from refreshment sales will be going to the PTA. If you are able to bake any goodies for the event please do let us know. (details below)
Our next meeting is the first week back after half term on Wednesday 2nd November at 8pm via teams. Please feel free to email us at southtawtonpta@gmail.com if you would like to receive the link.
Best wishes
Hannah and Liz

South Zeal in Action are once again bringing professional children's theatre to The Victory Hall. First up is the Story Explorers…
Meet Nellie Natinski and Nathaniel Nautilus! Intrepid explorers and guardians of their intriguingly ingenious Story Generator. Watch as they crank the starter handle and bring their much loved machine to life. From out of its secret compartments, like The Cabinet of Curiosities, The Book of Wishes and The Box of Disasters, story ideas combine to create tantalising tales, monstrous myths, and flabbergasting fables. And through the bedazzling power of The Transmission Helmet the Story Explorers will offer these up for your delight. And if the Story Generator overworks itself, the ever-helpful Mr Mender is always on hand to tighten a nut and put things right!
 A dynamic, vibrant and original family performance. The Story Explorers is a fiesta of engaging tales, colourful characters and captivating puppetry to amaze and ignite the imagination.
Tickets £5 children, £7.50 adults – see South Zeal in Action Facebook page to reserve. Doors open at 2.30pm with refreshments available to purchase from South Tawton PTA.

​Bags to School
We have another Bags to School collection on Tuesday 29th November 9am.
We accept the following ‘good quality’ items for RE-USE:
●      Men’s, Ladies’ and Children’s clothing
●      Paired shoes (tied together or elastic band around)
●      Handbags
●      Hats
●      Bags
●      Scarves and ties
●      Jewellery
●      Lingerie
●      Socks
●      Belts
●      Soft toys
●      Household linen
●      Household curtains
●      Household towels
●      Household bedding (bed sheets, pillow cases and duvet covers)
 
We DO NOT accept:
●      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
The amazingly supportive Kings Arms have said that we can use their Phoenix room as a drop off point on Monday 28th November all day and Tuesday 29th November before 9am.