Dear Parents and Carers,
Upcoming dates for your diary:
From Wednesday 16th December
Your child’s report will be sent to you via the app. If you do not have this downloaded, please contact the school office.
Your child’s Christmas performance will be uploaded to the website. This will be password protected and we will send the password out to you via the app and SeeSaw.
The winning house colour are invited to wear their choice of that colour clothes on their top half (Blue house).
Thursday 17th December
Christmas rewards activities
Christmas jumper day, Christmas lunch, virtual Father Christmas visit, hot chocolate, decorating gingerbread men, making party hats, celebration assembly.
Friday 18th December
Virtual review day (non-pupil day)
If you haven’t already, please book your appointment using the link that has been sent to your e-mail address. If you haven’t received anything, please contact the school office.
It is going to be a very busy but exciting end to the term as it always is in the lead up to Christmas! Our Father Christmas visit has kindly been donated from Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo which I’m sure the children will love.
I would like to thank PACA for all of their hard work this term and to Becky Boorer who has raised over £200 which we have put towards books for the school. Many thanks to you all for your old book donations which we have quarantined and absorbed into our school library.
I would like to update you with some staffing changes. In January, Mr Smith will be leaving us and will be working for Devon County Council as an Education Advisor. We wish him all the best for his career change. Miss Powley will be overseeing the Kingfisher’s class, supported by Mrs Large, Mrs Knight and Mrs Twitchin.
As already mentioned, Mr Williams will be taking a secondment at Kenn Primary School in January and will be replaced by Mr Douglas for 2 terms. Mr Douglas has attended a transition day this week so that he can get to know the children and have a handover. Mr Douglas will be the Deputy Head of School with responsibilities for behaviour, data and maths. I will be taking over as SENDCo with Miss Powley supporting as Deputy SENDCo, so please see either of us from January with any correspondence.
Our attendance for half term 1 is sitting at 96% which is above Devon and national average. I would like to thank you for your support in bringing pupils to school to help achieve this, despite the worries that you must have had in September. Thank you also for your patience and flexibility in the many changes we have had to adopt this term. Although this seems set to be our way of life for at least the spring term, the start of the new vaccine last week means that hopefully in the not too distant future, there may be some normality at school for us.
Track and Trace may still contact us up to 6 days after the children have been in school for any positive cases which will take us up until Wednesday 23rd December. If any of your children have a positive test result up until this date when we are in the Christmas holidays, please contact me on Annabelle.thomas@teignmouthschool.co.uk as I may need to notify other parents depending on when symptoms started. Please could I ask that this information be passed to us at school to deal with officially to parents rather than put on social media which causes inaccuracies and worry.
If your child is entitled to free school meals, they will be eligible to receive vouchers over the Christmas holidays for £30 per child. This should have been sent to your e-mail address. Vouchers are redeemable through the Hawk Select Website. If you do not have the internet, please let us know and we can redeem on your behalf and pass on. These can be used at most local supermarkets.
Our delivery for our free SIM cards from Vodafone for free internet usage at home has been delayed but should be with us for you to use from next week. When they arrive, I will let you know and anyone who would like one per family can have one for free.
I hope that you have a safe and relaxing Christmas! See you in 2021!
Yours sincerely
Mrs Annabelle Thomas
Head of School