Dear Parents and Carers,
I hope you all had a brilliant half term break and that you managed some rest and time out with families and friends. Get yourselves ready for a very busy few weeks in school and a truly magical time as we countdown to Christmas. This newsletter will contain as much information about Christmas at North Town.
I received a really kind and thoughtful email from the Centre Manager at Charter House. This is where our Year Six children recently went for their residential. Please see an extract of the email below:
Now that it’s a little quieter here at Charterhouse I just wanted to drop you an email to say that your year 6 students, who stayed with us 3 weeks ago were a delight to host!
All our staff noted how well mannered they were- from being served meals in the kitchen, to thanking instructors after sessions, and generally around the centre. They were enthusiastic to learn during activities, listened and followed instructions well, and were a credit to your school. Our team are still talking about them now, and what a pleasure that week was!
Please pass on our thanks to your team who set a great example to your students, and were great as always!
Please also pass on our thanks to the visiting students. It makes our jobs much more enjoyable when we have such engaged and polite groups.
I was also very lucky to have visited your school on the open morning, ahead of the residential. It was lovely to see the genuine excitement from the children and what a happy atmosphere there was at Noth Town. The children all seemed so happy in their classes, from reception to year 6, and it felt so genuine.
What kind words and this was feedback to the Year Six children and deservedly so!
I had a pupil from Year Two visit me at the start of the week and he spoke brilliantly about Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi. He had clearly absorbed everything from the lesson and was able to tell me so much about them! Wow!
Have a smashing weekend everyone.
Best wishes,
Mr Braund
Use of technology
In the 27 years I have been a teacher, there have been huge advances in technology. There are lots of positives but there are also lots of areas that cause great concern. I see first hand from my two children how they can pick things up so easily when using technology. My concern is ensuring that the children are using age appropriate apps/websites. We want to make sure that our children are safe online and have the robust systems in place to safeguard them. As part of our computing curriculum we do discuss computer safety. Can I please encourage all parents and carers to have these conversations with the children about this matter and also ensure parental controls are in place to ensure children are safeguarded when online.
Mobile Phones
We also cover the way to communicate and what to communicate with friends when online and when using phones. The staff often speak to the KS2 children about the importance of being aware of others feelings and whatever you post to think carefully about:
- Would I want this messaged to me?
- How would I feel if it was messaged to me?
- Do I want my parents, someone else’s parents or my teacher to read my message?
I always say to the children that you message/text only what you would say in person. I also remind the children of whatever is text/typed is in the domain forever.
At a recent safeguarding update for all staff in the Richard Huish Trust they highlighted the age recommendation of using specific apps and social media. These are:
Whatsapp – 16+
Snap Chat – 13+
Instagram – 13+
Tik Tok – 13+
Youtube 13+
We would really appreciate your ongoing support with such matters by checking phones from time to time and having the conversations with the children about how we communicate when using technology.
We really appreciate your support with this and working together with us.
Donation
We’re excited to share some wonderful news! Last half term, local independent estate agents Newton King, based in Taunton and specialising in both property sales and lettings, generously donated funds to North Town School. This donation will go directly toward purchasing important resources for our classrooms, helping to enhance our students’ learning experiences.
We’re incredibly grateful for Newton King’s support and commitment to our school community. Their contribution is a fantastic example of local businesses making a positive impact, and we look forward to putting this donation to good use for the children.
Sports Events
On Thursday, children from Year 5 and 6 did the Sportshall Athletics. It was at Richard Huish College. The team was Olive, Lili, Kodie, Jewel, Laura, Rufus, Kobie, Arthur, Ollie, Bobbi, George P, George C, Jools, Priya, Percie, Elsie, William & Art and we came 2nd out of 8 schools! We did running events like a 6 lap race with a partner & an obstacle courses and field events like speed bounce, standing long jump, standing triple jump & vertical jump.
Jewel E, Olive S, 5PC
Christmas at North Town
Christmas is almost upon us and we have attached an additional newsletter with all the dates and times for events in December. Enjoy the magic of Christmas at North Town.
Parent Survey
A huge thank you to the many parents and carers that kindly took the time to complete the North Town Parent and Carer Survey. Richard Huish Trust feedback the results to us on Monday and we were absolutely thrilled with the positive response. We very much appreciate how the parents and carers of North Town work with us to ensure we have happy children that enjoy attending school.
Wrap Around
As we get closer to Christmas, if there are any parents and carers that are having a sort out of unwanted toys and games that are in good condition, the Wraparound team would greatly appreciate any kind donations.
Disco
Just a reminder that it our first school disco of the academic year on Friday 15th November. More information will be sent out in the coming days.
Children in Need
We’re raising money for Children in Need on Friday 15th November- Challenge yourself to dress up, get creative and choose your own theme, or simply go for yellow and spots.
Christmas Sparkle
We are still supporting the Christmas Sparkle Charity by collecting donations of new gifts. Please help if you can by purchasing and donating a small gift suitable for a child/young person aged 0-18yrs. We have supported this Charity for several years now, and they are always amazed by the generosity shown by parents at our school. Our Christmas Sparkle donation box is in the main Reception area. All gifts should be new, and NOT wrapped. If you would prefer to give a cash donation, please leave your preferred amount at the school office – this will be used by the Charity to purchase further gifts/wrapping paper etc. Thank you for the amazing gifts we have already received!
Maths Parent Club
We have a very exciting opportunity for all of our North Town parents! We are going to be running an after-school club that will provide parents the opportunity to help their child love maths. This will be run for 5 consecutive weeks from Tuesday 12th November, 3:30-4:30pm in Golden Russets classroom (Miss Blake). This is a government funded club and will be delivered by a local maths expert. To sign up, please use the QR code on the posters that can be found in the window of each classroom and at the office. As a thank you for attending, parents will be given a £10 food voucher. We hope to see as many parents there as possible!