Weekly Bulletin:Friday 17th January 2025
Headteacher’s message to parents/carers
Dear Parents/Carers,
This week, we began our work to improve children’s experiences of play at lunchtimes through our participation in an 18-month program called OPAL. Did you know that play makes up 20% of a child’s primary school life? At Tunbury, we have beautiful school grounds and we would like to maximise children’s use of these through varied, rich and creative play activities during every lunchtime session. To see what a lunchtime play session might look like at Tunbury at the end of our 18-month OPAL program, take a look at this video – looks like fun!
Our OPAL program is being funded by our TSA, as a way of making a lasting difference to every child’s school experience, so thank you to everyone who has supported TSA fundraising to make this possible. As part of the OPAL journey, we would like to find out more about your views on play through our parent/carer survey, which we’re launching today: OPAL Parent Survey January 2025 . This survey gathers your views of play today at Tunbury, your opinions about changes to play, how play has changed since your own childhood and opportunities for play at home. In school, we have already conducted pupil and staff surveys about play.
Also today, we’re publishing the dates for our Spring Open Afternoons, which are taking place in Book Week this year. Please join us in school for some Book Week activities with your child! The dates are in the diary section below.
Have a lovely weekend everyone.
Best wishes
Ruth Austin
Headteacher
Our Learning: Year 4
This term we have started our learning with a splash! As an introduction to our learning about Wild Weather and our new text, Floodland by Marcus Sedgwick, we stranded all the children in Year 4 on a tiny island in Norfolk – here.
The children had to work together to travel across the water to reach the safety of the mainland (a crash mat) using two boats (mats). Only three children were allowed on the boats at a time. Each group found a different way to transport the whole team to safety. It was certainly a test of our problem-solving skills!
Last week in Geography, the children have been learning about hurricanes, taking notes and working in small groups to present their work using PowerPoint. The children learned how a hurricane forms and which part of the hurricane is the most dangerous. They have also found out what each hurricane category means. This week, the children have been discussing floods, looking at what causes flooding and considering the dangers and benefits of living on a floodplain. The children have also found out what you should include in an emergency pack in your home.
In Science, Year 4 have started to investigate states of matter, grouping materials into solids, liquids or gasses. We had some in depth discussions about the fact you can pour salt even though it is a solid. Comparing images of particles in solids, liquids and gasses, really helped our understanding of how both liquids and gasses will fill the container.
Notices
Staffing update: Today, we’re saying a temporary goodbye to our Receptionist Mrs Foreman, who is leaving for maternity leave. We wish her all the best and look forward to some happy baby news very soon! During Mrs Foreman’s maternity leave, Miss Germany will be covering the Receptionist role in the school office.
TSA Family Bingo Evening:
Weekly Class Attendance: This is a weekly feature on our bulletin to highlight and celebrate good levels of attendance. Well done to Bears Class for staying at the top as our KS1 stars this week! Scarlet Class are our KS2 winners with an almost perfect week. Keep it up!
Class |
Weekly Attendance Percentage |
Bears |
☆99.62%☆ |
Scarlet |
☆99.59%☆ |
Yellow |
99.47% |
Red |
99.35% |
Violet |
99.23% |
Sapphire |
98.77% |
Amber |
98.72% |
Magenta |
98.52% |
Indigo |
98.52% |
Emerald |
98.52% |
Crimson |
98.02% |
Owls |
97.7% |
Lavender |
97.01% |
Lilac |
96.55% |
Pink |
95.88% |
Azure |
95.24% |
Orange |
94.22% |
Blue |
92.59% |
Turquoise |
91.85% |
Ruby |
91.57% |
Attendance: As a reminder, we wanted to highlight a change to how we refer for penalty notices. Penalty Notice Fines will be issued for Term-Time leave of five or more consecutive days. Inset training days are school days and can be included in the five or more consecutive days, where there was intent to be absent for term-time leave. At Tunbury, this has been applied from Monday 6th January and will apply to all future Inset days, including Monday 24th February and Monday 2nd June.
Team Points: The first totals for the new term are as follows. It couldn’t be much closer, with just two points in it between Holmes and Hawking teams. Well done Holmes team!
Rowling |
Attenborough |
Holmes |
Hawking |
776 |
761 |
794 |
792 |
Dates for your Diary
Term dates for 2024/25: www.tunbury.kent.sch.uk/Parents/Term-Dates-24-25/
Term 3
Tuesday 21st January – Young Voices at the O2 (Young Voices Singing Club)
Tuesday 4th February – Year 6 visit to Kent Life – WW11 Day
Friday 7th February – NSPCC Number Day
Friday 7th February – TSA Family Bingo Night
Tuesday 11th February - Parent Consultation evening – 3.30-6.30pm
Tuesday 11th February - Safer Internet Day
Thursday 13th February - Parent Consultation evening – 3.30-6.30pm
Friday 14th February – Last day of term for pupils
Term 4
Monday 24th February – School closed for pupils– INSET Day
Monday 3rd to 7th March - Book Week
Monday 3rd March – Year R Open Afternoon for Book Week 2-3pm NEW
Tuesday 4th March – Year 1/2 Open Afternoon for Book Week 2-3pm NEW
Wednesday 5th March – Year 3/4 Open Afternoon for Book Week 2-3pm NEW
Thursday 6th March – World Book Day, including dressing up
Friday 7th March – Year 5/6 Open Afternoon for Book Week 2-3pm NEW
Friday 21st March – Red Nose Day NEW
Tuesday 25th & Wednesday 26th March – TSA Gifts for Her
Thursday 3rd April – TSA Easter Disco
Friday 4th April – Last day of term for pupils
Term 5
Tuesday 22nd April – Start of Term 5 for pupils
Monday 5th May – BANK HOLIDAY – School Closed
Monday 12th-Thursday 15th May – KS2 SATS Week - Year 6
22nd May – TSA Tunbury's Got Talent
Friday 23rd May – Outdoor Learning Day
Friday 23rd May – Last day of term for pupils
Term 6
Monday 2nd June – School closed for pupils– INSET Day
Tuesday 3rd June – Start of Term 6 for pupils
Tuesday 3rd -6th June – STEAM Week
Monday 9th June-13th June – Multiplication Times Tables Check Year 4
Monday 9th June-13th June – Phonics Screening – Year 1
Tuesday 10th & Wednesday 11th June – TSA Gifts for Him
Friday 27th June – Sports Day
Thursday 3rd July – TSA Summer Disco
Saturday 12th July – TSA GlasTUNBURY Summer Festival
Friday 18th July – TSA “Dare to be different day”
Friday 18th July – Year 6 prom
Tuesday 22nd July – Last day of term
Class assemblies
Class assemblies will be held in the school hall on Friday afternoons. Parents/carers and family members from each class are warmly invited to join us in school for these events, as our children love to share their learning with you. Please come to the front of the school and wait outside the hall entrance doors. You will be invited in just after 2.45pm. The assembly will begin at 2.50pm and last for about 10 minutes, finishing in time for you to collect your children at the end of the school day, as normal.
Friday 17th January Magenta Class Assembly
Friday 24th January Violet Class Assembly
Friday 31st January Emerald Class Assembly
Friday 7th February Turquoise Class Assembly
Friday 14th February Crimson Class Assembly
Friday 28th February Lavender Class Assembly
Friday 14th March Indigo Class Assembly
Friday 21st March Ruby Class Assembly
Friday 28th March Azure Class Assembly
Friday 25th April Pink Class Assembly
Friday 2nd May Red Class Assembly
Friday 9th May Yellow Class Assembly
Friday 23rd May Blue Class Assembly
Friday 13th June Sapphire Class Assembly
Friday 20th June Owls Class Assembly
Friday 4th July Bears Class Assembly