Weekly Bulletin: Friday 23rd September 2022
Headteacher’s message to parents/carers
Dear Parents/Carers
Thank you for your support and encouragement for children’s participation in our School Council elections last week. After a huge number of nominations for the role, along with some marvellous manifestos, we have now elected our school councillors for every class. Following on from this record level of children’s participation in school leadership, we have a question regarding parental participation in our TSA…
Yesterday evening, we held our TSA AGM in the school hall. It has been a successful year of fundraising for the TSA, post-Covid disruption, with brilliant events like our Fireworks extravangza, present rooms and Easter Hunt. With the money raised, we have agreed to fund a new Queen Elizabeth II mosaic at the front of school, as well as new furniture, resources and games for a revamped ‘quiet area’ on the playground. We’ll share photos of these developments once they are complete.
Our TSA committee is hardworking and dedicated, but small in number! Thank you to Sarah Mingozzi and Claire Pryer for continuing as TSA Co-chairs, Jennie Harwood as Secretary and Marie Carter as Treasurer. To help them, we would like to suggest a new role of ‘TSA Year Group Rep’, with one or two parents/carers in each year group becoming reps who could co-ordinate others from their own year group to get involved, eg to recruit volunteers for events like the Christmas present room. If you (and a friend) would like to step forward for this role, please email office@tunbury.kent.sch.uk. It’s a new challenge for Team Tunbury – let’s see how many year groups can find a rep by next Friday’s bulletin!
Have a lovely weekend everyone.
Best wishes
Ruth Austin
Headteacher
Governor Update
It falls to me as Chair of Governors for this school year to write the first Governing Body contribution for the weekly school bulletin. I must say that I am really looking forward to leading the work of the school’s Governing Body for another year - my fourth in this role.
I do hope that you all had an enjoyable family summer break and that you managed to achieve all that you set out to do. At school the building adaptions were all completed on time and everyone is looking forward to making the most of the enlarged classrooms. Well done to all those who were closely involved in the project.
At the start of this new school year, I would like to invite parents and carers to consider the importance of your children’s attendance at school. Mrs Austin regularly reports on whole school attendance to the Governors in her Head Teacher’s Report and these statistics are monitored very closely. Clearly, there will sometimes be instances when children are unable to be in school but the impact of children being taken out of school for holidays cannot be underestimated! When it comes to your children’s education every day counts and, as a former colleague of mine wrote in a child’s end of year report, “Absence makes the task grow harder!”.
A total of 1,597 school sessions were missed last year as a result of holidays taken in term time. Each of these means that learning opportunities will have been lost and it really is so hard to make up for these days away from school. Tunbury, with the complete support of the Governing Body, does not sanction term-time holidays in any circumstances. I ask that parents and carers consider seriously the negative impact upon your children’s learning as a result of taking holidays in term time.
Last school year whole school attendance stood at 94.51%. Please may I ask you to join with me in seeking to end this new school year in an even better position.
Steve Nairn, Chair of Governors
Online Safety
It’s important that trusted adults feel able to help children and young people cope with grief –particularly at the moment, when we are mourning the loss of a public figure who was cherished by so many. Children are seeing bereavement and sadness being featured heavily in the national news and in their favourite online spaces, and hearing it being talked about extensively among families and in the community. How can we help them in processing grief healthily at this potentially upsetting time?
In the guide attached this week, you'll find tips such as understanding what grief is, encouraging coping strategies and reaching out for support.
The Extraordinary Life of Queen Elizabeth II: Take an appreciative look back over the remarkable life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II with National Online Safety’s timeline poster here.
When Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II died, Britain – and the world – lost a respected ruler who could always be counted on to do her best, even in difficult times. Since her death, leaders of other countries have described her as “warm”, “kind”, “funny”, “wise” and “dignified”. She will be sadly missed, but let’s remember that for the 70 years she ruled the UK, The Queen always kept the promise she made when she was crowned – to serve her people and her country.
Notices
After School Clubs: It has been brilliant to see the interest in the clubs we are offering this term with lots of the clubs already full. There are still spaces in BSL Signing Choir, Colouring Club, Environment Club, French Club, Girls’ Football, Netball Club, Science Club, Singing Club and Year 3 and 4 Football. Clubs will start on Monday 26th September. Spaces not filled today will be offered to children on the waiting list for a second club.
Unfortunately, Progressive Sports are now unable to offer the Tuesday Dance Club at present. We will keep the names of children who applied to this club so they will be first on the list if we manage to organise another provider. We will also be contacting you to offer potential other clubs in the interim. If you are aware of anyone local who could offer a Dance club please let us know, as it was a popular choice with our children.
School Council: Last week’s school council elections brought some real energy to our school corridors and playgrounds. It was great to hear so many children talking about manifestos and democracy. All classes, Year 1 – Year 6, have now voted for their school councillor to represent their class and the winning candidates are attached for you to see. We were so impressed with the efforts of all applicants and voters. Mr Taylor tells me that we had the highest number of applicants ever to put themselves forward! We are all so proud of the resilience and confidence shown this week. There will be more opportunities for pupil leadership roles coming up in the very near future; keep your eyes peeled for the next announcement.
Harvest Assembly: The children enjoyed celebrating Harvest together with Reverend Roe from the Baptist Church. Thank you all so much for your generous donations to our Harvest Collection. These will be sent to the Medway Food Bank who support local families.
Team Points: Here are the Team Points totals at the end of this week. Rowling still in the lead – well done red team!
School Lunch payments: Unfortunately there have been some technical difficulties with the Parentmail online system used for school lunch payments. Our IT technician has been working with Parentmail to try to resolve the problem. In the meantime, if you owe money for your child’s school lunch and you have not been able to pay online via Parentmail, please will you make a cash payment. Please send cash in a named, labelled envelope via the school office.
Dates for your Diary
Term dates for 2022/23: https://www.tunbury.kent.sch.uk/Term-Dates-22-23/
Thursday 6th October – Pact SEND Parent forum, 2.20 pm NEW
Monday 17th October – Open Afternoon for Year 5/Year 6 – 2-3pm
Tuesday 18th October - Open Afternoon for Year 3/Year 4 – 2-3pm
Wednesday 19th October - Open Afternoon for Year 1/Year 2 – 2-3pm
Thursday 20th October - Open Afternoon for Year R – 2-3pm
Thursday 20th October - Ancient Greek workshop Year 6
Friday 21st October – Last day of term 1 for pupils
Monday 31st October – Start of term 2 for pupils
Tuesday 1st – Tuesday 8th November – Bikeability training for Year 6
Thursday 3rd November – Parent consultation evening – 3.30-6.30pm
Sunday 6th November – TSA Fireworks NEW
Tuesday 8th November - Parent consultation evening – 3.30-6.30pm
Wednesday 9th – Friday 11th November – Year 6 residential visit to PGL Marchants Hill
Thursday 10th November – Flu Vaccinations for Years R, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Monday 14th – Friday 18th November – Anti-bullying week
Wednesday 16th November – Flu Vaccinations – Year 6
Monday 21st – Wednesday 23rd November – Bikeability training for Year 6
Tuesday 22nd/Wednesday 23rd November – Individual/family photos: Tempest Photographers
Saturday 3rd December – TSA Christmas Market (hold the date – event tbc) NEW
Tuesday 6th, Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th December – TSA Christmas Present Room NEW
WWednesday 7th December – Christmas Performance Year R, 2.30pm NEW
Friday 9th December – Christmas Jumper Day and Christmas Lunch NEW
Tuesday 13th December - Christmas Performance Year 1, 2.30pm NEW
Thursday 15th December – Christmas Performance Year 2, 2.00pm NEW
Thursday 15th December – Carols on the Playground Y3/4, 2.55pm NEW
Friday 16th December – Carols on the Playground Y5/6, 2.55pm NEW
Friday 16th December – Last day of term 2 for pupils
Tuesday 3rd January – INSET Day – School Closed for pupils
Wednesday 4th January – First day of term 3 for pupils
Tuesday 7th February – Safer Internet Day
Friday 10th February – Last day of term 3 for pupils
Monday 20th February - INSET Day – School Closed for pupils
Tuesday 21st February – Start of term 4 for pupils
Thursday 23rd February - Parent consultation evening – 3.30-6.30pm
Tuesday 28th February - Parent consultation evening – 3.30-6.30pm
Friday 31st March – Last day of term 4 for pupils
Monday 17th April – First day of term 5 for pupils
Monday 1st May - Bank Holiday – School Closed
May – Year 2 (KS1) SATs
Monday 8th – Thursday 11th May – Year 6 (KS2) SATs
Friday 26th May – Last day of term 5 for pupils
Monday 5th June - INSET Day – School Closed for pupils
Tuesday 6th June – First day of term 6 for pupils
w/c Tuesday 6th June – Year 4 Multiplication Times Tables check
w/c Monday 12th June – Year 1 Phonics check
Friday 30th June – Sports Day
Friday 7th July – Reserve Sports Day
Friday 21st July – Last day of term/academic year for pupils
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 at approximately 2.45 pm. The assembly will begin at 2.50 pm 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 11th November Indigo Class Assembly
Friday 18th November Lilac Class Assembly
Friday 25th November Emerald Class Assembly
Friday 2nd December Azure Class Assembly
Friday 9th December Magenta Class Assembly
Friday 13th January Blue Class Assembly
Friday 20th January Violet Class Assembly
Friday 27th January Orange Class Assembly
Friday 3rd February Scarlet Class Assembly
Friday 10th February Amber Class Assembly
Friday 3rd March Lavender Class Assembly
Friday 10th March Yellow Class Assembly
Friday 17th March Crimson Class Assembly
Friday 24th March Turquoise Class Assembly
Friday 31st March Ruby Class Assembly
Friday 28th April Sapphire Class Assembly
Friday 5th May Pink Class Assembly
Friday 12th May Red Class Assembly
Friday 19th May Bears Assembly
Friday 26th May Owls Assembly
Friday 16th June Hedgehogs Assembly
