Weekly Bulletin: Friday 3rd February 2023
Headteacher’s message to parents/carers
Dear Parents/Carers,
Today is NSPCC Number Day, which we’re using to launch TT Rockstars. Great outfits, Team Tunbury! We have many rockstars among our children and staff, looking absolutely amazing …. and all of our Year 6 teachers dressed as Rick Astley! Fabulous.
Times Tables Rockstars is an online Maths tool which children can use at home and at school. It’s a fun and exciting way to practise times tables knowledge, which is incredibly popular with children all across the UK. All Tunbury children should now have their own login details for TT Rockstars, so if you have not received this please ask your child’s class teacher. Our younger children in Reception and Year 1 can log into TT Rockstars and use Numbots, which is appropriate for their Maths level (before children start to learn times tables in Year 2).
Please visit https://ttrockstars.com/ this weekend to help your child try out TT Rockstars at home. To help children learn and remember their times tables, a ‘little and often’ approach is recommended, so just 3 minutes practice is enough to make a difference. The National Curriculum expectation is that all children should know their times tables up to 12 x 12 by the end of Year 4, but we know that children need regular practice to maintain recall of their tables, right up to (and beyond) the end of Year 6.
Also this week, we would like to thank you for attending our Open Afternoons. As always, it’s been a pleasure to be able open our doors and welcome you into your school. My favourite Open Afternoon moment was probably Year 1 demonstrating to their visitors how robot arms help them in phonics, before sharing a book together to show off their fantastic reading skills. For our Year 3 and 4 parents/carers, please remember that your Open Afternoon is next Wednesday, 2.00-3.00.
Have a lovely weekend everyone. Enjoy your rockstar practice!
Best wishes
Ruth Austin
Headteacher
Our Learning Year 2
This term in year 2, we have been enjoying our learning about Pirates. This week we have started looking at non-fiction and will be writing our own information page about Pirates.
We have enjoyed reading a story all about the Night Pirates and we have used lots of adjectives and conjunctions in our writing. In art we created our own ‘pirate hands’ to decorate our topic boards. The children have also learned Captain Patch’s worst pirate curse. Ask them if they can remember it!
In Science, we have been learning about what we need to be healthy. We know that as well as eating healthy foods we need to keep clean too. This week we had to give some advice to a pirate who was very unhygienic! Captain Stinkpot is definitely not the most popular person on board at the moment.
In Computing, we have been looking at algorithms, and what information computers need in order to complete tasks, and how important it is to give clear instructions. We have been giving our Beebots instructions in order to move them around a fantasy woodland to practise thinking like a computer.
We also very much enjoyed sharing some pirate crafting activities with the grown-ups on Tuesday when we held our Year 2 open afternoon. There was lots of creativity in action and the children were really proud of the results. Thank you grown-ups!
Notices
NSPCC Number Day: Please use the following link for your £1 donation for dressing in a Maths themed outfit or as a rockstar: Tunbury Primary School is fundraising for NSPCC (justgiving.com) Thank you for your kind donations, which will go directly to the NSPCC.
Children’s Mental Health Week: Children’s Mental Health Week will take place from 6-12 February. This year’s theme is Let’s Connect, which is about making meaningful connections. Human beings thrive in communities, and this connection is vital for our wellbeing. When we have healthy connections – to family, friends and others – this can support our mental health and our sense of wellbeing.
This week in our Tuesday Assembly we introduced the theme “Lets Connect” and how we can make positive connections as a member of Team Tunbury, at home and in our community. Place2Be have some great resources for you to use on their website Families - Children's Mental Health Week (childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk) , including craft activities to develop discussion and top tips for families.
Safer Internet Day Tuesday 7.2.23: As usual, Tunbury we will be taking part in Safer Internet Day. The theme this year is ‘Want to talk about it? Making space for conversations about life online’. The children will be taking part in an Online Assembly hosted by Google’s Be Internet Legends as well as other activities meant to spark discussions.
Having conversations with children about their interactions on the online world is really important – follow this link for Top Tips for parents on how you can make space for conversations. Looking for advice on how to support your child in using technology? Follow this link Parents and Carers - UK Safer Internet Centre) for information on devices and social media guidelines.
Staffing news: We’re proud to have two Team Tunbury staff members moving on to Headteacher positions at other local primary schools. Mrs Smith has been on secondment since September to provide leadership support to another school. She has now been appointed Headteacher at this school, Platt CE Primary, and will be starting this post at Easter. Although this means that she won’t be returning back to us, everyone in Team Tunbury wishes her all the very best for this new role. Mrs Smith will be visiting us next week and will be popping into our Year 6 classes – she is looking forward to seeing some fantastic work from our Year 6 children.
While Mrs Smith has been on secondment, Miss Stevens is our Deputy Headteacher, alongside Mr Taylor. Miss Stevens has also been successful in recruitment for a Headteacher position at a Medway school and will start this post in September. Miss Stevens will be with us at Tunbury for the remainder of the academic year – plenty of time for some more innovations including a World Book Day Staff Panto, which is currently in rehearsal.
We will be recruiting a new Deputy Headteacher for September 2023 and will keep you informed of this in due course.
Team Points: this week’s totals are as follows. Hawking still in the lead with just one week to go – well done Blue team! Can you hold on until the end of term?
Rowling |
Attenborough |
Holmes |
Hawking |
4821 |
4853 |
4906 |
4934 |
Dog Owners Reminder: We understand that the school run is a good opportunity to walk your dog and encourages you to walk to school rather than drive. However, some members of our school community find walking past the number of dogs around both gates unnerving. We all have fears and for some, theirs is a fear of dogs. Please can we ask dog owners to continue to be mindful of this during the busy drop-off time and that you ensure you keep back from the school gates, that your dog is beside you and you do not allow them to jump up at children or families. May we also remind you that dogs are not permissible on the school premises at any time. Thank you in advance for your understanding and consideration in this matter.
Dates for your Diary
Term dates for 2022/23: https://www.tunbury.kent.sch.uk/Term-Dates-22-23/
Tuesday 7th February – Safer Internet Day
Wednesday 8th February - Open afternoon Y3 / Y4: 2-3pm
Wednesday 8th February – Year 5 ‘Poles Apart’ theme day – dressing up optional
Thursday 9th February – Year 2 Pirate day
Friday 10th February – Y4 Roman 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
Friday 24th February – NHS Health checks, Year 6
Tuesday 28th February - Parent consultation evening – 3.30-6.30pm
Thursday 2nd March – NEU strike date
Friday 3 March – Character Dressing Up day for World Book Day
Wednesday 15th March – NEU strike date
Thursday 16th March – NEU strike date
Friday 17TH March – National Science Day
Monday 20th March – Francophonie Day
Thursday 30th March - IRock Performance to parents am
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 May – Bank Holiday in honour of the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III
Tuesday 9th – Friday 12th May – Year 6 (KS2) SATs
Friday 19th May – Y5 Visit to Maidstone Museum
Monday 22nd– Friday 26th May – Outdoor learning week
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
Tuesday 6th- Friday 9th June – STEAM week
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 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