Newsletter: 3rd February 2023
Posted on February 3, 2023 | By Mr Cole
Safer Internet Day 2023
Safer Internet Day takes place next Tuesday and all children will be revisiting their existing learning about keeping safe online during the week. Lucas, Charlotte, Anise, Lacie, Alfie and Genevieve all took part in a special day at St Mary’s this week, preparing resources with other children from across the ACCT Schools which they will present back in their own assemblies next week.
Meanwhile, you can help promote safe internet use at home –bearing in mind the insternet safety watchdogs are particularly concerned about the Under-11s being specifically targeted at the moment– by following simple steps such as having parental controls turned on with your Internet Provider, limiting mobile data use and having technology in communal areas of your home, not in children’s bedrooms.
There is a lot of advice out these which can help you with a wide range of worries. Just a few of them are shown below:
- https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/
- https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/
- https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/parents-and-carers
As with all things to do with Safeguarding, you can also speak to any adult in your child’s school if you have a specific concern or need advice.
School Jotter 2 
As I’m sure you’ll remember, when the school websites were upgraded onto our provider’s new platform way back in September, we were told that everyone would move to School Jotter 3 for notifications and news alters. After months of wrangling with Webanywhere we have come to the conclusion that School Jotter 3 is just too cumbersome to be useful as our main messaging tool to you.
Therefore, we have agreed with the company that we will remain on the old School Jotter 2 platform for communications – so if you have downloaded SJ3 (the pencil icon in the BLUE circle) please delete it as messages will not appear from us via that app. If you haven’t still got the School Jotter 2 app (the GREEN pencil icon – see above) please download it from your app store. You will then need to search for Village Schools Partnership and sign up within the app for notifications which are relevant to you. Ideally, these will be:
- Village Schools Partnership (everyone)
- Your child’s School
- Your child’s Class
We will also continue to send you messages via the Parent Pay/ ScoPay messaging service, as SMS or emails, depending ont he preferences you’ve told us about.
Miss Piper
Miss Piper, who returned from her maternity leave at the start of the school year, has been working part-time across all three schools delivering the Nuffield Early Language Intervention Programme (NELI) to some of our youngest children.
NELI comes to an end at this mid-way point through the school year and I am really pleased to say we have re-assigned Miss Piper’s hours to attach her to Orleigh Class on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. So, from after Half Term, there will be three adults with the youngest children at Buckland Brewer School: Miss Shorney remains the Class Teacher for Preschool, Reception and Year 1 children and will continue to be supported by Mrs Powe in addition to Miss Piper’s new hours.
I know the children who have followed the NELI programme with Miss Piper have very much enjoyed it and we’ve seen some great impact in early language development.
FOBBS 100 Club and Thanks
Hello FOBBS Supporter/s,
Firstly, thank you to everyone who bought a tea towel. This raised £91 for FOBBS funds which will help us buy waterproofs to support Forest School sessions at Buckland Brewer.
We will be renewing the 100 Club subscription in January ready for the February draw. It only costs £12 per year, if we sell all the 100 tickets, prizes will be £25, £15 & £10 each month. However, they will be pro rata if we sell less.
We launched our 100 Club last year and are very pleased to say it has raised over £300 for the school and over £300 in prize money. This year we are hoping to sell all the 100 tickets! If you would like to keep your number/s, existing members are invited to continue playing, if you would like to pay by cash, cheque or Bacs (this is our preferred way please if possible), here are the details.
- Cash in a named envelope, this can be given to the school office, any member of the committee or posted through Granville Cottage’s letter box!
- Cheques payable to Friends of Buckland Brewer School – same delivery as above.
Bacs details are –
- Account: Friends of Buckland Brewer School
- Sort Code: 30 90 78
- Account No: 27063468
- Reference: Your Name (very important)
Unless otherwise advised, a member will be deemed to have left the Club if his or her renewal of subscription remains unpaid for a period of one month. Please don’t forget to inform us of any changes to your details.
If you know anyone else that would like to join in, have a chance to win and support our local school please contact Carol Rowling, Suzanne Mills or email friendsofbbschool@gmail.com for an application form.
Many thanks for your continued support.
FOBBS Committee
Next Friday is PJ Day for any children attending Buckland Brewer School – details below…
Car Troubles
We have had some complaints from Woolsery residents about inconsiderate parking and driving too fast on Copper Hill, especially around the Manor Park/Auction Way junctions. This was particularly bad during the recent road closure in the centre of the village. Please could you make sure these issues are not coming from parents at drop-off and pick-up times. Thank you.
A reminder to all about the Movie Night on Friday February 10th from 3.30- 5.30pm, in the school hall. The children voted to watch:
‘The Secret Life of Pets’!
Please buy tickets via PayPal if you can, via this link:
http://paypal.com/gb/fundraiser/charity/3251962 Click ‘Donate’ then ‘other’ and input £2.50.
You can also give cash to any of the committee and we’ll add your name to a list for a ticket. Last minute tickets will be available on the door too!
£2.50 to include popcorn and a drink.
We know that most children are very hungry after a busy day at school so hotdogs and sweets will also be available to buy. Please send them in with a few extra ££ if you are happy for them to eat more before you pick them up at 5.30pm.
As always, all money raised will go towards enhancing the experiences of Woolsery pupils.
2nd hand uniform
We have sold lots of school jumpers recently so stock is getting low. Please donate any outgrown uniform you have. Text Kate on 07760 236741
Gliddon & Squire Cross Country
Best of luck to our runners for the latest fixture of the Gliddon and Squires Cross Country League, This Sunday, the 5th February it is at Coxleigh Barton Equestrian Centre, Shirwell with the first race at 10am.
Football Success
Well done to the girls’ football teams from the Partnership who competed really well at the tournament on Wednesday. The oldest players were only knocked out on goal difference, with the younger girls beating several other schools to finish at the top end of the table. Thank you to all the parents, and to Ms Smith, who made the morning at Kingsley School so enjoyable!
Newspaper needed
If you have old copies of newspapers please send them in to your child’s school. Our Forest School Leader, Lou Grout, will be using these with the children in forest school sessions. Thank you.
Love Yourself Day at Parkham
Children attending Parkham Primary are invited to participate in this event which has been organised by FOPPS…
Parent Support
There are a couple of really good opportunities coming up for parents who may be struggling with relationships, or who have children on the autisism assessment pathway:
The first is a leaflet about the Heappy Familes, Happy Futures programme which several of our families have alreadty taken part in and have found it really useful and empowering. You can self refer onto this programme if you’d like to take part:
There is more information about the Programme here: Parent Information Leaflet
Support for Autistic children and families
Support for parents/carers of Devon primary and secondary children who are either on the autism waiting list or who have received a diagnosis of autism.
Our ‘Autism & Us’ programme and themed workshops delivered this academic year will once again be offered during the forthcoming Spring term for parents/carers of Devon primary and secondary school children, pre or post diagnosis.
We are delighted to announce that we are offering access for families of CYP (Children & Young People) who are currently on the autism assessment pathway, in addition to families of CYP who have received an autism diagnosis.
Attending the ‘Autism & Us’ parent programme gives you an opportunity to develop your understanding of autism and look at practical solutions to managing and supporting your child’s presenting needs.
Full programme details and application process below:
Autism & Us programmes:
4 weekly ‘live online’ sessions (approx. 2hrs each) related to the following topic/themes.
| No. | Topic | Programme 1 | Programme 2 | Trainer |
| 1 | Autism overview | Wed 11 Jan 4.30 – 6.30pm |
Mon 6 Mar 10am – 12pm |
Paul Lamanna |
| 2 | Communication | Wed 18 Jan 4.30 – 6.30pm |
Mon 13 Mar 10am – 12pm |
Laura O’Shea |
| 3 | Understanding and supporting behaviour |
Wed 1 Feb 4.30 – 6.30pm |
Mon 20 Mar 10am – 12pm |
Laura Matthews |
| 4 | Sensory | Wed 8 Feb 4.30 – 6.30pm |
Mon 27 Mar 10am – 12pm |
Kevin Jones |
The following topic based workshops, are also available for parents/carers of CYP (Children & Young People) who are currently on the autism assessment pathway, in addition to families of CYP who have received an autism diagnosis. You can choose from these based on the relevance to you and your family.
| Date | Time | Topic | Trainer |
| Tues 23 Feb | 10am – 12pm | Autism – Demand avoidance + PDA | Robert Good |
| Tues 2 Mar | 10am – 12pm | Autism – Communication (verbal – support strategies) | Laura O’Shea |
| Tues 14 Mar | 10am – 12pm | Autism – Managing stress + anxiety | Alison Cann |
| Thurs 23 Mar | 10am – 12pm | Autism – Vulnerability + online safety | Paul Lamanna |
| Tues 28 Mar | 10am – 12pm | Autism – Communication (pre/non verbal – support strategies | Laura Matthews |
Apply direct by email to: educationlearnersupport@devon.gov.uk to secure a place on any of the above topic based workshops. We will confirm your booking request, and provide you with a direct link to the event. They will be delivered on line ‘live’ via the Microsoft TEAMs platform.
Well done to eveyone who was presented with a Headteacher’s Award today in recognition of developing their positive learning behaviours which are represented by our six Learning Animals:
Orleigh: Mylee (bee)- for being kind to others and a good friend, offering to help others where she can; Jensen (spider)- for making links and using his number bonds to 10 to help him find number bonds to 20
Tythecott: Grace (bee) – Well done Grace for being a busy bee at Appledore Art this week and sharing shades of colours with others. Jack (tortoise) – For being a resilient tortoise in applying himself to all areas of the curriculum, well done Jack.
Gorwood: Bella (tortoise) – for overcoming her worries and performing her gymnastic routine; Tommy (cat) – for always getting involved in his learning and asking questions and being curious
Foxdown: Veronika (cat) – Veronika is very curious and is happy to question anything she doesn’t understand. Her curiosity is helping her to learn; Athea (bee) – Athea has enjoyed being back with her peers and has enjoyed playing and learning with her friends in Foxdown.
Melbury: Jake (spider) – Jake has been making links in Maths using his multiplication knowledge to solve length problems; Josie (bee) – Josie supported others in her group to find different locations in China.
Goldworthy: Harry S (tortoise) – for continuing to show maturity and focus towards his learning. Harry has been challenged this week to learn a different method of division, which took resilience to observe and magpie, and then to complete calculations independently; Ava (dolphin) – for being engaged to edit and improve her chronological report independently; focusing on describing adaptations of animals in a chosen environment
Sunflowers: Violet and Charley for settling into their new routines at Sunflowers.
Cranford: Grace and Coco (bees) – for helping the younger children access our classroom by setting up and talking to them about their learning. Two great role models!
Burscott: Lily (tortoise) – Great effort in all areas – especially writing and maths, showing an improvement in her confidence; Freddie (tortoise) – working really hard to produce some great independent writing based on Dear Mother Goose.(tortoise)
Stroxworthy: Lyonie (tortoise) – for being resilient and persevering with her understanding of comparing measurements in maths; Alfie (dolphin) – for diving into his learning and trying his hardest every week to learn his times tables.
Alminstone: Jamie (dolphin) – diving into his maths learning and using known facts to help him convert different units of length. Fantastic effort; Lyla (bee) – for showing team spirit by volunteering to hunt down some long willow, so that the class could enjoy smores at Forest School. Excellent handling of the long armed loppers as well, Lyla!
Ashmansworthy: Cobain (tortoise) – for showing resilience and determination in swimming, especially with back stroke; Jackie (tortoise) – for showing resilience and determination in swimming, especially with jumping into the pool
| Monday |
Cranford Class Forest School Y6 & Reception Height & Weight checks – Parkham |
| Tuesday |
Safer Internet Day Alminstone Class Forest School Ashmansworthy Class Forest School Tythecott Class: Tennis with ARC (pm) |
| Wednesday |
Melbury Class: China Day Tythecott Class: final Art Morning at Appledore Orleigh Class Forest School Foxdown Class Forest School |
| Thursday | Gorwood Class Swimming (pm) |
| Friday |
Ashmansworthy Class Swimming (am) Tythecott Class: China Day |
Mr Cole’s planned schedule
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| Monday | Various | Various | Various |
| Tuesday | All Day | ||
| Wednesday | Morning | Afternoon | |
| Thursday | Afternoon | Morning | |
| Friday | Morning | Afternoon | Afternoon |
with best wishes,
Mr Cole