Here is this week's news:
Good afternoon all!
Well done to Y6 for their fantastic work and efforts with the SATs tests today. Their sensible and hardworking approach to each paper was impressive - I hope that they have had a well-deserved break today!
Leaver's events - please see the dates section for more information about the Leaver's assembly and other key dates!
PTFA - Please see below to understand the impact if our PTFA has to end as a result of lack of volunteers to form the committee.
Classes / Staffing in September:
Staffing for September has now been decided! I am delighted to let you know that Miss Thomas is staying with us for another year and will continue in Hedgehogs Class. Mrs Abell will be going on maternity during the first half term of the Autumn term. Miss Taylor is returning after her maternity leave and will teach in Rabbits Class while also being a key member of the Senior Leadership Team. This allows us to have a really smooth transition as Mrs Abell and Miss Taylor will work closely together to ensure our new reception children settle into school. So in summary, class teachers will be as follows:
Rabbits - Miss Taylor (Monday -Thursday), Miss Thomas (Friday)
Squirrels - Miss Ray (Monday - Wednesday). Mrs Wiseman (Thursday and Friday)
Foxes - Mrs Mulligan
Hedgehogs - Miss Thomas (Monday - Thursday), Mrs Leggett (Friday)
Owls - Mrs Bourton
I hope that you all have a lovely weekend and enjoy the weather (while it lasts!)
Miss Gladstone
Congratulations this week go to...
Stanley S
Sasha R
William R
Joseph M
Matilda S
19th - 21st May - Year 5&6 Pioneer Centre Residential
22nd May - Parents meeting for Macaroni Wood Residential 6pm
26th May - 30th May - Half Term holiday
4th June - Squirrels and Foxes trip to SS Great Britain
11th June - "Biker Night" on the green. PTFA/School providing refreshments from 5:15/30pm
11th & 12th June - Years 3/4 Residential at Macaroni Wood
17th June - Tewkesbury Athletics evening - to be confirmed
19th June - Bag 2 School day
25 June and 26 June - Tewkesbury School Big Step Transition days 2025
26th June - New Reception parents evening in the school hall 6:30pm
2nd July - Sports Day (afternoon)
7th July - Leavers Play dress rehearsal performance to whole school and playgroup
8th July - Leavers Play performances 2pm and 6pm
11th July - Year 5 trip to Tewkesbury Medieval Festival Schools Day
13th July - PTFA "Colour Run" event 3pm at TRAC - fun for all! (info to come)
16th July - Y6 Leavers Service at Tewkesbury Abbey 1:30pm
16th July - End of year Disco (years R,1,2,3&4) 5:30pm
16th July - Leavers Disco & celebration (Y6 and Y5 only) 6:30pm
17th July - "Break the Rules!" day (details to come)
18th July - Leavers assembly 2pm in the school hall
18th July - Last day of term
Before and After School Care
Balances MUST be cleared each month. Thank you.
Fees for our before and after school care facility are £3.50 for a morning session and £7 for an afternoon session.
Balances should be cleared by the end of each month at the latest. Many thanks. If you use government vouchers please email Mrs Tingle at bursar@twyning.gloucs.sch.uk to advise when you have made a payment, each time you do this.
How do I register my child?
To register for Before or After School Club, please complete and send in the booking form which can be downloaded from our website or ask Mrs Bowen for a printed copy. These forms should be returned to Mrs Bowen at admin@twyning.gloucs.sch.uk .
This message is only in relation to the paid after school care facility: Please could parents wait by the main front entrance door after ringing the bell, and not walk up the outside steps. A member of staff will come down to the library to let you in to collect your children from after school club. Many thanks for your cooperation.
Please can we remind you to thoroughly sun cream your children before school and send hats, especially on PE days, as we move into summer. Thank you.
There is a parents meeting on Thursday 22nd May at 6pm regarding the residential to Macaroni Wood. We realise that year 4 parents may not wish (or need) to attend again, and letters/information will be given directly to your children on Friday 23rd May if not in attendance.
Please can everyone make sure all junior school dinners accounts are in credit at all times. Many thanks.
The cost of a school dinner is now £2.85.
Don't forget, if you qualify and have registered for Pupil Premium/Free School Meals, your child will receive free school meals throughout their time here at Twyning School. See this link to check if you qualify www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/education-and-learning/school-transport-and-free-school-meals/apply-for-free-school-meals/
The summer menu is out and is now available from the school website - click to download or ask at the office for a printed copy. www.twyningschool.co.uk/page/school-lunches/106163
Our PTFA Committee are stepping down this year after many years of volunteering. We now have a new treasurer but will still need a Chair and also preferably a Secretary in order to continue as a PTFA. Please come and see me or Mrs Bowen if you are interested in forming a new committee and/or volunteering as a committee member or email Mrs Bowen at admin@twyning.gloucs.sch.uk .
If the PTFA has to fold, the events that our children enjoy every year will not be possible. For example, there will be no Pantomime trip as the coaches (which are over £600) are funded by the PTFA , no discos and even no Christmas fair. Money raised over the last few years has been recently been spent on new laptops for the children to use. We are so very grateful for these as we simply did not have enough for every child to have one when needed in lessons.
Our music teacher Aidan Pope has a couple of vacancies for private music lessons if anyone is interested. Aidan teaches piano, guitar and drums.
He has a couple of sessions immediately after-school on Wednesday's/Friday's and one lunch time slot on a Friday. If you are interested please email aidanpopemusician@gmail.com to find out prices and book a space.
There will be more spaces available come September when our year 6 pupils will have left us. Thank you.
Please can I remind you all that our policy is for children to drink water only as part of our healthy schools status.
Can we also remind you that we encourage the following foods as suitable snack choices at break time:
Fruit, vegetables, cheese, cereal bar, fruit bar.
We do remind children not to eat crisps and chocolate at break times where possible.
Thank you so much.
The Government's Simpler Recycling scheme came into effect today for schools, and encourages us to separate and recycle waste into glass (washed), metal (washed), plastic (washed), paper and food waste - with food waste bins mandatory. We have made the decision to send all packed lunch box rubbish home. This already happens in many other schools and seems the easiest way to deal with mixed unwashed rubbish from lunch boxes. Children have been told to keep all of their rubbish and put it in their lunch boxes after they have eaten. We hope you will support us with this. Classrooms now have food waste bins and always have had paper and cardboard bins which we continue to use.
Some useful links:
Keeping children safe online: www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/children-young-people-and-families/keeping-your-child-safe-online/
Safeguarding and E Safety: www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/curations/anti-bullying-week
Gaming and social media : www.askaboutgames.com/pegi-age-ratings#:~:text=Essentially,%20the%20PEGI%20rating%20on,deemed%20suitable%20for%20adults%20only.
If you believe your family to be eligible for Free School Meals, please click on this link: https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/education-and-learning/school-transport-and-free-school-meals/apply-for-free-school-meals/
Health and sickness information "Is my child too ill for school?" https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
Please click this link to view our School Attendance Policy, Absence Request forms, and other attendance documentation. www.twyningschool.co.uk/page/attendance/101727
Register for School Milk: https://www.coolmilk.com
A collection of links to find and get help in all sorts of situations from Anxiety, Health related, young persons help, depression and much more:
hubofhope.co.uk/concerns?concerns=86&latitude=52.0286023&longitude=-2.1466844
Gloucestershire Families in Partnership news and information can be found by clicking here:
Unless your child is really unwell (see link below) we encourage you to still send them in to school. We are able to administer Calpol and antibiotics in school - forms are available from Mrs Bowen in the Office so please call in with any medication and complete one if necessary.
Please click the link below to see NHS guidelines regarding illnesses.
www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
Please remember to report sickness/illness daily to us via School Spider or email to Mrs Bowen on admin@twyning.gloucs.sch.uk. It is important that illness is reported to school first thing in the morning, otherwise your child's absence could be recorded as an 'unauthorised absence'. If your child is frequently absent due to illness we may ask for a doctors note as per our attendance policy.
Please see below some useful links to a few excellent wellbeing and mental health resources and an amazing digital therapy app for children:
www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/media/mujkq12k/gcc_3002-cyp-mental-health-handout_aw-crop-large.pdf
hubofhope.co.uk/concerns?concerns=86&latitude=52.0286023&longitude=-2.1466844
Please click on these links to view our guides to contacting school. We have also linked relevant policies for reference.
Contact
Please feel free to make contact with me via email head@twyning.gloucs.sch.uk should you need to speak to me. During evenings and weekends, I may not be able to respond to you straight away but I will make contact with you during normal working hours as soon as I can. Many thanks for all of your support.
Kindest regards
Miss L Gladstone
Headteacher