Not going anywhere in a hurry!

Still at home with husband and Thomas. Those Christmas presents that I didn't manage to buy at the Christmas Fayre- I still haven't bought! My shopping list still sits on the kitchen table and includes turkey, sprouts and all the rest of Christmas dinner. Taken the dog for lots of walks he loves the snow although it is very deep today.

Snow

Views from all around my house.

Not quite prepared to be snowed in!

Victorian Christmas

Chair of Governors with Santa

The last few days of the term were rather hectic. The Christmas Cracker Fayre went well all thanks to a dedicated KSA committee and helpers. Spent most of the evening in Santa's Grotto taking photos so my plans to do some Christmas shopping didn't happen. Everyone had a lovely evening and I'm pleased we went ahead with it.

The year 3 /4 Candlelit Victorian Carol Service was great. The KSA served mince pies and mulled wine and the children entertained their guests with traditional carols, extracts from 'A Christmas Carol' and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas'. Both evenings were excellent. Well done children and teachers.

On Wednesday we had our school Christmas Dinner. This is always well received particularly as Father Christmas pays a visit in the afternoon bringing presents to everyone.

On Thursday morning we held our end of term service at Saint Mary's. Sadly the Reverend Pam was unwell and unable to attend. The children who took the service were excellent. In the afternoon the foundation class and year 1 children went to the theatre to see 'Room on a Broom'. They all had a lovely time and this was a perfect end to the term.

We were fortunate to finish on the Thursday as during the night along came the snow. Lots of it and I have been unable to drive anywhere since then. The views from my house are spectacular and the lanes thick with deep untouched snow. My dog loves it. Not sure if I am sufficiently prepared for hibernation though. Freezer full but no turkey or sprouts!

Have a great Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

Peace Child

Busy, busy week.

Monday was fairly quiet although there were already staff and children absent with a variety of ailments ranging from sore throats , coughs, high temperatures and sickness. By the end of the week there were 65 children absent and 5 staff which made it increasingly difficult for the year 5/6 performances on Thursday and Friday. Despite this, the performances were superb. Each night different children stood in for those who were absent. Both evenings were fabulous and I am very proud of both the children and staff that made this happen. Well done to you all.

On Wednesday I accompanied the Key Stage 2 children to the Brewhouse Theatre to watch the 'Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'. This was an excellent production and we all had a great time. In the afternoon the Year 6 and myself went to see the Foundation and Key Stage 1 Nativity, 'Born in a Barn'. You can't help shedding a few tears here and I can't wait to have a copy of the DVD. All thanks to Mrs Botrill who recorded all performances in order to sell them and raise money for the school. If you haven't ordered a copy pop into the office next week or talk to Mrs Botrill.

On a more trivial matter, I have had a quiet weekend catching up on my favourite soap 'Coronation Street' and watching the finals of Strictly Come Dancing and the X Factor. How sad am I?

On Monday this week (6-8pm) I hope you will all attend the Christmas Cracker Fayre which has plenty of stalls, refreshments and of course a visit from FC himself. On Tuesday and Wednesday evening years 3 and 4 entertain us all with a more traditional Christmas Carol Service which I am looking forward to. Refreshments will be served by the KSA and includes mince pies and mulled wine. Again all proceeds will go to school priorities. On Thursday everyone is welcome to our end of term service at St. Mary's Church starts 10.30am. In the afternoon Foundation and year 1 will be going to the theatre to see 'Room on a Broom'.

Enjoy the week and I hope to see you at some of the events.

p.s. I will post more photos during the week . There should also be photos in the Gazette and the Mid- Devon Star so look out for them.

Winter Wonderland

The lanes where I live.

My oil tank!

Getting ready for Christmas

Year 3 making Christmas Wreaths
.

Year 6 Painting the scenery for Peace Child.

Beginning to feel alot like Christmas!

On Wednesday evening I went to the Cullompton Community College Christmas Market and Food Fair. The event was fabulously well attended and a great success. Very well done to Ruth Squires and the other members of the Cullompton School PTFA who I know worked very hard in organising and promoting this event.

Thursday morning we all woke up to snow and although it looked beautiful it caused the usual chaos on the roads. The children from the outer villages enjoyed the snow at home as all the buses were cancelled. Myself and some other staff left at lunch time because we live in remote locations where access can be difficult. I haven't been in since! The lanes are sheer ice and even today there has been no change.


Meanwhile in school last week those who made it were busy getting ready for the school plays and making scenery and props. The children have also been making Christmas Wreaths as part of the Outdoor Learning Programme.


They had intended to sell them at the Christmas Cracker Fayre but sadly we had to postpone the evening because of the weather conditions. We have managed to book another date which will be confirmed on Monday. Although the KSA were very disappointed I hope that many of you enjoyed the Turkeys that had been already prepared. The staff and myself really appreciate all the effort that the KSA put in and hope that you will support them by coming to the rearranged Christmas Cracker Fayre if you can.

Lots happening next week: Foundation and KS1 Nativity, KS2 visit to the theatre to see 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe', and the KS2 performances of the Peace Child.

The wintry weather is here and I haven't left the house all weekend except for letting the chickens out. My dog, Thomas, is staring at me as I type but I'm avoiding eye contact because he's still waiting for 'the grand day out'.

School was busy last week and filled with the sound of children singing and practicing their parts in the school productions. The music room is above my office and throughout most weeks I 'enjoy' a variety of tunes on a range of instruments starting with piano and ending with drumming! Concentrating with the latter is really difficult so I tend to spend Fridays around the school and visiting the children in the Foundation stage. On Fridays the pre-school children spend some time with Mrs A in preparation for starting school in January and it's a great opportunity for me to start learning their names.

Sparklers in the Glade went well on Friday evening, despite the weather, and it was lovely to see the year 6 children looking after their buddies. The evening was a great opportunity for staff to meet new parents . It was so cold I spent most of my time around the campfire or hugging the Cob Oven!

Next Friday(6pm-8pm) we have the Christmas Cracker Fayre which is always well attended. I'll probably start my Christmas shopping then. The Kentisbeare School Association (KSA) have been busy preparing the event and it would be great to see you all there.

I am really impressed with the new KSA facebook page set up by Helen Botrill, the new chair and supported by the pro-active committee. All Kentisbeare parents are automatically members of the KSA but if you wish to access the page you need to be invited into the group by other members. The committee are hoping that this will be a great outlet to share information regarding events they are holding. Any questions or queries please contact Helen Botrill or other members of the committee.

Have a good week and keep warm. The dog has taken my husband for a walk around Killerton!

Tracey Hailey

The highlight of the children's week was obviously Friday when they supported Children in Need. The school council organised the day and invited children to 'Wear Spots' for the day and bring in a pound towards this worthy charity. They also organised a cake stall for the end of the day which was well supported. Many thanks to all the children and adults who helped make the day a success. Next week I'll tell you how much we raised and post a few photographs too.

Mrs Ainsworth was Forest School Training again this week which I know will have a great impact on the Outdoor Learning Programme(OLP) for Foundation and Key Stage 1 children. The OLP is working well in Key Stage 2 organised and run by Mrs Postlethwaite.Mr White and I attended a course on 21st Century Curriculum run by Chris Quigley. It was an inspirational day and also reassuring in many ways because it was very much in line with what we are trying to achieve at Kentisbeare. We came away with fresh ideas to discuss with staff.Throughout the year staff attend courses and meetings some of them compulsory but others to extend their own professional development and enrich the learning for our children.

Also last week I spent many hours in meetings with colleagues from neighbouring schools and at the Devon Association of Primary Headings briefing. Much of the discussion and concern was about how schools will continue to meet the needs of the children in this period of financial restraint. During the last 12 years budgets have increased and many initiatives have been introduced into schools. Daily I hear on the news ' what's in and what's now out' but many of the things we have introduced at Kentisbeare work well. We are all experiencing a period of uncertainty under new leadership but one thing is for sure all schools will be expected to cut spending costs but increase efficiency.

Don't forget Next Friday 26th November is another non-uniform day. For the privilege of wearing what you like children need to bring a bottle for the Tombola at the Christmas Fayre, which is on Friday 3rd December 6-8pm.

Last week felt very long mainly because of wet play-times. Sadly the weekend weather has been equally grim.Unfortunately we had to cancel 'Sparklers in the Glade' on Friday but hope to find another evening before Christmas.

The week started well with the year 5/6 athletic team winning the indoor tournament at Uffculme Secondary. Medals were awarded in our Celebration Assembly.

On Tuesday the year 3/4 children had a visit from the Really Wild Show as part of their work on Habitats and Rainforests. Everyone had a fantastic time and I'm pleased to say all beasties were accounted for at the end of the day.

It was lovely showing around prospective parents this week who were very complimentary about the school, the pupils and all we do.

I am pleased to say that on Thursday evening the Kentisbeare School Association (KSA)Meeting was well attended and we now have a complete committee and the support of many. If you couldn't make this meeting but are happy to help at events please contact the school or speak directly to the Chair Helen Botrell.

As part of our Remembrance Day Collective Worship we held a 2 minute silence and I felt very proud of how all our children, including the 4 year olds were able to show respect in this way.

The year 6 had a visit from Caroline Atkins, England International Cricketer who worked with the childen and plans to return again soon. The year 4 children are taking part in a 'Maths through Rugby' scheme which involves a player from Exeter Chiefs working with the children. It has been great so far and who knows maybe he can get the rest of the team to pay us a visit before the end of term.

Rehearsals for the Christmas Productions have started and the KSA are planning the Christmas Cracker Fayre. Before this we will be supporting Children in Need by having a non uniform day on Friday 19th November. The schools involvement has been planned by the School Council and they would like all the children and adults to wear spotty clothing and bring a contribution of 50p for this excellent charity.

Another busy week. Hopefully a dry one.

A busy time for everyone last week with 2 late evenings with parents. I enjoyed chatting to many parents who were waiting for their appointments. It's always great to catch up on news particularly about ex-pupils who have gone on to secondary school.

I also enjoyed meeting parents of our January starters who attended our information evening on Thursday. Mrs Ainsworth (class teacher) led the session, handed out our Welcome Pack and answered any questions. Both evenings went well and I received a positive response from many parents regarding our Outdoor Learning Programme which has been running since September.

The OLP is a culmination of initiatives we have implemented over the years: Forest School, Eco schools, Sustainable schools development and so on. Each year group in KS2 has an afternoon working on the OLP and the feedback from the children and parents has been excellent. We intend to do the same in Fondation and KS1 one the staff training is completed.

Bikeability training also took place this week for our year 6 children. This was quite an intense course but very worth while. The children will be presented with their certificates next week.

Also next week don't forget the Kentisbeare School Association (KSA) meeting on Thursday 11th November in the school hall. We really do need your support.

I'm looking forward to Friday when our September and January starters are invited to a 'Sparklers in the Glade' evening. We have done this for several years now and it has been great. Food cooked outside and an opportunity for parents to meet each other, the staff and the year 6 buddies.

Have a good week.

Thank you to all the parent volunteers and staff who gave up the first day of the holidays to help tidy up the school grounds. I know I speak for all the staff and governors when I say how much your support is appreciated. The rest of the week I enjoyed walking on Dartmoor and visiting other areas of interest with family.

Look forward to seeing you all on Monday. Don't forget Parent Evenings this week. If you can't make any of these days please telephone the office and we can make an alternative arrangement.

The last week before half term was very busy with our youngest children visiting Paignton Zoo and years 5 and 6 away for 2 days. Other classes enjoyed the outdoor learning classroom and year 4 went orienteering at Killerton.

I went along with the year 5/6 children and had a brilliant time. Although I appreciated the week off to recover afterwards. Both days were action packed but very different. On day one we went to Broadsands, had a short walk and then went crabbing at Stoke Gabriel. The children were so excited I was surprised none of them fell into the water. In total the children caught 273 crabs with their lines and I am pleased to say our catch was all safely returned to its natural habitat before we left.

Maypool Youth Hostel was great and had fabulous views looking down over the River Dart. We were quite disappointed to find that the Hostel was for sale and we were probably the last school to use it. Such a shame. In the evening the staff acted out a Murder Mystery Agather Christie style. It was such good fun- well the staff enjoyed it any way! Big thanks to Miss Dudley and Mrs Ainsworth who joined us in the evening just to contribute to the play and then had to travel back early in the morning to be in time for their classes.

The second day was spent at Greenway, the home of Agather Christie and the children impressed the national trust staff with their knowledge of the author already. The weather was great and we spent time down by the boathouse sketching and taking in the amazing views.

I'm sure the children had as good a time as I certainly did.

I spent Saturday walking the dog on the beach and beautiful coastline paths of Broadsands. We intend to take the year 5/6 children there next week as part of their learning this term and someone had to do the risk assessments! The weather was glorious you wouldn't think it was nearly the end of October. We also visited the River Shack bistro, in the beautiful village of Stoke Gabriel on the River Dart. The mill Pool here is famous for crabbing and that's what we intend to do with 52 children. I can't wait.

Thursday and Friday of last week I spent at the Devon Association of Primary Headteachers' Conference at Saunton Sands, North Devon. It is great to have an opportunity to get away occasionally with others and have time to think and refocus on my role as a school leader. I listened to inspirational speakers who raised my awareness of the changing world our children are growing up in and this reassured me that at Kentisbeare School we are delivering a curriculum that is exciting and relevant to our children. Although I know there is plenty of room for further development.

News is filtering through that school budgets may not be affected in the Spending Review however we await with interest to see what the results will be. The governors and myself are always thinking and planning many months and years ahead but such uncertainties make it difficult to make concrete plans for the future. After next week we might have more information regarding this.

In the meantime have a good week and let's hope the weather is as good as it has been this weekend.

Tracey Hailey

Apple Day

This week Kentisbeare children were out in the community again enjoying the sunshine and visiting local orchards in celebration of Harvest time. The school , inside and out, has been filled with the wonderful aroma of baking apples. We are so fortunate at Kentisbeare school to be able to take advantage of the thriving village life and beautiful countryside on our doorstep. I would like to say a big thank you to all the parent helpers and members of the community who continue to support the school and as a result enrich the children's learning.

Thank you

Wet play-times made the week feel very long and I was looking forward to a quiet weekend. The children are now well settled into the term and the staff are beginning to plan future events on our Autumn Calendar. Harvest Service is our first and just to remind you that this will be held at St. Mary's Church on Monday 11th October at 11 am. The year 6 children will be preparing a Harvest Cream Tea for grandparents and local celebrities. This year this will be held in the school hall and the children plan to take their guests for a tour around the school and grounds.

This week we celebrated the successes of our boys and girls football teams who came back victorious from a tournament at Blundell's School. This was run by Devon and Cornwall Police who will be vising the school soon to award certificates.

Next week we will be having a visit from Cullompton Firefighters who will be talking to all the children about fire safety.

A busy week ahead with lots of meetings in the evenings for me. It would be great to see some of you at the Kentisbeare School Association (KSA) meeting on Thursday. Remember if you have children at Kentisbeare School you are automatically a member of the KSA. The committee plan events to help raise money for school priorities. See you there.

Have a good week.

After the excitement of last week, this week felt very quiet in school but that might also have been because the year 3 children were on residential! The class spent 3 days at Pixies Holt and for most of them it was their first nights away from home. They participated in lots of activities which included; caving, archery and letter boxing on the moors. I don't suppose for one minute they slept much on the first night but I know they all looked ready for the weekend when they got out of the minibus on Friday and that includes the teachers.

Next week I'll post some more pictures but there will be many more on our website soon.

Tracey Hailey

Fabulous Strings Day

Always a busy week but Wednesday and Thursday produced the most photos. Unfortunately I didn't bring any home to share with you but I'll post some tomorrow.

On Wednesday the Tour of Britain came through Cullompton and the year 5 children went to support it. Together with staff and parents the children cycled to town and joined the crowds cheering and waving flags. Like last year this event was well supported by Devon schools and many promote cycling as part of their healthy schools agenda.

On Thursday we were thrilled to have Brian Wickland & Brother Mule an American Blue Grass Band visit the school. The day was organised by Sue Rivett our violin tutor who is a real asset to the school. The band spent the day running workshops with our children who play string instruments and entertained the whole school with their own music, encouraging them to join in with the singing. This was a fabulous and memorable experience for all of us. Thank you Sue and the band.

New Term New Year

Welcome back everyone. Had a great holiday and feel well rested although first week back felt very long and I'm pleased it's the weekend. I popped over to France at the end of August to Mr White and Miss Le Boyer's wedding which was lovely. Photos of the happy couple above

All the children had a good start to the term and our foundation children got through their first week with few tears and so did the teachers! The year 6 children were eager to meet their buddies and it is always lovely to see the growing relationship between our youngest and oldest children.

More news next week.

Tracey Hailey