News & Key Dates
HEADTEACHER MESSAGE
As this busy half term draws to a close, I want to take a moment to thank you for your ongoing support in helping your children thrive. Outcomes for children are always at their best when we work together, and your partnership is a vital part of our school community.
It’s been a super-busy few weeks, filled with joyful moments and opportunities to reflect on the privilege of working with children. Seeing them grow, learn, and build confidence each day is truly inspiring.
Looking ahead to the next half term, we can expect brighter days and warmer weather – finally! With a little luck, we’ll be able to open up the back field once again for the children to enjoy during playtimes and outdoor learning.
I hope you all have a restful and enjoyable half term break—let’s hope for some sunshine to lift our spirits!
CHINESE LUNAR NEW YEAR
Elmers had a fantastic time celebrating Chinese Lunar New Year!
Nikita, who celebrates this festival, kindly visited us to share her family traditions. She told the class all about the festivities and even gave them lucky red envelopes to put under their pillows!
Elmers enjoyed creating Happy New Year cards, playing in the Chinese restaurant role play and crafting their own playdough snakes.
A big thank you to Jade Orchid Takeaway for generously treating Elmers with a delicious Chinese feast to mark the end of our fun-filled week!
THANK YOU!
A huge thank you to our wonderful parent volunteers for generously giving their time and effort to paint the new role-play and storage units in our Reception class.
Your hard work has truly transformed the space, creating an inviting and inspiring environment for our children to enjoy. We are so grateful for your support.
WHY SHOULD YOU READ?
Reading books is a very valuable out-of-school activity for children linked to better career prospects. Not only is reading for pleasure associated with a significantly improved probability of going to university, it’s also associated with a higher probability of entering a professional or managerial job.
Ref: Mark Taylor - PhD candidate in Sociology at Nuffield College, Oxford.
READ FOR GOOD
We are delighted to announce that we will again be taking part in a sponsored Readathon from 14th February up to and including March 7th
Money raised will support Read for Good’s Hospital programme and provide brand new books and regular storyteller visits to the UK’s 30 major children’s hospitals, along with raising money for new books for our own school library. Last year you raised a staggering total of over £800
The Reading Ambassador’s are holding an assembly for the school on Thursday 13th February and your child will come home with their sponsorship form and more information about the event after this assembly.
WORLD BOOK DAY
World Book Day will be taking place on Thursday 6 March 2025. This annual celebration of authors, illustrators, books and the joy of reading is one of the highlights of our school year.
PARENT CHAMPION FOR SEND - CONFIDENTIAL MONTHLY SUPPORT AND ADVICE FOR FAMILIES
As a school, we want to play a role in improving SEND services for our children. We have an opportunity to provide a confidential space here in school for families of children with SEND through a new Parent Champion project delivered and funded by SENDiass4BCP and Parent Carers Together.
Each month a dedicated Parent Champion will hold one session to support families in navigating appropriate local and national services and networks to meet the needs of their children. Time slots will be allocated to individual families on a first come first served basis and are held in confidence during the school day. Please send an email to parent.champion@twynhamprimary.com should you wish to book a session and a date and time will be allocated to you. Each session is 30 minutes and will be running on the following dates:
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Monday 10th March, 9.15-11.15am
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Monday 31st March, 9.15-11.15am
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Monday 28th April, 9.15-11.15am
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Monday 19th May, 9.15-11.15am
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Monday 23rd June, 9.15-11.15am
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Monday 14th July, 9.15-11.15am
If you are experiencing difficulties and are unsure where to access the support and resources you need, please do get in touch. The role of the Parent Champion is to listen and to share knowledge of the services and the networks in your local community that may be of help to you.
This is a valuable resource we are so pleased to be part of. Together we can improve services and support for families across our school community.
EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR PARENT TRAINING
TPS are aiming to facilitate a range of free courses/workshops for parents/carers run by Skills and Learning.
Please click the link below to find out more about the courses/workshops on offer and express your interest.
https://forms.office.com/e/D5LLBPmhWd
CLASS ASSEMBLIES
We are delighted to invite Parents and Carers to view their child's Class Assembly this Term.
Please arrive by 2:45pm and enter via the School Hall entry door.
Details of the dates they will take place are provided below.
| DATE | YEAR GROUP |
|---|---|
| 13 March | Year 4 |
| 20 March | Year 3 |
| 27 March | Year 2 |
| 01 May | Year 1 |
BLUE PETER BOOK CLUB
It's super easy to join the Blue Peter Book Club and everyone is welcome to be a part of the fun. Choose a book from our list (or you could pick a choice of your own) and start reading. You could even take a trip to your local library to do some reading there!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/joinin/blue-peter-book-club
BOOK PURCHASES
A reminder to parents that Twynham Primary School library will earn money from any books purchased via the link detailed below.
Buy a Book. Support a School. Make a Difference | LoveReading4Kids UK
TPS COFFEE MORNING
Our next coffe morning will be held on Thursday 13th March, between 9am and 10am. The focus will be on mobile phones and technology.
NURSERY NURSE DROP IN SESSION
We are pleased to let you know that Fiona, from the Dorset Healthcare Nursery Nurse Team, will be holding a parent drop in session on Monday 17th March between 8.45am and 9.45am. There is no need to book; places are on a first come, first served basis on the day.
She can offer advice on a range of topics including sleep, toileting, eating and general parenting. She cannot diagnose general medical ailments (rashes etc.) and the sessions are for parents only.
VAPES - A WARNING AND A PLEA FOR INFORMATION
Dorset Police and local schools are becoming increasingly aware of a rise in children being in possession of vapes and vape products, such as vape liquids.
The legal age to supply or use a vape in the UK is 18, yet some retailers have failed to uphold this rule and are putting our children at risk.
Additionally, there have been reported incidents of children becoming unwell after using vape products. With a rise in counterfeit vapes and illicit vapes containing banned substances such as THC (the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis) or other dangerous synthetic substances, we all need to be aware of the risk of harm these pose to children and work together to remove them from the streets.
In order for Police and Trading Standards to take positive action and keep our children safe, we need you to tell us where children might be sourcing vapes and vape products, and who may be supplying them. This may be a particular shop, individual, or other illegitimate vendor. You can provide this information either by contacting Dorset Police, Trading Standards or anonymously via Crimestoppers.
Should your child become unwell after using a vape, please seek urgent medical attention. Although such cases are rare, adverse reactions seen in recent incidents include dizziness, heart palpitations and even falling unconscious.
HELP CHILDREN TO STAY SAFE ON CHAT APPS
Please click on the link below to find information from the NSPCC about keeping children safe on chat apps.
PTFA GOLDEN TICKET CHOCOLATE BAR
We have an exciting event coming up on 6th March - buy a chocolate bar and see if you have won a lucky golden ticket (prizes to be announced soon)
Available to pre-order soon on PTA events site.
CHRISTCHURCH FAMILY HUB
Christchurch Family Hub (previously called The Family Hub at Somerford) is one of six centrally located Hubs providing early help services and support for families living in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
Each family hub provides:
- Family support from our early help family support teams
- A range of programmes to support parents and their children, covering four key areas:
- Parenting, Young Parents and Volunteering
- use of the Home Learning Environment
- the Brighter Futures Programme
- Communication, Language and Literacy.
- Health services such as midwife clinics
- Information, advice and guidance, including information on and signposting to local childcare, signposting to a range of services including debt advice and information on community activities
- Domestic violence support
- Foodbank vouchers and support with accessing food
- Breastfeeding pump loans
Full details can be found by following this link Christchurch Family Hub
THE UMBRELLA GROUP - SUPPORT FOR PARENTS/CARERS OF CHILDREN WITH ASD
Please find below the list of meetings for The Umbrella Group which supports parents and carers of children and young people on the autistic spectrum. Please share this within your schools.
Below you will also find contact details and information about The Umbrella Group, plus a document from University Hospitals Dorset containing information and support for parents/carers of children and young people with Autism.
Meeting dates for the Umbrella Group
Children and Young People on the Autistic Spectrum
SENDIASS4BCP
What's on in February? It might not be sunshine and heatwaves, but we've a summery welcome at our workshops and drop-ins! To find out where we are and when they are, click on this: https://sendiass4bcp.org/2025/01/29/whats-on-in-february-2/
FACE WORKSHOPS
For more information and to watch the short video please click on the link below
Watch this short clip to see the latest from FACE
VACANCIES
To review current Twynham Learning vacancies please follow this link.
https://www.twynhamlearning.com/187/staff-vacancies
Key Dates
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DATE | YEAR | START | END | LOCATION | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INSET DAY | 14 FEBRUARY | ||||||
| HALF TERM HOLIDAY | 17 FEBRUARY - 21 FEBRUARY | ||||||
| WORLD BOOK DAY | 6 MARCH | ALL | 9AM | 3PM | TPS | ||
| PTFA GOLDEN TICKET EVENT | 6 MARCH | ALL | TPS | ||||
| END OF SPONSORED READATHON | 7 MARCH | ALL | |||||
| COFFEE MORNING | 13 MARCH | PARENTS | 9AM | 10AM | TPS | ||
| YEAR 4 CLASS ASSEMBLY | 13 MARCH | 4 | 2.45PM | 3PM | TPS | ||
| NURSERY NURSE DROP IN | 17 MARCH | PARENTS | 8.45AM | 9.45AM | TPS | ||
| CHRISTCHURCH LIBRARY VISIT | 19 MARCH | 3 | 9AM | 12PM | LIBRARY | ||
| YEAR 3 CLASS ASSEMBLY | 20 MARCH | 3 | 2.45PM | 3PM | TPS | ||
| PTFA EASTER DISCO | 26 MARCH | 1-6 | TPS | ||||
| FAIRMILE GRANGE VISIT | 27 MARCH | R | 9AM | 11.30AM | OFFSITE | ||
| YEAR 2 CLASS ASSEMBLY | 27 MARCH | 2 | 2.45PM | 3PM | TPS | ||
| LAST DAY OF TERM | 4 APRIL | ALL | |||||
| EASTER HOLIDAY | 7 APRIL - 21ST APRIL | ALL | |||||
| RETURN TO SCHOOL | 22 APRIL | ALL | |||||
| YEAR 1 CLASS ASSEMBLY | 1 MAY | 1 | 2:45PM | 3PM | TPS | ||
| MAY DAY BANK HOLIDAY | 5 MAY | ALL | |||||
| YEAR 6 SATS | 12 MAY - 15 MAY | 6 | TPS | ||||
| LONGDOWN FARM TRIP | 20 MAY | R | 9AM | 3PM | OFFSITE | ||
| BLASHFORD LAKES TRIP | 22 MAY | 3 | 9AM | 3PM | OFFSITE | ||
| HALF TERM HOLIDAY | 26 MAY - 30 MAY | ALL | |||||
| INSET DAY | 2 JUNE | ALL | |||||
| CLASS PHOTOGRAPHS | 4 JUNE | ALL | TPS | ||||
| ST CATHERINE'S HILL TRIP | 11 JUNE | R | 9AM | 12PM | OFFSITE | ||
| FAIRTHORNE MANOR RESIDENTIAL TRIP | 11 JUNE - 13 JUNE | 6 | OFFSITE | ||||
| SPORTS DAY | 10 JULY | ALL | TPS | ||||
| DORSET WATER PARK TRIP | 11 JULY | 6 | 9AM | 3.30PM | OFFSITE | ||
| SUMMER DISCO | 15 JULY | TPS | |||||
| LAST DAY OF TERM | 22 JULY | ||||||
| SUMMER HOLIDAY | 23 JULY - 29 AUGUST | ||||||
