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Dear Parents/Guardians

 

MESSAGE FROM DAWLISH DYNAMOS

 

We are delighted to be offering Dynamos Cricket again in 2024 at Sandy Lane in Dawlish for Girls and Boys from 8-11years old. This is a new community lead cricket programme that started last year supported by the Devon Cricket Board. We will help your child have fun learning and playing, whether they want to be a future England player or just want to have fun playing an amazing game with their friends.

 

Dynamos Cricket provides Girls and Boys from 8-11 years old a safe and fun environment to experience cricket and have fun. Each week there will be a focus on a different cricket skill to build their confidence and ability, before they take part in a fun cricket match.

 

It’s an 8 week programme taking place Wednesday evenings from 6pm to 7pm starting on Wednesday 15th May.  The sessions will be lead by a qualified ECB coach and member of the ECB Coaches Association.  This year the charge for the 8 week programme is £30, which includes for a personalised New Balance playing shirt, Topps Wildcards and access to the Dynamos Cricket app for every player.

 

The link to sign up is here

 

https://ecb.clubspark.uk/Dynamos/BookCourse/0f5ad503-e878-4637-bd62-8b145fe7f9ff

 

Dynamos Cricket will help grow your child's love of the game, and will give them the opportunity to socialise and make friends in a safe environment.

 

Finally if any parents, guardians or other family members wish to volunteer to get involved and help run the programme they are very welcome.

 

Best wishes from Robin Poole, Dawlish Dynamos

Devon County Council’s Free School Meals Holiday Voucher Scheme

Easter Holidays 2024.    

 

About the scheme 

 

Devon County Council is supporting families of children who currently receive free school meals during term time with supermarket vouchers to help buy food during the Easter Holidays. 

 

The vouchers will be to the value of £30 per child.

 

These vouchers can be used at the following stores: Sainsburys, Iceland, Farmfoods, Tesco, Morrison’s, Asda, Aldi, M&S Food and Waitrose to purchase food over the holidays to replace the meals your child would have received at school during the day. Please note that Tesco/Morrisons/ALDI vouchers can only be used in-store.

 

If you have more than one child entitled to free school meals, you should receive a unique code for each child, as the holiday vouchers are issued separately.   

 

Please note that these codes expire on Monday 17^th June 2024. Once this date has passed, the scheme will expire, and we will not be backdating any payments. We encourage parents to redeem the full amount together, as once redeemed the vouchers are valid for longer.

 

Getting the vouchers 

 

Devon County Council has partnered with an organisation called Black Hawk Network to help us distribute these vouchers as quickly as possible via their ‘Select’ website because they have lots of experience managing voucher schemes like this and are working with several other local authorities too. 

 

• To get your vouchers you will need to visit a website called ‘Select’ (www.select-your-reward.co.uk) and input your unique code.  

 

• You will then be able to choose your preferred supermarket and add your vouchers to your basket.  

 

• Please then checkout of the ‘Select’ website by providing an email address for them to send you your chosen supermarket vouchers electronically. There is no option to receive physical vouchers by post.   

 

• Once you have received the vouchers to your email inbox, you can save them to your phone or tablet to use online (depending on the supermarket) or show at the checkout in store. Alternatively, you can print the vouchers off to give to the cashier.   

 

 

What if I need some help? 

 

If you are struggling to get your vouchers because you don’t have access to the internet or a mobile device to receive and store the vouchers on, and don’t have any friends or family to help, please contact Devon County Council’s education helpline on 0345 155 1019. 

      

Further information 

 

If your child has siblings attending school in a neighbouring authority (for example Plymouth or Torbay) who are also receiving free school meals, the local authority their school is located within will have arrangements to support them over the holidays.   

 

More detailed information about the free school meals holiday voucher scheme, including how to use them and what to do if there’s a problem, is available on Devon County Council’s website. Please visit devon.cc/holidayvouchers  

   

There are also some useful FAQs on the Select website along with contact details for any technical support if you have a problem using the codes and accessing your vouchers. Please visit www.select-your-reward.co.uk.  

 

If you’re experiencing severe financial hardship, support is available. Please visit Help with the cost of living in Devon - Devon County Council for information about how to access local financial support, where to find foodbanks and community larders and what to do if you’re on a low income.    

   

Finally, if you have received this message in error, please let us know by calling 0345 155 1019 or emailing freeschoolmeals@devon.gov.uk so we can make sure this vital support gets to the right family.    

Encouraging Good Attendance

At Gatehouse, we constantly strive and look for ways to improve the education for all our children. The target for attendance is 96.5%

Our attendance communication letters are changing at Gatehouse and detailed below are the different stages.

Registers are inspected on a regular basis by school staff (teachers, office staff and our attendance monitoring team).

Our attendance team meet half termly to review the school's attendance, as a whole school, per class and as individual pupils. Their decisions and review may lead to a parent(s) receiving a letter. See below for a summary of the communication that may be sent.

Letter 1

Where a child's attendance is giving the school cause for concern, an attendance letter will be sent advising the parent that their child's attendance has dropped below 96%.

Letter 2

If attendance continues to drop below 92%, letter 2 will be sent to invite parents and carers to a School Attendance Meeting with our Family Support Advisor. The aim of this meeting is to develop an action plan as to how school and parents can best support the pupil in improving their attendance. A date for a review meeting would also be set, so that we can continue to support the pupil and their family.

Letter 3

This is an optional letter, sent to parents following the School Attendance Meeting. It would include the action plan set out in the meeting, and confirmation of review date.

Letter 4

A further letter would be sent following the review meeting, with a further plan if necessary. If attendance has continued to drop, or if further support is required, a review meeting would be arranged with the Family Support Advisor.

Letter 5

In the event that the invited parent or carer does not attend the School Attendance Meeting, a letter would be sent asking parents/carers to contact the school to reschedule the meeting.

If a pupil’s attendance continues to fall to below 90%, they are considered a 'Persistent Absent' pupil. The Attendance Improvement Office (formerly known as Education Welfare Officers), may be contacted to seek advice and be involved. If you, as the parent/carer, do not follow any plan or contract set out, legal proceedings may be considered. More information can be found on our website: https://www.gatehouse.devon.sch.uk/attendance-matters/

Did you know, a child who is absent one day of school per week misses an equivalent of two years of their school life.

We are here to help and support you. Please don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss how we can work together.

Today our therapy dog Blossom is in school, getting use to us all and her new environment.  She will be popping around school to meet our children.
Please do let our office team know if you wish your child NOT to come into contact with Blossom, today or in the future,  or if you have any concerns or questions.

https://www.gazmusicsolutions.co.uk/about

Gaz Music Solutions have an amazing local vocalist, Holly Morwenna, who’s got all the necessary credentials and experience for offering vocal lessons at our school.

If you are interested, please contact Gaz direct.

School Office

Dear Parents

We are thrilled to introduce the newest member of the Gatehouse Primary team: Blossom, our therapy dog!

Blossom, a nearly 2-year-old Labrador, has undergone comprehensive training under the guidance of Mrs. Anderson's family, along with assistance from KC registered trainers and assistance dog specialists, over the past year to prepare for her role at our school. She has completed her KC citizenship in bronze, silver, and gold levels and has been engaged in learning task-based activities to support children. Blossom has been behaviour tested and is known for her calm and loving demeanour. She thoroughly enjoys games and exhibits remarkable acceptance of challenging behaviours. We are confident that her presence will greatly enhance the pastoral support we provide here at Gatehouse Primary.

 

Why we looked to get a therapy dog ?

The benefits of having a therapy dog in a school setting are well-documented. Research has shown that school dogs significantly contribute to the development of pupils' reading skills, behaviour, attendance, and academic confidence. Additionally, they play a vital role in fostering empathy, nurturing skills, and social responsibility among students. Studies have also highlighted numerous positive effects of therapy dogs in schools, including teaching empathy and appropriate interpersonal skills, helping individuals develop social skills and increasing self-esteem, providing a soothing and calming effect, improving children's ability to pick up on social cues, supporting emotional regulation, increasing motivation for learning, and assisting children with social and emotional learning needs, which can also facilitate literacy development.

We firmly believe that Blossom's presence will not only bring joy and comfort to our students but will also significantly contribute to their overall well-being and academic success.

Where will Blossom be located ?

Blossom will be supervised at all times with the children, during her down time she will be located in the deputy's office. Blossom will always be accompanied by a trained adult and will be on lead.  As part of the process of becoming a certified therapy dog, Blossom visits the vet regularly for general health check-ups and for regular and required vaccinations. As part of the process of introducing a therapy dog in school we have risk assessments in place and relevant documentation in place.

 

Tomorrow Blossom will be having her first visit to our school and meeting with our MH Ambassadors.

SHOULD YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS OR QUERIES PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT OUR OFFICE TEAM.

 

 

Can you help with our Careers Fair? Please get in touch, or share with anyone who may be interested.