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LAUGHTER is contagious – and a simple smile can brighten up a person’s day.
Pupils at Newtown CE Primary School are hoping to take the title of the happiest school in Hampshire, simply by making other people smile.
Our school is looking to gain the first Happy School accreditation in Hampshire by doing things like spending time with a nearby care home and working alongside the local church. Happy School accreditation is given to schools that complete Art of Brilliance’s Brilliant Schools programme, promoting wellbeing and positivity.
The school has been working alongside author Andy Cope, writer of popular children’s books such as the Sky Dog series and The Art of Being Brilliant.
Headteacher Emma Howlett says that achieving the accreditation would be great news for the school.
She said: ‘The accreditation is about the individual wellbeing and resilience of children and staff at the school. The idea is to encourage everyone in the school to work collectively to be more positive and confident as we build community support. Currently, the children are working on ideas for a community project so we can get accreditation. It would be great to get this as a school and would really help put the school on the map.’
According to Mrs Howlett, happiness is the key to a successful learning environment. She said: ‘We want to build a happy environment because that is when everyone will be working at their best. This will enhance the good work we already do. We already have a great curriculum and offer great opportunities for the children – this is just the next step on from that. We have a great community around us and we want to not only make our school a happy place, but also boost the happiness of everyone around us'.
Following completion of the Happy School project, an inspection will be held at the school to review the improvements made. Mrs Howlett said: ‘We have seen a big impact already – students are now talking more positively in the school and seem to have a fresh outlook on education, which is fantastic. If we get the accreditation, there will certainly be a big banner outside so that everyone will know about the great news.’
Parents' Evening has now gone live on ParentMail, please log in to ParentMail to make your appointment.
If you are having trouble doing this, please call the school office on 02392 584048.
Parents' Evening will be held on Tuesday 6th March and Thursday 8th March from 3:00 - 6:00 pm.
Newtown CE Primary School Awarded National Lottery Funding
We are celebrating this week after being awarded £10,000 of National Lottery funding to secure the provision of the Newtown Community Bookshop.
Following the closure of the only Bookshop in Gosport, the school has already begun to invite parents to access new books for their children at a cost of £1. This grant funding will enable the bookshop to grow and be a driving force in the community to improve fluency in reading and writing and develop the children’s phonics skills.
We are now planning to celebrate the grant by organising an event to coincide with World Book Day, which will initially offer each child in the school one free new book. The funds will then secure the bookshop for a minimum of two years, whereby the community and families can access books to develop a love of family reading. In addition the Newtown Community Bookshop will offer a cyber café and provide the classrooms and family groups with e-readers.
Finally, the grant, awarded through the Big Lottery Fund, will allow the school to have theatre productions and visits from authors, to capture the school’s and community’s imagination, to promote books and story writing. We are also developing the school’s links with the Gosport Discovery Centre and hope to encourage more children and families to become members of our local library.
Mrs Howlett, Headteacher, is thrilled to have been awarded the funding:
"As a school, we believe every child deserves the opportunity to access books and stories to encourage a love of reading and writing. We have high expectations for pupils to use their writing and reading skills effectively in all English work and this grant will enable all of our pupils to fulfil their potential and ensure they are well placed to succeed in their futures. Thank you to everyone who plays the National Lottery, we wouldn’t be able to do this without you."
National Lottery players raise £30m every week for good causes, funding arts, heritage, sports, voluntary and charity projects around the UK.
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