Bower Grove School

Message to parents: Do you live in Park Wood, Senacre, Shepway or Mangravet? Do you want to help shape the future of your community? Maidstone Borough Council is inviting residents from Park Wood, Senacre, Shepway and Mangravet to get involved in an exciting new opportunity to help shape longterm investment in their community. About Pride in Place Park Wood and Senacre has been selected as one of 261 neighbourhoods across England to receive funding through the Government's Pride in Place programme a £20 million investment over the next 10 years, shaped by the people who live and work there. The programme covers Park Wood & Mangravet, Senacre, Shepway, and parts of Loose and Linton. Local people will play a central role in shaping the vision, priorities and decisions for the area. At the heart of this is a resident-led Neighbourhood Board, which will develop a 10-year plan and help decide how funding is invested across housing, health, employment, education, community spaces and more. Get involved There are two key opportunities to take part: Independent Chair (voluntary role) A community leadership role supporting the Neighbourhood Board to ensure it is open, fair and genuinely representative. This is a unique opportunity to help guide how £20 million is invested locally. Closing date: 8 May 2026 Neighbourhood Board members We are looking for people with lived experience and a genuine connection to the community. No previous experience is needed. Expressions of interest close: 19 June 2026 Full details and how to apply: https://maidstone.gov.uk/pride-in-place Share your ideas You can also get involved by sharing your ideas online through our Pride in Place hub: https://letstalkmaidstone.uk.engagementhq.com/hub-page/pride-in-place This includes: A map to highlight areas you think could benefit from improvement A space to share ideas for the future of your community More opportunities to get involved will be added over time, so please check back regularly. Thank you for your support. If you have any questions or would like to find out more, please contact: prideinplace@maidstone.gov.uk Safer, Stronger Communities Maidstone Borough Council https://maidstone.gov.uk/home/primary-services/community-support/pride-in-place

Digital Wellbeing and Safety Wednesday Online Safety Starts at Home – Parental Controls Matter Did you know most devices, games, and apps already have builtin safety and privacy settings? Setting these up can make a big difference in keeping your child safe online. Here are a few helpful tools depending on your child's age Google Family Link (ages 5–12) A great free starting point for younger children. You can manage screen time, approve apps, and set basic web filters on Android devices. Qustodio (ages 8–16+) Ideal for older children. It offers stronger screen time controls, app blocking, web filtering, location tracking, and even some call/text monitoring across devices. Bark (ages 13+) Especially helpful for teenagers, using technology to flag emotional warning signs such as cyberbullying, anxiety, low mood, selfharm language, or unsafe contacts in texts, emails, and social media, and alerting parents when a young person may need extra support. This service requires an ongoing subscription. Remember: No app can replace open, honest conversations. These tools work best alongside trust, listening, and regular checkins.

On Friday 15th May Rebecca Dowling will be running our next guided talk on 'understanding emotional regulation', from 10am to 11:30am. The session will cover; understanding emotions, how it can present in children and adolescent and strategies to support moving forward. If you would like to book onto the session to either join us online or in person please email us at connectionsgrouptalk@bower-grove.kent.sch.uk or phone 01622 726773

Competition Time! Got a book that inspired you? Tell us in 200 words or a 2-minute video Share your ideas, get creative, and you could be a winner! Entries close Friday 22nd May 2026 Ready... set... READ!

Archery finished, and now our PGL'ers will return to school.