Newsletter No 4 28th November 2008

Book Fair Takings/Commission
Thank you to everyone who purchased books, stationary and other items at our recent Book Fair. Our takings were £365.24 resulting in each class being able to choose £46 worth of books by way of commission. Little Bears also chose £18 worth of free books as a “thank you” to Nikki Howlett for helping with the Book Fair each afternoon. Thank you also to Mrs Tombling who kindly helped.

Sale of Poppies
Thank you also to everyone who supported the Poppy Appeal by buying poppies at school. £33 was collected.

PTA Recycling Clothes Collection
Thank you to everyone who brought in items to be recycled recently. An amazing 800kgs were collected in total, which equates to a very healthy £240 for PTA funds.

School Christmas Activities

9.12.08 Dress Rehearsal - 10am Little Bears pupils attending that morning will see this performance accompanied by pre-school staff

Matinee - 2pm Pre-school aged children welcome, relatives
eg grandparents and villagers (voluntary contributions towards Helen and Douglas House)

10.12.08 Evening performance - 6.30pm Admission by ticket only £2, all proceeds to Helen and Douglas House, limited to 2 per family (due to fire regulations). Sorry no pre-school aged children at this performance

16.12.08 Christmas Lunch We are hoping that all children will join us for this seasonal event.
£1.95 (payment by
Friday 12th, please)

Menu:
Roast Turkey served with chipolata sausage and
sage and onion stuffing or Spinach & Feta Goujons
or Cauliflower Cheese with a vegetarian sausage.
All accompanied with seasonal vegetables and potatoes
Followed by a Festive Dessert of:
Ice-cream Stars or Mince Pies or Christmas biscuits.

17.12.08 Nativity in school – 9.15am Led by Rev. Nigel Hawkes. Parents welcome.
Christmas parties – pm Food required, details to follow nearer the time. Pupils may bring party clothes to change into after lunch.

18.12.08 School Council Competition am School activity – testing and judging Santa Sleighs

19.12.08 End of Term Assembly – 9.05am Parents welcome
School day finishes at - 1.30pm

Please could all parents and visitors to the above events, be careful to give consideration to the residents of Cratlands Close and not obstruct driveways. Walking, if possible, is preferable in line with our School Travel Plan. The car park will be available as well as the netball court for families who need to come by car.

Consultation with Parents re Out of School Childcare
Thank you to the parents of pupils at Stadhampton School and Little Bears who have already completed the second questionnaire sent out last week. We would be very pleased to receive any completed questionnaires on Monday, if they haven’t been handed in yet.
Please find attached to this newsletter the minutes of the meeting taken by the Childcare Development Team.

Message from the PTA Committee
Recipe Book
The Stadhampton Primary School and Little Bears Pre-School Recipe Book will be on sale at the Christmas Bazaar and will cost £6.50 for each book. The book consists of 80 pages of recipes, and is A5 size, flip-top, ring-bound and free standing, with a front coloured cover depicting some of the children’s drawings. The book is also illustrated on each page with pupil’s drawings and there is a lovely introduction to the book written and signed by Raymond Blanc. The book would make an ideal Christmas present. If anyone would like to view a copy, please call into the school office to see one or contact Sarah Madry outside school.

Christmas Bazaar – please remember to bring in chocolates, bottles, white goods, toys and potential raffle prizes next week for the Bazaar. We already have a teddy for the Name The Bear Competition so no need for a new cuddly toy now. Also a reminder to bring in cakes to sell on Friday 5th Dec – the day of the Bazaar.

Christmas Bazaar Raffle Tickets – the raffle tickets for the Bazaar were put in reading bags on Monday so please hunt round for them in case they have gone astray! It would be helpful if you would fold your tickets into four when returning them to school as this will save time for those setting up.

Christmas Wreath Making Night 16 Dec – still limited places available. Please contact Julie Pattison if you are interested.

Christmas Cards – There are 3 card designs: Class 1, 2 and 3. You should have received an order form in the reading bags on Thursday (yesterday). The cost for 10 cards is £5. The children have worked very hard this year and the designs are fantastic so please buy a supply for family and friends. Orders to be put in an envelope with the correct money and given to Mrs Hopkins next week to ensure you get your order in time for Christmas.

Little Bears News
This week Little Bears enjoyed making mince pies and their Christmas Post Box. They have also been very busy writing letters to Father Christmas.

DIARY DATES:

Wednesday 3rd December
Museum visit for Y2, 3 & 4 pupils.
Visit to ICC to see their Christmas production for Y5 & Y6 pupils.
ALL PUPILS IN YEARS 2-6 WILL NEED A PACKED LUNCH TODAY
Friday 5th December
Christmas Bazaar at 6pm.
Tuesday 9th December
Dress rehearsal am and Matinee performance of the Christmas Production 2pm
Wednesday 10th December
Evening performance of the Christmas Production 6.30pm. TICKET ONLY
Tuesday 16th December
School Christmas Lunch
Wednesday 17th December
Nativity performance in school at 9.15am. Parents welcome.
Children’s party (pm) – details to follow
Thursday 18th December
School Council Sleigh Competition
Friday 19th December
End of term assembly at 9.05am. Parents welcome.
School finishes at 1.30pm
Monday 5th January 2009
INSET TRAINING FOR TEACHERS. School closed for pupils.
Tuesday 6th January
Pupils return to school

Newsletter No 3 21st November 2008

Book Fair in School from 17th – 21st November
Thank you to everyone who has purchased items from our Book Fair this week. We shall let you know our total sales and school commission in next week’s newsletter.

Out-of-School Childcare Meeting on Tuesday 18th November
Many thanks to the parents and other members of the community who came along to the consultation meeting on 18th November. Minutes of the meeting were taken by the LEA and will be made available, when received, to all parents. At the meeting it became apparent that the statistics collected during June/July are now out of date. Changes in family circumstances, new families both at Stadhampton School and Little Bears Pre-School indicate that there could be a greater need for this provision than was initially recorded. In order to quantify the current need for out of school childcare provision it would now be appropriate to re-survey local families and a shortened survey is attached to this newsletter. Mrs Oakley and Mrs Madry have also kindly offered to facilitate completion of survey forms with parents at the school gate, if parents would find this preferable to completing them at home.
We are in the very fortunate position of having the potential to be able to offer some out-of-school provision as we have both a suitable venue for this (i.e. the school room in the portacabin) and have appropriately qualified staff willing to run these sessions (initially Mrs Nikki Howlett and Mrs Joy Hopkins), subject to the usual regulations. As this facility would be “Extended Services” provided by Stadhampton School we must follow OCC procedures and regulations and prove to have sustainable numbers. Any new childcare facilities resulting from this survey would take several months to set up but could be eligible for start-up funding to ensure that the facility was secure for the first year but after that would be dependent on income from fees. The scale of the fees is stipulated by OCC, however, we would endeavour to keep our fees set at the lower end of the scale.

To help us to help you to best meet your current and future childcare needs we now ask you to complete the attached questionnaire and return it to school by the end of next week (28th November.) Thank you.

Message from the PTA Committee
Thank you to all those who managed to clear out unwanted clothes for recycling; we will confirm the amount raised once we know it.

Christmas Bazaar (Friday 5th December) – Please continue to look for items for the Christmas Bazaar; we need, bottles (full) and chocolate for the tombola’s, raffle prizes, white elephant goods, good condition toys, cuddly teddy bear (excellent condition or new) and cakes to be made and brought in on the day. Please drop your donations into school week commencing the 1st Dec or hand them over to a member of the PTA for safe-keeping.

Christmas Wreaths – there are still a few places left for this event on Tuesday 16th Dec. Please contact Julie Pattison to book your place (01865 400807.)

Little Bears News
This week Little Bears enjoyed making shortbread cookies. They also had fun making puppets and then producing a puppet show, and talking about people who can help them. Little Bears were delighted to raise £64.50 for Children in Need and are very grateful to Shirley Bateman for making wonderful “Pudsey Bear” biscuits to sell. The final total raised at the recent Ball is now confirmed as an amazing £5298.71. Thank you to everyone who supported this event.

School Council Competition
Please find attached to this newsletter details of the School Council’s Santa Sleigh Competition. The sleighs will be tested and judged on Thursday 18th December. £1 to enter for School Council funds.

Change of clothes for outside play
As we are now entering the “muddy” season it would be advisable for pupils wishing to play football (or other energetic team games) at break time to bring in an old pair of tracksuit trousers/sweatshirt to wear over/instead of school uniform in order to keep uniform clean!

DIARY DATES:

Monday 24th November
Governors’ Meeting at 7pm
Wednesday 26th November
Mobile Library
Wednesday 3rd December
Museum visit for Y2, 3 & 4 pupils.
Visit to ICC to see their Christmas production for Y5 & Y6 pupils.
ALL PUPILS IN YEARS 2-6 WILL NEED A PACKED LUNCH TODAY
Friday 5th December
Christmas Bazaar at 6pm
Tuesday 9th December
Dress rehearsal and Matinee performance of the Christmas Production 2pm
Wednesday 10th December
Evening performance of the Christmas Production 6.30pm
Wednesday 17th December
Nativity performance in school at 9.00am. Parents welcome.
Children’s party (pm) – details to follow
Thursday 18th December
School Council Sleigh Competition
Friday 19th December
End of term assembly at 9.00am. Parents welcome.
School finishes at 1.30pm
Monday 5th January 2009
INSET TRAINING FOR TEACHERS. School closed for pupils.
Tuesday 6th January
Pupils return to school

Newsletter No 2 - 14th November 2008

Mrs Elaine Wilkin
We are pleased to welcome Mrs Wilkin as a new member of staff. Mrs Wilkin will be working as a teaching assistant in Class 3.

Book Fair in School from 17th – 21st November
The Book fair will be open to parents from 2.45pm on Monday afternoon and for pupils from 3.15pm to 3.45pm each afternoon next week. There will also be shopping opportunities from 8.45 to 9.00am on Tuesday through to Friday morning.

Emergency Closure Procedure – notification for all parents
If the weather is particularly bad or there are power cuts in the village and the decision is made to close the school, the information is given to parents through Fox FM and Radio Oxford. Parents are advised to tune into these local radio stations and listen for an announcement if there is a possibility that the school could be closed.

Notes of Harmony – Polish Visit to Stadhampton School
It was both a priviledge and a pleasure to welcome teachers and pupils from Szkola Podstawowa im. Trzech Braci, Hazlach (our Comenius partner school in Poland) to Stadhampton School earlier this week. Their visit included visiting a number of local events and places of interest – ranging from experiencing a fireworks evening, attending a Remembrance Sunday ceremony, flying kites (in the rain!), a tour of Oxford and spending a day in school. During their day in school we entertained our guests with a concert including singing, recorder playing, piano duets (prepared with thanks to Mrs Drake) and a “jian zi” demonstration. They had a tour of the School and Little Bears, experienced Maths and Literacy lessons (and were fascinated by our interactive whiteboards), a dance lesson and an ICT lesson. They also engaged in the teaching of our pupils not only by talking, playing and group-reading together but also by giving an art lesson (decoupage with Class 3) and a dance lesson (a Polonaise with Class 2). It was a particular pleasure to witness the rapport between pupils from both schools, demonstrating their natural interest in each other and ability to find ways of communicating despite any language barrier!
Pupils from both schools were fine young ambassadors and I am proud to have been in a position to be able to organise and facilitate this opportunity. I know our guests had, (I quote) “an amazing time” and would like to thank all who helped make this event such a success.

Out-of-School Childcare Meeting on Tuesday 18th November 6.30pm – 7.30pm
At a Department of Children, Schools and Families conference last week, the Children’s Minister, Beverley Hughes said, “It’s crucial that parents get the opportunity to shape services in their area. By speaking to their school staff and discussing the needs of their family and the wider community, parents can drive the provisions in their area and encourage schools to provide the full range of extended services.” We hope as many parents as possible from Stadhampton School and Little Bears will come to the Local Education Authority’s consultation meeting at school between 6.30 and 7.30pm next Tuesday.

School Council Monarch Painting Competition
This competition was kindly judged for us by the Polish teachers. The results are as follows:
Overall winner – Florence Amery
Class 1 Winner – Abby Wright Runner up – Owen Cove
Class 2 Winner – Georgia Valentine Runner up – Hannah Tombling
Class 3 Winner – Aimee Parkes Runner up – Jessica Tombling
Thank you to everyone who entered. All entrants received a prize.

Message from the PTA Committee
Clothes collection – final bags accepted first thing on Monday before the collection at 10.30am.

Children in Need
We collected £38.50 for Children in Need from pupils and staff who paid 50p to come to school dressed in our favourite colour!

Little Bears News
Little Bears enjoyed making cheese straws this week and had fun decorating Christmas baubles for a competition. They have also been raising funds for Children in Need by selling “Pudsey” biscuits and the total collected will be announced next week. If anyone has any unwanted Christmas decorations, shiny paper or junk modelling items, we would be pleased to receive them!

DIARY DATES:

Monday 17th November
Travelling Book Fair in school
Clothes Collection scheduled for 10am.
Tuesday 18th November
Parents Consultation Evening with LEA – 6.30-7.30pm. All welcome
Monday 24th November
Governors’ Meeting
Wednesday 26th November
Mobile Library
Tuesday 9th December
Dress rehearsal and Matinee performance of the Christmas Production
Wednesday 10th December
Evening performance of the Christmas Production

Newsletter No 1 - 7th November 2008

Book Fair in School from 17th – 21st November
We have decided to try a new company for our only book fair in this academic year and it will be in school the week after next. We are promised hundreds of exiting books to choose from and the enclosed leaflet shows a small selection of the titles that will be available. The Book fair will be open for parents from 2.45pm each afternoon so that they have an opportunity to purchase items without their children being present, as well as the usual before and after school shopping opportunities for pupils. Commission gained from the book fair will be used to purchase new books for class libraries and the non-fiction library. Pupils may like to have a look at the website at home as there are pictures to colour, wallpapers to download and some excellent competitions to enter www.travellingbooks.co.uk

Notes of Harmony – Comenius Visit to Germany
Mrs Garrard and I had a very hectic but fascinating five-day visit to our partner school in Kunzell, Germany. We met teachers from the other three partner schools, exchanged information about the education system in each country, discussed project developments, visited a number of local places of interest – including Bach’s birthplace, and spent time in our German partner school meeting the pupils and staff and joining in with a music lesson!
This week a group of pupils and teachers from our Polish partner school will arrive for a five-day visit. As you know, we hope to be kite-flying at Wittenham Clumps between 3and 4pm on Sunday 9th November and you are welcome to join us there, weather permitting. We look forward to welcoming our guests to Stadhampton School for the day on Monday 10th November.

Royal British Legion Poppies
Royal British Legion poppies were delivered to school during the October Holiday and are available for sale in the hall.

Maths Evening – Term 3
Many thanks for the positive responses to the proposed maths evenings. We are currently persuing arrangements with an advisor from the LEA maths team and will advise you of dates and other details when we have had these confirmed.

Out-of-School Childcare Meeting on Tuesday 18th November
A reminder that there is a consultation meeting regarding the feasibility of out-of-school childcare in the hall from 6.30 to 7.30pm on Tuesday 18th November. This meeting is of particular significance, as the views expressed will inform the formal planning for future provision. The Local Education Authority will be leading this meeting and would be pleased to welcome as many parents of children attending school and/or Little Bears as possible, so that at the end of the meeting there is a clear understanding of what our parents would like, or would not like in the future in the way of breakfast clubs, after school clubs, holiday playschemes, etc. Please do come along, if at all possible, and let them know your views so that they are fully informed.

Partnership Netball and Tag Rugby Tournaments
Year 6 and Year 4 pupils represented Stadhampton School at the annual Partnership netball and rugby tournaments, respectively, this week. We came first in the exciting netball tournament and third (after Chalgrove and Watlington) in the rugby tournament. All pupils played their best and worked well together in their teams. Their successes were well-deserved.

Tag Rugby Tournament – report by Benedict Diment
On the 5th of November Year 4’s went to a Tag Rugby Tournament at Icknield Community College and came 3rd. Every person who played really enjoyed it. Thank you to Mr Pattisson who coached the team and took us there and to Mrs Madry who also took some of the team and supported us.

Icknield Partnership High Five Netball Tournament – report by Daniel Green
On the 5th November the “High Five” netball tournament took place at Icknield Community College. Despite the rain we beat Lewknor 1-0, RAF Benson 3-2 and Watlington 3-2 and we won the tournament! Many thanks to Mrs Thorp for teaching us and Mrs Green and Mrs Vale for transporting and supporting us.

School Council Monarch Painting Competition – Update by Joshua Drake
The School Council Monarch Painting Competition has raised £7 for School Council funds. Some of the entries have been made to look like a professional artist’s work. The judging will take place next week. Thank you to all who have entered.

Message from the PTA Committee
Clothes collection – please start bringing in bags from Thursday 13th November after school for collection on Monday 17th November at 10.30am.

Christmas Cards
The PTA would like everyone to know that they will be selling School Christmas cards again this year and ask that parents bear this in mind when they think about buying their Christmas cards. Please address any queries to Emma Vale, who is leading this fundraising initiative again on behalf of the PTA.

Little Bears News
This week Little Bears have enjoyed baking apple muffins and had fun creating firework pictures using glitter and paint. We also all had our photographs taken this week when the photographer came. We are pleased to welcome Sophie Amico, who is working with us at the moment as part of her National Diploma in Health and Social Care. A very successful Coffee Morning was held last Friday, which raised £43 for our funds.
Thank you to everyone who supported our recent Ball. Although we are waiting to hear what the final total is, we are delighted to announce that we know already that we raised over £4000, which is fantastic!

DIARY DATES:
Sunday 9th November
Kite workshop 11-1pm. Kite flying at Wittenham Clumps 3-4pm.
Monday 10th November
Polish visitors in school
Thursday 13th November
After school – please start bringing in bags of clothing for the clothes collection
Monday 17th November
Travelling Book Fair in school
Clothes Collection scheduled for 10am.
Tuesday 18th November
Parents Consultation Evening with LEA – 6.30-7.30pm. All welcome
Monday 24th November
Governors’ Meeting
Wednesday 26th November
Mobile Library
Tuesday 9th December
Dress rehearsal and Matinee performance of the Christmas Production
Wednesday 10th December
Evening performance of the Christmas Production