Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Newsletter No 16 / 28th May 2010

PTA Message
Summer Fete 12th June – keep your fingers crossed for good weather on the 12th June as things start to hot up on the organising front. We have a fun filled Fete waiting for you with star performances from the children. Please look out for donations including chocolate, bottles, good condition books, jigsaws and accessories to bring into school after half term.

Please note that pupils must be accompanied to the fete by a parent or other responsible adult – school politely requests that even Year 6 pupils do not come to the fete on their own.

Beat the Goalie – we are looking for a number of willing footballers able to do a stint as the goalkeeper in ‘Beat the Goalie’. Must be aged over 16 please. If you are able to help out on the day please let Mrs Hopkins, Sara Wright or Ian Diment know before the 12th June.

Sealed Bid Auction for Golf Voucher @ Oxfordshire Golf Club - The Oxfordshire Golf Club have very kindly donated a voucher to help raise funds for the School PTA. The voucher entitles 2 golfers to a round of golf (18 holes) at the Oxfordshire on a week day subject to availability. Up to two additional guests may be added upon payment of green fees. All players must present a bona fide handicap certificate before play. Expiry date 31st December 2010. Due to the limitations, ie, bona fide handicap, we have decided to run this as a sealed bid auction with the prize going to the highest bidder. All bids must be sent to Sara Wright via written note or email (sara.wright@tiscali.co.uk) to be received by 7pm on Friday 11th June.

Car Parking-Please be aware that car parking in school will be extremely limited. Please be considerate to the residents of Cratlands Close and walk to school if at all possible.

Chiltern Chase 13th June – Runners do not seem to be in great supply this year! Anyone running please let Sara or Mrs Hopkins know.

Cycling Safety Training
The following 8 pupils have confirmed places for cycling safety training: Lucy Banting, Alex Birtles, Jordan Lafford, Issy Matthews, Rory Pattisson, Oliver Perring, Peter Roe and Robbie Scragg. Please could all pupils (including those involved in the Maths Master Class), have their bikes in school, in full working order, in readiness for the first session, which is on June 16th. This should allow plenty of time over the June Holiday for those final adjustments ie, saddle height, tyres pumped and to check that both brakes are working.

Use of our swimming pool
We are grateful to Mr Pattisson and Mrs Leiper for starting to prepare our school swimming pool for use. Oxfordshire County Council Health and Safety officers have inspected the pool and are happy that we comply with all their regulations for use. We have arranged for the pool to be microbiologically tested at the end of this week, so providing that we get a clear result, we shall be able to start using the pool at the start of Term 6. All pupils should have swimming kit in school each day. Boys need swimming trunks (not baggy) and girls need a one-piece costume. All pupils need a swimming hat and a towel. Earrings are not permitted in the pool so pupils must be able to take them out themselves and have something to put them in. Goggles are not permitted in the school pool unless we have a doctor’s note to let us know that there is a medical reason why goggles must be worn.

Little Bears Summer Bash
There is going to be a Summer Bash in aid of the Little Bears Pre-School on Saturday 17th July 2010. It will be held at the Cockadoo Bar and Restaurant in Nuneham Courtney from 7.30pm til 12.30am. There will be drinks on arrival, a four course dinner accompanied by live music from a jazz trio, and a disco. An auction and raffle will take place during the evening and there will be a 'Tree of Favours'. Tickets for this amazing event are £40 per person. Please call Lucy Khan on 01865 890802 or Ali Eaton on 07764741464 for more details.

Little Bears News
We were very excited on Monday to see the caterpillars had cocooned over the weekend. We are hoping they will break out before half term, usually this stage is just over one week so fingers crossed! We are thinking about symmetry this week and wondering what the butterflies will look like. To support this the children are making beautiful symmetrical butterfly paintings.


DIARY DATES:
Monday 7th June
INSET DAY – No pupils in school
Tuesday 8th June
Pupils return to school for the beginning of Term 6
Wednesday 9th June
Mobile Library
Saturday 12th June
School Summer Fete
Sunday 13th June
Chiltern Chase
Have an enjoyable break!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Newsletter No 15 / 21st May 2010

PTA Message
Summer Fete 12th June – all donations for the Summer Fete gratefully received. We will need: chocolate, unopened bottles in date, good quality unwanted accessories, and unwanted good condition books and jigsaws. Don’t forget to encourage your child to start growing your cress animal (unfortunately Notcutts are not in a position to fund our cress seeds) and decorate an umbrella to bring along on the day. If anyone needs more raffle tickets please let us know.

If you have any spare then Julie Pattison needs any unwanted plastic or ceramic garden planting pots for the gardening club and stall at the Fete.

Chiltern Chase 13th June – all runners to collect a sponsorship form from school. Please confirm to Sara Wright if you are running.

School Uniform Orders
Items of school uniform are available for purchase from Tracy Perring each Wednesday afternoon after school from the “Little Bears” section of the portacabin. If you are unable to “shop” at this time, please contact Tracy by e-mail on tracy.perring@talktalk.net. Tracy will also have a school uniform stall at the school fete so that purchases may be made there.


Street Dance After School Club
As the current sessions of after school dance club led by Tanya’s School of Dance finish on Tuesday 25th May, they would like to invite parents to a demonstration of what they have been learning at 4pm. As this club has been extremely popular, we have already booked another 6-week block of lessons to continue in Term 6 on the following dates: 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th June and 6th, 13th July. The cost for this club is £24 (£4 per lesson). Letters were distributed at Tuesday’s session this week, although this opportunity is, of course, also open to all pupils.

Cycling Safety Training
We are very grateful to Mrs Leighfield, Mrs Scragg and Mrs Vale for once again agreeing to oversee our Cycling Safety Training. Initially Y6 pupils are being offered this opportunity, as we feel that it is much easier to work well with a smaller group. We realise that not all pupils will be available to participate in each training session but feel that attendance on at least four out of five training sessions will be sufficent. The sessions will be held in the afternoons and will commence on Wednesday 16th June, 23rd, 30th, 7th July and Friday 16th July. The test date will be on Tuesday 20th July. Each pupil will need a roadworthy bicycle (front and rear brakes and reflectors) and a cycle helmet which fits properly. Please let Mrs Hopkins know as soon as possible if you would like to book a place.


Parent Governor Election
A letter has been sent, via book bags, this week, to all parents explaining that we currently have a vacancy for a Parent Governor at our school. This vacancy arises from the resignation of Carl Mannering who left the Governing Body following his house move. A nomination form was included with the explanatory letter and we hope that at least one person will put their name forward to join the Governing Body. In the event of more than one person applying, we will hold a secret ballot and will explain how this works, should the need arise. Please be aware, that if we do have more than one nomination, the section of the nomination form where you write “Why I would like to be a parent governor” will be circulated for inclusion with the ballot papers.

Little Bears News
We are eagerly awaiting the caterpillars to cocoon, they have eaten lots of the food and are huge! The children are making fabulous caterpillars and have made a large cocoon out of paper-mache. Outside they have been exploring the compost, making mud pies and enjoying the fantastic weather!

DIARY DATES:
Tuesday 25th May
Mrs Elliott from ICC will be in school to talk with our Year 6 pupils transferring to ICC in September
Wednesday 26th –Sunday 30th May
Mrs Turner and Mrs Manzie visit our partner school in Hazlach, Poland for the final teachers’ meeting of this Comenius Project
Friday 28th May
Break up for May Holiday at 3.15pm
Monday 7th June
INSET DAY – No pupils in school
Tuesday 8th June
Pupils return to school for the beginning of Term 6
Wednesday 9th June
Mobile Library
Saturday 12th June
School Summer Fete
Tuesday 8th June
Pupils return to school

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Newsletter No 14 / 14th May 2010

Congratulations to our Year 6 pupils who have all conducted themselves and coped very well with the pressures of “SATs Week.” There was an audible sigh of relief after the last paper! However, some tasks and tests will continue over the next week or so for other pupils in Year groups 2-5.

PTA Message
Summer Raffle tickets – hopefully this week you will have received some raffle tickets in an envelope. Please look out for them in your child’s school bag and if they cannot be found let Mrs Hopkins know.There are still a couple of prizes to be claimed from the Easter Chocolate raffle - please check previous newsletters for the winning tickets and claim your prizes before half term. Any prizes not claimed by this time will be put into the Summer Fete chocolate tombola.

Summer Fete – you by now will have received an email note regarding the summer fete. This event will only be successful and raise funds if you take an active part; this can either be through donating items for the fete, helping with a stall and coming along with your pennies. We still need helpers on the day so please get in touch and let us know what you can do. Hope to see you there and keep your fingers crossed for good weather!

Gardening Club and Summer Fete
Despite it blowing hot and then cold, gardening club has got underway, and we have been planting and potting on in readiness for the fete on 12th June. Gardening Club will be running a plant stall, with hanging baskets and lots of flowers and veg, so don't splash out on your summer bedding until you've seen what we have on offer! In the meantime, any surplus plastic pots or ceramic pots in good condition are very welcome.

New School Lunch Menu
Each family should have received a copy (in book bags on Monday) of the new lunch menu which begins on Monday. We shall start on “Week One” of a 3-weekly cycle.

School Council News
Thank you to last term’s School Council for their hard work. We now have a newly elected School Council for the summer term, as follows: Izzy Matthews and Robbie Scragg represent the Year 6 group, Alice Madry and Ben Drake are the Year 5 representatives, Ewan Madry and Maisie Matthews represent Year 4, Matthew Ellis and Tazmin Vale represent Year 3 and Marcin Skwarek and Thea Diment represent Year 2. We look forward to our first meeting next week!


Chess Club Results
After 7 tournament matches in school we have a winner – Izzy Matthews, with the highest possible score of 21 points. Benedict Diment, Ella Mae White, Ben Drake, Robbie Scragg and Owen Cove all came joint second with 19 points. We were really pleased with the enthusiasm shown by all those who took part in Chess Club. We would also like to thank Reverend David for his help in running the club. A number of participants names will be put forward to the British Land Chess to be invited o complete in the local Megafinal.

Mock Election
Last Friday, Stadhampton School held a “mock election”! Class 3 pupils were divided into 3 parties and worked together to form their own maifestos on “How they would improve the school”. After a few days of preparation, they presented these to the rest of the school, who asked many questions! Pupils then voted using an actual voting booth! The results were: J.I.B.R.A.T.I.P. – 31 votes, Yellow Submarines – 25 votes., DC House – 20 votes. Clearly it was a very close vote.The members of the winning party were Jordan, Izzy, Ben Drake, Rory, Amber and Tom. Congratulations to them! However, as you can see there was no overall majority....

Icknield Governors Information
Francesca Holmes-Smith, the Chair of Governors at Icknield Community College has asked us to inform you that they now have a blog to provide parents and prospective parents with governor-related information. This can be found on http://icknieldgovernors.blogspot.com

Little Bears News
We are talking and learning about spiders this week to support our Mini Beasts topic. However, we have put the spider craft on hold as we are preparing for our Open Day which is on Saturday 15th May. The children are decorating bears to make bunting. We continue to observe our caterpillars: they are growing very fast, fascinating the children. We missed our singing session with FS1 last week due to school closure, but were happy to go again this week. Please come along to our Open Day on Saturday between 11am & 3pm. See you there!

DIARY DATES:
Thursday 20th May
PTA Meeting at 8pm. All welcome.
Wednesday 26th –Sunday 30th May
Mrs Turner and Mrs Manzie visit our partner school in Hazlach, Poland for the final teachers’ meeting of this Comenius Project
Friday 28th May
Break up for May Holiday at 3.15pm
Monday 7th June
INSET DAY – No pupils in school
Tuesday 8th June
Pupils return to school

Friday, May 7, 2010

Newsletter No 13 / 7th May 2010

Happy MAY Birthday to: Lucy Banting, Hannah Bradford, Leo Burnell, Ruby Dallimore, Benedict Diment, Buddy Halliday, Ella Lavene, Maisie Matthews, Rory Pattisson, Oliver Stewart and Tazmin Vale

During MAY we are focusing on the core value of TOLERANCE

Poland Visit
The 17 Wanderers return! We had a most unusual and eventful visit to our partner school in Poland. There were some changes made to our original itinerary, due to the tragic plane crash in which so many Polish dignitaries were killed. We arrived during their national week of mourning and witnessed history in the making. Most visits, excursions and joint activities remained unchanged and amongst the highlights were visits to the magnificent city of Krakow, the amazing Wieliczka salt mines, the local town of Cieszyn, the ski jump at Wisla and, for some adults, a visit to Auschwitz, as well as a number of joint events with our partner school and host families. The volcanic eruption in Iceland meant changes to our scheduled return. The headteacher, staff, pupils and our host families were incredibly helpful and supportive at this time. They continued to look after us with great hospitality and made further arrangements for us, including facilitating our safe return. This was a very memorable visit and there is too much to write in a newsletter so we are preparing a separate, more detailed, account of our adventures. I was very proud of everyone in our group and of our partner school – they were able to turn a very difficult situation into a very special experience.

PTA Message

Clothes Recycling – Thank you to everyone who donated clothing; we are waiting to find out how much we raised.Car Boot Sale – It was very cold and not that busy but at least it wasn’t wet!

Thank you to all those parents (and teachers) who either came along on the day or baked cakes for us to sell. £82.30 was taken on the day with some costs for the tea, coffee, etc.

Chiltern Chase – sponsorship forms are now available at school. If you would prefer to sponsor the Stadhampton Steamers then take a form, just put sponsorship details on and let us know how you would like your money to be spent.

Summer Fete 12th June - expect a note out next week with more details of the Summer Fete.

Class Overviews for Terms 5 & 6
Pupils should have brought home an outline of the areas of the curriculum that will be covered in their class during Terms 5 & 6.

Little Bears News
This week at Little Bears we are turning our attention to Bumble Bees. We are talking and learning about the differences between bumble bees & wasps. The children have made some excellent “Buzzy Bees.”We found a wasps nest in the shed, which has caught the attention of many, encouraging us to make great use of our new magnifying glasses! We have also had the arrival of 5 tiny caterpillars. We are taking great care of them & hope they will grow, cocoon & hatch into butterflies over the coming weeks.As you can see a very busy time at Little Bears!



DIARY DATES:
Monday 10th May
Start of SATs week; Class 2 pupils swimming at Berinsfield; Hockey Club for participating pupils
Wednesday 12th May
Mobile Library visit
Thursday 20th May
PTA Meeting at 8pm. All welcome.
Wednesday 26th –Sunday 30th May
Mrs Turner and Mrs Manzie visit our partner school in Hazlach, Poland
Friday 28th May
Break up for May Holiday at 3.15pm
Monday 7th June
INSET DAY – No pupils in school
Tuesday 8th June
Pupils return to school