Friday, May 27, 2011

Newsletter No 4 - 27th May 2011

Swimming in the School Pool
We are grateful to Mrs Leiper for preparing the school swimming pool so that it is ready for use. Water samples have been taken away for analysis this week to ensure that the pool is microbiologically safe and Oxfordshire County Council have visited the school and confirmed that the pool meets their health and safety standards. Once the sample test results have been received back, we shall switch on the water heaters and the pool should be ready for use from around the 8th June. Please could all parents (including the Foundation Stage) ensure that their child(ren) has swimming kit in school every day from 8th June onwards. ALL pupils need a hat (boys and girls) and a towel; girls need a one-piece swimming costume (no bikinis/tankinis please) and boys need swimming trunks – not too baggy please as they can impede swimming. Goggles should not be required in the school pool.

After School Cookery Club for Class 1 pupils
The following pupils were successful at securing a place at the Extended Services after school cookery club sessions which begin on Thursday 9th June: Oliver Stewart, Max Jones, Cora White, Olivia Shannon, Darcy Crook, Megan Green, Oliver Lowman, James Lowman, Greg Madry, Leo Burnell, Charles Ball and Zara Hopkins. The club is now full. We would be grateful to receive £5 (in total), which covers the cost of the ingredients, for all 5 sessions from those families who have not yet paid.

Big Science Event
For the third year in a row a group of children from Class 3 have been selected to represent Stadhampton Primary School at the final of the Oxfordshire Big Science Event. Their science investigation won the in-school judging and then was further judged by a representative from the Big Science Event. Next month they will present their investigation to a larger audience competing with finalists from other schools across the county. Well done to Matt Green, Ewan Madry, Chloe Hindmarch and Chloe Scragg who have planned and carried out an investigation to see if age had an effect on heart rate.

P.T.A. News
We are all looking forward to the May holidays this week and will be returning refreshed and eager to continue with our fundraising events again in June. The P.T.A. would like to invite anyone interested in joining the committee to our next meeting which will be on Thursday 9th May at 8.00pm in The Crown Pub. We would be very happy to welcome all parents or carers who have children at the school – the more the merrier! We have a wonderful group of volunteers that help raise extra funds for the children and are always willing to receive new ideas and support. We look forward to seeing you then!

Recorders for pupils in Classes 2 and 3
Recorder lessons will take place on a regular basis every Monday during Term 6. Please would all pupils in Classes 2 and 3 ensure that they have their recorders in school every Monday. Thank you.

Playground Developments
Our well-used, much loved but very tired old climbing frame has now been dismantled and removed. The bark chippings and surrounding timbers will be removed during the half term holiday. We are all very excited about receiving the new equipment supplied by Playforce and we expect installation to start on Monday 13th June. The plan is that it will be fully installed and tested ready for pupils to use during the week starting Monday 20th June. They can’t wait!


Spanish Visit – Report by Rhiannon in Year 5
“On Friday 20th May Stadhampton School had a very exciting visit from our friends from Arcos, a small town in Spain. There were 34 children and 6 teachers. It was a very interesting experience. Our Year 6 pupils took them on a tour of the school. Amber, aged 10 said “I thought it was a bit scary because they didn’t understand some of our English, but they were interested in the school.” We all had fun with each other at breaktime. There was a big football match and some of them played skipping games with us. It was an experience we’ll never forget.”

Extended Services Flyers
Please find attached four flyers from Extended Services which outline the range of activities available in the Children’s Centres over the next couple of months.

Can you help? An appeal from the School Library
Does anyone have a copy of the Guiness Book of World Records which they would be willing to donate to the school library? Currently each class has a waiting list of children who would like to borrow it!

Little Bears News
Thank you to everyone who took part in the “pedal push” – this was a great success! Next term we have lots of fun activities planned relating to our theme of “The Jungle.”We shall tell you more about this after the May Holiday.

DIARY DATES:
Monday 6th June INSET Day – teachers only at school
Tuesday 7th June Pupils return to school for the start of Term 6
Friday 17th June Spring Concert in aid of Save the Children Japan Appeal
Wednesday 22nd June Y5 Students visiting ICC – Creative Arts lesson
Mobile library visit
Tuesday 28th June Cycling Safety Test – Year 6 pupils
Wednesday6th July, Thursday 7th July, Friday 8th July Transition days for all pupils
Friday 15th July Sports evening (weather permitting)
Wednesday 20th July Mobile Library
Friday 22nd July End of school year assembly at 9.05am in hall. All welcome.
Term 6 ends at 1.30pm

Monday 5th & Tuesday 6th September Teacher INSET Days
Wednesday 7th September Pupils return to school

Friday, May 20, 2011

Newsletter No 3 - 20th May 2011

School Uniform on Sale
Mrs Perring will be selling items of school uniform in the school hall at 2.45pm on Friday 27th May for anyone who wishes to make a purchase.


Foster Care Fortnight – 16th to 29th May 2011
We have been asked to let parents know that Oxfordshire County Council will be visiting some leisure centres to provide more information about fostering. For more information call 0800 7835724 or email fostering@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Outdoor Classroom and other Outdoor Learning Activities
It would be helpful if all pupils could continue to have jackets/coats in school each day whilst the weather is changeable, as pupils are making full use of the outdoor classroom which is an ‘open air’ classroom. Reception and Class 1 pupils are also using their outdoor areas for learning. Thank you.

Spring Concert in support of the Save the Children Japan Emergency Appeal
We are planning to hold a Spring concert, in the Hall, at 6.30pm on Friday 17th June. Class 3 pupils will be playing their clarinets, supported by their teacher Mrs Rose, and some of our more experienced pianists will be performing, supported by Mrs Drake. Class 2 pupils will be presenting some short recorder pieces. We have much musical talent amongst our pupils and we would like to celebrate and share this. Tickets will not be sold for this event but we will, at the children’s request, be making a collection for the Save the Children Japan Emergency Appeal. Further details to follow.

Tesco & Sainsbury’s Vouchers
Many thanks to all the families who have been collecting vouchers for us, they really do help us. The deadline for Tesco vouchers is fast approaching so please could we have any vouchers you may still have lurking at home on Monday 23rd May. Thank you.


P.T.A. News
Last Saturday afternoon proved to be one of the most fun filled “days out” that the P.T.A. has had in ages! The Family Fun Day was a huge success with the hall jammed full of children, mums, dads and grandparents. Everyone seemed to be having a really great time building models in our “Scrapheap Challenge”, making kites, planting seeds, decorating glass jars to make night lights and having their faces painted. The queue for the children’s tombola seemed to go on for miles! The winner of the Scrapheap Challenge was Leo Burnell, with Hannah Lansley and Myles Dobson close runners up.
Sometimes, so much emphasis is put on the P.T.A. organising events just to raise money, we can forget that it’s also about community spirit and forming relationships between families and friends. Last Saturday proved that having an afternoon set aside for socialising and spending time with our children doing artistic and crafty things was indeed good for us all! Thank you to everyone who came to the Family Fun Day – we hope you enjoyed it as much as the P.T.A. did!

Special thanks go to Tracy Valentine and Holly Bradford for doing the very beautiful face paintings, Mrs Leslie who ran the Children’s Tombola and Mrs Manzie and Mrs Turner who gave up their Saturday afternoon to help serve tea and cakes and show families the new plans for the children’s play equipment respectively. Thank you also to all P.T.A. members who helped out before, during and after – you certainly deserved a well earned rest on Saturday night!

It gives the P.T.A. great pleasure in announcing that, along with giving the children a really fun time and receiving such positive feedback from parents, we managed to raise a truly magnificent total of £391.01


This is a true reflection that the children are obviously very important to us all and that everyone’s generosity goes a very, very long way. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Little Bears News
Go, go, go, get ready to race!!!!

This week all the children will be taking part in their sponsored pedal push. We will be also keeping with the theme of “Our Bodies” and learning why it’s important to keep fit and moving. On Friday we will be having a p.j day - pay £1.00 and come in your favourite jim-jams.

DIARY DATES:
Wednesday 25th May Mrs Elliott from Icknield Community College will be talking to our Y6 pupils about their transition into Secondary School.(Please note change of date)
Weighing and measuring of Reception pupils and Year 6 by the school nurse (rearranged from 25th March)
Friday 27th May Break up at the end of Term 5 at 3.15pm

Monday 6th June INSET Day – teachers only at school
Tuesday 7th June Pupils return to school for the start of Term 6
Wednesday 22nd June Y5 Students visiting ICC – Creative Arts lesson
Mobile library visit
Friday 22nd July Term 6 ends at 1.30pm

Monday 5th & Tuesday 6th September Teacher INSET Days
Wednesday 7th September Pupils return to school

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Newsletter No 2 - 13th May 2011

Welcome
We welcome Mrs Anne Leslie, a PGCE student at Oxford Brookes University, who is on a placement at Stadhampton School for 8 weeks. Mrs Leslie will be working closely with Mrs Manzie throughout this time and is teaching in Class 1.

Storytelling Chair ‘Unveiling’
On the first day back after the Easter Holidays, we held a special event to ‘launch’ our unique storytelling chair. The event was attended by three generations of the Peers family, with Charles Peers cutting the ribbon, Simon Clements who carved the chair, Daylight Theatre and the Press. You may have seen the article and photo in the Oxford Mail of 30.04.11; it can also be found on the Oxford Mail website www.oxfordmail.co.uk. There was a celebration cake, shared by all, and storytelling by Daylight Theatre, retelling separate stories for Reception/Class 1 children and Class 2 & 3 children. Here are some recounts from pupils;

1) “On the 27th April the Peers family came to see the storytelling chair and cut the ribbon. After the chair was ‘opened’ one of the actors from Daylight Theatre sat in it and told a story. The story for Classes 2 and 3 was Macbeth. It was a very good story and he told it very enthusiastically. Overall I though it was a memorable occasion”. – Alice Madry C3
2) “We think that Wind in the Willows is a fantastic story. The storyteller made us laugh when he did the funny voices – sometimes squeaky and sometimes low. It had really good words in it like “poop, poop” when Toad was driving. He looked great in his dressing up clothes and Class 1 really enjoyed it”. Betsy and Oliver C1.

SATs
Congratulations to our Year 6 pupils who managed the challenges of SATs week very well!

Cycling Safely Training
Confirmation of those attending the cycle training which commences on Friday 20th May: Alice Madry, Amy Akers, Andrew Oakley, Chloe Brown, Benedict Diment, Tom Leighfield, Ben Drake, Amber Tomkins and Pola Onopiuk. Permission letters are in bookbags and will need to be returned before the first cycling lesson on Friday 20th May.

Spanish School Visit
We look forward to welcoming 35 pupils and 5 adults from the CEIP Maestro Juan Apresa School, Arcos in Spain when they visit Stadhampton on 20th May. We worked with this school previously as part of a Comenius project and look forward to catching up with them again.

P.T.A. News
Thank you to everyone who purchased items from the second hand uniform stall last Friday. The P.T.A. is pleased to report that we made £30.50 towards our funds. This amount, combined with the sales of new uniform that were available, has resulted in such a positive response that we will definitely be holding another uniform sale in the near future. A big thank you goes to Tracy Perring for organising the new uniform items and Eimer Fernie and Lucy Ellis for beautifully displaying the second-hand ones.

The clothes recycling bags were piled high on Tuesday, so thank you to all families who brought items into school. We will be able to inform you of how much money we have raised, once the items have been weighed and sorted by Bag2school.


Our Family Fun Day is promising to be a really good afternoon out for all members of the family. Everything will kick off at 1.30pm in the Community Hall this Saturday 14th May. We can confirm that there will be teas, coffees, juice and squash, cakes and biscuits, with cream teas as a special treat! Children can get their face painted, decorate a glass jar to make a night light, decorate a plant pot and sow some seeds and make a fantastic kite – that really flies! We will also have a Children’s Tombola. There will also be a very special competition for all children who enter the “Junk Heap Challenge” - Come and make a model out of our junk heap, have your photo taken with it and if your model is judged to be the best in show your photo will appear on the front cover of the Parish Magazine!
The afternoon will end at approx. 4pm when the winners of our Puzzle Trails will be announced! - Adults could win Tea for Two at The Crazy Bear and children could win Tickets to Beale Park. It’s not too late to buy the Puzzle Sheets. We are still offering our “buy one get one free offer” for both adult’s and children’s trails for £5.00. Puzzle sheets are available from Sarah Madry - 07749 224464 and Catherine Odell - 07917 696149.

This will be our last opportunity to make a request for donations of cakes and biscuits to sell on Saturday. We would be very grateful for any contributions, whether they are home made or shop bought. Please bring any treats into school on Friday 13th and leave in the school kitchen, or bring along on the day. We are also requesting donations of any items to do with children for the children’s tombola. They can include good quality, second hand or new books, toys, games, sweets etc. Please bring items into school no later than Friday morning and leave in the red P.T.A. box labelled donations in the school hall. Thank you!

Every child should have received a letter in their book bags from the P.T.A. and Mrs Turner, informing families of the development of the children’s new play equipment. The P.T.A. is very pleased to announce a contribution of £5,000 towards this project. The designs and plans will be on display for the first time at the Fun Day, so please feel free to come and have a look. Mrs Turner and members of the P.T.A. will be very happy to answer any queries you may have about the project. We look forward to seeing you on Saturday!


A message from the Thames Valley Health Protection Unit
We have recently received a letter from the Thames valley HPU regarding advice and information about measles. There is a reported increase in the number of cases of measles locally and nationally in 2011 and in continental Europe. Children who have not received the MMR vaccine and who have recently returned from a visit to continental Europe are more vulnerable to infection and the Thames Valley HPU advice to parents/carers of such children is to be aware of the signs and symptoms of the disease. Further information can be found on www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/Measles

Playground Developments
As you may have read in a recent newsletter from the PTA, we are delighted that we are, at last, in a position to replace the climbing equipment in the school grounds. The children, through the School Council, have been closely involved in the choice of new equipment and we hope that installation will take place in mid-June, giving all pupils an opportunity to play on it before the summer holidays. We are extremely grateful to the PTA for their support of this project; they have been involved in the planning and have made a very significant financial contribution. Without this support we would not be able to provide such facilities so, on behalf of all pupils, thank you!

Little Bears News
We will be finding out about healthy eating, making healthy food plates and talking about our senses. We will also be enjoying some exotic fruit kebabs and finding out about hygiene and why it’s important to wash those germs away!!

DIARY DATES:
Wednesday 18th May Y5 Students visiting ICC – PE lesson
Mobile library visit
Friday 20th May Cycle Training starts
Tuesday 24th May Mrs Elliott from Icknield Community College will be talking to our Y6 pupls about their transition into Secondary School.
Wednesday 25th May Weighing and measuring of Reception pupils and Year 6 by the school nurse (rearranged from 25th March)
Friday 27th May Break up at the end of Term 5 at 3.15pm

Monday 6th June INSET Day – teachers only at school
Tuesday 7th June Pupils return to school for the start of Term 6
Wednesday 22nd June Y5 Students visiting ICC – Creative Arts lesson
Mobile library visit
Friday 22nd July Term 6 ends at 1.30pm

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Newsletter No 1 - 6th May 2011

Happy MAY Birthday to: Hannah Bradford, Leo Burnell, Ruby Dallimore, Benedict Diment, Buddy Halliday, Molly Howard, Ella Lavene, Maisie Matthews, Oliver Stewart and Tazmin Vale.

During the month of MAY we are focusing on the core value of UNDERSTANDING

Topics/Areas of Study
A letter from your child’s teacher outlining the topics/areas of study that pupils will be covering in Terms 5 and 6 will be sent home on Friday in book bags.

School Meals
The New Summer/Autumn menu, recently distributed to parents has also now been uploaded onto the Learning Platform and the school website.

Cycling Proficiency Training
The following pupils have put their names down for cycling proficiency training: Alice Madry, Amy Akers, Andrew Oakley, Chloe Brown and Benedict Diment. Please could any other Year 6 pupils who would like to take up this opportunity let Mrs Hopkins know by Monday 9th May? After this date, depending on the size of the group, we will decide whether to offer this opportunity to the oldest Year 5 pupils. The sessions will be held in the afternoons and will commence on Friday 20th May, then 27th May, 10th, 17th & 24rd June. The test date will be on Tuesday 28th June. Each pupil will need a roadworthy bicycle (front and rear brakes and reflectors) and a cycle helmet, which fits properly.

Gardening Club Request
Does anyone have any bark chips (end of bags or whole bags) which they would be willing to donate to the Gardening Club please?

PTA News
Spring has definitely sprung and the fantastic weather has meant that everyone who bought plants through the P.T.A. has been able to get out in the garden and make the most of the sunshine. The plant sale resulted in a profit of £124.69 for P.T.A. funds, so “Thank You!” to all those who placed an order. Thanks also to Sarah Green and Lucy Ellis who did a great job in sorting the orders and handing them out.

Can we remind parents and carers that there will be a School Uniform Sale on Friday 6th May from 2.45pm under the covered area outside Class One. Tracy Perring will be on hand to sell you new items, such as sweatshirts, cardigans, tee shirts etc. There will also be some second-hand items that include white tops, trousers, skirts, dresses etc. We are still accepting any last minute donations, so if you have any clean items in good condition that you wish to give, please bring them into school A.S.A.P. Payments can be made by cheque or cash on the day. All proceeds will go towards P.T.A. funds.

The Clothes Recycling Collection will be on Tuesday 10th May from the school at around 10am. If you have any clean, good quality adult and children’s clothes, shoes, belts, bags, bedding, towels or soft toys, please bring them into school in the blue recycling bag we have provided (via children’s book bags) by 9.00am on the Tuesday morning. If you run out of blue bin bags , it is fine to use ordinary black bin bags. Thank you.

Puzzle Trail Sheets are selling like hot cakes! There is just under two weeks left to complete the trails and return your sheets to the school to stand a chance of winning a prize in the draws that will take place at the Family Fun Day (See details below). The P.T.A. can now confirm that adults could win Tea for Two at The Crazy Bear and children could win Tickets to Beale Park.
Puzzle Trail sheets are available from Sarah Madry 07749 224464, Catherine Odell 07917 696149 or the school office. Each Puzzle Trail sheet is being offered for a small donation of £5.00 towards P.T.A. funds, but we would like to present a fantastic “Buy one get one free” offer of both Puzzle Trails for £5.00! Please return your completed Puzzle Trail sheets to the school by 3.00pm on Saturday 14th May to be entered into the draws.

On Saturday 14th May from 1.30pm in the Community (School) Hall everyone is welcome to join us for some wonderful craft activities, tea, coffee, hot chocolates and yummy cakes. We plan to have face painting, kite making, seed planting, model building and lots of other fun and games on offer for children of all ages. Parents can come and have a catch up with friends and why not bring grandparents along too, to join in the fun. Entry to the Family Fun Day will be free and each activity will be available for a small charge towards P.T.A. funds.

Calling All Families! -To make the Family Fun Day a truly fantastic event for the children (and adults!) the P.T.A. need a little help from parents and carers!
We would like to make a request for donations of cakes and biscuits to sell on Saturday 14th May and would be very grateful for any contributions, whether they are home made or shop bought. Please bring any treats into school on Friday 13th and leave in the school kitchen, or bring along on the day.

We are also requesting donations of any items to do with children for the children’s tombola. They can include good quality, second hand or new books, toys, games, sweets etc. Please bring any items into school A.S.A.P. and leave in the red P.T.A. box labelled donations in the school hall. This is the perfect opportunity for a clear out, so why not donate some unwanted “bits and bobs” and help a good cause?

If anybody is able to help out and lend a hand at the Family Fun Day then the P.T.A. would love to hear from you! – If you are able to give just half an hour of your time please speak to Sarah Madry or contact her on the above mobile number.

As always, the P.T.A. is very grateful for everyone’s on going support and thank you in advance for your generous contributions. We should be able to bring you some exiting news about the development of the children’s play equipment very soon. Watch this space for updates!

Little Bears News
Continuing with the “All About Me” theme, we will be talking about our families and making family trees. It would be great if children could bring in a family photo as part of this topic work.

DIARY DATES:
Monday 9th May SATs Week
Swimming begins for Class 2 pupils – 4 sessions in total
After school Cricket Club starts
Tuesday 10th May PTA Clothes Recycling collection. Please bring bags in for 9am.
Wednesday 11th May After school Netball Club and Multiskills starts
Thursday 12th May After school Football Club with Premier Sports
Saturday 14th May PTA Family Fun Day – 1.30pm at school (please note new time)
Wednesday 18th May Y5 Students visiting ICC – PE lesson
Mobile library visit
Wednesday 25th May Weighing and measuring of Reception pupils and Year 6 by the school nurse (rearranged from 25th March)
Friday 27th May Break up at the end of Term 5 at 3.15pm
Monday 6th June INSET Day – teachers only at school
Tuesday 7th June Pupils return to school for the start of Term 6
Wednesday 22nd June Y5 Students visiting ICC – Creative Arts
Mobile library visit
Friday 22nd July Term 6 ends at 1.30pm