Friday, January 27, 2012

Newsletter for week ending 27th January 2012



Stadhampton School Term and Holiday Dates for 2012-2013
Please find attached to this newsletter a calendar of our term and holiday dates for the new academic year which will begin for pupils on 5th September 2012. A copy of this has also been loaded onto the Learning Platform and School Web-Site.

School Absence Targets
We respectfully remind parents that they should not take pupils out of school for holidays during term time unless there is an exceptional reason. Before making a request for an additional holiday, please consider carefully why being out of school is more beneficial to your child than attending lessons. The attendance and engagement team at Oxfordshire County Council provide guidance to parents and to schools on taking holidays during school terms. The following exerpts are from this guidance :
• “Research has shown that there is a close link between attendance at school and a child’s achievement”
• “All time out of school affects learning and achievement for both primary and secondary pupils”
• “By arranging holidays outside of term time, you will be giving your child the best chance to succeed”
The Local Authority have issued us with a target to reduce our absence figures for sickness and holidays taken during term time by a further 5% this year, i.e. to 2.86% and we seek parents support in achieving this target. Thank you in anticipation of your understanding and cooperation.


National Storytelling Week – 28.01.2012 – 04.02.2012
You may like to know that the coming week is National Storytelling Week. Rather than concentrate our attention to this in one particular week we are focusing on storytelling through the recent storytelling workshops held at school, the visit by the Roald Dahl Museum working with Class 2 and a visit by author Peter Davidson on 1st February during which he will give a talk to pupils on his books about fossils and dinosaurs. After school there will be an opportunity for parents to buy signed and dedicated copies of his books, priced at £6.99 and £7.99. Our on-going Literacy work uses a range of storytelling techniques and Year 6 pupils are currently taking it in turns, once a week, to re-tell stories to Class 1. I’m sure many families will have their own favourite stories to share at home and the Story Museum website www.storymuseum.org.uk is well worth a look at.

French Student Teacher
Monsieur Marc Flageul, a trainee teacher from France working in partnership with Oxford Brookes University, will be joining us for 2 weeks starting on Monday 30th January. Monsieur Flageul will mainly be working in Class 2.

UNICEF Day 4 Change on 3rd February 2012
Friday 3rd February we hope that pupils will be able to bring in some loose change towards helping support UNICEF’s programme to support vunerable children in Uganda by bringing sport into their lives. This week Class 3 pupils gave an assembly about Uganda to help all pupils have an understanding of the context of this programme. We hope to cover a map of Uganda as well as a number of pictorial representations of Uganda with coins – please help us to cover them all!

PTA News

Fundraising
Since joining The Giving Machine we’ve received donations of £99.67 (some of which we have already received a cheque for) as a result of just a handful of people shopping online after visiting their website. With the involvement of everyone who shops online we could raise far more, without having to donate any money ourselves. Here are some examples:

All those who get groceries online with Sainsburys - 1.5% of your spend will be donated. For example if your monthly spend was £280.00, the school would get a donation of £4.20 - and it hasn't cost you anything. And if you buy clothes from Boden - 3.75% of your spend will get donated.
Amazon will donate 3.75% of your spend - so for every £20, the school will get 75p. Doesn't sound a lot? Look how much we've raised from just a few people using the website - now think how much more we could raise if we all did it. So please, please have a look at thegivingmachine.co.uk
and join in. Please ask Rowena Dobson, Diane Woodwards or Charlotte Hector if you are unsure how to do it.

Friday 2nd March - Quiz Night with Fish & Chip Supper
Now that the excitement of Christmas is well and truly over, and it’s back to the humdrum of daily life, how about a night out for just £7 at our fantastic TV and Film Quiz Night, with a Fish & Chip supper, and of course the usual bar!

Tickets for Quiz and Fish & Chip supper - £7, or tickets for Quiz only - £2.50. More details on where you can get tickets to follow.


Little Bears News
Next week we are going to be looking at the very largest things in the sea. We will also continue to collage our giant octopus and be learning all about variations in size. We will also be introducing the snail and the whale.


DIARY DATES:

Monday 30th January After school Hockey Club starts for 8 weeks for participating pupils
Friday 3rd February UNICEF Day for Change – please start collecting your small change to bring change to the lives of Ugandan children
Friday 10th February Term 3 finishes at 3.15pm

Monday 20th February Pupils return to school for the start of Term 4
Monday 12th March Work-viewing evening


Attachments to this newsletter:
• School Term and Holiday Dates for 2012-2013
• Letter from Icknield Community College about Academy status
• Advert for “bank staff” for the Children’s Centre

Community Parish Plan Launch -invite from the Parish Council

We have been asked by the Parish Council to let parents know about a meeting on Tuesday 21st February at 7.30pm in the Hall to discuss how we can make our parish a better place. This meeting will enable parents to be involved in the launch of a Community Plan.
The invitation says "Come and join us for a glass of wine or beer and share your views.
Many thanks and hope to see you there!"

Stadhampton Parish Council
http://www.stadhampton.com/

Friday, January 20, 2012

Newsletter for week ending 20th January 2012

Newsletter for week ending 20th January 2012

Headlice
A parent has kindly let us know that their child has had headlice which has now been treated. Please could all parents please check their children’s hair this weekend and treat if necessary. Thank you.

The start of the School Day
We maintain an ‘open door’ policy which provides parents and carers with ready access to teachers to facilitate on-going collaboration. We recognise that there will be some information that is essential for us to be aware of at the beginning of the school day. However, the start of the school day is a very busy time for teaching staff and we respectfully request that, whenever possible, parents and carers try to talk to staff after school or make an appointment to meet at a mutually convenient time.
Thank you for your co-operation.

UNICEF Day for Change – 03.02.2012

Each year we support the charitable work of UNICEF by taking part in their Day for Change. This year Day for Change focuses on UNICEF’s Education through Sport programme in Uganda, where sport and play is used as a route to improve the health and happiness of vulnerable children including orphans, children with disabilities, child refugees, former child soldiers and children left homeless by conflict.

By donating any loose change you may have at home you will be helping to change the lives of children in Uganda. Please support us. Pupils can bring any contributions into school on the day.
Thank you.

Further information about the work of UNICEF is available on their website: www.unicef.org.uk

Storytelling Workshops – 16.01.12
Pupils were captivated by the storytelling of Mr Adam Guillain on Monday. Pupils from different classes listened to different stories from his extensive repertoire. They included; “The Black Prince”, “The Clever Wish” and “The Land of Strange Names” (Class 2 and 3), “The Gingerbread Man” and “The Duck and the Gold” (Class 1) and “Little Red Riding Hood” and “The Three Giants (Reception).
The children learnt about the main elements of story plots and those in Classes 1, 2 and 3, learnt the process of how to; listen to an oral story, map the story, step the story (with a partner), speak the story (with a partner), re-tell the story for themselves and ultimately to write part of the story independently.

Why storytelling?
The value of storytelling was acknowledged in the Rose Report 2009. “The powerful, not to say, unique, contribution to children’s enjoyment and comprehension of language – and to their emotional development – from deep engagement with story telling and regular exposure to excellent literature is recognised throughout early years and primary education”.

Mr Guillain works with The Story Museum in Oxford and although their premises are not yet open to the public they have a website which is well worth looking at. There is a section on stories at home and a number of stories are available to read or listen to. Their website is www.storymuseum.org.uk Here are some recounts from the children:

Report by Rhiannon Amery and Bryce Dobson (Class 3)
“On 16th January, Mr Guillain visited us and did some storytelling with the whole school. We all really enjoyed it. The stories were interactive and fun. Some of us have decided to write our own stories as a result! He taught us how to write a good story and inspired us to write more!”

Report by Ella Perring and Max Lansley (Class 2)
“On Monday a man called Adam Guillain from The Story Museum came into school and told us stories. They were “The Black Prince, The Clever Wish and a Silly Story”. We wrote our own version of the Black Prince and everyone thought it was an exciting day. And if you want to go on the website it is www.storymuseum.or.uk”

Report by Buddy and Ollie (Class 1)
“It was fun and we loved the music. The Gingerbread Man was fun and we had to run as fast as we could. We made a map of the story. We liked the stepping and remembering the story”.


Little Bears News
Next week we will be starting to make our fishes in a bottle and collaging our giant octopus. We still need some bottles please.
We will also be celebrating Chinese New Year and Burns Night.


Icknield Community College – Temporary Staff Vacancy
Job Role: Junior ICT Technician
Start Date: 2 February
Contract type: Temporary
Hours: 20 hours per week, working hours to be decided at interview
Salary: Grade 5 Pt 14
We are seeking to appoint as soon as possible a part-time Junior ICT Technician. If you have:
• Good ‘people’ skills
• Knowledge of Microsoft Operating Systems and Microsoft Office
• Hardware troubleshooting, configuration and repair skills
Plus other relevant experience or skills you may just be the person to join our friendly and supportive school.

Further details are available from Gill Ward, PA to the Headteacher, by emailing gillward@ocnmail.net.

Icknield Community College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of students. The successful applicant will be required to undertake an Enhanced CRB Disclosure.

DIARY DATES:

Wednesday 25th January After school Netball & Multisports start for 9 weeks for participating pupils. Multisports Club is now full.
Maths Masterclass at ICC for participating pupils.
Thursday 26th January Visit from the Roald Dahl Museum for Class 2 pupils.
Monday 30th January After school Hockey Club starts for 8 weeks for participating pupils
Friday 3rd February UNICEF Day for Change – please start collecting your small change to bring change to the lives of Ugandan children
Friday 10th February Term 3 finishes at 3.15pm

Monday 20th February Pupils return to school for the start of Term 4
Monday 12th March Work-viewing evening

Friday, January 13, 2012

Newsletter for week ending 13th January 2012

Newsletter for week ending 13th January 2012

A Message from the Governors
Dear Parents and Carers,

At the end of last year we asked you all to fill out our annual Parent Questionnaire. The Questionnaire is used to help the teaching staff and governing body ensure that the school is continuing to provide high standards of teaching and support to pupils and measure how well the school is meeting your expectations. In total we received 42 responses (an increase from 31) in 2010), thank you for taking the time to fill the form out.

You were asked to say whether you Strongly Agreed, Agreed, Disagreed or Strongly Disagreed with 13 statements. The overall average response across all returned questionnaires and all questions was exactly midway between Strongly Agree and Agree (as it was in 2010) which we believe reflects both the continued high standards achieved at Stadhampton Primary School, and you and your children's experience. However, unlike 2010, several statements attracted a Disagree from a small number of parents and this is, of course, a concern. The teaching staff have already incorporated some of the findings of the questionnaire into the INSET day held on the 3rd of January this year.
As a Governing Body we will be further analysing the responses at the next Governors Meeting and creating an action plan to address the leading areas identified as needing some improvement.
Best Regards
Jason Hector (Chair of Governors)

School Council
The New Year brings a number of changes and a new School Council has been elected. Many thanks to our previous School Council who achieved so much. Our Spring 2012 School Council consists of Ella Mae and Joe (Year 6), Molly and Benjamin (Year 5), Lola and Max (Year 4), Emily and Greg (Year 3) and Darcy and Max (Year 2).

Class Topics/Areas of Study
An outline of the topics/areas of study for each class for Terms 3 and 4 should be in book bags today.

Swimming Gala – by Matthew Ellis, Matt Green and Ella Mae White

“On Monday 9th January, six nervous swimmers (Matt Green, Matthew Ellis, Benjamin Duke, Maisie Matthews, Rhiannon Amery and Ella Mae White) competed in the Watlington Partnership Swimming Gala. Almost every race was extremely close; in the whole gala we only came 4th once! Although 6 schools were meant to compete, only 4 came so we only had one heat and a final but were still really tired afterwards. After all the swimming we got the results. We came first with 122 points! Matt Green, 10, said “It feels good to bring the cup back to our school again!”
All the swimmers did their very best and we all returned home triumphant, but very tired!

Storytelling Workshops – 16.01.2012
We are very excited that all pupils will be participating in a series of age-related storytelling workshops next Monday. Mr Adam Guillain, a local author and professional storyteller who works for The Story Museum in Oxford, will spend the day with us including providing after-school follow-up INSET for staff. Storytelling is not only fun but many Literacy–based skills are developed through the process including; listening skills, acting and speaking skills and an understanding of the structure of stories, which all ultimately support key generic writing skills. We look forward to an exciting and educational day!

School Collections
Thank you for collecting your plastic bottle tops and bringing them to school. Our collection has reached its goal of helping to provide funds for a replacement wheelchair for a pupil at our link school in Hazlach, Poland, and they are very grateful for everyone’s contributions.

As the bottle top collecting has been so successful we would like to continue with this facility but we will now collect them for the Thames Valley Air Ambulance. We hope you will continue to support our collection.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind familes that we also collect foreign coins and used stamps for Marie Curie Cancer Care. All collection containers are in the Hall, usually on top of the piano. Thank you for your contributions.

The gardening club continue to collect clean, empty, clear 2–litre drinks bottles to make their “green” greenhouse. Further details about their progress will follow shortly. Please continue to bring in any suitable bottles into the Hall. Thank you.

PTA
Happy New Year from the PTA. The final fundraising events of 2011 did very well. Fiona raised a fantastic £298.82 from the Wreath-Making Evening – thanks to Fiona for running it, and for everyone who attended or ordered a wreath. The Waitrose tokens raised £260 – again thanks to all who collected them. We also now have enough CDs and DVDs to send to Music Magpie to get the free football kit in addition to money for the CDs etc. We will let you know the exact amount raised as soon as we have it.

This year we can look forward to a TV and Film Quiz in February, and Kids Bingo night in March, plus the usual Clothes Recycling and Plant Orders. If you have any other fundraising ideas please let a member of the PTA know. Or better still, come along to the next PTA Meeting, at 8pm on Tuesday 24th January in the School Hall.


Little Bears News
Next week we are continuing with our theme “Under the Sea” and making starfish and continuing with our crabs- reminder that we will need 2ltr bottles for week 4 and if anyone has any sand paper they would like to donate it would be much appreciated.
Happy Belated Birthday to Thomas West who turned 4 last Tuesday.


DIARY DATES:


Tuesday 17th January After-school cookery course begins for participating Year 4 pupils
Wednesday 18th January Year 5 pupils visit ICC for a technology lesson
Friday 20th January Class 3 visit to ICC for Sports Hall Activities
Wednesday 25th January After school Netball & Multisports start for 9 weeks for participating pupils. Multisports Club is now full.
Monday 30th January After school Hockey Club starts for 8 weeks for participating pupils
Friday 3rd February UNICEF Day for Change – please start collecting your small change to bring change to the lives of Ugandan children
Friday 10th February Term 3 finishes at 3.15pm
Monday 20th February Pupils return to school for the start of Term 4
Monday 12th March Work-viewing evening

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Newsletter for week ending 6th January 2012

Happy New Year and welcome back to everyone!

Happy JANUARY Birthday to: Elizabeth Bowerman, Owen Cove, Thomas Cove, Myles Dobson, Matthew Ellis, Megan Green, Isabella Kenny, Tia Khan, Joe Mercer and Benjamin West.

During January our school is focusing on Happiness

Pupil Premium Funding
Under the Government “Pupil Premium”, if your child is from a Service Family or you are entitled to free school meals, the school would be able to claim for additional funding.
• If either parent is a member of the Armed Services, please could you let Mrs Hopkins (School Business Manager) know as soon as possible.
• If you or your partner receive Income Support, Income based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Child Tax Credit (but not Working Tax Credit) your child may be eligible for a free school meal. Please let Mrs Hopkins know as soon as possible if you think you may be eligible. Even if you do not wish your child to receive their free school meal allocation, the funding the school will be able to claim will benefit your child.


Swimming at Berinsfield
Swimming will begin for Class 2 pupils on Monday 16th January as the Partnership Swimming Gala is on Monday 9th January. They will have 5 sessions (16th, 23rd, 30th January, 6th & 20th February). Class 3 swimming sessions will begin on Monday 27th February. They will also have 5 sessions. We hope that all parents are willing to make a “voluntary donation” of £1 per pupil for each swimming session towards the cost of the transport. Cheques for swimming donations should be made payable to Stadhampton Primary School please.

Work Viewing Evening
This year our annual Work Viewing Evening will be on Monday 12th March. Parents will be able to look at their child/ren’s work between 3.15 and 6pm and we encourage pupils to attend, where possible, to share their work with their parents. Teachers will be available between 3.30 and 6pm for brief consultation but there is no appointment system.

Little Bears News
Next week we will be adding some jelly fish to our under water cave.
We will be making collage jelly fish and crabs. Also we are asking all parents to bring in a 2 ltr bottle ( empty) for art work in Week 4


DIARY DATES:

Monday 9th January Partnership Swimming Gala for participating pupils
Tuesday 10th January Final after school cookery club for Year 5 pupils (owed from Term 2). Science Club for participating Class 3 pupils (5 weeks).
Thursday 12th January After school Football Club starts for 11 weeks for participating pupils
Friday 13th January Guitar lessons restart for participating pupils
Tuesday 17th January After-school cookery course begins for participating Year 4 pupils
Wednesday 18th January Year 5 pupils visit ICC for a technology lesson
Wednesday 25th January After school Netball & Multisports start for 9 weeks for participating pupils
Monday 30th January After school Hockey Club starts for 8 weeks for participating pupils
Friday 3rd February UNICEF Day for Change – please start collecting your small change to bring change to the lives of Ugandan children
Friday 10th February Term 3 finishes at 3.15pm
Monday 20th February Pupils return to school for the start of Term 4