Newsletter for week ending 28th September 2012

Enforced School Closure
We were approached by SODC some months ago about using the school as a polling station for Police Commissioner Elections on 15th November and requested that they seek alternative premises for this. We received a letter from them this week informing us that they have no choice but to use the school for the election. The school will therefore be closed to pupils on Thursday 15th November. Staff will either work as usual in school or take the opportunity to attend the School’s ICT Conference at the Kassam Stadium on that day.

Parking and congestion in Cratlands Close and the use of the school car park

Message from the Governing Body:

On Tuesday a meeting was held between members of the PTA, Little Bears, the School and the Governing Body to discuss the issues we face in the parking/dropping children off in the morning and collecting them at the end of the school day.

We recently wrote about the issues in the school newsletter and the issues have also been mentioned in our entry in October’s Parish Magazine. It is vital that we work with the residents in Cratlands Close, you, the parents and carers, and our pupils to minimise disruption, congestion, poor parking and risks of injury to residents, parents and carers, staff and our pupils .

Following Tuesday's well attended meeting we have received some strong feedback and it is clear that we need to hear more parent views. For example:
• if we could make an arrangement for parents to use The Crown car park at the beginning and/or the end of the day, how many parents would be willing to use it?
• Are there any parents who currently drive to school who would be willing to try walking instead?
• How many parents would appreciate the opportunity to drop their children off from 8.30am if we could find a means of safely supervising them until they are allowed into school and then be clear of the car park before the majority of parents start arriving at 8.45am?
• How many parents live close to the school and would be willing to offer a friend shared use of their driveway to alleviate the need to come into Cratlands Close with a car at all?

There is no easy solution to this problem and we need everyone’s help to take small steps which may begin to make a difference.

Walk to School Month
Walk to School is a campaign run by national charity Living Streets which has existed since 1995. Its aim is simple – to encourage all parents and children to make walking to school part of their daily routine.
Walking to school has a wide range of benefits:
• It keeps children (and parents!) healthy
• It reduces traffic, congestion and carbon emission on the roads as well as pollution at the school gate
• It provides quality time before school for parents and children


• It is an opportunity for children to play, socialise and exercise before school
• It engages children with their local communities and environments
• It can take less time than driving

In October, 2012 we will be participating in Strider’s International Walking Challenge. This month-long activity encourages pupils to walk at least once a week, although we are aware that a lot of families walk to school and back everyday.
October is a great time for walking. It’s often quicker and less stressful than taking the car. It also provides an opportunity for spending quality time with your child. So if it is possible, why not give it a try?

Congratulations to all our pupils!
The photographer from The School Photography Company requested that all pupils should be congratulated on their very sensible behaviour while waiting for, and having, their photographs taken in school on Thursday. She said that in the 10 years she has been taking photographs in schools, she had never come across such a well-behaved and well-mannered group of children. We promote high standards of behavour and positive attitudes towards others in school, so it is particularly rewarding to have these values acknowledged and appreciated by a visitor. Congratulations to all our pupils!

PTA News
Please look out for our calender of events in your book bags this week - a handy reminder of what is happening when this term.

Friday Cake Club
Thanks to everyone who has joined the Friday Cake Club. The lucky winner last week was Elizabeth Marshall in Class R, and the cake was kindly donated by Mrs Ellis.

Mrs Buckner will be donating the cake this Friday, and a reminder to Mrs Burnell that she is on the rota for 5th October. We will try to put a reminder in the newsletter each week.

Plant Orders - need to be in by Monday 1st October

Halloween Disco
After the huge success of the End of Term Disco – which raised a fantastic £223.04 - we are planning a Halloween-themed Disco on Friday 26th October (last day before Half Term). More details to follow, but get your imaginations working on a ‘spooky’ outfit.

Other amounts raised for events at the end of last term included: Pampered Chef Evening - £181.34, Cake Sale - £28.05 and Sports Night -£586.98. Thanks to everyone who contributed to making these events so successful.

Winter Fair
It’s almost time to start thinking about Christmas, so if you have: any ideas for stalls we could run; or external vendors who might like to attend the Winter Fair; or know any organisations or companies that could donate prizes for the raffle, please let a PTA committee member know.

Holiday Course at Stadhampton School
Michael Hopkins, our sports coach, will be running a one-day holiday course here at Stadhampton School on Wednesday 31st October between 9 and 3pm. All pupils of primary school age are welcome to attend. The cost will be £10 for the day. The emphasis is on having fun and will include playing a variety of sports, games and mini-tournaments. There will be Halloween prizes! Bookings may be made directly with Mr Hopkins (see flyer attached) or via Mrs Hopkins in the school office.


Little Bears News
Next week at Little Bears we are looking at physical activity and the effect it has on our bodies. We will also be making an obstacle course in our garden.
If anyone has a working Hoover they no longer want, we would be very pleased to make use of it. Thank you.

DIARY DATES:
Monday 1st October Final day for PTA Plant Orders
Friday 5th October Harvest Festival School Service at 9.05am. All welcome. Please could every child bring a Harvest Gift if possible.
Wednesday 17th October Open Morning at Stadhampton School and Little Bears 9.00-11.30am.
Tuesday 23rd October Bag2School Clothes Collection by 9.00am
Wednesday 31st October One-day Holiday Course led by Michael Hopkins
Monday 19th November Parents Evening: 3.30 – 4.30pm and 5.00-7.00pm Class 1
4.00 - 7.00pm – Reception, Class 2 and Class 3
Wednesday 21st November Parents Evening: 4.00 – 6.00pm – all classes
Tuesday 11th December Matinee and Evening performances of KS2 Christmas Production
Wednesday 12th December Matinee performance of FS/KS1 Christmas Production

Newsletter for week ending 21st September 2012

Harvest Gifts
Our annual Harvest Festival will take place in the Hall at 9.05am on Friday 5th October and families are most welcome to join us. Once again we will be supporting Stepping Stones, an organisation for homeless people in Oxford, with our Harvest Gifts. We hope that each child will be able to bring a small contribution into school before our service. All Harvest gifts bought into school will be taken to the village church and put on display for the Harvest Service there on Sunday 9th October, before being taken on to Stepping Stones. Stepping Stones prefer to receive non-perishable items such as packets of pasta, tins of beans, bars of chocolate, packets of biscuits, tins of tomatoes, tins of spaghetti, etc rather than fresh produce. This year they are also intending to make chutney, as an enterprise, so gifts of vinegar and sugar would also be greatly appreciated. However, ‘traditional’ Harvest Gifts are also welcome. Thank you.

Advance Notice of other Key Events and Dates
Please make a note of key dates taking place in the autumn term:

Our annual Parents and Carers Consultation Evening with teachers will take place in November as follows:

Monday 19th November: 3.30 – 4.30pm and 5.00-7.00pm Class 1
4.00 - 7.00pm – Reception, Class 2 and Class 3

Wednesday 21st November: 4.00 – 6.00pm – all classes

We hope that by giving advanced notice of these arrangements that parents and carers will be able to arrange to attend one or other of these dates.

Our annual Christmas productions (yet to revealed!) will take place as follows:

KS2 (Classes 2 & 3) Tuesday 11th December, both matinee and evening performances (times to be confirmed)

FS/KS1 (Reception & Class 1) Wednesday 12 December, matinee performance only (time to be confirmed).

Our annual Nativity Service is expected to take place in the village church during the last week of
Term 2. We will circulate details of this event once we have confirmed arrangements with the new
vicar, Rev Caroline King.


Starting School
Parents with a child born between 1st September 2008 and 31st August 2009 must apply for a school place for entry in the academic year beginning September 2013. The closing date for applications is 15th January 2013. You may apply on-line at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/admissions or by completing a paper CAP form which should be available shortly from the school office, if you have not already received one from the Local Authority.

Year 6 Secondary School Applications
Families of Year 6 pupils should have received a letter from the Admissions Team at Oxfordshire County Council explaining the process for applying for a place at their chosen secondary school. You can apply on-line at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/admissions. A limited number of application booklets containing an application form for completion are available from the school office if you are unable to apply on line. The closing date for on-time applications is 31st October 2012.

PTA News
Thanks to everyone who came to our first meeting of the school year on Tuesday. There were lots of good ideas for raising funds, and these will be communicated via the school website shortly.

Friday Cake Club – This starts on 21st September, and costs 20p per child per week if they would like to enter the raffle, to be drawn in Assembly. If you would prefer to pay up front for the rest of the half term, or even the term, you are very welcome to do so. We will then ensure your child’s name is entered each week. Rowena, Diana & Lucy will be outside Class 1 on Friday morning with the tickets. Thank you to everyone who has offered to donate cakes so far – these are on a rota which Rowena has. If you would like to add your name, please contact Rowena.

Clothes Recycling 23 October – Bags and a letter provided by Bag2School will be put into bookbags shortly, but you can also use black bin bags. Donations of clothes, shoes, bedding (not pillows and duvets), cuddly toys are all very welcome. The collection will take place by 9am on Tuesday 23rd October.

Plant Orders – Order forms and information regarding plant orders should be in bookbags on Friday. All order forms and payment should be returned to the School Office by Monday 1st October, and the plants will be delivered on Monday 22 October.


Little Bears News
Next week we are looking at our bones and we will be reading ‘Funny Bones’ and learning the song "Those Bones". We will also be making collage skeletons and drawing around each other.

DIARY DATES:
Tuesday 25th September Meeting about parking/car park/congestion at 2.45pm in the Hall.
Thursday 27th September All pupils have their photographs taken in school uniform. Each child is photographed individually and also with any siblings in school. Families are welcome to come into the Hall before school at 8.30am to have family groups photographed together.

Icknield Community College Open Evening for new students – 6pm

Friday 5th October Harvest Festival School Service at 9.05am. All welcome.
Wednesday 17th October Open Morning at Stadhampton School and Little Bears 9.00-11.30am.

Newsletter for week ending 14th September 2012

Open Morning at Stadhampton School and Little Bears
Stadhampton Primary School and Little Bears Pre-School will be holding a joint Open Morning on Wednesday 17th October between 9.00am and 11.30am. Parents and other visitors are most welcome to come and see the school at work during this morning.

Information for parents and carers of children due to transfer to secondary school in September 2013
Parents of children born between 1 September and 31 August 2002 (inclusive) need to apply for a secondary school place for their children. The closing date for on time applications is 31 October 2012. The main means of application is to apply on line at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/admissions
If you are unable to apply on line please ask Mrs Hopkins for a paper copy of the Common Application Form (CAF).

Swimming at the Abbey Sports Centre in Berinsfield
Cheques for swimming should be made payable to Stadhampton Primary School. A big ‘thank you’ to those families who have already contributed towards this term’s swimming costs.

After School Clubs
There are still one or two places remaining on all after-school clubs running on Wednesdays (Multisports for Years 1&2, Multisports for Years 3-6) and Thursdays (Football for Years 3-6). Please contact Mrs Hopkins if you would like a place for your child. A reminder that all clubs finish promptly at 4.15pm.

Clarinet Lessons
County Music Service Clarinet lessons for all Year 5 pupils will commence on Tuesday 18 September. There are normally 10 weekly lessons each long term but further details will be circulated by Miss Howell, the new clarinet teacher, next week. Clarinets are provided as part of the programme.

We are still unclear of the situation regarding the continuation of clarinet lessons for Year 6 pupils as, unfortunately, there may be an insufficient number of pupils to make this viable. We are currently working with the County Music Service to facilitate this and will be in contact with the families concerned to clarify this as soon as we can. In the meantime, if there are any Year 6 pupils who would like to continue with clarinet lessons it’s not too late to apply. Application forms are available in school.

Our Olympic Experience – by Georgia and Millie
Georgia: I came into the hall and sat down with my fingers crossed. Mrs Turner stood with the hat in her hand and a smile on her face. Everyone turned their faces to her and wished that it would be them. She put her hand in the hat, and pulled out a small piece of paper. “the lucky winners are Georgia Valentine, Millie Birtles and Georgia’s dad”. I cried out in excitement.
Millie: Georgia approached me later on in the day, she shouted out, “we won the tickets, we won the tickets!” I thought she was joking but when the next day came everyone came up to me and said “congratulations”. I felt like I needed to cry, so instead I hugged her.

“We saw the 100 metres and the 400 metres with Usain Bolt running. Also we say Jessica Ennis do the pole voult, long jump and javeline. The atmosphere was amazing. Our favourite bit was the steeple chase and Jessica Ennis doing the long jump. It made us feel like we were very lucky people and we will never get this opportunity again. Watching the Olympics has changed how we feel about sports. This will be a story which we can tell our children and grandchildren.”

School Council
Congratulations to the following pupils who were elected by pupils on to the School Council for Terms 1 & 2:
Year 6: Matthew Ellis and Orla Fernie; Year 5: Ollie Jones and Thea Diment; Year 4: Greg Madry and Cora White; Year 3: Charlie Ball and Georgia Day; Year 2: Will Parkes and Isabella Dickens.

School Website - Class Topics/Areas of Study
Each class teacher has now uploaded information specific to their class about the projects and areas of study they are focusing on in Terms 1 and 2.
A paper copy of these was also sent home earlier this week via book bags.

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

Recorders and Recorder Books
Recorders are now available from the school office, priced at £6.50. Recorder Books 1 and 2 are also available at £4.85 each (sorry, price increase – the school makes no profit from selling these items).

Water/Juice Bottles
To avoid confusion in the classroom and at lunchtime, please could water bottles which are being re-used be labelled.


PTA
School Uniform: Order forms have been put into book bags earlier this week. The e-mail address for uniform orders is stadhamptonpta@gmail.com

PTA Meeting - Tuesday 18 Sep, 7.45pm, School Hall
We're holding our first meeting of the year and anyone is welcome to come along and join in, give us ideas etc. If you can't make the meeting but want to let us know anything then you can email us on: stadhamptonpta@gmail.com, or just speak to Diana Woodwards, Rowena Dobson, Charlotte Hector or any member of the PTA.

Friday Cake Club
Introducing our new Friday Cake Club - watch out for full details in book bags next week. Very simply – you pay 20p on Fridays to be in with a chance to win a lovely cake!


Little Bears News
Next week we are learning all about feelings and Little Bears rules. We will be making some self-portraits and drawing around each other. We will also be doing lots of music and movement.


DIARY DATES:
Tuesday 18th September Clarinets begin for participating pupils
PTA Meeting 7.45pm. All welcome.
Wednesday 19th September Young Leaders Award – Year 5 and 6 pupils
Friday 21st September Guitar lessons begin for participating pupils
Thursday 27th September All pupils have their photographs taken in school uniform. Each child is photographed individually and also with any siblings in school. Families are welcome to come into the Hall before school at 8.30am to have family groups photographed together.

Icknield Community College Open Evening for new students – 6pm
Friday 5th October Harvest Festival in School at 9.05am. All welcome.
Monday 19th November Parents Evening – more details to follow – please put the date in your diary.




Icknield Community College Open Evening
Icknield Community College are holding their annual Open Evening for new pupils on Thursday 27th September starting at 6pm – flyer attached to this newsletter.

Newsletter for week ending 7th September 2012
Welcome back!
Welcome back to everyone returning to school after the summer holidays. We hope everyone is refreshed and renewed and has been excited and inspired by all the Olympic events.

An especially warm welcome to our new pupils: Jack Austin, Jem Burnell, Freya Clapton, Archie Dickens, Ella Fulker, Joshua Hursey, Olivia Kenny, Mya Khan, Elizabeth Marshall, Lewis Payne, Daniel Robinson, Phoebe Watkins, Thomas West and Ellie Wiggins in our Foundation Class and Edison (Y2) and Bronte (Y1) Buckner in Class 1. We also welcome Mr Simon Short and Mrs Justine Gonzalez, both new TA’s on our staff team. We hope everyone enjoys being part of the Stadhampton School community. Mrs Gonzalez joins us in place of Mrs Davis Peckham who was unable to take up her post as previously arranged.

Happy Belated Birthdays in August to: Millie Birtles, Rhys Brown, Cora White and Abigail Wright.

Happy SEPTEMBER Birthday to: Charles Austin, Isabella Dickens, Bryce Dobson, Phoebe Hindmarch, Alfie Howard, Annabel Roe, Pheobe Watkins and Lawrence Wright.

During SEPTEMBER we are focusing on the core value of RESPECT

Cars, Pedestrians and the School Car Park
The use of the school car park by parents regularly raises significant issues and concerns relating to both the safety of our pupils and the respect of local residents and the beginning of a new school year is a timely opportunity to re-visit this matter. The school car park is primarily for the use of school staff, Little Bears staff and visitors to the site, as well, of course, by users of the Community Hall after school hours. We currently open up the school park as a drop-off and pick-up point for parents in an attempt to help alleviate congestion in Cratlands Close. The number of parking spaces available is very limited but the pressure on these spaces has noticeably increased.
We encourage parents to walk with their children to/from school whenever possible but realise that this is not an option for some families. Increased use of the school car park has led to an increase in potential hazards and frequent congestion, and we ask all parents to show consideration to others, as well as be mindful of safety when using the car park and parking in Cratlands Close. We also thank the many families who regularly walk to school.

Cars and children are not a good combination and both the school car park and the approach along Cratlands Close are potentially hazardous areas. We have received recent reports of several ‘near-misses’ between cars and children and we respectfully request that both car drivers and parents/carers accompanying children are vigilant and mindful of their responsibilities – both as drivers and pedestrians. The thought of an accident involving any of our pupils, or their younger siblings, is particularly horrifying. The reality would be devastating.
Please could parents only use the designated parking bays and NOT PARK in front of the large gate which leads onto the netball court. Not only is this the access point for grounds maintenance and emergency vehicles but it also causes a significant problem for pedestrians with pushchairs entering and exiting Little Bears. It would be acceptable for one car to park briefly on the left hand side nearest to the school but the main problem arises when two cars park in that area as parents with pushchairs are being forced onto the muddy grassed area rather than being able to use the path or dropped-kerb access point.

Please do not park alongside the kerb directly outside school at the end of the school day as this is the area where taxis wait to collect children. We must ensure that the right children go into the right taxis and that children being transported are wearing their seatbelts; this is very difficult to monitor if the taxi drivers are not able to park right outside school and are forced to wait further up in Cratlands Close.


Families may be able to alleviate this congestion by parking elsewhere in the village and walking the rest of the way to school and we thank those families who already do this.

October is International Walk to School Month and, as a school, we shall be participating in this event. Further details will be circulated nearer the time.


We would be grateful for all parents’ assistance in this matter and thank you, in advance, for your co-operation.

Rev. Caroline King
Some of you may already know that Rev. Caroline King, our newly appointed vicar, has unfortunately had an accident which resulted in her being unable to take up her post until late October. In the meantime Rev. David Cleugh will continue to fulfil the role. We wish Rev Caroline a speedy recovery and look forward to working with her later in the term.

School Meals
A reminder that school meals from 1st September are offered at the slightly reduced cost of £2 per day. Cheques for school meals should be made payable to Oxfordshire County Council please with Stadhampton Primary School written on the back of the cheque. In order to reduce administration time spent on school meals we appreciate receiving orders and payments for school meals on the first morning of each school week. Thank you.

Swimming at the Abbey Sports Centre in Berinsfield
Class 2 will start their swimming sessions at the Abbey Sports Centre in Berinsfield on Monday 10th September. They will have 7 sessions between September and December.

For families new to swimming sessions at Berinsfield, pupils need to bring their own swimming trunks or costume, a swimming hat and a towel on Monday mornings.

As always, we appreciate a voluntary contribution towards the transportation costs and the costs associated with swimming at Berinsfield. Each weekly visit currently costs the school £75.

Due to pressures on the school budget and our strategic decision to provide additional support to all pupils through an increase in the level of teaching assistant provision, we have therefore made the decision to increase the cost of the suggested voluntary contributions to £2, per child, per session from 1st September. Swimming is a compulsory part of the national PE curriculum. The cost to parents for swimming at Berinsfield will still be significantly lower than other local schools charge who also rely on coach transport to get there and back.
Cheques for swimming should be made payable to Stadhampton Primary School. Thank you to the families who have already contributed in advance towards this term’s swimming costs.

School Website
As you may remember from last term, we are in the process of creating a new school website: www.stadhamptonschool.org The old website will soon cease to be active. Do go and have a look at the new one! We already have the new school prospectus on it which includes term and holiday dates, the school meals menu and lots of other information. We shall continue to add to it, particularly updating the school calendar over the next few weeks. Each class teacher will also shortly upload information specific to their class such as the projects they are covering.

Piano Tuition
Mrs Trudy Drake will be offering piano lessons during the school day on Wednesday afternoons for any child in Class 2 or 3. (You may be aware that Mrs Drake already provides piano tuition in the local area). If you are interested in your children learning to play the piano in school, please contact Mrs Drake directly (mob. 07918188519) for more details. There are only a few places available at this time.


PTA
Welcome back everyone, and a warm welcome to all new families from the PTA. We have lots of exciting things planned for this year, and as usual we will keep you informed via the newsletter, so please keep a look out for dates and information on how you can support us.

Meeting - Tuesday 18th September, 7.45pm, School Hall
An invitiation to come along to our first meeting of the year and help us plan our year of fundraising activities. We would love to welcome any new people to our small and friendly team, so please come and join us.


Little Bears News
Next week as we continue with our topic and learn all about ourselves we will be looking at our names and designing our own name labels. We will also be enjoying some circle games as we continue to all learn each others names.


DIARY DATES:
Monday 10th September Class 2 swimming starts at Berinsfield. “Voluntary donation” requested please towards the transport costs of £2 per week.
Wednesday 12th September First cycle safety training for participating Year 6 pupils at 1pm

Year 5 assembly with Mr Hunter, Headteacher of ICC at 2.45pm. Parents are encouraged to attend this assembly where they will also have an opportunity to ask questions directly to Mr Hunter and accompanying prefects.

Multi-sports clubs begin for participating pupils in Years 1-6.

Thursday 13th September After-school football club for participating pupils
Friday 14th September Year 5 visit to ICC for an English lesson
Friday 21st September Guitar lessons begin for participating pupils
Thursday 27th September All pupils have their photographs taken in school uniform. Each child is photographed individually and also with any siblings in school. Families are welcome to come into the Hall before school at 8.30am to have family groups photographed together.