Newsletter for week ending 18 October 2013

We are very pleased to welcome Mr Andrew Ansell to Stadhampton School. Mr Ansell is a student from Oxford Brookes University,and will be working alongside Miss Shah in Class 3 for period of eight weeks.

Teachers’ Strike 17.10.2013
As you will already be aware, a number of schools locally were either fully or partially closed on Thursday 17 October due to combined union strike action by teachers. This strike action was over disputes relating to changes to pay, pensions and working conditions. These changes are significant and the concerns are that the consequences will make teaching, which is already a very challenging job, an increasingly unattractive profession – both for existing, experienced teachers and for the recruitment of high calibre new teachers.
Teaching staff at Stadhampton School all reserve the right to strike. No teacher takes strike action lightly; the prospect was given very careful consideration however, on this occasion, teaching staff elected not to go on strike. Staff will be closely following any further developments.

National School Meals Week – 4th – 8th November 2013
We are delighted to announce that Food With Thought are offering all our Reception children a free school meal during the whole of National School Meals week. Your child may order a free school meal every day or on any day(s) of their choice during that week by returning the tick sheet on the letter sent home in book bags earlier this week. Thank you.

After School Clubs
We will be sending home details of After-school clubs for next term early next week. Archery, dance, art and multiskills will continue in Term 2. The Archery after school club on Mondays was very popular this term resulting in 9 pupils being unable to have a place. Therefore a place has been reserved for the following pupils for the new club which will begin on Monday 4 November: Ollie and Max Jones, Oliver and James Lowman, Alex Igmofose, Rees Brown, Josh Matthews, Alfie Howard and Charlie Ball. Please could you let us know as soon as possible if your child does not wish to take up this place. If everyone on the ‘waiting list’ does wish to take up a place we shall only have one more space left. If anyone (aged 8 or over) would be interested in this place please let Mrs Hopkins know.


Advance Notice of Key Events and Dates
Parents’ Consultation Evenings Monday 18th November & Wednesday 20th November

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

KS2 (Classes 2 & 3) Tuesday 10th December, both matinee and evening performances (times to be confirmed)

FS/KS1 (Reception & Class 1) Wednesday 11th December, one matinee performance only (time to be confirmed).

Tickets will be on sale shortly from the school office for all performances of the Christmas Productions. They will be priced at £2 each with all profits this year going towards the purchase of i-pads for use in the classrooms. As we have to comply with fire regulations concerning the number of people in the hall, tickets will be limited to 3 per family for the KS1/FS performance and 2 per family for each of the KS2 performances. We respectfully request that parents do not bring children who are under school age to the KS2 evening performance please.

Our annual Nativity Service is expected to take place in the village church on Wednesday 18th December at 2.15pm. Everyone is welcome to join us for this event.

Class 3 Visit to Wittenham Clumps – Report by Marcin and Naomi
“On Friday 11th October Class 3 had a trip to Wittenham Clumps. We decided to be ‘outlaws’ for the day like Robin Hood and his merry men (and women!) so had to learn to survive in the wild woods. We went off in different groups and made dens from logs and tree branches. When we finished making our den we were able to see all the others and all of them were FANTASTIC. After we had lunch we went outside and made a fire. It was really challenging because we couldn’t use matches and had to use fire strikers but it was even more challenging because it was raining! All groups managed to make a fire and were able to roast delicious marshmallows! We all thought this trip was really exciting because we were trusted to do lots of fun activities that we wouldn’t usually be able to do!”

PTA News
Following the recent AGM, the PTA has several new parent members and we would love anybody thinking of joining to come along to our next meeting. This will be on Tuesday 22nd October at 8pm in the school hall. The main aim of this meeting is to discuss any new ideas for the Winter Fair, as well as decide which old favourites we are going to include. The Winter Fair is planned for Friday 29th November from 6pm until 8pm, so please keep this date free – further details to follow after the meeting!

As ever, the PTA is a chance for parents to have their say and to help make important decisions about fundraising and how the money raised is spent. Everyone is welcome at any PTA meeting, so please do come along. Or if you would prefer to support the PTA in other ways, for example by helping at an event, then please speak to any member of the PTA. A list of PTA members is on the notice board outside Class 1.

Cake Club
Congratulations to Lorenzo Elliott who was the lucky winner of the cake last week, kindly donated by Mrs Hector. A reminder to Mrs Manzie that she is on the rota for Friday 25 October.

Plant Orders
Plant orders are scheduled to be delivered to school on Tuesday 22 October.

LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Next week at Little Bears we will be finishing our transport topic by looking at farms and farm machinery. Little Bears last day of term is Friday 25th October returning on Monday 4th November to the topic books.

DIARY DATES:
Monday 21 October Book Fair arrives
Friday 25 October School breaks up at 3.15pm for October Holiday
Monday 4 November School resumes for the start of Term 2
Thursday 7 November Year 5 pupils visit ICC for Science, Maths & English lessons
Wednesday 13 November Mobile Library visit pm
Monday 18 November Parents Evening 4.00-7.00pm
Wednesday 20 November Parents Evening 4.00-6.00pm
Tuesday 10th December KS2 (Classes 2 & 3) - both matinee and evening performances (times to be confirmed)
Wednesday 11th December FS/KS1 (Reception & Class 1) - matinee performance only (time to be confirmed).
Wednesday 18th December Nativity Service - village church 2.15pm
Monday 23rd December One-day Sports Course at Stadhampton School for participating pupils. See notices in each classroom entrance area for more information and details of how to book.

Community Notices

Nativity scene staying overnight during December
A regular village tradition is for a nativity scene to go round the village during the month of December, ending up in the Church on Christmas Eve for the service. A village family invites the nativity scene in overnight, lays it out in a special place in the house, says a prayer and then passes the characters onto a different family the next day. Each family takes responsibility to ensure the characters are well looked after during their visit and for taking it to the next family on the list. This year the characters have been knitted by Abby & Lawrence Wright's Grandma and are carried around in a basket. Reverend Caroline has provided the prayer you can choose to say as you settle the characters into your home.

If you would like to be part of this tradition please email Sara Wright on sarawright300@btinternet.com direct and she will put your family name down on the list. She will need to know the dates you cannot do plus your name, home address and telephone number. Sara will confirm the complete list before the end of November so you know when to expect it.

Autumn Festival, Saturday 19th October, 11am to 4pm, Earth Trust, Little Wittenham
Join the Earth Trust for a celebration of autumn and harvest! There will be plenty of outdoor and indoor activities on offer for the whole family, including storytelling, planting acorns, apple pressing, grain grinding, bug hunts, craft activities, crumpet toasting, muesli making, and milk a cow (not a real one!). Delicious hot food on offer from our hog roast, soup from the Cultivate veg van, and the Poem Tree café. For further information see www.earthtrust.org.uk or call 01865 407792.

Vacancies at Watlington Primary School:

PART-TIME MIDDAY SUPERVISOR
We are looking for a reliable person to join our lunchtime team on a Thursday and Friday from 11.30am – 1.00pm. (Total 3 hours per week). The rate of pay is £6.90 per hour. Additional hours may become available at a later date.

CLEANER
We are looking for a cleaner to join our caretaking team with immediate effect. The position is for 6 hours per work worked on Monday and Friday only from 3.15pm -6.15pm each day. The rate of pay is £6.67 per hour.

If you are interested in either of the above positions please contact Jane Fowler, School Business Manager at WATLINGTON PRIMARY SCHOOL, LOVE LANE, WATLINGTON, OXFORD. OX49 5RB.
Telephone: 01491 612474, or email office.2459@watlington.oxon.sch.uk
Employment is dependent upon a clear enhanced DRB check and satisfactory references.