Newsletter for week ending 12 December 2014

This will be the last newsletter for 2014!

Christmas Productions
Congratulations to all pupils on their fantastic performances in the KS1 and KS2 Christmas productions this week. We received many compliments about each performance and pupils should be very proud of themselves. Thank you to school staff for preparing pupils for the performances, creating the scenery, making props and organising the music and the lighting; thank you to parents for helping with costumes, learning of lines and buying tickets to come along and watch. Special thanks also to Mrs Bowerman, Miss Moss-Black and Mrs Wilkin for helping with the face painting, Mrs White for helping with rehearsals and to the PTA for serving refreshments on Tuesday evening. The total raised from ticket sales was an amazing £460 which, this year, will be donated to MacMillan Cancer Support.

School Meals Menu
Food with Thought have written to us about the menu which was introduced just over three weeks ago and report that it has met with mixed reviews. There were two or three dishes which attracted particular comment. As a result of this review, a number of changes have been made and families should have received a paper copy of the revised menu this week in book bags. The menu is also available for download on the Primary School page of the Food with Thought website http://www.foodwiththought.org.uk/primary/ or on our school website.

Forest School during Terms 3 and 4
As you will know from the school newsletter dated 7 November, Mr Short is leaving Stadhampton School at the end of term as he and his family are relocating to Cambridgeshire. We wish Mr Short well in the future and will be saying ‘goodbye’ to him during our End of Term Assembly next Friday. Mr Short has been instrumental in establishing our Forest School sessions and we are indebted to him. We are delighted to have secured staffing to enable Forest School sessions to continue for all pupils at Stadhampton School. We are grateful for the continued commitment of Mrs Poppy Elliott and Mrs Mel Gravett who will be organising the sessions and to Mr Montgomery who will be the dedicated member of school staff accompanying the sessions. Poppy Elliott is fully qualified as a Forest School leader (Level 3) and Mrs Gravett has completed a Level 1 course. During the school year Mrs Gravett and Mr Montgomery are aiming to undertake further appropriate training. Forest School sessions will continue to take place on Thursday mornings for pupils in Years 1 to 6, and for next term are as follows:

15 January Year 1 22 January Year 2
29 January Year 3 5 February Year 3
12 February Year 4 26 February Year 4
5 March Year 5 12 March Year 5
19 March Year 6 26 March Year 6

Dates for pupils in Reception will be agreed and circulated in the new year.
Forest School sessions are expected to take place in all weathers, unless the conditions are considered a Health and Safety risk. Please ensure your child has appropriate clothing for their session – i.e. warm clothes, including a warm coat, hat or hood and gloves, wellies or boots with thick socks and water proofs. Thank you.

School Vision Screening for Foundation Stage Pupils
We are still waiting to be advised of the new date for the vision testing and will let you know as soon as we receive notification of it.

Swimming at Berinsfield Pool
Swimming lessons at the Abbey Sports Centre will begin on Monday 12th January for Class 2 pupils. They will have 5 sessions in total on Monday 12th, 19th, 26th January and 2nd, 9th February. As always, we are very grateful to receive a ‘voluntary contribution’ from parents/carers of £2 per week towards the cost of the transport to Berinsfield. Cheques for swimming contributions should be made payable to Stadhampton Primary School please. Thank you.

Christmas Forest School Disco
Tickets for the School Disco on Thursday 18th December (6pm start) are on sale priced at £3 each. Pupils may like to bring 50p or more to buy raffle tickets which will be drawn on the night. There are at least 25 prizes! The disco will finish promptly at 7.15pm. Please could parents note the new finishing time and ensure that pupils are collected promptly at 7.15pm so that Zumba can start as normal afterwards. Thank you.

Class Postboxes
As usual, class postboxes for Christmas cards to school pupils/staff will be set up in the Hall and these will be available from Monday 15 December.

PTA NEWS:
Wreath evening Tuesday 16th December 7.30-10 - sold out! Thank you to everyone who has bought tickets.

Cake club- Are you willing to make a cake for the cake club? If you are please speak to Rowena Dobson about putting your name on the rota. A list of names and dates are on the noticeboard in the waiting area.

Winter Fair- A huge thank you to everyone for supporting this very popular evening, where we raised over £1100 on the night.

Would you like to join the PTA committee? We are always looking for new volunteers to help plan events and fundraising ideas or maybe you would be willing to help at the events? If this is something that interests you, please speak to a PTA committee member.

Our next PTA meeting is Tuesday 13th January 8pm at The Crown, Stadhampton.

Thank you for your continued support of the PTA this year

Friday Cake Club
Congratulations to Sam Sundberg, the lucky winner of last week’s cake, kindly donated by Mrs Hutchence. A reminder to Mrs Burnell that she is on the rota for 19 December, the last day of term.

After School Clubs for Term 3
Letters were given out this week to pupils in Classes 1, 2 and 3 about the After School Clubs beginning in January 2015 (Term 3). The dates, times and costs of these clubs have also been uploaded to the ‘Parents Section’ of the school website as a reference point.


DIARY DATES:
Tuesday 16 December Nativity Performance at St John’s Church from 2pm (2.15pm start). Everyone is welcome to join us for this special service.
PTA Wreath Making Evening. Tickets are £15 each.
Wednesday 17 December School Christmas Party at 1.30pm. School/packed lunch required as normal. School & PTA will supply party food, drink & prizes. Children may bring party clothes to change into after lunch if they wish.
Thursday 18 December Whole-school Christmas Lunch. £2.10 and free for pupils in Reception, Class 1 and for those who are able to claim a Free School Meal. We hope all pupils will join in this very special lunch and are happy to accommodate requests such as ‘no gravy’ or sprouts! Please see Mrs Hopkins, who is in charge of the special requests!!
Forest School disco – 6.00-7.15pm. Tickets on sale now as well as raffle tickets @50p each
Friday 19 December End of term assembly. Everyone is welcome to join us for this event.
School finishes at 1.30pm.
Monday 22 December & Tuesday 23 December Two day Christmas Sports Course at Stadhampton School led by Michael Hopkins and supported by Jordan Piper. Please see attached flyer for details.
Monday 5 January INSET Day – teaching staff and Mrs Hopkins only
Tuesday 6 January Pupils return to school for the start of Term 3


LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
The Little Bears are busy preparing for their Christmas nativity which will take place at Stadhampton Church on Saturday from 11am. The Little Bears are all welcome to come to our Christmas party on Tuesday 16th December from 1pm where a special someone will be taking time out of his busy schedule to visit us!
The last day of term is Friday 19th December at 3pm and we return on Tuesday 6th January 2015!
Wishing you a wonderful Christmas break and New Year. May your Christmas be Happy and Bright!!

Community News:
• Please find attached 4 flyers from the Chalgrove and Watlington Children’s Centre.

We wish you all a very Happy Christmas and fulfilling New Year! We look forward to seeing everyone on 6th January.

Newsletter for week ending 5 December 2014

Happy DECEMBER Birthday to: Ruby Clark, Arun Davies, Thomas Dover, Emily Hackett
and Elizabeth Marshall.

During DECEMBER we are focusing on the core value of CARING

Annual Questionnaire for Parents/Carers from the Governing Body
Thank you to everyone who has completed and returned the recent questionnaire from the Governing Body. The responses will be summarised by the Governing Body, who will provide an evaluation of the findings for parents in a school newsletter, after the Christmas Holiday.

Registering your child for Free School Meals
Did you know that registering your child for Free School Meals, even if they would receive them anyway or don’t take them up, means that our school gets extra money from the Government? You can register your child if you get any of these benefits: Income Support, Income-based Job Seekers Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Child Tax Credit (provided you are not entitled to Working Tax Credit), Working Tax Credit ‘run-on’, the guaranteed element of State Pension Credit , Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 and Universal Credit. Please talk to Mrs Hopkins in confidence if you are not sure. For every child registered, the school receives £1300 of extra funding which will benefit all pupils.

E-Safety Information
We recently distributed e-safety information to parents and carers. If you have not received a copy of this, please contact your child’s class teacher. Thank you.

Pupils from 1974
Last week we had the pleasure of welcoming two former pupils of Stadhampton Primary School ‘back to school’ after 40 years! They were given a guided tour of the school, were entertained by the children singing a selection of songs from the Christmas productions and were treated to tea and cakes. Pupils were given an opportunity to ask our guests about the school 40 years ago and our guests asked current pupils about the school now. It was fascinating to discover which things had changed and which were largely similar – some items of furniture were recognised as being ‘original’! We were able to build up a good picture of school life in 1974 and are grateful to our guests, Mr Stuart Green and Mrs Rachel Mannering (nee Walker), for finding the time to join us.

School Vision Screening for Foundation Stage Pupils
We are still waiting to be advised of the new date for the vision testing and will let you know as soon as we receive notification of it.


Christmas Productions
KS2 pupils should arrive at 6pm to be ready for the evening performance on Tuesday 9th December to start promptly at 6.30pm. A reminder that tickets for all performances of the school plays are on sale from the school office. Profits from ticket sales are being donated to MacMillan Cancer Support this year. The netball court will be opened up to provide additional parking for the evening performance and the PTA will be serving refreshments afterwards.

Christmas Forest School Disco
Ooops! We have realised that there is also a Zumba class scheduled for the evening of Thursday 18th December. The school disco can still go ahead, but we must finish at 7.15pm (instead of 7.30pm). Please could parents note the new finishing time and ensure that pupils are collected promptly so that Zumba can start as normal at 7.30pm. Thank you.

Class Postboxes
As usual, class postboxes for Christmas cards to school pupils/staff will be set up in the Hall and these will be available from Monday 15 December.

PTA NEWS:
A huge thank you to everyone who supported the Winter Fair last Friday – whether you came along, donated items, helped on one of the stalls or stayed to clear up, it was very much appreciated. A big thank you to all PTA committee members who did a great job organising everything and in particular to Sue Bowerman, Melanie Gravett and Anna Harries for overseeing things.

Watch this space for details of how much we raised!

Wreath Evening – Tuesday 16th December – 7.30pm – if you would like to come along to the Wreath Evening please see a PTA committee member as soon as possible. Tickets are £15 each.

Our next PTA meeting will be Tuesday 13th January, 8pm, The Crown.

Friday Cake Club
Congratulations to Mrs Hopkins, the lucky winner of last week’s cake, kindly donated by Harriet Fletcher. A reminder to Melanie Saunders that she is on the rota for Friday 12 December.


DIARY DATES:
Sunday 7 December Christingle Service at 9.30am at St John the Baptist Church, Stadhampton
Tuesday 9 December KS2 Christmas Play performances at 1.45pm & 6.30pm – tickets now on sale.
Wednesday 10 December KS1 & FS Christmas Play performance at 2.15pm – tickets on sale.
Mobile Library
Tuesday 16 December Nativity Performance at St John’s Church from 2pm (2.15pm start). Everyone is welcome to join us for this special service.
PTA Wreath Making Evening. Tickets are £15 each.
Wednesday 17 December School Christmas Party at 1.30pm. School/packed lunch required as normal. School & PTA will supply party food, drink & prizes. Children may bring party clothes to change into after lunch if they wish.
Thursday 18 December Whole-school Christmas Lunch. £2.10 and free for pupils in Reception, Class 1 and for those who are able to claim a Free School Meal. We hope all pupils will join in this very special lunch.
Forest School disco – 6.00-7.15pm. Tickets on sale now as well as raffle tickets @50p each
Friday 19 December End of term assembly. Everyone is welcome to join us for this event.
School finishes at 1.30pm.
Monday 22 December & Tuesday 23 December Two day Christmas Sports Course at Stadhampton School led by Michael Hopkins and supported by Jordan Piper. Please see attached flyer for details.
Monday 5 January INSET Day – teaching staff and Mrs Hopkins only
Tuesday 6 January Pupils return to school for the start of Term 3


LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
The Little Bears are busy practising their preschool play which will take place in the Church on Saturday 13th December. With the children’ current interest in maps, we will be looking where Santa lives and how different countries celebrate Christmas.

Community News:
• Flyer attached about the Opening Party of the new Youth Club

Newsletter for week ending 28 November 2014

Annual Questionnaire for Parents/Carers from the Governing Body
Thank you to those families who have already completed and returned the Annual Questionnaire from the Governing Body. We hope that as many families as possible will take a few minutes to complete the questionnaire and return it to school by the deadline of Friday 5th December. Thank you.

Staff Appointments
Following interviews this week, we are very pleased to announce that Mrs Lucy Ellis and Mrs Sarah Singleton will be joining our staff team in January, as new part-time teaching assistants.

School Vision Screening for Foundation Stage Pupils
Letters were sent home earlier this week to families of Reception pupils from the Oxfordshire Orthoptic Service to let them know about a routine screening eye test which was scheduled to take place at school on Friday 12th December 2014. Since the letters were distributed, we have received notification that this will now take place on a different day. We hope to receive confirmation of the new date shortly and apologise for any confusion.

Christmas Productions
A reminder that tickets for all performances of the school plays are now on sale from the school office. The netball court will be opened up to provide additional parking for the evening performance on Tuesday 9th December.

Activities/events for week commencing Monday 15 December

Thursday 18 December at 12 noon


Whole-school Christmas lunch

(Payment for the Christmas Lunch may be made at any time before the 18 December)


With crackers and napkins. Cost is £2.10. Children will make their place mat in the morning and be served by staff. We hope that all children will have a school meal instead of a packed lunch please! The Christmas lunch menu is:
Cranberry Roasted Turkey or Creamy Vegetable Kiev served with a chipolata or vegetarian sausage and a Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, glazed carrots, brussel sprouts and peas with vegetarian gravy. Dessert is Santa Claus Ice Cream and a cherry shortbread biscuit.
Christmas Disco to raise funds for the continuance of Forest Schools from 6pm to 7.30pm Mr & Mrs Bowerman & Mrs Hopkins Tickets are now on sale for £3 each which includes snacks and drinks. Raffle tickets are also on sale in advance or on the door, to win prizes which will be drawn at the event, priced at 50p each.

Knitted Nativity Characters travelling round the village
If anyone is interested in having the knitted nativity scene visit their home for a night during December please email Sara Wright direct with your details. You do not have to be religious to have them, its just a Christmas tradition for villagers. They start on the 1st December and end up at the 5pm Christmas Eve service in the Church. If interested please email sarawright300@btinternet.com before 1st December. Thank you.

PTA NEWS:
Winter Fair - THIS FRIDAY - 6-8pm in the school hall - there will be a lucky dip, jingle jars, chocolate and toy tombolas, nail painting, tattoos, games, crafts, books, refreshments, cakes and......Father Christmas! All profits go to the PTA, so please come along and show your support. The netball court will be opened up to provide additional parking for the Winter Fair. Please show consideration to the residents of Cratlands Close when parking this evening by not obstructing access to their properties. Thank you.

We still need volunteers for the night and for helping to clear up afterwards, so please see Sue Bowerman or Anna Harries if you are able to help.

Wreath Evening - Tuesday 16th December - 7.30pm in the school hall - only a few spaces are left for this event, so please see a committee member if you would like to come along.

We are on Facebook so for up to date info and reminders; please search for Stadhampton Primary School PTA group. It is a closed group but we will add you if you send a request. It's a great way to keep up to speed with everything that's going on.

Our next PTA meeting is Tuesday 13th January, 8pm, The Crown.

Thank you for your continued support of the PTA.

Friday Cake Club
Congratulations to Phoebe Hindmarch, the lucky winner of last week’s cake, kindly donated by Mrs Freeman. A reminder to Mrs Hutchence that she is on the rota for Friday 5 December.

DIARY DATES:
Tuesday 9 December KS2 Christmas Play performances at 1.45pm & 6.30pm – tickets now on sale with profits going to MacMillan Cancer Support
Wednesday 10 December KS1 & FS Christmas Play performance at 2.15pm – tickets now on sale with profits going to MacMillan Cancer Support
Mobile Library
Tuesday 16 December Nativity Performance at St John’s Church from 2pm (2.15pm start). Everyone is welcome to join us for this special service.
PTA Wreath Making Evening. Tickets £15 each.
Wednesday 17 December School Christmas Party at 1.30pm. School/packed lunch required as normal. School & PTA will supply party food, drink & prizes. Children may bring party clothes to change into after lunch if they wish.
Thursday 18 December Forest School disco – 6.00-7.30pm. Tickets on sale now as well as raffle tickets @50p each
Friday 19 December End of term assembly. Everyone is welcome to join us for this.
School finishes at 1.30pm.
Monday 22 December & Tuesday 23 December Two day Christmas Sports Course at Stadhampton School led by Michael Hopkins and supported by Jordan Piper. Please see attached flyer for details.
Monday 5 January INSET Day – teaching staff and Mrs Hopkins only
Tuesday 6 January Pupils return to school for the start of Term 3


LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
The Little Bears team would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped and donated towards our Gruffalo Winter Walk.
We are starting to get ready for our Christmas play with lots of practice this week. We will also continue to explore our topic of light and dark and will be investigating colours and colour mixing.

Community News:
Natural Christmas at the Earth Trust on Sunday 7th December, 10am-2pm
Re-use, recycle, make and bake this Christmas! Pop along to the Earth Trust Centre (OX14 4QZ) on Sunday 7th December and learn how to make traditional, natural decorations. We’ve got a range of activities to suit all ages, including: popcorn garlands (£1), willow and wool starts (£1), stick Christmas tree table decorations (£1), log reindeers (£5), and festive wreaths (£12). There’ll be stalls selling local gifts, a present hunt, guided walk and the opportunity to meet Father Christmas; plus Poem Tree Cafe will open for light refreshments. Earth Trust Christmas Trees will also be on sale. Free entry and parking; activities start at £1. There is more information about this and other events on our website: www.earthtrust.org.uk.

Discover and Play: Forest School for All on Sunday 4th January, 10am-12pm
Drop in for a FREE morning of Forest School fun with the Earth Trust (OX14 4QZ)! Forest School offers hands-on learning in a natural environment, so come and enjoy playing and discovering in our woodland. Free thanks to funding from Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment. No need to book. There is more information about this and other events on our website: www.earthtrust.org.uk.

Reading of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – family event at The Story Museum on Sunday 30th November
Hear C.S. Lewis’s classic The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe read aloud for free in one day. There will be breaks for refreshments, and themed food will be available. Please see http://www.storymuseum.org.uk/whats-on/?date=11/30/2014 for further information.

Newsletter for week ending 21 November 2014

Annual Questionnaire for Parents/Carers from the Governing Body
We regularly ask all of our parents and carers to complete a questionnaire and these have gone home today in book bags. The results from the questionnaire are used by the Governing Body to help to; inform its strategy, ensure the sustainability of the school and improve achievement. We would be grateful if you could return completed forms to the school office by Friday the 5th of December.
Thank you.

Children in Need Day – Friday 14th November
Thank you to everyone who paid £1 to wear ‘something spotty’ for Children in Need day. We were pleased to collect £103 which has already been sent to the charity.


Parents’ Evenings
Thank you to parents and carers for the usual very high turn out to our parents’ evenings this week. These occasions offer important opportunities for us to work closely together in the best interests of each pupil.
Appointments with Mrs Garrard and Mrs Turner, which were postponed from Monday evening, will now take place on Monday 24th November at the same time as allocated on Monday 17th November. If this time is not convenient, please contact Mrs Garrard to reschedule the appointment. Thank you.

New Play Equipment
We hope everyone likes the new addition to our play equipment, which was installed this week!

Coats and Wellies
Please could all pupils have coats and wellies in school every day now that the weather has turned colder and wetter.

Emergency Closure Procedures
If the weather is particularly bad or there are power cuts in the village and the decision is made to close the school, the information is given to parents through BBC Radio Oxford, Jack FM and Heart FM. Parents are advised to tune into these local radio stations and also check their websites if there is a possibility that the school could be closed. We will also do our best to put a message onto the school website if there is power!

Christmas Productions
Outline details of this year’s Christmas Productions have been in the Diary Dates section of the newsletter for some weeks. Please find further details below:

Monday 8 December
at 10am KS2 Dress Rehearsal Little Bears, Reception and Class 1 pupils will watch this performance
Tuesday 9 December
at 10am

Tuesday 9 December
at 1.45pm

Tuesday 9 December
6.30pm KS1/Reception Dress Rehearsal

KS2 Matinee Performance

KS2 Evening Performance (PTA serving refreshments afterwards) Classes 2 and 3 will watch this performance


Parents/carers/younger siblings – tickets required £2 each (limit is 2 per family)

Parents/carers (no pre-school aged children please) – tickets required £2 each (limit is 2 per family)
Wednesday 10 December
at 2.15pm KS1 /Reception Performance Parents/carers/younger siblings – tickets required £2 each (limit is 2 per family, with a limited amount of spare tickets)

Tickets are required for all performances of the KS1 and KS2 school plays. They will be on sale from the school office priced at £2 each from Tuesday 25 November. All profits from the sale of tickets this year will be donated to MacMillan Cancer Support. We are very grateful to the PTA who will be supplying refreshments at the end of the KS2 evening performance.

Activities/events for week commencing Monday 15 December

Tuesday 16 December from 2pm (2.15pm start)

Tuesday 16 December at 7.30pm Nativity Service in Church

PTA wreath making evening Everyone is welcome to join us for this special service

£15 a ticket
Wednesday 17 December
at 1.30pm School Christmas Party School & PTA will supply food, drink and prizes
Children may bring in party clothes to change into after lunch if they wish. Normal school lunch or a packed lunch will still be required.
Thursday 18 December at 12 noon


Christmas Disco to raise funds for the continuance of Forest Schools from 6pm to 7.30pm Whole-school Christmas lunch


Mr & Mrs Bowerman & Mrs Hopkins With crackers and napkins. Cost is £2.10. Children will make their place mat in the morning and be served by staff. We hope that all children will have a school meal instead of a packed lunch please!

Tickets are £3 each which will include snacks and drinks. Raffle tickets are also on sale to win prizes which will be drawn at the event - 50p each.
Friday 19 December at 9.05am
Friday 19 December at 1.30pm End of term assembly

School finishes at 1.30pm Everyone welcome to join us

PTA NEWS:
Disco Night - thank you to everyone who came along on Saturday night. It was a fantastic night and raised over £300!
Lots of people are keen to do it again, so if anyone has an idea for a themed night, please let us know as we are always open to new ideas.

Wreath Evening - Tuesday 16th December, School Hall, 7.30pm - a returning favourite! Spaces are still available but be quick as tickets are limited. Please see Georgina Wiggins or any PTA committee member. Tickets are £15 each.

Winter Fair - Friday 28th November 6-8pm – with only a week to go, we are looking forward to the Winter Fair. To help us make this the best one yet, we still need more donations. Please search through your cupboards or think about us when you are shopping this weekend.

Donations wanted are:
Chocolate, sweets, tins, bottle bags, gift sets, nearly new toys, party bag leftovers. We desperately need more bottles of any kind – soft drinks, bubble bath, alcohol, squash, ketchup, sauces, water…

Also:
• Every year we have a cake stall at the Winter Fair so please if you can make some cakes for next Friday then we would be very grateful. All cake donations to be left in the hall after 2pm or if you prefer at morning drop off.
• Please note there is not a white elephant stall but toys in a very good condition will be ok for the toy tombola.
• Volunteers for clearing up afterwards are needed. The more volunteers we have the less time it will take, so please, if you can spare an hour see Sue Bowerman.
• Raffle tickets for the Winter Fair need to be returned to the school office no later then Wednesday 26th November, so we can sell all unwanted tickets on the night.
Our next meeting is Tuesday 13th January, 8pm, The Crown.

Thank you for your continued support of the PTA.

Friday Cake Club
Congratulations to Betsy Elliott, the lucky winner of last week’s cake, kindly donated by Anna Harries. A reminder to Harriet Fletcher that she is on the rota for Friday 28 November.


DIARY DATES:
Tuesday 9 December KS2 Christmas Play performances at 1.45pm & 6.30pm – see detail above
Wednesday 10 December KS1 & FS Christmas Play performance at 2.15pm – see detail above
Mobile Library
Tuesday 16 December Nativity Performance at St John’s Church from 2pm
Thursday 18 December Forest School disco – 6.00-7.30pm. Tickets on sale from Tuesday
Monday 22 December & Tuesday 23 December Two day Christmas Sports Course at Stadhampton School led by Michael Hopkins and supported by Jordan Piper. Please see attached flyer for details.
Monday 5 January INSET Day – teaching staff and Mrs Hopkins only
Tuesday 6 January Pupils return to school for the start of Term 3


LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Next week Little Bears will continue to look at their experiment of using light sources and plants. We are also hoping to get our ‘dark den’ out and children may like to bring in a light source this week for show and tell; please ensure all items are named. We are also looking forward to our Gruffalo Winter Walk on Friday 28th November. There may be a few surprises on the way!

Community News:
• Flyer from the Chalgrove and Watlington Children’s Centre about a job vacancy.

Newsletter for week ending 14 November 2014

School Newsletter
A reminder to parents/carers that the school produces a weekly school newsletter in order to keep parents and families informed about what is happening in school. We aim to provide timely reminders about important dates and events, celebrate student achievements, and help parents understand elements of teaching and learning. We try to make the newsletter interesting to read as well as being a useful source of information. We are happy to publicise community events and welcome suggestions to improve ways of communication with parents and carers. The newsletter is e-mailed out to all parents, uploaded onto the school website and a hard copy is also displayed outside the school office, alongside the weekly newsletter from Icknield Community College. We know that many families rely on this information but we are also aware that some families do not always read the newsletter and therefore are unaware of important information. Please do try to ensure that you read it each week so that you and your children are aware of the times when they need equipment such as swimming kits, are asked to bring in change for the UNICEF Day for Change, pay £1 to come to school in non uniform for Children in Need, etc. Thank you.

Parent Governor Appointment
The Governing Body is pleased to announce the appointment of Mrs Leanne Kenny as a new parent governor with effect from 10th November 2014.


Children in Need Day – Friday 14th November
Non-uniform day: A reminder that pupils (and staff!) are invited to take part in our non-uniform day tomorrow by coming to school wearing ‘something spotty’ and contributing £1 to raise funds for Children in Need.


Remembrance Day
Each year, on the 11th November, we have a Remembrance Assembly during which we have a two minutes’ silence at 11 o’clock. This year, inspired by the poppies at the Tower of London, all pupils made their own sculptured poppy and these formed a poignant focal point during our assembly. We will be keeping the poppy display up in the hall until the end of next week so that parents and carers are able to have a chance to see the display before the children take their poppies home.

Watlington Partnership of Schools Netball and Tag Rugby Tournaments
Pupils in Year 6 and Year 4 represented Stadhampton at this week’s tournaments, doing their best in very wet and windy conditions. Here are the match reports:


Netball Tournament by Emily and Cora
“As we arrived at Icknield, some of the Year 10’s came over and led us to the netball court, where we played against 5 schools.
In the first game we played against Watlington but unfortunately we lost. We were pretty disappointed to have lost in our first game but we put that behind us and won the next two games.
After a drink and a snack, kindly provided by Miss Raval, we were ready to play again and played against Lewknor, but unfortunately lost. Lastly, when we were almost asleep, as we were so tired, we played against Chalgrove, but unfortunately lost again, but we were still in good spirits as we had fun.
Then we gathered round to hear the scores – Last place…. RAF Benson! Joint 3rd was Chalgrove and Stadhampton! Joint 4th was Lewknor and Ewleme and that left Watlington in 1st place. We all clapped and cheered, then got onto the coach to head back to school.”

Rugby Report by Year 4
“We really enjoyed the rugby tournament despite the ground being so muddy! We still had lots of fun! We managed to win two games, lost two games and drew one game. Congratulations to Ewelme School who came first.”

PTA NEWS:
Disco Night this Saturday, School Hall, 8pm - there's still time to grab a disco ticket or just simply turn up on the night. DJ and a fully stocked bar, a fab night, so please support.

Wreath Evening - Tuesday 16th December, School Hall, 7.30pm - a returning favourite! Spaces are still available but be quick as tickets are limited. Please see Georgina Wiggins or any PTA committee member. Tickets are £15 each.

Winter Fair - Friday 28th November 6-8pm - to help us make this the best Winter Fair yet, we need more donations. We do rely on donations to help make the Winter Fair a success, as without them we wouldn't be able to hold this event. Please search through your cupboards or think about us when you are shopping this weekend.

Donations wanted this week are:
Chocolate, bottles, sweets, things to go in jars eg- any leftover party bag toys or sweets.

(Please note there is not a white elephant stall but toys in a very good condition will be ok for the toy tombola)

Volunteers for clearing up after the Winter Fair are desperately needed. The more volunteers we have the less time it will take, so please, if you can spare an hour see Sue Bowerman.

Raffle tickets for the Winter Fair are in book bags, so please return with your money to the office by Wednesday 26th November.

Our next meeting is Tuesday 13th January, 8pm, The Crown.

Thank you for your continued support of the PTA.

Friday Cake Club
Congratulations to Nat Watkins, the lucky winner of last week’s cake, kindly donated by Mrs Gravett. A reminder to Mrs Freeman that she is on the rota for Friday 21 November.

DIARY DATES:
17 November 2014 & 19 November Parents’ Consultation Evening from 4-7pm on 17 November and 4-6pm on 19 November
Tuesday 9 December KS2 Christmas Play performances at 1.45pm & 6.30pm
Wednesday 10 December KS1 & FS Christmas Play performance at 2.15pm
Mobile Library
Tuesday 16 December Nativity Performance at St John’s Church from 2pm
Monday 22 December & Tuesday 23 December Two day Christmas Sports Course at Stadhampton School led by Michael Hopkins and supported by Jordan Piper. Please see attached flyer for details.


LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
The Little Bears will be looking at light sources & taking part in a Gruffalo Winter Walk (Friday 28th November). They will also be conducting a science experiment using light sources and plants, making a shadow puppet theatre and making black and white print pictures.
Children may like to bring in a light source this week for show and tell; please ensure all items are named. Thank you.

Community News:

Flyers from Children’s Centre about Webster Stratton Parenting Course starting in January and also the Panto which is taking place in December.

A Youth Club for Stadhampton – Update!
We’re moving forward! Further meetings have been arranged and a date has been set for an Opening Party in the New Year!!! The party will be open to all; youngsters, parents & carers – come along and let us know what you’d like from your local youth club.
Of course we need more volunteers; both adults and older youngsters, from the local community to facilitate this new venue. Please come along to the meetings and/or register your interest at stadhamptonyouthclub@gmail.com
Wednesday, 19th November, 20.30pm at 10 Newells Close, Stadhampton, OX44 7XS
Wednesday, 3rd December, 20.00pm at Village Hall at St John's, Stadhampton

Christmas Market
The Market will take place in the Village Hall (at St Johns) from 3 – 6pm on Friday 5th Dec. All sorts of nice things for Christmas will be on sale as well as refreshments being available and music provided by the choir. Entrance is free.

Newsletter for week ending 7 November 2014

Happy NOVEMBER Birthday to: Juliana Browning, Beau Burnell, Amy Freeman, Bella Jones and Max Jones.

During NOVEMBER we are focusing on the core value of PEACE

Parent Governor Vacancy
Although the closing date for applications for a parent governor vacancy was extended until Monday 3rd November, no applications were received by the deadline date. However, we have now received one expression of interest from a parent about this role. If anyone else would like to put their name forward for this vacancy, please contact Mrs Hopkins by the end of the school day on Monday 10th November. Thank you.

Mr Short
We regret to announce that sadly Mr Short will be leaving us when the school breaks up for Christmas as he and his family are moving to another part of the country. We thank Mr Short for the significant contribution he has made during his time at Stadhampton School working with individual pupils and small groups, leading Maths groups (Mr Short is a qualified teacher) and Forest School sessions. We will miss him greatly.

Food With Thought
The new school meals menu, distributed this week via book bags, begins on Monday 10th November 2014. A copy of the new menu has also been uploaded to the school website as a reference point for parents.

Cloakroom Renovations
We hope that pupils, parents and staff are pleased with the new toilets, taps and flooring fitted in all classroom cloakrooms and the ladies toilet off the school hall during the October Holiday.

Swimming at Berinsfield Pool
Swimming lessons at the Abbey Sports Centre began on Monday 3rd November for Class 3 pupils. We ask parents/carers to contribute £2 per week towards the cost of the transport to Berinsfield if possible. Cheques for swimming contributions should be made payable to Stadhampton Primary School please. Thank you to the families who have already made ‘voluntary contributions’ for this term. It is very much appreciated.

Swimming update:
We have received notification this week that, due to essential maintenance at the Abbey Sports Centre, the pool will be unavailable for school swimming lessons on 24th November and 1st and 8th December. A refund of £6 has been made to each family who had already paid £14 for the 7 sessions.

Poppies – Remembrance Day
This year, as well as traditional poppies, we also have wristbands in a variety of colours, poppy ‘bugs’, hairslides, erasers, pencils, rulers and other ‘poppy’ items available to purchase from the school office priced at 50p and £1.

Children in Need Day – Friday 14th November
Pupils (and staff!) may pay £1 to come to school on Friday 14th November wearing ‘something spotty’ to raise funds for Children in Need.


Recorder Lessons
A reminder that recorder lessons for all pupils in Years 3-6 take place on Mondays this term. For hygiene reasons, pupils are expected to provide their own recorder. Pupils also need their own recorder book. Recorders are on sale from the school office priced at £6.50, Recorder Book 1 is available for £4.95 (new stock – price increase) and Book 2 for £4.50.

Book Fair
Thank you to everyone who made a purchase at the Book Fair before half term. We are pleased to announce that the school was able to take books to the value of £207 by way of commission from the sales. Teachers chose new books for each class and Mrs Shortman selected some new non-fiction books for the library bus.

Science and Engineering Club Taster Session
Confirmation for those pupils who have signed up for the above taster session that this will take place on Tuesday 11th November from 3.15 to 4.15pm.

Flu Vaccinations- Information for parents
Please be aware that your child could be applicable for a free flu vaccination if they fall into one of the below at risk groups. This is because flu (Influenza) can severely affect children in these at risk groups. It is possible to suffer from complications such as ear infections, bronchitis and even pneumonia, which could result in going to hospital for treatment.
The flu vaccine can help protect children and adults against infection. The risk groups include children with:
• Chronic respiratory disease including asthma treated with steroid inhalers or tablets
• Children admitted to hospital with serious chest or breathing problems
• Chronic heart disease including congenital heart disease
• Chronic kidney disease
• Diabetes, including diet-controlled
• Chronic neurological disease, e.g. cerebral palsy or neuromuscular disease
• Chronic liver disease
• Immunosuppression due to disease or treatment
If your child is in one of these at risk groups, please consider taking them to visit your GP to get them vaccinated against flu. There is now a vaccine for children under 18's, given as a nasal spray rather than injection and is available at your GP Surgery.
Public Health England (PHE), in conjunction with the Department for Education, has produced advice for schools, colleges, childcare and residential settings to ensure people are properly informed about the Ebola virus.


Parents/guardians should not be unduly worried about the possibility of their children catching the Ebola Virus. You may wish to use the following key points from the Public Health England advice to reassure them:
• The risk of Ebola arriving in the UK is low and to date there have been no cases of Ebola Virus Disease being contracted in the UK.
• Any person arriving in the UK having travelled from any Ebola affected countries will be screened. If they are free of symptoms they are not infectious so there should be no restrictions on their school attendance or normal activities.
• It is not possible to catch Ebola from a person who is not showing signs of being infected. It can only be caught by direct contact with the blood or body fluids of a person who is ill with the disease.
• There is no reason why your children should not continue to attend school or their early years setting as normal.

PTA NEWS:
DISCO NIGHT SATURDAY 15th NOVEMBER 8pm-midnight - we are looking forward to bringing this exciting nights to parents, a fab night promised with a DJ and bar. Please support this event. Tickets are £5 each and are available from Georgina Wiggins every morning and afternoon at drop off / pick up. Don't leave it to the last minute!

WINTER FAIR- FRIDAY 28th NOVEMBER 6-8pm - we need volunteers for the evening, so please seek out a PTA member if you are able to help.

DONATIONS WANTED THIS WEEK- TINS-CHOCOLATE- BOTTLES

Not long to go now, so please put any donations in the PTA box as soon as possible. The box is usually located in the hall.

(PLEASE NOTE THERE IS NOT A WHITE ELEPHANT STALL THIS YEAR).

WREATH MAKING EVENING - TUESDAY 16th DECEMBER, SCHOOL HALL 7.30pm - we are excited to carry on this popular evening just before Christmas. Tickets are £15 each, which includes mulled wine and mince pies. Places are limited, so please see a PTA member if you would like to come.

Our next PTA meeting will be on Tuesday 11th November at 8pm at school. Everyone welcome!

Thank you for your continued support of the PTA.

Friday Cake Club
Congratulations to Jude Bradley, the lucky winner of Halloween-themed cakes, kindly donated by Mrs Hector. A reminder to Mrs Freeman that she is on the rota for 21 November.


DIARY DATES:
12 November 2014 Mobile Library
17 November 2014 & 19 November Parents’ Consultation Evening from 4-7pm on 17 November and 4-6pm on 19 November
Tuesday 9 December KS2 Christmas Play performances at 1.45pm & 6.30pm
Wednesday 10 December KS1 & FS Christmas Play performance at 2.15pm
Mobile Library
Tuesday 16 December Nativity Performance at St John’s Church from 2pm
Monday 22 December & Tuesday 23 December Two day Christmas Sports Course at Stadhampton School led by Michael Hopkins and supported by Jordan Piper. Please see attached flyer for details.


LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Welcome back to Term 2! The Little Bears enjoyed the first week’s topic of ‘Bonfire night’; we talked about Fireworks night safety as well as exploring music and movement with firework dancing!
The children also experimented with patterns and colour. In Week 2 we will be talking about ‘day and night animals’ and we will be having group discussions about animals that come out in the day and nocturnal animals, making nocturnal animal masks and looking at the book Peace at Last.
On Wednesday 12th November, preschool photos - more details on Little Bears white board.

Community News
• Thank you to everyone who attended the Halloween Party in the church organised by Mr and Mrs Bowerman. They were delighted to raise £170 for Church funds.
• See posters around the school about a premier rugby match on Sunday 23rd November at 3.15pm between London Welsh and Leicester Tigers at the Kassam Stadium.

Newsletter for week ending 24 October 2014

Parent Governor Vacancy
Unfortunately we did not receive any applications from parents/carers for the parent governor vacancy by the deadline of Monday 20th October. We have, therefore, decided to extend the closing date for applications to Monday 3rd November at 3.15pm and warmly encourage interested parents to put their names forward.

Food With Thought
Food with Thought have asked us to let parents know that after the October Holiday we will continue on Week 3 of the current menu. The new menu is apparently held up at the printers and should be in place to start from week commencing 10th November 2014.

Cloakroom Renovations
Please could parents and students ensure that everything is removed from the classroom cloakrooms at the end of today as work is taking place during half-term to replace toilets and flooring. Any items not collected will be put into the lost property box in the school hall in the short term. Thank you.

Swimming at Berinsfield Pool
Swimming lessons at the Abbey Sports Centre will begin on Monday 3rd November for Class 3 pupils. They will have 7 sessions in total on Monday 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th November and Monday 1st, 8th, 15th December. As always, we are very grateful to receive a ‘voluntary contribution’ from parents/carers of £2 per week towards the cost of the transport to Berinsfield. Cheques for swimming contributions should be made payable to Stadhampton Primary School please.

Recorder Lessons
A reminder that recorder lessons for all pupils in Years 3-6 take place on Mondays in terms 2, 4 and 6. Lessons will start on Monday 3rd November and, for hygiene reasons, pupils are expected to provide their own recorder. Pupils also need their own recorder book. Recorders are on sale from the school office priced at £6.50 and Recorder Book 1 and 2 are also available priced at £4.50 each.

Year 5 visit to Icknield Community College – 28.11.14
For a number of years Year 5 pupils have had the opportunity to have a series of ‘taster lessons’, spreading over the school year, at Icknield Community College. This year the arrangements have changed and Year 5 pupils will have a whole day visit to ICC on Friday 28th November.
Further details will be made available from ICC after half term and this information will be circulated when we receive it. We understand that pupils will be travelling (free of charge) between Stadhampton and ICC on the current school bus, accompanied by a member of staff from Stadhampton School. The pickup/drop off point is on the green at the entrance to School Lane and pick up time is 08.00am. Pupils will be expected to wear Stadhampton School uniform and take a packed lunch and their P.E. kit.


PTA NEWS:
AGM - thank you to everyone who attended our AGM on Tuesday evening. The committee reappointed Georgina Wiggins (chair), Melanie Gravett (secretary) and Charlotte Hector (treasurer). We have had a great fundraising year and details of funds raised and the items on which these funds were spent will be circulated to parents after half term.

Disco Night - Saturday 15th November, 8pm until midnight - the PTA are extremely excited to be hosting this event - a chance for all of us to let our hair down and have some fun! A night of 70/80/90/00 club classics, fancy dress optional, but high heels (not stilettoes as this will damage the hall floor) and big hair is essential, with a fantastic DJ, fully licensed bar, nibbles and prizes for best dressed. We are hoping for a fantastic fun filled evening. This is an-open-to-everyone event, so please invite your friends and family members over the age of 18. Tickets are limited and are on sale from Georgina Wiggins, priced at £5 each.

Winter Fair - Friday 28th November 6-8pm - each week we will be asking for different donations so we can avoid a rush for everyone nearer the time.

WINTER FAIR COUNTDOWN 5 WEEKS! THIS WEEK' S WANTED DONATIONS ARE EMPTY JAM JARS, TINS AND GOOD CONDITION TOYS!
(PLEASE NOTE THERE WILL NOT BE A WHITE ELEPHANT STALL THIS YEAR, SO PLEASE ONLY DONATE THOSE ITEMS REQUESTED).

We are looking for volunteers to help out at the Winter Fair so please see a PTA member if you are able to help.

Christmas Cards - As in previous years, the PTA has registered with Cauliflower Cards so that parents will have the opportunity to buy Christmas cards printed using artwork created by their children. We are hoping the children will be able to start their artwork this week at school and have the chance to add to it or finish it off during half term. Please look out for your child¹s artwork and forms in book bags! Orders and payments should be returned to school by Monday 10th November at the latest.
Thank you.

Our next meeting is on Tuesday 11th November at The Crown 8pm.

Friday Cake Club
Congratulations to Emily Drake, the lucky winner of last week’s cakes, kindly donated by Mrs Manzie. A reminder to Anna Harries that she is on the rota for 14 November.

DIARY DATES:
31 October 2014 Halloween event in Church from 2-5pm. £3. Tickets available from Sue Bowerman.
3 November 2014 Pupils and staff return to school for the start of Term 2
12 November 2014 Mobile Library
17 November 2014 & 19 November Parents’ Consultation Evening from 4-7pm on 17 November and 4-6pm on 19 November
Tuesday 9 December KS2 Christmas Play performances at 1.45pm & 6.30pm
Wednesday 10 December KS1 & FS Christmas Play performance at 2.15pm
Mobile Library
Monday 22 December & Tuesday 23 December Two day Christmas Sports Course at Stadhampton School led by Michael Hopkins and supported by Jordan Piper. Please see attached flyer for details.

LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Everyone one at Little Bears hopes you have a restful half term break. We return on Monday 3rd November to the topic ‘Light and Dark’ and look forward to celebrating bonfire night and Diwali.
Please come along to our cake sale on Friday from 3.15pm on the patio.

Newsletter for week ending 17 October 2014

Spruce Up Day
A huge thank you to the team of volunteers who kindly gave up their time on Saturday to help spruce up the school grounds. Your efforts were very much appreciated and the school grounds look much better as a result of your hard work. Thank you again to everyone who helped.

Parent Governor Vacancy
A reminder that we have a vacancy for a parent governor and we warmly encourage parents to put their names forward. Please do think about getting involved and begin by writing a few words about yourself and why you would like to be a governor at Stadhampton School. The closing date for applications is the end of business on Monday 20 October 2014. Please contact Mrs Hopkins, in the first instance, if you would like any further information about putting your name forward.

Book Fair
A final reminder that we are holding a Children’s Book Fair in school from Monday 20 October until Friday 24 October inclusive. The Book Fair will be open from 8.30 to 9.00am each morning (starting on Tuesday 21 October) and from 3.00 until 3.30pm each afternoon (starting on Monday 20 October).

Message from Reverend Caroline
On behalf of St John the Baptist church I would like to thank you for all the wonderful produce you gave for Harvest Festival. It looked superb in church for our harvest weekend. Following Harvest Festival the produce went to The Porch Stepping Stones. You can learn more of the work of The Porch here (www.theporch.org.uk). They are always hugely appreciative of the produce we give them to provide practical support for homeless and vulnerably housed people in Oxford. Their focus is upon support and nurture, along with challenge. They concentrate on housing, health, wellbeing, education and employment and provide healthy food, practical help, companionship, learning skills, work related skills and opportunities for development.

School Photographs
Thank you to those families who have already returned their order forms for school photographs. The orders will be collected on Monday 20th October, so please ensure that any further orders are returned to the school office by then. Thank you.

Recorder Lessons
A reminder that recorder lessons for all pupils in Years 3-6 take place on Mondays in terms 2, 4 and 6. Lessons will start on Monday 3rd November and, for hygiene reasons, pupils are expected to provide their own recorder. Most pupils already have a recorder but they are available from the school office if required. Recorder books are also available from the school office. Please speak to Mrs Hopkins for further information. Thank you.

PTA NEWS:
Friday Cake Club
Congratulations to Alice Hindmarch, the lucky winner of last week’s cake, kindly donated by Mr & Mrs Holmes. A reminder to Mrs Hector who is on the rota for 24 October, and Mrs Gravett who is down for 7 November, the first Friday after half term.


DIARY DATES:
20 October 2014 Book Fair arrives in school
24 October 2014 Break up for October Holiday at 3.15pm
31 October 2014 Halloween event in Church from 2-5pm. £3. Tickets available from Sue Bowerman.
3 November 2014 Pupils and staff return to school for the start of Term 2
12 November 2014 Mobile Library
17 November 2014 & 19 November Parents’ Consultation Evening from 4-7pm on 17 November and 4-6pm on 19 November
Tuesday 9 December KS2 Christmas Play performances at 1.45pm & 6.30pm
Wednesday 10 December KS1 & FS Christmas Play performance at 2.15pm
Mobile Library

Monday 22 December & Tuesday 23 December Two day Christmas Sports Course at Stadhampton School led by Michael Hopkins and supported by Jordan Piper. Please see attached flyer for details.


LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Next week at Little Bears we will be making self-portraits of ourselves. If anyone has any balls of wool or paper plates they would like to donate, it would be very much appreciated. Little Bears are having a cake sale on Friday 24th October. Pop across at 3pm for a Friday treat.

Community News
• Flyer attached about a free parental support evening at Chilworth House Upper School on Tuesday 18 November from 6 to 8pm.

Newsletter for week ending 10 October 2014

Reception Pupils
We are pleased to welcome Harry Waters into our Foundation Stage Class. We hope that Harry will enjoy being part of Stadhampton School.

Parent’s Consultation Evenings, November 2014
Our Parents Consultation Evenings are on Monday 17th November (4-7pm) and Wednesday 19th November (4-6pm). Earlier this week, every child should have brought home via book bags a letter giving details of how to make an appointment. If you have not received a copy, please ask for one at the school office. Thank you.

Book Fair
We are holding a Children’s Book Fair in school from Monday 20 October until Friday 24 October inclusive. The Book Fair will be open from 8.30 to 9.00am each morning (starting on Tuesday 21 October) and from 3.00 until 3.30pm each afternoon (starting on Monday 20 October). Parents are welcome to come in during these times to browse for books with or without their children! The commission from sales at the fair enables us to buy books to update our individual class libraries and our non-fiction library, housed on the bus. There are hundreds of exciting books to choose from with prices from just £1. A leaflet showing some examples of the books available and an order form was put into book bags a couple of weeks ago. We look forward to seeing you at the Fair!

After School Clubs in Term 2
We are pleased to be able to offer the following after school clubs in Term 2.


AFTER SCHOOL CLUB
YEAR GROUP
DAY
DATES
TIME

TOTAL COST
LED BY

Art

Years 1 – 6

Tuesdays

November – 4th, 11th, 18th & 25th
December – 2nd

3.15 – 4.30pm
£30 for 5 sessions

Kaz Trinder
Little Masters Art Club

Zumba

Years 1 – 6
Wednesday
November – 12th, 19th& 26th
December – 3rd

3.15 – 4.15pm
£10 for
4 sessions
Yohann Adam

Multi-Sports
Years 1 - 6
Thursdays
November – 6th, 13th, 20th & 27th
December – 4th, 11th & 18th
3.15 – 4.15pm
£14 for
7 sessions
Oxford Active
Jordan Newman


Lunch-Clubs in Term 2
Pupils in Classes 2 and 3 will be able to put their names down to participate in a lunchtime Singing Club led by Miss Mould. More details to follow.
Lunchtime gardening club led by Mrs Burnell will continue on Friday lunchtimes for interested pupils in Classes 2 and 3.

International Links
This year the staff, pupils and community of our partner school in Hazlach, Poland, celebrate the 120th anniversary of their school. Last weekend Mrs Turner attended a special ceremony at the school to mark the occasion. They are aware that this year is also the 40th anniversary of Stadhampton School and this was acknowledged during the ceremony. A message from Agnieszka Pilch, the headteacher, is attached to this newsletter.

School Photographs
Proof photographs have arrived and should have come home this week so that parents can decide whether or not they wish to purchase them. If you do not wish to purchase the photographs you do not need to return the proof pack back to school. If you do wish to purchase photographs please follow the instructions on the proof pack. The school simply collects the orders ready for the School Photography Company to collect from the School Office on a given date (this will be advised in the newsletter when known, but to ensure that orders are processed quickly, it is advisable to return them promptly). Thank you.

PTA NEWS:
Spruce up day tomorrow! - from 10am-4pm we will be at the school painting, weeding and having a general tidy up. We would really appreciate any help from parents, even if it is for an hour. So, please, if you or any family or friends can come along it will make such a difference.
>
Clothes Recycling - Tuesday 14th October - if you need any more bags there are plenty of spare ones in the PTA box in the school hall. A last chance this weekend to have a look through your wardrobes. Items
accepted are clothes, paired shoes, cuddly toys, bags, scarves and hats.

Please note the bags will be collected at 9am on the morning of the 14th, so please get them to school in good time. Or, if you prefer, you will be able to leave your bags under cover outside class 1 from 3.15pm on the afternoon of Monday 13th.

PTA Annual General Meeting (AGM)- Tuesday 21st October 8pm, School Hall. Everybody welcome. Please do come along if you can to find out more about what the PTA do or just to show your support for our fundraising efforts.

Disco Night- Saturday 15th November, 8pm until midnight - the PTA are extremely excited to be hosting this event - a chance for all of us to let our hair down and have some fun! A night of 70/80/90/00 club classics, fancy dress optional (but high heels and big hair is essential!), with a fantastic DJ, fully licensed bar, nibbles and prizes for best dressed. We are hoping for a fantastic fun filled evening. This is an-open-to-everyone event, so please invite your friends and family members over the age of 18. Tickets are limited and are on sale from Monday from Georgina Wiggins, priced at £5 each.
>
Winter Fair- Friday 28th November 6-8pm - each week we will be asking for different donations so it will not be so much of a rush for everyone nearer the time.
>
WINTER FAIR COUNTDOWN 7 WEEKS! THIS WEEK'S WANTED DONATIONS
>
BOTTLES, GOOD CONDITION TOYS, GIFT SETS ( please note we are not having a white elephant stall this year)
>
Thank you for your continued support of the PTA.

Friday Cake Club
Congratulations to Thomas Cove, the lucky winner of last week’s cake, kindly donated by Mrs Wiggins. A reminder to Mrs Manzie that she is on the rota for 17 October.

DIARY DATES:
14 October 2014 Clothes Recycling collection at 9am
15 October 2014 Open Morning from 9.00 to 11.30am. Please come and see the school at work
20 October 2014 Book Fair arrives in school
24 October 2014 Break up for October Holiday at 3.15pm
3 November Pupils and staff return to school for the start of Term 2
12 November 2014 Mobile Library
17 November 2014 & 19 November Parents’ Consultation Evening from 4-7pm on 17 November and 4-6pm on 19 November
Tuesday 9 December KS2 Christmas Play performances at 1.45pm & 6.30pm
Wednesday 10 December KS1 & FS Christmas Play performance at 2.15pm
Mobile Library

Monday 22 December & Tuesday 23 December Two day Christmas Sports Course at Stadhampton School led by Michael Hopkins and supported by Jordan Piper. Please see attached flyer for details.


LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Next week the Little Bears will be exploring the topic "our feelings” We will talk about what makes us happy, sad, excited and proud. We will also be making pictures of different facial expressions, enjoying lots of musical movement and learning new friendship songs as well as talking about "preschool rules".
On the 24th October, Little Bears will be holding a cake sale. All donations will be very gratefully received or pop along to buy a yummy Friday treat!

Newsletter for week ending 3 October 2014

Happy OCTOBER Birthday to: Wyatt Bullock, Laila Burnell, Ella Fulker, Mia Gravett, Sophie Hector, Jake Jones, Oliver Lowman, Lewis Payne, Harvey Saunders and Ellie Walker.

During OCTOBER we are focusing on the core value of APPRECIATION

Vacancy for a Parent Governor at Stadhampton Primary School
We have had a vacancy on the Governing body for a Community Governor for a number of months which we have been unable to fill. At the Governing Body meeting held at school on Monday 22nd September, it was agreed that Mrs Sara Wright would transfer from being a Parent Governor to a Community Governor. This means that we now have a vacancy for a parent governor and we warmly encourage parents to put their names forward. Lord Nash says that “The significance of governing bodies’ role has in the past been under-valued. Governing bodies are the key strategic decision makers and vision setters in every school and academy. They are also a key part of the overall system for school accountability. Governing bodies have a vital role to play in driving up school and pupil performance and ensuring that resources are used well to give every child the best possible education. People who become school governors make a positive contribution by giving time and bringing their experience to help with school improvement.”

There are a number of regulations which prevent persons from applying to be a parent governor such as someone who is subject to a bankruptcy restriction order, is already a governor at another school, has been given a prison sentence of five years or more, etc. Please check with Mrs Hopkins if you need clarification about whether you could apply to be a parent governor.

In the event of more than one parent putting their name forward, nominees will be asked to write a short description (75-100 words) of themselves for inclusion with a Ballot Paper.
A Ballot Paper will be sent to all parents and others with parental responsibility for registered pupils. One vote per parent is allowed regardless of how many children they have in school. Candidates cannot withdraw from election after ballot papers have been circulated.
Please do think about taking on the role and begin by writing a few words about yourself and why you would like to be a governor at Stadhampton School. The closing date for applications is the end of business on Monday 20 October 2014.

40th Anniversary Celebration
As part of our ongoing celebration of the school being on this site for 40 years, we all stood outside in the shape of a ‘40’ on Tuesday and had an aerial photograph taken. We look forward to sharing this with you when it arrives!


Harvest Festival in school tomorrow
A reminder that we shall be having our Harvest Service in school tomorrow morning at 9.05am. Parents/carers are most welcome to join us for this service. We hope that each child will be able to bring a small ‘Harvest Gift’ into school which, after our service, will be taken to the village church and put on display for the Harvest Service there on Sunday 5th October. After the village service, the gifts will be taken to Stepping Stones, a centre in Oxford for homeless people. 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. Thank you.

PTA NEWS:

Official Notice of the PTA's Annual General Meeting (AGM) - Tuesday 21st October, 8pm in the School Hall
The PTA plays a vital part in the school community and all parents, as members of the PTA, are invited to support the AGM. This is your chance to hear and see how the funds you helped to raise last year have been used for the benefit of the children at our school.

The AGM is also an opportunity for you to elect the PTA Committee (Chair, Treasurer, Secretary), to represent the association throughout the forthcoming academic year. If you are interested in taking on one of these roles or joining the committee, please speak to Georgina Wiggins or Melanie Gravett. Or if you just want to come to the meeting to find out a bit more, everyone is welcome.

School Spruce Up Day - Saturday 11th October from 10am – we only have a week until the day so please recruit as many helpers as you can for painting, weeding, planting and doing general maintenance of the school grounds. Tea, coffee and bacon butties will be provided!

Clothes Recycling - Tuesday 14th October – you should have received your clothes recycling bag in book bags last week, so please get sorting through your wardrobes for your unwanted adult and/or children’s clothes, paired shoes, cuddly toys, bags, scarves, hats. If you need additional bags, please see Claire Walker or you can use a normal black bin bag.

Bag2School is a free fundraising scheme that works in partnership with schools and businesses to help us raise money from your donations. It specialises in collecting unwanted textiles in good condition which are then sold to export markets worldwide where they are sorted and then sold to the general public. The PTA receives funds for every kilo of clothes collected, so please have a good clear out ready for collection day!

‘Old School’ Disco Night - Saturday 15th November - 8pm
One for the adults - more details to come.

Winter Fair - Friday 28th November
Each week we will be counting down to the Winter Fair and will be asking for different donations, so it's not such a big rush for everyone nearer the time. Please put all donations in the PTA box in the hall.

WINTER FAIR COUNTDOWN 8 WEEKS - WANTED THIS WEEK ARE:
SWEETS, EMPTY JARS, BOTTLE BAGS

Did you know the PTA has a Facebook page?
It is a closed group in which only parents of the school can access. If you would like to join, please search Stadhampton Primary School PTA and we can add you as a member. Any problems please see Georgina Wiggins.


Friday Cake Club
Congratulations to Benjamin Walker, the lucky winner of last week’s cake, kindly donated by Mrs Fulker. A reminder to Mr Holmes that he is on the rota for Friday 10th October.

DIARY DATES:
8 October2014 Mobile Library
15 October 2015 Open Morning from 9.00 to 11.30am. Please come and see the school at work
20 October 2014 Book Fair arrives in school
12 November 2014 Mobile Library
17 November 2014 & 19 November Parents’ Consultation Evening from 4-7pm on 17 November and 4-6pm on 19 November (more details to follow nearer the time, but advance warning of the dates available for meeting with teachers)
Tuesday 9 December KS2 Christmas Play performances at 1.45pm & 6.30pm (times to be confirmed)
Wednesday 10 December KS1 & FS Christmas Play performance at 2.15pm (times to be confirmed)
Mobile Library
Monday 22 December & Tuesday 23 December Two day Christmas Sports Course at Stadhampton School led by Michael Hopkins and supported by Jordan Piper. Please see attached flyer for details.


LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Continuing with our theme of ‘All about Me’ we will be talking about the five senses and enjoying some taste tests. We are also going to talk about our bones and make some ‘funny bones’ pictures.

Newsletter for week ending 26 September 2014

Year 5 and 6 Assembly with Mr Hunter
A reminder that Mr Hunter, Headteacher of Icknield Community College and Miss Walkley, Progress Manager for Year 6 and Year 7 pupils, will lead a class assembly at Stadhampton School at 9.00am on Monday 29th September. Parents/carers of Class 3 pupils are warmly encouraged to attend.

Additions to the School Website:

School Prospectus
We have compiled a new School Prospectus for this academic year which has now been uploaded onto the school website. We hope that families will take the time to have a look at it and find it an interesting and useful reference document. It contains a plethora of information about uniform, jewellery, medical matters, absence from school, term dates for this academic year and much, much more. We have also provided information about what pupils study in each subject and at each Key Stage, as well as lots of pictures of recent school trips and events.

Calendar of Events
We have also updated the calendar section of the school website this week as a reminder for parents.

40th Anniversary Celebration
On Tuesday pupils and staff, along with representatives from the Governing Body and PTA committee, celebrated the 40th anniversary of the school being opened on this site. We sang ‘Happy Birthday’ and everyone thoroughly enjoyed a piece of cake, beautifully made for us by Shirley Bateman, outside in the September sunshine and all pupils took home a special balloon. Our celebrations continue next week with an aerial photograph of the school being taken with all pupils and staff forming a ‘40’ shape in the school grounds. More details on this next week, but our understanding is that families will be able to purchase a copy of this if they would like to.

Harvest Gifts
Our annual Harvest Festival will take place in the Hall at 9.05am on Friday 3rd 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 5th 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. Thank you.


PTA NEWS:
Official Notice of the PTA's Annual General Meeting (AGM) - Tuesday 21st October, 8pm in the School Hall .
The PTA plays a vital part in the school community and all parents, as members of the PTA, are invited to support the AGM. This is your chance to hear and see how the funds you have helped to raise last year have been used for the benefit of the children at our school.

The AGM is also an opportunity for you to elect the PTA Committee (Chair, Treasurer, Secretary), to represent the association throughout the forthcoming academic year. If you are interested in taking on one of these roles or joining the committee, please speak to Georgina Wiggins or Melanie Gravett. Or if you just want to come to the meeting to find out a bit more, everyone is welcome.
School Spruce Up Day - Saturday 11th October from 10am – as you may know, the PTA held a Spring Cleaning Day earlier this year, where friends and family of children at the school spent a few hours doing some jobs around the grounds. The school looks great after its mini facelift but there are still a few things which need doing before the Winter months arrive.

Please start asking family and friends if they would be willing to spare a few hours for painting, weeding, planting and doing general maintenance of the school grounds on Saturday 11th October from 10am. Tea, coffee and bacon butties will be provided!

Clothes Recycling - Tuesday 14th October – Bag2School recycling bags have been put into book bags this week so get sorting through your wardrobes for your unwanted adult and/or children’s clothes, paired shoes, cuddly toys, bags, scarves, hats.

Bag2School is a free fundraising scheme that works in partnership with schools and businesses to help us raise money from your donations. It specialises in collecting unwanted textiles in good condition which are then sold to export markets worldwide where they are sorted and then sold to the general public. The PTA receives funds for every kilo of clothes collected, so please have a good clear out ready for collection day!

Old School Disco Night - Saturday 15th November - 8pm
One for the adults - more details to come.


Winter Fair - Friday 28th November
Each week we will be counting down to the Winter Fair and will be asking for different donations, so as it's not such a big rush for everyone nearer the time. Please put all donations in the PTA box in the hall.

WINTER FAIR COUNTDOWN 9 WEEKS - WANTED THIS WEEK
TINS, BOTTLES, GIFT SETS
(please make sure they are in date)

Did you know the PTA has a Facebook page?
It is a closed group in which only parents of the school can access. If you would like to join, please search Stadhampton Primary School PTA and we can add you as a member. Any problems please see Georgina Wiggins.

Friday Cake Club
Congratulations to Jude Bradley, the lucky winner of last week’s cake, kindly donated by Mrs Walker. A reminder to Mrs Wiggins that she is on the rota for 3rd October.


DIARY DATES:
3 October 2014 Harvest Festival in school at 9.05am
8 October2014 Mobile Library
15 October 2015 Open Morning from 9.00 to 11.30am. Please come and see the school at work
20 October 2014 Book Fair arrives in school
12 November 2014 Mobile Library
17 November 2014 & 19 November Parents’ Consultation Evening from 4-7pm on 17 November and 4-6pm on 19 November (more details to follow nearer the time, but advance warning of the dates available for meeting with teachers)
Tuesday 9 December KS2 Christmas Play performances at 1.45pm & 6.30pm (times to be confirmed)
Wednesday 10 December KS1 & FS Christmas Play performance at 2.15pm (times to be confirmed)
Mobile Library
Monday 22 December & Tuesday 23 December Two day Christmas Sports Course at Stadhampton School led by Michael Hopkins and supported by Jordan Piper. Please see attached flyer for details.


LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Little Bears will be continuing with the topic "All about me" by looking and talking about the five senses. We will be talking about all our favourite things to eat and do with our families including talking about what our favourite colours are. We will also making self portraits.

Community News:
• Flyer from Icknield Community College about a Cover Supervisor vacancy

Newsletter for week ending 19 September 2014

There is a lot of important administrative information in this week’s newsletter as well as other, more newsy items. Please keep reading!

Starting School in Reception in September 2015
Parents of children born between 01.09.2010 and 31.08.2011 must make an application for their child to start in Reception in September 2015. The majority of parents are expected to complete this process on-line at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/primaryadmissions
Please contact Mrs Hopkins if you need assistance with this process or if you have any difficulties or queries. The closing date for on-time applications is 15 January 2015.

Transfer from Primary to Secondary School in September 2015
Parents of pupils in Year 6 should already have been sent a letter to explain the application process by the Local Authority. Please apply on-line at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/secondaryadmissions
If you have not received a letter please let Mrs Hopkins know. The closing date for on-time secondary school applications is 31st October 2014. Parents will receive their offer of a school place on 2nd March 2015.

Application for Free School Meals
We would like to make you aware of the ‘Free School Meals’ scheme which operates in our school.

Pupils whose parents/carers receive the following support payments are entitled to free school meals (assuming parent does not receive Working Tax Credit):

 Income Support (IS) – proof of entitlement is in the form of a DWP Award Notice or FF260 form
 Income Based Jobseekers Allowance (IBJSA) – proof of entitlement is in the form of a DWP Award Notice
 Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 – proof of entitlement is in the form of a Home Office letter, which includes their NASS number.
 State Pension Credit – proof of entitlement is assessed by the ‘Pension Credit M1000 Award Notice’.
 Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) has been introduced to replace both Incapacity Benefit and Income Support
o ESA(IR) will be an eligible benefit for free school meals - Proof of entitlement is a letter or a statement from the Department of Work and Pensions/Job Centre Plus Awards Notice
o ESA (C) recipients are NOT eligible for free school meals
 Child Tax Credit with an annual income “as assessed by the Inland Revenue” that does not exceed £16,190 (the parents/guardians must not have Working Tax Credit). – proof of entitlement is assessed by the ‘TC602 Award Notice’ by viewing the information inside the box on the first page:-

Should you feel you might qualify, please contact Mrs Hopkins, Business Manager, in confidence, for an application form and return this with your proof of entitlement. We ask that you do this even if your child does not want to have a school meal at the present time so that the school can benefit from additional Pupil Premium funding. Thank you.

School Photographs
A final reminder that The School Photography Company will be in school on Thursday 25 September and all pupils will have their photographs taken during the morning wearing their school uniform individually and also with any siblings in school. Year 6 pupils will also have an informal group photograph taken. Families are welcome to come into the Hall before school at 8.30am to have family groups photographed together if they so wish.
Year 2 pupils who have a Forest School session that morning should come to school in school uniform please and then change into their Forest School clothes once they have had their photograph taken. Thank you.

Year 5 and 6 Assembly with Mr Hunter
Mr Hunter, Headteacher of Icknield Community College and Miss Walkley, Progress Manager for Year 6 and Year 7 pupils will lead a class assembly at Stadhampton School at 9.00am on Monday 29th September. Parents/carers of Class 3 pupils are also warmly encouraged to attend if they can. It is envisaged that the assembly will last for no longer than 30 minutes.

Nut Allergy
Some ‘new’ families to Stadhampton School received a leaflet last week entitled ‘Pack a Healthy Lunchbox’. This generic leaflet mentions that nuts are a healthy snack and peanut butter is suggested as a suitable sandwich filling. We would like to take this opportunity to remind parents/carers that we currently have a pupil in school who has a severe nut allergy and therefore we politely request that pupils do not bring peanut butter sandwiches, cereal bars containing nuts, etc into school. Thank you.

Book Sale by Clair Lansley
Clair Lansley will be holding a Book Sale in the School Hall on Wednesday 24 September from 3.15pm. There will be a selection of new and nearly new children’s books at reduced prices and a percentage of the profits will be donated to the PTA.

School Book Fair
We are holding a Children’s Book Fair in school from Monday 20 October until Thursday 23 October inclusive. The Book Fair will be open from 8.30 to 9.00am each morning (starting on Tuesday 21 October) and from 3.00 until 3.30pm each afternoon (starting on Monday 20 October). Parents are welcome to come in during these times to browse for books with or without their children! The commission from sales at the fair enables us to buy books to update our individual class libraries and our non-fiction library. There are hundreds of exciting books to choose from with prices from just £1. A leaflet showing some examples of the books available and an order form was put into book bags earlier this week.

Primary School Cross Country Races
The school does not enter a team for Primary School Cross Country Races but parents are most welcome to take their children to enter these events if they wish as individuals. The cost is £2 per event payable on the day. Please note that dogs are not permitted at these events. The dates and details of the events are listed below:

Saturday 27th September Greys Court 9.00am start for Yr1
9.15am start for Yr2
9.30am start for Yr3
9.45am start for Yr4
10.00am start for Yr5
10.15am start for Yr6

Please do not arrive before 8.30am, and arrange to share lifts if possible. Arrival should be staggered to coincide with start times for each year group. There will be separate races for boys and girls.

Saturday 11th October Chiltern Edge 10.00am start
Saturday 08th November Chiltern Edge 10.00am start
Saturday 13th December Chiltern Edge 10.00am start

PTA NEWS:
Thank you to everyone who came to our first meeting of the year on Tuesday. We are planning some great events for the forthcoming year so please watch this space! Please find below details of a couple of events planned before half term, in particular the AGM.

Official notice of the PTA's Annual General Meeting (AGM) - Tuesday 21st October, 8pm in the School Hall.
The PTA plays a vital part in the school community and all parents, as members of the PTA, are invited to support the AGM. This is your chance to hear and see how the funds you helped to raise last year have been used for the benefit of the children at our school.
The AGM is also an opportunity for you to elect the PTA Committee (Chair, Treasurer, Secretary), to represent the association throughout the forthcoming academic year. If you are interested in taking on one of these roles or joining the committee, please speak to Georgina Wiggins or Melanie Gravett. If you just want to come to the meeting to find out a bit more, everyone is most welcome.

We look forward to seeing you on 21st October.

School Spruce Up Day - Saturday 11th October from 10am – as you may know, the PTA held a Spring Cleaning Day earlier this year, where friends and family of children at the school spent a few hours doing some jobs around the grounds. The school looks great after its mini facelift but there are still a few things which need doing before the Winter months arrive.

Please start asking family and friends if they would be willing to spare a few hours for painting, weeding, planting and doing general maintenance of the school grounds on Saturday 11th October from 10am. Tea, coffee and bacon butties will be provided!
Clothes Recycling - Tuesday 14th October – Bag2School recycling bags will be put into book bags as soon as we receive them so get sorting through your wardrobes for your unwanted adult and/or children’s clothes, paired shoes, cuddly toys, bags, scarves, hats.
Bag2School is a free fundraising scheme that works in partnership with schools and businesses to help us raise money from your donations. It specialises in collecting unwanted textiles in good condition which are then sold to export markets worldwide. The PTA receives funds for every kilo of clothes collected, so please have a good clear out ready for collection day!

Finally, if you know of anyone who could run an 80s night disco for us in November (for the adults!) and has all the equipment, please speak to Georgina Wiggins or Melanie Gravett.

Friday Cake Club
Congratulations to Cianna Browning, the lucky winner of this year’s first cake, kindly donated by Mrs Bowerman. A reminder to Mrs Fulker that she is on the rota for 26 September.

Attached is a copy of the rota so far for this year. If you have kindly volunteered, please see attached to see which date you have been allocated, and let Rowena Dobson know if you would prefer another date. The rota is also displayed in the noticeboard in the ‘waiting area.’

DIARY DATES:
Monday 22 September Governing Body meeting at 7pm
Tuesday 23 September 40th Birthday Celebration of the school being on this site with pupils, staff, members of the PTA committee and governors.
Thursday 25 September School Photographs
3 October 2014 Harvest Festival in school at 9.05am
8 October2014 Mobile Library
15 October 2015 Open Morning from 9.00 to 11.30am. Please come and see the school at work
20 October 2014 Book Fair arrives in school
12 November 2014 Mobile Library
17 November 2014 & 19 November Parents’ Consultation Evening from 4-7pm on 17 November and 4-6pm on 19 November (more details to follow nearer the time, but advance warning of the dates available for meeting with teachers)
Tuesday 9 December KS2 Christmas Play performances at 1.45pm & 6.30pm (times to be confirmed)
Wednesday 10 December KS1 & FS Christmas Play performance at 2.15pm (times to be confirmed)
Mobile Library
Monday 22 December & Tuesday 23 December Two day Christmas Sports Course at Stadhampton School led by Michael Hopkins and supported by Jordan Piper. Please see attached flyer for details.

LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Next week at Little Bears we will be looking at families and homes around the world. We will also be looking at maps of the world, different types of houses, and talking about our own families and houses.


• Rota attached for Cake Club

Newsletter for week ending 12 September 2014

National Curriculum Update
Further to last week’s newsletter we are able to share with parents the key changes to the National Curriculum from this term – see Appendix 1 at the end of this newsletter.

Home/School Agreements
If you have recently been sent home a Home/School Agreement form to sign, we would be grateful if it could be completed and returned to school by Monday 15th September. Thank you.

Topics/Areas of Study
Termly Outline Plans giving parents and carers an overview of the key areas of teaching and learning in each class have been uploaded onto the school website. If anyone would like a paper copy please ask in the school office for one.

After School Clubs this term
Places are still available as follows:
Archery – 1 space (aged 8 or over)
Multisports – 7 spaces (Year 1 – Year 6)
Animation/Cinematography 5 spaces (Years 3-6)
Please let Mrs Hopkins know if you would like to participate in any of these after school clubs. Details of dates, times and cost are on the school website.

Swimming at Berinsfield
Thank you to the many families who have already paid their swimming contributions towards the transport costs for this term. It is very much appreciated. We are very grateful for contributions towards the cost of the swimming transport either on a termly (£14) or weekly (£2) basis. Thank you.

Guitar Tuition
Thank you to Mr Payne and Mr Evans for demonstrating the guitar at our school assembly on Tuesday. Guitar tuition forms are available from the school office for pupils in Class 2 or 3 who may be interested in learning to play and would like to know details of costs, etc.

School Photographs
A reminder that The School Photography Company will be in school on Thursday 25 September and all pupils will have their photographs taken during the morning wearing their school uniform. Each child will be 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 if they so wish.
Year 2 pupils who have a Forest School session that morning should come to school in school uniform please and then change into their Forest School clothes once they have had their photograph taken. Thank you.

Food Hygiene Visit
Many congratulations to Mrs Sheridan, our school cook on coping with the extra uptake of Universal Free School Meals for pupils in the Foundation Stage, Year 1 and Year 2 AND for scoring 5 (Very Good) on the Food Standards Agency Hygiene Rating Scheme, when an Environmental Health Officer from South Office District Council, paid us an unexpected visit yesterday.

PTA NEWS:
Thank you to all those who came to the coffee morning on Wednesday. It was great to welcome along parents new to the school, as well as catch up with some who have been around a bit longer!

If you were unable to make the coffee morning and / or would like any more information about what the PTA involves, then please feel free to speak to any member of the PTA. A list of members is on the noticeboard outside Class 1. If you prefer, please e-mail stadhamptonpta@gmail.com and we will get back to you.

Our first meeting is on Tuesday 16th September at 8pm in The Crown, Stadhampton. Please do come along if you would like to get involved or find out more. Everyone welcome.

Friday Cake Club
There was no Cake Club last week, so no winner. A reminder to Mrs Claire Walker that she is on the rota for the cake on 19th September.

DIARY DATES:
Thursday 18 September Open Evening at Icknield Community College 6pm to 8pm with Headteacher’s Address at 7.30pm
Monday 22nd September Governing Body meeting at 7pm
Thursday 25th September School Photographs
3 October 2014 Harvest Festival in school at 9.05am
8 October2014 Mobile Library
20 October 2014 Book Fair arrives in school
12 November 2014 Mobile Library
17 November 2014 & 19 November Parents’ Consultation Evening from 4-7pm on 17 November and 4-6pm on 19 November (more details to follow nearer the time, but advance warning of the dates available for meeting with teachers)
Tuesday 9 December KS2 Christmas Play performances at 1.45pm & 6.30pm (times to be confirmed)
Wednesday 10 December KS1 & FS Christmas Play performance at 2.15pm (times to be confirmed)
Mobile Library
Monday 22 December & Tuesday 23 December Two day Christmas Sports Course at Stadhampton School led by Michael Hopkins and supported by Jordan Piper. Please see attached flyer for details.



Two-Day Christmas Sports Course at Stadhampton School
Following on from the successful Sports Courses held here at Easter and in August, we are pleased to announce that Michael Hopkins will lead a two-day sports course here on Monday 22nd & Tuesday 23rd December. Bookings may be made directly with Mr Hopkins or via the school office.

LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Continuing with our all about me topic we will be looking at "How I've grown". We will be making our own baby clinic in the home corner and making a height chart showing the difference in heights. We will also be talking about the healthy foods we need to eat in order to grow and will be making a healthy eating collage.

Community News:
Village Show
Saturday 13th September 2014
Village Hall at St John’s
Exhibits to be set up between 10.00 -11.30 a.m.
OPEN FOR PUBLIC VIEWING
2.00 p.m. – 4.30 p.m.
Entry 50p Exhibitors free
DELICIOUS TEAS
RAFFLE
EVERYONE WELCOME!

• Flyers from Chalgrove Children’s Centre (3) attached
• Flyer from Icknield Community College about their Open Evening


Appendix 1 - Changes to the National Curriculum

You will probably be aware that the National Curriculum has been updated for September 2014.

The curriculum for pupils at Stadhampton School comprises of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum for pupils in our Reception class and the National Curriculum for pupils in Years 1 to 6. The EYFS curriculum remains largely unchanged for this year. The situation for pupils in KS1 and KS2 is a little complicated; pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 will still need to be taught the appropriate objectives of the previous curriculum in English, Maths and Science as this year their end of year assessments and national tests will be based on the ‘old’ curriculum. Consequently, 2014-15 will be a year of transition from the former curriculum to the new curriculum. In September 2015 all pupils in Years 1 to 6 will be taught the objectives of the new curriculum and end of year assessments for pupils in Years 2 and 6 will be aligned with the new curriculum.

The most significant changes to the curriculum are outlined below – the most notable are the changes in expectations in maths with knowledge included earlier than in the previous curriculum. For example, Year 2 pupils learning 2, 5 and 10 times tables and Year 6 pupils learning simple algebra.

Literacy: The key change is less of a focus on genre and more focus on quality writing. New content or emphasis relates to year-by-year objectives for Y1 and Y2; required spelling & grammar objectives
& wordlists; priority for phonics in both key stages; focus on reading for pleasure; reciting poetry;
clearer expectations regarding transcription.

Mathematics: There are some significant changes in expectation in the maths curriculum, with knowledge included earlier than currently. New content or emphasis relates to data handling not included in Y1; there is no use of calculators except near the end of KS2; yearly objectives set with larger numbers earlier; tables to 12x12 by end of Y4; earlier introduction of formal written methods; earlier introduction of standard units of measurement; focus on fractions; Roman numerals; Binary in Y6.

Detailed examples are:
Multiplication tables: Y2: 2, 5 & 10 times tables; Y3: 3, 4 & 8 times tables; Y4: all tables up to 12x12
Standard written methods: Y3: Column addition and subtraction; Y4: Standard column multiplication ; Y5: Short division; Y6: Long division.
Fractions: Y1: Half and quarter; Y2: ¾ and 1/3. Find ½ of a number; Y3: Add and order simple fractions Y4: Add + Subtract fractions; Y5: Use mixed numbers; Y6: Add & Multiply fractions
Algebra Y6: Simple formulae, finding missing numbers, etc.

Science: The key change is that there is less content at KS1: Medicines, light, sound, electricity, and magnetism all shift to KS2 programmes of study. New content or emphasis relates to yearly objectives with continued emphasis on working scientifically at each key stage; Evolution in Y6.

ICT: The key change is the subject changes to “Computing” and computer science and is largely based around the old ‘Control’ elements, e.g. understand what algorithms are, how they are implemented as programs on digital devices, and that programs execute by following precise and unambiguous instructions”; E-safety mentioned at every Key Stage.

There are some lesser changes to the content of our foundation subjects; although some of the learning objectives for each year-group have changed most of our topic titles remain unchanged. Full details of all the changes can be found on the internet at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-curriculum

At Stadhampton School we will continue to provide an integrated curriculum, making links between subjects where appropriate. The implementation of the new curriculum has provided us with an opportunity to revise, refresh and reinvigorate our own curriculum.

We are currently working on developing an easily digestible visual representation of our curriculum and expect to be able to present this to you later in the school year.