Newsletter for week ending 18 July 2014

Farewells
We say a fond ‘good bye and good luck’ to our Year 6 pupils who leave us at the end of this school year. We are proud of all of them and wish them every success at Icknield Community College and St Birinus School when they begin their secondary school journey in September.

We also say goodbye to Ella and Jamie Lavene and Bronte and Edison Buckner as they move out of the area and start new schools in September.

Finally we say a huge thank you to Miss Shah for her contribution to the school and wish her good luck in her new school in September. They are very fortunate to have her!

School Meal Price Increase
A reminder that the cost of a school meal will rise on 1st September 2014 to £2.10 a day or £10.50 per week. Cheques for school meals should be made payable to OCC, with Stadhampton School written on the back of the cheque please and sent into school on the first morning of the school week.

Swimming at Berinsfield
Swimming will begin for Class 2 pupils on Monday 8th September. They will have a total of 7 sessions. The cost of the swimming transport to Berinsfield has increased to £65 per visit, so we are particularly grateful to receive contributions of £2 per swimming session from parents towards this cost. Cheques for swimming contributions should be made payable to Stadhampton Primary School please. Thank you.

After School Clubs for September
We have uploaded the dates and times of the after school clubs beginning in September to the school website. There are still spaces available for Multisports (Years 1-6) and Animation/Cinematography workshops (Years 2-6) but after school Archery club is now full. As there are still places available for the Animation/Cinematography workshops, we are now opening up this opportunity to any Year 2 pupils who would like to do it.

Sports Evening
A big thank you to everyone – pupils, parents, staff, PTA, governors, Little Bears, former pupils and extended families for making this event the special occasion that it is.

Report from Reverend Caroline King: “Stadhampton School Sports Day took place on a lovely sunny Friday evening. The fine weather providing a perfect backdrop for a lovely sports centred family friendly evening. There was a great Barbecue, and bar (thanks to all who provided and prepared the food and drink). The highlight of the evening was of course the children, who all took part in a wide variety of races. I have been to many sports days; this one though was very special, it was simply wonderful to see the children giving their all and supporting each other at the same time.

I’m sure having a sports evening adds to the relaxed atmosphere and makes it a real village event. Many thanks to staff, children and governors for your hard work, and special thanks to the children for their hard work and sporting achievement. It was a lovely evening.”

Thank You
As always, there are many people that we need to thank as we come to the end of another school year. We are always very grateful for the support of all parents; we are extremely fortunate to have so many supportive families. Special thanks are also due to Mrs Duke for auditing the Special Purposes and Hall Accounts again this year, to Mrs Bowerman, Mrs Dobson and Mrs Madry for their admin support, to the parents who help regularly with hearing readers, with school trips and bake cakes for a variety of purposes. Thank you also to the parents who helped with cycle safety training this year (and managed to get everyone through their test!), to Mrs Elliott and Mrs Gravett for helping Mr Short to run Forest School sessions and to Mr and Mrs Burnell for setting up and running a very successful lunchtime Gardening Club. A huge thanks also to the PTA committee who work tirelessly to manage the sales of school uniform and fundraise so that pupils can enjoy excellent facilities and have many additional resources and opportunities. The PTA also support the cost of pupils learning French and the upkeep of the swimming pool and have done much this year to keep the school building and grounds in good condition by tidying, cleaning, repairing and painting. Thank you to Mrs Drake for playing the piano in school assemblies and to Mrs Hawley and Mrs Wells who still regularly return to school to help us. Finally, thank you to the Governing Body who give their time freely to both support the school and challenge the staff!

PTA NEWS:
We have been busy in the last week painting the outdoor classroom and the waiting area, we hope you all approve and what a massive difference it makes; thank you to Sue Bowerman, Claire Walker and Emma Fulker for all your hard work.

The PTA would like to thank all parents for their help, participation and donations throughout the school year and we look forward to new events and old favourites from September. We will be sending out a breakdown of everything we have raised and what we have contributed to the school this year, at the beginning of the next school term.

We hope everyone has a fantastic summer holiday and I personally would like to thank parents and the brilliant PTA committee who have been very supportive in my first year as chair; here's hoping for many more great years!

Our next PTA meeting is Tuesday 16th September 8pm at The Crown, we hope to see many new and old faces there.

Cake Club
Congratulations to Tillie Moss-Black, the lucky winner of last week’s cake, kindly donated by Mrs Wiggins.

DIARY DATES:
Monday 11 – Friday 15 August Summer Sports Course at Stadhampton School. Please see posters on each classroom door and in the entrance foyer.
1st, 2nd September Staff INSET Days
Wednesday 3 September Start of Term 1 for all new and returning pupils

LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
The transition days ran very smoothly with all of our Little Bears very excited about going in to the Reception class wearing their new school uniforms. Over the three days we welcomed our new Little Bears who all had great fun. We are looking forward to our 10th Anniversary BBQ on Friday, so please come along and join in the celebrations with us. We wish everyone a happy and restful summer break.



Finally, we wish you all a very happy and safe summer break and look forward to welcoming back those who are returning to school on Wednesday 3rd September.

Newsletter for week ending 11 July 2014

Sports Evening –tomorrow weather permitting!
Our Sports Evening is an annual school highlight. The date has been in the diary dates section of the newsletter for some time, the pupils have been practising, the PTA have all the refreshments organised, the governors are ready to adjudicate and we’re keeping our fingers crossed for a dry evening. Here are a few final reminders to ensure that we all have an enjoyable and safe evening:

Pupils should arrive at school around 6pm and no later than 6.15pm so that the races may begin promptly at 6.30pm. Please remember to bring a drink!

Parking – if you are able to walk to sports evening it would be much appreciated and really help the congestion in Cratlands Close. The netball court will be available for a limited amount of parking. Please be mindful of the residents of Cratlands Close and avoid obstructing access in and out of driveways.

Spectator line: a line has been marked for parents/carers/visitors to position themselves behind so that pupils are able to run safely in the outside lanes. Please bring a folding deckchair or rug if you would like to sit down.

Finishing line: is where the judges will be waiting to award stickers, update the scoreboard, etc. It is important that everyone else keep this area clear, please.

Bar: the bar will be open from 6pm. Please support the PTA by buying your drinks from the bar.

Bbq: bbq food will be available during the races for spectators wishing to exchange their food tickets at this time and avoid the big queue after the races.

Play equipment: this area is not available for use during sports evening.

Young children: please keep younger siblings away from the racetrack whilst the races are on to avoid potential collisions!

Football/ball games: we politely request that no ball games are played whilst the races are taking place.

Should there be any need to postpone we will send an e-mail tomorrow and post a message on the home page of the school website.

THANK YOU!

Meeting with Parents of new Reception pupils
A reminder that we are holding an informal meeting with parents/carers of the new Reception pupils to provide information they need to know about the school and how things work, answer questions, etc at 2.45pm tomorrow afternoon in the School Hall. Miss Mould, (the class teacher,) Mrs Turner (Headteacher), Mrs Hopkins (Business Manager) and Helen Moss-Black (representing the PTA and a parent of this year’s Reception intake) will be present and should, hopefully, be able to answer all questions between them!

End of Year School Reports
All pupils should have received their annual reports yesterday. Please let us know if you have not received your child’s report.
We would appreciate parents/carers completing the Acknowledgement/Returns sheet and returning it to school so that we have feedback from parents on this annual report. Thank you.

Class 3 Swimming on 14.07.2014
Please could all of Class 3 bring in a pair of pyjamas for their final swimming session next Monday!

School Meal Price Increase
We have received notification this week from Food with Thought that the cost of a school meal will rise on 1st September 2014 to £2.10 a day or £10.50 per week. Cheques for school meals should be made payable to OCC please with Stadhampton School written on the back of the cheque. We politely request that orders and payments for school meals are paid for on the first morning of the school week please in order to reduce the amount of administration time spent each week on school meals documentation and on visits to the bank. Thank you for your cooperation.

Universal Free School Meals (UFSM) for Reception and Years 1 and 2
From September 2014 all pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 in state-funded schools in England will be eligible for universal free school meals (UFSMs). Please inform the office when your child will be receiving a free school meal.

Free School Meals (FSM)
Under the current criteria, children who receive, or whose parents / carers receive, one or more of the following support payments :
• Equal Based JSA / ESA
• Income Support (IS)
• Income Based Jobseekers Allowance (IBJSA)
• Income-related employment and support allowance (IRESA).
• Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income, as assessed by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, that does not exceed £16,190
• Guaranteed Element of State Pension Credit
• Where a parent is entitled to Working Tax Credit run-on (the payment someone receives for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit).
• Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
are entitled to receive free school meals (FSM) irrespective of their age and the school is entitled to claim the pupil premium.

Pupil Premium
The Pupil Premium is additional funding provided to schools for supporting disadvantaged pupils to ensure they benefit from the same opportunities as all other children.
There are three categories of children who qualify for pupil premium:
• Children who are eligible for free school meals (FSM) see support list above,
• Looked-after children (LAC)
• Armed forces children (Service premium for children with parents in the Armed Forces)

If your family is eligible for the pupil premium, through one or more of the categories above, please could you let Mrs Hopkins, the School Business Manager, know, in confidence, so that we can check whether the school is able to receive this additional funding. Thank you.

Disabled Parking Bay
The first parking bay on the right as you enter the car park is marked as a designated disabled parking space although the marking has faded. During the summer break the marking should be made clearer and bigger. In the meantime could parents/carers please avoid using this parking space as it is required by a parent who is registered as disabled as well as any disabled visitors. Thank you.

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

Commonwealth Sports Day on Wednesday 16th July
A reminder that we have organised a very special day of PE for Wednesday 16th July when we welcome three of the management team from Oxford Active into school to lead some different PE activities for all pupils. As part of this day, all pupils will have the opportunity to try archery! Please could all pupils come to school wearing their school PE kit on that day instead of school uniform. No football strips please, just normal school PE kit. Please also bring a school sweatshirt if the weather is likely to be cold and at least one extra drink.

PTA NEWS:
End of Term Disco - Thursday 17th July - please return your consent forms along with your £3 to the school office by next Wednesday 16th July.

Coffee Morning, The Crown - Wednesday 10th September - the PTA is pleased to announce a coffee morning for ALL parents on Wednesday 10th September after morning drop off. PTA members will be there to introduce themselves and it will also be a chance for parents find out about the PTA and ways in which families can support the events run during the year.

Please feel free to bring any younger siblings along - it's going to be an informal morning with a chance for all parents, old and new, to meet and catch up. We would love to see you all there.

We are holding it at The Crown where we will be providing tea/coffee and cakes.

Our next PTA meeting has changed. It is now on Tuesday 16th September, 8pm at The Crown. Everybody always welcome.

Thank you for your continued support of the PTA.

Cake Club
Congratulations to Emily Hackett, the lucky winner of last week’s cake kindly donated by Mrs Lansley. A reminder to Mrs Parkes that she is on the rota for 18 July.

As this will be the last newsletter before the summer for Cake Club, thank you to everyone who has donated a cake or entered the Club over the last school year. We have raised a fantastic £438. Thank you!

DIARY DATES:
Friday 18 July End of school year assembly at 9.05am. Everyone welcome. Following requests from parents, we will reserve some seating for Year 6 parents/carers.
School finishes at 1.30pm for the summer break.
Monday 11 – Friday 15 August Summer Sports Course at Stadhampton School. Please see posters on each classroom door and in the entrance foyer for details of how to book.
1st, 2nd September Staff INSET Days
Wednesday 3 September Start of Term 1 for all new and returning pupils

LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Little Bears were lucky enough to have a drama class with one of our parents, Jo Hutchence . We used the book The Night Pirates (thank you Moss-Blacks for letting us borrow this) and acted out the book, and we had lots of laughs.
Little Bears would like to thank everyone who donated their time to us throughout the year, your support means so much to us.
We hope you can join us for our 10 year celebration on Friday 18th from 1.30 - 4.30pm.

Community News:
For any families who were not able to come and ‘lend a hand’ on the bus shelter last weekend, there is another chance between 10am and 2pm this Saturday, 12th July to be included in our fantastic community artwork. This opportunity is extended to EVERYONE in the community, including those with children at the school, but who do not live in Stadhampton. Please speak to Sarah Madry or Rowena Dobson for any queries.

Newsletter for week ending 4 July 2014

Happy JULY Birthday to: Jack Austin, Georgia Day, Archie Dickens, Mya Khan, Amy Matthews, Nate Moss-Black and Nathaniel Watkins.

During JULY we are focusing on the core value of COURAGE

Appointment of a new teacher for Class 3
After a very rigorous interview process, we are very pleased to announce the appointment of Miss Palvi Raval as the new teacher for Class 3, who will replace Miss Shah from 1st September. Miss Raval has considerable experience of teaching pupils in Years 5 and 6 and we look forward to working with her from September. She is hoping to be able to introduce herself to her new class during one of the ‘Moving Up’ days next week.

Goodbye to our Students
As they leave us this week, we thank Miss Parsons and Mr Kemp for their contribution to the school during their final teaching practice this term and wish them both every success in their future teaching careers.

Clarinet Concert
A reminder that there is a clarinet performance by pupils here on Tuesday 8th July starting at 2.45pm. Everyone welcome.

Moving Up Days
Each family should have received a letter today clarifying the arrangements for the ‘Moving Up’ days next week on Wednesday 9th, Thursday 10th and Friday 11th July. New pupils starting in September will come in to the Reception class, all other pupils will practise being the year above and Year 6 pupils who are moving on to Icknield Community College will be there for the three days.

Additions to the School Website
This week we have added a ‘SATs explained’ document and a ‘FAQs document’ to the ‘Links’ Section of the school website as a reference point for parents.

Daylight Theatre Performance
We look forward to our whole school annual end of year treat on Tuesday 15th July with a performance from the Daylight Theatre Company of Arthur’s Sword. There is no cost to pupils for this treat and we thank the PTA for paying half of the cost each year.

Commonwealth Sports Day on Wednesday 16th July
We have organised a very special day of PE for Wednesday 16th July when we welcome three of the management team from Oxford Active into school to lead some different PE activities for all pupils. Please could all pupils come to school wearing their school PE kit on that day instead of school uniform. Please bring a school sweatshirt if the weather is likely to be cold and at least one extra drink.

Bus Shelter Painting
Don’t forget to come down to the bus shelter in Stadhampton between 11am & 4pm on Saturday 5th or Sunday 6th July to have your handprints included in the new design. Everyone welcome!

Community Transport Fund Survey Results
Last week a survey (put together by a parent) was distributed to parents/carers of pupils in Years 5 and 6, asking what their intentions were regarding transportation of their children to secondary school in 2015/2016. Thank you to all parents who completed and returned forms. The results can now be made public.
Out of twenty five surveys that were sent out, nine responses were returned. Seven respondents kept open the option of either applying for a concessionary seat on the Council-provided school bus (should one be available), or would possibly arrange their own transport to Icknield Community College. Eight respondents expressed an interest in the possible option of using community transport should it become available and in attending a meeting to discuss future plans. However, only two of these respondents indicated that they would be willing to help establish a management committee to develop the plans and build a business case needed to apply for community transport funding from Oxford County Council. One response indicated that none of the options would apply to them in 2015/2016.
None of the nine responses indicated that they would consider sending their child to The Oxford Academy, therefore not wanting to take up the offer of free transport from OCC.
As there appears to be some interest in the possible option of community transport wanting to be used, the next stage would be to give all parents of pupils at the school (including those with children in Reception upwards), the opportunity to meet to discuss the real level of support in the village more generally for community transport.
An important question that needs answering is whether there is sufficient interest from other parents, and members of the community, to consider establishing a management committee.
As the Primary School and its Governors have made clear that it is not their responsibility to provide transport to secondary schools, Mrs Sarah Madry (a parent of a Year 5 pupil) has volunteered to chair an initial meeting of parents, to answer some of these questions and decide if there is a way forward in the future.
The meeting will be held in the School Hall at 7.30pm on Thursday 10 July and all parents of pupils at Stadhampton Primary School are welcome.

PTA NEWS:
Sports Night Friday 11th July - tickets are available from Claire Walker every day outside Class 1. Tickets are priced at £2.50 each for either a burger, sausage or veggie sausage. The cut off day for getting your tickets is next Wednesday 9th July, so be quick!!!!!

End of School Disco Thursday 17th July - tickets are £3 each and you should receive letters via book bags shortly with further details. Please return permission slips along with your money to the office as soon as possible. We are not issuing tickets for the disco, as names of all those attending will be listed and you will be asked to sign your child/children in and out on the night. If any parent is available to help on the night please see Sue Bowerman or Anna Harries.

Parent Survey – one final plea! If you haven't done so already, then please access the link below to answer some questions about the PTA and our fundraising. It really only take a few minutes and will really help focus our fundraising efforts during the next school year. The survey will be closed at the end of term and feedback on the results will follow in September.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5PKFLCJ

Please note clicking on the link may not work on certain devices, e.g. iPad and iPhone, so you may need to copy and paste or type the details into your browser. Please let Georgina Wiggins or Melanie Gravett know if you have any problems accessing the survey.

Thank you for your continued support of the PTA. Our next meeting is Tuesday 9th September 8pm at The Crown.

Cake Club
Congratulations to Naomi Woodwards, the lucky winner of last week’s cake kindly donated by Mrs Buckner. A reminder to Mrs Wiggins that she is on the rota for 11 July. If anyone would like to offer to donate a cake from September please let Rowena Dobson know. We have a few volunteers from PTA members, but it would be good to have some others on the list too.

DIARY DATES:
Tuesday 8 July Clarinet Concert for parents
Wednesday – Friday 9, 10, 11 July ‘Moving –up days’ for all pupils. Reception pupils due to join in September 2014 also invited into school for 3 days.
Sports Evening – Friday 11 July-6pm for 6.30pm start. All welcome.
Friday 18 July End of school year assembly at 9.05am.
School finishes at 1.30pm for the summer break.
Monday 11 – Friday 15 August Summer Sports Course at Stadhampton School. Please see posters on each classroom door and in the entrance foyer for details of how to book.
1st, 2nd September Staff INSET Days
Wednesday 3 September Start of Term 1 for all new and returning pupils

LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Next week we are finishing our Circus topic with our own unique circus, finishing our ‘circus shape’ clowns and practising walking in our extra large "Clown shoes".

We hope the new Reception class enjoy their transition days on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Little Bears will also be welcoming some new little ones in on the same days with a mini "All about me" topic.

On Friday 11th July it will be the primary schools sports day and as usual Little Bears are invited to run some races, hope you can join us to cheer them on.

Summer Event and 10th Birthday Celebration - on Friday 18th July from 1.30pm until 4.30pm at Little Bears Garden

We will have lots of activities for the children, a children's entertainer, refreshments, a BBQ and lots lots more……
On the same day it will be our sports day and leavers ceremony, also located in the garden from 10.45am followed by a picnic.
Please come and join the fun if you can.
We hope to see you there!

Community News:
• Flyer attached for Icknield Sports Fair on Thursday 11th September 2014