Newsletter for week ending 18th September 2015

School Prospectus
We have compiled a new School Prospectus for this academic year which has now been uploaded onto the school website under the ‘About Us’ section. 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.

School Website Update
The school website is now back up and working. Turn IT On, our website managers, are still trying to establish how our website was hacked along with the websites of a number of other Oxfordshire schools, so that we can be confident that this should not be able to happen again.

This week, we have added a Headteacher’s Blog to the school website. This will be updated at the start of each ‘old term’, i.e. about three times a year.

Pupil Premium Funding
If you think your child may be eligible for free school meals please check with Mrs Hopkins, School Business Manager. It is a simple and confidential process to check your entitlement with Oxfordshire County Council. Under the current criteria, children who receive, or whose parents receive, one or more of the following support payments may be entitled to free school meals:
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• the guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
• Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit
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.

Schools are also able to claim Pupil Premium Funding for Looked After Children, Service Children and children who have been looked after for one day or more, including children who have been adopted from care or leave care under a special guardianship or residence order – now referred to as “Pupil Premium Plus”

Please let Mrs Hopkins know (in confidence) if you think the school may be able to claim Pupil Premium Funding for your child. This will provide valuable funding which will be used to help support your child.

Membership of the Governing Body
Stadhampton Primary School is delighted to announce the appointment of William Jacobs (father of Maya Jacobs in Reception) as a Local Authority governor. William replaces Finbar McGaughey who resigned from the school Governing Body in July 2015. Stephen Dawson (a co-opted governor) also resigned from the Governing Body in July 2015.
We would like to thank Finbar and Stephen for their valued contribution to the Governing Body.
Finally a request: If anyone knows of a community person who might be suitable to fill the vacancy (not a parent) please let Mrs Hopkins know. Thank you.

Open Morning – Thursday 15 October
In conjunction with Little Bears, the school will be open to visitors from 9.00 to 11.45am for current families and the local community, as well as for the families now making their decisions about their choice of primary school for September 2016. Please do come along and see the school at work between these times if you are able, whether you are a prospective parent or an existing one!

Forest School Permission Forms
New Forest School permission forms were sent home to families at the beginning of this term which need to be completed before pupils will be able to attend Forest School sessions. There are currently 32 forms outstanding. Please complete the form if you have not already done so and return to the school office so that your child does not miss out on these valuable experiences.

Class Curriculum Overviews
This year we have updated our termly curriculum overviews for each class. Previously these were produced in the format of a letter with a list of topics covered in each curriculum area. The new format comprises a coloured ‘jig-saw’, each coloured ‘piece’ representing a subject area. We hope that this format is more visual than the previous format and better presents the integrated curriculum we plan for. Please be aware that there are two pages of information for all classes – the second page providing further key information. The curriculum over views have been uploaded to the school website under the ‘Classes’ section.

School Photographs
The School Photography Company will be in school on Tuesday 13 October 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.

School Book Fair
We are holding a Children’s Book Fair in school just before the end of Term 1. The Fair will be open at the following times:

Monday 19 October 3.00 to 3.30pm
Tuesday 20 October 8.30 to 9.00am
3.00 to 3.30pm
Wednesday 21 October 8.30 to 9.00am
3.00 to 3.30pm
Thursday 22 October 8.30 to 9.00am

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.

PTA News
Quiz night with fish & chip supper on Saturday 10th October at 7.30pm in the School Hall. We are very excited to be holding another adult quiz night with a fully stocked bar and lots of great rounds to test everyone's knowledge. Tickets priced at £10 each for fish & chips or £5 without food. Tickets now on sale from Emma Fulker outside Class 1.

Dates for Diaries:
Quiz night- Saturday 10th October
AGM- Tuesday 13th October
Clothes recycling- Monday 19th October
Kids disco- Friday 23rd October
Official Notice of the PTA's Annual General Meeting (AGM) - Tuesday 13th 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 Officers (Chair, Treasurer, Secretary), to represent the association throughout the forthcoming academic year. Our current Secretary, Melanie Gravett, and current Treasurer, Charlotte Hector, will not be standing for re-election, so if you are interested in taking on one of these roles or the role of chair, please confirm your interest by email to the school office prior to the AGM meeting (formal nominations will take place at the meeting itself). If you would like any further information about any of theses roles or are just interested in joining the committee, please speak to Melanie or Charlotte or our current Chair, Georgina Wiggins. Or if you just want to come to the meeting to find out a bit more, everyone is most welcome.
Friday Cake Club
Congratulations to Ella Gravett, the lucky winner of last week’s cake, kindly donated by Mrs Ellis. A reminder to Ewa Klorek that she is on the rota for 25 September.

DIARY DATES:
Tuesday 22 September Forest School – Reception pupils
Thursday 24 September Forest School – Year 2 pupils
Monday 28 September GB Meeting at 7pm
Tuesday 29 September Forest School – Reception pupils
Thursday 1 October Forest School – Year 2 pupils
Friday 2 October Harvest Festival in school
Tuesday 6 October Forest School – Reception pupils
Thursday 8 October Forest School – Year 3 pupils
Tuesday 13 October School Photographs
Thursday 15 October Open Morning 9.00-11.45am.
Forest School – Year 3 pupils