Stadhampton Primary School Blog

Newsletter for week ending 10th February 2012

2012-02-09T13:48:00.001Z

Parking in Cratlands Close
We have received two complaints this week from people who live very close to the school about access to and from their own driveways being obstructed by parents who are not showing sufficient consideration when they bring and collect children to and from school. In the last week or so Oxfordshire County Council have written to the neighbours of the school about extending the planning permission for the portacabin, which has to be re-applied for every five years. We certainly do not want to have any problems with the continued use of the portacabin for the Little Bears Pre-School and for our own Foundation Stage class and therefore urge parents please to walk if they can, park in the car park if they can and if they have to park in Cratlands Close to please ensure that they do not obstruct or limit people’s access to their property. Thank you.

Survey for parents of pupils in Reception
Thank you to the parents of Reception pupils who have already completed and returned the questionnaire from the Governing Body. If you have not already done so, the Governing Body would appreciate your reponse back after the February Holiday, if possible, please. If you have mislaid the form please ask in the office for a new one.

UNICEF Day for Change
A big thank you to all who contributed to this event. We collected a grand total of £127.67 which will help support UNICEF’s “Education through Sport” programme in Uganda. Thank you also to Katende Amery for sharing a powerpoint slide-show of his native Uganda with us. We were treated to a presentation showing some of the many different aspects of Ugandan life including stunning scenery, amazing animals and vibrant people.

Eco-Schools Silver Award
We are delighted to be able to share the good news that we have just been presented with the national Eco Schools Silver Award which recognises our achievement in working towards a sustainable lifestyle. We are now striving to achieve the “green” award in the future.

“Fishy Business”Many parents may well already be aware that there has been some “fishy business” going on in the toilet areas of Classes 1 and 2! These areas have been given a face-lift with some wonderful aquatic –themed murals, designed by the children, and painted by Mrs Wilkin with the help of Ms Cyprien. The painting has taken many hours but the results will be enjoyed for much longer! Thank you to Mrs Wilkin and Ms Cyprien. Class 3, don’t worry, your turn will come soon! The walls in the toilet area of our Reception class cannot be painted in this way but we have plans to add some “artwork” here too.

Science Club
Many thanks to Mr Heath-Whyte for his involvement in enabling the Science Club for Class 3 to take place. We were very pleased with the popularity of this club but, unfortunately, it has now finished. Mr Heath-Whyte and Mrs Turner will be discussing the possibility of offering something similar in the future.

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 informationn 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. Whenever it is possible, we also aim to put a message onto the school website and send parents a text message via ParentMail.

Mrs Turner’s participation in the British Council School Leadership Programme
I have been awarded a Comenius grant from the British Council to take part in a programme in which headteachers across the EU have the opportunity to work alongside each other in order to gain an understanding of different leadership and management models. I will be working alongside the management team at Hazlach School, in Poland, from 12th to 25th February, returning to Stadhampton School on 27th February. During this time I will be observing and exchanging leadership and management practice including the school curriculum, national testing, provision for Special Education Needs and Gifted and Talented pupils, school governance, links with parents and local community and partnerships with other local schools. I will also be visiting a school in
the Czech Republic, comparing educational systems and structures there. On my return I will be submitting a report to the British Council, a summary of which will be shared with our Governing Body, the Local Authority and the headteachers within the Watlington Partnership of Schools. This is an exciting but demanding opportunity and I am grateful to our Governing Body and the rest of the school staff for their support. In my absence the school will be managed by the remaining members of the Senior Leadership Team – Mrs Manzie, Mrs Garrard and Mrs Hopkins. I will also be in regular e-mail contact with the school.

Friday 2nd March - PTA Quiz Night!

Tickets for the TV and Film Quiz night (adults only) with a fish and chip supper are now on sale
Entry to Quiz and Fish & Chips - just £7
Entry to Quiz only - £2.50
Get your tickets from the school office or see Diana Woodwards or Rowena Dobson.

We would also be grateful for any donations of good quality, unwanted Christmas gifts or items, for a raffle on the night. Thank you.

Little Bears News
Little Bears return on the 20th February with the topic “occupations”.
We are also collecting tall Pringles pots, birthday cards with the numbers on the front and any old unwanted comics. Thank you.

DIARY DATES:
Monday 20th February Pupils return to school for the start of Term 4
Final swimming session for Class 2 pupils
Tuesday 21st February Final Cookery Club for Year 4
Invitation from the Parish Council to attend the launch of the Community Led Plan in the Hall at 7.30pm. Refreshments served.
Monday 27th February Recorders re-start
Thursday 1st March World Book Day
Friday 2nd March Quiz Night with Fish & Chip Supper
Wednesday 7th March Mobile Library
Year 5 pupils visit ICC for an English lesson
Monday 12th March Work-viewing evening
Friday 23rd March Sports Relief activities

Happy Holiday and a safe return on Monday 20th February.

Newsletter for week ending 3rd February 2012

2012-02-03T08:11:00.002Z

Happy FEBRUARY Birthday to: Florence Amery, Rhiannon Amery, Charlie Ball, Tiffany Bullock, Matt Green, Tillie Moss-Black, Jemima O’Brien, Will Parkes, Alex Robinson and Ella Mae White.

During February our school is focusing on Quality

Survey for parents of pupils in Reception
Parents of Reception pupils should find a questionnaire from the Governing Body in book bags which they would appreciate parents spending a few minutes completing and returning to the school office. Thank you.

Work-Viewing Evening and Mid-Year Summary Reports
A reminder that we are holding our annual work-viewing evening from 3.15 to 6.00pm on Monday 12th March. For families who are unfamiliar with this event it is an occasion to look at your child’s work and we encourage you to do this with your child if possible. Teachers will be available for brief consultation from 3.30pm onwards in their classrooms but there will be no booking system. Mid-Year Summary Reports for all pupils will be sent home during the week beginning 5th March. These reports are compiled following our mid-year teacher assessments of pupils and this year, in response to some feedback from the recent parents’ questionnaire and in line with our commitment to continuous school improvement, we are including the National Curriculum levels (for KS1 & KS2 pupils) or Foundation Stage score (for FS pupils) for each pupil.

SATS Tests 2012
This year the statutory KS2 SATs tests for Year 6 pupils take place the week Monday 14th to Friday 18th May, with some tests taking place during the week Monday 20th to Friday 24th May. These dates and times are set nationally. SATs tests for other year-groups (Years 2, 3, 4 and 5) will mainly take place during the same two weeks. The new Year 1 phonics screening test, set by the Government’s Standards and Testing Agency, is during the week 18th-22nd June 2012. Please try to ensure that any routine dental or other appointments are made outside of these dates. No holiday absences will be granted during this time. Thank you for your co-operation in this matter.

Roald Dahl Museum – Report by Emily D and Owen C
“Last Thursday Class 2 had a visit from the Roald Dahl Museum. We saw some photos of Roald Dahl and found out some great facts, like he kept his hip bone on his desk. His father died when he was three. He went to boarding school. Class 2 got given a “Skillywonka” chocolate bar and it was delicious!”

Magazines
Class 2 are collecting magazines for an art project. We would welcome any old colour magazines you can give us, e.g. Newspaper supplements etc.

PTA News
Friday 2 March - It's the PTA Quiz Night!

Tickets for the TV and Film Quiz night with a fish and chip supper are now on sale! You can get them from the school office or from Diana Woodwards & Rowena Dobson.

Entry to Quiz and Fish & Chips - just £7
Entry to Quiz only - £2.50

So dust off that knowledge, grab yourself a team, or just come with friends for a fun night out.

We are pleased to report that we have received a cheque this week for £182 for the collection of 364kg of clothes from our last recycling collection.

Little Bears News
Next week we will be getting ready for Valentine’s Day a bit early, making cards and baking a Valentine’s surprise.
Happy Belated Birthday to Daniel Robinson who turned 4.

DIARY DATES

Friday 10th February Term 3 finishes at 3.15pm

Monday 20th February Pupils return to school for the start of Term 4
Tuesday 21st February Invitation from the Parish Council to attend the launch of the Community Led Plan in the Hall at 7.30pm. Refreshments served.
Friday 2nd March Quiz Night with Fish & Chip Supper
Monday 12th March Work-viewing evening

Newsletter for week ending 27th January 2012

2012-01-27T08:21:00.001Z

Stadhampton School Term and Holiday Dates for 2012-2013
Please find attached to this newsletter a calendar of our term and holiday dates for the new academic year which will begin for pupils on 5th September 2012. A copy of this has also been loaded onto the Learning Platform and School Web-Site.

School Absence Targets
We respectfully remind parents that they should not take pupils out of school for holidays during term time unless there is an exceptional reason. Before making a request for an additional holiday, please consider carefully why being out of school is more beneficial to your child than attending lessons. The attendance and engagement team at Oxfordshire County Council provide guidance to parents and to schools on taking holidays during school terms. The following exerpts are from this guidance :
• “Research has shown that there is a close link between attendance at school and a child’s achievement”
• “All time out of school affects learning and achievement for both primary and secondary pupils”
• “By arranging holidays outside of term time, you will be giving your child the best chance to succeed”
The Local Authority have issued us with a target to reduce our absence figures for sickness and holidays taken during term time by a further 5% this year, i.e. to 2.86% and we seek parents support in achieving this target. Thank you in anticipation of your understanding and cooperation.

National Storytelling Week – 28.01.2012 – 04.02.2012
You may like to know that the coming week is National Storytelling Week. Rather than concentrate our attention to this in one particular week we are focusing on storytelling through the recent storytelling workshops held at school, the visit by the Roald Dahl Museum working with Class 2 and a visit by author Peter Davidson on 1st February during which he will give a talk to pupils on his books about fossils and dinosaurs. After school there will be an opportunity for parents to buy signed and dedicated copies of his books, priced at £6.99 and £7.99. Our on-going Literacy work uses a range of storytelling techniques and Year 6 pupils are currently taking it in turns, once a week, to re-tell stories to Class 1. I’m sure many families will have their own favourite stories to share at home and the Story Museum website www.storymuseum.org.uk is well worth a look at.

French Student Teacher
Monsieur Marc Flageul, a trainee teacher from France working in partnership with Oxford Brookes University, will be joining us for 2 weeks starting on Monday 30th January. Monsieur Flageul will mainly be working in Class 2.

UNICEF Day 4 Change on 3rd February 2012
Friday 3rd February we hope that pupils will be able to bring in some loose change towards helping support UNICEF’s programme to support vunerable children in Uganda by bringing sport into their lives. This week Class 3 pupils gave an assembly about Uganda to help all pupils have an understanding of the context of this programme. We hope to cover a map of Uganda as well as a number of pictorial representations of Uganda with coins – please help us to cover them all!

PTA News

Fundraising
Since joining The Giving Machine we’ve received donations of £99.67 (some of which we have already received a cheque for) as a result of just a handful of people shopping online after visiting their website. With the involvement of everyone who shops online we could raise far more, without having to donate any money ourselves. Here are some examples:

All those who get groceries online with Sainsburys - 1.5% of your spend will be donated. For example if your monthly spend was £280.00, the school would get a donation of £4.20 - and it hasn't cost you anything. And if you buy clothes from Boden - 3.75% of your spend will get donated.
Amazon will donate 3.75% of your spend - so for every £20, the school will get 75p. Doesn't sound a lot? Look how much we've raised from just a few people using the website - now think how much more we could raise if we all did it. So please, please have a look at thegivingmachine.co.uk
and join in. Please ask Rowena Dobson, Diane Woodwards or Charlotte Hector if you are unsure how to do it.

Friday 2nd March - Quiz Night with Fish & Chip Supper
Now that the excitement of Christmas is well and truly over, and it’s back to the humdrum of daily life, how about a night out for just £7 at our fantastic TV and Film Quiz Night, with a Fish & Chip supper, and of course the usual bar!

Tickets for Quiz and Fish & Chip supper - £7, or tickets for Quiz only - £2.50. More details on where you can get tickets to follow.

Little Bears News
Next week we are going to be looking at the very largest things in the sea. We will also continue to collage our giant octopus and be learning all about variations in size. We will also be introducing the snail and the whale.

DIARY DATES:

Monday 30th January After school Hockey Club starts for 8 weeks for participating pupils
Friday 3rd February UNICEF Day for Change – please start collecting your small change to bring change to the lives of Ugandan children
Friday 10th February Term 3 finishes at 3.15pm

Monday 20th February Pupils return to school for the start of Term 4
Monday 12th March Work-viewing evening

Attachments to this newsletter:
• School Term and Holiday Dates for 2012-2013
• Letter from Icknield Community College about Academy status
• Advert for “bank staff” for the Children’s Centre

Community Parish Plan Launch -invite from the Parish Council

We have been asked by the Parish Council to let parents know about a meeting on Tuesday 21st February at 7.30pm in the Hall to discuss how we can make our parish a better place. This meeting will enable parents to be involved in the launch of a Community Plan.
The invitation says "Come and join us for a glass of wine or beer and share your views.
Many thanks and hope to see you there!"

Stadhampton Parish Council
http://www.stadhampton.com/

Newsletter for week ending 20th January 2012

2012-01-20T11:25:00.001Z

Newsletter for week ending 20th January 2012

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

The start of the School Day
We maintain an ‘open door’ policy which provides parents and carers with ready access to teachers to facilitate on-going collaboration. We recognise that there will be some information that is essential for us to be aware of at the beginning of the school day. However, the start of the school day is a very busy time for teaching staff and we respectfully request that, whenever possible, parents and carers try to talk to staff after school or make an appointment to meet at a mutually convenient time.
Thank you for your co-operation.

UNICEF Day for Change – 03.02.2012
Each year we support the charitable work of UNICEF by taking part in their Day for Change. This year Day for Change focuses on UNICEF’s Education through Sport programme in Uganda, where sport and play is used as a route to improve the health and happiness of vulnerable children including orphans, children with disabilities, child refugees, former child soldiers and children left homeless by conflict.

By donating any loose change you may have at home you will be helping to change the lives of children in Uganda. Please support us. Pupils can bring any contributions into school on the day.
Thank you.

Further information about the work of UNICEF is available on their website: www.unicef.org.uk

Storytelling Workshops – 16.01.12Pupils were captivated by the storytelling of Mr Adam Guillain on Monday. Pupils from different classes listened to different stories from his extensive repertoire. They included; “The Black Prince”, “The Clever Wish” and “The Land of Strange Names” (Class 2 and 3), “The Gingerbread Man” and “The Duck and the Gold” (Class 1) and “Little Red Riding Hood” and “The Three Giants (Reception).
The children learnt about the main elements of story plots and those in Classes 1, 2 and 3, learnt the process of how to; listen to an oral story, map the story, step the story (with a partner), speak the story (with a partner), re-tell the story for themselves and ultimately to write part of the story independently.

Why storytelling?
The value of storytelling was acknowledged in the Rose Report 2009. “The powerful, not to say, unique, contribution to children’s enjoyment and comprehension of language – and to their emotional development – from deep engagement with story telling and regular exposure to excellent literature is recognised throughout early years and primary education”.

Mr Guillain works with The Story Museum in Oxford and although their premises are not yet open to the public they have a website which is well worth looking at. There is a section on stories at home and a number of stories are available to read or listen to. Their website is www.storymuseum.org.uk Here are some recounts from the children:

Report by Rhiannon Amery and Bryce Dobson (Class 3)
“On 16th January, Mr Guillain visited us and did some storytelling with the whole school. We all really enjoyed it. The stories were interactive and fun. Some of us have decided to write our own stories as a result! He taught us how to write a good story and inspired us to write more!”

Report by Ella Perring and Max Lansley (Class 2)
“On Monday a man called Adam Guillain from The Story Museum came into school and told us stories. They were “The Black Prince, The Clever Wish and a Silly Story”. We wrote our own version of the Black Prince and everyone thought it was an exciting day. And if you want to go on the website it is www.storymuseum.or.uk”

Report by Buddy and Ollie (Class 1)
“It was fun and we loved the music. The Gingerbread Man was fun and we had to run as fast as we could. We made a map of the story. We liked the stepping and remembering the story”.

Little Bears News
Next week we will be starting to make our fishes in a bottle and collaging our giant octopus. We still need some bottles please.
We will also be celebrating Chinese New Year and Burns Night.

Icknield Community College – Temporary Staff Vacancy
Job Role: Junior ICT Technician
Start Date: 2 February
Contract type: Temporary
Hours: 20 hours per week, working hours to be decided at interview
Salary: Grade 5 Pt 14
We are seeking to appoint as soon as possible a part-time Junior ICT Technician. If you have:
• Good ‘people’ skills
• Knowledge of Microsoft Operating Systems and Microsoft Office
• Hardware troubleshooting, configuration and repair skills
Plus other relevant experience or skills you may just be the person to join our friendly and supportive school.

Further details are available from Gill Ward, PA to the Headteacher, by emailing gillward@ocnmail.net.

Icknield Community College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of students. The successful applicant will be required to undertake an Enhanced CRB Disclosure.

DIARY DATES:

Wednesday 25th January After school Netball & Multisports start for 9 weeks for participating pupils. Multisports Club is now full.
Maths Masterclass at ICC for participating pupils.
Thursday 26th January Visit from the Roald Dahl Museum for Class 2 pupils.
Monday 30th January After school Hockey Club starts for 8 weeks for participating pupils
Friday 3rd February UNICEF Day for Change – please start collecting your small change to bring change to the lives of Ugandan children
Friday 10th February Term 3 finishes at 3.15pm

Monday 20th February Pupils return to school for the start of Term 4
Monday 12th March Work-viewing evening

Newsletter for week ending 13th January 2012

2012-01-13T08:52:00.002Z

Newsletter for week ending 13th January 2012

A Message from the Governors
Dear Parents and Carers,

At the end of last year we asked you all to fill out our annual Parent Questionnaire. The Questionnaire is used to help the teaching staff and governing body ensure that the school is continuing to provide high standards of teaching and support to pupils and measure how well the school is meeting your expectations. In total we received 42 responses (an increase from 31) in 2010), thank you for taking the time to fill the form out.

You were asked to say whether you Strongly Agreed, Agreed, Disagreed or Strongly Disagreed with 13 statements. The overall average response across all returned questionnaires and all questions was exactly midway between Strongly Agree and Agree (as it was in 2010) which we believe reflects both the continued high standards achieved at Stadhampton Primary School, and you and your children's experience. However, unlike 2010, several statements attracted a Disagree from a small number of parents and this is, of course, a concern. The teaching staff have already incorporated some of the findings of the questionnaire into the INSET day held on the 3rd of January this year.
As a Governing Body we will be further analysing the responses at the next Governors Meeting and creating an action plan to address the leading areas identified as needing some improvement.
Best Regards
Jason Hector (Chair of Governors)

School Council
The New Year brings a number of changes and a new School Council has been elected. Many thanks to our previous School Council who achieved so much. Our Spring 2012 School Council consists of Ella Mae and Joe (Year 6), Molly and Benjamin (Year 5), Lola and Max (Year 4), Emily and Greg (Year 3) and Darcy and Max (Year 2).

Class Topics/Areas of Study
An outline of the topics/areas of study for each class for Terms 3 and 4 should be in book bags today.

Swimming Gala – by Matthew Ellis, Matt Green and Ella Mae White
“On Monday 9th January, six nervous swimmers (Matt Green, Matthew Ellis, Benjamin Duke, Maisie Matthews, Rhiannon Amery and Ella Mae White) competed in the Watlington Partnership Swimming Gala. Almost every race was extremely close; in the whole gala we only came 4th once! Although 6 schools were meant to compete, only 4 came so we only had one heat and a final but were still really tired afterwards. After all the swimming we got the results. We came first with 122 points! Matt Green, 10, said “It feels good to bring the cup back to our school again!”
All the swimmers did their very best and we all returned home triumphant, but very tired!

Storytelling Workshops – 16.01.2012
We are very excited that all pupils will be participating in a series of age-related storytelling workshops next Monday. Mr Adam Guillain, a local author and professional storyteller who works for The Story Museum in Oxford, will spend the day with us including providing after-school follow-up INSET for staff. Storytelling is not only fun but many Literacy–based skills are developed through the process including; listening skills, acting and speaking skills and an understanding of the structure of stories, which all ultimately support key generic writing skills. We look forward to an exciting and educational day!

School Collections
Thank you for collecting your plastic bottle tops and bringing them to school. Our collection has reached its goal of helping to provide funds for a replacement wheelchair for a pupil at our link school in Hazlach, Poland, and they are very grateful for everyone’s contributions.

As the bottle top collecting has been so successful we would like to continue with this facility but we will now collect them for the Thames Valley Air Ambulance. We hope you will continue to support our collection.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind familes that we also collect foreign coins and used stamps for Marie Curie Cancer Care. All collection containers are in the Hall, usually on top of the piano. Thank you for your contributions.

The gardening club continue to collect clean, empty, clear 2–litre drinks bottles to make their “green” greenhouse. Further details about their progress will follow shortly. Please continue to bring in any suitable bottles into the Hall. Thank you.

PTA
Happy New Year from the PTA. The final fundraising events of 2011 did very well. Fiona raised a fantastic £298.82 from the Wreath-Making Evening – thanks to Fiona for running it, and for everyone who attended or ordered a wreath. The Waitrose tokens raised £260 – again thanks to all who collected them. We also now have enough CDs and DVDs to send to Music Magpie to get the free football kit in addition to money for the CDs etc. We will let you know the exact amount raised as soon as we have it.

This year we can look forward to a TV and Film Quiz in February, and Kids Bingo night in March, plus the usual Clothes Recycling and Plant Orders. If you have any other fundraising ideas please let a member of the PTA know. Or better still, come along to the next PTA Meeting, at 8pm on Tuesday 24th January in the School Hall.

Little Bears News
Next week we are continuing with our theme “Under the Sea” and making starfish and continuing with our crabs- reminder that we will need 2ltr bottles for week 4 and if anyone has any sand paper they would like to donate it would be much appreciated.
Happy Belated Birthday to Thomas West who turned 4 last Tuesday.

DIARY DATES:

Tuesday 17th January After-school cookery course begins for participating Year 4 pupils
Wednesday 18th January Year 5 pupils visit ICC for a technology lesson
Friday 20th January Class 3 visit to ICC for Sports Hall Activities
Wednesday 25th January After school Netball & Multisports start for 9 weeks for participating pupils. Multisports Club is now full.
Monday 30th January After school Hockey Club starts for 8 weeks for participating pupils
Friday 3rd February UNICEF Day for Change – please start collecting your small change to bring change to the lives of Ugandan children
Friday 10th February Term 3 finishes at 3.15pm
Monday 20th February Pupils return to school for the start of Term 4
Monday 12th March Work-viewing evening

Newsletter for week ending 6th January 2012

2012-01-05T13:19:00.000Z

Happy New Year and welcome back to everyone!

Happy JANUARY Birthday to: Elizabeth Bowerman, Owen Cove, Thomas Cove, Myles Dobson, Matthew Ellis, Megan Green, Isabella Kenny, Tia Khan, Joe Mercer and Benjamin West.

During January our school is focusing on Happiness

Pupil Premium Funding
Under the Government “Pupil Premium”, if your child is from a Service Family or you are entitled to free school meals, the school would be able to claim for additional funding.
• If either parent is a member of the Armed Services, please could you let Mrs Hopkins (School Business Manager) know as soon as possible.
• If you or your partner receive Income Support, Income based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Child Tax Credit (but not Working Tax Credit) your child may be eligible for a free school meal. Please let Mrs Hopkins know as soon as possible if you think you may be eligible. Even if you do not wish your child to receive their free school meal allocation, the funding the school will be able to claim will benefit your child.

Swimming at Berinsfield
Swimming will begin for Class 2 pupils on Monday 16th January as the Partnership Swimming Gala is on Monday 9th January. They will have 5 sessions (16th, 23rd, 30th January, 6th & 20th February). Class 3 swimming sessions will begin on Monday 27th February. They will also have 5 sessions. We hope that all parents are willing to make a “voluntary donation” of £1 per pupil for each swimming session towards the cost of the transport. Cheques for swimming donations should be made payable to Stadhampton Primary School please.

Work Viewing Evening
This year our annual Work Viewing Evening will be on Monday 12th March. Parents will be able to look at their child/ren’s work between 3.15 and 6pm and we encourage pupils to attend, where possible, to share their work with their parents. Teachers will be available between 3.30 and 6pm for brief consultation but there is no appointment system.

Little Bears News
Next week we will be adding some jelly fish to our under water cave.
We will be making collage jelly fish and crabs. Also we are asking all parents to bring in a 2 ltr bottle ( empty) for art work in Week 4

DIARY DATES:

Monday 9th January Partnership Swimming Gala for participating pupils
Tuesday 10th January Final after school cookery club for Year 5 pupils (owed from Term 2). Science Club for participating Class 3 pupils (5 weeks).
Thursday 12th January After school Football Club starts for 11 weeks for participating pupils
Friday 13th January Guitar lessons restart for participating pupils
Tuesday 17th January After-school cookery course begins for participating Year 4 pupils
Wednesday 18th January Year 5 pupils visit ICC for a technology lesson
Wednesday 25th January After school Netball & Multisports start for 9 weeks for participating pupils
Monday 30th January After school Hockey Club starts for 8 weeks for participating pupils
Friday 3rd February UNICEF Day for Change – please start collecting your small change to bring change to the lives of Ugandan children
Friday 10th February Term 3 finishes at 3.15pm
Monday 20th February Pupils return to school for the start of Term 4

Newsletter No 7 - 16th December 2011

2011-12-15T12:41:00.002Z

Glitches in the system
We have been made aware that one or two families have not been receiving e-mailed newsletters recently. We apologise for this and have already rectified this with the familes we know of who have had this problem. We had a new admin computer installed recently and the distribution groups for e-mails appear not to have copied over completely in the upgrade to Microsoft Office 2010 and Windows 7. If you have not been receiving the newsletter electronically or know of a family who has not been, please tell us. Our newsletters are usually sent out weekly and we will let you know if there is not going to be one for any reason. Newsletters are also uploaded onto the school blog each week and there is a link to this on the school website www.stadhampton.oxon.sch.uk
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School Nativity Service
Thank you to all families who were able to join us for this service. It is always a special occasion and this year we received many comments on how wonderful the singing was – not to mention how angelic Reception pupils looked!

Pupil Premium Funding
Under the Government “Pupil Premium”, if your child is from a Service Family or you are entitled to free school meals, the school would be able to claim for additional funding.
• If either parent is a member of the Armed Services, please could you let Mrs Hopkins (School Business Manager) know as soon as possible.
• If you or your partner receive Income Support, Income based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Child Tax Credit (but not Working Tax Credit) your child may be eligible for a free school meal. Please let Mrs Hopkins know as soon as possible if you think you may be eligible. Even if you do not wish your child to receive their free school meal allocation, the funding the school will be able to claim will benefit your child.

PTA Message -Thanks for your support
So far this year we have raised the fantastic total of £2053.29. With these funds we have paid for the swimming pool liner to be replaced and the food for the children's Christmas party.

To continue the fund raising next year we have a Quiz night in February, a Pizza and Bingo evening for the children in March, and more exciting events.

January Sales!
When you've all recovered from the Christmas festivities and start bagging those bargains in the Sales, don't forgot to help raise money for us by doing any on line bargain shopping through the www.thegivingmachine.co.uk.

Thank you and a Happy Christmas from the PTA.

Science Club for Year 5 and Year 6 pupils
We are delighted to be able to offer a free Science club to pupils in Years 5 and 6, in the first instance. Through our links with Science Oxford we have secured the services of Mr Heath-Whyte, a local STEM Ambassador (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths Ambassador).
Mrs Turner will be working with Mr Heath-Whyte during the sessions, however, due to the practical nature of the club places will be limited to 12 pupils. Year 5 and 6 pupils have received a letter about this today. The topics planned to be covered during the sessions include melting and dissolving, electromagnetism, bridge building, heat-sensitive pigments and exploring the properties of a new material!

Christmas Crib Service
The Christmas Crib Service will take place at 5pm on Christmas Eve in Stadhampton Church.

School Meals
The price of a school meal will remain at £2.10 per day in January. We return to school on Week One of the 4-week menu. We would be grateful if money for school meals could be paid on the first day of the week please. Cheques for school meals should be made payable to Oxfordshire County Council with Stadhampton School written on the back. Thank you.

Swimming at Berinsfield
Swimming will begin for Class 2 pupils on Monday 16th January as the Partnership Swimming Gala is on Monday 9th January. They will have 5 sessions (16th, 23rd, 30th January, 6th & 20th February). Class 3 swimming sessions will begin on Monday 27th February. They will also have 5 sessions. We hope that all parents are willing to make a “voluntary donation” of £1 per pupil for each swimming session towards the cost of the transport. Cheques for swimming donations should be made payable to Stadhampton Primary School please.

Learning Platform
Some photographs from the Christmas productions have been uploaded onto the Learning Platform:
https://www.klp.rm.com/establishments/9312455/School%20Play%20Photographs/Forms/AllItems.aspx
If you are unsure of your access details to the Learning Platform please let Mrs Hopkins know.

Little Bears News
Happy Christmas! We look forward to seeing everyone again on Wednesday the 4th January.

DIARY DATES:

Tuesday 3rd January INSET Day – Only teachers & Mrs Hopkins in school
Wednesday 4th January Pupils return to school
Monday 9th January Partnership Swimming Gala for participating pupils
Tuesday 10th January Final after school cookery club for Year 5 pupils (owed from Term 2). Science Club for Class 3 pupils (5 weeks).
Thursday 12th January After school Football Club starts for 11 weeks for participating pupils
Friday 13th January Guitar lessons restart for participating pupils
Tuesday 17th January After-school cookery course begins for participating Year 4 pupils
Wednesday 25th January After school Netball & Multisports start for 9 weeks for participating pupils
Monday 30th January After school Hockey Club starts for 8 weeks for participating pupils

Happy Christmas to all of you from everyone at Stadhampton School!

Newsletter No 6 - 9th December 2011

2011-12-08T19:42:00.000Z

Christmas Productions
I am sure you will all join me in congratulating pupils on two wonderful Christmas productions this year. The costumes, scenery, acting and singing were all fantastic and a treat to watch and many hidden talents emerged! Thank you also to parents who helped pupils with learning their lines, contributing props and costumes. We were pleased to raise £254 from ticket sales for the Stadhampton Community Building Fund.

School Christmas Lunch
Once a year, we ask that all pupils and staff sit down together for a Christmas lunch and that no-one has a packed lunch on Tuesday 13th December. The cost is £2.10 (the same price as a normal school meal) and the menu will be roast turkey and all the trimmings or cheese and vegetable goujons with vegetarian sausages. Cheques for school meals should be made payable to OCC with Stadhampton School written on the back of the cheque please.

Maths Challenge
This November ten Class 3 pupils took part in the “Primary Maths Challenge”, which is a national maths-problem solving test, set up by the Mathematical Association. Well done to Rhiannon, Florence, Maisie, Ewan, Matt and Megan who all received a Bronze award for their attainment. Jake, Annabel and Joe all received a great score resulting in a Silver award. Finally congratulations to Ella-Mae who received the highest award – Gold!

Little Bears News
Children are welcome to bring in Christmas themed books, dvd's or music and any game they would like to share. We will be making and baking lots of yummy treats next week. Forest schools will go ahead as usual on Friday finishing at 3.00pm.
The Little Bears team would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and hope that you all enjoy the break. We look forward to seeing everyone again on Wednesday the 4th January.

Also Happy Birthday to Elizabeth, Jess and Emily who all have birthdays in December.

DIARY DATES:

Monday 12th December PTA wreath making evening
Tuesday 13th December Whole-school Christmas Lunch
Whole School Party - 1.45pm in the Hall. Children may bring party clothes to change into after lunch if they wish.
Wednesday 14th December Whole school Nativity Service at 2.15pm at St John’s Church
Friday 16th December End of Term Assembly at 9.05am, in the Hall
School finishes at 1.30pm

Tuesday 3rd January INSET Day – teachers only in school
Wednesday 4th January Pupils return to school

Newsletter No 5 - 2nd December 2011

2011-12-01T14:52:00.001Z

Happy DECEMBER Birthday to Mikka Haskins-Hall and Ewan Madry.

During DECEMBER we are focusing on the core value of LOVE

Parent Questionnaire from the Governing Body
A reminder that the deadline for returning completed forms is Friday 9th December. Thank you to the families who have already completed and returned the annual parents questionnaire, recently distributed by the Governing Body, back to the school office. The Governing Body are keen to hear your views of how well the school is meeting your expectations. The questionnaire is confidential. Thank you.

Afterschool Clubs
Hockey, Netball and Multisports after-school clubs have now finished for this term. Premier Sports will be continuing to run their after-school football club on Thursday 8th and 15th December.

School Council
The School Council are delighted to announce that their Toy Tombola at the Winter Fair last Friday raised £110.91.Thank you to everyone who donated items.

School Christmas Lunch
Once a year, we ask that all pupils and staff sit down together for a Christmas lunch and that no-one has a packed lunch on that day. The date this year is Tuesday 13th December – the same day as the Christmas parties. We try to make it special with serviettes and crackers and the children make their own place mat (in school) and the staff serve the children with their lunch rather than pupils queue to collect their lunch. The cost is £2.10 (the same price as a normal school meal) and the menu will be roast turkey and all the trimmings or cheese and vegetable goujons with vegetarian sausages. There is no requirement to pay for the meal before Monday 12th December, although you may do so if you wish. Cheques for school meals are made payable to OCC with Stadhampton School written on the back of the cheque please.

PTA News
Winter Fair
The Winter Fair raised an amazing £1236.89. That's a fantastic amount of money to add to our funds, and the PTA would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported the Fair, either by coming along and spending money, or through their help and donations. It was a brilliant evening and everyone had a great time and enjoyed themselves.

Wreath Evening
Advent has started, and it's now a countdown to Christmas. Here's your chance to get ready for the festivities and be creative at the same time. There are still some places available on the 12 Dec to come along and make your own wreath for just £20. If you can't make it on the evening then you can always order a wreath to be made for you. Please speak to Fiona Stewart to book your space or order a wreath.

School Play Bar
The PTA bar will be open to sell mulled wine, wine and beer, after the evening performance of the play on 6th December.

Waitrose Tokens
A reminder to please collect your Waitrose tokens and either drop them into school (container on top of the piano) or Waitrose at Thame.

The Giving Machine
Apparently this week is predicted to be the peak period for people doing their Christmas shopping online. Please remember to shop via the Giving machine, and raise money without having to spend anything extra. Here's how:
1. www.thegivingmachine.co.uk
2. enter Stadhampton (school search box)
3. choose our School and save
4. enter your details and create your account
5. click on your shops logo to go shopping as normal

Little Bears News
Next week we will be reading the book “The Smallest Reindeer” and looking at variations in size. We will also be making reindeer decorations and reindeer food for the big night.

DIARY DATES:

Monday 5th December KS2 children and Little Bears will form the audience of the Class R/KS1 dress rehearsal
Tuesday 6th December Class R/KS1 children and Little Bears will form the audience of the KS2 dress rehearsal

Tuesday 6th December
Class R & Class 1 Performance 2.30pm, in the Hall All welcome, but tickets will be required
Class 2 & Class 3 Performance 6.30pm, in the Hall (Ticket only – no babies or young children please at this performance)

Wednesday 7th December Class 2 & Class 3 Performance 1.45pm, in the Hall All welcome, but tickets will be required

Monday 12th December PTA wreath making evening
Tuesday 13th December Whole-school Christmas Lunch
Whole School Party - 1.45pm in the Hall. Children may bring party clothes to change into after lunch if they wish.
Wednesday 14th December Whole school Nativity Service at 2.15pm at St John’s Church
Friday 16th December End of Term Assembly at 9.05am, in the Hall
School finishes at 1.30pm

Tuesday 3rd January INSET Day – teachers only in school
Wednesday 4th January Pupils return to school

Newsletter No 4 - 25th November 2011

2011-11-25T12:36:00.001Z

Message from Jason Hector, Chair of Governors
Dear all,

Earlier this week families should have received our annual parents questionnaire. The governors and staff of Stadhampton Primary School are proud of the school’s achievements and in order to ensure that we continue to provide the high standards of teaching and support to pupils we would be grateful if you could provide feedback to us by completing the annual parents questionnaire. We are keen to hear all views whether you are a new parent or carer to the school or not, we want to know how well the school is meeting your expectations. The questionnaire is of course confidential. We would be grateful if you could return completed forms to the school office by Friday 9th December. Thank you.

Parking in Cratlands Close for the Winter Fair at 6pm this evening
We would respectfully remind parents to be mindful of the residents of Cratlands Close and not block access to their driveways when they park for the Winter Fair on Friday evening. We are hopeful that we shall be able to have the netball court also open for additional parking and will ask staff and the PTA to park there in order to free up spaces for parents and other visitors in the car park.

School Open as usual
We are now able to confirm that we will be open as usual on Wednesday 30th November.

Sally Evans – Oxford Brookes University Student
We say “farewell” to Miss Evans this week as she reaches the end of her 4-week placement with us. However, we look forward to welcoming her back to work with us again in February and March next year.

Children in Need
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our school collection for Children in Need by wearing “something spotty,” purchasing a Pudsey key ring and/or participating in the School Council competition. We are delighted to let you know that we raised £148.40.

PTA News
A huge thank you for the items which have been brought into school for the Winter Fair this evening and for the return of sold raffle tickets. We look forward to seeing you all there!

Clothes Recycling: Thanks to everyone who brought in items for the clothes recycling collection. We will let you know the amount raised towards PTA funds when we have received the cheque from Bag2School. The next clothes collection will be in the spring next year - perfect for the annual
Spring clean!

Waitrose Tokens: From Thursday next week (1st December) you will able to support our school by dropping your green tokens into our collection box in Waitrose at Thame. The more tokens we can get, the bigger our share of the money from Waitrose will be to spend on some new outdoor equipment for Class 1. (This also means we have more money from our own fundraising activities to spend on other things). So please tell everyone you know who shops in Waitrose to support our school. If you shop in a Waitrose other than Thame (eg. Wallingford), please bring the tokens into school to put into the collection box on the piano. Thank you.

Wreath-Making Evening: It is not too late to book your place at the Wreath-making Evening on 12th December in the school hall. Forms are available from the school office, if you would like to either come along on the evening, or order a wreath to be made for you. Alternatively, speak to Fiona Stewart outside school.

School Play Bar: Just to remind you that we will once again be running a bar, selling mulled wine, wine and beer, after the evening performance of the play on 6 December. Please do stay and join us for a drink.

Little Bears News
Next week we will be going on a nature walk around our grounds looking for a stick man.
We will also be making a nature table and collecting lots of natural materials for our table. Please do bring anything in from home to put on our nature table too.

DIARY DATES:

Monday 5th December KS2 children and Little Bears will form the audience of the Class R/KS1 dress rehearsal
Tuesday 6th December Class R/KS1 children and Little Bears will form the audience of the KS2 dress rehearsal

Tuesday 6th December
Class R & Class 1 Performance 2.30pm, in the Hall All welcome, but tickets will be required
Class 2 & Class 3 Performance 6.30pm, in the Hall (Ticket only – no babies or young children please at this performance)

Wednesday 7th December Class 2 & Class 3 Performance 1.45pm, in the Hall All welcome, but tickets will be required

Monday 12th December PTA wreath making evening
Tuesday 13th December Whole School Party - 1.45pm in the Hall. Children may bring party clothes to change into after lunch if they wish.
Wednesday 14th December Whole school Nativity Service at 2.15pm at St John’s Church
Friday 16th December End of Term Assembly at 9.05am, in the Hall
School finishes at 1.30pm

Tuesday 3rd January INSET Day – teachers only in school
Wednesday 4th January Pupils return to school

Newsletter No 3 - 18th November 2011

2011-11-17T15:06:00.002Z

Children in Need
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our school collection for Children in Need by wearing “something spotty” and/or purchasing a Pudsey key ring. We shall let you know how much was collected once all donations have been received.

Industrial Action on 30th November 2011
As you will be aware from the media, the combined Teacher and School Leadership Trade Unions will be taking Industrial Action on 30th November 2011. The action ( a one day strike) will result in class or whole school closures across the country. Although staff are not legally required to give more than two days notice of their intention to strike, having talked to the staff about this issue, I believe that there will be sufficient staff in school on 30th November to keep the school open. If this situation changes I will, of course, let you know.

Netball & Rugby Tournament Reports
Rugby Report by Marcin and Ella:
“On Friday 11th November, eight Year 4’s played at the Partnership Rugby Tournament. Our first match was against RAF Benson 1 and we won 25-0; our second was against Ewelme and we won 15-10; our third was against Lewknor and we won 15-10; our fourth was against Chalgrove and we lost 15-20; our fifth was against RAF Benson 2 and we won 45-0; our sixth was against Watlington and we lost 10-20; our last match was against Watlington in the final but unfortunately we lost 20-15. We came second and we enjoyed taking part”.

Netball Report by Rhiannon and Megan:
“All the Years 6’s participated in the Partnership Netball Tournament on Friday 11th November. Unfortunately we didn’t win but we tried our hardest and we came 3rd out of five teams. The tournament was at Icknield Community College and was a fun experience!”

Outdoor Clothing
We have been fortunate to have had the benefit of unusually warm weather this autumn however, with the forecast of colder weather we would like to remind families that all children should now bring a coat into school each day to keep warm during outdoor playtimes and class activities.
We have also had the benefit of a relatively mud free playing field this autumn, but with the approach of the ‘muddy season’ we would like to remind families that wellies should be brought in for playing on the grass (trainers are still required for the climbing equipment). We also suggest that pupils who like to play football at lunchtime bring in an old pair of tracksuit/jogging – style trousers to play in so that school trousers remain clean!

University of Oxford Research Study
Thank you to all Year 5 pupils who were involved in the children’s writing research study carried out by researchers from the University of Oxford Department of Education over the last few weeks. The researchers have finished working with our pupils for the moment and now need to analyse their findings. We expect to hear from them again early in the New Year regarding working with Year 4 pupils and any other follow-up work.

School Productions
Parents are respectfully reminded that they may take photographs or record videos of school productions as long as it is on the understanding that it is for personal use only. Mrs Turner will ask before each performance begins if any parents object to photographs or videos being taken and if there are objections then, unfortunately, it will not be possible to allow them to be taken.

Whilst we welcome younger than school-age siblings to the matinee performances we would like to remind parents with young children that sometimes it is difficult to hear what our pupils are saying over the background noises coming from the audience. This can affect the experiences of others in the audience so we therefore suggest that, if necessary, parents retreat into Class 2’s classroom. We thank parents in advance for their co-operation in this matter.

Sun Dome
On Friday 25th November Class 3 will receive a visit from the Sun Dome courtesy of the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE). The Sun Dome is a portable, inflatable dome (which will take up much of the hall space) and will be used to introduce the science occurring in the sun and also how scientists are using these processes to create fusion electricity for the future.

Class 3 will learn through interactive role play as well as watching movies inside the dome. This links with Class 3’s current science topic “The Earth and Beyond.”

School Closures
If the weather is particularly bad and there is a possibility that the school might be closed, parents are advised to listen to the following local radio stations for announcements;-

BBC Radio Oxford - VHF/FM 95.2
Heart FM (Thames Valley) – VHF/FM 102.6
Jack FM – VHF/FM 106.8

We will also try out best to post a message onto the school website www.stadhampton.oxon.sch.uk

PTA News
"Phil the Bag" - We are still gratefully accepting any good quality items for our Winter Fair - how about you "Phil a bag" over the weekend with any of the following: chocolates, sweets, biscuits, cakes, mince pies, books, CDs & DVDs, beauty products, toys or bottles, unwanted gifts or any other items that may be suitable for the raffle - and put it in our red box in the hall on Monday.

Winter Fair : Don't forget to return your raffle tickets and payment to the school office by next Thursday. Can anyone spare half an hour to run a stall on the night? We're looking for a few more volunteers to help us - please speak to Diana, Rowena or Charlotte if you can help.

Wreath-making Evening: If you fancy making your own wreath for Christmas, or having one made for you - then book your space early to avoid disappointment. Booking forms have been sent home in book bags - if you have not received one please see Fiona Stewart.

Summer Fete June 2012: We are still looking for a volunteer who would be able to join the Summer Fete organising committee on behalf of the school. You would need to be able to attend 6 meetings prior to the fete, and would act as the link between the Fete committee and the PTA. Please speak to Diana to find out more.

Little Bears News
Next week the tiger is coming to tea!!
We will be making tiger masks and having a tea party, we will also be making a big tin of tiger food.

DIARY DATES:
Friday 25th November Sun Dome – Class 3
Winter Fair – 6pm start

Monday 5th December KS2 children and Little Bears will form the audience of the Class R/KS1 dress rehearsal
Tuesday 6th December Class R/KS1 children and Little Bears will form the audience of the KS2 dress rehearsal

Tuesday 6th December
Class R & Class 1 Performance 2.30pm, in the Hall All welcome, but tickets will be required
Class 2 & Class 3 Performance 6.30pm, in the Hall (Ticket only – no babies or young children please at this performance)

Wednesday 7th December Class 2 & Class 3 Performance 1.45pm, in the Hall All welcome, but tickets will be required

Monday 12th December PTA wreath making evening
Tuesday 13th December Whole School Party - 1.45pm in the Hall. Children may bring party clothes to change into after lunch if they wish.
Wednesday 14th December Whole school Nativity Service at 2.15pm at St John’s Church
Friday 16th December End of Term Assembly at 9.05am, in the Hall
School finishes at 1.30pm

Tuesday 3rd January INSET Day – teachers only in school
Wednesday 4th January Pupils return to school

Newsletter No 2 - 11th November 2011

2011-11-10T13:20:00.001Z

Holiday Course at Stadhampton School
Booking forms are now available from the school office for the Holiday Course at Stadhampton School for school-aged pupils (from any school) from Monday 19th to Friday 23rd December inclusive. The course will run each day from 9-3pm.

Book Fair
Thank you to everyone who purchased books and stationery items from the school Book Fair last week. Sales at the Book Fair totalled £470, which meant that we were able to take books to the value of £222 for the class libraries. Thank you to everyone who made a purchase.

Music For Youth Schools Prom, Royal Albert Hall, 09.11.11
On Wednesday 9th, Miss Mould and I accompanied eleven very excited, if not just a little anxious, Year 6 pupils to the Royal Albert Hall in London. We formed part of the choir for the Oxfordshire Massed Ensemble singing a specially commissioned work called ‘Oxonia’ written and conducted by Dr John Traill, the current composer in residence at the University of Oxford. This followed a number of rehearsals in Oxford and the performance at the Royal Albert Hall was, quite simply, stunning. We also watched and listened to a range of performances by other youth groups from across the country. It was an incredible and inspirational experience in an awe-inspiring location and all our Year 6 pupils – Maisie, Olivia, Ayisha, Matt, Ewan, Chloe H, Chloe S, Megan, Ella Mae, Rhiannon and Florence - were a pleasure to take and a tribute to our school and community.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the families of all Year 6 pupils for their support at the Royal Albert Hall itself and throughout the lead-up to it. I have no doubt that for all of us who went it is an experience that we will never forget, but I shall leave the final comment to two of the Year 6 pupils themselves!

The Royal Albert Hall – Chloe H & Olivia
“The Royal Albert Hall was an amazing experience! At first we were all very nervous but in the end we sang our best and loudest! Lots and lots of people were there and they cheered their loudest. The whole Royal Albert Hall was so fantastic and everyone loved the balloons and the fireworks at the end! “

Saturday Science Clubs at Science Oxford
You may like to know that Science Oxford is holding a series of Saturday Science Clubs aimed at primary age children. These include;

‘Who Dunnit?!’ 12th November (8-11 year olds)
‘Light & Shadows’ 19th November (5-7 year olds)
‘Catapult Crazy’ 26th November (8-11 year olds)
‘K-nex Rides’ 3rd December (8-11 year olds)
‘Christmas Special’ 10th December (8-11 year olds)

For further details please check their website www.scienceoxford.com or telephone 01865 728953.

Tickets for the Christmas Performances
Tickets are now available for the three Christmas performances from the school office priced at £1 each:
• Reception and Class 1’s production will be held on Tuesday 6th December at 2.30pm. Everyone is welcome to attend this performance and a maximum of 3 tickets per family are available. Tickets are not required for younger siblings.
• Class 2 and Class 3’s production will be held on Tuesday 6th December at 6.30pm. A maximum of 3 tickets per family are available for this performance. We respectfully request that parents do not bring children who are under school age to this performance please.
• Class 2 and Class 3’s final performance will be held on Wednesday 7th December at 1.45pm. Everyone is welcome to attend this performance and a maximum of 3 tickets per family are available. Tickets are not required for younger siblings.
The money raised through selling tickets for the school Christmas productions, this year, will be donated to the Stadhampton Community Building Project. Refreshments will be served by the PTA after the evening performance on Tuesday 6th December, with any profits they make going to PTA funds!

P.T.A. News
Cake Sale
Many thanks to everyone who donated cakes for the cake sale last Friday - we had some amazing spooky Halloween cakes and sparkly firework cakes! We raised £86 to add to our
funds, and I'm sure everyone enjoyed eating the cakes!

Winter Fair
Santa's grotto - has anyone got a gazebo that we can borrow for the evening of the Winter Fair, it needs to be less than 3m tall to fit under the canopy by Class 1. If you can help please speak to Diana, Rowena or Charlotte. We did borrow one from someone at school last year, but can’t remember who – we’d be very grateful if we could borrow it again!

We've got some great prizes for the raffle, including a family portrait session, Cotswold Wildlife Park tickets, I-Kids voucher. To be in with a chance of winning get your raffle tickets in by Thursday 23rd November. You can either take them to the school office, or give them to Rowena.

If you have any donations for the Winter Fair such as CDs, DVDs, books, toys, sweets, chocolate, bottles, toiletries etc, please put them in the PTA ‘Donations Box’ in the school hall, or give them to Rowena.

Clothes Recycling
Don’t forget to bring in your black sacks on Wednesday 16 November by 9am.

Wreath Evening
Look out for information about the Wreath Evening on 12th December in book bags this Friday. You don’t have to attend – you can just order a wreath if you prefer. Cost for either is £20 and a minimum of £13 will go to the PTA funds.

Little Bears News
Next week we are exploring colour, mixing and investigating what happens when you mix certain colours. Please bring anything from home that is topic related.
We have started collecting for our Christmas raffle so all donations would be gratefully received.

DIARY DATES:
Monday 14th November Foundation Class & Class 1 visit the Oxford Museum of Natural History
Parents’ Evening
Wednesday 16th November PTA Clothes Recycling Collection at 9am
Parents’ Evening
Friday 25th November Winter Fair – 6pm start

Monday 5th December KS2 children and Little Bears will form the audience of the Class R/KS1 dress rehearsal
Tuesday 6th December Class R/KS1 children and Little Bears will form the audience of the KS2 dress rehearsal

Tuesday 6th December
Class R & Class 1 Performance 2.30pm, in the Hall All welcome, but tickets will be required
Class 2 & Class 3 Performance 6.30pm, in the Hall (Ticket only – no babies or young children please at this performance)

Wednesday 7th December Class 2 & Class 3 Performance 1.45pm, in the Hall All welcome, but tickets will be required

Monday 12th December PTA wreath making
Tuesday 13th December Whole School Party - 1.45pm in the Hall. Children may bring party clothes to change into after lunch if they wish.
Wednesday 14th December Whole school Nativity Service at 2.15pm at St John’s Church
Friday 16th December End of Term Assembly at 9.05am, in the Hall
School finishes at 1.30pm

Tuesday 3rd January INSET Day – teachers only in school
Wednesday 4th January Pupils return to school

Newsletter No 1 - 4th November 2011

2011-11-04T08:16:00.002Z

During NOVEMBER we are focusing on the core value of UNITY

Happy NOVEMBER Birthday to: Juliana Browning, Beau Burnell, Jacob Day, Amy Freeman, Max Jones, Max Lansley, Lola Odell and Ella Perring.

We are pleased to welcome Tiffany Bullock to Stadhampton School. Tiffany has joined Class 2 as a new Year 4 pupil. We are also pleased to welcome Miss Sally Evans, a PGCE student from Oxford Brookes University, who joins us for a 4-week placement mainly based in Class 1.

Holiday Course at Stadhampton School
Booking forms are now available from the school office for the Holiday Course at Stadhampton School for school-aged pupils (from any school) from Monday 19th to Friday 23rd December inclusive. The course will run each day from 9-3pm.

Free Booktime Book Packs
Pupils in the Reception class have been given a free Booktime book pack this week, courtesy of Booktrust and Pearson, to encourage a lifelong love of reading.

Book Fair
Thank you to everyone who has purchased books and stationery items from the school Book Fair this week. We shall let you know in next week’s newsletter the value of the books that the school was able to choose for class libraries by way of commission.

New School Meals Menu
A copy of the Winter/Spring School Meals Menu has been uploaded onto the Learning Platform and the school website.

Parents’ Consultation Evenings
Slips giving details of the date and time of consultations have been put in book bags today.

Woodstock Museum Trip – Report by Ella, Lola and Abby
“On Wednesday 2nd November Class 2 went on a school trip to the Woodstock Museum to find out about the Romans. First we had a presentation in which we dressed up as rich and poor Roman people. We split up into two groups and went off to do different activities. We were able to touch real old Roman artefacts. We also visited the Roman gallery to do rubbings and drawings of some of the artefacts. It was a really great day.”

School Council and Children in Need “Show your spots, let’s raise lots!”
Friday 18th November is “Children in Need” day and this year the School Council are planning the findraising for this charity. Pupils can pay £1 to wear non-uniform but should wear “something spotty” eg. spotty socks! The School Council have also organised a competition which is open to all pupils; it is “Design a form of transport for Pudsey Bear.” Children need to design a form of transport for Pudsey Bear to travel in to help children everywhere. This can simply be a picture (eg. drawing, painting, diagram, collage) or could be an actual working model! Entrants are responsible for supplying their own Pudsey – this could be an existing miniature Pudsey, a dressed-up teddy, a model or a pcture. There will be a prize for one entry in each of the four classes. Entries will be judged by the School Council, on their originality and attractiveness. The competition will cost 50p to enter and all entries should be brought in on Friday 18th November. Good luck!

P.T.A. News
Winter Fair: It's full steam ahead for the Winter Fair on Friday 25 November. Every family should have received raffle tickets in the book bags this week, please speak to Diana Woodwards or Rowena Dobson if you have not received yours, or would like more to sell on to family and friends.

We would also be grateful for any donations of the following:
• Anything to do with chocolates & sweets for the ever popular chocolate tombola!
• Bottles & jars for the Bottle Tombola
• Books, DVD's and CD's
• Good condition/new toys for School Council Toy Tombola
• Suitable items for the Craft stall
• Small items like pencils, erasers, stickers etc for a lucky dip
• Good quality gifts/items for the raffle
• Cakes & biscuits to compliment our bar and drinks
• Your time - we will need help with running the stalls on the night, please let us know if you can spare half an hour to run a stall.
You can put any donations in our red PTA box in the school hall, or give them to a PTA committee member.

Clothes Recycling: All bags need to be in school by 9am on 16 November.

The Giving Machine: Here's a really easy way to help raise funds for the School whilst you are doing your online Christmas shopping, and it won't cost you anything.
6 easy steps that take less than 5 minutes:-
1. www.thegivingmachine.co.uk
2. enter Stadhampton (where it says search for school)
3. choose our school & save.
4. enter your details & create your account
5. bookmark this website as a favourite
6. now go shopping as you normally do by clicking on the logo for your shop.
Shops include, Amazon, ebay, Boots, Next, John Lewis, Argos, play.com, Boden... and there's another 346 shops on the list! It even tells you how much they will donate, based on your spend.
How does it work - shops on the list pay The Giving Machine for directing shoppers to them, they then send this to the school as a cash donation.

So far we have received £71 from the Giving Machine, and that is with just 6 people using it - just think how much more we could get to spend on the children if more of us used it when buying our Christmas presents, and you can even get the rest of your family and friends to use it as well!
The Stadhampton Village Summer Fete is coming back next year, and the PTA have a fantastic opportunity to be involved in the Fete and raise funds for our school. Is there anybody out there who would like to get involved with this? For a no obligation chat please speak to Diana Woodwards.

Little Bears News
Next week Little Bears are reading “One Winter’s Day” and “The Old Man’s Mitten”. They will also be looking at animal footprints and their own footprints.

DIARY DATES:
Sunday 6th November Final Year 6 rehearsal for Youth Proms 2-4.30pm
Wednesday 9th November Year 6 pupils performing at the Royal Albert Hall!
Mobile Library
Monday 14th November Foundation Class & Class 1 visit the Oxford Museum of Natural History
Parents’ Evening
Wednesday 16th November PTA Clothes Recycling Collection
Parents’ Evening
Friday 25th November Winter Fair

Monday 5th December KS2 children and Little Bears will form the audience of the Class R/KS1 dress rehearsal
Tuesday 6th December Class R/KS1 children and Little Bears will form the audience of the KS2 dress rehearsal

Tuesday 6th December
Class R & Class 1 Performance 2.30pm, in the Hall All welcome,but tickets will be required
Class 2 & Class 3 Performance 6.30pm, in the Hall (Ticket only – no babies or young children please at this performance)

Wednesday 7th December Class 2 & Class 3 Performance 1.45pm, in the Hall All welcome,but tickets will be required

Monday 12th December PTA wreath making
Tuesday 13th December Whole School Party
1.45pm in the Hall
Wednesday 14th December Whole school Nativity Service
2.15pm at St John’s Church
Friday 16th December End of Term Assembly
9.05am, in the Hall
School finishes at 1.30pm

Tuesday 3rd January INSET Day – teachers only in school
Wednesday 4th January Pupils return to school

Newsletter No 7 - 20th October 2011

2011-10-20T10:27:00.002+01:00

Message from Jason Hector, Chair of Governors:
Dear all,
We have uploaded the School Profile reporting on the academic year 2010 - 2011 onto the school website for parents to read. The 2005 Education Act introduced the school profile, a short focused document that is produced annually and is a report of the activities and achievements of Stadhampton Primary School and its pupils by the Governing Body of the school. This report is for parents of children at Stadhampton Primary School and other interested parties from the local community. If you have any questions regarding the contents or would like the school to provide you with a copy, please contact the school at your convenience.

Swimming at Berinsfield
Swimming will begin for Class 3 pupils on 31st October (the first day back at school after the October Holiday). They will have 7 sessions. As always, we hope that parents will be willing to help with the transport costs and contribute £1 a week towards this cost. 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 to 6, will start on Monday 31st October. Recorders are available from the school office for £6.50 if any pupil still needs one.

Christmas Performances and other Christmas – related dates
With the ‘Pantomime season’ fast approaching, we thought you would like to know the arrangements for our various Christmas productions and other events. These are as follows:-

Tuesday 6th December
Class R & Class 1 Performance 2.30pm, in the Hall All welcome,but tickets will be required
Class 2 & Class 3 Performance 6.30pm, in the Hall (Ticket only – no babies or young children please at this performance)
Wednesday 7th December Class 2 & Class 3 Performance 1.45pm, in the Hall All welcome,but tickets will be required
KS2 children and Little Bears will form the audience of the Class R/KS1 dress rehearsal during the morning of Monday 5th December.
Class R/KS1 children and Little Bears will form the audience of the KS2 dress rehearsal during the morning of Tuesday 6th December.
Arrangements for tickets will be confirmed after the October Holiday.

Tuesday 13th December Whole School Party 1.45pm, in the Hall

Wednesday 14th December Whole school Nativity Service 2.15pm, at St John’s Church

Friday 16th December End of Term Assembly 9.05am, in the Hall

Holiday Course at Stadhampton School
Advance information for parents: Michael Hopkins, on behalf of Premier Sports Group, will be once again leading a Holiday Course again at Stadhampton School for school-aged pupils (from any school) from Monday 19th to Friday 23rd December inclusive. The course will run each day from 9-3pm. Premier Sports Group have confirmed that the cost of the course will be £6 a day. Booking forms are now available from the school office.

New Menu for School Meals
Each family should have received a copy of the new school meals menu which begins on 31st October (Week 1) via book bags. The menu will now operate on a 4-weekly cycle and the week beginning dates are at the top of the each week number. The price of a school meal remains at £2.10 a day and cheques for school meals should be made payable to Oxfordshire County Council with Stadhampton School written on the back of the cheque, please.

Food with Thought are pleased to offer children in the Foundation Stage class four weeks of school lunches for £1 a day between 31st October and 25th November. Letters to explain this scheme to parents in the Foundation Stage have been put into book bags this week. Parents may wish to sign up for meals for all 4 weeks in one go which is absolutely fine.

P.T.A. News
We need to raise £1620 for the new swimming pool liner so that the children will be able to use the pool again next year. We also need to raise funds each year to continue to support the cost of all pupils learning French and visits from Daylight Theatre, etc. We've got some exciting events planned, so please support us in raising funds.

The first of these events is a Halloween/Bonfire Night themed Cake Sale in the School Hall on Friday 4 November from 3.15pm, and we would love to receive your donations of cakes (either themed or not) on the Friday morning. There will be a token gift for all those who bring along a themed decorated homemade cake or cakes, so get your imaginations going over the half term break and bring in something exciting! Please remember to include your name with the cake so we know who to give the gift to. Shop-bought cakes won’t be eligible for a gift, but will still be very welcome. If you have any questions, please speak to a member of the PTA.

Coming soon - Our school Winter Fair on 25th November, and yes Father Christmas will be making an early visit! We will be collecting donations of sweets, chocolates, bottles, CDs, DVDs, books etc and prizes for the Raffle after half term, so if you are having a clear out during the holidays please think of the Winter Fair.

There will also be a Wreath Making evening in early December - your chance to make or buy a lovely wreath. Keep an eye out for further info.

Don’t forget the Clothes Recycling collection which will be on Wednesday 16 November, so please fill those bags over half term with any unwanted clothes, shoes, bedding (not duvets or pillows) and bags.

Finally, thanks to everyone who ordered Christmas cards - we have raised the fantastic total of £130.

Little Bears News
Little Bears return 31st October to a day of activities and dressing up for Halloween. Our topic will be “books” and our first book will be “Room on the Broom”.

Friday 4th November – Little Bears Photographs.

DIARY DATES:

Friday 21st October Little Bears open as usual
INSET Day at Stadhampton School – only teaching staff in school
Monday 31st October Term 2 begins at 9.00am for all pupils
Book Fair begins from 3.00 – 3.30pm
Tuesday 1st November PTA meeting in the hall at 8pm
Wednesday 2nd November Class 2 visit to Woodstock Museum
Year 5 visit to Icknield Community College for Wider World lesson
Friday 4th November PTA Halloween and Bonfire Cake Sale at 3.15pm in the Hall
Sunday 6th November Final Year 6 rehearsal for Youth Proms 2-5pm
Wednesday 9th November Year 6 pupils performing at the Royal Albert Hall!
Mobile Library
Monday 14th November Foundation Class & Class 1 visit the Oxford Museum of Natural History
Parents’ Evening
Wednesday 16th November PTA Clothes Recycling Collection
Parents’ Evening
Friday 25th November Winter Fair

Attachments to this newsletter:
• What next – Children’s Centre news update
• October Half-Term events at the Children’s Centre
• November & December events at the Children’s Centre

Newsletter No 6 - 14th October 2011

2011-10-13T13:40:00.000+01:00

Open Morning
Thank you to everyone who came along to Open Morning this week. We were very pleased to show so many visitors around the school!

Parents Consultation Evenings
The dates for our Parents consultation Evenings have now been set for Monday 14th and Wednesday 16th November. Further details and reply slips have been sent home via book bags this week.

School Photographs
If you have not already returned orders for photographs to the school office, please do so by 9am tomorrow morning, as the orders are being collected then.

Plastic bottles needed!
School gardening club has an exciting new project to build a full-size plastic bottle greenhouse, using as many recycled materials as possible. Our plan is to complete construction over the autumn-winter period so that the children can begin to raise plants from seed under protection in the spring. As well as providing a new opportunity for our keen young gardeners, we hope that those pupils interested in design and technology and recycling will also want to get involved. Our basic building materials are 1,500 clear 2 litre plastic drinks bottles (rinsed out with lids and labels removed where possible please) and 140 6 foot garden canes. And this is where we need your help, please could you (and your friends and family) send in any empty water, cola, lemonade, squash bottles etc and any spare garden canes so that we can start to build the walls. We will be putting up a small display in school so that you can see photos of a finished greenhouse, the type of bottles required and other materials we will need to complete the job, together with an idea of what the children would like to grow in their greenhouse and veg patch next year. Thank you for your help.

P.T.A. News
Please remember to return your Christmas card orders and payment to the school office no later than Monday 17th October.

The “Bag2School” clothes recycling bags have been handed out in bookbags this week. The date for collection will be Wednesday 16th November at 9.00am. Extra bags can be obtained from the school office but black bin bags are also welcome.

Thank you to everyone who order plants to help raise extra funds for the P.T.A. we have received payment from cd Bell for £98.00.

Home/School Agreement
Although the deadline for returning the Home/School Agreement was the 14th October we realise that some families may have misplaced the document and we have put another copy into those bookbags this week. If you would like to discuss any aspect of this agreement then please speak to Mrs Turner.

Little Bears News
Little Bears is open as usual on Friday 21st October (it is just the school which is closed).
Next week we would love to go on a Farm visit to the Crazy Bear – we can’t go unless we get lots of helping hands, so please put your name on our helper list if you can. Don’t forget the Pie Sale on Thursday 20th October.

DIARY DATES:

Monday 17th October Last day for completed order forms and artwork for Christmas Cards
Tuesday 18th October Year 6 rehearsal for Youth Proms
Thursday 20th October Little Bears Pie Sale
Stadhampton School Term 1 ends at 3.15pm
Friday 21st October Little Bears open as usual
INSET Day at Stadhampton School – only teaching staff in school
Monday 31st October Term 2 begins at 9.00am for all pupils
Book Fair begins from 3.00 – 3.30pm
Tuesday 1st November PTA meeting in the hall at 8pm
Wednesday 2nd November Class 2 visit to Woodstock Museum
Year 5 visit to Icknield Community College for Wider World lesson
Sunday 6th November Final Year 6 rehearsal for Youth Proms 2-5pm
Wednesday 9th November Year 6 pupils performing at the Royal Albert Hall!
Mobile Library
Monday 14th November Foundation Class & Class 1 visit the Oxford Museum of Natural History
Parents’ Evening
Wednesday 16th November PTA Clothes Recycling Collection
Parents’ Evening

Newsletter No 5 - 7th October 2011

2011-10-06T14:24:00.001+01:00

Happy OCTOBER Birthday to: Wyatt Bullock, Benjamin Duke, Sophie Hector, Oliver Lowman, Marcin Skwarek and Ellie Walker.

During OCTOBER we are focusing on RESPONSIBILITY

Old Ink Cartridges
We shall be sending off our collection of used ink cartridges shortly. If you have any used cartridges that you intend to put in the box, we would be grateful if they could be added to our collection as soon as possible, please. Thank you.

P.T.A. News
Look out for the “Bag2school” blue recycling bags in your child’s book bags next week! You can help the P.T.A. raise extra funds by collecting any clean, good quality adult and children’s clothes, shoes, belts, bags, bedding, towels or soft toys. The date of our next collection is at the school on Wednesday 16th November at 9.00am. Extra blue bags can be obtained via the school office, but black bin bags are also welcome.

Plant orders will be arriving in school on Thursday 13th October and will be ready for pick up after school at 3.15pm. Can we remind parents who are bringing cars, to allow other parents/carers to vacate the car park first before picking up their order from in front of the school. Thank you!

Watch out for your children's Christmas Card masterpieces coming home in book bags this week. If you wish you can add to this design (or even create another one!) but please refer to the guidance notes. You may place an order for as many packs of cards as you like. A pack of 12 cards costs just £5.50, additional packs cost £4.50. A pack of 12 gift tags costs £2.50 (and have to be with a card order). To ensure you get your cards, please return artwork, orders and payment to the school office by 14th October. Any queries please see Charlotte Hector or Rowena Dobson.

Little Bears News
Can everyone please remember to bring a stamped addressed envelope in to Little Bears next week. We wil also be talking about the Emergency Services. Don’t forget our Pie Sale on 20th October!

DIARY DATES:

Wednesday 12th October Open Morning at Stadhampton School and Little Bears. Please come and see us at work!
Thursday 20th October Little Bears Pie Sale
Term 1 ends at 3.15pm
Friday 21st October INSET Day - for teaching staff only
Monday 31st October Term 2 begins at 9.00am for all pupils
Book Fair begins from 3.00 – 3.30pm
Wednesday 16th November PTA Clothes Recycling Collection

Newsletter No 4 - 30th September 2011

2011-09-29T14:39:00.000+01:00

Home/School Agreement
Each family should have received a copy of the Home/School Agreement form to sign. Thank you to the families who have already signed and returned this form to school. We hope to receive all forms back by 14th October. If you have any concerns or questions about signing this form, please contact me to discuss further.

Book Fair
We shall be holding a Book Fair in the school hall from the afternoon of Monday 31st October until the morning of Friday 4th November. We shall have the latest range of top quality reading books for sale as well as stationery items, which pupils will hopefully enjoy. Once takings have exceeded £100 the school receives commission on any other books sold and this is “spent” on buying new books for each classroom library. The Book Fair will be open each morning from 8.30am and then again in the afternoon from 3pm until 3.30pm. We would be happy for parents to stay on, after the children have gone into class for registration at 9am, if they would like to browse for Christmas presents. Leaflets have been sent home this week showing a selection of the books which will be available.

PTA News
We are meeting on the 4th October, in the School Hall, at 8pm, to discuss our calender of events. This is your chance to input into what the PTA do - what ideas have you got for fundraising, what would you like to see the PTA organise? Please feel free to come along and join us, or talk to any of
the PTA committee outside school.

The deadline for plant orders is on 3rd October. Please ensure you have your order form and money into the school office before then. Plants will be delivered to the school on Thursday 13th October.

Just think - there are less than a 100 days to Christmas! As in previous years, all the children will be designing personalised Christmas cards for you to order and use. Full details will be in book bags this week. All orders and payment will need to be in by 16th October, so be prepared to see Christmas card designs coming home soon and get your orders in!

Please remember to keep any green Waitrose charity tokens for our school collection in December. You can either put them in the collection box in the school hall now, or keep them until December to put in our collection box at the Thame store.

Recorders
Recorder lessons for all pupils in Year 3 to Year 6 will recommence on Monday 31st October. These lessons form part of the KS2 music curriculum and usually take place on Monday afternoons. Because of some changes to our Class curriculum timetables, recorder lessons will normally take place during Terms 2, 4 and 6 (i.e. the second half of each long term). For hygiene reasons pupils are asked to provide their own, named recorder – these can be bought from any good music shop, but, for convenience, we also have a stock in school and these are available at a cost of £6.50 each. Pupils in Year 3 may also benefit from having a copy of Recorder Book 1 which is also available from the school office at a cost of £3.50. Cheques for the payment of either item should be made payable to OCC.

Chiltern Edge Cross CountryFlyer attached to this newsletter for anyone who might be interested in these events.

Little Bears News
Next week we will be looking at travelling by sea. We hope to make a large yellow submarine so boxes would be greatfully received.
Has anyone got any Brio train track and/or trains that they would be willing to donate to Little Bears?

DIARY DATES:

Monday 3rd October Meeting of the School Governing Body at 7pm
Deadline for PTA plant orders
Tuesday 4th October PTA Meeting in the Hall at 8pm
Wednesday 5th October Mobile Library visit
Friday 7th October Harvest Festival in school at 9.05am. Please bring a small Harvest Gift.
Wednesday 12th October Open Morning at Stadhampton School and Little Bears. Please come and see us at work!
Thursday 20th October Little Bears Pie Sale
Term 1 ends at 3.15pm
Friday 21st October INSET Day for teaching staff only
Monday 31st October Term 2 begins at 9.00am for all pupils
Wednesday 16th November PTA Clothes Recycling Collection

Newsletter No 3 - 23rd February 2011

2011-09-22T14:28:00.002+01:00

Starting School
Parents with a child born between 1st September 2007 and 31st August 2008 must apply for a school place for entry in the academic year beginning September 2012. The closing date for applications is 16th January 2012. You may apply on-line at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/admissions or by completing a paper CAP form available in the “Starting School” booklet, which is available from the school office, if you have not already received one from the Local Authority.

Year 6 Secondary School Applications
Families of Year 6 pupils should have received a letter from the Admissions Team at Oxfordshire County Council explaining the process for applying for a place at their chosen secondary school. If Year 6 parents have NOT received this letter, please ask Mrs Hopkins for a booklet which contains the application form. The closing date for on-time applications is 31st October.

Boiler replacement works and impact on car park
The safety fencing securing the area set aside for the workmen impacts on the number of spaces available in the school car park. We ask that parents try to find alternatives to parking in the car park, especially at the end of the school day, unless unavoidable. The taxis transporting Stadhampton School pupils and Mr Cuddy, our cleaner-in-charge should be the only cars/vans parking by the kerb alongside the front door. We thank parents for their understanding and co-operation in this matter.

End of day collection
Thank you to all parents for waiting in our enclosed outside area when picking up your child(ren). This system works well with Reception parents walking round the school (when the lock is taken off the gate.) The area outside Class 1 is now less busy and so it is easier for the small children to see their parents and get through the gate. When the weather changes, please do still stay outside the gate so that all children in the school can pass easily through Class 1’s outside/covered area.

Work Party
We are most grateful to the Dad’s who helped to prepare and seed the old climbing frame area on Monday evening.

Parent support hearing readers in Classes 1,2 and 3
Thank you to the parents who have responded to the requests from class teachers to help hear pupils read in school. We realise that time is precious and your support is much appreciated. We would still welcome further offers of help – if you would like to volunteer, please speak to your child’s class teacher. It is especially helpful if parents are able to commit to a time slot on a regular basis, even if it is only for a 6-week period for example.

Music for Youth Schools’ Prom, Royal Albert Hall, 9th November 2011
We are delighted that Stadhampton School is one of the 34 schools selected to represent Oxfordshire in the Music for Youth Schools’ Prom at the Royal Albert Hall, London, on 9th November this year. We are only able to take one year-group to this prestigious event and, on this occasion, our Year 6 pupils will have this priviledge. A choral work, called “Oxonia” has been composed specifically for the event by Dr John Traill, composer in residence at the University of Oxford and the pupils have already started rehearsing with other Oxfordshire schools. This is the first time that Stadhampton School pupils have been involved in this event and it is very exciting for all involved – it sounds tremendous!

Information leaflets for pupils
This week we have sent home, via bookbags, two leaflets for parents of pupils in Classes 1, 2 and 3. These are: “Supporting your child at home in Mathematics” to provide information and ideas linked with the maths your child will be learning in their current year group and a “Big Writing” information sheet outlining a fresh approach in Literacy which we are adopting to continue to raise the profile and standard of writing. From time to time this initiative will involve “Talking Homework” for you to discuss together at home. The themes for discussion will be sent home via bookbags prior to each class’s Big Writing session. We do hope you will enjoy being involved in this initiative.

Harvest Gifts
We hope that each child will be able to bring in a small Harvest Gift for our Harvest Service on Friday 7th October. This will take place in the Hall at 9.05am and families are most welcome to join us. After the Harvest Service in the village church on Sunday 9th October, the gifts will be taken to The Porch, a centre in Oxford for homeless people. The Porch prefer to receive 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.

Thank you to the P.T.A.
The P.T.A. works extremely hard to support this school socially and financially and their generous contributions make a huge difference to the provision of “extra” opportunities and facilities for all pupils at Stadhampton School. At the recent P.T.A. AGM there was an election of officers and there have been some changes. We would like to take this opportunity to say a big “thank you” to Mrs Madry (Chair) and Mr White (Treasurer) both of whom have stood down as officers, for their hard work and tireless support of the school. Congratulations to the new Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. We look forward to working with you.

P.T.A. News – final message from Mrs Madry
Thank you to those parents who came to the A.G.M on Tuesday 20th September. The P.T.A. is very pleased to announce that a new constitution has now been put in place according to NCPTA recommendations. We are also pleased to announce that the key officer roles have been filled by Diana Woodwards – Chair, Charlotte Hector - Treasurer and Rowena Dobson – Secretary. We wish them lots of luck for the year ahead in their task of continuing to raise extra funds for the children.
We have arranged another meeting for Tuesday 4th October 8.00pm in the School Hall where we will be planning the first fundraising events of the year. Please come along if you can and help support us - your P.T.A. needs you!
Some of the P.T.A. fundraising events that are already underway that we would like to remind you of are:

• The CD/video/computer games collection has now reached over 100 items!! Please keep bringing them into school.
• Please note our next clothes recycling collection will be on Wednesday 16th November at 9.00am. (Not the 4th as previously advertised – sorry our mistake!) Look out for the recycling bags in book bags the week beginning Monday 10th October.
(All details of the two above fundraisers can be found on our fact sheet sent home at the start of term)
• Mrs Tracy Perring will be offering parents the opportunity to purchase certain items of school uniform from the Uniform Shop on Thursday afternoons in Little Bears from 3.15 to 3.30pm. Please make a note that the shop will close promptly at 3.30! A small proceed from sales goes towards P.T.A. funds.
• Hopefully all families should have received a form inside book bags giving you the opportunity to order plants through the P.T.A. Please can we remind everyone who wishes to make a purchase to return your form and money back to the school office by Monday 3rd October. Thank You! We can now confirm that the delivery date for orders arriving at school will be Thursday 13th October.
• Finally, the P.T.A. is pleased to announce that in December, we have been chosen to be one of Waitrose’s charities lucky enough to receive a share of £1,000 that the supermarket generously donates each month. The Thame Branch of Waitrose has said that our collection box will be in store throughout December when shoppers can place their green tokens in it to help support us. Shoppers can collect green tokens at the checkout before they leave the store. The more tokens we get, the larger our share of the £1,000! If you shop at Waitrose please think of the children at the school. Start collecting your green tokens now and take them to the Thame branch in December to put in our collection box and help us receive a share of £1,000. Alternatively, if you don’t shop in Thame please drop your tokens into the school at your convenience and we will do the honours for you! There is a labelled collection box in the school hall.
• P.T.A. WARNING! – We would like to let parents/carers know that we will be offering the opportunity for you to purchase Christmas cards made by your children in October – Watch this space for more info to follow!

Little Bears News
Next week at Little Bears we will be looking at the shape of road signs and what they mean, talking about road safety and making lots of large vehicles with junk modeling. So look out all those old shoe boxes, milk tops, yogurt pots etc for this. On the 20th October we will be having a Pie Sale after school so please pop in or if you like to get baking all pie contributions will be gratefully received.

DIARY DATES:

Thursday 29th September Icknield Community College Open Evening
Monday 3rd October Meeting of the School Governing Body at 7pm
Wednesday 5th October Mobile Library visit
Friday 7th October Harvest Festival in school at 9.05am.
Wednesday 12th October Open Morning at Stadhampton School and Little Bears
Thursday 20th October Little Bears Pie Sale
Term 1 ends at 3.15pm
Friday 21st October INSET Day for teaching staff only
Monday 31st October Term 2 begins at 9.00am for all pupils
Wednesday 16th November PTA Clothes Recycling

Newsletter No 2 - 16th September 2011

2011-09-15T14:48:00.002+01:00

Work Party Required! Can you help please?
We are most grateful to Mr Khan for a donation of top soil which will be delivered onto the area behind the new climbing frame this morning. We already have some grass seed kindly donated by Mr and Mrs Birtles and Mr and Mrs Pattisson and would really appreciate any help parents could give us by raking the top soil and sowing the seed. If anyone could spare an hour or so on Monday evening at 6.30pm, please come along with a rake! Thank you.

Class Topics/Areas of Study
An outline of the topics/areas of study for each class for Terms 1 and 2 was sent home earlier this week via book bags.

Privacy Notices for New Pupils
In order to comply with Data Protection, we are required by law to issue privacy notices to parents of new pupils so that they can be aware that the school and Local Authority hold confidential records about pupils. The information sheet which explains what we hold and why we need to hold it has been sent home to parents via book bags this week.

Open Morning at Stadhampton School and Little Bears
Stadhampton Primary School and Little Bears Pre-School will be holding a joint Open Morning on Wednesday 12th October between 9.00am and 11.30am. Parents and other visitors are most welcome to come along and see the school at work during this time.

PTA News
The PTA would like to welcome and say hello to all new families to the school. We hope you have received our fact sheet inside book bags which explains who we are and what we do. We will keep you informed of all the exciting fundraising events that we have planned over the year in this newsletter each week, so please keep your eyes open for dates and ways in which you can support us. Our AGM will be held in the school hall at 8pm on Tuesday 20th September. Please do try to come along and join the team to help raise some extra funds for the school and its pupils. We will give a report on the AGM in next week’s newsletter, so please watch this space!

Harvest Gifts
We hope that each child will be able to bring in a small Harvest Gift for our Harvest Service on Friday 7th October. This will take place in the Hall at 9.05am and families are most welcome to join us. After the Harvest Service in the village church on Sunday 9th October, the gifts will be taken to The Porch, a centre in Oxford for homeless people. The Porch prefer to receive 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.

School Council
Congratulations to the following pupils who were elected by the pupils on to the School Council for Terms 1 & 2:
Year 6: Ewan Madry and Olivia Dallimore; Year 5: Bryce Dobson and Millie Birtles; Year 4: Rhys Brown and Amy Matthews; Year 3: Alfie Howard and Amy Freeman; Year 2: James Lowman and Tia Khan.

Little Bears News
Next week Little Bears are going to be looking at railways and steam. They will be doing lots of activities which involve trains. We would be pleased to see any items or books which you have relating to this topic.

DIARY DATES:

Wednesday 21st September School photographs for all pupils. Pupils will be photographed individually and with other siblings in school automatically. If any families would like a family photograph taken or photos taken with younger siblings, please come into the Hall at 8.45am.
Year 5 pupils go to ICC for a PE lesson. Please take PE kit and trainers with you.
Friday 23rd September Year 5 & 6 and their parents assembly with Mr Hunter, Head of Icknield Community College at 2.45pm
Thursday 29th September Icknield Community College Open Evening
Monday 3rd October Meeting of the School Governing Body at 7pm
Wednesday 5th October Mobile Library visit
Friday 7th October Harvest Festival in school at 9.05am.
Wednesday 12th October Open Morning at Stadhampton School and Little Bears
Thursday 20th October Term 1 ends at 3.15pm
Friday 21st October INSET Day for teaching staff only
Monday 31st October Term 2 begins at 9.00am for all pupils
Friday 4th November PTA Clothes Recycling

Attachments to this newsletter:
• Oxfordshire Early Intervention Hub Open Day
• Open Evening at Icknield Community College

Newsletter No 1 - 9th September 2011

2011-09-09T11:16:00.002+01:00

Welcome to the start of a new school year!
We are pleased to welcome the following new children into the Foundation Stage Class: William Bowerman, Wyatt Bullock, Beau Burnell, William Eaton, Lorenzo Elliott, Gene Green, Charlie Hackett, Mikka Haskins-Hall, Isabel Hector, Isabel Homes, Isabella Kenny, Isobel Macleod, Jemima O’Brien and Samuel Sundberg. We are also pleased to welcome Amy Matthews back to Stadhampton School (in Class 2.)

Happy belated AUGUST Birthday to: Amelia Birtles, Rhys Brown, Cora White and Abigail Wright.

Happy SEPTEMBER Birthday to: Charlie Austin, Isabella Dickens, Bryce Dobson, Phoebe Hindmarch, Alfie Howard, Annabel Roe, Chloe Scragg and Lawrence Wright.

During the month of SEPTEMBER we are focusing on the core value of CO-OPERATION

School Meals
A reminder that the cost of a school meal has increased to £2.10 per day. Cheques for school meals should be made payable to Oxfordshire County Council with Stadhampton Primary School written on the back of the cheque please and sent into the office on Monday morning (or whichever day of the week the school begins on after a school holiday). Thank you.

Swimming at Berinsfield
Class 2 pupils will be swimming at the Abbey Sports Centre in Berinsfield, starting on Monday 12th September. They will have 6 sessions. As always, we appreciate a “voluntary contribution” of £1, per child, per session towards the transport costs. Cheques for swimming should be made payable to Stadhampton Primary School, please. All pupils must have a swimming hat.

Composting Bin
The Gardening Club would love to have another composting bin if anyone should happen to have one that they would be willing to donate.

PTA Clothes Recycling
Advanced warning – we will be collecting unwanted clothes, shoes, towels, curtains, bedding (no duvets or pillows), in black bags for the next recycling collection on 4th November. More details of this, and other PTA fundraising events, will follow shortly.

Year 5 and 6 Assembly with Mr Hunter
Mr Hunter, the new Head of Icknield Community College will be taking an assembly for Year 5 and 6 pupils and any parents of those pupils who are able to attend at Stadhampton School on Friday 23rd September at 2.45pm. Please do come along if you can as there will be an opportunity at the end to ask Mr Hunter any questions you may have about life at ICC.

Message from Chalgrove and Watlington Children’s Centre
A new “Promoting Positive Behaviours” course at Chalgrove & Watlington Children’s Centre – (Chalgrove Site) will begin on Tuesday 27th September from 9.15am – 11.30am. For more information please contact either Jane Bellars, Home School Community Link Worker: -07719 735573 or Denise Hooper, Children’s Centre Support Worker: 07948 348632.

Guitar Lessons at Stadhampton School
Guitar lessons for participating pupils will begin again on Friday 23rd September. The lessons are between 12 and 1 and open to pupils in Years 3-6. Please contact the school office if you would like further details of the costs involved and an application form.

Little Bears News
Little Bears are pleased to welcome the following new children this week: Jack, Lexi, Toby, Olivia, Casey, Rudi, Chloe, Nat, Nate and Emily. We are enjoying getting to know the children and their parents.
We are also starting out topic work for this term which is about transport by making some collage buses.
Please remember to send in a piece of fruit or vegetable for our morning snack and also wellies now that the weather is turning.

DIARY DATES:

Monday 12th September After-school hockey club begins for participating pupils
Tuesday 13th September After –school cookery club begins for participating pupils
Wednesday 14th September After-school netball and multi-skills clubs begin for participating pupils
Thursday 15th September After-school football club begins for participating pupils
Wednesday 21st September School photographs for all pupils. Pupils will be photographed individually and with other siblings in school automatically. If any families would like a family photograph taken or photos taken with younger siblings, please come into the Hall at 8.45am.
Thursday 29th September Icknield Community College Open Evening
Friday 4th November PTA Clothes Recycling

Newsletter No 7 - 22nd July 2011

2011-07-21T13:16:00.001+01:00

We would like to say goodbye and good luck to our Year 6 leavers; Alice Madry, Amy Akers, Chloe Brown, Benedict Diment, Ben Drake, Tom Leighfield, Andrew Oakley, Pola Onopiuk and Amber Tomkins, who are all transferring to Icknield Community College. We wish them all every success in the future.

New School Prospectus
Our updated school prospectus for the new academic year beginning in September has been uploaded onto the school website. It contains lots of information and some lovely new pictures, please take the time to have a look at it during the summer break.

Premier Sports Holiday Course at Stadhampton School
The holiday course will take place at Stadhampton School from 25th – 29th July for those pupils who have already booked a place. It is also possible to register and pay on the day. If the weather is good the course will be mainly outdoors but it will take place indoors if the weather is wet.

School Meals
Reminder school meals will increase to £2.10 per day when we return in September. Cheques for school meals should be made payable to Oxfordshire County Council with Stadhampton Primary School written on the back of the cheque please.

Swimming at Berinsfield Pool
Class 2 will start their swimming sessions at the Abbey Sports Centre in Berinsfield on Monday 12th September. They will have 6 sessions. For families new to these swimming sessions, pupils need to bring their own swimming trunks or costume, a swimming hat and a towel on Monday mornings. As always,we appreciate a “voluntary contribution” of £1, per child, per session towards the transport costs. Cheques for swimming should be made payable to Stadhampton Primary School, please.

School Grounds Working Party
Many thanks to the group of volunteer dads who provided our own version of Groundforce earlier this week. They helped clear the ground where the old climbing frame was, in preparation for seeding with grass.

School Council Talent Show
On Thursday 20th July Stadhampton School held a talent show, which featured acts from all year groups! Acts included some impressive piano playing, singing and dancing and even some comedy! Mrs Wilkin, Mrs Shortman and Naomi Manzie kindly judged the acts and declared Ella Perring the winner, due to her lovely rendition of “Part of their World.” Georgia Valentine and Millie Birtles came second with their gymnastics/dance act. Thank you to all school council members this school year who were all involved in the development and organisation of the final show.

P.T.A.
We were fortunate that the rain held off for Sports Night last Friday! A HUGE THANK YOU to Mr Gerring for sourcing the most delicious sausages and burgers for the BBQ; Shirley Bateman, Denise Shortman and Nikki Howlett for cooking and serving them; And finally Alan Manzie and Joy Hopkins for serving drinks and refreshments at the bar. A very good time was had by all and next year the P.T.A. will try and make sure the bar doesn’t run out of alcohol quite so quickly!
The best news has to be that we made a staggering £661.56 profit towards P.T.A. funds on the night, which is a truly fantastic way to end the school year.

Thank you to everyone who purchased food and refreshments for our final event of the year – it makes the effort all worth while!

As this is the last newsletter of the school year, the P.T.A. would like to thank all families, relations, members of the community, staff and friends who have supported us. Without your help and backing our school would not be able to give the pupils those very special extras that make their time at Stadhampton School a really positive experience. This year has resulted in being a truly fantastic one for the children with the new play equipment being installed well before the year sixes leave for secondary school.
The P.T.A. is very pleased to announce we have donated over £8,000 towards the school this year, £5,000 of which went towards the play equipment. Other purchases have included contributions towards French lessons for all pupils, visits by the Daylight Theatre Company, contributions to school trips for pupils to museums, new benches and drape posts around the mosaic and some new rugby shirts for the children to wear on sports events when visiting other schools.
This means our fundraising has to begin again with great enthusiasm next September and we hope you will all continue to support us to help provide some more wonderful experiences for the children – you make it possible, so on behalf of the all the pupils – THANK YOU.

Little Bears News
Little Bears newsletter which contains dates parents need to know about for September, as well as goodbyes to our leavers and welcome to our new pupils are available from Little Bears if you have not received an electronic copy.

DIARY DATES:

25th – 29th July Holiday course run by Premier Sports Group

Monday 5th & Tuesday 6th September Teacher INSET Days
Wednesday 7th September Pupils return to school
Wednesday 21st September School photographs

We wish everyone a great summer break!

Newsletter No 6 - 15th July 2011

2011-07-15T10:11:00.002+01:00

Absence in this school year
Thank you to all parents for their support in trying to reduce the number of days pupils are absent from school. Absence figures relate to both sickness and holidays taken during term-time. In the present academic year, which is almost at an end, we have managed to reduce our absence figures from 3.3% to 3.2%. Our target for the academic year beginning in September is to reduce absence to 3% in total.

Fruit and Vegetables for breaktime
Just a general reminder that all pupils are welcome to have some fruit or vegetable at morning break. Pupils in Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 (Class 1) currently have fruit already available at school through a government funded scheme. Unfortunately this does not extend to pupils in Years 3-6 but pupils are welcome to bring their own in from home and keep it in their lunch bag or their drawer. As a health issue we request that other forms of snacks at breaktime (ie chewy bars/biscuits) are avoided.

Class 3 involvement in reading research for the University of Oxford PhD
Year 5 and Year 6 pupils were recently due to work with a PhD student from the University of Oxford. Unfortunately this has not been able to go ahead at this time due to reasons out of our control. There are plans for this to take place with Year 6 pupils next year.

Cycling Safely Training
Congratulations to the following pupils who have successfully passed their cycle training test: Alice Madry, Amy Akers, Andrew Oakley, Chloe Brown, Benedict Diment, Tom Leighfield, Ben Drake, Amber Tomkins and Pola Onopiuk. We are extremely grateful to Eileen Birtles, Sarah Green, Elaine Leighfield, Lisa Scragg and Emma Vale for giving up their time to provide pupils with their training.

Tuesday 19th July
All pupils are going to be treated to a day off timetable next Tuesday. There will be a morning of PE/outdoor activities after assembly followed by a Daylight Theatre performance of Robin Hood in the afternoon. Please ensure that all pupils have PE kit and plimsolls or trainers in school.

Premier Sports Holiday Course at Stadhampton School
Booking forms are now available for the sports course being held at Stadhampton School from 25th – 29th July from the school office. Please note that the cost of the course is now £6 a day for 9-3pm.

P.T.A.
Thank you so much to all families who have purchased food tickets in advance of tonight’s sports night. If the rain can hold off until at least 8.00pm then it should promise to be a great, fun filled evening! The P.T.A. would like to remind everyone to bring their food tickets along tonight to claim their burgers or hotdogs please. You will need them for proof of purchase and it will help us to give you the correct orders. Thank you! We look forward to seeing you on the school field from 6.00pm, when the bar should be open and the food ready to serve from this time onwards. Races will start promptly at 6.30pm.

Our collection of CD’s, DVD’s and computer games has grown to 70 plus! Thanks go to everyone who has already donated. Keep collecting over the holidays and the P.T.A. will remind you again in the new school year to bring any items into school to help raise extra funds and to get a free football kit for the school.

This is a plea from the P.T.A. to all strong, willing volunteers, who would like to do “their bit” for their child’s school! We have now managed to clear the site where the old equipment used to stand and are desperately in need of just a few more helping hands to rake, clear roots and weeds and make good the ground for sowing some grass seed. Bob Stewart has very kindly offered to lead a working party of willing volunteers for a couple of hours on Saturday 16th July from 10am–12pm. In the interest of health and safety, it would be easier if pupils were not on the school site at this time.

Chalgrove and Watlington Children’s Centre
“Promoting positive behaviour in children 0-12 years” at the Chalgrove Site on Tuesday 27th September 9.15-11.30am. For more information contact Jane Bellars on 07719 736673.

New After-School Club at Stadhampton School
Mrs Shortman has kindly offered to run an after-school cooking club from September 2011. The opportunity will be offered to a year group at a time and will run for 5 weeks. Places will be limited to ten pupils, offered on a first come-first served basis. The cost for the 5 sessions will be £20 in total which will also cover the cost of the ingredients. The emphasis of the club is to have fun and share in the enjoyment of preparing, cooking and presenting good home-made food whilst learning the importance of food and personal hygiene, basic knife skills, i.e. chopping, slicing and peeling. Pupils will learn some simple cooking techniques relating to pastries, cakes, soups and sauces.

Year 6 pupils will have the first opportunity, so look out for the letters in the first week of September.

Banbury Museum Visit – Report by Alice
“On Wednesday 11th July Class 3 went to Banbury Museum. When we first got there we went in to a room and talked about the Civil War. After that we all went upstairs and looked at the Civil War artefacts and then did some acting. It was quite strange pretending to be people back in those times! We then had lunch and had one last look around the museum before we left.”

Little Bears News
We are busy practicing for our sports day on Friday 22nd July at 11am. All parents are reminded to bring something to sit on and a picnic. We are also looking forward to having our reward from Elmer the Elephant!

DIARY DATES:

Wednesday 20th July Mobile Library. All books to be returned please.
Friday 22nd July End of school year assembly at 9.05am in hall. All welcome.
Term 6 ends at 1.30pm
25th – 29th July Holiday course run by Premier Sports Group

Monday 5th & Tuesday 6th September Teacher INSET Days
Wednesday 7th September Pupils return to school
Wednesday 21st September School photographs

Newsletter No 5 - 8th July 2011

2011-07-08T09:31:00.003+01:00

Three Transition Days
It has been a pleasure to welcome our new Foundation stage pupils into school for three days this week. We look forward to them joining us full-time in September. All other pupils enjoyed spending three days this week practising being the year group that they will be in September.

Welcome to Charlie Austin
We were pleased to welcome Charlie Austin this week into Class 1. Charlie has now permanently transferred to Stadhampton School.

Home/School Agreement Consultation
A reminder that any responses to our recent letter regarding the Home/School Agreement should be returned to the office by Monday 11th July.

New Play Equipment and suitable footwear
Please could all pupils have trainers in school every day, both for outdoor PE and for accessing the new play equipment. Neither sandals nor wellies are suitable for wearing on the climbing equipment and we don’t want anyone to miss out! Thank you.

Premier Sports Holiday Course at Stadhampton School
Booking forms are now available for the sports course being held at Stadhampton School from 25th – 29th July from the school office. Please note that the cost of the course is now £6 a day for 9-3pm.

P.T.A. News
With only three weeks left of the school year the P.T.A. are looking forward to a very well earned rest. But before we put our feet up with a glass of something cold and refreshing, we are putting the final plans in place for the Sports Night next Friday 15th July 6.00pm onwards, on the school field. Today (Friday 8th) is your last chance to purchase food tickets for Hot dogs and Burgers, both at £2.00 each. You can still buy tickets from Joy Hopkins in the school office during today and Sarah Madry will be at the school gates with tickets from 3.00–3.30pm. (Cheques made payable to Stadhampton Primary School P.T.A. please.) There will be a Bar at the sports night selling alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and all proceeds from the Bar and the BBQ will go towards P.T.A. funds. Do please support us for our last event of the year where we can all meet up and socialise, whilst cheering on our children in the races.

Our CD/DVD/computer game collection is off to a brilliant start - we already have over 50 items! This means that we are well on the way of reaching our goal to obtain 250 discs to claim a free five-a-side football kit for the school and raise extra funds for the P.T.A. at the same time. To receive payment from musicMagpie (who will give the P.T.A. 50p per item) we need to collect CDs and DVDs that have their original notes and sleeves as well as a bar code on the reverse. Unfortunately we can’t send CDs or DVDs that have been given free in newspapers or magazines as these do not have a barcode. Also musicMagpie will only take CD albums, not singles. Computer games discs must be compatible with Playstation3, Xbox and Xbox360 consoles. WE CAN NOT SEND VHS VIDEOS! Please look through your CD and DVD collection, raid the unwanted computer games, ask relatives, neighbours and friends as well and bring any unwanted films, music and games into school and place in the red P.T.A. box in the hall. You can keep collecting over the summer holidays and bring them to school in September. If each family donates just five CDs, DVDs or computer games, we will raise £150.00 towards P.T.A. funds and get the free kit too! Thank you for giving.

Calling all Dads! - This is a plea from the P.T.A. to all strong, willing fathers, who would like to do “their bit” for their child’s school! As you know, the School and P.T.A. have managed to achieve their goal of replacing the old play equipment with some fantastic new apparatus that has made a huge difference to the children’s playtime. With the help of Ian Burnell (thank you!) we have now managed to clear the site where the old equipment used to stand and are desperately in need of just a few more helping hands to rake, clear roots and weeds and make good the ground for sowing some grass seed. Bob Stewart has very kindly offered to lead a working party of willing volunteers for a couple of hours on Saturday 16th July from 10am–12pm. We would also be very grateful for some volunteers to clean up the picnic benches and maybe give them a new coat of wood preserver. If you fancy helping and are free on the above date, please could you contact the school office for more information. Thank You!

Rounders Tournament
Well done to our rounders team who played really well at the recent tournament. Here is a tournament report by one of the pupils:

Report by Ella Mae (Year 5)
On the 6th July a group of 9 pupils from Stadhampton School participated in a rounders tournament at Icknield Community College. We played 4 matches and got through to the final. In the first rounds we won two games and lost one. In the end we lost to RAF Benson in the final by only half a rounder!

Healthy Snack Competition
Pupils will be bringing home today a poster about a healthy snack competition which will take place on Friday 15th July.

Little Bears News
We are looking forward next week to our “Dino Cave” and “Dino Dig” in the garden. We can’t wait to hear how our Little Bears got on in Reception Class this week! Happy Birthday to Archie Dickens and Freya Clapton who both turned 3 and to Mya Khan who will be 3 soon.

DIARY DATES:

Wednesday 13th July Class 3 visit to Banbury Museum
Friday 15th July Sports evening (weather permitting)
Wednesday 20th July Mobile Library. All books to be returned please.
Friday 22nd July End of school year assembly at 9.05am in hall. All welcome.
Term 6 ends at 1.30pm
25th – 29th July Holiday course run by Premier Sports Group

Monday 5th & Tuesday 6th September Teacher INSET Days
Wednesday 7th September Pupils return to school
Wednesday 21st September School photographs

Newsletter No 4 - 1st July 2011

2011-07-01T11:11:00.002+01:00

Happy JULY Birthday to: Georgia Day, Benjamin Drake, Ayisha Hall and Andrew Oakley.

During July we are focusing on the core value of FREEDOM

School Meal Price Increase
We have been advised that the price of a school meal will rise to £2.10 per day from 1st September. We should remind everyone that school meals need to be ordered and paid for, please, on the first morning of the school week or in advance for the term. Cheques for school meals should be made payable to Oxfordshire County Council with Stadhampton School written on the back of the cheque. The school’s financial accounting package (SAP), requires payment for school meals to be kept entirely separate from payments for swimming, after-school clubs or trips. Thank you to all parents for their co-operation in this matter.

Premier Sports Holiday Course at Stadhampton School
Booking forms are now available for the sports course being held at Stadhampton School from 25th – 29th July from the school office. Please note that the cost of the course is now £6 a day for 9-3pm.

Samba Drumming Workshops
On Friday 24th June you may have heard the unmistakeable sounds of Notting Hill Carnival emenating from school. All pupils participated in a series of Samba drumming workshops which, as the weather was dry, we were able to hold in our new outdoor classroom. Pupils thoroughly enjoyed this event and a number of parents were able to come to the short presentation at the end of the afternoon. This event was funded by Extended Services to tie in with the Watlington Partnership of Schools link with schools in Argentina. The drumming was much louder than any of us had anticipated and I apologise if the noise inconvenienced anyone – it will not be a regular event!

Partnership Tennis Tournament – Report by Class 3
On Monday 27th June, 9 pupils from Stadhampton School attended the Icknield Partnership Tennis Tournament. The final was all Stadhampton pupils with Andrew and Tom finishing as runners-up and the winners were Ben and Benedict. Congratulations to all who took part.

Big Science Event
Yet again Stadhampton School pupils have reached the final of the Oxfordshire Big Science Event. This is an annual event which, this year, involved over 3000 children in Oxfordshire. Pupils work in small groups over a period of a few months to independently conduct a science investigation of their own design. Then they need to create a poster displaying all their findings. These are then judged in school against a detailed criteria and then the school winners are judged by a representative from Science Oxford. Here is a report from our team:
“On 30th June 2011 Chloe Hindmarch, Chloe Scragg, Matty Green and Ewan Madry went to the Big Science Event final. Out of 3000 children across Oxfordshire who entered, only ten groups got to the final. We didn’t win but we enjoyed the day anyway. We also learnt a lot.”

P.E. Kits in School
Please could all pupils have their PE kits in school every day. As Sports Evening approaches we will be taking advantage of additional opportunities to practice! Also pupils in Reception will need to have their PE kit in on Thursday as they will be taking part in a Premier Sports
led PE session as part of their Transition Day. Thank you.

Thank you
We are very grateful to Mr Burnell and to Mr Leighfield for their recent help with our on-going school grounds improvements.

P.T.A. News
A reminder that food tickets are available from the school office for Sports Evening on 15th July and are on sale until Friday 8th July. Please note: We will not be able to offer any tickets for sale after Friday the 8th July. You can purchase a Hot dog or a burger for the very reasonable price of £2.00 each and there is no limit as to how many you may wish to buy. This is the perfect way to end the school year – so order your food now and don’t miss out!

The P.T.A. is hoping that you will be able to support our last fundraising venture of the school year by donating any unwanted CDs and DVDs. If we can manage to collect a minimum of 250 discs, we can claim a free five-a-side football kit for the school! The P.T.A. has worked out if each family donates just five CDs or DVDs we will reach our goal easily and also raise £150.00 towards P.T.A. funds. If we exceed this amount the P.T.A. will obviously receive more money – plus the free kit!
To receive payment we need to collect CDs and DVDs that have their original notes and sleeves as well as a bar code on the reverse. Unfortunately we can’t send CDs or DVDs that have been given free in newspapers or magazines as these do not have a barcode. Also musicMagpie will only take CD albums, not singles.

Many thanks once again to all who entered cakes for The Great Stadhampton Bake Off 2011, it was a lovely event and the standard of the entries was extremely high! Extra special thanks must go to Miss Mould and Mrs Leiper for their help with refreshments and to former pupils Conall Fernie and Jessica Tombling for their help in setting up and clearing up after the event.

We are delighted to announce that the PTA will be producing a booklet with cake recipes and pictures very shortly so you and your families can try baking some of the entries yourselves over the summer holidays. There are still some Tupperware cake boxes left so if you are missing one please get in touch with Eimer Fernie or Diana Woodwards.

If you’re shopping online please remember to consider using The Giving Machine, the more money spent through The Giving Machine the more money the school receives! Their retailer list is huge and includes names such as, M&S, Early Learning Centre, Boots, Carphone Warehouse, Clarks, Matalan and Debenhams, link is below. You can set The Giving Machine as your homepage or add it to your bookmarks by clicking in the top right hand corner on their website.
http://www.thegivingmachine.co.uk/

Little Bears News
Little Bears Pre-school will be holding their hugely popular Strawberry Fair once again on THURSDAY 7 JULY from 3pm onwards. There will be lots to do - tombola, lucky dip, craft stalls and more, plus lots to eat and drink as well as goodies to win.
Please join us and support Little Bears in the process - we're fundraising towards improvements for our garden area too!

DIARY DATES:
Wednesday 6th July, Thursday 7th July, Friday 8th July Transition days for all pupils. Reception Class mini-topic will be “All About Me”, Class 1 mini-topic will be “The Seaside”, Class 2 mini-topic will be “Cats” and Class 3 mini-topic will be “Pinocchio.”
Wednesday 13th June Class 3 visit to Banbury Museum
Friday 15th July Sports evening (weather permitting)
Wednesday 20th July Mobile Library
Friday 22nd July End of school year assembly at 9.05am in hall. All welcome.
Term 6 ends at 1.30pm
25th – 29th July Holiday course run by Premier Sports Group

Monday 5th & Tuesday 6th September Teacher INSET Days
Wednesday 7th September Pupils return to school
Wednesday 21st September School photographs

Newsletter No 3 - 24th June 2011

2011-06-23T14:30:00.003+01:00

Playground Developments
As you may be aware, for several years it has been our intention to replace our well-used but tired old climbing frame and, finally, it has happened! The children have been very excited watching the new equipment being installed and it looks fantastic! They have also been very patient waiting for the concrete “footings” to set but we have had the “all-clear” for Friday 24th June and each class will have their opportunity to explore the new equipment then. The children can’t wait and I notice a little look of envy from the adults.... I would like to say a big “thank you” to the PTA for their interest in, and generous financial support of, this development.

Spring Concert – Report by Amber and Pola
“The Spring Concert was very enjoyable for both children and adults. Everyone had lots of fun listening to children playing clarinets, recorders, piano and guitar, as well as singing “Mr Miller!” We raised £200.14 for the “Smiles and Dreams:Tohoku Children’s Project” in Japan and £46.85 for Save the Children Emergency Fund.

Premier Sports Holiday Course at Stadhampton School
Booking forms have been distributed this week for the sports course being held at Stadhampton School from 25th – 29th July. More forms are available from the school office. Please note that the cost of the course is now £6 a day for 9-3pm which equates to £1 an hour!

Coat left at the Concert
A rather nice coat was left at school by someone who watched the concert.

School Car Park
Thank you to those families who have relieved the congestion in the car park by walking or parking further away and walking down to school this week. It has made a noticeable difference and it is appreciated.

P.T.A. News
Just to remind you that The Great Stadhampton Bake Off is being held this Saturday 25th June in the school hall – our specially selected panel of judges will be judging in secret at 1.45 and the doors will open at 2.30pm when there will be refreshments for all including tea, coffee, homemade lemonade, your chance to place your vote for the People’s Choice and of course, most importantly CAKES!!!!!
We have been donated some wonderful prizes by Gatineau in Summertown, Steamer Trading in Thame, Little Cooks, Bonne Maman and Gu so do please enter a cake for your chance to win one of them.
If you have any questions or if you want to enter a cake to the competition but are unable to attend, please contact Diana and Eimer to arrange this (numbers below).Thank you and we look forward to seeing you!

The P.T.A. is gearing up for the last few weeks of the school year and we are hoping for the weather to improve (drastically!) in time for the school sports evening on Friday 15th July from 6.00pm. This event is a great chance for families to come together and watch the children compete in both running and fun filled obstacle races.
The P.T.A. will be providing a bar, generously run by Mrs Hopkins and Mr Manzie, with beer, wine, cider, Pimms, coke and squash for the children.
This year we have managed to source some locally made sausages and beef burgers courtesy of Mr Gerring who lives in the village and Mrs Shortman, Nikki Howlett and Shirley Bateman have very kindly offered to come along and cook the B.B.Q. for us. So that we have an indication of how many sausages and burgers we will need to order, we are selling tickets in advance and would like to request that families pay for hot dogs and burgers before the night. Food tickets are available from the school office via Joy Hopkins and are on sale from Monday 27th June till Friday 8th July. Please note: We will not be able to offer any tickets for sale after Friday the 8th July. You can purchase a Hot dog or a burger for the very reasonable price of £2.00 each and there is no limit as to how many you may wish to buy. This is the perfect way to end the school year – so order your food now and don’t miss out!

The P.T.A. is hoping that you will be able to support our last fundraising venture of the school year by donating any unwanted CDs and DVDs you may have. We have signed up with a company called ”musicMagpie” who will pay the P.T.A. 50p per item. They in turn, recondition each disc and resell them to other countries around the world. You can find out more about them by visiting their website on www.musicMagpie.co.uk. There is also an added bonus for us - If we can manage to collect a minimum of 250 discs, we can claim a free five-a-side football kit for the school! The P.T.A. has worked out if each family donates just five CDs or DVDs we will reach our goal easily and also raise £150.00 towards P.T.A. funds. If we exceed this amount the P.T.A. will obviously receive more money – plus the free kit!
To receive payment we need to collect CDs and DVDs that have their original notes and sleeves as well as a bar code on the reverse. Unfortunately we can’t send CDs or DVDs that have been given free in newspapers or magazines as these do not have a barcode. Also musicMagpie will only take CD albums, not singles. The company are happy to accept computer games discs but they can only be donated if they are compatible with Playstation3, Xbox and Xbox360 consoles.
This is such a wonderfully easy way to raise extra funds for the children and to get a brand new football kit for the school too! Please look through your CD and DVD collection, ask relatives, neighbours and friends as well and bring any unwanted films or music into school and place in the red P.T.A. box in the hall. Many thanks for your support and let’s see if we can get the free football kit!

Little Bears News
Little Bears Pre-school will be holding their hugely popular Strawberry Fair once again on THURSDAY 7 JULY from 3pm onwards. There will be lots to do - tombola, lucky dip, craft stalls and more, plus lots to eat and drink as well as goodies to win.
Please join us and support Little Bears in the process - we're fundraising towards improvements for our garden area too!

DIARY DATES:
Tuesday 28th June Cycling Safety Test – Year 6 pupils
Thursday 30th June Reception and Class 1 pupil visit to Outdoor Discovery Post
Wednesday 6th July, Thursday 7th July, Friday 8th July Transition days for all pupils. Reception Class mini-topic will be “All About Me”, Class 1 mini-topic will be “The Seaside”, Class 2 mini-topic will be “Cats” and Class 3 mini-topic will be “Pinocchio.”
Wednesday 13th June Class 3 visit to Banbury Museum
Friday 15th July Sports evening (weather permitting)
Wednesday 20th July Mobile Library
Friday 22nd July End of school year assembly at 9.05am in hall. All welcome.
Term 6 ends at 1.30pm
25th – 29th July Holiday course run by Premier Sports Group

Monday 5th & Tuesday 6th September Teacher INSET Days
Wednesday 7th September Pupils return to school
Wednesday 21st September School photographs

Newsletter No 2 - 17th June 2011

2011-06-17T08:15:00.003+01:00

Industrial Action by Teachers
You may be aware that teachers in some schools are planning to strike on Thursday 30th June. We would like to inform you that, on this occasion, teachers at Stadhampton School will not be taking industrial action and school will function as normal.

Drumming Workshop and Parent Presentation – Friday 24th June
As part of the international activities carried out in the primary schools within the Watlington Partnership, Extended Services are funding a Samba Drumming Workshop for each school. This ‘Latin American’ theme links with our partnership connection with schools in Buenos Aires. Each class will have their own workshop and from 2.45 to 3.00pm there will be a short presentation in the Hall for parents and carers. We do hope you will be able to join us!

Partnership Tennis Tournament – Wednesday 22nd June at Watlington Tennis Club
The annual Icknield Partnership Tennis Tournament is an open tournament. This means that anyone in Year 4, 5 or 6 can enter. They do not need to go with a partner as these will be sorted on arrival. If they would like to play with a certain partner, then they can arrange this beforehand and let Mrs Manzie know. To enter, please would parents see Mrs Manzie by Monday 20th June, so that she can send the names to the Icknield PE Department. There is no transport for this event, parents must arrange this for themselves and I would encourage you to share where possible. The pupils will need to leave our school a little early and have permission to leave at 3pm.

Parking in the School Car Park
We encourage parents to walk with their children to/from school whenever possible but realise that this is not an option for some families. Increased use of the school car park has led to an increase in potential hazards and frequent congestion, and we ask all parents to show consideration to others, as well as be mindful of safety when using the car park and parking in Cratlands Close.

Please could parents only use the designated parking bays and NOT PARK in front of the large gate which leads onto the netball court. Not only is this the access point for grounds maintenance and emergency vehicles but it is also causing a significant problem for pedestrians with pushchairs entering and exiting Little Bears. It would be acceptable for one car to park briefly on the left hand side nearest to the school but the main problem arises when two cars park in that area as parents with pushchairs are being forced onto the muddy grassed area rather than being able to use the path or dropped-kerb access point.

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

Some families may be able to alleviate this congestion by parking elsewhere in the village and walking the rest of the way to school.

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

Little Bears News
Next week we are going down to the jungle and we will be making monkeys and parrots.
We are continuing with our good behaviour reward chart, Elmer elephant is starting to get lots of patches!
Little Bears Pre-school will be holding their hugely popular Strawberry Fair once again on THURSDAY 7 JULY from 3pm onwards. There will be lots to do - tombola, lucky dip, craft stalls and more, plus lots to eat and drink as well as goodies to win.
Please join us and support Little Bears in the process - we're fundraising towards improvements for our garden area too!

Sainsbury Vouchers
Thank you so much for collecting these for us. The last opportunity for bringing in your Sainsbury vouchers is on Monday morning. We will be sending off our order for Sports Equipment at lunchtime on Monday.

P.T.A. News
The P.T.A. would like to ask if anybody has any cake knives, cake stands or table cloths that they would be willing to lend for the Great Stadhampton Bake Off on Saturday 25th June, 2.30pm.

Little Bears News
Next week we are going down to the jungle and we will be making monkeys and parrots. We are continuing with our good behaviour reward chart, Elmer elephant is starting to get lots of patches!
Little Bears Pre-school will be holding their hugely popular Strawberry Fair once again on THURSDAY 7 JULY from 3pm onwards. There will be lots to do - tombola, lucky dip, craft stalls and more, plus lots to eat and drink as well as goodies to win.
Please join us and support Little Bears in the process - we're fundraising towards improvements for our garden area too!

Extended Services Opportunities
Please find attached the summer activity programme for 10 years + being hosted at Icknield this summer.

DIARY DATES:
Tuesday 21st June Class 2 visit to Sulgrave Manor
Wednesday 22nd June Y5 Students visiting ICC – Creative Arts lesson
Mobile library visit
Saturday 25th June PTA Bake off at 2.30pm
Tuesday 28th June Cycling Safety Test – Year 6 pupils
Thursday 30th June Reception and Class 1 pupil visit to Outdoor Discovery Post
Wednesday6th July, Thursday 7th July, Friday 8th July Transition days for all pupils
Wednesday 13th June Class 3 visit to Banbury Museum
Friday 15th July Sports evening (weather permitting)
Wednesday 20th July Mobile Library
Friday 22nd July End of school year assembly at 9.05am in hall. All welcome.
Term 6 ends at 1.30pm
25th – 29th July Holiday course run by Premier Sports Group

Monday 5th & Tuesday 6th September Teacher INSET Days
Wednesday 7th September Pupils return to school
Wednesday 21st September School photographs

Newsletter No 1 - 10th June 2011

2011-06-09T14:37:00.003+01:00

Welcome back!

Happy June Birthday to: Megan Barber, Olivia Dallimore, Betsy Elliott, Ella Gravett, Chloe Hindmarch, Zara Hopkins, James Lowman, Josh Matthews and Georgia Valentine.

During JUNE we are focusing on the core value of HONESTY

Transition Days
In order for pupils to experience, and become more familiar with, classroom arrangements for September, we have planned a series of ‘moving up’ days in July. These will take place on Wednesday 6th, Thursday 7th and Friday 8th July. During these three days Year 6 pupils will be visiting Icknield Community College for their transition days and the Foundation Stage pupils due to start Stadhampton School in September will be in our Reception class with Miss Mould. Therefore, for all three days, current Foundation Stage pupils and Year 1 pupils will be in Class 1 with Mrs Manzie, current Year 2 and Year 3 will be in Class 2 with Mrs Garrard and Mrs Turner and current Year 4 and Year 5 pupils with be in Class 3 with Miss Shah. During these three days pupils in each class will carry out a mini project, details of which will be announced nearer the time.

Swimming in the School Pool
We have received a clean bill of health for the school pool and it is now ready for use. We shall begin using it when the weather warms up a bit! Please send your child into school with swimming kit from next week.

Swimming at Berinsfield Pool
A reminder that Class 2 pupils will have their final swimming session at Berinsfield on 13th June. We would be pleased to receive any outstanding “voluntary donations” towards the transport costs from those families who have not contributed as yet. Swimming will then begin for Class 3 pupils on Monday 20th June – they will have 5 sessions finishing on 18th July.

Premier Sports Holiday Course

Michael Hopkins, will be leading another holiday course at Stadhampton School on behalf of the Premier Sports Group, for 5 days beginning Monday 25th July. Booking forms are not available as yet, but we thought parents would find it helpful to know in advance, that this course will be running again for that one week.

Tesco Vouchers
Many thanks for collecting these for us – we have now posted our order off. We have chosen to exchange our vouchers for literacy, numeracy and music resources. We are still collecting Sainsbury vouchers and we intend to exchange those vouchers for sports equipment, so please keep sending them in!

P.T.A. News
Many thanks to everyone who donated clothes for the clothes recycling collection. The bags weighed a whopping 582 kilos and resulted in us receiving a total of £291.00 from Bags2School towards P.T.A. funds. We will be organising another clothes collection for the autumn, so start bagging and saving any clean, good quality children’s and adults clothing, shoes, bags, bedding, towels, curtains and soft toys. We will let you know the collection date in the new school year.

Come and join us on Saturday June 25th for The Great Stadhampton Bake Off!

We are running two baking competitions on the day; one for adults and one for children, entrants can enter as many cakes as they like and if you simply wish to sample and enjoy the entries we will be offering tea, coffee and other delicacies too.
There will be prizes for the best entries and entry is £3 per person or £5 per family. Doors open from 2.30pm but cakes for the competition will need to be with us by 1.30pm.

Charity Spring Concert in the Hall on Friday 17th June
At 6.30pm pupils in Classes 2 and 3 are presenting a Spring Concert to raise funds for a charity providing short-term and long-term support for children affected by the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan. There is much musical talent at Stadhampton School which we would like to celebrate and pupils will be playing clarinets, guitars, piano and recorders. Parents and families of pupils in Classes 2 and 3 have had priority seating but we would like to extend the invitation to all interested families. We are not selling tickets as we will be making a collection during the event, however, to ensure we provide enough seating please inform the school if you would like to attend. We expect the concert to last about an hour and light refreshments will be available afterwards.

Working with the University of Oxford
Once again we are pleased to be working with a doctoral student at the University of Oxford who is undertaking research into how children process words when reading. Only pupils in Class 3 are involved in this current study but, hopefully, eventually we will all benefit from the findings of this research!

International links with Tomas Guido School, Buenos Aires
Along with other primary schools in the Watlington Partnership of Schools, we are developing a link with a group of primary schools in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Our partner school is called Tomas Guido School which is in central Buenos Aires. The link is part of a “connecting classrooms” programme administered by the British Council. The main purpose of the link is for us to develop an understanding of each other’s cultures by exchanging information about national and local festivals and customs. At this stage Class 3 have been closely involved by sending information about April Fools Day and the Royal Wedding and receiving letters from pupils at Tomas Guido School outlining their hobbies and favourite food – it’s amazing how popular football is! Two representatives of our School Council, along with their counterparts from the other schools in the Watlington Partnership recently attended an “Argentina” meeting held in Watlington Town Hall and some members of Class 3 have taken part in a skype link which was very exciting.

Little Bears News
Little Bears Pre-school will be holding their hugely popular Strawberry Fair once again on THURSDAY 7 JULY from 3pm onwards. There will be lots to do - tombola, lucky dip, craft stalls and more, plus lots to eat and drink as well as goodies to win.
Please join us and support Little Bears in the process - we're fundraising towards improvements for our garden area too!

Chalgrove & Watlington Children’s Centre
Chalgrove & Watlington Children’s Centre are looking for ‘bank staff’ for the Childrens Centre. Please contact centre manager Helen Rints 07504 958334 or Helen.Rints@Oxfordshire.gov.uk for further details.

DIARY DATES:
Friday 17th June Spring Concert (in aid of Japan Appeal)
Wednesday 22nd June Y5 Students visiting ICC – Creative Arts lesson
Mobile library visit
Tuesday 28th June Cycling Safety Test – Year 6 pupils
Wednesday6th July, Thursday 7th July, Friday 8th July Transition days for all pupils
Friday 15th July Sports evening (weather permitting)
Wednesday 20th July Mobile Library
Friday 22nd July End of school year assembly at 9.05am in hall. All welcome.
Term 6 ends at 1.30pm

Monday 5th & Tuesday 6th September Teacher INSET Days
Wednesday 7th September Pupils return to school
Wednesday 21st September School photographs

Newsletter No 4 - 27th May 2011

2011-05-27T08:30:00.002+01:00

Swimming in the School Pool
We are grateful to Mrs Leiper for preparing the school swimming pool so that it is ready for use. Water samples have been taken away for analysis this week to ensure that the pool is microbiologically safe and Oxfordshire County Council have visited the school and confirmed that the pool meets their health and safety standards. Once the sample test results have been received back, we shall switch on the water heaters and the pool should be ready for use from around the 8th June. Please could all parents (including the Foundation Stage) ensure that their child(ren) has swimming kit in school every day from 8th June onwards. ALL pupils need a hat (boys and girls) and a towel; girls need a one-piece swimming costume (no bikinis/tankinis please) and boys need swimming trunks – not too baggy please as they can impede swimming. Goggles should not be required in the school pool.

After School Cookery Club for Class 1 pupils
The following pupils were successful at securing a place at the Extended Services after school cookery club sessions which begin on Thursday 9th June: Oliver Stewart, Max Jones, Cora White, Olivia Shannon, Darcy Crook, Megan Green, Oliver Lowman, James Lowman, Greg Madry, Leo Burnell, Charles Ball and Zara Hopkins. The club is now full. We would be grateful to receive £5 (in total), which covers the cost of the ingredients, for all 5 sessions from those families who have not yet paid.

Big Science Event
For the third year in a row a group of children from Class 3 have been selected to represent Stadhampton Primary School at the final of the Oxfordshire Big Science Event. Their science investigation won the in-school judging and then was further judged by a representative from the Big Science Event. Next month they will present their investigation to a larger audience competing with finalists from other schools across the county. Well done to Matt Green, Ewan Madry, Chloe Hindmarch and Chloe Scragg who have planned and carried out an investigation to see if age had an effect on heart rate.

P.T.A. News
We are all looking forward to the May holidays this week and will be returning refreshed and eager to continue with our fundraising events again in June. The P.T.A. would like to invite anyone interested in joining the committee to our next meeting which will be on Thursday 9th May at 8.00pm in The Crown Pub. We would be very happy to welcome all parents or carers who have children at the school – the more the merrier! We have a wonderful group of volunteers that help raise extra funds for the children and are always willing to receive new ideas and support. We look forward to seeing you then!

Recorders for pupils in Classes 2 and 3
Recorder lessons will take place on a regular basis every Monday during Term 6. Please would all pupils in Classes 2 and 3 ensure that they have their recorders in school every Monday. Thank you.

Playground Developments
Our well-used, much loved but very tired old climbing frame has now been dismantled and removed. The bark chippings and surrounding timbers will be removed during the half term holiday. We are all very excited about receiving the new equipment supplied by Playforce and we expect installation to start on Monday 13th June. The plan is that it will be fully installed and tested ready for pupils to use during the week starting Monday 20th June. They can’t wait!

Spanish Visit – Report by Rhiannon in Year 5
“On Friday 20th May Stadhampton School had a very exciting visit from our friends from Arcos, a small town in Spain. There were 34 children and 6 teachers. It was a very interesting experience. Our Year 6 pupils took them on a tour of the school. Amber, aged 10 said “I thought it was a bit scary because they didn’t understand some of our English, but they were interested in the school.” We all had fun with each other at breaktime. There was a big football match and some of them played skipping games with us. It was an experience we’ll never forget.”

Extended Services Flyers
Please find attached four flyers from Extended Services which outline the range of activities available in the Children’s Centres over the next couple of months.

Can you help? An appeal from the School Library
Does anyone have a copy of the Guiness Book of World Records which they would be willing to donate to the school library? Currently each class has a waiting list of children who would like to borrow it!

Little Bears News
Thank you to everyone who took part in the “pedal push” – this was a great success! Next term we have lots of fun activities planned relating to our theme of “The Jungle.”We shall tell you more about this after the May Holiday.

DIARY DATES:
Monday 6th June INSET Day – teachers only at school
Tuesday 7th June Pupils return to school for the start of Term 6
Friday 17th June Spring Concert in aid of Save the Children Japan Appeal
Wednesday 22nd June Y5 Students visiting ICC – Creative Arts lesson
Mobile library visit
Tuesday 28th June Cycling Safety Test – Year 6 pupils
Wednesday6th July, Thursday 7th July, Friday 8th July Transition days for all pupils
Friday 15th July Sports evening (weather permitting)
Wednesday 20th July Mobile Library
Friday 22nd July End of school year assembly at 9.05am in hall. All welcome.
Term 6 ends at 1.30pm

Monday 5th & Tuesday 6th September Teacher INSET Days
Wednesday 7th September Pupils return to school

Newsletter No 3 - 20th May 2011

2011-05-20T08:01:00.002+01:00

School Uniform on Sale
Mrs Perring will be selling items of school uniform in the school hall at 2.45pm on Friday 27th May for anyone who wishes to make a purchase.

Foster Care Fortnight – 16th to 29th May 2011
We have been asked to let parents know that Oxfordshire County Council will be visiting some leisure centres to provide more information about fostering. For more information call 0800 7835724 or email fostering@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Outdoor Classroom and other Outdoor Learning Activities
It would be helpful if all pupils could continue to have jackets/coats in school each day whilst the weather is changeable, as pupils are making full use of the outdoor classroom which is an ‘open air’ classroom. Reception and Class 1 pupils are also using their outdoor areas for learning. Thank you.

Spring Concert in support of the Save the Children Japan Emergency Appeal
We are planning to hold a Spring concert, in the Hall, at 6.30pm on Friday 17th June. Class 3 pupils will be playing their clarinets, supported by their teacher Mrs Rose, and some of our more experienced pianists will be performing, supported by Mrs Drake. Class 2 pupils will be presenting some short recorder pieces. We have much musical talent amongst our pupils and we would like to celebrate and share this. Tickets will not be sold for this event but we will, at the children’s request, be making a collection for the Save the Children Japan Emergency Appeal. Further details to follow.

Tesco & Sainsbury’s Vouchers
Many thanks to all the families who have been collecting vouchers for us, they really do help us. The deadline for Tesco vouchers is fast approaching so please could we have any vouchers you may still have lurking at home on Monday 23rd May. Thank you.

P.T.A. News
Last Saturday afternoon proved to be one of the most fun filled “days out” that the P.T.A. has had in ages! The Family Fun Day was a huge success with the hall jammed full of children, mums, dads and grandparents. Everyone seemed to be having a really great time building models in our “Scrapheap Challenge”, making kites, planting seeds, decorating glass jars to make night lights and having their faces painted. The queue for the children’s tombola seemed to go on for miles! The winner of the Scrapheap Challenge was Leo Burnell, with Hannah Lansley and Myles Dobson close runners up.
Sometimes, so much emphasis is put on the P.T.A. organising events just to raise money, we can forget that it’s also about community spirit and forming relationships between families and friends. Last Saturday proved that having an afternoon set aside for socialising and spending time with our children doing artistic and crafty things was indeed good for us all! Thank you to everyone who came to the Family Fun Day – we hope you enjoyed it as much as the P.T.A. did!

Special thanks go to Tracy Valentine and Holly Bradford for doing the very beautiful face paintings, Mrs Leslie who ran the Children’s Tombola and Mrs Manzie and Mrs Turner who gave up their Saturday afternoon to help serve tea and cakes and show families the new plans for the children’s play equipment respectively. Thank you also to all P.T.A. members who helped out before, during and after – you certainly deserved a well earned rest on Saturday night!

It gives the P.T.A. great pleasure in announcing that, along with giving the children a really fun time and receiving such positive feedback from parents, we managed to raise a truly magnificent total of £391.01

This is a true reflection that the children are obviously very important to us all and that everyone’s generosity goes a very, very long way. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Little Bears News
Go, go, go, get ready to race!!!!

This week all the children will be taking part in their sponsored pedal push. We will be also keeping with the theme of “Our Bodies” and learning why it’s important to keep fit and moving. On Friday we will be having a p.j day - pay £1.00 and come in your favourite jim-jams.

DIARY DATES:
Wednesday 25th May Mrs Elliott from Icknield Community College will be talking to our Y6 pupils about their transition into Secondary School.(Please note change of date)
Weighing and measuring of Reception pupils and Year 6 by the school nurse (rearranged from 25th March)
Friday 27th May Break up at the end of Term 5 at 3.15pm

Monday 6th June INSET Day – teachers only at school
Tuesday 7th June Pupils return to school for the start of Term 6
Wednesday 22nd June Y5 Students visiting ICC – Creative Arts lesson
Mobile library visit
Friday 22nd July Term 6 ends at 1.30pm

Monday 5th & Tuesday 6th September Teacher INSET Days
Wednesday 7th September Pupils return to school

Newsletter No 2 - 13th May 2011

2011-05-17T15:14:00.002+01:00

Welcome
We welcome Mrs Anne Leslie, a PGCE student at Oxford Brookes University, who is on a placement at Stadhampton School for 8 weeks. Mrs Leslie will be working closely with Mrs Manzie throughout this time and is teaching in Class 1.

Storytelling Chair ‘Unveiling’
On the first day back after the Easter Holidays, we held a special event to ‘launch’ our unique storytelling chair. The event was attended by three generations of the Peers family, with Charles Peers cutting the ribbon, Simon Clements who carved the chair, Daylight Theatre and the Press. You may have seen the article and photo in the Oxford Mail of 30.04.11; it can also be found on the Oxford Mail website www.oxfordmail.co.uk. There was a celebration cake, shared by all, and storytelling by Daylight Theatre, retelling separate stories for Reception/Class 1 children and Class 2 & 3 children. Here are some recounts from pupils;

1) “On the 27th April the Peers family came to see the storytelling chair and cut the ribbon. After the chair was ‘opened’ one of the actors from Daylight Theatre sat in it and told a story. The story for Classes 2 and 3 was Macbeth. It was a very good story and he told it very enthusiastically. Overall I though it was a memorable occasion”. – Alice Madry C3
2) “We think that Wind in the Willows is a fantastic story. The storyteller made us laugh when he did the funny voices – sometimes squeaky and sometimes low. It had really good words in it like “poop, poop” when Toad was driving. He looked great in his dressing up clothes and Class 1 really enjoyed it”. Betsy and Oliver C1.

SATs
Congratulations to our Year 6 pupils who managed the challenges of SATs week very well!

Cycling Safely Training
Confirmation of those attending the cycle training which commences on Friday 20th May: Alice Madry, Amy Akers, Andrew Oakley, Chloe Brown, Benedict Diment, Tom Leighfield, Ben Drake, Amber Tomkins and Pola Onopiuk. Permission letters are in bookbags and will need to be returned before the first cycling lesson on Friday 20th May.

Spanish School Visit
We look forward to welcoming 35 pupils and 5 adults from the CEIP Maestro Juan Apresa School, Arcos in Spain when they visit Stadhampton on 20th May. We worked with this school previously as part of a Comenius project and look forward to catching up with them again.

P.T.A. News
Thank you to everyone who purchased items from the second hand uniform stall last Friday. The P.T.A. is pleased to report that we made £30.50 towards our funds. This amount, combined with the sales of new uniform that were available, has resulted in such a positive response that we will definitely be holding another uniform sale in the near future. A big thank you goes to Tracy Perring for organising the new uniform items and Eimer Fernie and Lucy Ellis for beautifully displaying the second-hand ones.

The clothes recycling bags were piled high on Tuesday, so thank you to all families who brought items into school. We will be able to inform you of how much money we have raised, once the items have been weighed and sorted by Bag2school.

Our Family Fun Day is promising to be a really good afternoon out for all members of the family. Everything will kick off at 1.30pm in the Community Hall this Saturday 14th May. We can confirm that there will be teas, coffees, juice and squash, cakes and biscuits, with cream teas as a special treat! Children can get their face painted, decorate a glass jar to make a night light, decorate a plant pot and sow some seeds and make a fantastic kite – that really flies! We will also have a Children’s Tombola. There will also be a very special competition for all children who enter the “Junk Heap Challenge” - Come and make a model out of our junk heap, have your photo taken with it and if your model is judged to be the best in show your photo will appear on the front cover of the Parish Magazine!
The afternoon will end at approx. 4pm when the winners of our Puzzle Trails will be announced! - Adults could win Tea for Two at The Crazy Bear and children could win Tickets to Beale Park. It’s not too late to buy the Puzzle Sheets. We are still offering our “buy one get one free offer” for both adult’s and children’s trails for £5.00. Puzzle sheets are available from Sarah Madry - 07749 224464 and Catherine Odell - 07917 696149.

This will be our last opportunity to make a request for donations of cakes and biscuits to sell on Saturday. We would be very grateful for any contributions, whether they are home made or shop bought. Please bring any treats into school on Friday 13th and leave in the school kitchen, or bring along on the day. We are also requesting donations of any items to do with children for the children’s tombola. They can include good quality, second hand or new books, toys, games, sweets etc. Please bring items into school no later than Friday morning and leave in the red P.T.A. box labelled donations in the school hall. Thank you!

Every child should have received a letter in their book bags from the P.T.A. and Mrs Turner, informing families of the development of the children’s new play equipment. The P.T.A. is very pleased to announce a contribution of £5,000 towards this project. The designs and plans will be on display for the first time at the Fun Day, so please feel free to come and have a look. Mrs Turner and members of the P.T.A. will be very happy to answer any queries you may have about the project. We look forward to seeing you on Saturday!

A message from the Thames Valley Health Protection Unit
We have recently received a letter from the Thames valley HPU regarding advice and information about measles. There is a reported increase in the number of cases of measles locally and nationally in 2011 and in continental Europe. Children who have not received the MMR vaccine and who have recently returned from a visit to continental Europe are more vulnerable to infection and the Thames Valley HPU advice to parents/carers of such children is to be aware of the signs and symptoms of the disease. Further information can be found on www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/Measles

Playground Developments
As you may have read in a recent newsletter from the PTA, we are delighted that we are, at last, in a position to replace the climbing equipment in the school grounds. The children, through the School Council, have been closely involved in the choice of new equipment and we hope that installation will take place in mid-June, giving all pupils an opportunity to play on it before the summer holidays. We are extremely grateful to the PTA for their support of this project; they have been involved in the planning and have made a very significant financial contribution. Without this support we would not be able to provide such facilities so, on behalf of all pupils, thank you!

Little Bears News
We will be finding out about healthy eating, making healthy food plates and talking about our senses. We will also be enjoying some exotic fruit kebabs and finding out about hygiene and why it’s important to wash those germs away!!

DIARY DATES:
Wednesday 18th May Y5 Students visiting ICC – PE lesson
Mobile library visit
Friday 20th May Cycle Training starts
Tuesday 24th May Mrs Elliott from Icknield Community College will be talking to our Y6 pupls about their transition into Secondary School.
Wednesday 25th May Weighing and measuring of Reception pupils and Year 6 by the school nurse (rearranged from 25th March)
Friday 27th May Break up at the end of Term 5 at 3.15pm

Monday 6th June INSET Day – teachers only at school
Tuesday 7th June Pupils return to school for the start of Term 6
Wednesday 22nd June Y5 Students visiting ICC – Creative Arts lesson
Mobile library visit
Friday 22nd July Term 6 ends at 1.30pm

Newsletter No 1 - 6th May 2011

2011-05-04T14:44:00.002+01:00

Happy MAY Birthday to: Hannah Bradford, Leo Burnell, Ruby Dallimore, Benedict Diment, Buddy Halliday, Molly Howard, Ella Lavene, Maisie Matthews, Oliver Stewart and Tazmin Vale.

During the month of MAY we are focusing on the core value of UNDERSTANDING

Topics/Areas of Study
A letter from your child’s teacher outlining the topics/areas of study that pupils will be covering in Terms 5 and 6 will be sent home on Friday in book bags.

School Meals
The New Summer/Autumn menu, recently distributed to parents has also now been uploaded onto the Learning Platform and the school website.

Cycling Proficiency Training
The following pupils have put their names down for cycling proficiency training: Alice Madry, Amy Akers, Andrew Oakley, Chloe Brown and Benedict Diment. Please could any other Year 6 pupils who would like to take up this opportunity let Mrs Hopkins know by Monday 9th May? After this date, depending on the size of the group, we will decide whether to offer this opportunity to the oldest Year 5 pupils. The sessions will be held in the afternoons and will commence on Friday 20th May, then 27th May, 10th, 17th & 24rd June. The test date will be on Tuesday 28th June. Each pupil will need a roadworthy bicycle (front and rear brakes and reflectors) and a cycle helmet, which fits properly.

Gardening Club Request
Does anyone have any bark chips (end of bags or whole bags) which they would be willing to donate to the Gardening Club please?

PTA News
Spring has definitely sprung and the fantastic weather has meant that everyone who bought plants through the P.T.A. has been able to get out in the garden and make the most of the sunshine. The plant sale resulted in a profit of £124.69 for P.T.A. funds, so “Thank You!” to all those who placed an order. Thanks also to Sarah Green and Lucy Ellis who did a great job in sorting the orders and handing them out.

Can we remind parents and carers that there will be a School Uniform Sale on Friday 6th May from 2.45pm under the covered area outside Class One. Tracy Perring will be on hand to sell you new items, such as sweatshirts, cardigans, tee shirts etc. There will also be some second-hand items that include white tops, trousers, skirts, dresses etc. We are still accepting any last minute donations, so if you have any clean items in good condition that you wish to give, please bring them into school A.S.A.P. Payments can be made by cheque or cash on the day. All proceeds will go towards P.T.A. funds.

The Clothes Recycling Collection will be on Tuesday 10th May from the school at around 10am. If you have any clean, good quality adult and children’s clothes, shoes, belts, bags, bedding, towels or soft toys, please bring them into school in the blue recycling bag we have provided (via children’s book bags) by 9.00am on the Tuesday morning. If you run out of blue bin bags , it is fine to use ordinary black bin bags. Thank you.

Puzzle Trail Sheets are selling like hot cakes! There is just under two weeks left to complete the trails and return your sheets to the school to stand a chance of winning a prize in the draws that will take place at the Family Fun Day (See details below). The P.T.A. can now confirm that adults could win Tea for Two at The Crazy Bear and children could win Tickets to Beale Park.
Puzzle Trail sheets are available from Sarah Madry 07749 224464, Catherine Odell 07917 696149 or the school office. Each Puzzle Trail sheet is being offered for a small donation of £5.00 towards P.T.A. funds, but we would like to present a fantastic “Buy one get one free” offer of both Puzzle Trails for £5.00! Please return your completed Puzzle Trail sheets to the school by 3.00pm on Saturday 14th May to be entered into the draws.

On Saturday 14th May from 1.30pm in the Community (School) Hall everyone is welcome to join us for some wonderful craft activities, tea, coffee, hot chocolates and yummy cakes. We plan to have face painting, kite making, seed planting, model building and lots of other fun and games on offer for children of all ages. Parents can come and have a catch up with friends and why not bring grandparents along too, to join in the fun. Entry to the Family Fun Day will be free and each activity will be available for a small charge towards P.T.A. funds.

Calling All Families! -To make the Family Fun Day a truly fantastic event for the children (and adults!) the P.T.A. need a little help from parents and carers!
We would like to make a request for donations of cakes and biscuits to sell on Saturday 14th May and would be very grateful for any contributions, whether they are home made or shop bought. Please bring any treats into school on Friday 13th and leave in the school kitchen, or bring along on the day.

We are also requesting donations of any items to do with children for the children’s tombola. They can include good quality, second hand or new books, toys, games, sweets etc. Please bring any items into school A.S.A.P. and leave in the red P.T.A. box labelled donations in the school hall. This is the perfect opportunity for a clear out, so why not donate some unwanted “bits and bobs” and help a good cause?

If anybody is able to help out and lend a hand at the Family Fun Day then the P.T.A. would love to hear from you! – If you are able to give just half an hour of your time please speak to Sarah Madry or contact her on the above mobile number.

As always, the P.T.A. is very grateful for everyone’s on going support and thank you in advance for your generous contributions. We should be able to bring you some exiting news about the development of the children’s play equipment very soon. Watch this space for updates!

Little Bears News
Continuing with the “All About Me” theme, we will be talking about our families and making family trees. It would be great if children could bring in a family photo as part of this topic work.

DIARY DATES:
Monday 9th May SATs Week
Swimming begins for Class 2 pupils – 4 sessions in total
After school Cricket Club starts
Tuesday 10th May PTA Clothes Recycling collection. Please bring bags in for 9am.
Wednesday 11th May After school Netball Club and Multiskills starts
Thursday 12th May After school Football Club with Premier Sports
Saturday 14th May PTA Family Fun Day – 1.30pm at school (please note new time)
Wednesday 18th May Y5 Students visiting ICC – PE lesson
Mobile library visit
Wednesday 25th May Weighing and measuring of Reception pupils and Year 6 by the school nurse (rearranged from 25th March)
Friday 27th May Break up at the end of Term 5 at 3.15pm
Monday 6th June INSET Day – teachers only at school
Tuesday 7th June Pupils return to school for the start of Term 6
Wednesday 22nd June Y5 Students visiting ICC – Creative Arts
Mobile library visit
Friday 22nd July Term 6 ends at 1.30pm

Newsletter No 6 - 8th April 2011

2011-04-08T08:08:00.002+01:00

Message from the Governing Body:
We are delighted to announce that Paul Gravett has been appointed, unopposed, as a new parent governor with effect from Monday 4th April 2011. Paul, whose daughter, Ella is in the Foundation Stage Class, will bring a wealth of expertise to the Governing Body and we are very pleased to welcome him.
Regards, Jason Hector (Chair of Governors)

School Meals
We are pleased to provide each family, via book bags, with a copy of the new Summer/Autumn Menu for 2011 which comes into operation on 2nd May. This will also be posted onto the Learning Platform as soon as it becomes available. For the 27th and 28th April there is a special menu associated with the Royal Wedding as follows:
27th April: Choice of “Royal” Roast chicken or veggie toad in the hole, with celebration ice-cream for dessert
28th April: Breaded fish or veggie country bake, with apple crumble and custard for dessert
Please remember to pay for school meals on the first day of each week. The cost remains at £2.05 per day and cheques should be made payable to Oxfordshire County Council with Stadhampton School written on the back, please, in line with OCC requirements.
Many thanks.

SATs Tests
KS1 SATs for Year 2 pupils will take place throughout May. SATs for KS2 pupils follow a set national timetable and take place during the week beginning 9th May. Pupils in Years 3, 4 and 5 also have tests in May. We politely request that dentist appointments, holiday requests, etc are not made during this time.

PTA Message
The dates for PTA events have been added to the diary dates list at the end of this newsletter.

Swimming at the Abbey Sports Centre
Class 2 pupils will be swimming at the Abbey Sports Centre on Monday 9th, 16th, 23rd May and then also on Monday 13th June. We would, as always, appreciate a “voluntary” contribution of £4 for these sessions towards the cost of the coach transport.
Class 3 pupils will be swimming on Monday 20 and 27th June, and then Monday 4, 11th and 18th July, a total of 5 sessions. Cheques for swimming should be made payable to Stadhampton School.

Storytelling Chair Event
During the afternoon of Wednesday 27th April we are holding an event to celebrate the creation of our wonderful storytelling chair. We have invited members of the Peers family to attend and ‘cut the ribbon’ followed by storytelling events led by the cast of Daylight Theatre. The local press are expected to cover this event so if there are any parents who do not wish their child/ren to be included in a press photograph please let the school office know at the beginning of the day on Wednesday 27th.

Royal Wedding Hat Competition!
All children are invited to create their own hat to be worn during our lunch, in the style of a street party, on Thursday 28th April. The competition will be judged by the children with a prize for each class winner.

After-School Club Letters
Letters explaining the days, times and costs of the after-school clubs which will run after Easter in Terms 5 and 6 should have been sent home, via book bags, earlier this week.

School Council Challenge
This competition is open to all pupils. The challenge is to create a vehicle which can transport an Easter Egg safely around an obstacle course which includes ramps, slides and bumpy ground. The egg must remain intact and be visible at all times. If you would like to enter the competition, please bring in the vehicle you have made on Thursday 28th April for testing in the afternoon! The School Council will provide the eggs. It costs 50p to enter the competition and the money raised will go towards the new outdoor play equipment. There will be two prizes – one for the best functioning vehicle and one for the one which looks the most attractive! It is entirely optional to decorate the vehicle as a royal wedding carriage! The vehicle can be made from any materials and should be designed and constructed by the children, although we appreciate that some adult help may be required.

Premier Sports Easter Course
A reminder that the Premier Sports Group are running a holiday course here from Monday 18th April through to Thursday 21st April from 9-3pm for participating pupils. It is hoped that the majority of the course will be spent outdoors, weather permitting.

Little Bears
We will be celebrating the Royal Wedding by making flags and bunting, making Royal crowns and even designing a wedding dress fit for a princess!
We will also be doing some baking, making yummy mini “wedding cakes”

DIARY DATES for
Tuesday 26th April Staff INSET Day. No pupils at school
Wednesday 27th & Thursday 28th April Pupils in school- special lunch menu
Plant delivery at 3.15pm on Wednesday 27th April for all those who have ordered plants
After-school Netball Tournament for participating pupils
Friday 29th April Bank Holiday – Royal Wedding
Monday 2nd May Bank Holiday
Thursday 5th May Confirmation that school is closed to pupils due to elections being held in the School Hall
Friday 6th May New and second-hand uniform sale at 2.45pm outside Class 1
Tuesday 10th May PTA Clothes Recycling collection. Please bring bags in for 9am.
Saturday 14th May PTA Family Fun Day – 1.30pm at school(please note new time)

Please find attached to this newsletter three posters about events on at the Children’s Centre in Chalgrove and Watlington.

Newsletter No 5 - 1st April 2011

2011-03-31T14:51:00.001+01:00

Happy APRIL Birthday to: Katende Amery, Thea Diment, Orla Fernie, Julian Fouquet Burns, Oliver Jones and Jamie Lavene.

During April we are focusing on HUMILITY

Letter from Ofsted
We are pleased to have provided each family with a letter to parents from Ofsted, which was sent home via book bags, earlier this week. Ofsted decided not to inspect the school this year because their interim assessment concluded that the “good” performance achieved at our last Ofsted inspection (March 2008) has been sustained. We are very pleased with this interim assessment, however, we are not complacent. Staff and governors will continue to work hard to do our very best for the children of Stadhampton Primary School by pursuing improvements, engaging with families and providing the local community with a school to be proud of.

Mothers Day Daffodils
A huge thank you to Mr and Mrs Birtles who have, once again, provided each pupil with a bunch of daffodils for Mothers Day.

Weighing and Measuring for Reception and Year 6 pupils
Unfortunately the weighing and measuring by the school health nurse was not able to take place on Friday 25th March. It has now been re-scheduled for Wednesday 25th May.

Visit by the Dentist
We were very disappointed that the Bury Knowle Dental Practice cancelled their arrangement to provide an assembly and slideshow on dental hygiene for all pupils earlier this week, an hour before the assembly was due to take place, due to staff shortages. As the dentist was unable to come to school, the opportunity to have children’s teeth inspected, was also withdrawn. We apologies on behalf of the dentist for any inconvenience caused.

Boys Football Tournament – by Andrew and Ben
On the 23rd of March, six boys from Class 3 and three boys from Year 4 went to the Watlington Partnership Football Tournament. We played six teams and did reasonably well. We won 2, drew 2 and lost 2. This placed us in joint 3rd place, 4th on goal difference.

Cycle Safety Training
We are very grateful to Mrs Leighfield, Mrs Scragg and Mrs Vale for once again agreeing to oversee our Cycling Safety Training. Initially Y6 pupils are being offered this opportunity, as the parent volunteers prefer to work with a small group. We realise that not all pupils will be available to participate in each training session but feel that attendance on at least 4 out of 5 training sessions will be sufficient. The sessions will be held in the afternoons and will commence on Friday 20th May, 27th May, 10th, 17th & 24rd June. The test date will be on Tuesday 28th June. Each pupil will need a roadworthy bicycle (front and rear brakes and reflectors) and a cycle helmet, which fits properly. Please let Mrs Hopkins know as soon as possible if you would like to book a place.

Clarinet Concert
Miss Shah and all pupils in Class 3, led by Mrs Rose from the County Music Service, presented a short clarinet concert to parents on Tuesday 29th March. All pupils in Class 3 are currently learning to play the clarinet as part of a one-year government-funded programme.
This was a wonderful occasion with Class 3 clearly demonstrating their enthusiasm for, and pleasure in, playing the clarinet. It was amazing to see how much progress all pupils have made in only 6 months.

P.T.A. News
Thank you to everyone who attended the committee meeting last Tuesday night. We had a very positive get together and have now finalised details for some fund raising events planned over the next term.

• On Wednesday 27th April – The plants from C.D. Bell will be delivered to the school, just in time for planting out over the bank holiday weekend. Anyone who has placed an order will be able to collect their plants after school pick up at 3.15pm, from the pavement in front of the gated entrance to the playground in the car park.
N.B. Can we inform parents and carers that the deadline for handing the plant order forms has been extended! – The last chance for returning your order forms is now Friday 8th April at 1.30pm.

• On Friday 6th May – The P.T.A. will be holding a second hand uniform sale along with Tracy Perring selling new uniform items. This will take place under the covered area outside Class One. We are inviting parents to come and have a look through all items of uniforms from 2.45pm onwards. We are now happy to receive any items of second hand uniform that you may wish to donate towards the sale. Please bring clean trousers, skirts, dresses, white tops and good condition blue tops into school A.S.A.P. so they can be sorted before the sale. Thank You.
N.B. Tracy has asked if we could remind parents/carers that the P.T.A. uniform shop is open on Thursdays between 3.15 and 3.30pm, in Little Bears.

• On Tuesday 10th May – There will be a clothes recycling collection from the school at around 10am. If you have any clean, good quality adult and children’s clothes, shoes, belts, bags, bedding, towels or soft toys, please bring them into school in the blue recycling bag we have provided (via children’s book bags) by 9.00am on the Tuesday morning. Extra black bin bags are always available. Thank You.

• On Saturday 14th May – The P.T.A. are going to hold a Family Fun Day! From 1.00pm in the Community (School) Hall everyone is welcome to join us for some wonderful craft activities, tea, coffee, hot chocolate and yummy cakes. We plan to have face painting, kite making, seed planting, model building and lots of other fun and games on offer for children of all ages. Parents can come and have a catch up with friends and why not bring grandparents along too, to join in the fun. Entry to the event will be free and each activity will be available for a small charge towards P.T.A. funds.
The Fun Day is planned to coincide with a Puzzle Trail that the P.T.A. has organised around Stadhampton village. A circular walk with questions about our village has been put together for adults and a smaller circular walk for children has been designed with letters to spot that form a simple word. Puzzle Trail sheets are available from Sarah Madry 07749 224464, Catherine Odell 07917 696149 or the school office. Each Puzzle Trail sheet is being offered for a small donation of £5.00 towards P.T.A. funds, but we would like to present a fantastic “Buy one get one free” offer of both Puzzle Trails for £5.00!
You are free to do the Puzzle Trails at any time after you have purchased them, but if you return your completed Puzzle Trail sheets to the school by 3.00pm on Saturday 14th May, all correct entries will be entered into our prize draws! There will be two prizes on offer – One for adults and one for children! Watch this space for more details…….

Little Bears
We will be getting ready for Easter next week. We are having an Easter Bonnet Parade on Friday 8th and for those who do not usually attend this session but would like to be involved, please arrive at 11am and don’t forget your bonnets!

DIARY DATES for April 2011 and beyond:

Sunday 3rd April Mothering Sunday worship in Church at 9.30am
Monday 4th April Last Hockey after school club
Tuesday 5th April Class 2 visit to Bekonscot
Wednesday 6th April Mobile Library
Last Netball and Multiskills after school club
Thursday 7th April Last Football after-school club
Friday 8th April End of Term Assembly at 9.05 All welcome.
1.30pm finish for pupils
Tuesday 26th April Staff INSET Day. No pupils at school
Wednesday 27th & Thursday 28th April Pupils in school
Friday 29th April Bank Holiday – Royal Wedding
Monday 2nd May Bank Holiday
Thursday 5th May Confirmation that school is closed to pupils due to elections being held in the School Hall

Newsletter no 4 - 25th March 2011

2011-03-24T13:45:00.002Z

From the Governing Body:
Although we are not aware of any issues at the present time, the staff and Governing Body of Stadhampton Primary School recognise that from time to time, parents may have concerns about their child or the school. We feel that it is our responsibility to remind parents at least annually that if they do have any concerns to please let us know by making an appointment with your child’s teacher or the Headteacher. In the unlikely event that informal discussion does not resolve the issue, complaints should be referred to the Governing Body and finally to the Local Authority (LA). We recognise that parents have statutory rights of complaint and the applicable school policy, along with the school’s 68 other policies, is available from the school office.

Used printer ink cartridges
Many thanks for bringing in your used/unwanted printer ink cartridges. We have, on this occasion, donated them to a charity called Lunch 4 Learning. This is a charity that works with Ugandan Primary Schools to provide lunch for pupils who presently go hungry. The aim is to increase their attendance and improve their learning by helping schools to establish sustainable ways of providing a regular midday meal. At present many children set off to school without a meal and return home without having eaten. Further details of this charity are available from the school office.

Grounds Development
As many of you will be aware, recent developments in our school grounds have included the creation of an outdoor performance area, the building of a safe, off-road waiting area and the extension of the tarmac area. We are now in the process of having an outdoor covered area constructed providing an outdoor classroom for use by pupils and staff. It is also envisaged that this will provide a quiet area for pupils during playtimes and a covered area in which parents of Reception Class pupils can wait if it’s raining. These developments form part of our planned on-going school improvements to provide a range of stimulating facilities at Stadhampton School. We are very grateful to the PTA for their financial support of some of these developments. We are currently in the process of planning to replace the climbing frame area and, along with our pupils and the PTA, are investigating a number of options. Watch this space!

Dentist in School
We have accepted an offer for a dentist based at the Bury Knowle Health Centre in Headington to come into school on Tuesday 29th March and deliver an assembly and slide show to all pupils on the importance of dental hygiene. A letter from them, explaining that as part of this visit there will also be an opportunity for pupils to be checked by the dentist, was put into book bags earlier this week. If you would like your child to be examined by the dentist, please complete the form and return to school before 29th March.

Japan Emergency Appeal
One of the most powerful earthquakes in history, an enormous tsunami, a nuclear power station crisis and sub-zero temperatures – it is almost impossible to comprehend the extend of this disaster. More than 440,000 people have been forced from their homes by the disaster, including up to 100,000 children. The situation in the affected areas has been made more difficult by shortages of food, water and fuel, and a drop in temperature with snowfall across some of the worst-affected areas.

You have already generously supported our recent fund-raising events for Children in Need and Comic Relief, as well as PTA – organized events, however, pupils and staff are also keen to help Japanese victims in some way. After looking at the work of a number of charities, we have decided to support the Save the Children Japan Emergency Appeal. They have a team in Sendai, one of the worst affected areas, who have set up an operations base to help the most vulnerable children and their families. We will be working with the School Council to organise a specific fund-raising event in the near future which we hope you will support. In the meantime we do have a collection jar in school which you are very welcome to contribute to if you wish. Further information regarding the appeal can be found on
www.savethechildren.or.uk/en/japan-earquake-and-tsunami-appeal

Springtime at the Wittenham Clumps - Easter Clumps Club 2011
We have been notified by Earth Trust that they are running Easter Clumps Clubs for children aged between 8-12 yr olds, 10am – 3pm £25 per child per day. For further information please contact 01865 407792.
Monday 11th April – Wild Survival Day
Have you got what it takes to survive in the wild? Practice shelter building and learn to light fires without matches. Survival games and challenges throughout the day!
Tuesday 12th April – An Eggsellent Eggstravaganza
It’s all about eggs. Craft, games and activities to do with eggs: Egg painting, egg camouflage, wild bird eggs, and the final great egg rolling challenge!

Louisa Kevis
We are delighted to welcome Louisa Kevis, a student at Oxford and Cherwell College, on placement in our Reception Class until July 2011.

Comic Relief
Thank you to everyone who paid £1 or more to “wear something red” last Friday for Comic Relief. All children participated in a series of “Red Nose Races” organised by the staff and we are pleased to report that Stadhampton School was able to add £122 to the national collection.

Little Bears
Next week we are getting ready for Mothers Day – so look out for some lovely surprises! Our beans are progressing nicely, please feel free to pop in and take a look.

DIARY DATES for March 2011 onwards

Tuesday 29th March
PTA Meeting at 8pm in the School Hall. All welcome
Friday 1st April
Plant Order Form return deadline
Monday 4th April
Last Hockey after school club
Tuesday 5th april
Class 2 visit to Bekonscot
Wednesday 6th April
Mobile Library
Last Netball and Multiskills after school club
Thursday 7th April
Last Football after-school club
Friday 8th April
End of Term Assembly at 9.05 All welcome.
1.30pm finish for pupils
Tuesday 26th April
Staff INSET Day. No pupils at school
Wenesday 27th & Thursday 28th April
Pupils in school
Friday 29th April
Bank Holiday – Royal Wedding
Monday 2nd May
Bank Holiday
Thursday 5th May
Confirmation that school is closed to pupils due to elections being held in the School Hall

Newsletter No 3 - 18th March 2011

2011-03-17T14:55:00.002Z

Storytelling Chair
We are delighted to be the proud owners of a unique storytelling chair. The chair has been created in collaboration with Mr Simon Clements, a local woodcarver, and Mr Philip Clayden, a local woodworker. Our pupils have been instrumental in designing the images carved on the chair and met Mr Clements to present and discuss their ideas. The chair, which is made from a variety of different woods, most of which are locally sourced, has been constructed in the shape of a hollowed-out tree trunk with carved features on the inside and outside surfaces. These include a dragon, a giant beanstalk, a pirate ship, a pot of gold, a knight in (shining) armour, and Rapunzel, with many other characters and features for sharp eyes and keen imaginations to spot! We hope the storytelling chair will provide a very special stimulus for inspirational storytelling – both by adults and children.

The chair has been made possible through the long-standing links between the Peers family and Stadhampton School. In the early 19th century, members of the Peers family who lived at Chiselhampton House, set up an educational foundation for the future education of families in Stadhampton and Chiselhampton. Over the years the annual income has, inevitably, reduced in financial value and the trustees recently arranged to “wind-up” the funds. We were keen to use the final payment in a way that would benefit all pupils, both now and in the future and provide a unique and permanent asset to the school. The storytelling chair, we believe, fulfils these criteria and links the past with the present and the future.

Guitar Lessons
If any other pupils would like to begin guitar lessons, please could they collect and complete a form from the school office as soon as possible. It would appear that there is a sufficient number of interested pupils to make this opportunity viable.

Easter Holiday Multisports Course at Stadhampton School
We are pleased to let everyone know that Michael Hopkins will be leading a holiday course again at Stadhampton School on behalf of the Premier Sports Group, for the 4 days leading up to Good Friday, i.e. 18th – 21st April. The course will run from 9am -3pm each day and is available at the special offer price of £5 per day. We would be happy to receive completed application forms and payment from Stadhampton parents into the school office or you may also book directly with Premier Sports. It is anticipated that there will be a high demand for places.

Mid-Year Summary Reports
Mid-year summary reports for all pupils were sent home via book bags on Tuesday.

Nit Alert
Please could everyone check their children’s hair this weekend as a parent has kindly reported that their child had nits, which have now been treated.

First Aid Training by Amber Tomkins, Maisie Matthews and Andrew Oakley
“Some pupils took part in First Aid Training and it was very enjoyable. We sang “Staying Alive” whilst we did C.P.R on plastic dummies. We learned a lot of things which could help in a real situation.”

Bookfeast by Chloe Brown and Tom Leighfield
“On the 14th of March 2011 Years 4, 5 and 6 went to the Natural History Museum to listen to a lecture by Michael Rosen. He was very funny and was talking about his life and got the audience very much involved. It was a lecture to remember. Afterwards we went on a story trail around the museum, finding objects to inspire our own stories.”
And by Betsy Elliott and Cora White
“Years 1, 2 and 3 went to see Tony Bradman and he read us lots of his poems. They were very funny and they made us laugh. One was about teachers! We would like to read more of them...”

P.T.A. News
We would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who attended the Pizza & Bingo Night last Friday. Thanks also go to Shirley Bateman for being a superb Bingo caller, members of the P.T.A. who made delicious cakes for the children’s dessert and all parents, teachers and P.T.A. members who came along and helped out on the evening. The children were very enthusiastic and by the end of the last game, were experts at marking off their Bingo cards! It was very rewarding to see them having so much fun. The event raised £96.18 and this will be added to P.T.A. funds. We hope to hold another Bingo evening later in the year – if Shirley’s voice can recover!

Plant Order Forms
There’s just a hint of spring in the air and some of you may be keen to get out in the garden over the next few weeks and tend to your flower beds. The P.T.A. would like to offer those of you with green fingers, the opportunity of purchasing some hanging baskets, bedding plants and patio vegetables via the school. We have handed out plant order forms in book bags this week (one per family) and ask that you take a look at the plant supplier’s web site at what’s available www.cdbell.co.uk The Company will donate 30% of all sales, with a further 5% on orders totalling £250 so this is a fantastic way of helping the P.T.A. to raise extra funds and to get some beautiful plants for your garden. Please return completed order forms with your payment in a sealed envelope to the school office, no later than Friday 1st April (two weeks from today.) Extra order forms are available from the school office or Sarah Madry. The plants will be delivered to the school on Wednesday 27th April, in time for planting out over the May Bank Holiday. N.B. Please place your order through the school and not on the supplier’s website – Thanks!

Clothes recycling & Second hand uniforms
The date for our spring clothes recycling collection will be Tuesday May 10th. We would like to remind parents/carers and their families to have a sort out of good quality, clean clothes, bedding, towels, soft toys, shoes and bags. Recycling bags will be handed out before the Easter Holidays but you can donate items in black bin bags too. While sorting through your children’s clothes, you may wish to consider donating items of school uniform to the P.T.A. We plan to have a second hand uniform sale at the beginning of May and would be willing to take clean white tops, P.E. T-shirts, trousers, shorts, summer and winter dresses, skirts, blue cardigans and sweatshirts. The items will be on sale in school before the recycling collection date and any items not sold would then be donated to this cause and help raise additional funds for the P.T.A. Please keep these items separate from the recycling bags! If you wish to donate any items before the Easter holidays please speak to Sarah Madry, Eimer Fernie or any member of the P.T.A. committee. Thank you.

Next P.T.A. meeting
Our next gathering will be on Tuesday 29th March in the school hall at 8.00pm. Everyone is welcome to come along and help organise some fun events over the spring and summer. We look forward to seeing you then.

Parent Governor Vacancy
The governing body consists of parent governors, staff governors, community governors, and LA appointed governors. Our school has three parent governors and currently has a vacancy for another parent governor. Parent governors have all the same powers and duties as other governors.

The governing body usually meets once a term, usually on a Monday evening.

To be eligible to stand for election as a parent governor you have to have parental responsibility for a pupil at the school. Having "parental responsibility" is not limited to biological parents, but will cover you if you are a step-parent, foster parent, grandparent bringing up the child, or permanent partner of the child's biological parent. A few people cannot be school governors; those who have been made bankrupt or who have been in prison for certain offences may not serve for at least three years afterwards. If you have any doubts as to your eligibility on any of these grounds, please contact the school office.

The child must be on the school roll at the time the election is held. However, parent governors do not have to resign if their children leave the school before their term of office has expired.
Although you don't need any educational experience or expertise, you should attend the free training course provided by Governor Services for newly appointed governors so that you are fully aware of your role. The term of office is usually four years.

We invite interested persons to complete the nomination form attached to this newsletter and return it to the school office by 1st April 2011.

The information which you provide in the section “Why I would like to be a parent governor” will be circulated to all parents in the event of the school receiving more than one nomination. In this event, the school will need to ask parents to vote for one candidate in a secret ballot.

The school really needs active parent governors, so please do think about applying.

Little Bears
This week we are continuing with our theme “what we can grow”. We will be planting potatoes and looking at the tomatoes and asparagus we planted last week. We are also looking after our “bean in a jar” which are growing nicely. This week we will be planting Mr McGregor’s garden and seeing what that cheeky Peter Rabbit is up to!! We will also be introducing “Tommy the Monkey” to the children – he is a very happy, loving monkey who will be coming home with the children in turn and loves nothing more than a good adventure.

DIARY DATES for March 2011 onwards

Monday 21st March
Work Viewing Evening – 3.30 – 6.00pm
Wednesday 23rd March
ICC Partnership Football Tournament @ RAF Benson- after school
Tuesday 29th March
PTA Meeting – School Hall @ 8pm
Friday 8th April
End of Term – 1.30pm finish for pupils
Tuesday 26th April
INSET Day – Pupils not in School
Wednesday 27th April
Pupils Return to School
Friday 29th April
Bank Holiday – Royal Wedding
Monday 2nd May
Bank Holiday
Thursday 5th May
Parish Elections – Potential School Closure
Tuesday 10th May
Spring Clothes Recycling Collection

Newsletter No 2 - 11th March 2011

2011-03-11T08:12:00.001Z

Swimming Money Reminder
A polite reminder to parents that we hope to receive a “voluntary contribution” of £1 per pupil per week towards the cost of the transport to the Abbey Sports Centre for swimming lessons. There are 6 sessions this term for Class 3 pupils.

Go Guitar Tuition
We were pleased to welcome Russel Payne from “Go Guitar” tuition into school earlier this week. Mr Payne, who also teaches guitar at Icknield Community College, talked to pupils about learning the guitar, demonstrated both classical and electric guitars and entertained the children with his spontainious rendition of “Three Little Birds”, which has been our assembly music this week. Leaflets are available from the school office for KS2 pupils who would like to learn to play this instrument. We anticipate the costs per term (10 lessons for 7-9 children) to be £40. Pupils would need their own guitar (most beginners should ideally start on a nylon strung classical guitar, which can be purchased from most music shops.) It is anticipated that these lessons would take place in school, probably at lunchtime.

Message from PTA Committee - Tonight is Bingo Night!
Tickets for the P.T.A. Kids Bingo & Pizza Night, 5.30–7.00pm in the school hall have all sold out! Thank you, to all of you who have purchased a ticket. It promises to be a really fun event with some great prizes and tasty pizza and cakes.
Please note: No entry will be allowed without a ticket – So please remember to bring yours along! Can we also please ask all parents/carers to collect their children from the hall at 7.00pm, rather than tell the children to meet them in the car park? It will still be dark at that time and the P.T.A. would like to make sure each child has been safely picked up at the end of the night. No children will be allowed to leave the hall until an adult arrives for them. Thank you! The P.T.A. is looking forward to seeing you later this evening for a great time!

Red Nose Day – Friday 18th March
Please bring £1 for our Red Nose Day activities on Friday 18th March. Pupils may pay £1 to “wear something red” and enjoy fun races in the afternoon.
Reminder – if your child would like to have the special school lunch on Red Nose Day please send in lunch money (£2.05) on Monday 14th March , if you haven’t done so already. Thank you.

Little Bears
At Little Bears this week we will be celebrating St Patrick’s Day with some Irish activities including flag making and cooking. We will also be tasting some Irish soda bread for our snack. We will be looking at the nursery rhyme “Mary Mary, Quite Contrary” as part of our theme “growing” and will also be planting mini-gardens and making lots of flowers.

Chalgrove and Watlington Children’s Centre Events
“New Opportunities Workshop” starting on Wednesday 23rd March for 3 weeks 9.15-11.30am at the Chalgrove Children’s Centre
One Day Workshop – “Promoting Positive Behaviour” on Saturday 21st May 9.30-4.30pm at the Chalgrove Children’s Centre
Flyers which provide further information about both of these events are on display in the entrance foyer.

DIARY DATES for March 2011

Monday 14th March
Bookfeast visits. All pupils involved except Foundation Stage.
Friday 18th March
Red Nose Day – pay £1 to “wear something red”
Monday 21st March
Work Viewing Evening – 3.30 – 6.00pm

Newsletter No 1 - 4th March 2011

2011-03-04T08:26:00.002Z

Happy MARCH Birthday to: Darcy Crook, Emily Drake, Daniel Ellis, Hannah Lansley, Greg Madry, Hannah Tombling and Naomi Woodwards.

During March we are focusing on the core value of “HOPE”

Oxford Brookes Science Bazaar
Free fun for the family! Brookes Science Bazaar is back with a host of new hands-on activities and one or two of last year’s faviourites! Saturday 12th March 11am – 4pm (10am – 12noon for under 5’s) Headington Campus, Gipsy Lane site – main reception. For more information please visit www.brookes.ac.uk/sciencefestival or www.oxfordshiresciencefestival.co.uk or phone 01865 484829/484864

First Aid Workshops – 7th March
Pupils enrolled on the second session on Monday 7th March are: Millie Birtles, Bryce Dobson, Georgia Valentine, Ella Mae White, Matt Green, Ayisha Hall, Hannah Tombling, Annabel Roe, Chloe Scragg, Alice & Ewan Madry, Owen Cove, Josh & Maisie Matthews. One more pupil is on “stand-by” so if anyone whose name is listed above is not able to attend, please let us know.

“Jian-Zi” Tournament
The results of the tournament at our partner school in Hazlach, Poland have now been received and are as follows: 1st Kazimierz Kozubek with 44, 2nd Szymon Majetny with 43 and 3rd Daniel Wojcik with 21. So this year Benedict Diment with his amazing score of 137, is the international champion and the trophy will be returned to Stadhampton School.

Advanced Warning
We have been advised by SODC that the Hall and therefore the whole school, may be required to be used as a Polling Station on Thursday 5th May. We will, of course, let parents know as soon as final confirmation is received.

World Book Day
Each child received a £1 book token this week in celebration of World Book Day. A huge thank you to all the wonderful character costumes for this event. Characters included Mr Sneeze, Cinderella, Mr Wolf (without his three little pigs!), Wally from Where’s Wally, Dinah from The Dinosaurs Packed Lunch, Geronimo Stilton, James Bond, Just William and Obelix to name just a few. Favourite stories were read in class and a selection read in assembly. Children were fascinated to hear about the character choices of other pupils and were also delighted to see each member of staff also dressed as a character.

PTA reminder
Children’s Pizza and Bingo night on Friday 11th March 5.30 – 7.00pm in the School Hall. (Entry will not be permitted without a ticket!) We look forward to seeing you for a fun-filled evening and some tasty pizza and games of Bingo.

Chalgove & Watlington Children’s Centre
Chalgrove & Watlington Children’s Centre are looking for ‘bank staff’ for the Childrens Centre. Total of 12 hours per week and on an adhoc basis to cover staff holiday and training. Please contact centre manager Helen Rints on 07504 958334 or Helen.Rints@Oxfordshire.gov.uk for more information.

Little Bears
Our theme for this week is “Jack and the Bean Stalk” - we will be growing beans in a jar, any more jars would be greatfully received!
We are looking forward to Shrove Tuesday next week and be pleased to receive “exotic fruits”.

DIARY DATES for January 2011

Monday 7th March
First Aid Training for participating pupils in KS2 3.15 – 5.15pm approximately
Wednesday 9th March
Year 5 visit to ICC for an English lesson
Maths Masterclass at ICC for participating pupils
Mobile Library visit
Friday 11th March
PTA Children’s Event – Pizza and Bingo
Monday 14th March
Bookfeast visits. All pupils involved except Foundation Stage.
Friday 18th March
Red Nose Day – watch this space!
Monday 21st March
Work Viewing Evening – 3.30 – 6.00pm

Newsletter No 7 - 18th February 2011

2011-02-18T08:06:00.002Z

School Term and Holiday Dates for 2011-2012 academic year
Each family has been provided with a colour copy of the term and holiday dates which begin in September 2011 (via book bags). We have also posted these onto the school website and Learning Platform for future reference.

Food with Thought- Questionnaire
Food with Thought, our school meals provider, would like parents to complete and return the questionnaire they have drawn up about the school meals provided at Stadhampton Primary School. It would therefore seem appropriate timing to remind parents that we send a copy of the menu to each family each time a new menu is received, display a copy in the entrance foyer and also provide a link to a copy on the Learning Platform for parents.

Grounds Development & Premises Maintenance
During the February holiday we are having the tarmac area extended to increase our all-weather play surface. Our little netball court is simply too small for over 80 pupils! We are also having our drainage improved so that the huge puddle which develops following periods of heavy rain should be a thing of the past!
Now we have our new Hall furniture, over the February holiday we are also having the Hall re-painted to freshen it up.

Climbing Frame access after school
We should remind all parents that our climbing frame should not be accessed by pupils after the end of the school day. Our insurance policy for this facility only covers us for pupil access during school hours, therefore we cannot be responsible for any before or after–school use or use by children who are not school pupils.
We would also like to remind all parents and carers of pupls in Class R that their children should be under close supervision at all times. Thank you.

The Great Daffodil Appeal
Daffodils to support Marie Curie Cancer Care are now on sale in the school hall. Every donation made for a daffodil will help to nurse patients with terminal cancer and provide support for families. The suggested donation is £1 for each daffodil purchased.

First Aid Workshops – 28th February & 7th March
We have been successful in securing another opportunity to provide a one-off training session for the 14 pupils who missed out on the first opportunity on 28th February. The next session will be held on Monday 7th March from after school until 5.30pm.

Pupils enrolled on the first session on 28th February are: Chloe Hindmarch, Ben Drake, Chloe Brown, Andrew Oakley, Benedict Diment, Lola Odell, Jake Day, Rhys Brown, Amber Tomkins, Ella Perring, Abby Wright & Amy Akers.

Pupils enrolled on the second session on 7th March are: Millie Birtles, Bryce Dobson, Georgia Valentine, Ella Mae White, Matt Green, Ayisha Hall, Hannah Tombling, Annabel Roe, Maisie Matthews, Alice & Ewan Madry, Owen Cove, Megan Green & Chloe Scragg.
If any pupil is unable to make the session, please let the school office know as we have a pupil on “stand-by” who would like to take part if a space becomes available.

Recorders
We remind pupils in Years 3-6 that recorder lessons will begin again on Monday 28th February and that all pupils should, for hygiene reasons, provide their own recorder. We have a small supply of recorders available from the school office priced at £6.50 each.

World Book Day – March 3rd 2011
To celebrate World Book Day on Thursday March 3rd, pupils (and staff!) are invited to bring a copy of their favourite book into school and be prepared to read a short passage from it. Pupils are welcome to come to school dressed up as a character from their book. We will also be giving each pupil a £1 book token, sponsored by National Book Tokens, which is valid until 27th March 2011.

Staff Vacancies at Chalgrove and Watlington Children’s Centre
Please see attached flyer.

Little Bears
We are continuing to look at things that grow in the garden this week. When we return after the February Holiday, we shall be celebrating St David’s Day by making crafts and also making soup. Please could everyone bring in a container to take their soup home. Little Bears will also be celebrating World Book Day on 3rd March and would like everyone to bring in their favourite book to share. Also Little Bears would be pleased to receive a few more clean jam jars if anyone has any that they could bring in. Thank you.

DIARY DATES for January 2011

Monday 28th February
Pupils return to school for the start of Term 4.
Class 3 begin the first of their six swimming sessions
First Aid Training for participating pupils in KS2 3.15 – 5pm
Monday 7th March
First Aid Training for participating pupils in KS2 3.15 – 5pm
Wednesday 9th March
Maths Masterclass at ICC for participating pupils
Mobile Library visit
Friday 11th March
PTA Children’s Event – Pizza and Bingo
Monday 14th March
Bookfeast visits. All pupils involved except Foundation Stage.
Friday 18th March
Red Nose Day – watch this space!
Monday 21st March
Work Viewing Evening – 3.30 – 6.00pm

Newsletter No 6 - 11th February 2011

2011-02-11T08:51:00.002Z

Message from the Governing Body
Before Christmas a questionnaire was sent to all families. We received 31 responses and the results were tabulated and analysed by the Governing Body. All responses to the questions that were received were in the ‘strongly agree’ and ‘agree’ boxes, which is very positive.The Governing Body identified the question that attracted the least proportion of 'strongly agree' as "The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns". This feedback and future communication from the Governing Body in the Newsletter is an effort to partially address this issue. The Governing Body will continue to consider how best to engage more fully with families. Further comments recorded on the questionnaire have also been noted. The information has been shared and discussed at a staff meeting and Governing Body meeting and will contribute to our improvement plans. Thank you.
Regards, Jason Hector (Chair of Governors)

UNICEF Day for Change
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our collection for UNICEF – Day for Change. We were pleased to send a cheque for £80.55 this week to the national collection.

Tesco Vouchers
We shall be collecting Tesco vouchers once again this year. There is a collection box in the hall. Vouchers will be issued between 28th February and 8th May 2011. Thank you.

Oxfordshire Primary X- Country Championships
The 5th Oxfordshire Primary School Championships will take place at Chiltern Edge School, near Reading on Saturday 5th March, 9.30 for 10am start. There are events for interested Year 3-6 pupils.Please see Mrs Manzie if you would like more details.

PTA Message
Our first fundraising event of 2011 is now being organised and it promises to be very special – It’s just for the children! On Friday 11th March, 5.30 - 7.00pm in the School Hall we will hold a Kids Bingo and Pizza Night. Mrs Shirley Bateman has very kindly agreed to be our Bingo caller for the event and hopes to complete four games. There will be prizes for the “first line” and a “full house” in each game, so everyone stands a good chance of being a winner. The P.T.A. will offer pizza, salad, cakes and squash for refreshment.
There are 40 tickets on offer at £3.00 per child and they are only available to pupils at the school. (Sorry - no older or younger siblings please!)
If your child/children are interested in attending, the P.T.A. requests that all parents/carers complete the permission slip that will be sent home in book bags at the beginning of next week and return it with payment to the school office or Sarah Madry A.S.A.P. Tickets will be dispatched on a first come first served basis, so do not delay in returning the permission slips!

The P.T.A. can now confirm that the date for our spring clothes recycling collection will be Tuesday May 10th. We would like to ask parents/carers and their families to have a sort out of good quality, clean clothes, bedding, towels, soft toys, shoes and bags. Recycling bags will
be handed out before the Easter Holidays but you can donate items in black bin bags too.

While sorting through your children’s clothes, you may wish to consider donating items of school uniform to the P.T.A. We plan to have a second hand uniform sale at the beginning of May and would be willing to take clean white tops, P.E. tee shirts, trousers, shorts, summer and winter dresses, skirts and blue cardigans and sweatshirts. The items will be on sale in school before the recycling collection date and any items not sold would then be donated to this cause and help raise additional funds for the P.T.A. Please keep these items separate from the recycling bags!

Our next P.T.A. meeting will be on Tuesday 15th February at 8.00pm in the school hall. Anyone is welcome to join us and discuss fundraising ideas. All suggestions are gratefully received.

Little Bears
We will be looking at the weather and climate next week and hopefully also spending lots of time in the garden! We would be pleased to receive suitable items for junk modelling and also some jars. After the February Holiday we will be looking at gardens, mini-beasts and finding out how things grow.

DIARY DATES for January 2011

Friday 18th February
Dance Show at ICC for Class 2 pupils. Letters sent home earlier this week.
February Holiday begins at 3.15pm
Monday 28th February
Pupils return to school for the start of Term 4.
Class 3 begin the first of their six swimming sessions
First Aid Training for participating pupils in KS2 3.15 – 5pm
Wednesday 9th March
Maths Masterclass at ICC for participating pupils
Mobile Library visit
Friday 11th March
PTA Children’s Event – Pizza and Bingo
Monday 14th March
Bookfeast visits. Letters in book bags next week – all pupils involved except Foundation Stage.
Friday 18th March
Red Nose Day – watch this space!
Monday 21st March
Work Viewing Evening – 3.30 – 6.00pm

Newsletter No 5 - 4th February 2011

2011-02-04T08:03:00.002Z

Happy FEBRUARY Birthday to: Florence & Rhiannon Amery, Charles Ball, Chloe Brown, Matt Green, Tom Leighfield, Tillie Moss-Black, Will Parkes, Alexandra Robinson and Ella Mae White.

During February we are focusing on the core value “SIMPLICITY”

Mid-Year Summary Reports and Pupil Work Viewing Evening for Parents
The Pupil Work Viewing Evening for Parents will take place from 3.30 to 6pm on Monday 21st March. During this time parents are invited to view the work their child/ren have carried out so far during this school year. Pupils are welcome to accompany their parents and look through their own work together – pupils are often proud to do this! Although there will be no formal appointment system, teachers will be available in their classrooms for parents to consult with, briefly.

“Jian-Zi” Tournament
We held our annual “Jian-zi” tournament earlier this week to coincide with Chinese New Year and we can now declare our winners. There is a winner for each year group and the individual with the highest score is the school champion for the year. The winners are: Thomas Cove in Reception with a score of 2, Megan Green in Year 1 with a score of 3, Oliver Lowman in Year 2 with a score of 3, Max Lansley in Year 3 with a score of 13, Jake Day in Year 4 with a score of 6, Ella-Mae White in Year 5 with a score of 7 and Benedict Diment in Year 6 with a score of 137! Congratulations to all, especially Benedict whose name and score will be engraved on the trophy. Thank you to all participants – the event is always good fun but nerve-wracking for the contestants. If you would like to know what a “jian-zi” is, please ask your children!
We are still awaiting the results of the tournament held at Hazlach School in Poland, so we cannot announce the “international” result – Benedict is waiting with great interest!

PTA Message
The PTA were pleased to receive a cheque for £272.80 this week from the last “black bag” clothes recycling collection. Many thanks to all who contributed. Please keep collecting clothes as the date of the next collection will be known shortly.

Little Bears
Love is in the air at Little Bears this week! We have been finding out about Valentine’s Day, talking about the people we love, making and sending cards and also making flowers for the people we love.

DIARY DATES for January 2011

Monday 7th February
No After-School Hockey Club
Monday 7th February –
Friday 11th February
Residential visit to Woodlands Outdoor Education Centre, Glasbury-on-Wye – Years 5 & 6
Friday 18th February
February Holiday begins at 3.15pm
Monday 28th February
Pupils return to school for the start of Term 4.
Class 3 begin the first of their six swimming sessions
First Aid Training for participating pupils in KS2 3.15 – 5pm
Monday 21st March
Work Viewing Evening – 3.30 – 6.00pm

Newsletter No 4 - 28th January 2011

2011-01-27T14:18:00.001Z

Partnership Sports Hall Athletics – Report by Amy and Benedict
“At Icknield, Stadhampton Year 5’s and Year 6’s competed in the Partnership Athletics Competition on 21st January. We all had a great time and gave all events an enthusiastic try! Stadhampton did particularly well in the Boys One+One Relay (Benedict and Ben) and the Soft Javelin (Benedict and Tom), winning both. Stadhampton came a respectable 6th, out of 7 teams.”

Lost Property / Named Clothing
Joshua Matthews is missing a black hooded coat and two poloshirts – all named! If anyone has taken these items home in error, please could they be returned to school. In order to avoid confusion when pupils change for PE, it is really helpful if school clothing is named.
This may help to prevent pupils going home in the wrong poloshirts!

Street Dance Lessons
Following on from the success of this popular club we are pleased to let parents and pupils know that we intend to continue this again after half term. These sessions will again run on Tuesdays -1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th March and Tuesday 5th April. A letter will follow from Kerri via book bags in early February.

After-School Hockey
We would like to remind all participating pupils that Mrs Scragg will be unable to run Hockey Club on Monday 7th February as she will be accompanying Class 3 on their residential visit.

First Aid Training for pupils in KS2
This is being held on Monday 28th February 3.15 – 5pm in school for the following KS2 pupils: Chloe Hindmarch, Ben Drake, Chloe Brown, Andrew Oakley, Lola Odell, Jake Day, Rhys Brown, Amber Tomkins, Ella Perring, Abby Wright and Amy Akers. We appreciate that this leaves many children unable to participate due to a heavy demand for places and we will investigate the possibility of running at least one other session in the near future.

Sainsbury’s Active Kids
We shall once again be collecting Active Kids Vouchers distributed by Sainsbury’s stores, petrol stations and with online groceries between 9th February and 31st May. There is a collection box in the Hall.

After School Clubs and Safeguarding
In order for us to safeguard all pupils please advise school either via the school office or class teachers if your child/ren are not attending an after-school club that they are registered on. This also includes children registered to attend the after-school club at Chalgrove School. Thank you.

“Jian-zi” Competition
Once again our celebrations for Chinese New Year will include our annual “Jian-zi”
Competition. Pupils in each class have been practising and we will be holding the competition on Tuesday 1st February. This is an international event held with our partner school in Poland and this year we hope to regain the trophy!

Little Bears
This week we are celebrating Chinese New Year, “The Year of the Rabbit”. We are asking children to bring in their cuddly rabbits and any books they have on rabbits. We will also be doing some Chinese writing, painting chop sticks and trying some Chinese food.

DIARY DATES for January 2011

Wednesday 2nd February
Mobile Library visit

Friday 4th February
UNICEF Day for Change
Please could each child bring in some change so that they can all participate in the school’s activities
Monday 7th February
No After-School Hockey Club

Monday 7th February –
Friday 11th February
Residential visit to Woodlands Outdoor Education Centre, Glasbury-on-Wye – Years 5 & 6

Friday 18th February
February Holiday begins at 3.15pm

Monday 28th February
Pupils return to school for the start of Term 4.
Class 3 begin the first of their six swimming sessions
First Aid Training for participating pupils in KS2 3.15 – 5pm

Please find attached to this Newsletter the following flyers:
· Friends of Icknield – 80s disco – Saturday 5th February
· Football Crazy! Creative Writing family workshop – Tuesday 8th February

Newsletter No 3 - 21st January 2011

2011-01-20T14:25:00.001Z

First Aid Training for pupils in KS2
We are very fortunate to be able to offer a one-off opportunity for pupils in KS2 to receive First Aid training in a free workshop after school on Monday 28th February. The workshop, which will be run by Mr Alan Mew of Richmond Gate Training, will take place in the Hall from 3.15 to 5pm. Places are limited to 12 and we will take names on a first come first – served basis. Further details of this opportunity, funded by Extended Services, have been sent home today to all KS2 pupils. Please book via the school office.

UNICEF Day for Change – 4th February 2011
Once again we will be supporting this annual event. Unicef Day for Change is a charity event we support as it is carried out by children for children. Day for Change makes a real difference to the lives of some of the world’s most vunerable children. Last year we raised £175.82 which went to help provide polio vaccines and mosquito nets for over 2 million children in Mozambique. This year Unicef Day for Change is raising money for children who are affected by climate change in Guyana. Climate change has meant more floods, droughts and higher temperatures increasing the number of children going hungry and catching diseases. Our pupils will find out more about the lives of children in Guyana, and the work of Uhicef, during class lessons and school assemblies in the lead up to February 4th. On the day we hope that pupils will being in some spare loose change for our event. Thank you.

P.T.A. News
Many thanks to all parents who came to the P.T.A. meeting on Tuesday night. The new tables and benches were tried out and we can give them the “thumbs up!”
After the meeting, the P.T.A. can now confirm some fund raising events that will take place over the rest of the school year. The money raised is put towards the upkeep of the swimming pool, Madame Church, our great new French teacher, visitors to the school who educate and entertain the children and of course, hopefully replacing the playground equipment and building a new outdoor learning area. We still have a long way to go before we can achieve our goal of replacing the climbing equipment and erecting a covered learning area for the children, so we are hoping that parents will continue to support us in any way they can to help us reach our target.

In March we hope to run a Bingo and Pizza evening for the children. Consent forms will be sent home at a later date to give more information about ticket prices, dates and times etc.
April is a good time to think about getting outside in the garden and we are offering our plant ordering service again, with hanging baskets and bedding plants hopefully arriving at the end of April in time for planting out in the beginning of May.
Over the Easter Holiday’s we would like to ask parents to have a sort out of good quality, clean clothes, bedding, towels etc. for the clothes recycling collection that will take place on May 10th. We are also planning a second hand uniform sale of all items, including white school tops, summer dresses, shorts, trousers and any blue tops that your child has outgrown. We hope to hold this after the first May Bank holiday.
Along side the uniform sale we hope to do a cake sale, so get ready for requests for cupcakes at the beginning of May!
At present, we are looking into organising a pamper evening in June – But! This is still in the planning stages and we may have to alter our ideas! – Watch this space and we will let you know.
Finally, the P.T.A. will be running a bar at the Sports evening at the end of term in July. (The date has yet to be confirmed) We will be looking into offering food of some sort and are in the process of discussing different options.

We will be able to give more information about these events nearer the time each is due to occur. Please look out for information in newsletters and our P.T.A. blackboard that will be hanging on the fence outside Class 1.

Can we remind parent/carers that if they wish to contact us with fund raising ideas and comments they may contact us using the P.T.A. email address stadhamptonpta@gmail.com

Final Note:
It’s good to hear that the children have been doing their own “mini performances” for one another in break times on the mosaic, with “audiences” using the new seating that has been installed. If you haven’t already, please wander round behind the swimming pool to take a look after school pick up (if weather allows!). Let’s wish for some sunny days over the year so our budding actors can continue to perform for one another and maybe for parents too!
The new seating and drape poles have been the first part of the new playground/outdoor learning area project that the P.T.A. is helping to raise funds for. They have been purchased using the funds that parents and carers and their families have donated to the P.T.A. On behalf of the children we would like to say a huge THANK YOU!

Little Bears
We will be following the “Big Garden Bird Watch.” We have put lots of bird feeders out to encourage birds to come in, and have been making binoculas to spot some birds and checking them against our list of birds to watch out for. We will be making fat balls to go home so you can get involved too. We would like to say a big congratulations to Mia Gravitt and Jam Burnell – who have settled so well making lots of new friends and enjoying their time at Little Bears – Well done!

DIARY DATES for January 2011

Monday 24th January
Hockey club starts after school for participating pupils in Years 3-6, 3.15 – 4pm
Wednesday 26th January
Multi-sports club for participating pupils in Years 1 & 2, 3.15 – 4pm
Netball club for participating pupils in Years 3-6, 3.15 – 4pm
Monday 7th February –
Friday 11th February
Residential visit to Woodlands Outdoor Education Centre, Glasbury-on-Wye – Years 5 & 6

Newsletter No 2 - 14th January 2011

2011-01-13T14:20:00.002Z

Happy belated birthday to Ewan Madry who we forgot to say Happy Birthday to in December. We sincerely apologise for this omission.

Topics/Areas of Study
A letter outlining the topics/areas of study for Terms 3 and 4 was sent home to each family in book bags earlier this week.

Oxfordshire County Music Service Lessons
As many parents will be aware, all pupils in Class 3 currently participate in the County VIP Programme and receive clarinet lessons in school. Unfortunately, this programme is only available to pupils in Class 3 and, in its existing format, only for the current school year. However, the County Music Service does offer music lessons for groups of children at key locations in the County and we have been advised that both woodwind (clarinet/flute) and classical guitar lessons are being offered to groups of pupils in the Thame area. All lessons will take place at Lord William’s Lower School, Thame; woodwind lessons will be at 4.00pm on Mondays, starting January 24th, and guitar lessons will be held at 5.00pm on Wednesdays, starting on January 26th. In both cases the first lesson will be a ‘come along and try’ taster session in which children can try the instruments before any commitment is made. There is a cost to these lessons and this varies depending on the number of pupils in the group. In the past we have been advised that these lessons are best suited to pupils in Year 3 and above.
If you are interested in finding out more about this opportunity, further information is available from the school office.

‘Muddy Playground’ protective clothing
We are very fortunate to have such extensive school grounds but, at this time of year especially, our field can be very muddy. In order for pupils to enjoy playing on the field wellies are necessary on ‘muddy’ days. Pupils without wellies are, of course, able to play on the tarmac but this is limited in size and in play potential. Pupils are welcome to bring in old jogging trousers to put on over their school trousers at playtime in an attempt to enable pupils to play football etc and keep their uniform clean!

Reading Support
Parents often ask us how they can best help their child/ren and regular reading together at home is highly beneficial. As children make progress with their reading skills the emphasis of these reading sessions’ changes. To provide parents and carers with further guidance, this week we have sent home ‘How can I help my child with reading?’ information sheets appropriate to the age of each child. We hope you find these useful.

We would also welcome any time that parents/carers may have to help hear readers in school. If you can help on a regular basis, even if only for a few weeks, please speak to your child’s teacher.

ParentMail
We are just waiting for the last few Data Capture Forms to be returned so that we can get
this new system up and running. Another copy of the form has been sent home via book bags this week to the families who have not yet returned completed forms.

Recorder Lessons
Due to other events happening on a number of Mondays this term, recorder lessons for pupils in Classes 2 and 3 will not start again until Monday 28th February. In the meantime pupils may like to continue to practice their recorder playing to maintain their ‘concert pitch’.

School Council
It’s come around to that time again and a new School Council has been elected. Many thanks to our previous School Council who achieved so much. Our Spring 2011 School Council consists of Benedict and Amy (Year 6), Megan and Ewan (Year 5), Bryce and Hannah (Year 4), Thea and Marcin (Year 3) and Betsy and Oliver (Year 2).

Lost Property
We currently have a large volume of un-named lost property in the lost property box that we keep in the Hall. We intend to have a cull of items in this box and any items remaining in it will be disposed of (unclaimed school uniform items in good condition will be donated to the PTA for re-sale as second-hand items) after school on Friday 21st January. We will put all items out on display in the Hall from 3pm on Friday 21st January, so that all items are clearly visible but, in the meantime, please also check in the Lost Property box for any missing items. If garments are clearly labelled with pupils names it is a great help with identification of missing items. Thank you.
Olivia Dallimore is missing a school shoe – black, Hush Puppy with a green insole. Has anyone seen this? It went missing following the school Christmas party.

Furniture – new and old
There has been much excitement in the Hall! In conjunction with the Parish Council and the Hall Management Committee, we have recently replaced the hall furniture. New tables, on casters for ease of setting-up, bench seating for school dinners and chairs for community use, have now arrived. They have been used by the school and members of the community and have been given the ‘thumbs up’ – especially by Mrs Shortman, our school cook! This replacement of this furniture has been made possible by the close collaboration of the School, Parish Council and Hall Management Committee all of whom have sought additional funding to finance this project. We hope the new furniture lasts as long as their predecessors!

Most of the old tables and chairs are now surplus to requirements and we will be disposing of them shortly. Some families have expressed an interest in acquiring some of the old furniture, especially chairs, for nostalgic reasons. We will be disposing of all the remaining furniture on Friday 21st January. If you are interested in any of the old furniture, they are currently available on a first come first served basis for a small cash donation towards our playground development funds, please speak to Mrs Hopkins or myself.

Please find attached to this Newsletter a flyer about a “Promoting Positive Behaviour” course, running at Chalgrove and Watlington Children’s Centre starting on Tuesday 18th January 2011 9.15am – 11.30am.

Little Bears
We will be exploring the topic hibernation, looking at hedgehogs and making hedgehog pictures, making bats and doing lots of messy activities.
We welcomed Mia Gravett to Little Bears this week and also wish Happy Birthday to Thomas West who was 3 last week.

P.T.A. News
After a hectic run up to Christmas, things have quietened down a bit for the P.T.A. - that doesn’t mean we are being lazy! We have our first meeting of 2011, next Tuesday 18th January in the school at 8.00pm.
All parents and carers are welcome to join us, when we will be discussing future fund raising events for the spring.
Every family should receive a letter in book bags this week, informing them about price changes to items of uniform that the P.T.A. sells. If you do not receive a copy please pick one up from Mrs Hopkins in the school office next week. If you have any queries regarding this letter please speak to Sarah Madry, Eimer Fernie or Tracy Perring who will be happy to answer any questions.

Visit from the Fire Officer – Report by Chloe B and Rhiannon
“On the 12th January 2011 Little Bears, the Foundation Stage, Classes 1, 2 & 3 had a visit from a fireman who came in to tell us all about his job. He also told us some funny stories, what to do and what not to do such as making prank calls and setting fire to things. Lastly he told us about his kit and let some people try it on!”

Visit from the author, John Kitchen – Report by Matt and Amber
“On Tuesday 11th January the author, John Kitchen came to school to give a lecture to the Foundation Stage and Class 1, and Classes 2 & 3, about his book Nicola’s Ghost. He also read extracts from the book and gave us tips about writing books. We enjoyed it very much and gained lots of story writing ideas”.

DIARY DATES for January 2011

Monday 24th January
Hockey club starts after school for participating pupils in Years 3-6, 3.15 – 4pm
Wednesday 26th January
Multi-sports club for participating pupils in Years 1 & 2, 3.15 – 4pm
Netball club for participating pupils in Years 3-6, 3.15 – 4pm
Monday 7th February –
Friday 11th February
Residential visit to Woodlands Outdoor Education Centre, Glasbury-on-Wye – Years 5 & 6

Newsletter No 1 - 7th January 2011

2011-01-06T15:15:00.002Z

Happy New Year and welcome back to everyone!

Happy JANUARY Birthday to: Leo Bloomfield-Brown, Elizabeth Bowerman, Owen Cove, Thomas Cove, Myles Dobson, Matthew Ellis, Megan Green, Tia Khan, Olivia Shannon and Benjamin West.

During January our school is focusing on FRIENDSHIP

Local Author in School
On Tuesday 11th January we are pleased to welcome local author John Kitchen into school to lead writing workshops with all the children. He will be demonstrating the publishing process using his own published book “Nichola’s Ghost”, and there will be an opportunity to purchased signed copies of this at the end of the afternoon. Please see the letter sent home this week for more details.

Residental visit to Woodlands
The outstanding balance for most parents of Year 5 and 6 pupils is £230 per pupil which is due to be received in school by Monday 24th January please, prior to the visit beginning on 7th February. A letter providing more information about times, activities, etc will be sent home to parents either today or on Monday. Please look out for this in book bags.

Parentmail Data Capture Form
Thank you to all those parents who have already returned their completed Parentmail Data Capture form. We would be grateful to receive any outstanding forms as soon as possible so that we can get ParentMail set up. If you require another form please do not hesitate to request one from Mrs Hopkins to ensure that you do not miss out on valuabe communications.
As ParentMail is not yet up and running, please listen to Radio Oxford or Heart FM, should the snow return, for announcements about school closures. Wherever possible, we will also try our best to update our school website with information should the school be closed.

Swimming at Berinsfield
A reminder that swimming begins for Class 2 pupils on Monday 10th January. They will have 6 swimming sessions for which a £1 “voluntary contribution” of £1 per pupil, per week is required towards transport costs.

Little Bears
Welcome back! We hope you had a wonderful Chritmas and wish you all a Happy New Year! I am really looking forward to my new role at Little Bears and getting to know your little ones and their families. This term we will be looking at “Winter”. If you have any old CDs or DVDs we would be pleased to have them as well as kitchen roll tubes.
We are pleased to welcome Jem Burnell to Little Bears this week.

DIARY DATES for January 2011

Tuesday 11th January
After school street dance club begins for participating pupils until 4.15pm.
Thursday 13th January
Premier Sports Afterschool football club starts for participating pupils in Years 3-6 – 3.15 – 4.15pm
Monday 24th January
Hockey club starts afterschool for participating pupils in Years 3-6, 3.15 – 4pm
Wednesday 26th January
Multi-sports club for participating pupils in Years 1 & 2, 3.15 – 4pm
Netball club for participating pupils in Years 3-6, 3.15 – 4pm
Monday 7th February –
Friday 11th February
Residential visit to Woodlands Outdoor Education Centre, Glasbury-on-Why – Years 5 & 6

Newsletter No 7 - 17th December 2010

2010-12-16T08:23:00.001Z

School Christmas Productions
The final amount raised from the sale of tickets and donations collected during the Christmas Productions was £262.23. Thank you. This will be put towards our grounds development projects.

School Christmas Lunch
All pupils and staff thoroughly enjoyed a splendid Christmas lunch on Tuesday prepared and cooked by Mrs Shortman. Thank you to parents for encouraging all pupils to participate in this enjoyable event.

Carol Service
Thank you to Reverend Nigel and Reverend David for their help at this service and to all parents, carers and grandparents who came along. Many people have commented on the wonderful singing that filled the church.

Premier Sports Holiday Club – 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd December
As you are aware, we are hosting for the first time a holiday course run by Premier Sports Group here at Stadhampton School. If any parents have not yet completed application forms but would like their child(ren) to attend, it is possible for parents to register and pay on the day. If you would like to do this, please come along ten minutes early before the 9am start or you may register with Mrs Hopkins tomorrow or on Friday morning. Children should have warm clothing for outdoor activities, but if the weather is particularly cold or wet, many of the activities will take place in the school hall.

ParentMail
We sent home today via book bags a letter explaining that we are going to use ParentMail to improve our communication with parents. We shall begin setting this up once we have received back the completed data capture forms attached to the letter. We would be grateful to receive the completed forms back as soon as possible so that we can get the new system up and running.
Little Bears News
Well here we are at the end of another term, where has the time gone? The Little Bears are showing signs of great excitement as we get closer to Christmas and at the news of our party on Friday.
This is the last news that I (Hayley) will write, as I say goodbye on Friday. I would like to take this opportunity to wish the staff and the new supervisor Gemma all the best and every success in the future. Also to wish all a very Merry Christmas and a happy, peaceful New Year.

New Hymn Books
We have recently purchased 40 new hymn books and would be delighted if any parents or grandparents would offer to cover them for us in order to extend their natural life! We have a roll of covering in school ready for use!

DIARY DATES for January 2011

Tuesday 4th & Wednesday 5th January

Staff INSET Training Days
Thursday 6th January
Pupils return to school. No after school football club.
Tuesday 11th January
After school street dance club begins for participating pupils

Please find attached to this newsletter:
· Two letters from the Chalgrove and Watlington Children’s Centre
· A list of “What’s On” in January and February

On behalf of all the staff and the governing body, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all families a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

Newsletter No 6 /10th December 2010

2010-12-10T08:06:00.001Z

Chair of Governors
I am sure that all parents and staff will join me in thanking Craig Tombling for his commitment to the school as a governor and Chair of Governors for many years. Mr Tombling has now decided to step down from the Governing Body due to work commitments. We are delighted to announce that Jason Hector has been appointed as the new Chair of Governors with immediate effect. Sara Wright has been appointed as Vice-Chair.
Other current members of the Governing Body are Jolyon Roe, Reverend Nigel Hawkes, Richard Freeth, Nikki Howlett, Mrs Turner, Mrs Garrard (who represents the teaching staff ) and Mrs Hopkins, who is an Associate Governor.

Christmas Productions – KS2 Report by Richard Freeth, School Governor
“It will be of no surprise to parents that children can act, but what I saw in the Stadhampton School KS2 Festive play this year took it to a much higher level. Not only can they all act but also sing and dance brilliantly. An inspired choice of play had all KS2 (I would list them but so many) in a story about a performing troupe having to visit Santa (cheer) but evil (boo) gets in the way. I was very pleasantly surprised by how well they all delivered the complex lines and songs. The jokes, sourced from crackers, made us all laugh. What more could you ask for? Well in the performance I saw, it had to be Santa learning why you need a belt and braces! Despite a trouser problem he carried on like a seasoned pro. Overall a very enjoyable hour, make sure you book your tickets for next year. Oh and the story ultimately, like all good Christmas stories, ends well as the whole cast join on stage to wish us all a very “Merry Christmas.”

KS1 Report by Amy and Chloe B. from Class 3
“Foundation Stage and Class 1’s Christmas play performance, “Simply Nativity,” included amazing songs that were well sung. It was an action-packed performance, full of great acting and effort from the children. Our favourite song of the performance was “Hopping Along to Bethlehem”. The audience (including the adults!) was well-behaved and joined in with the songs. We’re sure they enjoyed it all just as much as we did.”

We are pleased to let you know that we raised just over £240 from these performances towards our new play equipment. We would like to pay special thanks to Melissa Tombling for helping pupils prepare for the production and to Sue Cyprien for doing the face-painting, to Mrs Wilkin who designed and made the majority of the props, to all staff for their hard work, to the PTA for providing refreshments, to the parents for providing splendid costumes, and of course, to all pupils for providing memorable entertainment. Thank you all!

December Events

Tuesday 14th
12 noon
Whole school Christmas Lunch. We hope that all pupils will have a festive school lunch with crackers, etc. Cost £2.05. The menu will be: Turkey and chipolata, or Quorn sausages, stuffing, roast potatoes, seasonal vegetables, ice-cream star or strawberry jelly.
Wednesday 15th
2pm
Carol Service & Nativity in Church. Everyone welcome to join us in Church for this event.
Thursday 16th
10am
School Christmas Party. Pupils may bring clothes to change into at morning break if they wish. The PTA have kindly agreed to provide a small budget for chocolate biscuits and drinks, so there is no need for parents to provide anything and pupils will have their lunch as normal at 12 noon (either packed lunches or school meals.)
Final after school football club for this year.
Friday 17th
9am
End of term assembly. Everyone welcome to join us for this.
School finishes at 1.30pm.

P.T.A. News:
This should be our last news for 2010! We are all looking forward to the Christmas holidays now and what better present could we give the children but a fantastic £1,073.91 towards the outdoor learning area and play equipment. This is the final figure that the Winter Fair raised and it is with great gratitude to everyone who helped us achieve such a wonderful amount. Many thanks and well done!

Christmas Wreath Making Evening:
The P.T.A. along with Little Bears would like to remind parents and carers about the Christmas Wreath Making Evening on Thursday 16th December 7.30-9.00pm in the Community Hall, Stadhampton. Tickets are £20.00 per person. All materials needed to make and decorate a beautiful wreath will be provided, along with tea, coffee, wine and mince pies. There are still a couple of spaces left and we are asking for a deposit of £10.00 to be paid to Fiona A.S.A.P. All proceeds will go to the school P.T.A. and Little Bears Pre-school. If you would like more information please contact Fi Stewart on fistewart@hotmail.co.uk
For those of you who have already booked their place – we would like to remind you: Don’t forget to bring a pair of gardening gloves, some secateurs and your final £10 payment!

The P.T.A. would like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year. We
would also like to thank all parents, carers and their families for their continued support. You are always generous with your donations and the children benefit so much from the extra things that we provide. We look forward to organising more fund raising events in 2011!

Little Bears News
The Little Bears who attended on Tuesday afternoon and Thursday morning really enjoyed the dress rehearsals of the school play. I have to say the staff did too, they were fabulous.
The children have been busy making more decorations and Christmas cards this week.
We have also practised our play which is on Saturday.

The Committee are pleased to announce that Gemma Austin will be the new supervisor at Little Bears when we return in January. Gemma has many years experience in a Nursery environment including a Supervisory/Management role.

DIARY DATES for January 2011

Tuesday 4th & Wednesday 5th January

Staff INSET Training Days
Thursday 6th January
Pupils return to school. No after school football club.

Newsletter No 5 / 3rd December 2010

2010-12-03T08:32:00.002Z

December Events

Tuesday 7th 2pm
Dress Rehearsal for KS2 Performance. Everyone welcome. No tickets required. Babies and pre-school aged children very welcome
Wednesday 7th 2pm
6.30pm
KS2 Performance. Entry by ticket only. No babies or toddlers please.
KS2 Performance. Entry by ticket only. No babies or toddlers please
Thursday 9th
10am
KS1 Dress Rehearsal. Everyone welcome. No tickets required. Babies and pre-school aged children very welcome.
Friday 10th
2pm
KS1 Performance. Entry by ticket only. No babies or toddlers please.
Tuesday 14th
12 noon
Whole school Christmas Lunch. We hope that all pupils will have a festive school lunch with crackers, etc. Cost £2.05. The menu will be: Turkey and chipolata, or Quorn sausages, stuffing, roast potatoes, seasonal vegetables, ice-cream star or strawberry jelly.
Wednesday 15th
2pm
Carol Service & Nativity in Church. Everyone welcome to join us in Church for this event.
Thursday 16th
10am
School Christmas Party. Pupils may bring clothes to change into at morning break if they wish. The PTA have kindly agreed to provide a small budget for chocolate biscuits and drinks, so there is no need for parents to provide anything and pupils will have their lunch as normal at 12 noon (either packed lunches or school meals.)
Final after school football club for this year.
Friday 17th
9am
End of term assembly. Everyone welcome to join us for this.
School finishes at 1.30pm.

Partnership Hockey Tournament – Report by Maisie and Chloe S
“Some Year 4 and 5 pupils went to a hockey tournament in Wallingford. We came 3rd out of 6 teams. It was great fun and we thought we did well. We would enjoy doing it again and think we would do even better! We would like to thank everyone that took part. We would also like to thank Mrs Scragg and Mr Day for transporting us to the tournament and Miss Cornwell (from ICC) who organised the tournament. Thanks especially to Mrs Scragg for teaching us to play hockey.”

Partnership Swimming Gala – Report by Ben D and Amber
“On Monday 29th November, seven pupils from Class 3 went to the Watlington Partnership of Schools annual Swimming Gala. Six teams were meant to turn up but two didn’t make it. All the races were very close and most of them were only won by a few strokes. In the end we came a close fourth. Afterwards there were some novelty races and we came first! Special thanks to Mrs Green for helping to transport and support us and to Mrs White for her support and team snacks!”

Outdoor Performance Area
We are very pleased to inform you that, this week, wooden bench seating was installed around the outdoor mosaic in our school grounds. This exciting development now creates a mini outdoor performance area for all our pupils to access. It is intended that this area will be used (weather permitting!) formally for drama during literacy lessons and, less formally, for “performing arts” activities during playtimes. You are most welcome to look at this feature –
you will find it behind the school swimming pool. Many thanks to the PTA for funding this project which forms the first stage of several planned developments to improve our outdoor facilities and opportunities.

Very many thanks to the PTA for organising such a wonderful Winter Fair last Friday and thank you all for your generous support. There was a very warm atmosphere despite the actual outdoor temperature! Further details of this event are presented under PTA News below.

PTA News
The P.T.A. won’t be asking for any donations this week! - We would instead like to say a HUGE THANK YOU! to parents, carers, staff, governors, members of the community and all P.T.A. members and everyone’s families who contributed in any way, towards the most wonderful evening on Friday. The Winter Fair was an amazing success and it is all down to the support that you gave. We managed to take over £1,000 and once Matt, our treasurer, has deducted expenses we will be able to confirm the grand total raised. Watch this space!

A “very special thank you” goes to Santa for stopping by on his way to the North Pole-it was great to see you!

The P.T.A. would like to thank Charlotte Hector for organising the beautiful Christmas cards this year. Well done to all the children who did some lovely art work - the cards looked great! We raised over £120 so thank you for all your hard work.

Little Bears News
Christmas is well under way at Little Bears. We have a tree up, many decorations made and the children are getting better and better at the Christmas songs for the Nativity. We welcome Bella Jones to Little Bears this week, she seems to have made a very positive start. We hope she continues to enjoy her time with us.

DIARY DATES for January 2011

Tuesday 4th & Wednesday 5th January

Staff INSET Training Days
Thursday 6th January
Pupils return to school. No after school football club.

Newsletter No 4 / 26th November 2010

2010-11-26T09:57:00.001Z

We look forward to seeing you at the Winter Fair this evening which starts at 6pm!

Children in Need Appeal
A huge thank you for supporting this event. Everyone entered into the spirit of “wearing something spotty”–some very imaginatively! Many thanks to all who entered the School Council Pudsey Poster Competition and to those families who baked cakes and biscuits to sell after school. A grand total of £152.52 was raised, thank you. The competition winners were Ayisha Hall (Class 3), Thea Diment (Class 2), Darcy Crook (Class 1) and both Lawrence Wright and Thomas Cove in the Reception Class.
Primary schools are very special places to be at such times; listening to pupils’ conversations about how fortunate they are and how there are many others in the UK who are less fortunate than themselves, was enlightening and heartwarming.

Free Eye Tests
Following a routine visit by our school nurse I have been asked to remind parents that if you have any concerns regarding your child’s eyesight, all pupils are entitled to free eye checks at opticians. This is recommended for pupils in Year 1 and 6 in particular.

A Request from the Governing Body
The Governing Body are keen to hear parents/carers views about how well the school is meeting your expectations and sent a short “tick-box” questionnaire home to each family earlier this week for parents/carers to complete. Thank you for the responses received back so far. The deadline for returning the completed questionnaire is Friday 3rd December.

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. Whenever it is possible, we also aim to put a message onto the school website.

Pupil knowledge of home phone number and address
Following a routine survey of pupils’ well-being, as part of our PSHCE lessons, it has become apparent that many children do not know their own home telephone number or address including postcode. This information is invaluable should a child ever be in a position to have to call emergency services. Pupils who are unable to remember their full address may be able to remember their post code and house number; this provides key information for emergency services.

Getting Active in South Oxfordshire
We have a small number of these booklets available in the foyer if any parents would like one.

Tickets on Sale for the School Christmas Productions
A reminder that tickets are now on sale at the school office for the KS1 and KS2 Christmas Productions.

Little Bears News
We have been practising our Christmas songs this week, the children have also been told which part they are in the Nativity on 11th December. The atmosphere will begin to heat up with excitement from next week as we begin our Christmas preparations. Be prepared to see lots of glue & glitter! A post box has been made for Christmas cards so the children can get busy writing if they wish. The children enjoyed making kites this week to end our theme of ‘Shapes’. Thank you to all who supported Children in Need, we made just over £40 on our Pudsey cake sale.

DIARY DATES:
Monday 29th November
Swimming Gala for participating pupils. No swimming today for other pupils in Class 3. Last Hockey Club this term.
Wednesday 15th December
Carol Service in the Church at 2pm. Everyone welcome to join us for this service.
Thursday 16th December
Last after-school Football Club.

Newsletter No 3 / 19th November 2010

2010-11-18T14:25:00.001Z

Christmas Olympic Sports Holiday Course at Stadhampton School
For the first time ever, we are hosting a holiday course here at Stadhampton School on Monday 20th, Tuesday 21st, Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd December, run by the Premier Sports Group, our Thursday afternoon PPA provider. The course will be led by Michael Hopkins (a qualified sports coach) and at least one other coach, and will run from 9am until 3pm each day. It is open to all pupils who attend Stadhampton School, and also to the other primary schools in the Watlington Partnership. During the day each child will participate in at least 4 different sports. The sessions will provide a fun way to develop relevant skills in a safe environment and allow pupils to explore, without pressure, each sport and activity. The cost for one day is £12, 2 days £24, 3 days £36 and 4 days £40. Each child who attends will be given a medal and a certificate and there is a free gift for each child who attends for 2 or more days. Bookings may be made through Mrs Hopkins or directly with the Premier Sports Group.

Christmas Productions – please read carefully!
KS2 Production – “Twelve Days of Christmas” – Pupils in Classes 2 & 3
Tuesday 7th December – Dress Rehearsal at 2pm. Little Bears children are invited to watch this performance along with pupils in the Foundation Stage and Class 1. Other visitors are also welcome, including babies and pre-school aged children.There will be no charge for this performance but there will be a collection bucket available for donations towards our grounds development projects.
Wednesday 8th December – Performance at 2pm. Admission will be by ticket only and limited to 3 tickets per family. No babies or pre-school aged children at this performance please.
Wednesday 8th December – Performance at 6.30pm. Admission will be by ticket only and limited to 3 tickets per family. No babies or pre-school aged children at this performance please.

KS1 Production – “Simply Nativity” – Reception (Foundation Stage) Pupils & Class 1 Pupils
Thursday 9th December – Dress Rehearsal at 10am. Little Bears children are invited to watch this performance along with pupils in Classes 2 & 3. Other visitors are also welcome, including pre-school aged children and babies.
There will be no charge for this performance but there will be a collection bucket available for donations towards our grounds development projects.
Friday 10th December – Performance at 2pm. Admission will be by ticket only and limited to 3 tickets per family.

Tickets for all performances are now on sale from the school office, priced at £1 each.

P.T.A. Message - Winter Fair. Friday 26th November 6.00pm School Hall –
Winter Fair – One week till Santa Claus comes to town! The final preparations are underway to make sure the final P.T.A. event of 2010 is a really good one! We have received some donations from parents/carers already but we are now desperately in need of more items to help make the evening truly great for the children. Please, please, please, read the list below and see if you could provide anything for some of the stalls we would like to run! Keep an eye out when shopping - why not take advantage of the “two for one” offers in the supermarkets?
Please bring any items into school and leave in the red box in the hall labelled “P.T.A. DONATIONS” A.S.A.P! We need:
· Good quality, unwanted presents and gifts for the Raffle.
· Unopened bottles, jars & tins for the Tombola – Wine, spirits, squash, bubble bath, sauces, jams & marmalade, tinned fruit, soup etc.
· Books – New and read, adult and children’s, fact or fiction!
· DVD’s and CD’s – New and second hand are welcome.
· Anything to do with chocolate! – Biscuits, boxes of truffles, chocolate advent calendars, hot chocolate kits, packets of buttons, fondues.
· Good quality, unbroken toys for various stalls - No matter the size, they will all go to a good home!
· Bags of all descriptions! – Hand bags, rucksacks, bath bags, evening bags, sports bags, children’s bags. (We even need some plastic carrier bags!)
· We are trying a Homemade Crafts Stall this year. If you have a hobby that involves making gifts then why not donate a few items for our stall. – Photo frames, knitted or crocheted scarves, hats & gloves, tissue box covers, jewellery, homemade confectionary, jams & preserves, paintings & watercolours! Any items are welcome.
· Continuing with the homemade theme – We also need some homemade biscuits, cupcakes and tray bakes to sell with our teas, coffees and hot chocolates! Please bring any cakes and biscuits into school on the morning of the fair.
We are also looking for willing volunteers to help run some of our great stalls and games. If you would like to lend a hand, even for half an hour and help us to raise some extra funds for the children at the school, please speak to a member of the P.T.A. Committee.

Stalls will include: Raffle, Bar – selling alcoholic & non alcoholic drinks, Cakes & biscuits, Homemade Craft Stall, Adult Tombola, Christmas Tree Raffle, Books, DVD’s, CD’s, Chocolate Tombola, Children’s Toy Tombola, Nails and Face Painting, Jewellery, Bag Stall – selling hand bags, rucksacks, children’s bags etc, Plant Stall, Lots of new games for children (and adults!) to play. Outside vendors now confirmed are: Baban jewellery, The Pampered Chef, Virgin Vie, and Phoenix Cards. Not forgetting - SANTA’S GROTTO!

Raffle Ticket Reminder:
Just a quick reminder that all raffle tickets (sold or unsold) and money need to be returned to the school office by Wednesday 24th November. Thank you.

The P.T.A. are always grateful for the contributions that parents give and would like to remind them that the money raised is going towards some wonderful equipment outside in the grounds of the school – Watch this space for more information in the new year. We should hopefully be able to show you the rewards very soon! Thank You.

Christmas Wreath Making Evening:
The P.T.A. along with Little Bears would like to remind parents and carers about the Christmas Wreath Making Evening that Fiona Stewart (Ollie’s Mum!) has offered to organise and run. It will take place on Thursday 16th December 7.30 - 9.00pm in the Community (School) Hall, Stadhampton. Tickets are £20.00 per person. All materials needed to make and decorate a beautiful wreath will be provided on the evening along with tea, coffee, wine and mince pies. There are a limited number of places and we are asking for a deposit of £10.00 to be submitted by Monday 22nd November. All proceeds will go to the school P.T.A. and Little Bears Pre-school. If you would like more information please contact Fi Stewart on fistewart@hotmail.co.uk

The Giving Machine:
Finally, now that we are all in the process of buying Christmas presents for loved ones, can the P.T.A. remind parents/carers about our affinity website The Giving Machine? If you shop online – Did you know that at no extra cost to you or the P.T.A., if you access your online supplier through www.thegivingmachine.co.uk , then a donation is made to the P.T.A.? Over 100+ top online retailers are listed including Amazon, eBay, John Lewis, Boden, Next, Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda, M&S etc. All details of how this works are available on The Giving machine web site. No pressure, of course, but you might like to consider this option - think of us before you shop! Thank you.

Little Bears News
We are continuing with shapes this week, the children have made some beautiful stained glass windows. We have made Pudsey Bear cakes which were on sale Friday morning, we will let you know how much was raised. Thank you in advance for supporting this event.
Whilst on the subject of thanks we would like to thank Sarah Madry for the donation of toys. The children are really enjoying using them all!

DIARY DATES:
Monday 22nd November
School Governors’ Meeting at 7pm
Friday 26th November
Quicksticks Hockey Tournament for participating pupils
PTA Winter Fair at 6pm in the School Hall
Monday 29th November
Swimming Gala for participating pupils. No swimming today for other pupils in Class 3. Last Hockey Club this term
Wednesday 24th November
Last Multisports Club this term; Last after-school Netball Club this term
Wednesday 15th December
Carol Service in the Church at 2pm. Everyone welcome to join us for this service.
Thursday 16th December
Last after-school Football Club

Newsletter No 2 / 12th November 2010

2010-11-11T14:57:00.002Z

Book Fair
Thank you to everyone who purchased items last week from our Book Fair. The takings for the Fair totalled £364.80. We were able to take books to the value of £153.00 by way of commission, which enabled each class to choose some new books for their individual class libraries.

Thank you from The Porch
Just to let everyone know, we received a letter this week from The Porch, the centre in Oxford for homeless people, asking us to pass on their thanks to parents for their generous Harvest Gifts.

Parents’ Consultation Evening
Appointment times for parents consultation evenings have been sent home via book bags this week. If you have not received an appointment time please contact your child’s teacher.

P.T.A. Message - Winter Fair. Friday 26th November 6.00pm School Hall – Two weeks and counting!
· Can we remind parents/carers to return unsold/sold raffle tickets with money, in envelope provided, to the school office NO LATER than Wednesday 24th November.–Somebody has to fold them, so please don’t leave it any later!
· Donations needed: We would be very grateful for any donations you may have, to be brought into school as soon as possible. We will have to sort and price items before the Fair, so please don’t delay!
We are in need of unwanted gifts for raffle prizes, books, DVD’s, CD’s, bottles (of any description), jars, tins, homemade crafts, handbags, bath bags, rucksacks etc, unbroken good quality toys and chocolate items of any description. We would also welcome donations of homemade cupcakes and tray bakes on the day of the Fair.
· Eimer Fernie and Charlotte Hector are welcoming donations of scraps of material, felt, buttons, bias binding, ribbons, wool, embroidery threads and trims e.g. rickrack. If you have anything that fits that description, please pass it on - They are making items for our wonderful craft stall!
· If any parents/carers attending the Fair are able to help out on a stall, please would they talk to Sarah Madry or Eimer Fernie. Even if you are able to do half an hour, that would be fantastic!
· Do you have any outdoor Christmas decorations that you would be happy for us to borrow? We are making a festive grotto for Santa outside Class 1 and would love to make it look really magical for the children. Please speak to Sarah Madry or Eimer Fernie if you can help us out. Many Thanks! – P.T.A.

Can we also remind parents that there will be a P.T.A. meeting at Rowena Dobson’s house on Tuesday 16th November at 8pm. Rowena lives at Coppers, Cat Lane, Stadhampton. We hope to see you there!

Extended Services Information
We have been asked to let parents know about the one-off workshop about promoting positive behaviour at the Children’s Centre in Chalgrove on 30th November, 9.15 for a 9.30 start. A flyer with further details is attached to this newsletter.

Books borrowed from the Mobile Library
The Mobile Library will not be coming to school in December now as the scheduled date clashes with the School Christmas Productions! Books borrowed from the mobile library on 10th November will automatically be renewed and are not due back at school until the next visit on 4th February 2011.

Children In Need Day – Friday 19th November
Pupils are asked to pay £1 to come to school dressed in something spotty instead of school uniform. All proceeds to Children in Need.
The School Council will be hosting a Pudsey Bear Poster or Collage competition. Children are invited to make a poster or collage of Pudsey Bear at home and then bring it in on Friday. It costs 50p to enter the competition and the four winners, one from each class, will be announced in the assembly in the afternoon.
We hope to hold an after school biscuit/cake sale and hope that one or two families would kindly make us some Pudsey or spotty biscuits or fairy cakes to sell towards our collection for Children in Need. Any volunteers please liaise with Mrs Manzie. Thank you.

Netball Tournament - Pupil Report by Chloe Brown
“On 5th November the Year 6’s went to the Partnership netball tournament at Icknield Community College. Year 6 were competing against lots of other schools and did very well by coming third out of eight teams.”

Year 5 Visits to Icknield Community College – Pupil Report by Matt and Ewan
“Year 5 pupils have been going to Icknield Community College for taster lessons. Our first lesson was Science and we learnt about forensics. Our second lesson was Geography and we learnt about the population of the world and the money distribution”.

Little Bears News
We welcome George Evelyn to Little Bears this week. George and his family are new to the village as well as Little Bears, we hope they all settle quickly and enjoy life here. The children are thinking about shapes this week, making shape people. We also gave thought to Remembrance Day and made a large poppy with hand prints.

DIARY DATES:
Mon 15th November
Parents’ Evenings – 4.30-7pm. Appointment slips distributed this week.
Tuesday 16th November
PTA Meeting at Rowena Dobson’s house
Wednesday 17th November
Parents’ Evenings – 3.30-6pm. Appointment slips distributed this week.
Friday 19th November
Children in Need Day – non-uniform, pay £1 and wear something spotty
Monday 22nd November
Governing Body meeting at 7pm
Friday 26th November
PTA Winter Fair from 6pm

Newsletter No 1 / 5th November 2010

2010-11-05T07:59:00.002Z

Happy NOVEMBER Birthday to: Juliana Browning, Jake Day, Amy Freeman, Max Jones, Max Lansley, Lola Odell and Ella Perring

During November we are focusing on the core vale of PEACE

Children in Need, Friday 19th November
A reminder about that we will be participating in the BBC Children in Need Appeal by holding a non-uniform day on Friday 19th November. To take part children are expected to wear “something spotty” as part of their attire rather than normal school uniform and bring in £1 to school. We will then collect contributions at class registration time and send the proceeds to Children in Need. We are also planning other activities to take place during the day.

Menus for Winter & Spring
We have now uploaded the new Winter and Spring School Meals Menu onto the Learning Platform. We have also added a link to it on the school website.

NHS “Catch It, Bin It, Kill It” campaign
We have recently received a teaching resource pack from Kimberly-Clark, manufacturers of Kleenex, in support of the NHS “Catch It, Bin It, Kill It” campaign which raises public awareness of good hygiene practices to reduce the spread of cold and ‘flu’ germs. The pack includes a number of small packets of tissues which we have distributed to all pupils in the Foundatation Stage and Class 1. It is timely to remind everyone of the NHS guidelines:-
CATCH IT – Always use a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
BIN IT – Throw the tissue away immediately after use.
KILL IT – Wash your hands.
We will be promoting these guidelines in school, both in class and in assembly.

Little Cooks After School Club
The Little Cooks After School Club which has been offered to pupils in Years 3-6 is full and, unfortunately, no further places are available.

After School Dance Club
Following on from the success of the last After School Street Dance Club lead by Kerri Williams from Tanya’s School of Dance, we are pleased to give parents advance notice that this club will run again from Tuesday 11th January for at least 6 weeks. If it is as popular again as it was previously, then we shall probably continue with dance until Easter. This club will be open to all pupils.

Nit Alert
Please could everyone check their children’s hair this weekend as a parent has kindly reported that their child had nits, which have now been treated.

Five Star Food Hygiene Rating
Following a recent inspection of our kitchen by a South Oxfordshire District Council hygiene officer, I am delighted to inform you that we have been awarded five stars which means that this establishment has been rated as excellent. Congratulations to Mrs Shortman for achieving this excellent standard. Continuing to maintain this standard is, of course, a high priority and this involves not only school staff but also all hall users.

P.T.A. Message
Now that Halloween has been and gone and after tonight, the bonfire will be just embers and the sparklers have fizzled to darkness…..It’s time to think about Christmas! The P.T.A. is holding a Winter Fair on Friday 26th Nov at 6.00pm in the School Hall. Every family member is welcome to come and have a really great time playing games, drinking hot chocolates or mulled wine and searching for some cracking Christmas presents on our stalls! We will have a beautiful craft stall full of homemade items of all descriptions. There will be a Jewellery stall selling necklaces and other accessories. We also have a Virgin Vie stall, a Pampered Chef stall and Phoenix cards will also be attending. This is the perfect opportunity to start saving your pennies and come and find those special presents for your loved ones.
All families should find a note in book bags giving a more detailed description of items that we need to make this event a truly brilliant night. Please read through and see if you can donate anything to help us raise extra funds for the children at the school. Many thanks for your support.
P.S. There will be a very special visitor who will have his own “Winter Wonderland Grotto” outside Class 1! Come and tell him what you’d like for Christmas!

Little Bears News
The Little Bears and staff are back, looking refreshed and feeling energised for the 7 week countdown to Christmas! Fortunately we are not quite into the Christmas spirit yet, we are focused this week on bonfire night incorporating safety talks and beautiful firework art. We welcome Rafi Wilkinson this week to Little Bears, we hope he settles quickly and enjoys his time with us.

DIARY DATES:
Tuesday 9th November
Little Cooks starts for participating pupils
Wednesday 10th November
Maths Masterclass at ICC for participating pupils
Mon 15th November
Parents’ Evenings – 4.30-7pm
Tuesday 16th November
PTA Meeting at Rowena Dobson’s house
Wednesday 17th November
Parents’ Evenings – 3.30-6pm
Friday 19th November
Children in Need Day – non-uniform, pay £1 and wear something spotty
Monday 22nd November
Governing Body meeting at 7pm
Friday 26th November
PTA Winter Fair

Newsletter No 8 / 21st October 2010

2010-10-21T13:44:00.001+01:00

School Photographs
Thank you to the many familes who have already returned their orders for school photographs. They will be collected at 8am on Thursday 4th November so please return any further orders to school by Wednesday 3rd November.

Children in Need, Friday 19th November
Just to give some advance notice that we will be participating in the BBC Children in Need Appeal. This year’s Children in Need appeal has the motto – “Show your spots, let’s raise lots!” To support this we will have a non-uniform day on Friday 19th November which is the official Children in Need day. To take part children are expected to wear “something spotty” as part of their attire rather than normal school uniform and bring in £1 to school. We will then collect contributions at class registration time and send the proceeds to Children in Need. We are also planning other activities to take place during the day.

Christmas Productions 2010
With the number of pupils in our school having grown so significantly, providing us with so many budding actors, the traditional whole-school Christmas play has sadly become logistically impossible. As almost 50% of our pupils are in Reception or Key Stage 1, after much consideration, we have decided to put on two separate productions; one for KS2 pupils and another for KS1 and Reception Pupils. There will be two performances of the KS2 production on Wednesday 8th December, one in the afternoon and one in the evening, however, only one performance of the KS1 / Reception production during the afternoon of Friday 10th December. Further details about these productions will follow after the October Holiday.

Ancient Egypt Workshop, with Mrs Whitten – Written by Millie Birtles & Jake Day
“On Tuesday Class 2 travelled back in time to Ancient Egypt. We were looking at what life style they led. We were involved in making a mummy and the burial ceremony. We found out lots of things about their first life and the after life. All pupils were involved in giving the mummy special gifts which he would carry into the after life. Some pupils dressed up as Egypian boys, girls, men and women. All pupils enjoyed the Egypitian visit and thanked Mrs Whitten.”

Menus for Winter & Spring
You should find a copy of the new Winter & Spring Menus from Food with Thought, in bookbags, which begins on 1st November and finishes the week beginning 4th April as we break up for the Easter holidays. There is a three- week cycle of menus and the dates for the menu are at the top of each of the weeks, so that parents can easily see which week we are currently on. As soon as this new menu is available electronically from Food with Thought, we will upload it onto the Learning Platform.

Free School Meals for Reception Pupils during National School Meals Week
Thank you to those families who have returned the slip at the bottom of the letter from Food with Thought confirming that they would like to take up the offer for one week of free school meals for Reception pupils from 8th – 12th November. Only those families who return the completed slip will be eligible to have the free school meals.

P.T.A. Message
After what has been a very busy beginning to the school year, we can now all enjoy the holidays. Some of us will be getting out in the garden to plant those bulbs and flowers we ordered! Please give us any feed back you may have about the baskets, plants and bulbs you received. You may contact us and leave any comments, regarding this or other issues, using the P.T.A. email address www.stadhamptonpta@gmail.com. If everyone is happy, we will be handing out plant order forms again in the spring, as it was such a popular fund raiser. Thank you again to all who placed an order.

The Quiz Night last Friday proved to be really good fun and we have had wonderful feed back form all who attended. Ian Lansley did a sterling job as our compare for the evening - Thank you and well done. (Glad the voice just about held out!) The members of the Pudding Club have set a very high standard for future events! Nine wonderful entrants donated superb desserts, free of charge. May we say a really big “Thank You” to Sarah Green, Lucy Ellis, Elaine Burnell, Shirley Bateman, Sam Odell, Lucy Khan, Nikki Howlett, Peter Madry and Poppy Elliot’s friend! You all helped to make the evening very special and raise some extra funds for the children in the process. We are very grateful.

If the colder weather has encouraged you to have a sort out of your wardrobes, then please consider donating any clean, good quality clothes, shoes, bags etc. to the school. You should have received a recycling bag in your child’s book bag last week. Extra black bin bags are always welcome and you can include curtains, towels, soft toys and bedding. For more details about the company and what you can give, you can see their website www.bag2school.com. Both the school and Little Bears Pre-School will benefit from this fund raiser so please pass on your old flares and winkle pickers! The bags will be collected from school on Monday 1st November, which is the first day back after the holidays!

A gentle reminder, that Tracy Perring will continue to sell uniforms in Little Bears, after school every Wednesday. If you need any new items then please try and visit her before 3.30pm. We will be producing a product and price list to hand out to parents/carers, after the autumn holidays.

Finally, please make a note in your diaries that the P.T.A. will be holding a Winter Fair in the School (community) Hall on Friday 26th November at 6.00pm. This will be one of the last fundraisers of the year and we have lots of fun, new stalls planned. Please start saving bits and bobs to donate. We would be grateful for DVD’s, CDs, books, bottles and chocolates for the tombolas, good quality toys and prizes for the raffle. More information will follow after the holidays.

As always, thank you for your ongoing support. Without your donations and contributions we wouldn’t be able to offer the children those special extras!

Little Bears News
Here we are at the end of the first half term. I think I can speak for all at Little Bears new and old, that we are tired but very well settled into life at Little Bears. We have welcomed many new children over the last seven weeks and are yet to welcome a few more on our return in November. Our topic for the next seven weeks will begin with “fireworks” leading onto “shapes” followed by “Christmas” . The bulk order of glitter is on its way!

DIARY DATES:
Thursday 21st October
Term 1 finishes at 3.15pm
Monday 1st November
Term 2 starts for all pupils
PTA Clothes Collection
Swimming starts for Class 3 pupils
Wednesday 3rd November
Foundation Stage pupils and Class 1 pupils visit Blenheim Palace. Letters distributed in book bags on 14th October.
Year 5 pupils visit ICC for a “Wider World” lesson
Wednesday 10th November
Maths Masterclass at ICC for participating pupils
Mon 15th November
Parents’ Evenings – 4.30-7pm
Wednesday 17th November
Parents’ Evenings – 3.30-6pm
Friday 19th November
Children in Need Day – non-uniform, pay £1 and wear something spotty
Monday 22nd November
Governing Body meeting at 7pm
Friday 26th November
PTA Winter Fair

Newsletter No 7 /15th October 2010

2010-10-14T14:32:00.002+01:00

Open Morning
Thank you to everyone who came along to our very successful Open Morning this week.

Book Fair
We are holding a Book Fair in the school hall from the afternoon of Monday 1st November until Friday 5th November before and after school each day. We shall have for sale, the latest range of top quality reading books which pupils will hopefully enjoy. Once takings have exceeded £100, the school receives commission on any other books sold and this is “spent” on buying new books for each classroom library.

P.T.A. News
The plant orders should be arriving at school on Monday 18th Oct – just in time for planting out in the garden over the holidays! If parents/carers would like to collect their plants after school on that day, they will be placed on the pavement, near the big gate in the car park. Would parents please allow a few extra minutes for P.T.A. members to sort out the orders and check they have given you the right plants. (Please don’t help yourselves - the orders must be checked first!) The P.T.A. also request that parents adhere to the rules regarding cars in the car park. If your order is quite large and you will be using your car to transport plants, please allow parents who are just picking up children to leave first. If you are unable to pick up on that Monday, the plants will be kept on the school grounds and you can ask a P.T.A. member to arrange a suitable collection time before the holidays. Thank you.

A huge THANK YOU to all children, teachers and parents who made /co-ordinated/ ordered Christmas cards. We know it was a bit chaotic for all involved, but the results should be brilliant. Next year, we will try to organise this event earlier in the term to ease the pressure! The P.T.A. will let parents know as soon as the cards arrive at school. Watch this space!

This week you will have found in your child’s book bag, a white plastic bag with printed information about clothes recycling on it. For those parents who are new to the school, please collect the items listed, fill the blue bag and return it to the school on Monday 1st Nov. The items are weighed and the school and Little Bears Pre-school get a percentage of the funds raised on the total amount collected. Please note: 1st Nov is the first day back after the October holiday!

P.T.A. Quiz and Pudding Club – Tonight’s the night for the tastiest, fun filled event in October! Come along to the School hall at 7.00pm and enjoy some delicious desserts and test the grey cells with a general knowledge quiz. Don’t feel shy about coming alone or in pairs – there will be others who you will be able to form a team with. (Max. of 8 per team please!)

Next P.T.A. Meeting will be Wednesday 20th Oct at 8.00pm. We will be meeting at Sarah Madry’s – Brompton House, School Lane. New members are always welcome. Please feel free to come along for an evening discussing and organising fund raising events that you’d like to see happen over the school year.

Investors in People
We were pleased to receive notification this week that we have successfully been reaccredited with “Investors in Peple” status for a further three years.

Little Bears News
This week we welcome Ella Fulker to Little Bears, we hope she quickly makes lots of new friends and has a happy time with us. We are all a little Quackers this week, our rhyme is 5 Little Ducks, however we can see many more than 5 in the room!
As you will be aware the school is closed for an Inset day next Friday 22nd October. Little Bears will open as a normal Friday session 9am-12pm.

DIARY DATES:
Thursday 21st October
Term 1 finishes at 3.15pm
Monday 1st November
Term 2 starts for all pupils
PTA Clothes Collection
Swimming starts for Class 3 pupils
Wednesday 3rd November
Foundation Stage pupils and Class 1 pupils visit Blenheim Palace. Letters distributed in book bags on 14th October.
Year 5 pupils visit ICC for a “Wider World” lesson
Wednesday 10th November
Maths Masterclass at ICC for participating pupils
Mon 15th November
Parents’ Evenings – 4.30-7pm
Wednesday 17th November
Parents’ Evenings – 3.30-6pm
Monday 22nd November
Governing Body meeting at 7pm
Friday 26th November
PTA Winter Fair

Newsletter No 6 / 8th October 2010

2010-10-07T14:29:00.001+01:00

We are pleased to welcome Miss Chelsea Stratton, a BA student teacher at Oxford Brookes University, to Stadhampton School. Miss Stratton will be us for eight weeks, mainly working in Class 2 under the guidance of Mrs Garrard and Mrs Turner.

Extra INSET Day
We have recently been advised that the new coalition Government has allocated all primary schools an additional INSET Day (In-Service Training Day where teachers are available for work but the school is closed to pupils) this school year. Please note that we will be taking this additional day on Wednesday 5th January 2011 (and will use it to review our assessment procedures) and that Term 3 will now begin on Thursday 6th January.

Internet Safety
Safeguarding pupils is of paramount importance to us and parents are reminded that our school Internet access is filtered, thus protecting pupils from inappropriate and potentially harmful material. We also teach pupils about safe use of the Internet. Each family will have made their own domestic arrangements for their child/ren’s access to the Internet but I would like to draw your attention to an Internet Safeguarding website recommended by Local Authority Safeguarding Officers. The site is www.thinkuknow.co.uk which has useful pages for both pupils and parents. Unfortunately Internet and mobile phone abuse are both on the increase and pupil access to mobile phones with an Internet facility can make them vunerable.

Collecting children at the end of the school day
We have noticed that the car park is becoming increasingly congested at the end of the school day. Congestion would be eased and child safety improved if parents found alternatives to using the car park. The congestion is partly due to two taxis on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays collecting children from school and one taxi on Thursdays and Fridays. As it is our duty to make sure that the right pupils go into the right taxi at the end of the day, it is important that the taxis are able to collect pupils from immediately outside the main school entrance/exit.
We therefore politely request that all parents please park in designated car park spaces only within the car park and not alongside the kerb outside the main entrance/exit. If the car park is already full, then please park safely in Cratlands Close, being of course, mindful not to block the driveways of residents of Cratlands Close. In the interest of the safety of all pupils the access to the car park will be monitored and reviewed by the Governing Body.
Teaching staff have also been reminded that the end of the school day is 3.15pm and that pupils should leave promptly at that time.

Learning Platform
We have posted some pictures of the Harvest Service onto the Learning Platform this week.

Potholes in Cratlands Close
We are grateful to Richard Freeth, (a school governor who lives in Cratlands Close) for addressing the potholes situation in Cratlands Close with the Highways Department at Oxfordshire County Council. Richard sent them pictures of the potholes and they have given the school assurance that the problems will be dealt with in the near future. The reference number for this query should anyone else need it is 359422.

Free Booktime Book Packs
We were pleased to be able to pass onto each child in the Foundation Class earlier this week, a pack of books, posters and bookmark provided by the Book Trust.

Watlington Partnership Family Learning Workshop
We are pleased to be able to let families know about an opportunity to attend a family learning workshop on Friday 22nd October at Watlington School between 10am and 12 noon. (Stadhampton School is closed to pupils on that day as it is an INSET Day for teaching staff). The cost is £2 per family and children are able to create a Halloween costume. Childrem must be accompanied by an adult. Please collect a booking form from the school office to take part in this session or e-mail Elly.Baskerville@Oxfordshire.gov.uk

Little Bears News
We welcome two new children this week, Harvey Saunders and Angus Stewart. We hope they settle well and enjoy their time at Little Bears. Many of the children have made Flapjacks this week, they looked yummy with the choice of chocolate chips & raisins if desired.The rhyme of the week is 1,2,3,4 5. The room is definitely looking ‘Fishy’!

DIARY DATES:
Wednesday 13th October
Open Morning at school and at Little Bears
Friday 15th October
PTA Quiz Night
Thursday 21st October
Term 1 finishes at 3.15pm
Monday 1st November
Term 2 starts for all pupils
Mon 15th Nov & Weds 17th November
Parents’ Evenings

Newsletter No 5 / 1st October 2010

2010-10-01T08:12:00.001+01:00

Happy OCTOBER Birthday to: Benjamin Duke, Sophie Hector, Oliver Lowman, Rishon Marshall, Marcin Skwarek and Ellie Walker.

During OCTOBER we are focusing on the core value of APPRECIATION

Harvest Gifts
Thank you to everyone who brought Harvest Gifts for our Harvest Service on Friday 1st October. After the village Harvest Service on Sunday, they will be taken to The Porch, a centre in Oxford for homeless people.

PTA Message
A reminder that orders for plants and bulbs need to be given to a PTA committee member or returned to the school office by Friday 8th October. If you haven’t had an opportunity yet to read about what is on offer, it is well worth taking a look!

Polish Visit
During the last week we have welcomed a group of 13 visitors from our partner primary school in Hazlach, Poland. The group consisted of 7 pupils, accompanied by Pani Agnieszka Pilch the headteacher, along with other members of staff and parents. They participated in a number of activities with our pupils, including lessons and playtimes in school, pizza making with Year 6 at Pizza Express, kite making in school and kite flying at Wittenham Clumps. They also had a day trip to Oxford and visited other local places of interest with host families.
I would like to express my enormous thanks to all pupils, staff, host families, parents, governors and other members of the local community who supported this visit so generously. Our guests had a wonderful time and were genuinely sad to leave. For most of them it was their first experience of England and they came away with a very positive impression of Stadhampton School, the village community and England. Your children, our pupils, were fine ambassadors and a tribute to our school. Although our current Comenius Project has come to an end, I hope the valuable links between the schools will continue. Here are some pupil reports of the shared experiences:

Pizza Express Visit – Report written by Ben and Chloe B:
“Year 6’s and the Polish children went to Pizza Express on Tuesday 28th September. The Year 5’s went on Thursday 30th September. At Pizza Express we made pizzas with lots of yummy toppings. First they gave us some dough and we pressed the dough into a circle. Secondly we put it in a pan and then we spread some tomato puree all over the pizza dough. Then we put the toppings on and then they cooked it in the oven at 371○C for 2 to 3 minutes. We are our pizzas when we got back to school – they were scrumptious!”

Kite Flying – Report written by Florence and Rhiannon:
“On Saturday we made some kites with the Polish children, using some coloured markers and plastic triangles. We had over an hour to do this and we all had good designs and found it great fun. We all went to Wittenham Clumps and flew our kites,(luckily it was a nice windy day). Some kites got stuck or snapped but we all brought our kites home in one piece. The kites flew really high and very well. The whole day was fun and exciting. We enjoyed it very much and so did the others.”

Hosting Polish Visitors – Report written by Alice Madry
“It was a great experience to have the Polish people stay. They were fun to play with but tricky to communicate with! We had a fun experience going to London. It was good to see what they thought of the City. We had lunch in a traditional English pub, most of us had roast dinner. They really liked it!”

Little Bears News
We have welcomed most of our new children to Little Bears over the last 3 weeks, no new starters this week.
We do however welcome a new addition to the staff this week. Louisa, a 17 year old student, began work placement on Wednesday, she will be with us every Wednesday and Thursday from 9am-3pm until February 2011.
Sheep are the focus this week, there are ‘Baa Baa multi coloured sheep’ everywhere!

DIARY DATES:
Wednesday 6th October
Mobile Library
Thursday 7th October
Open Evening at Icknield Community College 6-8pm
Wednesday 13th October
Open Morning at school and at Little Bears
Friday 15th October
PTA Quiz Night
Thursday 21st October
Term 1 finishes at 3.15pm
Monday 1st November
Term 2 starts for all pupils
Mon 15th Nov & Weds 17th November
Parents’ Evenings

Newsletter No 4 / 24th September 2010

2010-09-24T08:00:00.001+01:00

Parents Consultation Evenings
This year we are making slight changes to our annual, appointments–based, parents’ evening in November. We are offering two alternative after school sessions; Monday 15th November 4.30 – 7.00pm and Wednesday 17th November 3.30 – 6.00pm. Appointments will be for 10 minutes with class teacher(s) and, as usual, parents will be able to look at their child’s/children’s work beforehand. Arrangements for making appointments will be circulated nearer the time but we hope that by being given plenty of notice and the option of either of the two dates, all parents will be able to attend one or other of the consultation evenings.

School Photographer
We would like to remind all families that the school photographer will be taking photographs during the morning of Wednesday 29th September – freshly laundered hair and combed down uniform! Each pupil will be photographed individually and with any siblings in school. If any family would like to have any family group photographs taken, please come into the school hall at 8.45am.

Kids Aid Tanzania
Congratulations to former Stadhampton School pupils Michael Amery and Jack Banting who recently canoed 130 miles along the River Thames to raise money for the charity Kids Aid Tanzania. Michael and Jack, along with two other pupils at Icknield Community College, achieved the journey in seven days. The money they raised will go towards education, food and health-care for the orphans in Tanzania.

Nit Alert
We are grateful to a parent in Class 1 for letting us know that their child has recently had nits. We would be grateful if everyone could check their child(ren’s) hair this weekend and treat if necessary, so that this problem does not spread further.

PTA Message
P.T.A. Plant Order Form - This week, parents should have received an order form and letter for Autumn plants, bulbs and hanging baskets, inside their child’s book bag. If you would like to take advantage of this great offer and help raise additional funds for the P.T.A., then please could you complete the form with the number of plants you require – don’t forget to add your child’s name and class on the bottom of the form and return it with full payment to Eimer Fernie, Sarah Madry or any other member of the P.T.A. by Friday 8th October. Please make cheques payable to: Stadhampton Primary School P.T.A. In case you haven’t received a form and would like to place an order, there are some forms available from Mrs Hopkins in the school office. The plants will be delivered to school on Monday 18th October for you to collect and take home. You can visit www.cdbell.co.uk to view the plants for sale – but please don’t place your order on line! Thank you.

Multsports Club on Tuesday afternoons
There are still places available on the Tuesday after school Multisports Club run by the SODC community sports coach, if any other Year 3-6 pupils would like to join. The cost for the remaining four weeks would be £4.

Little Bears News
At Little Bears this week poor Humpty Dumpty is falling off the wall! The children have made fantastic ‘Humpty’s’ using balloons and having great fun sticking on wool hair, googly eyes and dangly legs.
Freya Clapton joined us this week, it looks as though she will enjoy her time with us. We are all enjoying the September sunshine!

DIARY DATES:
Wednesday 29th September
All pupils will have their school photographs taken
Friday 1st October
Harvest Festival in Church
Wednesday 6th October
Mobile Library
Wednesday 13th October
Open Morning at school and at Little Bears
Mon 15th Nov & Weds 17th November
Parents’ Evenings

Open Evening at Icknield Community College
Icknield Community College would be pleased to welcome you to their Open Evening on Thursday 7th October between 6 and 8pm.

Vacancy at Icknield Community College
We are looking for a dynamic & enthusiastic person to develop and lead our new after school provision at Icknield Community College, Watlington.
You must have experience of working with young people and a NVQ level 3 qualification would be an advantage.
5 days a week 2:45pm - 6:15 pm term time only
Oxfordshire County Council pay scale Grade 5/6 depending upon experience
Please contact Helen Rints, Extended Services for further information & an informal chat.
07504 958 334 or helen.rints@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Newsletter No 3 / 17th September 2010

2010-09-17T09:39:00.002+01:00

Clarinet Lessons for Class 3 pupils
Clarinet lessons began this week for all pupils in Class 3. Each child has been lent a clarinet by the County Music Service and benefits from 30 x 1hour lessons over this academic year. This one-year free programme has been running at a number of schools, throughout the county, and has proved to be very successful. We welcome Mrs Debbie Rose, the clarinet teacher, to our school and look forward to discovering more musical talent!

Learning Platform update
Emma Stinga, from the ICT team, has recently been working with each class to assist staff and pupils in accessing the Learning Platform and showing them its capabilities. This week we have issued letters to the new families who joined the school in September, explaining what the Learning Platform is and providing those new parents with their user names and passwords. If any other parent is struggling to access the Learning Platform and would like to be given their user name and password again, please e-mail Mrs Hopkins at office.2455@stadhampton.oxon.sch.uk and she will try to assist. The address to access the LP is www.klp.rm.com

Madame Church
We are pleased to welcome Madame Church as a new member of staff. Madame Church is a language specialist and will be teaching French to all pupils on Thursday afternoons.

SSCO Programme
As part of our involvement in the SSCO programme, we are pleased to welcome Andrew Highton, a community rugby coach, into school to lead a tag rugby session with Classes 2 and 3. Pupils in the Foundation Stage and Class 1 are also benefitting from a session each week led by Debbie Saw, an SODC schools support coach.

Moving On Booklets
All Year 6 pupils who need to apply for a place at secondary school for September 2011 were given a booklet entitled “Moving On” on Tuesday. Applications for places may be made using the form in the booklet or by applying on-line at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/admissions The closing date for applications is 31st October 2010.

Admissions into Primary School Booklets
Starting School booklets are available in the school office for parents with children born between 1st September 2006 and 31st August 2007. Applications for places may be made using the form in the booklet or by applying on-line at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/admissions The closing date for applications is 17th January 2011.

Coats for Breaktimes
Several children have felt cold this week when playing outside in the cooler weather. Please remember to send your child with a coat, if necessary.

Little Bears News
The Little Bears, new and old have settled into the new term very well indeed. We would like to welcome Cohen Brassill to Little Bears this week; we hope he enjoys his time with us. We are making spiders this week to support the nursery rhyme “Incy Wincey Spider” except our spiders are not so Insey Wincey! The children attended assembly with FS1 and Class 1 on Monday. For some of these children it was their very first time at the school, they appeared to enjoy the singing and behaved impeccably.

PTA Message
A big thank you to all new mums who came to the meeting on Tuesday. We should have a good team of volunteers to help organise some great events of the year. New members are still always welcome!

The first dates for your diary are:
Friday 15 October – 7pm – Quiz Night and Pudding Club - at the Community (School) Hall. Come and have an evening of fun with some delicious puddings to sample and judge in the interval. Tickets are £4.00 per person to include entry for the quiz, a selection of puddings to eat and a cup of tea or coffee. There will be a raffle and a bar selling alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Tickets will be available from the school office, Sarah Madry and Eimer Fernie. If you would like to enter a dessert for the Pudding Club then please talk to Sarah. There will be a prize for the pudding judged to be the best. (There is no charge for entering).

We would be very grateful for your donations of wine, toiletries, chocolates, unwanted gifts etc for the raffle. There will be a cardboard box labelled “PTA DONATIONS” in the school hall where you can leave your donations. Thank you!

Monday 1 November (morning) – Clothes Recycling Collection - It will be a perfect opportunity to have a good clear out over the Autumn holiday of all your unwanted clothes, shoes, towels, curtains, bedding (no duvets or pillows), bags etc. Please note that the collection date is the first Monday back after the holidays! PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO BRING YOUR BAGS IN!! We cannot accept any bags before the holidays because we will be unable to store them in the school.

Plant Order Forms – In the not-too-distant future we will be sending home, via book bags, the order forms for plants and hanging baskets. There will be an accompanying letter to explain how it works. The order forms and your payment need to be returned to Eimer Fernie or Sarah Madry by Friday 8 October. Plants will be delivered to school. Please take a look at the website for some great ideas to brighten up your tubs over winter! www.cdbell.co.uk (Please do not place your order online!)

Friday 26 November – early evening – Winter Fair – come and have a great evening at the Community (School) Hall! There will be games, face painting, craft stalls, cards and wrapping paper, gifts, cakes, books, DVDs, CDs and a bar selling alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. There will also be a very special guest – Santa! More information to follow (start saving, sorting and collecting contributions for raffle prizes, tombolas and stalls now).

PTA EVENTS OVER THE YEAR MAY INCLUDE:
Mid December – PTA run bar after Christmas school play.
February – Bingo for children with pizza after school.
March – Possible pamper evening for Mother’s Day
Spring – Possible village treasure hunt followed by coffee morning with raffle
Spring – Plant orders – new stock of spring bulbs etc
May – Clothes recycling
July – Sports Evening, BBQ and Bar

Some other fundraising events may occur – we will keep you up-to-date via the school newsletter. Thank you for your support.

Gardening Club – request for help!
Mrs Tombling and Mrs Birtles plan to carry on Mrs Pattisson’s sterling work in running a gardening club for the school on Friday lunchtimes. They are happy to plan and co-ordinate activities but need a few other willing parents on Fridays to help to weed, dig over the plot, etc. If you would like to help on a regular basis, please let Mrs Tombling or Mrs Birtles know.

Visitors from Hazlach School in Poland
On Friday 24th September we will welcome a group of pupils, teachers and parents from Hazlach School. They will spend the day in school, experiencing a typical school day and will spend much of the time with Class 3 pupils. Further opportunities to meet our guests were detailed in a letter sent out earlier in the week.

DIARY DATES:
Monday 20th September
Assembly at 2.30pm for Year 5 and 6 pupils and their parents
Wednesday 22nd September
Year 5 pupils visit Icknield Community College for a science lesson
Wednesday 29th September
All pupils will have their school photographs taken
Friday 1st October
Harvest Festival in Church
Wednesday 6th October
Mobile Library
Wednesday 13th October
Open Morning at school and at Little Bears

Newsletter No 2 / 10th September

2010-09-10T11:11:00.001+01:00

New School Prospectus for 2010-2011
We are pleased to let everyone know that the new School Prospectus for the academic year 2010-2011 has now been uploaded onto the school website. Please follow this link in order to view it: http://www.stadhampton.oxon.sch.uk/about/Prospectus/School%20Prospectus%20September%202010%20Final%20Version.pdf

Open Morning at Stadhampton School and Little Bears
Stadhampton Primary School and Little Bears Pre-School will be holding a joint Open Morning on Wednesday 13th October between 9.00am and 11.30am. Parents and other visitors are most welcome to come along and see the school at work.

Class Topics/Areas of Study
An outline of the topics/areas of study for each class for Terms 1 and 2 was sent home earlier this week via book bags. We have also sent home booklets which we hope will help parents support their child/ren at home: “Learning Through Play; Numbers” and “Learning Through Play; Letters and Sounds” for pupils in the Foundation Stage and Year 1, and “Supporting your child at home in Mathematics” for the relevant year group for pupils in Years 2-6. We hope you find these helpful.

Year 5 and 6 Assembly with Richard Hudson
Mr Hudson, Head of Icknield Community College will be taking an assembly for Year 5 and 6 pupils AND THEIR PARENTS at Stadhampton School on Monday 20th September at 2.30pm. Please do come along if you can as there will be an opportunity to ask Mr Hudson any questions you may have about life at ICC.

A big Hello and Welcome from the P.T.A!
Hopefully, all families should have been handed a letter about the P.T.A. giving details on what they do and some fund raising ideas planned for the year. If you haven’t received one, please pick up a copy from the school office. It has lots of vital information, including the venue and date of our first meeting – which will be held on Tuesday, 14th September at Eimer Fernie’s house, 15b, Newells Close, at 8.00pm. Please feel free to come along. There are two new Co-Chairs who will be taking the reins – Eimer Fernie (Orla’s mum) and Sarah Madry (Alice, Ewan and Greg’s mum). They would both be very happy to have a chat about any ideas you may have regarding fund raising. Details of how to contact them are in the parent’s letter.
The P.T.A. are looking forward to putting into motion some great events and are very grateful for the support we know parents will give us along the way. Look out for more P.T.A. news in future newsletters.

Extended Services Information
Please find attached to this newsletter a flyer about a 10-week course entlitled “Promoting Positive Behaviour in Children aged 0-12 years” beginning on 29th September at the Chalgrove and Watlington Children’s Centre.

Transfers from Primary School to Secondary Schools in September 2011
It has come to our attention that some parents have received notification from the LA Admissions Team about the need to apply for a place for their child to start secondary school in September 2011 and other families may not have received the letter. Each pupil has been issued with a Unique Identifer by the LA and therefore families who have not received a letter about applying for a place should contact the Admissions Team on 01865 815175 or e-mail them at admissions.schools@oxfordshire.gov.uk. The closing date for applications is 1st November.

Little Bears News
We welcome five new children to Little Bears this week, George Wildblood, Abi Sawyer, Wyatt Bullock, Phoebe Watkins and Daniel Robinson. We hope that they settle quickly and enjoy their time at Little Bears. Our topic for this half term is Nursery Rhymes, this week the children have made Mice for Hickory Dickory Dock.
For the month of October we are very fortunate to have been nominated as one of Waitrose (Thame) community support projects. Please would you put the green tokens in the Little Bears box when you shop (maybe encourage friends and family to do so too). Thank you.

DIARY DATES:
Monday 13th September
“Roald Dahl” Day
Monday 20th September
Assembly at 2.30pm for Year 5 and 6 pupils and their parents.
Wednesday 22nd September
Year 5 pupils visit Icknield Community College for a science lesson
Wednesday 29th September
All pupils will have their school photographs taken
Friday 1st October
Harvest Festival in Church
Wednesday 6th October
Mobile Library
Wednesday 13th October
Open Morning at school and at Little Bears

Newsletter No 1 / 3rd Septemberb 2010

2010-09-03T13:21:00.002+01:00

Welcome to the start of a new school year!

We are pleased to welcome the following new children into the Foundation Class: Katende Amery, Elizabeth Bowerman, Juliana Browning, Thomas Cove, Isabella Dickens, Myles Dobson, Daniel Ellis, Julian Fouquet Burns, Ella Gravett, Hannah Lansley, Tillie Moss-Black, William Parkes, Ellie Walker, Benjamin West and Lawrence Wright. We are also pleased to welcome, a new Year 3 pupil, Tiffany Bullock, and a new Year 4 pupil, Rishon Marshall, both into Class 2.

Happy Belated AUGUST Birthday to: Amy Akers, Amelia Birtles, Rhys Brown, Amber Tomkins, Cora White and Abigail Wright.

Happy SEPTEMBER Birthday to: Isabella Dickens, Bryce Dobson, Phoebe Hindmarch, Alice Madry, Pola Onopiuk, Annabel Roe, Chloe Scragg and Lawrence Wright.

During the month of SEPTEMBER we are focusing on the core value of RESPECT

School Meal Price Increase
A reminder that the cost of a school meal increased on 1st September to £2.05. School meals must be ordered, and paid for please, on the first morning of the school week. Cheques for school meals should be made payable to Oxfordshire County Council with Stadhampton Primary School written on the back of the cheque.

Swimming
Class 2 will be swimming at the Abbey Sports Centre in Berinsfield, starting on Monday 6th September. They will have 7 sessions. As always,we appreciate a “voluntary contribution” of £1, per child, per session towards the transport costs. Cheques for swimming should be made payable to Stadhampton Primary School, please.

Year 5 Visits to Icknield Community College
Year 5 pupils will visit Icknield Community College on the following dates:-

Term 1 Science Wed 22nd September
Term 2 Wider World Wed 3rd November
Term 3 Technology Wed 19th January
Term 4 English Wed 9th March
Term 5 Maths Wed 4th May
PE Sport Wed 18th May
Creative Arts Wed 22nd June
Transportation will be provided during normal school hours.

International School Award
We are pleased to let parents know that we have been successful in regaining the British Council International School Award for three years from 1st September 2010 to 31st August 2013. This prestigious award has been gained as a result of submitting a portfolio of evidence of the school’s international activities. The new logo, which we are officially able to display on correspondence, has been added to the bottom of this newsletter.

Little Bears News
Welcome back to all and a special welcome to our new children and their families who started this week: Sofija Kornega, Lawrence Murphey-Callejo, Sam Sundberg, Thomas West, Mya Khan, Archie Dickens and Gene Green.

DIARY DATES:
Monday 6th September
After school hockey club 3.15 – 4pm
Wednesday 8th September
After school netball and multisports club 3.15 – 4pm
Thursday 9th September
Premier Sports football club 3.15 – 4.15pm
Monday 13th September
“Roald Dahl” Day
Wednesday 29th September
All pupils will have their school photographs taken
Friday 1st October
Harvest Festival in Church
Wednesday 6th October
Mobile Library

Newsletter No 22 / 16th July 2010

2010-07-16T10:21:00.001+01:00

As next week is a short week, it is envisaged that this will be the final newsletter of this academic year.

PE Kit on Monday
Please could all pupils ensure that they have PE kit in school on Monday morning as a coach from Premier Sports Group is leading a special morning of PE for Classes 1, 2 and 3.

School Meal Price Increase
A reminder that the cost of a school meal rises on 1st September to £2.05. School meals must be ordered, and paid for please, on the first morning of the school week. Cheques for school meals should be made payable to Oxfordshire County Council with Stadhampton Primary School written on the back of the cheque.

PTA
The PTA would like to thank parents for their wonderful support in this school year and look forward to many fundraising and social events for the new year starting in September. A quiz night is already planned for October and there will be another clothes recycling opportunity after the October Holiday. The first PTA meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 14th September, 8pm at 15B Newells Close (Eimer Fernie’s house) and all parents are warmly invited to attend this meeting.

Extended Services Opportunities
Details were e-mailed to parents earlier this week about an exciting event happening at Watlington Primary School on 9th August and also about a 10-week course for parents on “Promoting Positive Behaviours” starting in Chalgrove on 29th September.

Sports Evening
The hot, dry, reliable weather of last week seems less reliable now! We remain hopeful that Sports Evening will take place tonight as planned, but Mrs Hopkins will send e-mails to all families if there is any change of plan. (If we do need to cancel on Friday, we are provisionally planning to run the races for pupils at 2pm on Wednesday 21st July.)

Report on the Comenius Visit to Poland by pupils, parents and staff
Please find attached a report on this “eventful” visit to Poland. The report has been compiled by Jolyon Roe with contributions from all families who participated. I hope this gives all families at Stadhampton School an insight into this extraordinary visit. We will be pleased to welcome a group of pupils, parents and staff to Stadhampton School from Hazlach in late September. At the end of September, we will be submitting a final report on the Comenius Project to the British Council on completion of the project.

Partnership Tennis Tournament
Several Year 5 and 6 pupils from Stadhampton School enjoyed playing a round-robin competition against pupils at Watlington School at the Partnership Tennis Tournament earlier this week. All pupils particularly enjoyed the excellent facilities at the Watlington Tennis Club. Congratulations to Robbie and Alex who won, and to Benedict and Rory and also Oliver and Peter who came joint second. The four Year 4 girls who also went along enjoyed playing their matches against each other.

Swimming at Berinsfield
Swimming will begin at the Abbey Sports Centre for Class 2 pupils on Monday 6th September. They will have 7 sessions, and we hope that parents will be willing, as always, to contribute £1 per pupil, per week, towards the transport costs.

Little Bears News
It has been a very quiet week at Little Bears. Twelve of our children have spent three days with Miss Mould in the Reception Class at school. We have of course seen and heard them playing and it appears to us they have had a fabulous time. The staff and remaining children have missed them very much. For the few children we have had in this week we have had a very chilled time, allowing them to choose favourite activities.
We are having our sports day and picnic on Thursday 22nd July at 11am until 1pm, therefore hoping for good weather!
We would like to wish all our leavers the very best of luck in the future and all of you a fantastic summer.

DIARY DATES:
Tuesday 20th July
Cycling Safety Test
Thursday 22nd July
9.00am - End of Year assembly when we also say goodbye to our Year 6 leavers. All parents welcome.
School finishes at 1.30pm
Wednesday 1st September
Staff INSET Day
Thursday 2nd September
Pupils return to school for the start of a new school year.

We wish you all a relaxing and restful summer, wherever it may be, and look forward to seeing everyone in September, apart from our Year 6 leavers, of course. We will be saying goodbye to them at our end of year assembly on Thursday morning. We wish them all every success in their new schools and hope that they will all keep in touch.

Newsletter No 21 / 9th July 2010

2010-07-09T08:46:00.002+01:00

End of Year School Reports
End of year school reports for all pupils should be in book bags today.

Community Tea
Thank you to everyone who kindly made cakes for the community tea held at school earlier this week. We didn’t get as many visitors as we hoped we might, but those who did come really enjoyed their visit. Our Year 6 pupils acted as hosts and did an excellent job serving and chatting to our guests. Pupils in all 4 classes provided some musical entertainment. All pupils enjoyed a piece of cake at morning break on Wednesday morning to eat up some of the surplus!

Lost Clothing
Two of Leo Burnell’s named school sweatshirts are still missing and Georgia Day’s named PE shirt is also missing. We would ask everyone to please check their children’s bags to see if these items have found their way into the wrong bags. Thank you.

PTA
I am sure that parents, staff and governors would like to join me in thanking Sara Wright for all of her hard work and commitment to Stadhampton School PTA during the time that she has been PTA Chair. Over the last three years, Sara has led a very active committee to run social events and raise lots of money for the PTA and leaves a healthy bank balance. Some of this will be used to help fund exciting new projects for the school, such as the creation of an outdoor learning area and replacement of the climbing frame, both of which are planned for the new academic year. We are grateful to Mrs Fernie and Mrs Madry for agreeing to jointly take on the PTA Chair role and look forward to working with them. All pupils at Stadhampton School benefit hugely from PTA support, as they assist with the cost of all children learning French, help to keep computers and other ICT learning resources up to date, help with the upkeep of the school swimming pool, as well as contribute towards treats such as the end of term show from the Daylight Theatre Company.

PTA Message
Sports Night 16th July – the PTA will be running a bar as usual on Sports Night which will be open from 6.15pm. Also The Crown will be providing the BBQ serving burgers and sausages. Food will be available from 6.15pm onwards at the school, cash on the night please. (See next item re Sports Day)
Chair of PTA – I am pleased to announce that Sarah Madry and Eimer Fernie will be taking over as co-chairs of the PTA in September. I have been Chair now for almost 3 years and it is time for others to carry the baton and continue with the fund raising. The primary aim of the PTA is to raise funds for the school so that the children have extra activities or equipment to support their learning; we now have over £7000 in the bank which can be used for worthy causes such as contributing towards the replacement of the play equipment in the school grounds, creating an outdoor learning area or contributing towards new computers. Please join me in supporting both Sarah and Eimer as they continue to raise funds for the school. Thanks, Sara.

Congratulations to our rounders team who came second in this week’s Partnership Rounders Tournament.

The Oxfordshire Big Science Event Final
Last week our three young finalists, Robbie, Benedict and Ben Drake, presented their investigation “Which materials keep hot water, the hottest?” to other finalists and their teachers, judges from Science Oxford and Local Authority Science Advisors.
Report by Ben Drake, Benedict Diment and Robbie Scragg:
“On the 1st July, Ben, Robbie and Benedict represented Stadhampton School at the Big Science Event 2010. Over 30 schools and 2500 children entered the competition. Only 6 schools reached the final and we were very pleased to come 2nd!”

Partnership Speaking Day – report by Rory Pattisson
“Lucy and I went to Icknield Community College to the annual Partnership Speaking Day which was organised by Chalgrove School. There were 11 pupils there altogether – 4 from Watlington Primary, 2 from Ewelme, 1 from RAF Benson, 2 from Chalgrove and 2 from Stadhampton. We had three things to do – read aloud, present our own personal presentation and recite a poem. It wasn’t a competition so there were not any winners. We both enjoyed the experience.”

SODC Holiday Courses
We have been asked to signpost parents to the summer holiday courses being organised by SODC. Here is the link to what is on: http://www.southoxon.gov.uk/ccm/content/leisure/school-holiday-activities/easter-holiday-activities.en Brochures have also been distributed earlier in the week via book bags.

Mrs Gwen Brookes
Mrs Brookes has decided that it is time to cut back on her teaching commitments and will be leaving us at the end of this term. We shall certainly miss her, as she has taught French here for the last 7 years. During this time, nearly two hundred pupils at this school have benefitted from an early introduction to the French language and culture and Madame Brookes managed to turn this learning into an enjoyable and fun experience! We send her our very best wishes for the future.
We are pleased to report that we have been successful in appointing a new teacher of French for Thursday afternoons and Mrs Eleanor Church will join our staff team for the start of the new academic year in September.

Sports Evening – Friday 16th July
Sports Evening is scheduled (weather permitting!) for Friday 16th July. We hope that this will be a fun evening. As usual there will be races for all pupils with refreshments and a BBQ for parents, pupils, friends, etc.
We will need to know if any pupils cannot attend so that the races, especially the final relay, can be organised. Please provide this information early next week. Thank you.
The bar will be open from 6.15pm. Hot dogs and burgers will be available to purchase on the evening. BBQ provided by The Crown.
The races start promptly at 6.30pm and we expect the final relay race to be completed by 7.30pm.
We ask that pupils arrive at school at 6.15pm and that they bring a bottle of water/squash to keep with them. They will need to go to their designated class area beside the running track.
Pupils are put into one of three colour teams and, if possible, they should wear a T-shirt of the appropriate colour. There is no need to buy a T-shirt if you don’t have the right colour, as we can provide sports bibs and bands of appropriate colours.
Parents are welcome to bring their own folding chairs or picnic rug to sit on.
The end of the track will be roped off for safety reasons.
The climbing frame is out of bounds for safety reasons.
Please ask older siblings to be respectful of the races and not play ball games whilst the races are on.

Street Dance After School Club
We e-mailed parents yesterday to let everyone know that as a number of pupils are not available for what would have been the last class on Tuesday 13th July, there will not now be a class on 13th July and instead the final class will be held on Tuesday 20th July. Parents are invited to see the show put on by pupils at 4pm.

Little Bears News
At Little Bears we are fast approaching the end of our 'sea side' topic. We are busy thinking about beaches and items we use or see on the beach. Sandcastles are on the top of the list! Next week will be very quiet as many of the Little Bears have their taster days in school; I know that they will all be very excited.

DIARY DATES:
13th, 14th, 15th July
Transition Days at school
Tennis tournament rearranged for Tuesday 13th July. Year 6 pupils who are already at ICC for the transition days and participating in the tennis tournament will begin at 2.30pm. Years 4 and 5 pupils who wish to take part in the tennis tournament need to arrive at ICC at 3pm. PLEASE BOOK YOUR PLACE WITH MRS MANZIE.
Friday 16th July
Cycling safety training for Year 6 pupils
Sports Evening – please arrive at school at 6.15pm for races to start promptly at 6.30pm
Tuesday 20th July
Cycling Safety Test
Thursday 22nd July
9.00am - End of Year assembly when we also say goodbye to our Year 6 leavers. All parents welcome.
School finishes at 1.30pm
Wednesday 1st September
Staff INSET Day
Thursday 2nd September
Pupils return to school for the start of a new school year.

Newsletter No 20 / 2nd July 2010

2010-07-02T08:12:00.001+01:00

Happy JULY Birthday to: Alex Birtles, Georgia Day, Ben Drake, Ayisha Hall, Andrew Oakley and Peter Roe.

During the month of JULY we are focusing on the core value of COURAGE

Community Tea
A reminder that we are hosting a community tea for the elders of the parish on Tuesday 6th July from 2pm. If any parents would be willing to provide a cake which could be cut up or individual small cakes towards this event, we would really appreciate it.

Classes 2 and 3 Visit to Bhaktivedanta Manor Hindu Temple – Report by Chloe Scragg and Hannah Tombling
“On Tuesday 29th June Classes 2 and 3 went to the Bhaktivedanta Manor Hindu Temple. When we got there we went on a bullock cart ride. Next we went to see the cows, bulls and calves. We then went in the manor house to dress up as gods and goddesses. Then we had a delicious curry for lunch. After lunch we got our faces painted and listened to a scary story. It was lots of fun but sadly we had to go back to school.”

Daylight Theatre Production
We are pleased to welcome Daylight Theatre back into school on Friday 16th July, to perform a play for the whole school. This year’s production is “Treasure in the Sand”, an exciting Egyptian mystery with tombs, treasure and mummies! We look forward to an entertaining morning. Parents are very welcome to join us for the performance which starts at 10.15am, but we request that you do not bring young children or babies. We are grateful to the PTA for contributing half of the cost of this performance, and therefore we will not make any additional charge for pupils or parents.

Little Bears News
We are so excited at Little Bears this week, as the long awaited climbing frame has arrived, and it is fantastic! The children have really enjoyed exploring it and have helped the staff make up some safety rules.
We are still learning about “Under the Sea” this week making wonderful mobiles of fish, shells and starfish. The children have made a large mermaid collage, and some excellent jellyfish. Next week we move onto “The Beach.”

Hats Reminder
Please remember swimming hats for the pool and sun hats/caps for breaktimes.

PTA Message
Chiltern Chase – any last sponsorship for the Chiltern Chase- please give to Mrs Hopkins by Monday of next week. Many thanks.

DIARY DATES:
Wednesday 7th July
Cycling safety training for Year 6 pupils
Rounders Tournament for participating pupils
Friday 9th July
Mini Olympics for Years 3 and 4 at ICC. Letters in book bags.
13th, 14th, 15th July
Transition Days at school
Tennis tournament rearranged for Tuesday 13th July. Year 6 pupils who are already at ICC for the transition days and participating in the tennis tournament will begin at 2.30pm. Years 4 and 5 pupils who wish to take part in the tennis tournament need to arrive at ICC at 3pm. PLEASE BOOK YOUR PLACE WITH MRS MANZIE.
Friday 16th July
Cycling safety training for Year 6 pupils
Sports Evening – please arrive at school at 6.15pm for races to start promptly at 6.30pm
Tuesday 20th July
Cycling Safety Test
Thursday 22nd July
9.00am - End of Year assembly when we also say goodbye to our Year 6 leavers. All parents welcome.
School finishes at 1.30pm
Wednesday 1st September
Staff INSET Day
Thursday 2nd September
Pupils return to school for the start of a new school year.

Newsletter No 19 / 25th June 2010

2010-06-25T09:47:00.001+01:00

Swimming Kit
As the weather is so nice at the moment, please could we remind ALL pupils that they should have swimming kit in school each day, which must include their own swimming hat.

School Meals Price Increase
We have just received notification that the cost of a school meal will rise on 1st September to £2.05. Cheques for school meals should be made payable to Oxfordshire County Council, with Stadhampton Primary School written on the back please. Thank you.

Community Tea
We are hosting a community tea for the elders of the parish on Tuesday 6th July from 2pm. If any parents would be willing to provide a cake which could be cut up or individual small cakes towards this event, we would really appreciate it.

Clothes Recycling Collection
The PTA has now received a cheque for the last clothes recycling collection. 770kgs were collected which raised £284.90. Many thanks to everyone for this magnificent effort.

Watlington Partnership of Schools International Week
Last week the Watlington Partnership of Schools held an “International Week”. This involved a variety of international education activities in each school and culminated in a joint display of work from all the primary schools being presented at Icknield Community College. In addition, Year 5 pupils from across the partnership attended a drumming workshop, which they thoroughly enjoyed! Volunteer Year 5 pupils returned, after school, to provide a drumming demonstration for parents who were also able to view the displays. Many thanks to Year 9 Art pupils at ICC for setting up the displays on behalf of the primary schools and especially to Andrew Oakley and Tom Leighfield for representing Stadhampton School in the drumming demonstration!

Little Bears News
We are very excited at Little Bears this week as we have been told the long awaited climbing frame is arriving on Thursday! We do intend to spend a great deal of time on it over the next few weeks. Meanwhile we are thinking about Under the Sea. We have made a beautiful Mermaid collage and lots of ‘Fishy’ colourings and paintings. We are moving on to octopus and starfish later this week and next.

DIARY DATES:
Monday 28th June
Last Hockey Club
Tuesday 29th June
Classes 2 & 3 visit Bhaktivedanta Mano Hindu Temple
PTA Meeting at school at 8pm
Wednesday 30th June
Y5 pupils visit ICC for a maths lesson
Mobile Library
Cycling safety training for Year 6 pupils
Final after school netball and multisports clubs
Wednesday 7th July
Cycling safety training for Year 6 pupils
14th, 15th, 16th July
Transition Days at school
Cycling safety training for Year 6 pupils (16th July)
Sports Evening (16th July)
Tuesday 20th July
Cycling Safety Test
Thursday 22nd July
End of Year assembly. All parents welcome.
School finishes at 1.30pm
Wednesday 1st September
Staff INSET Day
Thursday 2nd September
Pupils return to school for the start of a new school year.

Newsletter No 18 / 18th June 2010

2010-06-17T15:00:00.002+01:00

Watlington Partnership of Schools Summer Activity Sheet
A copy of the above sheet was sent home to each family, via book bags, earlier this week.

School Fete
We would like to thank the PTA, and all concerned, for the fantastic fete held here last Saturday. It was wonderful to see so many people from school and the local community enjoying themselves and for our pupils to present their dances. And now over to the PTA ...

PTA Message
School Summer Fete – a huge thank you and well done to everyone involved in the Fete on Saturday. Thank you to those people who helped get it off the ground and to everyone who helped on the day. Thank you also to the many parents who donated things to sell as well as everyone who bought raffle tickets. All our combined efforts managed to raise a huge £1521, so thank you and well done. A special thank you to all those who did dances and demonstrations, it certainly made fantastic viewing and created a really good atmosphere for a quintessential community event.The winners of the raffle are listed at the end of this newsletter. The only prize to be claimed is for a J. Blackburn ticket number 337 – please check your stubs and let me know who to give the prize to. The winners of the cress animal competition were: Sophie (6-8 category) and Alice (9-12 category); the winners of the best dressed umbrella competition were: Isobel (5 and under category) and Abby (6-8 category). All entries won a prize.

Chiltern Chase – The turnout was very impressive taking into consideration many had been out partying the night before! Eleven runners did the 10k run, some for the first time and everyone came home in very good times. The runners on the day were: Nathan Manzie, Marc Oakley, Keith Browning, Karen Amery, Nige Wright, Karen Cove, Lucy & Dave Ellis, Jane Marshall, Sarah Lowman & hubby, and John Turner. If you would like to sponsor the team please pop your donation in an envelope and write on the front whether you would like it to go to Little Bears, School or a 50:50 split between the two. All sponsorship to Mrs Hopkins by the end of June please.

Sports Night Bar & BBQ – 16th July weather dependent.

Lost property found after the fete:
A black plastic piece which looks like it may be part of a gazebo
A child’s star shaped hairband;
A dark grey Zara cardigan. Items held in the office for safekeeping.

Use of our swimming pool
The pool has now been microbiologically tested and a clear result has come back. Please continue to send swimming kit into school each day as the pool is now in use.

Oxford University Research Links
Over the last few days we have welcomed Hei Won, a PhD research student at Oxford University, into school. Hei Won is undertaking a reading study to clarify how children read and organise words in their minds and has been working with our Year 4 and Year 5 pupils. Pupils enjoyed working with Hei Won and found the activities both interesting and fun. It is a priviledge to have been approached by Oxford University to participate in this research study; our pupils may be able to help pupils of the future.

Partnership Cricket Tournament
Congratulations to our cricket team at the cricket tournament this week. Here is a tournament report wriiten by Robbie Scragg and Ben Drake:
On the 16th June, 9 cricketers went to Ewelme to play kwik cricket at the Watlington Partnership Cricket Tournament. Stadhampton played Watlington first, then played Ewelme. Stadhampton won both matches. We qualified for the top two places so we went to the final against RAF Benson. Stadhampton won with 66 runs for 4 outs and RAF Benson scored 62 runs for 2 outs. Thank you to Mrs Manzie, Mrs Scragg, Mr Diment, Mrs Turner and Mrs Banting and well done to Robbie Scragg (captain), Alex Birtles, Ben Drake, Benedict Diment, Oliver Perring, Peter Roe, Rory Pattisson, Jordan Lafford and Lucy Banting for playing so well!

Little Bears News
World Cup Mania has hit Little Bears this week! Without giving too much away before Sunday, the children have been busy making Father’s Day cards. We enjoyed assembly on Monday with FS1 and Year 1 and also singing with Miss Mould on Thursday. We continued our theme of “On the Sea and Pirates” this week, moving onto “Under the Sea” next week.

DIARY DATES:
Wednesday 23rd June
Cycle training starts
Partnership Tennis Tournament at Icknield Community College Y4-Y6 – 3.30-5.30pm. Please get further details from Mrs Manzie if you are interested in taking part in this.
Monday 28th June
Hockey Club – last one.
Tuesday 29th June
Classes 2 & 3 visit to Bhaktivedanta – 9am – 3.30pm – no packed lunch required
PTA meeting in school at 8pm
Wednesday 30th
Y5 Visit to ICC for a Maths lesson
Mobile Library
Cycle training - for Y6 pupils – 1.30pm (please remember your bikes!)
Netball & Mulitsports – last one

Stadhampton Primary School Summer Raffle 2010 Winners
Prize in draw order
Won by....
Name on ticket
(Ticket No.)
Prize in draw order
Won by....
Name on ticket
(Ticket No.)
1. Night at Crazy Bear plus breakfast
L Saunders
c/o Megan Barber
00139
2. Lunch for 2 at Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons
A Woodwards
01593
3. £150 M&S vouchers
Mel
01687
4. £100 John Lewis vouchers
Mrs P Ridgely
Hartwell Close
01090
5. Oxford Belfry Leisure Club & Spa – Complimentary Day Pass for two including a treatment
Tracy Valentine
01545
6. Eden Project Family Pass
Jane Titchmarsh
01788
7. Family pass for Blenheim Palace
G Perring
01258
8. One month family membership at Ozone Health Club
Vale
01525
9. Crazy Bear farm shop a "chicken dinner for 4", to include a free range chicken and a selection of vegetables
Alison Erskine
00354
10. Clay Shooting Voucher for 2
Noreen Cadle
c/o Lucy Banting
01876
11. Two season tickets for Waterperry Gardens
Drake
00486
12. 2 x Oxford Express adult return tickets to London
Larry Saunders-Fern
01709
13. Beauty Voucher
J Blackburn
Boundary Rd
00337
14. Hair voucher
Beth Wainwright
c/o Peter Madry
01805
15. Health & Fitness Voucher
Ann Dean
c/o Greens
00680
16. The Living Rainforest Family ticket
Lisa Scragg
01339
17. Beale Park Adult & Child ticket
A. Hindmarch
00640
18. LCD Alarm Clock
White
01588
19. DVDs
Diment
00421
20. DVDs
Pierina Del Pizzo
c/o Peter Madry 01068
21. DVDs
Ellis
00573

Newsletter No 17 / 11th June 2010

2010-06-10T13:27:00.001+01:00

Welcome back to everyone and in particular to Madam Brookes, who returns to school this week!

New Parent Governor
The Governing Body is very pleased to announce the appointment of Sara Wright as a new parent governor with immediate effect. Sara was the only person to put her name forward, following the resignation of Carl Mannering, so there is no requirement to hold an election! Sara has been very involved with the school over the last three years as PTA Chair and will be a valuable asset to the Governing Body.

Learning Platform
We are currently working with Research Machines in order to supply new parents with user names and passwords so that they may access the Learning Platform and individual letters will be sent to those parents as soon as possible, explaining what the LP is and how to access it. We have recently updated the calendar of events and also added a copy of the Summer/Autumn lunch menus.

Nit Alert
We are grateful to a parent for letting us know that their child had nits, which have now been treated. We would be grateful if everyone could check their child(ren’s) hair this weekend and treat if necessary, so that this problem does not spread further.

PTA Message
Summer Fete 12th June - keep everything crossed for good weather......
Thank you to those who have donated goodies and returned raffle tickets so far. Any last minute donations or return of tickets may be brought into school on Friday or please phone Sara on 07831 727764 to arrange when to drop them off. Please ensure all your raffle ticket stubs are returned by Friday morning as we will not have time after that to check and include them.

Budding football players – we need people over 16 to be goalies for 20 mins or so on the ‘Beat the Goalie’ stall so please come along on the day and do a stint on the stall. You might not have made it to the World Cup but you can still do your bit for England!

Homemade cakes - please bring your delicious homemade cakes along to the Fete on Saturday any time from 11.30 until 1.30pm.

All cress animal and umbrella competition entries need to be entered by 2.30pm at the Fete; entry fee is 50p.

Gazebos – if anyone has a spare gazebo to keep off the sunshine drizzle (!) we would be very grateful if you would bring it along between 1130 and 1300 to school on Saturday to set it up and then collect at 4pm.

Chiltern Chase 13th June – so far I have heard from the following runners who are running on behalf of Little Bears, the School, or both. Please sponsor them to keep them going; forms can be found at school. The runners so far are: Nathan Manzie, Marc Oakley, Karen Amery, Nige Wright, Lucy & Dave Ellis, Hayley McMahon, Jane Marshall, Julie Pattison, Karen and/or Dave Cove, and Debbie Bradford. Apologies if I have missed anyone. See you there on Sunday.

Use of our swimming pool
We are still awaiting the results of the microbiological test and the return of some warm weather. Please continue to send swimming kit into school each day.

After School Clubs
After school clubs which began in Term 5 for participating pupils will continue in Term 6 as follows (already paid for with Term 5):
Hockey on Mondays until 4pm – last session on 28th June
Multisports on Wednesdays until 4pm – last session on 30th June
Netball on Wednesdays until 4pm – last session on 30th June
Football on Thursdays until 4.15pm – last session on 15th July

Little Bears News
The Butterflies decided to break out over half term! Hayley popped in on Thursday to find four fluttering around in the net, therefore released them into the garden to ensure best chance of survival. Lots of photographs were taken and the children enjoyed looking at them on Tuesday.
This last term our topic is “The Seaside”; the next two weeks is “On the Sea” & “Pirates”. We are making boats to sail in the water tray and have suggested the children come dressed as Pirates!

DIARY DATES:
Saturday 12th June
School Summer Fete
Sunday 13th June
Chiltern Chase
Monday 14th June
Swimming begins for Class 3 pupils. They will have 6 sessions and we are grateful to receive a “voluntary contribution” of £1 per pupil per week towards the transport costs.
Wednesday 16th June
Year 5 Visit to ICC for a Creative Arts lesson
Kwik Cricket tournament at Ewelme School between 3.30 and 5.30pm for participating pupils
Friday 18th June
KS1 ( Class 1) Healthy Day at ICC. Letter via book bags.

Newsletter No 16 / 28th May 2010

2010-05-26T09:51:00.002+01:00

PTA Message
Summer Fete 12th June – keep your fingers crossed for good weather on the 12th June as things start to hot up on the organising front. We have a fun filled Fete waiting for you with star performances from the children. Please look out for donations including chocolate, bottles, good condition books, jigsaws and accessories to bring into school after half term.

Please note that pupils must be accompanied to the fete by a parent or other responsible adult – school politely requests that even Year 6 pupils do not come to the fete on their own.

Beat the Goalie – we are looking for a number of willing footballers able to do a stint as the goalkeeper in ‘Beat the Goalie’. Must be aged over 16 please. If you are able to help out on the day please let Mrs Hopkins, Sara Wright or Ian Diment know before the 12th June.

Sealed Bid Auction for Golf Voucher @ Oxfordshire Golf Club - The Oxfordshire Golf Club have very kindly donated a voucher to help raise funds for the School PTA. The voucher entitles 2 golfers to a round of golf (18 holes) at the Oxfordshire on a week day subject to availability. Up to two additional guests may be added upon payment of green fees. All players must present a bona fide handicap certificate before play. Expiry date 31st December 2010. Due to the limitations, ie, bona fide handicap, we have decided to run this as a sealed bid auction with the prize going to the highest bidder. All bids must be sent to Sara Wright via written note or email (sara.wright@tiscali.co.uk) to be received by 7pm on Friday 11th June.

Car Parking-Please be aware that car parking in school will be extremely limited. Please be considerate to the residents of Cratlands Close and walk to school if at all possible.

Chiltern Chase 13th June – Runners do not seem to be in great supply this year! Anyone running please let Sara or Mrs Hopkins know.

Cycling Safety Training
The following 8 pupils have confirmed places for cycling safety training: Lucy Banting, Alex Birtles, Jordan Lafford, Issy Matthews, Rory Pattisson, Oliver Perring, Peter Roe and Robbie Scragg. Please could all pupils (including those involved in the Maths Master Class), have their bikes in school, in full working order, in readiness for the first session, which is on June 16th. This should allow plenty of time over the June Holiday for those final adjustments ie, saddle height, tyres pumped and to check that both brakes are working.

Use of our swimming pool
We are grateful to Mr Pattisson and Mrs Leiper for starting to prepare our school swimming pool for use. Oxfordshire County Council Health and Safety officers have inspected the pool and are happy that we comply with all their regulations for use. We have arranged for the pool to be microbiologically tested at the end of this week, so providing that we get a clear result, we shall be able to start using the pool at the start of Term 6. All pupils should have swimming kit in school each day. Boys need swimming trunks (not baggy) and girls need a one-piece costume. All pupils need a swimming hat and a towel. Earrings are not permitted in the pool so pupils must be able to take them out themselves and have something to put them in. Goggles are not permitted in the school pool unless we have a doctor’s note to let us know that there is a medical reason why goggles must be worn.

Little Bears Summer Bash
There is going to be a Summer Bash in aid of the Little Bears Pre-School on Saturday 17th July 2010. It will be held at the Cockadoo Bar and Restaurant in Nuneham Courtney from 7.30pm til 12.30am. There will be drinks on arrival, a four course dinner accompanied by live music from a jazz trio, and a disco. An auction and raffle will take place during the evening and there will be a 'Tree of Favours'. Tickets for this amazing event are £40 per person. Please call Lucy Khan on 01865 890802 or Ali Eaton on 07764741464 for more details.

Little Bears News
We were very excited on Monday to see the caterpillars had cocooned over the weekend. We are hoping they will break out before half term, usually this stage is just over one week so fingers crossed! We are thinking about symmetry this week and wondering what the butterflies will look like. To support this the children are making beautiful symmetrical butterfly paintings.

DIARY DATES:
Monday 7th June
INSET DAY – No pupils in school
Tuesday 8th June
Pupils return to school for the beginning of Term 6
Wednesday 9th June
Mobile Library
Saturday 12th June
School Summer Fete
Sunday 13th June
Chiltern Chase
Have an enjoyable break!

Newsletter No 15 / 21st May 2010

2010-05-20T14:22:00.002+01:00

PTA Message
Summer Fete 12th June – all donations for the Summer Fete gratefully received. We will need: chocolate, unopened bottles in date, good quality unwanted accessories, and unwanted good condition books and jigsaws. Don’t forget to encourage your child to start growing your cress animal (unfortunately Notcutts are not in a position to fund our cress seeds) and decorate an umbrella to bring along on the day. If anyone needs more raffle tickets please let us know.

If you have any spare then Julie Pattison needs any unwanted plastic or ceramic garden planting pots for the gardening club and stall at the Fete.

Chiltern Chase 13th June – all runners to collect a sponsorship form from school. Please confirm to Sara Wright if you are running.

School Uniform Orders
Items of school uniform are available for purchase from Tracy Perring each Wednesday afternoon after school from the “Little Bears” section of the portacabin. If you are unable to “shop” at this time, please contact Tracy by e-mail on tracy.perring@talktalk.net. Tracy will also have a school uniform stall at the school fete so that purchases may be made there.

Street Dance After School Club
As the current sessions of after school dance club led by Tanya’s School of Dance finish on Tuesday 25th May, they would like to invite parents to a demonstration of what they have been learning at 4pm. As this club has been extremely popular, we have already booked another 6-week block of lessons to continue in Term 6 on the following dates: 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th June and 6th, 13th July. The cost for this club is £24 (£4 per lesson). Letters were distributed at Tuesday’s session this week, although this opportunity is, of course, also open to all pupils.

Cycling Safety Training
We are very grateful to Mrs Leighfield, Mrs Scragg and Mrs Vale for once again agreeing to oversee our Cycling Safety Training. Initially Y6 pupils are being offered this opportunity, as we feel that it is much easier to work well with a smaller group. We realise that not all pupils will be available to participate in each training session but feel that attendance on at least four out of five training sessions will be sufficent. The sessions will be held in the afternoons and will commence on Wednesday 16th June, 23rd, 30th, 7th July and Friday 16th July. The test date will be on Tuesday 20th July. Each pupil will need a roadworthy bicycle (front and rear brakes and reflectors) and a cycle helmet which fits properly. Please let Mrs Hopkins know as soon as possible if you would like to book a place.

Parent Governor Election
A letter has been sent, via book bags, this week, to all parents explaining that we currently have a vacancy for a Parent Governor at our school. This vacancy arises from the resignation of Carl Mannering who left the Governing Body following his house move. A nomination form was included with the explanatory letter and we hope that at least one person will put their name forward to join the Governing Body. In the event of more than one person applying, we will hold a secret ballot and will explain how this works, should the need arise. Please be aware, that if we do have more than one nomination, the section of the nomination form where you write “Why I would like to be a parent governor” will be circulated for inclusion with the ballot papers.

Little Bears News
We are eagerly awaiting the caterpillars to cocoon, they have eaten lots of the food and are huge! The children are making fabulous caterpillars and have made a large cocoon out of paper-mache. Outside they have been exploring the compost, making mud pies and enjoying the fantastic weather!

DIARY DATES:
Tuesday 25th May
Mrs Elliott from ICC will be in school to talk with our Year 6 pupils transferring to ICC in September
Wednesday 26th –Sunday 30th May
Mrs Turner and Mrs Manzie visit our partner school in Hazlach, Poland for the final teachers’ meeting of this Comenius Project
Friday 28th May
Break up for May Holiday at 3.15pm
Monday 7th June
INSET DAY – No pupils in school
Tuesday 8th June
Pupils return to school for the beginning of Term 6
Wednesday 9th June
Mobile Library
Saturday 12th June
School Summer Fete
Tuesday 8th June
Pupils return to school

Newsletter No 14 / 14th May 2010

2010-05-13T08:20:00.002+01:00

Congratulations to our Year 6 pupils who have all conducted themselves and coped very well with the pressures of “SATs Week.” There was an audible sigh of relief after the last paper! However, some tasks and tests will continue over the next week or so for other pupils in Year groups 2-5.

PTA Message
Summer Raffle tickets – hopefully this week you will have received some raffle tickets in an envelope. Please look out for them in your child’s school bag and if they cannot be found let Mrs Hopkins know.There are still a couple of prizes to be claimed from the Easter Chocolate raffle - please check previous newsletters for the winning tickets and claim your prizes before half term. Any prizes not claimed by this time will be put into the Summer Fete chocolate tombola.

Summer Fete – you by now will have received an email note regarding the summer fete. This event will only be successful and raise funds if you take an active part; this can either be through donating items for the fete, helping with a stall and coming along with your pennies. We still need helpers on the day so please get in touch and let us know what you can do. Hope to see you there and keep your fingers crossed for good weather!

Gardening Club and Summer Fete
Despite it blowing hot and then cold, gardening club has got underway, and we have been planting and potting on in readiness for the fete on 12th June. Gardening Club will be running a plant stall, with hanging baskets and lots of flowers and veg, so don't splash out on your summer bedding until you've seen what we have on offer! In the meantime, any surplus plastic pots or ceramic pots in good condition are very welcome.

New School Lunch Menu
Each family should have received a copy (in book bags on Monday) of the new lunch menu which begins on Monday. We shall start on “Week One” of a 3-weekly cycle.

School Council News
Thank you to last term’s School Council for their hard work. We now have a newly elected School Council for the summer term, as follows: Izzy Matthews and Robbie Scragg represent the Year 6 group, Alice Madry and Ben Drake are the Year 5 representatives, Ewan Madry and Maisie Matthews represent Year 4, Matthew Ellis and Tazmin Vale represent Year 3 and Marcin Skwarek and Thea Diment represent Year 2. We look forward to our first meeting next week!

Chess Club Results
After 7 tournament matches in school we have a winner – Izzy Matthews, with the highest possible score of 21 points. Benedict Diment, Ella Mae White, Ben Drake, Robbie Scragg and Owen Cove all came joint second with 19 points. We were really pleased with the enthusiasm shown by all those who took part in Chess Club. We would also like to thank Reverend David for his help in running the club. A number of participants names will be put forward to the British Land Chess to be invited o complete in the local Megafinal.

Mock Election
Last Friday, Stadhampton School held a “mock election”! Class 3 pupils were divided into 3 parties and worked together to form their own maifestos on “How they would improve the school”. After a few days of preparation, they presented these to the rest of the school, who asked many questions! Pupils then voted using an actual voting booth! The results were: J.I.B.R.A.T.I.P. – 31 votes, Yellow Submarines – 25 votes., DC House – 20 votes. Clearly it was a very close vote.The members of the winning party were Jordan, Izzy, Ben Drake, Rory, Amber and Tom. Congratulations to them! However, as you can see there was no overall majority....

Icknield Governors Information
Francesca Holmes-Smith, the Chair of Governors at Icknield Community College has asked us to inform you that they now have a blog to provide parents and prospective parents with governor-related information. This can be found on http://icknieldgovernors.blogspot.com

Little Bears News
We are talking and learning about spiders this week to support our Mini Beasts topic. However, we have put the spider craft on hold as we are preparing for our Open Day which is on Saturday 15th May. The children are decorating bears to make bunting. We continue to observe our caterpillars: they are growing very fast, fascinating the children. We missed our singing session with FS1 last week due to school closure, but were happy to go again this week. Please come along to our Open Day on Saturday between 11am & 3pm. See you there!

DIARY DATES:
Thursday 20th May
PTA Meeting at 8pm. All welcome.
Wednesday 26th –Sunday 30th May
Mrs Turner and Mrs Manzie visit our partner school in Hazlach, Poland for the final teachers’ meeting of this Comenius Project
Friday 28th May
Break up for May Holiday at 3.15pm
Monday 7th June
INSET DAY – No pupils in school
Tuesday 8th June
Pupils return to school

Newsletter No 13 / 7th May 2010

2010-05-07T08:17:00.001+01:00

Happy MAY Birthday to: Lucy Banting, Hannah Bradford, Leo Burnell, Ruby Dallimore, Benedict Diment, Buddy Halliday, Ella Lavene, Maisie Matthews, Rory Pattisson, Oliver Stewart and Tazmin Vale

During MAY we are focusing on the core value of TOLERANCE

Poland Visit
The 17 Wanderers return! We had a most unusual and eventful visit to our partner school in Poland. There were some changes made to our original itinerary, due to the tragic plane crash in which so many Polish dignitaries were killed. We arrived during their national week of mourning and witnessed history in the making. Most visits, excursions and joint activities remained unchanged and amongst the highlights were visits to the magnificent city of Krakow, the amazing Wieliczka salt mines, the local town of Cieszyn, the ski jump at Wisla and, for some adults, a visit to Auschwitz, as well as a number of joint events with our partner school and host families. The volcanic eruption in Iceland meant changes to our scheduled return. The headteacher, staff, pupils and our host families were incredibly helpful and supportive at this time. They continued to look after us with great hospitality and made further arrangements for us, including facilitating our safe return. This was a very memorable visit and there is too much to write in a newsletter so we are preparing a separate, more detailed, account of our adventures. I was very proud of everyone in our group and of our partner school – they were able to turn a very difficult situation into a very special experience.

PTA Message
Clothes Recycling – Thank you to everyone who donated clothing; we are waiting to find out how much we raised.Car Boot Sale – It was very cold and not that busy but at least it wasn’t wet!

Thank you to all those parents (and teachers) who either came along on the day or baked cakes for us to sell. £82.30 was taken on the day with some costs for the tea, coffee, etc.

Chiltern Chase – sponsorship forms are now available at school. If you would prefer to sponsor the Stadhampton Steamers then take a form, just put sponsorship details on and let us know how you would like your money to be spent.

Summer Fete 12th June - expect a note out next week with more details of the Summer Fete.

Class Overviews for Terms 5 & 6
Pupils should have brought home an outline of the areas of the curriculum that will be covered in their class during Terms 5 & 6.

Little Bears News
This week at Little Bears we are turning our attention to Bumble Bees. We are talking and learning about the differences between bumble bees & wasps. The children have made some excellent “Buzzy Bees.”We found a wasps nest in the shed, which has caught the attention of many, encouraging us to make great use of our new magnifying glasses! We have also had the arrival of 5 tiny caterpillars. We are taking great care of them & hope they will grow, cocoon & hatch into butterflies over the coming weeks.As you can see a very busy time at Little Bears!

DIARY DATES:
Monday 10th May
Start of SATs week; Class 2 pupils swimming at Berinsfield; Hockey Club for participating pupils
Wednesday 12th May
Mobile Library visit
Thursday 20th May
PTA Meeting at 8pm. All welcome.
Wednesday 26th –Sunday 30th May
Mrs Turner and Mrs Manzie visit our partner school in Hazlach, Poland
Friday 28th May
Break up for May Holiday at 3.15pm
Monday 7th June
INSET DAY – No pupils in school
Tuesday 8th June
Pupils return to school