Newsletter for week ending 1 March 2013

Happy March Birthday to: Jem Burnell, 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

Woodlands
Hopefully all parents will have been able to log on to the school website to read regular reports of Class 3’s visit to Woodlands. I went down to Woodlands on Tuesday evening and joined in the activities on Wednesday. Both groups were canoeing on the River Wye and were thrilled with having managed to safely naivigate down several small rapids! I won’t give too much away as they will want to tell you themselves. All pupils seem to be really enjoying the experience, working well with each other and integrating with the pupils from North Kidlington school when they meet up at mealtimes. They will all have benefitted from the challenging outdoor activities and residential routines that are carefully planned to develop each pupils’ self-awareness, ability to work with others, communication skills, responsibility and initiative. All pupils are given the opportunity to lead and are taught about hazard recognition and risk control. By the end of the week they will have developed a deeper understanding of themselves and the contribution they can make to group success. They will return home tired but buzzing with memories that will last and influence them into the future.
The arrangments for coming home are as conveyed in the letter sent home on 6th February. They will leave Woodlands at 5pm today and are expected to arrive at North Kidlington at approximately 7.45-8.15pm and then arrive at Stadhampton at approximately 8.30-9.00pm. Any significant change to this timing will be circulated to parents via the parent/carer contact tree.

Double–decker bus
We would like to let everyone know about our exciting project to purchase a double decker bus to have in the school grounds! With our increasing number of pupils on roll we have been exploring different affordable options to increase our accommodation. Over the last few months the staff and governing body have been investigating the possibility of using a converted double-decker bus to provide additional teaching accommodation. We believe that this would provide an affordable, exciting and flexible resource for both present and future pupils at Stadhampton School. The idea is that we would use it as our school reference library and we would then be able to free up the exisiting library space to use as an additional room for working with small groups, hold meetings, etc. We plan to house the library in the downstairs section of the bus and then upstairs to have bus seats and some tables as well as a carpet area for small group work, clarinet and recorder lessons, etc. If anyone has any useful contacts who we might be able to approach for help with respraying the outside, upholstering seats, increasing our resources with some additional books, and anything else which might be useful, Mrs Hopkins would love to hear from you. We have already looked at one bus which we decided needed too much work but have plans to see another bus very soon. We shall shortly be preparing the groundwork and putting down a suitable base for the bus to be parked on. Watch this space!

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.

PTA News
Adults Boogie Bingo - Friday 8th March, 7.30pm
Don't forget to get your tickets for this event.

• £7 for entry to Boogie Bingo and Fish & Chip supper - all orders must be in by after school on Monday 4th March
• £2.50 for entry to Boogie Bingo only - you can buy tickets right up until the evening itself.

We would like to hold a raffle at the Boogie Bingo evening - we would be grateful for any donations that would make suitable prizes.

Friday Cake Club
Well done to Jake Day who won the cake donated by Mrs Bradford last week. A reminder to Mrs Halliday that she is on the rota for Friday 8th March.

Childrens Bingo
Thank you to everyone who supported this evening, with help on the night, making cakes. Special thanks to Mrs Bateman for being, as usual, our excellent bingo caller, and to Mrs Birtles for donating the lovely bulbs as a thank you gift to Mrs Bateman.

Easter Chocolate Raffle -Wednesday 27th March
We will be holding an Easter Chocolate Raffle the last week of term as there will be no Friday Cake Club. Tickets will be 20p each, £1 for a strip of 5.

We need your help with donations of anything chocolate - please give any items to a member of the PTA, or leave them in the red PTA box in the school hall. Thank you.


LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Next week at Little Bears we will be talking about real life superheros and people who help us.
We will also be preparing something for our superhero mummy's.

DIARY DATES:
Monday 4 March Mid-Year Summary Reports sent home this week
Friday 8 March Adult Boogie Bingo at 7.30pm
Sunday 10 March Mothering Sunday Service at St John the Baptist Church at 9.30am
Monday 11 March Work Viewing Evening (all classes) 3.15-6.00pm
Wednesday 13th March World Book Day event – West End Theatre in school all day
Friday 15th March Comic Relief – watch this space for details of activities!
Saturday 16 March Brookes Science Bazaar. Free fun for all the family at the Headington Campus–11.00-4pm. No need to book, but please note that there is no parking available at this event. Leaflets are available from the school office with more details of this event.
8th -12th April Holiday Course at Stadhampton School
Friday 13th April Junior Citizen event for Class 3 pupils
Thursday 2 May School closed to pupils for County Council Elections

Attachments:
1. An Evening with Sue Palmer (author of Toxic Childhood & 21st Century Boys on Tuesday 19 March at 7pm Icknield Community College – FREE event but please register your interest with Helen.Rints@Oxfordshire.gov.uk
2. Two-day workshop promoting positive behavious in children aged 0-12 years on Saturday 9 & 16 March from 9.30-1pm at Chalgrove and Watlington Children’s Centre. Contact Jane Bellars on 07920 070304 or Denise Hooper on 07948 348632.
3. Holiday Course at Stadhampton School from 8th to 12th April led by Michael Hopkins

Newsletter for week ending 22 February 2013

OFSTED
As you will be aware, we had an Ofsted inspection earlier this week. We cannot disclose the result or any details at this time as the official outcome is confidential until the final report is published by Ofsted in approximately 15 days time. However, following this very vigorous process, we are able to convey that we are pleased with the outcome.

Swimming for Class 2
Due to Class 3 being away for their residential next week, Class 2 will be swimming in their place on Monday 25th February. We will not make a request for a contribution towards the transport for this extra session, but please remember swimming kit!

Recorders
Recorder lessons will begin for all Key Stage 2 pupils on Monday 4th March.

Message from the Governing Body:

Breakfast & After-School Club Provision
As a Governing Body it is important for us to understand your requirements for childcare provision, ie, breakfast clubs and after school childcare. In order for us to assess whether providing childcare before and after school hours is a viable option, we need to understand the needs of parents and carers. We would therefore appreciate it if you would complete an online questionnaire to help us record your needs. Once we have collated your responses we will be able to contact some professional providers of these services. The survey results will allow them to assess whether there are enough children needing either breakfast club and/or after-school childcare and the details of the provision.

At this stage we cannot assure parents that there will definitely be childcare provision in the village, or who will provide it. The club will not be located on school premises as we do not have the necessary space available, nor will it be managed by school personnel.

The survey can be found by clicking on the following link:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PMHDN2F

We would appreciate all responses by Friday 8th March. Thank you.

Governing Body

Message from Food with Thought
We recognise concerns over beef supply and that many parents would simply prefer their children not to eat beef at the moment. In light of this we are temporarily taking beef off the menu.

Carillion stands by its reassurances that the food provided through its Food With Thought catering service has the highest level of quality and hygiene. At the time of this letter, our suppliers have confirmed that they have not supplied us with any products or ingredients that have been sourced from any of the meat suppliers cited by the Food Standards Agency and that no meat products supplied contain the DNA of any species other than that declared on the packaging.

However, given the ongoing concern around horse meat contamination across the UK and Europe we have taken the decision to remove all beef from lunchtime menus. We feel this precautionary approach is the most sensible course of action in the current situation.

In the three weekly Food With Thought lunch cycle, beef appears five times. The menu changes are as follows:

Week One, Thursday. Cottage Pie to Shepherds Pie.
Week Two, Monday. Aberdeen Angus beef burger to breaded chicken portion.
Week Two, Thursday. Pasta Bolognaise to Cooked Chicken Strips.
Week Three, Tuesday. Lasagne to Moussaka
Week Three, Wednesday. Roast Beef to Roast Chicken.

Woodlands Reminders
Medicines and medical requirements
All medication and medical requirements must be brought to Miss Shah’s attention and all requests for the administration of any medication require completion of our school medical request form. All medication must be clearly labelled and given to Miss Shah on the morning of departure.


Shop and money
There is a small shop on site which stocks a variety of souvenirs and this will be open on the last evening. The maximum amount of pocket money will be £5.00 and this should be put in a named purse or wallet and handed into Miss Shah on arrival at school on the day of departure. Additionally, if anyone would like to buy a T-shirt, a further £5.50 (cash or cheque made payable to ‘Woodlands Shop’) should be put in a sealed, named envelope with ‘T-shirt’ written on it. This should also be handed in to Miss Shah on arrival at school on the day of departure.


Departure
Collection time for us is 7.30am on Monday 25th February. The school will be open from 7.15am so that everyone can assemble in the hall. Please be aware when parking that the coach will need access to the school car park. I understand that there is usually a brief toilet stop at Ross on Wye services but, apart from stopping to pick up the group from North Kidlington, this is the only scheduled stop. On arrival at Woodlands the children will be provided with a packed lunch before going out on activities.

We would like to wish everyone a fantastic trip and will post updates onto the front page of the school website at regular intervals.


PTA News
Children's Bingo - Friday 22nd March
Just to reassure all those who bought tickets for the Bingo, that no tickets are required - children will be let in after signing in.

Friday Cake Club
Congratulations to Darcy Crook on winning the cake before half term, and thank you to Mrs Fernie for donating it. A reminder to Angela Malley that she is on the rota for 2 March.
For those wanting to pay in advance up to Easter, it's £1 per child.

Adults Boogie Bingo Night - Friday 8th March, 7.30pm
Tickets are now on sale for this event. Please see Diana Woodwards & Rowena Dobson in the school hall in the mornings.
• £7 for entry to Boogie Bingo and Fish & Chip supper - these need to be ordered by Monday 4th March.
• £2.50 for entry to Boogie Bingo only.


LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Little Bears are looking at the topic Superheroes.
Next week we will learning how to become a superhero. We will be talking about how a superhero might dress, making eye masks and capes (so as not to reveal our true identities.) Please do feel free to wear your pants over your trousers just like the heroes do!

DIARY DATES:
Monday 25 February – Friday 1 March Class 3 Residential Visit to Woodlands Outdoor Education Centre accompanied by Miss Shah, Mrs Scragg and Mr Hazeldine.
Extra swimming opportunity at Abbey Sports Centre for Class 2 pupils on Monday 25 February.
Monday 4 March Mid-Year Summary Reports sent home this week
Friday 8 March Adult Boogie Bingo at 7.30pm
Monday 11 March Work Viewing Evening (all classes) 3.15-6.00pm
Wednesday 13th March World Book Day event – West End Theatre in school all day
8th -12th April Holiday Course at Stadhampton School
Friday 13th April Junior Citizen event for Class 3 pupils
Thursday 2 May School closed to pupils for County Council Elections

Newsletter for week ending 8 February 2013

UNICEF Collection
Thank you to everyone who sent pupils into school with change for the UNICEF Day for Change last Friday. We are pleased to announce that £82.20 was raised. Please have a look at the photographs we have uploaded onto the School Website under the ‘Events’ section.

Work Viewing Evening- Monday 11 March 2013
Our annual Work-Viewing Evening, when parents and carers are welcome to look at their child/ren’s work, will take place between 3.15pm and 6.00pm on Monday 11th March. Pupils are very welcome to accompany their parents/carers and show them their work. Teaching staff will be in their classrooms from 3.30pm and are available for brief, informal consultation but there is no appointment system and parents/carers should be aware that any conversations are unlikely to be private. Mid-Year Summary reports for all pupils will be sent home during the previous week.

Green Energy Bus
Photographs have now been uploaded onto the School Website of the visit by the ‘green’ bus to Stadhampton School.

Message from the Governing Body
Dear Parents/Carers,
At the last full Governing Body meeting we discussed the feedback you provided in the annual parents questionnaire. As you may remember from a previous newsletter your feedback was very positive with 92% of responses in Agree or Strongly Agree and there were no (0%) Strongly Disagree responses to any of the statements. The proportion of returned questionnaires was lower than in previous years.

In analysing your feedback some contradictions came to light. While the 3rd and 4th best scoring statements were "This school helps my child to develop skills in communication, reading, writing and mathematics" and "My child is taught well at this school" respectively, one of the lower scoring statements was "My child is making good progress at this school".
What was clearer was that the statement "This school keeps me well informed" attracted the least positive response with 11% (5 responses out of 42) disagreeing with the statement, while 40% strongly agreed and 49% agreed with the statement.

In order to better understand how the school could improve in informing you, we would like to offer parents/carers an opportunity to follow-up and clarify your thoughts, and suggestions to the Governing Body by providing a comment to the school. Any comment you make can be anonymous and should be left in a comments box that will be available at the Work Viewing Evening in March.

Regards
Jason Hector
Chair of Governors.

Music Lessons for the week 25th February to 1st March
As Class 3 pupils will be on their residential visit to Woodlands Outdoor Education Centre for the week of 25th Febraury to 1st March, there are some changes to the extra-curricular music lessions that some children participate in. We understand that arrangements are as follows:
Clarinet (Miss Howell) – there will be no lesson for any pupils and the missed lesson will be added to the lessons received in Terms 5 & 6.
Guitar (Mr Payne) – there will be no lesson for any pupils (including those in Class 2) and, the lesson missed will be added to the lessons received in Terms 5 & 6.
Piano (Mrs Drake) – there will be no lesson for pupils in Class 3 that week but pupils in Class 2 will receive their lesson as usual.

If any parents wish to receive any further information please contact your child’s music teacher. Thank you.

Sainsbury Vouchers
“I'm passionate about inspiring kids to try a new sport. And that's exactly what Active Kids is all about - encouraging kids to try, and hopefully really enjoy something new.”
David Beckham - Active Kids Ambassador

Please collect Active Kids vouchers when you shop at Sainsbury's between 30th January and 22nd May and donate them to us so that we can then redeem them for sports equipment. Thank you.

After School Clubs
Letters about the after school school clubs available in Term 4 should be in book bags today.
On offer in Term 4 are:
• Tag Rugby and Netball Club on Mondays – maximum of 16 pupils in Years 3-6.
• Multisports Club on Wednesdays – maximum of 25 pupils in Years 2-6.
• Gymnastics Club for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 pupils on Thursdays - maximum attendance is 20 pupils.

PTA News
Friday Cake Club
Well done to Miss Shah for winning the cake last week, kindly made by Mrs Diment. A reminder to Mrs Bradford that she is on the rota for 22nd February, the first Friday after half term.

Children's Bingo
Have you any 'good as new' items that you could donate as prizes for the children's bingo - if so, please put them in the red PTA box in the school hall. Thank you.

Swimming at Berinsfield
To clarify the arrangements for swimming in Term 4:
• Class 2 will have their last ‘normal’ swimming session on Monday 18th February. This is the last week of the sessions paid for in Term 3.
• Class 2 will have an additional swimming opportunity on Monday 25th February as Class 3 are away on their residential visit. As we are aware that Class 2 pupils went on a trip to Sulgrave Manor quite recently, we shall not charge parents for the transport for this extra session.
• Class 3 pupils begin their 4 swimming sessions from Monday 4th March until Monday 25th March. We hope that parents will be willing to contribute to the cost of the swimming transport for these sessions, which equates to £2 per pupil. Cheques for swimming contributions should be made payable to Stadhampton Primary School. Thank you.

Half Term Archery Sessions
Mr Ken Chrisp, who has been giving archery lessons at school recently, has asked me to let you know that he is running two archery sessions at the Abbey Sports Centre during half term. They are from 10:30 to 12:00pm on Tuesday 12th February and Friday 15th February. The sessions are restricted to children who are over 8 years old. Anyone interested in booking a place should contact the Abbey Sports Centre on 01865 341035.


LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Little Bears are returning to the topic of ‘Superheroes’ on the 18th February which should prove to be popular with the children.
Have a great break everyone and see you in a week’s time.

DIARY DATES:
Monday 18 February Return to school for the start of Term 4
Tuesday 19 February Reception pupils eye checks
Friday 22 February Children’s Bingo 5.30 to 7pm
Monday 25 February – Friday 1 March Class 3 Residential Visit to Woodlands Outdoor Education Centre accompanied by Miss Shah, Mrs Scragg and Mr Hazeldine.
Extra swimming opportunity at Abbey Sports Centre for Class 2 pupils on Monday 25 February.
Monday 4 March Mid-Year Summary Reports sent home this week
Friday 8 March Adult Boogie Bingo at 7.30pm
Monday 11 March Work Viewing Evening (all classes) 3.15-6.00pm
8th -12th April Holiday Course at Stadhampton School
Thursday 2 May School closed to pupils for County Council Elections

Have a great February Holiday!

Newsletter for week ending 1 February 2013

Happy FEBRUARY Birthday to: Charlie Ball, Tillie Moss-Black, Jemima O’Brien, Will Parkes Alexandra Robinson and Daniel Robinson.

During FEBRUARY we are focusing on the core value of SIMPLICITY

We are pleased to welcome Miss Emma Brandon, a student from Henley College undertaking a Level 3 Childcare qualification, into the Foundation Stage Class for some time each week until the end of March. We are also pleased to welcome Miss Helen Berrow and Miss Stephanie Mansell, two PGCE students from Oxford Brookes University, into Class 1 for their second school teaching experience.

Staffing Changes
We are very fortunate to generally have low staff turnover, however, from time to time other opportunities and factors outside school mean that there are inevitable changes. During the next few months there will be some changes to support staff arrangements in school and these are as follows:-
After three and a half years working as a Teaching Assistant here, Mrs Leiper has decided to take up an opportunity to return to her former career in the hotel business and will be leaving us at the February half term holiday. Mrs Leiper has supported teachers across the school and was closely involved in the early stages of developing our dedicated Reception class. We will miss Mrs Leiper and wish her well in her new venture. She is still planning to maintain links with the school by continuing to organise the bottle top collections for the Thames Valley Air Ambulance and we look forward to seeing her then. We will have a card for Mrs Leiper in the school office and anyone wishing to sign it would be very welcome to do so.
After the February holiday, Mrs Catherine Roe, who is a qualified teacher, will temporarily fulfil Mrs Leiper’s role for six weeks until the Easter Holidays. After the Easter Holidays Mrs Shortman, who currently works in school both as our cook and as a part-time Teaching Assistant , will no longer be our school cook and will extend her TA hours to fulfil Mrs Leiper’s role on a permanent basis. This means that Food With Thought, who oversee catering for Oxfordshire County Council and currently employ Mrs Shortman as a cook, will be recruiting a new cook for us. Whilst we will be very sorry that Mrs Shortman will no longer cook our school meals after Easter, we are delighted to secure her additional hours as a well-established Teaching Assistant.
In addition, Mrs Shortman will be supporting Miss Mould and the children in Reception on Friday afternoons after the February half term holiday, on a regular basis instead of Mrs Wilkin who has other commitments outside of school on Friday afternoons.

Road Closure
We have been advised that Oxfordshire County Council have programmed to carry out some carriageway maintenance works on two stretches of the B480 road a) between 75m north and 60m south of the B4015 junction in Chiselhampton village, b) a 220m length west of Brookhampton Close in Stadhampton. Due to the narrowness of the carriageway and the nature of the works to be undertaken it will be necessary to close the B480 and by default, as there will be no access to the B480 for through traffic, the B4015 back to the A4074. The road closures will be for a week commencing 4th February 2013 however this timescale may change or be extended should inclement weather or unforeseen issues arise during the works. For those who live or work along the B4015, access will be available from the A4074 to Chiselhampton, but not onto the B480.

The Watlington Partnership of Schools Swimming Gala, 28.01.2013
Yet again we are very proud of our pupils who did so well at this week’s Swimming Gala. Here is a report from some of the team:
“On Monday 28th January 2013, three Year 6 and three Year 5s were chosen to go to the Swimming Gala. We were: Ben, Ella, Owen, Thea, Matthew and Millie. We all did very well in most races. First of all we all had heats, where we had to do either; front crawl, breast stroke or back stroke – or even all three! There were also relay races. Stadhampton were taking part against, Watlington, Lewknor, Chalgrove and Ewelme Schools. We felt surprisingly excited and nervous at the same time; some members of the team hadn’t taken part before, whereas Matthew and Ben had the previous year. After an exhausting one and a half hours we found out who had won! In 5th place was Lewknor, 4th place Chalgrove, 3rd place Ewelme (17 points), 2nd Stadhampton (26 points) and in 1st place was Watlington (33 points)! Thank you to Mrs Perring and Mrs Duke for their support and helping with transport. We’ll be aiming to reclaim the trophy next year!”

Waiting Area development
We are very aware that, with all the recent wet weather combined with the heavy foot-fall, the condition of the grass in the Waiting Area is far from ideal. Our intention is to replace the grass with an all-weather surface and we are currently seeking quotes from several companies to provide the best solution.

Green Energy Bus
Last week the children enjoyed a visit from the Green School Bus which offered workshops and activities for KS1 and KS2. These workshops are aimed to challenge the way the children think about energy and waste and enable them to take action in the school and local community. Here are the activities the children carried out and some of their comments:
Class 1 carried out an activity about compost.“We got to feel the soil and to talk about recycling”. “I liked the question-which one looks more firm for the animals?” “It was good. We got to see the fly move if there were any creatures in the compost” (Myles, Ellie and Tillie).

Class 2 had a debate about energy.“I really enjoyed going on the bike and the things in the bus. When we blew into a fan, it turned it around and made electricity to turn on a light” (Alfie).

Class 3 looked at electricity. “It shouldn’t have run on diesel but solar panels”.“It was great fun. Only a few people managed to start the radio by peddling the bike” (Bryce and Rhys).

Holiday Course at Stadhampton School
Michael Hopkins, will be running a 5-day Easter Holiday sports course here at Stadhampton School commencing Monday 8th April between 9am and 3pm. All pupils of primary school age are welcome to attend. The cost will be £10 for the day or £40 for the full 5 days. The emphasis is on having fun and will include playing a variety of sports, games and mini-tournaments, mainly outdoors if the weather permits. Bookings may be made directly with Mr Hopkins (see flyer attached) or via Mrs Hopkins in the school office.

Letter from Icknield Community College
Please find attached to this newsletter a letter to parents from ICC relating to their possible conversion to Academy status in the future.

Missing Coat
Amy Freeman’s black wool full length coat from Next is missing. Apparently other pupils have the same coat. Please could everyone check that it has not been taken home by another pupil by mistake. Thank you.

PTA News
Apologies for all the errors that crept into our calender sheet we sent out last week - the details in the newsletter are the correct version!

Our last Clothes Recycling collection (last October) has raised £234.50. Thank you to everyone who donated items. The next clothes recycling collection will be in May 2013.

Children's Bingo & Hotdog Night - Friday 22nd February, 5.30 until 7pm
Bingo tickets are all sold out! If anyone has any 'good as new' toys or items that could be used as prizes, please put them in the red PTA box in the hall. Thank you.

Friday Cake Club
Mrs Gonzales was the lucky winner of the cake last week, kindly donated by Mrs Hector. A reminder to Mrs Fernie that she is on the rota for Friday 8 February.

LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Next week we are looking at the book ‘Elmers’ again. We are talking about reflections, looking at our own reflections so that we can make self portraits. We will also be making elephant trunks out of pasta and starting to make our Elmer milk carton elephants.
A huge thank you to Catherine and Annabel Roe who donated a beautiful cradle and babies; the Little Bears are really enjoying using it.

Item found on the Green
A valuable item has been handed into the School office which was found on the Green at the weekend. Please contact the school office if you believe the item may be yours.

DIARY DATES:
Tuesday 5 February Class 2 visit to Sulgrave Manor.
Friday 8 February Break up for the February Holiday at 3.15pm
Monday 18 February Return to school for the start of Term 4
Tuesday 19 February Reception pupils eye checks
Friday 22 February Children’s Bingo 5.30 to 7pm
Monday 25 February – Friday 1 March Class 3 Residential Visit to Woodlands Outdoor Education Centre accompanied by Miss Shah, Mrs Scragg and Mr Hazeldine.
Extra swimming opportunity at Abbey Sports Centre for Class 2 pupils on Monday 25 February.
Friday 8 March Adult Boogie Bingo at 7.30pm
Thursday 2 May School closed to pupils for County Council Elections

Newsletter for week ending 25 January 2013

Weather Watch
Thank you for keeping up-to-date with our school website regarding the impact of the recent snow on access to school and school opening hours. The weather is expected to become milder again but please continue to keep tuned into the local radio and check the website during any future spells of adverse weather.


Advance Notice of School Closure for County Council Elections
We have received notification this week from South Oxfordshire District Council that the school premises will be required for use as a polling station on Thursday 2 May 2013. This means that unfortunately the school will be closed to pupils on that day. We hope that once the conversions have been made to the Church, that elections will be able to be held there rather than necessating the need to close the school. I realise that this enforced closure is near to SATs week for Year 6 pupils but preparation for SATs takes place over a long period of time and Year 6 pupils will be provided with a task to help keep them ‘fine-tuned’.

School Council Election
Last week Class 1, 2 and 3 voted for their new School Council representatives. Congratulations to Jake Day, Hannah Tombling, Ruby Dallimore, Marcin Skwarek, Betsy Elliot, Oliver Lowman, Ella Lavene, James Lowman, Benjamin West and Lizzie Bowerman who were all elected.

Class 3’s competing at the Watlington Partnership Indoor Athletics – Report by Jake D and Hannah T
“We all thoroughly enjoyed the indoor athletics event at Icknield. The races were all very intense and we were lucky enough to win several. Due to our hard work and determination we came 2nd out of 6 teams. We congratulate the winners, Watlington Primary. One of the pupils who participated said “It was really well organised and I enjoyed it so much, we did really well to come 2nd.”
Congratulations to Class 3 – we’re proud of you!

PTA News

Friday Cake Club
The winner of last week’s cake was Ella Lavene, kindly donated by Mrs Gravett. A reminder to Mrs Diment that she is on the rota for 1st February.

Children's Bingo and Hotdog Night - Friday 22nd February 2013, 5.30 until 7pm
It's back, tickets for this hugely popular event will be on sale next week. Tickets are limited to 50 and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Please look out for the permission slip in book bags this weekend and hand them in with payment to Rowena or Diana in the School Hall, to get your tickets.

We need some items that can be given as prizes for lines and full houses, if anyone has any unwanted 'good as new' toys or gifts, please put them in the red PTA box in the School Hall. Thank you.

Adult's Boogie Bingo - Friday 8th March, 7.30pm
It's bingo with a twist (and shout) - instead of shouting out numbers we play snippets of songs. Cross songs off your boogie bingo card as you hear them (if you don't know them someone else will), and complete for prizes for lines and full houses. As if that wasn't enough fun, play your boogie card to hear your favourite song in full and have a boogie!!

LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Continuing with our Elmer the Patch Work Elephant we will be looking at the book ‘Elmer on Stilts’. The children will be practising their balancing skills on stilts and making footprint pictures.


DIARY DATES:
Monday 28 January Swimming Gala for selected pupils only
Meeting of the Governing Body at 7pm.
Friday 1 February UNICEF Day for Change – please start saving small change!
Tuesday 5 February Class 2 visit to Sulgrave Manor. Letter sent out this week in book bags.
Friday 8 February Break up for the February Holiday at 3.15pm
Monday 18 February Return to school for the start of Term 4
Tuesday 19 February Reception pupils eye checks
Monday 25 February – Friday 1 March Class 3 Residential Visit to Woodlands Outdoor Education Centre accompanied by Miss Shah, Mrs Scragg and Mr Hazeldine.
Extra swimming opportunity at Abbey Sports Centre for Class 2 pupils on Monday 25 February.

Newsletter for week ending 18 January 2013

Snow
In the event that the forecast of heavy snow materialises tomorrow, please listen to the local radio and look at the school website for the latest information.

Appointment of a new Parent Governor
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Mrs Samantha Robinson as a new parent governor with effect from 14 January 2013. No other parent/carer put their name forward, so there was no requirement to hold a ballot.

‘Active Maths’
Following the positive impact of ‘Big Writing’ and ‘Talk for Writing’ on pupil progress in Literacy last year, we are now developing our Maths provision to mirror key aspects of our Literacy provision. This includes the introduction of ‘Active Maths’, a series of maths activities and investigations to be carried out at home. This will enable families to engage in aspects of maths that are being taught in each class, in a similar way to the way that ‘Talk for Writing’ links with the teaching of English in each class. An ‘Active Maths’ information sheet has been sent home, via bookbags, earlier this week.

Termly Outline Plans
Termly Outline Plans giving parents and carers an overview of the key areas of teaching and learning being covered in each class during Terms 3 and 4, have been sent home, via book bags, earlier this week. We are in the process of uploading these onto the Parents Section of the School Website.

PTA News

Friday Cake Club
Wow, the cake club is proving very popular - thank you to everyone who has joined this term. The winner of the first cake of the year was Billy Bowerman, with the cake donated by Mrs Gravett.

A reminder to Mrs Hector that she is on the rota for the 25 January.
Upcoming Events
Keep an eye out for details on the following exciting events being planned:

Children's Bingo & Hot Dog Night
Grown Up's 'Boogie Bingo' (It's bingo with music instead of numbers!)
Easter Chocolate Raffle - Wednesday 27th March, after school

LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Next week we are looking at the book “Elmer and the Lost Teddy.” We will be having a lost teddy hunt in the garden, talking about friendship and baking some Elmer Elephant biscuits.


DIARY DATES:
Wednesday 23 January Mobile Library visits the school
Monday 28 January Swimming Gala for selected pupils
Meeting of the Governing Body at 7pm.
Friday 1 February UNICEF Day for Change – please start saving small change!
Tuesday 5 February Class 2 visit to Sulgrave Manor. Letter to follow.
Friday 8 February Break up for the February Holiday at 3.15pm
Monday 18 February Return to school for the start of Term 4
Monday 25 February – Friday 1 March Class 3 Residential Visit to Woodlands Outdoor Education Centre accompanied by Miss Shah, Mrs Scragg and Mr Hazeldine.

Newsletter for week ending 11 January 2013

Welcome back to everyone and Happy New Year!

We are pleased to welcome Eliza Gardner into our Reception class this term.

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

During JANUARY we are focusing on the core value of FRIENDSHIP

Swimming at Berinsfield
Swimming will begin for Class 2 pupils on Monday 14th January. They will have 3 more sessions on January 21st (not 28th as it is the Swimming Gala) followed by the 4th and 18th February. As always, we hope that parents will be willing to help with the transport costs to Berinsfield with a contribution of £2 per swimming session. Thank you to the parents/carers of pupils in Class 3, who made a contribution last term. Cheques for swimming contributions should be made payable to Stadhampton Primary School, please.

After School Sports Clubs
Please see the School Website for reminders of the after-school clubs available in Term 3.

Advice for Parents/Carers from the Thames Valley Health Protection Unit
Thames Valley Health Protection Unit (TVHPU) have received reports of outbreaks of flu-like illness affecting children in schools. Some of these have been confirmed as being caused by a seasonal flu virus called Influenza B. Similar reports have been received by the Health Protection Agency from other parts of the country.
In order to minimise the spread of the virus, children, staff and visitors with flu-like symptoms (such as a raised temperature, a cough, runny nose, muscle and joint pains or headache) should not attend school until their symptoms have cleared up.
Reducing the spread of infection can be helped by remembering 'Catch It, Bin It, Kill It':
• Cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, using a disposable paper tissue when possible;
• Dispose of dirty tissues promptly and carefully;
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water and clean hard surfaces (such as door handles) frequently using a normal cleaning product to kill the virus.

Most cases of flu can be managed at home and further advice can be found at NHS Direct (http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/ or telephone 0845 4647) but if you are concerned about any aspect of your child's health seek advice from your GP as rarely other severe illnesses could appear with similar flu like symptoms
Your GP may have invited your child for flu vaccination this year if they fall under one of the nationally identified risk groups already [chronic heart, lung disease; metabolic disorders (including severe asthma and diabetes); kidney problems or a lowered immune system due to treatment or disease]. If you believe your child falls into one of these categories and has not been able to attend an appointment previously for seasonal flu vaccination, please contact your GP. Children in these risk groups should also seek medical advice promptly if they develop signs of flu-like illness.
If you are the parents of a child who qualifies for flu vaccine due to an underlying medical condition but who has not be vaccinated AND you have been in contact with someone with flu, then you may need to get advice from your child's doctor about the need to use anti-viral medication to reduce the risk of transmitting infection.
If you need further advice about a specific incident or outbreak, you can also contact TVHPU at 0845 279 9879 or email tvhpu@hpa.org.uk.

PTA News

Friday Cake Club
Joshua Hursey won the cake donated by Mrs Payne on the 14th December. The last 'Cake' of the term was donated by Mrs Bowerman and won by Josh Matthews. Since September we have raised an amazing £160 - thanks to everyone for joining the club, and another thank you to all our cake donators!

The Friday Cake Club is running again this year, so make sure you see Rowena Dobson on Friday morning to be in with a chance of winning, or pay in advance at any time if you prefer. £1 per child up to half term or £2 per child up to Easter.

A reminder to Mrs Perring that she is on the cake donation rota for the 18th January.

LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Next week we are looking at the book ‘Elmer in the Snow’. We will also be finding out about season change and talking about dangers and how we keep ourselves safe.


DIARY DATES:
Monday 14 January First swimming session for Class 2 pupils
Year 5 pupils go to ICC for a Technology lesson
Friday 18 January Year 5/6 take part in Sports Hall Activities at ICC. Letter sent home this week.
Wednesday 23 January Mobile Library visits the school
Monday 28 January Swimming Gala for selected pupils
Meeting of the Governing Body at 7pm.
Friday 1 February UNICEF Day for Change – please start saving loose change!
Tuesday 5 February Class 2 visit to Sulgrave Manor. Letter to follow.
Friday 8 February Break up for the February Holiday at 3.15pm
Monday 18 February Return to school for the start of Term 4
Monday 25 February – Friday 1 March Class 3 Residential Visit to Woodlands Outdoor Education Centre accompanied by Miss Shah, Mrs Scragg and Mr Hazeldine.


Attachment:
What’s on at the Children’s Centre in January and February 2013