Newsletter for week ending 27 March 2015

Cycle Safety Training
Cycle safety training begins on 15th May for participating pupils. There will also be sessions on 22nd May, 5th June, 19th June, 26th June. The test will be on Friday 3rd July. At present only 5 Year 6 pupils (Amy, Greg, Cora, Sophie and Betsy) have their names down for this opportunity and there have been reminders in the last two school newsletters. We are now extending this opportunity to Year 5 pupils and invite them to let Mrs Hopkins know if they would like to participate. The maximum number of pupils able to undertake the training is 8, so if more than 3 pupils would like to do it, places will be allocated on a ‘first-come, first served basis. It is essential that pupils have an appropriately sized roadworthy cycle and a cycle helmet which conforms to British Standards and fits correctly.

Swimming at Berinsfield
Swimming sessions at Berinsfield will begin for Class 2 pupils in Term 5 starting on Monday 13th April. They will have 5 sessions followed by a further session on Monday 8th June when Class 3 will be at Woodlands (£12 in total for the 6 weeks). Families who paid in full and in advance in Term 3 may deduct £2 for the session for when the coach did not appear. Please see Mrs Hopkins with any queries on payment! Thank you.

School Meals – Message from the Governing Body
At last week’s Parents Forum meeting there were a few questions about the process for allocating school meals, as on occasions some children have not received the meals that they were expecting.

As you may be aware, the school catering is outsourced to a company called Carillion, under a contract negotiated by Oxford County Council. The Governing Body has had discussions with the School Chef, Mrs Sheridan, to understand more.

By way of background, earlier this year the Government announced that there would be Universal Free School Meals for all Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 children and as a result where previously we were having approximately 25 school meals each day, that number has now doubled. You will notice that the size of the kitchen has not doubled, neither have we been able to get additional help for Mrs Sheridan as we are still deemed to be at an acceptable ratio. This is something that the school and the Governing Body are monitoring, as we recognise that Mrs Sheridan is being asked to do more and more in a limited space – and we would like to recognise that she does a fantastic job in difficult conditions.

There were a few specific points raised which we are looking to address as follows:

1) In order to speed up the serving of school meals and to prevent any confusion with what choice was made by pupils, we have purchased red and green wristbands (2 sizes). Pupils choosing the meat or fish option will be given a red band to wear by their class teacher and green bands will be given to pupils who chose the vegetarian option. Pupils will exchange their band with Mrs Sheridan at lunchtime for their chosen meal. We hope this will help to ensure that all pupils are able to have the meal they chose.

2) Certain dishes, such as gammon, were trialled on the Carillion menu, but after feedback from Mrs Sheridan and other schools this has now been removed from the menu, due to concerns re portion sizes.

3) The menu does state that there will be fresh bread each day, however Mrs Sheridan simply does not have the time or space in our kitchen to bake bread each day. However, shop bought fresh wholemeal bread for those children who would like bread to accompany their meal was made available from Tuesday 24th March.

4) On occasions it may be necessary to substitute dishes due to lack of availability, or where deliveries arrive later than scheduled. We obviously hope that this only happens in very limited cases, but Mrs Sheridan will try to ensure that there is always an appropriate vegetarian or meat alternative and we will do our best to make pupils aware of the substitution as early as possible.

We appreciate the continued feedback in this regard, and can assure all parents that the school together with Carillion and Mrs Sheridan are doing all we can to provide a varied, healthy and nutritious meal for those children that want one.

Forest School Dates for Summer 2015
A list of the Forest School dates for Terms 5 and 6 for pupils in Years 1-6 is attached to this newsletter. Please check the dates when your child/ren will need their forest school clothing in school. Separate arrangements for Reception pupils who have their sessions on the school site will be made and notified to parents after Easter. Thank you.

Scarlet Fever
We have been advised by Thames Valley Public Health England Centre that schools should be prepared for an outbreak of Scarlet Fever. The advice they have given is below:

Signs and symptoms
Scarlet fever (sometimes referred to as Scarletina) is a common childhood infection caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, or Group A streptococcus (GAS). The early symptoms of scarlet fever include sore throat, headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. After 12 to 48 hours the characteristic red, pinhead rash develops, typically first appearing on the chest and stomach, then rapidly spreading to other parts of the body, and giving the skin a sandpaper-like texture. The scarlet rash may be harder to spot on the skin of some Black and Asian people, although the 'sandpaper' feel should be present. Patients typically have flushed cheeks and pallor around the mouth. This may be accompanied by a ‘strawberry tongue’. As the child improves peeling of the skin can occur.

Infection control advice
In schools and nurseries it is recognised that infections can be spread through direct physical contact between children and staff and through shared contact with surfaces such as table tops, taps, toys and handles. During periods of high incidence of scarlet fever there may also be an increase in outbreaks in schools, nurseries and other child care settings.

As per national Guidance on Infection Control in Schools and other Child Care Settings, children and adults with suspected scarlet fever should be excluded from nursery / school / work for 24 hours after the commencement of appropriate 10 day course of antibiotic treatment. Good hygiene practice such as hand washing remains the most important step in preventing and controlling spread of infection.

PTA NEWS:
What a busy week we have had! The Kids Bingo on Friday evening was a huge success! Thank you to the committee and to Mrs Manzie for their hard work. On Saturday we had our fish and chip supper and disco evening at The Crown. Thank you to everyone who came along. We raised an impressive £230 and had a great evening too! Finally, we held the Easter Egg Raffle on Wednesday after school and raised a fantastic £49.
Thank you to all parents for their generous donations of assorted bottles and Easter eggs. We are very lucky to have such a generous school community.

Our next PTA meeting is Tuesday 14th April 8pm at The Crown, please come along, everybody welcome

Thank you for your continued support of the PTA

Friday Cake Club
Congratulations to Tia Khan, the lucky winner of last week's cake, kindly donated by Rachel Moritz, Arun's mum. A reminder to Mrs Hutchence that she is on the rota for Friday 17 April, the first Friday after the Easter Holiday.

If you would like to pay for a few weeks at a time after Easter, the price is £1.20 per child up to May Half Term, or if £2.60 per child to the end of the school year.

There are 4 gaps left at the end of the year for cake donations. Please see Rowena Dobson if you would be willing to donate a cake.

DIARY DATES:
Monday 13 April Pupils return to school for the start of Term 5
Vision screening for Reception pupils
Wednesday 15 April Mobile Library visit
Thursday 16 April Forest School for Year 3 pupils
Wednesday 22 April Shakespeare Workshop – more details to follow
Thursday 23 April Forest School for Year 3 pupils
Monday 27 April Governing Body meeting at 7pm
Thursday 30 April Forest School for Year 4 pupils

LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Everyone at Little Bears would like to wish you a peaceful and restful Easter break.
We return to Term 5 on 13th April to the topic of Space.

Community News
Michael Hopkins will be leading an 3-day Easter Sports Course at Stadhampton School on Monday 30 March, Tuesday 31 March & Wednesday 1 April. The course runs from 9-3pm each day and is open to all pupils (not necessarily just Stadhampton School) aged 4-11. The cost is £10 per day and bookings can be made directly by e-mailing m.hopkins07@hotmail.com or via Mrs Hopkins in the school office. Late bookings are still possible!

Stadhampton Youth Club Continues...Yes We're Open in the School Hols!

Wednesday, 1st April
19.30 - 21.00 School Years 5 to 8
Due to Volunteer availability we are running one combined session for both age groups.

Wednesday 15th April is the next regular session and these will continue on the first and third Wednesdays of the month @Village Hall at St Johns.

Sessions run as follows; make sure you’re...
• sticking to the School Year groups (approx. ages are a guide)
• arriving and being collected at the right time
18.30 – 19.30 – School Years 5 & 6 (approx. ages 9 to 11)
19.45 – 20.45 – School Years 7 & 8 (approx. ages 11 to 13)

Subs £1.50/week

Before attending, a Membership Form, signed by a parent, needs to be completed and handed to the Club/ Session Leader (available on the door or by emailing the address below). *If you have friends to stay, they are welcome - they just need to be in the right School Year/at the right Session and have a Membership Form completed by a parent*.

Have Your Say...
After Easter, we will undertake a survey to capture feedback from young people coming along to the sessions as well as parents/carers.

There is always the opportunity to feedback your thoughts (suggestion box at Youth Club) or by email.

Volunteers/Parent Helpers
Of course we need more volunteers; both adults and older youngsters, from the local community to ensure these sessions can continue to run.
*We are hoping to run training sessions in First Aid and Safeguarding in April (if we have enough people) - please contact us ASAP for more information or to request a DBS (formerly known as CRB) form*.

Forgotten What's On When?
There is an auto reply message linked to our email address - email and you'll receive a message with the most up-to date details of our next sessions on it!

stadhamptonyouthclub@gmail.com

Happy EASTER from everyone at Stadhampton School!

Newsletter for week ending 20 March 2015

Tuesday 10th March
Many parents will be aware that on Tuesday 10th March a situation arose in the school car park which required the Police to be called. This is a highly unusual occurrence and we would like to take this opportunity to reassure parents and carers that no pupil on our current school roll was involved and no-one was harmed. The situation was resolved and the children were reassured of this the following day.

Thames Valley Police Visit
Coincidentally, as part of a new initiative by Thames Valley Police, a Community Police Officer will be in school in uniform and will be outside with pupils during their lunchbreak on Friday 27th March. This will provide an opportunity for pupils to say “hello” and chat informally with him if they wish to do so. The purpose of his visit will be explained to the children beforehand.

Work Viewing Evening on Monday 23rd March
A final reminder that there is an opportunity to see your child’s /children’s work between 3.15 and 6pm on Monday 23rd March. Teachers will be in their classrooms from 3.30 to 6pm for a brief informal discussion if required. Appointments are not made for this evening.
Mid-Year Summary Reports for each pupil were sent home on Tuesday 17 March.

Message from the Governing Body:

Parent Forum
We would like to thank the parents who attended the Parent Forum on Tuesday evening. There were 8 parents in attendance. The Governing Body presented on its role and the status and aspiration of the school and an energetic Q & A followed for well over 2 hours.

Initial feedback on the night was that it was a useful forum both to understand more about the Governing Body, the school’s priorities and the budget challenges that we face, but also to share feedback and observations from a parent’s viewpoint.

There were a few follow ups that came out of the meeting, and we will take these to the next Governors’ meeting to discuss and, where possible, action.

We recognise that often due to childcare arrangements that only one parent would be able to attend, and therefore should there be the demand for a second meeting we would be happy to organise this for early in the summer term. Please can you email the office if you are interested in attending and we will look to arrange another date.

Thank you again to the parents and governors who attended the meeting for your continued support.
Regards
Jason Hector and Paul Gravett

Little Bears Ofsted
Congratulations to all staff at Little Bears who secured a ‘good’ judgement at their recent Ofsted inspection. Well done to everyone at Little Bears!


Cycle Safety Training
Please could any Year 6 pupils who would like to participate in the Cycle Safety Training and who have not yet put their name down, let Mrs Hopkins know as soon as possible.

Class 3 Swimming at Berinsfield on Monday 23rd March
A final reminder that Mrs Boddy, the lead swimming coach at Berinsfield, has requested that all pupils in Class 3 bring a pair of old pyjamas (or a T-shirt, leggings or thin tracksuit trousers) to swimming on Monday 23rd March as part of their personal lifesaving/rescue activities. Pupils will still need to bring their usual swimming kit. Old, thin pyjamas are best as they don’t absorb too much water – fleece style pyjamas or onesies are not suitable. Thank you.

Compton Verney Visit
Report by Georgia:
“On Tuesday 17th March, Classes 2 and 3 had an exciting trip to Compton Verney. Class 3 attended a workshop learning how to create mysterious landscapes. The focus was on exploring composition, perspective, mood and atmosphere in paintings. We spent time analysising a painting of Mount Vesuvius. We had a sensational time exploring the gardens and learning about why ‘Kern Baby’ was built and why she was placed in the gardens. Please feel free to look at our masterpieces which are displayed on Class 3’s wall!”

Report by Ella and Hannah:
“On Tuesday 17th March, Class 2 travelled to Compton Verney, Art Gallery in Warwickshire. Class 2 really enjoyed the trip and answered all the questions enthusiastically. First we went to look in the folk art galleries and observed all the cabinets and pictures carefully. Everyone enjoyed the pattern game in the Enid Marx and Margaret Lambert gallery.

All of us particularly enjoyed the cleverly worked out stencil printing. We drew a simple outline of a shape that we saw and cut it out carefully from the nearest point. We cut a piece of tape and stuck it on the snip in the border. We then placed it on a piece of A3 paper and got a sponge and paint and dabbed it on the stencil. We did this process in pairs and created a wonderful pattern.

Screen painting was interesting because you never knew that a wooden frame could do so much with all the colours blending. It was fun, amazing and very, very group-involved. Everyone’s ideas were brought into one big piece of art.”

Collection for Red Nose Day
We are pleased to let you know that we raised £26 from the Funny Photographs competition, £19 from Little Bears and £97 from the pupil and staff collection on Red Nose Day, a grand total of £142. Thank you all.

PTA NEWS:
We will be holding the Easter Egg Raffle on Wednesday 25th March at 3.15pm. We have lots of yummy Easter eggs to win. Raffle tickets will be on sale from Monday drop off from Claire Cowlard until Thursday drop off. It will be 20p a ticket or £1 a strip with a maximum of 1 strip per child, this means it is fairer and more children have a chance of winning. We still need donations of eggs please, the bigger the better!

Fish and chip supper and disco night on Saturday 21st March in The Crown at 7.30pm. Tickets will be available on the night but won't include food. It is a great opportunity to have a giggle and raise some money, so please support.

Our next meeting is Tuesday 14th April 8pm at The Crown,

Thank you for your continued support of the PTA


Friday Cake Club
Congratulations to Myles Dobson, the lucky winner of last week's cake, kindly donated by Mrs Bradford. A reminder to Mrs Marshall that she is on the rota for 27th March.
We still have 6 gaps for cake donators between 12th June and 17th July. Please see Rowena if you can help.

DIARY DATES:
Monday 23 March Work Viewing Evening 3.15-6pm
Friday 27 March End of term assembly. Everyone welcome to attend.
School finishes at 1.30pm for the Easter break
Monday 13 April Pupils return to school for the start of Term 5
Vision screening for Reception pupils

LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Next week the Little Bears will be getting ready for Easter enjoying lots of Easter crafts and finishing with a Easter egg hunt and bonnet parade which will be judged by Reception pupils. All bonnets are to be made at home and brought to Little Bears on Friday ready for the parade.
Little Bears are also invited to assembly on Friday so the doors will open slightly earlier to allow us to get over to the hall on time.
On Thursday 26th March - Little Bears will be having a Easter cake sale between 12 and 3pm. All donations of cakes will be greatly received. Thank you.

Community News
Michael Hopkins will be leading an 3-day Easter Sports Course at Stadhampton School on Monday 30 March, Tuesday 31 March & Wednesday 1 April. The course runs from 9-3pm each day and is open to all pupils (not necessarily just Stadhampton School) aged 4-11. The cost is £10 per day and bookings can be made directly by e-mailing m.hopkins07@hotmail.com or via Mrs Hopkins in the school office. These sports courses are very popular and early booking is advised.

MAKING IT BETTER FOR BOYS…
What makes them tick? by Ali McClure
AUTHOR OF MAKING IT BETTER FOR BOYS’
Wednesday 22nd April 2015 6.00 TO 8.30 PM BENSON NURSERY SCHOOL

Little Masters Art Club flyer attached for an art day on Wednesday 8th April at the Pine Lodge, Little Milton

Newsletter for week ending 13 March 2015

Question & Answer Session with the Governing Body on Tuesday 17 March, 8pm, School Hall
A reminder that the Governing Body would like to invite all parents and carers to an informal Q&A session on Tuesday 17 March at 8pm in the school hall. This is a chance for parents and carers to find out more about what the school governors do, how they are involved with the operation of the school and to find out more about the school’s priorities.

There will be a short presentation followed by an open Q&A session. However, parents and carers are welcome to submit questions anonymously via the school office should they wish to do so.

As the aim of the session is to provide information about the work of the Governing Body and to address any questions about the overall governance of the school, neither Mrs Turner nor any of the teaching staff will be attending. Should a parent wish to talk about their child with a member of the teaching staff they should make an appointment in the usual way. Please note we will not be able to answer any questions specific to individual children.

The Chair of the Governors, Jason Hector, and the chair of the Finance Committee, Paul Gravett, as well as other members of the governing body will all be available to answer questions.

We hope you will welcome the opportunity to find out more and hope to see you on the 17th March.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Jason Hector & Paul Gravett

Work Viewing Evening on Monday 23rd March
Mid-Year Summary Reports will be sent to parents during week commencing 16th March. A reminder that there is an opportunity to see your child’s /children’s work between 3.15 and 6pm on Monday 23rd March. Teachers will be in their classrooms from 3.30 to 6pm for a brief informal discussion if required. Appointments are not made for this evening.

Reporting a Pupil Absence
We are aware that not all reports of pupil absence using the link on the school website were getting through to us and parents should have received a ‘bounce back’ notification. We have now set up a new e-mail address which this link automatically goes to and have tested it to check that it works!
If your child is going to be absent from school please either telephone on 01865 890370, or e-mail via the link on the school website or e-mail directly pupilabsence@stadhampton.oxon.sch.uk
Thank you.

Cycle Safety Training
We are very grateful to Mrs Cove, Mrs Green and Miss Moss-Black (Helen) for offering to provide cycle safety training in the summer term for any Year 6 pupils who would like to have a go. Please could those pupils confirm with Mrs Hopkins whether they would like to do this, by Monday next week. In order for pupils to put their names forward it is essential that they have an appropriately sized roadworthy cycle and a cycle helmet which conforms to British Standards and fits correctly. The training sessions will take place on 15th & 22nd May, 5th, 19th & 26th June and the test will be on 3rd July in the afternoon.

Class 3 Swimming at Berinsfield on Monday 23rd March
Mrs Boddy, the lead swimming coach at Berinsfield, has requested that all pupils in Class 3 bring a pair of old pyjamas (or a T-shirt, leggings or thin tracksuit trousers) to swimming on Monday 23rd March as part of their personal lifesaving/rescue activities. Pupils will still need to bring their usual swimming kit. Old, thin pyjamas are best as they don’t absorb too much water – fleece style pyjamas or onesies are not suitable. Thank you.

PTA NEWS:
Kids’ Bingo Night is on Friday 20th March from 5.30-7pm. Please return the consent forms along with £3.00 to the school office no later than Thursday 19th March. No tickets are being issued; if you are able to help please speak to a PTA committee member.

Fish and Chips supper and disco/karaoke night is on Saturday 21st March at 7.30pm in The Crown, Stadhampton. Tickets are priced at £7 each which includes an enormous fish and chip supper, plus a disco, Karaoke, an alcohol raffle and much more; all funds go to the PTA. This promises to be a fantastic night for everyone. Tickets are available from Georgina Wiggins and from The Crown.

We are holding an Easter Egg Raffle the day before we break up for Easter and are asking for donations of Easter eggs from parents. Please put all donations into the PTA box in the school hall. Thank you.

Do you have any wine bottles, beer or spirits taking up room in the cupboard? We are in need of donations to the raffle at the fish and chip supper night. Please give to a committee member or leave in the school office for us to collect. Thank you.

Thank you for your continued support of the PTA.


Friday Cake Club
Congratulations to Lizzie Bowerman, the lucky winner of last week's cake, kindly donated by Mrs Payne. A reminder to Rachel Moritz that she is on the rota for 20 March.

DIARY DATES:
Friday 13 March Red Nose Day
Monday 16 March Governing Body meeting at 7pm
Tuesday 17 March Compton Verney visit for Classes 2 and 3. Letters sent in bookbags this week.
Parents’ Forum meeting at 8pm. Everyone welcome.
Thursday 19 March Thames Valley Police in school at lunchtime to chat informally with pupils during their outside playtime
Monday 23 March Work Viewing Evening 3.15-6pm
Friday 27 March End of term assembly. Everyone welcome to attend.
School finishes at 1.30pm for the Easter break
Monday 13 April Pupils return to school for the start of Term 5
Vision screening for Reception pupils

LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Next week at Little Bears we will be continuing to look at our book ‘6-Dinner Sid’ and discussing our own pets. What do we do to look after them, where do we take them if they are ill and what do we feed them? Little Bears would like to say a big thank you to the Hector family for donating lots of brilliant games and puzzles to the children.
Dates to remember:
Easter cake sale on Thursday 26th March at 12pm & 3pm onwards on the Little Bears patio
Friday 27th March Easter Bonnet parade.

Community News
Michael Hopkins will be leading an 3-day Easter Sports Course at Stadhampton School on Monday 30 March, Tuesday 31 March & Wednesday 1 April. The course runs from 9-3pm each day and is open to all pupils (not necessarily just Stadhampton School) aged 4-11. The cost is £10 per day and bookings can be made directly by e-mailing m.hopkins07@hotmail.com or via Mrs Hopkins in the school office. These sports courses are very popular and early booking is advised.

Stadhampton Youth Club Continues..
Wednesday 18th March is the next sessions which continue on the first and third Wednesdays of the month @Village Hall at St Johns.
Sessions run as follows - make sure you're attending at the correct times!
18.30 – 19.30 – School Years 5 & 6 (approx. ages 9 to 11)
19.45 – 20.45 – School Years 7 & 8 (approx. ages 11 to 13)
Subs £1.50/week
Before attending, a Membership Form, signed by a parent, needs to be completed and handed to the Club Leader (available on the door or by emailing the address below).

We’d love feedback from the young people coming along to the sessions as well as parents/carers and there will an opportunity to feedback confidentially your thoughts (suggestion box at Youth Club) or by email.

Of course we need more volunteers; both adults and older youngsters, from the local community to ensure these sessions can continue to run.
stadhamptonyouthclub@gmail.com

Brookes Science Bazaar
Free fun for the family- Headington Campus, Gipsy Lane, OX3 OBP- 11am – 4pm on Saturday 21st March. No parking available for this event. No booking required – just drop into Reception!

Newsletter for week ending 6 March 2015

Happy MARCH Birthday to: Maggie Almeida, Jem Burnell, Darcy Crook, Emily Drake, Daniel Ellis, Alana Hyde, Hannah Lansley, Greg Madry and Ben Walker.

During MARCH we are focusing on the core value of HOPE

Goodbye
We say goodbye and good luck to Harry Ventham who left our Reception Class this week to move to another part of the country.

Sixth Form at Icknield Community College
Please find attached to this newsletter a joint letter from Mr Hunter (Headteacher) and Mr Cockrem, (Chair of Governors) at Icknield Community College about their plans for a Sixth Form at Icknield.

World Book Day – Thursday 5th March 2015
Thank you all so much for your support of our World Book Day event. The children were dressed as the most imaginative story-book characters and many of the costumes were home-made. Characters ranged from Harry Potter to Pippy Longstocking, Paddington Bear to Eeyore and Little Red Riding Hood to the Tiger who came to Tea. The response has been fantastic and has brought children’s literature to life. Photographs were taken of all the children and we will shortly be creating a display of these for you all to see. Thank you for your active support, we do appreciate it, and a huge thank you to Mr Wells who took all the photos.

Jian-Zi Tournament 2015
Each year, as part of our Chinese New Year events, we hold an annual ‘Jian-zi’ tournament. If you are unfamiliar with what a Jian-zi is, it is a Chinese feathered toy, similar to a shuttlecock, which is used for ‘keepy-uppy’. We hold this tournament in tandem with our colleagues at our partnership school in Hazlach, Poland. Pupils in each year group are involved and our results are as follows:-

Reception – Cianna Browning (2) Year 1 – Harvey Saunders (3)
Year 2 – Joshua Hursey (3) Year 3 – Lorenzo Elliott (6)
Year 4 – Thomas Cove (27) Year 5 – Max Jones (9)
Year 6 – Greg Madry (9)

The top three Polish scores are:-

Piotr Kaleta (13)
Jakub Suchanek (12)
Marcel Gabzdyl (11)

Congratulations to Thomas Cove for being not only our school winner but our international winner! The trophy returns to Stadhampton!


PTA NEWS:
Kids Bingo Night on Friday 20th March 5.30-7pm. Please return the consent forms along with £3.00 to the school office no later than Thursday 19th March, no tickets are being issued. If you are able to help please speak to a PTA committee member.

Fish and Chips supper and disco/karaoke night on Saturday 21st March at 7.30pm in The Crown. The PTA are very excited to announce that we are holding this event in partnership with The Crown; tickets are priced at £7 each which includes an enormous fish and chip supper, plus a disco, Karaoke, an alcohol raffle and much more; all funds are going to the PTA. This promises to be a fantastic night for everyone; tickets are available from Georgina Wiggins and from The Crown.

Easter Egg Raffle, we are holding a raffle the day before we break up for Easter and are asking for donations of Easter eggs from parents. Please put all donations into the PTA box in the school hall. Thank you.

We are also asking parents for donations of alcohol for our raffle at The Crown. Please put in the PTA box. Thank you.

Thank you for your continued support of the PTA.


Friday Cake Club
Congratulations to Bobby Byrne, the lucky winner of last week's cake, kindly donated by Mrs Odell. A reminder to Mrs Bradford that she is on the rota for Friday 13th March.

DIARY DATES:
Friday 13 March Red Nose Day
Monday 16 March Governing Body meeting at 7pm
Tuesday 17 March Compton Verney visit for Classes 2 and 3. Letters sent in bookbags this week.
Parents’ Forum meeting at 8pm. Everyone welcome.
Thursday 19 March Thames Valley Police in school at lunchtime to chat informally with pupils during their outside playtime
Monday 23 March Work Viewing Evening 3.15-6pm
Friday 27 March End of term assembly. Everyone welcome to attend.
School finishes at 1.30pm for the Easter break
Monday 13 April Pupils return to school for the start of Term 5
Vision screening for Reception pupils

LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
The Little Bears will be talking about healthy foods next week and making our favourite food plates. We are also making a very special something for our very special Mummy's.
Dates to remember: Easter Cake Sale on Thursday 26th March on Little Bears patio; Friday 27th March Easter Bonnet Parade.

Community News
Michael Hopkins will be leading an 3-day Easter Sports Course at Stadhampton School on Monday 30 March, Tuesday 31 March & Wednesday 1 April. The course runs from 9-3pm each day and is open to all pupils (not necessarily just Stadhampton School) aged 4-11. The cost is £10 per day and bookings can be made directly by e-mailing m.hopkins07@hotmail.com or via Mrs Hopkins in the school office. These sports courses are very popular and early booking is advised.

Stadhampton Youth Club Continues..
Wednesday 18th March is the next sessions which continue on the first and third Wednesdays of the month @Village Hall at St Johns.
Sessions run as follows - make sure you're attending at the correct times!
18.30 – 19.30 – School Years 5 & 6 (approx. ages 9 to 11)
19.45 – 20.45 – School Years 7 & 8 (approx. ages 11 to 13)
Subs £1.50/week
Before attending, a Membership Form, signed by a parent, needs to be completed and handed to the Club Leader (available on the door or by emailing the address below).

We’d love feedback from the young people coming along to the sessions as well as parents/carers and there will an opportunity to feedback confidentially your thoughts (suggestion box at Youth Club) or by email.

Of course we need more volunteers; both adults and older youngsters, from the local community to ensure these sessions can continue to run.
stadhamptonyouthclub@gmail.com

Brookes Science Bazaar
Free fun for the family- Headington Campus, Gipsy Lane, OX3 OBP- 11am – 4pm on Saturday 21st March. No parking available for this event. No booking required – just drop into Reception!

Newsletter for week ending 27 February 2015

Food with Thought Meal Offer
Food with Thought, our school meal provider, is running a promotion during March offering a voucher for a free meal to all KS2 children. To qualify for this offer, you simply need to buy 10 consecutive meals from either Monday 2nd March or Monday 16th March. You can of course purchase meals for the whole of March to qualify for 2 vouchers.
The vouchers can be used in April or May and will have an expiry date of 31st May 2015.
The new menu which starts from 16th March has been uploaded onto the school website and is also attached to this newsletter. Food with Thought are no longer providing families with paper copies of the menu.

World Book Day – Thursday 5th March
A reminder that on Thursday 5th March all pupils and (staff!) are encouraged to come to school dressed as a favourite book character, bring a copy of the book if possible, and be prepared to explain why they chose that particular character. Photographs of the children as book characters will be taken and we plan to make a display of these in school afterwards. We have already heard of some inspiring ideas!
Pupils will also need to have their PE kit in school that day to change into during the afternoon.

World Book Day Vouchers
World Book Day takes place on Thursday 5th March 2015 and celebrates the joy and value of books and reading, especially for children. To help get them started on their reading journey, every child receives a £1 World Book Day Book Token that can either be exchanged for one of TEN special £1 World Book Day books or used to get £1 off any book costing £2.99 or more. You can find out more about the books at worldbookday.com/books. Book Tokens will be sent home today in book bags. Please help your child to use it on or around World Book Day by visiting your local bookshop (if you need help finding one, visit booksellers.org.uk/bookshopsearch).

E-Safety Presentations
It was good to see so many of you at our E-Safety and Cyberbullying presentations this week. The children had worked hard to prepare their presentations which we hope you found both entertaining and informative. For those of you who were unable to attend we have attached a copy of the presentation for you to see.

Visit by Polish pupils, parents and teachers
From Friday 19th to Tuesday 23rd June we will be welcoming a party of 12 visitors from our partner school in Hazlach, Poland. We have had links with Hazlach school for over 10 years and during this time we have conducted a number of exchange visits – the most recent being a group from this school travelling to Poland last May. Staff and families have hosted visitors in the past and this is the plan for the visit in June too. Several members of staff and families have already agreed to host this year’s visitors, however, we are still seeking to find a family who would be willing to have an 11 year old girl and her mother stay with them for this time. If you are able and willing, please speak with Mrs Turner for further information. Thank you.

Question & Answer Session with the Governing Body
Tuesday 17 March, 8pm, School Hall
The Governing Body would like to invite all parents and carers to an informal Q&A session on Tuesday 17 March at 8pm in the school hall. This is a chance for parents and carers to find out more about what the school governors do, how they are involved with the operation of the school and to find out more about the schools’ priorities.

There will be a short presentation followed by an open Q&A session. However, parents and carers are welcome to submit questions anonymously via the school office should they wish to do so.

As the aim of the session is to provide information about the work of the Governing Body and to address any questions about the overall governance of the school, neither Mrs Turner nor any of the teaching staff will be attending. Should a parent wish to talk about their child with a member of the teaching staff they should make an appointment in the usual way. Please note we will not be able to answer any questions specific to individual children.

The agenda for the meeting will be:

Benchmarking
League tables
Financials & Budgets
School priorities

The Chair of the Governors, Jason Hector, and the chair of the Finance Committee, Paul Gravett, as well as other members of the governing body will all be available to answer questions.

We hope you will welcome the opportunity to find out more and hope to see you on the 17th March.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Jason Hector & Paul Gravett

Work-Viewing Evening on Monday 23rd March
This year our Work Viewing Evening is Monday 23rd March. This takes place in pupils’ classrooms between 3.15 and 6pm and parents and carers are invited to look at their child’s/children’s work. Many families choose to do this with their children and this is encouraged. Teachers will be present in the classrooms between 3.30 and 6pm and although there is no appointment system they are available for a brief conversation if required. In addition, our annual Mid-Year Summary Reports, which indicate individual pupil progress towards key targets, will be sent out the week before.

School Council News

Cake Sale
Thank you to everyone who donated cup cakes or biscuits to raise money for a wireless camera for the school bird box. We raised £61.04 and are planning to purchase the camera shortly.

Red Nose Day on Friday 13 March
Competition – We will be participating in Red Nose Day by holding a ‘funny face’ photograph competition. All you need to do is take a photo of your face, making it as funny as you possibly can. You can use props, such as face paints, glasses, wigs, etc to enhance your entry photo. All entries will cost £1 and must be handed in to the school office by Wednesday 11th March 2015. The best ‘funny face’ photograph will win a prize which will be presented in the Friday assembly.

Red Nose Day- Children may pay £1 to come to school dressed in their pyjamas for the day! This money will then be added to the Competition money and sent off to Comic Relief.


Year 6 visit to see ‘Contes Mauriciens’ performance at Icknield Community College
Year 6 pupils thoroughly enjoyed visiting Icknield Community College on Tuesday for a Contes Mauriciens performance by actors and a technician from Theatre Sans Frontieres. They were surprised by how much of it they were able to understand and found the plays very entertaining. What a great experience! Thank you to Icknield Community College for inviting pupils to this event.

Football Tournament Results from RAF Benson
The outdoor matches were cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch, so the children took part in an indoor skills rally and a football quiz instead. Year 3 and Year 4s came first and Year 5 and 6 came 4th. Overall we came 2nd and everyone enjoyed the experience! Congratulations to everyone and thank you to the parents who helped with the transport. Particular thanks to Mr Cove for coaching pupils beforehand.

Gardening Club
We are grateful to Mr and Mrs Burnell for offering to restart the gardening club on Friday lunchtimes. Please could any pupils from Classes 2 and 3 who would like to attend the club put their names down with Mrs Hopkins. The club will start again on Friday 6th March.

PTA NEWS:
Kids Bingo Night Friday 20th March 5.30-7pm- letters with consent forms will be going into book bags on Monday. Please return the consent forms along with £3.00 to the school office no later then Thursday 19th March. No tickets are being issued and if you are able to help please speak to a PTA committee member. Thank you.

Fish and Chip’s supper and disco/karaoke night. Saturday 21st March 7.30pm The Crown, Stadhampton- the PTA are very excited to announce that we are holding this event in partnership with The Crown, tickets are priced at £7 each which includes an enormous fish and chip supper, plus there is a disco, Karaoke, an alcohol raffle and much more, all funds going to the PTA. This promises to be a fantastic night for everyone, tickets are available from Georgina Wiggins and from The Crown.

Easter Egg Raffle, we are holding a raffle the day before we break up for Easter and are asking for donations of Easter eggs from parents. Please put all donations into the PTA box in the school hall. Thank you.

Thank you for your continued support of the PTA.

Friday Cake Club
Congratulations to Hannah Lansley, the lucky winner of the last cake before half term, kindly donated by Mrs Khan. A reminder to Mrs Payne that she is on the rota for 6 March.
We still have gaps for people to donate cakes from 8 May to the end of the school year. Please see Rowena if you are willing to go on the rota.

DIARY DATES:
Thursday 5 March World Book Day
Monday 13 April Vision screening for Reception pupils

LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Little Bears would like to welcome everyone back to Term 4. This term our topic is "Six Dinner Sid" a book by Inga Moore. Sid has six owners, lives in six houses and has six dinners a day. We look forward to lots of cat mini topics with this book.
Little Bears would also like to say a big thank you to Tillie, Nate, Helen and Max Moss-Black for the lovely toys they donated.

Community News
Michael Hopkins will be leading an 3-day Easter Sports Course at Stadhampton School on Monday 30 March, Tuesday 31 March & Wednesday 1 April. The course runs from 9-3pm each day and is open to all pupils (not necessarily just Stadhampton School) aged 4-11. The cost is £10 per day and bookings can be made directly by e-mailing m.hopkins07@hotmail.com or via Mrs Hopkins in the school office. These sports courses are very popular and early booking is advised.

Stadhampton Youth Club Continues...
Wednesday, 4th & Wednesday 18th March are the next sessions which continue on the first and third Wednesdays of the month @Village Hall at St Johns.
Sessions run as follows - make sure you're attending at the correct times!
18.30 – 19.30 – School Years 5 & 6 (approx. ages 9 to 11)
19.45 – 20.45 – School Years 7 & 8 (approx. ages 11 to 13)
Subs £1.50/week
Before attending, a Membership Form, signed by a parent, needs to be completed and handed to the Club Leader (available on the door or by emailing the address below).

We’d love feedback from the young people coming along to the sessions as well as parents/carers and there will an opportunity to feedback confidentially your thoughts (suggestion box at Youth Club) or by email.

Of course we need more volunteers; both adults and older youngsters, from the local community to ensure these sessions can continue to run.
stadhamptonyouthclub@gmail.com

Newsletter for week ending 13th February 2015

Mr Montgomery
We regret to announce that, sadly, Mr Montgomery who has been off sick for some time has now confirmed he will not be returning to Stadhampton School. We thank Mr Montgomery for his contribution to the school during the short time he was with us and wish him well for the future. We have managed to pass on to Mr Montgomery the gifts he was given by parents at Christmas. Mrs Ellis and Mrs Singleton have temporarily agreed to cover most of Mr Montgomery’s hours. Mrs Singleton currently covers Forest School sessions and Mrs Ellis covers our library sessions.

Safer Internet Day – 10 February 2015
E–safety is a priority throughout the year but Safer Internet Day raises the profile of it and provides us with an opportunity to make children and parents more aware of the potential dangers. This year we have been working with Jo Brown, the county Anti-Bullying Co-ordinator, to prepare our presentations to parents on the theme of ‘Let’s make a better internet together’. Safer Internet Day itself was on Tuesday 10 February and we spent part of the morning practising our presentations knowing that Oxfordshire County Council and the local Press were interested. Unfortunately the local BBC were otherwise occupied but Owen Morton, the county Press and Communications Officer took a number of photographs and has written an article about our activities and these may appear in the local Press. We will circulate further details when we have them!
Our pupil-led E-Safety presentation to parents and carers will take place at 2.35pm on Wednesday 25 February and we do hope you can join us. Pupils in Years 4 to 6 have recently completed an OCC cyberbullying survey which has helped us to understand our pupils’ experiences. We know that the majority of parents and carers have already been closely involved in teaching Stadhampton pupils about internet safety at home, however we are keen to reach out to all parents and carers. On 25 February our presentations will include; demonstrating that using the internet leaves an evidence trail, creating a ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’ style quiz, sharing posters and leaflets designed by the pupils and singing an internet safety song.

Recorder Lessons
A reminder that recorder lessons for all pupils in Years 3-6 will take place on Mondays next term. For hygiene reasons, pupils are expected to provide their own recorder. Pupils also need their own recorder book. Recorders are on sale from the school office priced at £6.50, Recorder Books 1 and 2 are available for £4.95 each.

Swimming at Berinsfield Pool
Swimming lessons at the Abbey Sports Centre begin on Monday 23rd February for Class 3 pupils. As always, we are grateful to receive a ‘voluntary contribution’ of £2 per swimming session towards the cost of the transport to Berinsfield. There will be 5 sessions before the Easter Holidays. Cheques for swimming contributions should be made payable to Stadhampton Primary School please. Thank you.

UNICEF Day for Change
Thank you to everyone who brought in change last Friday or on Monday this week for the Unicef Day for Change. We are pleased to report that £104.82 was raised for this worthwhile cause. Last year we collected £97.93, so a slight increase year on year, which is pleasing. Raising £55 provides enough vaccine for 500 children and £135 provides an emergency ‘school in a box’, so we know the money will go to good use. We are most grateful to Mrs Madry for giving up her time to count this for us.

Sports Hall Athletics –Report by Cora
“Last Friday Class 3 went to Icknield to do for some fun races and other events. Miss Raval and Mrs Wilkin came with us. There were six schools altogether – Stadhampton, Chalgrove, Watlington, Lewknor, RAF Benson and Ewelme. We were all tired by the end but we thoroughly enjoyed it. When the scores came in it was very tense as this year the top two schools would go through to the Championships! We came third and were very happy. Chalgrove came second and Watlington came first. We would all love to go again!”

PTA NEWS:
We are really interested in holding a "SPONSORED ?????. " We would love to receive parents/carers ideas which we will discuss at the next PTA meeting on Tuesday 24th February.

New members are always welcome to come along to our meetings because without parent participation the PTA wouldn't be able to work. If you are interested in coming along then please speak to one of the active members, a list of who is on the PTA, and what classes their children are in, is on the noticeboard in the waiting area. We want to raise money to benefit our children so please come along if you can to our next meeting which is on Tuesday 24th February, 8pm at The Crown in Stadhampton.

Friday Cake Club
Congratulations to Amy Freeman, the lucky winner of last week's cake, kindly donated by Mrs Madry. A reminder to Mrs Odell that she is on the rota for Friday 27 February, the first Friday after half term.

DIARY DATES:
Friday 13 February Break up for the February Holiday at 3.15pm
Monday 23 February Return to school for the start of Term 4
Tuesday 24 February Year 6 pupils visit ICC for a French theatre performance. Letters were sent home in book bags about this last week
PTA meeting in the Crown at 8pm
Wednesday 25 February Parents e-safety presentations at 2.35pm
Thursday 26 February Partnership 5-a-side football tournament at RAF Benson for participating pupils in Years 3&4 and 5&6. Letter sent home in book bags on Thursday 5th February. Please complete and return reply slips as soon as possible. Thank you.
Friday 27 February Annual Jian-Zi competition to celebrate Chinese New Year
Thursday 5 March World Book Day
Monday 13 April Vision screening for Reception pupils

LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Little Bears would like to wish everyone a relaxing half term break. We return to term 4 on Monday 23rd February to the topic of " Six-Dinner Sid".

Community News
Michael Hopkins will be leading an 3-day Easter Sports Course at Stadhampton School on Monday 30 March, Tuesday 31 March & Wednesday 1 April. The course runs from 9-3pm each day and is open to all pupils (not necessarily just Stadhampton School) aged 4-11. The cost is £10 per day and bookings can be made directly by e-mailing m.hopkins07@hotmail.com or via Mrs Hopkins in the school office. These sports courses are very popular and early booking is advised.

Newsletter for week ending 6th February 2015

International Safer Internet Day – 10.02.2015 – possible Press visit
As mentioned in our recent (last week’s!) letter about E-Safety, we have been working closely with Jo Brown, the County Anti Bullying Officer, to raise the profile of on-line safety and pupils and staff are preparing a presentation to share with parents and carers at 2.35pm on Wednesday 25th February on the theme of ‘Let’s create a better internet together’.
Some of our presentations will take place next Tuesday, 10th February, to coincide with Safer Internet Day which is being promoted across the county. Oxfordshire County Council has been instrumental in working with Oxfordshire schools to help children stay safe on-line and during the day we expect Jo Brown to visit, along with Owen Morton, the OCC Media and Communications Officer and there is likely to be Press interest. This includes local press and possibly local BBC television. Whilst we cannot guarantee whether the BBC or local newspapers will visit (it depends just what other news there is that day!) it is likely that photographs and film footage of pupils in school will be in the press that day.
This is, of course, an exciting opportunity for Stadhampton School, however if any parents or carers would prefer their child/ren not to be involved, please make it known to Mrs Turner on Monday 9th February. Thank you.

Re-arranged Vision Screening for Reception Pupils
Parents of pupils in the Reception class were sent a letter in November 2014 about vision screening for pupils which had been scheduled to take place on 12th December. Unfortunately the Oxfordshire Orthoptic Service had to cancel their visit to us on that day. We have now been advised that the screening has been rescheduled for Monday 13th April.

Parent-teacher communication
We value the support and interest of all parents and carers and, as stated in our School Prospectus http://www.stadhampton.oxon.sch.uk/images/admin//School%20Prospectus%202014-2015%20Final%20version.pdf we operate an “open door” policy which offers parents and carers ready access to teachers. Of course not all discussions can take place when children are dropped off or collected and our teachers are happy to arrange short meetings with parents/carers at a mutually convenient time. Appointments with teachers may also be made via Mrs Hopkins. In order to aid effective communication between teaching staff and parents/carers, we hold a formal Parents’ Evening in November and a ‘Work Viewing’ Evening in March. This year the ‘Work Viewing’ evening will be on Monday 23rd March. To ensure we gather the views of our parents and carers the governing body also run two surveys annually; one specifically for the parents of new starters in the Reception class in March to gain feedback on the first months of their child’s time at the school and one for the whole school in November.

Class 2 Swimming on 09.02.2015
Next Monday (09.02.15) Class 2 pupils will have their last swimming session for this term. Mrs Boddy, the swimming coach, has requested that all pupils bring in an old pair of pyjamas (or an old T-shirt and leggings or tracksuit trousers) to wear in the water. This activity is part of the personal life-saving activities within the swimming curriculum, and isn’t just an excuse to bring pyjamas to school!

Science Club on 10.02.2015
Pupils who have been attending after-school Science Club on Tuesdays have started to make crystal radio sets. In order to give the children enough time to finish them, next week science club will finish at 4.30pm. Also Mr Heath Whyte would like to take a group photograph of the children with their finished crystal radios for his own records. If any parent/carer would prefer their child not to be included please speak to Mrs Turner. Thank you.

School Council – Valentine’s Cake Sale
Next Wednesday 11th February, the School Council will be holding a cake sale in the hall at 3.30pm. The theme is Valentine’s cupcakes and biscuits and all donations would be much appreciated. The cake sale will raise money to go towards a wireless camera to go in the bird box in the playground. Our target is to raise £40. We do hope to see you there!

PTA NEWS:
A reminder that the PTA has a Facebook page. It's a closed group, only accessible if you are a member.
We put lots of useful information on there eg upcoming events, reminders and other information about what's happening in the village. If you would like to join then search- stadhampton primary school PTA on Facebook, request to join then we can add you on.

Our next meeting is Tuesday 24th February 8pm at The Crown

Friday Cake Club
Congratulations to Thomas Cove, the lucky winner of last week’s cake, kindly donated by Mr & Mrs Hursey. A reminder to Mrs Khan that she is on the rota for Friday 13 February.

DIARY DATES:
Tuesday 10 February International Safer Internet Day
Friday 13 February Break up for the February Holiday at 3.15pm
Monday 23 February Return to school for the start of Term 4
Tuesday 24 February Year 6 pupils visit ICC for a MfL session
Wednesday 25 February Parents e-safety presentations at 2.35pm
Thursday 26 February Partnership 5-a-side football tournament at RAF Benson for participating pupils in Years 3&4 and 5&6. Letter sent home in book bags on Thursday 5th February. Please complete and return reply slips as soon as possible. Thank you.

LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Next week at Little Bears we will be enjoying a whole colourful week of ‘Elmer’ and looking at the book ‘Elmer's Day’. We will talk about daily routines from waking in the morning to going to bed at night.
We also be making some ‘Elmer’ masks .

Community News
Michael Hopkins will be leading an 3-day Easter Sports Course at Stadhampton School on Monday 30 March, Tuesday 31 March & Wednesday 1 April. The course runs from 9-3pm each day and is open to all pupils (not necessarily just Stadhampton School) aged 4-11. The cost is £10 per day and booking can be made directly by e-mailing m.hopkins07@hotmail.com or via Mrs Hopkins in the school office. These sports courses are very popular and early booking is advised.