Newsletter for week ending 23 May 2014

Visit to Bhaktivedanta Manor Hindu Temple – report by Ella Lavene and Ella Gravett
“Class 2 went to Bhaktivedanta Manor and we tried on some Indian clothes, jewellery and bindies. The food we ate was cheese and vegetable curry, rice, popadoms, chips, chipati and cookies. It was delicious. We also went on an ox cart ride and all the pupils enjoyed it, it was a very nicely decorated carriage. We had face paint but it wasn’t butterflies and pirates, it was Indian patterns and flames, and lots of lovely flowers. Some people got birthday presents and they got a flute, bindi pack and a friendship bracelet. Altogether it was a brilliant day!”

Swimming at the Abbey Sports Centre, Berinsfield
Swimming continues for Class 2 pupils on Monday 2nd and Monday 9th June. Thank you to everyone who has already made a ‘voluntary contribution’ of £2 per swimming session towards the cost of the transport. Any further contributions would be warmly welcomed. Swimming sessions will begin for Class 3 pupils on Monday 16th June. They will have 5 sessions in total. As always, we hope that parents will support the cost of the transport to the Abbey Sports Centre with a ‘voluntary contribution’ of £2 per child per swimming session. Payments of £10 for the 5 sessions can be made by cheque (made payable to Stadhampton Primary School please.) Alternatively we are very happy to receive a cash payment of £2 on a weekly basis. Thank you.

Swimming in the School Pool – please get ready!
After the May Holiday, Mr Short and Mrs Shortman will be preparing our school pool for use. We will also be following OCC regulations and have our pool inspected and water samples taken and sent off for analysis before pupils are allowed in to the pool. The school pool, once ready, will be used by all pupils throughout the school (including Reception pupils). Please could all parents now start to prepare a ‘swimming bag’ so that it is ready for use. All pupils will need a towel, swimming hat (boys and girls), boys need tight fitting (not baggy) swimming trunks and girls need a one-piece swimming costume (no bikinis or tankinis please). It is much easier if each child has their own swimming hat rather than families try to share one between them. Once the pool comes into use, (we will let you know in the newsletter or by e-mail when this happens) the onus will be on families to ensure that swimming kit is in school each day, otherwise pupils will miss out on opportunities to swim. Pupils who do not have their swimming kit in school will sit and observe the swimming session when their class has their turn in the school pool. Thank you.

Clarinet Performance on 8th July 2014
Pupils in Years 5 and 6 will be demonstrating their clarinet skills in a performance for parents on Tuesday 8th July from 2.45 to 3.15pm. All parents are welcome but we especially hope that as many parents of pupils in Classes 2 and 3 will be able to come along as possible.

Sunhats and Sunscreen Lotion
A reminder that all pupils should have sun hats available in school after the May Holiday. Parents may also wish to apply sunscreen to pupils before they come to school if the weather is going to be particularly sunny.

PTA News
Boogie Bingo - what a fantastic evening! Thank you to everyone who came along and a massive thank you to Gareth and Rowena Dobson for providing such a fun evening and for all their hard work. Thank you also to Kevin Bowerman for looking after the bar.

Spring Cleaning Day Saturday 14th June - we would love lots of parents, other family members and friends (anyone good with a paintbrush!) to come down to the school from 10am to help us paint fences, do some weeding and have a general clean up. Even if you can only spare an hour or two, everything helps! We know how lucky we are to have our school so any help to give it a mini facelift would be fantastic! Your reward ....... Bacon Butties and lots of tea and coffee.

There is a sign up sheet in the office, so if you are able to help, please put your names down to give us a rough estimate of how many volunteers we have for the day.

Please note it won't be possible to bring children into the school grounds on the day. However, Little Bears has kindly offered to open its grounds should families wish to coordinate childcare there, while other family members volunteer at the school. Parents will remain responsible for their children and will need to ensure they are supervised at all times.

Summertime Funtime - Saturday 21st June - a fun filled afternoon from 2pm until 4pm for all the family with a summer theme and lots of competitions to enter. Please note this date as it promises to be fun fun fun!!!

Have you got any questions or ideas? Join the PTA! Our next meeting is at The Crown on Tuesday 3rd June at 8pm; new and old members always welcome.

Cake Club
Congratulations to Mrs Shortman, the lucky winner of last week’s cake, kindly donated by Mrs Cove, who made it late at night after an evening at the hospital with Owen! A reminder to Mrs Marshall that she is on the rota for 6 June, the first Friday after half term.

DIARY DATES:
Wednesday 4 June Reception and Class 1 Visit to Outlook Discovery Centre
Thursday 12th June School Lunch - Brazilian World Cup Feast – Brazilian chicken or sticky quorn (v) with salsa and rice, followed by coconut and pineapple glazed sponge - £2. Please order on Monday 9th June if your child would like this lunch.
Wednesday 18 June Year 5 Visit to ICC for Humanities, Science and PE lessons – please remember to take your PE kit!
Wednesday 25 June Festival of Voices at Dorchester Abbey
23 May, 6 June
Friday 13 June
Friday 20 June Cycling sessions for Year 6 pupils

Cycle Theory Test
Cycle Test
Monday 11 – Friday 15 August Summer Sports Course at Stadhampton School. Please see posters on each classroom door and in the entrance foyer for details of how to book.

LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Little Bears last day of Term 5 is Friday 23rd May at 3pm returning on 2nd June at 9am to the topic of "The Circus". We hope everyone has a wonderful half term break and the sun shines for us all.

Community News:
• The village bus shelter in Stadhampton is getting a face lift and you’re invited to come and ‘lend us a hand!’
The time has come for the bus shelter in Stadhampton to have a new lease of life. At the beginning of July all the hard work of sweeping out the shelter and repainting of the walls and ceiling will be underway. On Sat 5th & Sun 6th of July 2014 from 11.00am - 4.00pm all members of the community, young and old, are then welcome to come and make their mark and be part of the ‘future history of the village’. So make a note in your diaries, take a trip to the bus shelter for a friendly chat and place your handprints on the walls, to build a new picture for the village, made by the village! Feel free to spread the word to friends and neighbours to help this worthy cause. (Please see attached poster!)

• River Thame Conservation Trust have organised a brilliant day of activities, including river walks, focused on the River Thame at Stadhampton, to take place on Saturday, 7th June 2014.
Please see attached flyer

• Please see three flyers from the Chalgrove and Watlington’s Children’s Centre with details of their forthcoming events.

Newsletter for week ending 16 May 2014

Miss Shah
As a school we are fortunate in having a low turn-over of staff but, from time to time opportunities and circumstances arise which lead to changes.
It is with regret that we have to announce that Miss Shah will be leaving us at the end of Term 6 due to a relocation to Kent during the summer.
We will be advertising for a Key Stage 2 teacher to start in September 2014 and will inform you of the outcome following the usual interview process which is scheduled to take place shortly after half term.
In the meantime Miss Shah will continue to dedicate herself to her role as Class 3 teacher, Literacy, RE and ICT coordinator. As a small school, staff work as a close team; Miss Shah will be missed by us all and we wish her well at her new school in Orpington.

SATs Tests
Congratulations to our Year 6 pupils who seem to have coped with their SATs very well during this week. A reminder that tests continue into next week for many other year groups.

Forest School Letters
Revised consent forms for Forest Schools were given to all pupils yesterday. Please could parents complete and return to school by 23rd May. Thank you.

Buddying Letters for Year 6 Pupils
Please could parents complete and return the consent forms for Year 6 pupils (distributed on 15 May) to take part in the Buddying Sessions with Year 10 pupils from Icknield Community College, by 23rd May. Thank you.

PTA News
Boogie Bingo Friday 16th May- we are really excited about this event. We hope everyone has a fantastic time and it raises lots of money!

Bags2school Clothes Recycling Thursday 22nd May - clothes, paired shoes, cuddly toys, bags, hats and scarves are all greatly received. All bags will be collected at 9am on 22nd May but if you are unable to bring your bags on the Thursday morning, you will be able to leave bags in the undercover area outside Class 1 on Wednesday 21st May after 3.15pm.

Spring Cleaning Day Saturday 14th June -we would love for lots of parents, other family members and friends (anyone good with a paintbrush!) to come and help us from 10am. Our aim is to paint fences, do some weeding and have a general clean up of the outside areas at the school. We know how lucky we are to have our school so any help to give it a much deserved mini facelift would be great! Your reward….bacon butties and tea & coffee.
We will be leaving a sign up sheet in the office, so if you want to help please put your names down to give us a rough estimate of how many volunteers we have for the day.

Please note it won't be possible to bring children into the school grounds on the day. However, Little Bears has kindly offered to open its grounds should families wish to coordinate childcare there, while other family members volunteer at school. Parents will remain responsible for their children throughout and will need to ensure they are supervised at all times.

Summertime Funtime Saturday 21st June - please put this date in your diaries - a fun filled afternoon for all the family. Keep a look out for posters shortly.

Want to make a difference in our school? Then join the PTA! Our next meeting is Tuesday 3rd June at The Crown 8pm. New members always welcome.

Cake Club
Congratulations to Miss Mould, the lucky winner of last week’s cake, kindly donated by Charlie Constable. A reminder to Mrs Crook that she is on the rota for 23 May.

Archery After School Club – parental help with sessions
Monday 19 May Mrs Ball

Please let Mrs Hopkins know if you could offer help with a date where a volunteer is still required. Thank you.

Monday 2 June Mrs West
Monday 9 June Mrs Austin
Monday 16 June Mrs Dickens
Monday 23 June Volunteer required
Monday 30 June Volunteer required
Monday 7 July Volunteer required

DIARY DATES:
Tuesday 20 May Class 2 visit to Bhaktivedanta Manor Hindu Temple
Thursday 22 May Class 3 Visit to Bookfeast
Wednesday 4 June Reception and Class 1 Visit to Outlook Discovery Centre
Thursday 12th June Brazilian World Cup Feast – Brazilian chicken or sticky quorn (v) with salsa and rice, followed by coconut and pineapple glazed sponge - £2.
Wednesday 18 June Year 5 Visit to ICC for Humanities, Science and PE lessons – please remember to take your PE kit!
Wednesday 25 June Festival of Voices at Dorchester Abbey
23 May, 6 June
Friday 13 June
Friday 20 June Cycling sessions for Year 6 pupils

Cycle Theory Test
Cycle Test
Monday 11 – Friday 15 August Summer Sports Course at Stadhampton School. Please see posters on each classroom door and in the entrance foyer for details of how to book.

LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Next week we will be completing our weather theme by talking about clouds and storms. We will be making some stormy day pictures and making a season and weather dial.
Thank you to everyone who supported our table top sale last Saturday.

Newsletter for week ending 9 May 2014

Changes to SEN
In September the Department for Education are making changes to the law for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. A letter to parents from Edward Timpson, Minister for Children and families, outlining the changes, is attached to this newsletter. If you would like a paper copy please ask in the office. We will know more about these changes later this term, after receiving training.

Holidays in Term-Time
A reminder that as a result of changes since September 2013 to the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006, Headteachers are unable to authorise any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances, such as bereavement. It will be impossible, therefore, to support any requests for holidays during term time. Please support us and your child by making all holiday bookings during school holidays. Thank you.

PGCE Students
We are pleased to welcome two PGCE students from Oxford Brookes University into school for their final placements. Miss Emily Parsons is working alongside Mrs Manzie in Class 1 and Mr Michael Kemp is working alongside Miss Shah in Class 3.

Thank you to the PTA:
The school is both proud of, and grateful to, our very supportive PTA. Without the on-going support of the PTA we would be unable to provide some of the facilities, equipment and opportunities that enrich all pupils’ experiences at school.

PTA News
Boogie Bingo Friday 16th May - we still have a few tickets left for next weeks event so please see Rowena Dobson if you would like one. Only £3 tickets (without food) are available now.

We are still hoping for donations for the raffle, so please have a look at home for anything suitable, eg any wine, beer, chocolates or ‘smellies!’ Please leave any donations in the PTA box in the hall.
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Bags2School Clothes Recycling Thursday 22nd May - you should have received your bags so get filling! Clothes, paired shoes, cuddly toys, bags, scarves and hats are all greatly received. All bags will be collected at 9am on 22nd May but if you are unable to bring your bags on the Thursday you will be able to leave bags in the undercover area outside Class 1 on Wednesday 21st May after 3.15pm.

Spring Cleaning Saturday 14th June: the PTA is hoping lots of parents (and other volunteers!) will be available to help with some Spring cleaning jobs around the school, e.g. fence painting, weeding etc. More details to follow.

Summertime Funtime Saturday 21st June - please save the date for this fun filled afternoon - more details to follow.

Our role as a PTA is continually changing and with ever increasing budget cuts to services including schools, it is becoming more evident that we will need to help support the school, not only with donations and organising events but also with our time and support.

The PTA acknowledges and appreciates the amazing support from all parents. If you think you would like to help organise fundraising events, have your say or just to see what goes on, then please come to our PTA meetings - everyone is always welcome. Our next meeting is on Tuesday 3rd June at The Crown 8pm.


Cake Club
Congratulations to Charlie Hackett, the lucky winner of last week’s cake, kindly donated by Mrs Lavene. A reminder to Mrs Cove that she is on the rota for 16 May.

DIARY DATES:
Monday 12 May Start of SATs week for Year 6 pupils. Please note that many other year groups will also be having their annual tests and tasks during this week and the following week. Please avoid making routine doctor and dental appointments during this time if at all possible.
Tuesday 20 May Class 2 visit to Bhaktivedanta Manor Hindu Temple
Friday 9 May, 16 May,
23 May, 6 June
Friday 13 June
Friday 20 June Cycling sessions for Year 6 pupils

Cycle Theory Test
Cycle Test
Monday 11 – Friday 15 August Summer Sports Course at Stadhampton School. Please see posters on each classroom door and in the entrance foyer for details of how to book.

LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Next week we will be continuing with our ‘weather’ theme and also looking at the topic of ‘wind’. We will be making paper planes and kites to fly and hopefully making some unique wind chimes!
Please come along to the table top sale on Saturday afternoon from 2pm - 4pm in the school hall.

Newsletter for week ending 2 May 2014

Happy May Birthday to: Hannah Bradford, Billy Bowerman, Leo Burnell, Ruby Dallimore, Lorenzo Elliott, Gene Green, Buddy Halliday, Isabel Hector, Joshua Hursey, Olivia Kenny and Ella Lavene.

During MAY we are focusing on the core value of TOLERANCE

We say goodbye and good luck to Sasha Campbell, who has only been with us for a few weeks and is now moving to a school in Canada.

Year 6 Maths Booster Group
The Year 6’s who usually attend a ‘Booster’ session on Tuesday morning will now attend on Wednesday morning instead (for the final session). This will give both Booster groups an opportunity to work together and support each other.

Termly Outline Plans
Termly Outline Plans giving parents and carers an overview of the key areas of teaching and learning in each class have been uploaded onto the school website. If anyone would like a paper copy please ask in the school office for one.

Swimming at Berinsfield
After 13 years as our swimming coach at Berinsfield we said a sad goodbye to Mrs Heather Selwood this week. Our new coaches are Mrs Georgie Boddy and Mr Anton Bishop. Over the years many pupils will have Mrs Selwood to thank for their achievements in the pool and we wish her well in her new job.

Safeguarding of pupils
We take all safeguarding issues very seriously and pupil welfare is a high concern for all of us. There have been recent occasions when, unknown to us, well-meaning parents have taken ‘uncollected’ pupils with them at the end of the school day. In the interest of safeguarding we have procedures in place that all pupils are aware of. This is an opportunity to remind everyone of these procedures. If a pupil finds that the person whom they are expecting to collect them is not at the gate they should come into Class 1 and inform Mrs Manzie or the teacher in there that no-one has arrived to collect them. A member of school staff will then phone the parents/carer of the child to clarify the arrangements for their safe collection. Thank you for your cooperation in this highly important matter.

Governing Body Update
Changes in Governors; Jo Evelyn has sadly stepped down from the Governing Body. We welcome Finbar McGaughey to the Governing Body as a Local Authority Governor.
We still have one vacancy for a Community Governor. Community governors are appointed by the governing body to help to represent community interests. They can be individuals who

• live or work in the community served by the school
• are committed to the good governance and success of the school even though they do not work or live close to it.

The definition of a community governor is wide. People from a business or professional background and minor authority representatives can be appointed as community governors. If anyone knows someone who may be interested in this role, please let them know that we have a vacancy and ask them to make contact with the school. Thank you.

PTA News
Boogie Bingo Friday 16th May - tickets are on sale for this very popular event each morning outside Class 1, priced at £8 to include fish and chips or £3 without. Please buy your tickets as soon as possible as tickets including fish and chips must be purchased by Friday 9th May, so we can sort out final numbers before the night.

We need donations for the raffle so please, if you can spare any wine, chocolates, gift sets etc it would be very much appreciated. All donations to go in the PTA box in the hall.

Bags2School Clothes Recycling Thursday 22nd May – clothes recycling bags will be put into book bags shortly. In the meantime have a sort out at home - all adult and/or children’s clothes, paired shoes, cuddly toys, bags, scarves, hats are gratefully received. All bags will be collected before 9am on Thursday 22nd May so you will be able to leave bags in the undercover area outside Class 1 from 3.15pm on Wednesday 21st May ready for the recycling truck.

Our next PTA meeting is on Tuesday 3rd June 8pm at The Crown. Everyone welcome. Thank you for your continued support of the PTA.

Cake Club
Congratulations to Amy Matthews, the lucky winner of last week’s cake, kindly donated by Mrs Gravett. A reminder to Charlie Constable that she is on the rota for 9th May.

Summer Sports Course at Stadhampton School
Michael Hopkins will be leading a Summer Sports Course for all children aged 4-11 at Stadhampton School for five days during the Summer Holiday from Monday 11 to Friday 15 August inclusive. The cost is £10 per day or £40 for children attending on all five days. Jordan Piper, who is well known to pupils having spent two weeks at Stadhampton School on work experience from Henley College, will be assisting on the course as usual. Booking details are on the attached flyer or may be made directly with the school office.

DIARY DATES:
Thursday 8 May Vision screening for Reception pupils
Monday 12 May Start of SATs week for Year 6 pupils. Please note that many other year groups will also be having their annual tests and tasks during this week and the following week. Please avoid making routine doctor and dental appointments during this time if at all possible.
Tuesday 20 May Class 2 visit to Bhaktivedanta Manor Hindu Temple
Friday 9 May, 16 May,
23 May, 6 June
Friday 13 June
Friday 20 June Cycling sessions for Year 6 pupils

Cycle Theory Test
Cycle Test
Monday 11 – Friday 15 August Summer Sports Course at Stadhampton School. Please see posters on each classroom door and in the entrance foyer for details of how to book.

LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Next week at Little Bears we will be talking about rainbows and how they are made; we will be making our own hand print rainbow exploring the colours and colour mixing.
Thank you to everyone who supported our Ladies Supper Night last week – to everyone who came along, made some of the amazing food and / or helped us to clear up at the end. Everyone had a great evening and there has been talk of a repeat performance at some stage so watch this space! Thank you again for your support – it was very much appreciated.
On Saturday 10th May from 2pm-4pm Little Bears will be holding a Table Top sale in the School Community Hall- please see Debbie Bradford or Melanie Gravett to book your table.

Community News:
• Cream Teas in the Village Hall at St. Johns on Monday 5th May 2.30 - 4.30 p.m. in aid of Village Hall funds.
• Also we would like to invite parents to WI on Tuesday 13th May at 7.30 p.m. when Dr Chintha Dissanayake will be our speaker, her talk 'The Teenage Brain - Still under Construction'. Everyone welcome.

Welcome back to everyone!

Swimming at the Abbey Sports Centre
Class 2 will begin their swimming sessions at the Abbey Sports Centre on Monday 28th April. They will have a total of 5 sessions (28 April, 12, 19 May, 2, 9 June). As always, we hope that parents/carers will be willing to pay £2 per child per swimming session towards the cost of the transport. Payments of £10 for the 5 sessions can be made by cheque (made payable to Stadhampton Primary School please.) Alternatively we are very happy to receive a cash payment of £2 on a weekly basis. Thank you.

Easter Egg Competition
On Wednesday we all enjoyed the School Council’s Easter Egg competition. Children had to create a vehicle that would safely transport a boiled egg as close as possible to our curling target, within a minute. Designs varied from remote controlled cars with egg ‘carriers’ to handcrafted cars made from all sorts of different junk materials…including Satsuma wheels!
The entries were judged by Mr Short, Mrs Shortman and Mrs Wilkin who focused on the overall quality of design, the originality/ingenuity of the design and its success in getting to the target while also keeping the egg protected! They then added up their scores and were pleased to announce the winners:

1st place: Leo Burnell who scored 75 points (out of a possible 90)
2nd place: Charlie Ball who scored 71 points
3rd place: Tia Khan who scored 64 points
Well done to all who took part – the vehicles were all impressive and we look forward to setting this challenge again!

Forest School Sessions
Forest School sessions began this week for Year 2 pupils. Thank you to Mr Short, Mrs Elliott, Mrs Gonzalez and Mrs Gravett for providing pupils with a most enjoyable experience building dens, making a rope swing, experimenting with grass trumpets, creating ‘hairware’ and good team-building and collaboration opportunities. Thank you to everyone involved in the fundraising to make this project possible. If you have not returned your completed permission slip yet for your child to participate, please do so as soon as possible. (Reminder forms were sent home earlier this week.) Thank you.

Sport Relief Cycle Ride
During the Easter Holidays, Mr & Mrs Turner cycled 673 miles from John O’Groats in northern Scotland, southwards. Strong westerly winds and heavy rain in Scotland slowed the cycling down and a daughter going into labour early meant they made it as far as Preston in Lancashire before returning home by train. They plan to cycle the remaining 200+ miles from Preston over the Summer. They have lost a little weight and gained a little grandson! Many thanks to all who have sponsored the ride - so far over £400 has been raised for Sport Relief but it’s not too late to sponsor, should you wish to and increase this total. They have set up a Sport Relief Giving Page as follows http://my.sportrelief.com/sponsor/johnandkathryncycleJohnOGroatstoBristol

Drinks Bottles
A number of un-named colourful, plastic drinks bottles were left in class cloakrooms over the Easter Holidays and pupils make no claim to them. The bottles have been emptied and put in the Lost Property box in the Hall, so if you are missing such a drinks bottle it may be there!

End of Term Assembly
Following our end of term assembly on Friday 4th April, a small amount of cash was found in the Hall. If you are aware of losing any cash at that time, please speak to Mrs Turner.

Saturday Science Club at Science Oxford
Details of Science Oxford’s Saturday Science Clubs can be found on www.scienceoxfordlive.com There are events on Saturday 26th April and Saturday 31st May. Children must be accompanied.

PTA News

Boogie Bingo Friday 16th May - tickets are on sale from Monday for this fun filled evening, priced at £8 each to include a fish and chip supper or £3 each without. Tickets will be available from the office or from outside Class 1 each morning. Be quick as it's a popular event and places are limited.

We will be holding a raffle on the evening and would appreciate any donations as prizes. Items needed are wine, beer, chocolate, bubble bath sets etc so please have a look at home and leave any donations in the PTA box in the hall.

Clothes recycling Thursday 22nd May – Bag2School recycling bags will be put into book bags as soon as we receive them so get sorting through your old winter wardrobe for your unwanted adult and/or children’s clothes, paired shoes, cuddly toys, bags, scarves, hats.

Bag2School is a free fundraising scheme that works in partnership with schools and businesses to help us raise money from your donations. It specialises in collecting unwanted textiles in good condition which are then sold to export markets worldwide where they are sorted and then sold to the general public.

Our next meeting is this Tuesday 29th April 8pm, The Crown. New members are always welcome so why not come along and see for yourselves!
Cake Club
Congratulations to Tillie Moss-Black, the lucky winner of the last cake before the Easter holidays, kindly donated by Mrs Fulker. A reminder to Mrs Lavene that she is on the rota for 2nd May.

Don’t forget you can pay for Cake Club weekly, half a term at a time or right up until the end of the school year. Please see Rowena Dobson.

DIARY DATES:
Monday 28 April Archery Club begins for participating pupils
Friday 9 May, 16 May,
23 May, 6 June
Friday 13 June
Friday 20 June Cycling sessions for Year 6 pupils

Cycle Theory Test
Cycle Test

LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
The Little Bears all are settling back well into Term 5 and are exploring our topic of ‘Weather.’ We have begun by talking about the sun and how to be safe when the weather hots up.
In Week 2 we will be talking about the rain and making our own musical rain shakers - if anyone could donate some inner tubes of kitchen roll we would appreciate it very much.
Finally a reminder that on Friday 25th April – we are hosting a Ladies Supper Night at St John’s Church and we hope to see you there!

Newsletter for week ending 4 April 2014

Happy April Birthday to: Katende Amery, Oliver Bourne, Thea Diment, Charlie Hackett, Isabel Holmes, Ollie Jones, Jamie Lavene & Sam Sundberg.


During APRIL we are focusing on the core value of THOUGHTFULNESS

New School Meals Menu
Hard copies of the new Summer/Autumn menu were sent home to families earlier this week. A copy has also been uploaded onto the school website.

Website Additions
As well as the new Summer/Autumn meals menu, this week we have also uploaded to the school website details of the after school clubs for Term 5 and 6 (Archery), Term 5 (Art) and Term 5 (Multisports) as well as pictures of Sports Relief activities and the Kidzfit workshop in the ‘Events section’.

Internet E-Safety
With the Easter holidays approaching, many children will be keen to explore modern technology in more depth as a way of entertaining themselves. The Internet and devices such as tablets, games consoles and phones have many exciting things to offer children and there are many positives to be gained from experiencing these things. We would, however like to give a timely reminder that some of the content that can be accessed on the Internet (e.g. on YouTube or on game servers) is not always age-appropriate and occasionally can be offensive or upsetting. In school we have a filtering system blocking access to such sites.
Despite some protection/parental controls being available for you to set up on these different resources, they are not always effective in filtering the content to make it ‘child-safe’. Please continue to support your child by showing interest in what they are accessing via technology, to make sure they enjoy the experiences they have!
These websites below provide helpful, age-appropriate information about online safety, with tips for children and for families.
http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/
http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/

‘Speaking and Listening’ Leaflet
This week every family should have received a copy of a leaflet entitled ‘Speaking and Listening: A short guide for parents’. Speech and language are key aspects of child development and we hope that you find the information useful. The leaflets were sent home via book bags but if you are unable to locate your copy, please ask for another one from the office.


UK Chess Challenge
This year children from Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 have enjoyed taking part in the UK Chess Challenge; a national competition that we have participated in for a number of years. The lunch time club was fully subscribed and it was lovely to see the enthusiasm of all the children. The skill varied from chess novices (who hopefully have gained confidence in their abilities over the 7 weeks of tournaments) to more experienced players.

In the end there could only be one champion...or...possibly two! Owen Cove and Greg Madry won all of their first six games in the tournament and then were pitted against each other for the final match. The game wasn't finished within the time limit so their points (for pieces taken) were added up. And the result was that they both drew! The boys decided that they are both happy to share this accolade and the trophy. Well done to both of them!

Swimming at the Abbey Sports Centre
Class 2 will begin their swimming sessions at the Abbey Sports Centre on Monday 28th April. They will have a total of 5 sessions (28 April, 12, 19 May, 2, 9 June). As always, we hope that parents/carers will be willing to pay £2 per child per swimming session towards the cost of the transport. Cash (£10 for all 5 sessions) or cheques for swimming should be made payable to Stadhampton Primary School please. We are also very happy to receive payment on a weekly basis. Thank you.

Headlice
The presence of headlice continues to be a problem and parents/carers are asked to please check their children’s hair during the Easter break. This website seems to provide a great deal of information which may be useful: www.nhs.uk/conditions/head-lice/pages/treatment.aspx

Bookings Clerk
Sarah Massey, the bookings secretary and treasurer for the Hall Management Committee, who takes bookings for the school community hall, organises the keys and payments for hirers and balances the accounts each year, is looking for someone to take over from her so that she may step down. Would anyone be willing to take it on? It is not too onerous a task as only a handful of hirers now use the community hall regularly and for the occasional party. Please let Mrs Hopkins know if you might consider it and need any further information.

PTA News

Easter Cake Competition - what fabulous cakes we had enter the cake competition! Thank you to Shirley Bateman for being our judge. The winners in each year group were Casey Price, Jack Austin, Will Eaton, Ellie Walker, Charlie Austin, Hannah Bradford and Ella Perring. We had a fantastic cake sale after school and raised over £100 so thank you to everyone involved.

Boogie Bingo - Friday 16th May - tickets will be available after the holidays for this popular event so remember to keep the date free.

Clothes Recycling - as you may already know, the PTA organises regular collections of unwanted textiles through Bag2School. Bag2School is a free fundraising scheme that works in partnership with schools and businesses to help us raise money from your donations. It specialises in collecting unwanted textiles in good condition which are then sold to export markets worldwide where they are sorted and then sold to the general public

Our next collection will be at 9am on Thursday 22nd May so if you’re having a good sort out at home over the holidays, please save your unwanted adult and/or children’s clothes, paired shoes, cuddly toys, bags, scarves, hats.

For more details about the company and what you can give, please see their website www.bag2school.com.

Just a reminder the next PTA meeting will be on Tuesday 29th April at The Crown at 8pm. Thank you for your continued support of the PTA.


Plant Orders
Order forms for plant orders should be in book bags this week. Please have a look to see if you would like to place an order and, if so, return the order form and payment to school by Friday 25 April. Thank you.

Cake Club
Congratulations to Jamie Lavene, the lucky winner of last week’s cake, kindly donated by Mrs Watkins. A reminder to Mrs Gravett that she is on the rota for 25 April, the first Friday after Easter. If you would like to pay for a few weeks at a time, it is £1 up to May Half Term, or £2.40 up to the end of the school year per child. Please see Rowena Dobson. Thank you.


School Council
• Please see Flyer attached about the Easter Egg Competition

DIARY DATES:
Monday 14 – Thursday 17 April Sports course at Stadhampton School led by Mr Hopkins. See posters in each cloakroom entrance or book via Mrs Hopkins.
Tuesday 22 April Pupils and staff return to school for the start of Term 5
Thursday 24 April Forest School session for Year 2 pupils

LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Little Bears will be enjoying a sponsored obstacle course and a Easter bonnet parade on the last day of term and will be open until 3 pm.
We hope everyone has a restful and enjoyable 2 weeks with some sunshine hopefully!!
We return on Tuesday 22nd April to the topic of ‘weather’.

Community News:

• Easter holiday activities at the Earth Trust, Little Wittenham, OX14 4QZ – see www.earthtrust.org.uk for more details.
Our ever popular ‘Clumps Club’ for children aged 8 to 12 will be running on Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th April, from 10am to 4pm (£25 per day, booking essential). We will be building dens, cooking on fires and rolling eggs on the Wittenham Clumps hills! There is plenty for the whole family in April too, including ‘Family Bushcraft’, ‘Newts, Frogs and Toads’ guided walk, ‘Forest School’ for pre-school children, ‘Woodland Adventure’ for 5 to 8 year olds, and a sensory buggy walk for babies and toddlers! See our website for full details or call us on 01865 407792.

• Flyers attached from Hill End about Bushcraft Days and Open Day

Newsletter for week ending 28 March 2014

Mr Montgomery
We are pleased to welcome Mr Montgomery, who joined our staff this week as a part-time Teaching Assistant.

Forest School
We are delighted that we will be providing Forest School sessions, for all pupils, during the summer term. A letter will be in book bags today with further details. Thank you to everyone who has helped make this happen.

Sports Relief
Thank you to everyone who paid a £1 for dressing up as a sports personality and walking or running a mile (or more!) for Sports Relief last week. We raised a total of £92. Thank you all.

Clothes Recycling
Thank you to everyone who donated bags for the last Bag2School clothes recycling collection. We are pleased to let you know that we collected 344kg and received a cheque for £172.00 this week.

Archery Club
This very popular club is, unfortunately, already full. We hope to offer it again in September. In the meantime, parents may like to know that Mr Chrisp runs an archery session on alternate Saturdays at the Abbey Sports Centre in Berinsfield.

Food with Thought – Easter Feast Lunch
We have been notified that on Wednesday 2nd April there will be a slight change to the regular school menu. This ‘Eggciting’ lunch will be Roast Chicken followed by Chocolate Easter Cake.

PTA News
Thank you to everyone who attended the PTA meeting at The Crown on Tuesday evening; we have lots of great events planned for the rest of the school year!

Quiz night - thank you to everyone who attended the quiz night last Friday. Whilst there was not a huge attendance, everyone had a great night with a healthy sum of just over £300 being raised.
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Easter Cake Competition - Wednesday 2nd April- we are very excited to be holding a cake competition and cake sale just before the Easter holidays. All the details will be in book bags on Friday, so please keep a look out for the details and happy baking!

Save The Date - Boogie Bingo is back! Scheduled for Friday 16th May. More details to follow.
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Thank you to all parents for your continued support of the PTA. Our next meeting is on Tuesday 29th April, The Crown, 8pm. Everyone welcome.


Cake Club
Congratulations to Owen Cove, the lucky winner of last week’s cake, kindly donated by Mrs Hindmarch. A reminder to Mrs Fulker that she is on the rota for 4 April.

Please see the Noticeboard outside Class 1 for the remainder of the year’s rota. We have just one space left – the last day of term – Friday 19th July. Please see Rowena Dobson if you can supply a cake that day. Thank you.

DIARY DATES:
Friday 4 April End of term assembly at 9.00am. All welcome. School finishes at 1.30pm when we break up for the Easter Holiday.
Monday 14 – Thursday 17 April Sports course at Stadhampton School led by Mr Hopkins. See posters in each cloakroom entrance or book via Mrs Hopkins.
Tuesday 22 April Pupils and staff return to school for the start of Term 5

LITTLE BEARS NEWS:
Next week we will be finishing our ‘growth and garden’ topic by looking at the life cycle of a butterfly. We will be watching our live caterpillars go through their cycle.
Little Bears will be completing a sponsored obstacle course followed by a Easter bonnet parade on Friday 4th April. All Little Bear parents are welcome from 10am for tea and coffee followed by the obstacle course at 10.30am. Our Easter bonnet parade will then take place at 11.15 with judging at 11.30am. We hope many Little Bears and parents will all come to watch, support and cheer on Friday.
Little Bears finishes at 3pm on Friday and we return on Tuesday 22nd April to the topic of ‘Weather’.
We hope everyone has a lovely Easter break.

Ladies Supper Night – Friday 25th April from 7.30pm – 11.30pm in the Village Hall at St John’s (Church)
A chance to meet, have dinner and socialise. Nibbles on arrival, hot buffet with a choice of desserts. Please bring your own drinks. Everyone welcome, tickets £10 each.
For tickets or further details, please contact Debbie Bradford: 07854508417 or Melanie Gravett: 07905921540.

Community News
Flyers attached to this newsletter from the Chalgrove and Watlington Children’s Centre:
• Newsletter; April/May timetable; HENRY flyer; Easter Activities