Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
Athletics – Last Friday we took a team of Year 5 and Year 6 pupils to Chiltern Edge school to compete in an indoor athletics event. There were a mixture of running and field events, as well as relay races. All the children tried their best, competed enthusiastically and enjoyed the afternoon. We finished fifth out of seven against other local primaries. Well done to Michelle Bennett, Josh Wiltshire, Beth Wise,
Max Temple, Joseph Lee, Danielle Thatcher, Jack Botham, Leo Metolli, Maddy Warren, Astrid Tozer, Lucy Ball, Adam McBride, Kimberley Gough, Amy Lissenden, David Carr, Andrew Carr, Josh Palmer and Charlotte Mansfield.
New Minibus – The school would like to say a great big thank you to the FOWPS committee for raising the funds to pay for our new minibus. The new minibus arrived this week, replacing our much older one. Having two minibuses allows staff to take whole classes out on trips, which support the National Curriculum, and pupils really enjoy these trips. FOWPS raised a fantastic £10,000 to allow us to acquire the bus. Thank you again to the committee and their ongoing support and hardwork.
Neighbourhood Plan – There will be a ‘drop in’ event in the village hall next Tuesday 5th February
7.30 – 9.30pm and Saturday 9th 10am – 3pm when details will be available about the plan for possible housing in the village. Everyone is invited to go along and share their thoughts and views and to add any further information.
Pro-Direct Football – This started last week on Tuesdays after school 3.30pm to 4.30pm. There are spaces for more children to take part so if your children would like to join please ask in the school office for a form. There is a payment required of £40 for 8 sessions but this would be reduced if your child starts the sessions late.
Half Term – The week 11th – 15th February is our school half term with school finishing on Friday 8th at the usual time of 3.15pm. We return to school on Monday 18th February.
Thank you very much – to Graeme Thorne, our caretaker, who worked very hard to clear paths through the snow at the school this week to make it safer and easier for staff and children to walk on. We are very grateful to him.
Pro-Direct Football – This is due to start next Tuesday 29th January after school 3.30pm to 4.30pm but the number of children who have booked to start is not enough at present to enable it to run. Pro-Direct will let us know on Monday whether it will go ahead or not. Could we please ask parents who have sent in forms and payments to contact the school office on Monday afternoon to find out whether or not the sessions will take place.
Pre-ordering School Dinners – As there are now so many more children ordering school meals with DOLCE, we would recommend that parents register to become ‘pre-order parents’ This would allow meals to be selected and ordered at home, well in advance. There have been a few occasions when the main menu option has been over booked and some children, ordering in the classroom, have not been able to have their first choice. Please send your email address to the school office and this will be forwarded to DOLCE and they will then send you a direct link to access their website for ordering.
Contact Details – If your contact details have changed, address, home or mobile telephone numbers, please let the school office know so that we can contact you quickly if necessary. It would also be useful if we have your email address so that we can add you to our newsletter distribution list (you would then not receive a paper copy) and we could also use your email address to notify you if for any reason the school is closed due to bad weather or any other reason. This was used last Friday when an email was sent to everyone on our newsletter list as soon as we knew the school was closing because of the snow. Could you please complete the slip at the end of this newsletter if your details have changed or you would like us to check that we have the correct details.
Chris Field,
Headteacher.
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Contact Details
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Telephone Numbers – Home …………………………….. Mobile …………………………………………
Email address to receive newsletter etc………………………………………………………………………
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Dear Parents & Guardians
No doubt over the festive period your children may well have been lucky enough to have received a new Xbox, Playstation or computer game of some kind. As this is a topical theme for this time of year I want to pass some relevant information on this these items and ‘gaming’ in general. I have also added some direct links providing further information.
The internet has changed the way that young people play games. Games can be played against anyone in the world, at any time & for as long as they want.
Almost anything that connects to the internet will allow you to play these games – desktop computers, laptops, consoles, like Playstation or Xbox, or even mobile phones.
Gaming is great fun, but just as with anything online, there are risks you should help your child to avoid. It’s important that you’re involved in your child’s experiences, even if it feels like a different world! Here are some simple ways to help your child ‘game’ safely.
Check The Age Rating
Just like with films, you should check the game’s age rating before allowing your child to play. The organisation ‘PEGI’ set age ratings for games and classify their content according to what is appropriate for different age groups.The rating will help you decide whether the game is suitable for your child. For information on game ratings, visit: http://www.pegi.info/en/index/.
Talk to Them About The Games They Play
Ask your child what is hot, and what is not! Get them to tell you about the game and, if they (and you) can bear it, play against them!
You might want to ask them:
What they like about it?
Which of their friends play it?
Who are their friends on the game?
To tell you about their character and profile?
It is important to stay up-to-date and regularly ask your children about the games they play and the people they are friends with.
For more information about safe gaming, including setting parental controls on different games consoles, visit the Association of UK Interactive Entertainment’ site http://ukie.info/playsafe
Know Who Their Talking Too
Most of the popular online games are played by adults and children alike. Therefore, your children need to be aware of the information that they share and the people they talk to.
It’s never a good idea to share personal information such as their name, address, email address, passwords, telephone numbers or the name of their school with people they don’t know and trust in the real world. Talk to your child about how people can sometimes lie online or pretend to be someone else.
Encourage your child to keep gaming friends ‘in the game’ and not to invite them to be friends on their social networks.
Set Boundaries
Some online games are virtual worlds which never end, where missions can take hours to complete. It’s important to set limits on the amount of time your child spends playing online. Be aware of how long they spend gaming and set rules, as you would for TV, it would be unfair to expect your child to achieve their full potential in a school day, if they are playing computer games until the early hours of the morning. Also, ensure that they take regular screen breaks – at least five minutes every 45-60 minutes.
Know What To Do If Something Goes Wrong Things can go wrong when gaming, whether that’s someone being mean, inappropriate or asking you to do something that you’re not comfortable with. It’s important that you and your child know what steps you can take in the game to block & report people & how to report & seek support from other services
The below link is a very short film entitled ‘Where’s Clause’, it shows some of the concerns around young children and gaming.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IOOn2wR8bU
I always try to make parents and pupils aware of the www.thinkuknow.co.uk website. If you have not explored it please do so, it has loads of really useful and practical advice for parents and young people on internet safety etc. There is also a very good 30 minute film entitled ‘The Parents’ and Carers’ Guide to the Internet’, this can be viewed via the following link thinkuknow.co.uk/parents
I hope you find this information practical and useful and that it may help you reduce the risk of a negative internet related experience. You can also access the Thames Valley Police Website www.thamesvalley.police.uk, for information on your local Police Team, Crime prevention advice and other useful information.
Regards,
PC 5504 Dix
Headteacher’s Newsletter January 2013
Dear Parents,
Happy new year to all our pupils, parents and families and also to the new children who have started at our school this term.
We also welcome Mr Binham who is doing a 4 week teaching practice in Year 5 as part of his Graduate Teaching Programme course.
This term we have Oak, Hornbeam and Beech class assemblies for parents, and an Open Evening for the parents of children in Ash, Rowan, Maple and Willow classes.
There will also be Parents’ evenings for parents to meet teachers to discuss their child’s progress.
School Site Development
As many of you have seen, we have now completed the front entrance lobby project. This has been successful in achieving our aims of creating a more attractive and welcoming entrance for visitors, and also a more secure, single point of access.
Clubs
We have a range of clubs on offer this term:
Monday – 3:15-4:15pm – Science club – FS-Year 6 – Bright Sparks club
– Lunchtime – Knitting – Years 1-2 – Mrs Bodeker
Tuesday – Lunchtime – Bridge club – Years 3-6 – Volunteers
– 10.00-10.30am – Choir – Years 3-6 – Mrs Lecorgne and Mr Morris
– Lunchtime – Knitting – Years 1-2 – Mrs Bodeker
Wednesday – Lunchtime – Knitting – Years 3-6 – Mrs Bodeker
– 3.15-4.00pm – Football – Years 2-3 – Mr Dixon
– Lunchtime – French Club – Years 3-6 – La Jolie Ronde.
Thursday – Lunchtime – French Club – Years 1-2 – La Jolie Ronde.
– 3:15-4:15pm – Football – Years 4,5,6 – Mr Field.
– 8.00-8.45am – Judo – Years 3-6 – Linkai Judo Club
– Lunchtime – Knitting – Years 3-6 – Mrs Bodeker
Friday – Lunchtime – Knitting – Foundation – Mrs Bodeker
In addition to these clubs, children will have the opportunity to compete in inter-school football, tag rugby and athletic competitions.
SEAL (Social Emotional Aspects of Learning)
This term’s themes will be ‘Going for goals’ and ‘Good to be me’.
Values
January – Courage.
February – Love.
March – Responsibility.
Dates for the diary
Half Term 11th – 15th February
Scholastic Book Fair 26th February – 5th March
‘War and Peace’ dress down day Wednesday 27th February
Book Week 4th – 8th March
End of Term Thursday 28th March at 1pm
INSET day Monday 15th April
Summer Term Tuesday 16th April
Mayday holiday Monday 6th May
SATs Week 13th -17th May
Half Term 27th – 31st May
Year 6 Residential Trip 3rd-7th June
End of Term Tuesday 23rd July at 1pm
Class assemblies from 9:15am:
Hornbeam – Wednesday 27th February
Oak – Wednesday 13th March
Beech – Wednesday 20th March
Open Evening for Ash, Rowan, Maple and Willow classes – Wednesday 27th February.
Swimming begins for Year 5 and 6 on Thursday 10th January – 9.45-10.45 at the Oratory Main School pool, and Year 2 on Friday 11th January – 9.30-10.30 at the Oratory Prep School pool.
Parent Interviews
There will be an opportunity for parents to meet teachers to discuss your child’s progress.
Dates are as follows:
Monday 11th March – 3.30 – 6.30pm – All classes
Tuesday 12th March – from 3.30pm – Oak, Beech, Ash and Rowan classes.
Wednesday 13th March – from 3.30pm – Hornbeam, Maple and Willow classes.
Lists for these days and times will be put up in the school hall w/b Monday 4th March, for parents to sign up and book appointments.
Morning routine
Just to remind parents, and inform new parents, that on arrival to school, parents and children will be expected to stay in the playground until 8.50am, when the bell will ring, and then children will line up quietly in their class groups. Children will then be taken in as a whole class into the classroom by a member of staff ready for registration at 8.50am. As usual a member of staff will be on duty in the playground at 8.40am, but doors will not be opened to the school.
We appreciate that parents sometimes wish to pass on information to the class teacher first thing, and so staff will go into the playground at 8.45am, to allow parents to do this. Any minor information, such as dentist appointments or children being picked up by other parents, can be put in a note to staff, or through staff in the office.
In the case of rain or very poor weather, then parents and children will be given access to the school at 8.40am.
Whole School Topic
This term, our whole school topic will be ‘War and Peace’. Children throughout the school will be learning about aspects of historical conflict, with some classes looking at how children have been directly or indirectly affected.
Work will be shared with parents through the KS 1 assemblies and KS 2 Open Evening.
School Council
I am organising a series of School Council meetings as an opportunity to work with pupils to get their views on issues regarding school improvement. As a group we will discuss particular areas of school life, and the pupils will have the opportunity to gather views from the other class members.
Pupils’ views will then be included in the school’s overall Self Evaluation.
Volunteer Reading Programme
This term the school are looking to extend the partnership between its pupils and the elderly residents of Woodcote by inviting residents in to listen to pupils read and engage in discussions with pupils about the stories they are reading. The aim would be to encourage pupils to enjoy their reading, but also to share this enjoyment with others. We also hope, of course, that residents will enjoy coming into school and interacting with our pupils.
Golden Rules
Children are very aware of our Golden rules and often refer to them.
Please reinforce these at home:
If you ever have any concerns please speak to the class teacher or myself, as often issues can be resolved quickly and easily with informal discussion.
Thank you for your continued support for the school.
Yours sincerely,
Chris Field, Headteacher.
Heads Newsletter – With this newsletter you should receive my Heads Newsletter which gives further information and includes dates of events happening this term.
Police letter – Also with this newsletter you should receive a letter from the School Liaison Officer which they have asked us to distribute to all parents.
Knitting Club – This has begun again this week at lunchtimes (starting at 12.30) run by Mrs Bodeker.
On Mondays and Tuesdays this will be for children in Hornbeam and Beech classes, on Wednesdays and Thursdays this will be for children in Ash, Rowan, Maple and Willow classes and on Fridays this will be for Foundation class. All children are welcome on any day but Mrs Bodeker will help the different classes on the above days.
Football – Please note that there will be no after school football with Mr. Dixon on Wednesday 23rd January as Mr. Dixon will not be in school that day.
Musical Fun Day – On Saturday 23rd March the Music for Schools Foundation is holding a Fun Day in our school hall. It is an opportunity to invite pupils learning in schools within the local area to get together and enjoy a fun motivational day of music. The Workshop is also open to brass and woodwind players in the school not learning with MFSF. Please contact the tutor, Hazel Carter, on 0118 377 8890 if your child plays an instrument and would like to take part in this.
Emergency Closures – Please remember in the event of bad weather any closure or late opening will be announced on the radio by 8.00am, earlier if possible (BBC Radio Oxford and Heart FM Oxfordshire) and will appear on their websites.
We will also inform the Woodcote and Cabin Pre-schools.
We will notify parents of opening/closing on our school website: www.woodcote-primary.co.uk
School closures are also listed on the County website: http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/schoolclosures
As many of you may have seen on the weather channels, we are forecasted snow tomorrow (18th January)during the day. As far as we can see at this stage, the snow is not due until Friday morning by which time your children will be in school. Obviously, we are unable to forecast how much snow will fall and what disruption (if any) it may cause.
Please be reassured that we will monitor the conditions during the day. If any parents are concerned about travel conditions, please contact the school office to let us know if you need to collect your child/children early. If conditions deteriorate significantly during the day, we will endeavour to contact you, to collect your child/children. Please ensure that the office has your up to date contact details. Also please send your child/children with a coat and sensible footwear.
Thank you.
Mr C Field
School office number: 01491 680 454
Headteacher Office email: office.2510@woodcote.oxon.sch.uk
January to April School Lunch Menu
