School Photographs – All orders for photographs to be brought into the school office on Monday 1st October so that we can send the orders in to the photographer. After that date orders will need to be sent direct to the photographer.

Harvest – A reminder that our Harvest Assembly will take place next Wednesday 3rd October at 9.15am. The whole school will contribute to the assembly which parents are very welcome to attend. Children are requested to bring food items on that morning directly to the school hall before 8.50am and not to the classrooms. These will then be boxed up and distributed to elderly residents in Woodcote. If you know of any elderly residents who would appreciate receiving a box please let us know in the school office. Also we need some parents to assist with boxing up after the assembly and with distributing in the village, again please let us know in the school office.

Lunchtime Supervisor – We have a vacancy for a temporary lunchtime supervisor. If you would be interested in this post please ask in the school office for an application form and further details.

Packed Lunches – Could we please ask that children do not have yoghurt ‘frubes’ or similar in their packed lunches as these are difficult to open and can be very messy.

Secondhand Uniform – If you have any good school uniform that has now been outgrown or is no longer needed please bring it into the school office so that it can be sold to other parents.

Langtree Open Evening – Langtree School will be holding their open evening for parents of Year 6 pupils on Wednesday 3rd October at 6.30pm. Each Year 6 child should have brought home a Langtree Prospectus this week.

Inset Day – A reminder that there will be no school next Friday 5th October as we have an Inset Day.

Half Term – The October holiday is Monday 29th October until Friday 2nd November and there is also an Inset Day on Monday 5th November so children will not return until Tuesday 6th November.

School Photographs – Please note that all orders for school photographs need to be returned to the school office by next Friday 28^th September, they will then be sent to the photographer and should be back with us before half term. Any orders after this date will need to be sent direct by you to the photographer as stated on the photo order pack. 

Harvest – A reminder that our Harvest Assembly will take place on Wednesday 3^rd October at 9.15am.  The whole school will contribute to the assembly which parents are very welcome to attend.  Children are requested to bring food items on that morning directly to the school hall before 8.50am and not to the classrooms.  These will then be boxed up and distributed to elderly residents in Woodcote.  If you know of any elderly residents who would appreciate receiving a box please let us know in the school office.  Also we need some parents to assist with boxing up after the assembly and with distributing in the village, again please let us know in the school office.

Free School Dinners – Free school dinners are available for children in families claiming Income Support or Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance.  If you would like to claim free meals for your child/children (even if they will only require a dinner occasionally) please ask in the school office for a form to complete so that your entitlement can be checked.  It is important that we have this information since it affects school funding.

Lunchtime Supervisor – We have a vacancy for a temporary lunchtime supervisor.  If you would be interested in this post please ask in the school office for an application form and further details.

Samaritan Purse Shoe Box Appeal – We are again taking part in the Operation Christmas Child appeal where you wrap an empty medium sized shoebox and fill it with little gifts.  These boxes are then distributed to children in third world countries.  A donation of £2.50 is requested and we have in the office leaflets giving more detail of what is acceptable in the boxes and what is not.  Please ask for a leaflet if you wish to take part.  Boxes will need to be brought in before half term.

Bridge Club – This will be starting again next Tuesday at lunchtime for children in Years 4-6.  Can any children who would like to take part in this please let us know in the school office.

Pro-Direct Football – With this newsletter you should receive a letter giving details of this football training for children in Years 1-6 which will start again next Tuesday after school 3.30 to 4.30pm.  This will continue each week until 4^th December and the cost is £45 for the term.

Judo – This will start again next Thursday at 8am in the school hall and there are leaflets in the school office if you would like your child/children to begin lessons.

Messy Church – St. Leonard’s Church are holding their Messy Church this Sunday 23^rdSeptember between 2.30pm and 4.30pm in Woodcote Village Hall when there will be an afternoon of family fun with crafts and games.  Free admission but all children must be accompanied by an adult.

Inset Day – A reminder that there will be no school on Friday 5^th October as we have an Inset Day.

School Photographs – On Monday the photographer will be in school to take photographs of all the children.  Brothers and sisters will be photographed together and will not be photographed separately unless you completed the slip on last week’s newsletter or ask for this by letting us know in the school office.  If you have pre-school children which you would like included in your family photograph please come into the school hall at 8.30am.

Child Absence – If your child is absent for any reason, illness or medical appointments, please let us know by telephoning the school office on 01491 680454 before 9.30am so that this can be shown on the attendance register. If we have not been informed of their absence then we will telephone you to find out why your child is not in school.

Change of address or telephone numbers – Please let us know if you have moved house or changed your telephone number (home or mobile) so that we can contact you if your child is unwell or has an accident in school.

School Dinners – The new dinner ordering system is now in place.  A reminder that if parents would like to pre-order meals online at home please let the office know.  Information needed is: email address and parents full name and child’s name.  An email will be sent to you from DOLCE with information on how to pre-order at home.  Payments can still be made weekly on a Monday morning.  A direct debit pre-ordering system is also available and the forms can be collected from the office.

To make ordering easier in the mornings, please can we ask that parents of children in Oak and Hornbeam classes ensure that their teacher knows whether their child is having a packed lunch or is having a hot dinner, and if so what their choice is for dinner.

Website Photographs – When new children arrive at the school, parents complete a form giving their consent or not for the use of photographs taken in school or on school trips and these forms are referred to if photographs are published.   Staff are now using our school website www.woodcote-primary.co.uk more frequently to show parents what is happening in school and this may include photographs of children.  Large group photographs would not normally include any names and small group photographs would only show the child’s first name (not last name).

If you are not happy for us to use your child’s photograph for this purpose please let us know in the school office otherwise we will assume that we may use your child’s photograph and first name.

I welcome you all to the new Autumn Term, and to what is always a very busy term for our school community. 

Very soon we will have our Harvest celebrations, and very quickly after this our Christmas Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 productions. We also have a Science week this term for the children to look forward to. We hope that parents will have the opportunity to come in and join us on these occasions.

My apologies for the inconvenience caused by the continuation of the construction work at the front of the school. We anticipate that this will continue for a further 2 to 3 weeks.

Staffing and class organisation

Children are settling well in their new classes.  These are the classes for this year:

Foundation-Oak class- Mrs Farrant

Year 1- Hornbeam class- Miss Preston

Year 2- Beech class- Miss Burrell

Year 3- Ash class- Mr Dixon.

Year 4- Rowan class- Mrs Peacock.

Year 5- Maple class- Mr Morris.

Year 6- Willow class- Mrs Lecorgne.

Parent handbook

I would like to bring to your attention some of the information from within our Parent handbook.

Family holidays – In your child’s interest we hope that you will book family holidays outside term time.

If circumstances prevent you from doing this please put a request for the required amount of time in writing and send it to the school. Too much holiday time taken during term time would result in ‘unauthorised absence’.

Jewellery – Children are involved in a great deal of physical activity throughout the day other than in PE lessons. The regulations that apply to PE lessons are equally applicable at playtimes.

No jewellery is allowed because of the dangers of accidents occurring. Small sleeper earrings or studs are allowed for pierced ears but must be removed when swimming.

Snacks – Children are encouraged to have a bottle of water to keep in their classroom, or use classroom water fountains.

All children are allowed to bring a snack and drink for their morning break. Only healthy snacks are allowed. No crisps, biscuits or chocolate bars are allowed.

Medicines/ Medical treatment – The school medical officer’s advice is that pills and medicines are not sent to school. However, should your child require medicine, please discuss it with either the Headteacher or class teacher. A form is available to request that medicine be administered at school.

Illness/Accident – Should a child be taken ill or have an accident at school which requires medical attention, the child’s parents will be contacted immediately. It is very important that parents provide the school with up-to-date information regarding contact telephone numbers during the school day, but should the school not be able to contact parents we would take the child for treatment and act ‘in loco parentis’.

Harvest

We will be celebrating Harvest, with the Reverend Linda Smith, on Wednesday 3^rd October at 9.15am in the school hall. The whole school will contribute to the assembly to which parents are very welcome to attend. We would like to request that children bring in food items on that morning. Food items should go directly to the hall before 8:50am, and not to the classrooms as in previous years. These items will be boxed up and distributed to the elderly residents of Woodcote. If you are available to help children to distribute food items after the assembly, please let Mrs. Bishop know at the office. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Also if you know of an elderly resident who would appreciate a gift of food, again, please let Mrs. Bishop know the name and address.

Clubs

We have a range of clubs on offer for children this term:

Monday lunch – Art club- years 3, 4, 5 and 6- Mrs Farrant.

Tuesday mornings – Choir – Years 3,4,5 and 6- Mrs Lecorgne and Mr Morris.

Tuesday lunch – Recorders – Years 3, 4, 5 and 6- Mrs Wise. (currently full but children should see Mrs Wise if they are interested)

Tuesday 3.15-4.00pm – Football- Year 3 and 4- Mr Dixon.

Thursday lunch- Football – Year 5 and 6- Mr. Field.

Thursday lunch- French – all year groups- La Jolie Ronde.

Monday – Thursday lunchtimes – Wool craft/knitting- Years FS- 6 – Mrs Bodeker.

We will take part in a range of sporting competitions and festivals throughout the year, including football. tag rugby, athletics, swimming, cricket and tennis.

Coaches will be organised to come into school to work with pupils covering a range of sports.

We also make time available for individual music tuition from outside tutors to include guitar, piano and woodwind and brass.

If any parents would like to run a school club please see me for a chat.

Parent evenings

Parent evenings have been arranged for the week beginning Monday 15^th October. Parents will be able to book appointments on schedules to be put up in the school hall the week beginning 8^th October.

Christmas Productions

Oak, Hornbeam and Beech will perform their Christmas play to parents on Tuesday 11^thDecember at 2.00pm in the school hall. We ask that parents do not bring younger children to this performance. Instead parents can bring younger children to the performance on Monday 10^th at 2.00pm, when the play will be performed to the whole school.

Ash, Rowan, Maple and Willow classes will perform their production of ‘The Snow Queen’ on the evening of  Wednesday 19^th December.

Team Points

For parents new to the school, we have attached a summary of the Team point system. One change this year will be the use of bronze and silver pin on badges, rather than sew on badges. We will still use the gold sew on badges this year as we still have many of these in the office. Children who have sew on badges on their sweatshirts and cardigans from last year, can continue to wear these. Children have been informed in assembly of this reward system.

Swimming

Swimming this term will be for Year 1 at the Oratory Prep school, starting on Friday 14^thSeptember, and for Years 3 and 4 at the Oratory main school pool, starting on Thursday 13^thSeptember.

Website

Our website is updated on a weekly basis and provides information, not only for prospective parents, but also for current parents. Teachers are increasingly using the website to provide information for parents on class activities, trips, the curriculum and so on. We would like to encourage parents to visit the site as much as possible, as it is proving to be an effective way of improving communication between the school and parents.

A copy of this newsletter, plus our weekly newsletters, as well as information about the FOWPS committee, appear on the website.

The address for the site is: www.woodcote-primary.co.uk

Golden Rules

We have in place a set of ‘Golden Rules’ which we will expect all children and adults to adhere to. These rules have been discussed in assembly and will be reinforced in the classroom. Please read and discuss these with your child.

1. We listen to and look at the person talking to us.
2. We walk quietly and calmly into assembly, the dining hall and around school.
3. We take pride in our work.
4. We follow requests and instructions, calmly and promptly.
5. We take responsibility for our actions and belongings.
6. We speak politely to everyone, and show good manners.

We very much appreciate parents’ support when encouraging good behaviour in and around the school, and recognise the importance of parents and the school working in partnership.

Please contact me at school for an informal chat if ever you have any concerns, as issues can often be resolved quickly.

DATES           17^th Sept.      From 8.30am, Individual Photographs in the hall.

            13^th  Sept.   Swimming starts for Year 3 and 4.

14^th  Sept.   Swimming starts for Year 1.

2^nd  Oct.      Year 4 trip

            3^rd  Oct.      Harvest Festival for parents – 9.15am.

5^th Oct.       INSET day

11^th Oct..   Year 1 trip.

w/b 15^th Oct. Parents’ Evenings.

w/b 22^nd  Oct.   Science week-  ‘Is there anybody out there?’

Monday 22^nd Oct.  Science workshop/theatre group for Yrs 1-6.

Wednesday 24^th Oct.  KS2 Science trip to Winchester. (KS1 trip to be arranged)

w/b 29^th Oct.    Half Term

1^st Dec.     Christmas Fair.

10^th Dec.          KS1 Production dress rehearsal.

11^th Dec.          KS1 Production for parents.

19^th Dec.    KS 2 Production for parents. (with a possibility of a second evening 18^thDec)

            21^st  Dec.         End of Term.

Yours sincerely, 

Chris Field, Headteacher.

Welcome back after the Summer break.  The Headteachers newsletter will be sent out next week giving important dates for the term and further information.

Welcome – to Miss Preston our new teacher in Hornbeam class (Year 1) and also to Mrs Beeton our new teaching  assistant in Oak class (Foundation).

Welcome – to all the new pupils who have joined us this term, they are:

Elena McConville has joined Willow class,

Skye McDougall, Ashley Bevins, Spencer Jones and Charlie McConville have joined Maple class,

Archie Clark and Silas Mendez  have joined Rowan class,

Adam Church has joined Ash class,

Ross McDougall has joined Beech class,

Rhodri Evans, Poppy Clark and Ollin Mendez have joined Hornbeam class.

In Oak class we are pleased to welcome 28 children, they are: Annika Arlett, Samuel Bartlett, Emily Byron, Toby Coleman, Kiera Cox, Delilah Dorey, Mariella Edwards,

Jack France, Richard Garner, Nathanael Gaskin, Michael Harding, Benjamin Hawley, Harley Hearn, Imogen Hughes, Sam Hughes, Jake Humphrey, Lily-Mae McGuire, Tilly Murrin, Emma Parker, Mikey Peates, Isabelle Read, Thomas Robinson, Thomas Sandham, Jack Sherwood, Vaughan Van Heerden, Elsie Warner, Katie Wilson, Jack Wilson.

School Photographs – On Monday 17^th September the photographer will be in school to take photographs of all the children.  Brothers and sisters will be photographed together unless you ask specifically for them to photographed separately by completing the slip at the end of this newsletter.  If you have pre-school children which you would like included in your family photograph please come into the school hall at 8.30am as these will be taken first.

Harvest Festival – This is due to take place on Wednesday 3^rd October at 9.15am.  All produce brought in by children is distributed to elderly people in Woodcote and to do this we need boxes (shoe box size).  If you have any that you could bring in for this purpose please save them for us and bring them in nearer the date.  This would be very helpful to us.

After School Club – Just a reminder that the After School Club has their AGM on Tuesday 11^thSeptember at 6.30pm in the school hall.  All welcome.

FOWPS Newsletter – On the back of this newsletter is information from FOWPS about their AGM and also about their fund raising activities which helps to provide extra resources for the school.

Newsletter by email – If you would prefer to receive the weekly newsletter by email please let the school office know your email address. 

You can also find the newsletter online on our school website www.woodcote-primary.co.uk

School Dinners –  The new dinner ordering system is now in place.  If parents would like to pre-order meals online at home please let the office know.  Information needed is: email address and parents full name and child’s name.  An email will be sent to you from DOLCE with information on how to pre-order at home.  Payments can still be made weekly on a Monday morning.  A direct debit pre-ordering system is also available and the forms can be collected from the office.