Half Term – I hope you all enjoy your half term holiday.  School starts again on Monday 4^thNovember.

The Elms Multi-Sports Camps – Unfortunately the Sports Camps will not take place during half term due to insufficient numbers wishing to take part. Anyone already registered will be contacted separately.

Knitting – After half term Mrs Bodeker will be running a lunchtime knitting club on Fridays in Ash class.  Children from any year group are welcome to join in.

Remembrance Poppies – These will be sold in school during the first week after half term.

Operation Christmas Child –A reminder that if you wish to take part in this, completed boxes together with your donation should be brought into school during the week after half term.  Collection at end of that week.

St. Leonards Fair – On Saturday 9^th November St. Leonards Church will be holding their annual Fair in Woodcote Village Hall from 1.30pm to 4pm.  This is a good opportunity to get early Christmas gifts etc and support the church.

Cabin Pre-School –  The Cabin Pre-school are running a Quiz and Curry night on Saturday 9^thNovember. 
Doors open 7:30 at Woodcote Village Hall.  For tickets call Helen on 0777 344 7504 or buy them from Cabin.   They will also be for sale in the playground on Thursday 24th October after school.

Inset Day – Please remember there is an Inset Day next Friday 25^th October so school will not be open for the children.

Half Term –This year the October holiday is Monday 28^th October to Friday 1^st November.

Parents Interviews – I hope that all parents have signed up for Parent Interviews as these are being held between 3.30pm and 6.30pm next week.   Please note that days and times vary for each class.  If you have not yet signed up please ask if there are any spaces left.

Morning Snacks and Packed Lunches – I would like to remind you once again that we are promoting healthy eating in the school and so we must ask that only fruit or a savoury snack are brought in to be eaten at morning break.  There should be no crisps, sweets or chocolate bars.  Also nothing with nuts in as we have children with nut allergies.

Packed Lunches should also contain healthy savoury foods and fruit.  Only one sweet item is allowed such as a
kit-kat and again nothing containing nuts. Yoghurts should be in pots (please include a spoon) no frubes or similar squeezy yoghurts as these are very messy because the children cannot open them easily and they tend to spill over the table and floor.

The Elms Multi-Sports Camps – During half term, these camps will again be running at our school.  There are still some spaces available.  Information is available and these can be booked by calling 020 8954 8787 or looking on their website: www.elmsholidayschemes.co.uk

Swimming – Please note that there will be no swimming on Tuesday next week for Year 5 and Year 6 due to the Oratory School being closed.  An extra session will be held in December as a replacement.

Operation Christmas Child – You should have all received a leaflet giving details of this year’s Operation Christmas Child appeal.  If you wish to take part in this, completed boxes together with your donation should be brought into school during the week after half term as they will be collected from here at the end of that week.

Secondary School Applications – A reminder that the deadline for applications for children in Year 6 to transfer to secondary school next September is 31^st October.  Applications can be made online at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/admissions or if this is not possible, please ask in the school office for a booklet which includes a form which can be completed and posted to the Admissions Department.

Cabin Pre-School –  The Cabin Pre-school are running a Quiz and Curry night on Saturday 9^thNovember. 
Doors open 7:30 at Woodcote Village Hall.  For tickets call Helen on 0777 344 7504 or buy them from Cabin.   They will also be for sale in the playground on Thursday 24th October after school.

Possible Strike Action – You will all have received the letter this week regarding possible strike action on Thursday 17^th October by some members of staff which would result in partial closure of the school.  The classes affected are Ash, Maple and Willow.  All other classes will be open as normal.  This is due to staff electing to take lawful industrial action and we will have no choice but to take appropriate steps to ensure the health, safety and well-being of the pupils.

Parents Interviews – These will be held between 3.30pm and 6.30pm during the week beginning 21^st October as follows.  Please note that days and times vary for each class.

Willow class    Monday 21^st and Wednesday 23^rd October,

Maple class      Monday 21^st and Wednesday 23^rd October,

Rowan class     Monday 21^st and Wednesday 23^rd October,

Ash class         Monday 21^st and Tuesday 22^nd October,

Beech class      Tuesday 22^nd and Wednesday 23^rd October,

Hornbeam        Monday 21^st and Wednesday 23^rd October,

Oak class         Monday 21^st and Tuesday 22^nd October         

The lists will be put up on Monday morning in the school entrance hall for you to sign up for interviews.

Morning Arrivals – Can I please remind everyone that although the gates open at 8.30am, there is no school staff supervision in the playground until 8.40am, therefore parents should wait with their children until that time.

Cross Country Events – There are a series of primary school cross country events taking place at Chiltern Edge on Saturday 12^th October, Saturday 16^th November and Saturday 7^th December starting from 10am (depending on year group). Further details please contact Kevin Nutt on 01189 721500 or email knutt@childrenedge.oxon.sch.uk

Half Term –This year the October holiday is Monday 28^th October to Friday 1^st November and please note there is also an Inset day on Friday 25^th October.

Secondary School Applications – A reminder that the deadline for applications for children in Year 6 to transfer to secondary school next September is 31^st October.  Applications can be made online at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/admissions or if this is not possible, please ask in the school office for a booklet which includes a form which can be completed and posted to the Admissions Department.

Little Adventure Shop Sale – On Wednesday 16^th October at Unit 6 Church Farm, Woodcote, there will be a sale from 1pm – 7pm of children’s outdoor clothing and equipment, fleeces/school coats/waterproof jackets or bottoms and snow boots or ski wear.  10% of sales made to parents of Woodcote Primary School will be donated back to FOWPS to help raise much needed funds for the school.  For more details call 01491 681074 or speak to Jan Spiers.

Here we are at the start of another school year and we welcome all our new reception pupils in to Oak Class or, as they are fondly referred to by other pupils, our new ‘Oakies’. Our year six pupils now hold the mantle of being our ‘seniors’ and have the responsibility of setting examples for all our younger children which we have no doubt they will do admirably.

At the end of last term, we were very pleased to announce that Mrs Fletcher, our year two teacher, accepted the post of ‘Acting Head’ while the search continues for a replacement full time head. Mrs Fletcher has been with the school for 6 years, we first knew her as Miss Burrell, and during her time with us has been an active member of the FOWPS committees, our Literacy Coordinator and a very active member of our Senior Management Team. She has been responsible for many of our nativity plays, Book weeks, the introduction of our library and the bedtime story sessions.

Before joining us at Woodcote, Mrs Fletcher had been working in London where she held various roles including ‘Assistant Head’ at a large primary in Peckham, ‘Senior Teacher’ in a Bermondsey School, she has been chief coordinator of ICT implementation and Literacy coordinator in various schools as well as undertaking ‘Leading Teacher’ work for Southwark and Oxfordshire councils where she has helped other schools raise their achievements in these areas. We are very lucky to have such and experienced teacher on hand to fill these shoes.

Apart from all the children settling in to their new classrooms, getting to know their teachers and the teachers getting to know them, the packed curriculum for this term has already included a Mini Woods project which is run by the Riverside Centre for Outdoor Learning involving . This involves 8 lucky year five students and aims to build confidence and provide opportunities for children to take part in practical activities; including team building tasks, bushcraft learning (outdoor survival skills) and navigation skills with one of the final sessions being an opportunity to climb a bouldering wall. Each week will involve outdoor cooking in some form.

Another group of year 5 and year 6 children have been team building and bell boating at the Eyot Boat Club in Henley. This was a competition organised by the Langtree Sports Partnership with 4 local schools competing in riverside team building exercises, which we won and the children were awarded certificates. Well done to everyone who took part.

We had the Music for Schools Foundation come in and talk to our pupils about playing a musical instrument. There was lots of excitement and plenty of screechy noises and children who have signed up to learn to play the trumpet, the cornet, the clarinet, the flute or the saxophone. There are going to plenty of parents buying ear plugs but this should also make our carol concerts, assemblies and other performance very interesting!!

Our Harvest Festivals took place at the beginning of October and we collected fresh food, tins and packets which all contributed to a beautiful display in the hall. We sang songs and celebrated and prayed with the help of the Rev. Linda Smith and we learnt all about what harvest means to us, both historically and today. This food was then boxed up as gifts and delivered by our year 6 pupils to some of the older members of our community in Woodcote.

Groups of children from years 3, 4, 5 and 6 competed in an inter school cross country competition on a very challenging course in Stoke Row. The final straight was all up so they couldn’t even get a sprint on coming up to the finishing line. Well done to everyone who competed. The year 3/4 girls came 5th, Year 3/4 boys came 2nd with medal and certificate going to Toby-Joe McBride who came 2nd in his race. Year 5/6 girls came 2nd and Year 5/6 boys came in 3rd place with medal and certificate going to Adam McBride who came 2nd overall in his race. This is the first race in a league so watch this space – our scores WILL get better!

Harvest Festival – A big thank you to all the parents who supported our Harvest festival this year, for providing a tremendous amount of produce and attending our Festival at the school.  I would like to thank Mrs Bodeker for organising everything and also thank those who boxed up the produce and delivered it to elderly residents in Woodcote. They were Sarah Murrin, Gemma Hoare, Sue Palmer, Michelle Cox, Carla Van Heerden and Annie Temple.  Also a very special thank you to Sandra Farmer for the time she spent decorating the boxes for us to make them look really special for the recipients.

School Photographs – A reminder that if you would like to order photographs, the orders must be brought into the school office first thing on Monday morning next week so that they can be sent to the photographer and hopefully we will receive the photos back before half term.

After School Club – The Annual General Meeting will be held next Monday 7^th October in the school hall starting at 7.30pm.  Please come along and if you are interested in joining the committee please let any of the ASC staff know.  It would be great to have more committee members.

Parents Interviews – These will be held during the week beginning 21^st October.  More details will be on next week’s newsletter.

Operation Christmas Child – With this newsletter you should receive a leaflet about this year’s Christmas shoebox appeal.  All details are on the leaflet but please note that a donation of £3 per box is also requested.  The boxes will need to be brought into school after half term (not before please as we have nowhere to store them) so that they can be collected from here.

Cross Country Events – There are a series of primary school cross country events taking place at Chiltern Edge on Saturday 12^th October, Saturday 16^th November and Saturday 7^th December starting from 10am (depending on year group). Further details please contact Kevin Nutt on 01189 721500 or email knutt@childrenedge.oxon.sch.uk

Half Term – A reminder for your diaries that this year the October holiday is Monday 28^thOctober to Friday 1^st November and that there is an Inset day on Friday 25^th October.

Jumble Sale – St. Leonard’s church will be holding a jumble sale this Saturday 5^th October from 2pm to 4pm.  If you have any jumble, please deliver it to the village hall from 10am, or contact Lucy Carr on 01491 681927.

Barn Dance – St. Leonard’s will also be holding a Barn Dance in the evening.  Tickets are £8 each or £20 per family (2 adults and 2 children) or £5 for concessions.  Please contact Chris Bernard for tickets.

Little Adventure Shop Sale – On Wednesday 16^th October at Unit 6 Church Farm, Woodcote, there will be a sale from 1pm – 7pm of childrens outdoor clothing and equipment, fleeces/school coats/waterproof jackets or bottoms and snow boots or ski wear.  10% of sales made to parents of Woodcote Primary School will be donated back to FOWPS to help raise much needed funds for the school.  For more details call 01491 681074 or speak to Jan Spiers.

FOWPS Newsletter w/e Friday 4^th October

AGM – Will be held on Thursday 17^th October 7.30pm at Woodcote Primary School.  All parents are welcome to attend. We are a group of parents and teachers who raise money for the school and pay for things from which all the children  greatly benefit.   We will have a few places coming up so if you wish to join the committee or would like more information about what’s involved please email fowps@woodcote-primary.co.uk

Class cake sales – Oak & Hornbeam cake sale raised £79.10. We would like to remind parents that all the money raised goes to the classes and directly benefits all the children.

KS2 Disco – will take place on Friday 18^th October 6.30-7.30. Entry is £3.00 per child and only children from Woodcote Primary School are allowed to attend. If you are able to help on the evening please email Hazel on hazelkennedy@hotmail.com or leave your name at the school office.