Issue 408: 9th December 2022

Dear Parents and Carers,

Year 2 Production

It is really starting to feel very Christmassy in school, and it is always a real treat to be in a primary school during this very exciting build-up. I was lucky enough to watch the Year 2 Christmas production, “Don’t Be afraid!”. It was a packed hall on Wednesday evening, and I am sure all the family members who came to watch must have felt so proud of the children’s fantastic performances. They did an amazing job learning their lines and all the songs. They all spoke so clearly and sang with such enthusiasm and enjoyment. I was also so impressed with the number of children who stood up in front of a very large crowd to sing solos!

Book Fair

The Book fair arrived earlier in the week and the children have all had the opportunity to go and browse through all the book cases. This will be open during our Christmas Fair tonight, which is a great opportunity to get any Christmas presents for friends and family members! The book fair will be open in the library after school on Monday 12th December.

Next Week

We have another very busy week next week. We have our Christmas lunch to look forward to – don’t forget that the children can wear their Christmas jumpers on that day. After the lunch the children will have an opportunity to visit the FOWS Christmas sale. This is always one of the highlights for the children as they can buy their secret presents for mums, dads and family.

Year 5 and 6 children will be visiting St Andrew’s Church on Thursday for their Carol service, and then we finish the week with a performance from the Rock Steady bands.

We look forward to seeing you all at the Christmas Fair tonight.

Kind regards

Miss Wyatt

Key Stage 1 Team Leader

Each week, we publish the latest achievements of the children at Orton Wistow Primary School.

Year 5 Special Event at the Cathedral

By Amelia in Year 5

In the last few weeks, Year 5 have been practicing for the 1st of December when we sang at the Peterborough Cathedral along with other schools and professional singers from the Gabrieli Consort.

We sang classical Christmas music (for example 'We Christians May', 'Let the Voice of Praise Resound' and 'In Dulci Jubilo') in the afternoon and wore Gabrieli Roar T-shirts and had our own music booklet. In the Cathedral there were musicians and a conductor.

Year 5 went back home at 4:20pm and some of us went back to the cathedral from 6:30pm to 8:30pm to perform in a concert with Gabrieli Roar in front of an audience, which included our parents.

I really enjoyed it. It was so fun and inspiring as well as tiring! It was definitely an event for children who like music and singing.

PiXL Intervention Myth Busting!

By Mrs Simmons, Raising Standards Lead

Over the past few weeks, parents may have heard their child mentioning ‘PiXL therapies’ or ‘intervention groups’.  This terminology may be new to some parents, so we wanted to explain what it involves and clear up any misconceptions.

What is PiXL?

OWPS is a member of PiXL which is an organisation that works with educational providers across the country to help give students a ‘better future and brighter hope’.

Their mantra is DTT and they produce educational resources around this model, which can be applied to curriculum subjects, including Maths and English:

• Diagnosis – What is stopping me moving forward?
• Therapy - How can I be helped to move forward?
• Testing – Has it worked?

PiXL Therapies/Intervention Groups at OWPS 

• 'Therapy groups' are the same as 'intervention groups', they are not something different. These groups are short sessions run for a cohort of children who have been identified through assessment as needing extra support to understand a particular topic.  Groups might look at adding fractions, past tense verbs, solving two-step word problems to name but a few of the potential topics.
   
• If children are taken out of class for a group, it is for a short session to improve on a fundamental aspect of their learning – they will not be ‘out’ for the whole afternoon or miss subjects like art.
   
• These group sessions are not optional, just like most of the other subjects in school. They are an essential way in which we can target particular gaps in a child's understanding.  The children often find them very rewarding, and we witness lots of 'a-ha' moments as the penny drops and a child realises how to succeed in an area they've been stuck on.
   
• All children, regardless of ability, will go to a therapy session at some point during the school year and, therefore, there is no stigma to attending a session.  
   
• Sessions happen at different times of the day, so children do not miss subjects they enjoy.
   
• Groups are fluid and constantly changing to allow for the addressing of gaps in learning.

Finally, if you want to help school in addressing gaps in learning, feel free to chat to your child’s teacher about ways you can help your child.

Thank you for your support.

^{Photo by Beth Jnr on Unsplash}

Our regular feature looking at issues relating to Mental Health and Wellbeing.

Discover what is coming up in the OWPS Dining Car.

Read about what is happening in the local community.

^{Disclaimer: Orton Wistow Primary School does not endorse any products, services or activities that appear in the Community section of this newsletter, and is not responsible for any contract entered into by either party. Given the current circumstances, we would recommend all parents check with any providers regarding the status of these services, activities and clubs}