Newsletters

Dear Parents and Carers

I always find the autumn term a bit of a marathon rather than a sprint. It is the longest term, takes a great deal of concentration as whilst we introduce new approaches and settle the children, it starts off with bright, sunny late summer days and ends with cold, dark mornings, and to top it all, there is a flurry of Christmas events to complete.

I shall remember this autumn term for a very long time. As I said before, in some ways it has felt like opening a new school as there have had to be so many new expectations and systems in place. But it is still the OWPS we all know and love, just different.

At a time when we could have felt very separate from families and parents, I have actually felt more connected and supported, so thank you. Your generosity with our sponsored event and today’s Christmas biscuit sale has been astounding and I am enjoying reading all of the messages of thanks that parents have sent in. If you haven’t done this yet, please do make the time by clicking here to send your message. We keep all thank you messages in a Good News book in the staffroom and I know that staff enjoy reading them.

With the news that the first vaccinations have taken place, I think that we can all start to see the light at the end of the tunnel and I have started to imagine a time when things become more normal and less restrictive. I don’t think that we will change everything back to the way that it was before because some things have worked better for us. We have had to think ‘outside of the box’ and try some things that we might have never tried. It will be good to take some time to really think about what we want to reinstate and what we will keep from this year. This might mean that we don’t do some of the things the way that you, as an individual, would like us to do them but I hope that you will understand when I explain the reasons behind any of our decisions.

We have a jam-packed final week ahead of us. I wrote to staff yesterday to set out what we have to do before the end of next week. I know that I like to have a To Do list so that I can check them off one by one. You might find the following helpful:

You may have noticed that dangerous parking has become an issue again. I was disappointed that the very week after I had asked parents to not park across the entrance to the school and to not do a three-point turn on Wistow Way, some parents were still doing it. I have reported these issues to the City Council and asked that they give tickets to anyone breaking the law.

I am shocked by the selfish, dangerous behaviour of parents which seems to imply that they think the rules do not apply to them. I am amazed that we have managed to go this long without a serious, perhaps fatal accident. I am fortunate enough that I have never worked in a school where a child has been killed, but a child in one of my classes was involved in a road accident and was left with brain damage. Visiting her in hospital and seeing the struggles she faced was heartbreaking. I can’t believe that anyone would be willing to risk this just so they can park nearer to the school or save a minute or two on their journey. Please follow our requests and let’s have a fresh start in 2021.

That’s not how I want to finish my last newsletter of the year so let’s end on a more positive note! We hope that you are enjoying the Advent stories we have recorded. We have one last treat for you all but you will have to wait until next Friday to find out what it is.

Very best wishes,

Simon Eardley

Head Teacher

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

You can find out the weekly results for Attendance, Class Dojo, Dojo Masters, Golden Mile, House Points, Reading Champions, Shining Stars and Times Table Rock Stars.

Healthy Swapsies

By Mr Cowles, P.E. Lead

Following the success of last year’s activity linked with a healthy snack, we are encouraging children to continue to find enjoyable ways to exercise alongside trying new foods.

How about a game of 'swapsies'?!  We are suggesting your child thinks about a snack or food they enjoy at school or home and swap it for something else.  Do they come home from school and enjoy a drink of squash and a chocolate biscuit?  Could this be swapped for a drink of water with ice and a slice of fruit in it and a piece of toast?

Do you normally drive to school?  Could you swap this with walking?  Do you walk the dog at the weekend?  Could you and your child jog for some of the way?

Please send in a photo of your child making a healthy swap to digital@owps.org.uk.  In addition, you could also tweet your photo for all to see!  We will publish your photos on our P.E. display board in school and your child will be mentioned in the 'celebration assembly' each week, and in the newsletter.

Each week in the newsletter, there will be a video of one of the teachers carrying out an exercise they wouldn't usually choose to do or choosing a healthier snack over a sugary treat at break times.  Hopefully, this will inspire the children to do the same.

For more information about making healthy swaps, please visit:

 https://www.nhs.uk/change4life/food-facts/sugar/sugar-swaps-for-kids

Thank-you for your support

Photos by Arek Adeoye on Unsplash

Bike Rack Fundraising Event

On Friday 11th December, our Bike Rack Fundraising Event took place.

The kitchen team prepared Special Christmas biscuits decorated with festive patterns.  BGL staff member and OWPS parent, Mrs Dobb, came in to help decorate, batch and deliver the biscuits to the children and staff who had ordered one.

As a result of Mrs Dobb's involvement, BGL will DOUBLE match the funds that we have raised. 

Thank you to all the parents and carers who supported us by ordering a biscuit for their child/children.  You have helped us to raise £1161, which means BGL will generously donate another £2000, taking our total to £3161.

This is a fantastic achievement! We are so grateful to everyone who donated money towards a biscuit, to BGL for their support, and to Mrs Dobb for her involvement and help.

We will be able to put the money towards covered bike racks and start saving for this project and then investigate what other Eco grants are out there that we can tap into.

Mrs Dobb commented: 'It's been amazing to get everyone involved.  I'm really pleased it's going towards the covered bike racks.  They will be a great addition to the school.'

Thank you again to everyone who supported us!

Share Your Happy Thoughts!

As we near the end of a difficult year, we would like to invite parents and carers to share their positive thoughts about the school, the staff, or a particular staff member by sending a message.

The staff at OWPS have all appreciated the kind messages that they have received from parents since mid-March. It has helped everyone to stay positive to know that you appreciate all that they are doing.

If you can spare a few minutes to spread some joy, we would be very grateful.  Your positive comments mean so much to everyone at OWPS. 

Simply click here to send your message!  

Photo by Paul Green on Unsplash

Year 5 Mental Health and Well Being Workshop

By Mrs Attwood, PSHE Subject Lead

Two successful mental health workshops took place in Year 5 this week delivered by a local company from Stamford called ‘The Conversation’. The workshops were designed to cover areas of the new statutory Relationship Education curriculum and were taught in school as part of the PSHE we offer.

The workshops addressed the five ways to wellbeing allowing students to explore how they can make choices to ensure positive mental health.

Including:

• understanding our emotions
• explore the impact of other’s behaviour on our self-esteem
• consider how we can support each-other
• developing a culture of kindness
• equipping ourselves with the tools to protect our emotions
• fostering the ability to make healthy choices.

 The children have also been given a Pupil Pack containing materials for reference and consolidation work to keep at home.  You can find out more on The Conversation's website.

This week, we are proud to publish a piece of work by children in the Mappies, Iguanas, Nightingales and Wombats.