Newsletters

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope this week's newsletter finds you all well. Now we are three weeks into the Spring term, we have once again got used to a new way of working and we feel positive about what is happening in school and at home. 

I know families are working hard to support their children with remote learning and the staff are really pleased with the level of engagement and quality of the work children at home are completing.  All schools are to produce a remote learning document that outlines their approach to this current way of working. Our 'Remote Learning Policy' has been published on the school website today and you can find it in the policies section or on the Digital Village page. It outlines what we are providing for all children at this time, whether they are in school or at home and the expectations we have of all groups involved in the school. The curriculum and structure of a normal day in school are different across the year groups and this is the same for our approach to remote learning. The table at the end of the policy outlines the approach each year group is taking. 

At the end of this half term, we were due to have our Spring term parents' evenings. As most children are not in school at the moment, we have decided to postpone these meetings to the start of the Summer term. Originally, schools were told they would remain closed until February half term but there is every possibility that they may extend this lockdown further. Our hope is that we will see all children return to school during the second half of the Spring term at some point. Pushing the parents' evenings back to April 20th and 22nd will allow teachers to spend time with the children back in class and carry out some assessments before meeting with you all. In the meantime, whether your child is in school or remote learning, you can contact their teacher either via the school office (office@owps.org.uk) or by their year group bubble email:

My assembly this week, which is available to watch on the school website (head to the Digital Village), links to Mr Eardley's assembly on setting goals. Apparently, by January 19th most new year's resolutions fail. I wouldn't be surprised if the number is even higher this year! My assembly focuses on what we have to do to achieve a goal we set for ourselves and some ways to help us to stick with them. I'm sure many of the children have things they would like to achieve this year as well as many of the staff, parents and carers! Let's hope we can all fight our way through to the end of January and beyond. 

Thank you all for your continued support. Stay safe and have a good weekend.

Colin Marks

Deputy Head Teacher

Updates on Achievements will recommence after the national lockdown ends.

Birdwatching in Your Garden

By Mrs Porter, Eco Lead

RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch

29th - 31st January is the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch.  Everyone can take part for free, whether you’re a novice birdwatcher, or a seasoned pro.  I'm sure a lot of you are enjoying your gardens at the moment as there's not much else to do!

So why not help the RSPB by telling them what you can spot in your garden.  As the RSPB explain on their website, taking part in the Big Garden Birdwatch helps them to protect our wildlife:

"Thanks to people like you taking part in the Big Garden Birdwatch, we now have over 40 years of data and this has helped increase our understanding of the challenges faced by wildlife.

It was one of the first surveys to identify the decline of song thrushes in gardens. This species was a firm fixture in the top 10 in 1979. But by 2019, those numbers had declined by 76% – coming in at number 20. And did you know that house sparrow sightings have dropped by 53% since the first Birdwatch in 1979? However, in the past 10 years their numbers have grown by 10% showing that we are beginning to see some signs of recovery.

Results like these help us spot problems. But, more importantly, they are the first step towards putting things right."

Source: RSPB Website

Make a Bird Feeder

Last week my assembly was an Eco catch up and gave some information about different birds we may see in our gardens and the local area.  I also made a little video of how to make a bird feeder. 

If you would like to have a go at making a bird feeder, please view the video below or click here to access it in the Digital Village.

You will need: an empty yoghurt pot, some string, grated cheese, bird food and lard (or a vegetarian substitute).  More details are on the video.

Whether you make the bird feeder or not, it would be great to hear about what birds you have seen visiting your garden. 

Please either send photos to digital@owps.org.uk or you can 'tweet' them, adding the hashtag #BigGardenBirdWatch #OWPSchool and/or your class #.

Happy birdwatching!

Photo by Jan Meeus on Unsplash

Let's Count - Census 2021

By Miss Wyatt, Maths Lead

We’re taking part in Let’s Count!

We’re delighted to be taking part in Let’s Count!, the exciting schools programme which helps children learn about the census and why it matters to everyone.

What is Census 2021?

The next census is taking place on Sunday 21 March 2021. The census is a survey that happens every 10 years and gives us a picture of all the people and households in England and Wales. This helps to plan and fund public services in our local area. By spreading the word and taking part in the census, you will help make sure our community is counted and gets the services it needs.

You will receive a letter in the post from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). You will then need to fill in the census questionnaire on or before Sunday 21 March 2021.

Find out more about Census 2021 and how to fill in your census questionnaire at www.census.gov.uk.

What is Let’s Count!?

The ONS and resources centre, iChild, developed Let’s Count! to teach children about the census and make learning fun. The programme has achieved accreditation from Mathematics in Education and Industry (MEI), the National Association for the Teaching of English (NATE) and the Geographical Association.

The lesson plans are designed to teach children both in the classroom or at home. They aim to support our school through Coronavirus (COVID-19), to re-engage children and families in learning and to celebrate our local community. 

There are also exclusive video lessons, including a live YouTube lesson from Professor David Olusoga on the subject of 'Equality, representation and the census'.

The lesson plans feature the ‘Counter Cats’. These are fun cartoon characters to help with the learning process. Each cat has their favourite subject: Splotch loves art, Doc loves history, Digit loves maths, Scribble loves English and Scout loves geography.

Let’s Count! Day

Our Let’s Count! Day is on Friday 12^th March. Children will count things around our school or local area and collect data on any subject that matters to them. The information gathered will be used to make a display, which we will use to enter the Let’s Count! competition. Prizes will be awarded to the best entries, with £1,000 worth of equipment going to the winning school.

Explore Let’s Count! at: www.letscount.org.uk

The Lockdown Fitness Challenge!

By Mr Cowles, PE Lead

Are you ready for a challenge?

During lockdown, Mr Cowles would like to challenge the children to fitness challenges each week.  There will be one challenge for everyone to try and another challenge on the HomeCourt App if you wish to do that too.

HomeCourt is a free, interactive basketball app that helps people train and improve. It’s like having a personal basketball trainer and can capture performance, stats, and progress.

HomeCourt uses the camera on the device to track performance in real-time, everything from jump shots to crossovers. In-depth data and analytics help you break down every session. HomeCourt calculates metrics like shooting percentage, accuracy, release time, dribble speed, vertical jump and more. 

Using HomeCourt is less like training and more like a video game. The immersive live-action experience is powered by AR (augmented reality), with virtual targets, audio cues, bonus levels, points and badges—it’s like you’re inside the game.

You don't need any equipment for either of these challenges.  Mr Cowles will be performing the HomeCourt challenge without a basketball.

Download the HomeCourt App

Currently, HomeCourt is only available to download on Apple devices.  For more information and to download the app, please visit https://www.homecourt.ai/.  For those families without an Apple device, there will be another challenge that you can do.

This week's challenges

1. How long can you hold the plank for? Mr Cowles' best is 3 Minutes!
    
2. Can you perform the HomeCourt challenge?  Mr Cowles' top score was 996. Click here to view the video he has created showing the challenge.

Let us know how you get on

Drop us an email to digital@owp.org.uk with your child's results and a photo if you are happy to consent to them being celebrated in the newsletter and on the school website.

If you decide to do the HomeCourt challenge, take a screen shot of your child's score on HomeCourt and send it to us at digital@owps.org.uk. 

Next week, when Mr Cowles posts two more challenges, we will let you know how everyone has got on with this week's challenges.

Good luck! We can't wait to see your progress!

Free School Meals

Applying for Free School Meals

It's easier than you might think to apply for free school meals and the office staff at OWPS are on hand to help with your application.  You might be able to save around £450 a year for each primary school child if they are entitled to free school meals.  In addition, the school receives extra funding for each child who qualifies for a Free School Meal. 

It is worth applying even if your child is currently getting Universal Infant Free School Meals in FS to KS1 as they will continue to get the meals free once they move into KS2

You can view more information and download a registration form by clicking here.  You can also call us on 01733 370646, email office@owps.org.uk or use our website contact form, and we will be happy to help you.

Eligibility

Your child may be able to get free school meals if you get any of the following:

• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
• Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit - if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)

Children who get paid these benefits directly, instead of through a parent or guardian, can also get free school meals.

Your child may also get free school meals if you get any of these benefits and your child is both:

• younger than the compulsory age for starting school
• in full-time education

If your child is eligible for free school meals, they’ll remain eligible until they finish the phase of schooling (primary or secondary) they’re in on 31 March 2022.

For more information on eligibility, visit https://www.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals

Free School Meals at OWPS during Lockdown

During the current lockdown, free school meals are provided to eligible children whether they are learning in school or at home.  

If children are in school, they will receive a hot dinner at lunchtime.  For more details of our school dinners, please visit the Dining Car.

If children are homelearning, parents and carers can choose to receive either a weekly £15 voucher or an Orton Wistow Meal Box.  

We are proud of the meal boxes on offer at Orton Wistow Primary School.  They include a variety of hot meals that your child would normally have in school (for reheating) and sandwich options to cover all days your child is not in school.

The meal boxes include some of our popular school meals such as Wistow Sausage Roll, Macaroni Cheese, Spaghetti Bolognese along with a pudding per day such as Brownie, Flapjack, Fudge Tart and Yoghurts or Jelly Pots.  Please note however we cannot guarantee on any week the exact contents of each parcel. 

All dietary requirements and allergens are catered for in the meal boxes.

Updates on Children's Work will recommence after the national lockdown ends.

Updates on what is Coming Up in School will recommence after the national lockdown ends.