Issue 410: 13th January 2023

Dear Parents and Carers,

Our first full week of the Spring term is completed, and we are now in the full swing of things in school. 

New Topics

Every term, each year group begins a new topic. Although they are often a history, geography or science-based topic, many areas of the curriculum are linked to them and this allows the children to become fully immersed in the learning. Visiting the Foundation Stage this week, the children were very excited about some special visitors they were expecting to arrive. Iris and Isaac are two young polar bears that need to learn how to follow the PRIDE code and the Golden Rules. The bears' mother has asked the children to help them make better choices. This is all part of their new topic 'Frosty and Frozen', looking at the Arctic. The topics in the other years are:

Year 1 - Here, There and Everywhere - looking at the UK and comparing to the Rainforest. 

Year 2 - Kings and Queens

Year 3 - Ancient Egypt 

Year 4 - Ancient Maya 

Year 5 - Ancient Greece 

Year 6 - World War I and World War II - 'Peterborough through the wars'

Learning Walk

Each term certain members of staff will carry out learning walks through the school. These will involve the member of staff spending a little time in each class and speaking to some of the children, focusing on a particular subject or area of development we are working on. I completed my Spring term walk this week looking at the engagement of all children, Golden Rules and safeguarding. I also always have a look at the learning environment as I travel in and out of the classrooms. It was great to see the children enjoying their lessons and the engagement levels were high throughout the year groups. The Golden Rules are well established and staff used them as prompts to make their expectations clear and to support children making positive choices in the classroom. The children I spoke to could tell me about how to keep themselves safe online, who they would talk to if they were worried about anything and what it means to be a good friend. There are always actions that come out of learning walks or things for us to consider moving forward, I will be sharing these with staff next week.

Are you smarter than an OWPS pupil?

This week's questions are as follows:

1. There are 5 layers in the rainforest. True or false? (bonus point if you can name them all) - Year 1 topic
2. How many species of sloth are there? - Year 1 topic
3. How did WWI act as a catalyst for WWII? - Year 6 topic

Good luck!

Have a great weekend everyone.

Mr Marks

Headteacher 

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

Celebrating Success

Here at Orton Wistow Primary School, we recognise that success comes in all different shapes and sizes! We celebrate the children's achievements in school in the Achievements section of the newsletter and website.

Many of the children, however, are also achieving things outside of school.  We would like to recognise these successes too.

It might be that your child has passed a music or dance exam, gained a karate belt, starred in a show, volunteered, taken part in a sporting event, or done something that they didn't think was possible!

If you would like to share your child's achievements with us so that we can celebrate their success, please complete the Celebrating Success form which can also be found below.  Contributions will be considered for inclusion in upcoming editions of the newsletter.

We look forward to hearing about your children's extracurricular achievements!

Celebrating Success this week!

In September when the queen passed away, this child in Year 5 drew a picture of the queen on a horse and sent it to King Charles along with a letter of condolence. 

Recently, she received a reply from the king! There was much excitement in the house when a letter arrive with the postmark Buckingham Palace! 

This child in Year 2 had her hair chopped ready to donate to the Little Princess Trust. She’s donating 12 inches and has been growing it for almost a year and a half. She’s smashed her target of £550 which is how much it costs to make a wig for a child or teenager who has suffered hair loss. Her family are very proud! 

With 3 weeks to spare, this child in the Penguins has completed a 1000 hours outside challenge (an initiative that is part of the global movement). Whether it has been a little 20-minute walk or a 10-hour day outside, he has taken to the outside world with a curious mind, open heart and wonder in his eyes. His family said that 'it has been an absolute joy. He is excited to start next years’ chart!'  visit https://www.1000hoursoutside.com/

If you would like to share your child's achievements with us so that we can celebrate their success, please complete the Celebrating Success form.  Contributions will be considered for inclusion in upcoming editions of the newsletter.

Be Safe Be Seen Assembly Coming Up on 20.01.23

As part of 'Lighten Up', Sustrans will be visiting Orton Wistow Primary School on Friday 20th January 2023.

When the children arrive at school, Sustrans will be on the playground to give out free bike lights (whilst stocks last).  There will also be an assembly to explain the importance of being bright and being seen.

For more information, please see the poster below:

^{Photo by Thomas Park on Unsplash}

My School Fund

You may remember that OWPS is now part of the My School Fund initiative. This innovative scheme allows us to be able to boost our school's budget with your help. To date, we have been able to convert the points parents have helped OWPS earn into an Argos voucher which will go towards items for our mindful garden.

Several parents have already joined up, and we would be delighted if more of you could join.  The scheme not only earns you cashback on the things you spend in stores like Sainsbury's and Argos, but, as we've seen, also earns the school cashback too.

How does it work?

Parents, guardians and carers can sign up to the scheme for free and start earning cashback on the things they buy in participating retail stores, including Sainsbury’s and Argos. As you spend you’ll receive 2% cashback in the form of eGift vouchers that can be redeemed in participating stores. By linking your spend to OWPS on the My School Fund website we’ll also earn 1% cashback on your spend. 

Add that all up across our school's network of families, and together we can all make a big difference!

How to get involved

We would be really grateful if parents and carers could visit myschoolfund.org to register for free and link to Orton Wistow Primary SChool. From there, everything you spend in participating stores will go towards helping boost our budget, plus your own!

Sign up today at myschoolfund.org and see the promotional video for more details. Thank you for your support.

The Library Corner - January 2023

By Mrs Campling, Librarian

Happy New Year (if it’s not too late to say it)! This time last year I set myself the challenge of seeing a) how many books I could read in a year, and b) if I could read as much children's literature as I did grown-ups. I started at an alarming rate, averaging 2 books a week, which I felt compelled to maintain, and kept a list from Jan 1st to Dec 31st 2022 of everything I read.

This list did not include books I read to my children (if it had, it would be a LOT longer). Now, before I share the total please bear in mind that years of practice (and being an introvert), plus the professional advantage of being a librarian, have made me a very quick reader. I almost want to give you the classic disclaimer: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! The grand total of books? 118.

As much as I enjoyed the challenge, I have to say I don’t recommend it. While I was pleasantly surprised at my ability to keep up the average of 2 books a week, there are definitely books on my list that I don’t remember at all, and also books that I wished I had savoured more.

This year, I am setting out with the intention of fully enjoying things - not just books - and giving whatever I am doing my full, immersive attention. Rather than setting myself more goals this year, I want to change my mindset and my experience of life, and savouring everything is one of the simplest ways to feed our inner selves I’m envisioning a more contented, relaxed me at the end of 2023 (and throughout)!

Top Ten Books for Children and Adults from 2022

Now I know what you’re REALLY wondering is which of those 118 books are worth YOUR time, so here are my top 10 from the year, for children and for adults:

Children’s

Amari & the Night Brothers - BB Alston

Secrets of the Stars - Maria Kuzniar

When Fishes Flew - Michael Morpurgo

The Lost Girl King - Catherine Doyle

The Grumpus - Alex T Smith

Morrigan Crow Series - Jessica Townsend

By Ash, Oak & Thorn and By Rowan & Yew - Melissa Harrison

The Wolf Wilder - Katherine Rundell

The Thief Who Sang Storms - Sophie Anderson

The Who’s Whonicorn of Unicorns - Kes Gray & Garry Parsons

Adults

The Goddess of Buttercups and Daisies - Martin Millar

The Song Collector - Natasha Solomons

The Lost Future of Pepperharrow - Natasha Pulley

The Book of Lost and Found - Lucy Foley

Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens

The Dictionary of Lost Words - Pip Williams

The Island of Missing Trees - Elif Shafak

The Missing Sister (and Seven Sisters series) - Lucinda Riley

Bill Bailey’s Remarkable Guide to Happiness - Bill Bailey

The Penelopiad - Margaret Atwood

In the Library this term

Both story writing club and KS1 library club will be returning this term, with help from the Y6 Library Ambassadors; the library is also open to parents after school on a Friday until 3:30 if you want to pop in! Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @owpslibrary for any updates too.

A polite reminder

Towards the end of last term we had several library books discovered on the shelves in unacceptable conditions – damp, mouldy, covered in paint, and even food. We expect a little wear and tear (and even the occasional water bottle leak mishap) but several books had to be disposed of due to the extent of the damage. These books are for the use and enjoyment of the whole school, so please encourage your children to treat them with respect. If an accident does occur, please let Mrs Campling or the office team know.

^{Photo by Ashish R. Mishra on Unsplash}

Each term, we offer externally run and internally run clubs at OWPS.  Find out which clubs are running this term.

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}