Issue 436: 29th September 2023

Dear Parents/Carers,

This week we have made it through to the halfway point of Autumn Term 1 and it has been another busy week! Mr Marks led our whole school assembly on Monday, where he focussed on the theme of European Languages Day and the launch of extra-curricular clubs. Children were encouraged to ensure they take responsibility, show perseverance when trying something new and demonstrate dedication to their activities of choice. We hope that everyone enjoys the clubs on offer this term.

Y5 Hilltop Residential

Monday saw the start of the Year 5 Residential Visit to Hilltop Outdoor Center. The children were extremely excited about this visit and returned to OWPS on Wednesday evening after undertaking three days of adventurous outdoor activities. Some of the activities included Bushcraft, Airjump, Tree Top Trail, Assault Course and the Big Zipper. All the children on the visit had to really work hard on stepping out of their comfort zones and stretching themselves to undertake new activities. So much resilience was shown, that all the adults and instructors commented on how proud they were of the group. The visit also helped the children to take responsibility, where they were in charge of their own mealtime routines and keeping their bedrooms tidy, ready for their room inspections! The three days were a huge success and everyone came home very tired - including the adults! We hope you enjoyed all of the updates via our ‘X’ (nee Twitter) feed.

Macmillan Coffee Morning

On Thursday 28th September, OWPS staff hosted their own coffee morning, to raise money for Macmillan. This is an in-house event that we support every year and enjoy all of the delicious treats that were brought in to devour. We will send off the money raised in due course.

Donation Friday - TOMORROW

Friday 29th September is our first ‘Donation Friday’ of the year. This time, FOWS would like unwanted gifts for the Christmas Fair and gift sale later in the year. Members of the FOWS team will be present on the school playground before school, to receive any donations, or they can be dropped off at the school office. In return for bringing these gifts, children are welcome to wear their own snazzy socks as a thank you for supporting our fundraising events as without these donations, our events would not be possible. Thank you in advance.

Parents Evening

On Thursday 5th October, bookings for the Autumn Term Parents evening will open on the School Cloud. A reminder email, with the link to the School Cloud, will also be sent out on the day.

I would like to wish you all a lovely weekend and hope we can just hold off wearing our winter coats a little longer!

Miss Tansley, Director of Learning, writes...

^{Photo by Jeremy Thomas on Unsplash}

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

FOWS News

By Jo Watson, Chair of FOWS

FOWS are thrilled to extend an invitation to you for our upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM), where we will reflect on our past year's accomplishments and set the course for the future.

Date: Tuesday, October 10th 2023 - Please note, change of date from previously advertised. 

Time: 7:00 PM Location: Staff Room, Orton Wistow Primary School

For those who are unable to join us in person, we have arranged a Zoom link to ensure your remote participation.

https://zoom.us/j/99201363244?pwd=azZkY2Z0aUV1bG1PUFZxeEJOVURtUT09

Meeting ID: 992 0136 3244

Passcode: 3eU9Kv

The agenda for our AGM is as follows:

• Welcome
• Apologies
• Approval of Minutes from the previous AGM (attached) & Matters Arising from the previous AGM
• Statements from Chair and Treasurer
• Committee Matters:  Appointments or Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and Parent representatives from each year group (FS- Yr6)

 Governance:

• • Adoption of the Constitution & Policies (which can be found here Friends of Orton Wistow Primary School - Governance (owps.org.uk))
  • Charity Status Discussion
• Finance:
• Any Other Business (AOB)

If you are interested in standing for one of the committee roles and would like to find out more, please contact FOWS fows@owps.org.uk

We anticipate a productive and engaging AGM and your active involvement and input are vital as we make decisions that will shape the future of FOWS, we hope that you can join us

Cenus Day Lunch - 5th October 2023

Next Thursday 5^th October is Census Day. This is an important day for schools across the country as we have to submit data to the government. This data helps them to decide how much funding we should have next financial year.  

We would like each child to have a school dinner on this day if at all possible, as it would assist the school with gaining this important funding.  

Please contact the School Office if you have any questions or any concerns with the menu, and we will see if we can resolve them. 

Thursday 5^th October Dinner Menu 

Main course: Handmade Pizza Margherita (V)or vegetable omelette (V)

Hash brown and baked beans

Pudding: Cookie - Change to menu

                Trifle

                Fresh fruit or yogurt 

Thank you very much for your support. 

From Mr Marks, the Headteacher

Celebrating Success 29.09.23

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. 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!

This child in Year 1 was successful in achieving his red belt in karate this weekend. He was supported by his older brother in Year 5 who is one of the young volunteers in the team and has been helping him practice ready for his test. 

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. We would recommend all parents check with any providers regarding the status of these services, activities and clubs}