Dear Parents and Carers

I hope that you are all well and that there is a gradual sense that things are returning to normal. I have braved a Saturday shopping trip to Cambridge which felt very strange after all this time, and I am looking forward to when we can sit down for a coffee. It seems silly that the things that I took for granted before are now going to be the highlight of my week. In school, we have already started to talk about which restrictions we will be able to lift sooner rather than later and I hope that we will soon reach the point where we no longer feel that we should wear masks on the playground. I hadn’t realised how much I smile at the children and parents at the gate until I realised that you can't see my face. I now use a series of waves and thumbs up and feel a little like a mime artist!

It was lovely to hear the teachers speak so positively about last week’s parent consultations. I know that many parents were keen to share their experiences of being the ‘teacher’ whilst their child was at home during the last lockdown. It was also encouraging to hear about the children who have come on in leaps and bounds as a result of the support that they have had at home. I know that some children have found it harder to keep on top of where they were before Christmas and these are the children who we are focusing on in school even more than before. As a school, we want all children to do well and we see this as a collective responsibility. This week we reintroduced a new, improved version of our pupil progress meetings. Mr Marks and I met with each pair of year group teachers to discuss each child and how there were doing. We were also joined at the meeting my Miss Wyatt (Maths Lead), Miss Tansley (English Lead) and Mrs Simmons (Raising Standards Lead) so that we could all put our heads together to decide what more we could do for the children. We were all impressed by how well the teachers knew the children in their classes and just how much extra support and challenges they had already put in place. It was one of those moments when I felt proud of my talented staff.

As you will know from the message that I sent out earlier this week, we have advertised a KS2 class teacher post as Miss Jeffrey has decided to step down from her current role. I always have a mixture of feelings when someone is going to leave. I feel sad that we are about to lose a friend and colleague and excited about who might be about to join the staff. It is at this time of year that we start to think about who will be in each year group next year and how we will arrange the classes. As you can imagine, there is a great deal that goes on behind the scenes to make it all go smoothly.

You will also know from my other letter that I am keen for the children to look as smart as they can and for us to maintain the standards of dress and appearance that we have come to expect as a school. I like to think that our uniform code allows some degree of expression and hope that we can count on all parents to make sure that their child follows these expectations. As far as I know, all secondary schools have even stricter dress codes than us and it would be a shame if children didn’t follow our expectations just because they thought that they could get away with it.

I shall keep my fingers crossed that we have a sunny spell this long, May bank holiday weekend and that you get the chance to relax and to have some quality time with family and friends.

Kind regards,

Mr Eardley

^{Photo by Alexander Schimmeck on Unsplash}

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 Dojos
• Dojo Masters
• House Points
• Reading Champions
• Shining Stars
• Times Table Rock Stars
• Golden Mile

Virtual Honours Award Results

Congratulations to the following children who have achieved an honours award:

'For showing great concentration.  You have shown that you can focus on what you are doing.  Well done!'

The Royal Mail Stamp Competition

By Mrs McIntosh, Art Lead

I'm delighted to announce that Orton Wistow Primary School is entering the Royal Mail's Stamp competition.

All children are taking part in this exciting competition that could see our school winning £1000 pounds.

Each child at OWPS will design a postage stamp at school to enter into this amazing competition. The theme is based on 'Heroes' and people who have helped us during the pandemic. These could be NHS staff, supermarket workers or even Sir Tom Moore.

We are asking our young designers to think about who their hero or heroes are, and to then design a stamp in their honour. Children will need to think about colour, composition and sizing as if picked the designs will be shrunk down to the small size of a postage stamp!

 A special panel of judges will pick the winning designs. The final eight stamps will be sent to Her Majesty The Queen before they can be printed and issued.

I know we have some amazing artistic talent within our school and I can't wait to see the final designs. Good Luck everyone!

National Pet Month at OWPS

In the last of our series for National Pet Month, we introduce you to some wonderful pets cared for by children, parents and staff at OWPS. 

This is Alfie the Chinchilla.  He is 18 years old.   He cannot get wet as it would kill him so has a sand bath, special chinchilla sand.

A child in the Magpies

This is our cat Mia. She is 5 and she likes fuss she is very cute and she likes to go in my bed a lot of the time to chill. We adopted her from cats protection and she became our family.

Gareth and Jenny in the Toucans and Elephants

This is my horse Annie. My other zoo remains at home with 3 dogs, a cat and the fish!

A child in the Squirrels

This is Rex. He's a bearded dragon and is 10 months old. Rex likes to eat dubia roaches, crickets and salad on a daily basis. Every so often Rex enjoys a swim in the bath, but most of all he likes to sit and spend time with us.

A child in the Squirrels

Sammy came to us as a rescue cat, she was found under a shed. She is a great cat with a good personality, she eats with us and loves to relax on the sofa. When she sees other cats through the window, she hisses at them baring her 10 teeth and her tail becomes big, it looks as bushy as a fox's tail. We have also made her a hidey-hole where she sleeps at night, she always looks very snug and cuddly.

Isaac in the Wombats

Mr Boots, 17 years old loves lots of fuss and cuddles, spends his days sleeping and relaxing in his old age.

Daisy in the Macaws

This is Maisie, she’s just about a year old. Maisie is very mischievous and a bit crazy. She loves climbing trees and when she was younger, was always climbing them and then getting stuck! She often follows us when we go out for a walk, or on the way to school, or when visiting a friend. Sometimes you would think she was a dog!

Callum in the Sharks

Otis is a 4-year-old Snorkie (Miniature Schnauzer, Yorkshire Terrier cross). He is very cheeky and loves to go for long walks and have treats. He hates going in the car but wouldn’t want to be left behind either. His favourite thing is to sleep on the bed when we go away in the caravan.

A child in the Squirrels

This is my dog Cassie, she is a Westie. In this picture, she had been playing in the snow. As you can see from the picture she loves rolling in the snow and the snow gets stuck to her face.

Alfie in the Giraffes

This is Shadow, on the left, and Chester on the right. They are nearly three years old. They are very big and strong dogs that like to pull us all over the place on walks! Shadow is very friendly and almost never barks. Chester is very excitable and loves to bark all day long!

Jamie in the Jaguars

This is Misty (grey one) and Rex our beautiful dwarf lops.  They are such friendly bunnies and love cuddles. They also love hopping around our garden. Misty, the little girl is definitely the greediest of the 2 and always tries to pinch all the food!

Ava and Ollie in the Nightingales and Sharks

Meet Jingle!  He is a three-year terrier cross rescue dog who came to live with us when he was 9 months old.  He is named Jingle as he was rescued at Christmas time!

Mrs Russell, Administration Assistant

This is Shelby and she is a German shepherd dog(GSD). She is quite a big dog weighing in at approximately 36k. She is almost 12 now and getting a bit slower than she used to be but there is nothing wrong with her hearing, she can still hear a treat packet being opened at 20 paces. She sheds her hair(fur) a lot, but I put whatever I brush from her into bird feeders and the birds use it for nesting material.

Mrs Anderson, Catering Manager

This is Buffy, she is an 8-month-old Goldendoodle. She has a beautiful kind cuddly nature. She loves to cuddle you like a human by standing on her back legs. She sleeps above my head on my pillow! She is full of energy, plays football and loves to eat shoes!!!!

Mrs Lewis, Foundation Stage Teaching Assistant

Evie is the white/grey one, George is our baby boy. They are both Ragdolls. They get their name as when you pick them up, then flop like a Ragdoll! They have the same dad, different mums!!

Mrs Maccoll, Assistant SENCO

Thank you so much to everyone who sent in photos of their pets! 

You can see the photos from the previous weeks by clicking on the links below.

National Pet Month at OWPS - Week 1

National Pet Month at OWPS - Week 2

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^{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}