Dear Parents and Carers,

Into October already and there has definitely been a change in the weather this week. I'm not going to get away with wearing shorts to walk my dogs in the morning for much longer! 

It has been another positive week in school, and it was great to see so many of the Year Six parents join their children to take part in their family learning session on reading. I can see through the details on our YouTube channel that our curriculum evening videos on reading at OWPS have already been viewed several times by parents, and we are hoping to see this number rise over the coming weeks. The staff have done a wonderful job creating these videos, and they are the best way for you to have a clear understanding of what reading at OWPS looks like. 

My assembly this morning was based on a book written by Carol McCloud called Buckets, Dippers and Lids (secrets to your happiness).  I only focused on the 'Buckets' element of the book today. In the book, Carol McCloud explains that everyone has an invisible bucket that holds their happiness. Whenever something pleasant happens, such as someone smiling at us or saying something kind, our bucket is filled up a little bit more. We can also fill our own buckets by being kind to others. I shared the first part of the book with the children during my assembly and I had with me a bucket with some jewels inside. I explained what each jewel represented, including children saying good morning when I opened the gate, a member of staff making me a cup of tea, and when I helped another teacher fix their classroom board. Obviously, this fits in perfectly with our PRIDE code and I hope children will consider what they can do to fill other people's buckets and their own. 

I also announced the names of the children who have become our first team of Wistow Online Safety Rangers. They are; Santino R, Gabriella W, Danny R, Alyssia T, Bianca A-S, Louie C, Alex F and Shema M. Well done to those eight children. I had a huge pile of applications to read through which made it a tough choice. I know some children will be disappointed not to be part of the team but it will change each year and they can apply again. Reading the applications definitely filled my happiness bucket! The level of knowledge and understanding the pupils at OWPS have for online safety is exceptional. It filled me with confidence knowing that so many know how to keep themselves and others safe online. 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Mr Marks

Deputy Head Teacher 

^{Photo by Sebastian Unrau on Unsplash}

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

OWPS Children help break Guinness World Record!

by Mrs McIntosh, Art Lead

In April 2021, OWPS children took part in the Royal Mail Stamp Art Competition. The children created some fabulous artwork, with a range of designs celebrating heroes of the coronavirus pandemic.

We have now received an update from Royal Mail with the following exciting news:

Congratulations to all the children at your school who entered, as their designs contributed towards a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the largest postage stamp design competition!

 An incredible 606,049 entries were received from children across the UK, with an amazing 7,479 schools taking part.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

“It is of great credit to the children of this country that in world record-breaking numbers they picked up their paintbrushes, pens and paints and paid artistic tribute to the heroes of our coronavirus response. Their brilliant efforts represent the collective gratitude of the nation to everyone who went above and beyond during the pandemic. Congratulations to all those who have made it to the next round and thank you to everyone who has taken part.”

Simon Thompson, Royal Mail CEO, also commented:

“We would like to thank all of the 606,049 children who submitted such brilliant designs to the competition. We have been humbled by the sheer volume of entries. And to have achieved a Guinness World Records title in the process shows how much the UK’s children value those heroes who have kept the nation moving during such a difficult period. To the 120 Regional Finalists - Well Done! We are really looking forward to seeing the winning

Thank you once again to all the children for taking part and congratulations on being part of a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title!

^{Photo by Anna Kolosyuk on Unsplas}

OWPS and Parent Helpers

Do you have a few hours to spare each week?  OWPS is looking for parent helpers to volunteer their time to help out at school.

In the past we have found the support from parent helpers invaluable.  Now that Covid restrictions have lifted, we would appreciate it again if you could help out in school this year.

Helping in school could involve a huge range of activities; from working alongside a small group of children, putting up displays, sticking work into books, listening to children read, organising resources or simply being an extra pair of hands in the classroom during lessons.

You may also have some skills that we could use in other ways. In the past, parents have been happy to type up our collection of assembly songs onto our network, have helped out with gardening or have been happy to join the Friends and assist them in all the fundraising they arrange for the school. Perhaps your child has a grandparent who would enjoy helping in school.

If you are interested in becoming a parent helper please let us know by filling in the Parent Helper Form.

The deadline for completing the form is Friday 8th October. Thank you!

Virtual Curriculum Evening

By Mr Marks, Deputy Head Teacher

Virtual Curriculum Evening on Reading

On Wednesday 29th September 2021, the videos went live for our Virtual Curriculum Evening.

The focus for this year's Curriculum Evening was reading and the videos available to you will give you a clearer insight into what that looks like at OWPS, how it changes each year and what you can do to help your children develop this vital and enjoyable skill. 

Content of Videos

There are 8 videos in total, and you can pick and choose the relevant ones to your children's ages.

The first two are an introduction to reading at OWPS by Mr. Eardley (Head Teacher) and Mrs. Edwards (Reading lead) and these are for ALL parents to watch. 

There are then six more videos, one for each year group (Years One to Six) created by the teachers explaining what reading looks like in each year. These videos will remain on the website and as your child moves through the school, you can watch the next video. 

Location of Videos

The Curriculum Evening videos are now available for you to watch on our school website by clicking here.

Alternatively, you can navigate your way through to the page by visiting www.owps.org.uk and then hovering over 'Curriculum' along the top of the website then selecting 'The OWPS Curriculum' from the menu that appears. A link to the Curriculum Evening page is in the purple box on the right-hand side of the page. 

We hope you enjoy watching the videos and finding out more about reading at OWPS.

Wistow Online Safety Rangers

As part of our many strategies to promote the importance of Online Safety, eight children have been chosen to be the Wistow Online Safety Rangers.

In Mr Marks' assembly on Online Safety this month, he introduced the Wistow Online Safety Rangers to the school. The aim was to create a team of eight children comprised of one child from each class in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6.

The children were encouraged to consider the following questions to decide if they had what it takes to be a Wistow Online Safety Ranger including:

• Do you have a good understanding of how to keep yourself and others safe online?
• Are you happy to help others stay safe online?
• Are you willing to stand up and speak in front of your class?
• Have you got the skills to plan an assembly and present to the school?
• Have you got the required computing skills?

Mr Marks then explained what would be involved if they were chosen to become a ranger:

• Regular meetings with the Rangers team
• Helping teachers during online safety lessons
• Supporting your peers when they need help
• Leading assemblies

All of the children in Key Stage Two were invited to apply.  If they were interested, they were asked to complete an application form by Monday 27th September 2021.

The Wistow Online Safety Rangers Team

It was wonderful to see how many children applied.  It made the decision to pick only eight children very difficult.  Hopefully, those who were not successful this year will apply again next year.

The eight children have now been chosen.  Congratulations to the following Rangers:

• Santino R
• Gabriella W
• Danny R
• Alyssia T
• Bianca A-S
• Louie C
• Alex F
• Shema M

We look forward hearing more about the Wistow Online Safety Rangers future newsletters.

^{Photo by Skye Studios on Unsplash}

Share Your Happy Thoughts about OWPS

On Tuesday 5th October 2021, it is World Teacher's Day. It was also National TA Day on 16th September 2021.  To celebrate these events, and to recognise all the staff who work at OWPS, we are inviting you and your child to write in share your happy thoughts about the school.

The staff at OWPS always appreciate the kind messages that they receive from parents. It helps everyone to stay positive to know that you appreciate all that they are doing.

How can I share my happy thoughts with OWPS?

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. We will publish them in next week's newsletter.

Simply click here to send your message!  

Thank you!

^{Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash}

Free School Meals

Cambridgeshire County Council, Education Welfare Benefits Service is our free school meal (FSM) entitlement provider for the school. Please complete the online application form if applicable at www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals selecting “no” when asked if you have had a previous claim if you think that your child might now be eligible for Free School meals . They will let you know directly if you are entitled to FSM.

(Parents who are currently eligible for Free School meals do not need to reapply). 

Find out what is happening in the community, nationally and internationally.

^{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}