Dear Parents and Carers,

I got home yesterday, and although I had not been in class, somehow I had glitter on my hands. A true indication that Christmas is close! I have seen children starting to make decorations and regularly hear FS and Year 2 singing songs as they rehearse for their Christmas productions. Working in a primary school at this time of year is amazing. Unfortunately, Foundation Stage and Year Two won't be able to perform to parents but they will have a chance to perform to other children in the school, and we will record the performances and share them with parents. 

We have raised a sizeable amount of money for Children In Need today, thank you all for supporting this amazing charity. My assembly today focussed on this charity and the wonderful work it does, supporting children and their families who need help. The charity has now raised over a billion pounds since it started and OWPS has played its part for many years. 

I also reminded the children of our own sponsored event happening in school next Wednesday: 'The Great Britain Challenge!' We are all looking forward to taking part in this event, and we hope to raise money for the children's chosen charities as well as money to go towards resources for each year group to access. The children need to come to school in PE kit on Wednesday but they can also choose to wear red, white and blue clothing. It is going to be chilly so they can wear warm-weather clothes as well whilst taking part. I'm not sure if I have set a challenge that is too ambitious but we have been pleasantly surprised before, during other sponsor days, where the children rise to the occasion and smash the target. 874 miles is a long distance, we will have to wait and find out! I shall be outside with them the whole day, cheering them on and keeping count (with the help of all the other adults!) 

Thank you for all your support. Have a wonderful weekend.

Mr Marks

Deputy Head Teacher

^{Photo by Klara Kulikova on Unsplash}

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

Anti-bullying Week 2021

By Mr Newton, Anti-Bullying Lead

This week we’ve had a great time celebrating Anti-Bullying week.  We launched our week with Odd Socks Day, and it was brilliant to see so many children wearing odd socks as we celebrated diversity and individuality.  Throughout the rest of the week, we have been using assemblies and lesson time to focus on the theme of this year's Anti-Bullying Week; ‘One Kind Word.’ 

The children have been thinking about ways they can share kindness through their words and actions, for example saying something kind to someone; showing they’re interested in someone by asking them questions or doing something practical to show kindness like baking a cake for them. We’ve also thought about the ripple effect that these acts of kindness can have. It has been lovely to have children come up to me throughout the week and share ways they’ve been kind to others (and in some cases how th

OWN Trust Cup Football Match against Nene Valley Primary School

By Mr Cowles, PE Lead

Our second away game in the OWN cup was away to Nene Valley. It must be noted, the set-up provided was brilliant. The team saw a few new faces involved, and it was brilliant to see such enthusiasm by all involved.

Similar to the Woodston game, we got off to a bad start in the first half. We struggled to retain possession of the ball and allowed the opposition too much time in our half. We refreshed our focus and came out in the second half in fighting spirits. We brought the game back to 3-2. A special mention to Elsie J-P for getting her first goal, brilliantly taken.

Another defeat but plenty of positives to take. We will now host both Woodston and Nene Valley Primary School at home.

^{Photo by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash}

OWPS STEM Day

By Mrs Simmons, DT and Raising Standards Lead

On Thursday 4th of November, our school took part in our autumn term STEM event, in which all children in the school used their inventive and engineering side to create a solution to a real-world problem, linking to the United Nations' Sustainability Development Goals. 

The problem we were investigating enabled us to engage all pupils in 'Action Against Stunting', a real-life research project that is currently tackling the causes of stunted development in children in India, Indonesia, and Senegal. 

All children provided us with innovative, creative solutions to reduce the number of children in the world lacking from adequate nutrients, and presented their ideas and findings in groups.

Here are some more tweets from classes that participated.  

Peterborough United Kids Cup

By Mr Cowles, PE Lead

One of the largest competitions each year is hosted at Nene Park Academy by Peterborough United. It is the Yr5/6 kid's cup. We were current holders of the cup and as you can probably gather by my wording, we no longer are.

The children who took part on Friday 12th November 2021 represented the school tremendously well. They embodied the PRIDE code and even showed our learning toolkit along the way.

We got off to a bad start with a defeat. Credit to the opposition team who showed some real quality when it mattered. Unfortunately, this is where our courageous keeper suffered a serious injury to his wrist. The team rallied together and more than one volunteer came forward to go into the goal. We suffered a second defeat in the next game in the final minutes but put this right but won our final game.

With the top team progressing, it wasn’t our day. A great experience for the children involved!

Times Table Rock Stars Competition Results

By Miss Wyatt, Maths Lead

Thank you to everyone who took part in the recent Times Table Rock Stars competition. The results are now in!

Here are the Times Table Rock Stars England Rocks Results…

Here are the Top Six Children in OWPS... 

SOS Africa Update

Last year, the staff at Orton Wistow Primary School donated money towards SOS Africa Children's Charity. Find out how the child we sponsored, Charisna Bruintjies, is doing at school.

What is The SOS Africa Children’s Charity?

The SOS Africa Children’s Charity (UK Charity No. 1188705) is a grassroots child sponsorship organisation which invests 100% of donations in the education and care of African children. Since 2003 they have provided disadvantaged children, from grades 1 to 12, with a personal education programme or learning support scheme tailored specifically to their needs. This holistic approach enables children to break the cycle of poverty and reach their full potential. 

Update on Charisna Bruintjies's Progress

Staff at OWPS donated money which enabled Charisna Bruintjies to attend school. Here is the information that they sent us when we first started donating to SOS Africa:

We have received an update about how Charisna is doing at school. Here is a copy of her latest school report.  We are delighted to see that she is showing great improvement in her school work.

Update on The SOS Africa Charity

Dr Matt Crowcombe, Founder/CEO, SOS Africa also wrote to the school with a general overview of how things are going with the SOS Africa kids:

We are delighted with the latest reports which show continued improvement across all our centres. The appointment of academic tutors in the Western Cape has certainly contributed towards these pleasing results.

Last term we also organised birthday parties for all the SOS kids. To reward them for all their hard work and to celebrate the recent birthdays, we decided to organise one big collective celebration so that no child would miss out. As you can see from the attached photos, both the staff and kids had a blast!

Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Minecraft Celebrity Bdubs, we have also recently introduced a group mentoring programme run by our staff in partnership with local social workers. The sessions discuss important topics such as identity, drug and alcohol abuse, bullying and teenage pregnancy. With many of our children fast becoming teenagers and facing many challenges within their communities, we believe that this is an integral part of their development. We are proud of them for embracing the sessions and their families are delighted with this new addition to our programme. I have attached photos taken during two of the recent sessions.

Meanwhile, in Gordon’s Bay, plans for our 5^th Education Centre are all but complete and building work is due to start early next year. We will be sure to keep our website and social media updated as we progress.

With just 5 weeks left until the end of the academic year, the kids will soon start their end of year exams. To prepare them the staff have arranged group revision and study skills sessions. We are confident that they will do well and make you all proud.

In early December we are arranging a surprise End of Year Trip to a local Game Reserve (Safari Park). It will the first time the kids have been and promises to be a memorable occasion. Our photographer Helena will be in attendance so we will be sure to send lots of photos with the end of year reports.

This side of the World we have just launched our Wells Cathedral Jubilee Abseil (re-arranged following the postponement of this year’s event). If anyone is interested in taking part, you will find a link to our webpage at the bottom of the page.

Thank you for your continued support!

Kindest Regards,

Dr Matt Crowcombe

Founder/CEO, SOS Africa

http://www.sosafrica.com

If you would like to sponsor a child in Africa and receive updates on their progress, you can find out more by visiting the Sponsor Child section on the website.

Playground Adjoining School

The playground that adjoins the school grounds has recently undergone a refurbishment and new play equipment has been installed. This work was undertaken by the Peterborough City Council, which has full responsibility for maintaining and running the playground.

We are lucky to be located so close to the playground, and we know that many children enjoy playing there before and after school.  We have unfortunately had a couple of incidents in which children have injured themselves playing on the equipment.  We know that some children do go to the park before and after school without an adult, and we sent an email asking you to remind your children to take care, especially at this time of year when the equipment is slippery when wet. It may also be worth considering if your child needs parental supervision to safely access the new equipment which includes a zip-wire.

If you have any concerns or queries about the new playground, please contact the Peterborough City Council.

Flu Vaccine Reminder

Children who missed the flu vaccinations on 18th October 2021 and who have already handed in their consent forms will be given a flu vaccination on 3rd December 2021 when the vaccinations staff return to school at 12.30pm.

Discover what is coming up in the OWPS Dining Car.

Read about what is happening locally, 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}