Dear Parents

When I look at the school calendar and my own work calendar at this time of year, the Christmas work starts to appear more and more regularly. It would be tempting to think that in these unusual times, anything Christmassy would be put on hold or scaled back. I am delighted to be able to say that this is not the case at OWPS…it will just have to look a little different.

Teams have already chosen what they are going to create for their Christmas decorations, and craft supplies have started to arrive in school. Ordinarily, we would hang the decorations along the KS2 corridor and in the library ahead of the FOWS Christmas Fair. As there is not a fair this year and we don’t tend to move classes around the building as much as we used to, teams are going to decorate their own units so that the children can see what the other classes in their Team have made.

As you know, we are also going ahead with Christmas Dinner on 16 December and bookings are now open. We would be grateful if you could please complete a booking form by Thursday 3 December to let us know whether your child is having a Christmas Lunch or a Packed Lunch.  An email has been sent to all parents and carers with a link to the form and you can also find it by clicking here. We often serve over 450 Christmas dinners in a little over an hour so having a two-hour lunch period will be a blessing. I will, as always, pop on an apron ready to serve everyone. It is one of the highlights of my year.

DON’T FORGET – CHRISTMAS DINNER DAY IS ALSO CHRISTMAS JUMPER/CHRISTMAS OUTFIT DAY!

Unfortunately, we will not be able to attend Alwalton Church for our Christmas service this year but we have plans in place for what our Christmas Singalong could look like in each classroom. On the last day of term, Friday 18 December, children can bring a toy into school to play with their friends. Although we do not want any soft toys in school this time, all of the other rules remain the same: - no expensive toys, no toys with lots of pieces and please bring a toy that your child can play with others.

My assembly this coming Monday will be about advent and the meaning of Christmas. As you may remember, when we went into the first lockdown earlier this year, staff recorded themselves reading bedtime stories and we posted these on the internet for you to watch. I am pleased to announce that this year we have recorded twenty-four special Christmas stories in our own Advent Calendar!

On Monday, you will be sent a letter to explain how you can access the stories. There will be twenty-four links, with one story going ‘live’ each day. You won’t be able to binge-watch all twenty-four at the same time! I had lots of fun recording my story and I am pleased that it goes live on Christmas Eve. I should also say that there were twenty-three other members of staff who happily agreed to record a story, all in their own time. I didn’t need to beg or twist any arms. What a great staff we have!

Finally, we have one other Christmas surprise in store but you will have to wait until the last day of term to find out what it is!

Very best wishes,

Simon Eardley

Head Teacher