Issue 418: 17th March 2023

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you have all had another positive week. There have been some lovely things happening in school over the past five days.

Mother's Day Lunches

It has been great to see lots of family members (mainly mums) join the children for our Mother's Day lunches. I am always grateful to Mrs. Anderson and the team for preparing all those extra dinners across the week to allow these events to happen.

Year Four Assembly

The Year Four assembly on Tuesday was another highlight. It was the first Mayan topic assembly I can remember ever happening at Orton Wistow, and I was blown away by how much the children have learned about this fascinating ancient civilisation. The children spoke, sang and acted confidently in front of a large audience. Well done to all the children and staff in that year group.

Comic Relief

My assembly on Monday was all about Comic Relief and the people we can all help by raising money today. We continue to support a number of charities each year, and it is a wonderful way of teaching the children about how the 'Everybody Matters' part of our PRIDE Code extends much further than just the people in our school. 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone. 

Mr. Marks

Headteacher

^{Photo by Chris Linnett on Unsplash}

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

Year 4 Assembly 14.03.23

By Mrs Granville, LKS2 Team Leader

Year 4 worked hard to rehearse and perform their assembly to the school and their families.  The topic this term is the Ancient Maya, and the assembly took the audience on a journey to explore Central America and different aspects of Mayan culture and history.  Two exciting songs, one to the music of a well known pop song, gave extra information about this period in history.  Year 4 did an amazing job, delivering their lines clearly and confidently, and thoroughly enjoying the whole experience of putting on an assembly.

There was some lovely feedback from parents after the events:

"I enjoyed learning the Mayan history and hearing what my child had been learning this term. The assembly was a great mix of storytelling, facts and songs. It was lovely that every child contributed if they wanted to."

"What a super effort by all the students (and teachers!). OWPS is always so welcoming to parents and I love these opportunities to come in and see what the children have been working on. They all did amazingly well and these sort of activities show what a range of learning opportunities are being provided to the children. Thank you."

Thank you to everyone who came along to watch.

Burwell Residential 2023

By Miss Strike, Year 3 Class teacher

On the 8th-10th March, 45 Year Threes went on their first residential at Orton Wistow. Despite some understandable nerves, all children dealt fantastically with being away from home and the changes in routine. They all should be very proud of themselves!

This residential trip is one that is busy from the start. Year 3 developed their orienteering map skills, built upon teamwork skills in a variety of team building tasks and created their own egg parachutes in the ‘Eggscape Challenge’.

One of the highlights is being in a TV studio and recording their own news reports. We were particularly impressed with how confidently children spoke in front of cameras and were part of the editing process. The children definitely enjoyed watching their creations too.

One of the major parts of this residential is for the children building on their independence. The children helped to set up at meal times and serve each other, they also had the responsibilities of sorting their own beds in their rooms.

Below are some comments on what the children of Year 3 thought of Burwell:

Bobby: “My favourite part was when I was doing the camera in the TV studio.”

Adrian: “I enjoyed every single activity!”

Many children said that they enjoyed the Fox game the most. This was our final activity to end Burwell where the children had to act as foxes and hide from the farmers.

Celebrating Success 17.03.23

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 Foundation Stage recently achieved her white and yellow belt at Inspire Martial Arts. She was awarded an A at a 90% pass rate. Well done for staying consistent and working so hard.

This child in Year 1 has completed level 2 swimming! She's tried so hard and absolutely loves it!

This child in Year 5 has been playing for the Netherton Under 10's girls football team since September. She has recently been awarded player of the month. Well done!

This child in Year 2 took part in his first ever dance show today. He danced a street dance routine to “I got a feeling” by black eyed peas. Congratulations!

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}