Issue 429: 23rd June 2023

Dear Parents and Carers,

A beautiful week except for Tuesday when we were due to have sports day, typical! We definitely made the right decision as the field would have been very slippy and everyone would have been soaked through. However, today's FS/KS1 sports day is going ahead as planned, and we have arranged for the KS2 sports day to take place on Monday. I look forward to seeing many of you at these events. 

Parent Questionnaire 

Thank you to all those that have already completed the parent's questionnaire that was shared with you recently. The feedback from this is always very useful, especially as we put together our plans for next year. 

Summer Fair

We are only a week away from this year's Summer Fair! This is probably the largest event FOWS arranges and I know Jo and the team have spent a lot of time planning and preparing. It is always a well-attended event, and often we see pupils that have left us return to say hello. Have your pound coins ready for my bucket! Last year the winner of that prize walked away with about £200! 

Strike Days 

Some of you will be aware already of some further strike days planned by the NEU on the 5^th and 7^th of July. I will keep you up to date with any further information and possible impact that may have at Orton Wistow. 

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Mr Marks

Headteacher

^{Photo by Ingo Doerrie on Unsplash}

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

Year 4 Anglo-Saxon Village Visit

On Thursday 15^th of June, Year 4 visited West Stow, an Anglo-Saxon Village. They spent the morning looking around the museum, reading about the artefacts found close to West Stow.  They also explored replica artefacts, guessing what they were and might have been used for; these included a boss of a shield, a bone comb, fragments of pottery and an actual cow’s jaw bone! 

After lunch, Year 4 visited the village where they went inside the houses.  The hall had benches and a firepit in the centre for gatherings, the sunken house was incredibly cool, and the yellow house was set out like a workshop. 

Year 4 had a brilliant day at West Stow, their staff were impressed with the children’s knowledge, and it was great to see their enthusiasm for our topic. 

OWPS Art Gallery

At Orton Wistow Primary School, we display a range of pupils' art work in our OWPS Gallery each term. The children are always so proud to see their art work on display and visitors always comment on how wonderful our art looks. I am going to be rotating the art work in our Gallery at the end of the academic year and I have reserved a space to display children's art work from home. I would love to display a variety of art, including painting, drawing or textile projects created at home. If your child has a piece of art work they would like to go on display, please pass it directly to Miss Ellis or the office by Monday 10^th July. Please note that I am limiting this to only one piece of art work per child and the work may be displayed on a rotational basis. 

^{Photo by Cheng Qi Huang on Unsplash}

Book Fair in School

Next week we have the Book Fair arriving in school (27^th June-4^th July). As always, children will have the opportunity to browse during the week before shopping opens at the Summer Fair on Friday June 30^th, and after school on Monday July 3^rd. All books will be 3 for 2!

Please be aware that we have online payments set up for the book fair, which will be accessed via a QR code on the day.

Celebrating Success

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 which can also be found below.  Contributions will be considered for inclusion in upcoming editions of the newsletter.

We look forward to hearing about your children's extracurricular achievements!

This Week's Successes!

Both boys completed their karate gradings recently. One was awarded a distinction in his grading which means he has double graded going up two belts at once making him a red and white belt now. The other was awarded a merit and is now a green belt and will also now be a young volunteer with the childrens classes.

Discover what is coming up in the OWPS Dining Car, and don't forget, parents and carers are welcome to Join Your Child for Lunch at any time, just call the office on 01733 370646 to book.

^{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}