Issue 440: 3rd November 2023

Dear Parents/Carers,

Already we have completed our first week of Autumn 2 and what a busy one it has been. It has been wonderful to see the children return to school in a spritely and enthusiastic manner, perhaps as a result of it being Halloween on our first day back. This term we have lots to look forward to and believe it or not, preparations for Christmas are already underway! Year 2 and Foundation Stage have begun to rehearse and I am sure it won’t be long before we all have some of the production songs in our heads.

Y5 Family Learning

On Thursday we welcomed a vast number of adults to support the Year 5 Family Learning session, where there was a maths focus. The event showcased how a typical maths lesson operates within Year 5 and mirrored the part of the curriculum that is currently being studied - working with multi-step addition and subtraction word problems. It was also an opportunity for visitors to be introduced to our Number Sense Scheme, where we are trying to enhance fluency with timetables across the school. Thank you to everyone who attended and supported this session, it is always great to share our learning with you.

Wet Playtimes

With the winter months approaching, we are inevitably going to have a few more indoor break and lunchtimes, due to the change in weather. Where possible we always take the children outside and use our canopied areas for shelter, but on the days when the weather isn’t so kind we would like to ask for any donations of unloved/wanted board games, card games, jigsaws, activity/dot-to-dot books that could be handed in to support these social times. Please hand in any donations to the school office and we will then distribute them to relevant year groups.

Bonfire Night

This weekend sees another event in our annual calendar, with Bonfire Night happening on the 5th November. We hope that many of our families will attend displays or have their own celebrations, but whatever you choose to do, please stay safe.

Flu Vaccination

The Flu immunisation by Vaccination UK will take place in school to all children next Thursday 9th November. If you have not already, please complete the consent form using the following link https://eastanglia.schoolvaccination.uk/flu/2023/cambridgeshire.

I would like to wish you all a lovely weekend and hope you enjoy time with your families - see you all on Monday.

Miss R Tansley

Director of Learning

^{Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash}

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

Operation Christmas Child

Love....in a shoebox

The mission of Operation Christmas Child (run by Samaritan’s Purse) is to provide God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world and to share the Good News of Jesus Christ at Christmas. For some children, this gift-filled shoebox is the only present they will have ever received. In these difficult times, many are struggling to make ends meet – but the poorest of the poor are most affected and children need to know they are loved; today more than ever.

If you feel able to pack a box or simply give a small gift to the shoebox appeal, Orton Wistow Primary School are collecting both filled shoeboxes and individual items which will be safely packed and processed by a local group.

Click the link for more information and a video of how boxes change children’s lives: https://www.samaritans-purse.org.uk/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/

Individual gifts or items, as well as filled boxes can be dropped off into prepared collection boxes in the school reception, between now and Friday November 10th. Thank you!

Photo by Katherine Conrad on Unsplash

FOWS Competition - Easyfundraising

New! New! New!  FOWS Competition. Win £25 cash!

New to 2023, FOWS is introducing a fundraising competition where you could win £25 cash by shopping online in November!

The best thing about this competition is that you don't have to part with any extra money from your own pocket. When shopping online open your browser though easyfundraising.org.uk or the easyfundraising app, make sure your cause is set to Friends of Orton Wistow School, click the link to the website you wish to shop on and spend as normal!

We can see how much money each individual has raised and the winner of the £25 is the person who raises the most for FOWS on easyfundraising during the month of November.

So not only can you raise money for us while doing your Christmas shopping, you can use it for big purchases, such as insurance, furniture or even your 2024 summer holiday! 

The winner will be announced at the Christmas Fair on the 8^th December.

Use the QR code on the poster to get started or use the following link Friends of Orton Wistow Primary School Fundraising | Easyfundraising

Happy shopping!

Word Millionaire

As part of our reading scheme in KS2, children embark on their journey into Accelerated Reader.  After a child completes reading a text they take an online quiz, which records their word count and then at the end of each half term, we see if we have any 'Word Millionaires' across  the key stage. 

We would like to celebrate Mason P from Year 3 as our first 'Word Millionaire' from  Autumn 1 term and look forward to seeing many more millionaires join as the year progresses. Well done to Mason, we hope you wear your badge with pride.

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}