Newsletters

Dear Parents and Carers,

With around 14 staff having to isolate, some teachers working remotely, and the Year One bubble being closed, the school has felt even quieter this week. I know the Year One team are working hard from home, providing remote learning for all children in the Iguanas and Elephants, and where possible, all other staff isolating are helping out in a variety of ways. It feels like we are all going to have a whole new range of skills once we are through this pandemic. 

I often think about what changes we have made in the last year that we may continue with, even after the lockdownends and we can lift some of the social distancing rules. Zoom assemblies worked well in the Autumn term, gave some flexibility in the classrooms and avoided any time being wasted getting 420 children into the hall. However, I miss the chance to see all the children in one go and there is something special about all being together. Maybe a mix of both ways will be a good compromise. Staggered lunchtimes have worked well, and the hall isn't ever too busy and noisy. This is something we had considered before the pandemic and I imagine we will stick to it in some form. Wearing PE kits to school has been a game-changer and I can't see why we would return to changing at school. I read recently that there has been the lowest number of flu cases this year in a very long time. This has been a positive side effect of all the social distancing measures we have put in place. More regular handwashing could be something we always do from now on. 

I guess these things are crossing my mind as maybe some of the lockdown restrictions may start to be lifted due to the number of cases lowering and the rate of people getting the first dose of the vaccine is at a reassuring level. Let's hope we can have all the children back in school soon. 

It was a sad day on Tuesday when we heard the news of Captain Sir Tom Moore passing away. What an inspiration he was to so many people. I know many of the teachers have used his remarkable story in lessons and assemblies we have done at school to inspire the pupils and remind them of the importance of helping others and being thankful for what we have. 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Take care and stay safe. 

Colin Marks
Deputy Head Teacher 

Photo from www.peterboroughmatters.co.uk (https://archive.terry-harris.com/) 

In this section, you can see the learning that children are doing both at home and in school.  It includes new experiences and skills gained at home as well as home learning set by OWPS.

Art Challenge - Week 2

By Mrs McIntosh, Art Lead

Last week, Mrs McIntosh launched the OWPS weekly Art Challenge. The aim is to encourage OWPS children learning in school and at home to be creative.  Each week, Mrs McIntosh posts a new challenge and everyone is invited to take part.

You can post your art on twitter using the hashtag #OWPSARTCHALLENGE.  

First, we take look at what the children created in response to last week's challenge, and then we find out what Mrs McIntosh's NEW challenge is for week two.

The results of Last Week's Art Challenge

Last week's Art Challenge was to Create Something Inspired By Shape. 

Congratulations to all the children who took part and posted their work on twitter #OWPSARTCHALLENGE.  Here is a selection of some of the brilliant pieces of art created by OWPS children:

To view more of the children's fabulous creations, please visit #OWPSARTCHALLENGE on Twitter.

This Week's Art Challenge #OWPSARTCHALLENGE

Watch Mrs McIntosh's new video to discover the challenge for week two.  She recaps on what the children created last week and gives details of this week's art challenge, which is to Create Something Inspired by Mythical Creatures:

Good luck with the challenge!  We can't wait to see your creations at #OWPSARTCHALLENGE. 

You can also email us at digital@owps.org.uk.  Please remember to state that you give your consent for photos to be published on the website and in the newsletter if you choose to send us a photograph.

Battle of the Times Table Rock Stars!

By Miss Wyatt, Maths Lead

This week Lower Key Stage Two (Years 3 and 4) are going head-to-head with Upper Key Stage Two (Years 5 and 6) in a friendly online times tables competition.

The competition is taking place on Times Tables Rock Stars and continues until 6pm tonight.  Here are the results so far.

As you can see, it has been a tightly fought contest between the Jaguars and Wombats all week in UKS2.  The Cobras and the Flamingoes in LKS2 have also been battling hard.  

There is still time to make a difference to these results, so if you are in Years 3, 4, 5 or 6 keep up the good work!  We will let you know the final scores next week. 

As a result of all the fantastic multiplication work that OWPS children have been doing, we are currently in the 28th spot in the local school leader board!

It would be great to move into the top 20.  The children need to play on the Studio game in order to get a Studio Speed.  The quicker the speed, the better we do! 

Thank-you to everyone who has been joining in!

Photo by Leutrim Fetahu on Unsplash

Feel Good February - Week 2

By the Feel Good February Team

Last week, The Feel Good February Team launched the first week of activities to the lift the spirits of the OWPS community.  

Feel Good February - Week One Round-up

The theme of week one was 'Laughter'.  Children, parents, carers and teachers took to Twitter to share their hilarious jokes using the hashtag #FeelGoodFeb.

It was great to see so many people taking part and the punchlines certainly brought a smile to our faces.  The teachers then chose a winning joke from each class:

Why was 6 afraid of 7? Because 7 '8' 9! by Poppy (Penguins)	Why did the cow cross the road? Because it was the chicken's day off! by Aria (Magpies)
Knock knock Who's there? Cows go Cows go who? Don't be silly cows go moo! by Vivaan (Elephants)	Why are pirates called pirates? Because they arrrrrrrrrrr!! by Arabella (Iguanas )
What did one volcano say to the other? I lava you! By Oliver (Squirrels)	Why do vampires seem sick? They're always coffin. By Lyla (Macaws)
Did you hear the rumour about butter? No? I'm not going to spread it around! By Scarlett (Nightingales)	Got mugged by a cobra once when I was walking through the park. Wouldn’t recognise it again though, it was wearing a hood. By Eden (Cobras)
What do elves learn in school? The elfabet! By Halima (Flamingoes)	Did you hear about the cactus in the tuxedo? He was looking sharp! By Alex (Jaguars)
What did the grape say when the elephant sat on it? Nothing, just let out a little wine! By Joshy (Wombats)	What part of a computer does a spider use? A webcam! By Archie (Sharks)
What do you call a pig doing karate? A pork chop! By Gareth (Toucans)	Congratulations and thank-you to everyone who took part!
Mr Eardley and Mr Marks have created a video containing the winning jokes, which you can view here.

Feel Good February - Week Two's Theme 'Connecting'

The Feel Good February Team would like to introduce you to Week 2 of Feel Good February.  The theme this week is 'Connecting' and you can find out more by watching the video.

If you take part (and we really hope you do), why not tweet us about it on #FeelGoodFeb. 

You can also email us at digital@owps.org.uk.  Please remember to state that you give your consent for photos to be published on the website and in the newsletter if you choose to send us a photograph.

Photo by Katie Burnett on Unsplash

Celebrating Our Feathered Friends!

By Ms Porter, Eco Lead

RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch

On 22nd January, I wrote to tell you about the RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch.  Thank you to those of you who joined in with the RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch last weekend.   

It was good to see your photos on Twitter. If you continue to spot any more unusual birds, perhaps you could continue to tweet them this week. 

I know it must be disappointing if you didn't spot many birds but remember everything you did (or didn't) see gives the RSPB a picture of what is happening with bird life around the country. 

I only saw a pigeon in the hour I spent looking in my garden, although I did spot a little mouse scampering into my shed which gave me a surprise! 

Bird Feeders and Crafts

It's been great to see how my video about making a bird feeder has inspired you all to feed the birds in your garden.  

I've also been delighted to see the crafts that you've made.

Thank-you again for joining in to look after our feathered friends.   Keep feeding the birds!

Thumbnail Photo by Martin Arusalu on Unsplash

Fitness Challenge - Week 3

By Mr Cowles, PE Lead

The results of Last Week's Fitness Challenge

Well done to Eden who took part in the Home Court Split Step Reaction challenge.  She achieved 179 points.

Congratulations also to Elissa for getting 163 points.  Thank-you so much for taking part.

We hope that everyone who joined in had lots of fun!

If you would like a reminder of how to download the Home Court app and take part, please click here.  

If you don't have access to the Home Court App, no problem!  Mr Cowles has compiled some challenges that don't require access to a device. See here for details.

This Week's Fitness Challenge #OWPSFITNESSCHALLENGE

 Mr Cowles has recorded a new video giving details of this week's fitness challenge.  The challenge is called the 'Ordered reaction' which can be found under 'Agility' in the Home Court App.

Don't forget, if you haven't got access to the Home Court App, you can still join in!  

Mr Cowles has compiled some February Keep Active Challenges, one for every day of the month.  Today's challenge is to do some Step Ups!  Why not have a go at the daily challenges or simply choose one to try this week?

Share Your Progress

No matter which Fitness Challenge you do, keep sending us your results so that we can celebrate your achievements!  

Tweet your results #OWPSFITNESSCHALLENGE.  You can also email us at digital@owps.org.uk.  Please remember to state that you give your consent for photos to be published on the website and in the newsletter if you choose to send us a photograph.

OWPS Silent Disco

Over the last ten days, children at OWPS have enjoyed participating in a silent disco.

The Friends of Orton Wistow (FOWS) discos usually take place once a term. They have become a time-honoured tradition at Orton Wistow Primary School. FOWS host three discos a year with teachers and parents giving up their time after school to help at the event. 

But since the Covid-19 pandemic, the discos have not been able to take place.

A few weeks ago, however, Mrs Edwards discovered a company called Silent Disco4U. They were offering 10 days free hire of silent disco headsets to all schools during the lockdown. It seemed the perfect way to offer the children in school a feel-good experience.  

Mrs Ironside, the Music Lead, got in touch with Silent Disco4U. She arranged for 50 wireless headsets to be delivered to the school. The children could use the headset to either dance or take part in a music quiz. Each headset was cleaned thoroughly between uses.

Children of all ages have enjoyed taking part. The Year Three Bubble used the headsets for a quiz and streamed music through Spotify. 

The Year One and Two bubbles had fun disco dancing in the hall with the blue spotlights on. The children loved it. As one Year 1 child said,  'This is awesome!'. The bubbles in the Foundation Stage, Year 5 and Year 6 have also had a turn with the headsets. 

The silent disco has enabled the children to exercise and dance together in the hall. The children were even able to choose which music they listened to on their headset. This meant that different children might be dancing to different songs at the same time.

If you're learning at home, why not take a few minutes to dance to some of your favourite songs? Dancing is a great way to get some exercise and improve your well-being.

We all hope that it won't long before everyone is back in school. We are looking forward to hosting the FOWS School Discos once again! 

A new weekly section on how to maintain good mental health and well-being.

Updates on what is Coming Up in School will recommence after the national lockdown ends.