Issue 405: 18th November 2022

Dear Parents and Carers,

Days when we have a wet playtime and lunchtime always feel a little hectic in school. I'm pleased to say that the children have coped well, and the staff have made the most of the Wistow Mile Track when the rain has stopped on those particularly wet days! As PE lessons have all moved outside at the moment too, classes often use online movement resources to ensure children still have a form of PE on those soggy days. 

ACES Trust Visit

Mr Eardley popped in to see us this week, and he brought with him all the new heads from the schools he now looks after as part of his new Primary Director role. They had a tour of the school, and then I met with them to tell them all about what makes our school special. They were very complimentary about everything they saw, particularly how polite and well-mannered the pupils were, and all took back with them some ideas for how to possibly do some things differently in their schools. It was great to see Mr Eardley and I am hoping to arrange some visits to his schools, to see what we could take from their approaches to education. 

Year Five Assembly

Everyone who watched the Year Five assembly this week had a great time. The children in the Pandas and Flamingos classes put on a great show, and it was amazing how much they had learnt this term about The Vikings. The acting and singing was clear and in time and I have heard several people humming the tunes around school. Well done to all those involved. 

Year Three Football Tournament

Mr Newton and Miss Carters took a group of Year Three footballers to a tournament at Nene Park Academy yesterday. The team won every game they played, and it was clear that we have some very talented footballers in that year group. This was the first time they had represented the school as part of a football team, and they all did so with PRIDE and enthusiasm. 

Grandparents' Lunches    

For a few years in school, we couldn't go ahead with some of the events that had become a regular part of our calendar. Seeing so many grandparents in school this week, joining their grandchildren for lunch was one of the highlights of the year so far. Thank you to all those family members that came along for a meal with us here. It is great that we have been able to do this once again, and we are looking forward to seeing more family members join us later in the year. 

Have a good weekend everyone!

Mr. Marks

Headteacher

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

Year 4 Visit to Ferry Meadows

By Mrs Granville, Lower Key Stage 2 Team Leader and Giraffes Class Teacher

On Thursday 10^th November, Year 4 walked to Ferry Meadows, to visit Roman Point. 

When Ferry Meadows was created in the 1970s, the remains of foundations of an aisled barn were discovered at Roman point, along with evidence of a farmstead and a military camp nearby. 

Year 4 were fascinated to hear that there is evidence of Roman life in our local area!  The children had the opportunity to explore the site and to think about what the buildings might have looked like during Roman times, and also to listen to the history of the site.  

Cross Country Event 09.11.22

By Abi in Year Six

On Wednesday 9th November 2022 at 9:30 a few children from Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 were chosen to represent the school at a cross country run at Arthur Mellows Village College.

At around 10:15 they arrived, and they got taken to a monumental field.  All the children did a warm-up (stretches and a lap around the course.) After the stretches, the Years 3 and 4 boys had their race, and they ran 1.5 miles. After every boy had finished, the girls set off, and it was the same length (1.5 miles).

A few minutes later the Years 5 and 6 boys set off but this time the distance was 2.0 miles. A few boys struggled in the race but carried on because they knew that their team needed the points to get into the Top 3.  

Next, the Years 5 and 6 girls went to the starting grid and set off. After the girls had finished, every school swarmed around one of the organisers from Arthur Mellows College to get the results about who had won. The children from OWPS waited to see if they had made it into the Top 3.

When OWPS wasn't named in third place, the children all thought that they wouldn't get into the Top 3.  But then the organisers called out who came second, and they said Orton Wistow Primary School!  All the children started cheering and everyone was happy! The children from OWPS came back on the coach, thanked the bus driver got off the coach and finished the day. 

Celebrating Success 18.11.22

This week we are delighted to celebrate the following children and their extracurricular achievements:

This child in Year 4 took part in her first ever Irish dancing competition in Coventry. She danced 4 dances against 11 other dancers and managed to win 2 x 1st places and 1 x 3rd place. This means she will now move from the novice category to primary. Well done!

Samragyi in Foundation Stage has a keen interest in drawing. One day, she wasn't feeling well and wanted to be in her mother's lap. This is how she portrayed her feelings with a drawing. What a fantastic way of expressing her feelings!

 This child in Year 1 has started to take part in a drama/music class at Peterborough Music School. This week was Halloween week. Well done!

After only a few months in swimming lessons; this child in Year 1 has levelled up to Stage 2 and right before her birthday as well. Well done!

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!

Creative Writing and our Mental Wellbeing

How can Creative Writing help our Wellbeing?

In this fast-paced and busy world, it can often be hard to find time to reflect on events and process our feelings.  Writing creatively can help us stop and take time to express our emotions.

Whether it's writing a journal entry, a poem or a story, creative writing is an accessible and easy way to get our feelings out and onto the page.  All you need is a quiet space, some paper and a pen!

Lilly in Year 5 has written a fantastic poem which illustrates how important it is to express our emotions and how talking about our feelings can make us feel better inside:

A Poem by Lilly in Year 5

Feel stuck in my thoughts

(and feelings, of course)

Just can't get just a break inside.

Talking about it,

It's more helpful than struggling with it.

Inside: worried, scared.

I feel it now.

Sad feelings are fine and happy feelings are amazing!

All emotions are fine.

But talking about them, it's just more easier INSIDE.

Creative Writing Prompts

If you find yourself staring at a blank page, Family Action has some ideas to get you started. Alex, a volunteer with BAND, the Family Action community based mental health service in Bolton, has compiled this list of writing prompts:

1. Pick a colour, for example yellow, and write a poem or a paragraph: what does this colour mean to you, what does it remind you of, does it make you think of a memory, if it had a smell what would it be?
    
2. ‘Freewriting’: set a timer for either five or ten minutes and once you start the timer start writing and don’t stop until the alarm goes off. Don’t worry about writing gibberish/it not making sense - that’s the point! Just make sure you are writing whatever comes to your mind and don’t stop writing. When you’ve finished read through what you have written and see if you can make a poem or paragraph.
    
3. Go to a window wherever you are and look outside: write one paragraph about what you can see, hear, and smell. Then right another paragraph as if you live in a fantasy world, what do you see, hear, and smell now?
    
4. Imagine you are an animal: you can choose whether you have always been an animal or have suddenly turned into one. Never mention what animal you have chosen. Write a poem or short story about what it’s like to be this animal - mention all five senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch)
    
5. Write two sentences that make a complete short story: I recommend writing a short story that’s only a paragraph long and then cutting it down to the two most essential sentences.
    
6. Imagine you are an alien: you have just arrived at Earth and have no idea what a TV is. Try to describe what it is and what it does. Are you fascinated or scared by it?
    
7. Find a photograph: it can be a photo of anything (yourself, a family member, an object or animal) Write a poem or paragraph describing the photo in detail. Then how does this photo make you feel, what memories does it bring back, what led up to this photo being taken?
    
8. Random Word Generator: you can either use the five words that I randomly selected: Mind    Wish    Seize    Sleep    Soap. Or you can go on to the website and get another five random words. Use the five words to create a poem or a short story.
    
9. Put on your favourite song (Wear earphones if possible) and listen to it once and focus on what you can hear. Then play it again and write about what you think about when you hear the lyrics, what emotions do you feel, describe it. Write a poem or short story. Feel free to include the song title and lyrics.

Where to go if you or your child need support

The NHS encourages children and adults to come forward for support with mental health and well-being, with the GP cited as the first port of call. 

If you have any concerns about your child/ren's mental health, you can also contact your child's class teacher to raise any mental health and well-being concerns by emailing office@owps.org.uk or using the website contact form.

You can read more about how to access further advice and support by clicking here to visit Mind's website.

^{Photo by Camille Brodard on Unsplash}

Mobile Phones in school

 We would like to remind visitors to OWPS that we do not permit the use of mobile phones in school for safeguarding purposes.

Discover what is coming up in the OWPS Dining Car and discover more about our upcoming Grandparents' Lunches.

Read about what is happening locally, nationally and internationally.

^{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. Given the current circumstances, we would recommend all parents check with any providers regarding the status of these services, activities and clubs}