STOW ON THE WOLD PRIMARY SCHOOL NEWSLETTER END OF TERM DECEMBER 2005 admiration for Mrs Stone and Mrs Ratcliffe for Dear Parents their hard work producing such a great meal, hot and on time! Thanks also to Mrs Hope who Final Celebration Assembly kindly helped serve and wash up afterwards. All parent helpers have been invited to our final Let’s see if we can reach 100 diners next year! special celebration assembly on Tuesday this week. The children will be receiving certificates Christmas Parties for their good work, good attendance, and special Mrs Lancaster and Class 5 have been busy awards for children who have worked hard all preparing food for the Infant and Junior parties. term. The children will also receive their prizes The food has been provided this year by the from the Rotary Club for the colouring school and we have gone for the healthy option. competition. Items on the menu include healthy sandwiches with brown bread, tropical fruit kebabs, peppers Christmas Productions and mixed salad and fruit platters along with Thank you to everyone who attended our the traditional mini sausages, pizza slices, Christmas Productions this year. We have cheese and pineapple on sticks and cakes. received many favourable comments on all the Delicious as well as healthy! I hope they all productions, which are much appreciated. I am enjoy themselves. Thanks to Mrs Arthurs, Mrs sure that you will agree that the children and staff Harkness and Amy Lancaster for helping too. worked very hard indeed. I was very proud of all the children and hope that they all enjoyed Christmas Singing performing as much as we enjoyed watching. The infant and junior children will be singing It was nice to ring the changes and have both for the elderly residents at Newlands, Fisher, matinee and evening performances in school and Chamberlayne and Ashton House over the next in the local Baptist church. Thank you to them couple of days and I am sure that they will be a for allowing us to use their venue.Special thanks real success. We feel that it is important for the to Mrs Lancaster and Mrs Clough for producing children to give something back to their the two shows and to all the staff and helpers community in this way and thank you for who gave up so much of their free time and effort supporting us in this matter. to make sure everything went well. Thanks in particular to Mrs Arthurs, Mrs Neville, Mrs Hamilton, Miss Knowles and Mrs Gustine for their voluntary work making costumes. I was sorry to hear that some of the children were Mumps alert distracted from their performance by the Just to let you know the teenage sister of one of behaviour of some members of the audience and our pupils has mumps so do keep an eye out for have assured all the children that we all thought it during the holidays as it may be doing the they were all wonderful! rounds.

PTA Christmas Raffle Thank you to everyone who donated prizes or bought tickets at the performances. We raised £220.00 for the school. Many thanks to Mrs Harkness for all her hard work getting prizes Christmas Dinner 16th December and organising helpers. Thank you also to Christmas dinner was enjoyed by 97 staff, everyone who helped sell and fold tickets. children and governors. Everyone in school was The money will be used by the PTA to buy treated to a cracker and hat with their meal items on the school wish-list. (including the few sandwich eaters). I am full of Advent Calendars We would like to thank Mr and Mrs Lacey for the large fabric advent calendars that they kindly donated to each class and for the Christmas raffle. They are beautiful and will be much enjoyed by the children for years to come.

Dates for the New Year INSET day on Tuesday 3rd January 2006. Children start on WEDNESDAY 4 th January at 8.55am promptly. School clubs will not start until the second week back (beginning 9th January)

Plea from Mrs. Hunt Mrs. Hunt would like old cardboard chocolate tins with lids, yogurt pots, and plastic scoops like the ones in baby milk tubs for DT next term. Any donations will be gratefully received.

Thank you Thank you very much to everyone who has send cards and gifts for the staff and for all your support this term. It had been a very busy term for us all. Parents have been so supportive in their Ofsted questionnaires and in the Primary Review process as well as the many other ways that you continue to offer us help and practical support making sure that Stow Primary School continues to go from strength to strength. We are very grateful for your on going support of the school in all areas and we will need to continue this unified front in the New Year as schools in the area face a time of uncertainly about their futures.

Finally, on behalf of the staff and Governors of Stow Primary School I would like to wish you and your families a very peaceful Christmas holiday and a very happy start to the New Year. I look forward to seeing you all at the start of the new term.

Together we can succeed Rebecca Scutt Head teacher