New Marston Primary School Newsletter 27.11.20 Through a Rich

New Marston Primary School Newsletter 27.11.20

Through a rich, challenging and ambitious curriculum, we prepare our children to contribute actively and positively to their wider world. We help them to aim higher, reach further and shine brighter.

Learning in school School lunches Key Stage 1 have started practising their Christmas play. It will look a little Please note the vegetarian sausage roll will change to a cheese pinwheel different this year, but the staff are very excited and channelling their on Monday of week 2. creative skills! It’s lovely to see such confidence and enthusiasm in the children. Safeguarding message Transition feedback Sadly there is another video circulating on social media (TikTok) which has Parents in our current Reception, Year One and Year Three classes have some very disturbing images. The video is named ‘Megan is missing’ and is been sent a short survey to complete regarding their child's transition from based on a film which is banned in many countries. Please be cautious if their previous year group to their current one. This will help us to evaluate your child is using the internet. May we remind you that TikTok is not and develop our transition procedures and make them even better. I would suitable for children aged under 13 and most social media sites have an be very grateful if you could complete the survey by 11.12.20 age limit which is 13 or above. Shoebox appeal This year we are running a shoebox appeal for a local charity. ‘Children Christmas cards Heard and Seen’ is an Oxford based charity which support children with a We are able to have Christmas cards brought parent in prison. They do some amazing work. Their usual sponsor is unable into school to be given to peers, if you celebrate to help this year so we’d like to. We have a lot of boxes from chrome books Christmas. To do this safely, we need to ask for and we’d like to fill them with goodies for children who may be facing all cards to be in school before 11th December. financial hardship or may have a difficult Christmas. If you have any good We can then quarantine these and send them quality, nearly new/new toys, books, games that you would like to donate, home in the last day or two of term. please do so between Monday 30th November and Friday 11th December. Selection boxes or small chocolate gifts can be included. If you would like to donate some wrapping paper, this would also be helpful (or if you’d like to volunteer to wrap some boxes!).

Headteacher: Mrs Rachel Vlachonikolis, New Marston Primary School, Copse Lane, Marston, Oxon, OX3 0AY, Tel: 01865 761560 e-mail: [email protected] Website: www.nmps.org.uk New Marston School Values: Growth Kindness Grit Community Integrity COVID updates Dates for the term • We are now requesting that all adults wear face coverings when on school site INSET Dates for 2020-2021: and would be grateful if you would adhere to this unless exempt. 4.1.21 INSET

Supporting families during the school holidays Diary Dates The government have announced that pupils in receipt of Free School Meals should receive support during the holidays for food. Oxfordshire County Council are 30.11.20—Shoebox appeal organising this—not the school. w/c 8.12.20—Virtual Christmas performances In addition to this, we will be offering some Christmas hampers as a school to all pupils in receipt of Free School Meals. If you might be eligible, please phone Zoe in 9.12.20—Christmas dinner day and Christmas jumper day the office. ’It s a simple check requiring your national insurance number and date of 16.12.20—Christmas movie night (3.30-5.30) birth. 18.12.20—School finishes at 1.30pm

We are consulting All other term dates can be found on our website: www.nmps.org.uk The governors are consulting on a proposal to lower the admission number for the school. This is in response to falling birth rates across Oxfordshire and specifically within our catchment area and surrounding areas, where a surplus of places is also projected. Parents will be familiar that year groups R, 1 and 3 are Facebook and Twitter already running with lower numbers. This process will therefore support our planning in the future and safeguard the school's budget and staffing requirements. Please see Please follow us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ our proposed admissions arrangements [https://www.nmps.org.uk/our-admissions- nmps.org/ process] for more details. The consultation will run until Friday 8 January 2021. If you Friends of new Marston https://www.facebook.com/ have any comments please contact [email protected] groups/1480960318824343/ We also have a new Twitter account; please follow us at @marstonnew Gloves!

Please ensure your child has a named coat, hat, gloves etc for these cold, wintery days. All children play outside at lunch times.