Thameside Primary School Cotman Close Abingdon Oxfordshire OX14 5NL Telephone/Fax: 01235-527600 e-mail: [email protected] Headteacher: Anna Grice “Every Child Every Chance Every Day” Friday 5th May 2017 Dear Parents and Carers, Next week the Year 6 children will sit their end of Key Stage 2 tests. They have been working very hard preparing for these. We are very proud of the progress they have made this year as they have tackled the challenging requirements of a demanding curriculum. We wish them all good luck and straightforward questions! Breakfast will be provided for all the Year 6 children next week from 8.00am in the Small Hall. The Thameside Breakfast Club will take place as normal in the Big Hall. Breakfast Club I would like to remind parents that the breakfast club runs from 7.45am to 8.30am. Children have been arriving earlier than this. From Monday children will not be able to come in until 7.45am. Thank you for your co-operation. Learning Snapshots The children in Year 3 have started an exciting science project. The children will have eight sessions working in the Abingdon School community science lab. This week they made bubble wands of different shapes and investigated why the bubbles were always round. We look forward to finding out what they do in future weeks. Fair Funding for All Schools The Oxfordshire branch of this organisation is being led by two parents at Carswell School. The organisation trying to ensure that funding for schools is not cut. Proposed cuts will have an impact on staffing and resources for all schools. I have included an update on their activities below. Tuesday 2 May Thousands of Fair Funding postcards will be handed over to the Department for Education (DfE) including those signed by Oxfordshire parents. BBC Radio Oxford is prerecording an interview with Helen this weekend for Tuesday broadcast and Oxford Mail will cover (with local photo opportunity at an Abingdon primary) to tie into the DfE story. That evening we want everyone to create a twitter storm and tweet about education funding being an election issue from 9pm using the hashtag #schoolsjustwannahavefunds Get your fingers at the ready! Last time we did this we got the hashtag trending in the top 5. Wednesday 3 May Oxford Mail article is published: http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/15261044.Pupils_and_parents_step_up_fight_for_fairer_school_funding/ Saturday 13 May St Nic's Primary School Spring Fair - kindly have agreed for us to have a stall at the fair. Is anyone free to help? Most St Nic's parents are already involved with other stalls. I believe the fair is from 11-2. Tuesday 23 May Oxford West & Abingdon hustings, 7.30 - 9.30pm, Amey Theatre, Abingdon School. This is being hosted by CiA and the Abingdon Chamber of Commerce. Layla Moran, Lib Dem, has already confirmed she will take part. Other candidates haven't all been selected yet, but we hope they'll join in. The organisers would like emailed questions in advance by 18 May. Please send emails this weekend with education funding questions. The more of us who email, the more chance there is that this will be added to the agenda. The email is [email protected] Saturday 27 May We have a stall booked at Abingdon Market Place from 9.30-12 noon. Would anyone be free to help? You don't need to stay for the whole morning. Would any of your children/young people like to help out? Would anyone else like to run a stall in Oxford, Wallingford, and other Oxfordshire towns? Let us know! Parent schools reps We have parent reps now for the following schools; is anyone willing to be a rep for other schools we don't have on our list yet? Let us know. Email back and let us know what school/s your children go to and if you're happy to liaise with your heads when we have events/leaflets. Thanks. Caldecott Primary School, Abingdon Carswell Community Primary School, Abingdon Dunmore Primary School, Abingdon St Nic's Primary School, Abingdon John Blandy Primary School, Southmoor Didcot Girls School Larkmead School Fitzharrys School Thanks for all your support keeping this issue on the media radar, it's even more important now during the election period. Helen Brockett and Emma Jackson Fair Funding for All Schools Oxfordshire If any parents from Thameside would like to be a representative for our school please let me know. The Headteacher and Chair of Governors from Larkmead School, Sharron Jenkinson (Chair of Governors) and I are meeting with Nicola Blackwood next week to discuss what implications the funding cuts will have on our schools. Yours sincerely, A. Grice Headteacher .