Newsletter 15th May 2020

This half term we will be looking at the following value:

  • Resilience

- Letter from Mr Griffin

Dear Parents,

I hope you and your children are well and staying safe.

Over the past week, I have been working alongside a group of governors and senior teachers to look at how we can re-open the school from Monday 1st June for children in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6. I would like to emphasise that this is a conditional date and the final decision whether it is safe to reopen schools will be made nearer the time based on the latest scientific advice.

The safety of our children, staff and families is our utmost priority. The changes that we will need to implement in school to prepare for this phased re-opening should not be underestimated. The main challenge is that it is almost impossible to ensure social distancing in any primary school. Especially amongst the younger children who do not learn by sitting at desks all day long.

However, in order to minimise risks to children and staff we (and all schools) will need to make a number of adjustments to how we operate. These are currently being discussed by school leaders and staff but the main changes the Government have recommended schools follow are:

x   Class sizes of no more than 15

x   Each class will not mix with other classes or staff

x   Desks in classrooms will be spaced as far apart as possible

x   Breaktimes and lunchtimes to be staggered

x   Start/end times will be staggered

x   Resources in class will be limited to reduce the spread of infection

x   Increased deep cleaning of the school (especially surfaces, door handles etc.)

x   Utilising outdoor spaces for learning

x   Regular handwashing

The Government also announced, 'Our ambition is to bring all primary year groups back to school before the summer holiday, for a month if feasible, though this will be kept under review'.

Children will be encouraged to return to school, and we are looking forward to welcoming them back. Please be assured, we will not increase the numbers of children in school until we are fully prepared. I appreciate that some of you may be reluctant to send your children back to school and will have concerns about their safety. This is a decision that only you can make. The Government acknowledge this and have said that parents who choose not to send their children in during the summer term will not be fined for non-attendance. 

If you are planning not to send your child back to school on Monday 1st June, if possible, can you email parents@charltonono.co.uk before the 22th May. 

As soon as we have more detail of the plans to reopen, I will write to you again. In the meantime, children will continue with their home learning activities set by their teachers.

Have a great weekend.

 Mr Griffin

- Leftover paint

We are planning to revitalise and brighten up the FSU so if you have any good quality spare paint that you would like to dispose of, please can you contact the office via parents@charltonono.co.uk to arrange a drop off. Thanks in advance for your donation. 

- Refunds for trips and events cancelled due to COVID -19

We are in the process of organising refunds for all cancelled trips and events due to the pandemic. Please bear with us as this is taking longer than normal in light of the current circumstances. Thank you for your patience.

- Messages from Mrs Ellam

Lockdown Lit - Short Story Competition

For those children who would like to show off their fantastic writing skills, below is a story writing competition they might like to enter.  We would love to see any stories you write too.  We know there are lots of budding authors out there, so get writing!

The competition is simple, free and easy to enter. Children need to submit a story on any topic of between 100-1000 words, by June 15th 2020.

Entries will be judged by a panel of children’s authors and prizes will be awarded in three age categories (up to 7; 8-12 and 13+). The winning entries will be published with their authors and their school receiving free copies.
 
Please go to Child’s Eye for more information on this exciting opportunity!
 
Online Safety
At Charlton we do our best to keep your children safe, including while online.  To support you with online safety at home, please click on the link for help-sheets for parents and home activity packs for children.
 
Please click on the link below:

- I.M.P.S

What can you do to help in an emergency situation during the coronavirus outbreak?

If you have been trained in first aid you may be wondering how you can put your skills to use to support people in the community. 

The simple answer is to carry on using the lifesaving skills you have been taught. 

As you can imagine, during this difficult time there are less and less people who are comfortable to step forward and help others, mostly as they are concerned about physical contact.  Hopefully, we can offer some reassurance and helpful tips on how to make it as safe as possible.  
Follow this advice for adults from the British Red Cross.

Please find the same documents as PDFs below.

- Brigade (uniform supplier)

Please can you let the office know if you are going to need to order some uniform items from Brigade so that we can set up an on-line ordering service for you.

You can see Charlton-on-Otmoor page at http://www.brigade.uk.com/direct/index.php 

New Pupil Measuring Help - As measuring/induction events may be cancelled, sizing for new pupils may need to be done from home.   A helpful measuring booklet for families will be emailed to you shortly which will include:

  • How to Measure - hints and tips
  • Size Guidelines (sizing comparison information)
  • Wash Care Instructions

Thank you.

- Reading Record Milestone

Well done to these children for reaching a Reading Record Milestone (every 25 nights) in their Reading Record. Great achievement!

FSU
Oliver 150
Freddie 125
 
Year1
Orla 100
Evelyn 175
 
Year 2
Molly 100
Ronnie 150
Rufus 175
 
Year 3
Ruby 100
Kara 150
 
Year 4
Lucas 100
Emily 175
 
Year 5
Willem 175
 

- Childline Support

You can talk to them about anything. No problem is too big or too small. you can find the link on the banner of our website too.

https://www.childline.org.uk/get-support/contacting-childline/

- Home Learning

- FSU

This week the FSU children have listened to the Fairy Tale; The three little pigs and an alternative version; The three little wolves and the big bad pig. We challenged the children to do some hot seating (pretending they are the characters from the story) where Seb really impressed us with his acting skills! Here are some other examples of their excellent work.

Our young contributors are:

William
Isla
Alby
Jamie.

In Maths the children have been learning about pattern. We were really impressed with the ideas and complexity of the children's patterns and had some excellent videos and photos sent in. Here is Daisy's.

Samuel did some colouring /writing about The Three Little Pigs, well done.

Below is a little game the children had this week to them to keep their social distances!

- Yr1/2

More brilliant work from Yr 1/2 children.

The young contributors for this week are: 

Orla & Rufus.

Mrs Styler wanted to give a big shout out for brilliant work to Tom and Jaxon-Lee. Well done!

In Science, the children learnt all about habitats. 

Our Young contributors are:

Isla
Archie
Amelia
Chloe
Grace
Jacob
Orla

Special thumbs up for Tom for his brilliant work below!

- Yr 3/4

This week in Geography we have been learning about water treatment and the sewage system making posters about what we can flush down the toilet. In Science, we have been starting our topic on plants and learning about the different parts. When studying Clarice Cliff pottery, some of the children discovered they had a few pieces at home, AMAZING! In English, we wrote a letter to the Judge persuading them why James (from James and ahe Giant Peach) should return to England.
 
The young contributors are:
 
Freddie holding a Clarice Bowl
Emily's Clarice Cliff Pottery
Beatrice's Plant Diagram
Kara & Kit's Toilet Posters
Lucas' Clarice Cliff Jug Design
Ruby's English Writing
 

- Yr 5/6

Great work from some Yr5/6.

The young contributors are:

Edward's Clarice Cliff Pottery Design
Junior's Science Work on Adaptation
Emily's Descriptive Writing
Extract from Wilf's Descriptive Writing
Charlie's Clarice Cliff Pottery Design

- How to apply for free school meals

Ask for an application form from your child’s school (see link below), complete it and return to the school together with proof of benefit so that your school can assess eligibility.

Link to application form:

http://schools.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/sites/schools/files/folders/folders/documents/schoolmeals/appendixB.pdf

Proof of benefit cannot be demonstrated by a bank statement or photocopies, only by an original of the following:

- Income Support - letter from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)/Jobcentre Plus dated within one month of application showing breakdown of income support payment.

- Income Based Employment & Support Allowance - letter from DWP/Jobcentre Plus dated within one month of application.

- Child Tax Credit (without Working Tax Credit and 'annual income as assessed by the Inland Revenue' of below the threshold figure for the year) - All pages of the TC602 Inland Revenue tax credit award notice for the current tax year.

- State pension credit - Pension Credit M1000 Award Notice.

Asylum seekers will need to provide a National Asylum and Support Service (NASS) support notice or IS96 document including details of authority providing support under part IV of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. You will be required to supply:

* NASS reference number
* Port reference number
* Name of authority

When to apply?
You should apply to your school when you first start to receive benefit as claims are not backdated. Your eligibility will be reviewed at least every six months by the school.

You should notify the school immediately if any changes occur to your benefits.

- Various Information

To keep you all busy, on our website we have been putting links to all sorts of interesting and exciting activities for all ages:

https://charlton-on-otmoor.sch.life/Page/Category/google-classroom-during-lockdown 

These are updated regularly so keep checking it for new ideas.

There are also links for technical support and how to use Google Classroom:

https://charlton-on-otmoor.sch.life/page/category/remote-learning-it

Remember to keep reading and filling in reading records.  


*** THINGS TO DO DURING THE HOLIDAYS ***



Charlton-on-Otmoor C of E Primary School

Fencott Road,

Charlton-on-Otmoor,

Kidlington,

Oxfordshire.

OX5 2UT


Contact Information


Tel: 01865 331 239

Email: parents@charltonono.co.uk


Statutory Info


School Prospectus: Coming Soon

EYF Early Years School Prospectus: Digital Online Flipbook

Click here for Oxfordshire's local offer for support and services for disabled children and young people from 0-25.

If you have a query please contact Miss Giles or Mrs North on enquiries@charltonono.co.uk

For queries regarding Special Educational Needs (SEN) please contact Zoe Wells on sendco@charltonono.co.uk