St Christopher’s C E School

Email: office.3555@st-christophers.oxon.sch.uk
www.st-christophers.oxon.sch.uk

Newsletter
No 13: Friday 4th March 2011

Dear Parents
Welcome back to school after the Spring half term. The children have got off to a flying
start with the KS2 Athletics team spending the afternoon at Chipping Norton to compete
in the Indoor Tournament. I am, as always, proud of their achievements, behaviour and
positive attitude. We have a packed term ahead, so please do look at the diary dates and to
make sure you don’t miss anything!
Sarah Nisbett – Headteacher

Quick Reminders Primary Engineers Regional Final

th th
 11 -16 March Scholastics Book Fair
 11th March – Y5/6 at Burford School re On Saturday 12th February the Class Winners were
Science Week – don’t forget packed lunch invited to Burford Secondary School to take part in
 14th March 2.45pm Story Writing Assembly the Young Engineers Regional Final. It was fabulous to
 18th March – Red Nose Day – “Dress as a see so many parents, supporters and St. Christopher’s
Clown” - 50p recommended donation. Staff celebrating the achievements of our Children.
Children from Foundation Stage to Year 3 were given
the task of designing a vehicle that could run down a
SPRING TIDY UP AT SCHOOL ramp in a straight line. Competition was fierce as our
VOLUNTEERS WANTED THIS SUNDAY PLEASE! competitors, the Children from St. Kenelms School
Sunday 6th March 9.30am Minster Lovell, had created some inspirational designs
on the themes of Public Transport. After tough
Andy or Chrissy Tinson (Governors) questioning from the Judges, where the children had
01367 860514 to explain the inspiration and development of their
if you are able to help – thank you. designs, plus a rigorous testing procedure, marks were
combined which resulted in an overall winner for the
group. I am delighted to announce that Poppy Charles
and Jake Romanek were awarded the trophy for the
best vehicle. The task for older children was even
BREAKFAST CLUB - 8.15am daily
more difficult. They were given the task of creating a
50p per day
motorised vehicle that could be driven both forward
Everyone welcome – for a registration form
and backwards along a straight line and up an ever
please call in the school office. increasing incline. After a grilling from the Judges
about design development and a close inspection of
the model marks were awarded that gave the
competition results. After a magnificent performance
Emergency School Closures St. Christopher’s were runners up.
In addition to our text system, school closures will be broadcast
on: Congratulations to all the children and staff at St.
HEART FM – 102.6 FM /GWR–96.3 FM/ Christopher’s for the enthusiasm and panache with
BBC Radio Oxford–95.2F which they talked this project. Poppy and Jake will
be invited to the Final of the Primary Young Engineers
Or check local radio station websites to be held in Manchester on 26th March 2011. Good
Missed a Newsletter?
Luck to them both –
If you have missed a newsletter, they are available on our Mrs Wargent – Science Co-ordinator
website www.st-christophers.oxon.sch.uk
 School Lunch Menus!
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
th
Week Commencing 7 March 2011

Roast Pork with Yorkshire

Lasagne
Cheese & Tomato Pizza Pudding, apple sauce Fish Fingers & Chips
BBQ Sausage, Mash Cauliflower & Sweetcorn
Potato Dice with Herbs and gravy Baked Beans & Peas
Potato, Peas & Carrots
Broccoli & Sweetcorn Roast Potatoes &
Chocolate Sponge &
Vegetables Vanilla Ice Cream with
Eves Pudding & Custard Chocolate Custard
Orange Drizzle Cake Fruit Sauce
Jelly Jewel

Week Commencing 14th March 2011

Aberdeen Angus Burger Roast Chicken with

Cheese & Tomato Pizza FOOD WITH THOUGHT
Shepherds Pie, with in Bap Yorkshire Pudding, Sage &
Jacket Potato, Broccoli COMIC RELIEF
gravy and vegetables Baked Beans & Apple Onion Stuffing, Carrots &
and Sweetcorn SCHOOL LUNCH
Coleslaw Sprouts
Oat & Apricot Cookies
Chocolate Crunch & PRE-ORDERED
with Fruit Juice Sticky Toffee Pudding & Winter Fruit Salad with
Chocolate Custard LUNCHES ONLY
Custard Gingerbread Cake

Also available every day: Yoghurt, Fresh Fruit & Water - £2.05 per meal.
Any cheques for dinners please make payable to - Oxfordshire County Council.

Entitled to Free School Meals? Children whose parents/carers receive the following support payments
may be entitled to the Free School Meal scheme:
 Income support/Employment support
 Income based job seekers allowance
 Support under the Immigration & Asylum Act 1999
 The Guarantee element of State Pension
 Child Tax Credit - providing that Working Tax Credit in not included and that the annual income for Tax
Credit purposes is within the guideline set for the financial year.
If you feel this applies to you, then please call into the school office for an application form.

Diary Dates
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7 March 8 March 9th March 10th March 11th March

3.15pm Gym Club Swimming Y5/6 Science at Burford

7pm-8pm Go Active 8am Indoor Athletics 2.45pm Celebration
Group Class Photos
Circuits Free Taster 9.30am Toddlers 3.15pm Zumba Dancing Assembly
3.15pm Football Club
Session 3.30pm Tennis Club 3pm Book Fair
7.30pm Cotswold Voices 3.15pm Nature Club

14th March 15th March 16th March 17th March 18th March
Swimming Red Nose Day – Dress
2.45pm Story Writing 8.15am – Books with
8am Indoor Athletics as a Clown Day
Assembly-Everyone Breakfast – (pre-book)
9.30am Toddlers 3pm Book Fair
Welcome 12.30pm Garden Club
3pm Book Fair 3.15pm Zumba Dancing 9am Ginkgo Class
3pm Book Fair 3.15pm Football Club
3.30pm Tennis Club Assembly
3.15pm Gym Club 3.15pm Recorders
7.30pm Cotswold Voices 3.15pm Nature Club
21st March 22nd March 23rd March 24th March 25th March

Swimming 2.45pm Celebration

8am Indoor Athletics 12.30pm Garden Club Assembly
3.15pm Gym Club 9.30am Toddlers 3.15pm Zumba Dancing 3.15pm Football Club 3.15pm Nature Club
3.30pm Tennis Club 3.15pm Recorders Cook 4 Books (Willow)
7.30pm Cotswold Voices

RESIDENTIAL TRIP TO THE PIONEER CENTRE 28TH MARCH – 1ST APRIL 2011
PARENTS EVENINGS MONDAY 4TH & TUESDAY 5TH APRIL 2011
GYMNASTICS CLUB – WILL NOW FINISH ON MONDAY 4TH APRIL 2011 (Cherry Class)
 News update on our friends at Presby A school, Tafo, Ghana
March 2011

We were delighted to welcome Humphrey Barclay to school again for the last assembly of term. Those of you
who remember his last visit will recall seeing the video of the girl collecting water from the hole in the ground
called a well! The water was dirty and triggered a conversation about the lack of clean water in Tafo. The
children’s shock at this situation triggered some fundraising to see what we could do to help.

Many of you supported Oak class in their enterprise to sell Fair Trade chocolate and bought raffle tickets at
Christmas for the Fair Trade hamper. It was, with great delight, that St Christopher’s were able to present a
cheque for £200 for Humphrey to take to the Head of Presby A Primary to buy items to help the children stay
healthy. Humphrey was able to share with us the good news that the Friends of Tafo Charity have managed to
find some sponsors who will provide new bore holes for the village. This will mean children have less distance to
walk to collect water and the water will be clean. Our cheque is likely to be spent providing drinking cups and
sinks for the children at the school. Humphrey will bring more news on that next time! This project has linked
well with our topic of Water and the children have sent some of their Water themed work to share with the
children at Presby A.

Alex and Sholto presenting the cheque.

Humphrey came with greetings from Prince “Boat” and a present for us. It is a broom for sweeping but it also
symbolises how although one strand alone is weak when put with others it can do good work. This reinforces for
me the good that can come from us learning and sharing with our friends across the world in Ghana, being family
and community across the distance.

I will inform you of Humphrey’s next visit and you are welcome to attend the assembly and share the latest
news form Tafo.

Carol Phillips - Deputy Head

THE SCHOOL BUS - Please note that the school bus service is provided directly by
Oxfordshire County Council, who are responsible for the bus contract – not the school. Below are the contact
details for OCC Integrated Transport Services. If you experience any problems with the bus service provided
we would be grateful if you could report them directly to OCC- thank you.

Oxfordshire County Council Integrated Transport Service - Tel: 01865 871670

 Absent from School?
If your child is absent from school for any Parking around School
reason, please don’t forget to let us know
as soon as possible. Absences are As we are at the start of a new term,
recorded in our registers with the please may we remind parents to respect
appropriate reason code, ie illness, holiday, our neighbours when parking near the
medical appointment etc. Where no reason school. From time to time we do receive
is given the absence is recorded as complaints – please help us keep this to a
“unauthorised” and may be investigated by minimum by not blocking drives and
the Educational Welfare Officer. gateways and keeping clear of the zig-zag
lines to allow for the school bus to
Please notify us about the absence by manoeuvre – thank you.
telephoning school on
BOOK BAGS & SWIMHATS
01367 860318 and selecting option 1
We have a limited stock of School Book Bags
to leave a message – and Swimming Hats which are available to buy
thank you. from the school office.

SWIMMING
Term 4 Term 5 Term 6
1st March 3rd May 7th June
8th March 10th May 14th June
15th March 17th May 21st June
22nd March 24th May 28th June
29th March 5th July
Swimming continued again this week at Brize Norton swimming pool and transport was provided by Rebound
Coaches. To cover costs we need to ask parents to pay a contribution of £1.50 per lesson per child (slip
attached). Children will need a swimming kit, which must include a swimming hat (available from the school
office at a cost of £1.00) in a suitable bag. Boys must wear swimming trunks, not shorts. Oxfordshire
County Council’s policy does not allow children to wear goggles. If your child needs to wear goggles they need
to be BS 5883:1996 - please pick up a permission slip from the school office if you have not already done so
last term. Please ensure that all watches and earrings are left at home on swimming days. Please note that a
letter from a parent is required if a child is to miss a swimming lesson for any reason. Generally, if a child is
well enough to be at school then they are well enough to swim.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………….
SWIMMING PROGRAMME Cheques payable to Oxfordshire County Council

 I enclose a contribution of £7.50 to cover the costs for Term 4 (this term)
 I enclose a contribution of £15.00 to cover the costs for Term 3 & 4 (last term & this term)

Name/s ……………………………………………………………………………… Class/es ……………………………….

Signed ……………………………………..……. (Parent/Guardian) Date ……………………………..

 Come and celebrate Book Week

Books with Breakfast

Thursday 17th March 8.15-9.00a.m.

Dear Parents and Carers,

You are warmly invited to come along with your children and younger siblings to share
breakfast and books in the hall from 8.15-9 a.m. Breakfast, including drinks, will be served
by Mrs Norton-White and the hall will be set out with a selection of books and reading
activities for you to share with your child/children. This event is an opportunity for
families to celebrate the pleasure of reading together.

In order to cater for breakfast we must know numbers in advance. Please return the reply
slip below indicating how many adults and children will be attending. A 50p donation per
person is requested to cover the cost of breakfast, thank you. Please reply by Friday 11th
March 2011.

Yours truly

Carol Phillips
Deputy Head and Literacy Leader
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
TO BE RETURNED BY FRIDAY 11TH MARCH 2011

REPLY SLIP – BOOKS WITH BREAKFAST

I/we wish to attend the Books with Breakfast on Thursday 17th March 2011 and confirm that:-

……………… adults and ………………… children will be attending.

I enclose £…………….. (50p per person) to cover the cost of the breakfast.

Name(s) ………………………………………………………….……………. Class/es ……………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………..…………… ……………………………………………………………….

(cheques payable to St Christopher’s CE School please)

Vouchers are now available - please help YEAR 5/6
us to collect as many vouchers as ATHLETICS TOURNAMENT
possible as they really do make a
difference – collection boxes outside A HUGE WELL DONE
the school office. Thank you for your
support. to all the Year 5/6 children who participated in
the WOSSP Semi-Finals at Chipping Norton on
Wednesday afternoon. It was a thoroughly
enjoyable afternoon with good team work and
determination by all children, supported by Joe
Turberville, in achieving 6th place overall.

LANGFORD FIT FAMILIES

FREE TASTER SESSION
MONDAY 7TH MARCH 2011
SCHOOL UNIFORM
Fit Families in Langford is a St Christopher’s uniform can be ordered from:
programme run by GO ACTIVE – we
are offering residents in Langford and www.simplyschoolwear.co.uk
the surrounding area, a chance to Tel: 0800 404 6644
attend a Circuits class for beginners
at:-

St Christopher’s CE School, Langford

On
Mondays
At 7.00pm - £8.00pm SCPA
Starting 14th March 2011
COOK 4 BOOKS
Cost £14 for 4 week course

All participants will receive a FREE 1

week trial pass to use at any of the Congratulations Oak Class, you made £37 at your
West Oxfordshire Nexus Leisure Cook 4 Books sale just before Half Term.
Centres.
Willow, it’s your turn next on Friday, 25th March –
For more information and please look out for your reminder plates.
contact:-
Can you beat Cherry, who are still out in the lead
Tom on 0789 2945060 or with £60 total sales?
Email lisa.booth@nexuscommunity.org