Newsletter 14

NORTHBOURNE NEWS
Issue No: Fourteen
Date: 11th December 2009

www.northbourne-school.org.uk

Please note that we close for the Christmas holidays at 1.30 pm on Friday 18th December and we re-open on Monday 4th January 2010.

SHINIEST STARS!

It has been a delight to see so many excellent performances and events show off the talents of our children in school this week. A huge well done to everyone involved in the Key Stage 1 production of ‘The Shiniest Star’ for such an enjoyable re-telling of the Christmas story. The enjoyment of the children during the play was clear to see, and it is obvious that we have some stage and screen stars of the future in Key Stage 1! It was lovely to see so many parents and families come to see the production, and thank you to everyone who took the time after the performance to pass on your positive comments; they are always really appreciated by our teachers, especially as we near the end of such a busy term. Finally, thanks to all of the staff, both teachers and support staff, for all of their hard work in putting the production together.

Thanks to the hard work of Mr Ashley Taylor, we are able to offer you the chance to purchase a DVD copy of the play. The office will be selling the DVDs from Monday for £5.00. Please make sure you have the exact money or make cheques payable to Northbourne Primary School. To start with the office will have 40 copies of the DVD; if these sell out, as long as orders are placed and paid for before Wednesday morning, we hope to have them back to you before the end of term.

NATIVITY NEWS

As well as the Key Stage 1 production, children in Puffins and Swans took part in their first ever school play this week and did an excellent job!! It has been wonderful to see all of the Foundation Stage grow in confidence during their first term in school, and seeing them able to stand on the stage and say their lines in front of all of their families was fantastic. Well done to all children, and thank you to all of the parents and families who took the time to come and watch the performances. Finally, thanks to the Foundation Stage team for their hard work in putting their nativity together.

VOICES OF ANGELS!

We are all really proud of the choir for their excellent performance at the Didcot carol concert at the Civic Hall last night. Their singing was a real highlight of the show, and they did a fantastic job of representing the school. Well done to everyone in the choir; thanks also go to Miss Holloway, Mrs. Ramsbottom and Mrs. Durant for their hard work in leading the choir during the term, and to all of the parents and families who supported the children at the Civic Hall.

FUND-RAISING

Thank you to all the parents and children who supported our fund-raising activities this week. The disco was really well-attended and helped raise £350, which will go towards the Christmas presents which children are given each year. The Christmas Bazaar was also a great success; thank you to everyone who visited or sent in hamper prizes. We were overwhelmed by the amount of food sent in for our hampers, and Mrs. Tomas managed to turn them into 15 prizes! Congratulations to all of the winners: We still have some hampers awaiting collection; please call into school to collect your prize if you are a winner.

Thanks go to the PTA and other parent helpers who worked so hard to organise and run these events.

KEY STAGE 2 NEWS

* Parents are invited to view Kites and Eagles home learning and topic books on Wednesday 16th December at 2.45pm. We will be displaying the children's work in Starling room (which used to be the old library) by the hall. Please enter the school through the office and collect your child from Eagles and Kites so they can show you their work.
* Swimming for Eagles and Kites has now finished for this term. They start again on Thursday 7th January for 4 further weeks.
* Congratulations to all the Year 3 and Year 4 children who took part in the Year 3/4 Indoor Athletics competition at St Birinus School last Friday. All the children worked really hard and in the official results we came in 4th place out of 10 schools.
* Owl, Falcon, Kite and Eagle classes will have their class Christmas parties on Monday. Please remember to send in party clothes!

ÇA VA! (FRENCH CLUB)

Mrs S.J. Hares, Iden House, Bakers Lane, Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, OXON, OX10 OPY.
Tel: 01491 837718 email: cavafrenchclub@btconnect.com

Mrs Hares will be coming in to school Monday lunchtimes to take Ça va! French club. If your child already attends s/he should have brought home a note with details of arrangements for after Christmas. Classes will start on the 11th January and run for ten sessions. New members will be most welcome. French is learnt in small groups through movement, games and activities. Topics covered will be useful when on holiday in a French-speaking country and at senior school. In addition learning a foreign language has beneficial effects on memory, listening skills and self-confidence. Please get in touch with Mrs Hares directly if you would like more details. The cost is £28. Could you please reply to Mrs Hares at her home address by the 6th January. Joyeux Noël!

PAMPER

Thank you to everyone who came along and supported Stepping Stones Pre-School’s PAMPER evening. We had a great evening and we are delighted to report that we raised £242.00 for pre-school. The door bonus was won by Lyn Shaw and the hamper for Guess the Monkey’s birthday was won by Steffi Harrison. The monkey’s birthday was on 5th October. Thank you – The Fund Raising Team at Stepping Stones.