Junior School Newsletter Friday 6 December 2019
DEAR PARENTS The official newsletter of
@SibfordJS
El Dorado High School teachers
Quite expectedly, Christmas has dominated life in the Junior School this week. Stretching from children helping to decorate House trees with their baubles (and some competitive teachers accessorising them to show off!) to being woven into the curriculum within DT, Maths and obviously RE activities. It has also fed into increasingly complicated rehearsals as more music, choreography, staging and props have been added. Both productions are coming along wonderfully and we’re looking forward to the finished product. As if all of this festive excitement wasn’t enough, we’ve also managed to squeeze in the EYFS and KS1 trip to see Father Christmas and some lucky Year 5 and 6s in Fry House attended the annual “Fry Up” – other Houses will get their opportunity later in the school year. After a hard day of rehearsals and theatre visits we all enjoyed the Christmas Disco on Thursday. Shapes were thrown, boogies were woogied and the children saw some hitherto well-hidden sides to their teachers (as I hope the photos show!) I just hope they haven’t lost their voices for today’s dress rehearsals! If Year 5 and 6 manage to get through their dress rehearsal promptly they’ll be nipping over to the Main Hall to take part in a hustings for the forthcoming General Election. Next week, they will have the opportunity to vote… but with a twist: all the parties will be anonymised and they only have the manifestos and the candidates’ performances in hustings to go on! The many distractions that the festive period brings, both in school and outside, can often lead to us losing a focus on the centre of Christmas. At Meeting for Worship on Monday we considered the birth of Jesus Christ and the impact that his teachings have had on our world – arguably more profound than anyone else.
@SibfordOxon
@SibfordOxon
Junior School Newsletter Friday 6 December 2019
We also thought about how Jesus was God’s gift to the world, his own son; a son he gave knowing the sacrifice he would one day be called upon to make. I’ve challenged the children to think about this as they’re working towards their Good Deeds calendars which I hope they are busily completing. Next week we are looking forward to the climax of both the term and the children’s hard work on the productions. As if they weren’t enough to anticipate we also have Wednesday’s KS2 trip to The Snow Queen, Thursday’s Christmas parties and Carol Concert as well as Friday’s end of term Awards Meeting and Christmas dinner (not forgetting to wear some festive knitwear to raise money for Save the Children). With all the work on the productions, there is a little less content than normal in this week’s newsletter, but we hope you will enjoy the proof of the (Christmas!) pudding at the shows next week. Congratulations to Will C – Y6 who has received a Head Teacher Award. I hope to see many of you at the productions next week. In friendship Edward Rossiter Head of Junior School Ps. Did you know that, according to tradition, you should eat one mince pie on each of the 12 days of Christmas to bring good luck? (note – it does not stipulate that it is only one mince pie per day!)
JUNIOR SCHOOL CHRISTMAS DISCO
YEAR 1 AND 2 What a whirlwind term it has been in KS1 and what a way to end their topic by burning their own Pudding Lane! To finish up the topic, they started the week by making comparisons between London past and present, from the streetlamps to transport and buildings. This helped to reinforce the design and materials used for the houses in 1666. Using a net of a house, the children made their own houses without realising that they were then going to burn them down! This also made great links to their science focusing on materials, with the gentle introduction of irreversible and reversible reactions. A lot of their English work has looked at recounts and telling stories in their own way. However, they looked at the Christian story of the nativity. Becca Edwards had unhelpfully put it in the wrong order, so they had to make sure it made sense. The children were able to make links from this story to their performance of ‘A Little Bird Told Me’ but also realise how stories can be adapted. On Thursday they ventured to Warwick to watch Raymond Briggs’ Father Christmas and get some inspiration for their own acting skills! Not forgetting the start of the week marked the beginning of December. Becca Edwards split the class into teams and gave them only £1.50 to spend on materials to make the ‘longest and strongest’ paper chain. They had to think about lots of skills such as teamwork and problem solving. Safe to say that the challenge was accepted and there is evidence of their hard work hanging in the classroom!
OTHER NEWS Sports fixtures Cross Country Congratulations to Jago, Y5 who has qualified for the Cross Country School Games Finals at Radley College next week. He was third in the North Oxfordshire Round competing against pupils in the year above. Inter-House hockey On Tuesday the girls in Years 3-6 took part in an Inter-House hockey tournament. Congratulations to… 1st place: NANSEN with 13 points 2nd place: Fry with 11 points 3rd place: Clark with 9 points 4th place: Gillett with 3 points It will be the boys’ turn next week as they take part in our annual Jonny Wilkinson challenge. Christmas Productions Monday, 9th December KS2 (Years 4,5,6) “Bookbound” at 2.30pm in the Oliver Studio. Tuesday, 10th December Reception, Years 1,2,3 “A little bird told me” at 3pm in the Dining Hall KS2 (Years 4,5,6) “Bookbound” at 6pm in the Oliver Studio. Wednesday, 11th December Reception, Years 1,2,3 “A little bird told me” at 3pm in the Dining Hall. KS2 (Years 4,5,6) “Bookbound” at 6pm in the Oliver Studio Before/After School Clubs - Last week of Term There will be no Before or After School Clubs for the last week of term - After School Care/Prep and Tea will still be available.
OTHER NEWS This year the School Council have chosen to support Action for Children and a collection will be made at the end of each Christmas production performance. There are children in the UK who face a Christmas without food, warmth or love. Your donation could help pay for a child to have a hot meal, buy clothing to keep them warm during the winter months, or give them a safe place to sleep. Children in Y4-6 can be booked into prep and tea prior to the evening performances on Tuesday and Wednesday. Please email Lynne Singer, if you have not done so already to book. Children who are not staying must be returned to school by 5.30pm latest. Refreshments will be available after the performances. Tues and Wed evening performances should finish around 7.30pm. After the performance children will return to their classrooms to change and will be ready for collection from their classrooms from 7.30-7.45pm. Years 3-6 Theatre Visit – The Snow Queen – Wednesday, 11th December 2019 Years 3-6 will be visiting Oxford to see The Snow Queen, leaving Sibford at 845am and returning in time for the KS1/Y3 Christmas Production. Children to wear full school uniform and bring a warm coat. Class Christmas Parties – Thursday, 12th December 2019 On the afternoon of Thursday, 12th December each class in the Junior School will have a Christmas Party. We will have a visit from a certain gentleman in a red suit and there will be various party games. In the past this has been a Casuals Day but due to events taking place at school on this day, this will be a normal school uniform day. We would ask that parents provide the party food. A list will go up outside your child’s class next week listing food for the parties and we would appreciate if you could tick off what you are able to provide.
OTHER NEWS
Sibford School Carol Concert, Main Hall – Thursday, 12th December The Carol Concert takes place on Thursday 12th December in the Main Hall. The evening begins at 6.30pm with mince pies in the foyer of the main school with the concert starting at 7pm. It is always a truly wonderful evening of music, poetry and carols celebrating the beginning of the festive season. Christmas Jumper/Casuals Day – Friday, 13th December Don’t forget to wear your Christmas jumper on Friday the 13th December and donate £1 or more to raise money for Save the Children. End of Term Awards Meeting, Oliver Studio at 9.15am – Friday, 13th December There will be tea/coffee/mince pies served in the small dining room (opp. Junior School car park) from 8.30am for parents attending the End of Term Awards Meeting. Please note the change of venue from Main Hall to Oliver Studio. Sibford School Ski Trip (Years 4-13) – Friday 27th March to Saturday, 4th April 2020 A final reminder, if you would like your child to attend the above trip or require further information please contact Lynne Singer as soon as possible by email: lsinger@sibfordschool.co.uk. This will be an excellent opportunity to ski in Zellam-Zee in the Austrian Alps. Sibford School Scholarships for Entry to Senior School Please note that the Scholarship Assessment day for children entering Year 7 in September 2020 will take place on Saturday, 25th January and the deadline for applications is Friday, 17th January. Full details can be found on our website. Any questions please contact Elspeth Dyer, email: EDYER@sibfordschool.co.uk.
Junior School Newsletter Friday 6 December 2019
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The official newsletter of
El Dorado High School teachers
@SibfordOxon
@SibfordOxon
@SibfordOxon