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Junior School Newsletter Friday 7 February 2020

DEAR PARENTS The official newsletter of

@SibfordJS

El Dorado High School teachers

“The source of all happiness lies in thinking of others.”

These are the words of ninth Century Buddhist monk Shantideva and perfectly fit the theme we’ve been focussing on in Meeting for Worship this term. On Monday it was a real pleasure to congratulate the twenty children who completed the Good Deeds Advent Calendars (a little late, I know, but the small matter of a STEM fortnight, crept up first!) Between them, the children generated 432 good deeds! Sticking with the theme, we also heard from School Council who introduced and explained our new and improved Friendship Bench. Situated in Mary’s Garden (currently undergoing a Spring trim), the bench is designed to be used by individuals feeling in the need of someone to talk to or play with and the children have been encouraged to look out for those needing help. Finally, on the theme of Thinking of Others, we’d like to say a big well done to Read and his brother Finn who have recently had their haircut having grown enough to donate it to the Little Princess Trust which creates wigs for child cancer patients. Well done boys.

@SibfordOxon

Junior School Newsletter Friday 7 February 2020 Elsewhere we’ve had another busy week with fixtures on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday along with the children continuing with the classroom designs from last week’s Eco-Launch. Tying up the week, we have KS1’s Celebration Meeting. They’ve put the show together in just a week and I’m looking forward to all the pirate fun they have in store. Next week we have further fixtures as well as the culmination of our Eco-projects which will be judged on Friday. Congratulations to the following children who received Head Teacher Awards to; Tobin and Oliver R for completing the Pirate Treasure Challenge – a multi-layered word problem solving task in Maths this week and Lotte, Y5LM, Dori Y3MA and Fergus, Erica and Abby– Y1/2BE. At our Celebration Meeting the following children also received Celebration Certificates; Sholto – Y1, Darcey – Y2, Dori – Y3, Connor – Y4, Susannah – Y5HS, Bonnie – Y5LM, Mintian – Y6AP amd Phoebe - Y6NH. Have a wonderful Weekend In friendship Edward Rossiter Head of Junior School PS. Did you know that in 1973, while it was still the 5 Nations tournament, all countries managed to win two and lose two games resulting in a five-way share of the title?

@SibfordOxon

FOUNDATION AND RECEPTION

We have had another ‘Roaring’ week in Early Years. After reading ‘Dinosaur Police’ by Sarah McIntyre some of the children made their very own junk modelling dinosaurs. In the story Trevor the T’Rex causes havoc when he raids the pizza factory. We fed pizzas to Trevor and thought about ‘taking away’ and ‘less’ as we did. Later in the week, we thought about what else we could feed Trevor and tried him on a diet of leaves and broccoli. We tweeted about all of this and to our excitement the Author ‘retweeted’ us twice and even gave us a top tip on where to find a book about a broccoli eating dinosaur!

We have been exploring the grounds this week and spotting the signs that winter is starting to come to an end. On Monday we hunted for snowdrops, crocuses and the stems of daffodils. Harry took us around the horticulture area where we spotted a few things starting to pop their heads up. Probably, most exciting of all we went to visit our new resident lambs that we should be getting the chance to feed this term.

YEAR 1 AND 2 After all the work on maps this term, Year 1 and 2 were let loose on PurpleMash to create their own pirate treasure maps, though of course they had to make sure they included everything on the WILF (What I’m Looking For); compass, symbols and a title! It’s quite tricky to create a detailed map by hand, let alone on the computer. They filled their maps with coconut trees, rocky mountains and of course X to mark the spot of the treasure! Having learnt about pirate life and the different jobs, they looked at some ‘famous’ pirates and why they might be better known. Black Beard, for obvious reasons got his name from his appearance and although the children know that rum was a favourite drink of pirates, Black Beard was known for liking gunpowder in his! From some of the information they then made their famous Beebot ‘jackets’ to move around their Beebot maps they made at the beginning of the term. Making plans is important, especially when it involves pirate ships. The long-awaited construction of their pirate ships passed this week. They made a good start on creating their vision, though there are some more ambitious designs and so will be completed and evaluated next week! To end the week, there was a strange aroma of coca cola and vinegar coming from the KS1 classroom. Becca Edwards showed them some rather dirty treasure which needed to be cleaned. Luckily none of the children initially suggested the above liquids, so they investigated how long it would take to clean them and which was better. The children were quite surprised how shiny the coins became, though Becca Edwards reinforced the coca cola ‘cleaned’ the coins and wouldn’t do the same for their teeth…

YEAR 3 Our dinosaur topic continued this week with children in Year 3 creating a nest in Forest School. This nest was for an Allosaurus egg. We hope Early Years find the egg soon! It does look impressive and real!

We wondered how many strides it would take an Allosaurus to reach the Year 3 classroom from the nest, so we set out with a trundle wheel and lots of enthusiasm. After checking our measurements, we discovered it would take 58 dinosaur strides, a great deal less than the number of strides it took Year 3 to complete this task! 3D dinosaurs even made their way in our pottery tasks.

YEAR 4 This week in Maths there were some fabulous shapes been thrown as the children were thinking about different angles. We reminded ourselves of what ‘acute’, ‘obtuse’ and ‘right-angles’ were, making sure we were describing them in mathematical terms. We used the capital letters of the alphabet to reinforce different types of lines - populating a Venn diagram to show those with parallel lines, perpendicular lines, both, or none.

In History, now our Anglo-Saxons are happily settled, we moved onto thinking about their farming and food. We looked at all the different types of food that they would have reared, grown and foraged for, thinking about how different their diet was from ours today. The children then planned a week’s worth of meals, remembering that meat was only for special occasions, and that even the children got to drink a watered-down ale! Geography saw us looking in detail at wind turbines, at their different parts and how they work together to generate energy. New words were learnt, such as nacelle (the pod which contains all the working parts of the turbine), yaw (This word means “turn” and describes how the nacelle and blades turn to get the best from the wind) and anemometer (This measures wind speed and sends the information to the control room). Next lesson we will be making our own wind turbines, so if you have a spare plastic bottle (tower) please do send it in. Don’t forget that the deadline for the eco-classroom challenge is Friday 14th February, we’d love to see lots of entries.

YEAR 5 This week has seen a return to our normal timetable after the excitement of STEM fortnight. In Maths, some of us have been investigating angles. We began by looking for different types of angles in the classroom, and identifying these as acute, obtuse, right-angled or scalene. The next step was to sort a range of angles into groups and use these to describe both regular and irregular 2D shapes. Others have been looking at factors and multiplication and have used this to complete a pirate challenge.

In English, we have finished our biographies on Stephen Hawking and begun writing play scripts based on the story of the village of Eyam during the time of the Great Plague. Following last week’s visit from Peter Samain, we have all been hard at work designing our own eco classrooms. Careful consideration has been given to building materials, energy usage and solutions for waste disposal. We are very excited to see the finished designs – and also to picking a winner! Children in 5HS have had another great pottery session, continuing with their Tudor rose pots – we can’t wait to see the finished products. Meanwhile, children in 5LM took part in a teamwork challenge in their outdoor learning session this week – using guy ropes to hold a wooden pole in an upright position. It was freezing cold, but we managed it anyway. All in all, another busy week!

YEAR 6 Year 6 have followed on from the excitement of last week’s STEM activities with their research on eco classrooms. As well as making notes and collecting information about solar cells, natural materials used in building and how to reduce water usage, many of the children have been busy at home making models from cardboard boxes or even computer generated designs (thank you Minecraft!). As well as looking forward to the future of our school, Year 6 have been looking back as well. We are lucky to have a wonderful film put together for the 165th anniversary of the school, using cine-film footage from the 1920s and 1930s. “The Sibford Story” even shows 1920s students recreating the founding of Sibford School in a meeting back in 1841 (the first student started in January 1842), which is confusing to explain in 2020! The children, as they are every year, were interested to find out what had changed at the school in the last 100 years or so, but also what had stayed the same. Year 6 found it very funny that the boys of the 1840s were allowed to play marbles, or fight. The girls were rather less amused that they would have learnt how to “be a good wife” and make shirts for the boys. Everyone was rather relieved that children today are expected to spend rather less time sewing, milking cows, learning to iron and fighting! Year 6 are looking forward to looking at the history of the school in more depth in the coming weeks. They have many questions that are still waiting to be answered.

DISCOVERY AWARD STORIES The pupils participating have come to the end of the first term and the first two themes of this year’s Discovery Award. From September to Christmas the children focussed on “Letting their life speak” (looking at supporting and addressing local issues) and “Living adventurously” (learning a new skill). Below, for his “Live adventurously” theme, Oliver decided to take up archery. Here he is, in what look like chilly conditions, doing his best Robin Hood impression!

OTHER NEWS

Sport Reports U11 Boys Hockey Tournament – Tuesday, 4th February On Tuesday we hosted a boys Hockey tournament, hosting teams from New College and St Johns Priory. All boys who played represented the school well and put in lots of really good individual performances. The team ended with 1 win, 1 draw and 1 defeat. U11 Rugby v Bruern Abbey – Wednesday, 5th February On Wednesday the U10 rugby team travelled to Bruern Abbey. Having spent the term so far playing football and hockey, it was a bit of a switch to go back to the oval shaped ball. This was evident in their performance at the beginning of the match, but I’m pleased to report that they quickly found their competitive edge. Though they ultimately succumbed 8-4 there was much to be proud of and some notable performances from Thomas and Henry. U11 Swanbourne Chase Cross Country – Thursday, 6th February Well done to all the cross country runners yesterday. It was a very tough course with lots of hills and against very strong opposition. Lots of good team and individual performances but special congratulations to Jago who finished 7th. PSFA Coffee and Catch up. Friday 14 February. 8.30am - 10.30am. Join the PSFA on for coffee and a catch up in small dining room behind junior school car park just after morning drop off - all welcome. Sibford School Ski Trip – Parent Information Meeting – Friday, 14th February at 4.30pm in the Oliver Studio I would also like to take this opportunity to inform you that our Ski Trip Parents’ Information Evening will take place on Friday, 14th February at the new time of 4.30pm in the Oliver Studio. The session should take no longer than 30 minutes and will consist of a short presentation regarding our travel plans and daily schedule, as well as photos of the area and the hotel we will be staying in.

OTHER NEWS Junior School Parents Evening and SFL Evening – Monday, 24th February 2020 Class Parent/Teacher meetings and SFL Meetings will be taking place week commencing Monday, 24th February. Appointments with class teachers will be arranged at 10 min intervals and appointments with SFL Teachers will be at 15 min intervals. If you feel you will need longer than this, please arrange an alternative time for an appointment. Please write your name on the appointment sheets which will be on display in Junior School Reception for Years 3 to 6 and on the entrance doors to EYFS and Years 1 and 2 classrooms from Monday, 10th February onwards. If you do not usually come into school please arrange your appointment with Lynne Singer by email: lsinger@sibfordschool.co.uk or telephone 01295 781265. Junior School Scholastic Book Fair – Tuesday, 25th February to Monday, 2nd March 2020 Our Book Fair starts Tuesday, 25th February and books will be on sale in the ‘Early Birds’/3MA classroom from 25th Feb to 2nd Mar - 4 til 5.20pm in readiness for World Book Day on Thursday, 5th March 2020. We are looking for parent volunteers to help run the Book fair, if anyone can help please let Lynne Singer know. For every book sold our school gets one free so your support would be appreciated. World Book Day – Thursday, 5th March 2020 – Come to school dressed as a pirate or seafarer! On Thursday 5th March the Junior School will once again be taking part in World Book Day as part of a week of other reading based events. During the morning, we have a planned visit for children in Key Stage 2 (Years 3-6) to go to Jaffe and Neale in Chipping Norton, where they will have the chance to spend their National Book tokens. As ever we will be asking all the children in Junior School to dress up (and we will be too!) and so we thought we'd give you a head's up before half term! This year our theme is “Ship ahoy” (pirates and seafarers).

OTHER NEWS Les Misérables School Edition Tickets for the Sibford School production of Les Misérables School Edition are now on sale and selling well. Performances take place at 7pm on March 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th. You can purchase tickets online via this link for the price of £8 + booking fee: http://bit.ly/SibfordLesMis. Alternatively, tickets are now on sale via main reception for the price of £8. We can accept cash or cheques made payable to Sibford School. Pie and quiz night. Friday 13 March. 7.30pm. Dining hall. Join us for our popular annual pie and quiz night. Tickets are £10 and include a meal and a soft drink. Buy your tickets from junior and main school reception. Sibford School Fun in the Country Holiday Club! The Sibford School Fun in the Country holiday club is now taking bookings for 2020 school holidays in February, April, May, July/August and October. The club runs for ages 5 – 11 and costs £30 per child per day. To book, click here: https://www.sibfordschool.co.uk/fun-in-the-country/.

PSFA MAY BALL - TICKETS NOW ON SALE A Night on the Orient Express’ May Ball is being held on Saturday 9 May 2020 and bookings are now open! Tickets are £65 each, and are excellent value for what promises to be a fantastic night, including reception drink and canapés, formal 4 course meal with coffee, live music, live and silent auction, and as always, some surprises on the night! If you would like to book a table or tickets (we can do tables of any number between 8-12) please email Heidi Fowler at psfa@sibfordschool.co.uk. In previous years tickets have sold out so do book early to avoid disappointment.

OTHER NEWS STAR VISITORS FOR KALEIDOSCOPE STAGE SCHOOL AT SIBFORD Last Saturday, the Kaleidoscope Dance Studios "Promising Performers Saturday stage school" welcomed two very special visitors; Kaleidoscope Patron, Joanne Frogratt (Anna Bates from Downton Abbey) and Ginny Stevens (Ex Royal Ballet Principal soloist) who ran a fun Ballet workshop.

Run by Katie Walford, the following classes are available on Saturdays at Sibford School: Bizzy Bees. (Ages 4 - 6 years) 9.45 am - 11.30am. £85 STREET DANCE * IMAGINATIVE PLAY & DRESSING UP * YOGA Promising Performers. (Ages 4 - 16 years) 9.45am - 1.30pm. £185 STREET DANCE * DRAMA * VOCALS AND MUSIC * BODY CONDITIONING * TV SKILLS * PROFESSIONAL WORKSHOPS * PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES Promising Dancers. (Ages 9 - 14 years) 2.00pm - 3.30pm. £100 ISTD DANCE EXAMINATION CLASSES FOR MODERN THEATRE AND TAP DANCE For more information email: admin@kdstudios.co.uk or call 07916 332551.

Junior School NewsletterÂ Friday 7 February 2020

DATES FOR THE DIARY

The official newsletter of

El Dorado High School teachers

@SibfordOxon