Newsletter 29 - 1st May 2026

This week, EYFS have been learning about the story of the Hungry Caterpillar.  The children have talked about the life cycle of the butterfly and discussed healthy and unhealthy food choices. 

This week in writing the children became word detectives as they explored prefixes! They had great fun transforming root words like “happy” into “unhappy” and discovering how meanings can change with just a small addition. This exciting learning will help them get ready for their story writing next week based on Somebody Swallowed Stanley.  In History, the classroom turned into a fossil dig site as the children stepped into the shoes of fossil hunters like Mary Anning. Working in teams, they searched for hidden fossils and pieced them together to solve dinosaur puzzles. The children then matched their fossils to the correct prehistoric creatures, uncovering famous discoveries such as the Ichthyosaurus, Plesiosaurus and Pterodactylus. Back on the carpet, they shared their findings and added to their learning about Mary Anning’s incredible discoveries. 

Well done for all your hard work this week!

We are in need of 3 helpers for the Vedic Temple trip. If you have a DBS with us and are able to help on the morning of Tuesday 19th May please get in touch with the office!

If you are having a clearout of small toys (such as ponies, dolls etc) that the children would enjoy at lunchtime, please think of us! Donations can be brought to the office.

Frozen Fridays

Thank you to everyone that came and brought ice creams last Friday. We will hopefully be selling ice creams every Friday (weather dependent), if you are free to help it would be very much appreciated just let us know which Fridays you can do.

Quiz Night - 12 June

We are delighted to announce that our quiz night is making a return this summer term, and we'd love to see  as many of you there as possible!

It's a brilliant want to meet other members of the school community, enjoy a relaxed evening together and most importantly have some fun!

What you need to know:

• Bring your own food and drinks (alcohol welcome)

• Other games running on the night

• A raffle 

• £5 per person

• Teams of up to 8 people

Whether you're a quiz pro or just in it for the laughs, everyone is welcome. Gather your team and join us for a fun-filled evening! Tickets are on sale here: https://buytickets.at/fishes

Summer Disco  -10th July

We are excited to welcome back Put Your Hands Up DJ Services for the final disco of the year. Year R and Year 1 will be at 3.15-4.00 and Year 2 will be 4.15-5.00. Tickets can be brought now from https://buytickets.at/fishes 

Legoland Tickets

We are offering discounted tickets to Legoland for the INSET day on Monday 29th June. Tickets are priced at £24 each (compared to £34 online or £64 on the gate for this date).

If you would like to purchase tickets, please complete the Google Form and make payment via BACS (details are provided within the form). You must complete both the form and the payment as they will need to be matched up https://forms.gle/tYaDZi7m1eq4yQjQ9

Families will need to make their own way to Legoland, and please be aware that you are responsible for your own children during the visit. 

Tickets will be sent out closer to the date and will be emailed to you. The deadline to receive payment is 1st June, anything after this date will not be accepted.

🎉🌸Freegrounds Fest - 20June 🌸🎉

Freegrounds Fest is fast approaching, and it’s one of our biggest and most-loved events of the year! We’re really looking forward to welcoming families and the wider community for an afternoon of fun, music and fundraising.

We’re especially excited to announce that The Jays will be joining us this year. You may recognise them from the Botley Revels on the Rec, and they’ll be playing music throughout the event to keep the atmosphere lively and entertaining.

There will be games, food, a bar, and lots of activities to enjoy, making it a fantastic day out for everyone.

How you can help

To make Freegrounds Fest a success, we really need your support. We would be very grateful for:

• Raffle prize donations

• Event sponsorship

• Odd socks (clean, any size!)

• Cuddly toys

Most importantly, for the event to go ahead, we need volunteers on the day. If you are able to give a little time to help, please sign up using the link below – every offer of help truly makes a difference.

Volunteer sign up

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. Events like this wouldn’t be possible without our wonderful school community, and we can’t wait to celebrate together at Freegrounds Fest!

What YOU must do:

Try to telephone the school before 8.30am each day of your child’s absence.

Tell the school in advance, of any medical appointments and bring in appointment cards/letters.

If you are not sure whether your child is well enough to attend school, send them in anyway as they often perk up on arrival.

If you and your child are experiencing difficulties with school attendance then talk to us as a first step so we can help!

What WE will do:

Check your child’s attendance every day.

Phone home to discuss your child’s attendance with you.

Invite you into school for attendance meetings if we are concerned.

If we cannot establish a reason for absence, then we may make a welfare home visit.

• Tuesday 1st September

• Friday 23rd October

• Friday 27th November

• Monday 4th January

• Friday 28th May -- THIS IS A CHANGE from Monday 7th June