9th October 2026 | Issue 320

Message from Ms Walker

It has been another busy but successful week at Launton! The children really enjoyed having their photographs taken, and hopefully there will be lots of lovely photos for parents and carers to look forward to seeing. It has been wonderful to see the children continuing to engage so positively in school life, and thank you, as always, for your continued support.

This week’s news is from Mrs Mason and Rowan Class

I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone for making me feel so welcome here at Launton. I am really enjoying being part of such a fabulous school community.

Rowan Class have been working incredibly hard since September. We have particularly enjoyed learning about the Great Fire of London in History, and we are now using what we have learnt to write our own diary entries about the event. In Art, we have had fun creating some fabulous Andy Warhol-inspired self-portraits.

We are looking forward to sharing some of our work with you at the exhibition on 20th October. We think you will be impressed!

Parents’ Evening – Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday

We are looking forward to welcoming parents and carers into school next week for our parents’ evenings, which will take place on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. These meetings are a valuable opportunity to discuss your child’s progress, celebrate their achievements and talk about their next steps in learning. Please note that there will be a slight change to our usual arrangements this year, as all appointments will take place in the school hall. Please enter the school grounds as you normally would, using the same gate that the children use at the start and end of the school day. We look forward to seeing you all!

Exhibitions-Tuesday 20th October

As shared in previous newsletters, we are looking forward to welcoming parents and carers into school on Tuesday 20th October for our class exhibitions. Feedback from our parent survey at the end of the last academic year highlighted that you would welcome more opportunities to find out about your children’s learning throughout the year. These exhibitions are one of the ways we hope to provide this opportunity, giving you a chance to see what your child has been learning about, celebrate their work and explore the learning taking place in other year groups across the school.

Timetable for the day

  • 9.30–9.50am: EYFS and Years 1 and 2
  • 2.00–2.20pm: Years 5 and 6
  • 2.40–3.00pm: Years 3 and 4

Arriving at school

Please aim to arrive five minutes before your child’s allocated time and enter through the front gate, where parents and carers will be signed in before going into school.

We appreciate that some parents and carers may not be able to attend during their child’s allocated time. If this is the case, please don’t worry! The hall will be open at the end of the school day for you to come in with your child and enjoy looking at their work together.

We look forward to welcoming you into school and sharing the children’s learning with you!

Harvest Festival

As previously shared in our school dates, our Harvest Festival will take place at the church on Friday 23rd October at 9.30am. We would be very grateful for any donations to support Bicester Foodbank, helping us to support those in need within our local community.

Bicester Foodbank has highlighted the following items as being particularly needed at the moment:

  • Tinned meat or vegetarian meals
  • Tinned rice pudding
  • Long-life milk (whole or semi-skimmed)
  • Long-life fruit juice or squash
  • Jars of coffee and tea bags
  • Peanut butter or jam
  • Tinned tomatoes and baked beans
  • Egg boxes
  • Hygiene products, such as shower gel, shampoo, soap and toothpaste

Items that are not currently needed:

  • Pasta and rice
  • Breakfast cereals

Any donations would be very much appreciated. Thank you, as always, for your kindness and generosity in helping us make a difference to others in our local community.

Pot of Gold-Supporting Sobel House Hospice

Reminder: Pot of Gold Day – Friday 16th October

A little reminder that we will be taking part in Pot of Gold Day in support of Sobell House Hospice, a wonderful local charity that provides care and support to families facing difficult times.

Children are welcome to come to school in appropriate non-school uniform and are invited to bring in a £1 donation to support this important cause.

Thank you for helping us teach our children about kindness, compassion and the importance of supporting our local community. Every donation, however small, will help us make a meaningful difference!

Parking Reminder -

A gentle reminder to all parents and carers dropping off or collecting children at any time of day including Breakfast Club, arriving late and picking up for appointments: please ensure that you park beyond the Parish Hall, using the designated parking spaces. This helps to keep the area immediately around the school clear and ensures the safety of our children and other pedestrians, as well as other drivers. Thank you for your cooperation and for helping us to keep our school community safe.

Attendance

A huge well done to Rowan Class for achieving 100% attendance this week. 

Updates & Reminders

Allergies - Nut Free School

We are still getting items in lunchboxes which contain nuts, we are a nut free school and have children in school with serious allergies please do not send your child in with items containing nuts, this includes chocolate spread, peanut butter and products containing a chocolate filling like Nutella or chocolate bars containing nuts. 

Reminder to Parents - Please ensure that packed lunches contain food which is cut appropriately we have seen an increase in grapes, cherry tomatoes, olives in lunch boxes which have not been cut which causes a choking hazard. Please follow this link for some information regarding the risk of choking and how to reduce the risk.

Secondary School Open Evenings

Saturday 10th October: Headington School

For more information about the Open Evenings please see the specific schools website.

Dates for the Diary

  • Events
  • 12th October: Parent/Carer evenings
  • 20th October: Whole school exhibition
  • 23rd October: Harvest Festival at St Mary's Church
  • 10th December: Rocksteady Concert (more information to follow)
  • 11th December: Christmas lunch/Jumper Day
  • 15th December: Nativity 1 (EYFS Parents) (more information to follow)
  • 16th December: Nativity 2 (Y1/2 Parents) (more information to follow)
  • 17th December: Christmas Making Day
  • 18th December: Christmas Service at St Mary's Church
  • Important Dates
  • 16th October: Flu Vaccinations
  • End of term 1: Friday 23rd October
  • Start of term 2: Monday 2nd November

Useful Links – 

Clubs and Events

Support for Parents

Holiday Clubs and Events - New Clubs/Events added

Message from St Mary's Church

Message from the PTA

Our wonderful PTA are busy finalising dates and plans for some exciting events over the coming months. Keep an eye on future newsletters for more information – watch this space!

Your PTA trustees are:

Lucy Crawford (Yr 4)

Emma Austin (Yr 3 and 5)

Catherine Ravensward (Yr1 and Yr5)

Jill Bali (Yr 3 and 5)

Remember: Please be aware that we have children in school with serious food allergies. To ensure the safety of all of our children please avoid sending your child to school with anything that contains nuts this includes sandwiches containing peanut butter or chocolate spread.


Useful Links
Here is the NHS Is my child too ill for school information.
As parents and carers, there are ways we can support our children to give them the best chance to stay mentally healthy. Encouraging and guiding a child to think about their own mental health and wellbeing are vital skills you can teach them from a young age. Children's mental health - Every mind matters

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