We have had a fantastic first full week back and a wonderful start to the academic year. It has been a real pleasure to see the school community come back together with such energy, enthusiasm and positivity. There is already so much happening, and even more to look forward to in the coming weeks and months.

I would like to extend a warm welcome to the new members of staff who have joined us this term:

• Rosalind Mason-Class Teacher in Rowan Class
• Alana Bull-Teaching Assistant in Rowan Class

This week’s news is from Oak Class

We are learning about the stone age. We sat in the willow dome thinking about what it might have been like to live thousands of years ago.

We know that there is an old stone, a middle stone age and a new stone age. People who lived then are our ancestors.

Tools were made out of antler, stone, wood and bone.

Lots of things were made out of flint, which can be really sharp.

People found their food by hunting and gathering. We had a megaceros hunt on the field! Yesterday, we did some gathering of our own and collected seeds from the front garden.

People used animal skins to make clothes and for blankets when they were sleeping.

In Art, we are finding out about palaeolithic cave art. So far, we have used charcoal to draw ice age animals.

In our classroom we have a cave which we have been drawing animals in. Our cave is small, only one artist can fit at a time. We have drawn cave lions, woolly rhinos, horses and deer on the cave walls.

Cave art was made thousands of years before now. That means it’s very important because it can tell us what happened thousands of years ago.

Curriculum

A reminder to keep an eye on our website for curriculum information, which is now available under ‘Our Curriculum’ and ‘Curriculum Overviews’. We hope these overviews will be helpful in giving you a clearer picture of what your child will be learning this term and supporting you to talk about and celebrate their learning at home.

Flu Vaccinations

These nasal vaccinations are offered to all children between Reception and Year Six. The date we have been given by the NHS team is Friday 16th October. We will send you an email from NHS regarding this in due course.

Permissions on Arbor

We would like to remind all parents and carers to check and complete the permissions section on Arbor at their earliest convenience. In particular, parents and carers of children in Years 5 and 6 are asked to provide their preferences regarding whether their child is permitted to walk home independently. We would also appreciate it if all families could review and complete permissions relating to photographs and local village walks, as these are important for school activities and communications throughout the year. Thank you for your support in helping us keep our records accurate and up to date.

Important Update: Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management

As part of new national requirements for schools, we are updating our procedures and policy for supporting pupils with allergies and those at risk of anaphylaxis. The safety and wellbeing of all children remains our highest priority, and these changes will help ensure that we can respond effectively to any allergic reactions in school. A draft copy of our Allergy and Anaphylaxis Policy is available to view on the school website. We would also ask all parents and carers to ensure that the school has up-to-date information about any allergies their child may have. If you have not yet informed us of an allergy, or if your child's medical needs have changed, please contact the school office as soon as possible so that our records can be updated.

Please also ensure that any medication required in school is provided in its original packaging, clearly labelled with the pharmacy dispensing label, and placed in a named container or box. This helps us to store and administer medication safely and in accordance with school procedures.

Photographs date

We can confirm that our individual school photographs will take place on Wednesday 7th October.

Photographs will be taken class by class, with individual photographs taken first. Once all individual photographs have been completed, sibling photographs will then be taken.

🎲 Learning through play at Noughts & Nibbles

Board games are great fun, but they also help children develop a surprising range of useful skills — from reading and following instructions, turn-taking and communication, to planning, strategy, problem-solving and decision-making.

They also give children a chance to practise something just as important: how to win well, lose well and enjoy playing together.

Noughts & Nibbles is Bicester’s local board game café, with hundreds of games for different ages and abilities, plus regular family gaming, Pokémon and D&D Youth sessions for ages 12–15.

So whether you’re looking for something different to do together at the weekend, a new challenge, or simply a screen-free way to spend a few hours, there’s a table waiting for you.

Find out more at noughtsandnibbles.com

Noughts & Nibbles — A table for every player.

Allergies

Just a reminder we 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. We have had a few occasions recently where we have found items have been sent into school in packed lunches which contain nuts.

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)

Charlotte Noakes (Yr2 and 5)