As part of Class 3’s topic this term on the children went to The Oxford Playhouse this week to watch a stage production of Floella Benjamin’s book ‘Coming to England’. What a fantastic way to kick-start the topic this term! "I couldn't take my eyes off it! Now I know why my mummy says Floella is her Hero!" Penny
At our school we also talk about the ‘Shellingford School Family Learning Culture’ and refer to this in our lessons. We expect all our pupils to have a ‘Growth Mindset’ and for children to embrace challenge, to persevere and learn from mistakes, show curiosity, enjoy learning together and have aspirations. We would really appreciate if you could help encourage your child/ren to ‘not give up’ when things go wrong, and to encourage resilience when issues arise with their learning or friendship difficulties. Our poster is up around the school as a visual prompt for the children. It is also on the Curriculum page of our school website and may be helpful for parents to refer to when supporting your child/ren at home.
As a church school our Christian vision is at the heart of our provision and steers all we do with our pupils and with one another. We talk about having ‘roots and foundation in love’ (Ephesians 3:17) to help inspire and guide our hearts and minds. In our Collective Worship and as part of daily activities and interactions we remind ourselves that the best roots we can have can be provided by Jesus and demonstrated by the way we show love for other people. We hope that this will become the foundation of our lives to enable us to grow into good people.
We ended the academic year with a truly memorable Leavers’ Service for our Year 6 pupils at St Faith’s Church, Shellingford. We wish them all the very best as they begin the next chapter in their lives.
We had two lovely mornings for our Sports Days for the younger and older children across the school. Mrs Setchell and Mr Henry organised a range of physical activities and competitive races to encourage team building and to promote our ‘Heart’ Values (Honesty, Effort, Aspiration, Respect and Team Work).
Our Summer Production was again of a high standard! Congratulations to the children for two fantastic performances and to Mrs Sucksmith and Miss Broomfield for leading the production. £184.60 was raised for the charity ‘Stand By Me’ and the children at Bethany School in Ethiopia.
The pupils in Class 3 gave a violin concert to their parents. The children played several pieces and musical exercises which they have learnt throughout the year with their strings teacher, Mr Attwood from the Oxfordshire County Music Service (OCMS). Henry in Year 6 also performed one of his Grade 3 pieces ‘Musette in G’ by Handel during the concert.
Thank you to the FoSS committee as well as the wider parent body for their continued support and hard work this year. Thank you also to both Mrs Natalie Cocks and Mrs Jo Perkins for all their hard work as Co-Chairs of FoSS this year. It has been a very successful year and FoSS have raised a significant amount of money which has been very much appreciated by the school. Our recent Fun Day raised a grand total of £2,179.00. We have enjoyed the many fundraising and social events organised by FoSS and by parent volunteers this year.
We would like to say a huge thank you for supporting the children’s ‘Stand By Me’ fundraising events: Class 1 – Picnic raised £90.65 Class 1 Parents were invited to a picnic with their children and were involved in activities throughout the afternoon. Class 2 – Skipping Challenge raised £350.95 A sponsored Skipping Challenge was completed by the children in Class 2. Class 3 – Wheels Day raised £142.00 ‘We loved making our cars for our Wheelie Fun Day. We were so happy helping the children from The Bethany School. The movie we watched was great fun too. We had tasty popcorn and a drink. We enjoyed riding our wheels around the field and playground. We were so happy to raise £142 for children that aren't as lucky as us.’ Evie and Austin Class 4 – Tingatinga Postcards raised £72.00 The children created a catalogue of designs in the style of Tingatinga which originated in East Africia. These were made into postcards for parents to purchase.
‘We had a great whole school day out at Mary Arden's Farm. At the farm, we did a shipwreck scene and we really enjoyed falling down on the floor. There were also animals there. Our favourite animals were the long-horned cow and ducklings. We liked learning about the animals that would have been there in the Shakespearian times and we also liked acting out the Tempest.’ Rowan and Lila
