OVPA NEWS Headteacher: Mrs Jo Campbell Term 2 - December 2019

OPPORTUNITIES RESILIENCE EXPANDING MINDS

Dear Parents and Carers,

We have had a fabulous second half to the Autumn term,

which has been jam-packed with an array of events.

We kicked off the term with an Autumn Ball, kindly hosted by

the PTFA. We raised awareness of a number of key national

events, focusing on the important messages they bring —

remembrance day, anti-bullying and World Mental Health

Day. We have loved inviting you in to share our celebrations for Harvest, An-

ti-Bullying and Christmas. Parent Consultations provided you with the oppor-

tunity to talk with your child’s teacher about how they had settled in to the

new academic year and today, you were welcomed in to school to share your

child’s learning in our first Open Learning afternoon.

Our talented pupils have competed in inter-school cross country competitions,

athletics events and a group of pupils sang their hearts out at the White Rock

Theatre, in The Big Sing. A number of staff have provided after-school activi-

ties for the children and Wayne, our specialist Sports Coach, has provided some

amazing PE sessions that have been active and great fun.

Funky Friday assemblies have focused on pupil achievements outside of school

and we have really enjoyed finding out about the children's talents and skills.

Every single person is good at something; it is our job to find out what that spe-

cial something is! We have celebrated Oscar winners, golden tickets, top Dojo

scorers and log book entries—all have been amazing! The 50,000 Dojo target

was exceeded before the end of term earning a whole school Panto perfor-

mance of Wind in the Willows. The PTFA Christmas Fair led us in to De-

cember which hosted lots of Christmas sparkle, a delicious Christmas dinner

(thank you Pip and kitchen ladies), fancy jumpers and party fun! What a ter-

rific end to 2019. Your children have been absolutely fabulous!

Have a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year. We look forward to

seeing you on Monday 6 January 2020.

Mrs Jo Campbell Headteacher

In EYFS, the children have looked at the story

of ‘The Bog Baby’ by Jeanne Willis. They all cre-

ated their own Bog Baby and said how they

would look after it. Tylah said "I'm going to

feed my baby carrots and corn and I'm going

to snuggle her in my bed to keep her warm"

Year 3 met a real life

paleontologist who fas-

cinated them with his fos-

sils .

Year 1 have been working

hard on their phonics

and applying their

knowledge in their read-

ing and writing. We have

seen some lovely examples

represented in the Log

Some beautifully presented and or-

ganised non-chronological reports

from Year 4.

Year 5 have produced some amazing

writing outcomes and they certainly

know how to roll their times tables!

Proud as punch in Year 6 with

their Log Book entries.

Year 2 have been working hard

on their addition and subtrac-

tion skills. We have looked at The

Great Fire of London and learnt

about how and why the fire

spread so fast .

Fran Simpson—Attendance Keyworker

Fran Simpson, our Family Attendance Keyworker, has joined us through Education Futures Trust. The role has been designed to improve outcomes and increase attendance for schools across the Hastings Opportunity Area. Fran will be sending regular letters to families to raise the profile of at-tendance and is available for help and support around any of the following: behaviour, attendance, housing. Look out for Fran’s Coffee Mornings in the Cafe.

Goodbye Mr Higginson and Good Luck!

We have absolutely loved having Mr Higginson in school with us, working as a Teaching Assistant in Year 5. We knew that he would only be with us for a short period of time until he started his nursing training in January 2020. There is never a dull mo-ment with Mr Higginson in school. He has brought fun, energy and enthusiasm in abundance. There have been many highlights during Mr Higginson’s time with us including cross-country run-ning, being a friend to the pupils and his amazing music conduct-ing! Mr Higginson will be with us for one more week in January. We know that he will be an absolute asset to the nursing profes-sion and wish him all the very best.

Wayne Clarke—Specialist Sports Coach

Wayne is our excellent Sports Coach and the Director of Active Pri-mary. He delivers high quality PE for the pupils on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We are looking to extend our specialist teaching of PE to full time by the next academic year with a greater focus on health. We love having Wayne in school and here is a bit about him:

I’ve been working within the sports industry for over 11 years, play-ing football in my native town of Birmingham where I also gained my coaching qualifications. Then moving on to work within the community, delivering a wide range of sports. I'm very keen to im-

prove physical fitness and promote a natural love of sports from a young age. As a company we love inspiring, educating and showing children they can be great at sport.

Miss Frankie Mould—Year 2 Class Teacher

An official welcome to Miss Mould, Teacher of Turing Class, who joined us at the end of Term 1. Already Miss Mould feels part of our school team and the children adore her. Miss Mould has lots of experience of working in local primary schools and will be staying with the class until the end of the academic year.

We are delighted to share that our Learning Ambassadors this year are Summer, Keiran and Louie from Year 5. The Learning Ambassador programme supports children and young people in contrib-uting to school improvement, by undertaking themed learning walks around host schools. Between two and four ambassadors, from both primary and secondary settings, are chosen to represent their schools and are invited to attend meetings throughout the academic year. The role of ambassador is highly valued by the participants who wear their badges with pride and take their responsibilities seriously. The programme is designed to en-hance children’s understanding of pupil voice and wider opportunities for participa-tion. Visiting speakers, links to youth councils and a trip to Parliament expand the horizons for participants. The main focus for the learning walks is around exploring how resilience is supported and well-being is developed in schools to enable young people to feel happy, safe and ready to learn. Guest speakers, from a variety of sectors are invited to share their own experiences around overcoming significant barriers and developing resilience. At the beginning of the programme, the participants receive training on how to get the most out of a learning walk, as well as on how to give feedback. During each visit to a host school, the young people discuss their observations in groups and provide feedback to the senior leadership team from the host school. They then take back their learning to their own establishments, where they work with senior leaders to implement their findings. The programme culminates in a tour of the Houses of Parliament and a trip to the National Portrait Gallery during the summer term.

LEARNING AMBASSADORS

PROGRAMME 2019-2020

This year, we entered the annual TKAT Christmas card competi-

tion hosted to find corporate card designs amongst both primary

and secondary schools in the trust. The contributions from OVPA

were super and we entered five high quality designs from Laura

Thomas, Esther Crisp, Amelia Pierce, Paris Blackman, Ellie Lich-

ner. The final judging took place recently and we have been in-

formed that amongst our five entries, a design had made the run-

ner up position. That entry was from Amelia Nolan. We are very

excited that our three school rules are published on the card, to

share with lots of other people. Well done to all children that en-

tered and especially Amelia. Great job!

Our super star runner, Melissa Moyses (Year 4), did fantastically well recently by qualifying for the Inter-School Cross Country Finals, held at Ark Alexandra Academy. On a chilly November day, Melissa competed again lots of talented runners from other schools within the partnership. She showed great determination and dedication throughout the race and ran the whole 1100 me-ters with a smile on her face. We are all extremely proud of Melissa for her amazing effort and know that there will be great things to come from this talented little runner. Well done Melissa!

We were very impressed with our group of athletes that entered an inter-house competition at Hastings Academy recently. We secured a well-deserved 3rd place overall out of 8 schools despite being a team member down. All of the children tried their very best and showed great sportsmanship. Thank you to Miss Yates for taking them.

We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who bought in the Aldi sports stickers over the last

couple of months. In the end we managed to collect over 2500 stickers which equated to 8 full post-

ers. This is amazing and we are looking forward to receiving our sports kits. This also means we

get 8 entries into the draw to win £21,000. We have our fingers crossed. Great work everyone.

We would also like to thank all the staff members that voluntarily ran clubs throughout Terms 1 &

2. It has been great to see so many children attending after-school opportunities. The Clubs time-

table for Terms 3 & 4 will be published in January 2020.

Tara Yates (Year 1 Teacher & PE Lead)

RYLIE

All of the staff that work in the classroom of this person have nominated

them for an Oscar, showing that they don’t only stand out to just one per-

son but to all of us. They are one of the kindest, most caring and affec-

tionate children I have ever taught. Since the beginning of the year, she

has actively been trying to improve her resilience in all lessons and be-

cause of this is making amazing progress every week. Her confidence is

growing every day and she participates in all lessons and, now, doesn’t get

put off when she makes a mistake because she really understands that

mistakes are magic and that they help her learn. All three of the adults

that work in Year 6 love how she gives us little noes and messages telling us

how accident prone she is, particularly on her way to school. Congratula-

tions Rylie, on being someone that brightens up our days!

Miss Sweeney - Year 6

JESSICA

We would like to nominate an absolute superstar for an Oscar this week.

This child is impeccably behaved at all times and a great friend to all her

classmates. An avid reader, she devours the books she reads so quickly that

I’m a little concerned she might soon have finished the whole library! She

currently has her nose burrowed in a particularly hefty encyclopedia. Our

Oscar nominee is hardworking, thoughtful and contributes intelligently in

class. At parents’ evening I heard a lot about her charitable ventures out-

side of school, such as baking for the homeless. Her selfless care for others

must be celebrated. Myself and Mr Higginson are proud to call her a mem-

ber of our class—we all have a lot to learn from the thoroughly excellent

example that Jessica sets.

Miss Bedford—Year 5

LEO

We would like to nominate a superstar for an Oscar.

Since joining our class, and this school, he has done

everything possible to reach for the stars. His attitude to

learning is outstanding and her always strives for bet-

ter. We cannot imagine the class without him, we are

so lucky he is here. Always on task, always being kind,

always making sensible choices and always being

amazing. Well done Leo—what a fantastic start to the

year!

Mrs Foster & Mrs Higginson—Year 3

LOUIE

In our assemblies, we have been focusing on resilience. Today’s Os-

car winner is a brilliant example of someone who does not give up

when the going gets tough! He has shown tremendous determina-

tion when participating in cross-country club. Heading out in the

cold weather and tackling huge hills, numerous times, he has stuck

with it and made excellent progress. The positive attitude that has

been demonstrated, coupled with strong will and desire to succeed,

has contributed to some fantastic outcomes. This Oscar nominee,

has also been selected to represent the school as a Learning Ambas-

sador, showing another example of why they are such as an excel-

lent role model. This is hugely deserved Louie!

Mrs Campbell — Headteacher

MOLLY

I've nominated this person because every day since the beginning of the

year they have put so much effort to every task I have set them; her name

hasn't been on the cloud once. She is polite, kind and her smile bright-

ens up my day. She works hard to challenge herself, not to just do what is

expected, but to go the extra mile. During English lessons, she is becom-

ing a word class champion and the vocabulary she used in her letter to

Boris Johnson ensured she was informative and persuasive. During my

Monday pre-teaching maths group, she listens carefully and helps others

when they need to talk a calculation through. She is a pleasure to have

in class and I am looking forward to seeing what Molly achieves

throughout the rest of year 6. Miss Sweeney—Year 6

MAIZIE

I would like to award an Oscar to a member of my class who is an

amazing learner. This person is always ready to learn – listening, look-

ing at the speaker and being a sitting champion. This person has made

some amazing progress in maths, particularly growing in confidence

when learning her times tables. In English, this person has made the

effort to learn and understand the vocabulary that we are using. We

rely on her to spot an expanded noun phrase in our writing!

Whatever the lesson, this person puts their best effort in. This is a really

kind and helpful member of our class. She has the brightest smile and is

always cheerful. She is kind and considerate to the other children in

the class and this makes her a popular classmate. I’m sure, with her

positive attitude, she will be a big success in whatever she chooses to do.

Ms Roberts—Year 3

Staff Oscars, this term, have been awarded to the following super stars…....

Miss Grace - Our super talented artist in residence who sprinkles her magic everywhere

she goes. Miss Grace provides us with a beautiful learning environment —she is a real

star!

Miss Goble - Always so dedicated and hard working, Miss Goble gives her very best and

always has the children at the heart of all that she does. We are lucky to have her in

our EYFS.

Miss Nolan - With her upbeat and happy manner, Miss Nolan is always willing to get

involved with the children. She loves dressing up and has demonstrated some excellent

rhythm on the dance floor.

Mrs Foster - This was the pupils’ choice of nominee, showing their dedication for a

teacher who they think is very special, cares for them and makes them feel welcome eve-

ry single day.

Miss Cann - Our consistently hard working Miss Cann has a special way with the chil-

dren she supports who just love to be in her care. She is also a great support to her col-

leagues too!

Thank you for all you do. We are very lucky to have such a fantastic team of people in

our school.

Ready, Steady, Go is coming to your OVPA!

It’s a FREE Healthy Lifestyle club for Reception to Year 6 children and their grown

-ups.

The programme aims to help children achieve a healthy weight and an active

lifestyle. Each programme of Ready, Steady, Go! consists of eight, one-hour ses-

sions and a parent/carer must attend with their child and the whole family is

encouraged to take part. Each session covers different themes, with healthy eat-

ing and physical activity as core content throughout. We will cover other lifestyle

topics such as sleep and screen time and every session will include fun games and

physical activity.

Venue: Ore Village Primary Academy

Start Date: Monday 20th January 2020

Time: 3:30-4:30pm

If you are interested in attending, you can contact the school health service on:-

Tel: 0300 123 4062

Email: kentchft.esschoolhealthservice@nhs.net

Governors’ Newsletter to Staff, Parents and Carers

December 2019

Dear Staff, Parents and Carers

As we approach Christmas, I would like to update you on the work of the Governing Body at

Ore Village Primary Academy.

As you will be aware, this has been a very unusual term. We found ourselves in September

with a new Headteacher and Leadership team, who arrived without the usual opportunity

to prepare and get to know the school. After hearing the views of staff and parents at the

start of the year, the Governing Body has been monitoring very closely to ensure the

smoothest possible transition and to satisfy ourselves that your concerns are being ad-

dressed.

Mrs Campbell and her team began by establishing rules and expectations for behaviour

because this was your main concern in September. Then they turned their attention to the

quality of teaching and learning, to ensure that all children receive the appropriate level

of challenge, and a curriculum that will engage and motivate them.

As Governors we have witnessed first-hand Mrs Campbell’s commitment and determination

to provide the best possible education for every child in the school and we are confident

that this will continue. Her vision for the school is ambitious and we look forward to shar-

ing in future successes.

Our Governing Body has continued to grow and is now complete. We have been joined this

term by Charlotte Bedford, our new Staff Governor, Jennifer Homewood, our new Parent

Governor, Virginia Sheldrake and Geoff Burt, our new Appointed Governors. They all bring

useful skills and knowledge to our team and we look forward to working with them. Pro-

files of all Governors are available on the school website, if you would like to know a little

more about us all.

Since September, Governors have visited the school on a number of occasions; most of our

time this term has been spent with the leadership team so that we can understand their

vision for the school and see how they are planning to manage future developments.

We have also held two Full Governing Body meetings, where we have reviewed the school’s

progress; a Business Committee meeting, where we looked at finance and premises issues;

and a Standards Committee meeting, where we reviewed data and planning. Governors

have also completed relevant training.

If you are interested in the work of the Governing Body, more information can be found in

the Governors section of the school website.

Make I take this opportunity to thank you for your support for the school this year and to

wish you and your families a very happy Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New

Year.

Wendy Morgan

(Chair of Governors)

We are always happy to hear your views. To contact the governors, please ask the school’s

reception office to arrange a meeting, or email: Chair@ovpa-tkat.org