Primary Times Oxfordshire May 16

news & views
News & Views
Do you have news that might interest other parents or teachers? We’d love to hear about it!
Email marion@schoolspublishing.co.uk
Saturday 4th June 2016 –
Rainbow Run in Oxford
Take Part in Oxford’s third Rainbow Run at
Cutteslowe Park at 11am to raise money for Helen &
Douglas House. This 3km fun run, where you will
be showered with powder paint from head to toe
and all colours of the rainbow, is suitable for all
ages, individuals and families. Entry fees are £12 for
children 13 and under and £17.50 for anyone aged
over 14. Places are limited so sign up today by
emailing www.hdh.org.uk
More than 90 per cent get
first choice primary school
More than 91 per cent (91.51) of Oxfordshire
children due to start primary school in September
have been offered a place at their first-preference
school.
The figure is up by 3.47 percentage points
compared with 2015 and means the county
council’s admissions team has once again been
able to grant the wishes of the overwhelming
majority of families.
In total 98.05 per cent of families have been
offered a place at one of their preferred schools,
with just 148 out of 7,600 (1.93 per cent) offered a
place at their nearest alternative school.
Any family which has not received a firstpreference
offer has the option to appeal, and
also to remain on ‘continued interest’ lists for their
preferred school, in the event that spaces become
available between now and September.
Youngsters feel
the Samba beat
SEEDS FROM SPACE!
Chadlington Primary School were thrilled to take
part in the RHS Rocket Science Experiment which
started in mid April and is one of many innovative
projects the school is involved with. Rocket seeds
from RHS Wisley were launched into space last year
from Kazakhstan and have spent many months on
Astronaut Inspires at
Abingdon School
Have you ever wanted to hear first-hand what
it’s like to survive a collision in space or to
repair the Hubble Telescope whilst orbiting the
Earth? Michael Foale, former NASA astronaut
and the first UK born citizen to perform a
spacewalk, answered these and other questions
in conversation with Oxford University physicist
Frank Close, OBE at Abingdon School. The
event, which was organised by Abingdon
School and ISSET, the International Space School
Educational Trust, thrilled the audience of all
age groups. Prior to the evening event, the
Abingdon Science Partnership, which promotes
science in the local community, had arranged
for Michael to speak to pupils from local schools
including Fitzharrys and Larkmead about his
experience and to give advice about careers in
space.
British-American astrophysicist Michael
Foale, PhD, CBE, is a veteran of six Space Shuttle
missions and extended missions on both Mir
The sounds of the Brazilian carnival echoed
around Sibford School in Oxfordshire
recently when pupils in Years 5 & 6
demonstrated their newly-found skills as
Sambistas.
Cyro Zuzi, of London-based Bish Bash Bosh,
conducted two workshops demonstrating the
art of samba reggae, a style of samba from
the north-east of Brazil.
The youngsters then put their new art to
the test by performing a short concert.
Rachel Bee, Junior School Music Teacher,
said: “Not only were the workshops great
fun but they were also excellent for coordination,
watching and listening skills and
encouraging team work … each individual
instrument plays a simple rhythm but their
combined sound was terrific.”
board the International Space Station at zero
gravity with Major Tim Peake. Once the cargo
arrived back on Earth, the pupils of Chadlington
Primary School were given one hundred precious
seeds in two packets, one blue and one red -
nobody knows which have been in space! The
whole idea of the experiment is to see whether
being in space at zero gravity or even the G-force
from the launch and journey will affect the
growth of the Rocket. The pupils of Mrs Gardner
in Dragons class have already made some
exciting predictions for BBC Oxford and will
spend the next six weeks diligently turning the
trays, watering the seedlings and taking
measurements. Their findings will be put into a
national database together with other schools
and Tim Peake will announce which seed packet
will have been to space - blue or red! The seed
trays and equipment were kindly donated by
Chadlington Kitchen Garden.
and the International Space Station. He holds
the cumulative-time-in-space record for a UK
born citizen, 374 days, 11 hours, 19 minutes
including four space walks totalling 22 hours
and 44 minutes.
9th July – Save the Date
Back by popular demand, the Benson Village
Summer Fayre will be held on Saturday
9th July 2016 from 12 – 3.00pm, on the
playing fields, Oxford Road, OX10 6LX.
Free entertainment, games, local crafters,
inflatable obstacle course and bouncy
castle, sports challenges, local butcher
BBQ, licensed bar, ice cream, popcorn
and the Roke and Benson Band. For more
information www.bensonfayre.org.uk
and finally…
We received a lovely joke that was slightly
too long to include in Loopy Library but
thought it was so good that we wanted to
share it with you anyway!
KNOCK, KNOCK
Who’s there?
Cowsgo
Cowsgo who?
No they don’t, cowsgo MOO!
Kindly submitted by Daisy, aged 7,
from Abingdon.
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