St Oswald's Catholic Primary School
Headteacher - Mrs B Wood
Chapel Lane
Longton
Preston PR4 5EB
Email head@longton-st-oswalds.lancs.sch.uk
bursar@longton-st-oswalds.lancs.sch.uk
St Oswald’s Catholic Community:
With Christ at the centre of our
community, our mission is to live,
love and learn as Jesus taught us.
Tel: 01772 613402
Fax: 01772 613440
Friday Newsletter No. 10 – 23 March 2012
PLEASE CHECK THE WEBSITE REGULARLY!
Dear Parents
Update since the last newsletter:

Y4 had a very enjoyable trip to the Guild Hall for the Schools’ Concert by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. One of the
children said “it was amazing; I’ve never heard real music before”!

Y1 presented parents with a lovely assembly last Friday to celebrate “Mothers’ Day”. Well done Y1!

The Junior pupils (Y3, Y4, Y5 and Y6) were treated to a day of poetry as part of their Literacy studies. Ian Bland, a real
poet, spent the day with the children, ending with a super performance by the children of their poetry from the day. Ian
does have poetry books for sale if the children would like to purchase any. Just return the slip below with a cheque
payable to “Ian Bland”. We have also put a link to his website on our “Links” page. Ian commented that the children
were brilliant and what a great school.

Our “Sport Relief Mile” was a huge success with many children completing the mile! Many thanks to the parents who
came to cheer the children on!

The PTFA “Mothers’ Day” Plant Sale raised over £230.00. A fantastic amount. Grateful thanks to Isabella Johnson for all
her hard work.
OFSTED News
Please find attached a letter that school received this week. We were due to be inspected this term, but our Inspection has been
deferred as our results, attendance figures and progress data are significantly higher than the national average and our
performance has been sustained over the last 3 years. This is an excellent endorsement of the quality of teaching and learning
across the school. We will continue to strive to ensure that the children at St Oswald’s make excellent progress and attain the
best results possible, as well as providing a broad and balanced curriculum with lots of exciting learning opportunities!
Confirmation – Y4, Y5, Y6
Most of you will know that the Archdiocese of Liverpool has introduced “The Restored Order of the Sacraments of Initiation”
which means that, from September 2012, the current Y3 pupils will be confirmed, receive the Eucharist (1 st Holy Communion) and
receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation when they are in Y4. (Details in September 2012). The current Y4, Y5 and Y6 all need to
be confirmed during this academic year. Father Leo is proposing to hold a meeting in church on MONDAY 30 APRIL AT 7.00 pm
for parents who have children in Y4, Y5 and Y6 to explain the Sacrament and the preparation. Proposed dates for confirmations:
Y6 – Wednesday 4 July, 6.30 pm
Y5 – Thursday 19 July, 10.30 am
Y4 – Thursday 19 July, 2.00 pm
More details will be available at the meeting on MONDAY 30 APRIL.
Internet Safety and Facebook
It has come to our attention that some of our older pupils (Y6) have Facebook accounts. Whilst this is a concern, as no child
under the age of 13 should have one, we can only express the real dangers that exist with Facebook. Facebook does NOT
provide extensive child security measures for minors because it is not aimed at very young children. Your child is potentially
unsafe when using Facebook if you ignore this restriction and lie about their age to gain an account. If you insist on allowing
your underage child to have an account, please register yourself too and make sure your child adds your account as a “Friend” so
that you can monitor their communications and who they are adding as “Friends”. Also, change all account privacy settings to
their highest level to restrict the information that can be viewed by the public.
Although chatting online can be great fun, young people can sometimes find themselves in situations where they are out of their
depth. Risks can arise when young people give out their personal details to strangers believing them to be friends. The online
Visit our web-site www.longton-st-oswalds.lancs.sch.uk
world is very different to the real world and people can be tempted to say and do things that they wouldn’t dream of if they met
face to face. This can include giving our personal information such as mobile numbers, pictures of themselves and where they
can be located.
For further information about internet safety and the risks of using online social sites, please see the resources at the
Thinkyouknow website run by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (ceop).
Scooter Safety
Please ensure that your child is fully competent and fully aware of “road safety” when coming to school on their scooter. A very
concerned parent reported a “near miss” with a child on a scooter who was on the road!
Headlice
We are still receiving reports of headlice in school, particularly in Y1. Please check your child’s hair and treat everyone in the
family (including adults) to make sure it is not being passed on. Thank you.
Parish News
Third World Group Jumble Sale on Saturday 31 March from 1.00 pm in St Oswald’s Parish Hall. Jumble may be left in the Parish
Hall kitchen from Wednesday 28 March to Friday 30 March during the daytime – thank you.
Christian Aid “Walk for Water” sponsored walk from New Longton Village Hall and “Cycle for a Bike” sponsored cycle around the
Moss on Saturday 31 March. If you are interested in taking part in either of these Christian Aid events, please contact Cath
Greenlees on 01772 613500.
Don’t forget:

Reception are off to the Butterfly House on Tuesday 27 March.

Netball League at Penwortham Girls’ High School on Tuesday 27 March.

Y4 Service of Reconciliation in church on Wednesday 28 March at 10.00 am.

Y1 are off to Martin Mere on Thursday 29 March, please send in your child’s permission slip/payments ASAP!

Football League at Hutton Grammar on Thursday 29 March.

Choir are off to Crosby Music Festival on Friday 30 March.

Y5 “Celebration of India” Assembly at 2.00 pm on Friday 30 March.

Y1 Parents’ Evening on Tuesday 3rd and Wednesday 4th April from 3.30-6.00 pm. Appointment times available outside
Mrs Bowe’s office.

Y6 will be leading the Lenten Liturgy on Thursday 5 April at 10.00 am in church – everyone welcome.

School finishes at 3.15 pm on Thursday 5 April. (After School Club open as normal).

Please check out the school prospectus which is available on the website for school information and procedures.
PTFA News – next meeting Tuesday 27 March at 7.00 pm

Race Night this evening – tickets available on the door!

PTFA Family Easter Bingo – Thursday 29 March, 6.30-8.00 pm. Tickets are available from the school office.
Donations of Easter Eggs gratefully received, just send them in to the school office.

Annual School Ball – Saturday 5 May at Leyland Golf Club, tickets £30.00 each. Tables of 8, 10 or 12 available now!
Easter Holidays
Richard Wood is presenting a “Thriller” Workshop at All Hallows High School, Penwortham, for Y5, Y6, Y7, Y8, Y9 and Y10 pupils
from Tuesday 10-Friday 13 April. Book your place at the school office or ring All Hallows on 01772 714621.
Summer Term
When we return after Easter it will be the summer term! The summer uniform is to be worn, therefore, from Monday 23 April:
Boys
Girls
School polo shirt with logo
Green/white gingham dresses
School sweatshirt with logo
School sweatshirt or sweatshirt cardigan with logo
Grey trousers or shorts
White socks
Grey socks
Black shoes or sandals (low heeled, not open toed)
Black school shoes
Green scrunchies, headbands or bobbles are allowed
Building Works
Work will start on the refurbishment of the hall over Easter and will last until Friday 1 June. We have organised for a marquee to
be erected for the duration of the building works and we are hoping to use this for assemblies, packed lunches, etc. providing the
weather is kind to us. The After School Club, Fun & Friends, will be relocated to two classrooms. Further details will be given
next week when plans have been finalised. The hall refurbishment is the final phase of what has been a 5 year plan to totally
refurbish the whole school. St Oswald’s has been very fortunate to have secured funding every year for the last 5 years!
And finally …
Visit our web-site www.longton-st-oswalds.lancs.sch.uk
We have sadly waved “goodbye” to Alex and Louis Hall who will, by now, be living in Australia! We wish the family all the very
best with their brave move! We also wish Jodie Fishwick “Good Luck” as she moves to Devon with her family. We’ll miss them
all!
As always, please get in touch with any queries or concerns you may have!
Yours sincerely
B Wood
B Wood
Headteacher
IAN BLAND POETRY BOOK ORDER FORM
Title
A Bug In My Hair (Hands Up Books)
The Secret Life of Pants
Go To The Head
World At Our Feet (Macmillan)
Funny Poems (Scholastic)
Please return this order form to school before next Friday, 30 March, with a cheque payable to “Ian Bland”.
Visit our web-site www.longton-st-oswalds.lancs.sch.uk
£
£4.99
£4.99
£5.99
£4.99
£4.99
No. req