As we reach the end of what has been a busy and positive term, half-term is finally here! It has been wonderful to see so much learning taking place across the school, alongside the many special moments, achievements and opportunities that make Launton such a lovely place to be. We have ended the term today with our Harvest Festival at the church, and it was a pleasure to see so many families there to support the children. A huge thank you, too, for your generous donations to Bicester Foodbank. Your kindness and generosity are greatly appreciated and will make a real difference to those in our local community. I hope you all enjoy a restful half-term break, and I look forward to welcoming everyone back refreshed for another exciting term on Monday 2^nd November.

This week’s news is from Chestnut Class

Exhibition

Amy: "I really enjoyed showing my work and my parents especially enjoyed the singing."

Robyn: "My family enjoyed seeing my art work which I am really proud of and my Nanny liked our 'Happy' song".

Fleur: "My favourite part was the science exhibition."

Mollie: "I was very pleased with how it was laid out and I loved that I could share my hard work."

Sienna: "It was nice to see the whole school's work, it felt open."

Rosie: "My mum said it was absolutely amazing to see how much my handwriting had improved."

Rebecca: "My parents enjoyed listening to us singing and seeing the work they wouldn't usually see."

Exhibitions

A huge thank you to all the parents and carers who joined us for our learning exhibitions on Tuesday 20th October. As you can see from some of the lovely comments above, the children thoroughly enjoyed sharing their learning experiences with you, and the feedback we have received has been overwhelmingly positive. We are delighted that the exhibitions were such a success and look forward to hosting another event like this in the Spring Term. We are also happy for parents and carers to take photographs and videos during these events, provided these are kept for personal use only and are not shared on social media. Thank you for your continued support in celebrating the children’s learning and achievements!

Girls’ Football – A Team to Be Proud Of!

We are incredibly proud of our girls who took part in a their first football match yesterday, representing Launton brilliantly! This was the first time they had played together as a team, and they showed fantastic enthusiasm, determination and sportsmanship throughout. They truly embodied our school values of resilience and courage, giving everything a go, supporting one another and approaching the experience with a positive attitude. Well done, girls – you were wonderful ambassadors for our school!

A Gentle Reminder About Manners and Respect

As some of our children make their own way to school, we would like to remind everyone of the importance of showing kindness, consideration and good manners to others in our community. Whether walking, cycling or scooting, please be mindful of pedestrians and those with young children or dogs, and remember that a friendly greeting, a polite “excuse me” or a simple “thank you” can make a real difference. At Launton, we are proud to promote our values of compassion and integrity, and we encourage all our children to demonstrate these in their everyday interactions, both in and out of school.

Lining Up and Walking into Class

Next term, we will be focusing on helping the children to line up sensibly and walk calmly into class, ensuring that the start of the school day is safe and organised for everyone. To support this, there will be a small change to our lining-up arrangements. EYFS and KS2 will continue to line up as usual, while KS1 (Years 1 and 2) will line up at the bottom of the playground, near the hundred square. This will provide the children with more space to line up comfortably, avoiding overcrowding and helping to establish positive routines. We would also kindly ask parents and carers, where possible, to begin moving away from the lines a couple of minutes before the bell rings. This will help the children to settle into their lines more easily and allow us to get ready to start the day promptly. Thank you for your continued support as we work together to make the start of each day as smooth as possible.

Resources for Parents

Wellbeing Resource from OCC

Transition Guide for Parents - Primary to Secondary 

Congratulations to all classes for achieving over 97% attendance again this week. Also a huge well done to Beech Class for achieving 100%!

The following clubs will be running in Term 2, clubs will start the week beginning 2nd November and will finish on 11th December (week before the end of term) - 

Monday - Art Club (Printing, Painting and Christmas Card Making) Key Stage 2 (Year 3 to Year 6) with Miss Nightingale

Wednesday - Gymnastics/Dance Year 2 to Year 6 with Ignite

Thursday - Football Club Key Stage 2 (Years 3 to 6) with Ignite

Friday - Netball/Basketball Club Key Stage 2 (Year 3 to 6)  with Ignite 

Booking has now closed, there are some spaces still available at some clubs please email the school office if you would like to add your child to a club.

Message from Tempest -

A polite reminder that the closing date for free delivery back to school is Monday 26^th October.  You can order through the Tempest website using the details on paper proof visit www.tempest-orders.co.uk 

If you need any assistance in ordering your photos, feel free to contact Tempest at customerservice@htempest.co.uk.

Secondary School Applications for Year 6 Pupils - DEADLINE for applying 31st October 2026

Year 7 Applications for 2027/28

Allergies - Nut Free School

We are still getting items in lunchboxes which contain nuts, we are a nut free school and 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. 

Reminder to Parents - Please ensure that packed lunches contain food which is cut appropriately we have seen an increase in grapes, cherry tomatoes, olives in lunch boxes which have not been cut which causes a choking hazard. Please follow this link for some information regarding the risk of choking and how to reduce the risk.

Our wonderful PTA are busy finalising dates and plans for some exciting events over the coming months. Keep an eye on future newsletters for more information – watch this space!

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)