Special Advisers Newsletter 002

 Oxford Montessori Schools
(in 20/10, We celebrate 20 years running our nursery schools & ten years at Forest Farm primary & senior school)
(Iffley Village, Wolvercote & Forest Farm, Elsfield)  www.oxfordmontessori.co.uk / oms.schools@btconnect.com

         

Second Special Advisers Newsletter & Invitation to contribute to our new survey

 

Dear Advisers,

Happy New Year to everyone and what a New Year it has been so far! We appreciate your patience throughout this extreme cold snap that would not have been out of place in Lapland. We only wish it had fallen throughout Christmas to give all the children a real winter wonderland feel.

In this newsletter we are launching our third quick Advisers Group survey, visit it by clicking here. However before you do,  we thought you’d like to know what you told us in the last survey of 2009 and the action we have already taken. We also want to share with you a special deal we have secured for our Advisers. 

 It doesn’t need to be Christmas to give a gift – 2 for 1 meal vouchers at Cafe Coco for our advisers – first come first served.  Oxford’s very own Cafe Coco, next to the Royal Oxford Hotel, has kindly donated 40 2 for 1 vouchers on food to be used in the month of February with the exception of Friday and Saturday nights. The vouchers are easy to win. All you need to do is complete our quick survey by clicking here, to provide us with your invaluable advice. If you are one of the first 40 to complete it then we will send you your very own voucher as a thank you.

Free places to disadvantaged children, a musical concert and a real team spirit.
Last month we asked you what you’d recommend we do to mark our 20th anniversary in 2010. The two most popular choices were to provide free places to disadvantaged children and make additions to the curriculum/facilities - with 44% each.

So based on your advice we are delighted to announce that from  Summer Term 2010 we will be offering three funded places for new children joining the OMS fold - two at the senior school and one in the primary school at Forest Farm. Now all we need to do is find the most deserving families with children who will flourish with our special educational approach. 

We hope that you’re pleased to hear that we are also looking at the curriculum question too. To that end, in this month’s survey we are asking your advice about what additions to the curriculum/facilities you’d like to see introduced. Let us know your thoughts by clicking here to complete the  3rd OMS Advisers Survey

 

The curriculum at Forest Farm is always evolving in the primary and senior school. We use two central methods and of course map children's progress to the general needs of the National Curriculum as required...

Montessori underpins most of our teaching - interest led and child/student centred.  Based on observations of how your children develop, our training helps us to adapt the learning environment to meet your children's needs.  Our second passion is making the learning experience hands on, fun and practical.  There are so many different types of personality, so many different ways of learning.  We often use a technique developed by Dorothy Heathcote called Mantle of the Expert and we have added some more information on this on our website HERE

 

Success with GCSEs We've just received our 2nd round of GCSE exam results.  Just like round one, the latest results are a triumph for the Students who achieved a string of A*and A-C grades. It is also a great valediction for those who believe it is possible to achieve without too excessive pressure. For a full results list click HERE  

Choose our concert We also gave you the option of picking the event you’d most like to see us put on in 2010. A music concert won your support with a resounding 66% of the vote. So this month, we’d love you to tell us what type of music concert you’d prefer to see. Rumour has it might be scenes from West Side Story? You tell us:) 

Working together for the benefit of your children We do really listen to your advice and feedback and we hope that with your guidance we can build upon the past 20 years and make the next 20 even better. To this end, it was very encouraging to see 46% of our advisers are prepared to give up their time to be special parent mentors. We want to make sure we have the best frequency of open and induction days, so once again we would like your help in choosing that. For those of you who have agreed to help as mentors, we are very grateful. We will be in touch to agree exactly how you can help other parents get the best from our schools.

You also gave us a lot of food for thought about a referral scheme and we will come back to you with our ideas soon. It also seems that our special reducing fee structure is not fully understood by everyone. Unlike other schools the fees actually reduce as the children progress through the various stages.  We are now thinking about the best way to make sure all parents understand this and would appreciate any advice you may have.

We can’t just blame it on the weatherman

Lastly, we can’t ignore the snow that hit us all hard and we have one question that seeks your advice on how best to make up snow affected days to ensure the education of your children does not suffer. Furthermore, at the end of our newsletter, another parent, Alexander who was born in Vienna, has kindly shared some winter driving tips thanks Alexander. I hope they help.

 

We wish you a belated but very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

 

Daniel, Judith and the OMS team

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Driving in wintry conditions

Written by Alexander Koelbl, who grew up in Vienna, Austria.  Alexander has a child at the Iffley Nursery

 

Vienna is a city where it snows regularly. Wintry conditions in Vienna are very much like they have been in Oxford this winter - it snows, the snow stays for a bit, gets dirty and slushy, and finally melts away. This cycle can repeat a few times each winter. So unlike ski resorts, where the snow stays all winter long, city people usually have to deal with changing conditions depending where and when they drive. Please find below my thoughts and recommendations on common measures for driving in winter. I hope they help you in some small way.

• Winter tyres -They are made out of a rubber compound which stays soft at low temperatures. Usually people have them on rims and change all four wheels every half year. This way the summer tyres do not wear as fast as when driving them the whole year round. Modern winter tyres are as comfortable to drive as summer tyres and don't have anything to do with the tractor-like tyres you see on some Landrovers. Of all the measures listed here, winter tyres make the biggest difference. Highly recommended for winters in Oxfordshire as they are a cheap measure and very effective. If you want to buy winter tyres, try here: http://mytyres.co.uk/
• 4WD - This is often quoted in the UK as the only method to get through snow. I think this is wrong. Few people I know have a car with 4WD and they still make it comfortably through snowy winters, while driving through hilly areas. It definitely helps, but is not a prerequisite. It is also more expensive to buy and to operate. And don't forget that a 4WD is much more effective with winter tyres. Good when you have it, but not a must-have for winters in Oxfordshire
• Studded tyres (spikes) - Also often quoted when I hear people in the UK talking about driving in snow. They do not give any more grip in snow or slush. It only helps on ice. On the other hand, they extend the stopping distance, are more expensive than normal winter tyres and destroy the roads. Not recommended for winters in Oxfordshire
• Snow chains - They help driving in snow. Modern chains can be put on in minutes, and you should remove them right away when you are back on a clear road. Not recommended for winters in Oxfordshire
• Ice scraper - I recommend only using an ice scraper when removing the ice from the windscreen and windows, no chemicals or hot water. Chemicals are not necessary and hot water might crack your windows. Use an ice scraper which has a strong plastic blade. Metal blades might damage the glass.
• Snow brush - I haven't seen dedicated car snow brushes in any UK shop. Use a small broom to sweep off all snow from the car for the safety of you and people driving behind you
• Salt grit - In Austria only used for motorways as it is said to damage plants and trees
• Stone grit - Used a lot on roads and paths. It helps cars and pedestrians alike on snow, slush and even ice.