Dear parents and carers,
Islip Big Bike Ride – Sunday 3 May 2026
Don’t forget this Sunday is the Islip Big Bike Ride and we hope many of you will be able to attend and support this wonderful event. If you are able support in other ways – such as cooking chilli, baking cakes, or helping on the day – we would also love to hear from you.
Non-Uniform Day – Friday 8 May
Dr South’s May Day celebrations are rapidly approaching (Friday 22 May). A letter has been sent out today with further details about the day.
To help us prepare, we’re holding a non-uniform day on Friday 8 May. Children are invited to come to school in their home clothes in exchange for a donation for the adult tombola (such as a bottle, bubble bath or chocolates) or an item for the children’s pre-loved toy and book stall. Please bring donations when dropping children off on Friday – there will be boxes in the playground to collect them. Thank you for your support.
Mini Marathon
Huge congratulations to our twenty-one runners who took part in last Saturday’s Mini London Marathon. They had a wonderful day which began with a warm up with Joe Wickes and the Gladiators and then they supported each other as they sprinted to the finish line. It was lovely to present them with their medals again today in our celebration assembly and to hear about the lovely memories that they have of this special day. Huge thanks go to Mrs Sellars for applying for places and co-ordinating this very special event. Thank you to Mrs Soanes and Mrs Forde for supervising and running alongside the children on the day.
Youlbury
Oak Class thoroughly enjoyed the two days they spent at Youlbury. They enjoyed some wonderful activities such as backwoods cooking, crate stacking, zip wire, sensory trail and of course singing around the campfire. Huge thanks go to Mr Schjelde, Miss Walsh, Mrs Soanes and Mss Jaggard for all their hard work to enable this trip to happen.
Uniform discount
As we look ahead to the autumn term, we wanted to share that our official uniform supplier School Trends is currently offering a discount on uniform items. You can find the site by following this link Dr South’s C E VA Primary School Uniform. You can use the discount code DRSOUTH10 at checkout for savings on their order.
However, purchasing from the official supplier is entirely optional – uniform items from other shops such as supermarkets is absolutely fine and there is no need to purchase branded items. The school uniform policy can be found here Uniform – Dr South’s School. We would also encourage families to consider our second-hand uniform selection, available through FODS, which offers quality items at a fraction of the cost and is a great sustainable choice. Please get in touch with FODS directly for details on what’s currently available.
FODS Meeting – Wednesday 6th May
Our next Friends of Dr South’s (FODS meeting) will be held this coming Wednesday evening (6th May) at 8pm. It will be a virtual meeting – we will send out a Microsoft Teams link on the class WhatsApp groups next week.
We’d love if you could join us to give us your views and help shape the upcoming fundraising events.
We are also looking for new committee members, in particular someone to help with the website and organise events. Please get in touch with Rebecca or Mel if you are interested in joining; it is a great way to support the school!
Morning Birdsong event with Islip Wildlife and Conservation Group
The Islip Wildlife and Conservation Group are inviting interested children to an early morning birdsong event. It will be at the Millennium Wood (next to Jacobs Field where the children go for Forest School) starting at 7.30 on Sunday 10th May. There will be a short introduction about the birds we might hear, 20 minutes or so of listening and identifying and then a simple breakfast snack and chat about what we heard. Mrs Jaggard from Dr South’s will be involved along with one or two supporters from the IWCG.
If your child is interested, please contact Emily Cohen: emilycbcohen@gmail.com ASAP as places is limited.
Oak assembly – Friday 15th May 2.30pm
Oak Class will be leading our celebration assembly on Friday 15th May and parents are welcome to come and see what the children have been learning this term. Please come to the school reception for 2.25pm and we will let you into the hall.
Sun Cream and Hats
We are beginning to enjoy some warmer weather. Please ensure that your child has a water bottle and hat each day. During periods of intense sunshine, it is good to protect your child using sun cream. Many products on the market use coconut oil as a base, and as we have children in school with severe anaphylaxis, we need to ask you not to send such products to school. If you wish to use nut-based products, please apply them at home, but if you wish to send a (named) bottle of sun cream into school, please ensure it is nut free. Suitable products can be found here:
https://www.childsfarm.com/products/childs-farm-50-spf-sun-lotion-cream-unfragranced
https://www.sunsense.co.uk/product/sunsense-kids-spf50/
This week we congratulated:
Willow Class : Rosie, for a great first week in Willow Class and for settling in so well; Rhys, for working hard on his Maths and Literacy all week;
Ash Class: Hazel, for a positive attitude towards her work and for her ability to work so well with others; Hannah, for great problem solving in DT when making crowns;
Oak Class: Carey, for being caring and nurturing during our Youlbury residential and for supporting his friends; William, for being an inspiration in the London Mini Marathon for his friends and family with his positivity and drive;
Beech Class: Marcel, for fantastic sentences about Darwin’s theory of evolution in Literacy; Charlie, for amazing participation on our trip to IMPS to the John Radcliffe.
Our Christian value for the term is respect. Ask your children about the story of The Garden of Eden
Dates for the year
We have a church service most terms which all families are welcome to attend.
Our May Day celebrations are at the end of May and this is a whole day event for families to attend if they wish.
Sports Day is for the whole school and begins at 9am and last until approximately 1pm. Parents are welcome to watch and enjoy a picnic lunch with their child after the races if they are able to.
Term 5
3/5/2026 Islip Big Bike Ride
4/5/2026 – May Day School closed
6/5/2026 FODS meeting online 8pm
8/5/2026 Non School uniform day
15/5/2026 Oak Class assembly 2.30pm
22/5/2026 – May Day celebrations 9.30 – 3pm approx.
25/5/2026 – Half Term week
Term 6
1/6/2026 – Start of Term
18/6/2026 – Sports Day
1/7/2026 – Ash and Willow production 1.30pm in village hall
9/7/2026 – KS2 production 1.30pm and 6pm in village hall
14/7/2026 – Ash Class picnic for parents at Jacob’s Field from 11am approx.
17/7/2026 – Leavers’ Service 1.30pm at St Nicholas Church
17/7/2026 – FODS End of Year Party
17/7/2026 – End of Term
Don’t forget – you can always check term dates at: