Dear parents and carers,
Welcome back after the Easter holiday. We hope that you all enjoyed a restful break.
Staff News
We are sure you will wish to join us in sending congratulations and best wishes to Mr and Mrs Collett on the birth of Alfred who arrived in the Easter holidays weighing 7lb 50z. Mother and baby are both doing well and the family would like to express their sincere thanks for all the gifts and good wishes they have received from families.
Willow Staffing
We have secured two teachers who will be teaching Willow Class until the end of July. Mrs Towers- Clark will teach Willow from Monday to Wednesday and Ms Griffiths will teach the children on a Thursday and Friday. We are delighted to welcome them both to the team at Dr. South’s.
Year 6 Netball Tournament
I was delighted to escort the Year 6 children along with Mrs Cornish to the Kidlington Partnership Netball tournament yesterday at Gosford Hill School. We had two teams who competed superbly all morning and supported each other well during the matches.
Well done to the Dr South’s Knights who came first in their group and the Dr South’s Dragons who came third.
Mini Marathon Meeting – Thursday 23rd April 3.15pm
We have 27 children who will be running the London Mini Marathon next weekend. You should have received a letter today giving details of the London Mini Marathon event with all the details needed. Mrs Sellars will be holding a meeting next Thursday 23rd April at 3.15pm in the hall where she will give out race numbers and answer any questions you may have.
Oak Trip to Banbury Museum _ Monday 20th April
Oak Class have a class trip to Banbury Museum on Monday morning. Please ensure that all children have a packed lunch for this trip as they won’t be returning to school until approximately 1pm.
Parent Questionnaires
This is the final week to complete the parent questionnaire which will close on Friday 24th April
Please find attached a link to complete the parent questionnaire that we send out each year. It is also possible to complete a paper version if you prefer. We really value your feedback so please do take the time to complete this. Please contact the office for a paper copy or if you have trouble accessing the online version.
Parent Questionnaire 2025/26 – Fill in form
Clubs
Thank you for submitting your clubs’ forms for the summer term. Mrs Randall will add the charges for clubs onto ParentPay next week, so please ensure that you check your accounts next week in order to make payments for the clubs your child is attending.
Sun Cream
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/
Lunch Menu
We have a new lunch menu which began this week and can be found on the website.
FODS News
Easyfundraising
75 supporters – £1,524.85 raised
You can raise FREE donations for the Friends of Dr South’s School – Islip EVERY time you shop online or in person at stores like Tesco, John Lewis, and Travis Perkins using easyfundraising! Over 8,000 brands will donate, including all the big names like Waitrose, eBay, John Lewis &Partners, Argos, ASOS, Expedia, M&S, Just Eat, Uswitch and many more! Thank you to everyone who has begun collecting free donations with your
everyday purchases; every donation, no matter how small, really does add
up! If you’re not one of our supporters yet, please join today:
https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/friendsofdrsouthsschool/
Call for Volunteers
We’d love for you to join our team of “behind-the-scenes” heroes. Helping out at our school events isn’t just about rolling up your sleeves; it’s about that lovely, warm glow you get from being part of something bigger. Every bit of time you give helps us raise vital funds that go straight back to our pupils—powering the extra trips, new equipment, and enrichment activities that make their school days truly special. Plus, it’s a brilliant way to have a laugh and get to know other parents! As the saying goes: “No one has ever become poor by giving.” — Anne Frank.
Whether you can spare twenty minutes or a whole afternoon, we’d love to have you. It really does make a world of difference! Please reach out to your class rep or to any of the FODS committee members (Mel, Rebecca, Steph, Lynne and Emma).
Easter Trail
A big thank you to all the families who turned out in good spirits despite the wet weather! With over 50 pupils involved and just over £75 raised, we look forward to adding this Easter event to the calendar next year. A warm and heartfelt thanks to the volunteers who made this event happen!
This week we congratulated:
Willow Class : Ronnie, for making lovely creations with the playdoh and sharing with others; Alex, for working really hard with his sounds and his writing in Phonics this week;
Ash Class: Acer, for settling in so well and contributing thoughtfully to class discussions; Hannah, for excellent application of number knowledge when using money;
Oak Class: Henry, for settling into Oak Class quickly, learning new routines and making friends; Brodie, for participating well in Science and listening well to quiet sounds around school;
Beech Class: Edison, for always being polite and positive in the classroom; Leah, for amazing perseverance during the netball tournament.
Our Christian value for the term is respect. Ask your children about how we can show respect for animals.
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
13/4/2026 – Start of term
20/2/2026 – Oak trip to Banbury Museum
25/4/2026 London Mini Marathon
28/4/2026 Oak Class residential to Youlbury
29/4/2026 Oak Class residential to Youlbury
4/5/2026 – May Day School closed
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: https://dr-souths.co.uk/term-dates/