Welcome to the summer term which has already got off to a great start with a fantastic new event that we feel will be added annually to our calendar – the London Mini Marathon! You will be able to read more about this later in this News Update.
Our joint Coronation picnic will be with us very soon on Friday 5th May. We are very much looking forward to celebrating this historic event with our Oaklands’ families – fingers crossed that the weather will be good for family picnics on the field; extended families would be most welcome to join your picnic.
On the day remember to look out for the Coronation bunting made by Years 3 and 4 during a recent sewing day, as well as the felt crowns made by Years 5 and 6 which look very effective and unique. Thank you to all our families who helped with these sewing skills in school.
In addition, we still have all the wonderful King Charles III eggcellent Easter Coronation competition entries on display in school and it is hoped, if the weather is good, that these will be out on tables for you all to admire. At the end of our celebrations, families may then take their child’s entry home to keep.
Finally, if you would still like to order a Tote bag or Coronation T-shirt from the Richardson family, today is the final day (please see details later on in this News Update).
Best wishes, Hazel West, Headteacher
Dates for your diary
For the latest dates for your diary please click here.
Please note on:
Thursday 27th April school is closed for 3L and 4D only due to NEU strike action
Monday 1st May school is closed for May Bank Holiday
Tuesday 2nd May school is closed for 3L, 4D and 4JG only due to NEU strike action
Thursday 4th May school is closed for all classes due to Polling Day
Monday 8th May school is closed for the King’s Coronation
TCS Mini London Marathon 2023
On Saturday 22nd April, 20 of our children, accompanied by their families, Miss Noad and Mrs Burrell, took part in the 2023 TCS Mini London Marathon at St James’s Park. The children ran a set route of one mile around St James’s Park, past Buckingham Palace and finishing down The Mall at the actual finish of the London Marathon.
We are all so very proud of our children and their families for taking part and today in our whole school assembly we shared photos and medals. Our thanks to Thomas for bringing this event originally to our attention, but also to Mrs Alexander for ‘running’ with this! Although she could not be at this event as she is recovering from an operation, we know that she is very proud of all who entered. We are likely to have a larger number attend next year, judging by the excitement and the hands up in assembly this morning.
Many thanks to Miss Noad and Mrs Burrell for all their support and time on Saturday, meeting the children in London and being with them throughout this fantastic event. All did very well timewise in comparison with other waves (which may possibly be due to all their preparation in cross-country running and the lunchtime running club). Thomas was 1st in our wave and 3rd overall in all waves! A fantastic achievement – WELL DONE Thomas!
Last Chance to Purchase a Coronation T-Shirt or Tote Bag
Due to additional interest following the initial closing date, the deadline for ordering Coronation T-shirts and Tote bags has been extended. So, if you are interested in purchasing either of these items in time for our joint Coronation picnic event, today is your last chance to do so. Please use the link below:
Many thanks to everybody for supporting our ‘Dunk and Donuts’ event on Friday 21st April.
We raised an amazing £200, which will go into school funds to help buy essential resources.
Many apologies to anyone who was left disappointed by the shortage of donuts – we had ordered 40 extra but it wasn’t quite enough. Next time, we will make sure we order some more.
The Dunking competition was fought fiercely and the result was very tight. A big well done to everyone who took part. The winner and the first runner-up will each be presented with a trophy in assembly on Wednesday.
Finally, a big thank you to Jordan Jackson and Fin Porter from the Reading Rockets who gave up their free time to support the event.
PLANT YOUR PANTS – The great soil experiment
As part of our ongoing enthusiasm for Science at Oaklands Junior school, a small group of children and Mrs Jones have taken part in The Country Trust’s national survey. The survey is looking at the soil quality across the nation using a fun experiment. The investigation involves burying pants and then leaving them for 8 weeks to see how they decompose. The children were very enthusiastic and came up with four locations around the school to bury our pants. Their engagement and eagerness to see the results was lovely to see.
We will keep you posted on our ‘PANTS’ experiment!
Times Tables Tests
We have been having a number of requests recently for blank copies of the weekly times tables tests. Whilst we love the enthusiasm and support, we feel that it would be much more beneficial in the long-term for children to concentrate on learning all of the necessary times tables facts, rather than just those in the test.
I would suggest the following resources to help your child learn all of the multiplication and division facts up to 12 x 12:
If however, your child has been stuck on levels 1-3 for a significant amount of time, we would be happy to give you a copy of the tests to help them learn strategies to remember these key facts.
Thank you for your ongoing support.
Cross Country Update
This year has been the first after Covid that we have been able to hold a full season of Cross-country. Over 80 Oaklands children have taken part in 4 Cross-country events and one Relay event.
Overall for the 4 Cross-country events at Bluecoats, Lightwater, Braywick and Cantley Park, Oaklands came third out of 11 schools.
Everyone ran really well, but noticeably Thomas W came 2nd overall for Years 5/6 boys
Jack P came 2nd overall for 3 /4 boys
Joe B came 3rd overall for 3/ 4 boys
The Relay event happened at Braywick just before the Easter holidays, and what a cold and wet day it was!
However, every team did brilliantly – well done to everyone who took part.
Years 3 /4 boys came 2nd
Years 5 / 6 boys came 2nd
A Message from the PTA
The PTA has already had a successful start to a jam-packed year of fundraising.
So far we have raised £1343 from the school disco, £276 from the Easter egg raffle and £130 from our pre-loved uniform sale.
All of these vital funds go towards educational and fun activities and workshops that enhance our children’s learning. The Juniors have a lot of exciting activities to look forward to over the Summer term that have proudly been funded by the PTA. We hope they enjoy them.
The PTA also have some fundraising events in the pipeline including:
5th May – Cake Sale (as part of the Coronation Picnic)
19th May – Quiz Night – details to be released soon
26th May – ‘Make the Rules’ Non-Uniform Day
16th June – School Disco
28th June – Summer Raffle – to be drawn at Sports Day – raffle books to be circulated in due course
We are always ready to welcome any new members to the PTA so if you would be interested in joining or finding out more about what we do please contact us oaklandschoolspta@gmail.com
Crowthorne Coronation Competitions
Crowthorne Parish Council have asked us to remind those interested in taking part in the Crowthorne Coronation competitions of the following:
Children should wear their crowns to the Party in the Park event at the Morgan Rec on 6th May for judging and to celebrate the King’s Coronation. Black Tie, Crowthorne’s very own experts in formal attire, in Church Street, have kindly donated £50 of Amazon vouchers for prizes for the crowns made of recycled materials. Full details can be found here.
The deadline for Coronation poem entries is on Monday 24th April. Entries should be taken to either the Parish Council Office or to the Crowthorne Library ready for judging.
SMART Watches
As noted in our Uniform Policy, children are allowed to wear a watch to school, HOWEVER, this does not include SMART watches. We have seen a recent increase in the number of children wearing SMART watches into school and in many cases, we are finding these to be very disruptive during class.
Resilience
We all know that resilience is important, but what is it and how can we improve it? This resource from the Anna Freud Centre teaches children about resilience and the steps they may need to take to achieve their goals.
The ladder format is designed to break down goals into smaller, achievable steps and develop a growth mindset in children. Breaking down a goal in this way helps children realise that it is how we process and deal with setbacks that let us develop resilience. It is important to accept our feelings and speak kindly to ourselves, especially when things feel hard, and it helps to know that there are reliable adults available to support us.
Dogs on Site
We would like to remind all parents / carers that under no circumstances should dogs be brought onto site at any time. Thank you for your co-operation with this matter.
Introduction to being a Teaching Assistant and Working in Schools
Wokingham Adult Education are running a number of courses throughout April and May details of which can be viewed here.
For any parents / carers who want to find out more about different roles available in schools and gain an understanding of how to apply for roles; explore their own strengths and weaknesses in their transferable skills and build their confidence to apply for roles in schools, then the “Introduction to being a Teaching Assistant and Working in Schools” course may be of interest.
20 April to 25 May, Thursdays 12.45pm to 2.45pm, Ambleside Centre, Woodley
£45 – free to those on jobseeking benefits or a low income
Local Community Information, Activities and Events
For information on local community activities and events such as Bracknell Athletic Football Club Girls’ football, Crowthorne Coronation activities, library events please visit our web page below:
Chair of Governors: Charlotte Kieran Email: chairofgovernors@ojsgovernors.co.uk
Oaklands Junior School Governing Body
The Governing Body is ambitious for all children and infused with a passion for education and a commitment to continuous school improvement that enables outstanding outcomes. We oversee financial performance, challenge, support, and focus on the strategic direction of Oaklands Junior school.
If you want to raise a concern, please speak with your class teacher in the first instance. We welcome your feedback if you wish to contact the Governors, please email Charlotte Kieran, Chair of Governors.
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