Welcome back to the second half of the spring term! We hope you and your children had a lovely break and have now settled back into the new term.
Lots of exciting events continued last term including a special week for Children’s Mental Health with lots of brilliantly creative activities happening across the school that also included a Task Master challenge! We were very lucky to have a special assembly with a talented glass artist, Jason Leggett, who shared with us how he changed career to follow his passion for creativity. He demonstrated how he made some of the beautiful art work that he brought with him. The children were fascinated with lots of ‘WOW’ moments and the children asked many thoughtful questions. Some children even stayed through part of breaktime to have a closer look or ask further questions. You can see part of his amazing display above.
Our Daisy Trophy was awarded to Lewis P in 5B. It was so lovely to hear every class teacher he has ever had at Oaklands Juniors, say such wonderful things about his fantastic achievements and increasing resilience over the years. We are all very proud of you Lewis!
Pride Awards – Congratulations to the following children who received the Pride Award for a variety of reasons that included enthusiasm, attitude to learning and brilliant presentation of work:
3M Jemima G 5H Amelia G
3L Michael C 5B Harjot B
4JG Beau E 6A Lennie W
4D Neve L 6N Ivy HT
Parents were invited to this special assembly to hear all the wonderful words the teachers said about their chosen recipient.
Our INSET day this week went very well with a great start to reviewing our SEND provision with some exciting work being done around progress in communication and wellbeing which goes beyond purely academic attainment. This work has been a joint venture between Infants and Juniors and at present is in a draft stage. We plan to share this with you once staff in both schools have had the opportunity to review and agree any changes/additions. Discussions have continued regarding our ongoing work on foundation assessments where we have been refining a key progression of skills for each subject; with some subjects needing key skills for different areas e.g. PE. These will also be shared once completed. Science was reviewed separately to combine teacher assessments, tests and investigations. A very busy but productive day which also included our first joint Infant/Junior Senior Leadership Team (SLT) meeting, with great discussions about further collaboration between Oaklands Schools regarding transition, curriculum and assessment. All in all a very pleasing start to this term.
Hazel West, Headteacher
Dates for your diary
For the latest dates for your diary please click here.
Invitation to the PTA AGM 6th March 2023
We will be holding a PTA Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 6th March 2023 at 6.30pm in the Infants’ School Hall.
This is an opportunity to hear about fundraising from the past year and activities planned for the year ahead.
If you would like to put yourself forward to join the PTA Committee, please email oaklandschoolspta@gmail.com before the AGM.
Badminton Open Evening
On 18th January we had our very first open evening for the Badminton Club. Children showed their parents the different skills they have learnt and games they have played over the last term. Parents were impressed with their ability as they have all progressed in skills and confidence. It was a great evening and the children had a lot of fun.
Smash Badminton Tournament
On Thursday 9th February a Badminton Team went to Waingels College in Woodley to compete in a Badminton Tournament. This involved a carousel of eight different badminton activities using their skills with racket and shuttlecock. The children had a fantastic time and finished 2nd out of seven schools. They each received a silver medal.
Preparing for secondary school
Wednesday 1st March is an important day for Year 6 pupils and their families as they receive their offer of a place at secondary school.
“The transition from primary to secondary school is exciting for children and marks a new phase in their lives. Children recognise it as part of growing up and are aware that their lives are about to change in an important way. Like any change, it can also bring uncertainty.
Most children will manage the transition to secondary school successfully. However, there may be ups and downs. It’s easy for children to slip from feeling happy and confident one minute, to feeling nervous or anxious and back again as they find their feet.
As a parent or carer there is much you can do to help your child through the transition period with careful and sensitive preparation.”
“As parents and carers, it can be hard to know whether your child’s feelings and behaviour are normal or becoming a problem. This is especially during adolescence when young people can feel a great deal of pressure and increasingly want to loosen their family ties.”
All parents / carers are reminded that if either the Butler Road gate or Ellis Road gate is closed they should not open it and leave it on the latch to allow other people to access the school. If you are visiting during school hours and are buzzed in by staff, please ensure that the gate is firmly shut behind you when entering and exiting the school premises. As you can fully appreciate this is for safeguarding reasons.
Driving on to the School Site
Under no circumstances should anyone be driving on to our school site for reasons of lateness or delivering children’s lunchboxes, homework or kit. Please be aware that you will not be allowed entry. Parking is available in nearby roads where you can then walk into school. If the pedestrian gates are closed, please press the buzzer to reach either the Infant or the Junior Office.
If, however, you have a disabled badge, you would be very welcome to drive on to site where we have one disabled parking space outside Reception. If you intend to do this, we would need to have confirmation of your blue badge, if you could bring this into the School Office so that this can be noted. You may also drive on to site if you are collecting a sick child. Thank you.
Introduction to being a Teaching Assistant and Working in Schools
The above Adult Education course is being run by Wokingham Borough Connect. Details are provided below:
23 February to 30 March, Thursdays 10am to 12pm, Ambleside Centre, Woodley
£45 – free to those on jobseeking benefits or a low income
Find out more about different roles available in schools and gain an understanding of how to apply for roles. Explore your own strengths and weaknesses in your transferable skills and build your confidence to apply for roles in schools.
Wokingham Youth Consultation
Wokingham Borough Council wishes to consult with children and young people living in the Borough, on their relationship with arts and culture, to feed into an action plan around opportunities for the creative arts in Wokingham.
They are now at the survey part of the project, which is running to the 19th of March and open to children and young people under the age of 25, with the idea that younger children can complete it with the support of a parent or guardian. The hope of the survey is that they connect with as many young people in the Borough as possible, to gain understanding of how young people are involved in arts activities and events, and their views on how to make the borough an arts and culture hub. It’s just as important to hear from young people who aren’t engaged with the arts as those that are.
Any help you can give in participating would be greatly appreciated by Wokingham Borough Council!
Website
Don’t forget to check out the following areas on our website which are updated on an ongoing basis with relevant information such. New this week are The Crowthorne Repair Cafe and the final Admission Arrangements for Ranelagh School.
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.
Dear Parents/Carers, As part of Remembrance, Oaklands’ Schools always ask a family who have children in both Infants and Juniors, if they would be kind enough to lay a wreath on our behalf at the Read more…
Dates for your diary For the latest dates for your diary please click here. Year 3 Update Year 3 have continued to impress us with their keen attitude to learning and settling in with the Read more…
Dates for your diary For the latest dates for your diary please click here. Year 3 Update The Year 3s have done fantastically well since they joined us in the Juniors. As part of their Read more…
