As we edge towards the Christmas holidays I am once again stunned by the sheer volume of events, activities and achievements within our school. It is wonderful that the children have so many opportunities to challenge themselves in learning new skills which could not happen without such a supportive community. It is always a joy to start the week with our celebration assembly in which we have the chance to celebrate success in school while also having an opportunity to hear what children have achieved in their own time outside of school.
Apologies in advance if this begins to feel like an acceptance speech at the Oscars, but there are so many people and groups who deserve recognition. I shall begin with a huge thank-you to the team of volunteers from Bank of America, including current parents Mrs Swan and Mr Bhanu, who did a fantastic job during half-term improving our environment by:
cutting a swathe along our woodland boundary fencing that backs on to Greenwood Road residents’ gardens
removing the stage on the playground and signs on the wall by the stage
generally tidying up, checking the woodland pathway, cutting back any holly along the way
spreading bark chippings neatly around the storyteller’s chair and seating in the woodland
We have also been fortunate to have a group of volunteers from AWE, organised by Mrs Martin, who spent a day decorating our library with book-themed murals, including Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter and Horrible Histories. If you haven’t yet seen the work, here’s a sneak preview below, but please take time to have a proper look in the library if you would like. It is awesome!
On the subject of serving others, once again we held a 2-minutes silence on 11th November to mark Armistice Day. Year 5 created a display of poppies to add to the atmosphere. It is important, especially considering events around the world, that we remember the sacrifices made by others in order to give us the freedoms we enjoy. I was pleased to hear that Gracie and Imogen were able to attend the service at St John’s Church and lay a wreath on behalf of Oaklands Schools.
Speaking of church services, we are very much looking forward to our school service at St John’s tomorrow. This is always a lovely event to celebrate Christmas while allowing children to share their talents with a range of instruments, including their voices. Thank-you to all those parents who have offered to help walk the children to church and back safely. We are indebted to you as without your support we would not be able to run these important events. The same must be said for every event that parents help out with, from regular listening to readers to making soup with Year 4, cake sales and the ever-popular Decoration Day, which involves the entire school. Thank-you also to those who have given feedback regarding Decoration Day, which we will use to make the day even more successful next year.
Christmas would not be the same without a performance from our Year 3 children. It is a delight to see them on stage, in front of an audience, singing, dancing and enjoying themselves. The shared achievement of putting on a great set of performances strengthens the bond between the children and I always feel that this is a seminal moment in the children becoming fully settled in the Junior School. Having the confidence to perform while developing the skills of speaking, listening and working together is a key ingredient in their learning skills and to put themselves in the spotlight in front of their peers takes great courage but yields great reward.
Regarding performances, thank-you to the Infants for inviting our Year 3 children and siblings to watch their Wriggly Nativity. It was great fun, with wonderful singing, dancing and costumes and a great way to start the week. Well done to all those involved, staff and children.
While the focus of the last few weeks has obviously been the festive season, there has been a lot more going on behind the scenes that makes Oaklands Junior School a very special place to be. As well as the visitors we have had in school, from the Space Dome to Church groups, we have sent teams to cross-country, football, rugby, boccia and inclusive sports events. The choir and belle-plates practised hard before their fabulous performance at the late-night shopping event on Friday 6th December while, in school, we have had a whole range of clubs running including Taskmaster, badminton, bird-watching, maths and netball.
In addition, our team have been working hard to establish a sensory circuits session running in the morning to help children settle into school while improving their coordination, independence and enjoyment. We have also established a Lego club to support children in Years 3 and 4 during lunchtimes. These opportunities only happen due to the commitment and dedication of the outstanding staff team, who always go above and beyond expectations, that I am proud to be part of.
With a final week of term that includes, in addition to a busy timetable of lessons, a Thinking Families afternoon on a theme of Christmas games, a poetry performance from Year 6, a pantomime by the staff, the St John’s church service, Christmas lunch, class parties, the annual Christmas singalong and the termly awarding of Teacher’s Choice certificates as well as the Daisy trophy, not to mention the painting of the Year 3 and 4 corridors, there is still much to do before we can all take a well-earned break over the next couple of weeks.
It only remains for me to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy Hogmanay and I look forward to seeing you all in the new year.
Mr Holland, Head of School
A message from Mrs West
I would like to thank all our hard-working staff, amazing children, supportive parents, governors, helpers and visitors – your support for Oaklands this term has meant so much to many of us.
Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
Mrs West, Executive Headteacher
Contents
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Sports Leadership Academy – On Thursday 3rd October, our newly appointed Sports Captains attended the Sports Leadership Academy at The Holt School. Here they learned how to help children warm up, listen to instructions and play games. They then devised a relay race to be used at their second training session in November. They had a great time and feel well equipped to lead younger children.
Tag Ruby Festival – We have taken part in two Tag Rugby Festivals this half term. While our results have not been as good as hoped, the children have been competitive in every match, often losing out by small margins. The spirit and determination they have shown has been magnificent, especially as many of the team have not played rugby before. In all, 17 children have had the opportunity to play rugby for the school and, although the learning curve has been steep, they are steadily improving and looking forward to more opportunities in the spring.
Results are as follows: Tag Rugby Festival on Thursday 7th November – we played a total of 7 matches, winning one, drawing 1 and losing 4; Tag Rugby Festival on Thursday 12th December – we played at total of 6 matches ; winning zero, drawing 1 and losing 5.
Football – On Friday 8th November, Oaklands Junior School travelled to Farley Hill Primary School for a Mixed League Football Match. It was a decisive win for our players with a final score line of 7-1. Goals were scored by Henry J (2), Beau E, Ollie C, Joey B, Oliver H and Junior B.
Multi-Skills Festival – On Tuesday 19th November, the Sports Captains took part in the second part of their training as Leaders in Sport. Along with Captains from seven other schools, they set up a relay course for Year 3s. Each school brought a team of Year 3s along who enjoyed a carousel of different activities. The captains were commented on for their good behaviour by other teachers; they were enthusiastic, kind to the younger children and really got stuck in to leading their relay race.
Multi-SkillsMulti-Skills
Cross Country at Lightwater Country Park and Cantley Park – This year’s Lightwater Cross Country was a fantastic event. Many thanks to the parents who volunteered and helped to make the event run smoothly. The weather was cold but sunny, perfect conditions for a great race. Oaklands came 2nd at both Lightwater Country Park and Cantley Park. We are also 2nd in the League after 2 events. Full details are provided below. A theme running through both cross country events, was losing shoes! Well done to River and Thea for running the whole course with one shoe!
Cantley Park Results – Oaklands were placed 2nd overall; our Years 3 and 4 Girls Team placed 2nd with the Years 3 and 4 Boys Team finishing 3rd; our Years 5 and 6 Boys Team came 1st.
Lightwater Country Park Results – Oaklands were placed 2nd overall; our Years 3 and 4 Girls Team were placed 3rd; as were our Years 5 and 6 Girls Team; our Years 5 and 6 Boys Team finished 1st.
Cross Country EventYears 5 and 6 TeamYears 3 and 4 Team
Sportshall Athletics – During November, we took part in two Sportshall events, one for Years 3 and 4 on 20th November and the other for Years 5 and 6 on 27th November. These took place at Maiden Erlegh school. Girls and boys alternated between a carousel of field sports in one hall, and track races in the main hall. All the children took part enthusiastically, whether in the event itself or cheering their team on. We had many positive comments from other teachers about our super new away PE kit, and also on our children’s polite behaviour. Both events were thoroughly enjoyable and our Years 3 and 4 Team came 2nd out of 12 schools with our Years 5 and 6 Team 3rd. Well done to all those who took part.
Inclusive Sports Festival – On Monday 2nd December, nine children took part in the Inclusive School Games at Loddon Valley Sports Centre. The day consisted of a rotation of activities including Boccia, New Age Kurling, Dance, Table Tennis/Smash Badminton as well as access to the 3-storey play area. The children really got involved in all the activities, cooperated well with children from other schools and were very proud to be awarded medals at the end of the day.
Boccia – On Wednesday 4th December a team of five children represented the school in a SEND Boccia festival. The children played several games, including noughts and crosses and rainbow boccia, in a friendly competition with other schools. It was great fun and lovely to see children support their teammates and the opposition in equal measure. Thank-you to the Year 10 GCSE PE students from Bohunt School who helped run the event.
School Awards – Congratulations go to the following children who have been presented with a school award this term:
Maths Award – Lottie H in Year 5 English Award – Mevanya A in Year 4 Daisy Award – Izzy C in Year 6 and Rowan HK in Year 4
Late Night Shopping Event We are delighted to announce that Anais in Year 5 has been awarded a prize from Crowthorne Parish Council for her amazing poster design. They received over 300 entries which many of you may have seen displayed throughout Crowthorne High Street during the recent Late Night Christmas Shopping Evening. Well done Anais.
Our very own Oaklands Choir and Belle-plates Group entertained the crowds during the same event on Friday 6th December. We have received a lovely message from Crowthorne Parish Council saying that everyone had enjoyed the musical entertainment. Well done to everyone who took part and to Mrs Broadhurst and Miss Davidson for their hard work in ensuring the children were performance ready.
Year 4 Maths Challenge On Tuesday 12th November, four pupils from Year 4 represented Oaklands Junior School in a Mathematics Challenge at Lambrook School. They joined 49 other teams who enjoyed a fun morning of mathematical challenges and problem-solving activities aimed at encouraging teamwork, creativity and a deeper understanding of key mathematical concepts. Congratulations to Dylan, Miles, Kiran and Alexander – our teams came 8th and 25th.
School Christmas Fayre – Thank you for all your support with this year’s fayre, especially for the Year 4 parents who sent in cakes. We would like to also offer a special thank-you to Mr Trundle for sourcing lots of extra cakes from some of the local shops. The afternoon was a great success and the Year 2s also came over to enjoy the fun. We sold all of the gifts that we made during decoration day and raised over £1,000 for our school fund.
But the Christmas Fayre wasn’t the only fundraising activity that took place this half-term as you can see from the table below. A big thank you to everyone who has supported these initiatives, especially all the members of Oaklands PTA who work tirelessly to raise funds for both Oaklands School. Your hard work, enthusiasm and dedication is truly appreciated.
Contents To go straight to any one of the sections below simply click on the wording. Snap shot of activities this half termSports NewsAchievements & AwardsFundraising ActivitiesContact Us Here’s a snap shot of what’s been Read more…
Contents To go straight to any one of the sections below simply click on the wording. Snap shot of activities this half termSports NewsAchievements & AwardsFundraising ActivitiesContact Us Here’s a snap shot of what’s been Read more…
Dear Parents/Carers, Thank you for all the good wishes and congratulations following the Trust letter regarding the restructuring of Oaklands’ Schools from September. It was heartwarming to know I have your support in my new Read more…
