WOW! We have had a fantastic week of awe inspiring science activities this term and the school was buzzing. My grateful thanks to all staff who made this event so successful, with a special mention for Mrs Jones as Subject Leader, who did a brilliant job of planning and organising this, setting the scene with Miss Davidson in a memorable assembly at the start of the week – Professor Lenny was a very welcome guest!
In the hall, we had some very exciting balloon races with a range of great designs (all of which had clearly been tested at home and children being well prepared with spare balloons)!
Throughout the week, activities ranged from chromatography, pond dipping, worm charming, perspective photography, with Berocca Rockets a firm favourite (outside!)
We would like to thank Mr Elsey (CEO) and Mr Matthews (Director of Education) for judging our children’s exceptional science projects. The children were amazing not only in the creation of their projects but also being able to talk about them in their presentations. It was very difficult to judge as the standard was so high! You will find a list of winners under the Achievements & Awards section later in the Newsletter.
My thanks also go to our Science Governor, Mr Shaw, who joined us on the final afternoon of the Science Fair, and stayed for an assembly to hear the teachers talk about their scientists of the week, along with prizes being awarded for the competitions. We also invited our Year 2s over to take part in the Science Fair rota. They were amazing in how they took this all in their stride, working alongside our juniors to circulate on a rota basis in order to see the results of science week and also to take part in some science activities. Thank you to the many parents who took time out from their jobs to share their expertise and who gave some very informative presentations which were very well received.
We had a STEM ambassador from Bayer Labs and Culinera visit us to run some exciting workshops showing how a liquid turns into a solid with food; the magic of baking with honeycomb; and flavours/textures with a sensory session. I would also like to thank At The Yard, a local software company, for providing prizes for the winners in upper and lower school with family tickets to The Look Out.
On Sunday 24th March, I had the privilege of attending the WASMA 2024 concert at Reading’s Hexagon Theatre where our School Choir were performing. The children, under the guidance of Mrs Broadhurst, Miss Noad and Mrs Yeatman, gave a fantastic performance. Not only did they sing beautifully but they also danced superbly too.
In other news, we were very lucky to have recently been presented with a set of 7 Wild Tribe Heroes books, donated to our school on behalf of Wokingham Lions – our very grateful thanks goes to Mrs. Blane, a former parent, who nominated us. These books will be a new and valued addition to our school library and we are sure that these books will be a valuable resource for environmental themes and our eco warriors!
We also took delivery earlier this month of a LIFEVAC Wall Mounted Kit to assist in the event of an individual choking. We would like to thank the LeBlond family for this practical addition to our First Aid equipment.
We hope you all enjoy the beautiful spring weather and have a lovely Easter break with your families. And with Easter in mind, please do take the opportunity to have a peek at the Egg-celent entries in our Easter Egg Competition later in the Newsletter.
Mrs Hazel West, Headteacher
Contents
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Smash Badminton Festival – On Thursday 14th March, a team of children from Year 4 travelled to Waingels College in Woodley to take part in the Wokingham School Games Smash Badminton Competition. We are extremely pleased to announce that they came first. Well done to Poppy H, Lara B, Emily H, Bronwen D, Harrison B, Harrison D, Lachezar M and Arthur G.
Cross Country – On Thursday 21st March Mrs Alexander and Mrs Burrell took a team of children from Oaklands Junior School to compete in the Braywick Cross Country Relays. Our A Team were placed first. Many congratulations to Jacob L, Mason S, Toby L and Arthur G.
We now know the results for this year’s Cross Country League. We were placed: 2nd overall for Division 1; 2nd in the Year 3 / 4 girls’; first in the Year 3 / 4 boys’ and 2nd in the Year 5 / 6 boys’. Well done to everyone who took part in the Cross Country League races this year.
Wokingham Primary Schools’ Shield Competition – We have played 2 matches in the Knock-out Shield Competition. The first match, against the Coombes, went to penalties and through the outstanding skills of George J in goal, we managed to win through. Our second match, versus Keep Hatch, also went to penalties. Again the hero was the goalkeeper, this time George H. We are waiting to hear who our opponents will be in the semi-final.
Easter Egg Competition – Paris Olympics 2024 – We were delighted to see so many creative entries for our recent Paris Olympics 2024 themed Easter Egg Competition. On Monday 25th March, Mrs West and Mr Matthews from the Corvus Learning Trust had a great time judging all the entries. The winners and runners-up in each year group are as follows:
Year 3 – First Place – Luc D (3L); Second Place – Archie B (3L) Year 4 – First Place – Sophia K (4JG); Second Place – Alexi K (4JG) Year 5 – First Place – Polly R (5M); Second Place – Hamish D (5B) Year 6 – First Place – Bethany L (6A); Second Place – Adam S (6A) / Kaiden C (6N)
Year 3 EntriesYear 4 EntriesYear 5 EntriesYear 6 Entries
Science Project Competitions – As part of our recent Science Week, children were given the opportunity to take part in two science-based competitions. The first was to build a balloon racer and the second was to present a project on something science related. We were very impressed by all the entries submitted and are pleased to announce the following winners.
Science Project Winner for Upper KS2 – Bethany L (6A) Science Project Special Commendation for Upper KS2 – Yasmin D (6A) Science Project Winner for Lower KS2 – Amanda M (4D) Science Project Special Commendation for Lower KS2 – Valentina V (4D) Balloon Car Race Winners – Teddy W (4D), Matilda W (4JG) and Sophia K (4JG) Balloon Car Travelling the Furthest Distance – Eliza G (4JG)
English Trophy – Congratulations go to Mevanya in 3L for winning the English Trophy this term.
Daisy Trophy – We are delighted to announce that Francesca H and Isabella H in 5M have won the Daisy Trophy for this half term. Well done.
Chess Club – Members of our school chess club who meet every Friday lunchtime have been competing for Chess Club trophies. Congratulations go to Jasper L (4D) in first place; Ashton C (4D) in 2nd place and Leo H (5B) in 3rd place.
Oaklands Got Talent – well done to all those who took part in our Oaklands Got Talent event on Friday 22nd March. Our finalists were Maia S, Victor B, Jacob E, Alexi K, Neil B, Harry B and Leo C. Congratulations to Maia who took the title.
PTA Disco – The PTA is thrilled to share our profit from the disco on Friday 8th March – a grand total of £1,782.13! A huge thank you to all of the volunteers – parents and teachers. Without you these events couldn’t run so we are really grateful to you for giving up your Friday evening.
PTA Pre-loved Uniform Sale – The PTA’s recent pre-loved uniform sale raised an amazing £96.00. As it was the first time we have tried it on the playground, any feedback you may have is very welcome by emailing oaklandschoolspta@gmail.com
Comic Relief – Thank you to everyone who donated for this worthy cause, we raised a total of £214.95.
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.
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…
