As we reach the October half-term break, and autumn starts to take hold, it is lovely to look back on what has been a busy yet enjoyable start to the school year.
At the beginning of term, we welcomed not only our new Year 3s to the Junior School, but also two new teachers – Miss Duffin in Year 3 and Mrs Blazer in Year 5. Already it feels like they have been part of the Oaklands team for ages, which is just as well considering we finally had our long-awaited Ofsted inspection at the start of October. Miss Duffin and Mrs Blazer have also had their first taste of a school disco with the PTA Halloween disco held earlier in the term, which is always an exciting event with some very imaginative costumes.
On the subject of Ofsted, thank you all again for the messages of support and encouragement, the positive responses to the parent survey, for supporting your children with their survey and for your continued willingness to contribute to school life. This manifests itself in so many ways, from attending special assemblies to helping out with reading in school, transporting children to events and keeping the school abreast of pertinent issues from outside the school environment. I was overwhelmed to read that ‘parents are effusive in their praise of the school’ in the Ofsted report.
Following the Ofsted inspection, Corvus Learning Trust very generously sent a doughnut (or other suitable treat) to every child by way of thanking them for their contribution to the inspection. Every parent I have spoken to has said what a lovely gesture it was and, while there may be misgivings about having a sweet treat, the children deserved a little something.
While I think of it, I wonder if I could ask a favour. While most parents at drop-off or pick-up are fully focussed on their children, helping them make sure they have all they need or greeting them with a hug and a question about their day, I have noticed an increasing number who are on mobile phones at this time. I would implore you to give your child your undivided attention by endeavouring to make the playground a phone-free space so that the crucial interactions between children and adults can be given the priority they deserve.
It was lovely to have so many parents and relatives attend the Harvest Festival service on Friday 9th October. Having a full hall certainly adds to the atmosphere, while the extra help from parents to put away chairs is also most welcome – it saves a lot of time! Before we know it, we will be holding the Christmas Service at St John’s Church on Thursday 17th December and I look forward to seeing a good turnout from the parent community to support our children.
Harvest Festival DisplayOsmington Bay ResidentialOsmington Bay Residential
It would be remiss of me to review this term without the undoubted highlight for Year 6 (and the staff) – the residential trip to Osmington Bay. Once again, we were blessed with great weather, so all our planned activities could go ahead, and the children were a delight to be with. They worked well together, took on – and conquered – plenty of challenges and were the first group I can remember who went through all four nights without a single incident that required waking a member of staff in the small hours of the morning. The trip was a great success, filled with fun, laughter, a few tears, one staff member visiting the local medical amenities and a coachload of weary but proud children returning to Oaklands on the Friday evening with plenty to tell their families about. I am already looking forward to next year!
As the nights draw in, the clocks go back and the temperatures drop, there is still much to look forward to in the next half term. On November 7th we have the annual PTA fireworks night, which is always a fantastic event and raises a significant amount of funds for the school. Decoration Day, when we welcome parents, carers, grandparents and other relatives into school to help prepare us for Christmas, is on Monday 30th November this year. Details of how to sign up will be shared soon. We also have the Year 3 nativity to look forward to, which is a key event in helping the children appreciate that they are an integral part of the school.
It only remains for me to say thank you again for all your support this half term and I hope you manage to make the most of the half-term break. We will see everyone back in school on Monday 2nd November.
Kind regards, Mr Holland, Co-Headteacher Oaklands Infant and Junior Schools
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Congratulations go to the children below who have taken on the role of:
House Captain: Hamilton – Isla and Imogen; Nightingale – Suraj and Aadhya; Mercury – Rowan and Amelia; Attenborough – Jia and Ruby
Sports Captain: Hamilton – Chloe and Max; Nightingale – Arabella and Lilly; Mercury – Dylan and Nyla; Attenborough Nathan and Lottie.
School Council: Thomas and Jools (3D); Eden and Antonii (3L); Ella and Mason (4JG); Emily and Tobias (4A); Ava and Alexander (5B); Conor and Lincoln (5M); Nyla and Poppy (6H); Felix and Qasim (6N)
School Librarian: Arabella, Jonathan, Carys and Ezra (3D); Margot, Jessica, Ben and Jake (3L); Edward, Amelia and Isla (4JG); Oliver, Daisy and Jason (4A); Milly, Harley and Theo (5B); Phoebe, Freddy and Myles (5M); Emma, Alana and Alex (6H); Florence, Logan and Fatima (6N)
🎃 A HUGE thank you to everyone who supported our first ever Halloween Disco! We loved seeing all the spooky costumes and hope the children had the best time! 🧡
👻 What a spook-tacular success! We’re delighted to have raised an amazing **£1,316.74!** 🎉 Thank you to everyone who made it possible! 🕷️🦇
Harvest Festival
Thank you to everyone who provided donations for our Harvest Festival Assembly – the volunteer who came to collect our donations on behalf of the Crowthorne Food Bank was extremely grateful.
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
While we continue to offer a range of activities in school, children are encouraged to share what they have been getting up to outside of school. We always have a regular slot in our Monday Read more
