Latest News | Oakwood Primary Academy

Update Letter from Mr Tim McCarthy, CEO of AAT - Beginning of Term 3 Arrangements

Thu 31 Dec 2020

Please follow the link below to the latest update letter from Mr Tim McCarthy, CEO of AAT.

The letter outlines details about the re-opening arrangements for all schools within AAT:

https://primarysite-prod-sorted.s3.amazonaws.com/aurora-academies-trust/UploadedDocument/aa5bf9b7f4ff4c599e31011f19d35407/aurora-update-13-letter-to-parents-311220.pdf

Head of School Update - Friday 18th December 2020

Fri 18 Dec 2020

Welcome to this week's Weekly Update, and the last of 2020!

We've had a fantastic week at school! The children have been incredibly happy and hard-working and I've seen so many fantastic pieces of learning, including some Year 6 projects about the evolution of animals and some incredible diary entry journals. Today, we've served our Christmas lunch, which all of the children enjoyed - it was lovely to spread some festive cheer. Thank you to Harrisons for their hard-work in preparing more than 365 meals!

As is the case at the end of every term, we celebrated lots of awards in our Friday assembly. Today, we announced our Term 2 'Stars of the Term', who will look after the trophy for the next term. The full list of names can be found in the 'Head of School Awards' section, under the 'Pupils' tab of our website. Well done to all of this week's winners. Well done to Y1 Curie and Y3 Ashe class who were the Term 2 Attendance Challenge Champions.

Hopefully, you will all have received a copy of the Winter Newsletter and next term's Curriculum Newsletter for your child's year group. Copies can be found via the school website.

We re-open to all pupils on Wednesday 6th January 2021 (Monday 4th and Tuesday 5th are INSET Days and the school will be closed to pupils). The school day will continue to start with pupils in Y2, 4 and 6 arriving first, from 8.35am, and pupils in Y1, 3 and 5 arriving after. In January, we will be opening the gates to Reception pupils from 8.50am.

So, as we near the end of 2020, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish all of our pupils, their families, staff and friends of the school a very Happy Christmas and best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year. Take care and look after yourselves!

Best wishes,

Mr Laker
Head of School

Head of School Update - Friday 11th December 2020

Fri 11 Dec 2020

Welcome to this week's Weekly Update!

Well done to every single pupil who took part in this year's 'Reindeer Walk'. In a slightly different format to previous years, the children completed laps of the playgrounds as classes but still had lots of fun doing so, whilst remembering the charity that they were raising money for. Thank you to all of our families for their very generous sponsorships and donations - these will make such a difference to the Chestnut Tree Children's Hospice.

In our featured photographs this week, our fantastic pupils in Year 6 have been enjoying their key reading text, Skellig, in their reading lessons. Destination Reader has been introduced in Years 4 and 6 this term, and Year 3 and 5 will join the project in the New Year. Destination Reader has been developed by teachers, drawing on existing good practice and research. An approach, rather than a scheme, Destination Reader fits in with our curriculum and reading-spine texts. The approach involves daily sessions incorporating whole class modelling, partner work and independent reading to deliver structured daily reading sessions at Key Stage 2. The staff team have enjoyed lots of training on reading this year and we are looking forward to implementing the approach across Years 3-6.

Our Term 2 Curriculum Videos will be uploaded later this afternoon, sharing and celebrating the fantastic topics and learning from the past term. We hope you enjoy these!

Earlier this week, you were invited to participate in an online survey, to share your thoughts about school. Your feedback is really important to us and I encourage you to take part. The survey is in two parts - firstly, your overall thoughts about the school and, secondly, the school's response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The link to the survey is here:

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/2MHN85Q

Well done to all of our 'Star of the Week' winners. The list of winners for this week can be found under the 'Head of School Awards' section within the 'Pupils' tab of our website.

Just a reminder that the last day of term is Friday 18th December 2020. We are looking forward to our Christmas Lunch and Jumper Day, and also our virtual pantomime, all to be enjoyed on the last day of term.

Please check out this week's Bulletin for further information about school.

Thank you to all of our families for their continued support. I, along with the whole staff, am incredibly grateful for this.

Wishing you an enjoyable weekend!

Mr Laker
Head of School

IMPORTANT NOTE TO ALL PARENTS AND CARERS - FRIDAY 18th DECEMBER

Wed 09 Dec 2020

Notice from Aurora Academies Trust (AAT):

This note is to confirm that all Aurora schools will not be taking an INSET day on Friday 18th December and your child will be expected to attend school on that day. The reason for this decision is that our INSET programme for staff training and development has been carefully planned throughout the year and we have already published those dates to you on our school calendar. Therefore, we will be keeping to that calendared schedule. This will also avoid you having to arrange childcare at late notice.

Yesterday, the Department for Education issued guidance that means all schools are expected to monitor confirmed cases of Covid-19 for the first 6 days of the Christmas holiday (up to and including 24th December). Parents are expected to let their schools know immediately should their child test positive for the virus during that time. Schools are then expected to advise other parents whose child was in the affected 'bubble' as regards government requirements on self-isolation. We are currently working through the logistical arrangements for how we will achieve this, and we shall communicate those arrangements to you later. On Friday 11th December Aurora's CEO, Tim McCarthy, will also be writing to you about this and other matters.

Head of School Update - Friday 4th December 2020

Fri 04 Dec 2020

Welcome to this week's Weekly Update!

I hope you will have all received a letter about our forthcoming Christmas events. We have lots to look forward to over the next couple of weeks, even if things may feel a little different. Our Christmas Post Box is now situated in the School Office, so that children can share cards, if they wish. We're also looking forward to our 'Reindeer Walk', for all pupils, on Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th. This year we are raising money for the Chestnut Tree House Children's Hospice - a very worthwhile cause. I am looking forward to sharing the amount we raise. Further details about our festive events can be found in this week's bulletin.

In school, pupils continue to work extremely hard and give their best. Pupils in Reception have been following instructions for making a sandwich. This week, they were able to design their sandwich 'fillings', with some interesting combinations...

"I've chosen chocolate spread, lettuce, tomato, cucumber and grapes." (Jude)

"I've chosen chocolate spread, grapes and banana." (Evie)

"I've chosen grapes and cucumber." (Teddy)
"I've chosen ham, cheese, chocolate spread...and jam!" (Sienna)

In Year 6, pupils have been creating some incredible suspense writing and publishing them beautifully. Here is a short extract from Chloe's story...

'The night of the violent storm, Esme lay in her bed, petrified, glaring into the eerie darkness. A crackle of lightning burst, illuminating the jet sky above. Rain pounded down. Surely, a ghost wouldn't haunt her on a horrific night like this? Esme couldn't hold it in. With her heart pounding like a drum, her hands shivering, lightly gripped to her duvet, she cautiously peeked over her cold covers...Esme got the shock of her life - he was there, swaying as if he was searching for something! Esme screamed at the top of her lungs...!'

In this week's assembly, we awarded our Maths, Writer and 'Star of the Week' certificates. This week's 'Stars of the Week' are:

YR Stephenson Class - Sophia D. (For Equality)

Y1 Curie Class - Henry D. (For Determination)

Y1 Hillary Class - Oscar G. (For Determination)

Y2 Brunel Class - Isabella P. (For Achievement)

Y2 Farah Class - Lira W. (For Achievement)

Y3 Ashe Class - Alex A. (For Determination)

Y3 Roddick Class - Adam M. (For Knowledge)

Y4 Logie-Baird Class - Heidi W-G. (For Achievement)

Y4 Thunberg Class - Hunter M. (For Determination)

Y5 Kipchoge Class - Leo P. (For Determination)

Y5 Pankhurst Class - Sabrina S. (For Equality)