Oakwood Friday Flyer 28th March

The Goodwoof Team at Goodwood have contacted us with details of a children's dachshund-themed short-story competition. Richmond the dachshund is about to go on an adventure - what happens to him is entirely up to you! 

The winner of the competition will win 50 Michael Morpurgo books, plus 50 books for their school AND a family ticket to Goodwoof for Saturday 17th May. Four runners-up will also receive family tickets to Goodwoof, which is running the weekend of Saturday 17th-Sunday 18th May.

For more information about Goodwoof, please visit goodwood.com/goodwoof.

The competition CLOSES TODAY (28th March). Final entries will be judged by Sir Michael Morpurgo himself, and a winner will be announced by Monday 15th April.

If your child would like to enter, please can they download and print the template below from home. Finished entry forms can be emailed from directly to GoodwoofStoryComp@goodwood.com.

Goodwoof Storywriting Competition Template

The story begins...He couldn't quite make it out at first. What was that shape rising up into the sky just ahead of him at the end of the garden path? Richmond took a few more steps, quivering with curiosity and a little bit of fear, towards the bottom of the garden to investigate....

Sir Michael Morpurgo and the Goodwoof team look forward to reading how Richmond the dachshund's adventure continues....!

Oakwood's Creative Reading Challenge this holiday is all about book cover art and design—a craft that offers a glimpse into what a book is all about.

Your challenge is to design a front and back cover for an imagined book about Oakwood and sustainability. You can choose any genre (such as non-fiction, fairy tale, poetry, graphic novel, and more), decide on a title, and come up with a concept for the book. You don’t need to write the book—just dream up an idea and get creative with designing its covers!

To help with this challenge, think about the books you love to read.

• What is it about their front covers that draws you in?
• What information is typically included on the front cover?
• How does the blurb on the back cover spark your curiosity?

Feel free to get help with the writing, as long as the ideas are entirely your own.

We hope that our recent Sustainability Week has sparked inspiration for a variety of book cover ideas—perhaps on topics like biodiversity, fast fashion, weather and climate, plastic waste, recycling, or food sustainability.

We can’t wait to see your designs and display them in the library for everyone to enjoy!

Have fun!

Miss Quinn has launched an Easter Poster Art Competition to have a go at during the Easter holidays!

The New Park Centre in Chichester is delighted to invite children to participate in a special art competition celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Centre, a vibrant community hub in the heart of Chichester with a rich history of fostering creativity. This event holds a particularly meaningful connection to children, as the Centre originally opened as Chichester Boys’ School.

Competition Details: Theme: My Chichester

Please see below a poster from The New Park Centre and for more information please click on the link below:

My Chichester Art Competition

The artwork is to capture what makes the city unique to them. It could be a favourite place- maybe the bustling market, the peaceful canal, or the grand Cathedral. It might be a special person, like a grandparent, teacher, or friend who makes Chichester feel like home. Perhaps it’s something they love doing here- skating at the park, watching cricket, doing the park run, visiting the theatre, or walking on the downs. Big or small, your Chichester story is unique, and we can’t wait to see it come to life through art!

Categories:

·        Key Stage 1 (5-7 years old)

·        Key Stage 2 (7-11 years old)

·        Key Stage 3 (11-14 years old)

·        Key Stage 4 (14-16 years old)

Submission Deadline: Monday, 22nd April 2025

Artwork Size: No larger than A4 (21cms x 29.7cms / 8.3” x 11.7”)

Judges:

All submissions will be judged by two highly respected figures in the art world:

·        Iolanda Martinho, co-founder of August+Co, a London-based gallery celebrating fine craftsmanship, textiles, and furniture.

·        Candida Stevens, founder of Candida Stevens Gallery, which showcases thought-provoking contemporary British art in Chichester and London.

Prizes & Recognition:

• First, second, and third-place winners, along with highly commended selections, will be chosen from each category.
• Winning and commended artwork will be framed by competition sponsor, Bond-a-Frame in Chichester, and displayed at New Park Centre and featured in the Chichester Art Trail in May.
• The winning pieces will be transformed into beautiful postcards available for purchase, helping to raise funds for the Centre.
• Winners will also receive exclusive tickets for a private viewing at our beloved Picture Palace.

The New Park Centre hope this competition inspires children to reflect on what they love about Chichester while showcasing their talent to the wider community.

EASTER HOLIDAY DATES NOW LIVE!

Sean Dobbs Coaching is pleased to announce they are running two days of fun-packed cricket during Easter, on Tuesday 8th and Wednesday 9th April. 

The sessions will be based inside the Chichester Free School Sports Hall. Please register using the link below. This is open to children age 5-11. 

Sean Dobbs Coaching Easter Booking

Please see the flyer below with information about Moana-themed Easter Dance Workshops with Dance and Beyond at Chichester College on 15th and 16th April.

Dance and Beyond Easter Workshops Book Now

Please see below for events at Midhurst and Southbourne Libraries.

Dynamos Cricket Sessions start again during the summer term for any keen girls cricketers. This external club is run at Chichester Priory Park by Miss Anna Davies for all local girl cricketers, so please contact her directly with any questions about these sessions - adavies@oakwoodschool.co.uk. Please use the link below to book:

Dynamos Girls Cricket Book Now

A feast of family fun awaits you!

The Good Food Festival returns to Goodwood Racecourse from 15-17 August! This year’s festival will be packed with exciting new experiences and plenty of fun for all the family, with the NEW Move It Dance Academy to get your all dancing, plus very special guest Bluey!  Don’t miss the chance to meet Bluey and snap a photo, or get crafty in the Bluey Magazine Arts & Crafts Tent.

What’s more, don’t miss the NEW Good Food Kitchen stage where you’ll be able to watch interactive family sessions, get tasting in the brand-new Fabulous Food Finds Tasting Workshops, and munch your way through a stacked line-up of incredible producers in Street Food Village. And no-one is left out as your four-legged family member is invited too!

Save 20% on Family Tickets! Use code FAMILYFUN at checkout to grab 20%* off family tickets and make your summer one to remember!

https://www.goodfoodshow.com/good-food-goodwood-festival-family/

Terms and conditions:

*20% off ticket offer valid on all three days valid until 30 April 23:59. Offer not valid on 2pm tickets, group tickets, VIP upgrade and added extras. £3.95 transaction fee per e-ticket order. Details correct at time of print.

STAFF INSET DAY

No Camp Little Oaks or CSS provision available.

SUMMER TERM BEGINS

Summer Term begins for all. 
Earlybird, lunchtime and after school activities begin.
All Performing Arts Lessons begin - please check SOCS on Tuesday 22nd April for accurate lessons times.
The school day begins for all at 8.15am, with Breakfast Club available from 7.45am.
Children to return wearing the Summer School Uniform.

Year 4 Residential Trip to Lodge Hill, Pulborough: On Wednesday 23rd April, Year 4 will set off on their residential trip to Lodge Hill, departing Oakwood at 9am. Parents of Year 4 pupils are requested to park on the school field to unload luggage and register their children with the staff on duty. Prep School siblings can walk up to the Main House via safe pathway by the tennis courts. Pre-Prep siblings can be escorted to their classrooms on foot using the designated walkways. The same routine will apply for pick up on Friday 25th April at 3pm. We are sure th e children will have a super time!

No Year 5 and Year 6 Fixtures - normal Games lessons

Library Parent & Child Morning Drop-In Session, 8-8.15am: Please access the Library via rear door.

Year 3 Residential Trip to CYE Sailing Centre, Cobnor: The Year 3 Residential Trip to CYE departs at 9am on Thursday 24th April. On departure day you will be directed to park on the field so that you can unload luggage and speak with the accompanying staff. If you also have a child in another part of the school, you can escort them to their classroom on foot using the designated safe pathways. They will return at 2.30pm on Friday afternoon and your are recommended to collect your child at this time as they will be very tired! However supervision will be available.

Year 5 to Year 6 Parent Transition and Senior School Information Meeting, Heritage Room 5-6pm: On Thursday 24th April, we invite Year 5 Parents to join us in the Heritage Room between 5-6pm, where Mrs Bradbury and staff will host an information session about the transition to Year 6 and the Senior School Application process. We encourage all Year 5 parents to attend this session.
 

Special Achievement Assembly: Our first Friday Assembly of the term will be a Special Achievement Assembly. This is an opportunity for children in Reception to Year 6 to bring in any awards they have received for activities outside of school. (Please note Year 3 and Year 4 children will be on their residentials so we look forward to celebrating their achievements later in the term). Awards should be delivered to the office by Thursday 24th April with a short explanation. This assembly is for pupils and staff only.

Year 3 and 4 Residentials Return: Year 3 and 4 children will return from their residential trips on Friday afternoon. We encourage all children to be collected by parents directly on their return to school as they will be very tired, however, supervision will be available if required. Year 3 will return around 3pm and Year 4 will return around 2pm. Please contact the school office should your child need to stay in school after their return.

We are looking forward to hosting our first Oakwood Charity Colour Run, directly after the summer fair on Saturday 14th June, 1.30-2.30pm.

Further information to follow, but please see the poster below:

Thank you to everyone who has donated items to the foodbank baskets at Oakwood over the past couple of weeks. We are very grateful for your support which will benefit families in need during the Easter Break.

St Wilfrid's Hospice have asked us to share with you a fundraising event in aid of the hospice which is happening in May 2025; their first ever charity Golf Day at Cowdray Park Golf Club. 

The St Wilfrid's Hospice Golf Day starts at 8.30am with registration, followed by bacon rolls & coffee in the bar and a briefing, where maps will be provided. The 18-hole course commences at 10am across the 18-holes. This starting format is a fabulous way of ensuring that all golfers and teams can enjoy the two-course meal and prize giving together from 14.30pm. There will be the opportunity to purchase the homemade refreshments from the wonderful St. Wilfrid’s Hospice kitchen, whilst making your way around the course, and some fantastic prizes to be won with our raffle and auction.

Tiger Tags is a new School Name Tag Supplier, powered by Xmas4Schools who we have worked with before.

We have partnered with Tiger Tags who provide customised name labels in both sticker and iron-on form for all your child's school uniform and equipment. Should you decide to purchase name labels from them (www.tigertags.co.uk), the school will receive a fundraising donation of £1.00 for every order placed. Please add our unique school ID 2767 on the final page when entering your checkout details

Tiger Tags School Link

The fundraising potential we have with using Tiger Tags is also a clear bonus and will be a very welcome addition to our other charity fundraising activities.

If you need any further information, please contact the school office (office@oakwoodschool.co.uk) who will be happy to help.

The Little Green Shop is our pre-loved uniform shop, run by Oakwood Parent Volunteers.

Current opening hours:

Monday 8.30am-9am
Friday 8.30am-9am

We are delighted to receive items of uniform for resale.  

Labelled, donated items are sold with 75% returning to the seller and 25% to FOO funds.  If any unlabelled items are left at the shop it will be assumed that these are a donation to FOO.
  
PDF or hard copies of the T&Cs, uniform labels and master lists are available from the school office and in the Parent Section of this website.

Reuse, Recycle and Relove!

In order to streamline the stock in the Little Green Shop, going forward the parent volunteers will be focusing on stocking just branded and Oakwood specific uniform items. 

As such, we will no longer be accepting donations of generic and non-uniform items. This includes:

White shirts, grey shorts and trousers, base layer skins (tops and bottoms), tights, ankle socks and shoes.

We are grateful for donations already received, but thank you for your future support with just donating Oakwood specific uniform. 

A reminder that we do have an Astra clothing and shoes recycling bin by the Year 4 classrooms which does generate money for the school's Green Team budget should you have any generic items to recycle. 

If your child experiences vomiting or diarrhoea, they must stay off school for a clear 48 hours from the last episode of illness. This is in line with current NHS advice for schools and workplaces. 

If your child has an epsiode of either of the above whilst at school, we will contact home and your child must be collected. 

NHS Diarrhoea and Vomiting

Head Lice and Nits are very common in young children and their families. They are not caused by dirty hair and are picked up by head-to-head contact.

If Head Lice or Nits are found at school, we will ask for children to stay off school until their head has been treated, after which they may return. This is to help prevent the spread around school which happens very quickly.

We recommend regularly checking your children's hair and treating with an appropriate pharmaceutical product. 

We also recommend that long hair is tied back for school days, to reduce the risk of head to head transfer.

NHS Head Lice and Nits Advice

Chickenpox is common and mostly affects children, but you can get it at any age. It usually gets better by itself after 1 to 2 weeks without needing to see a GP.

If your child develops chickenpox, please keep them at home until no longer contagious (once ALL the spots have crusted over). 

Symptoms are: a mild flu-like illness (nausea, raised temperature, aching or stiff muscles, headache, loss of appetite) followed, one to three weeks later, by the appearance of small, itchy red spots in clusters on the face, scalp, behind the ears and on the torso. 

After 12 to 14 hours, the spots develop into fluid filled blisters which become intensely itchy. After several days, the blisters begin to dry out and crust over.

NHS Chickenpox Advice

Threadworms (pinworms) are tiny worms visible in faeces. They're common in children and spread easily. You can treat them without seeing a GP.

The treatment for threadworms is very straightforward and involves everyone in the family taking a small, chewable tablet or liquid you swallow which can be purchased from any pharmacy. It is important that every member of the family is treated as symptoms may not be apparent. Good hygiene is vital in preventing the spread of threadworms; please encourage children to wash hands after visiting the toilet and before eating.

Threadworm treatment may not be appropriate for children under two years old or for pregnant or breastfeeding women. In these circumstances, advice should be sought from a GP.

The symptoms of threadworms include itching around the bottom, irritability, difficulty in getting to sleep and loss of appetite. 

NHS Threadworm Advice