Oakwood Friday Flyer 9th May

Monday 12th May 

• Mental Health Awareness Week 2025: There will be a mental health focus within lessons and assemblies this week.
• Year 6 Bikeability Week: Year 6 pupils will be taking their Bikeability Course at school and offsite during next week. Please can Year 6 parents refer to the Parentmail sent with reminders and information for the sessions. All sessions are in SOCS. We hope the children enjoy this milestone event.
• 2M Forest School Experience Afternoon: A reminder that children will need a set of clothes suitable for the current weather (no shorts please) as well as a sunhat.

Tuesday 13th May

• Year 5 Residential Trip to Dorset departs: Next Tuesday, Year 5 will set off on their residential trip to Dorset, departing Oakwood at 9am. Parents of Year 5 pupils are requested to park on the school field to unload luggage and register their children and drop off any medication 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 16th May at approximately 3.30pm. We are sure the children will have a super time!
• Library Parent & Child Morning Drop-In Session, 8-8.15am: Please access the Library via the rear door/porch of the main house.
• School Council meeting at Morning Break (10.20am).

Wednesday 14th May 

• Y5 & Y6 Fixtures – please check SOCS for further information and team selections:
  Girls & Boys Cricket: U11 v Churcher’s College Junior (Home): 2-4.15pm
  Girls Cricket: IAPS Festival @ West Hill Park (Away): 11am-5.30pm (9.15am departure). Good luck to those Year 6 girls who are representing Oakwood next Wednesday at the IAPS Girls Cricket Festival.
• Parent Netball with Kirsty Evans: 7.30pm on front courts.

Thursday 15th May

• Library Parent & Child Morning Drop-In Session, 8-8.15am: Please access the Library via the rear door/porch of the main house.
• Welcome to Reception information meeting for current Kindergarten parents, Heritage Room 8.30-9.15am: Next Thursday, we hold the second of our Welcome to Reception sessions for current Kindergarten parents. If you intend to join this session, please come to the Heritage Room in the Main House for an 8.30am start where refreshments will be served.
• Y3 & Y4 Fixtures – please check SOCS for further information:
  Girls & Boys Cricket: U9 v Churcher’s College Junior (Away): 2-4.45pm
  Girls & Boys Cricket: U8 v Churcher’s College Junior (Home): 2-4.15pm
• Finance & General Purposes Governor Committee Meeting, 6pm - postponed: This has been postponed until 5th June.

Friday 16th May

• Boys Cricket: IAPS Festival @ King Edward VI School: Good luck to those Year 6 boys who are representing Oakwood next Friday at the IAPS Cricket Festival. Please can children be at Oakwood ready to leave promptly at 7.30am. Matches start at 9.30am and presentations will be held at approximately 4.20pm with a return to Oakwood estimated around 5pm.
• Ballet Assembly, Lyne Hall, 8.35am: Next Friday’s assembly will include ballet performances by Year 2 and Year 4 pupils who attend Miss Caroline’s Ballet lessons at Oakwood. Parents of ballet performers, musicians and Star Badge Winners are welcome to join us in the Lyne Hall. Refreshments will be served in the Heritage Room, or lawns behind the main house, weather permitting.
• Early Years Toddler Activity Afternoon in Nursery 1.30-3pm: all are very welcome! Please let friends with young children know about the event.
• Year 5 Residential Trip Returns: Year 5 children return from their Residential Trip at approximately 3.30pm. The children will be very tired so we recommend collecting them at this time. However, supervision is available if required. The main field will be open for parking to facilitate collection.

Saturday 17th May

• Swimming: CCSC Primary Schools Swimming Gala, Westgate Leisure Centre, from 5pm: Miss Halford will be in touch with parents of whose children will participate.

Please note that ALL Year 6 children are required at rehearsals every Thursday 4.15pm - 5.15pm. From week beginning 9th June, rehearsals will finish at the later time of 5.30pm. Please contact Mrs Elliot directly with any queries relating to the play and rehearsal schedules - melliot@oakwoodschool.co.uk.

As we edge closer to some of our exciting summer events, we are also very grateful for the help of Oakwood families at this time with the following:

Oakwood Summer Fair, Saturday 14th June - DONATION REQUESTS
We are grateful for any donations to be dropped to the main house for the following stalls:

• Bottle Tombola (bottles of any kind welcome - alcohol, soft drinks, toiletries, condiments)
• Soft Toy Tombola (pre-loved and clean please)
• Pre-Loved Childrens' Books (good condition please)

Oakwood Charity Colour Run, Saturday 14th June - FAMILY SIGN-UP
Please sign up to the Oakwood Charity Colour Run, using the form below. This 'Oakwood First' promises to be a fun way to finish off the day after the Summer Fair.

 Oakwood Charity Colour Run Sign Up 

Oakwood Summer Party 'I can't believe it's not Glasto' - BOTTLE DONATIONS REQUEST & TICKET SIGN-UP
We are looking forward to celebrating the end of another year at Oakwood at the 'I can't believe it's not Glasto' party organised by the Year 2 Parents. They would be very grateful for bottle donations to go towards 'The Wheelbarrow of Booze' Auction Prize. Please drop any donations to the Main House.

If you have not yet booked your ticket to this event, please complete the form below:

'I can't believe it's not Glasto' Summer Party Ticket Booking

Following our Sustainability Week last term, we are keen to maintain awareness and keep a focus on as many sustainability issues as we can – hence this section of the Friday Flyer. 

Every other week I will be including a line or two about one aspect of sustainability here at school and this week it’s compost! 

The law on food waste has changed and Oakwood School now has to pay for a separate food waste bin as no food is allowed in general waste. For over a year now we have been composting around 70% of our food waste which will save us money on bin collections and recycle all that food into valuable, soil-feeding compost. Consequently, the Green Teams have been busy mulching our flower beds and adding our own leaf mould and hot bin compost, helping to lock in moisture, reduce weeds and add nutrients to the soil. We have also used our open bin compost to plant up home grown bedding plants and autumn cuttings.

Did you know that more than half the species on earth live under the soil?   

The Year 5 Green Team were busy planting up our pots outside the Main House this week, and we look forward to seeing the plants grow and flower.                                                                           

Jenny Hall
Head of Outdoor Learning and The Green Team
jhall@oakwoodschool.co.uk

Back by popular demand - please save the date for the Charity Stonepillow Sleepout held at Oakwood.

This year it is taking place on the night of Friday 23rd May, leading into the half term holiday.

Sign-up details will be sent to parents next week.

Please start saving your cardboard! Donations of cardboard are very welcome.

Now is the time to get any cups and trophies awarded last year at Swimming Sports, Sports Day and Speech Day engraved and returned to the school office.  

We would recommend specialist local engraver Steve Ingall - steveningall69@gmail.com or telephone 07960 526420.

A reminder if people wish to join Ali Gaudion's photo bundle scheme, they can still sign up. This may be of benefit with Sports Day and Speech Day coming up.

The cost for this Academic Year 2024-2025 is £60 for Nursery-Year 5 and £70 for Year 6. 

Ali Gaudion Photography bundle sign up

1. Individual and Sibling Portraits 
2. Year Groups (Nursery - Year 6) and candids
3. Sports Day 
4. Pre-Prep Nativity Performances
5. Speech Day 
6. Year 6 Play
7. Year 6 Hobby Photos

Each child that the passport is purchased for will also receive a physical copy of their Year Group photograph.

As the weather has significantly improved this week, and with hopes that it remains so, please may we remind parents to ensure children have sunhats, water bottles and suncream in school - all named please.

Please can suncream also be applied at home before school.

Green Oakwood Caps are available from Perry Uniform or a plain bottle cap can be sourced from elswhere if preferred. Oakwood Caps Link

May we also remind you that we have now phased out Oakwood waterbottles, so we do not have spares that we can provide at school. We do have water fountains to refill bottles.

Thank you.

Our two school charities for this academic year 2024-25 are The Rainbow Centre and Save the Children. These two charities will be the focus of school fundraising initiatives during this year, in addition to our ongoing fundraising for FOO (Friends of Oakwood).

If your child has any fundraising ideas for these charities, please complete the form below, or contact our Charity Coordinator, Mrs Annelise King - aking@oakwoodschool.co.uk

School Charity Fundraising Ideas Form

Upcoming charity fundraising events for the Summer Term

1. Pupil Led Charity Selling Afternoon, Friday 23rd May
2. Oakwood Summer Fair and Charity Colour Run, Saturday 14th June