Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas! From everyone at Oakfield Academy

When parents and carers finally have the chance to spend some quality time with their child over Christmas, many face a familiar struggle to prise their young ones' attention away from their phone, console, tablet or computer. Fun family bonding over the festive period, however, doesn't have to exclude devices. There are sackfuls of Christmas activities and ideas online which grown-ups and children can enjoy together. National Online Safety have compiled a 'nice list' of seasonal suggestions of how to make the most of the online world this Christmas - such as video calling relatives, playing video games as a family and listening to your favourite seasonal songs online.

Water shortage update We are looking forward to seeing all our children back at school tomorrow (Friday) for the last day of term.

Unfortunately Oakfield Academy will be closed to pupils today as we don't have a supply of water onsite. We will continue to update you as soon as we have any news.

The children from Year R, 1 and 2 put on a beautiful Nativity production for their parents and carers yesterday - you can view the highlights of the performance in our video! Many thanks to Testwood Baptist Church for hosting us! Merry Christmas to you all.

Ofcom has found that, overall, 99% of children in the UK are using social media. That's almost 14 million young people using sites just like this one. So, how do we keep them all safe? This week's #WakeUpWednesday guide and the latest episode of their podcast give you expert advice on effective safety practices while using social media. Download >> https://ow.ly/yVbx50UtflM Listen >> https://ow.ly/mw1350UtflK

Happy Birthday Mrs Sinclair! Have a wonderful day! Love from all at Oakfield

It's been another busy week at Oakfield! Year R stayed at school on Wednesday for a campfire where they toasted marshmallows to make s'mores and had hot chocolate. This was followed by Year 1 children who came back in the dark! They also toasted marshmallows, had some hot chocolate and lit their Diva lamps. Year R, 1 and 2 have also been busy rehearsing for 'Whoops-a-Daisy-Angel' which I'm really looking forward to seeing them perform at Testwood Baptist Church next week. Year 6 have been 'celebrating difference' as part of their PSHE topic exploring different groups of people who have experienced discrimination either in the past or the present day. There were really respectful and engaging discussions and questions as children sought to deepen their understanding. They have also been discussing the Battle of Britain as told from the view point of the pilots, government, civilians, woman and news reporters. Year 4 have been learning about healthy snacks and how to make them. They have also been practicing balancing, jumping and landing in PE. While Year 3 have worked together to complete a timeline for both the Bronze Age and the Iron Age then discussed how the introduction of metals to Britain changed the way people lived. The children have also been busy in OWL this week, using the bow saw to cut logs for Christmas crafts. We have also added to Thrive's Festive Chain of Cheer. For every school or setting that takes part, they donate to Action for Children's Secret Santa appeal. Plus, every time their collective chain reaches 100 metres, they'll add a bonus donation to spread even more cheer! This week's Boomreader's champions are... year 2! Congratulations! We have a very busy Christmas week ahead and are looking forward to seeing lots of families at Christingle on Thursday afternoon. Have a lovely weekend Miss Bray

Yesterday 20 children from our brand new KS2 choir sang for the first time in public. Mrs Price and Mr Applegarth-Jones have been very impressed with their commitment and how they have come together in such a short time. Thank you to the Co-op for inviting us to sing outside the shop and for your very generous treats. The children loved their selection packs! We are looking forward to singing at Asda on Monday morning so if you are out shopping come and have a listen!

The winter break is almost here, and it's time to kick back and relax – but there are still steps we can take to celebrate safely. Check out this freshly wrapped guide for parents and educators, with tips on holiday safety to keep youngsters protected this festive season! Download >> https://ow.ly/JCyE50UoWAV Listen >> https://ow.ly/hYl650UoWAU

Oakfield has been a hive of exciting activities this week as we run up to Christmas. KS1 have been working hard on practicing their Nativity play each day, and all classes have made a special decoration each to add to the Christmas tree in the hall, which our School Ambassadors picked out last week. Year 3 performed an outstanding class assembly on Wednesday, and have come to school dressed as cave people today for their topic on The Stone Age! They've also used a computer program to design some 3D playgrounds on their iPads. At OWL, they cleared one of the raised beds and planted some garlic. Year 4 had an amazing PE lesson using the equipment to jump, travel and balance. Some of the equipment is very high and they practiced their agility with confidence! Year R made some gorgeous wreaths from handprints and danced away to festive tunes! They also visited the local post-box this morning to post their Christmas cards. Year 1 made beautiful Christmas stockings decorations and their 'Maths Star' James crowned the class Christmas tree. Year 6 have been working incredibly hard doing practice SATS ready for the tests next year. They've juggled 6 different tests, STAR reading assessments, hand-sewing snowman Christmas decorations, as well as writing an innovate story. We're so proud of you all! They had some well-earned relaxation time in the hammocks at OWL. Year 5 used 'Scratch' to create an app that would ask them Christmas Quiz questions using basing coding commands (IF, THEN, ELSE). They adapted their quizzes to add sound effects and music! They also had an exciting Star Gazing Event, where space expert David Carpenter came after school to teach the children about our solar system, galaxy and universe, and how to identify stars and planets in the night sky (with hot chocolate and biscuits of course!). Pesky clouds prevented us doing this on the night, so the children used the Stellarium app on the iPads to view the stars and planets where they would be seen. This weeks' Boomreader Champions are...Y1 Congratulations!

Mental health apps can provide support to those in need, but they can also pose a danger. This week's guide and the latest episode of the #WakeUpWednesday podcast from National College are telling you all you need to know about mental health and wellbeing apps Download here >> https://ow.ly/zeZJ50UkANY Listen here >> https://ow.ly/i3y750UkANZ

We're running some additional tours for parents/carers looking for school places, due to popular demand! Please email us to book. We can be found hidden away on Sylvia Crescent, near the Co-Op on Salisbury Road, Totton.

We're very proud to announce that Oakfield Academy has been recognised as an Equal Access School by England Football. The Equal Access School Award 2024 recognises schools that provide equal access and opportunities for girls in football. This has been achieved through staff training, surveys and additional provision being offered for girls to access football at Oakfield through clubs and training. Further to this, we have worked hard over the last year to ensure that we are providing equal opportunities to children in all of our sporting competitions and festivals. In this calendar year, we have successfully ensured a 50:50 split of boys:girls in accessing our sporting events. We know how important it is to engage all our learners in physical activity and sport, and endeavour to maintain this in the future!

Snapchat has been available for almost 14 years now It's expanded plenty in that time – adding new features, and with them, new risks The #WakeUpWednesday guide and podcast are revisiting this messaging app, letting you know how to keep younger users safe. Download here >> https://ow.ly/tjPc50UfXWj Listen here >> https://ow.ly/5L9k50UfXWk

Come view our amazing school! We can be found tucked away in Sylvia Crescent, just off Salisbury Road by the Co-Op. We'd love to meet you at our open evening event.

It's been another busy and exciting week at Oakfield! Year 3 turned into chefs prepping aubergines, courgette, peppers and tomatoes to cook a tasty ratatouille and today made tacos! Year 6 visited Fort Nelson to enhance their learning about life in Britain during WW2. They took part in three workshops learning a range of skills. The centre staff noted how polite and engaging the class were, representing the school in a positive manner. Year 2 delivered a very informative class assembly and joined 72 other schools for an online road safety event. Year 1 have been celebrating difference, looking at their hair and eye colour and have recorded themselves telling the story of Owl Babies. Year R have been on a shape hunt around school. They found circles, triangles, rectangles and squares all over the school! They have also been jumping and moving around like astronauts in PE. They put on their spacesuit, got onboard their rockets and found alien eggs!! Y4 have been weaving on mini looms while Y5 have been creating one-point perspective landscape drawings. We also had our bedtime stories event with lots of children joining us after school dressed in their pjs for a story, activity and a hot chocolate! We also enjoyed the first flurry of snow this week! This week's Boomreader's champions are... year 1 Congratulations! Have a great weekend Miss Bray

We had some very excited children this morning, can you guess why?......yes that's right, snow!!! While it didn't last long, the children did get to enjoy playing outside and exploring the ice!

With Black Friday sales right around the corner, it's a great time to teach children about financial responsibility but how, exactly? In this week's #WakeUpWednesday guide and the latest episode of their podcast National College are offering top tips on educating children how to spend and save wisely. Download here >> https://ow.ly/c0XW50UaIRs Listen here >> https://ow.ly/SoTR50UaIRq

This week Oakfield has been buzzing with creativity! Year 2's classroom was transformed into an art gallery on Tuesday so the children could look closely at famous artworks and sketch some of the still life paintings into their art books. Year R painted beautiful poppies for Remembrance Day on Monday and made their own versions of 'The Starry Night' by Vincent Van Gogh. Young artists in the making! Year 4 designed and created their own product packaging to store and preserve food with instructions for the consumer, while Year 1 have been colouring Rangoli patterns for their RE topic of Diwali. For Geography, Year 2 used an atlas to find information for Mrs Leach's quiz on their topic 'Let's Explore the World'. Year 1 drew their own maps of Totton and where they live; thinking about the school, houses and roads. Year 1 also had a very fun PE lesson; jumping and hopping to avoid asteroids and practicing their left and right with the 'Cha-Cha Slide'! For English, Year 5 have been writing their own amazingly descriptive versions of 'Zelda Claw & The Rain Cat' using alliteration and personification, as well as figurative and powerful language. Year 6 studied the poems 'Flanders Fields' and 'The Sentry' to gather ideas to include in their own war poems, which were powerful and moving. Meanwhile, Year 3 have started a new text for writing; 'The Papaya That Spoke'. They discussed what a papaya was and what they thought it looked and tasted like. Then they cut one open and shared it between the class... the majority found that they really liked it! We had a very informative assembly from Y4 this week who all delivered their lines confidently and impressed us with their maths skills. Both Year 1 and Year 2 have achieved their class Dojo targets and will be enjoying their chosen rewards on Monday! Well done! This week's Boomreader's champions are... year 4 again! Congratulations! Monday was Remembrance Day, and I was so proud of how well the older children behaved at the service at the Cenotaph in Totton. They listened respectfully and showcased the Oakfield Values to everyone there. The lower year groups also listened quietly to the service held in school. We've raised lots of money for The Royal British Legion through your generosity (exact amount TBC). We rounded up the week raising money for Children in Need. The School Council decided we could 'wear something comfy' in exchange for 50p. We've seen some amazing outfits, including lots of cosy onesies, dressing gowns and pyjamas, and of course, Pudsey Ears! Our catering team made us some special Pudsey cupcakes to enjoy at lunchtime for school dinners. Thank you to all for your donations. Have a lovely weekend Miss Bray

Children in Need The children all looked comfy and cosy as they came into school this morning raising £115.69 for Children in Need. Thank you to Charles and Parker for coming in early to be ready with the collection box. They also counted up the money while warming up with a hot chocolate! Lots of children joined the school council at lunchtime to see which team could find all the pieces of Pudsey and put him back together the quickest. Our winning team was Team Pudsey!

Teaching cycle safety to children empowers them to ride responsibly, reducing risks while out on the road In advance of Road Safety Week, the next NOS guide and the latest episode of the #WakeUpWednesday podcast explain how to keep kids safe when they set out on two wheels, helping them ride with confidence! Download here >> https://ow.ly/CQ8E50U5T5Q Listen here >> https://ow.ly/yiXL50U5T5O

Oakfield Academy have been remembering those who gave their Tomorrow, so we could have our Today. Our KS2 children attended the service at Testvale Park run by Totton and Eling Royal British Legion, and our School Ambassadors Arthur and Imaan laid a wreath at the cenotaph. The children listened respectfully to the service. KS1 held their own Remembrance service at school and learned about what the poppy symbolises. We have a beautiful display of poppies along our fence, made out of plastic bottles by our very talented teacher Mr AJ, which the children and parents have been admiring. We'd also love to share some of the thoughtful poems that Year 6 have written to honour the commemoration, based on their studies of WW1.

We've started this Autumn half-term with a bang! Year R have been making some beautiful paintings of fireworks, as well as exploring their new mud kitchen area! The children spotted a crane outside of school and were inspired to work together to create their own building site and crane! This week was 'RE week' and each year group have been learning about different religions. Year 1 have been decorating cards, designing fireworks and making diva lamps for the Hindu Festival of Light; Diwali. Year 2 made their own Advent wreathes, acted out the Nativity story, and discussed why it is important to the Christian faith. Year 3 focused on Guru Nanak Gurpurab, a celebration of the first Guru and founder of Sikhism. There's been some very imaginative learning going on... Year 1 went on a space adventure in PE and used apparatus to help them balance. While Year 4 were thinking about what it might be like to go through a portal to another world... acting it out in pairs! Year 5 learned about John Montagu, AKA the 4th Earl of Sandwich (the alleged 'inventor' of the popular snack!) and discussed their favourite sandwich fillings! They've also been hard at work researching facts about their chosen animal and writing them up beautifully into an information text. Year 3 have discussed 'Fairness' and have been categorising scenarios on cards as fair or unfair. Year 6 were visited by the Hampshire Fire Safety team who delivered a presentation about ways to prevent fire and stay safe at home. They learnt about potential risks, the top causes of fires, the fire triangle and actions to take if you notice or detect a fire; to ensure everybody is safe and protected. They also delivered our first class assembly of the year, delivering their lines with confidence and setting a high bar for the rest of the school. Our Boomreader champions this week are Year 4, congratulations!