Latest News
Stay up to date with what's happening in school
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Congratulations - Oakwood awarded School Games award
Wed 14 Oct 2020We are pleased to celebrate our School Games award as part of promoting active lifestyles at Oakwood. It's great when children enjoy being active.
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Wednesday Wellbeing - Promoting Resilience
Wed 14 Oct 2020We often hear the word resilience, but how can children be supported to work through situations they find difficult and recover from apparent failure or trauma?
Resilience is not something people are born with, it is a skill children develop as they grow. We can't protect children and young people from obstacles and difficult situations but we can help them develop strategies to cope with them and to learn from for the future.
Here are 3 strategies to try from Katie Hurley, author of The Happy Kid Handbook, with a link to the article from which they came.
Resist the Urge to Fix It and Ask Questions Instead
When kids come to parents to solve their problems, the natural response is to lecture or explain. A better strategy is to ask questions. By bouncing the problem back to the child with questions, the parent helps the child think through the issue and come up with solutions.
Teach Problem-Solving Skills
The goal is not to promote rugged self-reliance. We all need help sometimes, and it’s important for kids to know they have help. By brainstorming solutions with kids, parents engage in the process of solving problems. Encourage kids to come up with a list of ideas and weigh the pros and cons of each one.
Demonstrate Coping Skills
Deep breathing exercises help kids relax and calm themselves when they experience stress or frustration. This enables them to remain calm and process the situation clearly.
This article, by Dr Rangan Chatterjee with some fresh ideas to promote resilience, is also a useful read. I hope it is helpful.
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Wednesday Wellbeing - Being active and having fun!
Thu 08 Oct 2020Following our focus on online safety last week, something a little more active this week! Research shows that physically active children are more likely to be motivated, focused, and successful in school. And mastering physical skills builds that all important confidence too.
It is widely known that regular exercise leads to:
- stronger muscles and bones
- a healthier weight
- better sleep
- a better outlook on life
I hope you feel inspired to try some more activities. Click here for some ideas and have some fun with your child.
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Oakwood Celebrates National Poetry Day
Fri 02 Oct 2020Yesterday, we celebrated National Poetry Day 2020. National Poetry Day is the annual mass celebration on the first Thursday of October that encourages all to enjoy, discover and share poetry. Across the school children read, performed and shared poems.
Even though they were working remotely, Acorns shared a poem called ‘All of Me’. This linked to their work about celebrating differences.
Key Stage One read ‘What is Pink?’ by Christina Rossetti. They explored the poem and then used the poem as a basis for their own ideas.
Lower Key Stage Two explored a range of poems including ‘Chocolate Cake’ by Michael Rosen, ‘The Sound Collector’ by Roger McGough and ‘Not Done Your Homework’ by Josie Whitehead. They explored using actions, facial expressions, voice intonation and tone to perform some of their favourite poems.
Upper Key Stage Two read the poem ‘Mary Celeste’. They focussed on the grammar; highlighting the modal verbs and looking at the word classes. They worked together in groups to perform the poems and then used their ideas to inspire their writing in the next lesson.
