Year 6 - Parliamentary Debate
19/11/2019
A huge well done to all the children from Year 6 who attended the Georgian Rooms at Wolverhampton Art Gallery today to take part in a parliamentary debate. They competed against two other schools from the city to persuade the Secretary of State for Education to keep their school open in light of government spending cuts. They spoke passionately and eloquently about the reasons why they loved their school and worked collaboratively to plan, write and deliver first class speeches in front of a captive audience. We are extremely proud of them.
Reducing our Carbon Footprint Challenge
16/07/2019
A group of pupils were tasked within their homes to reduce their carbon footprint. The challenge was set by the BBC television presenter, Ayo Akinwolere, who also accepted the challenge.
The children initially worked with Leicester University, Dr Emma Fieldhouse, in a programme called ‘Carbon Footprinting in Schools’, learning about the effects of carbon footprinting and its impact upon our school, community, country and world. The children played a game and were required to compare and order the carbon footprint of such things as:1kg of bananas compared with a first class flight to Australia; a furiously boiling saucepan with the making of hard cheese and the designing, making and transportation of jeans and trainers.
Having learned about carbon footprinting, the children rose to the challenge of reducing their own carbon footprints within their homes working with their families. After seven days, the results were revealed in a whole school assembly and to rapturous applause, the children beat presenter Ayo Akinwolere!
The children’s research and findings will feature in BBC’s ‘Inside Out’ programme, which, will air on Monday 2nd September.
Year 3's Stone Age Day
15/07/2019
Year 3 had a wonderful, fun-filled day where we went back in time to the Stone Age. We started our day by creating cave art, working under our tables and drawing Stone Age symbols. Then, we created some tools using sticks, stones and wool. After we finished making our tools, we went outside to hunt for some animals. We also created our own Stone Age pottery.
Mini Medics Training Course
14/06/19
A huge well done to all of the children who completed the Mini Medics training course last week. They spent an afternoon alongside an adult family member learning invaluable First Aid skills including defibrillation, the recovery position, choking, asthma, wounds and bleeding and the treatment of shock. All children are now equipped with the skills to help someone get better more quickly and even save a life. Amazing!
Visit by MP Emma Reynolds - Christmas Card Competition
21/12/18
As a runner-up to the designing of a Christmas card for Member of Parliament Emma Reynolds, Isla was surprised by the MP’s visit and presentation of a prize to her.
Isla was also presented with the actual printed winning Christmas card which featured her runner-up design on the back – along with other pupils’ designs in the city.
Well done, Isla.
Oak Meadow's Charity Drive
20/12/18
The Oak Meadow community came together with outstanding outcomes in a charity drive for Spurgeons in order to make a difference for families and children in our local area. Spurgeons offers a wide range of services to support young carers - young people aged 8-18 who are caring for or supporting a family member with an illness or disability, in the way an adult normally would. Because of the fantastic work the young carers in our local area do for their loved ones the children launched Oak Meadow Primary School's 'Christmas Surprise for Spurgeons'. Exciting learning opportunities and significant events such as designing decorations, taking on responsibilities of a young carer and the luxury Christmas dinner served by teachers helped to develop our empathy and gave a positive focus to all of our efforts. As a result, our local community has donated hundreds of gifts and raised substantial funds to recognise how valued and special every young carer is in all that they do to support their families. Thank you and well done to everyone in the Oak Meadow community!
Boccia Sporting Event
18/12/18
A group of Year 5 children had the wonderful opportunity to take part in a Boccia Challenge at Westcroft School. All children were so proud to represent our school and enjoyed every moment taking part in the new and exciting challenges. The rest of the school await its introduction as a new sporting activity! Well done boys!
Sports Hall Athletics Event
18/12/18
Well done to all of the Year6 children who competed in the Sports Hall Athletics at Ormiston New Academy. Oak Meadow was strongly represented by 30 children competing in three separate teams! All teams performed admirably and we were impressed with the motivation from every single child. A huge congratulation to the A Team (Jude, Ethan, Marley, Josh, Alex, Lily, Kaliyah, Sophie, Teagan and Lexi) who won the silver medal!
Cross Country Challenge
18/12/18
Congratulations to Year 5 and 6 children who competed in the Mixed Relay Cross Country Competition at Tettenhall College. All children performed exceptionally and we are so proud of the resilience and determination they displayed. A special mention to Team A (Josh, Kaliyah, Lily and Alfie) who came 8th position overall. Well done!
Play Makers' Leadership
18/12/218
Recently, a group of fourteen Year 5 children attended the Play Makers’ Leadership Training at Coppice Performing Arts School. They gained their first accredited leadership award, which has provided them with the skills and knowledge to deliver lunchtime activities on our playgrounds.
We look forward to seeing the children take on their role within school and lead a range of activities to help us become a more active and healthy school.
A Letter from a Soldier
06/12/18
Further to the winners’ participation in the City’s Commemorative Remembrance celebrations, they were invited to the Civic Offices to partake in lunch with the Mayor…proud moments for our winners and a commendation for their skilful writing and ability to empathise!
Well done girls!
A Letter from a Soldier…
09/11/18
Responding to the Local Authority’s and Mayoral challenge of writing a letter entitled, ‘A Letter from a Soldier’, four of Oak Meadow’s pupils were selected as finalists. Lilia’s winning entry was performed at the Commemorative Remembrance Service at the City’s Cenotaph, and Aimiliona’s voice recording was played during the service in St Peter’s Church. All children will be invited to partake in afternoon tea at the Mayor’s Parlour and will be rewarded with a certificate and gift voucher for their winning entries. Gargantuan congratulations to our finalists. As a school we are extremely proud of their achievements.
Digis 2018
02/07/2018
Well done to all of the children who were nominated for a Digi award this year. The awards ceremony took place on Monday 2nd July, with a host of schools from across Wolverhampton represented and competing against one another. We are proud to announce that Oak Meadow walked away with four winning entries across the different categories and all of the children who attended from our school were outstanding in their attitude and conduct throughout. Thank you to everyone who supported the event and the opportunity to showcase how technology and innovation at Oak Meadow keep going from strength to strength!
Year 4 and Year 5 Girls Visit the Wolverhampton Girls’ High School
27/06/18
On Wednesday 27th June, 23 girls from Oak Meadow visited the Girls’ High to take part in an enrichment day along with many other girls from primary schools across the city. They participated in a range of activities such as drama, P.E, Science, Technology and Engineering. The girls thoroughly enjoyed the day and were rewarded for their teamwork and hard effort by winning the Rollercoaster Challenge. This activity involved building a structure using basic materials such as glue, card, straws and plastic bases. The girls really challenged themselves to build a roller-coaster structure with loops and elaborate twists and turn. The girls wanted to give up at first but agreed that the task taught resilience and persevered together as a team. All structures were judged by Girls’ High staff and the winning structure was the one which took the longest time to pass a marble through it. Our winning team took over 7 seconds and the girls were overjoyed to all win Bluetooth speakers. Well done. We are so proud of you!
Click here to view photos.
Professor MCGinty visits Oak Meadow
18/06/18
Professor MCGinty visits Oak Meadow
Our time travelling hero, Professor McGinty, travelled to Oak Meadow’s Year Four classes today, (Monday, 18th June 2018) battling through time, space and the M5 motorway network to bring Tudor ‘stuff’ alive. His unique style of presentation gave the children a wonderful snapshot of the history of Tudor Britain and what it was like to be alive in the 1500s.
His collection of artefacts (‘stuff’) enabled pupils to experience the everyday lives of people who were alive in our country five hundred years ago. To give the children further insight, traditional vegetable stew called pottage was also served. This was made from a mixture of root vegetables, vegetable stock and pearl barley.
To make the day even more of an experience, the majority of pupils dressed up in Tudor style costumes. We even had Henry VIII himself visiting class 4C.
The day was a huge success and the Year Four pupils will be talking about Tudor ‘stuff’ for a long time to come!
Cross Country City Finals
10/05/18
Huge congratulations to all of the children who participated in the Cross Country City Finals at Aldersley Stadium. Every child ran with pure grit and determination and managed to complete the course. We are so proud of the effort and enthusiasm they showed!
A special mention to Lily, who came 10th in the Girls’ race and Alfie, who came 16th in the Boys’. Both were invited to represent Wolverhampton at Tettenhall College and we are pleased to say that Alfie came 36th position overall. What a great achievement!
The school welcomes Olympic Triathlete Laura Samuels…
30/04/18
Boosting children’s personal aspirations, Laura Samuels visited Oak Meadow in order to share with children her sporting journey from her days in primary school to participating in the World Olympics and becoming a Bronze Medal Winner. Laura led an aspirational assembly and invited children to join her in participating in a series of circuit activities – sponsored by parents, carers and families. As a result of children’s hard work and their commitment to completing a series of circuits, £1300 was raised for School Fund. Monies raised will support the purchasing of lunchtime play equipment. Appreciative thanks must be extended to all who sponsored children raising such a commendable sum. THANK YOU!
The Elves and the Shoemaker
16/02/18
On Friday 16th February 2018, Year 1 parents/carers and children worked together in a shoe-making workshop to conclude children’s learning based around the story, ‘The Elves and the Shoemaker’. It was a highly successful afternoon with tremendous support from parents/carers resulting in the designing and making of a variety of creative, intricate, interesting designs. A sticky and fun time was had by all!
Multi Athletics Festival
A huge well done to all our children who represented Oak Meadow in the Multi- Athletics Festival at Our Lady & St. Chad Academy.
The team performed exceptionally, demonstrating outstanding skill and sportsmanship. The team came first place overall - winning gold medals! Well done everybody... we are so proud of our talented children!
Music Workshop
08/02/18
On Wednesday 7th February 2018, Year 1 received a visit from Mrs Burke and Mrs Norton from the Wolverhampton Music School. They came in to show the children 2 woodwind instruments – a flute and clarinet. The children were shown how the instruments were played and the different sounds that they produced.
As part of the music workshop, the ladies played different pieces of music for the children to move around to. They were correctly able to identify the pitch and tempo of the music and how they could move.
The Gingerbread Man is a favourite traditional tale for many and the clever, talented peripatetic teachers were able to re-tell the story using their woodwind instruments.
This was a very enjoyable session and we thank the ladies for coming in and sharing their skills of playing beautiful music with us.
Christmas Fair 2017
Once again, due to the hard work of the Friends of Oak Meadow organising our Christmas Fair, a phenomenal sum of approximately £1900 was raised! Thanks to all of our parents, carers and supporters of our school whose support is unwaiving and always appreciated. Thanks to our School Choir who opened the fair and who instilled a feeling of Christmas to the evening. A range of stalls were present and fun was had by all! Special thanks to the Rotary Club for escorting Father Christmas who took a break in his busy schedule to visit the children of Oak Meadow!
Lego Challenge
On Tuesday 21st November, Sahana, Jack, Vashon and Issac took part in the 2017/18 Lego Challenge at Wolverhampton Art Gallery, competing against other schools in the area. The children had to collaborate in order to build a robot and program it to complete specific tasks. They persevered and demonstrated great ability to solve the given problems. Well done!
City Athletics Championships
A well done to all our children who represented Oak Meadow in the City Athletics Championships at Aldersley High School.
All performed admirably and came third place overall demonstrating great skill and sportsmanship - winning bronze medals! Well done…we are very proud of our children!
Winter Planting Scheme
Following on from the success of Wednesfield’s winning of ‘GOLD’ in the Heart of England in Bloom Competition, Oak Meadow were pleased to be asked to contribute to the winter planting scheme…working together with pride in our local community. Can you spot the location of our allocated planter? (Bealey’s Fold, Wednesfield)Following on from the success of Wednesfield’s winning of ‘GOLD’ in the Heart of England in Bloom Competition, Oak Meadow were pleased to be asked to contribute to the winter planting scheme…working together with pride in our local community. Can you spot the location of our allocated planter? (Bealey’s Fold, Wednesfield)
Anti Bullying Workshop
As part of Anti-Bullying Week 5 Year 6 children represented Oak Meadow Primary at an Anti-Bullying workshop. The workshop took place at Molineux an was led by the B-Safe Team in partnership with The Wolverhampton Safeguarding Board and HeadStart. It consisted of a range of half hour workshops for the children to take part in and were run by West Midlands Police, Central Youth Theatre, The Switch Project and the The B-Safe Team.
The children enjoyed the workshops and were a credit to Oak Meadow.
Diwali Day
On Thursday 19th October 2017, teaching and learning for the day focused upon the meaning of Diwali with all pupils learning about the story of Rama and Sita and its key messages about the power of good and evil, light and darkness. A wide range of teaching and learning activities were planned including: food tasting; percussion accompaniment to associated music; artistic portrayals of key story characters and learning of a bhangra dance – culminating in a whole school dance in the school hall!
Visit to St Peter’s Open Door Project
Year 6 recently undertook a visit to St Peter’s Church, Wolverhampton, to participate in their annual ‘Open Door’ project providing children with an opportunity to explore aspects of the church’s history and to take part in a range of craft activities. All children worked collaboratively with one-another and as ambassadors of Oak Meadow, behaved impeccably with commendations received from the volunteers leading the workshops. Well done Year 6 – we are very proud of you!
Concluding the day of exploration, groups of children took part in a quiz – testing their learning from the day. Here are the winning team with each of them receiving a prize from St Peter’s Church – an A3 sketch of an historical aspect of the building.
Think Tank
On Friday 13th October 2017, 60 very excited children boarded the coach to travel to Think Tank in Birmingham - an interactive, hands-on museum. Think Tank was chosen to fit in with the Science topic “Ourselves”.
Think Tank is spread across 3 levels with an outdoor discovery area. The children participated in a senses workshop where they learned about the 5 different senses and took part in an experiment listening to their partner’s heartbeat before and after exercise.
A fun time was had by all and all of Year 1 would definitely recommend it as a fun day!
Open Door Project
Year 6 pupils took part in a variety of themed activities during the fun Open Door Project at St Peter’s Church in Wolverhampton.
Thank you to all of the willing, hard-working staff who gave up their time to support the event. The children and staff were all engaged and had a wonderful time.
Mayor Visit
On Monday 26th June, the School Council and School Newspaper Team had a very exciting opportunity - they were invited to the Council Chambers by His Worshipfulness, the 159th Mayor and Mayoress of the City of Wolverhampton - Elias and Asha Mattu. The children began the morning sitting in the Council Chambers asking the Mayor all about what it was like to have such an important job. The children got the opportunity to explore the Mayor’s Chambers looking at the treasures and gifts that have been received over the years. Finally and most excitingly, the children had the chance to try on the Mayor’s robes and Chain of Office. Some of the children definitely have their sights set on becoming the mayor in the future!
Well done to Madelin Henshall
Well done to Madelin Henshall, who was one of the three winners of the Wolverhampton Markets Christmas colouring competition. She was invited to a special presentation event on Tuesday 31 January, where The Mayor of the City of Wolverhampton presented Madelin and the other winners with their prizes. Madelin was presented with an amazing art set and £100 book voucher for our school. A great achievement!
Friends of Oak Meadow Christmas Fair 2016
Hearing the sleigh bells of Santa’s sledge and the resounding hooves of Rudolph and his reindeer friends, the children queued excitedly and with eager anticipation to meet with Santa in his grotto – specially prepared by Mrs Chapman for his visit. Affirming their good behaviour this year, children shared their wishes and desires for this Christmas Day. Thanks must be extended to the Friends of Oak Meadow for organising the day and for sending an invitation to Santa to meet with the children of our school to give them an early Christmas present!
GEW - Global Entrepreneur Week
The week of the 21st November was Global Entrepreneur Week in school. In order to acknowledge this, each year group worked on the design and manufacturing process required to create a new smoothie brand.
The week provided many new opportunities for children; including fruit and vegetable tasting, brand designing, advertising, the calculation of cost and profit and much more.
The children worked in small groups throughout the week to complete each step of this process; the week’s learning culminated in a celebratory assembly with Governors present - in a special ‘Dragon’s Den’ assembly!
The children in Years 1 – 6 confidently pitched their brand and smoothie creations. These included data collection sheets, bar charts, posters, flyers, TV advertisements and radio broadcasts.
The children thoroughly enjoyed the week and the final products were clearly those of young budding entrepreneurs.
Parent Workshop November 2016
We recently invited parents/carers to join us at a reading workshop in school. We held two sessions during the day and were very pleased to welcome so many to share our new reading resource. Bug Club and Phonics Bug are finely-levelled reading schemes, which ensure that all children can read books at exactly the right level for them. The workshop was an opportunity to discuss the resources and show the online resources available to parents to use at home with their children. It was also a great opportunity for some of our Year 6 children to explain how the online resource works and answer any questions.
Scholastic Book fair November 2016
The Autumn term book fair has just finished and again we saw many children and parents purchasing some super literature. We sold £880 worth of books which means we can buy some lovely new resources for school. Thank you everyone who came along.
Bug Club Launch October 2016
Bug Club is here!
Today we launched our new online reading resource in an exciting assembly. The children have used the hard copy books within their guided reading sessions and have thoroughly enjoyed reading them. We explained to the children that they could now use these books at home using their own online account. Here they will find many exciting new books and games to play.
Professor McGinty visits Year 6 October 2016
Year 6 had a wonderful day when Professor McGinty came to visit. The Professor, a time traveller, took the children back to the time of the Vikings! They had the opportunity to examine artefacts, dress up and hear stories of Viking times. He provided much entertainment and made the topic real for the children.
St. Peter’s Church Open Door Craft Day October 2016
The Year 6 children visited St Peter's Church in Wolverhampton city centre to take part in the church's annual Open Door activity day. With great enthusiasm and concentration the children put their creative skills to good use. They made model chalices, stained glass windows, decorated a stole and produced beautiful brass rubbings. Many of the children had an opportunity to sing in the choir room, creating a lovely sound. The children and staff would all like to thank the volunteer helpers at St Peter's Church for running the Open Door activities.
The Queen's 90th Birthday
June 2016
On Friday 10th June Oak Meadow celebrated her majesty's 90th Birthday! Children came to school dressed in red, white and blue and enjoyed a number of exciting activities throughout the day. The whole school participated in a live assembly that was broadcast all over the Commonwealth and sang the National anthem with pride and gusto! All children behaved impeccably throughout the day and teachers were very impressed with the level of maturity shown by all.
Scholastic Book Fair: May 2016
May 2016
The summer term book fair has just finished and again we saw many children and parents purchasing some super literature. We sold £605 worth of books which means we can buy some lovely new resources for school. Thank you everyone who came along.
World Book Day: March 2016
Thursday 3rd March
On Thursday 3rd March we celebrated World Book Day. Our theme this year centred on the works of Roald Dahl. Children and staff dressed up as a character from one of his books or their favourite book. All year groups chose one of Dahl’s books to read and share.
During the week all of the children produced stunning pieces of artwork or creative writing linked to their book. A selection of these are on display in the main entrance, watch out for the enormous crocodile and Mr Twit!
Fond Farewell
December 2015
This week saw the sad farewell of 4 well loved and respected members of staff here at Oak Meadow. We would like to wish Mrs Kucharczyk, Mr Gamston and Mrs Smith a happy retirement and Mrs Woolridge all the best in her new job. We wish them all the best for the future.
Fabulous Fundraiser
December 2015
Here at Oak Meadow we encourage thought for others. This term one young girl from Year 2 put this into practise by giving up her iPad and phone for a week to raise money for the Wolverhampton Hospital Heart and Lung department. She raised the grand total of £235 and the cheque was presented to a representative from the hospital during our end of term assembly. A huge well done from all Oak Meadow.
Superheroes help Children in Need
November 2015
On Friday Oak Meadow school was flooded with superheroes as the children came dressed as their favourite heroic character. The annual event, organised by the school council, was in aid of Children in Need and there was a wide range of superheroes willing to come and support the fund raising. At the last count the school had raised over £340 which has been sent to the charity to help children throughout the country. The school council thank everyone for their support.
Beneficial Bikeability
October 2015
This week the children took part in the school's Bikeability programme. Bikeability is a training programme for children to help them control their cycles and to keep them safe whilst they are out and about. They completed their Level 1 training on the school's MUGA and can now progress at a later date to Level 2 which prepares them for cycling on the roads
Harvest Celebration
October 2015
As the Autumn leaves started falling the school presented its celebration of the harvest with two Harvest assemblies. In the morning the KS2 children presented a series of poems and songs, old and new, to their parents and visitors. In the afternoon it was the turn of the KS1 children to present "A Gift of the sun" a story accompanied by songs. As the school is supporting Macmillan Cancer Support there was coffee and cakes on sale to the parents with the proceeds going to the charity.
SMART Superheroes Safety Show
October 2015
The SMART Superheroes saved a group of children who were experiencing problems on their computers this week. As part of a school assembly on eSafety, the dashing superheroes arrived in time to stop the children from giving their personal details out to strangers and going to meet on-line friends. They also gave advice to the children on what to do when they were upset by what happened to them when they were using social media or the internet. The whole school offered their advice to the children before the superheroes arrived on the scene to save the day. Thank goodness for the superheroes.
St Peter's Church door open for activities
October 2015
The Year 6 children visited St Peter's Church in Wolverhampton city centre to take part in the church's annual Open Door activity day. The children were greeted at the church door and spent the day taking part, with another primary school, in a variety of activities that helped them learn about the church and Christianity. With great enthusiasm and concentration the children put their creative skills to good use, making model chalices, stained glass windows, book marks and even carrier bags and brass rubbings. At the end of the very interesting day they were entertained by two groups of children performing on hand bells. The children and staff would all like to thank all the volunteer helpers at St Peter's church for running the Open Door activities.
Books fly off the shelves
September 2015
The Autumn term book fair has just finished at school and once again customers crowded in to purchase books for their children. A group of Year 6 pupils worked very hard after school helping the teachers to run the book fair. They sold £908 worth of books which means that we can buy lots of fabulous new books for school. Well done, everyone!
Email from our patron of reading
September 2015
This week we had an email from Eamonn Reilly, our patron of reading. You may remember Eamonn from his exciting and inspiring visit last year when he came and read some of his exciting stories to us and many of you purchased his books. Why not pass them on to your brothers and sisters to encourage them to read too?
Thu 24/09/2015 14:18
Hello Mrs Kucharczyk & everyone at Oak Meadow.
I hope you're all looking forward to your book fair, it's a great time to start out on new adventures. Who knows where you'll end up when you start on your next book ? Maybe you'll end up on a remote island, or a haunted castle or maybe you'll go to outer space. Good luck with it all and I hope you get lots of new books for your library. I wish you all happy reading, no matter what it is, and hope to see you all again soon.
Best wishes Eamonn Reilly
Rats!
July 2015
Oak Meadow ended the year infested with rats... thankfully the Pied Pipers of Hamelin came to the rescue! This year's Year 6 Leavers presented three magnificent performances of "Rats" which were a great success. Thank you to everyone who took part and helped to stage the play.
Aim to do your daily 10 minute Shake Up!
July 2015
On their marks and ready to do another 10 Minute Shake Up exercise burst are a group of Oak Meadow Primary School pupils with Partnership and School Sport Manager Rebecca Gingell, Wolverhampton City Council's Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing Councillor Sandra Samuels, and Oak Meadow PE Coordinator Nick Brown.
Sporting Stars of the future?
July 2015
At the annual school sports day the children went all out for victory in the various events staged throughout the day. With the KS2 children having their events in the morning and KS1 children having theirs in the afternoon it was an action packed day. The children competed in events that ranged from golf to sprinting and the obstacle race to the wheel chair slalom. After a hard fought competition, Yellow House came out victorious. We have to thank Penn Hall School for the loan of the sporting wheelchairs and the children from Coppice High School who came and assisted.
DIGI Award Winners
July 2015
The after-school computing group have been presented with a prestigious DIGI award at a glittering ceremony held at Wolverhampton's Grand Theatre. They had won the award for The Best eSafety Resource 2015 with their eSafety Radio Show. The children and staff dressed up in their best clothes to attend the award ceremony which is held annually to celebrate the wide range of digital work being undertaken in schools across Wolverhampton and the neighbouring areas. The nine children, from years four to six, had been working throughout the Spring Term on a range of digital media and the eSafety Radio Show was their final project. The children are all aware of the importance of eSafety (how to keep safe whilst using electronic devices and the Internet) and their show was played to the whole school as part of the school's eSafety education.
Year 6 Challenged at PGL
June 2015
Year Six pupils camped at PGL’s Boreatton Park from 26th June to 29th June. All forty four pupils learned to tackle new and exciting challenges including climbing, abseiling, canoeing and swinging from a giant swing. For some, the adventure began with sleeping under canvas and having to share a tent with friends. As the weekend progressed, the children became accustomed to the action packed programme of events and active evenings. A fun time was had by all!
Year 2 visit to Kingswood
May 2015
The weather was bright and sunny during the children's visit to Kingswood Activity Centre in the Spring Term. During the visit children from Year 2 and 3 enjoyed outdoor activities including blindfold trails, building dens, climbing trees, walks offsite through the woods, looking at the pets and pond dipping. The children even had to strip the beds and make them up again ready for the next group of children staying at the centre.
Year 4's woodland adventures
May 2015
The Year 4 children, and their teachers, had an enjoyable time on their residential visit to the National Forest. The weather was good and the party stayed for three days at the super National Forest Youth Hostel near Moira. They visited Ashby de la Zouch to complete a shop survey and attempted an orienteering course in Donnisthorpe Woods. Sketches of the old Moira Furnace were completed in their notebooks and they completed a traffic survey on the road through Moira.
The children also spent a day in the Conkers Activity Centre where the children learnt how to do pond dipping and how to make shelters in the woods, as well as riding on the Conkerchoo train and looking at the woodland exhibits in the interactive learning zone. The highlight for many, as usual, was the barefoot walk over stones, wood, clay and through cold water and mud. As the children said, "Can't we stay for a few more days?"
Author reads his thrilling tales
May 2015
As part of our continued drive to be an outstanding reading school, Birmingham author Eamonn Reilly joined us in school to entertain and inspire the children with anecdotes and extracts from his books. Pupils listened with rapt attention and laughed uproariously at Eamonn’s stories.
Our pupils were thrilled by tales of mystery and adventure and pondered over difficult dilemmas. Eamonn set several writing challenges for our pupils who were very excited at the prospect of creating and completing stories over the next few weeks.
Eamonn’s books are available to purchase through school. Some books will be signed personally by the author.
Eamonn has kindly accepted the position of Oak Meadow’s patron of reading which means that he will continue to support our pupils’ reading over the next few years. If you wish to know more about Eamonn Reilly, you can access his website – www.er-reilly.co.uk
Crowds at school book fair
May 2015
The school's book fair got underway with the hall crowded with parents and children purchasing and ordering books. This year there were signed books by Eamonn Reilly, the schools patron of reading, as well as the Scholastic books for young and old children. Once again reading is seen to be important in the lives of the children who attend Oak Meadow.
Ash End Farm
March 2015
The children in Reception visited Ash End Farm as part of their studies on the natural world. After an exciting coach journey the children entered the farm to be guided around the buildings. They visited many different barns and had the opportunity to feed the lambs, ducks and the goats. Whilst on the farm the children also saw horses, donkeys, owls, rabbits and guinea pigs. They also saw some baby chicks which had just hatched!
After a delicious packed lunch the children played on the adventure playground before one last look around the farm. After a long day they set off home, singing ‘We will rock you’ on the coach!
Hot chocolate and a bedtime story
March 2015
Hot chocolate and a bedtime story were on offer one evening at school, when children were invited back to hear their teachers read them a bedtime story. Dressed in their pyjamas and onesies they sat around on piles of comfy cushions while the teachers first read them some interesting stories and then gave them hot chocolate and a biscuit. Everyone had great fun and really enjoyed themselves.
Whilst the children were having their story time their parents were listening to Patrick Flynn, from Wolverhampton Learning Technologies Team, give a talk on Internet Safety and how best to ensure that their children remain safe when using their computers and tablets at home. The parents asked many questions and found the talk very useful.
Sea of red noses
March 2015
Once again it was the day when everyone dressed up in funny red noses, dressed themselves in red from top to toe and even went as far as colouring their faces and hair a bright red colour - it was, of course, Comic Relief! The school council organised the annual event to support Comic Relief and nearly the whole school wore something red. We'll let you know how much we raised when all the money is in.
Book characters come to life
March 2015
We all take great pleasure in reading and to celebrate World Book Day the school was turned over to the characters from the children's favourite books. The children and staff all dressed up, and as you can see, they looked amazing. The school promotes reading with many special events and initiatives throughout the year, having just completed a Round the World Reading Challenge.
School supports Safer Internet Day
February 2015
On Tuesday 10th February the children completed a number of activities to mark Safer Internet Day. They learnt the best way to behave whilst using the Internet and what to do if they came across upsetting pictures or text. KS1 and KS2 children completed a questionnaire on their use of the Internet which will help their teachers plan future safety lessons. All the children took home a leaflet for their parents explaining how they could help their children stay safe on the Internet at home. If anyone is worried about safety when using the Internet there are links to helpful sites on our Internet Safety page.
Sporting Challenge - Accepted
January 2015
Jo Jackson at the school
The children and staff rose to the challenge set by Sport for Schools and participated in a series of physical exercises. All the children, from Reception to Year 6, took part in the challenge, led by the British Olympic swimmer, Jo Jackson. After completing the exercises, such as star jumps and press ups, the school took part in an assembly where Jo told the children about how she took part in the Olympics and what she had to do to become a world class swimmer. The children were sponsored to complete the event. We'll let you know how much they raised.
Sad News
January 2015
The Spring term started with the sad news of the death of a member of staff. Mr Webster, a teaching assistant in Year 3, passed away suddenly at the end of December. The whole school is devastated by the news and Mr Webster will be sadly missed by staff and children alike. Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time.
Christmas Jumpers in Fashion
December 2014
The school became the centre of the fashion world when the children and staff all wore their Christmas jumpers and collected money for Save the Children's Christmas Jumper Day. Your generosity has raised a huge £264.53 for Save the Children.
Crisis in Donkey's Manger
December 2014
Christmas has come to Oak Meadow School. Following the successful Christmas Fayre, the Reception classes put on their Christmas production. Telling the tale of a little donkey, who is upset by the other animals who keep interfering with his manger. He keeps chasing them off until, on one starry night, he finds the baby Jesus lying in his manger. The parents and other children were enchanted by the clear narration and singing by the children. A lovely start to Christmas.
We Will Remember Them
November 2014
On the 11th November, at 11 o'clock, the school fell silent in remembrance of those who had given their lives in past conflicts. The children standing still in their classes, in the halls or around the school. The previous day, the KS2 children had attended an assembly where they watched an on-line broadcast by Discovery Education from the poppy field at theTower of London. We joined nearly 11,000 schools in 42 countries who watched the broadcast that aimed to answer the question, "Why Remember?".
Reading for Pleasure
October 2014
The librarians prepare for Halloween, complete with pumpkin head!
Years 5 and 6 proved that you are never too old for a story. With Halloween just around the corner, the librarians treated Years 5 and 6 to a pre-half-term treat of funny and spooky stories and rhymes. Pupils giggled and gasped their way through lunchtime, joining in with the sound effects to add to the atmosphere.
Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin...
Last week, the librarians entertained Years 2 and 3 with some fishy tales. Children enjoyed joining in and making up their own rhymes too. Thank you to the librarians for giving up their time to encourage and inspire our pupils with the pleasure of reading.
Looking to the Future
October 2014
The upper KS2 children recently took part in a "Primary Futures Day", promoted by the NAHT. The day was designed to widen the horizons and aspirations of the children and show how reading and numeracy are an advantage. The children were introduced to four professionals who came to talk to the children and answer their questions. They were: John Woodward a demolition consultant, Peter Madeley an Express and Star reporter, Laura Howell an illustrator for the 'Beano', Paul Dowswell an author of historical novels and Emma Reynolds the Shadow Minister for Housing.
The visitors told the children about their occupations, what an average day entailed and gave the children advice on what the they would have to do if they wanted to do a similar job.
The children were very interested in what the visitors had to tell them and would like to thank them for giving their time to come and talk at the school.
Emergency Services Day
October 2014
The police and fire service were in attendance at the school recently, not to help in an emergency, but to talk to the children about their jobs and about keeping safe at home and out in the community. Members of the Fire Service, based at Fallings Park, came with a fire appliance to talk to the children about fires in the home and two police officers from Wednesfield police station showed the children their car and the equipment they carried with them and talked to them about safety on the roads.
With Haloween, Bonfire night, Divali and Christmas approaching it was a timely reminder for the children about keeping themselves safe at home and out in the dark evenings.
The police have been busy in Oak Meadow this term as in previous weeks officers came to talk to the children about keeping themselves safe while they are on the internet and using social media. Cyber bullying was discussed and the children told how to report any problems they may experience. The children had already had lessons on internet safety so this helped to reinforce the safety message given to them in school.
From Cocoa to Chocolate
October 2014
As part of their topic work on the Aztecs the year 4 children and their teachers went on a visit to Cadbury World in Birmingham because, as we all know, the Aztecs were the first people to have chocolate. The children visited the jungle, the Aztec people in their village, and saw how the Spanish took the cocoa beans to Europe. They heard how John Cadbury began selling chocolate and how he started the Bournville factory. The children were shaken like cocoa beans when they saw how chocolate was made and later saw the Cadbury workers making chocolates. The children had a wonderful day and, of course, there were the free samples...
Year 6 find the key to St Peter's Church
October 2014
No school trip is complete without a visit to the shop!
Every two years, Oak Meadow is lucky enough to be invited to attend St. Peter’s Open Door. Fortunately, it was Year Six’s turn this year. On a cold, wet October morning, Year Six’s spirits were lifted by the wonderful events in the heart of St. Peter’s church.
Pupils had the opportunity to ring the hand-bells, sew and make shields and stained glass windows. They also made brass rubbings, decorated stoles, created origami gift bags and bookmarks. Some children made golden chalices and others toured the church. Some were even allowed to climb the steps to the stone pulpit to view the church from above.
The day ended with a celebration of our pupils’ work and a lively rendition of the Open Door song accompanied by the magnificent sound of St. Peter’s organ. All of the pupils returned to school with their lovely arts and crafts and happy memories of the day.
Joyous Harvest Celebration
October 2014
The hall was crowded with parents and carers as they joined the children and staff for the annual harvest celebration. In the morning the parents were treated to the children of KS2 singing and reciting poems on the theme of harvest and in the afternoon the parents and carers were similarly entertained by the KS1 children.
After the harvest celebrations the parents stayed for a cup of tea or coffee and a cake, with all proceeds going to this year's charity - Macmillan's Cancer support. We are pleased to report that we collected over £500 which has been sent to Macmillans Cancer Support.
Book-worms go bananas at book fayre
October 2014
The annual book fayre opened at school with a crowd of parents, carers and children queuing to buy books and other reading materials. Mrs Kucharczyk and her helpers worked hard taking payments and orders from the eager purchasers as the children brought their parents into the hall. Over £1800 was taken over the four days of the fayre which means there are a lot more books for the children to read in their homes this week. The school would like to thank all the parents and carers who came to the fayre and made it such a success.
What did the Romans ever do for us?
September 2014
On Friday 5th September Year 3 were learning all about the Stone Age. The Timezone company came in for the day to show us what life was like all those years ago. Tony and Catherine showed us how to make felt, talked about the way they hunted, cooked, made tools and other equipment needed to survive. We also made flour and rope. We learnt that all the family helped to hunt and gather food for all the family. In addition we learnt that the tools they used were made of flint which is a type of stone.
Oak Meadow presents - the leavers who have talent
July 2014
The end of another school year was marked by the Year 6 leavers' assembly where the children showed off some of their musical and perfoming talents. Groups of children sang a variety of songs, danced and acted in sketches to entertain the school and their parents. A talented performance all round. The children were then presented with a individual gift of a dictionary by Mr Walklett, chair of the school's governors. Also leaving the school were a number of staff, including Mr Rogers, Mr Ingles, Mrs Udall, Miss Heeley, Miss Bradley and Mr Anthony. The whole school community wished them all well in their new posts.
Sunshine and Sports
July 2014
The school recently held its annual Sports Day and luckily the sun shone on us. In the morning the KS2 children had their events. As usual there were a number of different events all taking place on the school field, ranging from throwing and striking events to those needing speed and stamina. The school has a number of children who use wheelchairs so, for the first time, we had a wheel chair event on the playground next to the field. The morning finished with sprint and relay races and a parents obstacle race. In the afternoon the KS1 children had their events, competing in similar events to the KS2 children. They even had a wheel barrow race - with wheel barrows of course! Everyone had a great time and enjoyed the different events. The school would like to thank Penn Hall School for the loan of the special wheel chairs.
Wandering in the Woods
April 2014
In April the year 4 children went on their residential visit to the National Forest. The weather was good and all the children thoroughly enjoyed themselves during their three day stay at the youth hostel. They visited the town of Ashby de la Zouch and completed an orienteering course in the woods. They also spent a day at Conkers, the National Forest activity centre, where they built shelters and went pond dipping as well as playing on the adventure playground and completing the feared bare-foot walk.
Looking to the Future
March 2014
During March the school held a "Futures Day" when a number of people from different walks of life came in to school and talked to the children about their occupations, what qualifications they had needed to do that occupation and the different things they had done. The children found it very interesting and asked the visitors many questions about what they did and how they could learn to their occupation.
The Meaning of Christmas
December 2013
The KS1 children perfomed, "Christmas Gifts" their Christmas production to their parents and the school. Everyone enjoyed their show in which they explained the meaning of Christmas through song and drama. Angels, shepherds and wise men came to some children to show them the true meaning of Christmas. The children sang beautifully and clearly and the show was enjoyed by all.
Roman army seen preparing for battle
November 2013
Last week the Roman army were seen preparing for battle in the school hall as the Year3 children readied their shields and swords as part of their Roman Day. Wearing their tunics and togas the children and their teachers enjoyed a day learning about the Romans and the Roman army. They were joined by a centurian who led them in the drills with the shields they had made as part of the day's activities.
Sad News
October 2013
This week we heard the sad news of the death of Neil Clarke, a previous deputy head and current governor of Oak Meadow Primary School. Neil has been involved with Oak Meadow for many years and even after his retirement, he continued to support the school, especially the sports teams. In fine weather or foul, he was to be found, cheering on pupils from the football touch line or cross country course. He will be greatly missed by present and past members of the school community.
Teaching by Terrible Tudors
October 2013
The school was visited by some terrible Tudors who set up their house in the school hall and proceded to show the Year 5 children what life was like in Tudor times. Master Michael and Misstress Fletcher taught the children to play many of the games and pastimes that the Tudors enjoyed. The children went to a "Tudor School" and learnt how to write with a quill pen. Then it was off to train to be pikemen in defense of the country. Finally they took part in a trial of a witch - who was found guilty of casting spells over some of the children.
Harvest Celebration
October 2013
Oak Meadow celebrated harvest with a special assembly in front of parents and children. Each year group sang a harvest inspired song and performed a poem. This year the chosen charity was the NSPCC and the children participated in a sponsored fitness activity raising over £2500.
Moving on
July 2013
The Year 6 presented their final Leavers' assembly last week and performed a variety of songs and sketches about their time at Oak Meadow. The children, parents and invited guests enjoyed their performance and wished them good luck for their future. The end of year prizes were also awarded to children who have excelled at sportmanship, music, drama and overcoming difficulties.
Winners at the WOSCARS
July 2013
Once again the school has won a WOSCAR at the WOSCARS (The Wolverhampton OSCARS for digital media). The school was short listed in four categories and a group of staff and children attended the prestigious ceremony held at the Wolverhampton Science Park. After walking down the red carpet they joined staff and children from other Wolverhampton schools to hear the results. We gained a WOSCAR for innovative practise and were runners up in Best Teacher Resource, Best Audio and Best Digital Artwork.
Spectacularly Sunny Sports Day
July 2013
On a splendid sunny day the school held its annual sports day on the newly opened school field. In the morning Key Stage 2 children competed in seven different events where all the children took part and gained points for their team. After a parents 'potato race' the event culminated with a sprint and a relay. At the end it was Blue Team who took the honours.
Mountain Accident
May 2013
Whilest on holiday in Snowdonia our caretaker, Mr Mincher, a keen mountain walker, fell 150m down a crag and had to be rescued by RAF helicopter and flown to hospital, where he was treated for multiple fractures.
Rescuers were alerted to Mr Mincher's plight by the barking of his dog, Sutti. During the rescue Sutti ran off but he was found on the crag 10 days later and was rescued by the local mountain rescue team.
Mr Mincher is now out of hospital and is recouperating at home.
Year 2 Dairy Maids Dish up Delights
May 2013
The year 2 children had a dairy experience when they visited Shugborough Hall. They dressed as dairy maids and learnt how milk was collected and turned into butter and cheese.
Walk in the Woods
April 2013
Once again the National Forest echoed to the sounds of Oak Meadow children as the year 4 classes undertook their residential visit to the leafy heart of England. The group stayed at the youth hostel, with its comfortable bedrooms and delicious meals, in the centre of the National Forest. The children visited the small town of Ashby de la Zouch and enjoyed the orienteering challenge in Donisthorpe woods. They also enjoyed the many activities in the Conkers Discovery Centre, including pond dipping, shelter building, and the 'Barefoot walk'. They ended their visit with art work at Moira Furnace.
Mr Brown shows how it's done!
March 2013
Mr Brown and some of the children had the opportunity to see a Wolves match due to a scheme run by the Wolves. Here, Mr Brown is seen taking a penalty at the half time teacher challenge. (Yes, he did score!)
Pepys pops in
February 2013
In February, Samuel Pepys popped into the school to tell the year 2 children about his diary and the great fire of London. The children eagerly asked him questions about life in London and what happened during the great fire. They then undertook some work on what they would have done during the great fire. The experience was organised by the Timepieces group, who are regular contributers to the history teaching in the school.
Peter Pan-tastic
February 2013
In February, the school drama club, helped by the rest of the school, put on a sucessful performance of Peter Pan. The whole cast put their hearts into the performance which was enjoyed by audiences over several evenings. Everyone worked hard at the rehearsing, scenery making, costume sewing and staging. Even the lighting and sound was operated by a group of children.
Let's Explore
February 2013
The reception classes have been on a number of visits this term already and have had lots of fun at the ThinkTank in Birmingham and at Coppice High School. Here, some of the boys get involved in water play.
It's no joke
January 2013
Early in January the school was shut for a day due to the snowy conditions. On the following day the school reopened with the caretaking staff, teachers and chair of governors all lending a hand to clear the car park of snow so that the teaching staff could get their cars off the narrow estate roads. Mr Purchase, one of the caretakers, is seen in the middle of the clearing operation.
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