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Oakfield Treehouse! Last week, some of the Year R children worked so hard together to create their own treehouse – it even had a balcony! They put a lot of thought and care into making their treehouse, to ensure it was safe.

Happy Birthday, Miss Bates! We hope your day's full of cake, laughs, and all your favourite things! Lots of love from all of us at Oakfield

Year R had their Teddy Bears Picnic last week for our new Reception starters! They had a fantastic time with them. They made Rice Crispy cakes and used their pouring skills to serve the drinks. They also performed a retelling of We're Going on a Bear Hunt. It was great for our current YR children to share their brilliant storytelling. To finish off, they all played some parachute games together. Year 1 had a lovely day at Marwell Zoo! They were brilliant and remembered lots of facts about animals, which they shared as they walked around the zoo! They loved watching the penguins swim past and were lucky enough to see the giraffe running around. Year 2 have been looking at Materials and where they are used. They looked around school to see what things are made of and thought about why. Year 3 had a trip to Rockbourne Roman Villa on Wednesday, they had a go at making some mosaic coasters, explored the grounds and their guide dressed as a soldier after lunch to explain how weapons have changed over time. Year 4 have been working on creating motifs using a circular grid. They repeated these motifs to mark a pattern! Year 5 had their Portals to the past Greek workshop linked to their history topic, Groundbreaking Greeks. The children showed great teamwork in group activities, including the tricky skill of being gracious in defeat (I can't imagine the Greeks were too sympathetic)! Year 6 have been immersed in their writing this week, using a scene from the musical 'Les Miserables' to write an internal monologue of a slave. The children had to write from the slave's point of view, considering his feeling, actions and thoughts throughout, and decided how best to use speech to advance the action and the passive voice to show control.

Year 3 – What a Fantastic Day at Rockbourne Roman Villa! We had such a brilliant time on our trip to Rockbourne Roman Villa yesterday– it truly felt like stepping back in time to Roman Britain! Everyone listened fantastically to our guide, who shared fascinating facts about how the site has changed over the centuries. The children were full of curiosity and enthusiasm – just like true Roman explorers! They all had a go at creating their own mosaic coasters, taking inspiration from Roman designs. They've brought them home to finish off the grouting with your help – we can't wait to see the finished masterpieces! (Feel free to share photos once they're dry – we'd love to see them!) After lunch, the guide transformed into a Roman soldier and captivated us all with tales of Roman life, weapons, and how the soldier's uniform evolved over time.

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Sports Day! What an amazing Sports Day we had last week! From speedy sprints to egg-and-spoon races, long jump and team relays – every event was packed with energy, laughter, and loads of smiles! A huge well done to all our wonderful children who gave it their all, cheered each other on, and showed fantastic sportsmanship all day long. You made us proud! And of course, a massive thank you to all our fantastic parents , staff and carers for your support, cheering from the sidelines, and helping make the day special.

We have had a busy and fun packed week! Yr R had an amazing trip to Moors Valley this week. The sun was shining; the children were brilliant and a credit to the school. I'm sure they all slept well after LOTS of walking, climbing and exploring! Yr 1 we were very busy Victorians this week, practicing letter and number formation, doing needlework (girls) and technical drawing (boys). Mrs Price, Mrs Bruce, Mrs Townsend and Mrs Marshall enjoyed showing Year 1 what school would have been like in Victorian times. The desks were in straight lines, there was no carpet area and I think the children will agree that the teachers were a little bit grumpier than usual! Yr 2 have been busy this week learning to interpret and draw pictograms and bar graphs in class. Yr 3 On Monday took their Maths lesson outside. They timed each other running around the edge of the playground and then converted the times from minutes into seconds. Yr 5 and Yr 6 returned from Little Canada on the Isle of Wight this week, they had a fantastic time and got up to lots of fun indoor and outdoor activities and the weather was great! Today we had our Sports Day and Oakfest, the parents and children had great fun joining in the activities in the sunny weather and we had a surprise visit from Stich! We will share photos with you all next week. Thank you to all who attended and donated and to the PTA and staff who made it possible.

Some of the YR5 and YR6 class returned this week from an exciting residential trip to Little Canada in the Isle of Wight! Here are some photos of the fun activities they got up to.

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Some super sewing in Year 2 last week!

Thank you to everyone who came along to our Father's day breakfast this week, it was great to see everyone enjoying the morning together and sharing the cards the children made. Year R this week discovered vegetables mysteriously taped up around their classroom! After some thinking, they realised it must be the work of the Evil Pea from Supertato! Year 1 as part of their PSHE topic 'changing me', started to look at how they change from a baby to a grown up. They played a game to find the baby or adult pair, then worked in groups to order 3 life cycles! Year 3 were looking at different types of shoes and discussing what sort of person would wear them. They worked in groups to create a character description for each one. This is the start of their new text 'The Egyptian Cinderella' where they will be focusing on developing character description within their writing. Year 4 have been busy with bug sanctuaries, pop up cafes and outside gyms at Owl on Monday. Years 5 & 6 completed 'Alright Charlie' this week. While watching the video, the children completed their workbooks and considered warning signs, behaviour that is 'not ok', and ways to speak to people within the situation. It was really great to see the maturity with which the children engaged in the conversation, and identifying warning signs throughout the video. Children from years 5 and 6 have safely arrived on the Isle of Wight and are looking forward to a weekend of activities at Little Canada. We will share stories and photos next week !

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Oakfield are gearing up to Sports Day and Oakfest on Friday 20, June! Thank you all so much for bringing in so many bottles this morning for Dress Down Day, we really appreciate your support. Year R and Year 2 have been practicing their skills ready for Sports Day! Today we're sending home a sponsorship form for a whole school Danceathon which will happen at the end of Sports Day, to show you all the moves they've been perfecting at the lunchtime discos, while raising money for the new playground markings project (we're already planning some fun ideas for it!) Year 1 learned about Buddha and brought in some very special items to share with the class, and they all enjoyed hearing each other's stories about why the items are important to them. Year 3 learned about the Empires of Rome and numerals, and Year 4 planted some pumpkin seeds which they will eventually transfer to the school allotment. Year 5 had their first swimming lesson and are studying the reading text 'The Song from Somewhere Else'. Year 6 wrote complaint letters, using formal language and a passive voice to indicate frustration. Both Year 5 and 6 have been working hard on their school production and are becoming more confident and expressive with their lines. Great work everyone!

This week was SATS week, and our Year 6 class have been INCREDIBLE! They've been in at 8am each morning to fill up on breakfast and do some last-minute revision, and I am so impressed by their dedication and hard work. I can't wait to see their results in July! They enjoyed a special breakfast and a party yesterday in recognition of all their hard work. Year R had a visit from the Oakfield legend, Mrs Bundy, who worked here as a teaching assistant for 30 years before retirement. She told them all about the history of the school and they looked through old photos to see how the classrooms have changed over time. Year 1 have been weighing objects and seeing how many cubes they'd need to balance the scales; and comparing the mass of objects using the words 'heavier', 'lighter' or 'equal'. Year 2 learnt about minutes to the hour and played some games to practise o'clock, half past, quarter to and past. Year 4 created green screen videos about ancient Egyptian artefacts. In OWL, Year 3 did the Japanese art of 'Hapa Zome', using natural dyes to print leaves. Year 4 cooked over the campfire, and Year 5 earned their campfire points through collaboration and creativity.

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It's been another busy week with lots of fantastic learning taking place. A visitor this week commented on how calm the classes were as we walked around during the afternoon. Thursday was the 80th Anniversary of VE Day. Oakfield's students respectfully observed the two-minutes silence and had a special assembly to remember the sacrifice of so many over the six years the war lasted in Europe. Year R discussed how the war would have been scary but when it ended, people were very happy. They painted the Union Jack and held up the flag to celebrate like they did 80 years ago! Year 1 learned about sandwiches, their different fillings, and how they're assembled and marketed. They got to try out lots of home-made and pre-packed sandwiches, and some of them discovered they really liked some fillings they wouldn't have tried before! Year 2 worked on their sewing skills; threading needles, tying knots and using running stitch. Mrs Leach was very impressed by their resilience skills and how they helped each other. Year 3 cut paper to make 3D shapes, taking great care to fold them in the right place, before creating robots and describing the shapes they used to make them. Both Year 2 and 3 will be having their first sleepover in the school this evening! Exciting! Year 4 dressed as Ancient Egyptians today and had fun staining paper to make 'papyrus' and writing hieroglyphics, mummifying tomatoes, trying dates, and baking flatbread. Meanwhile, Year 5 are learning about Ancient Greece, and have tested their knowledge by creating timelines of various key events in their history.

Year 5 had a super afternoon of History this week! They really impressed Mrs Rimmer with how much they already know. To build on their knowledge they focused on various Greek periods and plotted them on a timeline. Wonderful learning Year 5 - well done

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Oakfield have been enjoying the glorious weather out on the school field at break and lunchtimes! Year 6 have been learning about Africa, the origins of the slave trade, and the European powers that played their part in it. In OWL, Year 5 took part in a study with Southampton University on growing different varieties of beans; they prepared the soil and tested its' PH before planting 6 types to observe over the rest of the term. Year 4 spent time identifying the different flora and fauna around the OWL area, using tools, and building various types of shelter. Year 3 weeded the raised beds and planted some lettuce seeds. Year 2 listened to a piece of music, Camille Saint-Sean's' 'Carnival of Animals' and tried to guess which animal the music was describing. Once they knew the answers, they tried to move like that animal in time to the music. Year 1 went for an observational walk around the school grounds to look for wildflowers and familiar plants as part of their science topic, 'Plant Parts'. They noted the different colours, leaf shapes, textures and smells! The flower theme continued in Year R, who did some amazing still life paintings of tulips.

Some students from Year 3 and 4 at Oakfield took part in a Tennis Festival at Totton & Eling Tennis Centre, and one of the teams won medals in their group! Well done to Eli, Matthew, Isla, and Chloe!

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The Oakfield Choir visited the Farmhouse Care Home to sing to the residents and brighten their day. They had a lovely time, and were honoured with a thank you speech from Jim. #totton

Welcome back to school, we hope all our families had a lovely Easter break! Tuesday was 'Earth Day' 2025, and all this week the children have been exploring this year's theme at OWL, 'Our Power, Our Planet'. They've discussed renewable energy (solar, wind and hydro), and how we can care for nature. They spotted bluebells and insects hiding under logs, listened to the birds, written acrostic poems, and looked out for all the new signs of growth that Spring is bringing to the school grounds! Year 6 are learning about the Hindu festival of Kumbh Mela and the children heard the story of The Churning of the Ocean of Milk and the significance of the spilt Elixir. Year 1 are learning about the Sikh religion, and how the names that Sikh children are given carry special significance and meaning. They learned the meanings of their own names and had a visit from Aria's baby brother, Enzo! Year 2 are learning how to measure in centimetres and metres; they also had their Dojo reward day today so could measure their own teddies! Year R have been having fun and learning through play in their outdoor area, while Year 5 are exploring shading, line and tone through their lovely sketches. We held our coffee morning for parents/carers from all year groups to meet and chat today; we got lots of ideas from it which you will hear about soon. We'd like to make this a regular occurrence, as they're a great way for adults that are new to the school or that have been with Oakfield for a long time to get to know each other.

Every half-term at Oakfield, the class teachers choose two pieces of exceptional learning to be placed in a Gold Frame, which is proudly displayed in our reception area for the next half-term. Congratulations to the latest award recipients!