Oaklands School
Building Foundations for Fulfilling Futures
Oaklands School
Building Foundations for Fulfilling Futures
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Latest News
Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
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Newsletter March 2022
Fri 25 Mar 2022Dear Parent / Carer,
Next week we will be marking Autism Acceptance week. There are a range of activities that children will be involved in, including a sponsored walk and 60 pieces of artwork. On Friday, children (and staff) are invited to dress up in 60s style. As always, we appreciate that many of our children will not want to come in different clothes, and therefore if you would like to send clothing in a bag we can try and encourage them to put part or all of the costume on at school. If you feel that this would be too stressful for your child, we respect your decision for your child not to participate in the dressing up.
Chickens: You may have seen on our chickens if you have been in to
school recently. We have three beautiful silkies that are already laying eggs.
Children have enjoyed visiting the chickens in our growing area
and collecting eggs.
Climbing Frames: We now also have two fantastic climbing frames. These are large pieces of equipment that all children can use and encourage them to develop a range of physical skills, as well as communication and interaction. As you can imagine, children have enjoyed exploring these.
Sustainability: The school continues to have work done to install an Air Source Heat Pump. This will lead to a more sustainable way of heating the school. Understanding how children can play a role in caring for the environment is an important part of our curriculum. We are proud of our Silver Level certificate for work in supporting pollinator habitats in partnership with St. Denys Church. Well done to the Chestnut pathway children who took part in this project.
Teachers: We have been pleased to welcome two new teachers this term; Jack Sutherley in Hedgehogs class and Kalpana Mistry in Stoats. Natasha Gibbins has now left on maternity leave and we are eagerly awaiting news of her baby, due on 5th April.
Easter Activities: The Disabled Children Service are offering free activities sessions for disabled children to attend over the Easter holiday. Further information and the link to the registration for is available at families.leicester.gov.uk/disabled-children-activity-programme.
Chicken Pox: This week, we have had a number of cases of chicken pox in school. We ask that you monitor children over the weekend and if they have symptoms of Chicken pox, please do keep them at home. An itchy, spotty rash is the main symptom, and this can appear anywhere on the body. More information can be found on the NHS website here; https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chickenpox/
Red Nose Day: Thank-you to all parents/carers who contributed to our Red Nose Day collection. The school raised £60 in total.
Positive Behaviour Support: Sally Bott, our Assistant Headteacher who leads on behaviour ran a very informative and helpful workshop for parents this week. She is also doing another workshop about Emotional Regulation and Zones of Regulation:
Either: Monday 28th March 10am – 11am at Oaklands
Or: Wednesday 6th April 10am – 11am via Teams (a link will be sent to your email address)
If you have not yet signed up, please do simply call the office to let us know you would like to attend. Attending on site is a good way to also meet other parents and share advice so if you decide last minute that you can come, please do just come along as we would like as many parents as possible. Sally is extremely experienced with a wealth of training in this area and Emotional Regulation is something that it is important we all work together on to best support our children.
Kind regards
Sarah Osborne
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Red Nose Day
Thu 17 Mar 2022It is Red Nose Day tomorrow!!! Pupils may like to Dress Up in either their best fancy dress, something red or non uniform. Of course if your child would prefer to wear their uniform then that is absolutely fine as well. We are asking for £1 donation for this very worthy cause.
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Poll:Gen Award
Mon 28 Feb 2022We have been working on the Polli:Gen Project alongside St Denys Church and are pleased to announce that we have been awarded the silver award. A big well done to all that pupils and staff involved.
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PE
Thu 03 Feb 2022Dormice class have been practicing different skills in PE - have a look by clicking on the link below
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Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Thu 03 Feb 2022Leicester University have put together a project, which has been designed to help individuals and families develop a greater understanding of childhood autism.
Autism Spectrum Disorder is a complex condition to understand and we had lots of advice from families of children with ASD. Families said they wanted information about autism that was brief but useful, trustworthy, and could be shared with the rest of the family.
Therefore, they have created a series of short information films (approximately 5 minutes each) on different aspects of autism, which have been recorded in a number of different languages. In these videos, they cover some of the more common characteristics of autism and some of the more common difficulties that are seen.
They hope these information videos, which have been created by a partnership between the University of Leicester, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, and was funded by Carlton Hayes Charity, will be helpful in learning about autism. The material can be accessed on most devices, including phones and tablets. -
Start of Term January 2022
Mon 03 Jan 2022Monday 3rd January
Dear Parents/Carers,
I do hope that you have had a restful Christmas break.
I am writing to remind you the new term begins on Wednesday 5th January.
As you will appreciate, our leadership team and Governing body continue to monitor the Covid-19 situation very carefully. We have had a number of cases reported to us during the last few days and this is already impacting upon staffing levels. This reflects the staffing difficulties that have been widely reported in the media during the last week.
We have a contingency plan in place and continue to review our Risk Assessment to ensure that we do everything practicably possible to keep children and staff safe. As you will appreciate, we are committed to keeping all children in school for face to face education, however, if staffing levels are significantly reduced, this can pose health and safety risks and we would need to consider what is the safest approach to take for children and staff.
Please continue to check Weduc as we will update parents/carers if there needs to be any changes to plans.
Happy New Year.
Regards
Sarah
Sarah Osborne (Headteacher)
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Ivan Browne & Martin Samuels - An update on the current Covid measures
Thu 16 Dec 2021Dear Parents and Carers,
Thank you for continuing to support your children’s education, especially with all the worries of the Covid pandemic. This week we have seen new rules come into place to help us all deal with the Omicron variant.
The main ways to reducing the risk of Covid, including Omicron, are to wash hands frequently and to wear face coverings in crowded areas. Remember to socially distance if possible and to keep indoor areas well ventilated. This is especially important during the holiday period when families get together.
If you or your child feels unwell with any of the Covid symptoms, please get a PCR test. If the test is positive you will need to self-isolate for 10 days. If you or your child is a close contact of a positive case and you are fully vaccinated, you will need to take daily lateral flow tests for 7 days. Please remember to report all test results.
Vaccinations remain our best defence to protect ourselves and our families against Covid. If you have not yet had your vaccinations or your booster vaccination, please do book an appointment. This local NHS webpage gives options for booking your vaccination appointment in Leicester: leicestercityccg.nhs.uk/my-health/coronavirus-advice/coronavirus-vaccine/
If your child is 12 years old or over and has not yet had their first vaccination, please use the link above to book a vaccination appointment for them. If you know your child had their first vaccination 12 weeks ago you are now able to book their second vaccination. Check the link above for the local centres that offer vaccinations for 12-15year olds. This term many children in secondary schools have had Covid and missed a significant part of the term. Vaccination will reduce the spread and support children’s attendance at school.
During the Christmas holiday, the Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) programme for children eligible for free school meals will be going ahead with limitations at some venues. Food should still be made available. Please check with your venue.
We hope you have a relaxing and enjoyable break over the Christmas period.
Please support your primary or secondary age child to do a lateral flow test before their return to school in the new year. This will help to reduce the risk of anyone coming back to school with Covid without realising it. Secondary pupils will also be offered onsite testing at their school at the beginning of term. Please do give permission for this testing.
Thank you for all the support you have given to the work to reduce the risk of COVID-19 in Leicester.
Yours sincerely
Ivan Browne
Director of Public Health and Sports Services
Martin Samuels
Strategic Director Social Care and Education
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Visit Santa
Mon 13 Dec 2021A Leicestershire branch of garden centre retailer Dobbies is helping to make this Christmas special for children with autism and other sensory needs by introducing 'Quiet Grotto' sessions.
The Stapleton store near Hinckley is one of 50 branches across the UK which are hosting the Quiet Grottos, specially adapted in partnership with Autism Together.
New for 2021, the Quiet Grottos allow youngsters and their families to experience the delight of meeting Santa and his elves in an environment where the sound and visual elements have been specially adapted to help minimise anxiety.
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Household Support Fund
Fri 26 Nov 2021Dear Parent / Carer,
Household Support Fund
If you are struggling and need support for food, energy and water bills you can now apply for the national grant on the Household support fund website or for those who are digitally excluded please visit your local Citizens Advice: -
Citizens Advice LeicesterShire (Leicester)
1st Floor Leicester City Council Customer Service Centre 91 Granby Street, LEICESTER, LE1 6FB
Citizens Advice LeicesterShire (Blaby)
Council Offices Desford Road Narborough, Narborough, Leicestershire, LE19 2EP
If you have any questions, please contact Dhrupti Champaneri - dchampaneri@oaklands.leicester.sch.uk
Kind regards
School Office
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The Carers Centre
Mon 22 Nov 2021Sue Willis from The Carers Centre came to speak to our parents at our coffee morning on Thursday about all the amazing ways that they can support families. For more information please see below or contact vbland@oaklands.leicester.sch.uk and I will be able to put you in contact with Sue
