THE HOLLYWOOD EXPERIENCE - oaktreeschoolcornwall.co.uk...We have been playing games and musical...

March 2017

Newsletter

Part of the Acorn Group

THE HOLLYWOOD EXPERIENCE Students have used the latest technology to produce

media in their IT lessons.

Tempest photography visit the School

Exciting changes in Polly Joke Class

More photos inside!

2 | Oak Tree School Newsletter – March 2017

Message from the HeadteacherAnother busy term draws to a close and Oak Tree School continues to develop its facilities and staff team, to ensure that we are well equipped to deliver the best education for every child that attends.

We have now purchased the site behind the school and are developing our plans to increase our outside play and learning areas so we can give our children more on site activities to enrich their education.

We are planning to have an adventure play area, outside teaching spaces and landscaped garden and horticultural areas.

We are getting plenty of great ideas from our student council about how they feel the school grounds can be improved and we would love to hear any ideas from parents and carers.

I would also like to welcome Junior Mayor to the Oak Tree staff team. Junior joins us as site manager and will help oversee the development of the school site.

As always, please remember to give us feedback using the questionnaire on your child’s report.

MikeHeadteacher

School news

Summer Term Dates:

18th April - 26th July

Half Term - 30th May - 2nd June

Dates for your diary

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Subject news

Information TechnologyStudents at Oak Tree have been given the Hollywood experience throughout the spring term. Using the latest technology they’ve produced media that includes green screen newsroom broadcasts and action packed trailers. Enjoyment levels have been off the scale. With enthusiasm for using tech in the classroom, school staff are hopeful that the tech can be adopted and used across the range of academic subjects.

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Subject newsnews

This term the students have been learning lots of music vocabulary such as pitch, tempo and dynamics. We have been playing games and musical instruments to help embed this learning. The students have also been analysing their own choices of music with these new musical terms. We are still offering piano, flute, saxophone, drum and guitar lessons at the school and many students are getting on very well.

Music

ScienceThe Constantine Lab has been busy this half term, with students continuing their learning journey across a range of topics.

Primary Science students have explored what it means to ‘stay alive’ and the seven characteristics that are common to living things. ‘MRS GREN’ has influenced their learning including: the structure and function of major organs in their bodies, the function of skeletal muscles and the importance of the brain in getting signals from all parts of the body telling us what is going on there and sending signals to the body to influence what they do.

Secondary Science students are continuing their investigation and understanding of cell biology including: the diffusion in living things, the use of concentration gradients to explain the direction of diffusion and factors that affect it. They are developing their literacy skills in explaining and describing water movement by osmosis in living tissue and the term ‘partially-permeable membrane.’ Some have successfully completed a required practical by investigating the effect of a range of concentrations of salt solution on the mass of plant tissue and drawn conclusions from the data they collected. As we move our learning and understanding forward, upper secondary science students will revise ideas about cell structure, identify cell division and review the use of stem cells. Lower secondary students will be introduced to the layers of cell organisation within living things, what happens when we breathe and how our body is supported and moves.

An exciting development to science learning at Oak Tree has been the inclusion of the ‘Prussians’ to the Constantine Lab timetable. More news to follow, next time!


Subject news news

Work created this term has been very varied and interesting. Students in Gwithian class have been exploring their art project. DN has been looking at pattern and shape and has created a wonderful print based on this.

Fistral class have been completing their clay models based on giants! The students have been using air drying clay. Here is a picture of LP’s clay models before they were painted.

Art


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In Primary this term we have been looking at a unit of work called ‘Lovely Lunch.’ This scheme of work has been developed to help children learn about healthy eating (including food group proportions and composite dishes), seasonal ingredients, where some of their food comes from and how to prepare a simple dish safely and hygienically. Pupils have been applying their knowledge and understanding of ingredients and healthy eating, learning and practicing food preparation and cooking skills, designing and creating dishes for their intended user based on their research and making and evaluating their dish.

In Porthleven we have been learning about where food comes from, how to cook a range of dishes safely and hygienically and how to apply knowledge of healthy eating. We have made a range of foods from bread and apple crumble to ratatouille and breakfast muffins.

Crantock and Gwithian have been looking at ‘Cooking and Nutrition’. We have explored starchy food and carbohydrates - what foods they come from and why they are important in our diet, where proteins come from and what they do and dairy and why it’s important in our diet. We’ve learnt the importance of fruit and vegetables in our diet and reviewed and assessed how food is produced.

In GCSE we have been exploring food science, nutrition and health including functional and chemical properties of food and nutritional and health needs. Key focuses included the scientific principles underlying the use of fats and oils to demonstrate the following processes: shortening e.g. pastry making, aeration e.g. making a cake, plasticity e.g. pastry making and emulsification.

Catering


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Fistral ClassIn Fistral this term our topic has been based on ‘Fire, Fever and Fashion’, where we have looked at the Great Fire of London, The Plague and Victorian fashion. In English we have created storyboards and comic strips about the Great Fire; the pupils have shown their knowledge of location, dates and drawing skills to create some excellent pieces of work.

In Maths we have looked at positive and negative numbers, perimeters, decimals, fractions and the area of shapes.

In PE the class have continued to excel in dodgeball have displayed some brilliant climbing skills in Outdoor Education.

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Class newsnews

It is hard to dispute the enjoyment that students gain whenever they are participating in learning that involves science and nature.

This was certainly true when students from Prussia Cove were given a glimpse into the fertilized embryonic growth of the duckling. Mesmerised is one word to describe the students following their peek into the egg using the egg viewer but also impressively, really caring and nurturing feelings surfaced, proving that contextualised learning provides a stimulus that is synthetically difficult to replicate.

Molly the dog came in to Prussia Cove to help the boys get their writing done! She has skills.

Prussia Cove Class

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We have just finished our Topic ‘Around the World’ and are now moving on to Cornish History, including Pirates, Arrrrrr!

In our Prussia Cove Topic we have been looking at postcards from all over the world. We have found the country on the map and been able to discuss climate etc. We have also looked at Toys that originated from different countries. We have been able to work out which map each postcard needs to go on (World Map, UK Map or Cornish Map). Look at all the postcards we received....!

Students from Prussia Cove celebrated St Piran’s Day by taste testing Cornish foods. It’s a hard job, but someone had to do it.

Class news


Class news

It’s been a very busy term in Polly Joke with lots of exciting changes. We’ve said bon voyage to Sophie as she’s off travelling in Australia and Nicki and Mike are joined by two new support staff; Holly and Lewis. Lewis is sports mad and likes food and Holly aka ‘Mrs Kipling’ makes amazing cakes. Joining Polly Joke is also new student William who loves superheroes and Seth previously from Prussia Cove class. Everyone has settled in well and are enjoying getting to know one another and forming good relationships.

This term the children have been researching different places around the world as part of our home and away topic. During this busy time the children have been visiting many attractions in Cornwall, such as Crantock Beach, Roche Rock and Cardinham Woods. The children have then been comparing these attractions to others from around the world. After completing this research the children then created a postcard about their chosen foreign attraction.

Polly Joke Class

Class news news


In English we have been concentrating on our use of capital letters, full stops and finger spacing. To help the children practice this we have been writing our own stories in class and also creating letters. The children were asked to identify a topic they have an interest in and then created their letter about this topic.

In Maths we have been learning number bonds, manipulating 3-digit numbers, handling money and learning about the properties of 2D and 3D shapes.

Gwithian ClassThe students in Gwithian have been working hard at their GCSEs this term. We are striving for all students to get as many GCSEs as they can. We trialled an enrichment week which involved taking part in a number of different outdoor activities to receive an ASDAN qualification at the end of the week. The students went swimming, snowboarding, climbing, mountain biking and finished the week off with a game of paint ball. The mixture of academic, vocational and enrichment activities has been excellent this term.

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School news

In February Oak Tree joined thousands of other schools when Tempest Photography visited to take a range of profile pictures that carers and families were able to purchase. The photos are a great way for families to see how the children change throughout their school life.

There were many shared laughs throughout the day as the photographer worked hard to make sure that students were relaxed and felt good about having their picture taken.

Emotion CoachingOak Tree School hosted Emotion Coaching training for parents. Emotion Coaching is a technique that the school has embraced. The approach helps children understand their feelings and supports their emotional literacy. When parents Emotion Coach their children using the same techniques as school, the child learns how emotions work and how to react to feelings in healthy ways. The training was successful and the parents who attended gave some positive feedback and requested more training. Michelle and Sarah are pleased that we are able to offer some more training on Attachment. Everyone is welcome on Thursday 27th April & 4th May at 12:30. There will be Cake!

Tempest Photography Visit

The Oak Tree TeamWe are sad to see two fantastic Teachers, Becky from Prussia Cove and Sharlene from Tolcarne leave us this Easter. However, both are moving on to very exciting things and we wish them all the very best for the future.

A very special welcome to our new Care Taker Junior who started working with us this March. We have already seen great changes within the school and would like to thank you for all your hard work so far.

Class news news


Council newsVOICE OF

THE STUDENTS

The student council have been up to lots this term. Our main event this term is that we are raising money for Macmillan cancer support. So far this term we have had a pizza sale, a bake sale, an ice bucket challenge, a sponsored silence and a car wash. The students have even organised some of the male members of staff to get their legs waxed to raise money for charity. Next term some of the staff and 1 student is going to shave their heads for brave the shave.

We have still been having fortnightly meetings with the student council representatives and these have been going very well with lots of ideas being brought up. We have also elected two student council ambassadors.

We have a range of events coming up to raise money for our chosen charity Macmillan

Cancer Support, such as the Ice bucket challenge, cake sales and a car wash. Text

messages will be sent out to inform you of the dates.

Student Council

Events

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