The pictures of Class 1 and 2 making Brownies, evidence rather more than a simple culinary exercise. The baking was part of their preparation for Business Enterprise Day. Their theme for the day is Food & Drink – hence the Brownies. They look at what is involved in producing the finished article and what might be the business issues around trying to sell them.
Outdoor Experiences
Here is a picture of some parachutes that are being used as part of Oakwood School’s exciting forest school programme. Our pupils were playing social games with the parachute and then we spread it out so we could discuss our plans to hang it in a tree to use as a den – a different type of tree house for sure! Watch this space for more updates and to see how things turned out.
Top tips for good mental health and wellbeing
Youth Mental Health Ambassador, Dr Alex George has shared his ‘top five tips’ for young people’s good mental health and wellbeing. This is live on the Department for Education’s Youtube channel.
Ahead of the February half-term and as national restrictions remain in place, he has given advice to young people on how to improve their mood and look after themselves by eating well, getting plenty of sleep and natural light during the daytime.
As an A&E doctor, Dr Alex will use his clinical expertise to champion and shape government work to improve support for young people in schools, colleges and universities, as well as his personal experience having lost his brother to suicide last year. He will also sit on the new Mental Health in Education Action Group, which will focus on how to support young people’s wellbeing when they return to school and university.
Working together with Leicester City FC…
Many thanks to Leicester City in the Community for showcasing the work we are doing at our school planting trees for the future. The children had a fantastic time working with nature and doing something that will have a legacy beyond their time with the school. The trees mark the start of our allotment project and hopefully a long association with the Leicester Foxes.
You can view a great video of our day of tree planting here:
Keeping Children SAFE Online…
We wanted to let you know about the anonymous messaging network ‘Tellonym’. There are a number of concerns about possible safeguarding issues relating to children and young people using the app.To give parents and carers the heads up we are sharing this informative poster from National Online Safety, giving you the information you should know.To find out more from National Online Safety about “Tellonym”, they have a free guide available via the link below:https://hubs.ly/H0xZwHF0
Staying Mentally Healthy During Lockdown….
Our internal mental batteries have all taken a bit of extra load over the last 8 months, and it’s no wonder that many of us have struggled with anxiety and other mental health issues during this time. Here is a useful graphic that might help you check your own mental heath in a simple and constructive way. Of course many of you will have been caring for others during this period, but it’s also important to look after yourselves!
Wash your lyrics…as well as your hands
We have been trying to raise spirits in our school and one of the ways we have been doing it is to sing songs alongside the washing routine.
We came across this great site;
Which generates posters of songs for you to sing along to.
Here’s a pic of the first one chosen by one of our linked children’s homes.
What would be your favourite song to use?
Remember wash your hands often…stay clean..stay healthy.
Congratulations…
Good news for four students of Oakwood School and United Children’s Services this week when they discovered they had passed their Functional Skills Qualifications.
The qualifications support the development of practical skills. They’re designed to help students gain the most out of work, education and everyday life. As such they are an important skill set to have acquired.
We want to send huge congratulations to our pupils who have worked really hard for their success.
Staying Safe Online..
The internet is a fantastic resource for young people. It helps them keep in touch with their friends, and can aid their educational studies through providing a powerful information tool. However, it also poses dangers to children and young people – often arising because of careless use of digital media, including websites, chat rooms and social media sites. What may appear innocent and harmless doesn’t always turn out to be that way.
We are keen that parents should understand this and have appropriate knowledge at their disposal, should they have concerns about what their child might be accessing online.
For this reason we have posted links on our website to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command, established by the National Crime Agency. It gives you excellent information as well as providing a portal to register concerns with.
Staying safe online is a very important part of the general safeguarding of our pupils and something, and we constantly reflect on the advice we are giving out to both pupils and parents.
If you are a parent and have concerns about what your child might be accessing online then please visit the website and talk to us sooner rather than later.
Know your apps…
There is no doubt that social media has transformed the way the world communicates, particularly younger people and children.
Whilst this has undoubtedly brought benefits, it has also introduced risks for children and young people.
As a parent or carer it is important that you are aware of the various apps that might appear in your kids mobile phones. There are so many different media platforms it is sometimes difficult to keep up with what has been developed and what is currently popular.
The Hinckley police have issued a very useful guide to just some of the apps that they think you, as a carer or parent, might like tone aware of.
We think this is important advice and helps you stay aware – which may ultimately help your child, or a child in your care, stay safe and happy whilst using todays communication tools.