Oakfield News Issue 117 - 4th March 2022

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As usual please log on to the Parent Portal and remind yourself of all the important updates and messages that have been posted this week.

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Note from our Head

Dear Oakfield families,

What another amazing week it has been! World Book Day has become an institution across the world over the last 25 years and it is fantastic to see that Oakfield Prep has become a real bastion in celebrating the power of books, their stories and characters to the full.

I was so proud of the effort the children put in not just to dress like characters from their class or year books, but to critically discuss, explain and reason about what the stories meant to them. After all, each one of us can interpret a book, or the ideas within it, in varying different ways, which is part of the magic of reading. Thank you to the Oakfield community again for sharing your books with the school and special congratulations to 6ML for being the class who donated the most books.

We are delighted with the technology offering we have at Oakfield including laptops, iPads and robotics but there is nothing quite like getting lost in a good book.

Whatever literature you curl up to this weekend I hope it's interesting and inspiring!

Moyra Thompson

BIRTHDAY BROADCAST

'MEET THE PREP' and JOURNEY TO 11+

Thank you so much to the families who attended our 'Meet the Prep' event on Tuesday and I hope you enjoyed the breakfast, speeches and tour with the children. If you have any feedback to the event do please email bgolden@oakfield.dulwich.sch.uk so we can bear this in mind for any similar events we run in the future.

We also made available our new 'Journey to 11+' document which can be accessed by scanning the QR code below - the document is only available for another week so make sure you scan it now! The code has also been put on the boards outside the Prep and Pre-Prep gates!

MUSIC

Enjoy this video of Oakfield Alumnus Joseph Jenkins performing in his first public recital at Croydon Minster as part of their lunchtime series. What a performance and lovely to see what those inspired by music at Oakfield can go on to achieve!

Joseph left Oakfield in 2018 for Trinity School and is currently Grade 8, working toward his Diploma this Summer.

He’s a recent finalist in the Trinity Musician of the Year competition Recital class; a 4 year Consecutive winner of their Classical guitar competition, and part of their guitar quartet who have won the Junior Chamber Competition for 3 years in a row

YEAR 5

The Year 5s have been loving exploring the Titanic. We have learnt about who travelled and when. We have looked at the ship itself and what happened on that fateful night. The children wrote some engaging pieces for our descriptions of the boat leaving port. Well done 5AW!

Rosie

The date was 10th April, 1912. Crowds were wildly bustling around the immense figure of Titanic, the most popular cruise liner in British history. The air was full of excitement, mingled with a generous amount of fear for the famous journey ahead. Many ecstatic voices were shrieking words of farewell to family and friends. The ship itself, with its gleaming decks and many enormous funnels, was like a floating palace. Third, second and first class passengers alike were all frantically waving to loved ones, not knowing that the majority would never return. Wealthy families were already strolling around the freshly painted decks contentedly. The weather was beautiful, like the calm before the storm. Seagulls were screeching loudly, while waves were gently lapping against the dank, wooden port. Slowly but surely, the Titanic’s monumental engines whirred into life. Suddenly, people realised what was happening. Some bewildered people burst into tears, whilst others clapped their hands with joy. This was the moment everyone had been waiting for. Purposefully, the proud captain of this monstrous vessel strode up and down, waiting for the screams of excitement that he was sure he would hear. What he didn’t know, however, was that the ‘amazing’ liner’s final destination was at the bottom of the sea. As the giant propellers started picking up speed, Titanic started to move forward. Faster and faster it went, until the enormous ship had completely exited the harbour. Off into the horizon it floated, but the question on everyone’s lips was: Was this really such a good idea?

Naia

On this particular day in Ireland, thousands of people were getting ready to board the boat of dreams. It was a bright, sunny morning and all anyone could think about was either boarding the colossal ship or saying things like: “farewell!” or “see you soon honey and remember to have lots of fun!” to their relatives. The warm air was filled with laughter, shouting and excitement. As the python like ropes keeping the Titanic at shore were lifted of their giant, metal pegs the sound of cheering grew louder in the contented atmosphere. Suddenly, the sound of roaring engines filled the air. Some children fell quiet watching the Titanic’s immense, brass propellers start to turn in the shimmering water while others cheered even louder! Despite the fact that no one on the ship could hear because of the thundering smoke the crowd kept happily shouting. The Titanic has three classes; 1st class, 2nd class and 3rd class. Not many people travelled in 1st class as 2nd class had the same facilities but it was cheaper. Some people say 1st class was to show of your wealth. From the outside the Titanic looked like a towering rock moving across the deep, blue sea. Compared to the other boats the Titanic looked even bigger. The other boats nearly capsized on the wave from it! Meanwhile, excitedly, on the top deck Captain Smith was doing last checks of the ship. As the boat of dreams got further away the sound of seagulls and waves came back. The smell of pollution started to wash away and the smell of salty sea filled the air. As the thousands of people watched the departure no one knew the dreadful fate of the ‘unsinkable’ RMS Titanic.

Dennis

The colossal ship blew a deafening sound as if 1,000 people were playing the tuber at once in the Titanic. people’s goodbyes rented the air, you could here the screams from miles away. Every person there was either shouting “goodbye!” or “I’ll miss you!” The air filled with smoke coming from the she ships massive funnels, the Titanic’s magnificent hull dwarfed over everyone as if it were queen, the gleaming deck sparkled in the sun light as if it were made of diamonds; She was a true beauty to look at. As the workers untied the ropes keeping the Titanic in place the cheers grew louder on both the Titanic and on ground. It seemed as if the seagulls were cheering as well. As the much smaller ships carried the Titanic and eventually let their queen go and soon the all mighty Titanic was a miniscule but what will they’re reaction be when they find out that it sinks?

YEAR 3

World Book Day

Happy World Book Day! Year 3 did a fantastic job dressing up according to the themes inspired by their books, kudos to them all and many thanks to all the parents and carers who helped the children get their outfits together!

Natural History Museum- Dino Dig

Year 3 had a fantastic time at the Natural History Museum on Thursday. The children learnt lots at their workshop and took on the role of paleontologists unearthing their dinosaur fossil. Well done Year 3!

UPPER FOUNDATION

'The Day the Crayons Quit!'

NURSERY

WORLD BOOK DAY

MATHS WORD OF THE WEEK