Welcome to the December 2024 issue of our COAST magazine.
Students Crowned National Champions in Wickes Wellbeing Challenge 2024
A team of five Year 9 students from Oasis Academy Sholing has been named the national champions of the Wickes Wellbeing Challenge 2024. The grand finals took place on Tuesday, 12th November at Wickes Head Offices in Watford, where the team competed against 13 other schools from across the country.
The students – C. Stranathan, E. Carrington, E. Burton, H. Fairclough, and H. Cummings – have worked tirelessly over the past month to develop and refine their wellbeing initiatives. Their hard work paid off as they impressed the judges in both rounds of presentations, ultimately securing the top spot.
Nicky Hoskins, Personalised Learning and Enterprise Manager said;
“We are incredibly proud of their dedication and the innovative ideas they presented.”
The Wickes Wellbeing Challenge is a nationwide competition that encourages students to develop and promote wellbeing initiatives within their schools and communities.
Oasis Student Leader Residential at The Pioneer Centre November 2024
Year 10 students joined other future leaders from across Oasis Secondary Schools for 3 days last month to explore what makes a great leader.
Jon Needham, Director of Safeguarding, challenged the students, out the gate, to create a community or academy project, identifying a local need and providing solutions to a budget. All the groups presented their projects on the last morning before travelling home. The innovation in the room was just amazing!
CEOs from Oasis joined on day two and shared their leadership lessons with the group, even putting themselves ‘under fire’ round the campfire during the evening with question time – and the students didn’t hold back!
It wasn’t all work though, students also got to let off steam with outside games and puzzles, try their hand at the inflatable challenge and take part in a fantastic quiz night. I’m pleased to say that the adult team leaders came a respectable second place!
“It was a very good experience with lots of different activities and socialising.”
Jaden Affleck, Year 10 student
The hard work starts now they’ve returned. The students will be working with our existing student leadership teams to share their experience and inspire others to lead student voice in our academy.
Two students from Oasis Academy Sholing recently had an exceptional opportunity to participate in the Premier League Christmas Truce tournament held in Ypres, Belgium, from December 5th to 8th, 2024. Annika Van Leeuwan and Ella Rowe were selected for this honour due to their active involvement in Premier League Kicks sessions within the community. This remarkable experience allowed them to represent Southampton Football Club in an international tournament while also engaging in educational workshops organized by the Premier League about the historical Christmas Truce. Additionally, they had the chance to visit the actual site of the truce, explore Tyne Cot Cemetery, tour museums and trenches, and participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Menin Gate.
Annika Van Leeuwen, Year 11 said:
“During my time with Saints Foundation in Belgium, we participated in many activities regarding the First World War. Firstly, we went to Tyne Cot Cemetery where over 12000 soldiers are buried, and 35,000 names are on the walls of the soldiers who died in battle and were never found. This was a very moving experience, and it felt very fulfilling to have gone there in the fact that it felt as though we were paying our respect to those who died for our lives to be how they are today. We then visited the football truce site, where I had the opportunity to lay a scarf in remembrance of who passed away in the war. I felt in awe at the stories they told of those who partook in the football truce.
The next day we had the football tournament where we as a team came a close second to West Brom, but considering we were the youngest team there, this was a huge achievement. Not only did we come second, but we also won the fair play award for our hard work throughout the time we were in Belgium. In the evening of this day, we attended the Menin Gate Ceremony where the whole city pays their respect to those who fought for our lives nowadays and it felt an honour for them to allow us to attend with them, due to the fact it meant so much to the city. As a team we lay a wreath as a sign of our respect. The last day, on the morning before our departure we went to the Christmas markets which was in the city of Ypres. It was beautiful. “
Oasis Academy Sholing Students Participate in #BeeWell Survey to Improve Wellbeing
Oasis Academy Sholing has participated in the #BeeWell survey, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at understanding and improving the wellbeing of young people.
The #BeeWell survey provides a platform for students to share their thoughts and feelings about various aspects of their lives, including their health, relationships, school environment, and future aspirations. By gathering this valuable data, the survey empowers young people to have a direct say in the things that impact their wellbeing.
Kirsty Wiltshire, Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead at Oasis Academy Sholing said;
"We are proud to be part of the #BeeWell initiative. The wellbeing of our students is a top priority, and this survey provides us with critical insights to help us better understand their needs and develop targeted interventions to support them."
Oasis Academy Sholing teacher provides hands-on science experiences to students in South Africa
Dr. Saunders, a dedicated science teacher at Oasis Academy Sholing, embarked on an inspiring journey to Johannesburg, South Africa, this summer. Partnering with Oasis South Africa, Dr. Saunders spent her time conducting engaging science experiments with local school children and providing professional development to aspiring teachers in the More Than A Teacher (MTAT) programme.
Dr. Saunders' visit focused on bringing hands-on science experiences to students in under-resourced schools, fostering a love for learning and inspiring future generations of scientists. She also shared her expertise with pre-service teachers, equipping them with valuable tools and techniques to enhance their teaching practices.
"The students' enthusiasm and eagerness to learn were truly remarkable," said Dr. Saunders. "Witnessing their joy and wonder as they engaged with science experiments first-hand was an incredibly rewarding experience."
The impact of Dr. Saunders' visit extended beyond the classroom. She also had the opportunity to explore South Africa's rich cultural heritage and breath-taking landscapes, gaining a deeper appreciation for the country's diversity and natural beauty.
Dr. Saunders added:
"At Oasis, our goal is to empower students to explore the world around them and realise that their dreams are within reach. When I joined Oasis, I never imagined this vision would expand globally. It's a privilege to contribute, even in a small way, to addressing the disadvantage gap in South Africa, which is arguably more complex than in the UK. As a teacher, my greatest hope is to inspire the young people we work with to believe that anything is possible; if you can dream it, you can achieve it."
Oasis Academy Sholing and Oasis Community Learning is proud to support Dr. Saunders' commitment to global education.
Flood management workshop at the University of Southampton
On the 23rd October, 11 of our Year 11 geographers attended a flood management workshop at the University of Southampton. In the first half of the workshop, students were able to access the brand new computer lab where remote sensing researchers helped them use GIS to plot the 2014 Somerset floods. After a break, we relocated to a lecture theatre where the students were able to see the social, economic, and environmental impacts of flooding. They were then able to use this knowledge to conduct a stakeholder analysis for flooding in Southampton.
The trip helped to spark students curiosity and a deeper interest into Geography and Environmental Science, where students were able to learn from experts and connect with students from different schools.
The afternoon not only gave our year 11’s an insight into university life, but also the different (and exciting) jobs that you can do with geography.
Winchester City Museum
On Thursday, November 28th, we had an exciting trip with our Year 7 students to Winchester to explore the fascinating world of the Anglo-Saxons! They kicked off the day at the City Museum, where they encountered amazing artifacts, created beautiful wreaths, enjoyed a fun treasure hunt, and of course, visited the gift shop for some souvenirs.
Next, we made our way to 878ad, a lively historical experience. The students got into the spirit by dressing up as Anglo-Saxons, trying their hand at bartering in the market, crafting a riddle, and even forming a shield wall to take on some Vikings. What a fantastic day of learning and adventure!
Harrison Charrett in Year 7 said:
"The history trip was amazing. My favourite part was the museum and the experience was really good. The trip was worth it and I loved learning about Anglo Saxon history."
NEWS IN BRIEF
Royal Institution’s Science in Schools Grant
We’re thrilled to share the fantastic news that we’ve secured a free visit from the Royal Institute schools programme for Spring 2025 worth £800! The Royal Institute is the leading provider of science shows for schools, and they have a great track record of making science exciting and enjoyable for young people.
Attendance Reward
The attendance team organised an event to celebrate all students who attended school for two consecutive weeks in November. We are pleased to announce that 604 students were rewarded with a delightful hot chocolate topped with cream, sprinkles, and waffles.
It was truly encouraging to see so many students acknowledged for their dedication and commitment to improving their attendance.
Congratulations to everyone, and we look forward to our next attendance rewards event next week!
Sporting Success
Congratulations to Stanley Shacklock for claiming the top spot in the Southampton cross country running event! What an amazing achievement!
Football Finalist
Alex Luis Fernandes plays for a local American flag football team outside of school called Red Storm. They have had an incredible season this year, and they made it to the national finals at Britbowl in Manchester in September. They placed 2nd overall. Well done, Alex!
Oasis Academy Sholing Student Diver Makes a Splash at Regionals
Year 9 student Jacob Prewitt secured his place at the National Finals of the 2024 English Schools Diving Championships this term.
Facing tough competition, Jacob achieved a fantastic 2nd place finish, earning him a coveted spot in the national finals.
Oasis Academy Sholing Students Shine Bright for World Mental Health Day
Oasis Academy Sholing showed their vibrant support for World Mental Health Day on Thursday, 10th October, by participating in Young Minds’ “Hello Yellow” campaign. Students and staff donned their brightest yellow attire and generously donated £1 each, resulting in an impressive fundraising total of over £500 for this vital charity.
Wacky Socks Day!
The academy celebrated Odd Socks Day in November! Students and staff were encouraged to wear their most mismatched and colourful socks to school, and everyone had a lot of fun showing off their unique style.
Odd Socks Day is an annual event that raises awareness for Anti-Bullying Week. The idea behind the day is that everyone is different, and that's something to be celebrated. Wearing odd socks is a fun and visible way to show your support for diversity and inclusion.
Southampton FC Goalkeeper Inspires Students
Oasis Academy Sholing was thrilled to welcome Southampton FC goalkeeper Joe Lumley to the academy on Thursday, 19th September. Joe spent time engaging with students who have been involved with the Saints Foundation, as well as members of the academy’s football team.
International Boat Show
In September, a group of Year 11 Travel and Tourism students visited the Southampton International Boat Show, which attracts 90,000 tourists to the city each year. They had a fantastic time exploring the show, trying out paddle boarding, and cruising around Southampton Water. But the real highlight of the day? Getting the chance to tour a jaw-dropping 5-million pound superyacht! Of course, bathroom mirror selfies were a must.
Centenary Quay
In October, the Geography department took 150 students to examine the redevelopment site at Centenary Quay. Students were assessing how successful the regeneration scheme was by exploring the area and completing environmental and land use surveys. They then returned to school, where they wrote up their findings in lessons in order to make a final judgment!
i-Construct at CEMAST
Ths term, six enthusiastic Year 10 students attended i-Construct at CEMAST. Students had the opportunity to explore various roles within large construction companies, engage with individuals about the variety of available jobs, and be inspired by the diverse pathways into these professions. They were able to gain hands-on experience with some tools and equipment and speak to people who work in the field every day. Additionally, students were assigned the task of interviewing a professional from a local construction company and presenting their findings to a panel of judges.
Trip to Paris
Exciting news! The Maths department is planning a fantastic trip to Disneyland and the Eiffel Tower in Paris in November 2025 for our Year 8 and 9 students. If you’d like to know more, feel free to chat with your child’s Maths teacher. It’s going to be an amazing adventure!
Year 7 Update
In September, we welcomed our new Year 7 cohort to Oasis Academy Sholing. Two hundred and ten students arrived on 3rd September for the first day of secondary school. Over the past sixteen weeks, our Year 7s have settled into their new school, making new friends and getting to know their teachers. I am so proud of every student.
On 17th September, Megan Randall and Matas Navickas represented the Year 7 cohort by speaking to the parents of Year 5 and Year 6 students. They shared their experiences of starting at Oasis Sholing. Both students spoke eloquently about the differences between secondary and primary school. A task that adults can find daunting, Megan and Matas took in their stride, with several parents commenting on how well they spoke.
Many students in Year 7 participate in outside sporting activities and events. Many play football for teams in the local area, with games being played weekly. The tutor team enjoys hearing about goals scored and games won or lost on a Monday morning.
Our Year 7 boys' football team has played a number of games against Year 8, and their resilience and sportsmanship are a pleasure to watch. When asked to pick a Man of the Match, Mr. Matonga, the team coach, found it a difficult task as “all players were superb.” However, he mentioned Noah Bennett as a true leader who demonstrated exceptional leadership and Lucas Stears, who brings relentless energy and tenacity.
Our girls' football team is training well, ready for games against other schools to start in the new year. I look forward to seeing the teams grow over the next five years, and fingers crossed for their success.
We also have a number of keen gymnasts within the year group. One particularly successful student, Rohan Morjaria-Patel, competed as part of the South team in the Men's Artistic National Setworks Championships 2024. Rohan’s team came in 2nd, an amazing achievement.
Please do let us know of any achievements your child has outside of school. We love to hear them and want to celebrate with them.
As well as settling in and getting to know the school, Year 7 has the highest attendance in the school, with 7TS and 7IN having the joint best attendance. Fifty-two students have 100% attendance!
We are also topping the charts with achievement points earned this year, with a magnificent 57,364 points awarded to Year 7 this term. Sixteen students have received over 400 achievement points, with two of these achieving over 500! This shows the dedication and work ethic that our Year 7s have.
Our top 10 points earners for this term are:
Caitlyn Hunt, Isaiah Casey, Lennie Guthrie, Leo Irving, Bright Nxumalo, Archie Ricketts, Lilly Cox, Imogen Cleary, Billy Andrews and Sam Parratt
7TS are topping the leaderboard as a tutor group with 9547 achievement points as a tutor group.
Academically this term Year 7 have had the opportunity to start studying new subjects. Students are learning to great each other in French or Spanish, learning how to use computers effectively and are starting to learn how to cook. Students have made baked oats, layered salad and potato wedges. Skills that will prove invaluable throughout their lives.
Now that Year 7 has settled into their new chapter of schooling, I look forward to seeing all their achievements over the next five years. Please feel free to contact me with questions, concerns, and achievements. With open communication between school and home, I believe we can help every student become the best that they can be.
With all best wishes for a relaxing, happy Christmas and a healthy, fulfilling 2025.
Mrs L Fowles, Head of Year 7
Year 9 Update
A very warm welcome back to COAST this academic year.
Firstly, I would like to thank my Year 9 parents. I always say that without your support, I could not do my job. I am always impressed by the involvement you show in your child’s education. I really appreciate your ongoing support and encouragement of your child, and for the level of communication with me regularly. Having your support is essential to your child's success, and you demonstrate this all the time.
Rewards
An astonishing amount of Fab 4s were given out last term demonstrating once again how amazing Year 9 are. Their hard work and resilience have certainly paid off. Well done.
SFX rewards and just a reminder that your child can get points for the following: SFX shout outs, WOW work, Fab 4, Positive phone call home and Attendance.
One of the things I love the most is when it is ClassChart shop day! Honestly the queues are getting longer and longer each week. I thoroughly enjoy seeing the Year 9s walking away with their hands full of delights, however they are still refusing to share them me! 😊 I might have to rack up some points for myself!
Assemblies are always filled with rewarding our Year 9s and what they are achieving each week. We deliver a variety of topics including: Drama, Languages, Educational topics, Anti-bullying awareness, Science.
The aim is to educate our students on various subjects, celebrating success stories not only within the school but also in the community, educational talks and for students to even showcase their talents! More on this to come after the extravaganza of Sholings got Talent. Each week students are nominated for a variety of reasons, one of my favourites is an Act of kindness, each week I am astounded by the level of compassion your children show to each other by doing the simplest of things, which to some mean small but to others this is huge and can really make a difference. Thank you for teaching your children to be considerate of others and to be kind.
We also welcome Miss Ling the new year group mentor for Year 9. Miss Ling is really enjoying being with Year 9 and getting to know them better, she is doing an amazing job and is a true asset to the team. If you should have any concerns or queries, please contact miss Ling: Rachel.ling@oasissholing.org
100% Attendance
Fortress A, Rejoice A, Elliot B, Max B, Faye C, Rosie C, Harmony CA, Alfie C, Phoebe C, Clay D, Tom G, Imogen G, Kaitlin H, Freya H, Winston H, Testimony I, Zachariah J, Freya J, Emily J, Harpreet K, Casey L, Aiden M, Thomas M, Jacob M, Dylan M, Kupakwashe M, Luke N, Moyinoluwa M, Kaya O, Eva O, Liam P, Eponine P, Abi P, Bonney S, Rebecca S, Hollie S, Abigail S, Dylan S, Jenson S, Ella S, Charlotte S, Lyla T, Alexander T, Jack W and Faith W.
May I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year!
Miss Sydenham
Year 10 Update
Hello to all our Year 10 families, and wishing you a merry festive season and a well-deserved rest for our students. It has been a fast-paced term this year and a big adjustment for the cohort. With the beginning of Options taking place, we have seen a shift towards the focus of Key Stage 4, and the presence of GCSEs is strong. This time next year, our Year 10 students will have received their first mock grades, which is incredibly exciting - though I can’t believe time has passed so quickly! I have been very impressed with the maturity and focus the students have shown, as well as their understanding of the significance of their progress and the impact this has on their future goals. It gives me a great sense of pride to see how well our year group is progressing and all the wonderful positive feedback the teachers are giving, showing that the students are really striving for excellence! I would also like to take this opportunity to give a special shout-out to Oliver H, who played beautifully during Remembrance Day; it was a very poignant and moving performance.
We have had so many students maintaining their 100% attendance figure, which is wonderful to see. We had a lovely attendance reward event this term for hot chocolate and chocolate-coated waffles – very festive indeed! We are stepping ever closer to GCSEs, and so attendance is vital for our students. Their progress is directly impacted by their presence in school; drops in attendance directly correlate to drops in grade points, and so we are passionate about improving attendance and removing any barriers students have to coming to school. We have many avenues of support available, so please do keep us informed if there is anything we can do to help. A big shout-out to the students below, and to all those who have been doing their best to keep their attendance as high as possible!
The food tech corridor has been awash with more scrumptious smells this term, and I very much hope that these cooking skills are being brought home! They take so much pride in their food preparation and execution of cooking; it’s very impressive – I think I might need to start taking some lessons myself!
We’ve also been having fun in the lab this term, looking at the respiratory and circulatory systems (please do ask your children all about this, as they should hopefully be able to explain to you in great detail how this links to respiration), and so we conducted heart dissections to identify the chambers of the heart and explain the functions of the various structures (trigger warning for those who may want to look away).
As a previous student of GCSE Art, I would also like to share with you some of the stunning and intricate pieces coming through from our Artistic and talented students…
This is also the year for work experience, as we start to show our students what their futures might look like and instill in them the independent skills they will need as they move forward. Each of our students has received a letter for application for a work placement and has been tasked with finding their own placement. This can be a daunting task, as for many, this will be their first interaction with the working world and making contact with professionals in this capacity. There has been great excitement and chatter among the students about what they might do, as well as many tutor-based discussions about how to access a work placement they would be interested in. If your children are having any problems with this, please do ask them to speak with their tutors, who will support them in how to go about finding a placement and liaising with the careers team.
Alongside their work experience, we have had some of our year group working with university doctorates and visiting Bath University. I think this has been a great opportunity for inspiring our students to think beyond their GCSE work and to continue to encourage their aspirations for their futures, showing them one of the many possibilities they might choose.
Class Charts continues to reward effort and is a great incentive to keep striving for excellence and spend their points in the ClassCharts Shop. I have listed some of our top achievers this term (with over 350 points, and our top scorer at over 540 points!):
So, I leave you on a term full of achievements and progress, with an even brighter outlook for when we return from the holidays. Wishing all our families a wonderful Christmas, New Year and festive celebrations.
Mr Macdonald
Every student has a voice
Our Student Leadership teams have been extremely busy this term!
The student body voted in 10 members of Student Parliament who along with 30 tutor representatives began their term in office learning how to empower student voice with the Southern University Network (SUN). Student Parliament will continue to receive training throughout the year with SUN, culminating in an Empowering Student Voice Conference at the University of Winchester next June.
Parliament members are working hard behind the scenes to re-launch student voice in the New Year. Watch out for assemblies promoting our new suggestion box located in the library and new email address for students to share their voice. They have also been collating ideas on how to improve school life through their tutor representatives and have chosen a small number to research. Look out in the next COAST to see what improvements have been made!
OAS Student Parliament have also played an integral role in the Youth Police and Community Together pilot scheme this term, taking part in two meetings which were a great success!
These meetings aim to give young people in the community a voice and a platform to talk about what matters most to them.
We had a real variety of organisations join us including Hampshire Constabulary, Hampshire Fire and Rescue, Southampton City Council and Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton Violence Reduction Partnership.
Students shared their concerns about feeling safe outside of school and home, particularly at the Veracity Park, road safety when walking to school and online security/cyber bullying.
As a result of their concerns, students were pleased to find out more about the Southampton Safe Places Network (of which OAS is a member) and would like to encourage parents to download their app on their, and their child’s mobile phones.
A part of the national network ‘Safe Places,’ the Southampton Safe Places Network aims to provide a temporary refuge for anyone feeling vulnerable whilst in public. It is a network of businesses and organisations across Southampton which are provided with full training about how to deal which situations ranging from feeling vulnerable to more serious issues like harassment or bullying. To access this, the safe places app (which uses the logo displayed) can be downloaded, which shows the nearest business/ organisation that is a registered safe place. They will all have the safe places logo displayed somewhere in clear view.
Students were thrilled to find out that Southampton City Council are currently developing a plan to make improvements to the local roads to improve road safety around the schools in this area. The council are currently waiting for money to make it happen and will come back to the school when there is more information to ask students on their thoughts.
Our Student Leadership Coordinator is in contact with the Youth Engagement Officer about their Cyber Ambassador Scheme and how this may align with our Anti-Bullying Ambassadors.
Furthermore, as a result of the Youth PACT meetings, Hampshire Fire & Rescue came in and delivered their Fatal Four campaign workshop to a small group of Year 11 prefects. Speed, Lack of seatbelts, Distraction and Drink/Drug impairment are the four main causes of fatal road accidents and even though our students don’t drive yet, it won’t be long until they will be getting into a car with other young drivers and learning to drive themselves. Students donned beer goggles and attempted to stack cups, drive a remote-control car through an obstacle course, and walk in a straight line. They also had to listen, remember and write down a list of words with music blaring in their ears. Even their reflexes were tested catching tennis balls! It was no surprise that without the beer goggles and no distractions, the tasks were easy to achieve, but with them it was a very different story. Our Year 11 prefects will be taking what they learnt to their peers in an assembly early next year.
If you’d like to know more, click on the button below.
Finally, Student Parliament are working in partnership to provide vital feedback on the pilot and will be proofreading the terms of reference being written so that the scheme can be rolled out across the wider community. This has been a fantastic opportunity for our student leaders, and we look forward to continuing this partnership next year.
And lastly, let’s not forget our Active Travel Ambassadors (members of Eco Council) who are working with Modeshift to design and deliver a campaign encouraging students to travel actively, safely or considerately whilst also raising awareness of the benefits of travelling actively. The student body and staff have completed a questionnaire on how they currently travel to school and how they would prefer to if there were no barriers. Now over to the ATAs to research the findings and decide upon one issue to focus their campaign on.
Our Food rooms are busier than ever after school this year with the number of opportunities on offer.
In KS3 cookery club, Mrs Harvey’s group has made a range of treats including lemon biscuits, scones and jam, pizza and decorated Christmas cupcakes. In KS4 cookery club, Mrs Rolls has been challenging her Year 9 and 10 students with Yule logs, fried chicken, cheesy garlic bread, brownies and white chocolate cookies.
In January, our Rotary Club competitors will be visiting Southampton City College to compete against pupils from across the city to show their culinary prowess, with the winner being invited to the district round at South Downs College. Work is already underway to finesse their dish choices.
Junior Chef
In December, Lenny H in Year 11 had a fantastic time at Eastleigh College with the Food team for the Junior Chef programme! Check out the amazing dishes he cooked and prepared below. We are very proud of him for taking his learning to the next level, well done Lenny!
Philosothon
We had a wonderful time taking some year 8 and year 9 students to Cantell school for our very first Philosothon. Our students engaged in some really thought-provoking discussions with peers from eight other schools! They tackled fascinating topics like whether a robot can be considered human, if we should evaluate historical figures based on today's moral standards, and the fairness of joint enterprise.
Our students truly shinned demonstrating fantastic behaviour and articulate responses throughout the event. They were observed and judged by representatives from Barton Peveril Sixth Form College and the University of Southampton, which made the experience even more special!
Trips to places of worship
Year 11 RS GCSE students were busy preparing for their mock exams in November. We wanted to inspire them and make their revision come to life, by taking them to two places of worship and meeting with religious believers. We visited the Hindu Vedic Temple in Southampton, and Bitterne Holy Saviour Church.
All students were extremely respectful, and they asked some thought provoking questions.
One City No Barriers
Year 8 students attended a specialist RE day, to promote equality, inclusion and diversity across the city. OAS students were joined by 6 other schools. They were supported in their work on the day by faith leaders from a wide range of faiths across the city, including non-religious groups, like Humanism. Our students were fantastic, they demonstrated many of our 9 habits throughout the day and in particular showed compassion and consideration when trying to promote Southampton as a city of tolerance. Well done!
Rotary Competitions
As a department, we will be entering the Rotary Club’s Young Writer Competition for another year. We have had some success at a regional and district level over the past few years. This year, the theme is ‘Water’ and we have already seen multiple drafts of work that have been so creative. We look forward to see how they perform and compare in the competition.
Our wonderful Year 9 team are preparing to participate in the Rotary’s Youth Speaks competition early next year. We wish them all the luck!
Library Corner
Our new team of remarkable student librarians have been preparing 420 books to ensure that every year 7 and 8 student has a book of their own to keep and to read this festive season. Students chose one book from a fabulous range of 16, paid for by OAS in conjunction with Book Buzz. “This carefully curated range of books by The Book Trust offers young people a window to a different world, whatever their interest or ability”, explains Mrs Ridley, School Librarian, “and my hope is that their choice of book will inspire them to become lifelong readers.”
The student librarians have displayed amazing skills this term in the exciting and important role of the day-to-day running of our school library. They have undergone a variety of training including how to circulate books on AccessIT, correctly shelve books and received coaching from ePlatform, our digital and audio book provider. They are gaining valuable skills for the workplace and showing themselves to be great future leaders.
“Our student librarians are an invaluable asset to the library and their friendliness, enthusiasm and energy shines through.”
Mrs Ridley, School Librarian
Sparx Reader
Sparx Reader is an online reading platform that helps students to practise reading regularly, to set them up for success at secondary school and in life beyond. OAS have been trialling this sibling to Sparx Maths with KS3 students this term and feedback has so far been positive.
Students are offered a range of fantastic books for their reading level and are encouraged to achieve 300 sparx reader points a week. There are reward points and fab fours up for grabs too! Those who achieve more than 400 sparx reader points a week, receive 3 independent learning reward points and those who place Gold, Silver or Bronze in their year group each week can nab themselves a Fab Four!
Your support is invaluable too. Ask your child about the book they are reading. You can ask them what has just happened, or what they think might happen next. Find out how many sparx reader points they’ve earned during the week and celebrate their success. Encourage them to build reading into their weekly routine as this will help it become a habit. You may even ask them to read aloud to you as this will build their confidence and fluency.
Take 10 to Read
Did you know that reading for just 10 minutes benefits your mental health and wellbeing?
Well, here in the OAS library, we not only took 10 minutes to read to mark World Mental Health Day, but joined a live streaming event with A.F.Steadman, the author of the bestselling Skandar series!
The author took time out, on her busy book launch day, to speak with students about her creative writing process. Students from our book, creative writing and author & illustrators clubs joined the session and were given the opportunity to create their own unicorns.
“It was amazing!” Y8 student
“Now I want to read the Skandar books!” Y7 student
And finally, we all know the Christmas season can be frantic, so don’t forget to take a little time for you. Why not curl up for 10 minutes each day with a book for your mental health and wellbeing? There are some amazing Christmas reads out there, including…
The Last of the Spirits by Chris Priestley
A perfectly layered, tense and supremely satisfying twist on one of Dickens' most popular books, cleverly reinvented to entice a younger readership.
The completely chaotic Christmas of Lottie Brooks by Katie Kirby
Christmas is complete chaos this year! The whole Brooks family are visiting for the festive break, there's a Secret Santa to organise and Lottie has to prepare for her big performance in the Christmas play as the back end of a reindeer. Will she survive the festivities intact?
Check out our library homepage for more recommendations or why not visit your local public library?
Science
Wow, what a term of engagement and opportunity within science with every year group having a chance to experience science outside of the classroom. Well done to every student who has taken the opportunity to go on a trip or engage in Science over and above the classroom.
STEM CREW trip
We started the year by a group of Year 9 students visiting the University of Southampton to take part in the STEM CREW roadshow. During the day they had to put their Science and computing skills into practice. They used their knowledge and skills to solve design features for engineers working in the sport of sailing trying to help Ben Ainslie and the GB team win the America’s Cup (a shame about the final result...)
International Space Month
October saw the arrival of International Space Month. Students across the academy celebrated this with their tutors. Year 7 students, became rocket engineers for a science lesson, using their STEM and team working skills to build a rocket to protect their “egg” astronaut, with the majority returning safely to Earth!
Year 8 had a visit from the University of Southampton Astrodome and learnt about our night sky and the aurora, which linked nicely with their science lessons. Students in 8S1 and 8T1 further worked with the astrodome researchers learning about their research into the aurora. They also used Auroa Zoo to help the research team classify the different patterns seen in the aurora. Why not have a go at Aurora Zoo. We are also in a peak of solar activity which means you may have the opportunity to view the aurora here in the Southampton region in the coming months. Look out for alerts and hope for clear dark nights.
Year 11 separate science students joined researchers from the University of Surrey to learn about the amount of rubbish orbiting the Earth. They also designed robots that could clear up this space junk.
Marwell Zoo
Year 10 have been studying human and plant biology this term. Over a hundred students visited Marwell Zoo to learn about the ecology and conservation of species both in the UK and globally linking to the learning they were doing in lessons. Students learnt why zoos are important for the preservation of species and the work Marwell does to help endangered species across the planet.
Baylab Trip
A group of year 10 students also visited Baylab, a teaching laboratory based in Reading supported by Bayer. During the visit students learnt about the importance of photosynthesis and the role this plays in food security. They got to take part in multiple science experiments and learnt about science careers in the agricultural industry.
Lifelab
Year 9 continued to learn about the life sciences by visiting the University of Southampton Lifelab based at our cities General Hospital. Students took part in a range of activities from seeing the blood move through their artery using an ultrasound machine, to extracting their own DNA and learning basic resuscitation and CPR techniques.
We've had an amazing turn out this year and have loved getting to meet all the bright eyes and eager students who share a love for the world of science! There's plenty more to come and if you think some of these sound right up your street, then remember to come along to S2 every Thursday 3-3.40pm. No sign up required and completely free of charge!
The Science department would like to thank Cobhan-Ultra, 1851 Trust, Bayer and University of Southampton for funding that has allowed students to access many of these activities at a reduced cost or free of charge. On behalf of the whole Science department we would like to wish you and your families a Happy Christmas!
Credits:
Created with images by Tommaso - "Soccer goal in the snow - Football goal (Pesaro, Italy)" • SL-Photography - "Two blesbok or blesbuck (Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi) antelope walking through the African Savannah with a butte geological formation, Entabeni Safari Reserve, Limpopo Province, South Africa." • kaisorn - "Blue sea wave close up, low angle view for summer background." • Pixel-Shot - "Megaphone on color wooden background" • yanadjan - "Paris, the Eiffel Tower. Selective focus. " • weyo - "Abstract christmas background winter snowy landscape and fir or pine branches. Winter panoramic banner" • vadim_fl - "winter photo of snowflakes in the snow" • kerdkanno - "Ketogenic low carbs diet concept. Ingredients for healthy foods selection on white wooden background. Balanced healthy ingredients of unsaturated fats for the heart and blood vessels." • doidam10 - "Silhouette of christian man hand praying" • Summit Art Creations - "Astronaut spaceman do spacewalk while working for space station in outer space . Astronaut wear full spacesuit for space operation . Elements of this image furnished by NASA space astronaut photos." • yanadjan - "Christmas background and decor. New Year. Selective focus."