Buchan Grove, Crewe, Cheshire CW2 7NQ

Tel: 01270 661223 Fax: 01270 560789

www.theoaksacademy.co.uk

Most Improved

Attitude to Learning

Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

Year 10

Year 11

Form with the

Best Attendance

Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

Year 10

Year 11

WHAT’S HAPPENING @ THE OAKS ACADEMY?

December 12th - 16th:

Year 11 Mock Week 1

December 14th:

Year 10 Trip - SCC’s

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

December 15th:

Christmas Concert

(Evening)

December 16th:

“Christmas Jumper” Day

December 19th - 21st:

Year 11 Mock Week 1

December 22nd:

INSET DAY

December 23rd -

January 6th:

Christmas Holidays

January 9th:

School Reopens

Stars of the Week

Art - Billy Wright 7LW

Business Studies - Katie Greenwood 10JR

Computer Science - Jordan Robinson 10EW

Drama - Kyle Hambridge 9VZ

English - Yaya Tamba 10JR

Geography - Chloe Edwards 8CT

History - Lola Mai Arrowsmith 7LW

ICT - Steven Armstrong 10EW

Library Literacy - Owen Williams 7LW

Maths - George Robinson 9VZ

MFL - Sam Baker 11BH

Music - Leigha Goulding 9CHT

PE - Kyle Everall 11GDH

RE - Kian Stephenson 10JR

Science - Tamara Gaffney 8CMG

Technology - Sophie Savvides 8LHO

Year 7 - Beth Wallace 7LR

Year 8 - Autumn Derry-Wright 8CMG

Year 9 - Kieren Cox 9CHT

Year 10 - Mery Sequeira 10EW

Year 11 - Sharni Jones 11GDH

Last week we celebrated...

09 December 2016

Headteacher's Note

The countdown to Christmas has well and truly started. Our tree is centre stage in the hall

and decorations are appearing in offices and classrooms across the school. On Friday

16th December, we will be celebrating the 'Save The Children - Christmas Jumper Day'.

Students will be able to come to school in non-uniform and wearing their Christmas

Jumper. We are asking for a £1 donation, which will be donated to Save the Children. We

are also supporting the Salvation Army's Christmas Present Appeal. Students have been

asked to donate a new present, suitable for 11 - 16 year olds by Monday 19th. The

present should be unwrapped and will be collected by the Salvation Army, wrapped and

given to those families that are in need during this time of the year. I would also like to

take this opportunity to invite you all to our Christmas Concert on Thursday 15th. Mrs

Wright and students from all year groups, have been working hard to put together a

fabulous, festive show. The concert will start at 7pm.

Even though we are heading towards the Christmas holidays, students are still working

hard in lessons and will be up until the 21st. In particular our Year 11 students are taking

their Mock Exams, alongside Year 7 students who are sitting end of term exams in key

subjects. This is part of our ongoing drove to raise standards and to ensure that all of our

students are best prepared for the rigour of the GCSE examination process.

It was also good to see all of our Year 11 students involved in our Employment Readiness

Event last Monday. This was co-ordinated by Crewe Pledge and was an opportunity for

students to meet with employers from different businesses and organisations across Crewe,

to find out about progression routes after they leave school. It was a great success, with

excellent feedback from our guest speakers, who proclaimed our year 11

as polite, enthusiastic and motivated. One of our Year 11 students was

asked to take an application form for an apprenticeship at Crewe Hall on

the day because they had impressed so much.

I look forward to another busy week as we draw towards the Christmas

holidays. As ever, if you would like to discuss anything further, then please

do not hesitate to contact me.

What’s been happening...

The Oaks Academy Students are an ‘Inspiration’

Over the course of this half term, students from Year 9 and 10

have been working alongside St Thomas More to create a show

called ‘Inspire’. They then collaborated with students from three

different primary schools and students from South Cheshire

College to perform on the 7th and the 8th of December.

‘Inspire’ was a project that took the audience through time,

showing us clips from books, movies, music and inspirational

people. The Oaks Academy students were given the difficult task

of creating a section which focused on inspirational key figures,

such as Martin Luther-King. Working with Miss Donley, the

students created a piece that they were able to bring alongside the

students of St Thomas More that fitted perfectly. They then

worked together with the deputy head teacher, Mr Hardacre, and

his students to amalgamate into the piece.

The students worked extremely hard over a period of three weeks

to put the show together. Their maturity and commitment to

extra-curricular rehearsals is commended. All staff from other

schools commented on how well-mannered and polite our

students were alongside how very talented they are. They

performed exceptionally (even making Miss Donley emotional with

pride) and have been an asset to the school. From this experience,

Miss Donley is keen to open more opportunities like this to all

students so that we as an Academy can show off our students’

many talents.

Full credit, however, needs to go to the following students,

without their hard work and determination, none of this would

have happened:

Michael Hamill 9CHT

Kim Chesters 9CHT

Hugo Pinto 9CHT

Delaney Beamon 9VZ

Mariah Ledsham 9MM

Sharna Tams 9MM

Aidan Murphy 9MM

Chantelle Moyle 9MM

Elizabeth Evans 10JR

What’s been happening...

Year 7 Visit to Inspirational Author

Wednesday 7th December saw thirty Year 7

students travelling to St. Thomas More School to

visit Jon Mayhew - a famous writer who shares his

publisher with J.K. Rowling!

Jon gave an inspirational talk about how he had

overcome his own lack of engagement with books

and reading; revealing that for him, Marvel comics

had opened up a whole new fantasy world which

he felt compelled to explore.

The pupils enjoyed the talk and were keen to have

their photo taken with Jon after the session.

Exam Revision Tips for Year 7 and Year 11

For those of you that have mock exams coming up, or if you are curious as to why we have them, please read the advice on why mock exams can prepare you for your real exams later on!

Mock exams are important - they're a chance to improve your knowledge and confidence in yourself. Think you can’t be bothered with mock exams? Does a part of you think they don't really matter? Your best bet is to put yourself first and one really good way to put yourself first is to see mock exams for what they really are - a chance to improve your knowledge, focus and confidence. Here are some reasons that could help you decide that mock exams really do matter after all:

1. Studies say you’ll perform better in the real thing

Researchers discovered that students who revised before doing a practice test did BETTER in their final exam as they have had the practice of preparing for mocks beforehand!

2. Predicted grades are important

Teachers will use your mock exam grades to figure out realistic targets for your grades (which you can exceed if you really focus!)

3. Relieve the study pressure

Revising for mocks relieves the pressure. After all, it helps to spread the study load! Revising for two exams instead of one means you don’t have to cram all the study in at the last minute.

4. Improve your knowledge

The feedback you’ll get from your mock exam papers will shine a light on where your revision strengths lie and where you could spend more time studying.

5. Relieve the pressure of exam conditions

Exam stress is quite common, but when you’ve done a practice exam, you have a better idea what to expect the next time round and will be more confident.

6. Re-evaluate your revision timetable

Doing mock exams is important because it helps you revamp your revision timetable to look at weaker areas and discover how you can study better.

Mock exams are a gift to yours truly

Remember – mock exams are most important to you, not anyone else – and that’s why they matter. Pretend the practice exams are the real thing and show yourself what you’ve got.