Fabulous Final Friday!

It has been a fantastic week at Knapp House and to finish off a whole selection of fun-filled activities, we went for a spot of canoeing on a picturesque Devonian lake. The children had the opportunity to try three different sized boats and just about managed to stay dry!

After a quick change and a last look to make sure nothing was left behind, we set off home. Amazingly, after a tiring week nobody fell asleep on the way back (except Mr. Larder!)! Everyone was obviously far too excited to share their trip stories with friends and family upon their return.

Topsy-Turvy Thursday!

Still no broadband, but here's the lastest...

Where has the time gone? We can't believe it is our final full day at Knapp House!

After ANOTHER good night's sleep and ANOTHER cooked breakfast in our tummies, we set off for more fun-filled activities. Lewis found the tiniest crab imaginable when Miss H's intrepid explorers beach-combed the coastline. After two and a half miles and a few splashes later, weary feet trudged into the dining hall for lunch.

All groups learned the vital skills for tomorrow's lake trip: paddling, capsizing and climbing back on board! Brandon was fantastic at helping his partner back into a boat after it had capsized.



After being given extra pocket money, the atmosphere was electric as children got ready for the disco. Singing... Dancing... (And that was just the staff!). The children bopped away to Kanye West, getting 'Stronger'!

We are just about to rest our weary heads ready for our final day!

申し申し

Hello friends,

How are you doing? Thought I'd send you a quick update before I leave the country and head off back to sunny Southampton... make sure that sun is still shining for me when I arrive as I'm very used to it having been living here in Australia for almost a year!!

Last week I accompanied my Grade 6 host on a special trip to learn all about things Japanese. It was a very interesting day. We took a 45 minute bus trip to the Botanic Gardens where we learned some martial arts, viewed a Japanese tea ceremony and listened to the Japanese flute. We also looked at many bonsai trees.



For lunch we had teryaki chicken and spring rolls. I struggled with the chop sticks! The children helped me but I like to use my paws!

Well, I'll be off now as I'm on my way to the airport shortly. I will see you all very soon!

Love from Oscar. x x

PS Does anyone know what the Japanese writing at the top is?

Wicked, Watery Wednesday!

After a terrific, well-needed sleep, we awoke to another beautiful day of glorious sunshine.

Following ANOTHER hearty cooked breakfast, we went tunnelling commando-style and raft building. William was fearless underground!

Miss Hutchinson's group built a sturdy raft... which nearly kept them dry!

In the afternoon, Mr and Mrs D. went ringo-ing. Amy was awesome! The children staked a claim to Devon by carving their names into the sand. Much fun was had by all!



To round off Wednesday we all went crabbing! The children caught lots of crabs and learned how to tell the difference between males and females.

Tomorrow is the disco and we're all looking forward to a boogie!

TECHNOLOGY UPDATE: It's a shorter update today with not many photos and no podcast - sorry! That's Devon Broadband for you... :-(

Sensational Summer Sailing at SWAC

Today year six took to the water at SWAC.

The activities were Pico sailing and Powerboat driving. The Pico sailing was enjoyable - steering in the right direction and staying in the boat proved challenging for some!

Most of the group had a turn at driving the Powerboats. Half went along the River Test and the other half, the River Itchen.

A fun day had by all in glorious sunshine.

Tan-tastic Tuesday!

Today year six took to the water and explored the coastline. We were ferried over to a beautiful strip of sandy beach by James Bond’s actual speedboat (honest…). The real stars of the ringos were James, William, Matt and Mitchell, who managed to cling on even when we were travelling at turbo speed!

The other half of the group went on an exciting coastal walk and discovered many creatures of the deep on their journey! A lucky few even found a starfish!

After a lightning lunch of sandwiches, crisps and fruit, half of the group embarked on the giant slide and low ropes course, whilst this morning’s ringo riders became mega mountaineers on the climbing tower.

We finished off the day by all having a fantastic session of pedal carting!



...and you can "hear all about it" on today's podcast!

Just another Manic Monday!

Surf's up at Knapp House as year six embarked on the beginning of their week of adventure. We were very lucky to have such fabulous weather; sun shining, not a cloud in the sky and the lovely warm sea!

We enjoyed surfing and body boarding in the afternoon, with great help from our instructors. After a much needed supper of pasta, chilli and pie, we scaled the heights of the climbing tower and risked it all on the 'Crate Stack of Terror'!

After some time relaxing with our friends, it is nearly time for bed. Stay tuned for tomorrow's adventures!



You can hear what we thought of our surfing experience here in our mini podcast:

If I Could Turn Back Time....

It was Back to the 50s on Tuesday evening at Oakwood... (and the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s!) ...as everyone joined in celebrating the Dazzling Decades!

Our poetic narrators had to do some digging back into history to find Sandie Shaw, The Sweet, The Nolan Sisters and Kevin Keegan's perm!

Mrs Heathcock went into her attic to find some choice pieces for the fashion shows and the Songsters, the dancers and Mrs Spring all worked so hard to produce a fantastic, professional show!



We had some amazing soloists, magical musicians and we were very lucky to be joined by Paul Ibbot and students from Oasis Lord's Hill who played live for us!

A Dazzling Display from the Decades was enjoyed by a packed crowd (including someone with an "I ♡ WHAM!" scarf... Hmmmm!)

The collection on the door raised a grand total of £230, which will go towards the music department. Thanks for your support!

When was that again?

We're trying to make much more information available to you online.

As from today, you can see live Diary Dates on the school website. Just click on the...



...link on oakwoodlive.net

This will bring up a page with the calendar below, where you can see everything which is going on. (You can even print a copy for the fridge door!)



If you use iGoogle or GMail, you can copy events over to your own calendar by clicking on them!

A Sunny Day at the Fete...

Not a drop of rain (even though we thought it was going to throw it down!)

Mrs Handley-Garland, Mr Chafe and the OSA committee worked really hard to give the Oakwood Schools another excellent Summer Fete!

There was a huge variety of games and stalls in both schools, a bouncy castle to bounce on and hot dogs and ice cream to eat. The Junior School Let's Get Cooking stall was a great success - all the cakes went very quickly!

But the highlight of the day was Mrs Worley's Weigh-In for her sponsored slim...

Did she make her target?

YES! She has lost well over 10% of her body weight and raised over £300 for charity! (She's now setting a new target, so keep supporting her!)

Thanks for coming to Fete and supporting our schools. You helped everyone have a great time and helped us raise a massive total of...

£2013.85!

Thanks again!