Transition Bulletin #2

Message from the Assistant Principal

Welcome back to the second of our Oasis Academy Don Valleytransition bulletins. We hope you enjoyed meeting some of our keystaff last time and that the FAQs answered some of your firstqueries about what to expect before you join us.

It was also great to receive some of the All About Me work that yousent in – we loved getting to know you all a little bit more and wecan’t wait to meet you in person! If you haven’t sent yours in yetdon’t worry, its not too late please send it to DON.transitions@oasisdonvalley.org and we’ll pass it along to our pastoral teamwho would still love to read all about you.

Remember too to send in this week’s challenge which will you willread about later and which fits in with our theme: Change.

We know that for lots of families starting secondary school is a bigchange and that it is completely natural for you to perhaps feelworried or nervous about the move to ‘big school’ so the focus ofthis week’s newsletter is all about managing worry and supportingyou to feel good about this change.

Enjoy the newsletter and please get in touch if you have anyquestions or concerns.

Mrs Gormal

Assistant Principal Secondary

Our m

issio

n is

to p

rovid

e a

n e

xceptio

nal e

ducatio

n a

t the h

eart o

f our c

om

munity.

Key PeopleLast week you got to know some of our key leaders, this week meet the people who are here to support you during your time in the academy and who will help manage your change from Primary to Secondary

Our m

issio

n is

to p

rovid

e a

n e

xceptio

nal e

ducatio

n a

t the h

eart o

f our c

om

munity.

Miss Benefer – Pastoral Manager

Role in the Academy: My role within the Academy is to ensure everyone feels safe and happy. I am here to listen and support all the students and their parents, and to make your days at Oasis Academy Don Valley as enjoyable as possible.

Favourite Quote: Be somebody who makes everybody feel like a somebody. Brad Montague

Interesting Fact: I enjoy meeting new people and listening to their stories.

Miss Horsfall– Pastoral Manager

Role in the Academy: I am here to ensure everyone can access their learning. I work with students and their families to make sure they are happy at school. The Academy has a group of Antibullying ambassadors promoting kindness and togetherness. I meet with these students and support their antibullying campaigns.

Favourite Quote: All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. Walt Disney

Interesting Fact: I love to play netball and play for a local team.

Mrs Bellamy – Welfare Officer

Role in the Academy: My current role in the Academy is to work with families to ensure that all pupils attend as much as possible. I also support pupils in the Academy who need to take medication or who have medical issues which may need additional support day to day. If you need to speak to me about an attendance or medical issue you can find me in Student Services.

Favourite Quote: You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes, you can steer yourself in any direction you choose -Dr Seuss

Interesting Fact: I love to bake and would like to open my own café one day.

Getting to know youOver the next few weeks, we are continuing to set a series of fun challenges for you to complete. These offer an opportunity for us to get to you know better before you start.

Our m

issio

n is

to p

rovid

e a

n e

xceptio

nal e

ducatio

n a

t the h

eart o

f our c

om

munity.

Second ChallengeYour second challenge is all about being honest and

thinking through the changes ahead and how you

feel about them.

We know that its completely normal to feel a little

worried about starting Secondary so we want to

create a worry wall that over time we hope to be

able to break down brick by brick as you realise

that starting a new school is an exciting time.

Alternatively please send in your worry by email to DON-tranistions@oasisdonvalley.org

Go to our secondary

transitions page to take part

in our worry wall challenge.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=zz3XjXy1

7EC3-

HVbUS2fe4Y_PpPAbxNLqRKILqZsWeJUOThMODhKQjJFRU1

ESTRQV0JOUjlFMzNNMC4u

We know you will have lots of questions, especially in thisunprecedented time, so we have tried to answer some of themost commonly asked ones below.

What happens now SATS are cancelled?

We appreciate that Y6 students are feeling anxious as they have notcompleted all their Y6 studies, taken their SATs and had chance to saygoodbye to all their teachers and friends. However please be assured thatwe are speaking to all Y6 teachers to gain an understanding of studentsEnglish and Maths grades, as well as any other pastoral or medicalinformation teachers can share with us.

We will have plenty of time in September and throughout the rest of theschool year to assess students' levels as appropriate and ensure thatstudents settle into Oasis Academy Don Valley as smoothly as possible. Wehave excellent pastoral teams and teaching staff who are all well aware ofthe challenges the current climate has presented us with. We will do ourutmost to ensure that your son or daughter feels happy and settled in Y7.

How can I help my child with the transition process?

It is really important that children are still having some structure to their dayand are continuing to build positive working habits throughout schoolclosure. This will enable a smooth transition into Secondary school life interms of the amount and type work which is expected.

We would recommend that students spend at least 30mins per day readingas well as completing any work set by their teachers at Primary School. Wewill be setting some transition work to help support students continue theirstudies during school closure and over the holiday period.

Our m

issio

n is

to p

rovid

e a

n e

xceptio

nal e

ducatio

n a

t the h

eart o

f our c

om

munity.

Will my child be in the same advisory group as his/her friends?

We have students joining us from a large number of differentprimary schools. Students will be allocated to a number ofdifferent groups throughout the week and may be with adifferent group of students in lessons. It is likely, therefore, thatstudents from the same primary school will be with otherstudents they know at some point during the day.

My child has additional needs. What extra help will he/she get?

Inclusion is a core value at Oasis Academy Don Valley and wehave very high expectations of all our students, whatever theiradditional needs. Our Director of Inclusion will meet with theSENDCo of your child’s primary school to make sure that weunderstand your child’s individual needs and to plan for anysupport that needs to be put in place to allow your child toaccess a full and varied curriculum.

Will my child have to do tests or exams?

All students joining Oasis Academy Don Valley completeassessments regularly so that we can check on their progressand plan any additional support, such as numeracy or literacyinterventions. Reading tests are key to making sure thatteachers plan work that challenges students at an appropriatelevel. Y6 students will complete reading assessments and CATtests as part of their transition.

Our m

issio

n is

to p

rovid

e a

n e

xceptio

nal e

ducatio

n a

t the h

eart o

f our c

om

munity.

If you have any other questionsplease get in touch via emailDON.transitions@oasisdonvalley.organd also follow us on Twitter@oasisdonvalley for more updatesand information.