DECEMBER2015

Happy ChristmasA message from

The PrincipalI don’t know how you feel about Christmas, I’m

desperately trying to whip us some enthusiasm. Is it me

or does it not feel very ‘Christmassy’ to you? By the way,

I have checked, Christmassy is a real word. I have been

trying to figure out my lack of festive cheer. Maybe it is

the weather, it’s just not cold enough! By now we should

be experiencing frosty mornings and bitterly cold winds.

Instead, it has been so mild that I saw a butterfly two

weeks ago and mosquitoes are still lurking in our house,

occasionally biting Mrs Golding.

In our household, we also no longer have young

children. They no longer beg to put up the tree on the

first of December. They are less excited about the

prospects of surprise gifts, they have of course been

carefully negotiating with us about what our love for

them means in cash terms. Santa is no longer invited to

these discussions.

However, my feelings about Christmas are not the point.

The Christmas story does still speak to me and I hope

to us, despite our feelings. Two thousand years ago a

man travelled with his pregnant wife to a far off town at

the bequest of an unthinking government. They bedded

down in a stable and soon after the birth of a baby boy,

they fled as migrants, escaping from the tyranny of a

despot.

What do I want for my children and indeed yours? I want

them to help co-create a world where the needy are

cared for, a world where the weakest are held up by the

strongest. I want them to understand the fundamental

worth of every human. At Christmas, I want them to see

the face of the Christ-child in every Muslim and migrant

sitting at a border crossing, hoping for a better life.

I want them to live in a better world, a world full of hope.

If Christmas means anything, it is perhaps the idea that

when things are at their darkest, when the situations

around us seem at their bleakest, there is always hope.

Mr Ian Golding

more news inside! u

Academy News

Christmas Jumper Day was a very festive Friday this

year. Students swapped blazers for festive jumpers to

raise money for the Christmas Jumper Day Charity.

News in brief

The Year 7/8 Rugby Team competed

in a tournament at Millbrook Rugby

Club. The boys won all three games,

beating Regents Park, Cantel and

Upper Shirley High. Highlights of the

event were shown on BBC South

Today, ITV Meridian news and it was

featured in the Daily Echo.

Well done boys!

The Academy was given the opportunity

to take part in this year’s Premier

League Enterprise Challenge. The

Enterprise Challenge is an annual event

whereby a group of students are set a

real life brief by the Premier League’s

Chairman, Richard Scudamore. The

participating teams had the opportunity

to learn more about the different aspects

of Southampton Football Club including

marketing, finance, and customer service

as well as developing key entrepreneur

skills which are put to the test through

the challenge. Christmas Card Competition 2015 Winner - Congratulation Caitlin Gray!

,

WELLDONE!

Students at the Academy work hard to achieve their own personal goals outside of school. It’s also heart warming to hear about some of our students showing real acts of kindness in the community. Below are just a few example of students challenging themselves to reach for the stars and some inspirational stories of compassion and kindness. If your child is doing something to be proud of please let us know.

Charlotte McGuinness was thrown into the hot seat after she spotted a man stumbling along Romsey Road covered in blood on her way home from cadets. Mum pulled over and Charlotte ran to help. She spent an hour with the man, who had serious injuries to his head and wrist and thanks to her training Charlotte was able to keep him conscious until the ambulance crew arrived. The Year 10 student was applauded by her cadet crew and thanked by paramedics. Well done Charlotte!

In the City Centre Charlie White also rushed to help someone in need when an elderly lady was struck by a car. Charlie in Year 11 and his friend were collecting for the Poppy Appeal when they witnessed the incident and ran to help.

Stephanie Dummer did something amazing recently. In support of a friend, Stephanie, in Year 8 decided to donate some of her hair to the Little Princess Trust. The Little Princess Trust provides real hair wigs to boys and girls across the UK and Ireland that have sadly lost their own hair through cancer treatment.

James Allen in Year 7 held a charity football match at Test Park in October. James raised over £500 for the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit in Southampton. “When I was small the unit saved my life” James said. James, with help from his sister in Year 9 also held a cake sale at the Academy.

Ben Smart and Oliver Webb had a very successful dance competition in October. The two boys (Ben, Year 9 and Ollie, Year 8) along with the rest of their crew came second at the South Coast Street Dance Championships. The dance crew UNIT qualified for the World Championships in Glasgow in August 2016. The Contrast Dance Company rehearse every week in the Academy dance studios.

Two other students have had success in dance this term. Dan Pettafor in Year 8 has been winning lots of trophies and Keely Bowering in Year 7 took part in a street dance competition in Kent in November and her team came 7th out of 14 teams.

Owen Angove in Year 8 is having real success with his boxing and won a boxing match very recently. Well done, Owen!

Finally, Elsie Burton in Year 8 was spotted by a member of staff doing something good near the Bargate. Elsie was seen giving her spare change to a homeless man. Well done, Elsie.

IndividualAchievement

Stephanie - Before Stephanie - After

Oasis Annual Awards 2015Lucy Whitlock - Founders AwardChris Maunders - John Williams TeamLewis Evans - John Williams Team & Art/Culture AwardRoss Hobby - John Williams TeamChelsea Fisher - John Williams TeamCharlotte McGuinness - John Williams Team Billy Chafe - Sport AwardHarry McDonald - John Williams TeamCurtis Batten - Sodexo Hub AwardWilliam Warrener - Achievement AwardJake Watkins - One Oasis Award

Congratulations to the following students for being nominated to receive awards at the annual ceremony in Birmingham at the end of autumn term.

FUNDRAISING£128 was raised this term for the annual Poppy Appeal! Fantastic!

Students raised over £600 for Oasis Mozambique this year and £150 for Stop The Traffik.

Children in Need was a real success again this year. Students and staff raised over £600 for the charity by wearing non-uniform and fancy dress. Mr Lloyd was very brave and had his legs waxed in front of the whole school by Megan Jackson in Year 10. The Student Council also held a cake sale.

On Monday, 14th September 60 students from Oasis Academy Lord’s Hill competed at the Swindon Athletics Track in the first ever Oasis South West Regional Athletics Day. This event included Academies from the South West Region with students from the Years 8-11. The event was a real success despite the awful weather. The team spirit and motivation of the students was great and there was a real community atmosphere throughout the day. Each student competed in their own event and earned points for the overall team score. Oasis Lord’s Hill finished in fifth position with many individual successes. Students who finished first in their events each received a medal.

It was a real pleasure to have the opportunity to catch up with so many ex-students on 19th November as we gathered together for a final time to celebrate their achievements. The class of 2015 gave so much during their time at the Academy, including their sense of community involvement. Many of them, like our Head Boy and Head Girl, Ashley and Jade, have worked hard raising money for a wide variety of causes and supported the Academy in organising events such as Parents’ Evenings and Sports Day. We are immensely proud of all they have achieved and that reflects the commitment students such as Fred Harry showed in attending after class revision sessions throughout the school year. The theatre was once again looking fantastic thanks to the work of Wendy, Chris and Danny, and thanks to Stuey Goodeve too for performing as our guests arrived. There were several stand out moments in the evening with fantastic performances from current students Becky Wise, Luke Webb and Ben Rosie accompanied by very moving video images compiled by Danny. It was a real privilege to hear our special guest, Louise Harvey. Louise spoke about her upbringing which included spending a good deal of time with what was then Oaklands Youth Theatre. By that time she had already decided what she wanted to be and she spoke powerfully about her path to becoming a barrister, the challenges and how she had overcome them successfully so that she achieved her dream. To view photos, video clips and to watch the performances please take a look at our Facebook page and website.

All our Year 7 students had a great time at Ferny Crofts Activity Centre on 15th and 16th October. As they climbed to great heights, sank in the mud, raced past obstacles, crawled through tunnels, shot arrows, fired air rifles, swung on ropes and clung on for dear life, they rediscovered the meaning of teamwork, inter-dependence, taking care of one another, resilience and facing fears. Some of them even realised what a good idea it would have been if they had brought a change of clothes!

CareersChristmas for careers department at the Academy, is the time when Year 11 students are preparing for their post-16 options, whether that’s college, apprenticeship, traineeship or employment, Year 10 students sort out their work experience placements and for Year 9 students to start thinking about options for their next two years. It is a time for exploration and discovery and we are delighted that we have been selected by Business in the Community to be partnered with an employer to help our students with their decision making. KPMG are a global employer and have agreed to offer our students mentoring, employability skills, speakers from the world of work, amongst other activities and visits through Business Class a Business in the Community initiative. It is really exciting to have them on board to help inspire our students and to bridge the gap between school and the realities of work. We look forward to working with them over the next three years and would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and New Year.

HUB UPDATEAs always, the autumn term has been a very busy time for the Oasis Lord’s Hill Hub team.September saw the first ever SCC ‘Early Years Conference’ hosted by Oasis Hub. This brought together over 200 of Southampton’s early years practitioners to enjoy creative workshops and inspiring speakers.Charity took centre stage in October with the second ‘Def con 4’ weekend event. The Academy was transformed into a celebration of everything Science Fiction from Star Wars to Dr Who. Watch this space for ‘Def Con 5’ landing in October 2016!At the beginning of November we welcomed back the Lordshill Road Runners 10 mile race with the start and finish at the Academy.December has brought a flurry of Christmas shows and productions, birthday parties and even a visit from Santa. We have also spent some time looking ahead to the new year and we look forward to welcoming our community users back on 4th January 2016. From all in the Oasis Hub team we hope you have a great Christmas!

4th Jan: First day of the Spring term21st Jan: KS4 Progress Evening26th: INSET Day27th Jan: Year 8 Parents’ Evening

28th Jan: Lordshill’s Got Talent - Auditions3rd Feb: Year 9 Parents’ Evening15th - 19th Feb: Half-term25th Feb: Lordshill’s Got Talent - Final

9th Mar: We Day UK10th Mar: KS3 Progress Evening23rd Mar: Year 7 Parents’ Evening24th Mar: Last day of the Spring term11th Apr: First day of the Summer term

Dates for the diary:

Ferny Crofts Joy to the world Christmas is a time full of expectation, we are encouraged to make it all perfect or as near to perfect as we can manage by images and adverts. It is easy to start believing that our happiness, the happiness of our children and families hinges on our ability to provide ‘stuff’….the gifts, the perfect Christmas dinner, the perfectly decorated home, the most lights in the street!

At the heart of the Christmas story is this word JOY. A word often used in Christmas carols, seen a lot on Christmas cards and used to describe the atmosphere of Christmas. The Christmas story talks about Jesus birth as a moment of great JOY for the world. But what is JOY? JOY is more than happiness. It’s more than a feeling that comes and goes dependent on our circumstances, material possessions or relationships. It’s something that we need to cultivate and grow in our lives so that despite our circumstance, situation or relationships we know JOY that sustains us that can actually reduce our stress levels and keep us healthier!

How can we do this? In the Academy this term we have been responding to the refugee crisis and supporting the Harvest for Hope campaign. The campaign highlights how much we have to be grateful for materially and socially – we are safe, warm, part of community and have our basic needs met. Remembering what we are grateful for and making a difference to others lives helps us to cultivate that JOY in our own lives.

This Christmas time may you find space to be thankful, the space to think on those things that you are grateful for in your life so that you experience something of the JOY that the Christmas story points us towards. May that JOY sustain you through the highs and lows, the wrapping and packing, prepping and decorating, the family that visit and inevitable Christmas argument! May this Christmas time be a time of real JOY for you and your families.

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