Sunday 2^nd February

Four of our pupils had previously qualified for the individual table tennis County Finals event at Testwood Sports College in Totton. The standard was extremely high with the competitors hoping to book their place at the National Finals later in the school year. Many of the participating players were table tennis club members but despite this, our athletes put in some super performances. However, none of the Fair Oak players made it out of their pool but they should all be extremely proud of themselves for their efforts today!

Tuesday 4^th February

Fair Oak took two development teams to play in a hockey tournament held today at Swanmore College. The majority of both teams had not played a competitive hockey fixture before but they all performed superbly. Fair Oak 1 began with a two nil loss to Botley 1 and then a three nil loss to Freegrounds 1. A second defeat by Botley followed before Fair Oak 1 rounded off their group matches with a really good two nil win against Freegrounds 1! These results meant that Fair Oak 1 missed out on a semi-final spot. Fair Oak 2 began with a nil nil draw with Botley 2 and then beat Netley two nil. This victory was followed up by another one, this time by a goal to nil against Botley 2. The final group match for Fair Oak 2 ended in a two one loss to Netley but Fair Oak still qualified from the group for the semi-finals where they would face Freegrounds 2! The semi-final was a hard fought affair but unfortunately it was Freegrounds who just came out on top with a late goal to leave the final score at one nil. Mr Stredwick was extremely proud of how all of our athletes performed today. Well done to all of our fantastic hockey players!

Tuesday 11^th February

Today Fair Oak hosted a table tennis team event for years 5 and 6. Fair Oak entered four boys teams and three girls teams into the tournament. After all of the fixtures had been played, the final results were as follows:

Boys Competition

Girls Competition

Well done to all of our table tennis players for doing the school proud.

Tuesday 25^th February

Our boys football team today played their National League Under 11s Regional Tournament which was hosted by Bath City. Fair Oak were unlucky to begin their campaign with three close fought loses to Torquay United, Bath City and Hereford United. Next up were a strong Oxford City side but Fair Oak dominated from the start and ran out three nil winners. Weymouth were our next opponents and again Fair Oak were victorious, this time by two goals to nil. The final match was against Yeovil Town and unfortunately our opponents were just too strong and beat our boys by a score line of four goals to one. This meant that Fair Oak missed out on the final, finishing fourth overall. What an amazing achievement to get this far in a really tough competition. Well done to the boys who really should be very proud of themselves! 

What a week it has been! Last night, Valentina patiently waited in silence at the hide. During their visit, they saw foxes, badgers and a mouse.

After the children had their final breakfast, it was time for room inspections! We had some very high scoring rooms this morning, with an impressive 19.5/20. All the points for the last couple of days were totalled up and the winners of the house challenges were announced. BADGERS took the crown as this week’s champions!

This morning’s final activity was the earthquake. The children were divided into teams and set off on their rescue mission. Carrying vital survival equipment, the groups overcame challenging obstacles, demonstrated brilliant communication skills and encouraged one another throughout. It was lovely to see the support that the children show for each other as they put their fears to one side and tried new things.

It will shortly be time for lunch and a chance to say their goodbyes before getting back on the coach for Fair Oak. It has been a lovely second half to the week. Valentina have been fantastic! Stubbington staff have commented on numerous occasions on how polite they are and I have been extremely impressed with their manors, kindness and determination throughout. It has been lovely getting to know your children more and seeing them achieve.  

Lastly, if you have a spare day during half term, I would highly recommend a morning down at Hill Head beach. Not only is the parking free but your child could show you all they have learnt and share their top tips for fossil hunting! If you’re lucky, you may even find a shark’s tooth although be sure to check the tide times.

Have a lovely half term!  

Miss Coxhead

It has been wet and windy down at Stubbington today! However, the rain has not damped our spirits. This morning’s activities were down on the beach. On the way, we had great fun wading through mud and splashing in puddles. The children truly enjoyed being outdoors, it was lovely to see such smiles on their faces! Luckily, the tides were on our side today as the children begun to build their sandcastles. After a quick tutorial, the constructing began. It is amazing what children can create with simply one bucket and one spade (Oh and a little bit of sea weed for decoration). The wind was actually extremely helpful in our fossil hunt today as it had blown in all sorts of interesting items. The children will be returning with their finds on Friday!

This afternoon, it was time for one of the teacher’s favourite activities, Stubbington Fox! The children, who became foxes for the afternoon, were chased around the grounds by the mean farmers (Teachers). Fortunately for the foxes, once captured... we released them back into the wild.

It is also Valentina’s chance to visit the hide tonight. We hope to see many creatures lurking in the conservation areas. With sightings already this week of foxes, badgers and even a mouse, we hope tonight will be equally as successful and memorable for the children.

Wednesday has been a busy day, with Hamilton, Jemison and Peake returning to school and Valentina joining us down at Stubbington.

The three classes set off to the beach this morning to complete their final activities of the week. With wellies on our feet, we went to explore Hill Head beach. Whilst exploring, we discovered creatures and created habitats (Rock pools) for them. Please ask your children what their group managed to find! It was then time for some groups to build sandcastles. We were very lucky with the weather. However, unlucky with the tides, as some teams experienced with their sandcastles. We then returned to the ‘snuffle hole’ for our final lunch before leaving for school.

I would like to say what a pleasure it has been to take your children away for the last couple of days. They have been fantastic! Whilst away, they have tackled new challenges, proven their resilience and demonstrated true team skills through the support they have shown for one another. You should be extremely proud!  

Valentina, who arrived enthusiastic and ready for an action packed couple of days, got straight into Stubbington life, building shelters and then taking part in the ‘Earth walks’ activity. As part of this, they used natures ingredients to create their own mocktails (we strongly recommended that they didn’t drink them).  The children were also put into houses this evening, where they competed in their first round of house challenges. During this process they have bonded with children from another school and shown just how friendly and welcoming Fair Oak can be.

Please keep your eyes peeled on twitter for ongoing updates.

Another bright and breezy day at Stubbington. With the sun shining, each group continued on their activities with the remaining classes taking part in either the ‘earthquake rescue’, shelter building or Stubbington Fox. Year 5 continued to demonstrate teamwork, respect and perseverance throughout these activities.

Last night’s visit to the hide left the children with successful sightings of both badgers and foxes. The remaining groups will have their turn at visiting the hide later tonight (fingers crossed for more successful sightings). Before supper this evening, the children will take to the seas to try and solve the crime of Stubbington’s missing treasure! There have been some interesting pirates around campus today (some the children may recognise) so there are many suspects!

Tomorrow morning all three classes will be heading down to the beach. Whilst there, the children will be building and exploring their very own rock pools, taking part in a sand castle competition and going on a fossil hunt. Shortly after their return from the beach, they will have a wholesome lunch before we make our way back to Fair Oak. We will look forward to seeing you at 2:15 tomorrow.

What a fantastic first day at Stubbington!

Shortly after we arrived at the study centre, the children were introduced to the team.  They got settled into their rooms and then had a tour of their new surroundings.

After a bite to eat, the children began their first activities. Hamilton spent their afternoon learning all about the population of different species before experiencing what life would be like as a cunning fox. As part of this activity, they needed to work collaboratively to escape from the farmers (teachers) who were hunting them.

NEWS UPDATE: An Earthquake struck Stubbington this afternoon! Luckily, Peake class were on hand to help as they ventured on a rescue mission through tricky obstacles and over lava-covered grounds. They demonstrated brilliant teamwork and fortunately all returned safely from their rescue.

Jemison class headed off to build shelters on a desert island where they were tested for protection against predators, sun and rain. Unfortunately for Jemison, it did begin to rain buckets! Now, these buckets may have been in the hands of the teachers!

We have finished off our day with some Year 5 singing and a wildlife talk from a local wildlife photographer. Half of the children will also have the opportunity to visit the hide this evening to see what wildlife they can see for themselves. Hopefully, the photography talk will inspire some spectacular shots!

Today the pupils and staff of Fair Oak Junior School took part in a sponsored event to raise money to support the Australian Red Cross and the Australian World Wildlife Fund. Both organisations are helping to deal with the devastation caused by the recent bush fires and so all funds raised will be split equally between these two good causes. Our pupils selected to either cycle, scoot or run around set courses, completing as many laps as possible in the time they were given. Luckily the weather was with us and the event was a huge success!

A big thank you must go to all the pupils who are still collecting their sponsor money as well as to the wider Fair Oak family who have supported this cause. Please keep the sponsor money coming in!