Week Ending 18th December 2015

The last week of the Autumn Term really is a wonderful time to be at Eaton Bray Academy!

The excitement started on Friday evening with the second of our Brasserie Bray restaurant evenings.  Parents came along and enjoyed a menu that included Escargots, Moules Marinières, Tarte à l’Oignon, Crème Brulé and Crêpes Suzettes.  A lovely time was had by all, and many positive reviews were left on the website by satisfied diners!

On Saturday morning, our School choir took part in St Mary's Church Crib Service, singing a selection of Christmas songs for parents and parishioners.  

Monday was a fun day for the children in the Main School, as everyone took part in the EBA Talent Show - either as a performer, judge, or enthusiastic audience member.  Children showcased their fantastic talents in a range of different skills - karate, violin, gymnastics, singing, dancing, footballing and much much more!

On Tuesday, Hedgehogs Class enjoyed a magical day at Dell Farm.  They wrapped up warm with scarves, hats and wellie boots, and set off in the mini bus.  They spent the morning visiting the animals and doing some Christmas crafts, then in the afternoon took part in a very special nativity, with real animals in an authentic barn setting.  Here is a small selection of photos - for lots more, please have a look at the school website.

 

Tuesday and Wednesday were party days, with Otters and Squirrels having theirs on Tuesday, Hamsters, Hedgehogs, Rabbits and Badgers on Wednesday.  Everyone enjoyed fun and games.. and a special visitor with a white beard bearing gifts...!  Foxes and Deer, being that bit older, opted not to have a party, but chose to have a "Gadget Day" on Wednesday instead, when they were allowed to bring in electronic toys to play with, and enjoyed a pudding buffet in the classroom!

 

 

 

Also on Wednesday, the younger children performed their Christmas play again - this time for visitors from the local Age Concern group, who thoroughly enjoyed both the entertainment, and the cup of tea and mince pie that was on offer!

In the evening, Badgers, Rabbits and Foxes hosted their Carol Service for parents at St Mary's Church. Their beautiful singing filled the church, with some children singing in small group arrangements and even solos.  Parents were encouraged to join in with the traditional carols, and were invited to stay afterwards for refreshments (yes, mince pies again!)

On Thursday it was Christmas Dinner day.  The tables were laid in a very festive manner, with tablecloths, napkins and Christmas crackers, and the teachers served the children their food.  There was a real party atmosphere in the dining hall, with Christmas music and lots of laughter, as everyone tucked into roast turkey with all the trimmings, followed by Christmas tree choc ices.  A fabulous fun-filled occasion for all!

Rabbits Class have been working hard on Christmas stories over the last few weeks, and were very proud this week to have them laminated and bound into lovely books.  On Friday they shared their stories with the children in Hamsters Class.

And so finally, Friday saw the end of another fabulous term at Eaton Bray Academy.  As usual, this was Games Day and non-uniform, and so there were plenty of Christmas jumpers being worn - by staff as well as children!

From Everyone at Eaton Bray Academy

and a Happy New Year!

See you in 2016

Week ending 11th December 2015

With the end of term and **CHRISTMAS** getting ever closer, we have had a lovely busy week!

Hedgehogs, Otters, Squirrels and Rabbits entertained parents on Monday and Thursday afternoons with their performances of "Baubles".  All of the children did wonderfully well, sang up beautifully and spoke their lines clearly, with even the youngest making valuable contributions.  Well done to all, and we hope that the many parents who came along enjoyed the show.

On Tuesday afternoon a group of Year 5 and 6 children took part in a Rugby Tournament at All Saints Academy.  They played six matches against other local schools, winning two, drawing three and only losing once.  Everyone played well, and enjoyed the experience of playing on the floodlit AstroTurf pitch.

Tuesday evening saw the first of two "Brasserie Bray" evenings.  The hall was transformed into a welcoming French bistro, with soft lighting, background music, and tables laid ready for guests.  School staff and governors were treated to a delicious three course meal, cooked by our Year 6 chefs, and were looked after splendidly by the Year 6 waiters and waitresses.

On Friday, they will do it all again, this time with their parents as their guests - we know that they will have a wonderful evening!  Please take a look at the reviews of Brasserie Bray on our website, and if you are one of the lucky parents who gets to enjoy the Brasserie Bray experience, do take a moment to add your comments.

Meanwhile in the classroom, Otters have been learning about the tradition of "Afternoon Tea."  Did you know that this custom was started very near here in the 19th century, by the Duchess of Bedford, at Woburn Abbey?  Following their historic research, the children enjoyed making and eating their own afternoon tea!

On Wednesday, it was Hamsters turn to perform for their Mums and Dads.  The children took to the stage in the School Hall for their Christmas Sing Along, sharing favourites such as "When Santa got stuck up the Chimney" and "Jingle Bells".  They looked very festive with their special Christmas hats and tinsel in their hair, and all joined in the singing, actions and musical instrument accompaniment.

More singing this weekend, as our School Choir is taking part in St Mary's Crib Festival.  They will be singing a selection of Christmas songs at the church from 10.00 - 11.00am on Saturday morning.  All are welcome to go along and listen!

Week Ending 4th December 2015

The Christmas Fayre on Saturday was a fantastic fun filled festive success!  Thank you to everyone who came and supported the event - we raised over £2,000 for HSA funds, which is a great result!

The calendar has now flipped over to December, and so Christmas has definitely arrived at Eaton Bray Academy!  On Wednesday, everyone in the Main School walked down to St Mary's Church for a Christingle Service.  All the children had made a Christingle, which was lit, and carols were sung by candlelight.  A lovely occasion as usual.

Thursday was a busy day, with Badgers' Class Assembly in the morning, then, after school, the ever popular HSA Movie Night.  The first sitting was for younger children, with older ones coming back later on for their turn.  The hall looked magical, with fairy lights and the big screen lit up, and children enjoyed popcorn and a drink while watching "Nativity 3: Dude Where's My Donkey?"  Thank you once again to the HSA ladies, who worked so hard to make sure that everyone had a lovely evening.

On Friday, we had the dress rehearsal for "Baubles", our Christmas Concert, starring children in Hedgehogs, Otters, Squirrels and Rabbits.  Here is a taster of what you can expect if you are coming along to watch one of the performances next week...

Friday afternoon was very exciting for the children who are in the "Jobs People Do" group for Choices.  Our visitor was Mrs Shelton, who runs Appledown Kennels and Rescue Centre in Eaton Bray, and she brought two young puppies along to talk to the children about.  As you can imagine, the children all fell quickly in love with them!

So much to look forward to next week - including Christmas Concerts, Hamsters Sing Along, and the grand opening of "Brasserie Bray", which will be serving home cooked French cuisine to staff and governors on Tuesday evening... and to parents on Friday!

Week Ending 27th November 2015

A quiet week, before all the excitement of Christmas activities starts in earnest next week!

On Wednesday, we hosted a "Find Out More About Your School" evening for parents of children in Years 3 and 4, to give information about what their children can look forward to as they move further up the School.  Staff gave presentations and demonstrations, and existing Year 6 children came in to talk about their happy experiences in Foxes and Deer Classes.  We were also lucky enough to have a Year 6 parent willing to share her positive thoughts about EBA with others.

The evening was attended by just a small number of parents - it would have been lovely to see a few more faces.  However, those that attended found it a useful evening, and we thank them for giving up their time to come in to find out more about what we have to offer EBA children.

This week has seen lots of hard work being done in the classrooms, with Foxes focusing on history and finding out about rationing in World War II.  Badgers have been busy practicing for their Class Assembly, which takes place on Thursday next week.  Squirrels have been enjoying maths activities, learning about position and direction, using directional language - up, across, quarter turn and so on.

Otters have been working on their "Equations Crowns" for a few weeks, and are now proudly able to wear them.  The project included Design and Technology and Computing as well as Maths.  In their own words:

"We found some images of crowns on the internet.  For homework we researched how crowns are made and the kinds of materials which are used to make them. We then designed our crowns. We wanted to make a special crown which would help us with our maths so we thought of our own missing box equations to use on our crowns.   The next step was to measure our heads with help from our teachers.  Finally, we made our crowns making sure the missing number was covered with a flap.  We had fun wearing our crowns and enjoyed solving each other’s equations."

The School is gradually becoming more festive, with Christmas trees sprouting up in the classrooms, in the Hall and outside the Office.  Which one is your favourite?

The more eagle-eyed amongst you may also have noticed the EBA Christmas wreath which adorns the lamppost at the bottom of School Lane.  There are wreaths all along Eaton Bray High Street, sponsored by different local organisations, and we are sure everyone would agree that they help make our village look very pretty!

Hamsters have also been busy getting the Pre-School ready for Christmas.  They have turned the Home Corner into a Christmas Post Office, decorated with festive robins and gingerbread men!  They have also had a lovely time decorating their Christmas tree.

Our Christmas Fayre is on Saturday, and the HSA have been very busy getting everything ready for what should be a fantastic day!  There are lots of tempting stalls, including the always popular bottle tombola, a chocolate tombola, a superb raffle and of course, Santa's Grotto!  Our Enterprise team have their own stall, selling a lovely range of crafts and gifts, so don't forget to stop by and support their efforts.