Week Ending 28th November 2008

Our School is beginning to look very festive. "Peter Pan" welcomes visitors at the main entrance, whilst "Tinkerbell" and her fairy friends are fluttering further along the entrance corridor. The main corridor has a range of boards portraying scenes from the fairy tale, ranging from a ferocious crocodile to night time scenes of moonbeams and magic!

As well as decorating the School main areas, we have worked hard on geography this week, using maps and globes to trace journeys for Barnaby Bear. Badgers have studied detailed maps on local routes, and worked out their own keys for specific features.

The next couple of weeks are going to be extremely busy, but hopefully great fun for us all! Key Stage Two children will perform as "EBLS Simply Red Choir" on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from six o'clock until seven o'clock. Food will be available at the interval. The following week, on the 8th and 9th, Key Stage One children will perform their Concert called "Mary's Knitting". It is a singing/dancing and acting bonanza, including a flock of sheep who provide the blanket that Mary is knitting for Baby Jesus.

On Saturday, we hold our "Christmas Fair", in the School, from twelve o'clock until two thirty. father Christmas is our very special visitor. Do come along if you feel like fun, food and festive feelings!

Week Ending 21st November 2008

On Tuesday, we welcomed lots of parents, at a Sharing Assembly in the Hall. Children from all the classes shared their acheivements - dancing, art, ICT, maths, English - and impressed everyone with amazing history research in their new homework books.

This week our favourite topic has been history. Badgers have investigated King Henry VIII, and their research culminated in wonderful "King"-shaped booklets, full of details about his six wives. Their ICT skills are amazing!

Rabbits and Squirrels investigated Louis Braille. Squirrels can now write their names in Braille, and even have a Squirrels welcome plaque, on the door, in a "dot" code. We were very fortunate to be able to use an old "Braille" machine, and pressed the metal keys, to form the holes on the paper. One of the favourite activities was going on a "blind" walk around the playground, with eyes shut, whilst holding on to a gigantic rope! ...whatever next?

Our Hall is looking festive, and preparations for Choir Evening are in their final stages. The Concert, called "Mary's Knitting", is going to be ready for dress rehearsal in a couple of weeks.

Switching on of our EBLS Christmas lights will be on 1st December, when our entrance will be turned into a fairy-tale scene from Peter Pan.

Week Ending 14th November 2008

We are busily decorating the Hall for Christmas - Sidney the Shepherd and his flock of happy sheep look wonderful! The children in Foundation and Key Stage One are well on their way to being word perfect, and nearly all the costumes and props are ready. Outfits for our "EBLS - Simply Red" Choir are almost complete - it's amazing what can be made from pillow cases!! Badgers are designing programmes and have made their own textile prints and batik designs for the table runners. We were delighted to welcome a visiting textile artist to enthuse our children.

Our focus this week has been on Art. The children have been looking at patterns and textures, amalgamating them into items for the corridor boards, which, this year, will be linked to our Milton Keynes Theatre trip to see the pantomime "Peter Pan". Look out for the crazy crocodile tick-tocking by Squirrels door!

Our next Sharing Assembly will be in the Hall on Tuesday.

Week Ending 7th November 2008

We have had a busy first week back after half term, showing more prospective parents around our lovely School.

Our focus this week has been Science. Hedgehogs and Squirrels have been looking at plants growing in various locations in our School grounds - by the pond / on the field / in our individual gardens and by the Nature Trail. We have had fun discovering the best conditions for growing cress for sandwiches. Badgers have been investigating rocks and soils - our supply of filter papers has decreased dramatically! Strangely enough, no-one seems to want clay soil in their gardens.

The characters for our play - "Mary's Knitting" - have been cast, and costumes are being made. Every child in Foundation and Key Stage One will have a part. we have a sequence with "stars", a chorus of angels, and saluting soldiers on parade, whilst our Eaton Bray sheep provide wool for Mary to knit into a blanket for Baby Jesus.

Our Key Stage Two children are participants in Eaton Bray's Simply Red Choir. Each chorister will be wearing red and white choral outfits, and they sing a selection of songs. A DVD will be available next month. We hope parents and relations will join us for a Choral Evening, with delicious home cooked food and drinks. The children are making their own batik table cloths and candle holders. Hopefully the Hall will look festive!

Week Ending 24th October 2008

We have had an exciting final week at the end of the half term. Many prospective parents and children have had tours of the School and Nursery. On Tuesday, children shared their achievements, in the Hall, and the audience met chefs, garden designers and pop-up artists!

Thursday was a busy day, when a film crew visited and filmed peg-doll making and ICT multi-cultural work. Interviews were also recorded. In the evening, there was an antiques evening, which was well attended by parents, staff and villagers. the burning question is, "Who possessed the most valuable antique...?"

Friday was the most colourful day of the week, when children and staff came dressed in wonderful costumes, for Diwali Day. There was a range of costumes: flames, candles, monkeys, elephants, Ramas and Sitas, as well as traditional Indian costumes. The children participated in a whole-School Assembly, followed by a day of exciting activities, completed by candle-light and twinkling fairy-tree lights. There were food tasting sessions, Diwali card-making, hand painting, and puppet shows. A glittering finale to a busy, bustling half term!

Week Ending 17th October 2008

On Tuesday, the first Governors' meeting of our new academic year was held.


Thursday afternoon was very special for our Year Four children, who spent the afternoon at Middle School. The children returned laden with self-made pizzas for tea!

The foundation topic for the week has been design and technology. Badgers Class have been researching techniques for their "pop-up" books, which will be shared with the younger children in the School. Rabbits, Squirrels and Hedgehogs Classes have been creating salads; investigating raw and cooked fruits and vegetables and designing original sandwiches.

Now that our new shed is complete - looking more like a sea-side beach-hut - plans are being made for a sea-side area, complete with a stage for performances, by children and adults, at special School functions.

Next week is Antiques Evening in the School Hall on Thursday, at 7.30pm. Tickets are £5. Please come along and bring an item that you would like to be valued, by a fine arts dealer, from the television programme "Flog It".

REMEMBER - DRESS UP FOR DIWALI DAY: 24.10.08!

Week Ending 10th October 2008

Our formal Nursery opening on Saturday was a chance for everyone to get together for a delicious "Continental Brunch", followed by photo-shoots and live jazz entertainment. Visitors found the venue by following the "red balloon" trail, and many went home with one of the balloons, as a memento.

Religious Education has been our foundation subject this week. Hedgehogs and Squirrels have been thinking of Special Occasions, especially Harvest around the World. Squirrels made mouth-watering "Super Soup", with lots of tasty vegetables, brought in from home, and it was voted the best soup ever. The whole School smelt of garlic, leeks and onions! To celebrate the Fruit Harvest, there were some "dancing pigs" made from apples and dried fruit.

Rabbits have been learning about Special Places, focusing on churches and mosques.

Badgers investigated Divali, and now have a lovely bright pink and black display, encompassing puppets from the "Rama and Sita" story, Divali greeting cards and clay divas.

Exciting things are happening around our grounds - a new bicycle "depot" is being built and a new storage area is being erected.

Our next special occasion is Divali Day on 24th October - many of us have already planned our costumes. Some ideas are traditional saris; "candle" outfits; elephant and monkey outfits; as well as rangoli patterned hands.