Week Ending 30th September 2016

Monday afternoon was Sports Day for children in Badgers, Foxes and Deer Class.  The weather was a little cool and rather showery - "perfect running conditions" Mrs Hawkes assured us, but spectators were well advised to bring an umbrella!  Events included sprints, various relays and hurdles, and a cross country race that saw the children run around the school grounds and through the lanes and footpaths around school.  Afterwards there was an assembly where certificates were awarded.

As usual the children have been very busy and industrious in the classroom this week, with plenty of varied and interesting work taking place, much of it tied in with the theme of "Extreme Earth".  Badgers have been learning about electricity, and found out how to make a circuit to switch on a light bulb.  Rabbits have been enjoying art, painting some wonderful brightly coloured animal pictures.  Deer Class have used their Science sessions to prove that light travels in a straight line, with an experiment involving shining a torch at a target, through holes cut in card.

Further down the school, Otters Class have been finding out about the history of seaside holidays.  Linking this to maths and their work on money, they are recreating a seaside shop in the classroom.  They have also been finding out about capital letters, and have been on a walk around the school to find out how and where capital letters are used in signs and on headings.

Children in Early Years have enjoyed more Forest School, learning how to do leaf and bark rubbings and make leaf prints.  Hedgehogs Class have been working hard in the classroom as well, and are becoming more confident in their reading and writing skills.  Hamsters have turned their Home Corner into a zoo this half term, and are finding out all about zoo animals.

 

 

Friday was a lovely day, as we hosted a Macmillan coffee morning to raise funds for this worthwhile cause.  Everyone was welcome to attend, and with plenty of donations of cakes and other goodies, there was a delicious looking spread in the hall for people to enjoy along with a cup of tea or coffee.  The event was well attended and it was lovely to welcome not only parents and grandparents of children in the school, but also Eaton Bray villagers from outside of our school community.

In the afternoon, Deer Class held the first of their "Deers' Delicious Delicacies" stalls in the playground, selling cakes and biscuits that they had made and decorated during Enterprise, along with the cakes that were left over from the coffee morning.  They chose to donate all their takings to Macmillan, and we are pleased to say that in total, from the coffee morning and cake stall, we raised around £350 for the charity.

Thank you to everyone who helped to organise this event, or to support it by donating cakes and coming along to join us and spend money!

Week Ending 23rd September 2016

This week has seen lots of EBA parents enjoying the "Back to School" experience!  Mums and Dads were invited in to school throughout the week, to sit in on a Maths or English lesson.  The objective was to find out how these core subjects are taught, and to observe how their child responds and learns while in school.  Feedback from these sessions was very positive, with parents agreeing that this was a useful and enlightening experience which would help them to assist their children with their learning at home.

On Wednesday evening, there was a Curriculum Evening for parents, which included a presentation on Growth Mindset, as well as plenty of information about learning goals and expectations for the coming year.  This was well attended, and again, parents were appreciative of the opportunity to find out more about their child's education and learning.

The sun has continued to shine this week, and outdoor activities have been enjoyed by all.  Children in Hamsters Class have been exploring their outside area, enjoying sand and water play, being creative in their "mud kitchen," and using chalk to draw on the playground.  Meanwhile, Hedgehogs and Otters Classes have experienced the great outdoors in Forest School.

Squirrels Class learnt all about maps on Tuesday.  They spent some time in the classroom first of all, looking at Ordnance Survey maps, and noting all the different symbols that show where things are.  Then, armed with clipboards and pencils, they made their way around the school grounds and drew their own maps, marking on all the various interesting features that make up our school grounds and buildings - the allotment, bicycle racks, netball posts and so on!

Back in the classroom, Badgers Class have continued their work on "Extreme Earth" this week, by creating their own volcano.  They discovered that bicarbonate of soda mixed with vinegar makes a chemical reaction that resembles lava flowing from an erupting volcano - even more impressive when you add a dash of washing up liquid and red food colouring!

EBA Enterprise children have had a lovely time learning new cooking skills this week.  The Year Five children have practised and perfected their pancake making, and have each made their own pancake which they topped with a filling of their choice - some chose savoury, some sweet... some a bit of both (sausage and marshmallow anyone?)   A group of Year Six children were shown how to make shortcrust pastry, and went home with a very tasty looking Quorn and vegetable pie.  From next week, the Year Six team will be holding a food stall, "Deer's Delicious Delicacies" on Fridays after school, where parents will be able to purchase home made goodies - don't forget to bring some money when you come to pick up your children on a Friday afternoon!

The School Council have had their first meeting of the school year, and have all sorts of exciting plans and ideas.  Their first initiative is to conduct a survey of all the children in the school, and find out what things people want - democracy in action at EBA!  Our Head Boys and Girls have settled into their responsible new roles, and have given out the first of their weekly Head Boys/Girl awards - to the kitchen staff, who work so hard to provide lovely meals!

School Council 2016/17

Head Boys and Girls 2016/17

Week Ending 16th September 2016

The sun shone for our Family Fun Day on Sunday, and everyone who came along had an enjoyable time.  Thank you to all who helped to make this a successful day.

The sun continued to shine into the week - in fact it has been very warm, with record breaking temperatures for September... right up until Friday when the hot humid weather broke with a massive thunderstorm, torrential rain, flood warnings and traffic chaos!

Quite appropriate then that our Creative Curriculum topic for this half term is "Extreme Earth," which encompasses exceptional weather, geological phenomena such as earthquakes and volcanoes, and the extremes of geography - coldest, hottest, highest, lowest etc.

All year groups have now settled nicely into their new classes, and are already working hard!  This year we are embracing the concept of "Growth Mindset", which is an initiative that empowers children and develops within them the belief that they can achieve more through a positive attitude and perseverance.  Within a growth mindset, no-one should say that "I can't do this"; instead they should be saying "I can't do this yet!"

The new children in Hedgehogs Class have settled in well, and have been making the most of the lovely weather with plenty of outdoor activities and fun.  They have also joined in with some of the older children to take part in sports on the field, enjoying ball games and hurdles in the sunshine.

EBA Enterprise has started again with the new Year 5 children, who will be learning cookery skills, starting this week with pancakes! Choices will once again take place on a Friday afternoon.  The children have the opportunity to take part in pottery, art, science, coding, dance and drama and various other exciting activities to take us up to half term.