Week Ending 13th July 2018

A great result for Eaton Bray Academy at the village carnival!

Our fabulous float, featuring an oversized games room won first place!  Well deserved we feel...  Thank you to the wonderful volunteer parents who gave so much of their time and energies to create our winning display.  Thank you also to the parents who kindly shared their photos (below), as school staff were too busy to take any!

 

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Back at school, the lovely summer end of term activities have continued this week.  Otters Class have been to "Wrigglies" pet shop, where they had the opportunity to learn about and get up close to various exotic creatures, including snakes, tortoises and lizards.

 

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On Wednesday, Year Six children had an exciting afternoon.  As part of their STEM learning (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) they embarked on the "K'Nex Challenge".  In pairs, and with the help of two visiting engineering and science experts, they were given the task of designing and constructing a bridge, using K'Nex.  

The bridges were judged on their innovative and practical designs, and prizes awarded to the winners.  Thank you to Mr and Mrs Baker for coming in to help, and for making the afternoon so enjoyable for the children.

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Hamsters have had a busy week.  On Monday the Nursery held an Open Morning and induction session for September new starters.  Then on Thursday, it was Hamsters Class Assembly, where the children that are leaving Nursery and moving on to Reception Class, entertained parents and the rest of the school with their favourite songs.  A lovely morning!

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On Friday, it was "Meet the Teachers" day.  In readiness for September, all the children spent the morning in their new classes, with their new teachers, and we welcomed some additional children who will be joining us in the new school year.

The school was full of activity all day, as we prepared for our Summer Fair, to take place after school on Friday.  Generous parents donated bottles, sweets, bric-a-brac, and enough cakes to feed the entire village!  We are hoping for sunshine, crowds of people enjoying themselves, and lots of money changing hands...!

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Week Ending 6th July 2018

We have had a lovely, busy, hot and sunny week...

On Tuesday, the school was very quiet, as three classes were out on school trips, and many of the Year Six children were off visiting their new schools in preparation for moving up to secondary school next term.

Squirrels Class had a wonderful day out at Woburn Safari Park.  Their day included a guided coach tour around the park, where they saw antelope, giraffe, bear, rhino and experienced the excitement of monkeys climbing over the coaches!  They also enjoyed a "Dessert Springs" talk, where they learnt all about meerkats, and were taken into their enclosure.  The highlight of the day though, was being given the opportunity to get up close to an elephant, and all of the children were able to stroke its leathery skin.

 

 

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Rabbits and Badgers Class meanwhile, visited the Chiltern Open Air Museum, where they took part in a day of prehistory workshops, exploring the Stone Age and Iron Age.  They found out about how early civillisations lived, built houses, clothed and fed themselves, and kept themselves warm.  They very much enjoyed making and covering their faces with pigment, as part of their learning about hunting and gathering!

 

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Wednesday was another exciting day, for everyone in the Main School, as we were visited by a children's book illustrator, Garry Parsons, who came in to talk to the children about his work, and to share with them his love of books.  He worked with each class, giving great tips for illustrating stories, and demonstrating his own skills by producing a series of fabulous cartoons and caricatures, including a lovely EBA design featuring a deer, fox, badger. rabbit, otter and hedgehog!  The children were all entertained and inspired to create their own stories and illustrations.

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On Thursday after school, Deer Class hosted their long awaited Enterprise Fair.  This was the result of many weeks and months of work, following their visit from the "Young Enterprise" team, who generously sponsored the children's endeavours, and the "Dragons Den" event, where the children pitched their ideas to potential investors.. 

There were four teams of children, each of whom set up a stall in the playground to sell the goods they had produced with the money they had been granted.  As well as craft items, stationery, cakes, and very welcome cold drinks, there were also games and competitions that parents and children could enter.  The playground was very busy, and plenty of money changed hands, with each group taking around £50, and therefore doubling their initial investment!

Well done to all the children for organising a successful event, and thank you to all the parents and families who came along to support them.

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On Saturday it is the village carnival once again, and we are looking forward to a day of blue skies and hot sunshine!  Our fabulous volunteer HSA ladies have been working hard to produce a float based on a play room, featuring snakes and ladders, Scrabble, playing cards, and lots of other wonderful toys and games.  We are sure it will be a wonderful day, full of fun!

Week Ending 29th June 2018

What glorious weather we've had this weekend.  Just right for play times on the field, outdoor learning and summer sports!

The week started with a musical celebration, with singing, ukulele and cahon drum performances, violin and vocal solos.  This was all in honour of Mrs Copeland, who, after sixteen years of teaching music and singing at EBA, is retiring this month.  We will all miss her very much, and it will feel strange not to hear her joyous singing echoing through the corridors next term, but wish her a happy and relaxing retirement.  We hope she enjoyed her musical send-off!

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On Wednesday, a group of Year Four and Year Five children came into school very excited, as they were setting off on a three day residential trip.  Their destination was Kingswood in Staffordshire, where they were staying at an outdoor activities centre.

The itinerary for their stay included abseiling, high ropes, archery, obstacle courses, mini Olympics, orienteering and much more!  The weather remained warm and sunny, allowing the children to really make the most of their few days of fun and adventure, returning to school on Friday afternoon, tired and happy.  What a lovely time they have had.

 

 

 

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Back at school, everyone has remained very busy, with jobs in preparation for the village carnival float being distributed, and plans for the EBA Enterprise Fair, and our school summer fundraiser being finalised.  Don't forget to put these important dates in your diary: EBA Enterprise Fair - Thursday 5th July, 3.00 - 4.15pm; Village Carnival - Saturday 7th July; EBA Summer Fundraiser - Friday 13th July, 3.30 - 5.30pm.

The Badger and Foxes children that remained at school had a fun week.  One of their tasks was to plan an imaginary World Cup party!  They were given a hypothetical budget of £20, and had to research and cost out their celebration, make posters and then present their proposed event to the rest of the class.  

Squirrels Class had an interesting homework task this week.  They were asked to choose where they would most like to go in the world, and to write, draw or create a display about what they would see there.  They all put a lot of effort into the task, and produced some really impressive work which they shared with their classmates.  Several of the children expressed a wish to venture to places where they would encounter volcanoes, with a couple of children creating models of volcanoes which actually erupted!

Next week will be another busy week, with day trips planned for Squirrels, Rabbits and Badgers Class, Year Six children visiting their new schools, and a visit to school from a book illustrator on Wednesday!