Week Ending 7th June 2019

On Monday we all returned to school full of enthusiasm for the last few weeks of the summer term.  Hedgehogs, Otters and Squirrels children had an exciting morning, as they released their butterflies in the lovely sunshine.  They were delighted to watch them flutter away, and even more delighted when they returned to land on their hands!

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On Wednesday, Foxes and Deer Classes enjoyed a day out visiting the Verulamium Museum in St Albans.  They looked at a variety of Roman artefacts including mosiacs, pottery, coins, clothing and cooking implements, completing worksheets as they explored the museum.  They learnt all about the hypocaust underfloor heating system, looked at old tombs, and investigated the old Roman city wall. 
 

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On Thursday, Otter Class children enjoyed a superheroes picnic.  They prepared the picnic themselves, using their mathematical skills and knowledge of fractions and division, to slice cakes and pizzas into halves and quarters, and to divide biscuits equally amongst themselves.  They made superhero masks to wear, again using fractions and symmetry to create their designs, before heading out onto the field to enjoy the yummy food after all their hard work!

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Also on Thursday, we bid a fond farewell to a member of staff who has been part of the school for many years. Mrs Young started working as a Teaching Assistant in Hedgehogs Class on June 6th 2006, and her last day with us came exactly thirteen years later on June 6th 2019!  Over this time she has worked with every year group from Pre-School to Year Six, as well as being our IT expert, making sure that the computer systems keep running properly.  We held a special goodbye assembly for her, where the children presented her with cards that they had made themselves.  We will all miss her greatly and wish her well for the future.

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On Friday we celebrated "Wear it Wild" day.  This was a special dress-up day to raise awareness and funds for the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature).  Everyone paid £1 to come to school dressed as animal, and enjoyed a day of fun activities with a wildlife theme.

Badgers Class did lots of crafts with recycled materials, while Squirrels investigated camouflage, painting animal skin patterns to conceal different animals.  Hedgehogs found out about the rainforest and made frogs and snakes to populate their own rainforest, and older children did a quiz to help them learn more about endangered animals.

In the afternoon, all the Choices and Enrichment activities had a "wild" theme, so the children enjoyed wild yoga, wild lego, wild golf, wild gardening and so on!

It was a really grrrrreat day!!

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Week Ending 24th May 2019

What a very busy week to bring us to half term!

Last Friday evening, the PTA held a very successful "Fizz Night".  Forty parents, friends and relatives enjoyed a talk from Matt Pym, a local wine expert, and a bit of wine tasting.  It was a wonderful social event and raised £540 for the PTA to use for the benefit of the school.

Thank you to all who helped organise the event, and to those who bought tickets and supported the school.

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On Tuesday, everyone paid £1 to come into school Wearing Green for the NSPCC.  Visitors from the charity came in to deliver a "Speak Out Stay Safe" assembly to Key Stage One and Key Stage Two, highlighting the work they do, and explaining to children how they can get help if they ever feel worried or unsafe.

In the afternoon, Squirrels Class children had a lovely play in the park and ice lollies in the sunshine to celebrate the completion of their SATs work.

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Wednesday was the day of our annual Sports Day at Stockwood Park athletics stadium, so the whole of Main School travelled by coach to Luton for a day of fun, fresh air and activity.  The weather was perfect for track and field sports, and all the children from the youngest Hedgehog to the oldest Deer, thoroughly enjoyed the day, getting into the spirit of sportsmanship and competition.

This is always a lovely event, and it's wonderful to see just how much the children benefit from the experience of running on a real athletics track.  Many thanks to Mr Whall for organising such a successful day.

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The lovely weather this week has got us all thinking about long hot summer days and eating ice creams!  Each class has the opportunity to win an ice cream treat at the end of term, by collecting the most money in the PTA 5p challenge.  At the half way stage, Hedgehogs Class are the clear leaders, with their bottle so full and heavy that it can barely be lifted!  The other classes will have to work really hard emptying money boxes and digging out 5p coins from the backs of sofas to be in with a chance!

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On Friday lunchtimes, Year Six children enjoy STEM club, which is run by Mr Baker, a STEM specialist volunteer who lives locally.  This week, the children were tasked with finding a means to transport an egg so that it would travel to the ground without breaking.  This involved various initiatives such as cushioning and a parachute, some techniques being more successful than others!  

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On Thursday and Friday this week, we welcomed visitors from Ofsted.  We were pleased to be able to show the inspectors our lovely school, and hope that they shared our views about what a special place it is.  

Now we are all looking forward to a well-deserved half term break - let's hope the sun continues to shine!

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Week Ending 17th May 2019

It's been SATs week this week, and there has been a calm and quiet atmosphere throughout the school as the Year Six and Year Two children have been taking their tests.  All the other children have been very considerate in keeping the noise down, as have parents and other visitors, so thank you to everyone for your support and help.

It's been a beautiful week weatherwise, which means there has been plenty of opportunity to enjoy playtime and fresh air in the lovely sunshine between SATs papers!

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Badgers Class were lucky enough to have had a visit to Whipsnade Zoo on Tuesday.  The weather was perfect, and so was the behaviour of the children!  They saw lots of different animals, including the new baby giraffe and the elephants, watched the birds of prey display, and witnessed the lions and chimpanzees being fed.

Everyone had a fantastic day, and learnt lots about animal adaptation and behaviour.

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Wednesday was another very exciting day.  This year marks the 800th Anniversary of St Mary's Church in Eaton Bray, and to celebrate this, our school choir was invited to take part in a special service, where a very distinguished guest would be present, HRH The Duke of Gloucester.

Twenty-one smartly dressed Eaton Bray Academy children walked down to the church just after lunch on Wednesday, and joined children from Edlesborough and Dagnall Schools, to sing the two songs that they have been  learning: "Look at the World" by John Rutter, and "What a Wonderful World", made famous by Louis Armstrong.

Their voices filled the church and sounded wonderful.  The Duke looked very impressed by their lovely singing, as did the other members of the congregation, which included local dignitaries, villagers and parents.  Following the service, the children waved flags and cheered as the Duke planted a commemorative tree and unveiled a plaque.

We were delighted with the behaviour of the children, not only at the service, but also at the rehearsals at church over the last few weeks, where they represented EBA beautifully.  Special thanks are due to Janet Stone, who comes in weekly on a voluntary basis to take the choir, and has worked so hard to teach the children the songs.

Photo Credit: Eileen Bennett

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 On Thursday, once their final test was over, Deer Class children had an afternoon of food and fun in the sun to celebrate the end of SATs week.  They all changed out of their school uniform to enjoy a picnic in the park, with KFC, and Domino's pizza, then had a long play on the school field - a welcome opportunity to let off steam after all their hard work!

 

 

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Week Ending 10th May 2019

With Monday being Bank Holiday, it's been a short week this week, but plenty going on as usual!

Year Six and Year Two children have been very busy preparing for their SATs, which take place next week.  We're pleased to report that the children are remaining positive, cheerful and confident as they approach these tests, and we are sure that they will do their very best and make us proud... 

Good luck children - have a lovely relaxing weekend, but don't forget the importance of a good night's sleep and a healthy breakfast every day next week to help your brain work well!

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On Wednesday, Key Stage Two children were visited by a team from Google, who came in to deliver a fantastic "Be Internet Legends" assembly.  The children were given lots of information about how to use the internet safely - to be an "Internaut" and not an "Internaughty" - and all took a pledge agreeing to spread the word about online safety using the online safety code:

• Think Before You Share
• Check It's For Real
• Protect Your Stuff
• Respect Each Other
• When In Doubt, Discuss

At the end of the assembly, the children were presented with a certificate proclaiming that they are all "Internet Legends".

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Badgers Class had an interesting Science lesson this week.  They were investigating tooth decay, by looking at the effect that different substances may have on the shell of an egg.  Hard boiled eggs were placed into beakers containing water, cola, orange juice, apple juice and milk, and the children had to predict how they thought each liquid would react with the calcium of the eggshell.  They will observe the eggs over the next week to see what happens - what a great eggsperiment!

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The School Kitchen has produced a new menu for the summer term, with some new dishes and some old favourites.  Everyone, including the very youngest children in Hamsters, enjoys a delicious Wednesday roast!

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On Thursday it was Otters Class assembly which they shared with parents and the rest of the school.  They spoke about the work that the have been doing this year, with photos and videos of their chick rearing, and of the class trip to Luton Town FC.  The children also entertained with a catwalk fashion show, where they showed off their Easter bonnets.  They then shared all that they had learnt about plants in their Garden Centre themed activity corner, and finished off with a lovely songs about chickens!

The activity corner has now been transformed into a wonderful Castle themed area for this term.

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The EBA PTA have been busy organising lots of fun and exciting events for children and adults to take place over the summer term - have a look at the website for details of all that's taking place www.eatonbrayacademy.co.uk/eba-pta.  The first event is the "Spring Fizz Night" which takes place next Friday, 17th May.  This is an evening for Mums and Dads to get together with friends, learn a bit about wine, and enjoy a bit of wine tasting!  Tickets are £15 each, available from the School Office, so if you fancy a night out, then please do come along!

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