It's been a busy week at Eaton Bray Academy, as all the classes have settled down to their summer term timetables and have begun work on their class topics.
Hedgehogs - The Environment
Otters and Squirrels - Castles
Rabbits and Badgers - The Mayans
Foxes and Deer - The Remarkable Romans
We have lots of exciting plans for this term, with trips and activities to look forward to, including a whole school Shakespeare Day, Badgers Class trip to Whipsnade Zoo, Otters and Squirrels Class trip to Windsor Castle and much more!
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This week the School Library has undergone a bit of a "facelift" and looks marvellous. There is a wonderful welcoming new red wall, and some lovely bright display boards. New student librarians have been selected, and they are taking their new duties very seriously and responsibly.
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On Monday, a special delivery arrived for Hedgehogs, Otters and Squirrels children - three boxes of caterpillars! The children have placed them into special observation jars, and will be able to watch them grow and develop, and turn into butterflies.
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It was cake week this week in Enterprise! The Year Five children researched different recipes and worked in groups to decide what they would like to make. During their Masterchef class on Thursday afternoon, the classroom was full of delicious smells as the children whisked and stirred, cracked eggs, grated oranges and lemons and melted chocolate! There was a lovely variety of cakes from carrot cake and lemon drizzle to rocky road and chocolate fudge, and they all tasted wonderful.
The Year Five children are planning a "Foxes Market" later in the term, and the best of their bakes will be available to buy along with other home-made produce, so watch this space for more information!
Welcome to the Summer term at Eaton Bray Academy! We hope that everyone had a lovely holiday, and enjoyed the fabulous weather over the Easter weekend.
We returned to school on Tuesday 23rd April, which is, of course, St George's Day, so our first day back was a celebration of the patron saint of England. Everyone wore red and white, or, if they wished, the children wore their Brownie or Cub Scout uniform.
At lunchtime, we all enjoyed a traditional Engish picnic on the school field, and tucked into sausage rolls, pork pies and sandwiches provided by the School kitchen. Parents were invited to join us, and there was a lovely friendly atmosphere as the sun shone, children played and adults chatted.
After lunch, the children had an afternoon of team games and sports, which they thoroughly enjoyed. It was a really good day and a happy return to school for all!
On Wednesday morning, Hedgehogs children went for a lovely walk around the village. They saw lots of interesting sights including buildings, blossom on the trees and a beautiful butterfly.
On Wednesday afternoon, everyone in school was surprised when the White Rabbit and Queen of Hearts turned up! They were characters from the Grove Theatre's production of "Alice in Wonderland", who came in to give the children a fifteen minute taster of the performance. The children were very entertained, so we do hope that this will inspire them to want to visit the theatre in the future.
Choices and Enrichment have started again on a Friday afternoon, with activities including Outdoor Pursuits, Gardening, Spanish and Golf.
Last term, one of the Enrichment groups constructed bird boxes, which have been put up in the trees around the School grounds. We were delighted to find, on our return to school this week, that a family of blue tits have made their home in the bird box right outside the School Office window! Upon investigation, we have discovered that there are five eggs in the box. It has been lovely to be able to watch Mummy and Daddy blue tit flitting to and from the nest this week.
The last week of term has been a quiet but enjoyable one, and everyone feels just about ready now for the Easter break!
The Reception and Key Stage One children have continued to enjoy looking after their chicks, and have been fascinated to watch them grow and change. They had to bid them farewell on Friday morning, and all nine chicks have now been happily re-homed. It has been such a lovely learning experience for the children - we do hope to be able to do it again next year.
Throughout the school the children have been enjoying Easter crafts and activities. Otters children made some wonderful spring bonnets for their homework task, and Foxes Class children had a fabulous time making Easter Eggs for their Enterprise Masterchef challenge!
Friday was Non-Uniform and Games Day, and the children also enjoyed their usual end of term Talent Show. There were dancers and gymnasts, musicians and singers and a very funny comedy routine from a group of Year Two girls!
It's been a really egg-citing week for Key Stage One children! On Monday morning they took delivery of a clutch of eggs, in a temperature controlled incubator, which took up residence in Squirrels classroom.
The children were very keen to see what was going to happen, and watched the eggs closely all through Monday and Tuesday. They were excited to see the first cracks appearing in the shells on Tuesday afternoon.
Then on Tuesday evening, when Mr Meade was locking up the school for the night, he spotted that this had happened...
And on Wednesday morning, when we arrived at school we were greeted with this!
Overnight, eight out of ten eggs had hatched. Then during the course of the morning, the children were utterly delighted when they got to witness a further egg hatching, watching transfixed, as chick number nine made its way into the world.
The chicks - five girls and four boys - have been transferred into a cosy new home. They are growing and thriving, and getting more and more fluffy! The children (and adults) love them and are enjoying watching and caring for them. They have been writing "chick diaries", drawing pictures and learning all about the life cycle of chickens.
We will have the chicks for another week, at which point they will be re-homed, and we look forward to seeing how much they grow and change over the next few days. Please enjoy a fascinating time lapse video that was taken overnight on Tuesday.
It's Mothering Sunday this weekend, and throughout the school, the children have been finding out about the traditions and origins of this day, and working on various secret projects!
Rabbits Class children made their own flowers for homework, to represent the bunches of flowers which young girls used to pick for their mothers in days gone by. They had a flower parade around the classroom, and enjoyed a home baked a simnel cake which was traditionally eaten for Mothering Sunday tea.
Meanwhile, Hedgehogs Class investigated the Japanese art technique of Hapa Zome to make floral decorations. This involves hammering leaves and flowers onto cloth, to release the natural pigment, with very attractive results.
Hamsters children treated family members to a special Mothers Day assembly on Thursday morning, with songs and special messages for their Mums. Afterwards there was tea, coffee and pastries for all to enjoy.
On Friday afternoon the children enjoyed Choices and Enterprise once again. As usual there was plenty going on around the school, including gardening, cricket on the field, and a visit from our good friend Dr Bell in "World of Work". The Lego Choices group had a lovely time making fruit from Lego!
