April 2020

20 Buckden Roundabout April 2020 School and pre - school BUCKDEN CHURCH OF ENGLAND SCHOOL (Primary Academy Trust) March 2020 As Spring approaches, we are looking forward to warm spring like days, following the rather wet weather that February has delivered! It was World Book Day earlier in the month. This year the chil- dren brought in a large potato to make their favourite charac- ter from a book. They used the potato as a base and added feathers, felt, pipe cleaners and other such materials to make their character. We had some very impressive creations includ- ing Elmer the elephant, Harry Potter, a Mexican man and Willy Wonka. Well done to all our students. The PTA organised couple of events this half term including a cinema night and a Mother ’ s Day shop and afternoon tea. The children enjoyed watching the films – the choice this time was Toy Story 4 or The Secret Life of Pets, both excellent films which the children enjoyed. The annual Mother ’ s Day shop was once again very popular. The children were able to buy a Mother ’ s Day present for their mothers/grandmothers. We hope you all liked your presents. Our Year 1 children visited Paxton Pits where they studied the bird life and went mini - beast hunting among their activities. Our Year 6 and Year 4 children visited Grafham Water to take part in the ‘ March for Water ’ for WaterAid. This involved learn- ing about the charity WaterAid and what they do to support the delivery of clean water in all parts of the world. The Key Stage 2 members of the school parliament visited the Recycling Centre at Waterbeach to learn about how recycling helps our environment. They will pass on what they have learnt to the other members of their classes. Our Year 3/4 children have been very busy writing, learning, practising and performing their end of term play. ‘ The Pied Piper ’ was performed to parents and friends who came along and, we hope, enjoyed the production. Well done to all our budding actors and actresses and to the staff who turned their hand to writing, directing, producing, costume and scenery making and prompters. We ended the term with our ever popular Koinonia afternoon, when parents and visitors come into school for the afternoon to celebrate with the children their hard work and achieve- ments over the past half term. All this is followed by tea and cakes courtesy of the PTA. We would like to wish the residents of Buckden a Happy Easter. We look forward to seeing you when we return for the Summer Term on Monday 20 th April. A Buckden Garden As you can see right now, April is when the growing season really starts to get going! Here are a few tips for looking after your garden this month. Basics – The Soil • Good soil structure is vital to high quality plant growth, and walking on wet soil will compact and damage that structure. If pos- sible, use planks to spread your weight, or wait until the soil has dried out before treading on it. • Soil will still be cold after win- ter frost and rains. Delay seed - sowing out of doors until you can see weeds/grass growing strongly - a good sign that soil is starting to warm up at last. • Keep on top of emerging weeds, hoeing regularly to keep them in check and prevent seeding. Blooms • Blossom in the fruit garden is one of the most beautiful sights in April. Every tree ablaze with flowers, holding the promise of the crops to come. Protect blossom when frost is forecast. Small trees or wall/trellis - trained trees can be cov- ered overnight with fleece or other light material. Remove the cover during the day to allow pollinating insects to do their work. • Remove blossom from newly planted fruit trees to conserve energy. In year one the trees need to focus on establishing a good root sys- tem. Water them, and any fruit bushes or canes in dry weather. Wall - trained trees or fruit in containers are par- ticularly prone to drying out. • Keep an area of at least 1m x 1m weed free around all fruit trees and bushes. Weeds and grass compete for food and water and can stunt the growth of a tree or bush. Apply straw mulches around/under established trees and fruit bushes, keeping a 15cm clear area around the tree trunk to deter mice. • Water seedlings in pots and trays from below to avoid fungal diseases developing on wet foliage. Beasties • A patch of unmown long grass adds to the bio - diversity in your organic garden. Butterflies, for instance, like to lay eggs in flowering grasses. • Herbs in flower make excellent bee and beneficial - insect attractants. • Slugs and snails are getting active. Protect your plants! • Watch out for frog spawn in your pond. Provide a ramp, in ponds with sheer sides, so frogs and other creatures can climb out easily.