April 2023

15 Buckden Roundabout April 2023 School & Pre - School BUCKDEN CHURCH OF ENG- LAND PRIMARY ACADEMY March 2023 As Spring approaches, we are looking for- ward to warm sunny days, especially as we have had snow this week mid - March! Our Reception children have re - started visiting the lovely resi- dents of Hardwick Dene one afternoon every couple of weeks to share their books and both children and the residents are enjoying this immensly. Various sporting teams from Key Stage 2 have been visiting other schools and venues to participate in Football and Rugby fixtures. Our hockey teams from Year 5 and 6 recently went to St Ives Outdoor Centre to take part in the Quicksticks Hockey Tournament run by The Hunts School Sports Partnership. The children played fabulously and had fun in the process, they celebrated lots of success and showed exemplary sportsman- ship in supporting each other, we were very proud of their performance as with all our sporting teams. A team of eight Year 6 children took part in the Huntingdon- shire Rotary Club quiz, they answered questions within the categories of general knowledge, geography, plants and ani- mals. They impressed us immensely with their knowledge and after all 3 rounds of 50 questions, finished 3 rd place out of ten schools. Well done to Year 6. As a school we will be joining in Access All Arts Week which is a nationwide week - long celebration of the arts in June. Our chil- dren have been creating portraits of someone that is an inspi- ration to them within the school community. The children ’ s artwork will be submitted to a panel of artists at Sky Arts and if lucky enough chosen to appear on the Sky Arts channel so fin- gers crossed for our budding artists. During the last half term, we had a very active morning taking part in a sponsored fitness circuit session with Sean Rose who is a Paralympian gold medallist and adventurer. He finished the morning with an assembly where he shared his story, which the children were amazed by his resilience and positive outlook and he was a true inspiration to us all. Many pupils had the opportunity to ask Sean questions too. Following on from this special day the children raised an amazing amount of sponsorship money which will help the school purchase new sports/PE equipment. Just before half term the PTA organised a school disco which the children loved and also raised an amazing £800. The total raised so far by the PTA this school year is a tremendous £6134 with events coming up this term such as a Quiz night at The Vine, Mother ’ s day gift from children, second hand uniform sale and break the rules day on the last day of term. If you are a local crafts person or local small business the PTA are looking for stall holders for this year ’ s summer fair on Sat- urday 1 st July 11.00am to 3.00pm. A single table is £15 and a double table £20 with a donated prize for the raffle. For fur- ther information please email buckdenpta@gmail.com. Along with the rest of the schools in the country we celebrated World Book Day on Thursday 2 nd March. This year the children were able to come to school in their pyjamas and bring along their favourite book. The children had fun doing lots of book themed activities, and especially enjoyed the World Book Day class party where they were treated to a hot chocolate and biscuit whilst sharing some of their favourite stories. Donations raised on the day will help the school purchase more exciting books for our library. We would like to wish the residents of Buckden a Happy East- er. We look forward to seeing children and parents when we return for the Summer Term on Monday 17 th April. It ’ s been another fun - filled month of learning through play for the children, with activities that have been inspired and devel- oped in reaction to their interests. One major activity with the potential to expand their skills and understanding in several areas was our sensory dino tray. This has featured playdoh, straws, matchsticks, pom poms, chip- pings and foam. These materials were used to create dinosaur habitats, explore textures, and provoke discussions about where and how dinosaurs lived, and how to describe sensory experiences using describing words. While they were building their dino habitats, they were also honing their fine motor skills—essential for using tools and implements accurately, from knives and forks to pencils and scissors. It soon became clear we had a few dino experts, who told us that some dinosaurs were plant eaters and others, meat eat- ers. This prompted discussion about eating and categorising. The activity carried on developing as the children enjoyed sto- ries and facts about dinosaurs, helped by the great collection of books picked for us by Sally at the library. We extended the STEM learning by creating ice dinosaur eggs, helping the chil- dren explore and discuss freezing and melting. We also followed the children ’ s interest in water activities. We offered different items for the floating and sinking tray, and mark - making, using slate boards, paintbrushes and water to try and copy letters from their names. These activities provided great opportunities for the children to practise getting into their all - in - one waterproofs, becoming more confident with dressing independently. This is important for school readiness. The children also enjoyed our brand new puzzles and restyled craft table, including making mystery gifts for a special upcom- ing occasion. Their imaginative play and mathematic language was stimulated by a supermarket in the home corner, with tills, money and real packets. Outside, they enjoyed the washing station with soapy water, sponges and cloths, in response to their need to wipe the dinosaurs free of foam and clean sand off the cars! We also managed to fit in celebrating World Book Day, when the children were invited to bring in their favourite story, and International Women ’ s Day, where the children showed pic- tures and talked about a woman important to them. We ’ re now getting ready for British Science Week. CLEANER WANTED We are seeking to recruit a cleaner for Preschool. For more details, please contact Helen, our chairperson, at buckdenpre- schoolcommittee@gmail.com for more details. To arrange a visit or apply for a place at Buckden Preschool, please call 01480 810600 or email us at buckdenpre- school@yahoo.co.uk. For more information, visit www.buckdenpreschool.co.uk or read our updates on https:// www.facebook.com/www.buckdenpreschool.co.uk/