July 2023

15 Buckden Roundabout July 2023 School & Pre - School BUCKDEN CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY ACADEMY June 2023 We have returned after half term with only six weeks left to the summer holidays, the end of term will soon be upon us but until then we have lots going on. Over the last couple of days, we have been enjoying the sunny weather, with teachers making the most of this warm weather by taking the children outside for some of their lessons. A very big thank you to the PTA for funding the theatre produc- tion to the whole school of ‘ The Secret Garden ’ which is taking place on the afternoon of Thursday 15 th June, we are sure it ’ s going to be a fabulous experience for the children. The PTA are busily organising the school ’ s Summer Fair and Family Fun Day that ’ s taking place on Saturday 1st July. If you are a local craft person or business that would like a stall please contact buckdenpta@gmail.com. Also if you are a local busi- ness and would like to donate us a raffle prize, that would be most appreciated. So put the date in your diary, it should be a great day, the PTA have planned live music, a magician, face painting, BBQ, bar, local crafts and games. We are very much looking forward to it. We had ID Image Development photographers from St Neots come into school straight after the half term to take our whole class photos. The photographers were very impressed with how well our children behaved and they were lovely to work with. Like our individual pupil photos that we had done in Oc- tober the photos were taken outside and we were very lucky with the weather, we are very much looking forward to seeing the proof photos very soon. Just before half term on Friday 19 th May we had our third Aspi- ration ’ s Day for our upper school children. Our aim for Aspira- tions Day is to share just a few of the interesting and amazing careers there are and to spark interest and maybe make it an aspiration for the children. We had a fabulous day, all with the help of some amazing parents, who came into school to share with us their careers. During the day our visitors shared with the children not only the academic qualifications they would need for each career but the skills that they would use in the future. It was great to see the children so interested and confi- dently asking well thought out questions and getting actively involved. We would like to say how proud we are of our pupils for achieving the RSPB Wild Challenge Silver Award. They have worked consistently to support wildlife at Buckden School, ac- tivities the children have completed range from pond dipping and learning about mini beasts at Paxton Pits, volunteering to clear the pond ready to be developed, taking part in the Big School Clean and sensory mapping to understand the diversity of nature that we have within our school grounds. Our next projects will include building homes for amphibians and the Big School Birdwatch. Do you love books and have a little spare time? We are looking to build a team of volunteers around our library organising, tidying and cataloguing our library books to ensure our children can use our library with ease. Please contact Mrs Heather via the office@buckdenacademy.org if you are interested. It's hard to believe we are now in the last half - term of the school year. The children are certainly in holiday mode, thanks to our transport and travel topic, which we've extended and expanded to follow their interests. Our small world area has seen a succession of transport types, including aeroplanes, buses, cars and boats, inspiring plenty of imaginative play and language around speed and distance. The 'make your own boat' challenge allowed the children to develop their creative and motor skills while exploring floating, sinking and materials. They also enjoyed a selection of transport puzzles, mark mak- ing with foam and cars, and related books including 'Maisie Goes by Plane' by Lucy Cousins. Outside, we set up a large crane and track, and trucks and diggers, so that the children can transfer items and learn about work vehicles. We are now looking forward to a visit from a police officer with their police car, arranged by Miss Estelle. Our home corner has featured a selection of dressing up cos- tumes and accessories alongside a mirror. This enhances their role play and encourages independence in dressing—an im- portant skill for those children leaving us for big school. Talking of our leavers, transition week is coming up and we are looking forward to a visit from Mrs Woodward and Mrs Heal from Buckden Primary School. We are already making plans for our graduation ceremony and leavers' picnic. To support our leav- ers—and our younger children who will soon be the 'big chil- dren'—we are doing lots of work on emotional regulation, helping them build resilience. Last but not least, of course, we are preparing to celebrate Father ’ s Day, and there may or may not be secret projects un- derway! URGENT PLEA: We NEED more committee members! To keep Preschool running to the terms of our constitution going forward, we now require more committee members. Please consider volunteering, even if you only have the odd hour here and there to spare. If you ’ re wondering what's in- volved, don't let this put you off— email buckdenpreschool- committee@gmail.com. Our Chair, Helen, or our Treasurer, Debby, will get back to you, and there's NO OBLIGATION if it sounds like it's not for you. To arrange a visit or apply for a place, please call 01480 810600 or email buckdenpreschool@yahoo.co.uk. For more infor- mation, visit www.buckdenpreschool.co.uk or read our up- dates on https://www.facebook.com/ www.buckdenpreschool.co.uk/