January 2022

22 Buckden Roundabout January 2022 School & Pre - School As this column is being written, we ’ re still busy preparing for Christmas. However, we started December by teach- ing the children about the Jewish festival of Chanukah with the help of our Book of the Week, ‘ Sammy Spider ’ s First Chanukah ’. The children loved the lit candles and the doughnuts! We ’ re focusing on the festive season, so we ’ ve provided plenty of Christmas and winter - themed books and intro- duced the winter - set Stickman, by Julia Donaldson, as our Book of the Week. We ’ ve also started them working on their Christmas craft creations—they ’ re intended as gifts, so we can ’ t say what they are in case Santa is late to your house! They ’ ve been decorating their Christmas stockings and the Preschool Christmas tree too. The Christmas gift wrapping station has been encouraging their communication and language skills as well as their fine motor skills. Even our maths area has been given a festive touch, with a numeral and quantity matching ex- ercise using advent calendar drawers and Unifix blocks. Not everything has been Christmas - themed, though: the home corner was set up with a train track with lots of accessories, and it ’ s now hosting our large wooden doll ’ s house and figurines. Imaginative play is important not just for language development, but for social and emo- tional development and knowledge of the world, too. Looking forward to the new year, we have plenty of new starters to welcome in January and a visit from an oral health educator, helping to support a new EYFS recom- mendation to include oral hygiene in our health promo- tion. Finally, if you ’ ve been inspired by the season of giving and have even just an hour to spare here and there, we would love you to give them to Preschool! We still re- quire new committee members. There ’ s no need take on a key role or responsibilities (unless you want to, of course!)—whatever time you could spare would be gratefully received. To find out more, contact Debby buckdenpreschooltreasury@gmail.com or Jo buckden- preschoolchairperson@gmail.com All our staff, children and committee members wish everyone a Happy New Year! To arrange a visit or apply for a place, please call 01480 810600 or email us at buckdenpreschool@yahoo.co.uk . For more information, visit www.buckdenpreschool.co.uk or our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ www.buckdenpreschool.co.uk/ BUCKDEN CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY ACADEMY January 2022 As we come to the end of anoth- er year adjusting to the new nor- mal of living with Covid, we re- flect on what a year it has been both personally and life at school. Sadly, it is the second year that we have been unable to invite parents into school to help celebrate the festive season, but we have carried on with the festivities with the children at school. We videoed our Reception children performing their Christmas play ‘ Born in a Barn ’ which parents were invit- ed to watch online. The children worked hard to perfect their roles and it was well received by the parents. The children enjoyed their Christmas dinner, provided by Mrs Bigg and her team with the usual enthusiasm and good humour. Christmas carols added to the atmos- phere. In order to raise funds, the PTA arranged for our children to draw a festive picture in class which was then upload- ed to a website called My Childs Art. Parents were able to order personalised Christmas cards and gifts from their child ’ s art work. The children enjoyed drawing and colouring and produced some fabulous artwork, we hope the recipients of their personalised cards and gifts en- joyed them too. The staff, pupils and members of the school family would like to take to opportunity to wish the residents of Buck- den a very Happy Christmas and a safe New Year. The school re - opens for the Spring Term on Tuesday 4 th January 2022 .