Boxford CEVC Primary School

On Tuesday evening we were treated to a wonderful celebration of music, from brass in Year 4 to Rock n Roll in Year 6! Well done to all the children who took part and a massive thank you to all the staff.

On Tuesday 11 July 2017, Year 5 spent a cloudy but warm day visiting the ancient port of Harwich. We started at the fascinating Mayflower Project, where the children learnt about the Pilgrims’ journey to the New World, and we then travelled around the corner to see the original house of the ship’s captain. Delicious ice-creams on the pier followed, after which we visited one of the oldest cinemas in the country (sadly not open at the time). Our wonderful day continued with lunch on the beach, and a flying visit to the RNLI museum and gift shop, at which point the heavens opened and we dashed for the coach. We returned to school tired but happy!

Fantastique! What a wonderful day we had. Dressed in red, white and blue, we cooked French toast, studied French Art, built Éiffel Towers, read Handa's Surprise in French and danced La Farandole! We played French parachute games outside and ICT games inside! Year 6 also produced some highly informative French fact files. We ate a French menu at lunchtime and finished the day with a story - Jack et le Haricot Magique.

C'était formidable!

Reported by Daisy W from Year 6 - Thank you Daisy

On Wednesday 21st June 2017, we had our annual Summer Sports Day. It was the hottest day in nearly 42 years - being 34ºc!

We had a range of activities such as: basketball, croquet, sack racing, egg and spoon and football. Personally my favourite was the welly throwing, because everyone was so good and competitive.

At lunch our parents joined us for a big picnic out in the perfect sunshine. After a very hot afternoon Sycamore won and Morgan R and Callum H were crowned the fastest runners in Year 6.

As part of their Rivers and Coasts theme, Year 6 did some fieldwork in the River Box. They measured flow, depth and looked at the life in the river. Our thanks to Sarah, who let us use her garden, and to Merle and Ed from the Environment Agency. Did you know that only 0.0002% of all the Earth's water is rivers?

WOW! What an amazing production of Alice in Wonderland we were treated to last Thursday and Friday night. It is magical to watch the Year 6 production; seeing all the children we have watch grow from reception, or flourish as new joiners, reach for the stars in this week each year. So, so well cast - who else could have played the Queen of Hearts? Special thanks to Karen at her team at the Theatre Arts Academy and especially FOBS, who funded this amazing experience. Putting on a show of that calibre in 4 days is quite something and we simply could not do it without FOBS support. 

Another fantastic day. Groups have taken part in all the activities from yesterday as well as the Zip Wire and Tree Climbing. We have just had roast dinner and chocolate cake which were both delicious. As I type the Thorpe Woodlands 2017 Talent Show is about to begin... 

A great evening; manhunt in the forest, collecting firewood and then toasting marshmellows on the campfire!

After an emotional farewell from the parents (for some; there were definite cheers from others!) we set off on our journey to Thorpe Woodlands. We arrived in good time and were greeted by our instructors for the week. Much amusement then followed when it was time to make their own beds! It was then time to get to know our surroundings with a tour of the grounds. Lunch was next with huge, filled baguettes and some lovely flapjack. After lunch we started the 'team challenges' where the groups had to work as a team to succeed; quickly learning they needed to help each other. There has already been some fantastic examples of persevering and pushing beyond fears, as well as some amazing support shown towards their peers. After a quick break for a drink we started on the orienteering. 

As I type this we have finished dinner (the children have cleaned up and wiped down the tables!)  and they are now headed to their evening activity, which I will post about later this evening. For the moment enjoy these pictures from Day 1!

Last week the Year 6s spent the entire week working on a project based around their topic 'Rivers and Coasts'. The children choose a world river or coastal region and set about working on their brief. The project included English, Geography, Maths, Science, Music, Art and Computing. The children proudly showed off their efforts to their parents on Friday. Well done Year 6.

We are delighted to announce that Boxford is now recognised as a Linguamarque Silver school. Mrs Tassel, our Primary Languages Coordinator, was visited in school by Dr Marina Dixon, Languages Advisor. 

Her purpose was to inspect the evidence of Primary Languages provision in the school as part of the school's bid for Linguamarque accreditation. This is a nationally recognised way of showing standards in the subject.

Congratulations to all the staff and children and especially Mrs Tassel who has worked tirelessly to achieve this award. 

Year 3 and 4 had a wonderful day on Wednesday (luckily the rain held off!). We spent the morning pond dipping and mini beast hunting.. We also got to see a tree that is home to a woodpecker, who really has made their mark upon it! We ate our picnic lunch under the trees which was lovely. In the afternoon we went orienteering around the woods and everyone made it back in time! After that the much anticipated trip to the shop happened. A great day and a huge thank you to the parents who were able to help. 

Year 3 and 4 welcomed their families in on Thursday afternoon to see all the wonderful work they have been doing. The children have worked very hard this half term and have produced some fantastic work - well done Year 3 and 4!

On Wednesday KS2 had a wonderful day examining 'Space'. All classes spent time in the space dome and were amazed by what they saw. As were the staff! It was an amazing experience and gave us all so much to think and talk about.  A big thank you to FOBs, who's class funding meant this day could take place. As one child said 'BEST DAY AT SCHOOL EVER!'.

On Monday we were very lucky to welcome three Police officers into school for the day. The children had a wonderful day asking lots of questions and learning lots. A huge thank you to Mr Barlow and his colleagues for spending the day with us. 

To end their unit of working on 'Time' Year 3 had to plan a school trip to London. It involved trips to the London Eye, a boat trip down the Thames and a visit to Big Ben. They had to work out what time to get what train, whether the train or bus was quicker, how long the boat ride would last, how long they needed for lunch etc etc. They also needed to work backwards to see what time they need to meet in the morning to head off to London. It was a lot more work than any of them realised! They all said they had no idea how much maths went into planning a day out!

Here are some of our year 3 children enjoying a lunchtime game of 'La Tomate', during French Games Club. A game enjoyed by all, as you can see!

For World Book Day on March 2nd we had a themed day centred around inspiration from books.  It was wonderful to see so many creative costumes that the children (and staff) had on show for the day. 

We celebrated a wide range of learning from the day in our end of day assembly.  Diary entries as a character; writing biographies of favourite authors; making mini puppets of characters for drama shows and designing their own 'Marvellous Medicines' were just some of the various tasks the children enjoyed.  Year 2 and Year 6 also enjoyed a paired reading session in the afternoon with children reading to each other and sharing their favourite books.

Don't forget to use your £1 token and enter the World Book Day competition!  Remember books are not just for World Book Day, enjoy them every day!

On Tuesday 7th of February Years 3 and 4 went on a wonderful trip to Colchester Castle to learn more about their topic The Romans. We had a fantastic day that involved making a Celtic roundhouse and a Roman Villa, exploring the vaults of the castle, which are the original foundations of the Temple of Claudius and of course a visit to the shop! Year 4 photos to follow..

On Friday 3rd February the whole school took part in the NSPCC Number Day. Children came to school dressed as a number or a shape - well done to everyone for their wonderful efforts and especially those who won a prize! All the classes took part with lots of different activities centered around the money they had brought in to donate. In total we raised £215.88 for the NSPCC - well done Team Boxford!

FG spent the day exploring different aspects of Chinese New Year and the elements of Chinese culture. They explored the festival…...made red Lucky Packets, did Chinese writing (wrote Good Luck) Learnt how to say Happy New Year in Chinese (Kung Hei Fat Choy). They also ate noodles, beansprouts and rice with chopsticks in our Chinese restaurant and even paid the bill at the end! 

Parents joined us to learn more about the way we teach the Letters and Sounds programme. Children joined us to play phonic games and to show their parents how we use different resources during our phonics sessions. Thank you to all the parents who attented, if you would like to find out more about the teaching of phonics please have a look at our website page.

For our Tudor topic, Year 5 looked at Tudor architecture and design. In Art and DT they then designed and made their own individual houses. We set them up as a crooked Tudor village. Very realistic!

In Year 3 we have been learning to dance a traditional French song - Jean Petit qui danse.

In Year 6 we learned to sing Silent Night (Stille Nacht) and sang it in the church at Christmas.

Across the school , our last half termly French song was '1Km a pied'.

We have also had a visit from a French Storytelling Theatre. Years 1-6 had the pleasure of watching a re-telling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears and The Three Little Pigs in French! Highly engaging and good fun, the children joined in with the words and actions.

We thank FOBS, who kindly paid for this valuable learning experience.

Amongst all the joy of the last day of term there were tears shed by staff and children at the departure of Mrs Linton. We rounded the day off with a singing assembly - what else! Mrs Linton led each year group in some of the songs they had sung with her this year. She was then surprised by Year 6 who sang ABBA's 'Thank You for the Music' which they had adapted especially for her. It was a wonderful way to say good bye. She will be dearly missed but we can't wait to hear all about her travels and look forward to seeing her soon. 

On the last day of term Year 6 popped down to the FG classroom to share some stories. The session was enjoyed immensely by both sets of children and Mr Wainwright was there to capture it!

No school would be complete at Christmas without an EYFS Nativity! It is always the first we see in school and really gets us all into the festive spirit. Once again the children were amazing; proudly acting and singing infront of the whole school and then to their families. A big well done to the children as well as Mrs Gibbens and her amazing team. 

What a feast we were treated to on Thursday with our annual Christmas Dinner. The hall was packed as usual with children, staff and governors. The kitchen truly outdid themselves, a big thank you to them for all their hard work. 

On Thursday Year 6 attended a magnificent Tudor Banquet. They drank wine (blackcurrant!) from the goblets they made and fired themselves. They ate pottage and bread, that they had also made. Followed by 'Man of Ginger'. After their feasting the entertainment consisted of a selection of Tudor dancing and Tudor music - all performed by the children themselves. It was a wonderful end to what has been a fantastic topic, that the children have really enjoyed. At the end of the day the children welcomed their parents in to look at all the wonderful work they have produced this term. Well done year 6!

Well what can I say? An amazing afternoon and even more magical evening performance. The children in Years 5 and 6 shone through the evening like the stars that they are. Year 4 made wonderful guest appearances with their brass instruments and kazoos! A special thank you to Mrs Linton who achieves such great things with our children and will be sorely missed - what an act to follow!

Last Thursday the Foundation children and their teachers came to school in their PJ's! A wonderful day was had - bedtime stoires, hot chocolate and cookies, cuddles with teddy bears and much more. Have a look at the pictures below to see what we got up to.

Friday 18th November saw us raising funds for Children in Need in style. Children came to school dressed in spots and brought a donation with them - raising £388.15! During the day classes learnt more about the charity and took part in different activities. Classes baked biscuits and other sweet treats to sell at the end of the day which raised a further £95.85. A big well done to all the children for their efforts and a thank you to our parent body for their fantastic support. 

As part of our topic on Family Celebrations we invited our Grandparents to school for a special reading afternoon. We shared wonderful cakes that had been prepared by the school kitchen. We sang songs together and shared books. It really was a wonderful afternoon. Thank you to all the Grandparents who gave up their time to join us.

On a beautiful sunny Wednesday in October, Year One and Two were transported back in time on their visit to Hedingham Castle. We investigated the castle, finding evidence that it was once a home for many people. We saw lots of weapons and tools. We learnt about different parts of the castle and their function. We also had the chance to dress up and play outside the castle.

It was a fantastic trip!

What a fantastic day!  The children at Boxford Primary travelled around the world in style.  So much to see and learn.  They investigated different foods, cultures and languages on their journeys.  Please view our photos and videos to find out more.  Here’s a list of where we went:

Reception – France

Years 1 and 2 – Japan

Years 3 and 4 – India, Japan and Spain

Years 5 and 6 – Italy and Germany

On Thursday 29th September we celebrated our annual Harvest Festival in the church. We were joined by Reverends Judith and Tricia who led a lovely service. The children brought a wonderful selection of Harvest gifts and we were all blown away by the generosity - just look at the pictures! The children sang our favourite Harvest songs beautifully and a special well done to our Foundation children for doing so well in their first whole school assembly in the church. Thank you to all the parents who were able to come and celebrate with us and a special thank you for all your wonderful donations. 

It was a wonderful first day back at Boxford School. Roving reporters in 6E spent the morning reporting on all the changes to the school - from the new boiler to our new Headteacher. All the writing in this entry in Italics was written by the pupils in 6E.

THE NEW OFFICE

Over the summer, Mrs Mayhew and Mrs Clarke’s office has been transferred to the former computer room, where they have a lot more space and equipment. On Monday the Fifth of September, we interviewed  Mrs Mayhew and Mrs Clarke on their experience in their new and old offices.  First, we asked them whether they liked their new office and they replied,”Yes!” They said they much preferred their new office and it was too soon to tell if anything would need changing! They have some new shelves and their favourite thing about it is all the space!

THE NEW ENTRANCE

The new entrance makes a big difference to the appearance of our school. Another good thing is that Mrs Gibbens no longer has people having to trample through her playground to reach their classroom. The gates open at eight thirty in the morning for the school children to make their way to their classrooms and closes in the evening after the teachers have left the school premises.

The next reporting team looked into the new boiler - they soon realised it was slightly different to their boilers at home!

The New Boiler!

This summer the school installed a new boiler and took out the old one. We interviewed the boiler men and we asked them some questions and found out some interesting things. The boiler controls the hot water and heating for the entire school. All the equipment in the boiler room is worth £100,000! And finally, it’s an oil boiler, not a gas one.

Aside from all the changes to the school building we also have some new teachers. Mr Wainwright in Year 6 and Miss Abrehart in Year 2.

It is the start of a new term and we are greeted by some new faces. Firstly, our new Year 2 teacher called Miss Abrehart.

We interviewed Miss Abrehart to find out some more about her. She has been teaching for two years and says that her old school is very different to ours. She said that her favourite thing about the school is the opportunities the children have for creative learning.

~

Our group has been interviewing a new teacher called Mr Wainwright. We found out that he has worked in 5 different schools and has been teaching for 19 years. His favourite lesson to teach is maths and he became a teacher because he loves working with children. We also discovered that he supports Norwich and West Ham but also like cricket.

And last, but not least, our new Headteacher Mrs Davies

A New Headteacher

Our new Headteacher, Mrs Davies, has come from Hintlesham school, where she was also the Head.

She became a headteacher 6 years ago, and she was 25 when she started to teach.  We asked her if she liked this school and she thinks it is fabulous. Her old school was a happy place and the children were keen to learn.

When she was younger she wanted to teach and her dream came true! Mrs Davies is married and she has two children, one is 14 and one is 17.