Read below to find out more about some of the different activities we have been getting up to; from sporting and musical activities, to visitors and 'wow' days. We are looking forward to helping our children 'explore and grow' further in 2023-24.

• Parents Association Fundraising

  Wed 20 Dec 2023 M Davis

  A huge thank you to our newly re-formed Parents Association who have run two hugely successful events in the past fortnight to fundraise for the school.

   

  Friday 8th December saw the Christmas Fayre relocate to the village hall, where there is a bit more space for stalls and fundraising! It was great to be able to use this community space, and therefore be able to invite the community in to take part in the proceedings. There were lots of amazing stalls with fun and games, a raffle, face painting, craft stalls, cake and tea and coffee and Santa's Grotto, amongst many other things. A total of £741.52 was raised - fantastic!

   

  A week later we returned to the village hall for Christmas Bingo. It was lovely to see all ages coming together from both the school and the village community to play Bingo and win some amazing prizes. A great time was had by all - and £631.55 was raised. 

   

  A particular thank you to Sophie, Tracey and Claire who have taken on the leadership of the parents association, and to all others who contributed and helped set up/ clear up afterwards. The future of the parents association looks bright!

• Christmas in a Day

  Tue 19 Dec 2023 M Davis

  'Christmas in a Day' is always my favourite day of the year - and this year did not disappoint!

   

  We started the day with a walk up to Exton church. It was lovely to walk and chat with the children. Thank you to all the extra adults who joined us for the walk. 

   

  Our church service was led by Teal Class this year for the first time. Not only did the guide us through the story of Christmas with beautiful clear readings, but they also provided a beautiful tableau of the nativity. This was interspersed with the normal collection of favourite carols, including the now traditional 'Sheep, Sheep, Sheep', 'The Holly and the Ivy' in three parts, and 'Hark the Herald' with the descant sung by the headteacher!

   

  After a slightly damp walk back to school, there was just time to create some Christmas hats in time for our Christmas dinner, beautifully cooked by Lizzy and her team. There were crackers and hats for everyone too!

   

  After lunch we had our Christmas party, where the teachers led us in some party games. Just after 2pm we had a special visit from Father Christmas, who found time to pop in on his way to the North Pole. More games ensued, before it was finally hometime.

   

  What a great day!

• Vet Visit

  Mon 18 Dec 2023 M Davis

  On the final Monday of term we were lucky to be visited by Oakham Veterinary Hospital, who brought a range of activities and information with them about what they do as vets. There were lots of things to explore - from X-Rays to ultrasound; veterinary clothing to animal teeth and bones. A huge thank you to Jess and her colleague for bringing so many amazing resources to share. The children had an amazing time and have all come away with a greater understanding of not only the work of vets and veterinary nurses, but also of the science behind animals.

• Exton Art Day - Celebrating 100 Years of Disney

  Fri 15 Dec 2023 M Davis

  After a very busy week of Christmas performances, it was lovely to spend Friday looking at the animations of Disney as part of our termly Art Day. Thank you to Miss Barker for organising this.

   

  Each class took a different focus, and explored the animation and art techniques used. Aqua Class focussed in on the movie 'Frozen' and explored creating backgrounds and characters to be placed in front of these. Teal Class looked at the Lion King and creating animal characters; whilst Cobalt looked at early Disney animations and learnt how to make 'flick books' using early animation techniques. 

   

  There was some super discussion on art techniques throughout the day, and a good time was had by all!

   

   

• Christmas Performances

  Thu 14 Dec 2023 M Davis

  Our Christmas performances are always a favourite time of the school calendar!

   

  This year, Aqua class shared their Nativity - 'A Wriggly Nativity' with us. It was certainly very wriggly! As well as sharing with us the story of the birth of Jesus, there was some great dancing, enthusiastic singing and superb narration for both performances. Considering this was the first time on the stage for half of the cast, they did an amazing job. I am sure we will all be singing the songs for months to come!

   

  Our oldest children in Cobalt Class then followed with their annual Pantomime. This year was a brand new script, written especially for the children by the staff, entitled 'Happily Ever After'. This year the story followed the Prince as he struggled, yet again, to find his one true love. After bumping into many 'strong, independent women' in the forest, and avoiding the many evil princes; and with a little help from his friends, he eventually discovered that his 'one true love' was actually the excellent group of friends he had had in the school since he was 4. Again, there was enthusiastic singing and dancing, as well as some great comic acting from all of the children. It is always a delight to see those children who joined us in EYFS as 'shy sheep' flourishing in their year 6 performance with great confidence.

   

  Thank you to all those involved in both performances - in script writing, directing, helping learn lines, choreographing, costuming and accompanying. The biggest thanks should go to the stars of both shows - the children!

• Parents Drop-In: To do boards

  Tue 05 Dec 2023 M Davis

  It was lovely to welcome a group of parents to school on 5th December for our first Parent Drop-In. This time we focussed on helping our children become more independent at home in their routines through creating 'to do' boards for the morning and the evening. There was tea, coffee, biscuits and chat, as well as the opportunity to create something to help with children at home. It was lovely to meet in an informal way and have the opportunity to chat through how to help the children at home. 

• Carols Round the Tree

  Fri 01 Dec 2023 M Davis

  It was wonderful to join together with villagers for our annual 'Carols Round the Tree' to mark the beginning of the festive season. This year the singing was held round the tree at the end of Garden Road. Carols were lustily sung, including favourites such as 'Hark the Herald' and 'Away in a Manger', before concluding with a round of 'We wish you a Merry Christmas'.

   

  A huge thank you to David Healey and his team for providing the trees again this year. 

• Year 5/6 RLT Football Tournament

  Fri 01 Dec 2023 M Davis

  On a slightly chilly Friday afternoon, our year 5/6 Football team took part in the latest round of the RLT Football Tournament. There was some excellent defending and some near-misses for goals. Well done to all of those who took part for great teamwork and sportsmanship, and thank you Mrs Ranson for organising everyone.