News from Bablake Junior and Pre Prep School
A Mark in History
There is no doubt that Covid-19 has made its mark on history and on a generation of young people that will forever remember its impact.
During a period when terms such as lockdown, bubbles, remote learning, and face masks dominate our conversations and anxiety fills the atmosphere, the strength and resilience of our school community shines brightly. Our pupils found their rhythm within the first month of returning to school from a long period of isolation, deprived from the normality of the classroom and friendships. It was fabulous to hear the enthusiastic voices and feel the energy return to our school buildings once again. Co-operation, responsibility, and ownership resonated in the determined approach of our pupils and staff to steer us through these unprecedented times.
During the term we have aspired to re-establish a sense of purpose and belonging amongst our pupils. A focus on the wellbeing of our pupils and staff is the underlying thread that has kept the spirit of positivity in the daily activities of our school. Our Wellbeing Day, led by the Junior School staff, showcased strategies and fun activities centered on mindfulness, which emphasised a greater awareness of the importance of physical and emotional wellbeing. It has been impressive to bear witness to the simple acts of kindness shown by our pupils. These special moments are what make it such a privilege to be part of the Bablake family.
Christmas has finally arrived, the perfect time to reunite with family and friends. From everyone here at Bablake Junior School we wish you a Merry Christmas.
Mr Lorrian Holder Headmaster
Kindergarten
Celebrating Festivals
Kindergarten have been working hard on projects this term for Guy Fawkes and Diwali. They’ve learned about the different festivals and how they are celebrated. There has been a lot of glitter to make everything sparkle and the children enjoyed learning a new way to paint using spray bottles to give the effect of fireworks.
Lots of mess but lots of fun!
A VISIT FROM THE PHONICS FAIRIES!
As if by magic, the children have been visited by not one, but two Phonics Fairies this term. Felicity and Fiona arrived in an explosion of glitter and introduced the children to the Song of Sounds.
Whilst we may not have been able to sing the song quite as we would usually, it has certainly helped with the recall of sounds and linking them to matching graphemes.
After a fantastic and magical start to our phonics journey in preparation for reading and writing, we have been working on toy talk, talking like a robot to hear the sounds within words and developing fine motor skills. The children need to have the necessary strength within their shoulders, arms, wrists and fingers in order to form letters correctly.
When Fiona and Felicity visited a second time, the children were able to show how much they had learned and improved in their knowledge and use of phonemes, graphemes and even digraphs.
Witnessing the Reception children’s progression throughout their phonics journey has been delightful. They have grown in confidence and their knowledge has empowered them to become super readers and writers. A huge well done to all of you for your hard work Reception!
Mrs Robinson
year 1 SUPERHEROES ASSEMBLE
Superheroes assembled at The Grange and it was quite a sight to behold. We had doctors, nurses, Gecko and Spiderman to name but a few. They put their superpowers to the test for the duration of the day.
We investigated and measured which superheroes had the longest jump and whether it made a difference if they had the longest legs – it didn’t!
We tested our powers of creativity when designing our own new superhero lollypop stick characters.
The real test was when the superheroes went head to head with the teachers to find the most waterproof material for a new cape.
It was a busy day filled with fun and adventures abound. We aren’t sure who enjoyed it more; the Year 1 superheroes or the Year 1 staff!
year 2
Forest Friends
This term Year 2 have really celebrated the wonders of Mother Nature. As part of their Forest Friends Day, the children took part in a variety of activities linked to the great outdoors.
• The children printed leaves into clay, using their tools to add detail to their clay models, and then added the finishing touches by painting them to create some wonderful decorative ornaments. The end results were impressive!
• To encourage more wildlife to our school grounds, the children worked together to make bird feeders. The finished results looked great and were a tasty treat for the birds to enjoy!
• They had great fun working together in teams to create large scale land art inspired by Andy Goldsworthy using an array of foraged natural materials.
• They also took part in an orienteering challenge around the school grounds, working together in teams and putting their mapping skills to the test.
To warm up at the end of a rather chilly day, the children were rewarded with a delicious cup of hot chocolate!
Mrs Benfield
#BablakeFromHome
LOCKDOWN LEARNING
Our lessons during lockdown and through the Summer Term were a wonderful opportunity for pupils and staff to grow and experience learning in a new way.
We were all able to rapidly develop our online skills and capabilities to access a wealth of subjects. Although we were meeting virtually, we were able to keep a sense of community with form time and other exciting opportunities and activities.
Work ranged from Romeo and Juliet inspired acting and model making to Harry Potter themed cakes and portraits. Under the Sea, Greek Mythology and a study of India featured across the year groups. Although it wasn’t always easy to keep up with the daily tasks, our pupils were remarkable in their determination, resilience and joy of learning.
Mrs Jeffcoat
EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Carry on!
Despite the constraints being placed on school this term, teachers have worked tirelessly to keep Bablake Junior School’s varied extra-curricular programme running.
From LEGO, drama clubs and coding to many different sport clubs, language club, STEM, reading, and music, the children have enjoyed broadening their horizons. Despite a brief halt to proceedings by the government, we were back delivering after-school clubs at the earliest opportunity.
Extra-curricular activities are so important to the children and a key part of Bablake children’s happiness and development. They provide the opportunity to explore interests, socialise, work collaboratively, learn new skills, develop resilience and to improve critical and creative skills. It is an absolute testament to the dedication of the staff that this has continued in such difficult times. I am sure all the pupils and parents would like to join me in thanking them for all their hard work in making sure that our children always have the best opportunities to flourish.
THANK YOU!
Mr Benfield
Times Table
Junior School News ROCK STARS!
Well done to everyone who participated in the Times Tables Rockstars Rock Out 2020. Our combined score was an impressive 185,824 points and we finished 754th nationally!
The battle for the top spot in school was hard fought and in the end it was Nathaniel (5H) in first place, Arun (5H) in second and Elliot (5Y) in third. Their combined total was an amazing 41,943 points. The class scores in descending order were: 5H, 5Y, 5L, 4E, 6N, 6P, 3A, 4K, 6D, 4HN, and 3DL. Thank you to everyone for your hard work and excellent maths skills!
Spinney Club and Forest School
Many years ago, the Junior School had a Spinney Club that was formed in order to plan out the new trees that were to be planted to create the spinney. Our Forest School was able to use this plan from 20 years ago to try to identify the trees to see if they were still there and how much they had grown. They were able to use the maps and identification guides that were produced by the original Spinney Club. Year 5 found a variety of tree species from the plans including rowan, sycamore, elder, hazel and yew.
SPORTS HALL ATHLETICS
Pupils have been developing their athletics skills through jumps, throws and sprinting this term. They have tackled the various activities to achieve English Schools Athletic Association (ESAA) award standards. Thank you for all your hard work and well done to all pupils who achieved a standard!
CHARITY
Macmillan Coffee Morning
There were lots of smiles and plenty of cake this year at our Macmillan Coffee Morning. We were able to raise over £600 to support this great charity although the day was a little different to previous years as we had to bring our own cakes instead of the usual cake sale. No queuing for cake, but lots of munching and happy faces!
year 3 KINDNESS
Year 3 have thoroughly enjoyed reading The Boy, the Horse, the Fox and the Mole by Charlie Mackesy and exploring the delightful messages. It certainly seems to have paid off with the acts of kindness we have witnessed already. Meera is
Poppy Appeal
It was great to see so many people supporting our poppy appeal for The Royal British Legion this year. Mrs O’Neill made poppy masks and in Forest School, Year 4 made poppy art using the Autumn leaves in the spinney. We were also able to hold a Remembrance service run by Mr Norman with Mr Cooper playing The Last Post for us to honour those who have served.
Children in Need
We held a non-uniform day for Children in Need, but the main attraction was the raffle for the giant Pudsey teddy bear that really caught the children’s attention. We raised an amazing £780 for Children in Need from the Junior School and the Pre Prep combined – WOW!
Thank you to all our parents for your support of our chosen school charities!
year 4
‘Arrrr shiver me timbers’
Pirate Day!
Special days are always a unique opportunity to develop cooperation, teamwork and friendships.
On Pirate Day, Year 4 were invited to climb aboard for a day of swashbuckling activities. During the morning we wrote ‘Rotten Rogues’ wanted posters, followed coordinates on treasure maps and drew a fearsome Jolly Roger. Our afternoon was completed with a treasure hunt that led us around the school and ended with some well-deserved pirates treats. We all agreed that this year was going to be an adventure with our fantastic Year 4 crew!
Mrs Knibb
year 5
Mark Wood
EXPLORER
Year 5 were lucky enough to talk to Mark Wood, a real-life explorer, who has led teams on major polar and mountain expeditions in extreme environments such as the Arctic Circle and Antarctica in order to raise awareness of climate change.
The children were able to question him about a wide range of things relating to their topic Explorers and Antarctica and they thoroughly enjoyed their session.
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS
Paintbox for Year 5 started out this term by making masks for the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. The holiday involves family and friends gathering to remember the dead. It is a day of celebration, rather than a day of mourning and the group got to celebrate with their own party before the half term break.
year 6
World War II Spy Training
Year 6 recently took the opportunity to immerse themselves into the world of sabotage and secrecy! As part of our Humanities topic on Life in World War II, the Year 6 pupils went on an intensive spy training course to help Britain!
MORSE CODE
Pupils learnt about the history of this communication and how it revolutionised the way that information could be shared. Obviously, the use of Morse Code was crucial during World War II. Enemy NAZI Morse Code was intercepted, eventually being deciphered by the team at Bletchley Park. Pupils practised writing codes and deciphering messages sent by their friends.
THE ART OF SECRET COMMUNICATION…
Pupils were able to use ‘invisible’ ink to write messages to each other – this made for some interesting messages, and a lot of fun and laughter. I am sure that they would have made top notch spies during the war.
STAYING FIT
All intelligence officers need to have excellent levels of physical fitness! Our budding spies were put through their paces with some physical drills to get them ready for the perils of gathering enemy plans.
Girls’ Sport
Despite the restrictions this term, I have been so impressed with the girls. They have all been very enthusiastic and committed to each sport and activity that we have participated in. All the girls from Year 3 to Year 6 have shown great improvement in lessons and excellent commitment to the lunchtime and after school sports clubs. I am proud of them all.
Mrs Haywood
House Netball
The girls have really enjoyed playing the House netball matches this year. They have worked together as a team and really encouraged each other. They have shown some super passing, catching and defending skills. There are some brilliant shooters in Bablake Juniors, with some Houses scoring over 20 goals in the shooting contest! Well done girls.
The results were really close!
Boys’ Sport HOUSE FOOTBALL
With no competitive fixtures this term, there was certainly a different feel to House matches.
The stakes seemed a lot higher and there was no lack of passion and commitment from ALL the boys! Each year group played two inter-house matches in a round robin format with all results contributing to an overall total. There was some excellent football on display and every House team should be commended on some great team spirit and sportsmanship.
I always love watching House matches. There are always surprises and there are often unexpected twists and turns in results and outcomes. The most satisfying part of House matches is watching the boys organise themselves with little or no input from their teachers and coaches. They have to organsise their own teams, including substitutions, and it is always done in a fair and considered manner. This is, of course, at the heart of Bablake Junior School’s sporting ethos where everyone has the opportunity to take part and do their very best on the sports field. This all seems to ‘raise the bar’ and the quality of all the matches is the best they can possibly be, as everyone is so determined to do well for their House and the school. All the boys play to the best of their ability and there is always an individual in each House who surprises himself and his teammates with the way they play! It is fantastic to watch.
On to the results!
Well done to Nelson, who came out winners, but every House enjoyed some success. At the end of the competition the most important thing was that everyone enjoyed themselves and it was played with great sportsmanship!
Well done boys!
Mr Benfield
House Cross Country
The Junior School House Cross Country Competition took place the week before the half term holiday.
Throughout the week, all pupils took part in the races and finished showing true grit and determination and also a lot of talent! There were some great examples of Bablake sportsmanship and spirit. Well done to the winners from each year.
The final result was really close, with Nelson topping Churchill by only one point and Eliot coming third.
