I cannot believe we are four weeks into the term already. Our Foundation Stage children have settled in so well and many of them are attending assembly every Friday!
This is normally something that they wait until Christmas to do, but instead they have jumped right into school life and are already a huge part of the school community.
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A huge Abbeys welcome to our new Site Manager, Miss Gregory.
Miss Gregory has lots of experience of site management and has lots of great skills she will bring to the team.
Welcome to Abbeys!
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Today was the last day of swimming lessons! On the whole it has been a huge success and the children cannot wait for the pool to come back again next year!
It has been amazing to see the progress the children have made in such a short time. And although many of you have been relentlessly washing, packing kit and checking the timetable, I think you'll agree it has been worth it.
As usual, the staff at Abbeys have shown nothing but enthusiasm for yet another new project I have roped them into. Many of them have been in the pool, swimming with and supporting groups of children. I am very grateful to them for always putting the children first and nodding and smiling when I ask them to do something a little bit crazy! We are very lucky to have a great team that just make things work!
You'll be pleased to hear that Forest school starts next week! You do not need to pack swimwear and towels. Now it is waterproofs and wellies. Please help your child to be prepared for their lessons. Forest school is part of our curriculum, the children will learn all about the flora and the fauna, seasonal changes, growth and team-building skills. They'll love their fortnightly sessions and their teacher will remind them to bring their kit.
Apart from Foundation stage, there is a two-week cycle for forest school, so every class has half a day every other week.
Mondays- Whitby week A and Marham week B
Tuesdays- Westminster week A and Melrose week B
Wednesdays- Woburn week A and Bradwell week B
Thursdays- Beaulieu week A and Missenden week B
Fridays- Belmont week A and Mrs Dunnett needs a rest week B!
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Last Saturday, Miss Cahill and I opened the school to welcome prospective families for Foundation Stage 2025. We did 26 tours of the school- we certainly got our step count up!
Thank you to all our families who keep recommending the school. It means a lot to us and as I have said before having a full school, means a healthier school budget which we can use to make the provision even better.
We are still carrying out tours! If you know any families looking for a school place for next September, please encourage them to come and look around. Appointments can be made via the office- 01908375230
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You may think you already know about early reading, but things have changed significantly since you were at school. When it comes to the teaching of reading we are experts! Right from Foundation Stage we are using every minute of the day wisely to teach pupils all the key sounds they need to read, blend and segment. We know that stronger readers lead to better learners in all areas and this is why learning to read is a key priority at Abbeys.
Reading at home with your child daily will have the biggest impact on their learning. This is more than any other homework! Please use Oxford reading buddy and the E'book library to support learning. Your child's logins are in their planner! If you have any problems with logins please speak to your childs teacher in the first instance.
These platforms help with having a variety of appropriate texts accessible at home. As Parents/ carers it is your job to hear your child read. We will send home books that your child can read fluently! Reading fluency, develops confidence. Please do not think these books are too easy! They have been chosen for that very reason. Reading to you confidently, will enable your child to practice and consolidate the sounds they have learnt in class. We will teach them new sounds daily.
If your child is in Foundation Stage and you want to find out more about phonics- please attend one of Miss Cahill's sessions. We do expect one parent from every family to attend a session! This is invaluable to understanding early reading and it is important that families engage with the school from Foundation onwards.
Daily phonics lessons in Foundation and Key Stage one, lead into Masterreaders in KS2. This is where class texts are shared and explored, with a focus on inferring and understanding language and meaning.
Masterreaders is a daily 45 minute reading lesson. The pupils read a range of texts as a class and enjoy book club and shared reading opportunities.
As well as these structured lessons, your child will select a book of their choice from the library every week. They need to look after their library books carefully and should change these fortnightly at least.
Don't forget we have our famous- 50 books to read before you leave Abbeys detailed in your child's planner. Why not give it a go?
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Sadly, knife crime has become a huge concern in the UK. To educate our pupils around this, all our year 6 students take part in an annual knife crime workshop. This is a preventative strategy to encourage pupils to make the right choices, not mix with gangs and to identify and manage their own risks. This workshop moves around all MK schools in order to teach the next generation the skills they need to make the right judgements.
Sean Ng, from Bradwell class, has written about what he has learnt regarding knife crime. Thanks Sean!
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In Foundation stage, we have been exploring ways we can keep ourselves healthy and enjoyed a tasty watermelon treat as a class. We have also been learning to subitise numbers in Maths.
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The children in Tintern and Turvey have begun their Read Write Inc journey, learning the initial sounds. They particularly enjoy making words with Fred the frog on the boards with magnetic letters and learning to form the letters when writing.
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The children, in years 1 and 2, have been learning the features and planning to write a traditional narrative. They have learnt all about 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff'.
They are focusing on their spaces, capital letters and full stops.
I cannot believe children this young can write so much!
Amazing work children! You should be very proud of yourselves.
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Years 3 and 4 are hooked on their topic 'Tomb Raiders'. In history, we pretended to be pharaohs and wrote a message on our sarcophagus. We also wrote names using hieroglyphics.
As part of their home learning, some children have even made mini pyramids! Well done everyone!
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The children in Missenden have been learning about nutrition and food groups. We have been looking at saturated fats and unsaturated fats considering which foods are healthy and which are unhealthy.
In DT, we have been learning about the Ancient Egyptian Shaduf. The children used straws and blu tac to create a prototype of a Shaduf.
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CONGRATULATIONS to Isla Rumsey in year 1. She has made it to stage 2 in swimming! Well done Isla, everyone is so proud of you!
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A shout out to Mrs Dunnett and Mrs Rashid, as well as all of the foundation staff. They have been incredible with the transition for Max, always keeping me updated and listening to me whenever I have any concerns or anything to pass over about Max.
Mrs Rashid always goes above and beyond! I would not have been able to do this transition into Abbeys without them all.
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A shout out for one of the teachers in foundation, Mrs Rashid! ! She’s always welcomes Rowan and Willow with a high five and big smiles in the morning and makes them feel very welcome.
She also makes Mummy feel at ease too.
Thank you so much!
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A SHOUT OUT to Florence in Foundation! Florence is enjoying all aspects of school life and has settled well at Abbeys. Your family want to give you a BIRTHDAY SHOUT OUT! Happy birthday Florence- you are Five!
It's a great age! Have a lovely birthday!
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A wonderful shout-out from one of our new families...
Firstly, we would like to say ‘HUGE THANK YOU’ to Mrs Sharp for always having a smile and a hug ready for Amalia! It’s been really helpful for Amalia to see a familiar face around school!
Secondly, we want to thank to Miss O’Flynn for teaching Marham class and for being so supportive to the children.
A special mention for all the resources that are available for parents on the website, supporting their children through their learning - from Maths methods to curriculum overview, TT Rockstars and everything else! WOOW! Really helpful!
Last, but not least, CONGRATULATIONS and keep up the FANTASTIC work that you do for the children!
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Lucas in year 1 has been learning his timestables on Ttrockstars!
Well done Lucas your parents and teachers are all so proud of you!
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Max participated in a swimming competition "CMKSC September Bounce Back Open Meet" and he did really well.
He'd received a bronze medal for 50M breaststroke - 9 years old group.
For the 50M freestyle race, he made a 6 second improvement, compared to his last competition in July!
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Abbeys is an inclusive school and we pride ourselves in being a kind and caring community. We provide a nurturing environment where all of our pupils flourish.
We do not always get it right, supporting pupils with a range of needs can be challenging. We try our best to work with families to ensure that the provision we put in place is the best it can be.
We have many children in school that have autism, some that are hearing impaired and some that may have moderate learning difficulties. We have some children that may find social interaction and communication difficult. Instead these children communicate in different ways and this may not be the 'norm'.
Your children learn in a diverse environment, they are learning to accept one another and the special differences they have. They are learning that just because their friend is different, it doesn't mean they can't do things and that they can't learn alongside them. Your children are wonderful at being inclusive and we see this as a strength of our school.
In over 20 years of teaching I have never met a parent or carer that wanted their child to have special needs, autism or difficulties in school. It is important that as parents/ carers you support one another. Mrs Louis White is our SENCO and inclusion lead, she is here to help as am I. We are happy to coordinate parent support groups/ focus groups and sessions to support you- please let us know if there is specific support you think you'd benefit from.
Last year we held parent sessions about behaviour, school refusal and e-safety.
Mrs Louis White is planning an anxiety session in the next few weeks, but we are happy to take thoughts and ideas from parents and add more sessions throughout the year.
Please remember that Mrs Louis-White holds a SENCO drop in session on the first Thursday of every month at 2pm. The next one will take place on Thursday 3rd October. Come along and discuss any concerns you may have.
If there is anything specific you'd like support with please let us know- jfellowes@abbeysprimary.org
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Headlice
I have had a couple of reports about headlice. Please check and treat your children.
Long hair should always be tied up!
The pharmacist can always help you if you need more help. The advice below is from the NHS website.
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Thanks to the PTA. We met today to start planning exciting events for throughout the year. If you are interested in being part of our little gang please get in touch!
Our spooky disco is the first event your child may wish to attend- book now on Parentpay!
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Cinema visit
We have planned our annual cinema trips for the whole school later in the term.
On the 15th November, Foundation, year 1 and 2 will go to see the movie Garfield.
On the 26th November, year 3/ 4 will go to see Kung-fu panda and on the 28th November years 5 and 6, will go and see Asterix.
If you are able to come along as a parent helper please let your child's class teacher know. This is £4.50 and available to pay now on Parentpay.
 
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We are a NUT FREE school. We have many children in school that have nut allergies. Some of these children will become seriously ill if they come in contact with NUTS.
Therefore, we have made the decision, like many other schools, to ban nuts. This includes Nutella bars and sandwiches. Please refrain from adding these to your child's lunch box.
Thanks
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REMINDER
If you collect your child later than 3.30pm you will be charged a late fee of £3 and your child will need to go to Wrap club until you arrive.
The class teachers and office team are able to help until 3.30pm only.
The bell rings at 3.15pm- please be on time to collect your child from the playground.
Only parents/ carers who are disabled should be using the main entrance for drop off and collection.
Thanks
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THURSDAY 3rd OCTOBER 2024
CENSUS DAY
Pupils in Foundation, year 1 and 2 please order a lunch on the 3rd October!
The uptake of lunches on this day will determine funding for the school for the year ahead- the more food orders, the more funding the school receives.
If you want to order and send a packed lunch on this day- just in case- then please do.
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Our year 6 children have started their very important play-leading roles. Here they are helping Foundation Stage children across the trim trail- giving up their lunchtimes to help out! We also have sports leaders, mental health ambassadors and I am in the process of sifting through many school council applications! Watch this space!
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A huge well done to our year 5/6 football team. They haven't played together in a while so a defeat to the well-established Rickley team wasn't too hard to take! They are all still smiling anyway!
Better luck next time boys!
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VACANCY
We currently have a vacancy for a mini-bus driver. If you are interested, then please get in touch.
office@abbeysprimary.org
Alternatively, search Indeed for further details.
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We are starting to collect food for our Harvest Festival. Our Harvest this year will be on Friday 25th October and all food donated will be given to St Mary's church to be redistributed to our local community.
We are collecting packets, tins and cereals- like the photo below! You can start bringing in your donations from next week and give them to your class teacher ready for our Harvest assembly on the 25th.
There is a small prize for the class with the most donations!
Historically, Abbeys' pupils present a huge harvest collection to the church! Let's see if we can make it bigger than ever!
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CONKERS!
It's Conker season and every year we like to have a little competition,
This year there are 2 prizes.... one for the heaviest conker and one for the conker that looks most like a member of school staff!
So, get hunting, be creative and have fun!
The deadline is the 25th of October!
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!
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