‘Maximum Effort for

Maximum Achievement’

Friday 12th October 2018

Diary Dates for Next Week School Dinners - Week 1

Year 3, 4 and 5 Assessment Week Monday 15th October

Parents’ Evening letters being sent home via Parentmail

4F ‘Parents to Lunch’ event at 12.00pm

Inter-House Galas - Year 3 @ 7.00pm, Year 5 @ 8.00pm - both at Mayflower High School

Wednesday 17th October

Year 6 ‘Young Shakespeare’ day in school Thursday 18th October

Post-Ofsted celebration day for children (details below) Friday 19th October

School closed for joint staff training with Buttsbury Infant School Monday 22nd October - Friday 26th October (inc.)

Half Term Monday 29th October

Children return to school

As an academy, we are (quite rightly) subject to a high level of scrutiny regarding our finances. We recently had our Annual Full Audit (a whole week long), undertaken

by Price Bailey accountants. I am very pleased to say that the visit went very well and resulted in no concerns being

reported at all which is pretty much unheard of. This reflects the extremely conscientious and robust work of our Finance Officer, Mrs Gilchrist. I would like to thank her for the excellent work she undertakes and also thank

the Admin Team for supporting her within her role. We were also joined today by six members of the

Governing Body who were undertaking the monitoring aspect of their role, looking specifically at reading and writing across the school. The governors spent time in

classrooms, met with different leaders and also spoke to children throughout the day. It was a very positive and

enjoyable day for the governors. We are grateful to them for giving up a day of their own time to be able to join us.

School Discos - Reminder Don’t forget to come along to the discos tonight -

Year 3/4: 5.45pm - 7.15pm Year 5/6: 7.30pm - 9.00pm

Just a reminder that there are refreshments on sale and lots of glow stick goodies too.

(NB - to ensure safe collection of children, please come into the hall from the Main Entrance, but exit through 6C. All children need to be collected by an adult as they are

not allowed to walk home alone. Please use the playground for parking as Norsey View Drive becomes

very congested.) Please note: mobile phones are not permitted

Secondary School Applications for September 2019 A reminder for Year 6 parents

I have been asked by Essex Schools’ Admissions to remind Year 6 parents that the closing date for applications for parents of Year 6 children (for a secondary school place

in September 2019) is 31st October 2018. Applications can be made via their website:

www.essex.gov.uk/admissions Thank you.

Parents to Lunch This week we were joined for lunch by the parents and

grandparents of children in 4U and 4C. Everyone seemed to enjoy the experience as well as the tasty food. Thank you to everyone who came along and to our Catering Team, Midday

Assistants and Mrs Risley, for facilitating the events.

Nail Polish Please can I politely remind all parents that children are not

permitted to wear nail polish to school. Thank you.

Lost Property If your child has lost any items this half-term, please check

the Lost Property boxes before next Thursday as all un-named remaining items will be recycled during half-term as we don’t have the space to store them. Please also check that all your child’s items are named, as we have a huge pile of un-named jumpers, as well as some coats and PE kit, in our

Lost Property boxes. Thank you.

Post-Ofsted Celebration Day On Thursday 18th October, we have planned a few treats for the children to celebrate our recent excellent Ofsted report.

First of all, it will be a non-uniform day - but please remember to wear sensible footwear and no cropped tops! There will be cake at break, an extended lunch break and a film to watch in the afternoon! A super way to thank the

children for simply being so wonderful!

‘Well Done’ to all the children who were awarded MERIT certificates this week.

Archie Connolly-Cole Olivia Huggett Elizabeth Salvatore Sam Stroud Maisie Burcombe Anna Bowden Poppy Barker Elodie Domien Harry Dackombe Maci Behn Harriet Rowe-Goodey Isabelle Lee Eliza Hobden Charlie Joyce Archie Moore Isla Vinton-Smith Sonny Bowerman Jamie Comitti Emma Hughes Pheobe Thompson Amelie Fairhead Ethan Wiles Harrison Campbell Albert Longlade Russell Salvatore Elena Stent Harvey Heathfield Tommy Cripps Esme Pearson Eloise Minto Sam Torrens

This week’s ‘Writers of the Week’ are: Lana Webb Henry Joyce Angus Noble

Henry Webb Lana Bailey Amelia Johnson Naomi Clements Max Sawyer

Well done to our writing super stars!

This week’s attendance figure is: 98.4%! This year’s provisional attendance target is 97.6%.

A special ‘Well Done’ to Class 6H who had the highest attendance this week - 99.7%! Congratulations!

This week’s ‘Mathematicians of the Week’ are: Millie Coffill Brandon Crees Jenna Phillips Tommy Cripps Ava Wilkins Ryan Crawford

Jessica Toll Archie Connolly-Cole Felicity Chiappe

JACKET POTATO LUNCH

YOU ARE INVITED TO A JACKET POTATO LUNCH AT CHRIST CHURCH ON:

THURSDAY 8th NOVEMBER 12NOON - 2PM

Various fillings available. Suggested donation £4 including a drink.

Money raised will support the work of SMB (Schools Ministry Billericay)

Basildon Youth Theatre Year 3 had an exciting morning on Tuesday when they had

their first visit from Lesley from the Basildon Youth Theatre. Lesley focused on the importance of

friendship, teamwork and trying your best. The children were able to share with Lesley all the exciting things they have

learnt so far and how they have settled into the Junior School. During the workshop they learnt different sign

language actions whilst listening to stories and dancing. The children really enjoyed learning how it was important to

respect each other and have fun as a team.

Lions House Assembly In Monday’s assembly, Miss Carroll shared and retold the

Christian creation story. So, continuing with the same theme, the Lions’ House Captains chose to retell an alternative creation story and they opted to retell a

Japanese myth. The House Captains, Charlie and Ruby, narrated the story whilst a supporting cast of peers acted out the story with a little added humour for good measure. All of the children involved worked fantastically together

and were eager to use some of their own time at lunch to ensure that it was a success. Well done to all involved, you

did a great job! Thank you also to Charlie Cox who demonstrated a range

of skills from his recent black belt karate grading at the start of the assembly. His demonstration included his Kata

along with a range of different punches and kicks – he was very impressive!

Some photos from

our assembly on Wednesday morning!

Afternoon Tea Another successful afternoon tea took place yesterday.

The children have taken on a new role as well - helping to serve one another - something they seem to really enjoy! It’s lovely to see the children sharing their best piece of

work and listen to others ask thoughtful questions.

Rainbow Awards Well done to this week’s VIOLET award

winners:

Laura Bailey, Emma Harrington, Jessica Line, Max Johnston, George Elsdon, Rianna Fenton,

Cameron Hammond, Sophie Thomas, Juliet Vinton-Smith, Lotty Smith, Edie Rowling, Isabella Howlett, Thomas Overton, Matilda Pierce, Grace Vasiliou, Oliver Stroud, Tilly

Cranshaw, Elouise Butler-Russell, Ava Harlow, Oliver Sargood, Samuel Torrens, Amy-Leigh James, Georgina, Nunney, Amy Holms, Esme

Pearson, Holly Bubb, Leah McFeely, Kyle Rosenberg, Fraser Brown, James Blyth-

Tancock, Florence Meade, Elizabeth Salvatore, Sam Stroud, Lily Lauder, Cameron Hunter, Zachary Liggins, Edward Dickinson, Joshua

Wagstaff, Lana Tseayo, Tiffany Bullen, Holly Farrow, Lucy Evans, Eleanor Chaplin, Luiz Fellipe Lopes Sousa, Elliot Stephens, Emily Simmons, Eliza Hobden, Kobe Keily, Alfie

Gray, Henry Webb, Poppy Dackombe, Edward Cushing, Zack Briggs, Charlie Joyce, Shay Coughlan, Sonny Bowerman, Aidan Sterry, Alex Hill, Sophie Trainer, Charlotte Seeney, Ruby Collier, Benjamin Anderson, Harrison

Campbell, Harriet Borg, Emma Tribe, Harrison Dempsie, Anika Gupta, Amelia Bird,

Matthew Tanner, Ethan Lee, Thomas Cavanagh, Albert Longlade, Sam Hughes, Katie Woods,

Fatima Ahmed, Naomi Clements, Megan Mecham, Gene Sullivan, Toby Lashmar, Elena

Stent, Kai Smith, Andrew Dmitriev, Elena Harris, Molly Wright, Holly Fox, Saxon Minto, Ruby Toll, Ellen Hood, Shezan Mushabe, Jake Barrett, Ruby Rumsey, Harry Weston, Owen Anderson, Nicole Rogers, Sam Bowden, AJ Belcher, Emma Humphrey, Nihal Koothoor, Cem Musabak, Aiden Stewart, Laila Walton,

Archie Sinclair, Carys Foulser, Summer Robinson, Bethany Saxton and Sebastian Ellis.

Well done to our first INDIGO award winners:

Lucy Harbrow, Charlotte Aris, Ethan Young, Yahia Asfour, Bray Harris, Oliver McCreery, Eloise Lock, Lana Webb, Daisy Judd, Lorcan

Curley-Sanchez, Dominic Glover, Austin Kelly, Holly Breathwick, Tom Pearce, Mia Garnett,

Poppy Barker, Amber Harbrow, Louise Crook, Harriet Garlick, Alex Gilbert, Amelie Rippon, Ethan Powell, Amy Tear, Isla Vinton-Smith, Darcey Wallis, Luke Woolley, Amy Baker,

Maci Behn, Jasmine Briggs, Joshua Cannon, Izzy Cheesman, Kesia Crees, Harry Dackombe,

Charlie Doman, Aidan Dunbar, Isabelle Lee, Angus Noble, Amy Norman, Harriet Rowe-Goodey, Aisha Sarfraz, Harry Evans, Eadie Hatchard, Chloe Healy, Sophie Hill, Jack

Sawyer, David Trump, Jamie Weddell, Robert West, Ava Wilkins, Anya Mistry, Grace Barker,

Jenna Phillips, Jack Warren-Gunn, Lucas Popescu, Oliver Park, Phoebe Thompson, Ben Mesnard, Lana Bailey, Jessica Elsdon, Emma Hughes, Lara McKenzie, Anna Seeney, Daniel

Tanner, James Bailey, Ella Bogen, Connor Boyce, Hana Ahmad, Izaak Brough, Millie

Waters, Chloe Birch, Tianah Chapman, Amy Carter and Ella Patten.

School Council – Joint Meeting with the Rotary Club On Tuesday afternoon our School Council representatives, along-

side our Core 5, held a meeting with Billericay Rotary Club. President Les Sheppard and his colleague Mike Sinclair visited and

presented the Core 5 with their badges. During the meeting, the RotaKids pledge was introduced to the children and we reflected on Buttsbury’s amazing success last year! The children are extremely excited to take on their responsibilities and we would like to wish

them all the best for the near future! Thank you to Les and Mike for hosting this meeting, we look forward to working with you in due

course!

Colchester Castle On Tuesday Year 4 had a fantastic day visiting Colchester Castle where they got to explore the

museum and hunt for the answers to their quiz. The highlight of the day was the tour of the underground vaults where the children were told the story of the

Roman invasion and how the temple was built. They also enjoyed the opportunity to be Roman architects and build their own roundhouses and villas. Year 4 would like to thank all the parents

who helped on this trip.

Dodgeball Tournament On Thursday the Year 5 and 6 Dodgeball teams played in a

tournament at Mayflower school. Buttsbury B team came 6th overall and the Buttsbury A team came 3rd. All of the children played

extremely well and showed great sportsmanship throughout - well done to all the children who participated and thank you to Mr Mynard, Mrs

Whiting and Miss Miller for accompanying the teams.

Out of School Success Well done to Chloe Healy (5S) who took part in the Memory Walk at Hylands Park on Sunday and raised £2500 for the Alzheimer's Society. Following two recent intensive trials, up against approx 60 players representing 8 ice hockey clubs from the South East. Bray Harris (5F)who plays for Romford Raiders Juniors U11s and U13s, has been selected to play in an Under 11s ice hockey tournament at the end of October in Sheffield representing the South East Conference!

Bray (far left) and

Chloe (left) celebrating

their successes!

Inter-House Swimming Galas On Monday over 45 excited swimmers, from Years 4 and 6, took part in the first round of Inter-House

galas. The competitions ran very smoothly with everyone having a great time and enjoying the competitive, but fun, atmosphere. The children

were urged on by the fabulous support and encouragement from the spectators who seemed to

be having just as much fun, in spite of the heat! The Year 4 gala was won by: Leopards The Year 6 gala was won by: Panthers

Thank you very much to Alex, Rob and Harvey (Elites Swimming) for their assistance with the gala

and to all the parents who helped with the time-keeping. Thank you also to Miss Pretty and Mrs

Hampton who both helped with the galas. Well done to all the children who took part - I

thought you were all amazing! Don’t forget - the Year 3 and Year 5 galas are on

Monday 15th October.

Girls Open Football Tournament On Wednesday afternoon our Year 5/6 girls took part in an extremely competitive Open Partnership Football Tournament which was held at William de Ferrers School. During the afternoon, the girls played six

games; there were some excellent saves and some super teamwork! Miss Pretty was extremely proud of the girls as they hadn’t played as a

squad before and they were truly fantastic role models for the school! In fact, staff from other schools made a point of coming up to our girls and complimenting them on the sportsmanship and team work. Well done

girls! A big thank you to Mrs Coughlan and Mrs James for providing transport, to Mr Graves for his help with the Football Club and to Miss

Pretty, our team manager and coach!

3PR Results Well done to everyone who managed to collect tokens this week for walking in

the 3PR zone! The results this week are: 1st - 3M - 64 tokens 2nd - 6R - 63 tokens 3rd - 5M - 58 tokens

Top Table This week, the children chosen by the Midday Assistants to join me at the ‘Top Table’ were:

Danielle Obery Ruby Collier

Lauretta McKenzie Emma Tribe

Harrison Campbell Well done for being selected!

This week’s winning house: Lions

Year 5 visit to Sandford Mill On Thursday and Friday, Year 5 went to Sandford Mill in Chelmsford, which was “an amazing experience!”

Throughout the day, the children learnt about how the Egyptians transported water from the River Nile to farmland in order to water their crops. The Egyptians were extremely clever and used weights and levers to make the transportation much easier!

Later on, the children weighed each other using a larger version of the weights and levers – this time, it had a small weight and a fulcrum (pivot) which allowed the scale of weight to be indicated.

After these busy sessions, the children were able to work out (on a model pyramid) how the Egyptians transported their limestone blocks up ramps of differing gradients and then they calculated how many slaves it would have taken to pull each weight up the

said ramps! It was great fun experimenting with Newton meters. In the afternoon, the children built a model river, complete with dams, and they saw first-hand how deposition occurs. A

competition came next as they dropped sticks into the bendy river to see where in the river the fastest current flowed! This enabled them to further understand how rivers become more bendy over time through the processes of erosion and deposition.

Finally, the most exciting moment of the day came when they were truly in the right place at the right time! A boat was coming up the canal as the children walked down the tow path. They witnessed the lockkeeper open the lock and he even allowed the children

to push the lever to open the lock further. Happily, the children sent the boat on its way up the stream, a perfect ending to a wonderful day.

As you can see, every-one had a fabulous day at Sandford Mill and by

the river!