January was an exciting month with our trip to Ferry Farm.
We got to meet the animals and find out how they are looked after and how farming can co-exist in harmony with wildlife.
We also had fun in the woods collecting treasures and hunting for animal habitats.
When we got back to school we were able to look very closely at our treasures under our new microscopes that Mrs Cox bought us.
We also explored eggs that we collected from the farm. We boiled some and compared them to raw eggs which was a very smelly but fun and interesting session. This linked to our work on lifecycles. We looked at lifecycles of humans, frogs and butterflies and we can all explain what the word 'metamorphosis' means!

In history we have been learning about Amelia Earhart. We wrote down questions we wanted to find out the answers to and then we learnt about her life and her achievements. We looked at early attempts to fly and compared the Wright brothers glider to a modern aeroplane.
We also managed to sequence flying machines throughout the ages.

In DT we have designed our own aeroplanes to make using recycled materials. We are looking forward to finishing them but it will take a while with all the different stages we need to work through.

 

Mapwork skills

This week included comparing the Alpine region with the local area: Saltash. The children had lots of fun generating ideas concerning the leisure facilities within the area, these included the swimming pool in the Leisure Centre; the ambience of the Waterfront; and the children's parks. With the use of a local map, the children were able to annotate the map with Ordinance Survey Symbols to represent parks, swimming pools and parking areas, for instance.

The children's tailoring skills are now amazing. They use the blanket stitch effectively and are able to sew additions on to their soft toys, buttons, for example.

Due to the dedication the children have shown in their presentation, their written methods for division are clear and precise. The use of the four operations - addition, subtraction, multiplication and division - has finally started to make sense to them. Many can now use this knowledge and apply it to challenging problem solving questions.

Talland Class have used this week to research facts about the Alps to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the area. Through this research, they have been able to write a non-chronological report about the Alps to provide a well thought through and informative piece of text.

All the children have worked extremely hard this half term and deserve a well earned rest next week. Have a safe, restful and enjoyable half term break, Talland Class. We look forward to seeing the children again for the second half of the Spring Term.

Best wishes, Mrs Swabey, Mr Parry, Mrs Walters, Mrs Payne and Miss Rowlands.

Happy Half Term! Landaviddy class have had a lot of fun this week. In Geography, we have been exploring why bees are important and designed our own school bee garden! On Tuesday, as part of Safer Internet Day, Year 3 joined Talland and Chaipel to participate in a live event hosted by the BBC, which they enjoyed. As a class, we also considered the personal information we share online and how we can protect ourselves. 

In English, we have been writing up our final copies of our explanation texts about how bees make honey. We even had a go at typing up our texts and creating PowerPoints in Computing. In Maths, Year 3 have completed their unit on Multiplication and Division B and will start their new unit after half term on Length and Perimeter. Year 2 have finished Money and started looking at equal groups when multiplying. 

Congratulations to Sonny and George for being chosen as Landaviddy's People of the Week! 

Remember to continue reading, practising your KIRFS/ times tables and spellings over half term. If you find you have some spare time, you could complete some of the activities from the homework grid for Spring 1 (this can be found further down on the blog). One of the suggested activities was to create a light jar - shout out to Oliver who created a beautiful light jar for his homework! Well done! 

We hope you enjoy a lovely half term break and come back refreshed, ready for an exciting second half to the spring term! We look forward to seeing you all back on Monday 24th February! 

Mrs Wilkie, Mrs Phillips, Miss Bowden and Miss Colton

Talland Class Blog 14.2.25

Happy half term everyone! 

Photo dump of fun at the zoo incoming...

We hope you enjoy them. Have  a lovely break and we can't wait to see you all for Spring 2!

Acting out our special story.

The role play kitchen was turned into the 3 bears cottage so that the children could act out the story.

We also tasted porridge for snack; most of the children enjoyed their porridge! Some chose to have it plain whilst others opted to have honey on it.

I wonder how the 3 bears had theirs?

It was a great way to end our half term looking at the traditional tale of 'Goldilocks and the 3 bears'.

This half term has flown by. We have crammed a lot into six weeks including work around children’s internet safety this week.

Talland Class had an amazing trip to Paignton Zoo yesterday where they saw all the different animals in all of their different ecosystems and habitats. They enjoyed a workshop in front of the lions where they got to hear them roar and learned lots of fun facts. See the class blog for photos and more information.

Alice Bywater, National Trust Ranger, came to speak to Talland and Chaipel Classes this afternoon about the National Trust’s conservation work in our local area. The children listened really well and asked some excellent questions. They will be using what they have learned as part of the science, art and writing project we are running with the Orwell Society, which we will be sharing with Orwell Society members later this year at their annual conference which will be held in Polperro.

Cross Country There were more personal best results at the Fursdon Farm race on Friday. As usual the team ran brilliantly in spite of the freezing conditions.

Fantastic Footballers Congratulations to our football team who played incredibly well again on Tuesday and won 9-2 against Antony School.

Parent/carer consultations – diary date Consultations will be held the week of 3rd March either in person or on TEAMS. Appointments will be available as follows:
Penhallow Class: Monday 3rd March 1-4:00 pm; Wednesday 5th March 3:30 – 5:30pm
Landaviddy Class: Monday 3rd March 1-4:00 pm; Tuesday 4th March 3:30-4:30pm; Wednesday 5th March 3:30 – 5:30pm
Talland Class: Wednesday 5th March 3:30 – 5:30pm; Thursday 6th March 1pm-4:30pm
Chaipel Class: Tuesday 4th March 1pm-4:30pm; Wednesday 5th March 3:30 – 5:30pm
We will email you immediately after half term with information regarding how to book an appointment.

World Book Day Competition This year World Book Day is on Thursday 6th March. Information about this year’s Extreme Reading competition and school World Book Day activities can be found in a separate letter (sent yesterday and attached).

Friends of Polperro School (FOPS) Quiz Please see attached flyer for details of the FOPS  Quiz which we are holding on Friday 28th February to raise funds for the school. We hope to see you there. Tickets are on sale at the main gate or the office.

Half Term Activities (details of all activities are on flyers attached)
• Football Pro-20 are running some Football Courses in the area during the February half term period.
• Hugs Foundation Activity Day Bodmin The Hugs Foundation supports families when a parent/ carer has a terminal illness and they are running some fully funded equine and forest school activities available as an activity day at the hugs foundation during half term week. They ask a £5 booking fee for this as numbers are limited, but can waive this for families who need us too.
• Looe Mini Miler The Looe Mini Miler fun run takes place at 10am on Sunday 2nd March. The race, which is organised by the Looe Pioneers, is suitable for children aged 4 and above. No entries on the day.
• National Trust Tree Planting in Fowey The National Trust is creating a new woodland at Coombe Farm in Fowey on Wednesday 19th February and is inviting families to come and plant trees there with the aim of extending and joining up existing areas of woodland.

Friday is an INSET day and then it is the half term break. We look forward very much to seeing everyone back in school on Monday 24th February.

Have a wonderful half term break.

Mrs Hillman

Thursday 13th February

Wow, here we are again at another half term! What a wonderful Half term it has been, jammed packed with amazing learning and progress!

This week we have some very exciting things in class. To finish our big question: What Can I Explore Today? We had two very special visitors for us to explore in class.

Firstly Mrs. Gregory was kind enough to bring her little pug Hugo into school for a short visit. Mrs. Greogry told us all about Hugo and showed us how he uses his scratch box to keep his nails short and how she brushes his teeth. The children explored Hugo by asking so many brilliant questions!

We were then lucky enough that Miss Chapman was kind enough to bring in her bearded dragon to explore. Buzz was very comfortable hugging Harvey from Year 5 (who the dragon belonged to also). Harvey told us amazing facts about Buzz and the children asked so many brilliant questions again!

It was great exploring these wonderful animals as an end to our question. We are really looking forward to the next half terms question? Who made these footprints?

The lady from the Education Library Services visited us too this week, she read one of our favourite stories: Owl babies. She also brought along some owl teddies to act out the story, we loved it!

We have explored and learnt so much this half term and it is really showing in the children’s progress. We are halfway through the year already and we cannot wait to explore the next half and to continue seeing so much wonderful progression form all the children.

Have a wonderful half-term break and we look forward to seeing everyone back to school on Monday 24^th February.

The Foundation Team 

Stay Safe On line

We have had a super busy final week of the half term! Tregantle children had a really fun day on Tuesday when we took part in lots of activities as part of safer internet day. There were many fun and informative sessions that reinforced the message 'stop, close, tell.' 

We were lucky to welcome a local author and illustrator to school on Wednesday. We took part in an illustrators master class and learnt about the process of writing a published book. 

We took part in a very special assembly today to say goodbye Miss Rowlands who is retiring after 29 year at Brunel! We wish Miss Rowlands all the very best for her retirement!

Have a wonderful half term break and we look forward to seeing you back at school very soon!

Year 1 Assembly – Thursday 13th February
This morning, families joined their Year 1 Explorers, as they journeyed through some recent learning. We were treated to a song, interesting facts, pictures, sculptures and beautifully presented written work. What a way to end the half term. Well done, Year 1!

Charity Bake Sale - Wednesday 26th – Friday 28th February
Some of our Year 4 pupils have decided to take action! They would like to raise more money for our school charity, the Newquay Zoo Wild Planet Trust. They have teamed up with our School Council to run a Bake Sale. Here is a message from them: Our bake sale will be take place in the first week after half term from Wednesday 26th February to Friday 28th February. As well as cakes, we will be selling some handmade bracelets and there will be a lucky dip stall where you will be able to win some sweets. Our stalls will be in the library (for EYFS & KS1) and in the hall (for KS2). Prices will be either 50p or £1 so please bring some money into school that week and help us raise money for Newquay Zoo Wild Planet. We plan to make the cakes ourselves, however, if you would like to donate some cakes to the sale, please bring them into the hall on Wednesday morning along with a full ingredient list and remember we are a nut free school.

Coffee Morning and Phonics Workshop - Monday 3rd March (The Hub)
With World Book Day the same week, Mrs Hill will be holding a phonics workshop on the morning of Monday 3rd March; everybody is invited! Come along and find out more about our approach to teaching early reading at WPA and enjoy a cup of tea/coffee at the same time.

Year 4 Residential Information Meeting - Tuesday 4th March 15:30 (Hall)
Mr Langton will be holding a meeting after school for parents in the Hall (and Year 4 children) for those who are going on the Year 4 residential to Porthpean in the summer term. Please can you supervise your child/ren during the meeting, thank you.

St Piran’s Day - Wednesday 5th March
To celebrate St Piran’s Day, your child is welcome to come to school in Cornish colours: black, white and gold (otherwise normal school uniform). Children will learn the story of St Piran and take part in a whole school ‘Trelawny Shout’ by singing one of our favourite songs, The Song of Western Men.

World Book Day - Thursday 6th March
We would like to invite children to dress up as a book character to celebrate World Book Day on Thursday 6th March. Please don’t feel you need to go to any unnecessary expense; homemade costumes or keeping it simple is fine. Equally, dressing up isn’t for everyone so if your child prefers to attend in their own clothes that day, that is fine. Throughout the day, the children will take part in a range of book related activities including some paired reading with buddies in the opposite key stage over a hot chocolate and a biscuit. For this, we ask that each child brings in their favourite book to share. Our Reading Ambassadors will be visiting each classroom to interview children about their favourite books. During the week, each class will also be taking part in a competition to ‘Decorate their Classroom Door’. Judging will take place on WBD – photos to follow! Your child will be coming home today with a World Book Day voucher for £1. These can be used to purchase World Book Day books (listed on the back of the voucher) in the following stores: Asda, Sainsburys, Tesco, The Works, Waterstones and WHSmith. They are valid until 23rd March. This year we’re unable to run the Scholastic Book Fair at school.

Parent Teacher Consultations
A reminder that we have our Parent Teacher Consultations the first week back after half term. If you haven’t already, please sign up on Arbor to make your appointment. See email sent on Wednesday 29th January for further details. Please note that DT Sports and teacher led after school ECAs won’t be running the first week back. Pro20 and Dance will be running as normal.

House Competition – Perfect Plots for Superb Stories: Deadline Extended
We recently launched our next competition with the whole school. Children need to use their imaginations to come up with ideas, however the plot outline can only be a maximum of 300 words. The deadline for entries is Monday 24th February. The overall winner will receive a £5 voucher, with the runners up winning a book of your choice. Each entry will also receive House Points. Put your entries in the entry box, which can be found on the House Captain display along the corridor. If you have any questions, please ask one of us.
From your House Captains

House Points
Congratulations to this week’s winners, Choughs. Choughs have now taken the overall lead going into the half term break:
Choughs – 5561
Swans – 5549
Puffins – 4851
Cormorants – 4753

Bridge Kids – Breakfast Club Vacancy
We are seeking an enthusiastic Breakfast Club Assistant to join our team, supporting children during breakfast before school (07:30-08:30 Monday-Friday). This role involves creating a safe, engaging, and fun environment, helping children develop social skills and enjoy play-based activities.

Key Responsibilities:

• Supervise and support children during breakfast sessions.
• Ensure the safety, well-being, and inclusion of all children.
• Build positive relationships with children, staff, and parents.

Requirements:
• Experience working with primary-aged children in a similar setting is essential.
• Food hygiene certificate (or willingness to undergo necessary training).
• A positive, proactive attitude with strong communication skills.
• Enhanced DBS check (or willingness to undergo one).
• A genuine passion for working with children and promoting their development.

For further details on how to apply, please see our Trust’s vacancies page.


Have a wonderful half term break and see you back at school on Monday 24th February. 

This week in Maths, we have been learning all about doubling. We practiced doubling numbers and explored how it can be used in various real-life situations. It was fun seeing how doubling simple numbers can lead to larger numbers and then we looked at doubling plus one!

In English, we worked on innovating the story of The Tiger Who Came to Tea. We got to be creative and change parts of the story, adding our own characters. Some of us even came up with new endings for the tiger’s visit! It was exciting to see how different everyone's stories turned out, and we shared our ideas with the class.

In History, we took part in a learning forum to discuss everything we had learned about schools in the past. We looked at how classrooms, teachers, and learning materials have changed over time. After that, we had a Victorian school morning, where we experienced what it was like to attend school in Victorian times. It was so interesting to see how different the rules and lessons were back then!

In Science, we explored the seasons and the changes that happen in nature throughout the year. One of the things we focused on was how trees respond to the different seasons. We learned about how they grow, change their leaves, and prepare for winter. It was great to observe how nature adapts and evolves throughout the year.

Weekly blog - 13th Feb 25

Just like that, we've reached the end of this half term and are halfway through this academic year! We've ended on a high this week with the hugely popular "Art Exhibition" on Tuesday. Thank-you to everyone who was able to attend and look through the amazing art that was on display. The children are rightly proud of their achievements, and it was great to let them share their enthusiasm for learning. We are looking at doing these events whenever possible to be able to share even more with you. Safer Internet Day was this Tuesday. The children learned about scams, how to recognise the signs and what to do if they think they have seen one. Online safety is key in our digital world, and we make sure we teach children how to be safe with technology. Obviously, they spend more time with you than in school and we have lots of resources on our website to help signpost parents and carers to expert help and advice if needed. World Book Day is fast approaching on the 6th of March and the librarians have decided that, along with dressing up as a favourite book character, they would like to hold a book swap. Children are welcome to bring up to 5 books that they would like others to enjoy and swap them with their classmates. More information on this will be forthcoming, but I wanted to give everyone a heads-up about the event. We are really lucky to be part of the Darite community - we have had several lovely comments about how amazing the willow structure looks after the trim last weekend. Thank you so much to Meika and the volunteers for taming the structure. We can't wait for the summer to be able to take learning outside event more. Everyone at Darite wishes you all a very relaxing half term-break and we are looking forward to to seeing the children back in school on Monday 24th February.

February 

History
We have been exploring how the Census can shed light on life in local areas throughout the past. Census records offer a fascinating glimpse into how people lived, worked, and grew their communities over time. It has been immensely enjoyable to watch the children turn into historians, interrogate the historical sources and drawing conclusions from their inference. From our work, the children have identified how localities can be defined according to the jobs available, how women’s rights (or lack of) influenced the census and how information sharing has changed over time. One of the children shared their enjoyment of the learning, “I love working wit the Census, I have made one of my own at home”.

What a busy half term it has been at Team Brunel! We have fitted so much learning and enriching opportunities into the last 6 weeks and now we have reached the half term break. We wish you all a restful and peaceful half term holiday and will see you all again on Monday 24th February for the start of the second half of the Spring Term.