Hello Everyone!

It was lovely to meet everyone this week at our parents evening appointments. It really helps us to help your children when we share information together.

This week Penhallow have been busy thinking about their topic; 'What was it like before we were born?' We talked about the different favourite toys that the children currently have, and then we went way back in Ancient History to explore some of the toys that Mrs Fitzsimmons had as a child.

Thank you to those children who brought a show and tell object or picture in today. These children talked about their toys extremely well, and there were some interesting questions that were asked. Next Friday, please can the children bring in an object, picture or send an email of a picture that was taken before the children were born, of a family member. It could be a parent or Grandparent as a child. Instead, it could be related to Remembrance Day. A relative that was perhaps alive during the first or Second World war.

In art this week, we have all been learning about the artist Andy Warhol. We looked at the ways in which his art work makes use of bright colours, and we created our own piece of artwork in the style of Andy Warhol.

Well done to the whole of Penhallow, who sang a song, complete with percussion instruments, to the whole school. As a part of last month's Black History month, we learnt about the life of Floella Benjamin, who has been influential in children's TV,  and books. We presented our facts and sang a calypso song from Trinidad. Well done everyone!

We hope you have a lovely weekend, and keep safe if you visit any firework displays.

From the Penhallow Team

Coffee Afternoon & Phonics Workshop – Wednesday 13th November 14:30
We have re-arranged this morning’s coffee morning to next Wednesday 13th November at 14:30 in the Hall. As well as enjoying a cup of tea or coffee before collecting your children, Mrs Yates and Mrs Clarke will be sharing our approach to the teaching of phonics and tips to help at home. Everyone welcome!

Grandparents’ Stay and Learn - Tuesday 19th November 09:00-11:30
A reminder that we are holding a special Stay and Learn for grandparents or other older relatives/friends. We will start the morning in the Hall where our special visitors will be treated to some tea/coffee and a mince pie. Following this they will hear the story ‘The Forgettery’ read by some of our children, and there will be a festive performance from our choir.

Our visitors will then go to the classrooms, where we ask them to share stories of Christmas past – if they have any objects to bring in to share too, that would be great. The classes will then make a memory box based on what they have seen and heard. These will be the inspiration for the children to make a decoration or object, some of which will be sold at our Winter Fayre.

We would like to ask for your help in sending in a photograph of the child/ren’s grandparent(s) so we can decorate the Hall. Please can these either be sent in with your child or emailed to secretary@wadebridgeprimary.co.uk by Friday 15th November. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to return any photos sent in with your child, as we will use them after the event for display. 

Trips, Residentials & Enrichment
Tonight, we look forward to the Year 3 sleepover, with a chip supper, fireworks, hot chocolate, film and popcorn! Earlier in the week, I also had the opportunity to travel to London as part of a pre-visit for the Year 6 residential next June; it’s going to be a fantastic action-packed trip. Take a look at the dates below for many of the wonderful enrichment and community activities still to come this term. The rest of the year dates can also be found on the ‘Events’ section of our website.

Children in Need & Wild Planet Trust Charity Non-Uniform Day – Friday 15th November
We invite the children (and staff) to come to school on this day dressed up as an animal of their choice. They may choose to combine this with the 'Spotacular' Children in Need theme! If you would like to contribute to this fund-raising event, please send your child to school with a voluntary donation in cash which will be collected by the teachers in class. Money raised will be split equally between Children in Need and the children’s chosen charity, Wild Planet Trust for conservation. As it’s Year 3’s PE day, please can they bring in their PE to change into, if wanting to dress up for the day, thank you.

Little Nursery Vacancy
We are looking to recruit a full time Teaching Assistant to join our Little Nursery team; Mon-Fri 08:00-15:00. For more information, please check our Vacancies page on the website.

Eco Council
On 5th November the Eco Council had an exciting meeting about reusable glue sticks and other eco-friendly stationery. We tested out all of the items our visitor brought in, including reusable glue sticks and whiteboard pencils. We are going to teach our classes how to load the glue sticks and refill them. He was very kind explaining that we should use them because of the amount of waste found every year in Cornwall. Glue sticks build up large amounts of plastic waste which is either burnt or thrown into rivers or seas, and that is not good! We believe that by using reusable glue sticks the same plastic will be used again and again and again!
From Abi Year 6

Poppy Appeal
Thank you for everyone’s support in raising money for the Poppy Appeal by buying the various items during the week. Our House Captains did a fantastic job running the stall during their breaktimes. We will let you know how much money was raised as soon as it’s handed in and counted. Next Monday, we will marking the national period of reflection at 11:00 in school. On Sunday, we will be laying a wreath on behalf of the school at the Remembrance Sunday service in Wadebridge.

Big Nursery and Reception Christmas Singalong with Parents and Buddies – Same day, change of time
Apologies for any inconvenience, but we have needed to change the timing of this event to 14:00 on Monday 16th December.

TALLAND'S BLOG 8.11.24

What a great first week of Autumn Term 2! Absolute magnificent to see so many smiley and happy children back in Talland Class!

This week we have focused lots on Black History Month and we studied an incredible lady, who goes by the name of Maya Angelou. You might of heard of her. She was an incredible poet and writer, a civil rights activist and she was involved with many of the arts (acting, dancing, film making ect...) An extraordinary person really.

Talland did an amazing assembly about her and I was blown away when they read out and performed the poem 'Still I Rise'. It's got me looking forward to the Christmas production, which isn't too far off. AUDITIONS COMING SOON!


Maths: 
Year 4 have been looking at the 3, 6 and 9 times tables.
Year 5 have been finding out about multiples and factors. 
Why not quiz your children to find out what they have learnt...

Writing: 
Talland Class have immersed ourselves into drama this week and as mentioned above, showed off their fantastic efforts during our Black History assembly.

PE:
This term we are throwing ourselves into fitness, where we are looking at the key elements (strength, speed, agility, stamina, balance and coordination). We are also getting our Michael Jordan sneakers and on shooting some hoops (basketball). We will see how Talland are at working as a team, finding space, learning the rules and invading an opponents territory. 

Talland will find out on Monday what our learning focus will be for this half term. I can't wait to tell them. There are lots of fun and exciting lessons planned including a trip... stay tuned to find out what they are learning and where we are going!

That's all from us this week. We hope you have a spectacular weekend.

Signing off from Mr. Langley, Mr. Bishop and Miss. Colton. 

This week has been such a busy week back!

In gymnastics we have been learning how to travel and land from jumps safely.  The children were really good at travelling in different ways before freezing in a different shape.

During Science, the children were investigating which materials would be the strong and stretchy enough to be used as a tether for an astronaut - we discovered that nylon tights were the best (sadly, Rolo's are not good for tethers!)

In History, we looked at how London has changed since the 1666 Great Fire and became architects, drawing what the new city should look like.  We also wrote and discussed why the changes needed to happen.

Last week, Hindu's around the world celebrated Diwali - the festival of light.  So this week the children learnt about the festival and made diya lamps, diya lamps are traditionally oil lamps with a cotton wick dipped in ghee to symbolise prosperity for the new year.

Learning

Our first week back has been full of energy and the children's books are brimming with great examples of their learning.

I have included some examples of how our new editing stations are working, the children really enjoy the focus it gives for them to physically move to a new area in the classroom which has a different focus for them to consider .

Our new approach to guided reading is working well, with the class approaching their reading with their detective hats on to find clues and hidden meanings in  the texts.

Peaceful poppies

Tregantle Class have had a wonderful first week back at school. We have been learning about Remembrance day and preparing for our special service on Monday. The children have been making some poppies to display on our school bank - we are all looking forward to seeing them on Monday. It's the time of year when we learn about lots of different celebrations and the year 1 children have made some wonderful Diva Lamps this week. Diva lamps are used during the Hindu festival Diwali to remember the story of Rama and Sita. The Diva Lamps helped to guide them home after their banishment. On Tuesday we learnt all about how to keep safe during bonfire night and made some very colourful pictures using collage techniques.
It was wonderful to welcome parents into school this week to learn more about how we teach phonics. Reception and Year 1 children were absolute super stars during the demonstration lessons - all of the parents were extremely impressed! 

Welcome to the second half of the Autumn term. For those of you affected by the roadworks in West Looe, thank you for making the necessary arrangements to bring your children in during the disruption. Thank you all for attending this week’s parent/carer consultations. It is great to have such supportive parents and carers who are keen to work with us to achieve the best for pupils in our school.

On Wednesday we held a Black History Month Assembly where each class shared what they had learned about successful black authors. We learned about Floella Benjamin, actress, singer, presenter, author and politician (Penhallow Class); Ibtihaj Muhammed, entrepreneur, author, activist, and Olympic medalist in fencing (Landaviddy Class); Maya Angelou, an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist (Talland Class) and Malorie Blackman, a British writer who held the position of Children's Laureate from 2013 to 2015 (Chaipel Class). In the UK, Black History Month is celebrated every October. It gives everyone the opportunity to share, celebrate and understand the impact of black heritage and culture.

We have a lot planned for this half term already. Please see below and our events diary on this website for details.

FOPS A huge thank you to FOPS for organising and running the Spooky Discos before Half term. We raised over £260 which will go towards subsidising trips for all classes across the school year.

FOPS Quiz – change of date Please note that in light of the West Looe roadworks and their impact on local travel, we are postponing the FOPS Quiz until February. Watch this space for a new date.

Book Fair, NEXT WEEK – help us buy more books for school. We will be holding a Scholastic book fair the week commencing 11th November after school from 3:15pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The fair will held be in Chaipel Class. A percentage of the profits will go to school funds and enable us to buy more books for school. If you would like to buy any books from the fair, you will be able to pay in cash or online if you have your phone with you. You can pay for books online while you are at the Book Fair by scanning a QR code on your phone to easily access the Scholastic parent pay website.

Anti-Bullying Week 2024, 11th-15th November Anti-Bullying Week 2024 will be taking place from Monday 11th-Friday 15th November and has the theme Choose Respect. The week will kick off with Odd Socks Day on Monday 11th November, where adults and children wear odd socks to celebrate what makes us all unique. Odd Socks are all about fun and laughter, but more importantly they deliver a message of individuality, acceptance and tolerance. We will be joining in with Odd Socks Day. All the children need to do is wear odd socks on Monday 11th please.

Children in Need, MUFTI Day Friday 15th November We have asked the School Council what they would like to wear for our Children in Need MUFTI fundraiser day on Friday 15th November. Please send your child in wearing spotty clothes, pyjamas or anything colourful on the day. A donation of £2 or more to Children in Need will be collected in class. We also have a supply of “Pudsey Ears”. These cost £2.50 with all profits going to Children in Need.

Poppies and Remembrance Reminder that we will be having a Remembrance assembly next week with Rev Richard. Year 6 volunteers are selling poppies at playtimes. If your child would like to buy a poppy to raise funds for the British Legion, please send your child in with cash. A minimum donation of 50p per poppy would be welcome and other items are available to buy.

Clubs Reminder that clubs will restart NEXT WEEK as follows:
Monday: After School Football Club (Mr Langley) for years 3, 4,5 and 6
Tuesday: Lunchtime ECO Club (Miss Randle) for years 3 to 6, some places by invitation
Wednesday: Lunchtime Mindfulness and Art Club (Mrs Wilkie) for years 2 to 6
Thursday: Lunchtime Music and Singing Club (Mrs Fitzsimmons) for years R, 1 and 2
Friday: After School Running Club (Miss Bowden and Mrs Turnbull) for years 3-6. This club is open to anyone who likes running however it will not run when the Cross-Country League races are on – next race 15th November. Pupils do not have to race in these events.

Please inform us by email or phone call, which clubs you wish your child to attend by midday on Monday 11th November. Please sign up again, even if your child attended last half term.

Have a lovely weekend

Mrs Hillman

Friday 8th November

We have had a wonderful first week back and the children have come back to school full of positive energy after their half term rest.

This week has been a busy week exploring and learning about special celebrations such as Diwali and Firework Night.

On Tuesday we had a fire work celebration day. The children explored why we celebrate firework night. All of our learning tasks were based on fireworks. In outdoor learning ,Mrs Gregory and Janet made a bonfire for the children to explore. The children used a steel to start a spark and then sat around a perimeter and watched the fire that Mrs Gregory started. The children loved this experience and were using such brilliant vocabulary.

Today we had Diwali day. Maya from our local shop sent us some beautiful pictures of her Diwali outfit. She looked beautiful. The children explored what Diwali is and how Hindu people celebrate. All of our activities today were all about Diwali and the children learnt so much and achieved some great work tasks.

In phonics, the foundation children have started level from the beginning, with a strong focus on writing the letters using the correct formation. Writing the letters using correct formation benefits the children as they enter into year 1 and beyond as when they begin to join letters the letter formation makes a big difference.

The children have been writing s/a/t/ and p this week. Lots of practice would be great at home. Writing in shaving foam, sand, salt or using water on paint brushes is a great way to practice letter formation at home in a fun way. Please refer to the phonics sheets previously sent for the correct letter formation.

In maths the children have worked hard at representing numbers 1, 2 and 3. They have used many different ways to represent the numbers and have progressed so well.

Our BIG question this half term is: What shall I play with today?

Therefore, the children have also been exploring toys from the past and making pictures of toys they would lie to play with. They have been drawing their most favourite toys from home, been practicing writing their name and so much more!  

Have a lovely weekend 

The Foundation Team 

Welcome back

It has been lovely to see everyone back after the half term and to welcome some new faces to nursery. This week we have been exploring colour and answering our enquiry question "How does colour make us feel?". The children have been using different coloured paint to create firework pictures and have been discussing bonfire night and all of the colours that they create.
On Friday, the children decorate poppy biscuits and made poppies using apples to mark remembrance.

At storytime, the children have enjoyed looking at "The colour monster". They have been talkinig about how they feel and which colours make them happy, sad, scared or angry.

In phonics,  we have used musical instruments to create sounds. They have explored them to see if they make different sounds or if they sound similar. The children have performed different actions to songs they have heard and been exploring the initial sounds in words.

In maths, we are naming and ordering number to three and beyond, we have been exploring numbers on the maths table and practicing counting using different objects.

On Monday it is the start of Anti- bullying week. Children are invited to wear their odd socks to nursery.

Have a lovely weekend

The nursery team

**Welcome Back After the Break!**

We hope everyone had a restful and enjoyable break and are ready for another busy and exciting term at school!

This week has been full of engaging events and opportunities for both pupils and parents alike, and we’re thrilled to share some highlights.

We kicked things off with a fantastic Parent Phonics Workshop, where families were able to learn new strategies to support their children's literacy development. In addition, our Anton Home Learning Workshops gave parents and children alike a chance to explore ways to make home learning even more effective and enjoyable.

We’re also excited to announce the opening of our brand new Sensory Room, which will provide a calm and welcoming space for pupils to relax and refocus throughout the school day. It’s been wonderful to see how this space has already begun to benefit our children.

This week, our STEM Workshops have been a big hit with the children, allowing them to dive into hands-on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics activities. We're so proud to see the curiosity and creativity our Year 5 children have shown in these sessions. In two weeks time, the whole school will be engaging in further STEM workshops. 

 Additionally, we welcomed the School Improvement Team for a visit, and we look forward to their continued support as we work together to make our school an even better place for all of our children.

Today, our BFA (Brunel Friends Association) has hosted two fantastic events: the **Dress Bright for Bonfire Night** and the **Family Quiz Night**. A huge thank you to the BFA for all their hard work in organising these events, as well as for their ongoing efforts to raise money for our school. Their support truly makes a difference, and we appreciate everything they do to enhance our school community.

Looking ahead, we have some important events next week.

On Monday, we’ll be holding our Remembrance Service on the school playground. The gate by the library will be open at 10:40am for parents to join us for this poignant occasion as we remember and honour those who have served in our country’s armed forces. We hope you will be able to join us for this very special moment.

Next week is also Anti-Bullying Week, with activities throughout the week to promote kindness, respect, and inclusion. On Tuesday, the children are invited to wear odd socks to celebrate individuality, and on Friday, we will be hosting **Brunel Against Bullying Blue Day**, where the children can wear blue to show their support for the anti-bullying message. This year, we are not asking for donations for Children in Need, but children are welcome to accessorise their blue outfits with **Pudsey ears** or other fun items.

As always, we thank you for your continued support. It’s been a busy week, and we’re excited for all the activities coming up. Wishing you all a very happy weekend, and we look forward to seeing you next week!  In the meantime, please sit back and enjoy the Brunel Bulletin. 

Swimming, STEM and more...

This week has seen a super busy week for Talland! The class demonstrated excellent resilience, determination and enthusiasm during their swimming sessions at Saltash Leisure Centre. Huge progress was made by all children - whether this was honing their technique, learning a new stroke or even overcoming their fears to get in the water and simply float. Thank you to all the staff at Saltash Leisure Centre in providing this excellent tuition for our children.

We also were really lucky to have Jorden and Sean from SDS Sustainability and Engineering Consultants visit us on Thursday for a workshop. We learned about the role of an engineer and how their company designs buildings and building solutions which are more energy efficient and 'green'. The children then had a go at trying to solve an engineering problem: creating a ductwork system in a house, using the least possible pieces of pipes. It was an inspiring session, with lots of children showing an interest in an engineering career by the end.

Marazion class have settled back into school so well after half term. 
We have enjoyed progressing with our learning about non-chronological reports, addition and subtraction and our topic 'How active is our planet?'. We have started to look at earthquakes and how they are formed.
In PE, we have enjoyed our first session in gymnastics looking at using symmetrical shapes. 

Today, we finished our RE topic of Hinduism and the children  had fun with colour learning about 'How vibrant is Hindu life in Britain?' by using bright colours.


Next week is Anti-bullying week and maths week.

This week we welcomed Mrs Harris to the team. The children enjoyed their first singing assembly with her and she was very impressed by their musical talents. Year 1 and Year 2 enjoyed exploring wind instruments in their music lesson with her too.

Maths Roundup

Next week (Mon 11^th  - Fri 15^th Nov), sees the return of Maths Week England! As such, children will be taking part in lots of fun maths puzzles and games in lessons, as well as finding out about maths in real life careers during a Newsday Tuesday special.

To celebrate, we also have some school-wide events taking place:

• Thursday 14^th November - Family Games Night: Maths Escape Room Edition! 

There'll be lots of online and paper-based maths escape rooms to try as families. All are welcome. For every escape room completed, you will gain an entry to a prize draw! As usual, this half term's KIRFs and resources will be available to take away too.

• Crazy KIRFs photo competition!

Open to all ages. Take a photo of your child learning their KIRFs in an unusual way or place and submit them to Mrs Swabey by Fri 15^th Nov. There are some fabulous prizes to be won! Please print and hand in to your child's teacher or email them to lswabey@brunelprimary.co.uk

Please find this half term's KIRFs attached to this blog post.

Maths Roundup

Next week (Mon 11^th  - Fri 15^th Nov), sees the return of Maths Week England! As such, children will be taking part in lots of fun maths puzzles and games in lessons, as well as finding out about maths in real life careers during a Newsday Tuesday special.

To celebrate, we also have some school-wide events taking place:

• Thursday 14^th November - Family Games Night: Maths Escape Room Edition! 

There'll be lots of online and paper-based maths escape rooms to try as families. All are welcome. For every escape room completed, you will gain an entry to a prize draw! As usual, this half term's KIRFs and resources will be available to take away too.

• Crazy KIRFs photo competition!

Open to all ages. Take a photo of your child learning their KIRFs in an unusual way or place and submit them to Mrs Swabey by Fri 15^th Nov. There are some fabulous prizes to be won! Please print and hand in to your child's teacher or email them to lswabey@brunelprimary.co.uk

Please find this half term's KIRFs attached to this blog post.

Maths Roundup

Next week (Mon 11^th  - Fri 15^th Nov), sees the return of Maths Week England! As such, children will be taking part in lots of fun maths puzzles and games in lessons, as well as finding out about maths in real life careers during a Newsday Tuesday special.

To celebrate, we also have some school-wide events taking place:

• Thursday 14^th November - Family Games Night: Maths Escape Room Edition! 

There'll be lots of online and paper-based maths escape rooms to try as families. All are welcome. For every escape room completed, you will gain an entry to a prize draw! As usual, this half term's KIRFs and resources will be available to take away too.

• Crazy KIRFs photo competition!

Open to all ages. Take a photo of your child learning their KIRFs in an unusual way or place and submit them to Mrs Swabey by Fri 15^th Nov. There are some fabulous prizes to be won! Please print and hand in to your child's teacher or email them to lswabey@brunelprimary.co.uk

Please find this half term's KIRFs attached to this blog post.