With all our Christmas stories and crafts in pre-school this week, the children are definitely in the festive spirit.  We have been practicing lots of Christmas singing and our dance of the stars ready for next Friday's performance.  

The children have spent time finishing off their special cards and decorations to bring home for their families.

Some of the children enjoyed a walk over to the church to see the Nativity display and the church Christmas tree. We then listened to the Christian story of the first Christmas.

Next week is our final week before the Christmas break.  We will have some games and some special extras with snack time on each of the days so that all the children get to celebrate.

Wednesday is Christmas Jumper day and the FOPs Christmas fair from 2pm.

Please remember, if possible,  we would like the children to dress in white, yellow/gold on Friday.  A light-packed lunch is needed for us to have in pre-school before we come over to church for the performance at 12.30.

The children will walk back to pre-school to gather their belongings and parents can collect from pre-school after we return from the church.

We are looking forward to a fun filled festive final week!

The Pre-School Team.

It has been a busy penultimate week in Treyarnon class.

In English, we have been writing our Jack and the Beanstalk stories and concentrating on speech punctuation and dialogue. They are exciting to read already. 

In maths, we have been learning about 3d shapes and tried our hand at making nets. We also learned all about circles and had a go at using compasses. 

In history, we finished our World War 2 topic by completing our double-page spreads. We were able to show off all of our knowledge and I love the presentation of their work. 

The highlight was watching the dress rehearsal for the KS1 nativity - it was hilarious and they were fantastic.

Have a great weekend!

Miss Burton

Hello Everyone,

We just wanted to start off by saying how fantastic the children were for our two performances of 'Knock Knock'. I am sure you can agree that they all sang incredibly well and spoke so confidently - we are so proud of each and every one of them, well done! Thank you to all the friends and family members who came to watch us and we hope it's got you in the festive spirit.

In English, we have been using interesting vocabulary to create an acrostic poem about Christmas.

In Science, we went on a winter walk to spot various materials around the school environment. Then back in the class we sorted different materials focusing on their properties.

In Maths, we have been consolidating our number, shape and measuring knowledge so show how much progress we have made so far.

Understandably, the children have been super busy this week and have managed the various changes to our 'normal' day very well so we hope you all enjoy some moments of rest.

We hope you have a lovely weekend,

from The Penhallow Team.

We've had a truly fantastic week, filled with excitement and lots of memorable moments. One of the biggest highlights was our trip to see Aladdin at the Hall for Cornwall. The children were absolutely captivated by the performance-their faces lit up with wonder, and it was magical to see how much they enjoyed every moment of the show.

Back at school, we've been incredibly busy preparing for our nativity performance next week. The children have been working hard learning their lines, practicing their roles, and perfecting the songs. Their enthusiasm and effort have been wonderful to watch.

This afternoon, we will visit the church. They are so excited to share their songs with you, and we can't wait for you to see all their hard work come together. It's going to be a special and joyful occasion!

What a lovely week we have had in Chaipel! Our English best copy write-up is incredible and I cannot wait to read each and every one of them! Everyone has put in so much effort and the complex sentences I have read so far has blown me away. For English next week, we will wrap up our investigation into sustainable energy in the UK by writing a poem.

In Maths, we have been finding common denominators and adding and subtracting fractions as well as identifying and calculating angles in a triangle.

In RE, we have been 'asking questions to Mary and Joseph' about the birth of their baby and if they really believe that Mary has been carrying the Messiah! We completed the learning by writing a newspaper report on that eventful night - directly quoting the happy parents! In Geography, we have been investigating which areas of the UK produce which types of non-renewable and renewable energy and in History, we have compared how the Mayan civilisation was ruled with that of Anglo-Saxon England. 

We performed our Christmas play dress rehearsal infront of the rest of the school on Friday and it was a huge success! We have taken the feedback postively and will apply it in our performances to our parents on Monday.

CONGRATULATIONS to our People of the Week - Aria and Tristan - for demonstrating our school values and being positive role models, and to Leo for achieving his 77 Club badge for his times tables.

That's all from me so have a lovely weekend and see you all on Monday for our final week before Christmas!!

Miss Randle and Mrs Clary

It's beginning to feel a LOT like Christmas in Darite. The school have embraced the festive season and have had a wonderful week baking festive treats, making cards and decorations and loads of other activities and fun. It is hard to believe that we only have one week left before the Christmas break! Our Reindeer Run was featured on the St Luke's Facebook page here. The children loved raising money for the hospice. We raised £267.80 for St Luke's Hospice. The whole school went to sing to the village Christmas dinner on Wednesday. They sang beautifully, clearly and their performance was thoroughly appreciated by the members of the club. It is becoming a tradition at Darite and is part of being part of the community! Thank-you to everyone who joined in celebrating our Nativity yesterday. I'm sure you will all agree that the performances were superb along with the singing. Thank-you to all the children for doing so well and to parents and carers for helping with lines. We raised £52.00, thank you all. Finally, don't forget that there is still time to purchase your tickets for the PTFA Christmas Raffle. Tickets were sent home last week but if you didn't receive them (or need some more) please let teachers know. There are some amazing prizes on offer. Winners will be chosen on Tuesday 16th December and informed by email. The PTFA will be in the playground after school on Tuesday to allow winners to collect their prizes, if you are unable to collect your prize will be left in Reception. The Christmas jumper swap was well received last Friday after school. There are lots of children who are proud of their new threads going into Christmas. Thank-you to Mrs Richardson-Calladine for arranging this. She has also said that the Lighthouse Community Centre have agreed to re-house the jumpers that were not required. They will be shared with those in the community who need help and support. It is with great sadness that we say farewell to Miss Bawden at the end of term. She has been a valuable member of the team at Darite for a number of years, and she will be greatly missed by children and staff alike. I am sure you will join with us all in wishing her the very best for her next adventures and we hope she will keep in touch. Although next week is the last week, we are still very busy. Christmas dinner and Christmas jumper day is on Wednesday. Please make sure that you have booked a school lunch in plenty of time. We are also having class parties on Thursday. We are requesting small donations of party food so that the children have a treat in the afternoon. This party food will not take the place of lunches and children should still bring a packed lunch or order a meal. Finally, next Friday is a half day and children can be collected at 1.30 from the normal place. If you will be unable to collect at this time, please let us know so we can put plans in place.

Weekly update...

Wow, this has been another busy week as we approach the end of the Autumn term.

One of the highlights was the lantern parade at the weekend. Lots of families braved the weather to join us and the result was stunning. This culminated in a wonderful fireworks display at the Waterside. We were proud to have a large contingent from Y4/5, so thanks everyone.

In computing, Miss Henning has been working on some super Christmas jumper designs, with impressive results.


Also, we're busy practising and looking forward to our Christingle Service at St Stephen's Church on Monday, thank you for all the oranges and we hope to see you there!

Weekly update...

Wow, this has been another busy week as we approach the end of the Autumn term.

One of the highlights was the lantern parade at the weekend. Lots of families braved the weather to join us and the result was stunning. This culminated in a wonderful fireworks display at the Waterside. We were proud to have a large contingent from Y4/5, so thanks everyone.

In computing, Miss Henning has been working on some super Christmas jumper designs, with impressive results.

It really has been a week filled with Christmas spirit at Brunel as well as wonderful learning opportunities. A huge thank you for your continued support as we continue to provide the very best education for our children. 

Christmas Performance



This year's Christmas performance was magical. Our children lit up the stage with their talent, confidence, and passion, delivering a show that left everyone beaming with pride. From the heartfelt singing to the excellent acting and stunning costumes, everything reflected the hard work, joy and creativity that make our school community what it is. What a wonderful way to end the term and celebrate the festive season.

Attendance
You may have seen media coverage of flu and sickness bugs sweeping through schools, causing some to close. Although we're not at that level, we have seen very high absence rates this last week or so. Sickness cannot be helped and is a justifiable reason for children not to attend school. If your child is ill, please remember to report each day of absence first thing in the morning so we can record the reason for their absence. Fingers crossed we have a healthier time next week so the children can enjoy the end of term festivities.

Final week festivities
Monday 15th December - PSA film night from 3.30pm
Wednesday 17th December - Christmas dinner
Friday 19th December - Christmas party day. Children may wear party clothes/Christmas jumpers and bring a game to play (no electrical devices please). They will also need a party picnic - thank you.

A reminder that we finish at 1.30pm on Friday 19th, the last day of term.

What an unforgettable week it has been for Tregantle class! We took part in our very first nativity performance, joining children from Years 1, 2 and 3 to bring this year's show, "Fleece Force," to life.

This wonderfully creative performance told the Christmas story from a brand-new angle - through the eyes of the sheep, who just so happened to be.. police officers! With flashing badges, important missions, and plenty of woolly humour, it was a show to remember.

Tregantle's role was to bring the angels to the stage, and they certainly did not disappoint. Dressed in halos, wings, and just the right amount of sparkle, the children looked heavenly as they took their places. Their performance of the song "Good News, Great News" was absolutely brilliant - sung with confidence, energy, and huge smiles that lit up the hall. Their dance moves were perfectly in time too, showing just how hard they had worked in rehearsals.

Every single child shone brightly, and we could not be more proud of how they handled their first performance. From their enthusiasm to their teamwork, Tregantle proved they are true stars.

Well done, Tregantle class-you were amazing!

Tonight we steal the Moooon!

Well - not quite!  As part of our science learning about space we have been learning about the solar system.  We have learned about the different planets and asteroid belts.  We have also looked at some historical theories about the Solar System and how the earth's orbit creates different seasons.

Finally, we looked at what causes Earth to have night and day - and then we learned about why the moon appears to look different at different times of the month.  Our learning about the phases of the moon was made memorable by using Jaffa cakes to replicate the different phases.

Good fun - and delicious!

Santa's Elves visit St Cleer

ELF DAY ARRIVED!  Hundreds of excited and Christmassy elves descended on St Cleer to raise funds to Alzheimers UK.

We had a great day full of Christmas learning, from 'Naughty Elf adventure stories' to Christmas codebreakers - we had a great day, learned lots and raised money for a great cause!

Fantastic gymnastics

Our PE theme this half term has been Gymnastics.  We have learned lots of different ways to lead, balance and travel.  Our lessons started by learning how to complete the Stag leap and the Split leap using mats on the floor.

We then moved onto the apparatus, looking at different ways we can travel using different apparatus and also different ways to balance.  Finally, we introduced the springboard and had great fun using the springboard to leap higher and try to complete more complex gymnastics moves.

Its been great fun - but Mr H finds it difficult to capture good photos when children are moving so fast!!

Christmas has arrived in pre-school! The children have all enjoyed our festive themed role play corners, with Santa's Reading Grotto and Santa's Post Office.

Lots of stories have been shared in our cosy grotto, and our postbox is almost full of letters and pictures for Santa.

The children have been busy crafting some special decorations and artwork.

The final 2 weeks in pre-school are set to be busy and exciting for all.  We have lots of lovely activities planned.

There is no party day planned as in our final week we will be doing games and some special snacks on our 2 of the days when we have all the children in. 

A reminder that we the 'Stars' in the performance of Lights, Camel, Action! We are making sparkly headbands in pre-school, but we would like the children to come in the final Friday wearing something yellow/gold or white on top if possible.

Please speak to a member of the team if you have any questions regarding our last day.

A reminder that Wednesday 17th December is Christmas Jumper Day and  FOPs Xmas fair in the school hall from 2pm.

Friday 19^th we are going to church for 12.30 so only a light lunch is needed, and ALL children will be collected from Pre-School at 1.30 after the performance.

The Pre-School Team.

IT SNOWED! Naturally, we had to enjoy ourselves.

What a wonderful start to the week we had with our nursery nativity on Monday afternoon. The children were all amazing dressed in their costumes and sang beautifully and it was so lovely to see so many parents and carers joining us. A big thank you to Jolene who has started volunteering with us on a Tuesday and Friday morning and who came in to help with he play.

At storytime this week we have enjoyed the books "Five Little Reindeer" and "Aliens love Panta claus"

In phonics we have explored musical instruments by banging, shaking, playing them loudly and quietly and have been naming them.
We listened to sounds in our indoor and outdoor environments on a sound walk and grouped initial sounds.

In maths we have been ordering numbers including those that are larger.

It will be another busy week next week and will include Christmas dinner on Wednesday and our party on Friday.
A reminder that next Friday 19th is the last day before the holidays and we close at 1.30pm to all children.

See you soon

Julie, Sarah and Jolene