Another week and so much learning has taken place! The first draft of our explanation texts into the circulatory system are near completion and next week we will edit, improve and begin our best copy write-up. I am excited to see the first completed pieces of written work from the new Chaipelers! Year 5s have been rounding to check answers, comparing calculations and problem-solving with addtion and subtraction in Maths whilst the Year 6s have been investigating factors, multiples and prime numbers. 

In our wider curriculum, Chaipel have been practising balance, co-ordination and sequencing during Yoga - telling a story using poses and transitions. We have discussed what we need to do to stay fit and healthy physically and mentally in Science, learnt about the charitable pillar of Islam known as Zakat in RE and what it is like to be a young child on a cocoa plantation in Ghana - comparing their life choices and opportunities to those of our own. 

CONGRATULATIONS to our People of the Week - Zach, Grace and Isabelle for demonstrating our school values and being role models to their peers. 

REMINDER:
Our Spooky Disco is fast approaching  (Thursday 22nd October) - remember to collect your tickets from Reception!

That's all so have a fab weekend and see you all on Monday!
Miss Randle and Miss Colton

Science

This week in Science, we have been investigating friction and learning how it affects the movement of objects. Using Newton meters, the children measured the amount of friction produced by different surfaces and explored how scientists can use these measurements in real-life situations. To make our learning even more meaningful, the pupils helped me decide which tyres would be best to put on my bike for travelling along different tracks, considering how grip and friction can make a big difference.



English

In English, we have been busy writing our own outlaw stories inspired by the legendary tales of Robin Hood and Blackbeard. The children have shown great creativity and imagination, developing exciting plots, memorable characters and adventurous settings. It has been wonderful to see their confidence grow as they have brought their ideas to life through their writing.


Maths

In Maths, Year 5 have been completing their unit on addition and subtraction, while Year 6 have been finishing their work on all four operations. The children have worked hard to strengthen their calculation skills and apply them confidently when solving problems. I hope you all have a lovely weekend and look forward to seeing everyone on Monday for another week of learning and achievement.

TALLAND'S BLOG 9.10.26

Another Wonderful Week in Talland Class!

What a brilliant week we’ve had! We hope you’re all doing well and looking forward to a relaxing weekend. It’s been another busy few days in Talland Class, with lots of learning, plenty of perseverance and some fantastic moments to celebrate. The children have continued to throw themselves into their activities with such enthusiasm, and it’s wonderful to see their confidence growing as they tackle new challenges. From tricky maths problems to thoughtful writing and some energetic PE lessons, there certainly hasn’t been a dull moment! So, grab a cuppa, get comfy and have a little look at what we’ve been up to this week:

Maths:
Our Year 4 mathematicians have launched into their new unit on addition and subtraction, beginning by getting to grips with the column method. They’ve been building their confidence with adding four-digit numbers and are now tackling calculations that involve exchanging in one column. There’s been lots of careful lining up, checking digits and remembering those all-important mathematical steps. Great effort, Year 4!

Meanwhile, Year 5 have been powering through their addition and subtraction unit! They’ve been hunting for missing numbers in calculations, using rounding to check whether their answers are sensible, and tackling some rather challenging multi-step problems. Phew! These tasks have really got everyone thinking, encouraging the children to choose their methods carefully and explain their reasoning. We’re loving the determination on show as they work their way through each new challenge!

English:
Our work on non-chronological reports about extinct animals has continued, with the dodo remaining firmly in the spotlight! The children have been exploring the different features that make an effective report, thinking carefully about how information is organised, how vocabulary can engage the reader and how to keep their writing clear, informative and interesting. We’ve been looking closely at what makes a report successful, and it’s lovely to see the children becoming increasingly confident at spotting these features and applying them to their own work. Their understanding is developing lesson by lesson, and we’re beginning to see some fantastic ideas taking shape. Who knew there was quite so much to learn about the dodo?!

PE: 
It’s been another action-packed week in PE, with a little bit of calm, a little bit of chaos and lots of teamwork! In Yoga, the children learnt a brand-new flow, practising how to link movements smoothly while developing their balance, control and coordination. Some of us discovered that holding a pose and moving gracefully from one position to another is MUCH harder than it looks! There’s been plenty of concentration, a few wobbles and some impressive attempts to master the sequence.

Over in Tag Rugby, things have been a little more energetic! The children have started putting their skills into practice during games, making quick decisions about when to pass, how to evade a defender and how to work together effectively in attack and defence. They’ve also been thinking about the rules of the game, including offside, and learning how important it is to work as a team rather than as individuals. There’s been lots of running, tactical thinking, encouragement and enthusiastic cheering along the way. Fantastic teamwork, everyone!

Geography: 
Our geographers have been exploring coastal defences and investigating the different ways people try to protect coastlines from erosion and the effects of the sea. After looking at a range of approaches, the children put their thinking caps on and designed their very own coastal defence systems! There were some thoughtful ideas on display as they considered how their designs might help protect the coastline. It was a great opportunity to bring together their geographical knowledge, problem-solving skills and creativity. We have some budding coastal engineers in our midst!

Celebrations and Special Mentions:
As always, there are some wonderful achievements to celebrate this week! A huge well done to Harper and Alfie, who have successfully completed the next level of 99 Club! What a fantastic achievement. Your hard work, determination and willingness to keep practicing are clearly paying off, and you should be incredibly proud of yourselves. Enjoy that moment of success… but don’t get too comfortable, as the next challenge is waiting for you! We’d also like to shine a little spotlight on Nevaeh and Kayla for their fantastic efforts beyond the classroom. One child completed a brilliant interview with an elderly family friend, showing real interest and enthusiasm in finding out more about someone else’s experiences. What a lovely way to learn from another generation! Our other special mention goes to a child who has been working incredibly hard both at home and in school to strengthen their understanding and build their confidence. That kind of commitment deserves a big cheer, and we are so pleased to see such determination. Well done to you both! Remember, progress isn’t always about getting everything right straight away; it’s about asking questions, practicing, persevering and being brave enough to keep trying. We’re very proud of you!

And That’s a Wrap! And just like that, another busy week in Talland Class has flown by! We’ve tackled challenges, developed new skills, shared ideas and celebrated some lovely achievements along the way. The children continue to make us smile with their enthusiasm, curiosity and willingness to give things a go, and we’re looking forward to seeing what next week brings. Thank you, as always, for being such a wonderful support to the children and to us. Your encouragement at home really does make a difference, and it’s a pleasure to see the children growing in confidence and taking pride in their learning. For now, it’s time to put those school bags down, enjoy a well-earned rest and make the most of the weekend. Whether you have exciting plans or are simply looking forward to a slower couple of days, we hope you have a lovely time together. We’ll be back next week, ready to dive into more learning, take on new challenges and create plenty more memories together! Have a fabulous weekend, everyone!

Signing off with big smiles, Mr. Langley and Mr. Bishop.

The children have been busy learning lots of new things this week!

Maths

The Year 2 children have finished their place value topic and have now begun learning about addition and subtraction. They have been exploring number bonds to 10 and 20 and using their prior knowledge to work out number facts to 100.

The Year 3 children have been adding and subtracting multiples of 100, adding 1s across a multiple of 10 and adding 10s across a multiple of 100. They have been working hard to develop their mental maths skills!

English

This week, we have been animal experts! Working in small groups, the children have been learning all about ducks, foxes and bees. They have been gathering lots of interesting facts about their chosen animal, ready to use in their writing. Today we interviewed each other and recorded this on 'showbie' so we could really test our knowledge! Next week, we will begin organising our knowledge into different categories to help us prepare for writing our own non-chronological reports.

Science

Our Science learning has focused on healthy eating and how keeping clean helps us to stay healthy. We discussed different foods and the food groups they belong to before sorting foods into different categories. The children enjoyed sharing their ideas and thinking about how we can make healthy choices.

Geography

In Geography this week, we identified the four countries that make up the United Kingdom and located them on a map. We then explored the capital cities of each country and identified the seas that surround the UK. The children enjoyed developing their map skills and learning more about the geography of our country.

Art

The children really enjoyed their Art lesson this week! We explored abstract pictures of flowers, looking closely at how different shapes can be used to represent flowers in creative and imaginative ways. We then used our own imaginations to design and create our very own abstract flower pictures. The children produced some lovely, individual pieces of artwork!

Pupils of the Week

A huge well done to Ronnie and Maeve, who were chosen as our Pupils of the Week!

Ronnie has been showing exceptional attitude towards his learning, he has really been trying to focus and tries his best in most if not all subjects. He has produced some fantastic art and has really enjoyed learning about countries in geography. 

Maeve has really impressed Miss Beer with her efforts in English, she has tried hard to contribute to discussions and include lots of information in her writing. 

99 Club Achievements

A big well done to Emily, Frankie and Harry, who were awarded their 99 Club badges this week. What a fantastic achievement!

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

What have your children been up to?
Last week, our infants visited The Box museum in Plymouth to engage in an art workshop. On Friday, a group of Year 5 and 6 pupils joined Melissa Pinfield at the University of Plymouth to celebrate their work as part of an arts and sustainability project in collaboration with the Orwell Society. George Orwell's son, Richard Blair, was in attendance to introduce the event and the children's work was on display for guests to view.





Whilst there may not have been any trips off site this week, there has been plenty to celebrate in school. Class 3 and 4 children continue to work on their end of unit artwork. We hope to share this with our parents and carers at an exhibition after half term. In the meantime, here is a teaser of what Class 3 have been doing. Using a set design with lighting, they used charcoal and chalk to create dramatic sketches. I think Eva's is very atmospheric.



Harvest Celebrations
Once again this year, we will be supporting the Callington Foodbank during our harvest celebrations. If you would like to donate any of the following items, please send them in with your child on Thursday 22nd October. I will then deliver all donations to the foodbank.
-Tinned Fruit
-Sponge puddings
-Pasta sauce
-Jam/marmalade
-Tinned carrots
-Washing pods
-Female deodorant
-Fruit juice cartons
-Tinned cold meats
-Crisps/sweets/lunchbox items
-Mashed potato
-Tinned sweetcorn
-Savoury biscuits
-Children's toothbrushes
-Baked beans
-Noodles and pasta pots
-Rice (including wholemeal)
-Small jars of coffee
-Long life (UHT) milk
-Tinned soup
-Tinned tomatoes

Dates
As we near the end of this half term, there are a few key dates to share:

14.10.26 - Last swimming session for Class 3
15.10.26 - PSA disco from 4pm at the village hall
16.10.26 - First cross country run of the year at Great Trethew for club members
22.10.26 - Harvest assembly at village hall at 9.15am. All parents and carers welcome. This is also the last pupil day before half term.
23.10.26 - School closed to pupils for teacher training.
2.11.26 - First pupil day after half term

Over the next few weeks we are exploring autumn and answering our enquiry question “What happens in autumn?”
The children have been busy making bird feeders with oranges and are excited to take them home to hang outside.
They are currently creating paper plate acorns and have been rolling pinecones in paint to see what patterns could be made.

At story time we have been reading “Little Acorns” and “Don’t Hog the Hedge”.

During phonics this week the children have been making pet movements and singing a song to match the way different animals move.  
They have been trying hard to identify some rhyming sounds and played a game of “Guess the pet”.

In maths we have been identifying groups of objects up to 3 and finding numbers in our environment.

A little reminder that we have a Bags2school collection on Monday so if you have any used but good condition clothes, shoes, bags, belts then please bag them up and drop to nursery by 9am Monday morning.

Have a great weekend

Julie and Sarah

Friday 9th October

Week 5 in Rame class has been full of giggles when learning! 

Some of this week's exploration:

In English the children have been showing the adults how well they can use their 'funky fingers' to hold their pencil using a tripod grip. They have then drawn pictures of their favourite part of the story whilst maintaining a good pencil grip. This is really tricky to do but the children are progressing so well. 

Handwriting in Rame class and this point of the year may not look like other classes handwriting BUT rest assured we are! We have completed loads of dough disco this week, we have pulled ourselves along using scoot boards, we have moved like animals around the room. At this stage of the year ensuring that the children have strength in their shoulders, arms, hands and fingers is vital for them to become amazing writers. 

In PE with coach Jack The children have been participating in lots of listening and attention games. The children have been moving slow, fast, up and down. They gave loved playing the splat game and sharks in the water. 

Outside this week the children...and Mrs Lyden were loving using the crates to explore, speed, and weight! check out the picture! 

In maths this week the children have been exploring the compositions of 2, 3 and 4. The children have been using lots of STEM sentences to understand their maths activities. 1 and another 1 is 2. 3 and another 1 is 4. 

We continue to have so much fun learning in Rame class and the children continue to impress us every day! 

Sensational Science Investigations and New Novels!

This week, we made the use of the weather by getting outside within our science lesson. We we were learning about the force of friction and investigating the strength of friction on different surfaces. For this, the children used Newton meters to measure the force when they pulled along an object on various surfaces. Shoes may look an unusual choice for a scientific experiment, however, due to the rubber sole, they produce grip which makes the force easier to measure - strange but true!

Additionally, in English we have just begun drafting our stories inspired by the novel 'Letters from the Lighthouse'. The children have had a lovely time getting into their characters and coming up with all sorts of trials and tribulations that they may encounter. We can't wait to read what happens next!

Sensational Science Investigations and New Novels!

This week, we made the use of the weather by getting outside within our science lesson. We were learning about the force of friction and investigating the strength of friction on different surfaces. For this, the children used Newton meters to measure the force when they pulled along an object on various surfaces. Shoes may look an unusual choice for a scientific experiment, however, due to the rubber sole, they produce grip which makes the force easier to measure - strange but true!

Additionally, in English we have just begun drafting our stories inspired by the novel 'Letters from the Lighthouse'. The children have had a lovely time getting into their characters and coming up with all sorts of trials and tribulations that they may encounter. We can't wait to read what happens next!

Whitsand Class Learning Update 

It has been another busy and exciting week in Whitsand Class!

In Maths, we have completed our unit on place value and number and have now moved on to addition. The children have been exploring how we can use part-whole models to help us understand addition and identify the parts and the whole. We have been working hard to explain our mathematical thinking and are becoming more confident in using our models to support our calculations.

In English, we have come to the end of our Jack and the Beanstalk unit. The children have worked incredibly hard throughout the unit and have put lots of effort into their final writing. They have been trying their very best to remember and apply the key skills we have been practising, and we are so proud of the progress they have made. 

Our Science learning has been particularly exciting! We have been exploring waterproof materials and investigating which materials are best at keeping water out. The children enjoyed carrying out an experiment where they tested a range of different materials to see how waterproof they were, before recording their findings in a table. There was lots of careful observing, predicting and discussing… although some children may have got a little wet along the way! 

Well done, Whitsand Class, for another fantastic week of learning. We are so proud of your hard work, curiosity and enthusiasm! 

Another Fantastic Week in Lantic Class

It has been another busy and exciting time in Lantic Class! The children have been working incredibly hard and have enjoyed lots of practical and creative learning across the curriculum.

In Maths, we have been learning all about number bonds to 10. The children have enjoyed finding different ways to make 10 and practising writing number sentences to show what they know. One of our favourite activities was drawing around our hands! We used our fingers to help us find different number bonds and then wrote number sentences to match. The children were fantastic at spotting the different combinations and explaining their thinking.

In English, the children have been busy completing their final write. They have created their very own Wanted: Wolf! posters. The children have been working hard to make their writing interesting by using adjectives, conjunctions and adverbs of place. We have been very impressed with the vocabulary they have chosen and the detail they have included in their descriptions. There are certainly some very imaginative wolf posters in Lantic Class!

In History, we have been comparing schools in the past with schools today. The children have enjoyed thinking about what is the same and what has changed over time. We were especially excited to look at a photograph shared by Miss Price of Longstone (Brunel) School from around 50 years ago. The children were amazed to discover that our school once had a swimming pool! This led to lots of interesting conversations about what school life might have been like in the past.

In RE, we have been learning about synagogues and exploring their importance to Jewish people. The children have been discovering different features of a synagogue and learning about how it is used as a place for worship and community. They have shown lots of curiosity and have enjoyed asking questions and sharing their ideas as they develop their understanding of Judaism.

Well done, Lantic Class, for another fantastic week of learning! We are so proud of the enthusiasm, creativity and hard work you continue to show.

As we come to the end of another busy and exciting week at Brunel, I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for your continued support. It has been another wonderful week filled with opportunities for our children, and we are incredibly grateful for the fantastic school community we have.

Harvest Festival

A particular highlight this week was our wonderful Harvest Festival on Monday. It was lovely to welcome so many families into school to celebrate together. A huge thank you to everyone who generously donated items for Saltash Foodbank. Your kindness and generosity will make a real difference to families within our local community, and it was a fantastic opportunity to remind our children of the importance of helping others.

Helping Hands Club

I would also like to say a special thank you to the wonderful parents and volunteers who continue to give up their time on Wednesday afternoons to support our Helping Hands Club. Your hard work and dedication are making such a positive difference to our school environment. We really do appreciate everything you do to help make Brunel an even better place for our children.

Parent Workshops

This week, we have also enjoyed welcoming our Year 4 and Reception parents into school for our information workshops. To our Year 4 parents, we hope you found the Multiplication Tables Check (MTC) workshop useful and that you now feel more confident about how you can support your child with their times tables at home.

To our Reception parents, we hope you enjoyed our Phonics workshop and gained a better understanding of how we teach early reading at Brunel and how you can support your child's reading journey. Thank you to everyone who attended. Working together really does make such a difference to our children's learning and progress.

Looking Ahead – Individual Photographs
A reminder that individual school photographs will be taking place on Monday. Please take a moment to read this week's Brunel Bulletin, where you will find further information and important reminders.

Parents' Evening – Bookings Opening Soon! Our Parents' Evenings will be taking place during the final week of this half term, and bookings will open on Monday 12th October through Arbor. I would strongly encourage all parents and carers to book an appointment with their child's class teacher. These meetings provide a valuable opportunity to celebrate your child's achievements, discuss their progress and identify how we can continue to work together to support their learning. We really do value these conversations and hope to see as many of you as possible.

Finally... Thank you once again for everything you do to support Brunel. Whether it is attending school events, volunteering your time, supporting learning at home or simply encouraging your child to come to school each day ready to learn, it all makes a difference. We are incredibly fortunate to have such a supportive school community, and I never take that for granted. I hope you all have a wonderful, restful weekend, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday. 

What a busy and exciting week we have had in Tregantle Class! Phonics

This week, we have been very busy in phonics, continuing to learn a new sound every day. We are so impressed with how well the children are remembering their sounds and applying their learning in class. It has also been wonderful to hear that so many of you have been watching the phonics videos at home — what fantastic support! It was especially lovely to welcome our EYFS parents into school on Friday afternoon for a fun phonics session with Mrs Orchard and Mrs Grinsted. Thank you so much for engaging so brilliantly and joining in with all the activities. We think it is safe to say that you are now officially phonics experts!

Maths
In maths, we have continued our learning about subitising and developing our number understanding to 5. The children have been enjoying spotting quantities without needing to count each object, as well as exploring different ways to represent numbers. We have also been learning some new rhymes to help us remember how to form our numbers correctly. The children have loved joining in with these and are becoming more confident with their number writing.

PE Fun
We had a really fun PE lesson this week! We enjoyed moving our bodies like different animals and challenging ourselves to think about how each animal might move. We also had lots of fun playing parachute games, working together and developing our listening and coordination skills. It was certainly a lot of fun!

Settling In
We are incredibly proud of how settled the children are becoming in school. They are really making the most of all the wonderful opportunities available to them, both in the classroom and out in our garden provision. We are already looking forward to more fun and learning next week!