TALLAND'S BLOG 12.9.25

WELCOME TO TALLAND EVERYBODY! What a lovely first full week we have had. It's been brilliant getting to know all of the children - they are a fantastic group! 

We've kick started off with our enquiry question for this term: The fall of the rainforest: Who cares? Here's a little break down of what our week has consisted of:

Maths:
Both year groups have delved into place value and are getting a good understanding of which digit represents the ones, tens, hundreds... all the way to 1,000,000 (for year 5). We also look at shape on a Friday and today we were exploring clockwise and anticlockwise turns. Why not quiz your child on how many 90 degree turns you can make in a full turn. 

English:
We have begun with a dilemma story involving a great Kapok tree in the rainforest. A man has been ordered to chop it down but the animals and creatures residing in this great tree try using persuasive devices to try and make the man change his mind. Which was your child's favourite animal in the story?

Geography:
Here, we looked at which different animals live in the rainforest, which animals are in danger of extinction and we looked at the different layers of the rainforest and which layer these animals lived.

RE:
We looked at the creation story. Talland had to retell the story of what God created on each day through a story map.

Art:
Today, we had lots of fun exploring different techniques to make a 2-D shape appear 3-D. Talland used chalks to help with this effect! Everyone then signed their name (like a true artist), followed up by transforming our classroom into an art gallery. We walked around the class looking and studying everyone's art work and spoke about which ones we liked and for which reasons.  

PE:
With Mrs. Hillman, Talland had a relaxing time stretching and bending during yoga and with me, we played football where we practiced our dribbling skills.
PE is on Tuesday and Wednesday so could PE kits be available for these days please.

A busy and fulfilling week!

CONGRATULATIONS last week to Kayla and Amelia for beginning their journey at Polperro School and in Talland class in such a positive way. They are a real atribute to our class! For this week, well done to Nevaeh and Heidi for being noticed as Talland's children of the week. They have begun their school year as real role models. They should be extremely proud of themselves. Keep up the great work!

That's all from us this week. We hope you have and amazing weekend!

Signing off from Mr. Langley and Mr. Bishop.

This week in R/1 has been full of exciting learning opportunities and fun activities!

In Literacy, we have been exploring traditional tales, focusing on classic stories such as The Three Little Pigs and The Three Billy Goats Gruff. The children have enjoyed listening to and retelling these stories, using key story language and sequencing events in the correct order. Year 1 have been working hard on their writing skills, learning how to create simple captions and labels to match pictures from the stories. Reception children have been developing their early writing and storytelling skills through drawing, mark-making, and acting out parts of the tales.

In Maths, Year 1 have been learning about place value, with a particular focus on understanding tens and ones in numbers between 10 and 15. They've used practical resources like base ten blocks and number lines to help them build a solid understanding of how numbers are made up. Meanwhile, Reception children have been busy exploring patterns, using colours, shapes, and objects to create repeating sequences. They've also been working on their early addition skills, especially focusing on ways to add to 3 using counting and hands-on materials.

In PSHE, we had meaningful discussions about the people in our lives who help us feel safe, supported, and cared for. The children shared thoughtful ideas and enjoyed talking about their families, friends, and trusted adults. We also took part in some fun team-building games to help develop our friendships and cooperation skills.

During PE, we've started a new focus on ball skills and group games. The children have been practising rolling, throwing, and catching, as well as learning how to work together in small teams. Reception children joined in with some exciting hoop games, which helped them with their coordination and turn-taking. Reception children have PE on Mondays and Tuesdays. Year 1 pupils have PE on Thursdays. 

Reception have continued to make the most of their time in continuous provision, where they have been creating, building, and making with lots of enthusiasm. From constructing imaginative buildings to experimenting with different materials at the creative table, it's been wonderful to see their ideas come to life through play.

To top it all off, we had a fantastic music lesson with Mrs Butlin this morning! The children loved exploring different instruments, rhythms, and songs, and it was a joyful way to end a busy and productive week.

Well done to all of R/1 for a brilliant week of learning!

What an awesome week and 2 days we have had after our long, hot summer break! Out first full week back had been jam-packed with oodles of learning and fun outside.

In Maths, we have started our fist unit of work on Place Values. This week, we have been using our part-whole models and place value mats to split numbers into tens and ones. We have also been working really hard on our number formation, focusing on forming number 3 the right way round. In Class 2, we do this by making sure our pencil is on the LEFT hand side of the square and then using a following rhyme to remember how to write the number: "Around the tree, around the tree, that's the way to make a three!"

In Literacy, we are learning how to write a report. This week, we have practiced writing 2A sentences and using conjunctions to add more details. We have also begun collecting facts about a new animal for our own reports.

In History, we have begun a new unit that will help us answer the question, "How was school different in the past?" This week, we had some very heated debates about how schools might have changed. We are so lucky that at Harrowbarrow we have such a rich collection of photos and artefacts that document our school over the years. We spent an afternoon looking at these photos and artefacts. We finished our session by talking about what similarities and differences we could see in the the way children learned at Harrowbarrow in the past compared to our school today.  

In Music, this term we are exploring pulse and rhythmic patterns. This week, we had a very lively session of composing call-and-echo movement sequences for our friends to follow.

Art this term is all about exploring and drawing. This week, we investigated the concept of artists as explorers and collectors - exploring the world and ideas and collecting artifacts from nature and all around them to inspire their art.

We watched a video about Andy Goldsworthy, a British Sculptor who has become know for making art from things he finds in the landscape. In the video, he shared how he takes ice and rocks from the landscape and lets it make a "drawing" as it thaws in his studio. Inspired by this, we went outside to look for colours in nature and experimented with creating colours with our found natural things.

We have successfully moved rooms over the summer and everyone seems very settled after their first full week at Nursery.

The current children who have come back after the break are all looking taller, and have been telling us all about their holiday visits over the summer.

The new children have settled very quickly, with only a few tears when they first say good bye to their grownup, but once they see the toys and activities, they soon are off exploring.
 

We're back at Storytellers Nursery, and what a brilliant start to the year it's been! 

 Our first topic is All About Me, and the children have been full of energy, exploring all the different ways our bodies can move. There was so much giggling as they took turns drawing around each other - such a fun way to see just how unique we all are!

 The brand-new Make Believe Manor has also been a huge hit- the children have been busy cooking up stories, stepping into different roles, and letting their imaginations run wild.

 Here's to a year full of curiosity, laughter and magical adventures

Our assembly themes this week have been about making a positive start to the year and how we can all make a difference. An example of this is through our student leadership opportunities, whether that's our Eco Council, Reading Ambassadors, Play Leaders, House Captains, School Council or just those every day moments we can all contribute to. Classes have elected their new School Council and Mrs Orme met with them earlier in the week to begin their important contribution to our school. Next week, we look forward to 'interviewing' our prospective Year 6 House Captains. In our Celebration Assembly today, we will be giving out our first Shining Stars certificates of the year, as well as celebrating two children for their positive start to the year, as they take up the 'Best Seats in the House'.

Meet the Teacher Presentations
Thank you for attending our recent Meet the Teacher presentations. If you couldn't make it, we have emailed home a copy of the slides. You can also find them on your child's class page on our website.

Term 1 Curriculum Maps
Next week, we will emailing our Term 1 Curriculum Maps. These give an overview of what the children will be learning in each year group this term. Our fortnightly Year Group Newsletters will also be emailed from next Friday.

Outdoor Play and Learning Development
One of our school development priorities this year is to enhance the opportunities for children's play development at morning break and lunchtime. With the support of your fundraising efforts through FOWPA and potential grants, we look forward to this exciting development. Watch this space for further updates as the project progresses. In addition, we have already made a few practical changes, such as building time into the morning timetable for children to have their snack in class (rather than outside at playtime). We have also enhanced lunchtime opportunities for KS2 with the support of DT Sports organising games and activities (beyond football) on a Tuesday-Thursday. DT Sports have also been in this week training up our Y5/6 Play Leaders who will be leading activities across the whole school at breaktimes.

Extra-Curricular Activities (ECAs)
Don't forget to sign up for ECAs by this Sunday. A reminder of how to sign up has been emailed to parents/carers.


Macmillan Coffee Morning
Year 6 look forward to seeing you at their Macmillan Coffee Morning on Friday 26th September from 08:45 in the Hall. Everyone is welcome to help raise money for this charity.

House Points
Congratulations to this week's winners, Choughs:
Choughs - 355
Cormorants - 314
Puffins - 309
Swans - 235

Best wishes,
Chris Wathern

Welcome to our Nursery blog ...

In our spacious, inviting nursery, we work hard to offer a nurturing and supportive learning environment for the children to thrive and grow. We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum with an emphasis on promoting the characteristics of effective learning. 

This approach fosters a love of learning and provides challenges linked closely to developmentally age-appropriate experiences. We strive to create an environment where children feel confident in exploring and discovering new things. We offer weekly forest school activities and have constant access to an ample, safe outdoor space and an all-weather area. All meals are cooked daily on site by our excellent cook. 

As a Nursery, we understand that all children are unique and understand the importance of following their individual interests.

We are set just outside the beautiful village of Blisland, which is 10 minutes from Bodmin town centre.

As we are a smaller setting, we can only offer 10 places per year group; however, this ensures a very high level of interaction with adults and quality input for your child while they are with us. We are a very family-oriented organisation with strong community connections. 

We can offer places to children from the age of 2 years and offer 15 and 30-hour funding. More information can be found here: www.gov.uk/30-hours-free-childcare

Morning sessions are from 9 am to 12  pm and cost £16.80

Lunch available from 12-1 pm at £5.60 plus meal cost or home-packed lunch.

Afternoon session would be from 12-3 pm at £16.80 plus meal cost or home-packed lunch. 

All-day session 9 am - 3 pm £33.60 plus the meal or home-packed lunch.

We are offering a fourth session free if you pay for 3. It can be just mornings or a full day.  Your equivalent 4th session would be free, saving a max of £28.80

We are very flexible with hours and days, so please feel free to ring for more information.

We also run a parent and toddler group, ' Twiglets', on a Wednesday, 9 am -11 am, where you can come along to stay and play and meet new people, have a coffee and get a feel for what we are all about; this runs weekly in term time and it's free. Bump to 4yrs.    

Weekly information is also available on our 'Twiglets' Facebook page. 

By following our nursery blog, which we hope to publish every week, we will inform you through words and pictures how we promote your child's learning in the nursery. It is also an excellent way for you to discuss with your child at home what they have been doing each week. 

Mrs Pearce.

The children have been amazing in the way they have already thrown themselves into their new routines and learning this week. Our class enquiries have started. Questions this half term are: 'What Makes our Families Unique?' Penhallow Class; 'Who Rules the Animal Kingdom?' Landaviddy Class; 'The Fall of the Rainforest, Who Cares?' Talland Class and 'What Makes Earth the Perfect Planet to Live on?' Chaipel Class. Please look at the class blogs  to see how the children's learning is going.

House Captains At a special assembly this week we thanked last year's house captains and vice captains for doing a wonderful job and announced our new Captains and Vice-Captains for this year who have been chosen because they consistently demonstrate our values. Congratulations to Aria and Henry (Willow); Thomas and Flora (Oak); Nuala and Lily P (Ash) and Joey and Isaac (Chestnut). House Points are given to the children when they demonstrate our school values: Curious, Creative, Excellent, Responsible, Determined and Enthusiastic and pupils can see how many points their house has by looking at our House Point Tracker in the corridor by the library. Our value for this half term is 'I am responsible' and houses have met to consider what this means.

Meet the Teacher: 2:45pm, Wednesday 24th September It is extremely important for us to work together to ensure that every child makes as much progress as possible each year. Each year we hold a Meet the Teacher session at which you will find out about your child's classroom, the adults working alongside your child, classroom routines and timetable, and most importantly, how you can help your child at home. It is also an opportunity to find out about all of the exciting learning and activities the teachers have planned. Of course, the teachers will also answer any questions and try to eliminate any worries or concerns you may have. We understand if you are unable to make the meeting because of work commitments and will find a mutually convenient time to chat to you about your child's new school year if this is the case. If you have children in more than one class, please attend one session and we will find another time for you to meet your other child/children's teacher/s. Our 'Meet the Teacher' session will be on Wednesday 24th September starting at 2:45pm. Please come in through the main gate from 2:40pm and access your child's classroom by the external door. We look forward to seeing you then.

Water Bottles As a Heathy School and a Sugar Smart School we encourage children to drink water throughout their day at school, rather than juice or squash. We would prefer that your child's water bottle contains water only, to encourage healthy habits. This also helps us when there is a spill as water doesn't stain! If there is a reason why your child cannot drink water, please let you child's teacher know. Please note that this applies to their classroom drinks and not to their lunchtime drinks.

Clubs Reminder that clubs start week commencing 22nd September: Monday: After School Running Club (Mrs Turnbull and Miss Bowden) years 3-6. Tuesday: Lunchtime Construction Club (Mrs Lister) Reception, Y1, Y2. After School Alternative Sports Club (Miss Randle) years 2-4. Thursday: After School Football Club (Mr Langley) for years 3-6. After School Gardening Club (includes creative art element) (Mrs Wilkie, Mrs Fitzsimmons and Mrs Peters) for years 1-6. We will have to limit numbers in this very popular club on a first come first served basis in the first instance. All clubs will run from 3.15pm until 4.15pm after school and from 12:30pm until 1pm at lunchtime. Please contact the office to sign your child up.

WAM (We Are Music) Please find attached a flyer with information about "WeAreMusic" (WAM), a music group open to all from KS2 onwards. Led by Sally Butlin and Daniel Grint, sessions take place at Looe Community Academy. Sessions start again next Tuesday (September 16th) but new (and old!) players are welcome to join at any time. 

Wishing you a lovely weekend.

Mrs Hillman

Welcome back to a new year at school.  It has been lovely to see everyone settling into the new term in this, our first full week back at school.  Just a couple of reminders:

Reading Books
Please ensure all reading books are brought to school each day. We will collect them in on Mondays to check reading and count up the Karate Bands.

PE/Games Lessons
PE is on Thursday and Friday PMs with Friday being with a coach. Please make sure that your children come to school with the correct kit including footwear and jumpers as the weather gets colder/wetter.

Celebrations
If your child has won a certificate or award for achievements outside school, please feel free to let us know. We would love to celebrate with you in school.

If you have any questions/concerns please feel free to speak to the Year 3/4 Team (Miss Pittas, Mrs Hewitt and Mrs Gregory)

What a fantastic start we've had in Lantic Class! This week, the children really shone during their first PE session. They practiced their throwing and catching skills with great enthusiasm and took part in the exciting game of Dishes and Domes. It was wonderful to see everyone so active, working together, and having such fun! In DT, we've been busy exploring wheels and axles as we prepare to design and make our very own pull-along toys. The children showed brilliant curiosity and creativity as they got hands-on with the mechanisms. We have also been incredibly proud of the children's writing this week. Inspired by our class book Mrs Armitage and the Big Wave, the children produced some fantastic pieces of work, full of imagination and detail. Well done, Lantic Class - what a brilliant start to the term!

Please take a look at our newsletter below to see what we will be learning this term.

Friday 12th September

We have had  a great first full week in Foundation!

The children started their formal phonics learning this week. The sounds that we learnt were: s/a/t/p. We practiced actions to help us remember these sounds and we practiced holding our pencils and learning the correct letter formation to write these letters!

The children were amazing in phonics.

This half term our bog question is: What is a Superhero? As an introduction to this question, we have started this week with an 'all about me' theme.

The children have coloured handprints and said the things they love to do, and we have discussed how we are all joined in our class but all different and made jigsaw pieces to join together. This display can be seen in the foundation foyer.

The children have used their funky fingers to make themselves out of Lego, they have worked as a team to make marble runs, used the role play area to be doctors and care for each other and so much more!

The children have settled into Foundation class so well and we are so proud of them all!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend

The Foundation Team 

We have had a great first full week of the Autumn Term. Please find all the latest news and events from our wonderful school in, this week's, Brunel Bulletin.

Our first full week of this academic year has been wonderful with lots of learning, smiles and positive attitudes. Children have settled into their new classes fantastically and have been supporting new children wonderfully. As we start the new year, could we please remind you to keep us updated with any changes to address or contact details. It is important that we are able to contact someone about the children at any point of the day in case of emergency. You are able to do this yourself by logging into Arbor or, through the office. There are a few interesting and exciting things coming up over the next few weeks. The calendar on the website is up to date with current events so please make sure you check in regularly. Clubs start next week and they are proving popular as always. Please make sure that you let Mrs Norris know if your child would like to take part. Photos are next week on Monday. As it is PE for all children, we are asking that they come in uniform and then change for the afternoon session. I have been asked to bring your attention to Pam Adam's piano lessons. This year she has space for her in-school lessons. If your children are interested, please let the office know. We also have been sent information from the Marine Biological Association (who worked with the Lego team last year) that their Rock Pool festival is being held next weekend at Porthpean. There are leaflets in the noticeboard and outside the office if you are interested.

w/e 12.9.25

What a crazily busy first week back we've had! Including last week, we've done so much already. 

In English, we've started our unit of work based on the really fun book, 'The Beasties'. We have used our word classes to write exciting sentences about the characters!

In Maths, we're all starting the year off with our learning about place value - such a useful skill. We've used some manipulatives to help. 

In Science, we thought about what we already know about materials and how they can be changed. In computing, we learned about search engines. In RE, we are learning about how the Golden Rule is something that all faiths follow, including Humanism. In PSHE, we learned how to create a class charter. 

In Art, we've started a process towards creating a self-portrait using carbon paper, tracing paper and poetry! It was really exciting!

Plus, in Music, the year 4 children (and Miss Henning!!) have started learning how to play the violin with Sally! What fun!

Terrific Tregantle!

What a fantastic first week it has been in Tregantle Class!

Our new school starters have settled in beautifully and have loved getting to know their new classroom. The children have had so much fun exploring all of the different areas, from painting and construction to role play and the ever-popular mud kitchen.

One of the highlights of the week has been meeting their very own reading buddy. The children really enjoyed sharing stories together, and it was wonderful to see how engaged and excited they were during story time.

We are so proud of how well everyone has started their school journey. It has been a week full of smiles, laughter, and learning, and we can't wait to see what adventures next week will bring!

This week we have been discussing "all about me".
The children have been identifying different features of their faces including nose, mouth, ears, eyes and hair. They have used paint to make self portraits and have enjoyed using the whiteboards to draw on, creating pictures of themselves and their families.
We have made colourful framed handprint pictures and the children have been using different materials on the tuft tray to create different hair styles.

At story time we have read the story of "The three little pigs" and have been reading stories about how we are all different such as "What Wesley wore".
In phonics we have identified objects with the same initial sounds in a game of "Silly socks",  we have been on a listening walk in the play ground to see what we could hear and have used our bodies to make sounds that make us happy.

In maths we have been finding numbers in our environment and sorting and grouping objects to see how many.

Have a lovely weekend

Julie and Sarah

During my morning 'meet and greet', I think I have managed to see most parents and carers since the start of the new academic year. If not, welcome back and I look forward to catching up with you next week. A special welcome to our new children and their families; we hope you have been made to feel welcome and the children have enjoyed the start to their primary education. Within days of our new reception children starting, I began to give tours of the school for prospective new families for September 2026. If you know of anyone looking for a school place for next September, please feel free to share my contact information so they can book a school viewing if interested: head@harrowbarrowprimary.co.uk

We start all new school years with a period of settling the children back into routines and setting expectations. After a six week break, I am always surprised at how quickly the children settle into the rhythm of school life. This year has seen an especially good start across the school, with smiley, happy children bounding into class, enthusiastic to learn at the start of the day. We look forward to celebrating the children's successes and achievements at our weekly celebration assemblies on Fridays. Please look out for praise certificates and ask your child to explain why they were awarded them.

We welcomed new teaching assistant and lunchtime supervisor Sarah Marley to our team last week. Whilst there are no other new members of staff, some staff are working in different roles. A reminder of the staff organisation for this year:

Class 1: Teachers - Tom Ottewell-Taylor, Abi Flashman & Jo Walker (Wednesday afternoons). Teaching Assistants - Angela Bushell, Stacy Vinson, Sarah Marley
Class 2: Teachers - Ati Charlesworth & Jo Walker (Tuesday afternoons). Teaching Assistant - Lesley Connell
Class 3: Teachers - Sam Watts & Andrew Hunt (Thursday afternoons). Teaching Assistants - Jo Cocking, Sarah Marley, Jo Walker, Brendan Thomas
Class 4: Teachers - Melissa Pinfield & Andrew Hunt (Monday & Tuesday afternoons). Teaching Assistants - Heather Thomson, Brendan Thomas

Lesley Connell is no longer working in the school office but remains as Breakfast Club and After School Club lead. For all office queries/communication, please now direct emails to Elaine Moyle: emoyle@harrowbarrowprimary.co.uk

Elaine does not work in the office on Fridays, so if your query or communication can wait until another day, please avoid calling into the office. I will be covering the office on Fridays but am also often involved in meetings or cover teaching.

In my role, I am fortunate enough to work with all the classes. This week, I particularly enjoyed teaching an art lesson to Class 3. The theme for their work this half term is 'drawing stories', with the aim of illustrating a piece of text at the end of the unit. The children started by looking at a tableaux and imagined it as a scene from a story. Here are some examples of their charcoal and chalk sketches:




We have lots of exciting learning opportunities planned for the term ahead and look forward to sharing these with you in the weeks to come. One of our new developments this year is the work we plan to do through our climate action plan. A copy of this can be found in the information tab on this website: www.harrowbarrowprimary.co.uk/Information/Climate_Action_Plan
If you feel you might be able to contribute to our work in this area, please contact us as we want to involve our whole school community.
I look forward to sharing more of the children's learning achievements in the coming weeks.