Friday 28th November 

Some of this week's wonderful exploration has included:

We have nearly finished our Little Red Hen unit of work in English this week. We have been exploring what we would need to make bread. We have explored ingredients and how we would make the bread. The children have used their phonic knowledge to write a list and also sequenced a set of bread making instructions! Next week we walk down to town to buy some bread and then come back to school and eat it! We will also be baking our own bread too!

The children have been matching numerals to representations of numbers to 10 this week and they completed a lovely lesson with our student teacher Miss Wilson.

The children have loved exploring Little Red Riding Hood as their traditional tale this week. They have decorated pictures, practiced cutting skills by making story scenes, completing Little Red Riding Hood maths activities and so much more!

We are coming to the end of term now and have lots of exciting things planned so please look out for information on your emails.

Have a lovely weekend

The Foundation Team 

What a busy week it's been at Darite! Christmas rehearsals are in full swing - it promises to be a great performance. Tickets are now available on ParentPay for the two performances on the 11th December. The whole school had a wonderful time at the Eden project yesterday, exploring, skating and learning. Please see some of the wonderful pictures below. Thank-you again for the community donation which made the trip not only possible but free! Darite is a very special community to be part of. Tomorrow is the Liskeard Lights Up parade and some of the children from Class 2 will be walking with their amazing lanterns that they made last Friday. We hope to see you there (hopefully the weather plays ball). The event is meeting in the Cattle Market at 5pm and the parade begins at 5.30. It would be wonderful to see lots of children there but a reminder that they need o be accompanied by a parent or carer who is responsible for them at the event. Finally, a few pieces of housekeeping. We are a nut-free school due to children and adults having allergies to nuts. This includes sandwiches with chocolate and nut spread in them. Thank-you for helping to protect members of the community. From Monday, can we ask that children attending breakfast club enter the school through the main door and the bell is rung to alert staff. This will maintain site safety in the morning.

Embracing Nature

What a wonderful week we've had in Tregantle Class!

At Forest School, we embraced the beauty of autumn by making our own nature necklaces. The children carefully selected colourful leaves and threaded them to create unique pieces of natural art. This activity was fantastic for strengthening fine motor skills and encouraging creativity in an outdoor setting. It was lovely to see everyone so absorbed in the magic of nature.

Back in the classroom, we got into the festive spirit by making gingerbread ready for the Christmas season. The children practised weighing and mixing the ingredients, using all their senses to explore the spices and textures. The room was filled with excitement-and the delicious smell of ginger!

We've also been getting stuck into books! Tregantle Class have shown a real enthusiasm for reading this week, spending time in our cosy book corner and enjoying story times with both old favourites and brand-new reads. Their love of books is truly shining.

One of the highlights of our week was our trip to Saltash Cinema-our very first trip out of school together! The children walked beautifully to our local cinema and were thrilled to watch The Wild Robot as part of National Cinema Week. It was a memorable and exciting experience for everyone.

Well done for another fantastic week, Tregantle Class! Your curiosity, enthusiasm, and teamwork continue to make us proud.

Another very busy week has flown by at school. On Monday, we held our Black History Month assembly, where the children shared their learning linked to this year's theme: "Standing Firm in Power and Pride." This theme celebrates the courage, resilience, and achievements of Black people around the world. Penhallow Class told us about the poet Benjamin Zephaniah and recited one of his poems beautifully. Landaviddy Class shared their work on artist Lubaina Himid, whose colourful artwork celebrates culture and identity. Talland Class taught us about Ade Adepitan, the Paralympian and TV presenter who inspires others through his determination, and Chaipel Class introduced William Robinson Clarke, the first Black pilot to fly for Britain in the First World War. The assembly was a thoughtful and uplifting celebration and we are very proud of how confidently and respectfully the children shared their learning.

Cross Country success Well done once again to our intrepid cross-country running team, who did the school proud in their race at Great Trethew. Six of our runners finished in the top 25, and all 20 competitors completed the race with 12 achieving personal bests. Another fantastic effort. Well done, runners!

Willow Lantern Making Every child in the school has taken part in creating willow lanterns for the Polperro Lantern Parade on 6th December. A huge thank you to the parents who came in to help. It was a very gluey and sticky experience, but the results were well worth it!

Christmas Gift Shop fundraiser - Christmas MUFTI next Wednesday, 3rd December We will be having a Christmas-themed MUFTI Day on Wednesday 3rd December. Children are welcome to come to school in their favourite festive outfits. In return, we'd really appreciate it if they could bring in two new or unused items - things like chocolates, toiletries, socks, notebooks, or any small gift you'd be happy to receive. (Just no alcohol, please!). The items will reappear in our Christmas gift shop on 17th December.

Clubs Next week clubs will run as usual apart from football club on Thursday as we have a home match against Downderry on that day. For the final 2 weeks of term (8 Dec - 19 Dec) there will be no clubs except for afterschool wraparound club and Breakfast Club which will continue as usual. Clubs will restart in January and we will send a letter out after the Christmas break about which ones will be running.

Christmas Fayre 2pm Friday 5th December FOPS are currently busy organising our Christmas Fayre which will be next Friday, 5th December starting at 2.00 pm. We would be grateful for donations of raffle prizes, good condition toys to sell and teddies for the teddy tombola. We look forward to seeing you there.

Polperro Christmas Lights and Lantern Procession Saturday 6th December On Saturday 6th December, before the Christmas lights switch-on, there will be a lantern procession in Polperro. Willow lanterns, handmade by children at the school, will be available for the children to carry. Each lantern has been created collaboratively by groups of pupils from all our classes, and the materials have been generously funded by the Christmas Lights Committee. Children, accompanied by their parents, should gather at the Village Hall at 4:30pm to collect a lantern, ready to set off promptly at 4:45pm. If your child carries a lantern, please ensure the cane is returned to school afterwards so it can be reused next year. Please note that although school staff will be present at the procession, children remain the responsibility of their parents at all times.

Polperro Christmas Tree Festival The Christmas Tree Festival in the Chapel will open at 11am on Saturday 6th December to coincide with the Christmas light switch on. It will be open during the evening that day as well and daily throughout December. A huge thank you to Mrs Peters for making decorations with the children to hang on a tree which FOPS are kindly sponsoring on behalf of the school.

CHRISTMAS PERFORMANCE DATES reminder
Tuesday 9th Dec: Penhallow Performances 11am and 2pm
Thursday 11th Dec: Landaviddy Performances 2pm and 6pm
Monday 15th Dec: Talland and Chaipel Performances 2pm and 6pm
Please note that, to ensure we can accommodate everyone in the hall, audience numbers will be limited as follows: • Penhallow Class performances: three members per family for each performance. • Landaviddy Class performances: four members per family for each performance. • Talland and Chaipel Class joint performances: two members per family for each performance. For Landaviddy, Talland and Chaipel Class pupils, after the afternoon performance, children will need to be back in school by 5.30pm to prepare for their 6pm performance. Doors will open 30 minutes before each performance. If you choose to take photographs or videos, please ensure that no images are uploaded or shared online, including on Facebook or other social media platforms.

Please drive safely near our school We kindly ask all parents and carers to take extra care when driving to drop off or collect children. Residents have reported cars travelling too fast along the road, which has a 30mph speed limit (20mph near the school). Many of our pupils walk along this road and, with the darker evenings approaching, it is especially important to slow down. Thank you for helping to keep our children safe.

Have a great weekend

Mrs Hillman

As we approach the last few weeks of the autumn term, our focus moves to Christmas. However, there is still lots of non-Christmas related activity taking place across the school to share with you.

Multi-sports at Callington College
Yesterday, Class 3 took part in a multi-sports event at Callington College. Originally planned as a tag rugby event, the organisers had to change this due to the weather. Throughout the afternoon the children engaged in a series of activities led by sport leaders from the college. These students introduced games the children could play where they competed against each other. The afternoon concluded with a dodgeball competition. The children were brilliant throughout, participating with enthusiasm and appearing to have lots of fun.



Cross Country
Well done to all our runners who took part in the race last Friday. It is great to have so many children wanting to race. I must give a special mention to Jacob Bloye, who finished second. This is highest position a Harrowbarrow runner has achieved in over a decade, so well done to Jacob. Will we see a first by the end of the league season?

Rocksteady
Joe Spurrell from Rocksteady has been doing some brilliant work with our young musicians. Fortunately, they are keeping the volume low so the rest of the school are able to carry on working without feeling the need to spontaneously get out of their seats and start dancing!



Class 4 Parent Carer Invite
Class 4 have completed their sewing in DT lessons. On Tuesday 2nd we invite Class 4 parents and carers to an exhibition of their children's work immediately after school. The children will be very proud to show you their finished soft toy and the journey they have been on to learn about the different stages of designing and making in textiles.



Knitted Nativity
Today, Judith McQuillin from the local community presented a knitted nativity set to the school in our weekly assembly. Last year, at the church Christmas tree festival, Judith's work was on display and I commented on how lovely it was. Picking up on this comment, Judith has kindly knitted an entire nativity scene and given it to the school. This is very generous and we shall treasure it for years to come. It will now have pride of place near our  Christmas Tree in the corridor outside classes two and four.



Staffing Update
Just a reminder that our new school administrator Amy Souch starts in the school office on Monday. Amy comes from working in a secondary school office so joins us with lots of valuable experience.

Dog Fouling
Thank you to those parents who drew my attention to the recent spate of dog fouling on the pavement in front of the school. I have put a sign up to encourage dog owners to be responsible but, if this issue persists, please let me know and I will think about further action we can take.

Early finish
A reminder that, in line with other Bridge schools, we finish at 1.30pm on Friday 19th December. The spring term starts again on Tuesday 6th January.

Class Blog: Weekly Learning Update (Year 2/3)

We've had another wonderful week in Year 2/3, full of rich learning experiences and exciting events. The children have continued to impress us with their enthusiasm, resilience and growing confidence across the curriculum.

Class Assembly:
A huge well done to all the children for their brilliant class assembly this week! They made us incredibly proud as they shared everything they have been learning about 'What Was Important to Ancient Egypt?' From mummification to hieroglyphics, gods and goddesses to daily life, their knowledge shone through. Most importantly, they spoke clearly, remembered their parts, and supported one another beautifully throughout the performance.

Cinema Trip:
We also enjoyed a fantastic visit to Saltash Studios to watch Dogman. The children behaved impeccably on the walk to and from the cinema and were a credit to the school. They thoroughly enjoyed the film and happily chatted afterwards about their favourite moments - a lovely treat during a busy term!

Christmas Show:
Exciting news - lines for the Christmas performance have now been handed out and rehearsals have officially begun! Thank you in advance for practising lines at home. The children are already singing enthusiastically and we can't wait to see the show come together.

Topic - Antarctica:
Our learning about Antarctica was brought to life this week with a fascinating visit from Jay Gates, who has worked on a ship supporting scientists travelling to Antarctica. The children were captivated as Jay shared photographs, stories and real-life insights.
They learned about:

• The extreme climate and what it's like living in such freezing conditions

• The remarkable wildlife, including penguins, seals and whales

• Local scientists and explorers who have contributed to Antarctic research

• The different research bases found across the continent

• And even the meanings behind the colours of icebergs - something that truly amazed them!

The children asked thoughtful questions and came away inspired, ready to continue exploring this incredible part of the world.

Continuing Classroom Learning:
Alongside all these special events, we have continued our formal learning:

• Maths: Ongoing work on addition and subtraction, using place value to help solve calculations efficiently.

• English: Continued study of Jack and the Beanstalk, by writing their own versions of the story.

• Science: Further investigations into forces and magnets, beginning to explore how different materials respond to magnetic force.

It has been a packed and memorable week - well done, Year 2/3!

We've had an exciting week full of learning and creativity! In Science, we've been exploring circuits-discovering how electricity flows and what makes a circuit complete. Students have been experimenting with switches, bulbs, and batteries to see how everything connects. In English, our imaginations have taken flight as we write fantasy adventure stories inspired by The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Everyone is creating their own magical worlds, filled with unique characters and thrilling quests. In Geography, we've been learning about migration-why people and animals move from one place to another, and how these journeys shape cultures and ecosystems. It's been a wonderful mix of science, storytelling, and global understanding. We can't wait to share more of our work soon!

Our chosen charities

We wanted to let the children choose which charities to support this year. We came up with lots of options and they then voted for their desired charity. For a local charity, we have chosen to support the Looe RNLI and for a nationwide charity, we have chosen to support the RSPCA. We invited the RSCPA in to educate the children on the charity. The children learnt about looking after animals and what they do when an animal comes into their care.

Stay tuned for our fundraisers over the year!

Remembrance

Our collective worship leaders supported Mrs. Pike in delivering a remembrance worship. We all came together to discuss the importance of remembrance and conducted the 2-minute silence whilst watching the different cities around the UK also showing their respect. One of our families went with Mrs. Pike to lay our own wreath at the war memorial in Morval. This day was a day to be thankful which is one of our Christian values. We talked about how thankful we were and are to those who have served or are serving their country.

Netball event at LCA

We were invited to attend Looe Community Academy for a netball event. We took two teams and they played against a number of other schools. We were thrilled with the effort from the teams learning new skills and following the rules of the game. They showed excellent team spirit/

Dates for your diary for the coming weeks:

Wednesday 19th November-Y5/6 residential meeting for children and parents at 5pm

Friday 21st November-PTFA Christmas Bingo. Eyes down at 7pm

Tuesday 25th November-PTFA Christmas Fair 1:30-4pm

Wednesday 26th November-Individual school photos including siblings

The weather had turned very chilly this week with us seeing lots of frost and ice on our outside equipment. We will be exploring more of the changes of transitioning from Autumn to Winter over the next couple of weeks.

We used our fine motor skills to carefully paint dotty snails using cotton buds and enjoyed using water colours to carefully paint minibeast pictures.

Our afternoon singing assemblies have been getting us used to hearing and singing some of the songs from Light, Camel, Action 2!  Although some of the songs are quite fast for us, the children have been getting good at joining the choruses.

The pre-school children are all 'Stars' in the Nativity performance. We will be making some sparkly star headbands for the children to wear. If you can dress your child in yellow and/or black clothes for the performance that would be appreciated.

If your child does not attend a Friday session, then they are welcome to join us in the church on the day.

The performance of Lights, Camel, Action 2, is on the last day, Friday 19^th December at 12.30pm, in the church.  Pre-School will have a light lunch at 11.30.  All children will then be collected from pre-school after the performance.

Wednesday 17^th December is Christmas Jumper Day, also the school Christmas Fair is in the hall from 2.00pm.  You are welcome to collect your child early to go over and attend and enjoy the stalls if you wish.

The Pre-School Team.

Hello everyone,

Christmas is coming and we have started to practice our Christmas nativity performance. The children all have their parts, and some of the older children in Penhallow may have taken home some lines to learn. Please help them at home if you can. We are all very excited to be performing this in a few weeks time. 

During our English lessons this week, we have been using the story 'Lost and Found' by Oliver Jeffers to improve our writing skills. So far, we have written thought bubbles for different characters in the story, described a lost toy, and written about what we would do, if we found a lost penguin. 

We have all learnt a poem this week, as part of our learning about Benjamin Zephania, for black history month. The poem is called 'Clever Trevor' and is about a footballer. We have enjoyed adding actions and expression to the poem.

In maths this week, Reception have enjoyed investigating 2D and 3D shapes, Year 1 have been learning about addition and subtraction fact families, and year 2 have been adding 2 digit numbers. 

We have also enjoyed plenty of time outside, learning and playing, despite the cold and changeable weather.

Have a lovely weekend!

from the Penhallow Team