The End of Autumn 1!

This half term has seen so many exciting activities and opportunities for learning. We've taken part in cricket sessions, violin tuition, a trip to Bodmin jail and street dance to name a few!

This week our celebrations for Black History Month culminated in a sharing assembly whereby we saw which notable person of colour, from the past or present, each class has focussed on. In Talland class, we spent time learning about Mary Seacole - a black lady who, during the Victorian times, was incredibly selfless, nursing soldiers in the Crimean war.

After finding out about her struggles and successes, the children created their very own 'relief printing' tile from card. They then did wax crayon rubbings over these to produce their portrait of Mary. They used the 4 colours associated with Black History Month and found out about the significance of these.

We can't wait to see what exciting opportunities Autumn 2 brings!

We hope that you have a lovely half term: stay safe and enjoy some family time.

Hello Everyone!

The children have been busy investigating all kinds of pumpkins this week. In English we have been reading the story 'Pumpkin Soup' by Helen Cooper. We began by exploring a range of different pumpkins and used adjectives to describe them. The story inspired the children to make pretend pumpkin soup during play. They added all sorts of weird and wonderful ingredients. Reception enjoyed drawing and painting the pumpkins, while Year 1 wrote a list of ingredients for how to make pumpkin soup. We are really proud of the instruction writing that Year 1 have produced this week.

Today we took advantage of the weather and spent some time in the school garden, hanging up some home made bird feeders. We also enjoyed an art lesson, where we re-created some concentric circles, in the style of the artist 'Kandinsky

After half term, our enquiry question will be 'What was it like before I was born?' Every Friday, we will have a themed show and tell, where the children can bring in and talk about something from home. On the first Friday after half term, please can the children bring in an object or a picture from before they were born. 

Have a lovely half term break.

From the Penhallow team.

w/e 25.10.24

TALLAND CLASS BLOG 25.10.24

HAPPY HALF TERM EVERYONE!

What a fabulous Autumn term 1 it's been. It's been so lovely getting to know Talland as a class and I have to say - what an exceptional group of children we have! They've all worked so hard, helped each other to learn along the way and have had a load of fun doing so! I'm so proud of each and every one of them - keep up the great work Talland!

Maths: Children have worked their way through PLACE VALUE, ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION and the year 5s even learnt VOLUME!

Writing: We've made fantastic instructions for travelling through the digestive system and have been writing an adventure narrative based on saving the Micro Monster, who was kidnapped by Acidro (the evil gastric acid beast), whilst following our instructions to travel through the digestive system. What a cheeky little acid monster Acidro is!

Art: Talland created an amazing mixed media collage by making a mood board of school based objects, choosing which collage they preferred, experimenting (over  a course of lessons) how to tint, shade and create different textures with paint and produce fantastic final piece.

Science: WE delved into the digestive system, looked at teeth and food chains. This was so much fun!

Geography: Talland looked at erosion, defenses for erosion and the impact erosion has on communities that live near the coast. We also explored different physical features of coasts - some children took some amazing photos of these different features with their parents - a huge WELL DONE there!

Well, that was a brief break down of just some of the learning that took place over the last 7 weeks. I have had a great time and I hope your children have too!

That's all from Talland - we hope you have a magnificent half term and look forward to seeing you all soon!

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

October

We've been very busy.  Learning about Noah in RE, what responsibility is, what collage is and looks like in art, how scientists create and conduct fair tests.
We've been finding out about the Bronze and Iron Age and how Stonehenge was created.

What a lovely last week of the first half term we have had! 

English
We have completed and edited our Back to Pompeii timeslip story and are in the process of writing up our best copy as part of our handwriting lessons. Everyone has worked extremely hard and have produced writing with language which creates mood, atmosphere and tension. I look forward to reading them!

Maths 
Y6s have been learing a range of strategies to solve division problems (including short division and factor division) whilst the Y5s have been learning about multiples and factors. They all have a focus times table which they will need to practise their fluency and recall of.

Wider Curriculum
We wrapped up our enquiry into Ancient Rome and its influence on Britain by having a Roman Day on Thursday. We had such fun baking honey biscuits, engaging in gladiator battles, eating typical Roman foods for that era and making shields and jewellery. We completed our day by testing out our aquaducts and we invited Penhallow class to watch our 'destruction of Pompeii', re-enacting the fateful events of 24th August AD79.

Chaipel staff have thoroughly enjoyed our first half term of the year and we wish you all a lovely break. 

Thanks for your support and see you all back at school on Monday 4th October.

Miss Randle, Mrs Clary, Mrs Hodge and Miss Colton.

It was great to see so many parents and carers at the foodbank assembly on Tuesday after school. They have welcomed the kind donations you have made. As they said, if you are aware of anyone who is struggling, please point them in the direction of the foodbank or indeed, if you would like support, please contact school. We recognise it is a challenging time for everyone. Attached is a rural pop up poster to look out for which will contain details of the local pop-up where they will be giving free help for those in need of food, energy support, benefit checks and much more.

House Points School Council has added up the house points for this half term. House Points are given to the children when they demonstrate our school values: Curious, Creative, Excellent, Responsible, Determined and Enthusiastic. We have been focusing on ‘Responsible’ this half term: Congratulations to Oak who are in the lead with 112 points followed by Ash with 79 points, Willow with 74 points and Chestnut with 56 points.

Communications Class blogs and the Heads’ blog on this website are updated weekly so that we can share with you what the children are learning. We will also post information messages on our resurrected Polperro Primary Academy Facebook page – please follow us. This is in addition to the weekly Friday update which will contain all of the messages and information you need about school in one place.

Parent Consultations – week of 4th November. Thank you all for signing up for parent consultations. These are straight after half term. There will be no clubs the week of the 4th November however wraparound care will continue as usual.

Clubs will restart on the week commencing 11th November. Monday: After School Football Club (Mr Langley) for years 3,4,5 % 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. 

Half Term Activities Please find attached information about a children’s book launch in Polperro on Saturday; Halloween Activities in Looe next week; Cornwall Cricket Holiday Camps and Half Term Football Roadshows with Plymouth Argyle Community Trust. 

Flu Nasal Vaccination YR – Y6 This will take place on Wednesday 6th November. Here is the information you need in order to sign up: Flu Link (all years): https://www.kernowimmunisations.co.uk/Forms/Flu
School Code: EE142953 Deadline to submit: Monday 4th November, noon If you have already submitted a consent form, then you do not need to do another one. If you are unsure or have any problems, please call the School Immunisation Team on 01872 221105

Attendance I would like to remind you that we do not authorise holidays within term time unless circumstances are exceptional. Unfortunately, attendance across the school for this half term has been below the national average and under the new statutory guidance, we have had to consider fining for some families. If you require your child to be out of school for an exceptional reason a form MUST be submitted at least 15 days before the proposed absence.

Coming up next half term…
• 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 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” for the School Council to sell after half term. These cost £2.50 with all profits going to Children in Need.

Tomorrow, 25th October, is an INSET day. We wish you all a lovely half term break and look forward to seeing everyone back in school from 8:30 am on Monday, 4th November.

Thank you for your support this half term.

Mrs Hillman

Storytellers made pumpkin soup, which they enjoyed in the winter sunshine around the campfire, where they warmed their bread and watched the fire crackle and smoke. The children enjoyed scooping the pumpkin and pulling out the slippery seeds. Everyone explored the textures and smells as they prepared the soup and excitedly took the leftover peel outside for the squirrels to enjoy! This was some of the younger children’s first experience sitting around the fire and learning about our rules to keep everyone safe. They were fantastic at listening, and everyone enjoyed tucking into their soup before spending time playing with the mud kitchen

Thank you to everyone who came to join us to celebrate Harvest Festival this afternoon. There was a generous donation from the community to the Liskeard Food Bank who also attended in support. Have a lovely half term and see you on the 4th November. 

As we wrap up the first half term, I want to take a moment to thank you for your incredible support. Your involvement and encouragement have made a significant difference in our children's experiences and achievements. Wishing you and your families a safe and happy half term! We look forward to welcoming the children back on Monday 4th November refreshed and ready for the next exciting term. Please find attached Issue 9 of The Brunel Bulletin for your reading. 

 
























FOWPA Quiz
What an amazing Quiz Night last Friday! With support from parents/carers, WPA staff, local businesses and the FOWPA team, £1500 was raised to fund improvements to the school. A special thank you to Robin Moorcroft and his team, as Quizmasters!


FOWPA Bake Off and Cake Sale
Wow, what a turn out for the Great WPA Bake-off! We had fantastic entries from the children and all of their bakes sold out within 30 minutes at the afternoon sale, raising £180! So sorry if anyone didn’t get to choose a bake, but thank you for all of the support received. It was wonderful to see the children supporting each other’s creations.

The bakes were judged by the Mr Wathern and the Year 6 House Captains and they must have had a tough job! In Thursday’s assembly, the following winners were presented with a certificate and special tea towel:

Nursery – Noah
Reception – Summer
Year 1 – Olivia
Year 2 – Bertie
Year 3 – Evie
Year 4 – Edrick
Year 5 – Salvador
Year 6 – Seth

If you would like to consider helping FOWPA with future fundraising, we are looking for new recruits. We’re a small team of busy adults who want to help our school thrive, so any amount of time helps. Please contact FOWPA or the office if you’d like to get involved. Your support means so much to our school.
Thank you!
FOWPA

PE Days after Half Term
Please note your child’s PE day lessons after half term and when they need to wear their PE kit.

Monday
Reception
Year 2
Year 4 with Pro 20

Tuesday
Nursery
Year 6 with DT Coaching

Wednesday
Reception
Year 5 with DT Coaching

Thursday
Year 1 with DT Coaching

Friday
Year 3

Children in Need & Wild Planet Trust Charity Non-Uniform Day – Friday 15th November
Friday 15th November is Children in Need Day. As we have recently voted to support the Wild Planet Trust as our chosen charity this year, we have decided to hold an animal themed non-uniform day to raise money for both of these worthwhile charities. We invite the children to come to school on this day dressed up as the 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 Wild Planet Trust for conservation.

NSPCC Workshops
On Wednesday, we had two visitors from the NSCPP to run some workshops with our Year 2, 5 and 6 pupils. In an age appropriate way, the children were helped to understand: abuse and how to recognise the signs of abuse; that abuse is never a child’s fault and they have the right to be safe; where to get help and the sources of help available to them, including the Childline service.
"Buddy (a cuddly toy) helped us to understand that if we speak out, we can stay safe. So if someone is being mean to us, we can speak to a parent or a teacher. They gave us a toolkit and now I know who my safe person is."
Milo, Year 2

Extra-Curricular Activities (ECAs)
A reminder that after half term, all after school ECAs start again. The teacher-led ECAs will finish on Friday 6th December. External providers (Pro20, DT Sports and Dance) finish as per sign up.

Pro20 and DT Sports
Please see the posters emailed out today to sign up your child to Pro20 and DT Sports for after half term. Early booking is advised! We thoroughly benefit from their coaching support during our PE lessons in school and highly recommend them for after school activities if your child is interested.

ParentPay
Just a polite reminder to check your ParentPay account to ensure it is not in arrears, thank you.

Head bump Bands
If your child has a bump to the head, as we do now, we will try and contact you by phone as well as sending home the first aid slip. From now on, in addition, your child will be given a yellow head bump band to wear around their wrist to indicate to any member of staff at school (including after school ECAs & Bridge Kids) and anyone collecting your child, that they have had a bump to their head.

Woodwind Lessons
This week we said farewell to Janet Elston who has been teaching woodwind lessons to our children for many years. It was very kind of the children to bring in leaving gifts and cards and we know Janet will be missed. This week the children were introduced to their new teacher, Amanda Rice who will be teaching woodwind after half term. If you are interested in your child taking up external music lessons (keyboard, guitar, brass, woodwind or percussion), please get in touch with the office.

Lunchtime Supervisor Vacancies
We are looking to recruit two Lunchtime Supervisors to join our team; Mon-Fri 11:30-13:00.

We are looking for someone who:

-Enjoys working with children
-Has high expectations of behaviour and positive strategies to support children
-Will support the school values across lunchtime For more information, please check our Vacancies page on the website.

Poppy Appeal
After half term, our House Captains will be going around the school to sell poppies and other items to support the Poppy Appeal. Please send your child in with some coins if they want to buy something.

Dates coming up
Friday 25th October
School Closed – INSET Day

26th October – 3rd November
Half term break

Monday 4th November
Back to school
Extra-Curricular Activities (ECAs) re-start
(pm) Year 6 Secondary Transition PE Session

Wednesday 6th November
ESFA Girls’ Football Qualifier

Friday 8th November
08:30 Coffee Morning & Phonics Workshop with Mrs Yates & Mrs Clarke
18:00 Year 3 Sleepover

Saturday 9th November
09:00 Year 3 Sleepover Collection

Monday 11th November
(pm) Year 6 Secondary Transition PE Session

Thursday 14th November
Reception Soft Play sessions at Wadebridge Leisure Centre

Friday 15th November
Children in Need & Wild Planet Trust Charity Non-Uniform Day

Monday 18th November
(pm) Year 6 Secondary Transition PE Session

Tuesday 19th November
09:00-11:30 Grandparents’ Stay and Learn (see separate email invite sent out on 23rd October)
(am) Year 1 Hearing re-tests

Thursday 21st November
09:00 Year 6 Assembly
13:30-14:30 Reception intake 2025 Stay and Play

Friday 22nd November
08:45 Coffee Morning & Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Workshop with Mrs Marsha May

Monday 25th November
14:00-15:00 KS2 Cross Country

Thursday 28th November
10:00-11:00 Reception intake 2025 Stay and Play
Year 6 Coding Workshops

Friday 29th November
08:45-09:45 Year 3 Stay and Learn


It’s been a fantastic and full half term! I’m sure everyone is looking forward to a well-deserved rest. On behalf of everyone at school, thank you for all your support and have a wonderful half term break. We look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Monday 4th November.

Best wishes,
Chris Wathern

Alma Thomas

We've had a fabulous day for the last day of the half term celebrating our grand finale of Black History Month. Tregantle Class learnt all about the artist Alma Thomas. We learnt about the sad times Alma had as a child where she wasn’t allowed in art galleries because of the colour of her skin. We also learnt that she was the first black American woman to have her own art exhibit in a gallery. The children completed their own art work in the style of Alma Thomas using bright colours and circular shapes - they look amazing!