What a Week!

It's been one of the most exciting weeks for us all in Lantic class.

Firstly, we were so delighted when our brand new playground was opened by the Mayor of Saltash. We heard all about how she used to play on our playground when she was a little girl. We still can't believe that we won the competition to collect the most plastic, across the whole country. Everyone received a brand new lunch box and water bottle too, what a lovely surprise!



On Thursday morning, we ventured out for a spot of gardening, as it was Making a Difference Morning and Relax the Rules Day. We decided we wanted to improve our outside space, we're going to reveal as results after the half term holiday but huge thanks to Mrs Hooper and Mrs McNeil who started all the hard work by clearing the weeds. Also, thank you to the parent helpers who've been painting the fence. Then in the afternoon, it was time for a rest with a relaxing reading session with Talland class. All in all, a very busy week, so have a lovely holiday everyone, see you on Monday 2nd June.

We have reached half term here at nursery. The children have been super busy with their exploration of planting and growing and insects.
The children have finished this week off by making paper plate snails and apple print lady birds.

We have been reading “Norman the slug with the silly shell” and “Nothing scares spider” at story time. 

In phonics the children having been matching a range of objects with their initial sound,  singing and moving to music and listening and identifying initial sounds in a game of castle I spy.

In maths the children have been naming and ordering numbers and talking about dots on the maths table.

We hope you all have a lovely half term week and we will see you back on Monday 2nd June.

Julie and Sarah

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Nessa Class – A Fantastic First Summer Half Term!

As we reach the end of the first summer half term, it’s hard to believe how much Nessa Class has packed into such a short few weeks! From creative projects to thoughtful writing, sporty afternoons and scientific discoveries, the class has embraced every learning opportunity with energy and enthusiasm.

In history, we wrapped up our fascinating topic on the Anglo-Saxons. Pupils particularly enjoyed exploring what daily life might have been like in Anglo-Saxon times, and our hands-on project of making Anglo-Saxon houses was a definite highlight! Using the traditional daub and wattle method, pupils constructed model homes, applying what they’d learned about the materials and techniques used over a thousand years ago. We also investigated Anglo-Saxon place names, discovering how the names of towns and villages can tell us stories from the past. To finish the topic, we asked ourselves the big question: Was Alfred really ‘Great’? Pupils examined different sources of evidence and presented thoughtful arguments about Alfred’s leadership, legacy, and why he earned such a memorable title.

In science, we’ve been exploring the topic of Animals Including Humans. Our lessons focused on the five key food groups, how nutrition helps our bodies grow and stay healthy, and how to recognise healthy choices in our daily diets. We also investigated different types of skeletons found in the animal kingdom—endoskeletons, exoskeletons, and hydrostatic skeletons—and looked at how muscles work together with bones to help us move. Pupils have been curious and full of great questions, making this a particularly lively and engaging topic.

In English, we’ve just completed a brilliant unit on sports narratives. We began by studying an example story based around football, looking at how to build excitement, create realistic characters, and add emotional depth. Pupils then applied everything they’d learned to plan and write their very own stories—this time set in the magical world of Quidditch! The final results were fantastic, combining great writing with plenty of creativity. We're excited to share that the completed stories will be arriving at pupils' homes by owl post very soon—so keep your eyes on the skies!

In PE, we’ve enjoyed a fun and active half term focused on tennis. Pupils worked on a range of skills including hand-eye coordination, serving, and rallying. It’s been brilliant to see their confidence and teamwork grow on the court. Looking ahead, next half term we’ll be swapping rackets for bats as we begin a new unit on cricket.

It’s been a short but action-packed half term in Nessa Class, and we’re so proud of all the pupils for their hard work, enthusiasm, and creativity. We’re already looking forward to what the second half of the summer term has in store!

Blisland Primary – A Busy Few Weeks of Learning and Celebration

It’s been a fantastic few weeks here at Blisland Primary, full of learning, discovery, and some well-earned celebration!

The children at Storyteller’s Nursery enjoyed a fun and engaging celebration of World Bee Day. They learned about the important role bees play in pollination and the environment. Activities included reading bee-themed stories, creating bright and imaginative bee artwork with prints and making Queen Bee crowns with collage materials, and tasting honey on bead during snack time. The day encouraged curiosity, creativity, and thoughtful discussions about nature and looking after the planet.

In Nessa Class, pupils have now completed their history unit on the Anglo-Saxons, finishing with a fascinating look at Alfred the Great. The class explored why he is remembered as a significant figure in British history, considering his leadership, military successes, and contributions to education and law. Pupils have enjoyed diving into the past and developing a greater understanding of how the Anglo-Saxons shaped life in Britain.

Nessa Class have now moved on to their science topic: Animals Including Humans. So far, they’ve been learning about the human skeleton, understanding how it supports, protects, and enables movement. They’ve also begun exploring how food affects the body, learning about the importance of nutrition and how different food groups help our bodies function. The children have really engaged with the topic, and it’s been great to see them asking thoughtful questions and making links to their own lives.

A huge congratulations goes to our Year 6 pupils, who completed their SATs last week. They approached the tests with maturity and determination, and we’re incredibly proud of the progress they’ve made over the year. To celebrate the end of the tests, Year 6 enjoyed a lovely walk down the Camel Trail to the Snail’s Pace Café, where they tucked into ice cream and cake—a well-deserved treat after all their hard work!

Meanwhile, Kensa Class have been bringing their learning to life with an exciting visit to the Eden Project. The trip linked perfectly with their topic, "How Does Our Garden Grow?", giving pupils the chance to explore a wide variety of plant life and see real-world examples of how plants grow and survive in different environments. It was a brilliant day packed with hands-on learning, exploration, and fun.

With the arrival of sunny weather, we’ve also seen something truly special happening at playtimes. Pupils from both Nessa and Kensa Classes have been coming together to craft and create outdoors, making everything from nature-inspired art to paper creations. This shared time has created a lovely family atmosphere, where older and younger pupils support and inspire each other.

Well done to all our pupils for their enthusiasm, effort, and teamwork—it’s been another great chapter in a very exciting summer term!

The weather has been so lovely this month! This has made outdoor learning even more lovely. A group called Tavy Workforce came to the school and cleared our pond area so that we could enjoy some pond dipping. We also went on a class trip to Burrator reservoir and the surrounding woodlands to learn more about wild plants and trees and the importance of forests. We celebrated VE day with a lovely picnic on the feild.

In maths we have been counting in steps of 2, 5 and 10 and we have also been sharing, grouping and making arrays. 

In art we have designed and printed patterns in the style of the designer Oral Kiely.

This week has mainly been about the Year 6 class who have been sitting their end of Key Stage tests AKA SATs. It was a busy week starting with a hearty breakfast in the dining room at the Junior school of cereals, toast, pancakes , brioche and crumpets! They then sat papers testing their spelling, punctuation and grammar, reading and maths (they had to take three maths papers!)
All of the children were impeccably behaved and were calm throughout.
Big thanks to the adults who helped to make everything go so smoothly- Mrs David, Miss Cunningham, Mrs Fraser, Miss Jenkins and Mrs Pearce.
Take a look at the photograph below which shows how happy the Year 6 were when it was all over!
We were absolutely delighted to share our recent Ofsted report when the final draft was finished at the end of last week. Some of favourite quotes from the report are: "Pupils at Copper Valley Infant and Nursery Academy are vibrant, confident and happy individuals. They flourish in the nurturing and respectful culture of the school." and "There is a clear focus on strengthening pupils' vocabulary and confidence in using language."
Thank you to all members of staff from both academies who supported each other to help to achieve this super report , to the parents who completed the parent survey and to the wonderful children at the Infant and Nursery school. 

Grounds Day - Saturday 17th May

What a successful Grounds Day! Thank you to all of these awesome volunteers who gave up a beautiful sunny Saturday in favour of a hard day of physical labour at WPA! Apologies to those who weren't there for the group photo - your time and energy are greatly appreciated.

Friday 16th May

This has been another fantastic week in Canute. We got out and enjoyed the beautiful weather lots over the last few days. 

We had the pleasure of having Years 3, 4 and 5 join us in the mornings this week and we took the opportunity to learn some of the skills we will need later on in the term for the ‘Bridge School Games’.  Tregeagle were fantastic teachers and we enjoyed learning the new games.  Hopefully we can retain our trophy from last year!
 
On Thursday we ventured up to the school field and took part in some PE games with Mrs Phillips.  We then took advantage of our super location and did some art activities.  Some of us used water colours to paint what we could see, the view, the flowers, our friends.  We also used some salt dough to make some impressions of the natural materials in the field.

Next week is looking to be just as beautiful and we have lots of exciting plans.  
Our last day will be Thursday as Friday is a training day for staff.  Ice lolly Friday will start again next week and this will be on Thursday, our last day.  50p for an ice lolly.

Hopefully you can all enjoy the beautiful weather at the weekend.

Mrs Andrew, Mrs Fernie, Mrs Hicks

On Friday to celebrate the end of SATs, Class 3 had an activity morning with sports at Duloe Recreation Ground and swimming at Duloe Manor.

Thank you so much for supporting the Well Dressing on Friday 16th May. Our Reception children adorned the well with flowers; our Year 3 children presented their Cornish dances; Year 5 presented their stunning mosaic. Thank you to the Cornwall Heritage Trust who are marking 40 years (the cupcakes were delicious!). We were very proud to be part of this unique event again this year. 

 
 
This week Year 6 have been working incredibly hard on their SATs.  I have been really impressed with both the effort and attitude from them all week.  They now have a cricket tournment to look forward to on Wednesday.  This week we also had Alan in to teach us some badminton skills.  We started by throwing giant shuttlecocks but progressed quickly to rallies with raquets and normal sized shuttlecocks.  

Here is the KIRFs for Year 5 this week:

The spellings are going to be -ial words again.  The words are: initial, partial, social, initial, spacial, facial, artificial.

Just a reminder that we are starting swimming on the first Monday after half term at Mount Kelly pool. 

A huge well done to our Year 6s who completed their end of KS2 SATs with such determination and maturity last week. We were so proud of each and every one of them. In addition to Year 6 completing their SATs, it was another busy week of learning opportunities at Brunel Primary and Nursery Academy. Take a look at this week's Brunel Bulletin to keep up-to-date with all the latest news from our school. 

And just like that we are done with the penultimate week of the half term...
Class 2, as usual have been busy learning and having tons of fun... and making the most of the glorious sunshine. 

In Literacy, we have completed writing our draft Information text. next week, we will be editing them and writing out the next copies. In Maths, Year 1s have been counting in 2s, 10s and 5s, while Year 2s have been using fractions to find the whole.

In ICT, we continued our enquiry into algorithms by planning our own set of algorithms.

History this week has been all about Amelia Earhart and her amazing solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. After recapping what we already knew about her and her adventures, we roleplayed at being one of the many people in that field in Ireland years ago when her plane landed after her grueling journey across the Atlantic Ocean and relating our own eyewitness account. Then, we had a go at writing down our account accounts. On the left are extracts from the eyewitness account written by Sophie (top) and Maddie (bottom). We also had a lot of fun recording our eyewitness accounts and watching them together.
 

In Science, we continue our enquiry into different habitats. This week we looked at a variety of habitats around the world and investigated how these habitats are suited for some animals and not others. We also discovered how each habitat provides the living thing with all the things it needs to survive - all the MRS GREN.

What a week we have had in Landaviddy! We have enjoyed Swimming with Mrs Phillips this week, and can’t wait to dive back in! In PE, we have continued working on our Team Building skills and really enjoyed working together to solve challenges. 

Geography this week was all about weather symbols. We learnt what each symbol represents and enjoyed plotting current temperatures and weather on maps. In DT, we had an excellent time with taste testing a variety of vegetables, proteins and dairy items, to discover our favourite combinations. We will then be choosing our best combo for a healthy wrap design. 

In Maths, both Year 2 and 3 have started a new unit on fractions, with Year 2 finding and recognising halves and Year 3 adding fractions. 

In English, everyone has worked so hard on their persuasive letters to King Charles, which we hope to send next week. All of the children should be so proud of their efforts! Well done!

Congratulations to Charlie-Ray and Ida for being chosen as Landaviddy’s People of the Week! And a big well done to all those who achieved their 99 club this week!

We hope you have a lovely weekend, full of sunshine, and look forward to seeing you all on Monday.

Mrs Wilkie, Mrs Phillips, Miss Bowden and Miss Colton

Apologies for the delay since my last news update but, as always, it has been another very busy period at school. Firstly, I would like to congratulate Year 6 pupils on completing their SATs before half term. Not only did they have to endure four days of intense assessment under exam conditions, but many of them had been arriving earlier that usual since March to attend booster sessions. This shows a real commitment and determination to do their best. Thank you also to their parents/carers for dropping them off early. Our Year 5 pupils have also played their part, joining me for three weeks to have their daily maths lesson in the library. This allowed Year 6 to focus on year group specific areas that needed revising prior to the tests. It was a real pleasure to work with Year 5 and to see how determined they are to succeed as mathematicians too.
I have recently reported on work to develop our forest school area. Mark Cocking, our caretaker, completed resurrecting the polytunnel and building the forest school storage shed. Class 3 enjoyed using the forest school for their class treat recently, which they earnt through their collective efforts in the classroom. A big thanks to Mark for his efforts and to Tesco for funding the resources.

The first week of whole class flute lessons in Class 3 and 4 were quite painful on the ear! However, in only a short space of time Sally Butlin, the teacher from Cornwall Music Service, has managed to progress the children towards making some more harmonious sounds. We hope, by the end of term, to invite the children's parents/carers in to listen to them perform a simple tune.

Last week, Class 4 children completed a design technology unit they had been working on for 6 weeks. They designed and made automaton, mechanical devices using cams to create moving parts. The brief was to design and make an automaton to display in a shop window, advertising the products in the shop. The learning steps also included using glue guns and accurately measuring and sawing materials. The children were delighted when their designs worked at the end, which is testament to their perseverance and accurate construction skills. The finished automaton look amazing.



Last Friday, during our training day, teachers were learning to use a cloud based learning tool called Showbie. There is lots of exciting potential for children to use Showbie on our new iPads to support learning but also to share children's work with this parents and carers. Once we are fully up and running with Showbie in September, we hope to set it up so parents and carers can see their children's stored learning.

Bridge MAT like to gather the views of parents/carers through an annual online survey. This helps inform future decisions about school improvement priorities. The survey closes on Monday 7th July. Please take a moment to complete this survey by following the link: Summer 2025 Bridge Schools Trust Parent and Carer Questionnaire

Finally, some dates for your diary:

24.6.25 - Sports evening from 5pm
26.6.25 - Reserve sports evening in the event of bad weather
30.6.25 - Year 6 group to attend county championship cricket match in Taunton
7.7.25 - Year 6 transition day at Callington College

We are so proud of all our Nursery children who are getting so good at sharing the resources and activities with their friends.

Some of the younger children are just settling in and the older ones are looking after them so well.

As the older children develop their friendships they can talk through their pretend play scenarios, negotiate with the others when they have to share ideas or toys, and help them extend the narrative of the play story.

SATs Week

This week the year 6 children completed their SATs tests. I am incredibly proud of how maturely they approached the tests and how much effort they put into them. They were fantastic! We celebrated by going to the park and they received their leavers hoodies.

This week, we have also been lucky to take part in many workshops at the library for their science week. They learned about robotics, NASA and the Mars Rover and rockets. This ended with them setting off rockets they had built on the playground. 

We have also been creating games on Scratch using our coding skills and creating art work based on cacti using our watercolour and pastel skills. 

Excellent work year 6, you have earned a relaxing weekend!

Miss Burton