Year Group Newsletters
To see what learning has been happening in classes, and what’s coming up, please take a look at the Year Group Newsletters emailed home today. Copies can also be found on the class pages of our website.

Children in Need Day – Friday 13th November – Non Uniform Day
Next Friday, children are welcome to wear non-school uniform or combine non-uniform/dressing up with the Children in Need theme. In a change to what was communicated previously, if you are able to contribute to this fundraising event for Children in Need, please make your donation directly via the ParentPay link or your child’s ParentPay account, instead of sending in cash. Any donation is kindly welcomed and will go directly to Children in Need.

Anti-Bullying Week & Odd Socks Day (Monday 16th November)
Monday 16th November marks the start of Anti-Bullying Week and we will be taking part in Odd Socks Day. Children are invited to come to school on Monday 16th November wearing their normal school uniform with odd socks if they would like to join in. Participation is entirely optional. Odd Socks Day is a fun way to celebrate what makes us all unique. By wearing mismatched socks, children are encouraged to recognise and value differences, promote kindness and respect, and understand that everyone deserves to feel accepted and included. To find out more, go to https://anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/anti-bullying-week-2026/odd-socks-day Anti-Bullying Week provides an important opportunity to raise awareness of bullying, encourage positive relationships, and remind children of the importance of speaking out if they are worried about themselves or others. Through discussions and activities during the week, we will be exploring how we can all contribute to a safe, supportive and respectful school community.

News from our Eco Council
Our Eco Council recently wrote to our local MP, Ben Maguire, to share our aims and the positive steps we are taking to protect the environment as we work towards achieving our Green Flag Award. We also asked what he is doing to support our local area and how we could get involved and help. We were delighted to receive a reply and hear that he was impressed with the work we are already doing! It's great to know our efforts are being recognised and our voices are being heard. 

Year 5 Assembly – Thursday 19th November
We look forward to seeing family members of Year 5 at their Assembly on Thursday 19th November. Doors open after morning drop off, with a start time of 9:00am. To help the morning drop-off routine, any Year 5 families driving are asked to try parking in the staff car park first (double parking is fine) or alternatively if the main car park is full and you are able to, please park off site and walk to school.

School Crossing Patrol
After a few years without a school crossing patrol officer on Gonvena Hill, we’re pleased to share that Cormac/Corserv have appointed someone to start at the beginning of December.

MHST Online Sessions
Cornwall’s Mental Health Support Team (MHST) are running a series of online sessions this half term. Please see information emailed home today.

House Points
Congratulations to this week’s winners, Choughs & Puffins. Overall, Puffins maintain the lead:
Puffins – 2642
Choughs – 2452
Cormorants – 2416
Swans – 2240

Wishing you a wonderful weekend.
Best wishes, 
Chris Wathern

A Fantastic First Week Back in Marazion!

We have had a super first week back after half term, with lots of exciting learning, new challenges and opportunities to build on our knowledge across the curriculum!

English – Developing Our Writing Skills

In English, we have been developing our understanding of commas in a list and using coordinating conjunctions to join ideas and create more interesting sentences. We have also been exploring the purpose of subheadings and how these help to organise information in non-chronological reports. The children have been thinking carefully about how to make their writing clear, informative and engaging for the reader.

Maths – Adding and Subtracting

In maths, we have continued developing our place value knowledge by adding and subtracting 1s, 10s, 100s and 1,000s. We have begun tackling calculations that cross a boundary, using our knowledge of number bonds to 10 (and related number facts) to help us find more efficient strategies. The children have been working hard to explain their thinking and choose methods that work for them.

Geography – An Explosive Start!

We launched our new Geography topic, Why Do People Live Near Volcanoes?, with a fantastic wow starter! The children enjoyed creating some wonderfully creative (and explosive-looking!) volcanoes to get us thinking about our new topic. We also spent time sharing what we already know, discussing our ideas and, importantly, generating questions about what we would like to find out. There is plenty to investigate!

Reading – Reciprocal Reading

Our reciprocal reading sessions have continued, with children taking on different reading roles to support their understanding of a text. These roles empower the children to take greater ownership of their reading by asking and answering different types of questions, clarifying vocabulary, making predictions and summarising what they have read.

PE – Dance

We have also begun our new dance unit in PE. Taking inspiration from leaves blowing in the wind, the children explored how to mirror movements and use their bodies to represent the gentle and changing movements of leaves. It has been lovely to see their creativity as they experiment with different ways to move and express ideas through dance.

And, of course, there has been plenty more learning, discussion, collaboration and curiosity taking place throughout the week!

It has been a brilliant start to the new half term, and we are looking forward to all the exciting learning still to come. Well done, Marazion!

What a fantastic first week back we have had in Whitsand Class! The children have settled back into school routines brilliantly and have made a wonderful start to the new half-term.

The excitement for Christmas is already beginning to brew as we have started learning our Nativity songs! There has been lots of enthusiasm as we get into the festive spirit, and we are looking forward to continuing our preparations.

In Maths, we have been practising our addition skills, focusing on adding two 1-digit numbers together. The children have been working hard to develop their confidence and accuracy when finding the total.

In English, we have been exploring rhetorical questions and thinking about how they can be used to engage the reader. We then put our learning into practice by incorporating rhetorical questions into our setting descriptions of The Candy House. The children have been working hard to make their descriptions exciting and imaginative!

Our RE learning has been wonderfully creative this week. We have been introduced to the Christian Creation story and explored what happened on each of the seven days. To show our understanding, the children made their very own Creation wheels, illustrating the events of each day.

Well done, Whitsand Class, for such a brilliant first week back! We are so proud of how well you have settled and can't wait to see what the rest of the half-term brings. Keep up the fantastic work!

Imagine Your Future Workshops
This week, we ran our first ever 'Imagine Your Future' workshops. Working with Cornwall Council, as part of their raising aspiration programme, we invited three guest speakers from varied careers to deliver a short presentation and answer questions from the children. We had an air commadore from the RAF, an artist just starting out on their career and a retired nurse. The presentations were interactive, with opportunities for the children to dress up, handle sculptures and have their pulse taken. The children were told about the skills needed in the different roles and then asked at the end which of these skills they were already learning to use at school.



To conclude our workshops, we had an assembly to reflect on what had been learnt. Unbeknown to me, the children had colluded with the air commadore to dress me up in flying jacket and then have him pull the emergency cord to inflate the life jacket - it was a bit of a shock!

 

We plan to run these afternoon workshops again, introducing the children to people who have had different career journeys. If you are someone, or you know of someone, who would be prepared to do this, please contact me and we will provide support in putting together a short workshop for the children.

Piano Offer
We have been contacted by a member of the local community, who is looking to give this Yamaha baby grand piano away. It belonged to their late wife and they would like to donate it to a dedicated musician, music student, teacher, organisation or individual that would genuinely appreciate the instrument and provide it with a loving and suitable home.



Please contact Amy Souch in the school office if you know someone who might be interested and she will share the gentleman's contact details.

Share A Book Time
Thank you to all those who were able to join us after school today for 'share a book' with their children. Promoting books and reading is a core part of our work as a school, so seeing so many of you attend this event was fantastic. After thirty years of teaching, one of the pleasures I enjoy most is still reading a book to the children at the end of the day.

Year 5/6 Football League
A reminder the Year 5 and 6 football league starts next Tuesday, from 4.15pm at Callington College for all those children signed up.

Wraparound Childcare Provision
Breakfast and afterschool childcare clubs have seen an increase in numbers this term. To maintain safe adult to pupil ratios, we may need to use an additional adult on some busy days. To help us plan accordingly, please book children in for both clubs through Lesley Sammels and/or the school office: lconnell@harrowbarrowprimary.co.uk and secretary@harrowbarrowprimary.co.uk. If your plans change and you no longer require the place you have booked, please contact us to cancel the booking. We also request that pupils do not arrive before 8am for breakfast club. Thank you for your cooperation.

This half term is always very busy as we build up to the festivities of December. I look forward to sharing more of your children's learning in the weeks ahead.

Dear Brunel Families, What a lovely first week back we have had at Brunel! The children have settled beautifully into the second half of the Autumn Term, and it has been wonderful to see their enthusiasm, smiles and readiness to learn. Thank you, as always, for your continued support.

We hope you enjoy browsing through this week's Brunel Bulletin, which is packed with photographs, celebrations and highlights of everything that has been happening across our school this week!

 Looking Ahead – Dates for Your Diary
Monday 9th November Marazion Class – Archie Project: Our Marazion children will be visiting St Anne's Residential Home as part of our wonderful intergenerational Archie Project.
Treyarnon Class Assembly – 2:30pm: We look forward to welcoming families of Miss Burton's class to their assembly. The gates will open at 2:25pm.

Wednesday 11th November – Remembrance Day Service We warmly invite all families to join us on the top playground at 10:45am for our annual Remembrance Day Service. This is always a special opportunity for our school community to come together, reflect and remember. The side gate by the library will open at 10:40am to allow families to join us.

Friday 13th November – Saltash Christmas Light Switch-On We are delighted that our KS1 Singing Club and School Choir will be performing at the Saltash Christmas Light Switch-On! We ask all children taking part to meet at Saltash Guildhall at 5:00pm. We cannot wait to hear our Brunel children spreading some festive cheer!

Coming Soon – Anti-Bullying Week (16th–20th November) The following week is Anti-Bullying Week, and this year's theme is 'Break the Silence'. Throughout the week, we will be encouraging children to speak up, show kindness, celebrate differences and understand the importance of looking after one another. We will be kicking off the week with Odd Socks Day on Monday 16th November! Children are invited to wear their brightest, boldest or most mismatched socks to celebrate what makes each of us unique.   I

mportant Reminder – Space Dome Experience and Theatre Trip Payments We are really excited about the wonderful experiences we have planned for our children over the coming weeks! Reception and KS1 Parents: Please remember that the deadline for making your voluntary contribution towards our fantastic Space Dome Experience on Friday 4th December is Friday 20th November. This promises to be an unforgettable opportunity for the children to explore the wonders of space! KS2 Parents: The deadline for making your voluntary contributions towards the Theatre Trip on Friday 27th November and the Space Dome Experience on Friday 4th December is also Friday 20th November. All payments can be made through ParentPay. We really hope families will support us in making these exciting opportunities possible. Please remember that if we do not receive sufficient contributions to cover the costs, we may unfortunately have to cancel the experiences.

Thank you, as always, for helping us provide such memorable learning experiences for our Brunel children! Please remember all the dates for the term can be seen on the Events Page on our school website at www.brunelprimary.co.uk As always, thank you for being such an important part of our Brunel community. Your support makes such a difference, and we are looking forward to another exciting and busy half term together.
Wishing you all a lovely weekend with your families.

Enjoy some well-deserved family time, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday morning, ready to Seize the Day!

Welcome Back

Welcome back to Pendennis class after what was a very wet half term break! Our topic this half term is "How do we celebrate?" and we will be learning about all sorts of seasonal celebrations. We are kicking off with Bonfire night and Diwali, where we have been learning how we can stay safe during bonfire night and what we do to celebrate, noticing similarities and differences between these two celebrations. On Monday, we took a walk to the Spar shop where we had to shop for ingredients to make a yummy bonfire night treat. We took our ingredients back to the classroom where we dipped apple wedges into melted chocolate and covered them in rainbow sprinkles! We got to take our delicious chocolate apples home to eat. Throughout the week we have been making some amazing arts and crafts including glitter fireworks, natural resource bonfire pictures, and sparkly sparklers!  
We also did a bit of firework related science; we used empty pop bottles and balloons to create a fantastic firework of our own! We discovered that air from the balloon can force confetti out of the pop bottle to make a dramatic colourful explosion! We also tried feathers, but they were too heavy, however, dried leaves were a great outdoor alternative. 

Welcome back everyone,

The children have all settled so well into the new half term.

Our enquiry question this half term is ‘What was it Like before I was born?’ Please see attached the knowledge web for this half term, which shows the learning that will be covered in each subject.

In our drawing club this week, we have been using the story of ‘The Highway Rat’. We have enjoyed inventing a trap for the rat, writing lists of foods in the picnic basket, and describing the main character. As always, we have had fun enjoying learning and using vocabulary from the story. Year 1 children have also been learning about instructional texts and the features that they contain.

In maths, Reception have been busy subitising as well as finding different ways to make small numbers. Our maths puppet, Counting Keith is also helping us to count carefully on and back. Year 1 have been adding numbers and have been able to record calculations using mathematical symbols.

We have also been busy learning about the artist Andy Warhol, and have found out how he created self portraits with unconventional colours. We painted our own self portraits in the style of this artist, and enjoyed finding out which colours combine well together.

In RE this week, we learnt about the Christmas story and why we have nativity plays. We began to learn some songs that we will sing next month in our own Christmas nativity play.

Enjoy your weekend,

From The Penhallow team 

Welcome back!

We hope everyone had a lovely half term week.
The children have had a busy start to the half term as we explore our enquiry question "How does colour make you feel?" and have enjoyed creating fingerprint rainbows and have started to make colour wheels. The children have been discussing their favourite colours and those that their families like.
As it was bonfire night on Thursday, we have enjoyed creating firework pictures by rolling marbles through paint, have celebrated Divali this week by drawing around our hands and creating Mehndi patterns on them and to mark Remembrance the children have used apples to create poppy prints.

At story time we have been exploring the story of "The Colour Monster" and used this to explore emotions and talk about how we feel and what makes us happy, sad, scared and angry.

During phonics this week the children have talked about different sounds that they hear when listening both inside and out, have been trying to identify the number of beats in words and have worked hard to try and break short words down into sounds during a game of "Robot Rick's Big Lunch"

In maths we are exploring patterns, by comparing them and trying to create our own and naming and ordering numbers 1-3.

It is Children in Need next Friday (13th) The children are invited to come in dressed in sporty or bright, colourful clothes. A donation of £2 would be gratefully received if you are able to.

Have a good weekend and see you on Monday.

Julie and Sarah

A Fantastic First Autumn Term

What a wonderful start to the year we have had in Nessa Class! The children have worked incredibly hard and enjoyed a range of exciting learning opportunities both in and out of the classroom.

English

In English, we developed our instructional writing skills by creating our own instruction texts inspired by the story of How to Steal a Penguin. The children had great fun writing detailed and imaginative guides explaining exactly how to steal a penguin from Newquay Zoo! They focused on using clear steps, imperative verbs, and technical language to ensure their instructions were easy to follow.

History

This term, our History topic focused on the Vikings. We explored the key enquiry question: "Were the Vikings only raiders and traders?" The children investigated Viking life, culture, exploration, and settlement, discovering that there was much more to the Vikings than their reputation as fierce warriors. We examined the lasting influence they have had on modern Britain, from place names and language to laws and everyday life.

Science

In Science, we studied light and learned about reflection, refraction, and how we see objects. Our learning culminated in an exciting trip to the Discovering 42 Science Museum in Bodmin, where we took part in hands-on investigations and created our own kaleidoscopes. This helped us understand how light reflects from mirrors to create the beautiful patterns we observed. It was a fantastic way to bring our classroom learning to life.

Trips and Experiences

We were fortunate to enjoy several memorable enrichment opportunities this term. A highlight was our trip to the theatre to watch Private Peaceful, Michael Morpurgo's moving story of courage, friendship, and family during the First World War. The performance was both powerful and thought-provoking, and it gave us plenty to discuss back at school. We also attended the Exploding Words writing festival, where we met a variety of talented authors and took part in inspiring workshops. The standout moment for many children was meeting Tom Palmer, author of Resist. Having read Resist together as a class before the event, it was a real privilege to meet him in person. Tom spent nearly thirty minutes answering our questions about his books, writing process, and inspirations. He also signed books for the children, making the experience even more special and memorable.

Looking Back

This term has been filled with exciting learning, memorable visits, and wonderful experiences. We are incredibly proud of the enthusiasm, curiosity, and determination shown by every child in Nessa Class. We can't wait to see what adventures and achievements the next term will bring!

A Busy and Exciting Autumn Term

Our first autumn term has been packed with exciting learning opportunities, special visitors, and lots of fun activities for the children.

One of our highlights was a visit from South West Water, who taught us all about the water cycle and the importance of protecting our environment from water pollution. The children enjoyed learning how water travels through the natural cycle and discussing ways we can all help keep our rivers, seas, and water supplies clean.

We were also delighted to welcome representatives from Guide Dogs, who spoke to the children about the incredible work they do. The children learned about the training that guide dogs receive and how they support people with visual impairments to live independently and confidently. It was fascinating to hear about the strong partnerships between the dogs and their owners, and everyone enjoyed meeting the dogs and asking questions.

To round off the half term, we held an amazing Halloween Party. Children arrived in a fantastic range of costumes and enjoyed an afternoon full of fun activities. They took part in exciting games, created Halloween-themed crafts, and even enjoyed treats made on our very own candy floss machine. The party was a wonderful way to celebrate together and there were plenty of smiles throughout the afternoon.

We are incredibly proud of everything the children have achieved this term. Their enthusiasm, curiosity, and positive attitudes have made it a fantastic start to the school year. We would like to thank all of our visitors for helping to bring learning to life and look forward to many more exciting experiences in the months ahead.

We hope everyone has a restful break and we look forward to welcoming the children back for another busy and successful term.

What a fantastic half term we have had! We have worked hard, learnt lots of new things and, most importantly, had plenty of fun along the way.

In RE, we have been learning about the world that Jesus wanted to create; a world filled with kindness, empathy and respect. We thought carefully about how we can show these qualities in our own lives and discussed how using these values can help make our school, community and the wider world a better place.

In History, we travelled back in time to explore the lives of children during the Tudor and Victorian periods. We discovered that many children had to work hard from a young age and that their daily lives were often much more difficult than ours. We enjoyed comparing their experiences with our own and were grateful for the opportunities we have today.

In Computing, we learned about internet safety and discussed the importance of staying safe online. We explored ways to recognise potential dangers and how to make sensible choices when using technology.

Our Science lessons focused on how scientists classify animals according to their habitats. We investigated different environments and learned how animals are adapted to live successfully in them.

To top off a wonderful half term, we all enjoyed the Halloween disco. It was a fantastic evening filled with dancing, laughter and lots of fun. What a brilliant way to end the term!

We hope everyone has a happy, safe and relaxing half-term break, and we look forward to seeing you all next term.

What a fantastic start to Year 3 we have had!
We have been busy exploring our exciting Stone Age topic and developing lots of new skills across the curriculum.
Here is a little look at what we have been learning this half term.

In English, we have been learning how to write non-chronological reports all about the Stone Age.
We have explored how to organise information into paragraphs, use headings and subheadings, and include interesting facts to inform our readers. We have worked hard to make our writing clear, engaging and packed full of information! 

In Maths, we have been developing our understanding of place value.
We have been learning about the value of digits in numbers and exploring hundreds, tens and ones. We have used a range of practical resources and activities to help us represent numbers and explain our mathematical thinking.

Our Stone Age topic has really come to life in Art!
We have explored prehistoric painting techniques, including creating charcoal drawings of animals inspired by ancient cave paintings. We made our own cave walls to paint on and went on a hunt for natural materials that could be used to create different colours. We have loved experimenting with textures, materials and techniques to create our own prehistoric masterpieces!

History, we have travelled back in time to discover what life was like during the Stone Age.
We have sequenced timelines to help us understand when different events happened and explored how people lived in the past. We learnt about the ancient settlement of Skara Brae and investigated how archaeological discoveries can give us clues about the lives of people who lived thousands of years ago. We even had a go at making our own Stone Age homes using natural materials!

We have been getting creative in Computing by exploring Scratch.
We have begun developing our programming skills, learning how to use code blocks to create instructions and make things happen on screen. We have enjoyed experimenting, solving problems and seeing our ideas come to life! 

Science has been full of exciting investigations this half term!
We have been developing our scientific enquiry skills by asking questions, making predictions, carrying out tests and observing what happens. We investigated how to make and test solar ovens, explored ways to clean coins, and even made different types of Stone Age bread. These hands-on activities have helped us think like scientists, make observations and discuss what we discovered.

 What a brilliant half term! We are so proud of how hard everyone has worked during Autumn 1. From becoming Stone Age historians and artists to curious scientists and confident writers, the children have shown fantastic enthusiasm, creativity and perseverance.

Have a wonderful half-term break, everyone! 

We have had a fantastic 1^st Half Term back welcoming several new children who have all settled in well to Nursery life. We began with learning all about Autumn we talked about the changes we may observe outside looking at changes in leaf colour, the sounds leaves make when we walk on them. This then inspired lots of creative activities where we used red, yellow, brown and gold colours to make Autumn trees. We also used crunchy Autumn leaves to create trees. We picked apples and used them in our play to included apple printing, rolling and using them to weigh in our role play farm shop. 

We have investigated pumpkins and looked at the different colours, shapes and sizes they can be. The children did some amazing still life drawings using chalks, crayons and pencils. We also used them for a hammering activity to develop fine motor skills. Our first book of the Half Term was the very popular Gruffalo. We made masks and went on a Gruffalo hunt in our woodland area we also explored a sensory tray of ‘Gruffalo Crumble’ which was very popular with the children as they enjoyed scooping and emptying and filling containers. 

Our second book was The Leaf Theif, we offered the children a cutting and sticking activity with leaves we had collected together.  We collected Conkers and used them for a painting activity as well as using them in a sensory tray for the children to count, roll, hold and explore. We collaged acorns and learnt about Oak Trees. 

We have learnt about Harvest and learnt where our food comes from and how important farms are. We joined the rest of the school at Autumn Assembly to celebrate Harvest. 

We have incorporated Autumn into our Circle Times by learning new songs like ‘Autumn Leaves’ which was very popular and playing different memory games with an Autumn theme. 

Following the children’s keen interest in Number Blocks we have offered the children colouring and number blocks too which they have really enjoyed. 

We have read Room on the Broom in the woods and then made wands using natural materials the children found themselves in the environment. Following the theme of Halloween we have changed our role play area to a witch’s kitchen, we made a sensory tuff tray with lentils, pumpkin and jelly and used fine motor skills to rescue bugs and bats from a web.