Friday 11th September- The best first week in Rame class! 

This week has been the most amazing first week for Rame class. The children have adapted to their new school/class so well and we are unbelievably proud of them all! 

We have spent the week concentrating on the environment, new routines, new adults and most importantly having lots and lots of fun getting to know each other!

We begin a little more formal routines and learning next week alongside all of our fun learning! 

Rame Class. 

This year, as our school has chosen to adopt Cornish place names, nursery will be known as Pendennis Class. 
We have had a wonderful start to the term and have welcomed new children and returning children with lots of exciting ideas and plans for the weeks ahead.  Autumn is always a lovely term and with all the changing seasonal colours and festivities, there is always something fun going on!
Our topic is "This Is Me" and we will be exploring what makes us, us! We will be comparing our families, hobbies, homes and environments and have asked families to send in family photos for our display.
Staff have been undertaking some interesting professional development around speech and language in the early years through Cornwall Council Together for Families. There will be more to come on this subject as we hope to hold some future parent and carer sessions.
In addition, we are happy to announce that we are undergoing the Maths Champion Programme which encourages a love of all things mathematical in early childhood. We are looking forward to implementing these ideas into the nursery day. 
Our forest school continues to run this year on a Friday, and we are delighted to have the wonderful Mrs Gregory leading our sessions this term. We began this week with a lovely story called Bibble Bubble, and we made self-portraits from natural resources.
We will continue to visit Hillcrest Nursing Home on alternative Mondays, and our PE day will be Wednesday. Unfortunately, we no longer have coach Ryan this year, but Mrs Hilton and Mrs Owen will be running a sport session of our own.
A big thankyou to all of our fabulous families as we settle back into nursery life, we value your support greatly to make each day a happy, positive and enriching experience for your child. 
                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                  Mrs Hilton, Mrs Owen and Miss Given

Welcome back everyone.

It's been so lovely to see everyone back to nursery this week and we have also welcomed some new children and families to us.

At the start of this half term we are finding out about our children and their families and answering our question "Can you tell me about yourself and the things that are important to you?"

The children have started to create pictures of their family and have been naming and drawing them and have made some beautiful self portraits to go on the wall.

At story time we have been reading the books "What About Me?" and "Friends".

We started our phonics sessions on Tuesday and the children have been using their super listening ears to hear different sounds in the environment and to explore noises that their mouths can make in addition to using mirrors to create different mouth movements.

In maths we are beginning to explore collections of objects up to 5 and finding numbers in everyday life.
It has been a great first week back and we look forward to seeing you all again on Monday.
Have a great weekend.

Julie and Sarah

The children have made a fantastic start to the year and have settled back into their learning routines alongside getting to know one another again. A special welcome to anyone who has just joined our school. We look forward to getting to know you more over the year. In today's Celebration Assembly, we celebrated our first Shining Stars awards of the year for making a positive start. We also celebrated our first week of House points and Headteacher Awards (Best Seats in the House). Congratulations to Year 3 for winning this week's Golden Rucksack for keeping their learning environment tidy.

Meet the Teacher Session (Year 1-6) - Next Week
These are an opportunity to meet your child's class teacher, talk to other parents in the class and learn more about the year ahead. Please come along to your child's classroom and ensure your child is with you unless you've arranged other supervision during the session.

Tuesday 15th September 15:30-16:00 Year 1 and Year 2
Wednesday 16th September 15:30-16:00 Year 5 and Year 6
Thursday 17th September 15:30-16:00 Year 3 and Year 4

If you're unable to make the session, the presentation slides will be emailed out to everyone afterwards. Reception families have already received any information during transition events last term. The first parent/teacher consultations will take place on Tuesday 20th and Wednesday 21st October. However, if you need to discuss anything regarding your child prior to these, please don't hesitate to contact your child's teacher.











Home School Agreement and Permissions
The start of the year is a good time to remind parents/carers to ensure all the details we hold are correct. Have your contact details changed (we must have two contacts for your child)? Does your child now walk home from school on their own? Do you give permission for your child's photo to go on social media? All these permissions can be found and updated via your Arbor account. If you need any support updating this information, please see Claire or Caroline in the office; they will be more than happy to help.

Allergies/Health Care Plans
A reminder that we are a nut free school, including any products containing nuts. Should your child have any allergies that we haven't been made aware of already or they require a Health Care Plan (or an updated plan is needed), please contact the school office for further information.

School Meals - Food Allergies and Intolerances
Our school meals are provided by Caterlink. It is essential that if your child is having a school meal, you complete Caterlink's new dietary requirements/food allergies form, if not done so already. If school is aware your child has an allergy but Caterlink's form hasn't been completed, your child will only be allowed the 'safe option' until the form is completed. Thank you for your cooperation.

Message from Mr Smith (SENDCo and Trust Inclusion Lead)
As we start the new year, please reach out to your child's class teacher should you need to discuss any SEND related matters regarding your child. If you need to discuss anything additionally with myself, please come and see me (I'm often outside in the mornings Weds-Fri) or email to make an appointment jsmith@bridgeschools.co.uk

Music Lessons
Music lessons with our external teachers have already started. However, if you are interested in finding out more about music lessons, please contact the office. Our external teachers currently provide brass, woodwind, guitar, piano/keyboard and drums.

Term 1 Curriculum Maps
Term 1 Curriculum Maps will be emailed out on Monday 21st September. 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. Fire Drill For your information, next week, we will be holding our first fire drill of the year. We hold these termly. Later in the year we will be practising our annual lockdown process as in previous years.

Macmillan Coffee Morning - Friday 25th September 08:45-10:00
Everyone is welcome to join us for the Macmillan Coffee Morning hosted by Year 6.

Year 5 & 6 Open Evening at Wadebridge School - Tuesday 29th September 4:00-6:00pm
See the attached flyer from Wadebridge School inviting all current Year 5 & 6 children and their parents/carers to an Open Evening on Tuesday 29th September.

Lost Property
Please take a look at the lost property (from end of last school year) outside the main entrance on the tables. Anything not claimed by next Friday will be donated to either FOWPA or a local clothing bank. FOWPA also welcome donations of any items of school uniform to add to the nearly new uniform stall. Please drop off as usual in the collection basket in the office foyer, thank you.

House Points
Congratulations to this week's winners, Puffins.
Puffins - 325
Swans - 277
Choughs - 254
Cormorants - 203

Wishing you a fantastic weekend.
Best wishes,
Chris Wathern

Welcome back Year 1 - Heligan class!

We have had a wonderful first week back in Year 1! The children have been introduced to our new class name - Heligan class. We have explored where Heligan is and talked about what you might see there.
We've also been working as mathematicians! We've been using different resources, lots of counting and sorting different objects into groups. Each half term we will have a big question that we focus our wider curriculum work around. This half term our big question is: How was school different in the Victorian times? So, in History we will be learning about schools in the past and comparing them to now. We have lots of lovely learning to look forward to and the children have settled in just wonderfully.

Just a few reminders / updates:

PE days are Monday and Thursday. Please make sure children come to school in correct PE kit on these days.

Please send your child in with a water bottle and coat each day.

Please order lunches on a Thursday for the following week if your child has a school lunch.

We will be changing books on a Friday. Please send your child in with their book and reading record on this day.

Thank you for all your support so far - we are in for a good year!

Heligan class

Dear Parents and Carers, As we come to the end of our first full week back at school, I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you for all of your support as our children have returned to school. It has been wonderful to see the children settling back into their routines so positively and approaching the new school year with enthusiasm and confidence.

A special thank you to those parents and carers who attended our Parent Cafe and Helping Hands session this week. Your involvement and partnership are greatly valued, and we appreciate the time you take to engage with the life of our school community.

A reminder that our active travel initiatives begin next week: 
Two Tyre Tuesday Children in KS2 are invited to bring their scooters and helmets to school to enjoy during playtimes. 

Wheely Wednesday Children in Reception and KS1 are invited to bring their scooters and helmets to school to take part in this exciting opportunity.

We are also excited that our after-school clubs begin next week. If your child has secured a place, we know they will enjoy the fantastic range of opportunities available.

Please remember that our free Breakfast Club runs every morning from 8:20am, providing children with a positive start to the day and ensuring they are ready to learn.

For families requiring wraparound care, Bridge Kids is available before and after school and can be booked through ParentPay. We would also like to remind parents to book their child's lunches for next week to ensure meal choices are available and recorded in advance. Please take a few moments to log in to Arbor and review your child's information.

We ask all families to: Update permissions for photographs, social media, local walks and visits. Check and update contact details where necessary. Review and update medical information, including any medical conditions, allergies, medications or healthcare plans, to ensure our records are accurate and up to date. Having current information helps us keep all children safe and enables us to provide the very best care and support throughout the school day.

You can catch up on all the latest school news and upcoming events in this week's Brunel Bulletin. Thank you once again for your continued support. Working together makes such a positive difference to our children's experiences and success at school. We wish you and your families a very happy, relaxing and enjoyable weekend. 

What an amazing start to school our EYFS children have made!

It has been wonderful to welcome them into the Brunel family and begin getting to know their unique characters, personalities and interests. The children have been busy exploring their new learning environments and discovering all that Tregantle has to offer. From getting creative in the mud kitchen to investigating and exploring the Curiosity Cube, there has been so much fun, excitement and learning taking place.

It has been lovely to see the children becoming more confident as they explore, play and make new discoveries. Tregantle are already settling beautifully into their new routines and beginning to develop some very important school skills. We have been practising lining up, using our listening ears, taking turns and learning how to work and play alongside our new friends. We are so proud of how well the children have responded to these new routines.

We have also enjoyed our first circle times, where we have started learning the names of our new friends and getting to know one another. The children have loved sharing their 'All About Me' posters, talking about their families, favourite things and the things that are special to them. It has been a wonderful opportunity for us all to learn a little more about each other.

It has been a fantastic first week, and we couldn't be prouder of our Tregantle children. They have shown such enthusiasm, curiosity and bravery as they have begun their school journey. We can't wait for another week full of learning, exploring, playing and having fun together! Well done, Tregantle!

Welcome To Marazion Class!

It has been wonderful to welcome the children back to school after the summer break. Marazion Class have settled back into school routines so well and have made a fantastic start to their learning in Years 3 and 4.

The children have been getting used to their new routines, expectations and responsibilities, while also beginning to develop their independence and confidence as they move into their new year groups. It has been lovely to see them working together, supporting one another and showing such enthusiasm for their learning.

Please take a look at the attached document, which gives an overview of what your child will be learning this half term. We have lots of exciting learning planned across the curriculum and we are looking forward to sharing the children's progress and achievements with you.

Going Back to the Stone Age!

Today, we travelled all the way back to the Stone Age for our exciting history topic!

As part of our WOW starter, the children imagined what life might have been like for Stone Age people. They crawled into our very own 'caves' and created their own cave drawings, thinking carefully about what they might have wanted to record about their lives.

The classroom was filled with some fantastic drawings and lots of interesting ideas and discussion. The children really enjoyed stepping back in time and beginning to think about our big question: Would you prefer to live in the Stone, Bronze or Iron Age?

We are looking forward to finding out much more about this fascinating period of history over the coming weeks!

What a fantastic first week back we have had in Whitsand Class!

We have been busy settling into our new routines, getting to know one another and making lots of new friendships. We have played plenty of games together, which has been a great way to have fun, work as a team and get to know our classmates.

In Maths, we have started our new Place Value unit and have been enjoying working in our brand-new Maths books. We have been developing our understanding of numbers and are already showing great enthusiasm for our learning. We have also launched our exciting new Science topic.

This year, we will be learning all about materials and will eventually have the opportunity to design, create and build our very own bridges. We can't wait to see what amazing structures we can come up with! It has been a brilliant start to the year, and we are so proud of how everyone has settled in.

There is already such a positive and friendly atmosphere in Whitsand Class, and we are looking forward to all the exciting learning, challenges and adventures ahead.

It is the best day of the year, to feel the excitement and to know that we are ready and prepared to either welcome our returning pupils, our brand new Foundation pupils for their first day at school, or pupils who have joined us from another school.

They arrived looking very smart; most were happy to return and there was lots of support for those who perhaps were feeling a little overwhelmed.  The first week has been wonderful.  We have made a few small changes to the way that we work and encourage each other through kindness, our school values (creative, curious, responsible, enthusiastic, excellent, determined) and our three main school rules (be ready, be responsible, be safe).  

We have new teams this year instead of houses:
Woodpeckers (green)
Kingfishers (blue)
Jays (red)
Goldfinches (yellow)
The children will earn team points throughout each week and there are surprises and rewards along the way.



One of our biggest changes this year is that we have named all of our classes.  These were chosen democratically by the children and we drew names at the end of the summer term to decide which class had which name.  Our new classes are:
Nursery: Pendennis - Mrs Hilton and Mrs Owen
Foundation: Rame - Mrs Phillips and Mrs Lyden
Year 1: Heligan - Miss Bolger and Miss Ginn
Year 1/2: Lanhydrock - Mrs Marshall, Mrs Miles, Miss Given, Mrs Gregory and Mrs Stephens 
Year 2/3: Kynance - Miss Chapman and Mr Liddement
Year 3/4: Tintagel - Miss Pittas, Mrs Stephens and Mrs Williams
Year 4:  Eden - Miss Strickland, Mr Phillips and Mrs Williams
Year 5/6: Minack - Mr Bowden, Mrs Higgins and Mrs Hewitt
Year 5/6: Mount Edgecumbe:  Mrs Davies, Miss Cook and Mrs Miller

In the next few weeks, we will be delighted to open our new inclusion provision which we have called Roseland.  This is a new offer that will support many children with their social, emotional and behaviour need, whether on a regular basis or if they need it for a short time.  It will also help those children who struggle to learn so that we can help them to find new ways of understanding how they can work to the best of their ability in a fun and very supportive way.  I will lead this provision initially, supported by Miss Masters who will be with the provision every day.  All staff will then provide activities and time to work with the children when they access the rooms.  We have three spaces available to us at the end of the Key Stage 2 corridor and we are busy getting these spaces ready for the fun to begin.  There may even be a few surprises on the way! 

Another new venture is the addition of some slightly different activities throughout the week.  The picture above shows the first class enjoying their introduction lessons with Mr Tweedle.  They will be learning circus skills, so watch out at home!  This activity is not only fun, but also teaches coordination, balance, spatial awareness and the need for resilience and patience when it doesn't go right first time.  It was great fun and we can't wait to see how we all get on with plate spinning, diabolo, stilt walking, juggling and much, much more! 

As you can see, we are prepared and ready for an amazing year of learning filled with fun and determination to do well in all that we do; I can't wait to see the outcomes!

Here's to a great year.
Janine Waring 

We have loved welcoming everyone back after the summer break and have built up a lovely display of all the holiday photographs.

Our new stories 'Happy Birthday Sam' and 'Titch' are all about growing up and having birthdays.

We will be thinking about how old we are now and what our next number will be; we will be discussing what happens when we have a birthday celebration.


It would be lovely to have a baby photograph of everyone so we can see how much we have changed and talk about what we can do now, that we couldn't do when we were a baby.

Hello Everyone,

First of all, a huge welcome to all of our new children and parents this year. 

We have been amazed at how well the new Reception children have immersed themselves into school life already. They really have settled in so well and have arrived every morning with smiles on their faces, ready to learn. We have thorough
 enjoyed getting to know each other, through plenty of play based activities. All week, the children have really impressed us in the way that they have shown kindness and co-operated well with each other. 

Reception have already been working hard on their phonics, and have been busy learning initial letter sounds and blending them to make words. They have all taken home a reading book, where they can practice reading and blending the sounds that they have learnt. Please practice with them at home as often as you can, and make sure that reading books are returned to school each day. Reading books will be changed after the children have practiced reading their book in school at least 3 times. Next week, all pupils will also take home a library book of their choice. We love reading in Penhallow, and do everything we can to share our passion and enjoyment for this subject.

We have also completed some lovely self portraits this year, which we have displayed in our cloakroom. We are looking forward to seeing the development of children's abilities  to draw and write their own name, as we repeat this activity every half term.

On Thursday afternoon, we all enjoyed a fantastic music lesson, where everyone was able to sing and develop their skills of playing different percussion instruments. The children were excellent at following directions to stop, start and control the volume of their instrument. It was lovely to see how much the children enjoyed singing and performing as a team. Well done everyone!

Starting from next week, our PE lessons will be on a Monday and Thursday afternoon. PE kits can remain in school until half term. If the weather is warm enough, we might be able to go swimming during one of these sessions. 

It has also been lovely getting to know new parents this week. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions regarding school.. We are looking  forward to getting to know you, and working with you to help your children.

From 

Mrs Fitzsimmons and Mrs Gouriet