What a busy week it's been at Darite! The whole school enjoyed a fantastic day at Dartmoor Zoo on Thursday. The children loved looking at the different creatures (the otters were a particular favourite!) and learning about the work they do to protect endangered species. Class 1 enjoyed meeting some of the animals up close in their workshop and Class 2 learned more about adaptations and classification. A huge thank-you to the donor who made the trip free to all. We finished off this week with our Go Wild day in support of OVAID. The raffle and cake sale raised a wonderful amount of £83.57  for this very worthwhile cause. Thank-you to all of you who were able to donate cakes to the cake sale. It was a real community effort and we thank you. This event was made more relevant by it also being the 100th birthday of Sir David Attenbourough! Next week is the annual Year 6 SATs week. The children have been doing brilliant work and we know they will do their best. Please can we also ask that parents and carers do not park on the yellow zig-zag lines outside of school for pickup and drop off. This is to ensure the safety of all children and adults around these busy times.

Landaviddy 

In Maths this week, we have continued our learning about fractions. We have been partitioning wholes, finding unit fractions from a set of objects, and finding non-unit fractions from a set of objects. We found finding unit fractions from a set of objects a little tricky, so we will revisit this learning on Monday to help build our confidence and understanding further.

In English this week, we chose our inspirational people that we will be writing our biographies about. These included Taylor Swift, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Simone Biles and Michael Jackson. We have been thinking carefully about how to write a biography and worked together to create suitable subheadings to organise our information. We will also be including our SPaG focus by using commas and 'and' in a list, as well as speech marks correctly in our writing.

In PSHE this week, we have been learning about staying safe online. We looked at a range of games and their descriptions to decide whether they were safe and suitable to use. We also discussed important information that should never be shared with strangers on the internet, such as our full names, addresses and phone numbers. The children showed a good understanding of how to stay safe online and talked sensibly about what to do if something makes them feel uncomfortable or worried. We also discussed how some people may pretend to be children when using online games, even though they could be adults. We talked about the importance of speaking to a trusted adult if we ever feel unsafe or unsure while online.

In Geography this week, we have been learning about Antarctica. We reviewed its key features and discussed who lives there. The children were surprised to discover that no one lives in Antarctica permanently because of the severe climate and challenging living conditions. However, we also learnt that scientists and researchers stay there for periods of time to carry out important research. To develop our understanding further, we wrote postcards imagining that we were currently living in Antarctica while completing research work. We thought carefully about how we might feel in such a cold and isolated environment and included these ideas in our writing.

In History this week, we have continued our learning about significant people who are known for exploring. This week, our focus was Matthew Henson, who is famously known for being one of the first people to reach the North Pole. We learnt about his important role as an explorer and discussed the challenges he would have faced during his expeditions. The children enjoyed discovering more about his achievements and why he is remembered as an important historical figure today.

We are all taking part in our Class Mile of the Day and tracking how long it will take us to collectively run the equivalent of a marathon. The children have shown great determination and enthusiasm as they work together towards our goal. On Friday, we completed our class mile alongside Talland Class in a fantastic team effort to colour in more shoes and move closer to achieving our marathon challenge. It was wonderful to see everyone encouraging one another and working together so positively.

A huge congratulations to Theo and April for being awarded Pupil of the Week! As a class, we have been working hard to show kindness and friendship towards one another, and both children have been wonderful role models. April was chosen because she kindly volunteered to move to another table without being asked so that another child could sit with their friends. This was a thoughtful and caring thing to do. Theo was chosen because he is consistently kind to others in the class. He shows excellent friendship values every day and is a real asset to Landaviddy.

Miss Bolton & Miss Colton

Year 2 Assembly
Congratulations to our Year 2 children who performed to a very full hall on Thursday. The children shared their recent learning, ranging from Florence Nightingale to facts about the continents. The children also sang beautifully, ending with a very uplifting performance of Three Little Birds. What a great way to start the day!

Camel Challenge Football
This Wednesday, our Year 5 and 6 boys' football team participated in the Camel Challenge, hosting teams from the surrounding area for an exciting series of matches. The boys played a total of four games, emerging victorious in three and drawing the last. As the competition came to an end, the boys found themselves facing a tense showdown known as the golden goal, where the next goal would determine the winners. Despite their superb effort over the next six minutes, the opposition scored first, leaving our team with a well-deserved silver medal. The boys demonstrated exceptional sportsmanship and teamwork, making us all proud. Special recognition goes to Leo, who made his debut on the team and bagged himself some impressive goals. Congratulations to all the boys on a fantastic performance - you made us all proud.

Today it's the turn of our Year 3 and 4 girls' team taking part in their football festival after school - good luck to them all.
From Mrs Callister

Ten Tors 2026
Three teams of staff from WPA took on the Ten Tors charity walk, tackling a demanding 13 mile route across rugged terrain in what proved to be both an epic and grueling challenge. Despite the tough conditions underfoot, spirits remained high throughout, with teamwork and determination carrying everyone to the finish. We were fortunate to have dry weather, which made a huge difference, and in the end, all involved came away with a real sense of achievement and plenty of enjoyment along the way. Our charity of choice for this year was CoppaFeel. Thank you to everyone who has kindly donated raising an incredible £753 so far! From Mrs Smerdon

Miss Blue is Running for 'Bowelbabe'
Miss Blue, one of our Teaching Assistants, is jogging a mile a day in May (31 miles in total) for the cancer research charity, Bowelbabe, set up in memory of Dame Deborah James. If you are able to support Miss Blue in reaching her target of £150 for this charity, please follow the link, thank you: https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/natashas-giving-page-4871


House Points
Congratulations to this week's winners, Swans. Overall, Choughs maintain the lead:

Choughs - 10,674
Puffins - 9954
Swans - 9566
Cormorants - 8590

Attendance
Attendance remains a national priority for schools. Emailed home today you'll find a reminder of some FAQs regarding attendance sent out last term. In addition, we have noticed on a few occasions parents are asking to collect their child early. Just like arriving late, collecting early also has an impact, not only on your child's education but can cause disruption to others. Please bear this in mind when making any appointments towards the end of the school day. Please note we can't authorise early collection for reasons such as wanting to get away early for travel purposes. By working in partnership, fostering a sense of belonging and inclusion, we can ensure that your child receives the very best start in life and enjoys every opportunity to thrive here with us.

FOWPA Uniform Sale - Thursday 14th and Friday 15th May
Come along to FOWPA's uniform sale next Thursday 14th and Friday 15th May after school. All branded items (jumpers, ties, sportswear) and yellow checked summer dresses are available for a suggested donation of £1 each (cash or card welcomed). We will also have white shirts, skirts, pinafores, trousers and PE kit available. There is also a limited supply of brand new items too, which are available for a slightly higher donation. If you're able to help us sell items at either of the sales after school, please just turn up - we'd really appreciate it. If anyone has any clean uniform including sportswear to donate, please leave in the FOWPA box in reception. Thank you!
From FOWPA

Good Luck Year 6!
Good luck to our Year 6 children next week as they complete their end of KS2 SATs. We are really proud of what they have already achieved throughout their primary years, both in the subjects that are assessed, and those areas that aren't. Go Year 6!

Best wishes,
Chris Wathern

This week, our Year 3, 4 and 5 pupils visited the Porthpean Outdoor Education Centre for three days of adventurous activity. A highlight of their primary education, the children use this opportunity to develop confidence, and team building skills, undertake new and exciting challenges and learn to problem solve. Often, for the youngest participants, the greatest challenge is being away from home for the first time. Thank you to Sam Watts, Sarah Marley and Brendan Thomas, who gave their time to ensure the children had a fabulous trip. They reported that the children were brilliant and engaged fully in the opportunities open to them. Here are a few photos to show what an amazing experience this was.




May Day
Well done or our May Day performers who danced around the maypole for our community on Monday. Despite the odd tangle, which is all part of the experience, they did a great job. Thank you to Melissa Pinfield for coaching the children and supporting them on the day.


Music Lessons
Class 4 children had the opportunity to try playing ukuleles this week. They also continued their music tech lessons using Garageband.


Half Term Holiday Opportunity

Please note, there is a session at the Callington College 3G pitches on Tuesday 26th May.



Diary Dates
- Friday 15th May at 8.40am: Open session for parents and carers to look at their children's writing
- Friday 22nd May: School closed to pupils for staff training
- Monday 25th to Friday 29th May: Half term week
- Wednesday 3rd June: Class 3 trip to Carnglaze Caverns
- Wednesday 3rd June: Visiting history workshop in Class 4
- Friday 5th June: School closed to pupils for staff training

A Week Full of Creativity!

 What a wonderfully busy and creative week we have had in Tregantle Class!

In our crafting sessions, the children used a fantastic range of junk modelling materials to design and build their own vehicles. There were some incredibly imaginative ideas, and everyone worked so hard to create unique models using boxes, tubes, bottle tops and more!

During PE, we focused on developing our throwing and catching skills. The children practised carefully controlling their movements and worked brilliantly with partners and teams to improve their coordination and confidence.

We also enjoyed a fantastic music lesson with our specialist music teacher, Mrs Clavier. The children explored how to keep to the rhythm of a song using instruments and body movement. It was lovely to see everyone joining in enthusiastically and developing their sense of timing and beat.

Our gardening activities kept us very busy too! The children have been planting and caring for flowers around the school grounds, helping to make our outdoor spaces bright, colourful and welcoming. We are looking forward to watching everything grow over the coming weeks.

Finally, we celebrated David Attenborough's 100th birthday by taking part in a whole-school creative project. Together, we created a wonderful scene featuring animals from across the world, inspired by the amazing wildlife he has spent his life sharing with us. What a busy, exciting and creative week it has been in Tregantle Class - well done everyone!

This week we have begun to sow seeds as we explore planting and growing and answer our enquiry question "How do plants grow?"
The children have planted runner beans and flowers seeds and discussed what is needed to help them grow including sunlight and water.
We are excited to watch them grow over the next few weeks.
Outside the children have been digging in the soil and helping to plant seeds in the raised flower beds and helping to get the greenhouse ready.

At story time this week we have enjoyed reading and looking at "Ben Plants a Butterfly Garden" and "The Enormous Turnip".

The children have been trying super hard in phonics as we have explored the garden centre. They have been busy describing and talking about the sounds they hear, matching objects to their initial sounds and assigning instruments to different garden objects and comparing them.

In maths we have been making different patterns, copying patterns as well as creating their own. We have been naming numbers including some larger ones.

We hope you all have a good weekend and see you on Monday.

Julie and Sarah

We've been learning about honey bees and why they're important. We've also found out how and why they make honey. As we found out that they need flowers we decided to plant some sunflowers. We also did lots of bee activities including making bee models, bee puppets and painting pictures of bees and flowers. We then used our phonic skills to write sentences about bees.

A few months ago we had a visit from some residents who live in a local care home and they kindly invited us to their home. We went and sang them some songs and nursery rhymes. They children and residents really enjoyed the visit. It was lovely to see some of the residents joining in with the singing. 

This week, we have been enjoying finding out about different explorers, including Sir Frances Drake. We looked at ships from history, traced Drake's journey on a map and learned about why he is remembered. We also thought about what it might feel like to be an explorer, taking risks and going to 'unknown' places. The children have drawn some fantastic pictures of the Golden Hind, as well as Sir Frances Drake himself, dressed in the fashions of that time.

In music this week, we have enjoyed singing sea shanties, and reception have enjoyed using a range of percussion instruments to accompany songs about the sea.

Our art lessons this week, have focussed again, on Henri Rousseau. This week, we studied several paintings by this artist and focussed on the colours and shapes of the different jungle leaves. We have recreated some of the leaves and foliage that we have observed in the paintings, using both watercolours and oil pastels.

Our English unit based on 'The Tiger Who Came to Tea'  have come to an end this week, and we have produced some fantastic stories. The children have been able to innovate their own stories by changing the characters or the animal in the story, and/or writing an alternative ending.

Reception have been busy learning the story of superworm by Julia Donaldson, and writing character descriptions. They have also been making lists and comparing different characters in the story.

From The Penhallow Team

April has been a shorter month in school because of the Easter holidays, but we have still made a fantastic start to our new learning!

In our topic work, we began exploring the life of Sir Francis Drake. We thought carefully about what we would like to learn and created our own questions. We then watched videos and discovered lots of interesting facts about his life. Using this information, we wrote our own fact files and created timelines to show the key events in his life.

In art, we have started learning about the artist Vincent van Gogh. We looked closely at a range of his paintings and shared our ideas about them. Everyone chose their favourite piece to sketch, and we are now beginning to create our own versions of his famous sunflower painting, ready for our upcoming art exhibition.

In science, we are learning about plants. We started by exploring the difference between seeds and bulbs. We carefully chopped up a bulb and dissected a seed, then used microscopes to observe them closely. We learned new vocabulary to describe what we saw and created detailed labelled drawings.

In literacy, we have been enjoying the poem The Magic Box by Kit Wright. We used it as inspiration to write our own imaginative poems filled with creative ideas.

In maths, we have been learning about fractions. We can now recognise halves and quarters of shapes and are beginning to find halves and quarters of different quantities.

It has been a busy and exciting start to the term, and we are looking forward to continuing our learning next month!

We have enjoyed such a productive and busy week in pre-school with a variety of fun activities.

The children started the week helping us to clear our tyre flower beds of weeds in readiness to plant some plants. We have enjoyed learning about how to plant and care for seeds and next week we will begin planting our own variety, from sunflowers to peas and wildflowers.

On Monday the whole school were very lucky to receive a special visit from Georgie's mum who bought along their family pony, Millie, for the whole school to meet and ask questions about how they look after their ponies and what it takes to become a showjumper!

The visit was enjoyed by all of the children, it was a very different but inspiring assembly.

Alongside this excitement, the children have been investigating seeds from different fruits and vegetables, and we also enjoy lots of art focused on flowers.  The children were asked to paint their own flowers after watching a demonstration, they remembered to include the stem, the bud, petals and leaves.  They will make a wonderful display in our garden center role play area.

We hope everyone enjoyed their bank holiday weekend,

The Pre-School Team.

Landaviddy 

In maths this week, we have been continuing our learning on fractions. We have been adding and subtracting fractions, as well as learning how to partition a whole into equal parts. We have been working hard to understand how fractions represent parts of a whole and how they can be combined or separated.

In English this week, we have been researching our inspirational person. We had a go at constructing our own interview questions to help us gather information for a biography. We also took part in role-play activities, where we interviewed each other, taking on the roles of both the interviewer and the interviewee. This helped us to think more deeply about our chosen person and how to present their life and achievements in an interesting way.

In PSHE this week, we have been focusing on friendships and how to resolve conflicts with our peers. We explored different scenarios and discussed how we might respond in each situation. Using our friendship charter, we worked together to find positive and respectful ways to solve problems. This helped us to think carefully about our actions, understand others' feelings, and make good choices when working and playing together.

In Geography this week, we have been learning about lines of latitude and how they help us understand locations around the world. We located Antarctica on the globe and discussed its position in relation to the Equator and other lines of latitude. We also practised using an atlas to find different countries, developing our map-reading skills and learning how to locate places more accurately. Everyone has been working hard to build their confidence in using geographical tools.

In computing this week, we have chosen a book that we are planning to create a video trailer for. We discussed and planned the key elements we need to include to make our trailers engaging and persuasive. We thought carefully about how to entice viewers and encourage them to want to read the book, including which scenes, characters, and moments to highlight. We are excited to begin creating our trailers next week!
A huge congratulations to Iylah and Brody for being awarded pupil of the week. Iylah, for always being on task, completing her work to the best of her ability and always willing to help others in the classroom including the teachers. Brody, for being able to manage distractions and immediately get back to work and focus on what he should be doing. Brody works hard in every lesson and really tries to complete all tasks and helps others on his table if they are stuck. 

Miss Bolton & Miss Colton

Thank you for sending your children in with sun hats and sun cream this week. They have been enjoying lots of time outdoors on the field; however, as there is limited shade, hats remain essential.

We're pleased to let you know that the pool has now been tested and is up and running. Please ensure your child brings their swimming kit each week, as lessons will take place whenever the weather is suitable.

Health and Well Being - new initiatives As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting pupils' health and wellbeing, we are introducing some exciting whole-school initiatives to encourage active lifestyles and healthy habits. We have shared these with the children as follows:
• Marathon Monday which invites families to walk, jog, or run to school, with pupils building distance on our playground track together. We will be tracking to see if we can run the distance of a marathon by the end of the summer term.
• Wheely Wednesday which encourages travelling by bike or scooter, promoting fitness and eco-friendly habits (please ensure safety measures are followed).

In addition to Marathon Monday and Wheely Wednesday, children are encouraged to bring a water bottle daily containing water and enjoy healthy snacks at breaktime such as fruit, vegetables or yogurt. These fun, inclusive activities will be celebrated in school, and we appreciate your support in helping children develop healthy habits. Further details can be found on the attached document. Please contact the school if you have any questions.

Have a lovely bank holiday weekend.

We look forward to seeing the children back in school on Tuesday 5th May.

Anthea Hillman

This week, we have been busy with a range of exciting learning activities across the curriculum. In PE, we have been developing our orienteering skills. The children followed clues and used simple maps to navigate around different locations, building their teamwork, problem-solving, and directional skills.

In History, we focused on the events of the Great Fire of London. The children worked hard to sequence the key events and began to understand how and why the fire spread so quickly. They also discussed the impact it had on the city and its people.

In French, we continued to build our vocabulary by revising colours and learning some interesting facts about France, including aspects of its culture and landmarks. The children enjoyed practicing their pronunciation and recalling words from memory.

In English, we explored the use of adjectives by describing a penguin in detail. The children thought carefully about word choices to make their descriptions more engaging and also considered the penguin's emotions, helping to develop their empathy and creative writing skills.

In Maths, we have been learning about fractions, with a focus on halves and quarters. The children practiced recognising, finding, and understanding these fractions using a variety of practical and visual activities to support their learning.

In Science, we learned about living and non-living things. The children discussed the characteristics of living things and explored how to identify whether something is alive, dead, or has never been alive.

Reception have also had a wonderful week, learning about Earth and exploring space. They created some beautiful space-themed artwork, showing great creativity and enthusiasm.

TALLAND'S BLOG 1.5.26

Hoping everyone has had an excellent week and is looking forward to the Bank Holiday Weekend! The children in Talland class have been their usual bubbly, fun and curious selves.

Here's a snapshot of what we've been learning:

Maths:
Year 5 have completed their second unit on FRACTIONS and have now begun VOLUME. Today we investigated Cubic Centimeters.
Year 4 have also completed their unit on DECIMALS and PERCENTAGES - they have worked really hard! They will be moving on to MONET next week.


English:
During our persuasive writing, Talland have come up with their three reasons why we need to protect our oceans and beaches, explained their points and given examples to justify their point of view.

PE:
In PE, with Mrs. Hillman, Talland were on the field, reading a map and using their map to find objects during orienteering - a great little treasure hunt!
In badminton, we continued to practice serves and underarm shots - we got the hall this time - it was much more successful!

Geography:
This week, we delved further into the ocean and how we can help protect it - why not ask your child their thoughts on how we can protect it... 

Celebrations:
Congratulations to Kayla and Amber for progressing to the next round of the 99 Club - well done! A big well done as well to Kayla (AGAIN) for demonstrating our school values. It is clear how hard she is working and the benefits are showing!

That's all from Talland Class this week. We hope you have a wonderful weekend and look forward to seeing everyone next week.

Signing off, Mr. Langley and Mr. Bishop.

Friday 1st May

In English this week the children started by using adjectives to describe food items from our story. They thought of the most amazing adjectives, we were all very impressed. Next the children wrote lists of what the hungry caterpillar ate. The children used their phonics and wrote some amazing words.

In maths this week we have been exploring missing numbers to 20 and ordering numbers to 20. The adults gave some children, and Miss Ginn some teen numbers but missed some numbers out and we had to figure out what numbers were missing!

The children have been collaging food items from our story this week, classifying minibeasts and finding lots of minibeasts in our outside area using magnifying glasses. They have loved looking through the magnifying glasses and seeing the minibeast close up.

We have also made potions in the water tray, sandcastles and mazes in the sandbox, coloured caterpillar sheets, made minibeasts from Lego, and so much more!

Have a lovely Bank Holiday weekend

The Foundation Team