TALLAND'S CLASS BLOG 2.5.25

Another end to another great week! We hope you have enjoyed the sunshine!

I was so proud of the children yesterday. I thought they performed brilliantly during the opening of Big Green. They made themselves and Polperro look fantastic!

Maths:
Year 4 have been continuing to learn all about shape. Why not ask your child to tell you some facts about different shapes...
Year 5 have completed their unit on area and perimeter. You could quiz them on how to find out the perimeter and area of a shape...


Art:
Sean was back and the children continued to upscale there 'nature' drawings. This time they added colour through a range of techniques.

Design and Technology:
Talland created their design for the pavilion, which they will begin to build next week.

Geography:
We looked at different crops and where they might grow on our planet. The children then found facts out about these countries and which environment different crops thrived in to grow. 

CONGRATULATIONS to Zac and Arnie for earning their next badge in 99 club and well done to Archie for being noticed for his excellent enthusiasm at school. 

We hope you have a super bank holiday weekend!

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

Year Group News
Our fortnightly year group newsletters have been emailed out today. 

Staffing Update
We’re pleased to shared that Paula Reeve and Sorrel Gerken are both expecting their first child later in the year. They will both be going on maternity leave towards the start of term in September. We are currently advertising for two maternity leave teachers to join us within KS1 and KS2 – year groups to be confirmed. We are in the final stages of completing our staffing overview for September and will be able to share this later in the term once everything is confirmed. As advertised on our calendar, children and parents will be informed of their next teacher on Thursday 10th July (the same day as reports are sent out) prior to our transition events. In the meantime, I’m sure everyone will join me in offering our congratulations to both Paula and Sorrel.

Bank Holiday Monday
A reminder that school is closed next Monday 5th May.

Coffee Afternoon and Keeping Your Child Safe Online Workshop with Emily Orme and Chris Wathern – Tuesday 6th May 14:30
Everyone is welcome to join us next Tuesday 6th May at 14:30 for our coffee afternoon and workshop. We will be sharing some ideas and materials on how we can all support our children to keep safe online. We also hope parents will share their top tips with us and other parents, recognising that no-one is alone in navigating how to best use technology.

Year 3 Assembly – Thursday 8th May
We look forward to seeing family members of Year 3 at their assembly next Thursday. Doors open from 08:30, with a start time of 09:00. To help the morning drop-off routine, any Year 3 families driving are encouraged to park in the staff car park (double parking is fine).

House Points
Congratulations to this week’s winning House, Swans. Choughs maintain the overall lead:
Choughs – 8357
Swans – 8123
Puffins – 7664
Cormorants – 7337

Grounds Day – Saturday 19th May 10:00-14:00
Can you spare an hour or two to help at our Grounds Day on Saturday 19th May between 10:00-14:00?

• Can you help tidy our play areas and plant upsome new flower beds?
• Are you up for clearing our pond area and bring it back to life?
• How about some painting to brighten up our play areas?
• Do you have any garden tools or paint brushes to bring along on the day?
• Would you like a free lunch and refreshments?

Everyone is welcome to come and lend a hand (no unaccompanied children please).

With very best wishes,

Chris Wathern

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
This week the children made their own fruit kebabs, they explored different fruits, learnt about patterns and even practiced their counting and fine motor skills while making their own kebab creations.

 

As we come to the end of another fantastic week of learning at our school, we would very much like to thank our parent community for your continued support. We really hope you have a wonderful Bank Holiday weekend. We hope you will be able to join us tomorrow morning for the Youth Parade at Victoria Gardens. Please arrive at 9:40am with our children wearing their Brunel uniform. In the meantime, sit back, relax and enjoy this week's Brunel Bulletin. 

Friday 2nd May

Some of this week’s learning:

In English this week, we have continued to explore the story Mr Gumpy’s Outing. The children have sequenced the story with Miss Hughes and then individually wrote key words to match pictures from the story. The children are really progressing with using their phonics to write words.

In maths this week we have been exploring numbers beyond 10 to 20. The children have been building numbers and recognising number patterns. The children have been amazing at knowing that 12 is 10 and 2 more.

In phonics this week the children have continued to learn how to read words with adjacent consonants. They are reading and writing so well and we have seen such progress.

During outdoor learning this week, we learnt all about shadows. We took lots of toys and paper outside and completed some great shadow drawings. We made lots of different shadows, drew around Janets shadow and played chase the shadow!

The children have also been making twirly gardens, designing flowerpots and making their own gardens.

Always a fun filled learning adventure in Foundation!

Wishing you a wonderful bank holiday weekend

The Foundation Team 

Maths – We have now completed our work on length and height, and are moving on to learning about mass and volume. We will be exploring how to measure weight using different units and comparing the volume of various objects.

English – This week, we have been using our imaginations to design our very own magical beds! We’ve been writing descriptive sentences to bring them to life, focusing on using adjectives and expanded noun phrases to create vivid images in our readers' minds.

RE (Religious Education) – In RE, we have been thinking about the idea of belonging. We’ve explored different groups we are part of—such as family, school, or clubs—and discussed what it means to belong and why it is important.

ICT – In our computing lessons, we have been learning how to create pictograms using a special app on the iPads. We’ve collected data and represented it visually, helping us understand how to interpret and present information clearly.

History – We have started learning about the life and work of Florence Nightingale. We discovered why she is a significant figure in history and answered true or false questions to check our understanding of key facts about her contributions to nursing.

PSHE – In our Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education, we have begun to look at the topic of relationships. We are discussing what makes a good friend and how to show kindness and respect to others.

Design and Technology (DT) – In DT, we have been trying our hand at weaving. We are learning how to use different materials and techniques to create patterns and textures.

 What a fantastic week we've had in Tregantle Class! Our young learners have been showing off their brilliant writing skills, with a special focus on letter formation. It’s been wonderful to see the care and attention everyone is putting into their handwriting – those tall letters and neat flicks are really starting to shine! In maths, we’ve been exploring teen numbers – not just saying them, but learning how to represent them too. Using objects, drawings, and number lines, the children are getting really confident at understanding the value of these tricky numbers. Creativity has been in full swing with some amazing junk modelling! From rockets to robots, the children have used recycled materials to bring their imaginative ideas to life. It's been lovely to see so much teamwork and problem-solving as they build and create. We’ve also been making the most of the lovely weather by playing outside in the sunshine. Whether it's running, climbing, or imaginative role play, outdoor time has been full of joy, energy, and laughter. As part of our music and rhyme time, we’ve been learning the classic nursery rhyme “The Grand Old Duke of York”. Not only are we singing the rhyme with gusto, but we've also been drumming along to the beat, building rhythm and coordination in such a fun way. It’s been a joyful, creative, and busy week in Tregantle Class – well done to all our superstar learners! 

This week has been extremely busy and full of learning. 

In English, we have been focusing on our reading comprehension skills and how to use evidence from the text to justify our answers. We have also been learning about prepositions and irregular verbs when changing tenses. 

In maths, we have been looking at reasoning questions to apply our knowledge to solve more complex problems. We have been sharing strategies and showing resilience and determination. 

In PE, we continued with football by practicing our dribbling skills and working on passing and intercepting. We all thoroughly enjoyed some mini games in the sunshine on the field. We have been so lucky with the glorious weather. 

In geography, we have been finding out about different deserts across the world. We used graphs and maps to compare the Mojave desert in California to the Atacama desert in Chile. Ask your children what they found out. 

In RE, we started our unit on Hinduism. This week we learnt about dharma and discovered lots of new vocabulary. 

Have a fantastic bank holiday weekend!

Miss Burton

Welcome back to school, we hope you had a great Easter break.

We completed our art unit (sketching) by using all the skills we had learnt to draw the view from our school playground. (stippling/shading/cross hatching/drawing different types of lines and patterns) . The weather was nice so we sat on the steps and used clipboards. Our pictures are brilliant!
We have now started a new art unit (painting). We have been exploring the work of artist Vincent van Gogh and discussing our likes and dislikes. We will be learning lots of new skills in the coming weeks in order to create our own masterpieces ready for our art exhibition after half term.

We also finished our 'Where do we Live?' topic and enjoyed a trip to the park looking out for physical and human features along the way.
We also undertook traffic surveys and discussed what we noticed.
Finally we looked at the features of a local seaside town and compared them to those in our immediate locality.

We also finished our music unit by putting all the notes that we had learnt together to play 'Hot Cross Buns'. We were brilliant at it and even Miss Evans managed to play it!

We are looking forward to our new learning about Sir Francis Drake this half term and our trip to Buckland Abbey at the end of May.
Watch this space for photos!

It has been a busy first two weeks of the summer herm. Both Year 4 and Year 5 have had trips to Cotehele. Year 4 took inspirations from this beautiful setting to create some poetry whilst Year 5 explored the wildlife found in the orchard and the pond. They also received complimentary comments from the general public who were also visiting.
On Thursday we had some fantastic volunteers from "Tavy Task Force". They worked tirelessly in the hottest day of the year so far. The result was a pond (at the Infant and Nursery school) which is now usable by the children Year 1 didn't waste any time trying it out (see the lovely pictures below.) Thank you to Ken Tripp for organising this for us.
We've had 27 donations in the last 30 days, thanks to our supporters using #easyfundraising when they make online purchases! Please keep up the good work, your donations are very appreciated. It's never too late to sign up and help us if you haven't already. Plus, join today and we could win a £250 donation: https://join.easyfundraising.org.uk/copper-valley-infant-and-nursery-academy/4wkcsu/c2s/128FF5bb/CE949/facebook/27
Thursday 8th May is the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. Pupils can come to school dressed in red, white and blue. There will be lots of opportunities to learn about VE Day during the day.
I hope that you all enjoy the bank holiday.

We’ve had another exciting and enriching week in Year 3 and 4! Here's a round-up of what your children have been exploring and learning across the curriculum:

English – Exploring Imaginary Worlds and Figurative Language

This week, we’ve delved into texts set in imaginative and fantastical worlds. The children have enjoyed describing settings and characters using powerful figurative language, including similes and personification. Their creativity has truly shone as they painted vivid pictures with their words!

Maths – Perimeter and Fractions

In Maths, our Year 3s have begun learning about perimeter—they’ve measured the edges of shapes and are starting to calculate total lengths confidently. Meanwhile, Year 4 pupils have continued their work on fractions, deepening their understanding of equivalent fractions and learning how to place them on number lines.

Science – Marvellous Magnets

The children have been investigating magnets, discovering which materials are magnetic and learning about poles and magnetic forces. They were fascinated to find out how magnets can attract or repel without touching!

History – The Anglo-Saxon Invasion

In History, we’ve been asking: Why did the Anglo-Saxons invade Britain? The class explored reasons such as land, resources, and settlement opportunities. We’ve looked at maps and artefacts to understand how they travelled and where they settled.

PSHE – Setting Boundaries in Relationships

Our PSHE focus this week was on setting boundaries and understanding respectful relationships. The children discussed different types of relationships and practised how to express their feelings and needs in a healthy, confident way.

Computing – Sending Emails

A big moment this week in Computing as the children learned how to compose and send their own emails! They were introduced to email safety and etiquette and practised sending polite, purposeful messages.

PE – Agility, Balance and Coordination with Argyle Trust

We were thrilled to welcome a coach from the Argyle Trust for our first PE session together. The children played fast-paced games focused on improving agility, balance, and coordination—and they absolutely loved it!

RE – The Second Pillar of Islam

In RE, we explored the second pillar of Islam – Salah, the practice of prayer. Children discussed the importance of prayer in Muslim life and how it shows discipline, focus, and connection to faith.

Design & Technology – Designing Strong and Sturdy Castles

This week in DT, we looked at the key features of castles—moats, towers, battlements—and discussed what makes a castle strong and secure. The children then used this knowledge to begin designing their own impressive fortresses!

Reading Assembly – A Cat Called Waverly

In our KS2 reading assembly, we enjoyed the story of A Cat Called Waverly, which beautifully echoed our projected characteristics such as resilience, curiosity, and compassion. It sparked some wonderful discussions afterwards.

Thank you for your continued support. We’re so proud of the enthusiasm and effort the children bring to their learning each day.

This week at nursery we have continued with our planting and growing of seeds. The children have been busy planting sunflower seeds and have been planting grass seed to go with their decorated houses in order to make their own gardens.
They have used different materials such as wool to make flowers and also made some from paper plates.
The children have had lots of opportunity this week to practice thier cutting skills. In the tuft tray, they have been snipping leaves and have been cutting by following a line on their paper plate flowers.

In story time this week we have enjoyed the books "Tilly plants a tree" and have been looking at non fiction books such as "Grow it, eat it".

In phonics the children have been at the cafe and have taken part in cafe bingo. They have been breaking words down into syllables when talking about what they eat for breakfast and have been joining in actions to different songs such as "I'm a little trapot".

In maths, we have been identify numbers from sight and writing/ making marks that represent numbers.

We now have a long weekend ahead of us as it is bank holiday on Monday, so we hope you all have a lovely one and look forward to seeing you all back from Tuesday.

Julie and Sarah