This half term has already got off to a good start with years 5 and 6 years having a virtual meeting with some French children who attend primary School in Ors in Northern France. The children sang a song together about what makes them happy - the same things such as football and pets! They then asked each other questions. Y5 and Y6 found out that the French children start school at 8:30 and stay till 4pm but are only in school for 4 days a week. They don't wear uniform, have a one-and-ahalf-hour lunch break and 4 courses for lunch, and learn English every day.

Our new enquiries have been launched:
Chaipel: How does North America compare to Europe?
Talland: How have our lives been changed by the Victorians?
Landaviddy: How can the force be with you? Penhallow: What happens in Spring?

World Book Day It has been great to hear that many of the children have already turned their wooden spoon into their favourite book character for our World Book Day competition. We have spare spoons in school if needed. School Council has asked that on World Book Day (7th March) children come dressed as their spoon (ie their favourite character) or in PJs with a teddy and their favourite book.

Looe Mini Miler  Looe Mini Miler, a fun run, takes place at 10am (Registration 9am-9.40am) on Sunday 25th February. The race which is organised by the Looe Pioneers is suitable for children aged 4 and above. Details are on the attached flyer, please note there are no entries on the day.

Menu Change 5th March To celebrate St Piran’s day on Tuesday 5th March there will be a special menu, please see menu attached and log in to Parentpay to make your child’s selection by Monday 26th February.

Parent Consultations Parent consultations will be held week of 18th March either in person or on TEAMS. We will email you next week with information regarding times and dates when your child’s teacher will be available and how to book an appointment.

WeAreMusic (WAM) Pupils from year 3 to year 6 are welcome to attend the WAM music ensemble, led by Mrs Butlin at Looe Community Academy (Music Department) on Tuesdays 4:15-5pm. The first four sessions are free then it is £3 per week. Please contact Mrs Butlin direct on sbutlin@cmst.co.uk if your child is interested.

Have a good weekend.

Mrs Hillman

Bonjour!

This morning years 5 and 6 had a virtual meeting with children in northern France who attend primary School in Ors.  The children sang a song together about what makes them happy - the same things such as football and pets!  They then asked each other questions.  Y5 and Y6 found out that the French children start school at 8:30 and stay till 4pm but are only in school for 4 days a week. They don't wear uniform, have a one and a half hour lunch break and 4 courses for lunch, and learn English every day.

We have made the connection with the school through Sally Crabtree and the Poetry Plane Project which involved years 5 and 6 and children from France writing poems about WW1. Their final poems will be written on paper containing poppy, cornflower and forget-me-not seeds and in July the poems will be flown to France and dropped from a plane in Northern France.

The children will be writing to each other as a next step in this wonderful friendship between the two schools.

Happy Half Term

This half term has flown by. We have crammed a lot into a short half term including work around children’s mental health and internet safety this week. In our end of half term assembly on Thursday morning it was lovely to share the children’s thoughts on their ‘best bits’ of the half term which included the fire engine visit to Penhallow Class, car making in Landaviddy Class and writing biographies, especially about footballers, in Talland Class.

Rev Richard visited us to talk about Shrove Tuesday in assembly.  The children are going to encourage him to give up crisps for Lent.

Our Y6 children were invited to Looe Community Academy to learn all about coding on Tuesday and Chaipel Class visited Bodmin Keep yesterday to support their learning about World War 2. The staff there described our pupils as ‘fantastic ambassadors for the school and they should all be very proud!’. Well done Chaipel Class!

World Book Day Competition This year, World Book Day is on 7th March and we will be consulting School Council regarding what the children would like to wear on the day. Meanwhile, our school competition this year is ‘The Wooden Spoon Challenge’ which your child may wish to do over half term. We are asking children to turn a wooden spoon into a book character for World Book Day and will be sending them home with a spoon and details (attached). There will be prizes for each class.

Have a wonderful half term break. We look forward very much to seeing everyone back in school on Monday 19th February.

Mrs Hillman

Another busy week at school has included two special visitors to Chaipel Class to help with their learning about World War Two. Rev Richard shared his family’s intriguing WW2 stories and Ava’s dad shared some fascinating items from WW2. In today’s assembly, Penhallow Class sang ‘In 1666, The Great Fire of London’ to everyone. They learned this as part of their enquiry about what happened in London a long time ago. More information regarding your child’s week at school can be found on their class blogs.

Dropping off in the morning Please ensure that your child arrives in plenty of time before the gate closes at 8:45 in the morning. The start of the school day is very important for children as this sets the scene for them and they miss out on important messages and learning if they are late.

Supporting your child with maths Thank you to those of you who have completed our short maths questionnaire (attached) regarding how you feel about supporting your child with maths at home. If you have not done so, it would be really helpful for us if you could fill this in and return it by email to secretary@polperroprimary.co.uk

Safer Internet Day 2024 Safer Internet Day 2024 takes place next Tuesday with celebrations and learning based around the theme ‘Inspiring change? Making a difference, managing influence and navigating change online’. Safer Internet Day is a great opportunity to focus on online safety with your child, whatever their age. The UK Safer Internet Centre has created a range of pages to help you talk about these issues and ideas with your child, no matter how much time you have and in an age-appropriate way https://saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day2024/parents-and-carers The NSPCC also offers valuable advice to help you learn about staying safe online as a family here: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/

Children’s Mental Health Week Next week we will be taking part in Children’s Mental Health Week. The theme this year is ‘My Voice Matters’. My Voice Matters is about empowering children and young people by providing them with the tools they need to express themselves. This year, we want to empower children of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to work together to create a positive change for their mental health and wellbeing. Our aim is for Children’s Mental Health Week, we want all children and young people to be able to say – and believe - “My Voice Matters.” As parents and carers, you play an important role in your child’s mental health. There are free resources here which you may wish to look at beforehand. https://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk/families/

Menu Change 8th February On Thursday next week there will be a special menu for National Pizza day, please see menu attached and log in to Parentpay to make your child’s selection for this day.

Have a lovely weekend.

Mrs Hillman

Highlights of a very busy week have included an exciting visit from Looe Fire Station to Penhallow Class as part of their learning about the great Fire of London;  Rev Richard's assembly which reminded us of helping each other to keep trying with our plans and resolutions for 2024 and our cross country runners' successes.

Cross-Country Congratulations to our cross-country team who ran brilliantly at last week’s race at Cotehele. Well done also to the children who visited Looe Community Academy this week for a cross-country race (see photo). Their behaviour was exemplary and we are very proud of them. 

Looe Mini Miler Please find attached details of the Looe Mini Miler, a fun run which takes place at 10am on Sunday 25th February. The race which is organised by the Looe Pioneers is suitable for children aged 4 and above, please note entries must be made online before race day.

Supporting your child with maths Please find attached a very short questionnaire regarding how you feel about supporting your child with maths at home. It would be really helpful for us if you could fill this in and return it by email to secretary@polperropriary.co.uk Do please let us know if you require a paper copy.

Arbor Reminder that if any of your contact details have changed such as address, emails or phone numbers, please update them on Arbor.

Upcoming dates Reminder that Friday 9th February is an INSET day and half term is 12-16 February.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend.

Mrs Hillman

This has been another busy week where we have celebrated our Readers and Writers in a special assembly with parents, grandparents and families. We have also enjoyed celebrating our times tables superstars from Kai in Reception who achieved his 11 club badge to the pupils in year 6 who achieved their bronze badges.

We are excited about the Fowey Festival  Competition for writers and artists which is open to all children aged 4-16 living in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The theme this year is ‘Beaches.’ We will be encouraging the children to enter the writing competition at school and you may wish your child to enter from home also. Please see attached flyer for information.

We will be taking part in Children’s Mental Health Week which is taking place from 5-11 February. The theme this year is ‘My Voice Matters’. My Voice Matters is about empowering children and young people by providing them with the tools they need to express themselves. This year, we want to empower children of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to work together to create a positive change for their mental health and wellbeing. Our aim is for Children’s Mental Health Week, we want all children and young people to be able to say – and believe - “My Voice Matters.” As parents and carers, you play an important role in your child’s mental health. There are free resources here which you may wish to look at beforehand. https://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk/families/

There will be an additional INSET Day on Friday 24th May. INSET days provide a valuable opportunity for staff to access uptodate training. We are proposing a change to the timings on the last day of each term. From spring term onwards, the final day of term will end at 1:30pm. So this term will end on Thursday 28th March at 1:30pm. School will be open until 3:15 for pupils whose parents and carers are at work.

Have a great weekend.

Mrs Hillman

An active week...

We have a had a cold but enjoyable week, especially on the playground where the children have been testing out our new playtime huff and puff kit. This is part of our commitment to ensure the children have at least 30 minutes active time at school every day.

PE Kits A reminder that children should have a complete PE kit in school every day. We have noticed that some of the children have not had their PE kits in school this week. PE is a very important part of our curriculum and the children should bring their kit in on the first day of the half term and keep it in school and we will send it home if it needs a wash. With the weather getting colder, please send your child in with joggers for PE as each class does at least one outside PE session each week. If you have any good condition kit that your child has grown out of, we would welcome it in school, including trainers and plimsolls.

Football Please find attached a useful information sheet for parents/pupils to find different football opportunities in the local community.

Clubs Reminder that clubs restart next week. There is still time to sign up by email or by calling the office.

Census Day On Thursday 18th January it is the National School Census Day when the Government collects information about our school that helps with future funding. We would like to encourage as many children as possible to have school lunch on this day, including Reception, Y1 and Y2 children, along with the children who are eligible for free school meals. The menu for this day is attached below.  Please make your selection via ParentPay.

Have a great weekend. 

Mrs Hillman

A warm welcome back and Happy New Year to you all.

The children have settled into their learning quickly this week and have started their enquiries as follows: What happened in London a long time ago? Penhallow Class; How far can we travel? Landaviddy Class; Who’s got the power? Talland Class; How did World War Two affect different people in society? Chaipel Class.

Bridge Schools Animations Each school in the Trust created an animation inspired by their values and these were linked together to tell the story of the Bridge Schools Values. The animations were shared with all children in the Trust in a special assembly this afternoon. Well done to Joel and Ava whose excellent contribution from our school showed the value of being Responsible.

Clubs Please note that there will be no wraparound After School Club on Wednesday 10th January because of staff training. Lunchtime and After School Clubs will restart the week commencing 15th January, apart from Running Club as there is a league race on the Friday (details to follow).

Clubs we are offering this half term are:
Monday: Lunchtime CONSTRUCTION CLUB for YR, Y1 and Y2 with Mrs Taylor; After School GYMNASTICS CLUB for Y1, Y2 and Y3

Tuesday: After school FOOTBALL CLUB for Y3, Y4, Y5 and Y6 with Mr Langley
Wednesday: Lunchtime MINDFULNESS CLUB for Reception, Y1, Y2, Y3 and Y4 with Miss Gibbings
Thursday: Lunchtime CHOIR with Mrs Butlin;  After school ALTERNATIVE SPORTS CLUB for Y4, Y5, Y6 with Miss Randle
Friday: After school RUNNING CLUB for Y3, Y4, Y5 and Y6 with Mrs Turnbull. This club will not run when the Cross-Country League races are on. This club is open to anyone who likes running. Pupils who attend do not have to race in these events.

Please let us know by email or phone call, which clubs you wish your child to attend by midday on Wednesday 10th January. For all clubs, once signed up children will be expected to attend every week unless they have written parental permission not to, or are absent. This applies to both lunchtime and after school clubs.

These are the main messages for you at the moment as we start back.

I look forward to working with you all this year.

Mrs Hillman

It’s been a wonderful festive week and great to see so many of you enjoying the children’s Christmas performances. Landaviddy’s Christmas Fireside Nativity performances yesterday were so enjoyable with super singing, acting and costume changes. Very well done also to Penhallow who delivered two wonderful performances of their Wriggly Nativity, remembering their lines and the songs brilliantly, and also to Talland and Chaipel Classes whose Bethlehem Bandits made everyone laugh out loud. Nursery's performance at the end of today was lovely and has certainly put me in the Christmas mood. Look out for photos from the performances on the class blogs.

RSPCA The School Council is delighted to have raised a very generous £150 from your donations to their chosen charity, the RSPCA, after each performance.

Keeping your Child Safe Online I attach a leaflet which contains many important links to help you keep your child safe online, particularly at this time of year. The leaflet contains important safety points to consider if your child is likely to receive a SMART device (TV, Speaker—Alexa, Google); new mobile phone (Android/iPhone); games console; tablet PC or laptop for Christmas.

Parenting Workshops January – March 2024 Please find attached to this blog a list of free parenting courses run by Cornwall Council, Together for Families.

End of Term The last day of this term is next Tuesday and school ends at 3:15. Each class will have a party to celebrate Christmas. Please send your child in in Christmas MUFTI or party clothes (warm enough to play outside at breaktimes) with some party food to share. If your child has any food allergies that we do not already know about, please email us on secretary@polperroprimary.co.uk by Monday 18h December.

Have a lovely weekend

Mrs Hillman

It was lovely to see so many of you at the Christmas Fayre at the end of another busy week in school. We are delighted that our Christmas Gift Shop on Thursday raised over £250 and today’s Christmas Fayre raised over £450 for school. A huge thank you to FOPS for organising these events.

On Monday, our amazing choir held their second concert with Keltique, entertaining everyone with their wonderful singing. They raised £90 for the Polperro Chapel Roof, School Music and Keltique’s charity Ellie’s Haven. The choir also sang beautifully at Atlantis Care Home on Thursday and at the Christmas Fayre. Thank you to Mrs Butlin for arranging the concert and running the choir.

We are looking forward to seeing you at the Christmas performances next week; the children have been very busy rehearsing. If your child is in the Landaviddy Class play or the Talland and Chaipel Class play, they will be required to come back for the evening performance at 5:30pm in order to be ready for 6pm.

Reminder that for next week and the week after there will be no clubs except for afterschool wraparound club and Breakfast Club which will continue as usual. Clubs will restart in January and we will send a letter out about which ones will be running.

End of Term Christmas lunch is on Monday 18th and on Tuesday 19th December, classes will be having their Christmas parties. Your child is welcome to come in wearing their party clothes on the day. Please could they bring a small amount of party food to share. The last day of term is on Tuesday 19th December and the first day of the Spring term is Thursday, 4th January.

Have a lovely weekend.

Mrs Hillman