Dear Parents and Carers,

On behalf of the staff at Brunel, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all your support over the last 12 months. Whether this has been helping with homework, attending meetings, watching performances, joining us for Sports Day and our Celebratory Afternoon, or supporting the BFA fundraising events, your involvement makes a real difference to your children and to the success of Brunel.

I would also like to thank our committed staff: teachers, TAs, lunchtime, kitchen, admin, cleaning and site staff who, like a well-oiled machine, work so hard to provide the very best education and environment for your children.

This has certainly been a memorable year at Brunel and a hectic finish to the summer term. We have taken part in so many events, both during and outside the school day and we know you appreciate our efforts to give your children a wide range of experiences.

As always at the end of the school year, we need to say some goodbyes. From Downderry Class, Miss Turner is off to University in September and Miss Millar will have her vey own little person to keep her busy. To Miss Millar and Miss Turner we say thank you for all your hard work and wish you every success for the future.

Mr Arnold is leaving to take up the position of senior head of school at Beechwood Primary Academy in Plymouth. This is a wonderful opportunity for Mr Arnold, and we wish him every success, but we will miss his hard working enthusiasm and endless energy. (However, not his jokes!)

Mrs Karen Matthews has made the decision to retire after teaching at Brunel for over 36 years. The school was Longstone Infants when she first joined and I know that many of you, as well as your children, have been taught by her during this time. She has had a hugely successful career and will be retiring on a high after leading the EYFS to outstanding in last year's Ofsted inspection.

Thank you to all our leavers - we will miss you very much.

We also say goodbye to our current Year 6 pupils. In our leavers assembly today we reflected on everything that's happened during their time at Brunel and how they've matured and are ready for their next steps. We wish them the best of luck in their new schools and will miss them all.

Below are the remaining achievers for this term. Congratulations and well done to all who were chosen.

School finishes today and re-opens on Tuesday 5th September and we hope you all have a lovely relaxing summer break.

We are only a few weeks away from the end of term but there is still so much to look forward to:

BFA Shorts and Shades Day - Friday 23rd June.

Instead of cash donations for this non-uniform day the Brunel Friends Association are asking that you send in items for the Summer Fair 'House Raffle'. If possible, please can your child bring in a prize related to the colour of the house teams, so Red, Blue, Yellow or Green.

Plymouth Armed Forces Day - Saturday 24th June on Plymouth Hoe 

Brunel Blues Field Gun Crew will be competing along with other schools and members of the armed forces. Supporters will be able to see first hand how smart they look in their new kit which has been sponsored by local businesses, and parents of Brunel children, Designed Surfaces and Let Us Sprays Ltd. Thank you, Katherine Martin and Dan McKillop.

Please come along and join us, it's a really exciting day with lots to look at. The Hoe is full of vehicles such as helicopters and tanks, representatives of all the armed forces, and stalls and activities, making it a really enjoyable day out. Fortunately the Brunel gazebo will be easily spotted due to our lovely new feather flag which arrived this week. Thank you, BFA.

Sports Day and Picnic - Tuesday 4th July 

Our sports day for the whole school will take place during the morning of Tuesday 4th July, weather permitting. All parents and carers are invited to watch from the bank (picnic rug and sunscreen advised). You are then invited to stay for a picnic lunch with your children on the school field. Please book school provided picnic lunches in the usual way. If you have already made a choice for that day you will need to login and reselect. The children will return to their classrooms at 1.00 pm for afternoon school. Please ensure your child wears their Brunel PE kit on this day, team colours will be identified by bibs or bands (Zennor - red, Chyanor - yellow, Cormellian - blue Tregeagle - green).

Celebration Afternoon - Thursday July 13th 2.00 pm

You are invited to join us for an end of year celebration on the field where the children will entertain you with a variety of songs and maybe some dancing! You will then be able to visit the classrooms to allow the children to show off their work in their books and classroom displays.

Saltash Songs and Shanties Festival: 18-25 June 23

Events include concerts and workshops featuring jazz, folk, classical, pop and much more -visit the festival website for further details. I am pleased to be able to tell you that one of the joint winners of the 'Create a Design for our Community Street Piano' competition was our very own Raphael in Y1.  You can see the piano, incorporating Raphael's designs, in various locations throughout next week.

Below are the past few week's Achievers. Congratulations and well done to all who were chosen.

Coronation Celebrations.

On Friday 5th May, our celebrations in honour of the coronation of King Charles lll were enjoyed by all despite the inclement weather.

The classrooms corridors and halls were decorated with Union Jacks and bunting and the children looked very patriotic in their red, white and blue.

Unfortunately,  our 'Street Party' lunch had to be moved inside and split into Key Stages but this didn't dampen the children's enthusiasm.

On Saturday, children, parents and staff braved the rain to take part in the Parade of Youth as part of Saltash May fair and Coronation Celebrations but fortunately the weather was kinder for the picnic in Longstone Park on Sunday.

We are very nearly at the end of what has been an incredibly busy and exciting term. Brunel pupils have been actively engaged in a wide variety of subjects and activities, some of which have featured in class blogs, Facebook, Twitter and the local press. In March alone, for example, we have had visits to the library for Science Week, Red Nose Day, Bikeability, St Piran's Day, Trelawny Shout, World Book Day, Virtual author sessions, Trust Values Day, Muddy Run and St Stephen's church visits. These are all in addition to the hard work and effort that the children have put into their daily classroom learning. It's no wonder that we're all looking forward to a rest!

Below are the Achievers for the Spring term. Well done and congratulations to all who were chosen.

Just a reminder that as the school is closed for training on Friday, the last day of term is tomorrow; Thursday 30th March. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support of your child's education. Your involvement, enthusiasm and encouragement are greatly appreciated and have helped to make this term a success.  We reopen after the holiday on Monday 17th April 

We wish you all a lovely relaxing break and have our fingers crossed for some Easter sunshine.

British Science Week

To celebrate British Science Week, Brunel children and staff have taken part in a range of exciting activities. We are so lucky to have a close partnership with Saltash Library, who have hosted our children from Reception through to Year 6.

To kick off the week, Year 5 listened to a talk by Fritha Durham from Spaceport Cornwall. This captivated the children’s interest and they responded by asking some really searching questions. Fritha complimented the children on their extensive knowledge and willingness to explore the topic further. Quotes from children included that it was ‘cool, fun and exciting’ and that they were ‘amazed by how many jobs you could do in the space industry, apart from being an astronaut’.

The second day saw Year 6 receiving a lecture from Professor Richard Handy (University of Plymouth) all about nanotechnology and its ability to solve some pf the world’s most pressing problems. These included how to feed a world population of greater than 7 billion, to provide them with fresh water and consider the issues of disease and pollution. It was mind-blowing!

On Thursday, we were delighted to meet up, for the second year in a row, with Environmental Scientist Dr James Buckley, who talked to us about how climate change could impact upon food production globally. We are hoping to welcome him back in the Summer term to conduct a ‘Bio-Blitz’; surveying the species in the wonderfully, vast grounds of Brunel Primary.

Throughout the week, small groups visited the interactive sessions which included robotic hands, microscopes, virtual reality experiences, plasma balls and the chance to try a 3D space walk! Children were enthralled as they were transported to different worlds; from outer space to the microscopic.

The week concluded with a workshop for Years 3 and 4, based on ‘Bridges of the Future’ which is particularly pertinent to our namesake Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

Many thanks to Dave Orton, the staff of the library and all the guest speakers. It was week to be remembered! 

This half term has flown by and both staff and children are looking forward to a relaxing break. The children have been very busy as evidenced in the amount and quality of work in their books. We look forward to sharing these with you at the forthcoming parents evenings.

Staff changes

Today we are saying goodbye and thank you to Miss Amber Cruddace who has taught the children of Downderry class since September. Miss Cruddace has become a valued colleague and friend during her time at Brunel and we will miss her very much. We wish her every success in the future.

Mental Health Week

The theme of this week's Children's Mental Health week has been Let's Connect. The children have been playing games, listening to stories and taking part in activities looking at how, even though we are all different, we are still connected in many ways. Making connections is about spending time with other people and forming friendships. These connections help us to keep our brains happy and positive whilst looking after our wellbeing. A good activity for positive mental health is to challenge yourself to make one connection with someone new. For more information visit http://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk

We rounded off Children's Mental Health Week by wearing whatever makes us happy as part of the BFA's 'Love Yourself' Day. Thank you very much for all your donations - the BFA will let you know how much was raised once all the money has been counted.

World Book Day – Thursday 2nd March

Children are invited to come to school in their pyjamas and onesies as if ready to settle down to a bedtime story. There is also the option of entering a competition by decorating a potato to look like a book character. Best dressed potatoes on the day will win prizes.

Boot Room

Our boot room has so far loaned over 24 pairs of boots to children joining our football clubs and representing Brunel in competitions. As you know, children regularly outgrow football boots before they wear them out. New donations of boots are always appreciated, especially as some of the boots we have loaned are now being returned for the next size up! Any spare shin pads would also be gratefully received.

Achievers

Below are this half term's Achievers, congratulations and well done to all who were chosen. Please visit the class blogs for a round up of this week's learning across the school.

Have a lovely half term and we will see you and the children back at school on Monday 20th February.

Safer Internet Day 

Today is Safer Internet Day and the children have been looking at ways of keeping themselves safe online. Although this is a special day dedicated to helping children use the internet safely, online safety is something that is visited frequently throughout the school year.

At Brunel Primary and Nursery Academy we see the internet and other digital technologies as powerful tools which open up new and exciting opportunities and enhance learning. We work with staff, pupils, parents and carers to encourage the responsible use of ICT throughout the curriculum and follow agreed policies to minimise potential online safety risks.

We follow appropriate online safety planning for all pupils from Reception to Year 6 that promote their safety by teaching pupils:

• to use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly

• to recognise acceptable and unacceptable behaviour

• to identify a range of ways to report concerns or seek help about content

We appreciate that providing a safe environment for your child can be very difficult when it comes to the internet and mobile devices, so we would like to share with you some useful links that we think you may find helpful:

www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/
www.thinkuknow.co.uk
www.childnet.com
www.kidscape.org.uk
www.childline.org.uk

We hope you all had a lovely Christmas break and wish you a very Happy and Healthy New Year. 

The children have returned enthusiastically and we were pleased to hear that Father Christmas has been very generous and brought lots of presents.

We started the new term with a whole school assembly to wish each other a Happy New Year.

The month of January is named after the Roman god Janus. In Roman mythology, Janus was the god of gates and doorways, beginnings and endings. He was often pictured with two faces, one looking forwards, the other looking back,  just like the children in the photo, who were zipped into one fleece to look like a two- headed person.

New Year is always a good time for looking back at the year that has passed and forward to the year to come. Some of the children shared their best memories of 2022 before we all looked forward to discuss our plans and hopes for the New Year. It's good to look back on our past achievements  - but we can also look forward to new beginnings.

A new year can be a time for a fresh start or to improve ourselves in some way and we look forward to hearing about any New Year resolutions that the children may make.