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. 

It's (nearly) Christmas!

It's the 2nd day of December and the school is begining to look very Christmassy in preparation for our Hunt the Issy evening next Tuesday. This is the first time we've been able to go ahead with this popular Christmas event since 2019 so it will be a new experience for many of your children. It is a chance for everyone to admire the Christmas decorations throughout the school, including Issy's Nursery, and visit the stalls and games in the KS2 hall. The children are invited to take part in a competition to find the cartoon 'Issy Brunels' which are hidden amongst the decorations in various classrooms and corridors. All correct entires are put into a draw to win a special Christmas prize. You don't even have to eat before you arrive as Jane, our cook, will be selling food (including chips) and drinks in the canteen. We look forward to seeng you there.

Everyone enjoyed their walk to the Christmas tree festival at St NIcholas and St Faith. There were many beautiful trees to admire, including Brunel's which was decorated by UKS2 in Victorian style. 

Children from Year 1 upwards took part in a Tech We Can assembly yesterday. Tech We Can is a programme of free learning materials, for use by teachers or parents, to inspire children, especially girls, to think and talk about technology and the role it plays in their lives, and maybe consider a future career in technology. The children were also encouraged to enter a competition to design a 'techy toy' for Santa to deliver. Further information can be found on our Facebook page or by following this link Competition time: Help Tex and B-bot to design a techy toy for Christmas! (techshecan.org)

Below are this half term's Achievers, congratulations and well done to all who were chosen. Please remember to visit the class blogs on this website for a round up of the week's other activities.  

Dates until the end of term

Hunt the Issy - Tuesday 6th December 4 - 6pm 

Reception (Portwrinkle) - Christmas Nativity video screening for parents - Tuesday 13th December 9.15am

KS1 (Downderry and Kingsand) - Whoops-a-Daisy Angel - Wednesday 14th December 9.15am and 2pm

KS2 (Mousehole, Whitsand, Talland, Looe, Pendower and Seaton classes) Tuesday 13th December 2pm Wednesday 14th December 6pm and Thursday 15th December 9.15am (tickets are still available).

This week we were delighted to show Councillor Richard Bickford and Mrs Sarah Bickford, the Mayor and Mayoress of Saltash, around Brunel. We visited classrooms from Issy's Nursery to Year 6,  admiring our extensive grounds and playgrounds as we walked.

The Mayor and Mayoress were impressed with the good learning behaviours they saw in every classroom and commented on how calm and friendly they found the children. Pupils enjoyed talking about their work and other activities, for example our longstanding connection with St Anne's Residential home.

The tour concluded with a visit to the Year 6 children, parents and carers taking part in the lantern making workshop. We are looking forward to seeing the decorated Brunel lanterns in the parade on Saturday 3rd December and thank Jill Hudson, the artist, and Helen Holloway-Neville, from Saltash Scrapstore, for their help.

Thank you also to the parents,carers and grandparents who joined in and the Mayor and Mayoress for taking time out of their busy schedule to pay us a visit.

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Brunel Friends Association are a group of parents, carers and teachers who are passionate about supporting Brunel Primary and Nursery Academy. The aim is to raise money and promote the school through a wide range of events, with any resulting funds going towards improving resources and facilities at Brunel.

Everyone is warmly invited to become involved. We are very lucky to have an enthusiastic group of people and always welcome new ideas, energy and skills. It's a great way to make new friends. 

This week the BFA have been extremely excited to share the final total for their Gardening Club funding as a Co-op Community Fund local cause - an amazing £3114!

Thank you if you helped by spreading the word and encouraging family and friends to choose us as their local cause through the Co-op App. 

We are looking forward to planning the redevelopment of the gardening area and seeing the produce that the children grow later in the year. 

If you would like to find out more please come along to any of the BFA events or speak to any member of the school staff who will be pleased to put you in contact