Wonderful World Book Day!

What an amazing day we had yesterday for world book day! The children of Tregantle took part in so many exciting activities all about books. We started the day with a costume parade around the classroom where everyone got to talk about the character that they had dressed up as. Shortly after, it was the story carousel - we all went off to different parts of the school to listen to different stories read by different teachers. There were plenty of activities in class to keep busy with too, including making a book, a character puzzle and story telling corner. After lunch there was much excitement for the legendary Brunel 'Character Quiz!' Each of the teachers were in role as the character that they had dressed up as and the children had to visit each character and question them to find out more about them. There was lots of fun and laughter! It's been such an eventful week in Tregantle; we all thoroughly enjoyed celebrating St Piran's day on Wednesday and watched a wonderful assembly led by Talland Class. We enjoyed making our own Cornish flags and learning more about the legend of St Piran. 

For our Nursery visit to St Anne's this week we took our new story to share with them.

Our story is 'Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?' - the children enjoyed sharing it with the Grannies and the Grannies were happy to help with our activity of colouring some pictures of the characters from the story.
We even found a song version on Youtube which we sang along to.

The children always enjoy their special treat of a biscuit and drink at St Anne's and love going to visit them.

As we delve into our new story we shall be looking at the different animals, the colour of their fur, feathers or skin; the habitats that the animals live in and where we would see these animals ourselves.
We will also be learning about our senses and exploring how we use them.

This week we have started learning how to write weather forecasts in our English lessons.  Math's, the Year 2's have started to learn about multiplication (we've already been learning our 2 times tables).

For our geography knowledge harvest, we came up with questions we want to answer about the weather.

Art on Friday we investigated making secondary colours out of primary colours - we had great fun!

Wonderful Weather

What a wonderful start to the second half of the spring term. We have all absolutely loved the sunshine towards the end of the week! Our EYFS children have really made the most of the spring like weather and have been enjoying lots of time outside. We have been tidying up our garden after a very wet spell and getting stuck in to some large construction play. There have been some incredible designs from police stations to a fully functioning plumbing system! As usual we have made plenty of time for stories and we have all loved getting absorbed in our new 'Oi Frog' series. The rhyming stories have had us laughing together as well as helping us to learn lots of new vocabulary. Every single Tregantle child was a writer this week when they used their knowledge of the 'Oi Frog' stories to label different animals and objects from the story. 
Our Amazing Year 1 children have been learning all about primary and secondary colours in their art lesson this week. They used primary coloured play dough to mix and create new shades and colours. We have seen some amazing weather reports from our year 1 writers as they embarked on their new topic 'What is the Weather like in the UK.' It's been a really good week to explore lots of different types of weather! We are really looking forward to recording our weather reports next week! 

It has been yet another busy week at Team Brunel with an array of learning opportunities for our children. The School Council led an incredible assembly at the beginning of the week as they proposed to changed the names of our school houses. After holding a democratic vote with the whole school community, Castles were the winners with our new houses named Pendennis (green), Tintagel (blue), Trematon (red) and Restormel (yellow)! Well done to our School Council for leading change within our school. To catch up with all the other events from the week, please dive into the Brunel Bulletin.

w/e 28.2.25

We have had a fantastic first week back after the half-term break, and the children have settled brilliantly into their learning. Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to:

English – Poetic Creations. This week, we have been exploring poetry, focusing on rhyme and rhythm. The children have planned and started writing their own poems, showcasing their creativity and developing their writing skills in exciting ways.

Maths – Building Skills and Understanding Year 4 have started learning about area and perimeter, tackling different challenges to deepen their understanding of these important concepts. Peri the snail has helped us remember how to calculate perimeters by counting around the edge of the shape.
Year 3 have been continuing their work on multiplication, building confidence and fluency in their number skills.

History – Discovering the Romans - We began our new topic on the Romans by looking at their impressive buildings and monuments. The children were fascinated by Roman architecture and are eager to learn more about this incredible civilization.

RE – Cornish Folktales - In RE, we have started to explore Cornish folktales, uncovering the rich traditions and storytelling heritage of our local area.

PE – Throwing and Catching - This week in PE, we focused on improving our throwing and catching skills. The children enjoyed various activities designed to develop their coordination and teamwork.

The Archie Project – Understanding Dementia - We had an engaging assembly about dementia as part of the Archie Project. The children learned about different types of dementia and how to interact with people who have it. These valuable skills will be put to use when we visit the residents of St Anne’s care home.

Science - Shadows! We had great fun creating dinosaur shadows on the playground. We learned how shadows are longer when the sun is lower in the sky. Next week, we will investigate this further. 

It has been a great start to the half-term, and we are looking forward to all the exciting learning ahead. Thank you for your continued support.

Making Banknotes

The children have had an interesting week adding their own pictures to a £10 note. This is part of the this half term's focus on 'Who should feature on a £10 banknote?' They have already researched features of banknotes and now recognise a couple of significant people who feature on them: Jane Austen and Winston Churchill, for example, The study now will investigate other significant figures within British history and, by the end of the half term, the children will be able to make an informed choice who they believe should feature on a British banknote and give reasons for their decision.

Maths
During this week, the children have consolidated their knowledge of multiplication and division. They have been given the opportunity to use their knowledge of short division and column method multiplication and applied this to solve simple word problems.

English
The children have learned to recite the William Wordsworth poem, I wandered lonely as a cloud. They then researched several features of the poem: personification, rhyming couplets and rhythm, for instance. They then started to write their own poem using a similar style to William Wordsworth.

Best wishes, Mrs Swabey, Mr Parry, Mrs Walters and Mrs Payne.

The Archie Project Assembly

w/e 26.2.25 - End of Half term!

Wow—what a fantastic end to this half term! The children have worked incredibly hard and had so much fun with their learning.

In English, we’ve been preparing for our poetry writing by exploring noun phrases and prepositions to create vivid descriptions. The children also practiced performing poetry aloud, building their confidence and expression—there are certainly some budding poets in the class!

Maths has been full of excitement as we continued our times tables challenges and tackled multiplication and division with larger numbers. The children have shown great perseverance and problem-solving skills, and we are so proud of their progress.

In History, we wrapped up our fascinating topic on the Stone Age to Iron Age by comparing different periods and reflecting on how life changed over time. The class had some brilliant discussions, showing how much they’ve learned.

This week, we were also lucky to have an exciting visit from an author and illustrator! The children loved engaging in creative activities inspired by their work, and many took the chance to get a signed book—a wonderful way to celebrate reading and storytelling.

Thank you for all your support this half term. We hope you have a wonderful and restful break, and we look forward to another exciting half term of learning ahead!

Mapwork skills

This week included comparing the Alpine region with the local area: Saltash. The children had lots of fun generating ideas concerning the leisure facilities within the area, these included the swimming pool in the Leisure Centre; the ambience of the Waterfront; and the children's parks. With the use of a local map, the children were able to annotate the map with Ordinance Survey Symbols to represent parks, swimming pools and parking areas, for instance.

The children's tailoring skills are now amazing. They use the blanket stitch effectively and are able to sew additions on to their soft toys, buttons, for example.

Due to the dedication the children have shown in their presentation, their written methods for division are clear and precise. The use of the four operations - addition, subtraction, multiplication and division - has finally started to make sense to them. Many can now use this knowledge and apply it to challenging problem solving questions.

Talland Class have used this week to research facts about the Alps to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the area. Through this research, they have been able to write a non-chronological report about the Alps to provide a well thought through and informative piece of text.

All the children have worked extremely hard this half term and deserve a well earned rest next week. Have a safe, restful and enjoyable half term break, Talland Class. We look forward to seeing the children again for the second half of the Spring Term.

Best wishes, Mrs Swabey, Mr Parry, Mrs Walters, Mrs Payne and Miss Rowlands.

Acting out our special story.

The role play kitchen was turned into the 3 bears cottage so that the children could act out the story.

We also tasted porridge for snack; most of the children enjoyed their porridge! Some chose to have it plain whilst others opted to have honey on it.

I wonder how the 3 bears had theirs?

It was a great way to end our half term looking at the traditional tale of 'Goldilocks and the 3 bears'.

Stay Safe On line

We have had a super busy final week of the half term! Tregantle children had a really fun day on Tuesday when we took part in lots of activities as part of safer internet day. There were many fun and informative sessions that reinforced the message 'stop, close, tell.' 

We were lucky to welcome a local author and illustrator to school on Wednesday. We took part in an illustrators master class and learnt about the process of writing a published book. 

We took part in a very special assembly today to say goodbye Miss Rowlands who is retiring after 29 year at Brunel! We wish Miss Rowlands all the very best for her retirement!

Have a wonderful half term break and we look forward to seeing you back at school very soon!

What a busy half term it has been at Team Brunel! We have fitted so much learning and enriching opportunities into the last 6 weeks and now we have reached the half term break. We wish you all a restful and peaceful half term holiday and will see you all again on Monday 24th February for the start of the second half of the Spring Term.

Marazion Class Blog – End of Half Term Update

Wow—what a fantastic end to this half term! The children have worked incredibly hard and had so much fun with their learning.

In English, we’ve been preparing for our poetry writing by exploring noun phrases and prepositions to create vivid descriptions. The children also practiced performing poetry aloud, building their confidence and expression—there are certainly some budding poets in the class!

Maths has been full of excitement as we continued our times tables challenges and tackled multiplication and division with larger numbers. The children have shown great perseverance and problem-solving skills, and we are so proud of their progress.

In History, we wrapped up our fascinating topic on the Stone Age to Iron Age by comparing different periods and reflecting on how life changed over time. The class had some brilliant discussions, showing how much they’ve learned.

This week, we were also lucky to have an exciting visit from an author and illustrator! The children loved engaging in creative activities inspired by their work, and many took the chance to get a signed book—a wonderful way to celebrate reading and storytelling.

We also enjoyed our final Art Club session, where the children created some beautiful mindful pattern landscapes. It has been wonderful to see their creativity shine. Next half term, we look forward to switching to Dance Club, which will be a great way to keep active and have fun together.

We also took time to focus on well-being with our Love Yourself Day. It was a lovely way to celebrate kindness and self-worth, finishing with PSHE love hearts filled with reasons why we love ourselves. It was heartwarming to see the children’s positivity and self-reflection.

Thank you for all your support this half term. We hope you have a wonderful and restful break, and we look forward to another exciting half term of learning ahead!

As part of our learning this week we have been looking at sizes.

In our focus story, Goldilocks came across bowls of porridge, chairs and beds that were small, medium and large so the children were tasked to find different resources or parts of the activities where they could compare and find different sizes.

We talked about other words to describe small (tiny, little, minute), medium (middle sized) and large (huge, enormous, gigantic, massive); we also talked abut how the size of something could change if we compared the item to other things that were smaller or larger.

we 7.2.25

What a brilliant week we have had in Daymer Class! The children have been working hard across all subjects, developing their skills and creativity in so many ways. Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to:

Monday’s St Anne’s visit celebrated Elmer’s birthday! 

English – Stories and Poetry
This week, the children edited and improved their adaptations of Stone Age Boy, showing great creativity and attention to detail. We also began our poetry unit by reciting poems in groups and as a class, building confidence and expression in our performances. It has been wonderful to see the enthusiasm for poetry growing!

Art – A Splash of Colour!
We started the week by immersing ourselves in the artwork of John Dyer. The children practised different artistic techniques in their sketchbooks before creating their own bright and colourful pieces of Daymer Bay. They worked so hard to capture the beauty of this iconic place while keeping to the Daymer theme. The results are stunning!

Number Day Fun!
Today, we celebrated Number Day by becoming Times Tables Rock Stars for the NSPCC!


History – Trading in the Bronze and Iron Age

In History, we explored the concepts of trading, importing, and exporting during the Bronze and Iron Age. The children had a great time role-playing as traders, exchanging goods with their friends to create the perfect survival kit for the era. It was fantastic to see them thinking strategically and working collaboratively.

Children’s Mental Health Week
Throughout the week, we took part in various activities for Children’s Mental Health Week. From whole-school assemblies to class discussions, we focused on personal growth and self-reflection. We read The Colour Monster, which helped us think about our emotions. The children also shared thoughtful insights about how they can ‘grow’ in different ways.

Dance – A Performance to Remember!
Mr Woolner was delighted to watch the final dance pieces that the children have been working on. Their teamwork, effort, and commitment to perfecting their routines were truly impressive!

Computing – Exciting Coding Projects

·       Year 3 have been coding on Scratch, creating sequences and variables to make music. They have really enjoyed experimenting with different sounds and functions!

·       Year 4 have been working with Micro:bits, designing step counters, night lights, and emotion badges. Their creativity and problem-solving skills have shone through!

Science – The Power of the Sun
In Science, we explored the effects of sunlight and how it can damage our skin and eyes. The children were fascinated by this topic and had great discussions about how we can protect ourselves from the sun.

A Celebration of Art Week
We ended the week by enjoying a wonderful art display, showcasing the fantastic artwork created by classes across the school. The children loved seeing what their peers had produced and took great pride in their own work.

Thank you for your continued support. We hope you have a lovely weekend!

Art, Numbers and Mental Heath

What a busy week we've had in Tregantle! We have been so immersed in creativity during our Brunel art week. The children of Tregantle have been studying several local artists who create pieces about the sea. We used this as inspiration to create wave scenes by tearing and layering pieces of paper. We added detail with felt tip pens and cotton bud painting. The final pieces are each unique and capture something of our beautiful coastline. It was wonderful to be able to share our art work with the community during our Brunel Art Gallery on Friday. 
We have also been taking part in lots of health and well being activities across the week in recognition of Children's mental health week. In Tregantle, we have focused on exploring our emotions. We have been using our star emojis to think about the emotions we experience and how they feel. 
On Friday we had lots of fun taking part in the NSPCC number day. We thought about why numbers are so important when we read the story 'Spinderella.' We found out that playing teams games is very difficult without being able to count! The children then thought about what numbers are special to them like birthdays, house numbers and how old we are. 

Arty Week in Lantic

The children have had a great time producing artwork for our special Art Week at Brunel.  Our theme was 'Making Waves' and we are very proud of our final results!

We have been looking at poetry in English and next week we will be writing our own poems about the seasons.

During RE, we looked at how Christians share Jesus' 'Good News' and we shared our own news.