Welcome Back, and a very Happy New year to you all; we hope you've all enjoyed a lovely Christmas and managed to avoid the seasonal colds that were around. It has been wonderful to have the children back after the Christmas break, and they have all been amazing at starting where they finished off from last term with the real love of learning. They have all been getting into their new wider curriculum and science themes: including 'Habitats' in KS1 and Volcanoes in KS2 - the school has been full energy and a buzz about their new topics and learning. 

Key Stage 1 and Reception:
You would have received confirmation of our appointment of Mrs Sally Elliot who will be the class' full-time teacher from Monday 16th January. Mrs Harrison will still have some teaching commitments for this class and further commitments across the school. We look forward to officially welcoming Mrs Elliot next Friday.

Village Games night:
Next Saturday (14th January) the Village hall are hosting a family games night. More information is attached in the poster below. 

Cornish Pirates Coaching:
Next Friday (13th January) and Friday 20th January, Neil (our Cornish Pirates Coach) will be in for KS2 to complete their rugby coaching from before Christmas after the ice interfered with its delivery. Children in KS2 will need PE kits and possibly a change clothes/footwear if the weather outlook doesn't look good.

Reading, KIRF Maths, TT-Rockstars and spellings:
Reading, maths and spellings remain our focus for home learning. New KIRF math sheets will be sent home next week, spellings for KS2 will go back onto the class page. Please aim to read with your child at least 3-times a week and fill in the online reading record on 'Boom Readers'. If getting online proves difficult, please let us know and we will give you a paper diary and transfer for it to 'Boom Readers'. Children who have joined our school recently will receive logins for Boom Readers, TT-Rockstars and Numbots next week. 

Have a lovely weekend. 

Happy Christmas!

I can't believe how quickly the Autumn term went. The children have been amazing, which is no surprise as they always are and as a school, we are always so proud of them. They have completed some lovely work, made good progress and learnt so much. All of this led to the children having a wonderfully busy final week of term. 

Thank you to the PTA for helping to fund the visit to the Pantomime, the children thoroughly enjoyed it and were a wonderful credit to the school. Also further thanks to the PTA for providing the children with a wonderful end of term party and moving things around so quickly after we had to rearrange our Pantomime visit due to the icy conditions. The children loved the food, disco and getting to meet Father Christmas. 

On the last day term the children celebrated the incarnation of Jesus by taking part in a 'Christingle' service. Thank you to Reverend Robin for hosting us: it's always lovely for the children to visit and feel so welcome. 

A note from Mrs. Powdrill:
We say a sad but fond-farewell to Mrs. Powdrill we will miss her working at our school and hope she keeps in contact. I have copied in a little note from her to you:

'Thank you all for the kind messages, it's been a pleasure teaching all the children at Blisland. Best wishes, Mrs Powdrill.'

New Appointment:
We are pleased to announce that we have appointed a new teacher: Mrs Sally Elliot, who will join our school in the new year (Date to be confirmed)

Have a Safe and Merry Christmas.

We are very much into December now and in the full swing for the build-up to Christmas. We are very much looking forward to welcoming you to watch our Christmas Nativity at Bilsland Hall this year. The children this week have been practising the lines and songs with much gusto and still have found the energy to learn so much - we have seen some very good maths and writing this week. 

Carnglaze Carverns:
Last week KS2 performed at Carnglaze Caverns as part of a whole trust (Bridge Schools) music and arts festival. The children performed brilliantly, acting out their emotive evacuee story and finishing with a rendition of we will meet again. To see the performance, please follow the link: https://www.blislandprimary.co.uk/Class/Nessa
Thank you to the whole trust for this opportunity and particularly Laura Yeo our Trust Misic lead. 

Sponsored Read:
You may recall last term we ask you to support the children with a sponsored read for raising money for books from usborne Books. It was truly amazing that you raised over £300 pounds and our books have this week arrived. The children leave to read and listen to books, and our new selection, thanks to you all, is a welcomed addition. 

Christmas Nativity:
Our Christmas Nativity takes place next Friday with an afternoon and evening show. Our dress rehearsals are on Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Please can children be dropped at the village hall on these days, unless they are Breakfast Club. 

Santa by Steam:
Our youngest members of school had a lovely day out visiting the Bodmin steam rail. The departure by steam and rumble of the mighty diesel locomotive proved to be very exciting! While enjoying a scenic ride looking out over bridges and through dark tunnels, there was a wonderful surprise... Father Christmas! The children all spent time speaking to him and going into detail about specific Christmas wishes. Christmas has well and truly begun. 

Awards:
Head Awards: Thomas H and Ottillie S
Star of the Week: Cadan M, Emma R and Mason W

Another super week of learning, creativity and enthusiasm. It has been great to see the continuous improvement of our younger children's reading, Year 2's writing shows wonderful improvement and the whole of KS1's artistic skills this week when learning about printing has been ace. In KS2, the children the children have been developing their knowledge of writing techniques needed to create information leaflets. They have also been preparing for next week's performance at Carnglaze Caverns. 

Cornish Pirates:
The whole school this week enjoyed the coaching providing by Cornish Pirates. They continued to develop their passing ability, along with their communication skills. I know that the coach has been thoroughly impressed with the children's development and hard work. 

Children in Need:
The children had a great day raising money for Children in need. They show such empathy when understanding why the charity is needed. The children enjoyed wearing non-uniform and spots. Well done to Emma who correctly guessed the number sweets in a jar and to Mani, who won the whole school game of hide and seek. A big well done to our school council who organised our events for the day. 

Boom Readers, Reading Diaries:
It has been great to see children begin to record their reads on Boom Reader. If you find connecting to app difficult for any reason, please do keep using the paper reading records and ensure the children get at least 3 reads each week. 

Awards:
Head awards: Billy R, Nyle P, Cadan M
Star of the Week awards: Amy, Zenna, Lola, John

We will Remember them

Well done to all of our pupils, of every age, who showed such good respect, gratitude and curiosity as we observed the 11th hour, of the 11th Day, of the 11th Month. The children reflected on service and sacrifice and thought about our British values of liberty and democracy and how some gave everything in the name of it. Beautiful 3D silhouette art created by KS2 will be on display at the church. A big well done to those children who came wearing uniforms of groups they represent such as rainbows, brownies, guides, beavers and cubs. I know many attended parades on Sunday with pride. 

Children in Need:
The school council have met recently and have decided they want to support the 'Children in need charity'. They want to raise money by hosting some games such as blind guessing items and foods, guess the number of sweets in a jar and a whole school game of hide and seek; they also ask children to wear non-school uniform with a yellow theme and try to have as many spots as possible. Our school council ask that children bring a contribution of £2. Children in need is on Friday 18th November 2022.

Boom Readers:
Our online reading records are all set up using 'Boom Readers'. Children will have their own login QR code to record their daily reads online via a computer or App. Boom Reader allows you and your child to record their reading and for school staff to record reading too, then monitor how often and well children read. We know how much children love to read and listen to stories, and we're sure this will app help and motivate the children. Please check your child's bookbag or rucksack for the letter with login details. 

Cornish Pirates (Wednesdays):
We are fortunate enough to have a link with the Cornish Pirates Rugby team and they will be coaching at our school until Christmas. KS2 had their first session this week which was amazing. The children learnt key aspects of communication, speed and teamwork. Next week, the coach has said he can stay a little longer and offer some coaching to our KS1 class. 

READ, READ, READ.

It was brilliant this week to reward our pupils who were able to read at least 3 times every week during our first 1/2 term. The children were able to choose a prize, bring a toy or enjoy a story and hot chocolate. We hope even more children will be able to enjoy the rewards of reading regularly this 1/2 term (please help by filling in reading records - soon to be online). Also this week, our reading ambassadors were able to visit the library van to restock our library with a wide range of new books, and worked with the educational library service to reorganise our library. 

KS1 visit Morwellham Quay:
This week Kensa class visited Morwellham Quay to explore what it was like to be a child in Victorian times. It was a fabulous opportunity to make their History come to life. In the schoolroom the children learned why the number 12 was so important, what happened if you didn't behave properly, and that education wasn't a right like it is now - it was something that parents had to pay for. Exploring Victorian toys was an exciting activity that came next and their science knowledge about materials helped there. Kensa class compared modern toys which are often made of brightly coloured plastic to the old wooden toys Victorian children may have had - if they were lucky enough! Later they had a train ride and experienced the total dark in the mine - just a little bit scary and they are glad we don't have to work in the mines. Finally, the children had a wonderful session trying on Victorian clothes, some of which were very scratchy! Just look at how fabulous they look in these clothes. All in all, they had a stunning day, and our thanks go to Kathy (their guide, who even made our teachers a little bit nervous when in the schoolroom).

Boom Readers:
From next week we will be swapping from paper reading diaries to online reading diaries using 'Boom Readers'. Children will have their own login QR code to record their daily reads online via a computer or App. Boom Reader allows you and your child to record their reading and for school staff to record reading too, then monitor how often and well children read. We know how much children love to read and listen to stories, and we're sure this will app help and motivate the children. You will receive a letter with your child's login details shortly. 

Children in Need:
The school council have met recently and have decided they want to support the 'Children in need charity'. They want to raise money by hosting some games such as blind guessing items and foods, guess the number of sweets in a jar and a whole school game of hide and seek; they also ask children to wear non-school uniform with a yellow theme and try to have as many spots as possible. Our school council ask that children bring a contribution of £2. Children in need is on Friday 18th November 2022.

Attendance: Attendance continues to climb, keep up the good work. KS1 is: 91.7%; KS2 it is: 94.5% and for the whole school it is: 93.6%.

We can hardly believe that we have reached the end of our first half term. The children have been amazing as they always are. The learning that has been taking place has been really great and I am looking forward to more of the same next term, along with all the fun that Christmas brings.

This week the children have been showing off their creative skills when building Anderson shelters in Key Stage 2. In Key Stage 1 children have 

Sponsored Read:
Well done and a big thank you to all the children who were able to raise Money for the school for schoolbooks to purchase from 'Osborne Books'. We have raised £300 so far and Osborne will match our fundraising by... 

Halloween Disco:
The Halloween disco was a big success with lots of amazing costumes, games, dancing and prizes. Thank you for all your donations for our tombola and to the PTA for their efforts in organising the evening. 

Attendance:
Attendance is still climbing, keep up the good work. KS1 is: 91%; for KS2 it is: 94.4% and for the whole school it is: 93.4%.

Awards:
Head Awards: Thomas, Jenson, Imogen
Star of the week Awards: Otillie, Lerryn and Henry Have a great weekend.

Airfields, Military Keep, Scientific Discovery, Pumpkins and... Goats? - What a week!

What an exciting week! The children have managed to work hard in all their subjects this week and engage in some brilliant enrichment learning. 

KS2 visits to the Airfield and to Bodmin Keep. 
Key stage 2 this week had the opportunity on Monday to visit Cardinham Airfield. The children were fascinated by the planes, how they worked and the different ways they were operated. They were lucky enough to see the early stages of a 'Supermarine V5' plane (the plane that would later inspire the creation of the Spitfire) being built and learn many technical facts about planes and their impact on turning World War 2 in Britain's favour. This visit will certainly help with our writing over the coming weeks. A big thank you to Pete and his team. 

Just days later, the children visited Bodmin Keep to further develop their understanding of life in World War 2. The children really enjoyed their visit, wowed our guides with their knowledge and came away with new understanding of the time. A big thank you to Leah and Jill who supported our visit. The children also came away with free return visits for the year. The keep will be hosting half term activities. A flyer is attached below the blog if you are interested. 

Science at Brunel Primary Academy:
On Thursday, we were able to get a small number of our pupils to Brunel School to watch a science showcase by the Royal Institute. The children were amazed by the experiments: the tricks and magic which science can perform. Many children revelled in returning to school and sticking some of our reading books together through the power of friction. Thank you, Brunel, for welcoming our school so warmly and allowing us to watch the roadshow. 

Puppetry Workshop:
Friday saw KS2 take part in a puppetry workshop. Our whole school enjoyed being welcomed by a goat in the morning and seen home at the end of the day by him too. The children learnt the acting skills needed to preform using a range of puppets and created their own puppets and scenes to perform to great effect. A super way of telling stories. Do try to watch the show tomorrow in the village hall if you can. 

Pumpkin Picking:
Also on Friday, Nursery and Reception went off to Lifton Farm shop for a spooky Pumpkin picking session. They looked great in costumes and heard from Mrs Peacrce what a great time they had. 

Sponsored Read:
For those children who have been able to take part in our sponsored read, please can forms and money be brought to school on Monday (17th October 2022)

Halloween Disco:
The end of 1/2 term is near and next Thursday will see us host a Halloween Disco. Tickets will cost £2 and include sweets, food and a chance to win a tombola prize. On Thursday, children can come to school in costumes for the day, and if possible, bring a prize for the tombola (a prize suitable for a child please).

Attendance: 
Attendance is still climbing, keep up the good work. KS1 is: 91%; for KS2 it is: 94.4% and for the whole school it is: 93.4%.
Awards:
Head Awards: Thomas, Jenson, Imogen
Star of the week Awards: Otillie, Lerryn and Henry

Have a great weekend.

The end of another week and we can hardly believe we are into October already. The children have been busy writing diaries in KS2 and KS1 have been working hard on their story writing and knowledge of toys - old and new. The children also had alot fun with their Harvest activities this week. 

Harvest Festival:
Thank you to all who were able to come to our Harvest Festival on Friday. It was lovely to celebrate this time of year in this way as he has been 3-years since it was possible. The poetry, prayers and pictures shared were great; we also enjoyed seeing everybody having a good go at joining in our Harvest songs. A huge thank you for all of your donations for the Food Bank - I know the local collection point are really grateful for our support and it will make a big difference. 

Educational visits:
Next week, KS2 will be thoroughly busy with educational trips. On Monday they visit Cardinham Airfield where they will grasp a better understanding of plans and how important they were in WW2. On Wednesday, we visit Bodmin Keep, enriching the children's knowledge of the second world war. KS2 are also lucky enough to have the running dog theatre company coming in on Friday 14th October to host a workshop on puppetry. 

Attendance:
Attendance this week is up slightly from last week - well done! Attendance for Reception and KS1 is: 89% for KS2 it is: 93.6% and for the whole school it is: 92.1%. Still early days but let's get it pushing above 96%.

Have a lovely weekend and see you all on Monday for the beginning of a very busy and exciting week of learning.

A wonderful week this week. The children have been a joy to watch at play and lunch times. They include each other, adapt play for younger children and invent super games. In class, the children have been super busy: KS1 have been learning about Judaism and have written some super stories about the 'Everywhere Bear', and in KS2 the children have completed their Battle of Britain poems, used primary and secondary sources to find out about cryptography during WW2, used variables and repeats in programming, discovered what Bar/Bat Mitzvahs are and produced some lovely art for Harvest.

Harvest Festival:
Next Friday from 1.30pm, at the church, we are holding a short Harvest service/assembly where we will celebrate the season of Harvest festival. We hope you can join us and if you have or are bale to buy long life food products, we will be collecting for the food bank at this time. Children can be collect after the service at the church or from the village green. 

KS2 educational visits:
The week beginning Monday10th October will be a busy week for KS2, as we use the Brand New Minibuses within our Trust (Bridge Schools), to the make a visit to Bodmin airfield to learn about aviation, how planes work, how planes during WW2 would've used airfields and hear from Pete White, a local expert on the Battle of Britain.
Later in the week, Wednesday 12th October, KS2 will visit Bodmin Keep to find out about the events of WW2, handle some primary sources of information and further enrich our learning. 

Parent Consultation Evenings:
Next week is parent consultation evening; appointments can be made through the Arbor Parent Portal app. If you have any difficulties booking, please let Mrs Pengelly know. Likewise, if you cannot make next week's available appointments, do let us know so we can book at time which is convenient. 

PTA:
Thank you to all the parents who were able to make the PTA AGM last week. We have already pencilled in some activities which will help support the school and children through fundraising. The first event of note will be a Halloween Disco after school on Thursday 20th October. We ask for £1 donation. Also during this day, children can come dressed in their costumes - we ask if they are able, to bring tombola prizes for the children to win during the disco. The disco will run from 3.30pm until 5.00pm (children can remain in school from the end of the day.)

Attendance:
Attendance is a priority, especially after so much missed learning because of COVID restrictions over the past few years. We would like all children's attendance to be above 96%. We also will very rarely authorise holidays during term time but please still fill in absent request forms. attendance for KS1 is: 89% for KS2 it is: 92.8% and for the whole school it is: 91.7%. Early days but lets get it pushing above 96% ASAP.

Awards:
Head Awards: Amy, Alex, Cadan
Star of the week Awards: Lilly, John

Have a great weekend.