And breathe... What a busy couple of weeks! The children some how have managed to complete some amazing pieces of learning in class over the past couple of weeks; complete their swimming programme; KS2 have had an amazing adventure on their residential and we still have a 'Jam-packed' final week, please see the events diary: https://www.blislandprimary.co.uk/Events-Diary

Swimming:
Well done to all the children who have completed their swimming programme. All have superb confidence in the water; lots of non-swimmers are now swimming and those capable swimmers have been able to develop stronger technique and junior life-saving skills. All this learning is important as part of our physical education but also as a life skill for children who live by the coast and rivers.

PGL Beam House (KS2 Residential):
This week KS2 enjoyed their outdoor learning experience at PGL Beam house. The children showed wonderful teamwork and encouraged each other throughout. They were able to learn new skills such as climbing, surfing (not new for all) and fencing to name a few. It was a real pleasure to take the children away and we are proud of all they achieved and how they conducted themselves. The children I know are already looking forward to next year's residential.

Sports Day and Summer Fair:
Unfortunately the weather has not been on our side for sports day this year as we have had to postpone the day twice (We are very sorry for the disruption as we know many would have had to arrange cover for work or take annual leave). We will hold sports day on Wednesday 19th July (Next week, the weather is looking better). The summer fair and duck race will also take place on Wednesday (no matter the weather). The events will start at 1.30pm.

Y6 SATs and Leavers Assembly:
Our Y6s have had their SATs results come through this week and we are very proud of the children. They have worked so hard and they have got results that they should be pleased and proud of. On Thursday next week, we will be having our leavers assembly for our Y6s. All are welcome to attend this assembly. If it is dry, this event will be held outside. 

Bike-Ability:
On Monday and Tuesday, Some pupils in Y5 and Y6 have the opportunity to take part in bike-ability coaching where they will learning cycling proficiency skills and learn how to safely navigate the roads. For those who have been contacted about taking part in these sessions, please remember your bike for these two days and your consent slips.  (Children can leave their bike in school on Monday so it is ready for Tuesday)

Additional Needs Corner - Summer holidays:
SEN Corner – Coping with the Summer holidays We know that for some children, lots of unstructured time can be difficult so here are some helpful tips to help support your child over the summer: Make a plan. Draw up a list of activities that everyone wants to do. Try to keep it simple and local. It could even be a bus ride, a visit to the park, playing in the garden or making biscuits. Some children may feel more supported if they have visuals to support a routine. This could be a photograph or symbol to represent where you are going or what you will be doing. You could even set out a daily plan with a tick list of activities or jobs to achieve. This could involve meal planning if you think it might help your child. Keep informed, there are always activities happening locally, so keep a look out on social media and on posters around the town. Ask for help – everybody needs support. Talk to family and friends to share advice and stories. Most of all stay safe and enjoy the summer together!

Time2Move Summer Holiday Activities:
Online bookings for the Time2Move Holiday Programme this Summer are now OPEN! Activities are taking place across Cornwall during the holidays, from 24 July to 1 September 2023. Sessions include multi sports, forest schools, circus skills & water sports.  You can explore what is on offer here.
All children eligible for Free School Meals can access these activities for free. Parents and carers can access a code here.
Don't forget - every session includes a healthy meal for ALL children. Together for Families colleagues can also refer individual children
Email: Time2Move.HolidayProgramme@cornwall.gov.uk or call 01872 323335 to find out more.
SEND provision - where possible - Time2Move will do their best to offer support to children with SEND. Please contact them to discuss.

Uniform Swap-Shop:
We know uniforms can be expensive and the mad rush to be ready with uniform for September can be stressful; on the last day of term we are holding a uniform swap shop from 1pm. If you have any uniform which is no longer needed (school jumpers, white polo shirts, trousers, shorts, skirts, dresses or school shoes), please could you bring these into school by Thursday 20th July. Uniform will be free but if you would like to make any donation, it will be gratefully received by our PTA to go towards events for the children next year.

One week to go; let's enjoy it.

Busy, Busy, Busy. But it's good to be busy. This week the children have enjoyed some wonderful enrichment activities and super in-class learning.

Daymer Bay beach day:
On Monday, the whole school enjoyed a day learning and exploring at the beach. They were able to conduct scientific experiments and see how they could make an erupting volcano; they explored the beach's natural resources and made some amazing beach art. All topped off with some brilliant beach games. 

DT:
KS2 this week have turned their research, prototypes and exploded diagrams into fully functioning Roman catapults. It was great to see their designs come to life, see the skilled use of the tools and equipment, and the way the children made adaptions as they saw successful designs take shape.

Cheep, Cheep, Cheep:
Exciting news from the nursery... Our nursery children have been trying to hatch chickens over the last few months, and on Friday, the excitement began. By the end of the day, 3 chicks had hatched. We look forward to Monday to see how many more chicks have joined our nursery. 

Day of alternative sports:
On Thursday, the school were able to take part in a range of alternative sports. All of which were thoroughly enjoyable. The children excelled in volleyball, became master tacticians in capture the flag and loved Dartmoor 3 ball. 

Online Safety:
Please look at the attached online safety advice sheet for using digital devices and TVs. It has some great tips for keeping children safe at home when access content digitally. 

Enjoy your weekend.

Another busy week, and they are going to keep on coming. The children have been learning lots this week and I am sure must be exhausted from the heat and swimming

KS1:
In KS1, Year one have been completing their phonics screening and have worked really hard to show reading, decoding and phonic awareness – well done Y1. In class the children have been impressing me with some fabulous writing (some lovely joined writing by Y2)

KS2:
In KS2, the children have produced some lovely news reports, reporting on the Battle of Watling street (Boudicca vs the Romans). They included some relevant historical facts and reported using appropriate literacy techniques. In Science, Y5/6 have analysed the aging process and observed and described the physical changes which occur as we grow into old age; Y3/4 have investigated what makes the difference with muscle strength and have completed an investigation which gave some good data presented as bar charts. They were very observant in their evaluations as they thought about the impact warm-ups may have on the muscles and their ability to complete excise.

Bodmin Airfield:
On Thursday pupils from our school represented our whole trust to deliver poems which 9 of our schools had written which will be transported to France; Merci beaucoup to Sally Crabtree and Dani Towe (Bridge Schools Trust Lead) who has organised the project with us, to Pete and the whole of Bodmin airfield for always being so welcoming when hosting us and to Luke who will be delivering the poems to Northern France where they will be be printed on biodegradable paper with wild flower seeds embedded which will then be dropped out of one of the aeroplanes over the fields where the Battle of the Somme took place.

Swimming:
This week we have completed our first week of swimming. It is already clear to see the impact of continuous swimming is having on the children’s water confidence and for those who are able swimmers, the improved technique. We start our 2nd week of swimming the week beginning Monday 3rd July.

Beach Day
On Monday, Reception to Y6 will be heading to the beach for our beach sports activity day. We will be leaving just after 9am and will be dropping at the green at 2.45pm. Please remember sun cream, plenty to drink, packed lunches if they have not been ordered. Fingers crossed the weather is kind.

Dates for your diary.
Dates for key events are on the events section of the school website: https://www.blislandprimary.co.uk/Events-Diary. Please do keep checking as it is a busy last 5-weeks.

Have a nice weekend

Where has the time gone?! We have reached the end of another half term in a blink of an eye. The children have been fantastic and have learnt, and done so much. I there say that the final half-term will whizz by even faster. Over the half term, if you can still listen to your child/children read as often as possible, use numbots and timestable rockstars too, it will make all the differene to them. 

KS1:
In KS1 this week, I have seen the children learn so much in D.T, Maths , Science and Music. In Music, the children were excellent at describing mood in music and composing short patterns for their partners to guess what kind of mood they were trying to create. The children have been very focused in recording their observations in Science for how well their bean stalks are growing. I was very pleased to hear the children talking about how they were all Germinating differently and trying to work out why. In D.T the children had a great time designing and creating a healthy sandwich, they very much enjoyed the eating part of the lesson. In Maths, KS1 were very impressive when learning how to use a column method to subtract with exchanges - good use of models and images children. 

KS2:
In KS2 this week, the children have begun to learn about newspaper report writing. They have created some super Headlines, strap lines and have begun their 5Ws paragraph using all of the techniques we have learned. In art the children have researched the styles of Roman pottery and techniques used to make their own Roman pots - this followed on from some amazing mosaics made with Mrs Pearce. The sun has been a very welcomed visitor as the children have been developing their striking and fielding skills: they are now masters of rounders and cricket. 

Kahoot Quiz:
Thank you for every who was able to help and support our Kahoot Quiz this week. We had a great evening - full of friendly competitiveness and laughter. We have raised £70 from this event. We aim to make this a regular event on the PTA calendar and host a quiz every 1/2 term in future

Sunshine:
We are, I am sure, all enjoying the sun and it looks likely to stay with us for a while (fingers crossed), can all children come to school with plenty to drink, sun hats and sun cream. We will talk with the children about being safe in sun too. Useful leaflet below.
Our sun safe policy can be found at the bottom of our policies page: https://www.blislandprimary.co.uk/Policies

Key Dates:
Its a busy half-term coming, please do look on the Events Diary page often as what is happening in schools will be placed on this page of the school website: https://www.blislandprimary.co.uk/Events-Diary

Over the half-term, if you can still listen to your child/children read as often as possible, use numbots and timestable-rockstars too, it will make all the difference to them.

Have a fun, happy and safe half term.  

We are nearly half way through the summer term. The children have been been super busy and it's only going to get busy, and we can't wait.

Year 6 SATs:
Well done to our year 6 children who completed their end of Key Stage 2 assessments. They showed super perseverance and used their 'Remember it Rhino' learning characteristic throughout during a very thorough exam week. They rightly enjoyed their Dominoes pizza lunch reward on Friday last week. 

KS1:
In KS1, the children have been busy and enjoyed a lovely visit to the Eden project linked to their science learning about plants. It was wonderful for them to visit alongside another one of our trust schools. I know our children enjoyed meeting the children from Polruan. Also well done to Year 2 who have been doing their SATs this week and have too been using their learning characters: Persevering Penguin and Remember it Rhino. 

KS2:
In KS2 the children have finished writing some amazing poems linked to the Battle of Watling Street (AD61 - Boudicca vs the Romans). In Science Y3/4 have looked into the different food groups and how to make a healthy meal and Y5/6 were investigating how the human heart works and its parts. We also enjoyed ending the week with some pond dipping - finding many newts and frogs. 

A Massive Thank you
A big thank you to Blisland Village shop who hosted a breakfast morning to raise money for our school. We are amazed and thrilled to hear that they were able to raise over £500. This will be so useful to go towards events, projects and visits for the children. 

Have a lovely weekend, fingers crossed the sun keeps on shining. 

I can hardly believe that we are into May already. We have had a busy few weeks, full of learning and enriching events. Hopefully the summer sun will arrive soon.

Key Stage 1:
Key Stage 1 have been working hard this week when learning about Jack and the bean stalk. The children have written their own alternative endings to the story and have even started to grow their own bean stalks in Science. I wonder if any will reach a castle in the sky?

Key Stage 2:
In Key Stage 2, the children have been writing poems in the style of speeches from the point of view of the Iceni tribe and Roman Legions; they sound great when read one after the offer. In computing the children have used physical devices to create commands and debug in Y3/4, and in Y5/6, they have used swift coding language to create functions. 

Moor Day:
Last Friday, our KS1 and KS2 pupils enjoyed a great day on Bodmin moor led by Arena. The children had a wonderful time filled with outdoor learning, crafts and trekking across minions. It was a super day and we are looking forward to our beach day after 1/2 term.

Beach safety:
The school recently had lifeguards from the RNLI hold a workshop to help the children understand how to be safe in and near water. The children learnt a lot and also already knew a great deal too. They have made some excellent beach safety leaflets and posters which are on display in the cabin.

Year 6 SATs:
Next week our Year 6 children will be completing their 'End of KS2 Assessments' (SATs). They have all worked so incredibly hard; given a lot of their own time to revise and we are incredibly proud of their effort and learning. I am sure you'll join me in wishing them the best of luck and hope they make the most of their final term with us. 

Reading Buddies:
We have new reading buddies at school, each child reception and KS1 pupil has an older buddy to read with every Friday. It was lovely to see them enjoy a book with each other today, the laughs, wide-eyes and shocked faces as the books were shared were a delight to see. 

Coronation cups and  picnic:
Unfortunately the on and off weather wasn't the best, but the children had a great day. Thank you all for your food donations and for the PTA for helping to organise the afternoon. The indoor pinic was a success - especially for those who couldn't believe their luck at having a second lunch. 
The children will be coming home with some very nice commemorative mugs for King Charles III's coronation. Thank you to the Parish council for organising these for the children. They were super excited to receive them. 

I hope you all enjoy the bank holiday weekend - see you on Tuesday

What a super way to end the term and super way to begin the Easter holidays. The children have worked so hard and enthusiastically and have come away with excellent knowledge: KS1 continue to impress with their reading and phonics skills; their speed of mathematical recall and knowledge of habitats. KS2 have deepened their knowledge of writing techniques for different genres and their understanding of grammatical and spelling rules; they have all made super progress in maths and I am very impressed with all the children's work on fractions. The children enjoyed learning about our solar system and investigating the space race between the USA and Russia. 

Cornish Pirates rugby festival.
On Wednesday 29th March, children from KS2 took part in a rugby festival organised by the Cornish Pirates. They children showed wonderful determination, respect and skill throughout the day and embraced the rugby values. It was great to see them play in their new school sports kit and compete superbly at inter-school level. 

Easter Fair:
A massive thank you to the PTA for organising our Easter fair and for everybody who came to support us. It was a great way to end the term and the children had a wonderful time playing the games, winning prizes. Also a huge thanks to Reverend Robin who kindly came to help us judge the Easter competitions. The entries were amazing and I am always well impressed by the effort and creativity which goes into it all. 

Enjoy the Easter Holidays

We have reached the end of a very busy two weeks and we can't believe that there is only two-weeks to go until Easter. The past two weeks have seen us celebrate St Piran's day, visit the zoo, raise money for Comic relief and, of course, do some wonderful learning too. 

St Piran's Day:
Last Monday KS2 represented our school brilliantly at the Bodmin St Piran's day parade. It is a wonderful tradition and the school we pleased to be invited. At the 'Folly' the children took part in two traditional Cornish dances before singing some rousing Cornish songs. In St Petroc's church, the children enjoyed watching and listening to other schools perform before they got to perform some beautiful poems about Cornwall before performing their Cornish Mining dance. 
In KS1, children learned about the story of St Piran and considered what makes Cornwall such a special place to live. We then had fun making and waving our flags whilst singing along to Trelawny.

Film Night:
Also last week, KS1 enjoyed a late stay at school where they played games, watched the film Rio and at some pizza. What a wonderful evening they had! A special thank you to Mrs Elliott and Mr Sandle for organising this.

KS1 and Reception:
Reception have had a wonderful week immersing themselves in the story ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’. The children have learned to retell the story using musical instruments and through their ‘small world’ play. They created their own obstacle course to replicate the story and have begun learning about maps by mapping the character’s journey throughout the story. In maths they have learned about the composition of numbers and they have continued to develop their phonic knowledge.

KS2:
In KS2 this week, the children have begun their big write about a journey to the centre of the Earth. The children have been using a variety of author sentence types and they are already sounding great. In Science the children have been discovering more about the planets in the solar system and more recently about the Earth's moon. 

Comic Relief:
A fantastic turn out of pupils in red today to support 'Comic Relief'. The children enjoyed their day: especially getting to splat me and get rewarded with cake and a sticker. Thank you to everyone and the school council for helping to organise the day. We raised over £65 to date. Well done.  

Non-school Uniform on Friday 24th March 2023:
Next Friday children can dressed in non-school uniform. We ask, if you can, to bring in a prize that can be put with raffle prizes for the end of term Easter fair. 

Easter Fair Competitions:
We will be holding competitions for Easter-themed creations on Thursday 30th March (Reverend Robin has kindly offered to judge these for us). The creations that can be made are: Easter Bonnet - Get creative the more unique the better! Set of Four Cupcakes - must be decorated by the child! Hard boiled egg character - In celebration of the forthcoming coronation your scene must have a royal theme. This can be made in a small box or on a plate. Entries no later than Thursday 30th March at 9am.

Have a wonderful weekend. 

What a lovely, busy week we have had! The children have enjoyed their learning, taking part in world book day and raising money for Cornwall air ambulance. 

Learning in KS1:
The children have had another fantastic week of learning and I am extremely proud of how adaptable they have been. They have written some amazing instructions about ‘How to Wash an Orangutan’ with Mr Sandall and have continued to learn about multiplication in maths. We had fun learning to write algorithms in our computing lessons and then tested our skills using Studio Code. We have also been exploring the work of Henri Rousseau and created a class collage inspired by his work. We had a lot of fun on World Book Day and the children looked awesome in their outfits! Thank you for your continued support with reading at home.

Learning in KS2:
In KS2 this week the children have developed some super sentences for writing an adventure story, they have finished their class story 'When the Sky Falls': they thoroughly enjoyed this book so please ask them about it. they will be sending a book review to the Cornwall education Library service. In PE the children have been loving Hockey and orienteering. Their team work and understanding of how to improve personal and team performances is great to see. In Science the children have been looking into the space race.

World Book Day:
We have a fab time celebrating world Book day on Thursday - the range of costumes of book characters were amazing. The children took part in some lovely activities, read and listened to stories and very much enjoyed playing real-life 'Where's Wally'. Well done to John who was the winner and found Wally.

Cornwall Air Ambulance:
Today we all wore red to raise money for the Cornwall Air-Ambulance. The school are thrilled to let you know that we have already raised over £100. Well done everybody.

St Piran's Day:
St Piran's day is on Saturday 5th March, we will be celebrating the day on Monday 7th March. KS2, as normal, will be marching through Bodmin to the 'Folly' where they will then take part in a large group performing traditional Cornish songs and dances. Following this, we will walk to St.Petroc's Church to eat a pasty and perform our school dance and read our poems about Cornwall. 

SeeSaw:
Previously, our school has used an app called SeeSaw to saw the learning of the children with home. We will be starting the use of the platform again. Please look out for new consents on Arbor, as we cannot post work of the children on this platform until consent is given. When we have received consent, letters with instructions and QR codes for logging on will be sent home. 

Comic Relief (Friday 17th March 2023):
Our school Council have decided they would like to take part in raising money for Comic relief. They ask that childre come dress under the theme of 'Red, head to toe' (Wear as much red as possible). A prize will be given for the most red in each Key Stage. They have also asked that cakes be baked for a cake sale. Finally, (and I'm not sure why) they are very keen to splat me (Mr Avery) with pies again. We ask that a donation of £2 (More money can be donated if you can and wish) be brought in for the charity which will go towards a cake and 2 pies to splat.

Awards:
Head of School: Zenna, Lowen, Mabyn, Cadan, Emma and John
Star of the Week: Mason and Bella