Safer internet day

This week (on Tuesday 8th February) the children took part in safer internet day. They delved into how they can be safe when playing and having fun online. Unsurprisingly, the children were all very astute and knowledgeable about how to be safe online and understand that online safety and behaviour is just as important as safety in the physical world. The children discussed topics thoughtfully and produce some lovely recipes and posters for having fun and being safe online. Below are some websites you may like to look at with more advice and support for parents and children:
https://saferinternet.org.uk/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/safer-internet-day-resources/z6bbhbk
https://www.childnet.com/resources
https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

KS2 Music:
KS2 continue to impress with their musical progress; this week they learnt a new French song. It was great to see how quickly they are transferring their skills to learn new songs, read notes and write musical notations too. New videos of their music are coming soon! 

KS1 History:
KS1 this week have been learning how to be a fossil hunter like Mary Anning. They made detailed observations about different fossils and ammonites, and questioned each other and themselves about how these primary sources help them better understand history and Mary Anning. 

Prickles and Paws Hedgehog Sanctuary.
Some children in KS2 have been busy developing their advanced writing techniques with Trust English Lead 'Mrs. Towe' they have been writing fantastic poems, finding information about endangered creatures and written brilliant persuasive letters about supporting hedgehogs, which are surprising, very endangered. On Thursday they, after their hard work on this topic,  were able to have a virtual visit and discussion with the hedgehog sanctuary.

World Book Day:
Thursday 3rd March, on the 2nd week back after 1/2 term, it is 'World Book Day'. We will be taking part in this day as books mean a lot to us at Blisland. We will dress up as our favourite characters and take part in story-themed activities. The school council too have some ideas that they would like to have happen on the day and we'll let you know about these next week after our school council meeting. This week, children will come home with a book token that can be used for a free world book day book (found in most supermarkets and book shops), or to receive money off another book.

Awards:
Head Teacher awards: Jack C (Music), Lilly H (Writing), Zenna P (Music), Freya G (Writing and reading), John D (Writing), Todd H(Writing), Harry W (History)
Star of the week: Ava M (Maths) and Roxanne C
School Council Awards: Roxanne C, Freya G, Megan I, Jack S

Have a fantastic weekend and I look forward to seeing you all next week, for our final week before half term

It has been a busy couple of weeks and we have weathered our little Covid Storm. The children have been brilliant and have worked as hard as ever and continued to produce amazing work. It was great to see online lessons for those at home and to have work sent in. Fingers cross we can now have a clear run, with no interruptions right through to the summer.

Museum visit and Geography Fieldtrip:
Two weeks ago, the school children visited Truro Museum to explore fossils and historical artefacts in KS1; and for KS2 to get a better understanding of how Britain changed over the Stone Age. The children learnt a lot and also had a wonderful amount of knowledge to share  (the museum staff were impressed). Following the museum visit, we ventured into Truro city where the children were able to conduct some fieldwork linked to last term's Geography. The children in KS1 were able to better understand and identify physical and human landmarks. KS2 were able to identify types of building use in the city center, how it has changed and what changes the community would like to see happen in Truro city in future. They created some good maps and pie charts detailing their findings.

D.T:
KS2 have concluded their D.T work - designing, creating and evaluating a Neolithic shelter. All shelters were able to withstand the elements test and we were all impressed by the designs, and how realistic some looked.

Safer Internet day:
Next week we will be involved in the annual “Internet Safety Day” on Tuesday 8th February. This year the theme is ‘All fun and games? Exploring respect and relationships online’. The whole school will be involved through a variety of age-related activities. I will in next week's blog let you know how the day went and put on some useful findings and links about safe online use.

Royal Cornwall Art competition:
Children in KS1 and KS2 have been able to send in pieces of art work for a competition with the theme: 'Love is...'. The children have produced some fabulous drawings and poems to show what love is to them. We are keeping our fingers crossed for some winners.

Advance notice: Blisland Fete.
The Blisland community had been busy organizing a return of a community fete to be held on the green two years ago and of course, Covid-19 threw a spanner in the works. I am pleased to say that it is looking very likely to be held this year (Saturday 27th August 2022). There will be stalls, food, drink and games. The school will be involved in games, a fun run and hopefully stalls. If you would like to help in anyway or know of anybody who would like a stall at the fete, please let us know.

World Book Day:
Thursday 3rd March, on the 2nd week back after 1/2 term, it is 'World Book Day'. We will be taking part in this day as books mean a lot to us at Blisland. We will dress up as our favourite characters and take part in story-themed activities. The school council too have some ideas that they would like to have happen on the day and we'll let you know about these next week after our school council meeting. Next week, children will come home with a book token that can be used for a free world book day book (found in most supermarkets and book shops), or to receive money off another book.

Awards:
Head Teacher Awards: Todd H, Byron H, Emily S, Brianna W, William R, Ottillie W, Jenson R, Jack C, Lola W and Jack G
Star of the week: Byron H

We have reached over the halfway point of the 1/2 term and the work the children are producing is ace. Thank you again as parents for supporting the children and for supporting us over the last couple of weeks as we managed the cluster of Covid Cases. Have a lovely weekend.

Welcome back all! It has been lovely to welcome all the children back this week and despite the initial shock to the system of getting back into the swing of learning and school routines, the children are back to their best. Both classes have a history dominate focus in their learning and we will update the class blogs with more information about the work and how you can support at home next week.

Welcome to Mrs Carr (Miss Chadwick):
Today (Friday) Mrs Carr (Formerly Miss Chadwick) has joined our lovely school community. The children have been very excited to meet her and we are looking forward to quality teaching she'll bring to our school and the excellent opportunity for tuition for small groups and individuals over the coming terms. I know you will all make her feel welcome.

After school clubs:
This 1/2 term we have a Pilates club for KS1 after school on a Tuesday (Please email Mrs Pengelly if you would like your child to sign up for this club. Pilates will start Tuesday 18th January until 1/2 term (3.15-4.00pm). On Tuesdays and Thursdays Y6 will have a revision club for preparing further for end of Key Stage 2 Assessments.

Covid-19:
You do not need me to mention that Covid-19 is still prevalent both locally and nationally. As guidance changes, we will update you; and we will endeavour to give the children best normal learning experiences possible. Staff are lateral flow testing regularly over the week and classrooms have carbon dioxide monitors to help indicate when better ventilation is required.

Awards:
Head Teacher awards: Emily S and Lowen M
Star of the week: Jack S and Lerryn

As always, thank you for being such a positive and supportive parent community. The children thrive with all the support that they have around them and we as a school really appreciate it. Have a lovely weekend.

Happy Christmas all!
We have reached the end of the Autumn term and the children have much to be proud of. They have worked hard everyday and all have made good progress. The last week of term was busy with finishing off learning and ensuring we had time to ring-in Christmas with lots of celebrations, fun, Christmas services and visits from Father Christmas. Our Christingle was very special and big thank you goes to the church and Reverend Robin for conducting the service. It is astonishing to think that it is 2-years since we were last there (Hopefully this is a sign that we are turning the tide and approaching normality as we head into spring.)

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and are able to stay Covid-free. School starts back on Tuesday 4th January 2022; and we sincerely look forward to welcoming you back in the new year.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Holidays are coming!

It is feeling more 'Christmassy' at Blisland. The children have been able get stuck into their play rehearsal with all children presence. Their singing has sounded amazing. We have had many success this week. It has been particularly good to see our work in our wider curriculum: KS1 have been mapping the local area using sewing skills. We hope to display their work within the local community. KS2 have wowed too with their artistic skills when making Christmas lanterns. They have also soon excellent knowledge and understanding about why Hindus try to be good. 

Christmas Jumper day
Thank you to you all for supporting our Christmas jumper day. We have raised over £30 and this can make a big difference to those not as fortunate, especially during these times. The children are very proud. As always, I was delighted to see the amazing array of Christmas Jumpers on show.

Geography Fieldtrip to Truro.
Children in KS1 have been developing their mapping skills and KS2 have been learning about the geography related to settlements. As part of this learning we intended to visit Truro as a city trip to conduct fieldwork and research; but due to a COVID cluster it set our plans back. It is important for the children to experience this trip; conduct field work and so we are scheduling this visit for after Christmas and hope to combine this with beginning our history topics for the spring by visiting Truro museum. More details will come out in a letter asap.

Christingle Service.
We will end the term this week on Friday with a Christmas/Christingle service in the village church. Children will be learning about Christingle's meaning and making their own as part of it. The service will finish at 2.30pm and children can be collected from the church at this time. Unfortunately it can only be attended by the children and staff.

Awards:
Head teacher Awards: Amy I, Megan I, Bella D, Thomas H
Stars of the week: Isla-R-D, Harry W

Here's looking forward to an uninterrupted final week for the children where they can get ready for Christmas and all its excitement. 

Scratching our heads... 

It was great to be back this week and I was so touch and overwhelmed by both you the parents and the children's get well wishes. Be back at our lovely school certainly helps.

Coding through scratch:
This week it was brilliant to notice how both classes have been learning to code. The children have been using scratch (free online) and scratch junior (free app) to develop their computational skills and thinking.  In KS1 the children this week have been using commands and debugging skills. Making animated characters move, speak and make sounds; and when the character wasn't doing what he was told (had a bug) the children were exceptional at explaining how they were debugging. 
In KS2 children have been coding to create a a recycling game. It is great to see the children problem solve and use complex coding blocks such as conditional codes and variables. They games they have made are great!

Christmas Jumper Day:
On Friday 10th December we will be raising money for 'Save the Children' and wearing our Christmas Jumpers. 
Our school Council have asked that you bring in £1 donations if you can. We are looking forward to seeing all the amazing Christmas jumper designs. 

Awards:
Head teacher Awards: Nyle P, Megan I, John D and Amy I
Stars of the week: Billy R

Conscientious Children!

This week we took part in supporting the Charity 'Children in need' and raising awareness of bullying issues in society through joining in the 'Odd Socks' campaign for anti bullying week.

Anti-Bullying week:
The children have such good understanding of what it means to be a good friend and the importance of showing kindness and engaged brilliantly in activities and discussions around bullying. They also loved showing their amazing combinations of odd socks all week. 

Children in need:
A huge thank you to all of the children for making such a good effort with dressing up in sports, donating money and ecorating cakes. A super big thankyou to our school council for organising this event for us. We have raised a super £60 for children in need. 

It has been another great week of learning. The children continue to impress in the reading, writing and maths. It also great to hear them talk about their learning in science and Geography. It was also great to hear from you parents during parents evening how the children are talking about their wider learning in subjects like Geography at home.

Philosophical Thinkers and super singers.
This week the children in KS2 have shown wonderful philosophy skills and maturity when debating the creation story versus scientific theory. They considered all sides of the debate and show deep philosophical understand and respect to all view points.
They have also concluded their work on Climate change and the arctic and debated well the key points that the COP 26 delegates must consider. 

Also this week the children have been developing their singing and vocal skills with Mrs Bridle from Cornwall Music Hub. The children have already made great progress in their understanding of posture for good singing, pitch and tone. They have begun to sing about cold weather and winter time and we look forward to sharing their singing with you closer to Christmas. 

In KS1 the children have been wowing us with their science skills. Sorting materials and classifying through their properties with such goood scientific  discussions and vocabulary. 

Basketball Club:
Basketball club has started well with a good uptake. It runs every Tuesday and has 4-weeks remaining. It is open to KS2, at no cost, and their are still spaces. 

Remembrance Day:
The children took part in remembrance day this week and showed wonderful interest, respect and pride in commemorating people lost in conflict. Children raised a lot of money for the Poppy Appeal charity and created some lovely pieces of art for the church. 

Children in Need:
Children in Need is on Friday 19th November (Next week). The school council has decided that they would like everybody to come dressed in as many spots as they can; there will be a prize for the most spots for all classes. The school council asks that a donation of £1 be brought in for the charity. They will also be making biscuits to be sold for 50p each. All money will go to Children in Need.

Anti-Bullying Week:
The week beginning 15th November is Anti-bullying week. We are committed to ensuring children understand the issue, form healthy-relationships and that they can make sure our school is a place where bullying is not tolerated. On Monday 15th November, children can wear non-school uniform and odd socks as we dedicate the day to Anti-bullying. For the remainder of the week, we would like all children to wear odd socks in recognition of everybody being different and unique. Odd socks is the theme of the week.

Awards:
Head teacher Awards: Amy I,  Zenna P, Lilly H, Emily S
Stars of the week:  Emily S (2nd week in a row!)

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Amazing Science this week

The children have been working brilliantly as always, and in particularly in Science. In KS1 the children have been sorting materials. It was great to see the children talk about the properties of different objects and materials; then use the iPads (with the app 'Padlet') to send their sorting discussions to their teacher.

Key Stage 2 have been conducting scientific enquiries too linked to the water cycle and have now begun to look at the oxidization process to see what conditions effect metals rusting most. It is only a few days in but already the results are starting to take shape. 

Halloween Disco:
Thank you to the PTA and all parents who supported the Halloween Disco. The children had a blast and it was so nice to see yet another normality return for them. Some very spooky costumes!

Children in Need:
Children in Need is on Friday 19th November. The school council has decided that they would like everybody to come dressed in as many spots as they can: there will be a prize for the most spots for all classes. The school council ask that a donation of £1 be brought in for the charity. They will also be making biscuits to be sold for 50p each. All money will go to Children in Need.

Anti-Bullying Week:
The week beginning 15th November is Anti-bullying week. We are committed to ensuring children understand the issue, form healthy-relationships and that they can make sure our school is a place where bullying is not tolerated. On Monday 15th November, children can wear non-school uniform and odd socks as we dedicate the day to Anti-bullying. For the remainder of the week, we would like all children to wear odd socks in recognition of everybody being different and unique. Odd socks is the theme of the week. 

Awards:
A big well done to Jack S who was competing in 'Enduro-motocross' and collected a trophy for his endeavors.
Head teacher Awards: Billy R, Nyle P,  Brianna W
Stars of the week: Alex P-H and Emily S

Mellow Yellow

This week has been yet another great week full of superb learning. KS1 have been writing with some super adjectives and KS2 they have virtually braved the arctic Tundra and given survival tips using Green screen and iMovie. Also this week we took a moment with the children to reflect on mental wellbeing. The considered for themselves the importance of staying mentally healthy and through games, activities and goodies around the campfire, they were able to understand their wellbeing; that of others and what can be done to help. What a great day!

Halloween Disco:
Next Friday (22nd October) we are hosting a school Halloween party for the children. Their will be music, dancing, games and treats. The discos starts at 3.30 and finishes at 5pm. All year groups are welcome. If you need to collect earlier than 5pm, please let Mrs. Pengelly know. Prepacked party food or Halloween decorations would be gratefully received. If you can provided anything, please bring in by Friday 15th October so the school and PTA know what else to get.