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.

READ, READ, READ!

It has been another brilliant and busy week at Blisland. I have enjoyed seeing how much the children learn in their different subjects. It has also been great to see how the children use our characters for learning to improve their work and knowledge: including our new character - 'Remember it Rhino'. This week the children have been delving deeper into their geography learning, and it has been wonderful to see the children use our new array of iPads purchased by our trust (Bridge Schools). The children have been coding using 'Scratch and Scratch Jr'. 

Reading:
We are lucky to have a good selection of books and gold membership with the Cornwall school library service. The children are keen readers and it's always so heart-warming to see our reading buddies in full swing. Reading unlocks so much learning and enjoyment and we put a big emphasis on it here. Children in Key Stage 1 will come home with a Read, Write inc coloured phonic book and have chosen a book of their own choice from our library; our Key stage 2 children have colour-banded books from our library to help continue their reading skills after they have completed the Read write inc phonics. Key Stage 2 also have books for pleasure and may occasionally bring home a book linked to their group (guided) reading tasks in school. Please continue to listen your child/children as often as possible, as little and often makes a big difference. The children will have reading they have done at home which is written in their reading record stamped (with a star) and 10 stamps earn a raffle ticket which puts them in with a chance of winning a book voucher. The more you read, the more tickets you have; the more tickets you have the more chance you have of winning. Keeeep Reading (For the Strictly fans).

Where Yellow to School for Young Minds:
On Friday 8th October (This coming Friday), we will be wearing yellow to remind us that we all struggle with how we are feeling sometimes and that we are not alone. We will be talking about the little things we can do to help us when we are feeling down and will be making a special effort to chill and have fun! Rather than asking parents and carers to sponsor us, we'd like local businesses to pledge their support by donating money to the charity Young Minds on our behalf! Children on the day will take part in some mindfulness activities and finish with a calm, campfire.
Thank you for your support

Halloween:
Somehow Halloween is sneaky up on us and is only a few weeks away. We all know how much the children like to dress up and have fun, and so we will be having an afterschool Halloween disco on Friday 22nd October. The disco will be from 3.30pm until 5pm. Children can stay at school at the end of the day to change into their costumes. The disco will take place in the main school with one classroom for dancing and spooky games and the other for food, drinks and a quiet space. If you think you would like your child to attend the disco, please email Mrs. Pengelly: secretary@blislandprimary.co.uk Please also tell us if you need to pick your child up before 5pm and state a time.
You can support us with the disco by sending in prepackage snacks or drinks by Friday 15th October.

Awards:
Star of the week awards: Amy, Lola, 
Head Teacher Awards: Jack G, Zenna, Ottilie, Byron, Brianna, Erin, Billy, Roxanne, Alex, Lerryn, Mani

Finally, Covid-19 does seem to rearing it's head more and more in schools. We continue to apply good cleaning measure and (touch wood) have not been affected. Do look out for the classic 3 symptoms and also things such as: headaches, sore throats and feeling very lethargic as noted by Cornwall's public health team (letter below). 

The children are being amazing as usual, and as usual, thank you for all the support you give the school and children. 

Exciting and enriching learning

It's so wonderful to be back and see the children learning; see how much the children are enjoying school and watching their enthusiasm for new knowledge. This week the children have been thoroughly engaged in all their lessons: from phonics to reciprocal reading; science to French, Geography to PSHE; English to Maths; and RE to Computing. The children are already making progress in all of these areas and consider well what it means to be a learner and what helps them learn. Below are a few highlights of the week:

KS1 Music:
Key Stage one class are lucky enough to have Mrs. Bridle working with them to develop Music skills. The children have started looking at: Singing; Finding and maintaining a steady pulse; Making and notating rhythms; and Exploration and Composition using different sounds.
It is going to be an excellent project for the younger class and I am looking forward to seeing the future of the 'Brit Awards'

Surf Club:
This term, KS2 are very lucky indeed to be able to access surf lessons. The children were amazing: they showed such confidence, transferred many of the learning character skills from school and were standing and surfing by the end of their first lesson. But most importantly, it was wonderful to see the children smile and have freedom. We look forward to next week's session; hopefully it is as warm and sunny as last week. 

Supporting Learning:
Reading: Reading can unlock so much learning for children and it is also just wonderful to enjoy a story, so understandably it's an important focus for us a school. Children will come home with reading books to support their reading, and hearing them little and often would make all the difference. Children in KS1 will come home with their 'Read Write inc' phonics book and a book they have chosen from our library for pleasure; in KS2 the children may on occasions come home with 3 books: a book for pleasure, a colour banded book (or Read write inc book) for developing decoding and comprehensions skills and possibly a guided reading book from in school group reading. Please note down in the children's reading records any time you hear them read as every 10-reads earns them a raffle ticket to win a book token; not to mention how much it will help their reading. Thank you for supporting the children at home with reading, our children are very strong and confident readers. 

Arbor:
Thank you, if you have, for logging into arbor to give consents for the various requests, such as photo permission. If you are able to log in to the app, it could be useful as we are able to send messages via the app and schedule parent consultations too.

Awards:
Star of the week awards: Erin M and Nyle P
Head Teacher Awards: Brianna W, Amy I, Lola W, Nyle P, Jack S and Jack G

Thank you as always for the support you give the school and the children. It has been two full-weeks back learning and it only feels like a few days. The children have been amazing and I know they will impress every week. 

Have a good weekend.