Year 6 took part in a Hyrox Competition this week at Duloe school, alongside other Year 6 children from Duloe and Trenode. Hyrox is a cross-fit type activity which involves lots of running and lots of strength-based activities. The children had an amazing time, showed a great competitive spirit and were wonderful sports. The event also gave the children the opportunity to meet other Year 6 children who will be starting secondary school in September.  

Class 3 have been learning about ‘Forces’ in science and took their learning outdoors to bring their understanding of friction to life. The children used flints and steels to light their own fires. Next time, we will bring along some marshmallows!

In science, Lantic Class have been looking at materials. They were set a challenge to find out which material would be best for Paddington’s umbrella and welly boots. They decided it would need to be waterproof to keep him dry. They carried out a fair test and tested three materials: fabric, paper and plastic. Their results showed us that the plastic was waterproof and would be the best material for Paddington’s welly boots and umbrella. 

Congratulations to our super team of footballers from Year 5 and Year 6 who visited Callywith last week to take on teams from across the Bridge Schools trust. As always, the represented the school magnificiently and were fantastic sports. Well done. 

Pelynt is blessed with an amazing outdoor learning area and this week the school had a collapsed curriculum day where the children spent the whole day building dens, toasting marshmallows and taking part in a range of art and design based activities. The weather really was kind to us and the children had a spectacular day!

Pelynt Primary Academy is looking for a full-time (32.5 hours) Teaching Assistant to join our friendly and hard-working team.

The post is offered as a fixed-term position to the end of this academic year in the first instance.

The post would involve working with children across all age ranges and include a lunch-time supervisor role.
We are looking for a colleague who can bring enthusiasm, energy and a professional approach to all that they do and who are willing to engage in all aspects of school life. You will also have a smiley and nurturing approach that children will enjoy, and which will enable them to feel special in your care.

In return, Pelynt Academy offers a friendly, experienced and supportive team, who work well together and put the education and welfare of children at the heart of all we do. You can expect to receive high-quality support and training in a school that has a good reputation in the community and is committed to delivering the best outcomes for its children.

Please look at our vaccancies page for more details.

Sports Day 

Thank you to all the children and families for a great sports day and family picnic, here are some photos of the day.

St Piran’s Day Celebrations Tuesday 5th March
To celebrate this special day, we would like the children to come to school wearing something black, white or gold (no charge). All are welcome to join us in church at 2pm for our St Piran’s assembly.  We will return to school after the assembly to collect belongings.

World Book Day Thursday 7th March
Just a reminder that on World Book Day we would love the children to come either dressed as their favourite book character, or wearing a hat/top decorated with pictures of characters, objects or places in their favourite story. Alternatively, they can wear bedtime (reading) clothes.

The Little Knitters
Elsa, Eryn, Alice and Scarlett have been very busy making necklaces, bracelets, keyrings and bookmarks, which they will be selling on Friday 8th March after school, to raise money for school projects. See their flyer in our newsletter for more details.

Parent Consultations week beginning 25th March
Pre-School appointments are available across the week. Please book directly with Mrs Rickard/Mrs Gravener. Appointments for Classes 1-4 are on Mon 25th March, Tues 26th and Wed 27th. Each appointment lasts 10 minutes. Please email your preferred time ranges to secretary@pelyntprimary.co.uk:
Monday 3.30-4pm; 4-4.30pm.
Tuesday 3.30-4pm; 4-5pm; 5-6pm.
Wednesday 3.30-4pm; 4-4.30pm.
Please enter via the main entrance and wait in the hall for your child’s teacher. There will be no clubs that week apart from Pro20 Football.

Absence due to illness
A few parents have asked for clarification about when to keep their child off due to illness. Please see the guide on page 3 of our newsletter.

CAP Debt help for families
This week I was visited by Lyndsey from a charity called CAP Debt Help, to discuss how they can help our Pelynt families. Lyndsey says: If you are feeling weighed down by debt, we can help. After calling us on 0800 328 0006, a local CAP Debt Coach will visit you at home to provide emotional support and free help with planning budgets and negotiating affordable payments with creditors. We are also running a money management course at St Martin’s Church, Liskeard on 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th March, from 10am-12pm. To book your place, please click on Money coaching | money management | CAP UK

We look forward to seeing you at our St Piran’s assembly next week. Good luck to our cross country runners at Liskeard tonight!
Kind regards, Abigail Oliver (Head of School)

Maths Enrichment Week
For many adults, if they think of what they disliked most at school, maths is often at the top of the list. Maths lessons may have even led to a lifelong fear of getting the wrong answer, or not getting it fast enough. One of the biggest barriers to a child developing in maths is for them to hear adults say that they were not good at maths at school, or they are not a ‘maths person’. There is a widespread belief in society that maths is hard, uninteresting, and accessible only to ‘clever’ people.  Often males and even particular racial groups are seen to be naturally better at maths. Scientific research has shown, however, the incredible potential of the brain to grow and adapt.

We feel passionately about showing how exciting maths is, and want to dispel the myth of the maths brain. In our school we teach that everyone can learn maths, with variation in strategies and equipment used being accepted and encouraged, such as drawing, or using objects. Linked with our Bridge values, we teach that maths is a very creative subject and model/encourage curiosity. Mistakes are all part of the learning process. We add ‘yet’ to sentences when a child says that they can’t do something and teach that the feeling of something being hard is when changes are happening in our brains. This week we have been celebrating maths in an enrichment week of creative thinking linked to maths across the curriculum. This has included investigation work, maths art, stories with maths themes, a maths treasure hunt and an exploration of the beauty and power of maths all around us in our assemblies. We look forward to telling you all about our special week in our class assemblies.

Climate Change Roadshow
On Friday we were visited by the National Marine Aquarium Ocean Conservation Trust. Class 4 explored climate change through Virtual Reality headsets and exciting science investigations! The trust also led a very thought provoking assembly.

KS2 Cross Country Stars
Congratulations to Harrison, Elsa, George and Joseph, who attended a cross country event at Looe Community Academy secondary school. They all came in the top 8!

Bush Skills Outdoor Learning Days
Class 2 Monday 29th January; Class 3 Tuesday 30th January; Class 4 Thursday 1st February. Please make sure that your child has layers of warm clothing, including a waterproof coat, gloves and hat for these sessions.

We hope that you have a lovely weekend,
Abigail Oliver (Head of School)

Reading Champions wanted!
“The most valuable gift you can give children is a love of reading. Reading makes learning anything possible and imagination grow with no boundaries.” Julia Jett Reedy
Can you spare an hour or two a week to listen to children read, or to read stories and non-fiction books to small groups of children? If so, please speak to Mrs Thompson in the school office about completing a DBS check.

INSET Day and Class 4 residential
All Bridge Schools will now have an extra INSET day for staff training this year, which will be on Friday 24th May. As this was one of the original dates booked for the Class 4 residential, this has now been rescheduled for 12th, 13th and 14th June.

End of Spring Term change of end of day From now on, the last day of term before the Christmas, Easter and summer holidays for all Bridge schools will finish at 1pm. School will end at the usual time for all half term holidays. This will mean some adjustments to planned church services when these fall in the afternoon. We are rearranging these with Reverend Allen and will let you know when we have new dates or times.

Outdoor Learning Days
Just a reminder that we have our bush skills outdoor learning days coming up the week after next:
Class 2 Monday 29th January
Class 3 Tuesday 30th January
Class 4 Thursday 1st February

Given the current very cold weather we are having, please make sure that your child has layers of warm clothing, including a waterproof coat, gloves and hat for these sessions.

Cross Country at Cothele today
Good luck to our KS2 cross country team this afternoon!

We hope that you have a lovely weekend,
Abigail Oliver (Head of School)