The Great Outdoors

Over the last week we have been thrilled to have either spoken to or have been emailing all of you. It has been so wonderful to hear from you and to know how you are getting on. 

There have been so many happy moments and some lovely learning opportunities shared too. I love reading the teachers class blogs so that I can see the photos that they include, seeing you makes me smile.

I was so pleased to see that lots of you have been trying to spend time outdoors. I feel very passionate about the outdoors and nature and it has been a personal mission for my family to make sure we stay connected to nature during this time. We love spending time outside and, even though we can’t quite embark on our usual adventures, we have made sure that we make time every day to get outdoors. We’ve walked lots and observed the nature around us. I like to take a photo of the things we see. The sound of the birds first thing and just before dark has been remarkable. It has been so lovely to hear about some of your mini outdoor adventures too. From camping out in your garden to making nature art, riding bikes to counting sheep on the farm and walks in the country to building mud kitchens in the garden. We are so lucky to live in a beautiful part of the world.

You will notice that the teachers have shared with you a National Trust competition. It will be lovely to see some of your entries. ( I have added it to the bottom of the blog too).

Nature is so important during times like this. It has been scientifically proven that spending time in nature can reduce stress levels, support the immune system and give a general feeling of well-being. I know I always feel wonderful after spending some time surrounded by nature. Even watching nature on TV has benefits. 

There are lots of super websites where you can access ideas and activities to support enjoying time outside or connecting with nature. Even virtual zoo tours.

So, take a moment to appreciate, learn from and enjoying spending time in nature. 

This week I have included some links to nature-based websites where there are lots of activities that can be enjoyed during this unique time.

Head teachers challenge:

This week’s question is linked to nature and will get you to learn a new nature word. I would like you to have a family chat about what you think the answer might be before you google it! J

Question 3:

What do you think the word ‘petrichor’means? 

I’ll give you a little clue… 

Clue = you may notice it this week.

Remember

The blogs don’t disappear. My blogs can be found in the drop-down menu, click news.

Please keep in touch with us, if there is anything we can do to support you we will do our best to do so.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/things-to-do

https://www.edenproject.com/learn/for-everyone

https://www.forestryengland.uk/blog/10-ways-keep-the-kids-entertained-through-covid-19

There are also lots of blogs where people are sharing nature ideas so get googling for inspiration. 

Welcome back.

Well, the last few weeks have certainly seen a lot of changes: the whole country is socially distancing, children are temporarily no longer in school, daily learning takes place at home, the clocks have gone forward, the evenings are lighter and thankfully the sun has been shining.

This has not been the usual Easter break and return to the summer term! But here we are welcoming you back to the new term, with you all based at home. For us, this feels extremely strange. We miss the children immensely and also our daily interactions with all of you.

We hope you have been able to enjoy Easter and a little bit of chocolate! I know I am going to need to get back into my daily PE session with Joe Wicks to burn off some of my treats!

As teachers, we are still learning and developing our new way of supporting your child’s learning. Your child’s class pages have this week’s learning suggestions ready for you. We’ve already loved receiving some of your emails, where you have shared your learning at home and sometimes sent us photos. 

Over the next few weeks the best advice we can give is do not put too much pressure on yourselves as parents. Like many of you I have faced this new challenge of supporting my child’s learning at home, working from home and still being at school, carrying out the usual household chores, responding to the demands of a nearly 2-year-old and trying to put this whole surreal situation into perspective. A mammoth task for anyone! I have certainly not mastered it yet! So, in this unprecedented time we advise you to just do your best. Find a routine that suits your family and also the needs of your child. 

It is a good idea to establish a good routine and a level of structure to your child’s day, without being too regimented. Include plenty of opportunity for exercise, free play and curiosity. Plan together how it will go and agree on your time schedule and work expectation. As best as you can allow them to have fun with what they do/learn. I have seen so many fun and positive outlooks on how we can spend our time during this awful situation and I would love our children to have some fun and positivity amidst this worrying time.

The teachers have provided opportunities to develop maths, English and topic work skills and we encourage you to follow your own curiosities too. The teachers tell me they have been developing and refining their own skills in things like cooking, knitting, gardening and learning more about things they are interested it. For children these are fantastic life skills too, so share your interests and learn something new together.

Head teacher’s challenge:

Each week I will ask a simple question, riddle or brain teaser for you all (children/parent teams). All you need to do is decide the answer and write it down. I will then look forward to receiving all of your answers in person when school returns to normal! There will only be one per week so, write the answers down on a piece of paper and keep them safe. 

I will try to start nice and simply and then hopefully get you all thinking! I like the idea of providing a short and simple conversational starter.

Here goes:

14.04.20 

Question 1~ In the Springtime, what bell can’t you hear ringing in the countryside?

I’ll make sure I have some prizes ready for the correct answers. It’s not compulsory, just a bit of fun.


Finally, I have already learnt the harsh lesson of never taking anything for granted and I am so appreciative of some of the smallest things in life. This picture below was created recently by a little girl in class 2. It’s a beautiful watercolour. Quite simply; it brightened my day. 

Run!

Trainers ready! The team were all set to run. They look super clean at the start!


















 

Lanhydrock Cross Country Run, Friday 7th February 2020.

We are so proud of our runners who took part in today’s cross country event. There was so much excitement before they left and huge smiles after the race. Miss Porter was thrilled with the effort that everyone put in. We are looking forward to hearing about the event in Monday’s assembly.

There was great excitement when the Library Van arrived!

We were so thrilled at the arrival of the library van and the prospect of new books on our shelves. Groups of children went out to the van to choose some new books for our school library. We returned old books and excitedly filled our shelves with new ones. 

Dear Parents,

We would like to thank you for taking the time to complete our Summer 2019 parent questionnaire.  We have collated the information, you have kindly provided and can now share the results with you.   Your comments and suggestions help to support the school and Trust in their continued effort to improve and develop areas within current systems to enrich parental communications and reach out to wider audiences. We only received a small number of responses to this questionnaire but are aware that there was a large response to the OFSTED questionnaire which came out at a similar time.
Here are a couple of your comments:
What do you like most about your school?

“The community/family feel to the place and how the school classes mix well together.” 

“How much my daughter has thrived in her first year here.”
How can we improve the information we share on our website?

“Keep it up to date, seems to be a lot of links/info overload.”

We always value your feedback and contributions.
Thank you

Kelly Edwards
Head of School

Class 3's topic was enhanced by a trip to the Eden Project.

They got to experience what life was like in a real rainforest in the rainforest biome. This then helped when writing their setting descriptions as they could draw upon their first hand sensory experience.

The children created acrostic poems based on their rainforest experience.

In art they used oil pastels to create rainforest creatures.