This has been a busy week full of trips. On Wednesday, our Planet Protectors Club went to the recycling plant in Bodmin to research what happens to all of our recycling and why it is important to recycle. They will be sharing what they found out with the rest of the school in an assembly shortly. Year 5 visited Liskeard Fire Station to learn all about safety on the railways; online; on the roads; on the beach and when using electricity. They also tried their hand at choking prevention and CPR. This morning Penhallow and Landaviddy Classes had a really enjoyable trip to see ‘Little Red Hen’ at the Theatre Royal in Plymouth.

More Cross-Country Success
The Polperro team yet again did brilliantly well in last week’s Landrake Inter Schools Cross Country Race. Congratulations to the children who all completed their races, with or without shoes. Thank you to Mrs Turnbull for her wonderful team support this season and for running alongside the children too, and to parents and carers for transporting our runners to each race come rain or shine. An amazing effort all round from Team Polperro. A huge well done too to Flora who came a magnificent 34th in the Cornwall Cross Country Finals on Tuesday.

Clubs Please note that there are no clubs next week because of the football match, the disco and staff training.

Drop off and pick up Polite reminder when you are picking up and dropping off, please do not park or wait on the zigzag lines outside school. This is likely to result in drivers receiving penalty notices (a £75 fine). Cars are still blocking this area causing problems for children crossing the road.

FOPS Easter Discos Reminder that Easter Discos for the children on Thursday, 3rd April. Tickets are on sale in the office and cost £3. The disco for Reception, Year 1 and year 2 will be from 3:15-4:15pm. Pupils should bring a change of clothes and will be able to change after school. KS2 (years 3-6) children should go home at the usual time of 3:15pm and then return to school for their disco which will be from 4:30-6:00pm.


The last day of term is next Friday 4th April and school will finish at 1:30pm. On Friday morning we will have a visit from the Easter Bunny. Monday 21st April is a bank holiday, therefore the first day of the Spring term for the children will be Tuesday, 22nd April.

Have a good weekend

Mrs Hillman

Thank you for sending your children in today in MUFTI. We  raised over £130.00 for Comic Relief from your generous donations. We’re so sorry that we didn’t have enough Red Noses for everyone who wanted one this year. We know some children were disappointed, and we completely understand. To make sure this doesn’t happen again, next year we’ll be asking families to pre-order their noses so we can get the right amount. Each box costs the school £60, and we have to be careful not to over-order, but we also want to make sure every child who wants a nose can get one.

FOPS Easter Discos Reminder that Easter Discos for the children on Thursday, 3rd April. We will be holding Easter school discos on Thursday 3rd April. Tickets are on sale in the office and cost £3. The disco for Reception, Year 1 and year 2 will be from 3:15-4:15pm. Pupils should bring a change of clothes and will be able to change after school. KS2 (years 3-6) children should go home at the usual time of 3:15pm and then return to school for their disco which will be from 4:30-6:00pm. Please find attached a poster for this event. For the Cross-Country runners attending the awards ceremony at St Mellion, there is time for children to attend the disco beforehand as the event does not start until 7pm.

Time 2 Move The Time2Move Holiday Programme for Easter 2025 is now live. The programme offers fun physical activities, games and wider activities plus a funded meal for every child. All children are welcome to attend, and it is completely funded for children that are eligible for benefits-related Free School Meals. As a parent or guardian of a child eligible for benefits related free school meals you will need your child’s unique code in order to access the activities for free. You can access your child’s code quickly and easily at: www.cornwall.gov.uk/time2move Once you have this code you can search and book on activities here: www.activecornwall.org/T2MHolidayProgramme


End of Term Reminder that on the last day of term is on Friday 4th April and school will finish at 1:30pm. On the Friday morning we will have a visit from the Easter Bunny. 

Have a great weekend.

Mrs Hillman

Another busy week at Polperro School has flown past. In Monday’s music lessons, the children tried their hand at African drumming, exploring rhythm, teamwork, and cultural diversity through the rich traditions of African music. Later in the week, local artist Sean Hewitt worked with years 4-6 to produce amazing pieces of artwork depicting George Orwell and Polperro as part of the Polperro Orwell Project.

Emergency Lockdown Procedure
We held an emergency lockdown procedure drill today and the children responded very well. Lockdown procedures are important and would be used in response to an internal or external incident which could be a threat to the safety of staff and children in the school such as: 1. A reported incident, disturbance in the local community 2. An intruder on the site 3. A warning being received regarding a local risk of air pollution (smoke plume, gas cloud etc.) 4. A major fire in the vicinity of the school 5. The close proximity of a dangerous dog. We practise this drill yearly and fire drills termly.

FOPS Easter Discos
Easter Discos for the children on Thursday, 3rd April. we will be holding Easter school discos on Thursday 3rd April. Tickets are on sale in the office and cost £3. The disco for Reception, Year 1 and year 2 will be from 3:15-4:15pm. Pupils should bring a change of clothes and will be able to change after school. KS2 (years 3-6) children should go home at the usual time of 3:15pm and then return to school for their disco which will be from 4:30-6:00pm. Please find attached a poster for this event.

Comic Relief
Red Nose Day is next Friday, 21st March. The School Council would like the children to come to school in MUFTI (bright colours/funky clothes!) with a minimum donation of £1 for this MUFTI day. We will be selling Red noses for £2 from Monday.

Have a good weekend.

Mrs Hillman

Thank you so much for sending your children in on World Book Day in their amazing costumes. Entries to our Extreme Reading competition were brilliant – Thank you for sending them in. Rev Richard judged the entries after our St Piran’s Day assembly on Tuesday (there were so many to consider!). Well done to the class winners (Henry, Flora, Nevaeh, Max and Felix) and to Everly, the overall winner. Winners will each receive a book (kindly funded by FOPS). Our book sale raised over £40.00, which school will spend on books for guided reading.

FOPS Quiz FOPS raised over £500 at their quiz night last Friday. Thank you to those who organised an enjoyable evening and to those of you who attended. We have other fundraisers in the pipeline including Easter Discos for the children on Thursday 3rd April. More details to follow.

Comic Relief This year Red Nose Day is on Friday, 21st March. The School Council would like the children to come to school in MUFTI (bright colours/funky clothes!) with a minimum donation of £1 for this MUFTI day. We will be selling Red noses for £2 during the week commencing 17th March.

Parent/Carer Consultations Thank you for attending this week’s parent/carer consultations. We are so pleased that everyone has arranged an appointment. Your involvement and support play a crucial role in helping your child succeed, and we truly appreciate your partnership in their learning journey at our school.

Orwell Project We had a visit this week from Jay Gates, from Bodmin Airfield who spoke to the children in Talland and Chaipel Classes not only about the planes at the Airfield, but also about the wildflower meadow there which has County Wildlife Status and is home to rare orchids and other wildlife. Later in the year, the school will be working with the airfield to rewild some of the school grounds using seeds from the Bodmin Wildlife Meadow.

Wild Wellbeing Sessions The Mental Health Support Team (MHST), along with Natural England and Cornwall Wildlife Trust, are running several Wild Wellbeing sessions over the Easter break. These are nature-based, creative, practical workshops where pupils learn about the Five Ways to Wellbeing: Give, Connect, Take Notice, Be Active and Keep Learning. Details are included in the attached poster.

 
Have a good weekend.

Mrs Hillman

• This half term has already got off to a good start with our new enquiries launched as follows:

Penhallow Class: Can I Travel by Dinosaur? Landaviddy Class: Can you Always See Things Grow? Talland Class: How did England Change After the Norman Conquest?
Chaipel Class: What was Life Like in Tudor England?
As usual, information about the children’s learning will be on the class blogs.

World Book Day, Thursday 6th March
• There is still time to send in entries for our World Book Day Extreme Reading Competition.   Please email your child’s entry (secretary@polperroprimary.co.uk) or bring in a photo by Monday 3rd March.  We are really looking forward to seeing who in school has such a passion for reading that they have to do it anywhere and everywhere! Staff will be entering too and there will be a prize (for children) for the winning pictures. See below for example photographs.
• Book Sale - On World Book Day, there will be a range of second-hand children’s books for sale at break time for just 20p each. Any profit will go towards buying new books for class libraries. Please send you child in with cash on the day if they would like to buy a book.
• Dress as your Favourite Book Character - On World Book Day your child can come to school dressed as a favourite character from any book.

Orwell Project Dr Alison Smith, Temperate Rainforest Project Manager, Cornwall Wildlife Trust came to speak to Talland and Chaipel Classes this week about the Temperate Rainforest she is managing just 10 minutes away from school. The children learned about the rare species of which can be found there, such as the Floury Dog Lichen (see photo) and how the Cornwall Wildlife Trust will be managing the rainforest over the next 50 years. Poet, Sally Crabtree came in the following day to write poems with the children using the language they had learned. These two workshops are part of the science, art and writing project we are running with the Orwell Society, which we will be sharing with parents/carers and Orwell Society members later this year at their annual conference which will be held in Polperro.

Fantastic Footballers Congratulations again to our wonderful football team who played against St Germans on Tuesday and won 4-3. The team played very well and really deserved their win.

Cross Country Success Congratulations to Flora and Jamie who have been selected to take part at the Cornwall School Games county schools primary cross-country final on 25th March.

Parent Consultations Reminder that parent consultations are taking place next week. Thank you everyone for signing up.

Clubs Clubs will continue on the week commencing 10th March. If your child is already signed up, they should continue to come. Please contact the office if your child would like to attend and they are not already signed up.
Monday: After School Football Club (Mr Langley) for years 3, 4,5 and 6
Tuesday: Lunchtime ECO Club (Miss Randle) for years 3 to 6, some places by invitation; After school Alternative Sports Club (Mrs Hillman) for years 3-6
Wednesday: Lunchtime Mindfulness and Art Club (Mrs Wilkie) for years 2 to 6
Thursday: Lunchtime Music and Singing Club (Mrs Fitzsimmons) for years R, 1 and 2
Friday: After School Running Club (Miss Bowden and Mrs Turnbull) for years 3-6. This club is open to anyone who likes running however it will not run when the Cross-Country League races are on – next races 7th March and 21st March. Pupils do not have to race in these events.

SATS club for Year 6 These drop-in sessions will run on Tuesday mornings from 8am (Miss Randle); Wednesday Lunchtimes (Mrs Hillman) from 12:30; and Thursdays afterschool (Miss Randle) until 4:15pm.

Have a great weekend.

Mrs Hillman

This half term has flown by. We have crammed a lot into six weeks including work around children’s internet safety this week.

Talland Class had an amazing trip to Paignton Zoo yesterday where they saw all the different animals in all of their different ecosystems and habitats. They enjoyed a workshop in front of the lions where they got to hear them roar and learned lots of fun facts. See the class blog for photos and more information.

Alice Bywater, National Trust Ranger, came to speak to Talland and Chaipel Classes this afternoon about the National Trust’s conservation work in our local area. The children listened really well and asked some excellent questions. They will be using what they have learned as part of the science, art and writing project we are running with the Orwell Society, which we will be sharing with Orwell Society members later this year at their annual conference which will be held in Polperro.

Cross Country There were more personal best results at the Fursdon Farm race on Friday. As usual the team ran brilliantly in spite of the freezing conditions.

Fantastic Footballers Congratulations to our football team who played incredibly well again on Tuesday and won 9-2 against Antony School.

Parent/carer consultations – diary date Consultations will be held the week of 3rd March either in person or on TEAMS. Appointments will be available as follows:
Penhallow Class: Monday 3rd March 1-4:00 pm; Wednesday 5th March 3:30 – 5:30pm
Landaviddy Class: Monday 3rd March 1-4:00 pm; Tuesday 4th March 3:30-4:30pm; Wednesday 5th March 3:30 – 5:30pm
Talland Class: Wednesday 5th March 3:30 – 5:30pm; Thursday 6th March 1pm-4:30pm
Chaipel Class: Tuesday 4th March 1pm-4:30pm; Wednesday 5th March 3:30 – 5:30pm
We will email you immediately after half term with information regarding how to book an appointment.

World Book Day Competition This year World Book Day is on Thursday 6th March. Information about this year’s Extreme Reading competition and school World Book Day activities can be found in a separate letter (sent yesterday and attached).

Friends of Polperro School (FOPS) Quiz Please see attached flyer for details of the FOPS  Quiz which we are holding on Friday 28th February to raise funds for the school. We hope to see you there. Tickets are on sale at the main gate or the office.

Half Term Activities (details of all activities are on flyers attached)
• Football Pro-20 are running some Football Courses in the area during the February half term period.
• Hugs Foundation Activity Day Bodmin The Hugs Foundation supports families when a parent/ carer has a terminal illness and they are running some fully funded equine and forest school activities available as an activity day at the hugs foundation during half term week. They ask a £5 booking fee for this as numbers are limited, but can waive this for families who need us too.
• Looe Mini Miler The Looe Mini Miler fun run takes place at 10am on Sunday 2nd March. The race, which is organised by the Looe Pioneers, is suitable for children aged 4 and above. No entries on the day.
• National Trust Tree Planting in Fowey The National Trust is creating a new woodland at Coombe Farm in Fowey on Wednesday 19th February and is inviting families to come and plant trees there with the aim of extending and joining up existing areas of woodland.

Friday is an INSET day and then it is the half term break. We look forward very much to seeing everyone back in school on Monday 24th February.

Have a wonderful half term break.

Mrs Hillman

This week we were fortunate to welcome to school Muhunthiny (Tinni) Sivasothy, a remarkable Hindu woman with an incredible passion for sharing her culture, beliefs, and values with others. During a special whole school assembly, she spoke about the key elements of Hinduism: about its rich history, its colourful festivals, and the deep spiritual traditions that are part of daily life for millions of Hindus around the world. Following the assembly, years 4-6 took part in a workshop designed to give students a deeper understanding of Hinduism. Tinni emailed to say that she had thoroughly enjoyed visiting the school saying ‘all the students focused well, were enthusiastic to learn about Hinduism, were well behaved, and respectful.’ We were delighted to see how the children reflected on what they had learned, asking thoughtful questions and sharing their thoughts on the experience.

Children’s Mental Health Week
Wellbeing Morning As part of Children’s Mental Health Week, today, staff and children had a wonderful morning outside taking part in the Big Schools’ Birdwatch; toasting marshmallows around the fire in the school garden; practicing yoga and mindfulness and enjoying art activities involving nature. The children have asked that we have a wellbeing session every term which we intend to organize.

In addition to learning about mental health in class, on Tuesday, Rev Richard spoke about mental health in an assembly and how it is important to know yourself and recognise that there are things about yourself that may be different, but these things are an important part of who you are.

Football Success Congratulations to our football team who won 3-1 against Bishop Cornish School on Monday. Coach Langley said they played amazingly as a team, passing really well to each other.

Dodgeball Tournament Our year 3/year 4 team played very well yesterday at Callywith College against other Bridge schools, narrowly missing the final. Well done to all involved.

Upcoming dates
Reminder that Friday 14th February is an INSET day and half term is 17-21 February.

Have a lovely weekend.  

Mrs Hillman

We have been busy organizing many trips and activities for the upcoming terms including Chaipel Class's trip today to the Tamar Bridge  as part of their DT learning.  Why not look at their class blog for more information and the other class blogs to see the learning across the school that has been taking place. 

Children’s Mental Health Week 3-9 February We will be taking part in Children’s Mental Health Week next week. The week’s focus is Know Yourself, Grow Yourself, with the aim to encourage children and young people across the UK to embrace self-awareness and explore what it means to them. As parents and carers, you play an important role in your child’s mental health. There are free resources here which you may wish to look at beforehand. https://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk/resources/#families

As part of Children’s Mental Health Week, we will be spending next Friday morning outside when staff and pupils will be taking part in the Big Schools’ Birdwatch; toasting marshmallows and listening to stories around the fire in the school garden; practicing yoga and enjoying art activities involving nature. Children should come into school on Friday in warm clothing with a waterproof coat and wellies or old trainers. They should bring their uniform in to change into in the afternoon. If it rains, we will do wellbeing activities inside but will still go outside for the birdwatching.

RNLI MUFTI Day Thank you for sending your children in yesterday in something blue or sea-themed. We raised £74 for the RNLI in recognition of the Oars of Thunder’s success in the World’s Toughest Row.

Family Worker Drop-Ins, Thursday 6th February, 9-11 am Reminder that the Early Help Hub will be holding Family Worker Drop-In Sessions in our school from 9-11 am on 6th February 2025. If you would like to be able to talk in confidence, just pop along, they will be here to help and support you. They will be happy to discuss and advise on issues concerning your family for example, how to better understand your child’s needs & behaviours; positive parenting and how to keep your child safe; how to better understand the importance of routines for your family. To book a 30-minute slot, contact the school on secretary@polperroprimary.co.uk or call on 01503 272249.

Upcoming dates Reminder that Friday 14th February is an INSET day and half term is 17-21 February.

Have a lovely weekend.

Mrs Hillman

In assembly on Tuesday we watched video of the Oars of Thunder completing their 3000 mile row across the Atlantic. In recognition of their success in this amazing challenge, the children would like to have a MUFTI day next Thursday, 30th January to raise money for the team’s chosen charity, the RNLI. The theme for the day, which has been chosen by the School Council, is ‘Wear something blue or to do with the sea’. In return for wearing no uniform, a minimum donation of £1 would be welcome.

Congratulations to our cross-country team who ran brilliantly in last week’s race at Cotehele. Many of them ran a personal best, including Flora who came a fantastic second in her race. The team were all extremely supportive of each other and their behaviour was exemplary. We are very proud of them all.

Well done also to our football team who played their first league football match on Monday against Brunel. Although the final score was 2-0 to Brunel, they played really well as a team and the result didn’t quite reflect how well they played. The next match is at home against Bishop Cornish School on 3rd February.

Our Planet Protectors have been busy improving school’s recycling by arranging for each class to have a blue recycling bin (kindly funded by FOPS). The Planet Protectors meet every Tuesday lunchtime and are encouraging the rest of the school to know what they can and cannot recycle.

Information regarding Fundamentals Dance Classes run by Former Polperro School pupil Hayley Bentley is attached to this blog. Classes are on Mondays, 4:30pm - 5:30pm for young people ages 4-10 at Lanreath Village Hall. A physical & creative outlet for young people to learn new dance techniques and embrace freedom of expression! First class is FREE and then the classes are 'pay as you go' £6 per session. 

Have a great weekend.

Mrs Hillman