Happy New Year!

This week, we welcome Mrs Lister to Penhallow class. She will be working with us every Friday. She also teaches at Trenode school and has experience at teaching all Primary age groups, and brings with her lots of experience and enthusiasm. Please feel free to come in and meet her, or to ask any questions that you might have. 

This week, we have launched our new enquiry question: ‘Why aren’t space ship’s made of jelly?’ The focus of the topic, is based around different materials and their properties. 

This week, we explored the story of The Three Little Pigs during our English lessons. We learnt the story and practiced reciting our own version of the story with actions. We also sequenced the story with pictures, and built models of the pig’s houses in our construction area. We practiced our phonics writing skills by drawing plans, writing lists and labelling our models. 

In art, Year 1 began to learn about the sculptor Andy Goldsworthy. We watched videos about how he creates his work, and found out about the natural materials and techniques that he uses. We sketched the shapes that his sculptures make, so that next week, we can create our own designs and sculptures outside, using natural materials. Reception enjoyed making collages of the three pig’s houses, mixing colours to paint pig masks, and using junk modelling to build models of the houses. 

Have a lovely weekend!

From the Penhallow team

Hello Everyone!

There has been plenty of fun and festive activity in Penhallow this week.

Our Christmas Art Day took place on Tuesday, where we worked with our school house groups to make Christmas cards, crowns for our Christmas dinner, Christmas decorations and bags. We have also made some of our own decorations and cards in Penhallow this week, during our art and design technology lessons.

During our Christmas party on Friday, we enjoyed playing some old fashioned party games such as musical statues, musical chairs and pin the nose on Rudolph. Thank you so much for the party food that was supplied. Great fun was had by all.

As well as all the festive fun this week, we have also been busy writing some amazing stories, based on the story of 'The Snowman' by Raymond Briggs. Reception have enjoyed sequencing the story, and retelling the events, while Year 1 have really shown off their learning this term, by including some fantastic vocabulary and sentences in writing their own version on the stories. Well done everybody!

We hope you all have a lovely Christmas.  We will see you on Tuesday 7th January.

From The Penhallow Team.

Hello Everyone!

We hope you enjoyed our Christmas performance of 'It's a baby!' this week. We gave three performances this week, and (although perhaps a little tired by the time we reached the final performance), we acted and sang our hearts out. Well done to all of Penhallow, particularly to those who stepped into a new role due to their friend being absent. Thank you also to parents, who helped with the learning of lines at home. 

In our Maths learning this week, Year 1 have been busy using a number line to 20. We have ordered and placed numbers on a number line, and have been using our problem solving skills to estimate which numbers could be hiding in different positions. 
Reception have been using their skills in continuous provision, to create and name different shapes. There have been plenty of maths involved in our Christmas continuous provision activities, and we have been impressed at how some children have been able to explain their own learning.

In design technology, Year 1 have been sewing Christmas stockings as a Christmas decoration. We will decorate these next week, so that they will be ready to hang on your Christmas tree.

In computing, we have all been using our skills of coding, either to program a beebot, or to create our own character on the scratch junior app.

This week, we have also put the finishing touches to our Andy Warhol inspired printing creations during our art lesson. Well done everyone!

Reminders for this week:
Monday 16th December is the Christmas Gift Room. Gifts will be £2 each (max 2 gifts per child). Be sure to bring in your money if you would like to purchase any gifts for Christmas.

Friday 20th December will be our class Christmas party. You can wear Christmas MUFTI or party clothes (warm enough to play outside at breaktimes) and you are welcome to bring in some party food to share with the class.

Friday 20th December is a 1:30 finish.

We hope you have a lovely weekend.

From the Penhallow Team

Hello Everyone,

It’s looking very Christmassy in Penhallow this week.

We have been enjoying our Christmas role play area, where we have been learning about shape, size, and length, by wrapping presents, and we have been practicing our writing, by making Christmas cards. 

We have been learning about the nativity story by practicing our Christmas play. Every day, we have found out about the role of a different character in the Christmas story, by gradually building our Christmas nativity set. We tried to imagine how Mary and the shepherds might have felt, when they saw an angel. 

In art this week, we have been printing with different objects, and have been recreating artwork in the style of Andy Warhol. Next week, we will be making improvements and adding different colours to our prints. 

In English this week, we have been exploring non-fiction texts about castles and have been using adjectives to describe different kinds of castles. 

During our maths lessons, we have been learning about place value to 20, and have enjoyed using the story; ‘One is a snail, ten is a crab’ in order to investigate making 20 in different ways.

In science, we have continued our learning about different animals including humans. We used different fact files to find out which animals are carnivores, herbivores and omnivores.

We are looking forward to performing our Christmas nativity next Tuesday, and look forward to seeing you at one of our performances.

Have a lovely weekend!

From the Penhallow team.

Hello Everyone!

It has been a lovely week of learning in Penhallow.

Reception have been very creative in their play this week and have built numerous castles using different materials. We went outside on the hill in nursery, used sand in the outside play area, and also perfected other designs using different construction materials in the classroom.

We have all been busy learning songs for our Christmas play. The singing sounds amazing! A few of the children have lines to practice, so thank you if you have been practicing at home. The fun starts next week, when we begin to practice the whole play, complete with acting.

There were some really interesting show and tell items this week, that got us thinking. Thank you so much for your pictures and artefacts. Next week, the theme is; a book from the past. If you would prefer, a picture of a book would be fine. Particularly if you would rather not send in a special book. Show and tell is on a Friday afternoon.

We enjoyed a lovely whole school lantern making experience on Monday. It was lovely to see the older children helping Penhallow, and supporting them so well. Thank you Chaipel, Talland and Landaviddy. Hopefully the weather will be kind to us on Saturday for the lantern parade.

Have a lovely weekend!

From the Penhallow team.

Hello Everyone!

It’s been a very busy week in Penhallow.

We have been sequencing the story of Cinderella, labelling pictures and writing character descriptions of the ugly sisters. Year 1 are becoming experts in using interesting adjectives in their writing, while Reception are becoming much more confident at using their phonics to write their own words. Well done everyone!

In Year 1 maths, we have enjoyed plenty of practical work this week, which has helped us to reinforce our knowledge of our termly target: To recall number bonds to 10. We have used blocks, games, counters, bead strings, iPads. You name it, we have used it, to increase our fluency in adding these numbers. 

In computing, we have used our knowledge of Andy Warhol’s style of art, to create a set of repeated images using different paint programs on iPads. The children were extremely pleased with their results, which were vibrant, colourful and creative.

Thank you so much to all those who have brought in their themed show and tell this week. The children were excellent at listening to each other and asking questions.
Next week, please can the children bring in a gadget/mystery object from the past. If it’s not possible to bring in the actual object, a photograph will be fine. It would be great if the children could use their thinking skills to try to work out what the objects are. Show and tell is on Friday afternoons. 

Please keep practicing your reading at home everyone. When you have read your reading book 3 times, you can choose your next book. Every week, you can also choose a new library book when your previous book is returned. You also have your paper Twinkl phonics book to read at home which will help you with the phonics that you learn each week. We are all so proud of how much your reading is improving. Keep up the good work!

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

From The Penhallow Team. 

Hello Everyone!

Another busy week for Penhallow this week, which has ended with a lovely, colourful day of donating to children in need. Thank you so much for all your donations.

Penhallow have been experts at demonstrating our school value of being curious this week, by asking lots of questions about 'What was it like before we were born?' We found out all about Florence Nightingale, and we were able to use a timeline to sequence some significant events in her life. 

Our English learning has been based around the Julia Donaldson story of Zog. Year 1 have written an exciting story/voice over for a section of the film. Reception have been busy labelling characters from the story. The story also inspired us to develop our knowledge of science, by using different methods to free dragons from being trapped in ice.

Thank you to Sienna, for your amazing show and tell this week. Next week, please can the children bring in a toy or a picture of a toy from the past. Show and tell will be on Friday afternoons. 

On the blog this week, I have included our knowledge web for this half term. I hope it is useful for you to see all the lovely learning that takes place in Penhallow.

Have a lovely weekend!

From the Penhallow team.

Hello Everyone!

It was lovely to meet everyone this week at our parents evening appointments. It really helps us to help your children when we share information together.

This week Penhallow have been busy thinking about their topic; 'What was it like before we were born?' We talked about the different favourite toys that the children currently have, and then we went way back in Ancient History to explore some of the toys that Mrs Fitzsimmons had as a child.

Thank you to those children who brought a show and tell object or picture in today. These children talked about their toys extremely well, and there were some interesting questions that were asked. Next Friday, please can the children bring in an object, picture or send an email of a picture that was taken before the children were born, of a family member. It could be a parent or Grandparent as a child. Instead, it could be related to Remembrance Day. A relative that was perhaps alive during the first or Second World war.

In art this week, we have all been learning about the artist Andy Warhol. We looked at the ways in which his art work makes use of bright colours, and we created our own piece of artwork in the style of Andy Warhol.

Well done to the whole of Penhallow, who sang a song, complete with percussion instruments, to the whole school. As a part of last month's Black History month, we learnt about the life of Floella Benjamin, who has been influential in children's TV,  and books. We presented our facts and sang a calypso song from Trinidad. Well done everyone!

We hope you have a lovely weekend, and keep safe if you visit any firework displays.

From the Penhallow Team

Hello Everyone!

The children have been busy investigating all kinds of pumpkins this week. In English we have been reading the story 'Pumpkin Soup' by Helen Cooper. We began by exploring a range of different pumpkins and used adjectives to describe them. The story inspired the children to make pretend pumpkin soup during play. They added all sorts of weird and wonderful ingredients. Reception enjoyed drawing and painting the pumpkins, while Year 1 wrote a list of ingredients for how to make pumpkin soup. We are really proud of the instruction writing that Year 1 have produced this week.

Today we took advantage of the weather and spent some time in the school garden, hanging up some home made bird feeders. We also enjoyed an art lesson, where we re-created some concentric circles, in the style of the artist 'Kandinsky

After half term, our enquiry question will be 'What was it like before I was born?' Every Friday, we will have a themed show and tell, where the children can bring in and talk about something from home. On the first Friday after half term, please can the children bring in an object or a picture from before they were born. 

Have a lovely half term break.

From the Penhallow team.

Hello Everyone,

We have had a wonderful week of writing this week. Reception have been busy writing captions and acting out the story of the little red hen, while Year 1 have started to learn all about the features of instruction writing. They have also completed their own poems, based on the Allan Ahlberg poem; 'Peepo'. Thank you to Hugh, who brought in his own copy of the book from home, and read it to the whole class.

In our RE lessons this week, we have been learning all about how to look after our world. We went into the school garden to make sure that all of our plants are well cared for. We also read stories, with a conservation theme, and discussed examples of how we can care for our environment.

Year 1 have really enjoyed using the ipads in maths today, to increase their fluency in addition and subtraction. Meanwhile, Reception had a great time getting active with their maths in the hall. They were learning about the composition of 1,2,3,4 and 5, by throwing bean bags into hoops, and zooming around on wheels to make different numbers to 5. 


Have a lovely weekend!

From the Penhallow team.