Headteacher
Chris Coyle-Chislett
Email the Office
secretary@penpol.cornwall.sch.uk
Telephone Number
01736 753472
Our Address
2 St George’s Road, Hayle,
Cornwall, TR27 4AH
This week, Year 2 has been learning about a very special Christmas tradition – Christingle. As part of our lessons on Christian celebrations, we made our Christingle celebration a time to think about being thankful for what we have and hopeful for the future. We explored the meaning behind this beautiful tradition, which is celebrated by Christians around the world during Advent and Christmas.
The word Christingle comes from two words: “Christ,” who Christians believe is the light of the world, and “tingle,” which refers to the orange shape used in the celebration. We learned that the orange represents the world, while the candle placed on top is a symbol of Jesus being the light that shines in the darkness, giving people hope. The red ribbon wrapped around the orange stands for the love of Jesus, which reminds Christians to be thankful and caring towards others. Some Christians believe the sticks with sweets or fruit represent the gifts we give to others at Christmas, while others believe they represent God’s creation of the four seasons.
Learning about Christingle has helped us understand the Christian message of love, peace, thankfulness, and hope, and it was a special way for Year 2 to reflect during the holiday season and the beginning of a new year.
Today, Year 2 had a very special design and technology session with their KS2 Learning Buddies. The children worked together to create amazing castles using cereal boxes, glue, scissors, masking tape and plenty of imagination!
The classroom buzzed with excitement as the children buddied up to share their ideas about turrets, battlements and drawbridges. Then, putting their ideas into action, cutting shapes, attaching pieces, and making sure their structures stood tall. Some groups even added flags, battlements, and secret doors.
Throughout the session, the children showed fantastic resilience, one of Penpol School’s core values. When towers toppled or glue didn’t stick, they didn’t give up—instead, they tried new methods, adapted their ideas, and kept going with smiles on their faces. They also demonstrated wonderful creativity, turning simple cereal boxes into colourful castles full of character and clever design features.
Everyone worked carefully and cooperatively, showing brilliant teamwork. The KS2 buddies supported the younger pupils with tricky parts while encouraging them to make their own choices. Year 2 pupils said they enjoyed having “big helpers” and learning new building skills. After saying duw genes/goodbye to their buddies, Year 2 continued their projects by carefully painting and decorating their castles to bring their designs to life.
