The Penpol Times

Y5 have a Virtual Visit to an Amazon Warehouse

8th October 20218th October 2021 by Mr Woolcock

This afternoon our two teams of Year 5’s who are taking part in the FIRST LEGO League competition were treated to a (virtual) VIP tour inside an Amazon Warehouse.

As part of their Cargo Connect challenge for the competition, they are researching more about how goods are shipped around the world and delivered, in order to hopefully find some creative solutions to improve these processes.

As well as being given a tour around the different departments, from ordering & picking to packaging & shipping, the children were given the chance to ask some questions to a trio of Amazon Engineers.

Throughout the tour the students were jotting down questions on some post-it notes and by the end they had amassed quite a collection! Luckily there was plenty of time for the Q+A and lots of our questions got answered.

Here are some of the interesting facts we learnt during the tour:

“I learnt that the items are stored randomly in the warehouses, with robots being used to pick the items” – Ethan

“The SLAM machine that puts the label and address on the packages doesn’t actually touch the package at all – it drops the label on top” – Amelie

“The shortest delivery was done in under 30 minutes and they use satellite images to check addresses and to update their maps when new roads are built.” – Sienna

“They use algorithms to help find and move parcels, with robots following QR codes on the floor” – Caio

Penpol Celebrates European Day of Languages 2021

5th October 2021 by Mr Emery

This week, the whole school celebrated European Day of Languages. With a wealth of languages being spoken along the corridors of our school, from Polish to French, Lithuanian to Portuguese, it was especially important to give all languages the recognition they duly deserve.

Students and staff were invited to dress up in the colours of their favourite country and rose to the call in spectacular fashion; by 9am, the whole school was awash with all the colours of the rainbow!

In the morning, KS1 students were invited to sample a French breakfast in the yurt with Mr Emery and six KS2 volunteers. Each class enjoyed singing in French and were then able to order from KS2 students, learning the basics such as ‘Bonjour’, ‘s’il vous plaît’ and ‘merci.’

“Miam miam!” Phrase of the day, which translates as ‘yummy’ in French

KS2 students showed off their already fantastic French skills by competing as a whole class on LanguageNut Live, where each student puts their knowledge of their current French topic to the test in real time against their peers. A huge well done to Reuben and Merryn from Year 3 who came top in their year group on animals and colours in French – Bravo!!

All classes in KS2 also competed in the European Day of Languages shirt competition.
This had all students creating a design to best represent European Day of Languages. If proven successful, they will have it printed on the official European Day of Languages T shirt next year and receive 30 T-shirts for them and their class. I have already received some extremely creative designs so far – keep them coming!

Finally, Mr Emery led each of the assemblies to round off a fun European Day of Languages. From the video of students and staff speaking a multitude of different languages, to singing one of the classic “Tu as un animal” (do you have any pets) song, the assembly encouraged students to be adventurous and have a go at speaking in another language. Whether that’s greeting Diane the dinner lady with a ‘Czesc’ (hello), asking how Mrs Bailie is – ‘como você está’ (how are you?) in Portuguese, or asking for a strawberry ice cream on holiday in France(une glace à la fraise s’il vous plaît). Using a language is fun and the students and staff of Penpol proved that again today.

“Today has been the best day ever!” Louis, Class 12

A huge thank you to everyone who made the day such a great success! Check out the photos from the day, as well as the video of students and staff speaking in different languages.

Year 3 – Mummification in Ancient Egypt

25th September 202125th September 2021 by Mrs Ruffell

Ancient Egypt

As part of their history topic, year 3 started off learning about Ancient Egypt by turning some oranges into mummies!

Just like real Ancient Egyptian embalmers we started off by taking out all of the gooey insides and then used several paper towels to make sure the insides were nice and dry. Next we filled up our oranges with salt, just like the embalmers dried out bodies with natron. Finally, we wrapped up our mummies in bandages and put them somewhere warm to dry out. We will be checking on them in a few weeks to see how the mummification process is going!

Year 5 wowed by Spaceport Satellite exhibition

16th September 202115th September 2021 by Mr Pollard

On Monday the 13^th and Tuesday the 14^th of September, Year 5 were fortunate to be offered a visit to Newquay Airport where Spaceport Cornwall currently have an exhibition taking place – ‘Story of a Satellite’. With VR headsets allowing us to explore unknown planets, being able to see a 70ft rocket in person and lots of other valuable information and resources dotted around the huge hangar, there was plenty to see and do. Mr Pollard’s twin brother, who works for Spaceport, also held a highly informative Q&A session and the children came up with some excellent questions. This will tie in brilliantly with our Space topic which begins in January, giving everyone a great head-start in recognising the importance of satellites to our world.

Josh – “I wish we could go again tomorrow. I really enjoyed the VR headsets. The lava-filled planet was my favourite.”

Fun At The Beach with Class 2

9th July 20219th July 2021 by Miss Nidds

Class 2 had lots of fun visiting Marazion last Thursday. The children were very excited for their first trip in the minibus and to visit the beach and marshes down at Marazion.

Upon arriving at Marazion, we enjoyed visiting the park before making our way down to the beach.

Once we reached the beach, we split ourselves into two groups ready for one group to play some beach games and another to visit Marazion Marshes.

We went across the bridge. I took binoculars and we went past flowers – Bobby

Children on the beach enjoyed creating a portrait of themselves using what they could find on the sand. There are some great creations as you can see below! The children also had lots of fun building sandcastles, digging holes and burying their legs in the sand!

I liked digging holes and I liked playing with the rocks and I really liked going in the sea! – Jude

We also enjoyed dipping our toes in the water!

It was cold! I splashed the water with my feet – Erin

Meanwhile the group visiting the Marshes enjoyed taking part in a scavenger hunt and using their senses to explore what they could find. The children were set a special challenge by Mrs Allen to remember the name of the flower ‘Scarlet Pimpernel’ that we spotted on the marshes.

I liked looking through the binoculars. I saw some birds and some flowers – Vera

Once all children had visited the marshes and the beach, it was time for lunch and an ice lolly to cool down!

Then after a few more games, it was time to climb back on board the minibus for our journey back to Penpol with shoes full of sand and a great time had by all! We are looking forward to our next trip later on in the term!

Class 3 Seaside Art

9th July 20217th July 2021 by Miss Whear

Class 3 have enjoyed exploring a variety of mediums and skills to create Seaside themed art. So far they have used, paint, water colour paint, sketching pencils and pens as well as collaging.

They particularly enjoyed following a step-by-step teacher tutorial using sketching pencil to create lines and discover how to make the huts appear 3D.

Class 3 then used water colour paints. After exploration, they realised that the more water they added, the lighter the colour became.

The calming music created a lovely atmosphere where the children concentrated beautifully and all felt proud of what they’d achieved.

Brilliant Beach Days

5th July 2021 by Miss Aspden

Class 1 had an amazing day at the Bluff beach with the surf lifesaving super star Ben Holtaway.

We started out in the beach hut and learnt all about beach safety. We learnt where and when it is safe to go into the sea to swim or surf and what to do if we get into trouble.

We swim in between the red and yellow flags, otherwise you’ll go out to sea – Elowen

Next we met the life guards. We learnt all about the important role they have and what they do to keep us safe on the beach. We even got a demonstration of one of the lifeguards rescuing his friend who had got into trouble in the sea with the jet ski. Next we had a go on the rescue board and were excited to sit on the jet ski and quad bike.

I liked going on the jet ski best and the quad bike. Joseph

After the jet ski fun, we played some amazing beach games including the assault course with the sea weed cave of doom.

I liked playing in the wet sand best – Jacob

Finally, the highlight of the day was going surfing. The tide was perfect and the children had an amazing time swimming, splashing and surfing in the gentle waves.

I like surfing the best. I paddled on the surf board – Seth

Class 1 would like to say a massive thanks you to Ben and all the life guards for making the day so much fun and enjoyable.

Y5 Compete at the Regional Finals of the FIRST LEGO League 2021

25th June 202125th June 2021 by Mr Woolcock

Over the past few months, something very exciting has been happening in the Mac Suite at Penpol School. Whether it be on a Wednesday afternoon or over lunchtime, two teams of dedicated and committed of year 5 pupils have been hard at work practicing for the FIRST LEGO League Competition.

This is our first year entering at Penpol School and whilst we weren’t quite sure what to expect, both teams got straight to work designing their robots, understanding how the code worked, researching innovative solutions to problems and improving their teamwork and co-operation. Over these few months all thirteen children have grown closer in their teams and have been focused on a common goal – the Regional Final event!

Well, I’m delighted to say that both teams absolutely blew us away on the day. Their perseverance, ingenuity and dedication really shone through and they have well and truly done Penpol School proud. Below is a brief rundown of what happened with each team in all four areas of the competition, as well as any special recognition they received along the way.

Well done Stellan, Chris, Liliana, Dylan, Oliver, Erin, Flora, Ruby, Ben, Obi, Katie, Agnes and Remy!

Team Robo Legends

Class 11: Stellan, Remy, Oliver, Agnes, Ben, Flora and Ruby

FIRST LEGO League: 3rd Place

Team Robo Legends came third overall at the 2021 Cornwall Regional Finals

Robot Games

Robo Legends managed to code a fantastic assortment of activities on the challenge table and managed to finish with a very impressive score of 180. They coded each activity and tested thoroughly to ensure it was reliable and accurate. The judges were very impressed with their perseverance and creativity.

2nd Place: Robot Games

Team Robo Legends

Core Values

The judges said the team “showed good co-operation throughout playing to each others strengths, but always coming back together to take on the next challenge.”

They demonstrated incredible teamwork, perseverance and a sense of fun throughout the completion and thoroughly deserved to come first for Core Values in the competition!

1st Place: Core Values

Team Robo Legends

Innovation Project

In an effort to solve the problem that only 0.5% of people in the world surf, the team invented a clever machine that floats off of the coast and cleans sea-water, warns of impending marine life attacks and will offer surfers a panic button to call for help should they find themselves in danger.

The team created a prototype of this invention and did a brilliant job of presenting their research and development to the judging panel, who praised their “outstanding presentation, which the team delivered in a very fun way“.

Robot Design

Finally, team Robo Legends delivered a fun and informative interview-style presentation to the judges where they reflected on the journey they’ve been on as part of the LEGO League Competition, including their funniest moments (involving pillows, dancing and uncontrollable robots!) as well as the challenges that they’ve overcome.

A particular highlight of this section was hearing how the children have become better friends and a stronger team as a result of their participation in the competition.

Team LEGO Legends

Class 12: Chris, Dylan, Katie, Obi, Liliana and Erin

FIRST LEGO League: 2nd Place

Team LEGO Legends came second overall at the 2021 Cornwall Regional Finals

Robot Games

LEGO Legends managed to achieve an utterly incredible score of 280 in the Robot Games. To put this into context, anything over 100 would have been considered a huge achievement for the children in their first year.

They coded some incredibly complicated algorithms to make their robot work, including one that steered the robot under a bridge, then dropped 13 cubes into a small target before reversing, driving on and ending up dancing on the dance floor.

1st Place: Robot Games

Team LEGO Legends

Core Values

As well as their achievements in coding and presenting, the team showed the judges how well they worked together by supporting each other, cheering on individual successes in the competition and demonstrating exceptional teamwork and co-operation at all times.

A real highlight here was seeing how each and every child got involved in their challenges, whether it was presenting and answering questions with the panel of judges or by working together to ensure a reliable and high-scoring round in the Robot Games.

Innovation Project

For their innovation project team LEGO Legends realised that people were driving for short journeys, even to the shops or to drop children off to school. To help combat this, the team invented a mobile phone app which would only let you drive in your car after you’d walked a certain number of steps.

What really set the team apart though was their sheer amount of research and development that went into their product. The judges remarked: “Research and feedback from others through questioning was excellent. A great way of sharing your ideas.“

1st Place: Innovation Project

Team LEGO Legends

Robot Design

Finally, team LEGO Legends delivered a compelling presentation sharing what they’ve learnt in the competition, how they’ve improved as a team and how they overcame challenges along the way.

The judges asked some interesting questions of the team but they all found ways to respond, with one judge in particular praising how they refined their code: “Obi gave the perfect answer for how they tested and isolated faults with the code. This is exactly how it is done in engineering companies all over the world.”

3rd Place: Robot Design

Team LEGO Legends

Class 12 Surf Day

24th June 2021 by Mr Jones

On Thursday 17th of June 2021, Class 12 went surfing at the Global Boarders surf school based near Hayle, Cornwall. Class 12 went for the whole day and surfed from ~10:30 to ~14:30 with a small break for lunch at ~13:00. Before they got in the water, the trained instructors taught them some basic safety signals and some cool tricks to try in the water such as “race car”, “freestyle”, “Casanova”, “coffin”, “jazz hands” and “sky dive”. They arrived at ~9:30, went through basic safety checks, got changed and got in the water.

It was enjoyed by all, Dylan.C said “I enjoyed duck diving under waves.”. Chris said “I enjoyed standing up on my board and then falling off almost immediately.”

They surfed for nearly 3 hours before they had to go up to the cafe to eat their lunch. They all ate their lunch remarkably fast so they could get back in the water. 2 people though got very cold and were allowed to put on extra wetsuits. After eating their lunch, Class 12 went back down to the beach and did a 15 minute warm up of stuck in the mud. After 5 rounds of stuck in the mud, they grabbed their surfboards and jumped back in the water for their final hour. They all caught at least 3 waves or more, some getting up to 30 waves. At about 14:00, they walked up with their surfboards and got changed. This took ~35-40 minutes. They only had 1 bus so the second group had to wait an extra 15 minutes for the next bus. By the time the second group got to school, it was 15:15, year 5’s home-time so they all left to their homes.

Reported by Obi B

and Dylan C

Super Six Announcement!

23rd June 2021 by Mr Stanlake

A few weeks before activity week we proudly announced out new Super Six Pupils, the first of hopefully many this year. Becoming a ‘Super Six’ is not simply about academic success but more so recognising excellent role models that demonstrate the shared values and ethos of the school.

The first pupils have been presented with a signed certificate and have also signed a contract to show that they now fully understand the responsibilities for their new role.

These particular children share a tremendous work ethic and constant drive to succeed and improve. Through both homework and classwork they have shown immense effort and diligence and we are wholly confident they will continue to set an excellent example for children at Penpol School as they wear their new ties with pride.

We look forward to seeing these children continue to develop and flourish at Penpol as well as looking forward to the opportunity to present more awards to deserving children.

Team Robo Legends

Class 11: Stellan, Remy, Oliver, Agnes, Ben, Flora and Ruby

FIRST LEGO League: 3rd Place

Robot Games

2nd Place: Robot Games

Core Values

1st Place: Core Values

Innovation Project

Robot Design

Team LEGO Legends

Class 12: Chris, Dylan, Katie, Obi, Liliana and Erin

FIRST LEGO League: 2nd Place

Robot Games

1st Place: Robot Games

Core Values

Innovation Project

1st Place: Innovation Project

Robot Design

3rd Place: Robot Design

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