The Penpol Times

Bright Lights and Big City Sights

11th November 202219th June 2022 by Nic Stanlake

This last week 44 of our Year 6 pupils boarded the coach and headed off on our big city adventure. An early 7 am departure began the 4 day-long residential trip to our nations capital; for many their first trip for a number of years therefore bringing more challenge than usual.

Our first stop for the fun-filled (and I mean filled) week was at the Natural History Museum where the children had chance to explore through time. From the age of the dinosaurs through to present day. This tied very nicely into our current science topic of ‘Evolution and Inheritance’ where we could see first hand the work of Darwin. Before heading off around Piccadilly Circus before dinner at the Rainforest Cafe.

Wednesday meant PM’s questions, we were however not invited so a tour of Westminster Palace and an opportunity to meet our local MP, George Eustice, was on the agenda. Due to Parliament being in session we were unable to enter the House of Commons but we were able to tour the House of Lords; We were also able to walk the footsteps monarchs from Queen Victoria through to Queen Elizebeth II take through the annual ceremony of the state opening. The palace has so much history and security, which the children were equally interested in, but for that reason we were unfortunately not allowed to take photos inside.

We then headed off on our marathon sightseeing walking tour. Parliament Square- Westminster Abbey- St James Park- Buckingham Palace- The Mall- Horseguards Parade- Whitehall- Downing Street- Parliament Square. Again linking to our learning during the Autumn term in our topic of Wartime Britain.

The weather was very warm, hitting highs of 34 degrees on the Friday, so it was a quick whip back to the hotel for a shower and to out on the glad rags for a night in the West End. The Lion King was truly magnificent. Pizza Express- Covent Garden- The Lion King.

The late night previous led to a later and slightly more relaxed start. A walk from our hotel to Wembley Stadium along the famous Wembley Way. We took our boots but they wouldn’t let us in!

It was then off to the Zoo. A late addition to the itinerary after we were unable to book a guided tour of Wembley Stadium – apparently the Harry Styles Tour is more important – and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Fan favourites were the penguins, gorillas (including some familiar ones), big cats, monkeys and goats (I mean, who doesn’t love a petting zoo!)

It was then back to the heart of the city and a ride on the London Eye. There was one notable admission in the two pods we had, but she was there is spirit and made it into one photo! It was such a clear and beautiful day with a view for miles and miles!

The London Eye really has that WOW factor and was the highlight for many. Once grounded we headed off for dinner, but not before a stroll around Leicester Square and China Town. Another WOW opportunity, even these little walks between activities and venues have such an impact on the pupils.

That then took us into our final day, another early morning that including breakfast, picking up of sweet papers, packing and picking up of more sweet papers. We then loaded ourselves onboard the bus once more and headed back to Kensington but this time for the Science Museum. Not as many pictures I’m afraid as I let the camera battery on charge in the hotel! We were however again able to link our day to our learning in school with links to both our Autumn term biology as well as our Spring term electricity/communication work.

The children were a credit to themselves, their parents and us as a school. Their manners and attitudes were commented on numerous times by serving staff in shops and restaurants as well as members of the public. Residential trips are a wonderful opportunity to see a different side to children but also provide difficult challenge particularly the heat this week and hustle and bustle of a capital city; but they were wonderful and will, I expect, sleep for days. Lots more photos to come but don’t worry kids (and adults), I didn’t take any of you sleeping on the coach…

Being Kind

17th June 202217th June 2022 by Amanda Aspden

The reception classes were lucky to be invited into assembly to see an amazing speaker called Bereford Lee with the local Tri Service Safety Officer Adrian Hart.

Beresford has formed a group called Rice and Peas which is a community project in Cornwall which promotes acceptance, inclusion and cultural diversity throughout the county.

The children were captivated as Beresford talked about the importance of being kind to each other regardless of where you come from, your nationality or the colour of your skin.

It doesn’t matter who has different coloured skin, you should be kind to people of different skin – Jasper

Beresford explained that sometimes some people have been unkind because of the colour of their skin, we know this is wrong.

He also told the children that we need to be friendly to all and show respect for one another which fitted in beautifully with our Penpol School Values of Friendship and Respect.

It’s fine if you have black or white skin you have to be kind to everyone – Frida

Adrian was on hand to tell the children all about the law and what could happen if people are unkind to each other.

Beresford explained how being unkind to each other can not only hurt the other people, but can hurt yourself too therefore you have to be kind to everyone, including yourself.

He spoke about kindness, you have to help people get up and not push them over. It doesn’t matter about other peoples skin you still have to be nice – Maia

It doesn’t matter if you’ve got black or white skin or any colour even rainbow, you have to be kind to everyone – Freya

The children really loved listening to both speakers and commented on how they were all going to be kind to everyone when they left the assembly.

Thank you so much for the interesting and inspiring assembly. Please come and visit us again very soon.

Year 3 visits Footsteps of Discovery

11th November 202216th June 2022 by Linda Ruffell

Year 3, have just returned to school after visiting and spending the night at the Footsteps of Discovery centre in Summercourt, Newquay.

Whilst at the centre, the children participated in a range of lifesaving skills. This included fire lighting using various methods, safe cutting and an introduction to basic carving, location and signalling, outdoor cooking and basic water sourcing.

The children also had the opportunity to play team sports, cook marshmallows and learn how to tie a range of knots.

Class 9’s Lost Words

15th June 202213th June 2022 by Michael Pearson

This week, Year 4 immersed themselves in The Lost Words, a book of poems and illustrations inspired by the rich wonders of British wildlife. Each lost word is saved through speaking or singing a spell to conjure back these creatures into our hearts.

Inspired this book of spells, pupils wrote their own poems to express their adoration for the humble plants and animals of their local environment.

Dandelions, daisies, mushrooms and moss; robins, magpies, seagulls and sunflowers; herons, holly, willow and oak.

Children created beautiful watercolour paintings of their lost words, upon which they wrote their acrostic poems.

Pupils demonstrated some spell-bounding performances around the school grounds, conjuring creatures and plants with their wonderful poems and songs.

“Enter the wild with care, my love

And speak the things you see

Let new names take and root and thrive and grow”

The Lost Words Blessing

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Making Music with Micro:Bits in Year 3

8th November 202213th June 2022 by Jacob Woolcock

Over the past few weeks Year 3 have been learning to code on our Micro:Bit computers. These tiny devices are a great way to get hands-on with Computing and enable our students to write programs that they can run on real hardware in their hands.

To start with we explored the concept of Input and Output by using buttons, sensors and the LED displays on the Micro:Bits. It was interesting to see the range of programs that could be created with just two buttons.

Once the children felt confident with this aspect of the device then took things a step further by using some LED light strips which connected to the pins at the bottom of the Micro:Bits.

Suddenly the Mac Suite was transformed into a disco! We had colour changing, flashing and rainbow coloured lights everywhere.

When we finished having a mini party we used the opportunity to learn about using loops and repeat blocks to create colour changing light patterns.

And that brings us on to today, where the children have been using the Micro:Bits in an entirely different way.

By using three crocodile clips and some nifty external speaker modules, our Year 3s have been creating music! From individual notes to complete melodies, the Mac Suite was the place to be on Monday morning if you wanted some music.

(I must stress the word ‘music’ is used loosely here – it sounded less like Taylor Swift and more like an old fairground where the rides were breaking down and the normally happy music had started to sadly fade away into a sea of 8-bit beeps and bloops…)

As part of this activity the children embarked on some challenge based learning, where they were required to problem solve and troubleshoot both the code and the physical connection between the devices to get their music working. This proved to be a lot of fun and certainly got their brains thinking!

We love using Computing in hands-on ways at Penpol – why should we be confined to a screen when we can have colour changing lights and music coming out of our Micro:Bits?!

I dare say Year 3 would certainly agree.

Here are some more photos from our 'Musical Micro:Bits' lesson:

Our Own Hockey Heroes!

10th June 202210th June 2022 by Nic Stanlake

A collection of our Year 4, 5 and 6 pupils headed over to Penzance Hockey Club for some friendly festival games on Thursday. A mixed bag of results which culminated in a hotly contested ‘friendly’ derby between our two Penpol Teams. Some action shots are below! The children represented the school brilliantly and as is often the case, were a pleasure to take. Smiles beamed between the rain clouds as the children grew into the games and felt more comfortable in what for many was a very alien environment.

If you’d like to know any more about hockey at Penzance head over to their Facebook page, it is a brilliant friendly club with a great youth set up from Under 8’s to 18’s!

https://www.facebook.com/penzancehockeyclub/

Super Six Announcement

28th June 20226th June 2022 by Nic Stanlake

We have now proudly presented some of our pupils with Super Six status. 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 and second set of 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.

Sun, Sea and Surf for Year 6

29th June 20226th June 2022 by Nic Stanlake

Class 13 had the sun while Class 14 had the surf but both classes have now enjoyed their surf days with Global Boarders at Godrevy. Living where we do, we are fortunate to be situated only minutes from 3 miles of glorious golden sand. In this area of outstand natural beauty, we have some of the best beaches in Cornwall offering fantastic surfing opportunities.

Living next to the Atlantic, however, does come with its own hazards and dangers, especially when it comes to being safe in the sea.

At Penpol School we take beach safety very seriously and as part of the National Curriculum we offer our Year 6 pupils the opportunity to learn how to surf whilst practically teaching beach and water safety. We also believe that our children should be taking full advantage of their geographical location and safely enjoying the unique area in which they live.

It’s safe to say all children. (including the big ones!) had a wonderful time pushing the limits of their own comfort and learning some key skills along the way!

Reception Classes Visit the Maritime Museum

29th May 2022 by Amanda Aspden

Classes 1 and 2 had a great time at the Maritime Museum in Falmouth.

We loved meeting Oceana, the sea sprite who told us a wonderful story of how she now lives in the lost land of Lyonesse. We helped her retell her story using instruments and learnt how she was rescued by merpeople and how Poseidon the God of the sea gave her the gift of being able to breathe underwater.

We looked at some treasures that Oceana had found at the bottom of the ocean which included part of a shipwreck, (possibly a pirate ship), a cannon ball, an old boot and a killer whales tooth.

We also learnt all about the different parts of a boat before making our own.

Next was the exciting boat races where we got the chance to race them on the boating lake.

We had a look around the museum and discovered all kinds of amazing monsters from the deep including a blob fish, angler fish, a fangtooth fish and a cock eyed squid.

We also had time to play on the rescue boats, jet ski, quad bike and life raft. We pretended to rescue each other from the ocean.

Finally we went to the top of the lookout tower and had a look at all the amazing boats in the harbour. We learnt all about sail boats, yachts and catamarans and found out that one of the super yachts in the harbour would need about 15 crew members to run the ship.

Class 1 and 2 would like to say a big thank you to all the staff at the maritime museum. We learnt so much, had lots of fun and had a great day out.

Platinum Picnic at Penpol

27th May 202227th May 2022 by Tiffany Pope

It was such a glorious sight to see the whole school on the field enjoying the sunshine and celebrating the Queens Jubilee.

Every child had a smile, younger children danced and played with children from the older years and there was a real festival feel.

It has been such a long time since we were all able to be together, but I am sure it is the beginning of many more events to come!

THE JELLY FRIENDS American blog

Fee-Fi-Fo-Fun; Penpol’s Magical Minack Adventure!

“Penpol pupils are curious, creative and courageous learners. Our school community believes in authenticity as the foundation of deep-rooted learning. Through our rich and relevant curriculum, we nurture community-minded, forward-facing international citizens of the future.”