The Penpol Times

Year 1 – Spooky Dress up Day!

15th July 20255th November 2019 by Christina Sukstiene

Classes 4 and 3 had a spooktaculartime celebrating our 'Spooky dress up day."

We took part in lots of spooky activities throughout the day. The children came up with some ghastly adjectives to use to write a 'GHOST' acrostic poem. 

We also explored estimation in maths, carrying out a ghoulishpumpkin investigation!

Both classes loved getting messy by making some spooky, gloopy soup too! 

We finished the day with a 'spooky' disco and yoga, retelling a haunting story through yoga poses.

We all had a magical day!

Artistic Adjectives

3rd November 20191st November 2019 by Jacob Woolcock

Just before half term we finished an exciting and creative project which involved creating artwork on our iPads. We spent several lessons learning different techniques and building our drawing skills, which was put to good use in the final lesson where everyone created their own Artistic Adjective.

The goal was simple, pick an adjective and create a piece of Word Art which showed that word illustrated as if it were describing itself. So ‘chilly’ had to look really cold, ‘sleepy’ had to look really tired and ‘boring’ had to look really, well, boring!

The children had great fun creating these pieces of art. Keep an eye out around the school for a big Word Art display popping up soon…

All Class 11 Class 12 Class 13 Class 14

Year 2 enjoy their visit to Hayle Pilot Gig Club

2nd July 20242nd October 2019 by Linda Ruffell

This term Year 2 have been learning all about the champion rower Ann Glanville. Ann was born in Saltash and was married to John Glanville, who worked as a waterman – someone who rowed people and cargo across the River Tamar. Together they had 14 children and when John became ill Ann took his job to provide money for their family. She was tall, strong and very good at rowing.

To help the children identify what life may have been like for Ann, the children had a very informative trip down to the Hayle Pilot Gig Club.

Season Opener For Our Netballers!

1st October 20191st October 2019 by Nic Stanlake

Tuesday brought about the opening round of fixtures for our netball team. The children travelled to Mounts Bay Academy where they participate in the Penwith Schools High-5 netball league.

The team consisted of a mixture of year 5 and 6 children, many of whom were playing for the first time.

The match started positively for Penpol but unfortunately they couldn’t make their dominance count with Gulval leading 1-0 at half-time. The second half seemed much more comfortable for the children with them begging to play with confidence and freedom.

An excellent performance from player for the match, Vinnie, who played at both GK and GS was rewarded with two points.

Unfortunately it wasn’t enough as the team fell to a 3-2 defeat. Plenty of positives to take from the game which was played with big smiles on their faces!

If you’d like to give netball a go, netball club in on a Thursday with Mrs Turner for year 5 & 6.

Stone Age and Bronze Aged artefacts land in Class 11 & 12!

1st October 20191st October 2019 by Mark Pollard

On Tuesday the 1st of October, class 11 and 12 were fortunate enough to get their hands on some artefacts which are literally thousands of years old!

Made during the Stone Age and Iron Age, the children worked together to decipher what the items might have been used for. Items included large Stone Age axe heads, chisels and arrows.

Rhys said that he was excited about looking at all of the Stone Age items.

Devon said that it was great to actually hold items which had been handmade so many thousands of years ago.

Thanks goes to Dr M.G Weller – whose fine collection these items came from – and David Lay Auction House in Penzance, who kindly arranged for the loan to happen.

Soccer Star Signs For Professional Accademy

1st October 2019 by Nic Stanlake

Jake (Class 13) is a very talented young footballer who plays for his local club, Hayle. He has recently been working his way through the Plymouth Argyle player pathway. Starting here at home in West Cornwall before moving to Brannel in Mid Cornwall and latterly the Centre of Excellence in Ivybdrige.

In the last few weeks Jake has been on trial with the academy where they have been monitoring not only his level of skill but also his attitude towards both his football and schooling. It is with great pleasure that I can confirm that Jake has met the expectations of the club and has signed his first contract with the Academy, one of only two players from Mid & West Cornwall!

A tremendous achievement for such a hardworking young man! Keep it up Jake, we are all super proud of your achievements to date!

A lovely morning for some Bingo!

3rd November 201924th September 2019 by Jacob Woolcock

Welcome back to the new term at Penpol School!

As a fun starter for this year, Mr Woolcock and his classes played a game of ‘Summer Holiday Bingo’ using the new Outdoor Classroom area and our iPads.

This game proved quite the hit with the pupils, who spent a good half an hour trying to fill their game cards before everyone else could.

The game itself was very simple – each child had to take a selfie with another child who had taken part in a particular activity over the summer holidays. For example, “rode a bike’, ‘went on an aeroplane’ or ‘watched an amazing film’.

The only catch was that they couldn’t get a photograph with the same child twice! This didn’t seem like a big deal at first, but soon proved quite tricky…

It quickly became apparent that some of the bingo squares were harder to find that others and that only a couple of children had completed some of the activities. This led to some rather hasty rearranging of selfies to ensure every box was filled.

This activity was a great chance to get outdoors with the iPads, but also to get to know our new classes and catch up with old friends.

Cosmic art at Hayle Vets

19th September 2019 by Jono Peck

Before the end of the summer term, the Y6 undertook an art project to redesign and paint the mural at Hayle Vets. The project was supported by an artist called Cosmic who helped bring all the ideas to life.

Cosmic worked with all the Y6 firstly in school generating ideas and artwork that could form the mural. He then led sessions with the children with spray paints practising technique and creating art styles which would be used on the mural. All the Y6 had a go at spray painting and producing ideas for the main mural.

Certain children were selected based on their artwork to actually paint the mural at Hayle Vets with Cosmic. Two groups went down over a day and worked with Cosmic. The first group outlined the design.

The second group added some fuller colour and finishing details.

After a tiring day, the children left and Cosmic added the finishing touches. The mural looks fantastic and all the Y6 were invited back down to Hayle Vets to see their finished design. The design is very local to the Hayle area and takes a journey through Hayle Foundry to Copperhouse, along the Towans and out beyond Godrevy. You might also spot a few animals and sea creatures. Go and take a look for yourself – it’s amazing!!

The children were very happy and overwhelmed with the finished artwork. It was cosmic!

Our thanks go to Cosmic for his patience, creativity and artistic skills that were shared with the Y6. A massive thank you to Steve Wyatt and Hayle Vets for hosting the Y6 and for funding the project. We know you are pleased with the mural and it is certainly the coolest car park in town!

One ‘Wicked’ London trip

15th September 2019 by Jono Peck

On the 11th June 2019, many of the Y6 travelled to London for 4 days of sightseeing, visiting attractions and the many things our nations capital has on offer. With a jam packed itinerary planned, we set off at 7am by executive coach for the long road ahead. Following a number of “Are we nearly there yets?” just after lunchtime we pulled up outside the Natural History Museum.

The children were excited by the beautiful exterior and size of the building even before going in. As we entered the Natural History Museum this was the scene that greeted us:

We saw many exciting exhibits:

Then it was off for dinner at Pizza Express before going to check in at the hotel for our first nights stay.

Our second day in London started at the Houses of Parliament where we had a special tour through the buildings including the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed in most areas. There were lots of MP’s coming in to discuss Brexit. The former Prime Minister Theresa May was also arriving for questions – we left and I don’t think she was long after us!

We then went sightseeing around Central London:

Dinner at Garfunkel’s and then a West End show – Wicked. Wicked was absolutely wicked!!!

The next day we visited HMS Belfast on the River Thames in the morning by the Tower Bridge. It was used during World War II and was fascinating to tour around. It was interesting to look at and experience some of the things we had been learning about from our Wartime Britain topic. We also bumped into the Hollywood actor John Malkovich. Not somebody you see in a ship’s navigating room very often!

We then went on a river cruise down the River Thames setting off from just outside the Tower of London. Unfortunately it was rather damp outside so we viewed it all from the inside. At least we ate lunch in the dry. The commentator was very funny. Docking at Westminster next.

It was time for a flight on the London Eye. We watched a 4D show first which was really cool. Looking up at the big wheel up into the sky, it was our turn to go on and we were very excited. All except one frightened adult! Mrs Turner didn’t look down or even up once!

Dinner at the Rainforest Cafe – there were some strange rumblings going on. We kept seeing wild and hairy things – wait…was that just Mr Stanlake and Mr Peck?

A nice evening stroll then followed, through the lights of Picadilly Circus, Leicester Square and Trafalgar Square before heading back to the hotel.

It was our last day in London. All the bags on the coach and we were heading to the Science Museum and The Wonderlab. The Wonderlab is the most amazing hands on science laboratory/gallery/play room/museum/fun room you can imagine. We had so much fun, investigated lots and maybe even learnt a little along the way! After clearing out the shop we then went for a quick tour around some of the Science Museum.

Now the long journey home. Happy life-long memories and amazing experiences. Oh, and a few ‘Bongo Bandit’ songs on the way back. It was too much for some!

Year Six – London 2019

Organic and Mixed Media Art Experience for Year 5!

12th September 2019 by Jack Emery

Year 5 were treated to a week of organic art and mixed media Art with Tracey, an artist from St Ives.

With the amazon being a pivotal part of the Earth’s ecosystem, Year 5 are currently following artist John Dyer as he broadcasts live his travels across the Amazon. His project, ‘Last chance to Paint’ , aims to connect students to the environment and create a global art gallery which highlights what we stand to lose.

In this art session, the students used blackberries, which had been freshly picked by Mr Pollard and Mr Wise, to mimic the Yawanawa tribe’s version of organic art. Using modelling tools, the students created sketches of wildlife in nature, with the results surprisingly pleasant to the eye.

The variety between each piece of work was quite staggering, considering the only ingredients used were blackberries. Mr Wise, Class 12 teacher

Later on in the week, Year 5 were once again treated to another Art session, this time from local artist Tracey from St Ives. Tracey brought in a lot of different materials for the children to use in order to create mixed media art. Using a variety of materials, such as masking tape, coloured paper and doilies, the children were instructed to build up a surface formed from different layers.

I really liked using different colour paper to layer my work and make different objects stand out. Oliver, Class 11

Through lots of experimentation and creativity, both classes then drew different nautical scenes from the surrounding area, with St Ives harbour being a common landscape for the children to draw.
The students used different grading of pencil to add different tones to their work, as well as graphite, pens, pastels and finally paint.

My favourite part was mixing the paints to create the colour I wanted for my drawing! Lydia, Class 12

The final results speak for themselves! The children took great pleasure showing off their art work and it was interesting to see the degree of variety between every piece of art work.
A fantastic effort, check out the results in the gallery below!