Head's Blog

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Week(s) ending 10th March 2023 

The Spring term continues to be as busy as ever. In the last couple of weeks we have celebrated World Book Day. The costumes were tremendous and the children who came to the storytelling evening had a great time. Thank you to staff for staying late and to the Friends for helping with the hot chocolate! 
Last Monday we celebrated St. Piran in style. The children did themselves proud with fantastic dancing and singing, supported by the brilliant 'Rubber Band'. Thank you to the family members who came to support the children and the school.
Finally, last Wednesday both schools were represented brilliantly by Annabelle, Saffron, Josh, Archie, Ellie, Jayden, Bettie, Freya, Bella, Ivy and Harper in 'Songfest'. They performed some fantastic songs in front of an appreciative audience in Launceston town hall. Thank you to Miss Owen for preparing the children and Mrs Trapp for helping to look after them on the night!


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Week ending 10th February 2023 


That seemed like a whirlwind of a half term!


On Tuesday 7th February it was Safer Internet Day. On this and the following few days our children were taught about and had discussions about staying safe when they online. At school we have filters in place which keep the pupils from finding any inappropriate materials for their age range. It may seem more difficult for you as parents to 'police' their online usage. However, there are some fantastic resources available to support you in this. The safer internet.org.uk website has some great tips for parents/carers to ensure that your child is as safe as possible when browsing or gaming online. Visit the web address below for more details.

https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/parents-and-carers

Over the last few weeks we have been represented in local football by a newly-formed Year 3 and Year 4 team. They have participated in a local school's league and have played with bravery, good humour and as great sports- well done - you have done us proud!

The 'scratch cards' continue to be a great success - I particularly enjoy my weekly 'Hot chocolate with the Head' time!

I want to wish you all a safe and happy half term. Finally, a huge thanks to the Friends of Delaware and Gunnislake for organising such a successful disco on Friday 10th- the children had a fantastic time!


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Week(s) ending 3rd February 2023 

Another few weeks have flown by at both bases. On 16th January all of the children enjoyed a fun-packed performance of Cinderella courtesy of the M and M theatre group. It was wonderful to see how enthralled they were with having the opportunity to see a live performance,. Thank you to Mrs Marshall for organising this and to the friends from both schools for funding this with some of their separate, existing funds before their current merger as one committee.
Last week I introduced the children to the final Trust value of 'determination'. The animal which have identified to represent is the Dung Beetle! The dung beetle can move dung  more than 1,141 times it own weight- to put this into perspective that is the equivalent to a human being dragging 6 full double decker buses. Resilience and determination in the face of difficulties is such a key skill for our children to learn.
You may be aware that a group of our children (from Year 4) are involved in an initiate called 'Green Graves'. This is a project with Calstock Parish Council where a group of pupils will be responsible for maintaining the local cemetery. This work includes assisting the groundsmen to collect rubbish and weed some of the communal areas. They will also be involved in planting bulbs and perennial plants on the graves. This will be especially important to families who are unable to visit their loved one's resting place. The children will tend these graves so that they look lovely all year. This also supports the Parish Council's initiative to remove plastic waste from the graveyard - hence the term 'Green Graves'.


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Week ending 6th January 2023 

Welcome back to the new term and Happy New Year! 
This week we have been learning about our new school value of creativity. The animal which we have linked with this value is the creative chameleon! Creativity can take many forms . You can have a flair for the creative arts or creative subjects the curriculum. You can approach a problem in a creative way and 'think outside the box' when working.I am looking forward to the ways in which the pupils show their creativity in their learning.
I have emailed parents a copy of the latest half termly newsletter which gives key dates and events for this half term. If you would like a paper copy of this, then there are some available in the school reception area.
This week has seen the first group of pupils receiving their lucky' scratch cards'. They can earn these by showing one of our school values (creativity, responsibility, curiosity, determination, being excellent and enthusiasm.) Rewards include- a trip to the treasure chest, having time on the ipad, hot chocolate with me and choosing where to sit for a day etc. The teachers are looking forward to giving many of these to your children over the year. 
A quick reminder that there are Boom reader sessions taking place at the Delaware base on Wednesday 11th and Thursday 12th January at 2.30pm if you would like to come along and find out how it works!

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Week ending 16th December 2022 

 We have finally reached the end of a very busy term. Thank you all for your patience during the recent 'cold snap'- I hope that the later opening on Monday did not disrupt too many of you- safety was the main concern for me and we have been fortunate with the rest of the week!
This week the children have been involved in many Christmas-themed activities. I have seen some fabulous Christmas craft items go home which I hope that you will enjoy over the festive season.
The Friends of Delaware and Gunnislake announced the winners of their 'logo' competition. Runners up were Jago, Flo, Archie and Eddie. The overall winner was Bella! Well done to all who took part.There is a photograph of the prize winners below (Flo and Eddie were absent.) Thank you to everyone who donated items to 'Bag 2 School'- £108 was raised by this initiative.
On Wednesday the children and staff enjoyed delicious Christmas dinners - prepared by Jeanette and Dawn at Delaware and Shelley at Gunnislake. Well done ladies- it was delicious! (Mine was from Delaware - I wasn't like the Vicar of Dibley and had to eat multiple dinners!)
On Thursday we had a two magical Christingle assemblies (held at both bases as the Church wasn't available at the last minute.) The children were so sensible with their lit Christingles and we managed to, thankfully, avoid setting off the fire alarms when we blew them out! 
 In the afternoon I was privileged to watch the 'premiere' of Reception's Nativity (AKA Navity in Wellies!) It was fabulous- well done to all involved- Miss Devlin, Mrs Feakins and, of course, Miss Martin who has spent hours editing the final cut! Those of you who would like to see it, can do so by heading to the Delaware Facebook page where it has been posted. Thursday was certainly a busy day because, in the afternoon, a group of our Year 5 and 6 pupils were Carol singing at Tesco Callington. They were absolutely fantastic and they raised £78.21! Thank you to Tesco for letting them perform and donating some chocolates to reward the singers. Thank you to staff who accompanied them and to Miss Owen who led them with, as ever, much enthusiasm.
Our final day of term saw everyone gathering in the hall to launch Christmas with 'Carols around the tree'. It was lovely to see so many families together. Thank you to the Friends for arranging such delicious refreshments and giving every child a cup of hot chocolate and a gift from Santa!
On Friday we also said a sad farewell to Miss Sinead Devlin who has worked with us, primarily in the Reception class. She is leaving to take up a new post in a school in Tavistock. We wish her success and happiness in her new role - the staff and children will miss her lots!
On the subject of staff, I want to publicly thank all staff who work so hard at both bases. They are all amazing and I hope that they enjoy their well-deserved break.
It now only remains for me to wish you and your families a very happy and peaceful Christmas. I look forward to seeing you all again in 2023 on January 3rd! 

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Week ending 9th December 2022 

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

With just a week to go before the end of term we have had a week filled with Festive events. Y2 had a wonderful visit to the theatre to see a production of Pinocchio which was greatly enjoyed by all! Y5 and Y6 travelled on the train to Plymouth to collect a group of Festive pensioners. The children travelled back to Gunnislake with them on the train and entertained them with Christmas songs - enjoying a snack on the way.
On Thursday we were treated to two performances of the Y1 and Y2 production "A Little Bird Told Me" The show was 30 minutes of catchy, often amusing songs which told the Nativity from the perspective of a group of birds led by a little robin. The performances got all families in the Christmas spirit an both performances were really well attended. Huge thanks to Mrs Tomkins, Miss Evans, Mrs Speare, Mrs Hannaford, Mrs Johns and Miss Read. Also thanks goes to the members of the Friends of both schools who provided refreshments for the performances.
I attended a Head's meeting this week and came back with a fantastic idea 'stolen' (with her permission) from the Head at Lanlivery Primary Academy. They are also working on promoting our Trust values and they are using lucky tickets to promote this. I have adopted the idea! The premise is simple- if a child is spotted showing one of our values they are awarded a lucky ticket. They then have to 'scratch' off the panel to view their reward. Rewards have been agreed by the school council, in consultation with all classes. Rewards include: a trip to the treasure chest, 10 minutes choosing, hot chocolate with me (alternatives are available), not having to wear uniform for a day and bringing a toy to school - to name a few. I hope that this will really encourage the children to think about using our values and will have fun finding out what their reward is. Thanks go to Mrs Wright for designing and printing the tickets!


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Week ending 2nd December 2022 

Winter Wonderland Art Exhibition

On Thursday evening (1st December) we showcased the artistic talents of the children of Delaware and Gunnislake by staging a "Winter Wonderland" art exhibition in the hall at Delaware. The children from every year group have been working hard to create winter-themed artwork. Some year groups were also lucky to have the opportunity to work with local artist Sean Hewitt when creating their masterpieces. Over 100 family members bought tickets to view the pictures and enjoyed food and drink from the Lil' Pizza Heaven   and the mobile bar from the Rifle Volunteer. Our Trust Ceo, Adrian Massey and our area executive head Sarah Sanson were also pleased to attend.
The Friends of Delaware and Gunnislake sold sweets, cupcakes, drinks and organised a brilliant raffle. There was a silent auction with many prizes donated by generous local businesses and a craft table for children.
Mr Wright and Mr Symons, from the Local Governing Body, awarded prizes for each class. The winners were;  Nursery : Star, Reception: Olivia and Kaine, Year 1: Carrick and Lexi, Year 2: Flo and Ruby, Year 3: Harper and Bella, Year 4; Eleanor and Josh, Year 5: William and Isabelle, Year 6: Seth and Imogen and the ARC: Freddy. 
Over £500 was raised on the night which will be used to buy more art supplies for the children at both bases- what an amazing amount of money!
The list of thanks is huge- thank you to the Friends of Delaware and Gunnislake, Mrs Feakins and Mrs Johns for running the craft table, Mr. Wright, The Cornish CraftSmith for making and donating some beautiful rosettes for prizes, Mr and Mrs. Symons, Mrs Vine, Mrs Trapp for running the auction and helping to set up the exhibition, Mr and Mrs Trapp for organising the loan of the many display boards needed for the children's work and to everyone who came and supported the event. Last, and certainly not least, a huge thanks goes to Mrs Wright whose was the instigator and chief organiser of the whole event. I had better not try my luck and suggest that this becomes an annual event- I will wait a few weeks before suggesting this to her!

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Week ending 25th November 2022 

Singing at Carnglaze Caverns

Firstly, I would like too say a huge 'Well Done' to the amazing group of children in Year 3 and Year 4 who performed at the Bridge schools music event at Carnglaze Caverns on Thursday (24th). Under the direction of Miss Owen, they performed 'Let's go fly a kite' from Mary Poppins and 'Consider Yourself' from the musical Oliver!
What a nerve-wracking thing to do, in front of a large audience of parents and some of the other schools form the Bridge Trust. They did Delaware and Gunnislake schools proud! And, more importantly, they had an amazing time!
Thank you to Miss Owen for teaching them the songs, Miss Johnson for driving the minibus and parents for supporting us and transporting the children home- I know that you were as proud as I am of their hard work and obvious talent.

We have introduced a new school 'value' to the children during the last two weeks- it is to be Enthusiastic! The school council have chosen an 'Electric Eel' to represent this value. We have talked to the children about being enthusiastic about each challenge that they face, not only in their learning, but all aspects of their life. See the document below for some more information.

I am looking forward to seeing lots of you next Tuesday and Thursday at the pop up play village and art exhibition (both held at the Delaware base.)


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Week ending 18th November 2022 

This week we have been talking about differences in all of us and that it is never right to bully anyone for who they are and what they believe. We wore odd socks on Monday to show that being different is a positive thing and should be celebrated!
The week concluded with some fabulous fundraising for Children in Need. Our wonderful children brought in donations to dress in spotty attire, pyjamas ,Pudsy- themed wear or regular clothes. They spent the afternoon enjoying a range of activities of their choosing- playing games in PE, taking part in a talent show, watching a range of films or creating a masterpiece in the arts and craft areas. Huge thanks goes to Mrs Wright who coordinated the whole event, the school council for coming up with great fund-raising ideas, staff who supervised the activities and , of course, to families for their donations.

We raised £173.70 across both bases for this worthwhile cause- thank you! 

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Week ending 11th November 2022 

Being Responsible Like a Raven
During the second half of this term we are working on refreshing our school values. These are shared by all of the schools in the Bridge Trust and are designed to guide children, not only in their learning, but also in their wider life.
In order to help children to remember and understand these values, the School Council have come up with a list of animals which demonstrate elements of the values.
The first of these is a Raven which has been chosen to represent 'responsibility'. A raven has been chosen due to it's links with being responsible for guarding the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London!
We have discussed ways of being responsible for others, environments, behaviour and learning.Children will be awarded certificates for showing how responsible they can be. It would also be great if parents could share with teachers (via SeeSaw) ways in which children also show responsibility at home. All of these will serve as brilliant examples for others. Look out in the coming weeks for the 5 remaining values.


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Our Values...

Creativity

Creative

We are bold and innovative in our approach to find new solutions to the challenges we face.

Curiosity

Curious

We are inspired by the awe and wonder of the world.

Integrity

Responsible

We take responsibility for our actions in an environment of mutual respect.

Enthusiasm

Enthusiastic

We are passionate about learning.

Excellence

Excellent

We are the best we can be.

Determination

Determined

We overcome all barriers to reach our potential, developing a capacity to improve further.

Welcome back to all of our pupils. Nursery, Reception, Y1, Y2 , Y3 and Y4 will be taught at the Delaware base. Y5 and Y6 will be taught at the Gunnislake base.


© 2024 Bridge Schools trust is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. Registration number 7736425. It is an exempt charity.