In English, the Tawny Owls were learning about contractions and how two words can be made into one. The pupils worked in partners, discussing the two given words and how they can be made into their contracted form, then cutting out the letter/s not needed and replacing it with a handwritten apostrophe. 

As part of the Tawny Owls PSHE learning this term, the pupils discussed the importance of medicine. They then took part in a high quality conversation about when medicine can become harmful to us. We also looked at where to store medicines and who is responsible for it (both inside and outside of school). The children then found partners and played a board game to help Tania get better.

In music, the Tawny Owls are enjoying exploring tempo, dynamics and timbre using the African Drums. 

​The Wildlife Champions completed a successful litter picking mission in the Village earlier this term. As they collected they made a tally of the various litter. The team met to explore their findings which were as follows: Plastic: 32 items, metal: 10 items, paper/card: 7 items, textiles: 3 items and glass: 2 items. As the team found so much litter they decided to do something about it and have created these wonderful posters. The Wildlife Champions message is clear…Don’t leave it! Retrieve it! Please keep our Village clean! Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. 

Linked to our learning about the Shang Dynasty in history, the Snowy Owls have begun to create their own dragon eyes using pastels. We look forward to sharing the final pieces of art with you. 

The Barn Owls put their reading and listening skills to good use this week when they spent time listening to younger children read. They supported the younger members of the school with maturity and everyone enjoyed reading to a Barn Owl. What a wonderful sight. 

Congratulations to Evie Southcott who was our first lucky winner of the reading basket. Evie said she loved snuggling up with the blanket, hot chocolate and books. We have been delighted to see so many children completing their 5 reads a week - don’t forget these reads must be initialled by an adult. 

Snowy Owls and Barn Owls spend ten minutes before lunch practicing their timestables together. 

On Wednesday we walked up to Springfields residential care home. The children took their home reading books and read to the residents and spoke to them about their learning. Some children played word games. Everyone enjoyed the experience. A big thank you to the staff and residents at Springfields for making us feel so welcome and for the cupcakes too! 

​We have made a superb start to learning this term in Barn Owls. We are currently learning about the detective genre through our English text, High Rise Mystery. Children have been practising writing to build tension, as well as how to include a wider variety of adjectives and technical language. We were delighted to be joined by DC Jordan from Okehampton Police Station who talked through how the Police investigate serious and organised crime. The children were able to take part in a role-play. The children played roles such as scene guarding, and scientists. Our main suspect even had her finger prints taken!

The Owlets have had a fantastic first week back at school. They have been learning about the polar regions in Geography, capacity and weighing in maths and in Drawing Club they have been exploring the book 'Penguin'.

The Owlets were visited by a local police officer to learn about this important occupation. They tried on hats, jackets and hand cuffs. 

​During computing, the Snowy Owls used a programme called Scratch to explore coding. The children inputted codes and explored their effect. The children quickly learnt how to use the programme and were very creative. 

​The Snowy Owls were palaeontologists during their session with Sara from the Devon Wildlife Trust. The children learnt that a palaeontologist is a scientist who studies the history of life on Earth through the fossil record. Fossils are the evidence of past life on the planet and can include those formed from animal bodies or their imprints (body fossils).The children explored fossils and learnt about Mary Anning. 

The Tawny Owls showed their creativity by painting without paint brushes! They used a range of unusual materials including foil and shoelaces! 

The Snowy Owls learnt about pneumatic systems and the power of air to make things move. Their design brief was to make a Christmas themed, moving toy for a younger child. The children worked effectively in their pairs and listened respectfully to each others ideas. They shared their finished toys with the Owlets of whom were delighted to see the moving parts! 

We were treated to Jacob playing tunes on the keyboard as we prepared to eat! What an amazing, confident performance. Thank you to Mrs Berry for cooking us a delicious lunch to end the term.