On Wednesday 1st February, children from the Barn Owls and Snowy Owls visited Paignton Zoo. The admission was free to celebrate the zoo’s 100th year. The children focused on ecosystems which enhanced their learning in class. 

The children have been learning the game of netball in PE with Mr Pugh. Over the half term they have been learning new skills and building up to play a match against each other.

The Snowy Owls freeze framed key scenes from the Theseus and the Minotaur Myth. 

The Snowy Owls constructed food chains and food webs by using information about the diets of different organisms. The children were able to label the producers and consumers. The children enjoyed writing on the tables to add arrows to show the energy transfer! 

​The children used hammers to complete bird boxes by fixing the wood together with nails. They worked in teams to decorate the bird boxes in the theme of plants and animals. The finished bird boxes looked fantastic and reflected how well the groups had worked as a team. 

On a very icy morning, the Open the Book team welcomed us to the Chapel for a story from Jesus' young life. Bentley put in an admirable performance as the 12 year-old who was lost by his parents and found in the Temple. As usual, all the performers made the story both entertaining and thought-provoking.

In PSHE, the Snowy Owls worked in small teams to explore a number of scenarios which involved a risk. The children were able to identify the risk in each scenario and and how to manage it. Children were also able to share their own experiences of being in a situation which involved a risk. As a class the children suggested how people can manage a risk and how they can get help. 

The Snowy Owls worked extremely hard in their pairs to create wonderful final pavilion designs. They carefully constructed the structures and considered the purpose of their design. The final pavilions reflected their hard work and the thought they had put into creating a design which met the design brief. 

At the start of term, each child decorated part of a paper plate in a style which represented them, their personality and uniqueness.  The plates have now been joined together to symbolise that everyone is important in our school and together we all fit together to make it a special place. 

​This week in our final mindfulness club session for the term, we made our own glitter jars. Sometimes our thoughts and emotions get all stirred up and it makes it hard to think clearly. A glitter jar can be a good tool to help you settle your feelings. The group enjoyed watching the glitter in the jar and listening to calming music – a great way to end our day at school.  

Recycle Week is an annual event designed to celebrate and promote the benefits of recycling. It creates opportunities for us all to implement positive change that will help protect our planet. The whole school came together in their teams to create a Pudsey model using recycled materials. It was great to see children from all year groups supporting one another and working together towards a shared goal. 

​In Design Technology, the Snowy Owls created a range of different shaped frame structures using cocktail sticks and blue-tac. The children investigated shape and how to make a secure structure. They explored which shape gave the strongest structure and discovered the importance of a strong foundation to build on. The children had to review their structures and make changes as they went along. 

The School Council visited Springfields residential home to play games with, and speak to, the residents. Community connection is key to our personal development journey for the children

The arrival of a mystery box in our English lesson this week has provided an excellent writing stimulus. Can you predict what's in the box? 

Children were able to showcase their knowledge and understanding of our current topics by sharing their fantastic final homework pieces with parents. It was wonderful to see parents exploring the homework and asking children questions about their work. 

Year 3 children from Lydford and Bridestowe Primaries took part in a STEM Coding Workshop at Immersion Games in Okehampton. Using Lego robots, students worked in a group to complete different tasks exploring the uses of coding and programming in a fun and engaging environment. The children were a credit to the school and were proud of their achievements.

Along with children from 80 schools from across the world, the Tawny Owls and Snowy Owls took part in a live lesson about space. They virtually visited the NASA Space Centre and found out about Mission Lucy. Lucy is the first space mission launched to study the Trojan asteroids. We are excited to find out more about the discoveries it makes.