Spring Half Term

Head of School Welcome

Dear Parents,

What a wonderful start to the year we've had, and a busy first half term of 2024.

This half term we have been able to participate in some exciting sporting achievements. Children in Kingfisher Class attended a swim gala back in January; they did incredibly well, and had the biggest smiles on their faces as they came back to school and told their friends about how well they'd done. Our Year 5 & 6 girls attended a football tournament, which was just amazing to watch & be a part of. The girls scored 14 goals between them, didn't lose a game & didn't concede a goal. It's also worth mentioning that we were the only small school in attendance, and we finished 4th overall - a simply fantastic effort. Lastly, we competed in the cross country qualifiers at Richard Lander School last Friday; our year 4 children ran 800m, year 5 ran 1200m, and year 6 ran 1800m. One of our children qualified to the next stage, and I'm sure you'll join me in wishing them the very best as they progress into the next round. When I think about all these events, what strikes me the most & makes me feel so incredibly proud of our children, is how they all come together to support one another; whether that be cheering from the sidelines, or running alongside those who need that extra boost to get to the finish line, the teamwork showcases what our school community is all about.

I met with our school council recently, and we had a really insightful chat about their thoughts and opinions on a range of topics. Some ideas included the creation of posters to be displayed around the school promoting recycling systems, targets for each class to recycle/collect rubbish, adding play equipment to our outdoor area that is suitable for all ages, and a class play for Starlings. Ensuring the future of our local, national, and global environments was a big focus for us, and I look forward to hearing feedback at the next school council meeting, as the children discuss with their friends and collate ideas.

From Monday 12th February work will begin in school & workmen will be on site everyday during the half term. Once we return to school, the workmen will continue, but will do so out of hours as not to disrupt our school day. So please don't be alarmed if you see lights & people inside after hours, we expect the essential works to continue for approximately 4 weeks.

When we return from half term, we have some really exciting things coming up in school. On Wednesday 21st February, we have Falmouth Marine Conservation coming to deliver a presentation to the whole school, and they will be working closely with all classes throughout the day. The topic they will be presenting and discussing shall be 'Plastic Pollution', a current news topic that we hope shall be hugely beneficial to our children. The following week, we shall be welcoming one of our own parents Hermione into school, who will be working with all the children to produce a large display which we hope to showcase in the hall. These art sessions shall take place across three mornings. Details of what the children need to bring into school, and dates of your child's session, shall be communicated nearer the time. I'm very much looking forward to seeing all the artwork put together, and I'm also certain that the children will thoroughly enjoy creating our very own Cusgarne masterpiece!

Enjoy your half term break, see you on Monday 19th February.

Best Wishes,

Mr. Barnard

Dates for your diary

Spring Term 2024

12th - 16th February - Half Term
Monday 19th February - Return to school.
Wednesday 21st February - Falmouth Marine Conservation Day
Thursday 22nd February - Years 6 & Reception height and weight measurements (as part of the National Child Measurement Programme)
Thursday 29th February - FoC 'Hop Chocolate' sale
Thursday 7th March - World Book Day
Monday 11th March - Cornwall Music Festival - Whole school in attendance
Wednesday 13th March - Cornwall Music Festival - Year 5 Recorder Trio
Thursday 21st March - Farm & Country Day - Starling Class
Thursday 28th March - Last day of term
Monday 15th April - Return to school
Monday 6th May - Bank Holiday
Monday 13th May - SATs week
Tuesday 21st May 2.15pm - Y6 Richard Lander Transition Meeting - parents welcome to attend
Wednesday 22nd-Friday 24th May - Kingfisher Residential Trip to London
27th - 31st May - Half Term

Summer Term

Monday 24th - Thursday 27th June - Mini Police Week Kingfisher Class
Friday 12th July - Global Boarders Surf Day Years 5 & 6
Tuesday 23rd July - Last day of term
Wednesday 24th July - INSET Day

Robin Class

Robin Class have been busy bees this half term! In English, we have been focusing on the story 'Where The Wild Things Are', the children have learnt the storyline & have adapted to this to create their own versions of the story, with their own characters. The children have really taken their time to concentrate on their handwriting, and have produced some excellent pieces.

In science we have been looking at plants, and have taken the opportunity in Forest School to plant bulbs and seeds around school. We split into two teams 'Team Seed' & 'Team Bulb', which the children really enjoyed.

In History we have been learning about different explorers from Ibn Battuta to Neil Armstrong and Sylvia Earle, and comparing similarities and differences in their explorations.

The children have looked at two bible stories, 'Noah's Ark' and 'David & Goliath', creating their own giant masterpiece in their classroom of Goliath. We've also seen some incredible Lego creations; the children have displayed some great teamwork and enthusiasm in creating some fantastic creations.

Starling Class

This term, Starling Class have enjoyed writing a magazine article in English, based upon the risk of flooding increasing as a result of climate change. We have learnt about natural and man made defences against flooding, and how these can protect communities.

In Geography we have been learning about the rainforest, focusing on the four layers of the rainforest and what animals inhabit each layer. We have also considered the impact of deforestation on this biodiverse habitat.

In Music, we have enjoyed learning the song 'Dancing in the Street', and have used glockenspiels to perform alongside the backing track.

Lastly, in Science we looked at 'States of Matter' and completed an experiment to find the melting point of chocolate using three different methods. The children certainly enjoyed helping eat the leftover chocolate!

Kingfisher Class

In English our topic has been David Attenborough, and one of the children's tasks was to re-enact a TV programme of his, portraying not only Attenborough himself, but also the animals. In their independent writing, the children have written some insightful biographies of famous people.

In a cross-curricular activity, the children also wrote poems oh how to save the planet & environment.

The children produced some outstanding portraits of themselves in art; they drew generic portraits based on themselves, and after half term shall work towards adding Tudor attributes to these drawings.

Lastly, in a cross curricular activity covering RE, English & Science, the class held a debate about whether the Big Bang Theory or Creation was true, and gathered scientific/religious evidence to back up their points.

For The Children of Cusgarne

Easter Egg Rocky Road

You will need:

400 g Milk/Dark Chocolate
125 g Golden Syrup
125 g Unsalted Butter
100 g Mini Marshmallows
150 g Digestives (chopped)
600-800 g Easter Chocolates (Mini Eggs, Creme Eggs, Malteser/KitKat Bunnies - whatever you fancy!)
250 g White Chocolate

What you need to do:

Line a 8/9″ Square tin with Parchment paper and leave to the side.
In a Large bowl, add in the Chocolate, Golden Syrup, and Butter – melt on a low heat over a pan of barely simmering water, or in the Microwave on short bursts (no more than 30 secs at a time) until fully melted – stir till smooth! Be careful not to overheat the mixture!
Once it's melted and combined, add in the Marshmallows, chopped biscuits, Easter Chocolates (Apart from a handful) – fold together – pour into the tin and spread till its even.
Melt the white chocolate and pour over the top of the rocky road, and sprinkle over the last of the Easter Chocolates!
Refrigerate until set, chop up, and enjoy!

PLEASE READ: Parents, please ensure your child is supervised at all times when completing this recipe - thank you!

Can you solve the riddle? Once you think you know the answer, turn to the back page of the newsletter to see if you are correct!

I have many keys but cannot open doors.
What am I?

We would love to see your Easter Rocky Road creations, and include them in March's newsletter - just in time for Easter! Please email any photos to hello@cusgarne.org