Miss Wenmouth introduction
Class One

This week I have really enjoyed getting to know the children and thought I would tell you a little bit about myself. I’m from Cornwall, have recently graduated from Plymouth University and I am really looking forward to working with you all at Black Torrington. In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my family and friends and making the most of the countryside with my four dogs.

This week Class One have been exploring the history of our school and how it has changed over the years. The children went on a  learning walk through the school and then compared old photographs to what they had seen. We worked together to label the pictures and found it very interesting to see how the building had changed both inside and out.

In Maths we have started to explore subtraction through using lots of different objects to help us take away. The children have enjoyed creating their own number sentences and I’m very proud of how well they have done in their Maths this week.

We started a new non-fiction story called ‘This is How We Do It’ which is teaching us all about children from around the world.

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Miss Wenmouth

Mrs Drew-Hill introduction
Class Two
What a fabulous welcome I have had from everyone! It’s been lovely to start to get to know the children and I can’t wait to find out more about everyone. Class 2 have made a great start to this half term and started the week with lots of energy and enthusiasm during their first dance lesson with the children at Bradford. We have started a new topic in Science about states of matter and the children are encouraged to find as many examples of liquids and gases as they can at home. Our Geography topic this half term is ‘Mountains, Volcanoes and Earthquakes’ which I am very excited about because I love climbing mountains! In English the children have loved watching a video about a mountain biker, Danny Macaskill, on an incredible mountain adventure on the Isle of Skye. They have been exploring vocabulary related to the stunning scenery in preparation to write about the epic journey next week. Here’s the link if you want to be inspired to get on your bike: The Sports Shed – THE LITERACY SHED (warning: it’s definitely NOT a ‘try this at home’ situation!).

Living on the Dartmoor’s doorstep fuels my passion for the outdoors which began many years ago before I was a teacher when I was an outdoor pursuits instructor. When I’m not in the classroom, I am most likely to be found outside hiking, swimming, canoeing, bodyboarding, snowboarding or doing any other activity that gets me outside in nature. I love to travel and have been lucky enough to travel to many countries all over the world, experiencing new places, cultures and people. I have also taught in the USA and the Czech Republic, working with all ages from toddlers to adults (KS2 is definitely my favourite age group though!). I hope to inspire the children at Black Torrington to see themselves as global citizens and develop the skills and confidence to embrace their future adventures.

Have a great weekend.

Mrs Drew-Hill

Class One
Star of the Week – well done Ben with your fantastic phonics this week.
Math Star – well done Freddie on your amazing subtraction work this week.

Class Two
Congratulations to Sam our Star of the Week for his excellent enthusiasm in reading.
Congratulations to Mia our Maths Star for asking thoughtful questions in maths this week.

School News

I hope you all had an enjoyable half-term and are ready for another busy half-term leading up to the festive fun.

Welcome

It is with great pleasure we welcome our new teachers, Mrs Drew-Hill and Miss Wenmouth. They have had a busy but enjoyable week getting to know the children, staff and routines. We have also been joined by our newly appointed teaching assistant Miss Hester Presswell. A face familiar to some of the children we are excited to have her join our school staff team. We continue to grow strong working together  alongside Mrs Graham, Mrs Allin, and Miss Williams and with the staff at Bradford School.

Collaborative Work with Bradford School

We are planning to hold the Christmas Production at Bradford on the 8th December and the Christmas Carol service at Black Torrington on 15th . We are trying to be fair about using the venues across both schools throughout the year with many events planned for the children at both sites. The children are enjoying the opportunity to get to know each other and this is obvious during the Dance sessions with Miss Squire. Bringing both schools, and the communities together, has so many benefits. If you are struggling to manage the transport then please do get in touch. I am sure we can make this a positive experience for all involved.

Discovery School

We have been building links with the Born Free Foundation. The three schools in the Ruby Country Hub want to develop this relationship with the Discovery School and then extend this to include Olmoti Primary School in Kenya. Together, we are creating opportunities for our children to get involved with environmental and conservation projects, both in the UK and in Kenya. The work planned involves joint online assemblies, school council projects, as well as curriculum projects across the four schools. The Born Free Foundation is helping us with these projects. Currently, we are making a short video to share with them. On Wednesday 10th November we are going to hold our first joint assembly.

AWE Project Starting

The work on the top playground will start on Monday when the tree removal begins. We also have a new fence being installed and the boundary fence repaired. Apologies for the noise and disruption in advance. We hope to see you all on Saturday 13th November when the rest of the work is planned with your help.

Monday 8th November

All the children will be off site on Monday afternoon. Class Two will be dancing and Class One will be off to the Multi-Skills Festival at HCC. At the end of the day, at 3:30pm please collect the children from Bradford School. Class One will need to eat their packed lunch before they leave at 11:30am. Please make sure the children are dressed warmly with school jumpers.

Thank you for your continued support.

Anyone know anything about fish? We need some advice please!

Have fun at the Bonfire Night event but please be careful. Have a lovely weekend.

Miss Sunita Chauhan

Dates for your Diary

Monday 8th November – KS1 Multi Skills at Holsworthy Community College leaving 12.15pm

AWE Project Saturday 13th November see you at 10am!

Whole School Friday 19th November – Children in Need (Further Details to Follow)

Tuesday 7th December – School Christmas Lunch

Wednesday 8th December – Christmas Play – 6pm in the Village Hall Wednesday 15th December – Carol Service at St Mary’s Church, Black Torrington 9.30am

Thursday 16th December – Whole School Trip to Panto at Barnstaple (Further Details to Follow)

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