Special Events
17.04.2024 RNLI Assembly
KS2 had an assembly led by the RNLI this week. The children learned how to keep themselves safe by the sea and strategies to use if they encounter difficulties. The visitors were impressed with the children's engagement and sensible suggestions.
26.03.2024 Rocksteady Concert
This morning we had our Rocksteady Concert, all the children performed brilliantly and the concert was thoroughly enjoyed by parents and pupils in School. Callum from Rocksteady said "All of the Rockstars at St Dennis have been amazing this term, their playing has come on leaps and bounds and I can't wait to hear what they achieve next term".
Well done everyone!
Rocksteady Concert 26.03.24 | St Dennis Primary Academy (primarysite.media)
15.03.24 Red Nose Day
Today we dressed in red to raise money for 'Red Nose Day!'. We also asked children to bring their best joke for our annual joke competition...they did not disappoint! The hallway's have been filled with laughter as they have been sharing them with staff and students as they pass each other!
One of the favorites shared this morning with us:
'What is black and white, black and white, black and white' ? .... A penguin rolling down the hill!
14.03.24 Year 4 Trip to Bodmin Jail
Year 4 took a trip to Bodmin Jail learning all about it's History and stories of events that took place there.
14.03.24 Year 3 Visit to Kerriers Solar Farm
Year 3 visited Kerriers Solar Farm. They learnt about how solar energy works and how solar panels can help to protect the local environment.
07.03.24 World Book Day
Lots of fun activities have happened today during our World Book Day. Amazing effort made by students and staff. Well done everyone!
05.03.24 Visit from Justyn Edwards, Author of 'The Great Fox' books.
To kick off our World Book Day celebrations we had a visit from Justyn Edwards, Author of 'The Great Fox' books. He spoke to us all in an assembly and then we took part in different activities during the day. Some of us were lucky enough to get our books signed!
06.02.24 Trip to Newquay Zoo
Reception and Year 6 took a trip on the wild side and explored the animals at Newquay Zoo. The children were a credit to St Dennis and all the adults were very proud of their wonderful attitudes and behaviours. Highlights of the trip included an informative talk from one of the zoo keepers, watching the penguins slide down a slope and splash into the water and looking at the beautiful parrots.
02.02.2024 Annual NSPCC Number Day
Today we took part in the NSPCC number day and 'Dressed up for digits!'. Children and staff wore an item of clothing with a number on it in exchange for a donation. Everyone made a great effort!
07.12.2023 Santa's Grotto
The children were very lucky to get a visit from Santa today!
17.11.2023 Children In Need
Today children and staff dressed in spots or bright colours to raise money for Children in Need.
14.11.2023 World Diabetes Day
We asked children and staff to show their support for people living with diabetes, by wearing something blue to school. World Diabetes Day provides an opportunity to raise awareness of diabetes as a global public health issue.
As we have children at St Dennis Primary Academy who have diabetes, we felt it was important to support this event and charity.
13.11.2023 Anti-Bullying Week - Odd Sock Day
The theme for this year's Anti-bullying week is 'Make a Noise'. The week began with 'Odd Socks Day', where we all celebrated being unique. There were some very snazzy socks on display! Throughout the week pupils will take part in activities including role play, debates and designing posters, to highlight the importance of 'making a noise' about bullying.
06.11.2023 Year 5 Visit to the Eden Project.
Year 5 enjoyed their trip to the Eden Project as part of their stunning start.
13.10.2023 Harvest Festival
A big thank you to Andy from St Austell Food Bank who came in today to host a special Harvest assembly. Thank you to all the parents and pupils who made donations for the Food Bank
27.09.2023 Take One Picture Exhibition
The children and staff of St Dennis Primary Academy warmly invited parents, carers and members of the community to our Take One Picture exhibition today and expertly curated the event.
The exhibition is a celebration of the arts and the many cross-curricular activities inspired by a painting by UK artist Aimee Stewart.
The painting, which depicts characters and artefacts from myths and legends, has been used to form a jigsaw puzzle.
The children have enjoyed creating various mythical artworks such as castles, creatures, fairies, pixies and dragons, using a range of media and tools.
Our Take One Picture initiative further enriches our children’s experiences of the arts, as well as building their core and foundation subject knowledge.
20.09.2023 Healthy Eating Workshop
A visitor from Chartwell came to speak to Brogh Class about healthy eating which links to their English and science learning.
They spoke about trying different fruits and vegetables before using them to create a piece of food art inspired by the artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo.
The best part was eating the food afterwards! Lots of children tried radish and weren't too sure, but the cucumber, cress and lemons were a great hit!
18.09.23 Youth Mental Health Champion Training
On Monday a group of year 6 pupils attended Youth Mental Health Champion training at Nanpean School, with Miss Stokes.
The children learned the importance of positive mental health and strategies and games to support their peers within school.
It was an interactive day of challenges and theory and the new Youth Mental Health Champions are excited to share their findings with the younger children in the next few weeks.
15.09.23 Spaceport Visit
Year 5 enjoyed a visit from Cornwall Spaceport
11.09.23 Year 5 Rocket Day
Godh Class enjoyed Rocket Day with a special visit from the Royal Air Force!
07/08.09.2023 Team Building Days
Everyone has had the best time at our 'Team Building Days' this year!
Children displayed all our core values of aspiration, courage, responsibilty, teamwork, friendship and achievement with many being awarded our special stickers.
Such an amazing start to this year!
Thank you DT Coaching, Polkerris Beach and Turn the Tide!
21.07.23 Year 2 visit to Lanhydrock House
19.07.23 Year 4 Visit to the Cornwall Energy Recovery Centre
Lowarn Class had a special visit to our local Energy Centre and learnt all about how energy is recovered from our waste.
12.07.23 Wear Green Day
On Wednesday 12th July Truro and Penwith Academy Trust's family of schools joined together to take part in a fundraising activity to raise money for The MacMillan Support Centre.
All the children were encouraged to wear green for the day in return for a donation for this charity.
12.07.23 - Year 6 Trip to Mevagissey
Pedrevan Class had a Geography field trip to the fishing village of Mevagissey . They were looking at the importance of the fishing industry to the local community and to gather evidence through fieldwork about how a region is meeting people’s needs.
Whilst there they visited the Mevagissey Museum and found out about fishing over the years and how it has changed. They were lucky enough to take a boat trip and saw two seals soaking up the sun. One group even managed to spot out Reception Class who were on a beach trip at nearby Pentewan beach!
They had a guided tour of the aquarium from the Harbour Master himself, where they came face to face with a huge conger eel among other things!
12.07.23 - Reception Class trip to Pentewan Beach
What a fantastic day we had at the beach. We were very lucky with the weather and managed to escape any large showers - the sun even came out! We did some scavenging and some beach art as well as investigating the different types of seaweed and their uses.
The children were fascinated by our discoveries and also very knowledgeable. We finished off the day with a trip to the park and an ice-cream. What more could you want?
21.06.23 - Goblin Race at Predannack
Our amazing Year 6's recently built a Goblin car from scratch and named it 'Viper'. They took part in the Goblin car race at Predannack Airfield along with around 20 other teams.
Not only did they win 1st place for the drag race, but they also won ‘the spirit of green power award’ (for sportsmanship, teamwork and our supporters) and a participation award too!
We are so proud of their achievement and the amazing teamwork our pupils have shown. Well done!
05-06.06.2023 Year 4 Residential to Porthpean
The sun was shining for Lowarn's residential to Porthpean!
Everyone thrived in the outdoor environment and loved challenging themselves at climbing, caving, bodyboarding, high ropes and coasteering.
Sleeping in the bunkhouse tents was really exciting and there was lots of laughter throughout the two days, especially down at the sea!
18.05.2023 Junior Life Skills St. Austell Fire Station
Godh Class took part in the Junior Life Skills Workshop at St Austell Fire Station and were learning many life saving skills such as CPR, electrical safety, fire safety and keeping safe near roads and railways to name but a few.
The children listened and participated really well and had a very informative afternoon.
15-17.05.23 Year 6 London Residential
Pedrevan class set off very early on Monday morning, for the annual Year 6 trip to London! A big crowd of parents and carers came out to wish us well on our adventure.
Our first destination was 'The Natural History Museum'. The children split off into groups and explored the exhibits within. Some of them even took part in an earthquake experience!
Next stop was 'The Jungle Cafe', where the children tucked into a feast of pizza, chicken goujons and monkey burgers (please note no real monkeys were involved in this!). It was a wonderfully immersive experience with the sounds and sights of the jungle all around them while they ate. We then checked into the hotel and after the vending machine had been emptied of sweets, the children turned in for the night.
After a hearty breakfast on Tuesday morning, the coach collected us and we headed into central London for the 'The London Eye' experience. There were a few nerves as the pod rotated and the children climbed aboard. It was a clear day and so the views were amazing and the children could see for miles in every direction!
We then had a very long walk along the River Thames ready to embark on a 'Thames River Cruise'. As we slowly drifted along the water, the key landmarks were pointed out and a brief history of the buildings and bridges we passed was provided by our tour guide.
From there we walked to Parliament Square before heading to the Horse Guards Parade, where we witnessed the end of the session and saw the horses get taken off to bed! We were lucky enough to be met by Wendy's aunt and uncle, who work for the Palace, and they provided the children with some very special souvenirs and keep sakes. From there everyone walked to Buckingham Palace and then onto Pizza Express. A by-product of all of the walking, meant that the children (and staff) were ravenous and speedily ate their way through dough balls, lasagnes, pizzas and chocolate fudge cake!
The last stop in our very busy day, was the Lyceum Theatre, Covent Garden, to see 'The Lion King', Disney’s award-winning musical with glorious colours, stunning effects and enchanting music. It followed the powerful story of Simba as he journeyed from wide-eyed cub to his destined role as King of the Pride lands. The children were in awe of the incredible puppetry, the sounds of a live orchestra, and the special effects! It was a fantastic way to end day 2!
Wednesday morning was an early start. We packed up our hotel rooms before we had even had breakfast, wolfed down some food and were straight on the road to walk in the footsteps of Harry Potter. On arrival at the 'Warner Bros Studio Tour', we were ushered into a special part of the studio and took part in a costume workshop. The children got to see real costumes that the characters had worn and even had a go at designing their own costume for a character! The day then passed in a whirl of magic, hidden forests and broomsticks before we were back on the road to home. It was a truly magical experience and one the children won't ever forget.
24.04.23 RNLI Visit
Lifeguards from the RNLI visited school and gave an assembly to the pupils on water safety.
21.04.23 Year 6 Sailing at Polkerris
17.03.23 Red Nose Day 2023
14.03.23 - Visit from Cornish Lithium
Zoe from Cornish Lithium came and gave a talk about Lithium mining and the current work at the Trelavour Project.
https://www.facebook.com/cornishlithium/
10.03.23 - Brogh Class Visit to Castle an Dinas
Our Year 3 Class were invited to a 'Colours of the Landscape' workshop at Castle an Dinas. The aim of the workshop was to use the sightlines and colours naturally occurring in the landscape to inspire children to look more carefully and consider the story of the heritage at Castle-an-Dinas, while introducing them to the flora, fauna, and heritage features of the site and the ways in which our ancestors lived within them.
06.03.23 - Sort Class Visit to The Eden Project
Year 1 had such a fantastic trip to The Eden Project! We took part in a workshop where we dissected a seed and used a magnifying glass to see inside of it. We also looked at other types of seeds, and used our senses to work out what type of seed they might be and played a fun game where we had to figure out what a plant needs.
We also sowed our own seed into a compostable pot made out of newspaper and are going to plant our pots into our new bed at school!
After our workshop, we walked around the Mediterranean Biome and looked at all the lovely plants.
We had the best time at The Eden Project planting our own seeds and exploring the biome!
27.02.23-03.03.23 Book Week 2023
24.2.23 - Lowarn Class visit to Bodmin Jail
For their Stunning Start, Year 4 enjoyed a visit to Bodmin Jail as part of their new topic 'Should all crimes be punished?'
'Special' Visitor to Year 3
Year 3 had a very special 'furry' visitor to their classroom. Miss Williams' Dad brought in his beautiful dog Sybil for the children to meet.
10.02.23 - Wear Red Day for the Cornwall Air Ambulance
On Friday, children came into school wearing red in support of the Cornwall Air Ambulance. A total of £136.83 was raised for the charity.
09.02.23 - Year 5 visit to St Denys Church
As part of their RE lesson, Year 5 visited St Denys Church to look at its features and discuss how they related to God being holy and loving. The children asked Mrs Bradbury lots of amazing questions!
08.02.23 - Kroenek and Pedrevan's Visit to Newquay Zoo
Kroenek and Pedrevan class joined together for a trip to Newquay Zoo and everyone in Year 6 was paired with someone from Reception.
The older children took the little ones around the tropical house, the farm and to see the lions!
Reception class learnt some new facts from the Park Ranger about animals that live in the Sahara, whilst Year 6 enjoyed a Darwin Workshop.
06.02.23 - Year 2 visit from the Fire Service
On Monday Year 2 had a special visit from the Fire Service.
They learnt so much about how firefighters use advanced technology to fight fires.
02.02.2023 - NSPCC Number Day 2023
St Dennis Primary joined in with NSPCC Number Day with children dressing in number themed clothes and having a number filled day!
Thank you for all the generous donations for the charity.
31.01.23 Rocksteady Concert
After being postponed twice, we finally held our long awaited Rocksteady concert and parents were invited to watched. The children are performed amazingly.
04.01.2023 - Year 3 visit from Henry VIII!
Brogh Class had a surprise when they had a visit from Henry VIII himself! He talked about his life and his many wives!
04.01.2023 - Year 1 visit from The Lighthouse Keeper
Sort Class had a very special visit from Mr Grinling, the Lighthouse Keeper.
He spoke to us about what lighthouses are and then he shared his Lighthouse Keeper books to kick off our new story for English!
We really enjoyed hearing about how the greedy seagulls took his lunch each day until Mrs Grinling made mustard sandwiches, which the seagulls did not like.
We got to make a mustard sandwich as well!
Then we created our own lighthouse pictures using stamps and we built strong lighthouses out of bricks that could not be blown down.
We had the best morning with Mr Grinling and we now know how to keep seagulls away from our food!
12.12.22 Year 5 Trip to Eden Ice Skating
Year 5 had a very enjoyable afternoon at the Eden Project Ice Skating on 12th December as part of their topic on Polar Regions.
It was a very snowy and icy day so teally felt that we were experiencing some of the conditions that explorers might have had to face on their expeditions!
08.12.22 Visit from Santa
We all visited Santa in his Winter Wonderland Grotto today!
He was so kind and brought us all a Christmas book or craft activity as a special gift!
Merry Christmas!
08.12.22 Festival of Trees at St Denys Church
Every class walked to St Denys Church to view the amazing community project of the Festival of Trees.
Children explored the Church and looked for the Cornish decorations they'd created for our St Dennis Primary Academy tree!
Thank you for inviting us St Denys Church!
30.11.22 Eco Club
Eco club were honoured to be invited to help plant trees in the cemetery. The Women's Institute were planting a tree to celebrate their 100th year and another tree was planted in recognition of plant a tree week. Eco Club have greatly enjoyed taking part in supporting community projects this term and look forward to new actions in the Spring.
Year 3 Forest School
30.11.22 Pedrevan Visit to Bodmin Keep
As part of their topic, 'How was the Battle of Britain a turning point in WWII?', Pedrevan Class went on a trip to Bodmin Keep Military Museum. They had a very extensive tour of the Keep, which included viewing an exhibition where bricks had been painted to commemorate fallen soldiers. The museum was jam-packed with fascinating artefacts and stories, covering centuries of social history, war and soldiers’ stories.
The children had uniforms to try on, a First World War trench to explore and artefacts to touch and feel.
In the afternoon, they took part in a team building exercise with 'Kelvin and Spanner', two ex army veterans from the Keep. This involved tonnes of team work and courage!
25.11.22 Open Morning
St Dennis Primary Academy held its first 'open morning' of the new academic year, to welcome prospective parents to view the school. Parents could take a tour while lessons were being taught. It was a great chance for our Pedrevan Class Ambassadors to take centre stage and show off their skills of responsibility as they led the families around.
14.11.22 - 18.11.22 Anti-Bullying Week
The theme for this year's Anti-Bullying Week was 'Reach Out'. Pupils learnt to identify bullying in different forms and how to 'reach out' for support for themselves or others.
Years 5 and 6 ended the week with a visit from the 'Stay Safe Initiative'.
It was wonderful this week to see the maturity of our pupils as they identified how we strive to prevent bullying in our school, and their understanding of the importance to support each other to be happy and healthy.
18.11.22 Children in Need
The children all had great fun for Children in Need. There were spots everywhere!
14.11.22 Odd Socks Day
We had a great time at Odd Socks Day today, which launched our Anti-Bullying Week. This was to celebrate being unique! Thank you for your donations to the Anti-Bullying Alliance.
13.10.22 Eco Club visit to the cemetery
Eco club had the privilege of helping plant flowers at the cemetery today. They felt lucky to be involved in being part of this community space. Thank you to Lynn Clark from the Parish Council for facilitating this project.
12.10.2022 Coffee and Cake - Mental Health
This morning parents attended a Coffee and Cake session, based on mental wellbeing. Miss Stokes (our school Mental Health Lead) shared strategies used in school to support mental wellbeing and ways that parents can support their children at home.
It was great to have so many parents attend and have the opportunity to discuss approaches and strategies. Below is the presentation from the meeting.
07.10.22 Godh's 'Rocketman' trip to Roche Primary
Godh Class had a really exciting day on Friday when they were invited to Roche Primary for a workshop all about rockets. They made rockets, launched them and then re-developed them to make them travel even further. The ‘Rocketman’ was really impressed with the children’s questions and scientific enquiry skills.
07-09.09.2022 Team Building Days
Despite the rain, children had such a brilliant time with their friends at their ‘Team Building’ days.
Children had the opportunity to bodyboard, have a go at archery, develop their survival skills and play team building games.
They have truly displayed all our core values of aspiration, achievement, courage, responsibility, friendship and teamwork and all children were our ‘Stars of the Week’!
"I enjoyed the litter picking as we showed teamwork and responsibility to help the public and the environment." - Paige, Year 6
"At the beach, when I first got on the paddleboard, I was scared at first but I showed courage." - Archie, Year 4
"I felt really courageous to go on the paddleboard for the first time." - Lois, Year 3
"I really enjoyed the archery because we used friendship and we were taking turns." Tianna, Year 5
"In archery, I helped my friends get the arrows ready for shooting." - Elia, Reception
"It was difficult at first, but we showed aspiration, by being resilient and not giving up." - Quinn, Year 4
"I loved playing with my friends in the sea." - Dakota, Year 3
"In survival skills, we had to be responsible, because we were given a flint and steel to make fire." - Poppy, Year 4
"I was good at the treasure hunt with my team, because I ran to my friends." - Brody, Reception
"I loved archery, because even if you scored a 6, you still achieved!" - Freddie, Year 6
"We were responsible for cleaning the beach and we showed teamwork by working together." - Izzy, Year 4
"I overcame my fear to go on the paddleboard by using courage." - Alice, Year 3
"Picking up litter to save sea animals and their environment was a good thing - it made me feel proud." - Flo, Year 4
12.07.2022 Take One Picture Exhibition
Today was a very occasion at St Dennis Primary Academy, as it saw the hall being transformed into an art gallery for our ‘Take One Picture’ exhibition based on the painting Navigators’ Tracks and Discoveries of the World, by Kristjana S Williams.
Children were immensely proud to see their learning exhibited and they spoke with such passion and knowledge when curating their work to the many visitors we had throughout the whole day.
It was a real showcase of their research, art and design skills and musical achievement, with performances from our Rocksteady bands, choir and brass band.
Thank you to all of you who came and supported this.
06.07.22 Healthy Tuck Shop
As part of 'Healthy Week', our lunch provider Chartwells offered to hold a healthy tuck shop during playtime. The Year 6 children took on the roles of organising the event and helping to prepare the food. There were smoothies, fruit salad pots, fruit juice and plenty of items of fruit to try. It was a huge success! They really enjoyed the colourful treats, with many children asking if this was going to be a regular occurrence!
05.07.2022 Kingfisher Project Success
Year 5 Godh Classwere invited to take part in the Kingfisher Project. We visited Ennis Barton Farm at Indian Queens and undertook a range of activities which taught the children about the different plants and animals that can be found on the farm in a range of habitats. Activities included stream dipping, learning about the digestion of a cow, looking at a range of moths, owl pellets, the life cycle of a dragonfly and investigating how soil is enhanced by the earthworms.
When we came back to school, we investigated these areas further and children produced some amazing work based on their research. We took this work along to a presentation with some other local schools and children were asked questions by the judges to see what they had learnt from both the field work and their work in class.
We were so delighted to find out that we had won the Kingfisher award and were presented with this beautiful trophy of a kingfisher!
Well done to all of the children in Godh Class who worked so hard on this project and thank you to the parents and craers who brought them along to the presentation evening.
04.07.22 Pedrevan Class Visit to Mevagissey
On Monday, the Year 6 children had a geography fieldtrip to the fishing village of Mevagissey, to find out why fishing is so important to the community. They started with a visit to the aquarium where they were met by the Harbour Master and held a Q and A session. They then walked to the opposite side of the quay and spent the next hour in the Mevagissey Museum, talking with volunteers and finding out about the history of the village.
After an interesting lunch break (plagued by 'Steven' the seagul) the children headed out onto the sea, courtesy of the 'Isla Mei' and 'Dilligence', for a coastal cruise. They were lucky enough not only to experience very calm waters, but also a trio of dophins, who happened to be feeding in the bay!
The end of the day was sealed with a delicious cornish ice cream!
The children will be creating leaflets on their return to school, showcasing all the learning from the visit.
28.06.2022 Lowarn Class Visit to the Cornwall Energy Recovery Centre
On Tuesday, Year 4 went to the Cornwall Energy Recovery Centre to find out about how waste is turned into energy. We had a fantastic time and learned much about how the local area is key in dealing with the waste produced by Cornwall. The children enjoyed seeing 'the claw' mixing the waste.
23.6.22 Brogh Class Visit to Kerriers Solar Farm
Day 1 - Visiting the solar farm
As part of Year 3's geography topic, we were lucky enough to go and visit Kerriers Solar Farm and learn all about how solar energy is used. The children explored the landscape that surrounds the solar farm and were able to see how wildlife can still thrive next to the 42,500 solar panels.
All the children found the size and scale of the farm amazing and enjoyed learning about the different wildlife living nearby.
Day 2 - Solar Powered Toy Workshop
Two weeks after our visit to the solar farm, Louise from Earth Energy Education came to school to help us build solar panelled toys. The children were able to experiment with current solar panelled toys and were able to see how the sun can affect how they work. Others were able to use sunlight to power motors and buzzers within their own circuits.
After break the children began to build their own toys using recycled materials. Children worked in small groups to make working toys and really enjoyed seeing how they can use the sun to power their toys.
13.06.22 - 15.06.22 Pedrevan Class Residential to London
In the early hours of Monday morning, the Year 6 children and staff set off on their eagerly awaited trip to London! There were a few tears and fond farewells as a crowd of parents came to see them off on their travels.
A quick lunch stop along the way, before arriving at the first destination - The Natural History Museum'. There were some great links made to prior learning, with a statue of Charles Darwin being spotted, an earthquake encounter to experience and an array of bird bones on display that made someone remember our class novel study text 'Skellig'.
For our evening meal, we headed to 'The Jungle Cafe', where the children were treated to a totally tropical experience. They dined beneath twisted vines and waterfalls, with the occassional rumble of thunder being heard or the growling of tigers!
Our coach driver was a great source of knowledge about the best sight seeing opportunities and so we were able to be dropped right in the heart of London for an early evening stroll.
Day two, saw everyone up for an early start as we needed to catch the 'Thames River Crusie'. The weather was glorious as we drifted down the Thames and listened to our knowledgeable (and very witty) tour guide as he pointed out the landmarks and gave a brief history of the buildings and bridges.
We disembarked the boat and took a short walk to 'The London Eye'. The views were spectacular and the children could see for miles in every direction!
Dinner that evening was courtesy of Pizza Express. All of the walking had certainly created an appetite and the children happily ate their way through dough balls, pizzas and chocolate fudge cake!
As the night drew to a close, we headed to the Apollo Theatre, Victoria to see 'Wicked', a devilishly clever spin on the story of The Wizard of Oz. The children were spellbound as the show started and the full force of a live orchestra, stage lighting and effects were felt! A brilliant end to day 2.
Day 3, saw us pack up our hotel rooms and head straight to walk in the footsteps of Harry Potter and explore the wonders of the wizarding world at the 'Warner Bros Studio Tour'. This event had been all the children had talked about the previous day, and it did not disappoint! From the moment the children stepped into the great hall, they were mesmerized! Commanding broom sticks, playing in a quiditch match and exploring the Hogwarts Express were just some of the highlights!
27.05.2022 Jubilee celebrations
The sun was out for our Jubilee Street Party at lunchtime and the children (and staff) looked fabulous in their red, white and blue outfits today!
During the afternoon all children were visited in their classrooms and presented with commemorative coins from Julia Clarke (Parish Council) and Lisa Hammer (Imerys) to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
26.05.2022 - Visit from Paul Maskell
Years 5 and 6 had a special visit from local man, Paul Maskell - an ultra-runner based in Cornwall. A well-known figure in the South West running community, Paul has competed in a range of long-distance running event and represents Great Britain in the 24hour World Championships. He popped into school to show off some of his medals and to answer questions that the children had prepared. The children left school feeling very inspired by his determination and courage, to complete the gruelling challenges he sets himself.
Adisson was lucky enough to be picked as the winner for a special GB training vest! Well done to her.
23.05.2022 Sort Class - Visit to The Eden Project
Year 1 had a great trip to the Eden project. They looked at seeds from all around the world and used their senses to describe them. They explored butter beans by using cocktail sticks to open them up and see what was inside. They also found out about what seeds and plants need to grow. They loved exploring the rainforest dome and had a look to see if they could find any of the seeds that had grown. Their favourite was the cacao bean because it makes chocolate!
25.05.2022 Godh Class - Visit to Ennis Barton Farm
Year 5 had an amazing afternoon on Wednesday when they visited Ennis Barton Farm to undertake fieldwork and find out more about the way in which the farm and farmers are helping to sustain wildlife. They looked at food chains, animal habitats, the importance of soil and loads more! They learnt so much and will use this to produce a presentation for the Kingfisher Award.
23.05.2022 Kroenek Class - Visit to Bodmin Airfield
Kroenek visited Bodmin Airfield to learn about aircraft. The children sat in the planes, operated the controls, listened to pilots on the radio and watched aircraft take off and land. Thank you to Bodmin Airfield for a fantastic day!
20.05.2022 Oula Class - Visit from Tesco
This term, Nursery been learning about different types of transport and their similarities and differences. Tesco were very kind and brought in one of their delivery vans for them to lexplore. Children had a good look around the van and found that it had wheels, windows and lights just like all the other vehicles they had learnt about. They opened the sliding door to see where all the food goes. There was even a fridge and a freezer in the van. They had great fun exploring the van and even sat in the driver's seat!
18.05.2022 Junior Life Skills
Year 5 had a really informative and important day on Wednesday when they went to St Austell Fire Station for Junior Life Skills. They learnt so many skills like how to do CPR, about railway and internet safety, how to issue a parking ticket and so much more!
We were delighted to receive this email about our children on this visit. ‘I have been at the Junior Life Skills event today in St Austell and can’t speak highly enough about the interaction and general manners of the St Dennis Primary Academy students.'
28.04.2022 RNLI Visit
We were lucky enough to have a visit from two lifeguards as part of an RNLI assembly all about beach safety.
The Key Stage 2 children listened perfectly, as they were given clear instructions about how to stay safe on the beach and even had a go at a real-life rescue! St Dennis Primary Academy 'lifeguards' Connie and Maria were fabulous and saved the day!
06.04.2022 Gwiwer's visit to the Screech Owl Sanctuary
On Wednesday 6th April, Year 2 visited the Screech Owl Sanctuary to support their learning about habitats in science. The children had a wonderful time, a real 'hands on' experience. They could hold the owls and feed other animals including alpacas and emus. Furthermore, they also learnt about conserving these animals' natural habitats. It was so interesting learning from animal experts. The day really sparked the children's curiosity to find out more about these amazing creatures.
28.03.22 - 06.04.22 Mini Police Programme
Over the course of two weeks, Year 6 took part in the ‘Mini Police Programme’. They were supported by two local police officers, Toby and Phil, to learn about policing issues such as ASB, peer group pressure and online safety. They then had time to plan a community action project and created posters about something they felt needed addressing within their community. Issues raised were speeding outside of the school, graffiti, littering and noise etc. The children placed the posters outside of the school to raise awareness about the highlighted issues.
28.03.2022 Lowarn's visit to Bodmin Jail
Lowarn class had a brilliant visit to Bodmin Jail to support their learning of this half term's topic 'Should all crimes be punished?'
They went on an amazing guided tour through the 'Dark Walk' taking a journey back in time to learn about some of Cornwall's infamous prisoners and their crimes.
They got a first hand look at some of the cells and what life would have been like behind bars in the Georgian and Victorian times.
It was fascinating to learn about how prisoners were treated and some of the punishments they would have been subjected to.
18.03.2022 Red Nose Day 2022
Today was Red Nose Day! We had so much fun in our joke competitions! You can see the winners on our Video Resouce Centre here https://st-dennis-primary-academy.primarysite.media/media/red-nose-day-joke-competition-winners.
We have also learnt about the incredible work this charity does and how vital our fundraising is to support this.
Thank you for all your generous donations!
14.03.2022 Family Nest Therapy CIC - Equine Therapy
On Monday, we had a lovely visit from Family Nest Therapy CIC, who brought in three Shetland ponies for us to spend time with.
We learnt about the ponies, groomed them, stroked them, lead them and the ponies even had a little race! The children really enjoyed the experience. We are looking forward to further sessions for some children.
Check out their Facebook page as they also run Saturday morning pony clubs, as well as other sessions.
08.03.2022 Community Tree Planting
Pedrevan Class had an amazing day out at Lower Penrose Veor Farm. The purpose was to help re-instate a traditional Cornish hedge, which would have last been seen on the farm in 1906! The children didn't let the weather dampen their spirits, and they really worked hard to plant their trees. They were given a target of 50 trees, but with their teamwork and determination, they managed to plant an impressive 183 trees!
07.03.2022 - 11.03.2022 Book Week
We held an incredible Book Week which culminated with children (and staff) looking spectacular in their book character inspired costumes!
The aims of the week were
For children to be read to regularly
For children to have access to a range of books from the ‘5 Plagues of Reading’ spine
For children to choose what they want to read
For children to have trusted adults and peers, sharing and recommending books
For children to have an enjoyable reading experience
For children to have a designated time to read
Classes filled the week with exciting events such as launching the new Spring Book bingo, a ‘Ready, Steady, Read’ sponsored event, different reading challenges every day in school to win Golden Tickets, virtual author events, storytelling workshops and children using their detective skills to try to work out who the masked readers were!
There were many prizes awarded in the form of books and one lucky child even won a kindle. The 'Ready, Steady, Read' had a target of £300 but the children totally exceeded that with an amazing £1565.70 raised. With the help of our local Usborne Partner, the school will be able to choose new books to the value of £2504!
01.03.2022 Mummification
Pedrevan Class had a special visitor at the start of their new topic all about Egypt! There was something fishy going on when their 'Stunning Start', to launch the new topic with a real-life experience, involved some sardines!
Mrs Nash's Dad came in to assist the children with the process of mummification. The children watched as the innards were removed from 'the bodies' before the children were given the smelly job of washing and drying out their fish.
They needed to completely wash and dry out each fish carefully, before placing them in salt to help them dry out even further.
They will be left for the next 4 weeks before they are re-salted (if needed) and then wrapped up in linen. The class will then take part in a burying ritual where their fish will be laid to rest in the school grounds.
Mrs Nash is hoping to excavate some fish that were mummified over 6 years ago, so that the children can see first-hand how they have (hopefully) remained preserved. She just needs to locate them first!
16.02.2022 Visit from King Henry VIII
For our 'Fabulous Finish' in Year 3, we had the opportunity to meet King Henry VIII. He discussed his life with us and the tales of his six wives. We were tasked with putting together a Tudor timeline in the order of his wives and what had happened to them. He was able to show us amazing Tudor games such as the ball in the cup and Tudor Top Trumps. We took part in a Tudor trail to find clues to help fill in the information and a guess an object from the Tudor era. The children thoroughly enjoyed getting 'hands o'n with their learning and found that this was a great way to end the topic!
Thank you King Henry VIII!
16.02.2022 Visit from Mr Grinling
Today we had a visit from Mr Grinling, the main character from the story 'The Lighthouse Keeper's Lunch'.
Mr Grinling retold the story using props, he then told us about a time that he lost his key to his lighthouse! He set us lots of great activities. We played lighthouse lotto where we had to find the pictures to match the pictures on our boards. We searched for the stamps that linked to the story and we had six to collect. We were also shown a working lighthouse, with a moving basket on a pulley and a real light!
We really enjoyed making Mr Grinling a mustard sandwich, but we are unsure whether he liked it!
04.02.2022 NSPCC Number Day
This year, St Dennis Primary Academy joined schools across the UK for a mega maths day!
Number Day was packed full of maths activities and games, whilst we raised money to support services such as Childline.
Children came to school dressed up in anything maths or number related, for a donation to raise money for the NSPCC and we raised an incredible £225.50.
We created a display in hall to help us remember how much fun we had!
13.01.2022 Rocksteady Music School
Children across the school had a go at feeling what it might be like to be in a rock band and absolutely loved it!
15.12.2021 Father Christmas in his Grotto!
Father Christmas came to visit! Children made their way through the magical winter wonderland to his grotto. They were all delighted as they left with a Christmas book to take home and enjoy over the holiday!
10.12.2021 West End in Schools - 'The Night Before Christmas' drama workshops
On Friday, the theatre company 'West End in Schools' visited and ran drama workshops for all children across the school based on the poem 'The Night Before Christmas'. All children were really excited to be involved in this, as this poem was a text in their Christmas Book Bingo! A real treat!
08.12.2021 Visit to St Denys Church for 'The Festival of Christmas Trees'
Years 1 to 6 walked to St Denys Church to view 'The Festival of Christmas Trees'. Older children walked with our younger children and it was so lovely to see our school value of friendship in action.
There were 23 trees in all and children were amazed at what they saw. It was magical and a really festive way to start our Christmas lunch day!
19.11.2021 Anti-Bullying Week
Anti-Bullying Week was full of fantastic discussions, activities and thought provoking moments. A display has been created to celebrate children's learning. We think you will agree that the children produced some wonderful work!
15.11.2021 Odd Socks Day
Today was the launch of Anti-Bullying week, so everyone took part in Odd Socks Day. There were striped socks, spotty socks, superhero socks and even Christmas socks to be seen! This special day highlighted that we are all different and special in our own ways and sparked some important conversations about being unique and untied. It was also great fun to spot all of the colourful socks that everyone wore!
12.11.2021 COP26
Children sent BBC Radio Cornwall their thoughts ahead of the G7 Summit earlier this year and two of our children have had their thoughts projected onto the BBC Scotland building during COP26.
Rachael’s quote appears at about 45 minutes, 30 seconds and Declan’s quote appears at about 52 minutes, 40 seconds alongside around 100 quotes from young people across the UK!
11.11.2021 Remembrance Day
Pedrevan Class paid their respects today inside the school grounds at the memorial dedicated to those who served in World War 2. Amelia played 'The Last Post' as the children started their two minutes silence. Year 6 were very mature and thoughtful. Children across the school observed a two minute silence at 11 o'clock in their classrooms and learnt about Remembrance Day in assembly today. Click the link below to view this.
05.11.2021 Children in Need - The Big Fancy Dress Singalong
The day Pudsey came to visit St Dennis Primary Academy
We joined in with BBC Local Radio's Big Fancy Dress Singalong live on air! BBC Radio Cornwall and BBC Spotlight came to record us all, dressed in spots from head-to-toe, singing and dancing along to 'By Your Side' by Calvin Harris and Tom Grennan, all in aid of raising money for children's mental health charities.
08/09/10.09.2021 Team Building Days
This academic year started with 3 team building activities for children from Reception to Year 6. It was the perfect way to learn about and revisit our core values of aspiration, courage, achievement, responsibility, teamwork and friendship.
Activities included a climbing wall, archery, survival skills and team building games.
