A successful sponsored swim

Last weekend one of our youngest pupils completed a sponsored swim at Tencreek Holiday Park.  He managed an amazing 48 lengths (730m)!

Mum said that the sweets on the finishers table got a little tempting at that point, but I am sure you will all agree that this was a great acheivement for one so young. 

The swim was part of the Tencreek Swimming Club's bigger sponsored  swim run by the swimming coach.  The older children were doing a Channel swim relay in the other lanes.  The event was held to raise money for the MS Society and Cornwall Wildlife Trust - two very worthy causes.

You can clearly see that the pupil loves to swim and it obviously runs in the family because his sister also took part and managed a staggering 96 lengths (1458m) too!

We love to swim at Looe Primary and it is always good to see that the children make the most of all of the opportunities available in their local community.

We are hoping to be able to re-establish Childrens' University' at Looe Primary soon, so with an effort like this, we will probably see this pupil with his cap and gown at Plymouth University very soon.

Very well done!

Helping our younger children to understand the impact of fire and fire safety is one of our most important activities of the year.  We always to make it memorable so that the children are more likely to rememer it, so what better way than by setting fire to Pudding Lane, just like the Great Fire of London.

Looe Fire Brigade came in and helped the children to understand the danger of fire but also to understand its importance in everyday life.

As you can see, although it was such a shame to set the Pudding Lane built by the children on fire, it was very effective and burnt just like it would have.

It was a little scary, but fun at the same time and the Fire Brigade were very complimentary about how polite and interested the children were.

We were disappointed that the pandemic still prevents us from attending the Annual Act of Remembrance in Looe Town this year.  However, it didn't stop us joining in.  In the picture here you can see a beautiful slate that Mrs Gregory  helped our youngest children in Foundation class to make.  They used their fingerprints to make the poppies and when it comes back to school we will display it with pride.  We also laid two further wreaths on behalf of all of the children.

In school, the House Captains did a great job of helping to sell poppies and the lovely range of items that we can buy and we are delighted that the collection box is so full, we have had to find another one!

Each class had their own act of remembrance and the whole school observed the two minute silence; the school was very peaceful and all of the children were very respectful.  I joined Mr Bowden's Yr 6 class and as I arrived, they were talking about the significance of the event.  We then carried on thinking about how important it will be to make sure that we do not forget as we all get older.  We also talked about the difference of war now and what that might mean, remembering that this special day is not just about those who fought in the two World Wars.

We are very much hoping that we will be able to remember at the war memorial next year, but we are pleased that we were still able to pay our respects again this year.

It has been a very busy first half term of the academic year and it always seems so special when we get to the end of the first term.  It means that we have found our feet, that learning is well on the way and that we begin to appreciate the power of the seasons on our lives as the days and nights change.

The Year 4 and 5 pupils have been looking at Autumn and Harvest in more detail and as you can see from this beautful display, they have been very creative too.  Each of the leaves describes something that the children feel thankful for and there are some wonderful contributions.  We have also been helping children to remember the importance of the harvest and its link to the moon.  Did you know that harvest is linked to the moon so that the harvest is brought in at the time of the year when a full moon provides the most light along with a long day to enable the farmers to harvest their crops safely?  Did you also know that the tradition of celebrating the harvest in this country is only 160 years old and was introduced by a vicar in Cornwall?

We also held virtual harvest celeberations in each class.  Thank you for all of the contributions of food.  As usual we are donating the food to the Looe and Liskeard food bank where we know it will be very well received.  Thank you to Miss Newcombe for organising this.  It is a very wholesome feeling to know that your actions benefit others less fortunate and as a school, we are very thankful that we can do this every year.  We continue to hope for a more inclusive harvest celebration next year.  Fingers crossed!

The Year 1 'big question' for the beginning of the new academic year is, 'Why didn't Paddington Bear come to Looe?'  I would really like to know the answer to the question because not only is Paddington one of my favourite characters, I am also quite fond of a marmalade sandwich too!

We were delighted to welcome Sean Hewitt back into school for the Year 1 pupils and he was helping them to draw their own bears using a variety of drawing techniques.  They followed Sean one step at a time focusing on the lines and the shapes that he was showing them.  It is always a lovely day when we can welcome Sean to school and the children had a great time.

There is lots going on to think about Paddington and his adventures and I know that the children might be redesigning his favourite sandwich!  Year 1 parents watch out too, as I heard a rumour that there is a teddy bears' picnic coming soon!

It has been an amazing start to the term here at Looe Primary, with so much happening.  We have been relatively covid free and we have been focussing very much on helping the puipis settle back into their learning routine.  It was a bit of a surprise this week when I arrived at school and found Mr Provost, a parent of the school, unloading this wonderful house from his van.  It took me straight back to last term when the children were looking at one of their 'big questions' , 'What in the world can I be?'  This wider curriculum topic was about helping the children to think about all of the different careers and jobs that could be available to them.  It encouraged them to think about builders and buildings, about interior design, about being a vet or a doctor, or a farmer etc.  It was quite a surprise when they the wrote to me to ask if they could have a guinea pig as part of this wider question.  So - to cut a long story short - Mr Provost has kindly made a hutch for the guinea pigs to live in becasue the persuasive writing of the children worked it's magic and I said yes. 


We still have a little way to go to be ready, but a huge thank you to Mr Provost and his team for helping us out and showing us some of the great things that being a builder can achieve.  Lucky guinea pigs! 

Having missed out on a residential experience last year, it was great to be able to organise a safe and exciting opportunity for them this year - a 3 day visit to the Ultimate Adventure Centre in Bideford, Devon.  The pictures speak for themselves, but what they do not show is some of the personal obstacles that some of the children (and staff) had to face to be able to succeed with some of the activities.   A highlight was a child who did not want to climb to the top of the ladder at all, but step by step, through tears and cries, of 'I can't do this' she got there!  They still found time amongst all of that to watch the England vs Germany game if they wished and to warmly welcome back Mrs Burtoft.  She was able to pay a visit as she now lives very close to the activity centre.  It's such a shame we cannot show you videos as there are many that tell a tale of the fun and learning experiences to be had during the visit - Miss Hearnden taking a big dive from the big balls and Mrs Yeo getting stuck in the rollers at the Big Sheep, to name but a few!  I wish I had gone with them now!

As you know, yesterday was the Summer Solstice; the longest day of the year.  What you may not know is that Looe Primary has some very brave and committed swimmers, who love to swim in the sea.    Many of you will also know Mrs Gregory.  She  works at Looe Primary and is very well known in the town for her community work, but she is always out and about and very active doing all sorts of things.  She has an electric bike to cope with the hills; she cycles to work most days, she is a member of the Looe Pioneers, she walks her dogs every day, she went paddle-boarding on her birthday last week - I am sure you are getting the picture!  You can see Mrs Gregory at the front of this picture.  Only Mrs Atkinson and Miss Masters were brave enough to join her from school but along with more than 50 swimmers, there was a 5.00am swim from Looe Beach to celebrate the Summer Solstice.  Mrs Atkinson said that she felt very tired for the rest of the day, but Miss Masters said that she felt amazing and full of energy.  Do you think that you would be able to swim in the sea at 5.00am in the morning and then spend a day at school?  Well done to you all and to Mrs Gregory for encouraging everyone to take part.