The weather has certainly been different this week! The children have been enjoying a wide range of activities this week. On Monday we visited the housing development in Darite - the weather played ball this time. We looked around the site, saw how the houses are made and spoke with some of the tradespeople who were working on site. It was very interesting to see how they are made and to be able to compare how they looked now with how they are when they are finished. Thank-you to Chris for showing us around (and for the high-vis jackets!). KS2 had a visit from the education team at the UK Parliament on Thursday. They learned about the job of Members of Parliament, the House of Commons and Lords and how laws are passed. It was a very interesting session and they asked some very probing questions! Next week is another busy week with Sports Day on Wednesday. We are going to start the fun at 1.30 and all are welcome. At the moment, the weather is looking good. Please can I remind parents to send children to school with a sun hat, sun cream (applied) and a water bottle as we hopefully have warmer and sunnier weather. Finally, another reminder that the last day of term (22nd July) is a half day. The children can be collected from 1.30 from the playground. Could you please let the office know if you will be unable to collect at this time. Have a lovely weekend and thankyou for your continued support of the school!

What a week! Despite the record temperatures, the school stayed cool thanks to the thick granite walls an the children have been amazing managing the heat with fans, drinks and plenty of time in the Wild Tribe area. Thank-you to parents for making sure they have sun-cream, hats and cool clothing. Year 5 and 6 challenged themselves with a huge range of activities on their residential to Spirit of Adventure this week. These included bouldering, abseiling, rock scrambling and river scrambling. It culminated in an Adventure Race where they put their skills together. They worked really hard, had a great time and really impressed myself, Mrs Nell and the staff at the centre. The heat was high but swimming in the river really helped! Meanwhile the children in school had a fantastic few days with Mrs Lake and Mrs Morris. They had a French breakfast, made colourful bunting, baked scones and so much more! What a great way to spend the week. We finished the week with the disco - currently still going on as you read this. The children looked amazing and thankfully it was cooler for it! Thank you to the PTFA for organising the event. They do a wonderful job in raising money for all the children in the school. Next week also promises to by busy. We have our rescheduled trip to the housing site on Monday - can children wear school uniform and sensible shoes for the walk. As you can see, we still have lots to look forward to!

Despite the weather it has been another great week. The photoshoot for the school went brilliantly and I can't wait to see the photos of the learning, enjoyment and fun that was going on in the afternoon. We also had a whole school photo which we are looking forward to sharing with you. This week the children have been very active. The Year 4 and 6 children did brilliantly in their swimming lessons and all made amazing progress. The children also took part in the Bridge School Games against the other 14 schools in the trust. It was a football themed event and the children did really well with their skills and teamwork. We also welcomed our new reception children in for a transition afternoon and they have settled in wonderfully. We are such a kind and fund school, if you know anyone who is looking for a place, please send them our way. Coming out today is a letter from the trust about changes to our Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) and Relationship Education (RSE) that are coming into effect from September. There is a survey in this which will help the trust and school deliver these lessons even better. Please take the time to complete it and if you need a paper copy, please let us know. Finally, also coming out today is a letter is with further details about possible exciting plans to extend wraparound and potentially offer nursery provision at Darite. As the letter states, this is still in the planning and information gathering stage and part of this is getting feedback from all stakeholders in the school community. The survey link is here and, although there are a few questions, they will all help us in planning. I'm sure you will agree that this is an exciting potential expansion and we need your thoughts and feedback to make it the best we can.

It has been a very busy start to the half term! This is the first newsletter after half term and what a start we've had! The weather has not played ball for some of our activities meaning that last week we didn't make it to the building site. We have rescheduled this for the 29th June and the crew on the site are already planning lots of activities. This week saw Class 2 spend the day at Trelowen Flowers - a local organic flower farm in Rilla Mill. They had a great time, looking after chickens, planting seeds, making flower bombs and so much more! Thank-you to Wayne and Tamsin for their hospitality. We will definitely be back to see how their farm grows. Yesterday was the annual beach day. Although we didn't go near the sea, the rain made sure it looked like we had. Despite the weather, we had a great time, building sandcastles, making art and beach-combing. Next week is also really busy: Swimming sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for Years 4 and 6, the Bridge School Games for all children and on Tuesday, a visit from a professional photographer. He is visiting all schools in the trust to capture what it means to be part of Darite. There will also be a whole school photo so can all children make sure they are wearing correct school uniform. There is so much that we do at Darite, I can't wait to show it to people. Finally, I would like to say how proud we all are of the children at Darite. Sometimes we do have to do assessments with them and this week Year 1 and some Year 2 sat the phonics screening check. Year 4 did the multiplication check and I had the privilege to show the Year 6 writing to an external moderator. He was very impressed with the writing and we are proud of all the children.

It has been an incredibly busy week this week: This newsletter will give just a snapshot of what we have been up to! Year 6 have all done their KS2 SATs tests. There were some tricky questions but each and every one of them tried their hardest and I am so proud of all of them. It is never an easy week, but they all need to remember that whatever their results, SATs will only show what they are like in that test and not what they are like as people, their passions, ambition and what they all succeed in each day. Well done Year 6! Class 1 had a great trip to St Jospeh's in Launceston this Tuesday. The children got involved in a lot of different sports and games. Who knew they would be so good at cricket! Thank-you to St Joseph's for hosting the day. Next week is the final week of this half term - I know, it seems to have flown by! Friday is an INSET day, and school is closed to pupils but before then, Class 2 are joining with 4 other schools to perform in the "Festival of Belonging". They have been working really hard on their performance, and we are all looking forward to the show. Please see the posters and flyers that have gone home for more details. All are welcome! Thank-you to you all for keeping the zig-zag lines at the front of school free at drop-off and pickup time. This has really helped the safety of the pupils. Can I also ask again that children are not permitted to play on the trim trail on the playground at the start and end of the day. These are unsupervised times and we want to make sure that the children are safe. Finally, we have noticed an increase in small toys being brought in from home. We understand that some children need items to fidget with in class to maintain concentration and these children have had conversations with staff and the school are able to provide fidgets for these children as we have a supply in school. If you feel your child would benefit from this, please talk to staff. We are not responsible for anything brought from home without prior consent and items seen will be removed in class and returned home.

What a busy week it's been at Darite! The whole school enjoyed a fantastic day at Dartmoor Zoo on Thursday. The children loved looking at the different creatures (the otters were a particular favourite!) and learning about the work they do to protect endangered species. Class 1 enjoyed meeting some of the animals up close in their workshop and Class 2 learned more about adaptations and classification. A huge thank-you to the donor who made the trip free to all. We finished off this week with our Go Wild day in support of OVAID. The raffle and cake sale raised a wonderful amount of £83.57  for this very worthwhile cause. Thank-you to all of you who were able to donate cakes to the cake sale. It was a real community effort and we thank you. This event was made more relevant by it also being the 100th birthday of Sir David Attenbourough! Next week is the annual Year 6 SATs week. The children have been doing brilliant work and we know they will do their best. Please can we also ask that parents and carers do not park on the yellow zig-zag lines outside of school for pickup and drop off. This is to ensure the safety of all children and adults around these busy times.

What a difference a sunny week makes! The children have enjoyed being outside in the sunshine. Hopefully the weather stays good for the bank-holiday! Thank-you to the Year 6 parents who were able to come along to the meeting on Monday about the SATs starting on the 11th. If you were unable to attend it, please let us know and we can share the information. All children in Year 6 are welcome to come to breakfast club free of charge on Monday 11th to Thursday 14th May of SATs week to get themselves ready for the tests. Next week is a shortened week with the bank holiday. On Thursday we have our whole-school trip to Dartmoor Zoo. Please make sure you login to ParentPay to give permission - there is no cost to this trip. Friday is our Go Wild Day in aid of OVAID. It will be a non-uniform day, all donations for non-uniform will get a free raffle ticket to win a cuddly prize. We are also holding a cake sale to raise money for this cause; please may we ask for kind donations to be dropped into school on Friday morning. As we have some allergies in school, may we also request an ingredients list so that all children are able to enjoy a tasty treat. Thank-you for all your support of the school and pupils. Darite is a very special place to work and learn. Enjoy the long weekend and we will see the children back in on Tuesday 05th May.

The sun has finally arrived and it is beginning to look like summer! Thank-you to everyone who is sending children into school with sun hats and sun cream. We are always trying to make the most of the weather and need children to be as safe as possible in the sun. It has been another busy week with lots going on. On Thursday the school council visited St Luke's Hospice in Plymouth to see how the money that we have raised is spent. The children met with nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists about their important work and how they make people in their care as happy and comfortable as possible. It was really important to see the good the school is able to do through fundraising. The school is apparently famous at the hospice from our videos! Next week sees the Speak Out! Stay Safe! Sessions for Year 1/2 and 5/6. Monday is also the meeting for Year 6 parents about SAT that are coming up. These are a few of the many event coming up this half term, please make sure that you check the calendar for the latest news.

This week has been a very busy and fun-packed week! Wednesday saw Year 5 take part in the Junior Life Skills Roadshow at Liskeard fire station. The children had the opportunity to learn valuable skills like CPR, lifesaving skills and electrical safety. They also had the opportunity to learn about the public transport system and health talks such as stopping smoking. Also on Wednesday, some of the children braved the cold at Sterts to join in with lots of other local schools for the Songfest. This celebration of singing and music was wonderful and the children performed beautifully. Thank-you to Mrs Lake and Mrs Nel for their hard work making this so successful. Mr Massey (the CEO) Mrs Gilbert (deputy CEO), Mrs Sanson (Area Executive Head) and Mrs Spencer (Head of St Cleer) all came for a visit this week. They visited the children in the classes, looked at the learning and Before we break up for Easter, a reminder that next Thursday is a half day and children can be collected at 1.30 from their usual door. If you are unable to collect the children at this time, please let us know so we can make arrangements. Also, please may I thank you all for not parking in the car-park at pick up and drop off and after clubs. This is to protect children as they leave the school grounds. Can I also remind you not to park on the zig-zag lines outside school. These need to be kept clear for safety reasons too. Thank-you for your understanding.