Aaaannnndddd... that's a wrap!

What a glorious last week of the term it has been this week. We have had a full week of learning and performances and fun in the sunshine.

In Maths, we completed our unit on Statistics. In Literacy, we wrote and edited the introduction to our setting description. We cannot wait to continue planning and writing the rest of our piece next term. In Computing we continued exploring block coding by looking at how our algorithms look like paper chains. In DT, we finally finished our pouches and spent time decorating and personalising them with Miss Walker. This week, we took time to consolidate our Geography learning by celebrating the amazing world we live in. Please look at the larger photo below for a selection of writing from the children about their own world.

Besides all these learning, we also had a special treat from the amazing Rocksteady bands on Thursday. We finally had the chance to listen to the very talented musicians as they performed the music they have been learning as a band. We rounded off the week with an awesome Easter fun in the sunshine. We started the fun with an Easter animal race, which led to much laughter as the tiny animals seemed to have a mind of their own. Then, we headed out into the forest school for a special Easter Egg hunt which also served as a chance for us to recap some key learning from the term.

A very well done to:
> Emily for getting the Ready Award for making an effort to use a range of interesting adjectives in her writing.
> Lilly T for getting the Respectful Award for her amazing effort at improving her presentations.
> Jimmy for being nominated for the Safe Award by the Positive Potato Police for being a very good buddy in the playground.
> Isla for getting the London Achievement Award.

Finally, a very big thank you to the Class 2 family for your amazing support through this term. Have a wonderful Easter break. See you all bright and refreshed on Monday 20 April 2026.

Just a short post to wish everyone a very Happy Easter and share the last news items for the term.

PSA Easter bake sale and film night
Thank you to the Parent Staff Association for organising the film night this week. We appreciate the contribution our volunteers make to school events and the funding they contribute, such as paying for the space dome last week. Thank you to all those who contributed to the Easter bake sale. The range of bakes on show was fantastic; it was clear a lot of skill and hard work had gone into making them.



Class 1 Theatre Royal Trip
On Wednesday, Class 1 visited the Theatre Royal to watch a performance of The Enormous Turnip. This wonderful opportunity to engage with performing arts will help the children as they prepare for learning about growth next term.

Rocksteady Performance
Well done to our Rocksteady bands, who performed to their parents and carers this week. These lessons are very popular and it is amazing to see how Joe, the band leader, has developed the children's skills in such a short space of time. The performance was brilliant and it was lovely to see how proud the watching adults were.

School Nursing Support
For parents and carers who may need some health advice about their children, the school nursing service can be a source of support:


Cove Macmillan Centre - Fruitfly Collective

This Week in Class: Exploring Space, Solar Power, Fantastical Creatures, and Fractions!
What an exciting and busy week we've had! Our learning has taken us on adventures across Geography, English, Maths, and even into outer space. Here's a look at what we've been up to:

Geography: Finding the Best Spot for Solar Panels
In Geography, we've been using our problem solving skills to investigate the best place to install solar panels around the school. We explored:
• Which areas get the most sunlight,
• Where shadows might block the panels, and
• How the angle and direction of the sun affects energy production.
Everyone worked like real environmental scientists, thinking about how renewable energy can help our school become more eco friendly.

A Visit from the Space Dome!
This week became truly out of this world when the Space Dome arrived!
Inside, we learned about:
• The planets in our solar system
• What the constellations are like at the time of year in the night sky

English: Creating Non-Chronological Reports About Pandora Creatures
In English, we began planning our non-chronological reports about fantastical creatures from Pandora, inspired by the world of Avatar. We focused on:
• Writing clear subheadings,
• Organising information into sections,
• Using formal language,
• Expanding our vocabulary to make our creatures sound believable (and magical!).
We're excited to continue building these reports as our creatures start to come alive on the page.

For the penultimate week of the term, we have had a FULL week of learning adventures! 

To start with, Class 2 have been really enjoying our Maths lessons on Statistics. Even more fun was applying our learning in our Maths lessons in our Science and Geography lessons.  First, we used our knowledge of using tally charts in our Science lessons to record the changes in a young chick over 5 weeks and using available data to predict how it might change next. Then, we applied these same skills in our Geography lessons where we surveyed our forest school area for mini beasts. We then used our knowledge of block diagrams to display our findings.

In Literacy, we have started a new unit of work. This time, we are focusing on fiction, and learning how to write a setting description. In RE, we continued to explore the Easter story and related Christian Easter traditions. Class 2 have also successfully completed a whole half term of swimming lessons at Launceston, with Friday being the last lessons. They have had a lot of fun brushing up key skills and learning new skills to keep them safe in the water.

We ended the week with the most amazing morning at the space dome where we learned not just about our solar system but about some faraway stars we see in the night sky. We learned how to find the constellation Orion and how to use his belt to find the Greater Dog constellation. We also learned how to use the Great Bear constellation to help us find the North Pole Star. We even watched a demonstration of how the Pole star ALWAYS stays above the North pole!

Finally, a very well done to:
> Isla for getting the Ready Award for her amazing writing.
> Harriet for getting the Respectful Award for bouncing into class with the brightest of smiles and absolutely ready to learn.
> Freya for getting the Safe Award for being such a helpful friend and learning buddy.

Besides our weekly Praise Awards, class 2 have now added a award - the London Achievement Award. Children in Class 2 earn this certificate when they cross the number bonds stage of the Around the World Challenge and move on to the Times Table stage. So far, we have had 4 children who have been awarded this certificate. Ella was the first one to achieve it, closely followed by Sofia, Freya and Ivy. I can't wait to give out more of this certificate in the next term!  

Science: Finding the Perfect Spot for Our Solar Panel



This week, we turned into young scientists as we investigated where on the school grounds a solar panel would receive the most sunlight. Armed with our observation skills, we explored different locations, comparing how much sunlight each area received. The children thought carefully about shadows, the position of the sun, and how solar energy works. It was fantastic to see such thoughtful discussion about renewable energy and sustainability.

English: Writing Our Own Non‑Chronological Reports In English, we began planning and drafting our very own non-chronological reports all about mythical beasts. From fire-breathing dragons to shimmering water spirits, the class let their imaginations run wild while still practising how to organise factual writing clearly. We focused on using headings, subheadings, and interesting facts to help our readers learn all about these mysterious creatures. The creativity on display has been wonderful!

Maths: Fractions & Measurement Mastery Our Year 6 mathematicians have been working hard on two key skills this week:
Multiplying fractions by integers - We used visual models and real-life examples to help make sense of how fractions grow when multiplied.
Converting units of measurement - From millilitres to litres and metres to kilometres, the children have been practising how to switch confidently between units. Their resilience with these tricky concepts has been impressive!

Music: A Magical SongFest at Sterts One of the highlights of the week was Barrowbeats' brilliant trip to Sterts for SongFest. The children performed with confidence, energy, and enthusiasm-representing our school beautifully. They returned feeling proud of themselves, and rightly so! Their hard work and teamwork shone through in an incredible performance.

As we approach the end of term, there is a race to complete lots of activities before starting again after Easter. Here are a few of the things that have kept us busy:

Design Technology
Class 4 children have been finishing their model playground structure designs. From measuring, cutting and joining materials to thinking about the aesthetic quality of different finishes, there has been a lot of learning over the last couple of weeks. Meanwhile, Class 3 have been designing model cars with the design brief that they must be able to assemble it from a kit.


Bridge Trust Singing Event
On Monday 16th, Year 6 pupils attended a Bridge Trust music event in Liskeard. Working with Canadian folk musician Luke Wallace, who writes songs about the environment, the children learnt and performed some songs before singing their own song, which they had been learning in the build up to the event. The Harrowbarrow song, Easy On The Earth, was written by Melissa Pinfield. She also accompanied the children on her clarinet in St Martins Church.

Songfest
Barrow Beats children joined pupils from lots of other schools to enjoy  singing together at the Sterts Theatre on Wednesday. This annual event is always popular with the choir.

Space Dome
To conclude our science learning for the term, the children enjoyed a visit to the Space Dome at the village hall today. Classes 1, 2 and 4 participated in a space workshop, whilst Class 3 learnt about light and sound. This fantastic resource brings science to life and adds an awe and wonder element that can make learning so magical. Thank you to the Parent Staff Association for kindly funding this brilliant learning experience.



Parenting Support
For a better quality version of the poster below, please see the noticeboard at the front of the school or pop into the school office for a copy.



Last day of term
A reminder that next Thursday is the last day of term and so children will need collecting at 1.30pm. We look forward to seeing everyone for the start of the summer term on Monday 20th April.

This week, Class 2 have been on so many learning adventures that we are absolutely exhausted and ready for the weekend!
 

We have finally come to the end of our unit on measurement in Maths. We have measured and compared length, heights, mass, volume, capacities and temperatures. There has really been an awful lot of stretching, walking, weighing, teeming and ladling in the classroom!!! Hopefully we have learned enough about measurement so that we can apply it to well in our portions masterclass later this term. On the other hand, Literacy lesson has been calmer as we have been writing the neat copies of our explanation text.

In Science, we looked at the life cycle of a butterfly in detail and learned some Tier 3 words associated with it - metamorphosis, chrysalis, pupa and larva. In DT, we been working with Miss Walker to design and plan our pouches. This week we have begun sewing them using simple running stitch. In Geography, we explored aerial photos of Harrowbarrow and used Google maps to zoom in on our school. We looked at OS maps of the village and identified key symbols used. We then used our learning to draw our own sketch map of the school grounds, identifying 6 key areas a visitor might want to find and adding them to the map. We also created our own keys to represent these key areas. In between all this, we also managed to learn about another Patron Saint - St Patrick. 

However, the highlight of the week has to be our second visit to Haye farm. It was a gloriously sunny day and we had oodles of fun exploring the farm again and meeting some of the new additions to the farmyard since our last visit. Please look below for some photos from the day.

A very well done to:
> Jane for getting the Ready Award for her hard work and amazing progress in Maths.
> Roux for getting the Respectful Award for his exemplary behaviour during our trip on Wednesday.
> Roma for being nominated by the Positive Potato Police for the Safe Award for checking on her friends during playtime.