Welcome to Collaton St Mary CE VA Primary School Summer Term 2010
We are proud of our church school distinctiveness and the values we promote that exemplify our school mission and aims. We place each child’s well-being and learning at the heart of all we do. We are committed to providing inspiring and meaningful learning experiences underpinned by core skills and a wide range of opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom so that our children grow to be successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens able to make a positive contribution to the world in which they live with all its opportunities and challenges. We value our links with our community and parish and our wonderful new community room enables us to provide a comfortable base for our breakfast and after school clubs, as well as hosting Family Learning, Torbay’s pre-school communication group, and our Friday community coffee.
Heralded by a very snowy start to 2010, the Spring Term proved to be exciting for our young learners. Each learning experience: ‘Wheels, Wings and Watery Things’ for KS1 and ‘Race to the Summit’ for KS2 proved to be inspiring and thoroughly engaging. Each presented unique learning opportunities that supported the development of investigational skills particularly in the context of science and design and technology, and pushed out the parameters of learning. 
Our older children thoroughly enjoyed following the virtual ascent to the summit of Aconcagua in Argentina through video link and really appreciated the impact of the terrible Peruvian floods in the mountainous area of our partner school; so much so that they organized their own fundraiser, which was incredibly well supported by our community. We were delighted that ‘Wheels Wings and Watery Things’ was brought to life by a range of wheeled visits to school culminating in a highly motivating display and workshop by Inertia Bikes. All were inspired to write in very meaningful contexts and the school has been invited by Torbay Early Years to participate in a case study focused upon the role of story making in developing writing.
Punctuating the term, came Arts Week which provided a quality time to focus upon creating outcomes that reflected our school’s Christian values through a range of media, some of which were eventually displayed in the Spanish Barn in Torquay. At least eighty children from KS2 and younger children from our choir participated in Torbay Festival of Performing Arts. Their presentation of songs from the Selfish Giant, accompanied by percussion and phenomenal dance, provided a poignant contribution fitting the Easter Season.
We have continued to enjoy working in partnership with others this term; not only our Humanities Partnership with Churston Ferrers Grammar School that facilitated our Peruvian visit, but developing our sporting links with PCSC to enable us to offer enhanced opportunities including dance, rounders coaching and support with swimming. As well as this, we have benefited from coaching in cricket through the ‘Chance to Shine’ initiative. We have continued to receive support from the Food for Life organisation as a flagship school and our Cookery Club is now well underway. Additional funds have enabled us to extend our kitchen garden and we have been able to introduce planters outside each of the Key Stage Two classes, for classes to grow their own plants and produce
This term, we look forward to the usual range of Summer Term events: sports day, summer fair, leavers’ services and celebrations and the Year Six school play – Wind in the Willows. We continue our mission to provide outstanding learning opportunities for our children that provide meaningful contexts to improve basic skills and raise standards. This term the whole of KS2 are working together, in partnership with Devon Wildlife Trust, to mobilize our local community to create a sensory garden. Key Stage One is learning through ‘Into the Forest’, combining traditional tales, outside learning and science.
To find out more, visit the home page of our learning platform and keep up with the news in our electronic newsletters.
Penny Millington
May 2010