Saturday's bag pack was a great success and well supported by pupils and staff. A huge thank you to all those who supported the school by packing or donating to the cause.
This Friends PTA event raised £550 for school and this money will be used to buy new equipment for our playground. We will begin talking to the children about this in the New Year and I am sure they will have many wonderful ideas for our next phase of playground developments!
Tuesday 29 November 2011
Friday 25 November 2011
Saturday 26th November 2011 - ASDA Holt Park Bag Pack
Don't forget - between 10am and 2pm today our children will be assisting shoppers packing their shopping at Asda. We are hopeful that this will be a lucrative business (!) All monies earned will be going towards the planned investments in the playground which we will begin discussing with the School Council and Class Forums shortly.
My thanks to Mrs Arnott for managing the organisation of this event and to all staff and pupils who have given up their Saturday to support our school community.
Mrs Bailey
My thanks to Mrs Arnott for managing the organisation of this event and to all staff and pupils who have given up their Saturday to support our school community.
Mrs Bailey
Thursday 24 November 2011
Friday 25th November 2011
Dear Parents/Carers,
Another fabulous, if busy, week in school has whizzed by - it’s always Friday morning at Cookridge! I am in the process of meeting groups of parents who are visiting school whilst making their preferences for Reception, beginning next year. This is a fantastic opportunity to visit all areas of the school and recount the many fabulous features of Cookridge Primary, and outline future developments. I have to say I am proud of the children and how motivated they are by the team points and awards being given across school, with visiting parents commenting upon how focused children across school are on their learning. The positive behaviour policy is having a huge impact upon the way in which pupils conduct themselves through all parts of the school day, and I am delighted to see the positive effects of a school wide approach to recognising pupils who are demonstrating the right attitude to play and learning. I am today sending home a revised behaviour policy document in order to ensure that all parents and pupils are clear on the rewards – and sanctions – which are used in school to ensure that we continue to improve behaviour in school towards the outstanding learning environment that we have in mind.
Pupil Information and Parental Consents
Also being distributed today is a pack of information, including a Home-School agreement. The information provided is for you to keep as a reference point at home. There is a document included which requires completion as soon as possible. This includes an accurate update of all pupil contact information AND a series of permissions that we require for all pupils (unfortunately not one per family!) Please note – these permissions will last the lifetime of your child’s time with us and we will not re-request this information on an annual basis!
Nick Tocezk causes a buzz around school!
On Wednesday, author, poet, performer and magician Nick Tocezk set the school alight with his fantastic performances and writing workshops. The whole school was treated to a forty minute assembly and the hall was filled with laughter and excitement as Nick performed a range of his poems and some of his favourite magic tricks. The children (and staff!) participated with a level of enthusiasm that was just fantastic to see. Nick then spent the rest of the day working with 42 year 5 and 6 pupils selected from schools across the cluster - including 6 from Cookridge - to create a range of poetry inspired by some of his work. Our year 5 and 6 children were excellent ambassadors for the school, making our visitors very welcome and participating fully in all the writing activities. The children were buzzing at the end of the day and so proud of the poetry they had produced. And rightly so! We will now work on editing and publishing some of their work and we look forward to sharing it with you via the website. Thanks to all those parents who patiently queued up to buy a book. I am sure the children were delighted to have the opportunity to meet Nick personally and get their book signed. It was fantastic to see so many children leaving school keen to get home and start reading!
Strike
A letter was distributed – and is available to view on the blog – with regards to our position on Wednesday 30th November. As I am sure you will know, a day of mass strike action has been voted for by many unions, and staff have been asked to take strike action. At this time, Classes 5 and 9 only are adversely affected by strike action and those pupils are unable to attend school next Wednesday. I will advise of any change to this situation should there be a need to do so.
Year 5 climb reach dizzy heights at The Grand.
This week saw Class 8 go on their fifth workshop to The Grand theatre as part of a long term research project into the running of the theatre and Victorian Leeds. The children have so far delved deep into the history of the opening night of The Grand in 1878 and have spent time at the theatre learning about the building itself; people who were involved in the opening performance and about the social history of the period. Last week, the children explored the stage area of the theatre for the first time which was a real highlight. As Safia looked out to the auditorium she said "this is what we've been waiting for!" This week's trip, however, took them literally to a whole new level as they walked up to the 'fly floor' where all the scenery is controlled. The children spent time with the stage manager, questioning him about his role and about how props and scenery are organised backstage. They asked a range of questions and deepened their knowledge about how performances are put together. Class 8 will be applying all this learning to a production of their own they will be developing and performing in the Spring term. Next week will be their final visit and they will be meeting marketing experts to get some top tips on how to advertise their production.
This fantastic project is an embodiment of our approach to the curriculum at Cookridge. Real life, memorable learning experiences where children are gathering new information through conversation with real people in real jobs in the real world. These are memorable and inspiring experiences which we are proud to offer our pupils.
Attendance
In order to assure a ‘satisfactory’ outcome in line with the 2009 Ofsted Framework for Inspections, an overall attendance figure of 94% is satisfactory. Our attendance figures continue to be a concern to us, with illness absence this week taking us down to a disappointing borderline satisfactory figure. When telephoning to advise of an illness absence, please ensure that you inform us of the specific illness your child is suffering from. This allows us to look for patterns across school and ensure that we are doing what we need to do to minimise the spread of infectious illnesses. Recently, we met with the local Attendance Strategy team and will be working in partnership to develop an Attendance policy which we will share with you shortly. Please note that requests for absence in term time for holiday purposes will not be approved, in line with all schools in the area and our drive for improvement in our current position.
Whole school attendance Thursday 17th November - Wednesday 23rd November: 94.1%
Have a great weekend.
Mrs Bailey
Wednesday 23 November 2011
ASDA Bag Pack
A reminder that on Saturday 26th November, our children will be bag packing at ASDA (Holt Park) to raise money for school. This year, 'Friends' (PTA) are raising money to support playground developments which will benefit all pupils in school. If you are planning on shopping on Saturday be sure to say hello to staff and pupils who are freely giving of their Saturday to support the school.
Pupils in Years 4-6 are invited to volunteer their services... If you have not already done so and have no other commitments on Saturday, do return your consent slip to give permission for your child to take part - if only for an hour.
Thank you.
Pupils in Years 4-6 are invited to volunteer their services... If you have not already done so and have no other commitments on Saturday, do return your consent slip to give permission for your child to take part - if only for an hour.
Thank you.
Wednesday 23rd November 2011
As I am sure you will know, a day of mass strike action is planned for 30th November. School based staff have faced difficult decisions in recent days as, although many feel strongly about the decisions taken that have led to nationwide strike action, they appreciate that a personal decision to support their union has an adverse effect upon our school community. This is a decision that no-one takes lightly and I am sure you can appreciate their position.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Mrs Bailey
Friday 18 November 2011
Friday 18th November 2011
Dear Parents/Carers,
The M&M theatre group were in school on Tuesday and performed ‘Robin Hood’ for 300 excited children. It was an absolute pleasure to see the children’s mesmerised, delighted and sometimes stunned faces take in the whole experience.. It truly was an all-singing all dancing spectacular! Many children have approached me to tell me what a fabulous show it was and I am hopeful that your child has told you something about the performance that they enjoyed. We will definitely be having a pantomime as part of our seasonal celebrations each year and we are already looking forward to next year’s show!
Thank you
Since September, you have supported both the school and the local community in many different ways and it is time to acknowledge your great generosity. Since my arrival in September you have raised £204.00 for school through the Scholastic Book Fair, provided Harvest gifts which have supplied 8000 breakfasts, 15000 lunches and 5000 emergency food parcels across the community and today contributed £265.70 to Children in Need. Thank you also to Lewis Bird in Class 9 who raised £68.07 for the Poppy Appeal by selling his customised designer glitter poppies and metal pin poppies throughout the school. We have not yet heard how much the school raised selling poppies – we will inform you once we have. There are a generous number of parent volunteers working in school to support our children and I have also had the pleasure of reading almost 100 completed questionnaires – the details of which I will be sharing with you soon. I am grateful that you are so passionate about our school and our community that you are freely giving of your time and money. Thank you!
Parent Governor Ballot Results
My thanks to both parents who put themselves forward for the role of parent governor and to those parents who returned their ballot papers. Mrs Kurdee was duly elected and will take her position on the Governing Body at the next full meeting in January. We look forward to welcoming Mrs Kurdee to her new role.
As is tradition at Cookridge, we will be holding a Christmas Toy assembly in partnership with Leeds YMCA. This is an opportunity for our children to donate a toy or game (in good condition though not necessarily new) to support needy families in this area of Leeds and is one which we are very keen to continue to support. Our Christmas Toy Assembly this year will be on the morning of Wednesday 7th December. Please note this is a different date to that previously notified.
Coffee morning
Our next coffee morning is next Wednesday 23rd November. If you have a spare half an hour once you have dropped your children safely into school, please do join us in the community room for coffee and a biscuit. This is a great opportunity for you to meet other parents and discuss things that matter to you with me and Mrs Laycock, our Learning Mentor. We very much look forward to catching up with you then.
Christmas Performances
Early rehearsals of the much anticipated Christmas Performances are about to begin. I am sure that you are very much looking forward to the performances and I know that for the children this is a real highlight to the school year and to their primary school experience. This year, Reception and Class 1 will be jointly presenting ‘We Three Kings’, Classes 2, 3, 4 and 5 will be presenting ‘Christmas around the World’ and Classes 6, 7, 8 and 9 will be presenting a concert – all dates below. Can I ask that any parents who do not wish their child to take part in the performances advise us as soon as possible.
Attendance
Our first ‘chance’ award winners will be announced in assembly on Monday. Any child who has achieved 100% attendance each week will be entered into a raffle draw and may well win a coveted prize! Please continue to support us in ensuring that our attendance figures remain at least good.
In order to assure a ‘satisfactory’ outcome in line with the 2009 Ofsted Framework for Inspections, an overall attendance figure of 94% is satisfactory.
Whole school attendance Thursday 10th November - Wednesday 16th November: 96.2%
Funtime Xmas Holidays Cover 2011
We are looking at the possibility of opening on Monday 19th and Tuesday 20th December this year for Xmas cover. If you need any childcare for these 2 days then please obtain a form from the Funtime After School Club or the office this week. Completed forms need to be returned with a deposit of £10 per child by next Friday 25th November to Ann Sadler at Funtime.
Fees are as follows: -
· £12.50 - ½ Day (7.45am to 1pm/1pm – 5.45pm)
· £21.00 – Full Day
Dates for next half term:-
Wednesday 23rd November Coffee morning
Friday 9th December Reception & Class 1 Christmas Concert ‘We Three Kings’ – 2pm
Monday 12th December Friends Christmas Bazaar - 3.05pm to 5pm
Tuesday 13th December Year 4, 5 & 6 Christmas Concert – 2pm and 7pm
Wednesday 14th December Year 2 & 3 Christmas Concert – 2pm
Thursday 15th December Christmas parties – pm
Wednesday 7th December Christmas Toy Giving Assembly – 9am
Friday 16th December Christmas Carols around the tree – 2.30pm
School closes for Christmas holiday
Tuesday 3rd January School reopens after Christmas holiday
Mrs Bailey
Friday 11 November 2011
Friday 11th November 2011
Dear Parents/Carers,
This week we have seen new books arriving in school – and lots of them!! Due to Government ‘match’ funding supporting school investment in phonics materials, we have been able to select high quality resources which will both engage and enthral our little readers. We hope to be inviting you to parent meetings shortly to admire the new materials and learn a little more about what you can do to support reading at home, and staff are just embarking upon a series of staff meetings to align – and strengthen - our practice in reading across school. Miss Fowler and the staff team are currently looking at books right across KS2 to identify further resources we need to enhance our reading scheme ‘beyond phonics’. Watch this space... These are exciting times for us book worms!
Danelaw
Panto-time!
This week we have seen new books arriving in school – and lots of them!! Due to Government ‘match’ funding supporting school investment in phonics materials, we have been able to select high quality resources which will both engage and enthral our little readers. We hope to be inviting you to parent meetings shortly to admire the new materials and learn a little more about what you can do to support reading at home, and staff are just embarking upon a series of staff meetings to align – and strengthen - our practice in reading across school. Miss Fowler and the staff team are currently looking at books right across KS2 to identify further resources we need to enhance our reading scheme ‘beyond phonics’. Watch this space... These are exciting times for us book worms!
Danelaw
Our Year 3 children had a whale of a time in role as Vikings when they visited Danelaw Viking Village on Tuesday - and put poor Miss Fowler in the stocks! They are still talking about their experience several days later. Trips out of school and visitors into school are a key part of the curriculum that we are very proud to offer as they provide children with a firsthand experience that cannot be replicated in the conventional classroom. My thanks to the dedicated staff team who undertake pre-visits to venues in their own time and diligently complete the necessary ‘risk assessment’ paperwork ahead of any visit. Without them - and their commitment to this side of the curriculum - it wouldn’t be possible, and our children would miss out.
A reminder that on Tuesday next week we are welcoming M&M Theatre Group to Cookridge to perform the pantomime ‘Robin Hood’ for all of our children. We will be taking an early lunch to enable the crew to set up in the hall for a 1.45pm start, with the production finishing at 3.00pm. We aim for a normal end to the school day, and hope that your child has LOTS to tell you about this magical experience.
Toy Sale
Cookridge Methodist Church (bottom of Tinshill Drive) are having a ‘nearly new’ toy sale this Saturday 12th November from 1.00 - 200pm. Bring along any ‘nearly new’ toys that you would like to clear out ahead of the festive season. This is also a great chance to pick up a few bargains...
Children in Need
On Friday 18th November we will be having a non-uniform day in school to support the nationwide Children in Need campaign. Children can wear anything they like for the day and will take part in class based activities relating to Pudsey Bear, charities and the many good causes that are served by this annual event. If you would like to contribute, please send a maximum of £1.00 into school with your child on the 18th. Thank you.
School Meals
The quality of school meals in school is very impressive. I am delighted to see so many of our children selecting salad at the salad bar and am amazed that the coleslaw is ALWAYS empty and is a popular accompaniment to almost anything on the menu! Following a parental request, I have now added information about the weekly menu onto the school website http://www.cookridgeprimaryschool.org.uk/homepage/. I hope that many parents will find this new element useful, and am very grateful to receive further guidance about the kind of information you require – just drop me an email via the ‘contact’ page of the website.
Packed lunches
Over recent days, I have noticed a number of children who are bringing chocolate bars and sweets in their packed lunches. Please ensure packed lunches offer a healthy alternative to school meals and avoid packing such ‘treats’ as part of a healthy meal. Thank you.
Parentmail
Don’t forget, we now provide the weekly newsletter and other updates via the school blog http://cookridgeprimaryschool.blogspot.com/ BUT we continue to use Parentmail to send occasional texts to parents where there is a need to communicate urgently. Please ensure the text information we have in school is up to date – if you have a new phone number don’t forget to let us know. Those parents who have not yet signed up for this service – please call in at the school office and collect a form to do so. It is completely free and will only take a few minutes of your time to become part of our network of contacts. With snowy weather approaching, it might be useful!
Football
After the pitch repair work over half term, Key Stage 2 football club resumes on Monday 14th Nov.
Coffee morning
Our next coffee morning is coming up fast and I hope you can join us in the community room on Wednesday 23rd November once you have dropped your children safely into school. This is a great opportunity for you to meet other parents and discuss things that matter to you with myself and Mrs Laycock, our Learning Mentor. We very much look forward to catching up with you then.
Attendance
Next week we will launch our weekly ‘chance’ awards, where all children who have 100% attendance each week will be entered into a raffle draw and may well win a prize! We are optimistic that this will lead to improved attendance and thank you for your ongoing cooperation in helping us to achieve this.
In order to assure a ‘satisfactory’ outcome in line with the 2009 Ofsted Framework for Inspections, an overall attendance figure of 94% is satisfactory.
Whole school attendance Thursday 3rd November - Wednesday 10th November: 97.1%
Dates for next half term:-
Wednesday 23rd November Coffee morning
Friday 9th December Reception & Year 1 Christmas Concert ‘We Three Kings’ - 2pm
Monday 12th December Friends Christmas Bazaar - 3.50pm to 5pm
Tuesday 13th December Year 4, 5 & 6 Christmas Concert – 2pm and 7pm
Wednesday 14th December Year 2 & 3 Christmas Concert – 2pm
Thursday 15th December Christmas parties – pm
Friday 16th December Christmas Toy Giving Assembly – 9am
Christmas Carols around the tree – 2.30pm
School closes for Christmas holiday
Tuesday 3rd January School reopens after Christmas holiday
Have a great weekend.
Mrs Bailey
Saturday 5 November 2011
Saturday 5th November
Good evening everyone!
I hope that the Bonfire Celebrations have gone well and everyone is safe and sound.
Just a quick message to reiterate:
School is CLOSED on Monday 7th November due to a staff training day. We will see you all on Tuesday 8th November - when Classes 4 and 5 will be out at Danelaw Viking Village for the day.. Lucky them!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Mrs Bailey
I hope that the Bonfire Celebrations have gone well and everyone is safe and sound.
Just a quick message to reiterate:
School is CLOSED on Monday 7th November due to a staff training day. We will see you all on Tuesday 8th November - when Classes 4 and 5 will be out at Danelaw Viking Village for the day.. Lucky them!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Mrs Bailey
Dear Parents/Carers,
I trust that you all had an enjoyable half term and are looking forward to the term ahead. The children came back full of enthusiasm for the exciting week they had in store - Halloween and Bonfire Night being top of their list of things to be excited about (literacy and numeracy a bit further down the list!) This week we have seen many of you in school as you attended your child’s parent consultations. Thank you for navigating your way through the amended appointment times to come and see us – we hope that they were useful conversations and appreciate your support in ensuring that your child achieves their full potential in the days, weeks and years to come.
Ofsted
As you are aware we were subject to a full Section 5 inspection during the last week of half term. The Inspection team were very rigorous and supported the school in its current endeavour to evaluate and improve all aspects of the school day. They recognised the good and some outstanding features of the school and were very supportive of our future development plans. The report is currently being moderated by Ofsted and will be published shortly. Unfortunately, I am unable to share the key headlines with you until this time. I very much look forward to doing so in the near future.
Attendance
One of the key foci for inspection is school attendance figures. Learners’ attendance is judged in comparison to national figures. The grade descriptors make it very clear that if pupils’ actual attendance is consistently below national averages then attendance must be graded inadequate overall. Attendance management at Cookridge is an aspect of school that I intend to develop, as our attendance figures over the last three years (the focus for inspection) allow scope for improvement. In order to assure a ‘satisfactory’ outcome in line with the 2009 Ofsted Framework for Inspections, an overall attendance figure of 94% is satisfactory. This is a figure which we sometimes fall below at Cookridge and is therefore something that we need to work together to improve. I am currently consulting with key staff in school to ensure that we are managing attendance as effectively as the best schools in the country, and will obviously share any new initiatives with you in due course. I will also be sharing our overall attendance with you on a weekly basis, and hope that you work in partnership with us to strengthen this aspect of our school to ensure an outstanding judgement at the next inspection!
Whole school attendance Thursday 20th October - Wednesday 2nd November: 97.2%
We have managed to secure a booking for a whole school pantomime delivered by the excellent M&M Theatrical Productions team. Please note that the cost of this performance will be entirely covered by school and will become one of our ‘Christmas traditions’ at Cookridge.. Next year, we will book in good time and get a performance a bit nearer to Christmas! The panto – Robin Hood – will take place on the afternoon of Tuesday 15th November and I am confident that it will be yet another fantastic experience for our pupils.
Parent Governors
Please note that the information for the election of our new parent governor is coming home today. Do take the time to consider your preferred candidate and make your preference known by returning the ballot paper as soon as you can.
Remembrance Day
Poppies are on sale in school and in assembly next week we will remind the children of the significance of this important date. As is tradition at Cookridge, to mark Remembrance Day next Friday 11th November, we are inviting all Cubs, Scouts and Brownies to wear their uniform to school for the day.
Miss Fowler and I have been very busy evaluating the current reading materials in school and identifying our gaps. We have today taken delivery of our first order of brand new, fantastic quality and phonically decodable guided reading materials and are very keen to get the stock organised and in use as soon as possible! Across this year, we also plan to enhance the quality of books which the children take home as part of the reading scheme and re-vamp the library to provide contemporary, eye catching and appealing books for our little readers. We are very excited about this significant investment and the impact that this will have upon both the children’s developing skills and love of reading.
I have received the following information from the Leeds Welfare Rights Team which I am keen to share...
In the current economic climate more and more people are struggling to cope. Household incomes are reducing, utility and food prices are increasing yet many people are still not claiming all the benefits they are entitled to. The Welfare Rights Team are here to help – we can carry out a comprehensive benefit check and help you to make a claim for any benefits you may be entitled to. We can talk to you over the phone or see you at a local surgery.
If you don’t ask you won’t know – Don’t lose out claim it!
Call us today on 0113 3760452
Cookridge Village Scouts Group Bonfire Night – Pinfold Lane
The Scouts Group Bonfire Night will take place on Saturday November 5th at 6.30pm. Please note that car parking facilities are not available at the Scout Hut. The event is free of charge and refreshments are available.
Dates for next half term:-
Monday 7th November Training Day – school closed
Tuesday 8th November Class 4 & 5 visiting the Danelaw Centre
Thursday 10th November Friends Annual General Meeting – 6pm
Wednesday 23rd November Coffee morning
Friday 9th December Reception and Year 1 Christmas Concert ‘We Three Kings’ - 2pm
Monday 12th December Friends Christmas Bazaar - 3.50pm to 5pm
Tuesday 13th December Year 4, 5 & 6 Christmas Concert – 2pm and 7pm
Wednesday 14th December Year 2 & 3 Christmas Concert – 2pm
Thursday 15th December Christmas parties – pm
Friday 16th December Christmas Toy Giving Assembly – 9am
Christmas Carols around the tree – 2.30pm
School closes for Christmas holiday
Tuesday 3rd January School reopens after Christmas holiday
Have a wonderful weekend,
Mrs Bailey
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