And so this week we finally saw the snow! Unfortunately, this has rendered the playground out of use for the entire week. As the snow fell over the weekend, the frost had chance to get a grip so that by Monday morning the snow was no longer soft and squishy... It was icy, hard and hazardous. Mr Lucas does a great job making the site ‘safe’ for access only, meaning that he clears a pathway which allows staff, children and parents to access the school via designated pathways. Let’s hope that by the time we return for next half term, the cold spell is over and we get back use of our playground!
Half year anniversary
As we close for business today, I am able to reflect on half a year of Headship. It has gone very quickly indeed, and I am very pleased with the way we are shaping up as a team and the things that we have implemented since those first September days. Notably, we have done much work on reading. It was a delight yesterday to catch Miss Cowles class during a ‘wet play’. Given the choice of free play or continuing their reading using the Bug Club website.. The children unanimously carried on READING! If you haven’t already seen the Bug Club website, ask your child to log on and show you – it’s an incredible resource and is encouraging more reading than ever before, which is brilliant. There have been many additional ways to ‘win’ introduced, with attendance awards, Headteacher awards, team point awards, Learnatics and much much more. I am delighted by the high number of pupils who have secured their bronze and silver awards who are now working towards their gold awards – 250 team points! We have already begun a very intensive program to improve the quality of lunchtimes. With play equipment introduced, ‘playground friends’ appointed and advice taken from the school council about the additional playground equipment we need to install over the summer months – our playtimes look very bright indeed. I am currently consulting about fencing and alternative surfacing to the grassy banks, allowing us to use a bigger space even when the rain is falling.. Most importantly, we have worked hard as a talented teaching team to really think carefully about the way that we organise each and every lesson. We’re looking at a new way of organising our Literacy sessions, and have remodelled our guided reading. During the recent round of maths observations, I am very pleased to see increased paired work, speaking and listening and children ‘doing’ to secure their learning. I am also delighted to see that the lessons are getting tougher – with higher levels of challenge we are really seeing children’s brains itching... which can only be a good thing! All in all, it’s been a busy 5 months!
Next half term, I will be holding some information and discussion meetings with groups of parents. I am very keen to gather your views on everything and anything. We are here to meet the needs of our community, and we very much hope that we are doing that. If there is anything that you want to bring to our attention – cause for concern OR celebration! – then I very much hope that you will attend the meetings and be a part of the community shaping the future of our little kingdom.
After school sports clubs
Thank you to those parents who returned the sport questionnaire which is helping Mr Gamble plan some next steps regarding after school clubs. He has had some great responses... But he still wants more! Please take a few moments to return the survey if you still have it to hand, or leave a message on the sports message board http://www.cookridgeprimaryschool.org.uk/children/message-boards.php?board=7 .
Attendance
Our attendance this week was a dreadful 88.3% This was largely due to high levels of absence due to a winter vomiting virus which was seeing up to 5 children a day absent in some year groups. Please remember, the best way of minimising the spread of viruses such as these is isolation, and we therefore ask you to keep your child off for 48 hours after they have finished their bout of sickness.
The picture across the year so far is healthier overall. Our attendance from September-February is 95.4% compared with a figure of 94.4% at the same time last year. This improvement – though small - is significant, as it sees us out of the ‘inadequate’ category and into satisfactory. I still believe it can be – and should be – better. Let’s continue to work together to ensure that this single factor does not affect the amount that your child is able to achieve during their crucial primary years. Those children who have attendance of 85% or lower have actually missed 3 entire weeks of school so far this year, and if they maintain that they loose 6 weeks – an entire term - of their school year. Put in these terms, I am sure that you cannot fail to see how significant a factor this is in your child’s future. Please continue to do everything that you can to get your child into school on time every day – and then expect US to do all that we can to ensure that they achieve magnificent things.
Staffing changes
After 17 years as a member of the Cookridge community, Mr Llewellyn has decided it is time for him to move on to pastures new. Having been a key member of the leadership team for the best part of a decade, he has been pivotal in shaping the school to this point and must be commended for his commitment towards Cookridge Primary School and the many exciting innovations he has led. I am sure that you would join me in wishing him all the very best for his future endeavours and will take the opportunity to do so when you see him about in the next few weeks. We will interview to appoint an Assistant Head during the first week of next half term, and that candidate will take on class responsibility for Class 7 in partnership with Mrs Smith.
We also, this morning, bid farewell to Mrs Gathercole. Mrs Gathercole has decided to retire and – whilst I am confident that she will remain a friend of the school – we wish her well for what are sure to be the best years of her life! Mrs Cullen left us this term to return down South, and Mrs Mole leaves us today having served as a lunchtime supervisor. Thanks to both ladies for their contribution to Cookridge over the years.
If any parents are interested in taking on the role of lunchtime supervisor, I would be very pleased to hear from you as we are aiming to increase the number of staff available over lunchtimes – as well as shifting the nature of the role towards ‘play leaders’. If this is of interest – please let me know.
Coffee morning
Apologies for the mystery date in last week’s newsletter! The next Coffee morning will be at 9am on Wednesday 29th February 2012.
Mrs Bailey
