Dear Parents/Carers,
Welcome back! It has
been fabulous to have a school full of children once again this week, fresh
from their Christmas break and raring to go. We have heard all about the things
Santa delivered over the festive period and the many different bits of the holiday
that the children clearly thoroughly enjoyed – but many agreed it was good to
be back in school; pencil in hand, heads down…. What could be better?!
Raving about Reading
It is no secret that we
are passionate about reading at Cookridge but this half term sees us putting
reading even further at the heart of our school with a range of new initiatives
that we are all extremely excited about sharing with you and the
children. Following our training day learning from the outstanding
provision in place at Beecroft Primary School, we have implemented new ways of
reading in school and are up to our necks in our second or third whole class
readers in KS2, with Michael Morpurgo’s ‘The War Horse’ and Dick King-Smiths
‘The Hodgeheg’ currently on the go. Of 8 children who came to see me for a Head
teacher’s award on Tuesday, 4 of them said their best bit of the day had been
their reading session – and the other 50% said Literacy. We MUST be doing
something right! Here is a brief outline of what we're looking forward to
putting in place this half term:
1) Library time - each class is about to start enjoying 30 minutes of library time a week, reading and choosing from the stunning new range of books we have. We really do have a super library that we are very proud of so look out for some fantastic books coming home for you to share!
2) Daily reading - an extra 15 minutes of reading a day will be put in place in all classes, allowing children to delve deeper into our school reading scheme whilst giving teachers further time to support them all in their reading. The perfect way to finish the school day!
3) Book week - the whole school will join together to enjoy and explore a book through a range of exciting activities. You can't beat sharing a great book!
4) Reading rewards - children who achieve their weekly reading target (reading 3 times a week), will have their name put into the class reading raffle pot and just might be the one lucky ticket drawn from the pot who gets to choose a prize! In addition, at the end of each half term, class teachers will choose one pupil to receive the 'Extreme Reader' award for outstanding effort with their reading. Extreme Readers will have the opportunity to go book shopping with Miss Fowler to choose some new books for our school library – leaving their legacy by placing their names in the front of the books chosen by them.
Reading at home has such a vital role to play in developing children's confidence in and love of reading and so you will be receiving information to clarify school systems and expectations around home reading which we would greatly appreciate your support with. I’ve said it before and I will say it again – you cannot put a value on the minutes of time you invest in equipping your child for their future through reading to or with your child…. 5 minutes a day could be all it takes to make a real difference. Keep a close eye out for further details in the newsletter on other reading events this half term as we invite you to be part of our exciting reading journey!
Y4 Residential Assembly
Y4 parents are
cordially invited to come along to an assembly sharing news of the Robin Wood
residential way back in November. The assembly is scheduled for 21st of January
at 2:15pm and I’m sure you will be amazed by the challenges your children met
head on during their time away. Put the date in your diary….
The Beehive
This week, our before
and after school club re-opened its doors as ‘The Beehive’. I’m hoping that
parents – and children - using the club have felt reassured that it’s ‘business
as usual’ this week, as we have made every effort to continue to operate just as
Funtime did so that you can continue to rely on a service that is
not-for-profit and family orientated. If any parents have any queries regarding
accessing a place at ‘The Beehive’, please catch the staff involved (Mr Green,
Mrs Dawes, Mrs Phelan or Mrs Matloob, who begins next week) or speak to Mrs
Lucas in the school office. Likewise, I would welcome any feedback in terms of
how we tailor the provision to reach a wider group of parents and children so
if you have any top tips, please get in touch via the office or via email – baileys06@leedslearning.net.
Attendance
Some low attendance
figures in pockets this week has pulled our weekly figure below our 95%
benchmark. Remember – weekly attendance is calculated Wednesday-Wednesday, and
so this figure includes the last few days before the Christmas holidays when
illness absence was blighting our previously good form. With two weeks TLC, I’m
hopeful that the next few weeks will see us back on top form and our attendance
rise. Congratulations to Class 3 who are this week’s Attendance champs –
Bourbon will be pleased to be back in KS1!
|
National Minimum
‘Good’ Expectation
|
Target
2013-2014
|
Attendance this
week
|
Year to date
|
||||||||||
|
95%
|
96%
|
94.7%
|
95.6%
|
||||||||||
|
Class attendance
figures for this w/e :- 8/01/2014
|
|||||||||||||
|
Rec A
|
Rec B
|
Class 1
|
Class 2
|
Class 3
|
Class 4
|
Class 5
|
Class 6
|
Class 7
|
Class 8
|
Class 9
|
|||
|
96.3%
|
93.2%
|
94.4%
|
96.4%
|
98.3%
|
98.2%
|
94.7%
|
91.9%
|
89.3%
|
93.7%
|
96.4%
|
|||
Friends
Last term, our Friends
PTA group’s activity culminated in the fabulous Christmas Fair. We are very
much on track with our mission to raise enough money together to invest in
another piece of playground equipment during the summer which all our children
will love. Next Thursday 16th January is the Annual General Meeting (AGM) – an
important date in the yearly calendar. This meeting is one where roles and
responsibilities are determined and plans for the year ahead are discussed. It
would be wonderful if you were able to come along – our numbers are swelling
and I am delighted that the Friends group is a happy and productive group who
are very committed to lending a hand to ensure our kids benefit from being a
member of the Cookridge community. If you have time to spare at 6.30pm next
Thursday – please come along and pull up a chair!
Have
a wonderful weekend,
Mrs Bailey
