Saturday, 17 December 2011
Friday, 16 December 2011
Friday 16th December 2011
Dear Parents/Carers,
Today marks the end of my first term at Cookridge – and what a term it has been! I have made friends with 300 very impressive young people – your children are amazing and although I have much work to do on this in the New Year, I am really beginning to get to know each and every one of them. I have seen all of our children achieve incredible things and I really do end the term feeling very proud of the fact that I am Head teacher of this incredible school. Making every day a pleasure for your children makes mine the best job in the world... Thanks again for welcoming me so wholeheartedly into the Cookridge Community.
Time to Shine at Cookridge
I am extremely grateful for parental support for the new behaviour policy, particularly in dealing swiftly with negative behaviours.
A singing school
Walking Bus news
There has been much emphasis on the right way to behave across this term and I am pleased to say that our pupils are demonstrating beautifully that spotting – and rewarding –good behaviour leads to a dramatic increase in good behaviours. The new team points system has been very well received by all of our children, and I have awarded several hundred Head teachers stickers over the course of the 14 weeks. This week, I have had a pizza lunch with our first ‘Learnatics’ – those pupils nominated by their own classmates for being brilliant learners day after day and I must say what a delight it was to eat lunch and chat with 13 excellent ambassadors for our school. The Yellow team (The Dick King Smiths) won the Half Term reward for the highest number of Team points with a staggering 2269 team points accrued between them.. They will be duly rewarded on the afternoon of Friday 6th January as time caught up with us this week!
Christmas Fayre
Monday’s Fayre was a tremendous success, very well attended by many of our families. Few of you left empty handed and we managed to raise over one thousand pounds towards our playground project. My sincere thanks to the dedicated Friends team who made sure this event was such a success, and special thanks to Mrs Willets without whom our PTA would not be the thriving organisation that it is. Any parents who would like to join Friends in the New Year should call in and see us... It’s a great way to make friends and play a significant part in the life of the school.
A reminder that our choir will be performing this evening at Holy Trinity Church at 7pm. Tickets are available on the door – all welcome!
You may recall that in September several parents expressed an interest in establishing a ‘Walking Bus’. This involves a number of designated parents arranging a local meeting point and effectively taking it in turns to walk a group of pupils into school, thus alleviating the parking problems we face. The Walking Bus initiative is one that has helped several other Leeds schools to overcome the difficulties parents face in getting their children into school promptly and safely in the mornings and is one I am keen to explore. I have arranged a meeting on Thursday January 12th at 9.30am with Mark Sadler from Leeds City Council and would encourage any parents who are still interested in finding out more about – and possibly being part of - this initiative to come along to the meeting.
Icy weather
This week during a further cold spell, I noted yet again what a treacherous entry into school you have in these conditions. I witnessed first-hand a very near car crash as one parent pulled aside unexpectedly to drop off their child where road markings clearly indicate not to do so. The car behind struggled to stop on the icy road and skidded precariously to a halt just in time... For the safety of all of our children, it is even more important that parents respect the road markings and park with due care and attention during icy weather.
The public pathway into school also presents real challenge. I am currently liaising with Leeds City Council Highways Dept to try and establish a Council response to the problem we face. Mr Lucas does a fantastic job of clearing pathways throughout the school site and should be commended for this difficult job, but he is advised by his employers that he is NOT legally able to tackle a public pathway that is the responsibility of the Local Council. I myself am trying to alleviate the situation the best I can at present, gritting the pathway another part of my job... If any parents are able to lend a hand, perhaps we can work together as a community to ensure the safety of all members of our school. Meanwhile, I will keep trying to seek additional advice and keep you posted!
Wintry Weather Procedures
Please note the following procedures should a closure be deemed necessary.
· A decision will be taken as early as possible and communications sent to all parties.
· If school is to close, a TEXT message will be sent to all parents and carers registered on
Parentmail. Please supply your Parentmail details to office staff if you wish to be included in any such
urgent mailing.
· A message will also be posted on Mrs B's Blog via the school website. I will also post here a
statement which indicates our intention to OPEN as soon as I am able to confirm that to be the case.
· We will notify Radio Aire/Radio Leeds so that they are able to include our school in their updated
bulletins and on their website.
Please be assured that I would only take the decision to close our school in exceptional circumstances where your child's safety is the primary concern.
Attendance
Whole school attendance for this week is sadly 92.8%. My very grateful thanks to the number of parents who are reconsidering holiday requests in term time in response to our imperative to improve attendance. These small steps will have a significant impact.
Diary Dates:
Tuesday 3rd January Staff Training Day
Wednesday 4th January School reopens after Christmas holiday
Wednesday 18th January Coffee Morning
Have an absolutely wonderful holiday! See you in the New Year....
Mrs Bailey
Friday, 9 December 2011
Friday 9th December 2011
Dear Parents/Carers,
Today has seen the first of our Christmas productions in school. Reception &Year 1 performed and it was truly magnificent to see so many parents enjoy the product of all their hard work – what a bunch of superstars! You can appreciate just how much effort goes into school productions behind the scenes and I am sure you would join with me in thanking the staff for their hard work in ensuring it is always spectacular. I look forward to meeting more of you in the coming week as Y2&3 and Y4,5&6 pupils get their chance to shine!
Wow!
Yet again, your generosity astounds me. The stage was cram packed with your toy donations on Wednesday as we collected toys for children across Leeds on behalf of the YMCA. Yesterday, we received huge amounts of donations for the Christmas Fayre.. Thank you! See you at the Fayre on Monday – to win it all back again!
A singing school
On Tuesday this week, 10 of our children performed at Leeds Town Hall at the annual Leeds School Music Associations Christmas Concert. They were part of a massed choir of 300 primary and secondary pupils who performed with the Leeds Youth Orchestra. Not only was their singing spectacular, our children’s behaviour and professional conduct on the night was exemplary and they were excellent ambassadors for our school. Mrs Thorpe is to be commended for her hard work and dedication to this aspect of our school – something this special does not happen by accident... Many hours of practice are invested and for that we are truly grateful. Our choir will next be performing at Holy Trinity Church at 7pm on Friday 16th December.
Blog news
The school blog has now received over 1,000 hits since its launch in September, with an average of 50 hits per day. Last week, Miss Golia launched the Class 1 blog http://cookridgeclassone.blogspot.com/ and has made a fantastic start sharing daily news from the heart of Class 1. This week, Mr Gamble has joined the fun and launches Class 4’s blog spot..www.cookridgeclass4.blogspot.com and Mrs McHugh and Mrs Fletcher are busy blogging the daily endeavours of Reception http://cookridgereception.blogspot.com/ . Well done to all our bloggers – another way to see the great learning taking place at Cookridge that we hope you will take advantage of.
Pupil Information and Consent Forms
Please return the pupil information and consent forms recently sent home with the relevant home-school agreement information. It is important that we have up to date information and a single central record of all consents we have in school – including a record of where consent for a particular aspect has not been granted – so that we can respect your wishes. Please help us to improve our organisation by returning your form by Friday 16th December. Further copies are available from the school office if you have mislaid yours.
Parking
During the past week, I have met with 5 different members of our community who have their concerns about parking both before and after school. Whilst I appreciate that parking in our vicinity is difficult, it is not acceptable that some parents risk the safety of all of our children by dropping off irresponsibly. Please respect the road markings and the needs of local residents as you find a suitable place to park. In the new year, I will be moving forward with discussion of the walking bus initiative and exploring options for parking in nearby carparks a short walking distance from school in the hope that this will help parents with what is a very difficult situation. In the meantime – please park with due care.
School Christmas Lunch
Those children who have school meals will be served a full Christmas Dinner on Tuesday of next week. Children who have packed lunch are welcome to join the festivities by packing something festive in their lunchboxes...
Wintry Weather Procedures
With our first brush with icy conditions this week, I recognise the difficult conditions on Tinshill Drive and have had several conversations to improve our response to snow and ice on behalf of our families. Whilst Leeds City Council do not require schools to clear public pathways beyond the school site, I am exploring ways in which we can reduce the risk to our pupils as they make their way to school. Rest assured I will do everything I can to ensure walking into school is as low risk as possible. During icy conditions please allow extra time and accompany your children into the school grounds to ensure their safety.
As the snowy season begins, I thought it prudent to share with you procedures for school closure notification. Whilst we endeavour to remain open during any period of wintry weather, it is the Head teacher’s responsibility to complete a risk assessment to inform any decision to remain open. This risk assessment is based on the condition of the school site and the availability of school based staff for work. Please note the following procedures should a closure be deemed necessary.
· A decision will be taken as early as possible and communications sent to all parties. Any delay in making a decision will often be as a result of awaiting news of the respective car journeys of school based staff. Please do not attempt to contact school during this time as it is essential that phone lines remain open.
· Is school is to close, a TEXT message will be sent to all parents and carers registered on Parentmail. Please supply you Parentmail details to office staff if you wish to be included in any such urgent mailing.
· A message will also be posted on Mrs B's Blog via the school website. I will also post here a statement which indicates our intention to OPEN as soon as I am able to confirm that to be the case.
· We will notify Radio Aire/Radio Leeds so that they are able to include our school in their updated bulletins and on their website.
Please be assured that I would only take the decision to close our school in exceptional circumstances where your child's safety is the primary concern.
Staffing
As 2011 draws to a close, we prepare to bid farewell to Mrs Rukin, Miss Stride and Mrs Smith. All three of our colleagues leave with our enormous appreciation for their contribution to Cookridge during the past year. Mrs Spiers and Mrs Morrison return from maternity leave in the New Year, and we are joined in Class 1 by Miss Hobson and in Class 6 by Mrs Caldecott. Mr Llewellyn will be taking on Class 7 in partnership with Mrs Morrison when she returns in February. Mrs Speak takes up her new role as Assistant Head in January and will be sharing Class 5 responsibility with Mrs Spiers.
Attendance
Whole school attendance for this week is 93.9% - another disappointing week that sees us fall below a satisfactory benchmark of 94%. 51 sessions were lost due to unauthorised holiday and 101 sessions were lost due to illness absence. On a more positive note our Mr Gamble achieved perfection with 100% attendance for his class – fantastic news and something that we will be celebrating in Monday’s assembly!
Next Weeks’ dates
Monday 12th December Friends Christmas Fayre - 3.05pm to 5pm
Tuesday 13th December Year 4, 5 & 6 Christmas Concert – 2pm and 7pm
Wednesday 14th December Year 2 & 3 Christmas Concert – 1.45pm ***NB EARLIER START***
Thursday 15th December Christmas parties – pm
Friday 16th December Christmas Carols around the tree – 2.30pm/Closes for Christmas holidays
Tuesday 3rd January Training Day - School Closed
Wednesday 4th January School reopens after Christmas holiday
Have a fabulous weekend... We hope to see many of you at the Christmas Fayre on Monday!
Mrs Bailey
Tuesday, 6 December 2011
TRAINING DAY UPDATE
We have taken the decision to use Tuesday January 3rd as our third training day for the year. Children should therefore return to school after the Christmas holiday on Wednesday 4th January. The focus for the training day will be reading, and we hope to hold parent information meetings in this priority area in the new year which we hope you will be able to attend.
Remaining Training Days for the year are:
Friday 30th March 2012
Monday 23rd July 2012
Remaining Training Days for the year are:
Friday 30th March 2012
Monday 23rd July 2012
Friday, 2 December 2011
Friday 2nd December 2011
Dear Parents/Carers,
A busy week in school as we approach the Christmas holidays... Our Christmas tree has arrived and taken pride of place in the school hall, which has given a whole new ambience to school lunchtimes! The children – and adults – had great fun decorating the tree and have plenty of time to enjoy it in the next few weeks! We hope that you will join us for a festive singalong on the final day of term. ‘Carols around the tree’ will take place from 2.30pm on Friday 16th December, and we hope that it will be standing room only. We are also rehearsing in earnest for what promise to be fantastic school performances – I genuinely cannot wait to see the finished products and look forward to seeing you there. These are wonderful times in any primary school and we are certainly no exception!
On Monday 5th December from 1.30pm, parents are invited to join their children in Class 1 to work together on a range of Christmas Crafts. This is a wonderful opportunity for parents to come into school, meet your child’s friends and teaching team and see just what it’s like in Class 1! On top of all that.. you just might make one or two decorations for your own homes! We hope to see you there. Please come into school via the main Reception.
As we go into the winter months, the gardening team are very busy preparing the land for Spring and gathering the last of the year’s crops. Mrs Hawkins and the team have many ideas for further developments in the area and would be grateful if you could donate any old guttering, flagstones, sand/ready mix cement and weed suppressant fabric. She is also very keen to hear from any green fingered members of the Community who may be able to give up a few hours of their time to work on the allotment in the New Year. We are very keen to ensure our young children continue to enjoy the pleasure of gardening alongside real members of our community. Please give us a ring if this might be for you – or a grandparent near you!
Good news – we were finally able to pack the shopping of ASDA shoppers on Saturday and had a great day chatting with the local community... Many of you saw us there! A huge thank you to Friends for organising this event, to Mrs Arnott for managing the day for us and to all our children who were able to give up a few hours of their Saturday to support our school. Staff were also very generous – I have never seen so many teachers simultaneously packing bags and must say a huge thank you to them all. The great news is we were able to raise £550 through 4 hours work. We will be saving funds raised by our Friends of Cookridge PTA this year towards a significant play piece for the playground. We will begin talking to the children about what this might be in the New Year, and aim to have it installed over the summer. Many smaller items have already been purchased for the playground - including our very popular scooters! – and are already significantly improving the quality of our lunchtime play. Our next big Friends event is the Christmas Bazaar – more details to follow shortly.
Over the summer, PC’s were installed in every classroom throughout school. These machines added to our laptops in school to give us a very comprehensive level of ICT. During this term, we have begun exploring a few other devices and have invested in a small number of DSi’s and Ipads, cameras and voice recording equipment. We have begun developing the school website to complement our work in class and my blog has been joined this week by our first class blog for Class 1 (http://cookridgeclassone.blogspot.com/) created by the very talented Miss Golia – I am certain others will be available soon. Miss Cowles leads ICT in school with great passion and enthusiasm and we can be certain that we are on the brink of some very exciting developments in ICT at Cookridge and we are very excited about it!
Ireland Wood Church Fayre at St Paul’s Church
Between 11-1 this Saturday, St Pauls Cubs, Rainbows and Brownies will be running stalls at this popular annual event. Please support them by popping in..
Between 10am-4pm this Saturday, you are welcome to get the festive season underway with a bang by coming along to this spectacular Fayre. Hand-made crafts and gifts, festive table linen, winter bulbs and wreaths, home-made preserves and farm produce are all on offer alongside refreshments and the chance to see Santa...
That’s Saturday taken care of... !
Football Club has now stopped due to the short nights and inclement weather. It will resume in late Feb/early March and a letter will be sent out nearer the time.
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, and this week has seen us sadly drop below this benchmark to achieve an inadequate figure for the week. This is as a result of 146 sessions of illness absence and 18 sessions of unauthorised holiday absence. I am sure that you are beginning to appreciate how easy it is to fall into this category. Can I ask for your continued support in ensuring that your child is in school every day unless there is an absolute need for them to be at home. Thank you.
Whole school attendance Thursday 17th November - Wednesday 23rd November: 92.4%
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
Have a great weekend.
Mrs Bailey
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
ASDA bag pack update.
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!
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!
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
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