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
