Monday 4th March 2013

Thank you to all the parents, carers and children who attended our consultation evening last Thursday. It was great to see so many people committed to supporting the work, attainment and progress of our children.

HMC Approved School
As you will be aware, over the past months, Mrs Wahed (our Business Manager) and Mrs Ramsden (our Catering Manager) have been working hard to ensure that our school is able to serve Halal food. Mr Naseem Khan, our Governing Body Vice Chair, has also been assisting in the process with advice and support. I am delighted to announce, therefore, that as of last Monday, 25th February, we are a HMC approved and certificated school the only one, in fact in Bradford. As a result we can now serve meat as part of the school lunch menu. I have seen the menu for this week and I know that our children and staff will be delighted when they taste the dishes on offer. Thanks to Mrs Wahed, Mrs Ramsden and Mr Khan for all their hard work.


Trainers
Thank you once again to so many of you for working hard to make sure that our children are coming to school in black shoes. The majority of our children look extremely smart. However, there are still a small number who are coming to school in trainers. From this week any pupil not wearing black shoes will be given a letter to take home to parents asking them to ensure that the correct uniform is worn. Thank you for your support in this matter.

This week at Copthorne

Book Month
This week is the start of Book Month - a month dedicated to reading, getting to know and celebrating all the fabulous books out there. As Friday's letter explained, our children and staff will be taking part in lots of activities to encourage reading, such as Readathon - a sponsored read, story telling sessions by both staff and pupils and, on Friday 8th, coming to school in pyjamas or dressed as a favourite book character. As usual our own Raving Readers scheme will be continuing so, if you are a parent/carer, please continue to read with your child each day and, children, remind everyone at home that you need to read to them daily.



5 Cedar to the Mandir
On Monday (4th March) 5 Cedar will be visiting a Mandir: Hindu Temple. This visit is part of our RE curriculum and helps to develop our children's cultural understanding and to celebrate diversity within our school and the wider community. Last week 5 Willow visited the same temple. The children learnt a great deal about Hinduism and the visit has helped them to understand and develop respect for Hindu customs and traditions.
The elders at the temple said that 5 Willow were the best, most polite and interested pupils that had ever visited. Well done 5 Willow! You have set the standard for 5 Cedar. 

Reception Classes to the Range
Both of our Reception classes will be visiting the Range store today as part of their focus on how things grow. The main aim of the visit is to encourage the children to think about what garden centres sell and gather information about what is needed to help plants grow. I am sure that all our children and staff will learn a lot and come back ready to sow seeds and grow vegetables and plants for our allotment.

Evac Chair Training
As you go up and down the stairs in our new extension you may have seen a bright yellow cover over a large object hanging on the wall. Under this cover is our EVAC Chair. This piece of equipment is a special type of chair which can be used to evacuate anyone, for whom mobility is a concern, from our building in case of fire. This week 4 members of staff: Mrs Rice, Mrs Robinson, Mr H Khan and Mr S Khan will be trained in its use. These members of staff will then train all the other staff in school over the next couple of weeks.

1 Oak to Forest School
On Wednesday, 1 Oak will be visiting St Ives Wood for a special Forest School session. The children have been learning about the environmental sculptor, Andy Goldsworthy, and will be designing and making their own sculptures in the wood. I am really looking forward to seeing the photos of their results.

Archery
A number of our Year5 and Year 6 children will be representing Copthorne in a LAP archery competition on Wednesday, 6th March. We are extremely proud of our archers and their fabulous sportsmanship and know that they will be great ambassadors for Copthorne. Good luck all of you!
 

Have another great week everyone.
Mrs Shepherd