Well, here we are almost at the end of our first half term of the year. It's amazing how fast this half term has gone. As usual, it has been a great one for Copthorne with our children working hard, going on lots of trips and visits to bring the subjects they have been learning about to life and being involved in lots of clubs and activities each day.
Thank you to all our families who attended last week's parents' evening. It was wonderful to hear so many positive comments about our children's progress from their teachers. Keep up the good work everyone. Thank you, too, to everyone who made comments about what makes Copthorne so special and gave suggestions for changes, developments and improvements. We really value your comments and, when we have had the opportunity to read through these in detail this week, will let everyone know what was said and any actions we plan to take in response to your ideas.
Pumps
At a recent meeting of the school's Governing Body, as a result of discussions with a large number of parents, children and staff, it was agreed that it will no longer be necessary for our children to change into pumps when coming in from outside.We have been trialling this with a number of classes since mid-September and have found that not having to change into pumps saves at least 1 and a quarter hours of learning time each week!
We are in the process of buying extra mats for all our entrances but, when the weather is bad we will, as many of you have suggested, continue to encourage children to change into pumps or alternative footwear as necessary. The pumps you have purchased for this year will not be wasted as they will still be required for indoor PE lessons. We know that our parents/carers will support us in this matter as it will mean much better use of lesson times for our children.
Shoes
During the same Governing Body meeting it was agreed that, in line with our school uniform policy, children should wear plain black shoes to school and that trainers should not be worn apart from in outdoor PE lessons. We believe that trainers cause feelings of inequality amongst pupils and may sometimes lead to children being 'singled out' by others for not having expensive brands. This, in turn, puts a great deal of emotional pressure on parents to buy very expensive brands. We feel that it is important for our children to feel safe, happy and equal to one another at our school and believe that children wearing plain black shoes goes a long way to ensuring that this happens. In addition, plain black, low-heeled shoes are much healthier for children's feet and provide the recommended level of support for growing feet. Again, I know that you will understand the reasons for this decision and support us in implementing this new rule about uniform. Please ensure that your children change to wearing black shoes as soon as possible but, at the latest ready for the start of the new year in January. Thank you.
Head Teacher of Copthorne
In response to a question posed, after last week's blog, about he current Head of Copthorne I would like to explain our existing staffing structure. At present Copthorne has a Head of School (myself) and an Executive Head (Mr Jacques). I am responsible for the day to day management and strategic leadership of the school and I am, therefore, the Head Teacher. Mr Jacques is our Executive Head and also the Executive Head of Horton Grange Primary school. Mr Jacques' role is to oversee the strategic leadership of both schools and to support me, and the Head of School at Horton Grange,in our new roles. I have access to him for 2 and a half days each week. This model of school leadership is becoming accepted as very good practice throughout the world of education and is proving very effective here.
This week at Copthorne
Year 3 at Nell Bank
Today all of our Year 3 children are visiting Nell Bank near Ilkley as part of their Creative Curriculum Topic: 'On Ilkley Moor Ba' Tat.' I know they will have a wonderful time and be a credit to Copthorne and their families.
Eid
This Wednesday, 24th October, we will be holding Eid parties in school so all our children and staff can come to school in their party clothes. We will also be having a visit from some of the organisers of the Curry Project during which the children will present the mountain of food they have collected to support the project. Well done to each class - you have made a real difference to the lives of large numbers of needy families and individuals in our community. Thank you.
Half Term
School will close at 3pm on Wednesday 24th October for the half term holidays and reopen on Monday 5th November. I wish you all a lovely, restful holiday and a Happy Eid - Eid Mubarak!
Mrs Shepherd
Welcome to another week at Copthorne.
Building Learning Power Day
Thank you to our whole community for taking so much time and effort to make last Friday's event such a great day. Both the children and staff had a wonderful time and I know that it will be an event that the children will remember. The children worked hard to learn about their 'learning muscles' and will now be able to tell you about these and how they help us to learn. Well done everyone!
Eureka!
Last week both our Year 1 classes visited Eureka - the children's museum in Halifax. The children had a fabulous time and, as usual, were a credit to their families and to Copthorne. Thank you!
Sickness Bug
Last week a large number of our children and staff suffered as a result of a stomach bug. It is really important that children who have been sick and/or have suffered from diarrhoea stay at home for at least 24 hours from the time of the last incidence of vomiting or diarrhoea. This is in line with the Health Protection Agency's guidance to schools and helps to prevent the bug spreading and causing greater levels of absence. I know that our children are keen to come to school but it is very important that these guidelines are followed so that the bug can completely clear a child's system - even if they look completely better a child can still pass on the bug to other children. Thank you for your support in this matter.
This week at Copthorne
Parents' Evening
On Thursday 18th October, between 3.15 and 6pm, it is our first Parent's Consultation Meeting of the year.This meeting provides an opportunity for parents/carers to find out about how their children have settled in to their new year group and class, to find out about the targets set in Literacy, Numeracy and Maths and to discuss the ways in which they can support their children's learning at home. Letters have already been sent home informing parents/carers about this and encouraging them to make an appointment to see their child's class teacher. Confirmation of appointment times will be given early this week.
During the evening we will be collecting parents', carers' and pupils' ideas about what makes Copthorne so special and how we can make it even better - so please have your ideas ready.
The Curry Project
All our children and staff are working hard to collect tins and packets of food in support of a local charity - The Curry Project - which feeds families and individuals who are in need. The children are competing between classes to try to collect the most. The winning class will be awarded a class treat. Thank you for your support for this very worthwhile cause.
Eid Assembly
On Friday 19th October there will be a special Eid Assembly presented by Year 5. The assembly will take place at both 10.30 am and 2.30pm in the school hall. Parents, carers, friends and families are warmly invited to attend. Please arrive in time as the assemblies will start promptly. I look forward to seeing you on Friday.
Wednesday 24th October
In order to celebrate Eid, each class will be having a party in their classroom. We would like everyone, including adults, to come in their Eid clothes for school that day. Eid Mubarak!
Wednesday 24th October will be the last day of school for this half term. School will finish at 3pm as usual and reopen on Monday 5th November.
Have a lovely week everyone!
Mrs Shepherd
What a lovely weekend it has been with sunshine and, miraculously, no rain - it's hard to believe that it's actually October! I hope that everyone has enjoyed the lovely weather and that all of us are ready for another busy and exciting week at Copthorne.
This week's events:
Cook and Eat
On Monday 8th October (today!), from 9 to 11am, Exceed will be holding a Cook and Eat event for parents, carers and members of the community. Those attending will be shown how to cook a number of dishes and will then sample them. The event will be held in our new multi-purpose room. I shall be nipping upstairs to see how everyone is getting on and, maybe if I'm lucky, I'll be able to sample some of the results!
Year 1 to Eureka
Both Year 1 classes will be visiting the Eureka, Children's Museum in Halifax this week.
The visit will support the work that the children are doing as part of their creative curriculum theme on 'Brilliant Bodies'. 1 Oak's visit will take place on Tuesday 9th and 1 Ash on Thursday 11th.
I am sure they will have a wonderful time and I look forward to hearing all about it on their return.I know that they will be wonderful ambassadors for Copthorne through their attitudes and behaviour.
Bun Friday
On Friday (12th October), children in Year 3 will be selling buns for 50p to help raise money towards their trip to Nell Bank later this term If your child would like to buy a bun on Friday they need to bring 50p to school.
Building Learning Power Heroes and Heroines Day
On Friday 12th everyone in school - including the staff- is invited to come dressed as their favourite hero or heroine. This can be anyone at all who your child sees as their hero or heroine. It could be someone from history, public life, someone famous, a TV, film or a book character or has made up themselves as long as their chosen or created character represents a positive role model for your child.This is part of our work on BLP (Building Learning Power) which is a very effective strategy to help develop children's independent learning skills. It should be a wonderful day for all of us and I know that it will have a very positive impact on our children's leaning. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO NEED FOR PARENTS TO BUY OUTFITS FOR THEIR CHILDREN FOR THIS EVENT - something that the children can put together at home with your help is usually much better and families tend to have a great deal of fun making the outfits together.
Date for your diary
We break up slightly earlier than usual for October half term this year so as to allow everyone to enjoy Eid. School will finish for the half term holidays on Wednesday October 24th at 3pm and will reopen on Monday 5th November.
Have a great week everyone!
First of all I would like to say a very warm thank you to all of our parents/carers who attended the Key Stage information meetings last week. These were well attended and provided an opportunity for parents to ask questions about routines, procedures and homework for their child as they start a new year group. Once again, these meetings demonstrated our parents' commitment to and support for their children's education at Copthorne.
Thank you also to the many parents/carers and pupils who have continued to show their support to me as Head of School - your support and kind words are overwhelming and it is great to know that we are all part of a team working to provide the best possible education for Copthorne's children.
News
New teacher for 1 Ash
As you know, at the start of this year I wrote to everyone telling you about our new members of staff. Unfortunately, due to personal circumstances beyond her control, Miss Bibi - 1 Ash's class teacher - has made the decision to put her career in teaching on hold for at least a year. Miss Bibi has been a wonderful teacher for 1 Ash since the start of September and we are extremely sorry to see her go. However, after a rigorous recruitment process we have found a new teacher for 1 Ash: Miss Richards. We know that she will continue the good work begun by Miss Bibi and that the children will have a wonderful year with her. Miss Bibi will leave Copthorne this Friday - 28th September - giving her 1 week with Miss Richards to ensure a mooth transition for the children. We wish Miss Bibi every success in the future and hope to see her back at Copthorne one day.
We are delighted to welcome Miss Richards to the Copthorne family and know that she will be a great asset to us.
Meet the new team
This week we will be holding 2 meetings for parents to come along and meet Mr Jacques (the Executive Head), Mrs Whalley(Acting Deputy Head) and myself. We will be talking about our vision for Copthorne and the ways in which we intend to continue and further develop our links with the community. There will be plenty of opportunity for you to ask questions and voice any concerns/share any ideas you may have regarding school.We really look forward to seeing you at one of the meetings. The times for the meetings are as follows:
Tuesday 25th September: 9am or
Wednesday 26th September: 2.15pm
What's hapening this week?
Today, Monday 24th, at 9.30 our Reception Clsses will meet the School Nurse. She will talk to them about her job and tell the children about some of the ativities she will be doing with them during this year such as height/weight checks and dental health checks.
On Tuesday, 25th September at 9am, we are holding a Maths Workshop for parents/carers of children in Reception classes. The workshop will explain how maths is taught in Reception and will give paents/carers some exciting ideas to help support their children with maths at home.
Forest Schools
Mrs Robinson will be leading our first Forest Schools trip to St Ives on Friday. Children from 4 Poplar will be the first to go this year. Forest Schools is a wonderful oportunity for our children to experience learning outside of the classroom. The children learn how to care for the natural environment and are taught skills such as woodcraft. The children have a wonderful time playing in mud and building shelters - it is an opportunity for many children to show their imagination, initiative and leadership skills beyond the classroom environment.
Mrs Robinson has already spoken to the children about what to wear but, in case there is any confusion, the children should be in warm, old clothes (not school uniform) that you don't mind getting dirty; sensible, study footwear for walking; and a waterproof coat. It is really important that children do not wear jeans: these hold water if it rains and can cause children to become very cold.
I wish everyone a great day and look forward to hearing all about your adventures.
Have a great week, everyone.
Mrs Shepherd
Home safe and sound!
Our group of 35 Year 6 children who spent last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at Hawkshead in the Lake District, arrived home safe and sound on Friday afternoon. As expected the staff accompanying them said that they had been well behaved and great fun to be with - a credit to both their parents and to Copthorne. I am looking forward to hearing all about their adventures when they are all back in class today. I expect that many of them were very tired and have had a good rest this weekend. The Hawkshead residential is a wonderful opportunity for our children to stay away from home for a short time and to experience learning outside of the classroom. I hope that even more of our children will be able to enjoy this experience next year.
Events this week.
Meetings for parents/carers of pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2
This week we will be holding meetings for parents/carer of children in KS1 (Y1 and 2), Lower Key Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4) and Upper Key Stage 2 (Years 5 and 6). Each meeting will be n opportunity for parents to find out about routines and procedures for their child's new and to hear about expectations as regards behaviour and homework. The meetings will also include discussions about how you can support your child's learning at home. You will also be able to ask any questions and raise any general concerns at these meetings.
The dates and times of the meetings are as follows:
Lower Key Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4)
Monday 17th Septmber 9am and 2.30pm
Upper Key Stage 2 (Years 5 and 6)
Wednesday 19th Sepember 9am and 2.30pm
Key Stage 1
Thursday 20th September 9am and 2.30pm
Reading workshops
We are holding 2 workshops for parents of children in Reception classes. These workshops will explain how we teach the children to read and give parents ideas of how they can support their child's reading at home. These will take place at 9am and 2.15pm on Wednesday 25th September.
On Ilkley Moor Baa Tat!
Year 3 will be visiting Ilkley this week: 3 Alder's visit takes place on Thursday 20th September and 3 Larch's on Friday 21st. Once there each class will explore the locality and the natural environment, collecting lots of information ready to compare Ilkey with Bradford as part of their Creative Curriculum theme. They will experience walking on part of the Yorkshire Moors which will prepare them to write stories about a strange visitor who arrives there!
Developing others
Copthorne will be hosting a number of events. The first of these is a training event for 21 teachers from schools in our LAP (Exceed). This will be held on Monday 17th in our wonderful new group room and will involve training about Building Learning Power which is a strategy we have already introduced in our schools to help develop pupils' independent learning skills. The training course will introduce the scheme to many of our new teachers so that they can champion the scheme in our schools.
Parent volunteers
Thank you to those of you who have volunteered to help in our school by supporting children in the classroom in a variety of ways. We are so grateful for your held as it enables us to provide even greater opportunities for our children. However, we do have a very large waiting list of volunteers so please don't be disappointed if we are unable to say yeas straight away to your kind offers of help. Mrs Whalley will contact you as soon as new vacancies for volunteers become available.
Wishing you all a great week.
Mrs Shepherd
What a great week it has been at Copthorne! It was wonderful to welcome all our children back after the summer holidays - they have all returned happy and have settled down to work very quickly. Thank you to all our parents, carers and families for making sure that the children arrived on time and looking so smart in their uniforms - they are a credit to you and we are very proud that they are part of the Copthorne family too.
Another very positive thing about this week has been watching the children using our new rooms. They are particularly enjoying our beautiful new library and ICT suite but I know that they will also be very excited about using the multi-purpose room when they hear about all the wonderful activities that their teachers have planned for them!
New staff
This year we are very pleased to welcome 8 new members of staff to our team:
Miss S Rosindale
Literacy and PSHCE Coordinator and class teacher for 5 Cedar.
Miss E Bentley
Early Years Foundation Stage Coordinator and Nursery Teacher.
Miss S Wood
Class teacher for 4 Poplar.
Miss S Bibi
Class teacher for 1 Ash
Miss S Akhtar
Miss Akhtar has already worked at Copthorne for 1 term during which she was class teacher for 4 Poplar. We are very fortunate in that she will be staying with us as a permanent member of staff , becoming class teacher for 5 Willow
Mr W Zaman
Mr Zaman is a Teaching Assistant who will be working in Year 6
Miss S Bibi
Miss Bibi is a Teaching Assistant who will be working in Year 5
Miss M Shah
Miss Shah worked with us for a short time last year but now joins us for the whole of this academic year as a Teaching Assistant in Year 4
Mrs J Meachem
Mrs Meachem worked with us last year and we are delighted that she ill also be with us this year, working as a Teaching Assistant in Reception
I am sure I speak for the whole Copthorne Community when I say: Welcome to our school. We hope that you will all be very happy here.
Events for this week
Hawkshead
Yes, it's that time of year again when Year 6 have the opportunity to take part in our residential. This year, 35 of our children will set off from school on Wednesday 12th September, to travel to the Youth Hostel at Hawkshead Village in the Lake District. The children will spend 2 nights at the hostel, returning to school on Friday after 3 days of exciting activities. The staff accompanying the trip this year are Miss Bray, Miss A Parveen, Mrs Robinson, Mr Darr, Mr A Khan and Mr H Khan.
This trip is a wonderful opportunity for our children to experience being away from home for a short time and to try out a range of team building and adventurous activities within a safe environment. We wish them a great trip and know that they will be outstanding ambassadors for Copthorne and the local community. I know that you will be hearing about all the fun they've had when they come back to school next week.
Year 5 Swimming
All children in Year 5 learn to swim as part of the National Curriculum. We are very fortunate in that our children are taught by Bradford Swimming Academy at Rhodesway Pool. The children are taught in groups of 15 and the lesson is 50 minutes long.. Last year was the first time that we used Bradford Swimming Academy and the results were amazing with most of our children having learnt to swim by the end of the year. At this rate we may have some Olympic swimmers in 2016!
Year 5 boys will be the first to go swimming this year. Lessons begin on Thursday 13th September: the boys will need swimming trunks and a towel. Enjoy yourselves!
Nursery Places
We have a number of Nursery Places (6 in the afternoon and 1 in the morning) available at the moment. If you have a child who is 3 now and you require a Nursery Place please see Mrs Dew or contact the school office urgently. Please let family and friends know about this too. Thank you.
Have a lovely week
Mrs Shepherd
Welcome back to Copthorne everyone!
I know that many of you will have been celebrating Eid so I hope you had a wonderful time.
The weather has been very mixed but there have been some lovely sunny days this summer so I hope that you managed to enjoy them I am really looking forward to seeing all our children again and hearing about what they did during the holidays.
Staff changes:
Executive Head
Mr D Jacques will be Executive Head of both Copthorne and Horton Grange School. This means that I will have access to his guidance and support for 21/2 days each week. Mr Jacques is a highly experienced Head who has led the complete transformation of Horton Grange School and we will be working together to move Copthorne forward whilst maintaining it's outstanding status and all that makes our school so special. I know that I will learn a great deal from him.
Head of School
I am very excited about starting Copthorne in my new role as Head of School. As always, the staff, pupils, parents, governors and the local community will be working together to keep our school outstanding, providing our children with the very best possible education. I would like to take this opportunity to than all of you who have taken the time to congratulate me on my new role and to pledge your ongoing support for the school and myself - your sentiments are greatly appreciated.
Deputy Head
The Acting Deputy Head for this year will be Mrs Whalley. Mrs Whalley has Copthorne's children at the heart of everything she does and I know that she is keen to work closely with the whole Copthorne community in developing our children as lifelong learners. As part of her role, Mrs Whalley will continue to be our Assessment Coordinator. She will also be leading the induction and support for the many students and volunteers we provide placements for, along with carrying out a wide range of other responsibilities.
Assistant Head
Mr J Darr will be Acting Assistant Head for the year and, as part of this role, will be responsible for Maths, PE, Learning Mentors and Educational Visits. Mr Darr too is totally committed to Copthorne and it's children and I am sure that he will be a great asset to the Senior Leadership Team.
SEN CO
The Acting SEN CO for this year will be Mrs C Bradley. Mrs Bradley recently completed the National Award for SEN COs and shared the role with our previous SEN CO for the whole of last year so as is very keen to take on full responsibility for this area, making sure that all of our children with Special Educational Needs are receiving an outstanding education.
Important dates:
Wednesday 5th September: Registration is at 8.40am. Breakfast Club begins at 8am and classrooms open as usual at 8.30am for Raving Readers. Please remind your children that the only entrance into school for Breakfast Club or Raving Readers will be the main entrance which is at the front of the new building.
Key Stage Meetings
Separate meetings for parents of children in Key Stage 1, Lower Key Stage 2 and Upper Key Stage 2 will take place in the second or third week of term. The meetings will cover expectations as regards work and behaviour along with procedures and routines. I will inform you of the dates for these meetings by the end of this week.
As usual, if you have any concerns or wish to discuss any issues relating to school please feel free to come into school to chat to me. I will make every effort to see you straight away and, where this is not possible, a suitable appointment will be made for us to meet.
Mr Jacques and myself will also be holding weekly drop-ins at a specific time during which you will be able to pop in to share your ideas, concerns or issues. These meetings will alternate between Mr Jacques and myself from week to week. I will inform you of the day and times for these sessions by the end of this week.
I will continue to publish my blog weekly to let you know all about what we have been doing here at Copthorne and what exciting experiences we have planned for the children. Many of you have told me that you find it a really useful way of finding out what's happening at school. I would be grateful if you could 'spread the word' to encourage more of our parents and children to look at and use the blog. Thank you.
Here's to a great first week.
Mrs Shepherd
