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
Thursday, 20 September 2012
Sunday, 9 September 2012
A great start to a new school year
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
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
Sunday, 2 September 2012
Head of School's Blog: Monday 3rd September 2012
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
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
Monday, 18 June 2012
Monday 18th June
Hello Everyone,
I am sorry that there has been such a large gap since my last blog and this one. Normal weekly blogs should start agian after the summer.
Jubilee Community Street Party
I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone for making our Jubilee Party on June 1st such a big success. It was wonderful to look out on the playground and see such a sea of red, white and blue and a great mix of generations with every age group from our community represented.
Thank you especially to everyone who helped to plan and prepare for the event and to those that helped in any way on the day.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Mohammed Taj, Chair of Copthorne Association, for supporting the event by helping us to access £250 from the council's Jubilee community funding - this allowed us to have a DJ and drummer for the afternoon, both of which added to the exciting atmosphere and were enjoyed by all.
In addition, we would like to thank everyone who contributed towards the cost of the meal and/or donated food for the event - we managed to feed about 1,000 people in total.
A special thanks needs to go to all the local businesses that supported the event: Mumtaz (for the lovely lassi), Premier Foods (for cakes and biscuits), Regal Bakery (for 800 buns!), Akbar's (for the raffle prize of a meal for 4), Magla Catering (for the rice and chicken which they supplied at a reduced rate), Pakeezah (for the samosas they cooked and supplied for us at a reduced rate), Haqs Supermarket (for the large range of prizes, drinks and sweets which they supplied at very low cost) and, last but not least, the many small businesses on Great Horton Road that contributed prizes for the stalls.
Everyone had a great time but it was the fact that the whole community worked as part of a team which made the event particularly successful. Thank you.
Dame Naila Zaffar
As you are all aware, Dame Naila Zaffar will retire from Copthorne on July 20th this year. Naila has been Head of Copthorne for 20 years and, during that time, has worked alongside the community to make Copthorne an outstanding school. We will all miss her terribly. Many of you have been asking about buying leaving gifts for Dame Naila and, with this in mind, I have been trying to find out what she would like. I know that many of you would like to buy Naila a gift from your family. However, I think it world be a good idea if all parents contributed to one larger present rather than individual ones - this will be easier for her to take with her when she goes to Dubai to visit her family which I know she intends to do for a large part of next year. With this in mind, if you wish to contribute towards Dame Naila's leaving gift from parents, please send your donation in an envelope to the school office. Thank you.
Head of School
As you were informed in the letter last week I will be taking on the role of Head of School in September. I am absolutely delighted to have been given this opportunity to lead Copthorne and continue to work in partnership with our community. Thank you to everyone who has passed on their congratulations and pledged their continuing support to myself and the school. Your good wishes are much appreciated. Thank you.
Optional SATs and Year 1 assessments
This week our children in Years1, 3, 4 and 5 will be doing their optional SATs tests. They will be tested on reading, writing and maths as well as phonics in Year 1. I know that all our children will try their hardest. Please support the children by making sure that they get a good night's sleep and arrive to school calm and on time.
Year 5 visits to Magna
Both Year 5 classes will visit Magna - the science museum near Rotherham -this week. The children will be able to explore a lot of the hands-on exhibits and learn more about scientific ideas. I know that they will have a wonderful time.
5 Willow's trip takes place on Tuesday (19th) and 5 Cedar's on Thursday (21st).
Copthorne's Got Talent
This Friday (22nd) is the whole school final of Copthorne's Got Talent. There will be 2 shows: 10am and 2pm. Parents are welcome to attend either or both events. Good luck to all the finalists and to all those who auditioned for the earlier stages. You have made us very proud.
Environment Week
This runs from Monday 25th to Friday 29th June and is being organised by Mr Waddington.
There are a great number of interesting events for the children to look forward to including working at the allotment, Forest Schools and a digital photography competition in the park.
More details about this will follow next week.
Have a great week everyone.
Mrs Shepherd
I am sorry that there has been such a large gap since my last blog and this one. Normal weekly blogs should start agian after the summer.
Jubilee Community Street Party
I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone for making our Jubilee Party on June 1st such a big success. It was wonderful to look out on the playground and see such a sea of red, white and blue and a great mix of generations with every age group from our community represented.
Thank you especially to everyone who helped to plan and prepare for the event and to those that helped in any way on the day.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Mohammed Taj, Chair of Copthorne Association, for supporting the event by helping us to access £250 from the council's Jubilee community funding - this allowed us to have a DJ and drummer for the afternoon, both of which added to the exciting atmosphere and were enjoyed by all.
In addition, we would like to thank everyone who contributed towards the cost of the meal and/or donated food for the event - we managed to feed about 1,000 people in total.
A special thanks needs to go to all the local businesses that supported the event: Mumtaz (for the lovely lassi), Premier Foods (for cakes and biscuits), Regal Bakery (for 800 buns!), Akbar's (for the raffle prize of a meal for 4), Magla Catering (for the rice and chicken which they supplied at a reduced rate), Pakeezah (for the samosas they cooked and supplied for us at a reduced rate), Haqs Supermarket (for the large range of prizes, drinks and sweets which they supplied at very low cost) and, last but not least, the many small businesses on Great Horton Road that contributed prizes for the stalls.
Everyone had a great time but it was the fact that the whole community worked as part of a team which made the event particularly successful. Thank you.
Dame Naila Zaffar
As you are all aware, Dame Naila Zaffar will retire from Copthorne on July 20th this year. Naila has been Head of Copthorne for 20 years and, during that time, has worked alongside the community to make Copthorne an outstanding school. We will all miss her terribly. Many of you have been asking about buying leaving gifts for Dame Naila and, with this in mind, I have been trying to find out what she would like. I know that many of you would like to buy Naila a gift from your family. However, I think it world be a good idea if all parents contributed to one larger present rather than individual ones - this will be easier for her to take with her when she goes to Dubai to visit her family which I know she intends to do for a large part of next year. With this in mind, if you wish to contribute towards Dame Naila's leaving gift from parents, please send your donation in an envelope to the school office. Thank you.
Head of School
As you were informed in the letter last week I will be taking on the role of Head of School in September. I am absolutely delighted to have been given this opportunity to lead Copthorne and continue to work in partnership with our community. Thank you to everyone who has passed on their congratulations and pledged their continuing support to myself and the school. Your good wishes are much appreciated. Thank you.
Optional SATs and Year 1 assessments
This week our children in Years1, 3, 4 and 5 will be doing their optional SATs tests. They will be tested on reading, writing and maths as well as phonics in Year 1. I know that all our children will try their hardest. Please support the children by making sure that they get a good night's sleep and arrive to school calm and on time.
Year 5 visits to Magna
Both Year 5 classes will visit Magna - the science museum near Rotherham -this week. The children will be able to explore a lot of the hands-on exhibits and learn more about scientific ideas. I know that they will have a wonderful time.
5 Willow's trip takes place on Tuesday (19th) and 5 Cedar's on Thursday (21st).
Copthorne's Got Talent
This Friday (22nd) is the whole school final of Copthorne's Got Talent. There will be 2 shows: 10am and 2pm. Parents are welcome to attend either or both events. Good luck to all the finalists and to all those who auditioned for the earlier stages. You have made us very proud.
Environment Week
This runs from Monday 25th to Friday 29th June and is being organised by Mr Waddington.
There are a great number of interesting events for the children to look forward to including working at the allotment, Forest Schools and a digital photography competition in the park.
More details about this will follow next week.
Have a great week everyone.
Mrs Shepherd
Wednesday, 30 May 2012
Monday 28th May
Hello Everyone and welcome to our final week of this half term.
Photographs
On Wednesday the children will be having their individual portrait photographs taken. There will be an opportunity for children to have group photographs taken with their brothers and sisters who are in school and you will be receiving a letter about this very shortly. In response to parental requests we have agreed that children may attend school in non-uniform on that day. Of course, if you prefer, children can stay in school uniform.
We have chosen a photography company that we feel will provide lovely photos at a reasonable price. As soon as the proofs are ready they will be sent home with the children so that you can make a decision about whether or not you wish to buy them.
Jubilee Day
As you know, this Friday (June 1st) is the day of our Jubilee Street Party for school and our community. Year 6 have been working hard to design stalls and games and we have lots of other attractions such as Mendhi, Face Painting and family games. It would be a great idea if you could provide your children with some spending money products for the event. There will also be stalls selling goods including clothes, bric a brac, scarves, Islamic Frames and Avon products.
The children will be taking part in games with other children from their year group which will involve them running around and, probably, for Key Stage 2, getting wet! Please ensure that children wear trainers or pumps so that they can run around safely.
Thank you to everyone who has made a contribution towards the community meal - your help and support is greatly appreciated. All we need now is for the weather to stay dry!
New staff
I am delighted to tell you that we appointed 2 new members of staff last Friday
Miss S Rosindale: Miss Rosindale will be our new Literacy Coordinator taking the place of Miss U Zaffar who left us last year to take up a deputy headship in Qatar. Miss Rosindale comes to us from a large school in Leeds and I'm sure she will be a great addition to the Copthorne team.
Miss E Bentley: Miss Bentley will be our new Early Years Foundation Stage Coordinator replacing Mr Bagherian who sadly leaves us on Friday. Miss Bentley comes to us with a wealth of Early Years experience and I am sure she will continue to build on the outstanding practise which already exists in Nursery and Reception classes.
We wish both members of staff a wonderful time here as part of the Copthorne family.
A sad goodbye
On Friday 1st June we say goodbye to our Early Years Foundation Stage Coordinator Adam Bagherian. Adam joined Copthorne as a student teacher and stayed with us. He is loved by children, staff and parents and will be sadly missed. He has done a fantastic job in continuing to develop Nursery and Reception whilst being an excellent teacher always going the 'extra mile' for the children. We are proud that he has achieved promotion to the position of Assistant Head as it is so well deserved and we know that he will be very successful in this role. We wish Mr Bagherian every success in his new school.
Wishing you all a great week and I hope to see you and your family on Friday.
Mrs Shepherd
Photographs
On Wednesday the children will be having their individual portrait photographs taken. There will be an opportunity for children to have group photographs taken with their brothers and sisters who are in school and you will be receiving a letter about this very shortly. In response to parental requests we have agreed that children may attend school in non-uniform on that day. Of course, if you prefer, children can stay in school uniform.
We have chosen a photography company that we feel will provide lovely photos at a reasonable price. As soon as the proofs are ready they will be sent home with the children so that you can make a decision about whether or not you wish to buy them.
Jubilee Day
As you know, this Friday (June 1st) is the day of our Jubilee Street Party for school and our community. Year 6 have been working hard to design stalls and games and we have lots of other attractions such as Mendhi, Face Painting and family games. It would be a great idea if you could provide your children with some spending money products for the event. There will also be stalls selling goods including clothes, bric a brac, scarves, Islamic Frames and Avon products.
The children will be taking part in games with other children from their year group which will involve them running around and, probably, for Key Stage 2, getting wet! Please ensure that children wear trainers or pumps so that they can run around safely.
Thank you to everyone who has made a contribution towards the community meal - your help and support is greatly appreciated. All we need now is for the weather to stay dry!
New staff
I am delighted to tell you that we appointed 2 new members of staff last Friday
Miss S Rosindale: Miss Rosindale will be our new Literacy Coordinator taking the place of Miss U Zaffar who left us last year to take up a deputy headship in Qatar. Miss Rosindale comes to us from a large school in Leeds and I'm sure she will be a great addition to the Copthorne team.
Miss E Bentley: Miss Bentley will be our new Early Years Foundation Stage Coordinator replacing Mr Bagherian who sadly leaves us on Friday. Miss Bentley comes to us with a wealth of Early Years experience and I am sure she will continue to build on the outstanding practise which already exists in Nursery and Reception classes.
We wish both members of staff a wonderful time here as part of the Copthorne family.
A sad goodbye
On Friday 1st June we say goodbye to our Early Years Foundation Stage Coordinator Adam Bagherian. Adam joined Copthorne as a student teacher and stayed with us. He is loved by children, staff and parents and will be sadly missed. He has done a fantastic job in continuing to develop Nursery and Reception whilst being an excellent teacher always going the 'extra mile' for the children. We are proud that he has achieved promotion to the position of Assistant Head as it is so well deserved and we know that he will be very successful in this role. We wish Mr Bagherian every success in his new school.
Wishing you all a great week and I hope to see you and your family on Friday.
Mrs Shepherd
Sunday, 20 May 2012
Monday 14th May
It's lovely to see the sun shining this week: our children will be able to enjoy the fresh air at playtimes after their hard work in lessons.
This week is SATs week for our Year 6 children. We wish them all the best and know that they will work hard to achieve their targets. You are all very special and we know you can do it!
The schedule for the tests is as follows:
Monday 14th May
Reading test
Wednesday 16th May
Mental Maths and Maths paper A
Thursday 17th May
Maths Paper B
Friday 18th May
Writing
Where possible, please make sure that your child has a good night's sleep, is as calm as possible and arrives at school in plenty of time each day. Breakfast Club is available free for all Year 6 children this week.
Learning Conversations
This week children in Years 1, 3, 4 and 5 will be spending 1 to 1 time with their teachers to hold a 'learning conversation'. Teachers will talk to each child in their class about their targets for Maths, Reading and Writing. The children will be able to talk to the teacher about what they need to do to reach their targets. Teachers will give advice and support to guide the children through this. We have already held learning conversations in Years 2 and 6 and these have been very powerful in helping children to understand the next steps in their learning.
Cannon Hall Farm
On Tuesday, 15th May, all the children from Reception classes will be visiting Cannon Hall Farm for the day. This links to the children's work on animals with a particular focus on how to look after them. I am sure that everyone will have a lovely day and hope that the weather stays fine.
Developing and celebrating diversity
An important driver for our creative curriculum is the development of cultural understanding. In order to enable us to ensure that we are addressing this aim throughout the curriculum we have decided to strive for achievement of the Stephen Lawrence Education Standard. This standard provides us with a clear picture of how diversity can be developed and celebrated in school. At Copthorne we already celebrate diversity though our visits to a number of places of worship, our weekly assemblies and in our vision and mission statement which is clear as children move through school. I now believe that it is time to ensure that the development of racial harmony, cultural understanding and respect is a distinct part of our creative curriculum and that every opportunity is made available to promote this.
Important dates:
May 30th: School photographs - children can come to school in non-uniform clothes for their photo's.
June 1st: Jubilee Street Party: School closes at 12pm and the event begins at 1pm and will finish at 4pm. School will then be closed for 1 week and a day, reopening on June 12th.
Mr Bagherian is leaving Copthorne
Congratulations to Mr Bagherian who has secured the position of Assistant Head at Westminster School. He will be leaving Copthorne on June 1st after the Jubilee Street Party. Mr Bagherian is a much loved member of staff, successfully leading the Foundation Stage for almost the past 2 years to ensure that every child makes excellent progress and as the most positive start possible to their education. We will miss him so very much. We wish him every success in the future and hope that he will drop in to see us when he gets the chance.
If anyone wishes to contribute to a parents' leaving gift for Mr Bagherian please leave a donation at the school office or with any member of the Foundation Stage staff apart from Mr Bagherian himself!
Unwanted soft toys/gifts
The year 6 children will be running a Teddy Bear Tombola on the day of the Jubilee Street Party. They are in desperate need of any unwanted soft toys which will be used as prizes. Please bring your unwanted soft toys to the office at any time from now on, where they will be gratefully received. In addition, we would also welcome any unwanted gifts for the tombola. Thank you.
Wishing you all a good week.
Mrs Shepherd
This week is SATs week for our Year 6 children. We wish them all the best and know that they will work hard to achieve their targets. You are all very special and we know you can do it!
The schedule for the tests is as follows:
Monday 14th May
Reading test
Wednesday 16th May
Mental Maths and Maths paper A
Thursday 17th May
Maths Paper B
Friday 18th May
Writing
Where possible, please make sure that your child has a good night's sleep, is as calm as possible and arrives at school in plenty of time each day. Breakfast Club is available free for all Year 6 children this week.
Learning Conversations
This week children in Years 1, 3, 4 and 5 will be spending 1 to 1 time with their teachers to hold a 'learning conversation'. Teachers will talk to each child in their class about their targets for Maths, Reading and Writing. The children will be able to talk to the teacher about what they need to do to reach their targets. Teachers will give advice and support to guide the children through this. We have already held learning conversations in Years 2 and 6 and these have been very powerful in helping children to understand the next steps in their learning.
Cannon Hall Farm
On Tuesday, 15th May, all the children from Reception classes will be visiting Cannon Hall Farm for the day. This links to the children's work on animals with a particular focus on how to look after them. I am sure that everyone will have a lovely day and hope that the weather stays fine.
Developing and celebrating diversity
An important driver for our creative curriculum is the development of cultural understanding. In order to enable us to ensure that we are addressing this aim throughout the curriculum we have decided to strive for achievement of the Stephen Lawrence Education Standard. This standard provides us with a clear picture of how diversity can be developed and celebrated in school. At Copthorne we already celebrate diversity though our visits to a number of places of worship, our weekly assemblies and in our vision and mission statement which is clear as children move through school. I now believe that it is time to ensure that the development of racial harmony, cultural understanding and respect is a distinct part of our creative curriculum and that every opportunity is made available to promote this.
Important dates:
May 30th: School photographs - children can come to school in non-uniform clothes for their photo's.
June 1st: Jubilee Street Party: School closes at 12pm and the event begins at 1pm and will finish at 4pm. School will then be closed for 1 week and a day, reopening on June 12th.
Mr Bagherian is leaving Copthorne
Congratulations to Mr Bagherian who has secured the position of Assistant Head at Westminster School. He will be leaving Copthorne on June 1st after the Jubilee Street Party. Mr Bagherian is a much loved member of staff, successfully leading the Foundation Stage for almost the past 2 years to ensure that every child makes excellent progress and as the most positive start possible to their education. We will miss him so very much. We wish him every success in the future and hope that he will drop in to see us when he gets the chance.
If anyone wishes to contribute to a parents' leaving gift for Mr Bagherian please leave a donation at the school office or with any member of the Foundation Stage staff apart from Mr Bagherian himself!
Unwanted soft toys/gifts
The year 6 children will be running a Teddy Bear Tombola on the day of the Jubilee Street Party. They are in desperate need of any unwanted soft toys which will be used as prizes. Please bring your unwanted soft toys to the office at any time from now on, where they will be gratefully received. In addition, we would also welcome any unwanted gifts for the tombola. Thank you.
Wishing you all a good week.
Mrs Shepherd
Monday, 7 May 2012
Monday 7th May
Hello everyone. I hope you, like me, are enjoying this long weekend. It has been lovely to just be at home relaxing with the family and it was a real treat to be able to be able to set the alarm for a little later this morning after I stayed up late to catch up with the ironing last night!
Last week was another action-packed week for our staff and pupils and this week promises to be another one!
Cindy visits Reception
Last week , children in Reception had a very special visitor as part of their work on caring for animals: Cindy - a toy poodle - came to spend the day with them. Cindy is a very placid dog who loves being handled and cuddled so the children felt very comfortable playing with her, feeding her and even helping to dry her after her bath.Cindy's visit was another wonderful opportunity for our children to learn about what is involved in caring for a pet. Thanks to Mr Bagherian for letting us 'borrow' Cindy for the day.
Diamond Jubilee Community Street Party
Last Monday I sent a letter home with each child which explained the plan to hold a community street party to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Thank you to all of you who have already responded with offers of contributions of food for the community meal and the large number of you who attended a meeting about this event on Friday. Thank you so much for all your ideas and offers of help to cook food for the event and/or help to serve it.
Since then I have received great news: our bid for £250 of funding towards the event from the local council has been successful! Thanks to the local councillors from City Ward for supporting us in this endeavour.
Thanks also to our local businesses who have pledged to support the event either through funding or by providing food and/or prizes.
The 'street party' will begin at 1pm and finish at 4pm. The activities planned include:
I know that, together, we can make this event a huge success and bring our whole community together.
Friday Prayers
An issue raised during Friday's meetings was that the Jubilee event clashes with Friday prayers. Unfortunately, after careful consideration it was decided that Friday afternoon is really the only possible time for the event:
It is the day we break up for school and, therefore, causes as little disruption as possible to the flow of our children's education compared to holding the event mid week.
We wanted to hold our event as as close as possible to the day of the Diamond Jubilee and felt that it would lose meaning if we held it any earlier.
It may reassure you to know that:
We will be providing a room, during the event, for prayer
For anyone who does wish to pray at mosque that afternoon we will ensure that there is still plenty of food available and that the event continues until 4pm.
Thank you for your support and understanding in this matter.
Sustainable Schools
Part of developing our school to meet the Sustainable Schools agenda is to develop our pupils understanding of how to reduce waste and the effect of waste on our environment. Recycling and waste management has also been identified as a key priority for City Ward and so, after a meeting on Friday with City Ward's local area manager, Kate Armitstead, we have agreed to work jointly to address this issue. To begin with we have explained the recycling/refuse collection system to all Key Stage 2 children who have agreed to set a good example for their families in this regard and to explain the system to those where language may be a barrier.
Future activities will include the children producing persuasive leaflets and banners to promote recycling and effective waste management. Then, as part of Environment Week, in July, our children will be creating sculptures from recycled materials.
Working with Kate Armitsted means that we, at Copthorne, can be very active in addressing and meeting the needs of our whole community to ensure positive futures for our children and their families.
Key Stage 1 and 2 SATs
As I am sure you are aware, our Year 6 children begin their SATs tests in a week's time (May 14th) and our Year 2 pupils have already started theirs. In order to support the children it would very very helpful if you could make sure that they stay calm, get a good night's sleep (10 - 12 hours is recommended) and arrive at school in good time. Breakfast Club will be available free to all our Year 6 pupils during SATs week. Thank you very much.
We know that all the children will try their very best and we wish them every success.
Have a great week everyone and thank you for your continued support.
Mrs Shepherd
Last week was another action-packed week for our staff and pupils and this week promises to be another one!
Cindy visits Reception
Last week , children in Reception had a very special visitor as part of their work on caring for animals: Cindy - a toy poodle - came to spend the day with them. Cindy is a very placid dog who loves being handled and cuddled so the children felt very comfortable playing with her, feeding her and even helping to dry her after her bath.Cindy's visit was another wonderful opportunity for our children to learn about what is involved in caring for a pet. Thanks to Mr Bagherian for letting us 'borrow' Cindy for the day.
Diamond Jubilee Community Street Party
Last Monday I sent a letter home with each child which explained the plan to hold a community street party to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Thank you to all of you who have already responded with offers of contributions of food for the community meal and the large number of you who attended a meeting about this event on Friday. Thank you so much for all your ideas and offers of help to cook food for the event and/or help to serve it.
Since then I have received great news: our bid for £250 of funding towards the event from the local council has been successful! Thanks to the local councillors from City Ward for supporting us in this endeavour.
Thanks also to our local businesses who have pledged to support the event either through funding or by providing food and/or prizes.
The 'street party' will begin at 1pm and finish at 4pm. The activities planned include:
- 10 activity stalls designed and run by Year 6
- Bhangra drummer and DJ
- Dance show by our own 'Dancing Dolls' club
- Bouncy Castle and slide
- Family Games from the 50's
- Raffle and Tombola
- Stalls selling Islamic frames, popcorn, small toys, jewellery and Avon (we have limited the number of 'selling' stalls as we want the real focus to be on the community having fun together rather than fund raising)
- Community Meal at 2.30: This is free to all attending the event.
I know that, together, we can make this event a huge success and bring our whole community together.
Friday Prayers
An issue raised during Friday's meetings was that the Jubilee event clashes with Friday prayers. Unfortunately, after careful consideration it was decided that Friday afternoon is really the only possible time for the event:
It is the day we break up for school and, therefore, causes as little disruption as possible to the flow of our children's education compared to holding the event mid week.
We wanted to hold our event as as close as possible to the day of the Diamond Jubilee and felt that it would lose meaning if we held it any earlier.
It may reassure you to know that:
We will be providing a room, during the event, for prayer
For anyone who does wish to pray at mosque that afternoon we will ensure that there is still plenty of food available and that the event continues until 4pm.
Thank you for your support and understanding in this matter.
Sustainable Schools
Part of developing our school to meet the Sustainable Schools agenda is to develop our pupils understanding of how to reduce waste and the effect of waste on our environment. Recycling and waste management has also been identified as a key priority for City Ward and so, after a meeting on Friday with City Ward's local area manager, Kate Armitstead, we have agreed to work jointly to address this issue. To begin with we have explained the recycling/refuse collection system to all Key Stage 2 children who have agreed to set a good example for their families in this regard and to explain the system to those where language may be a barrier.
Future activities will include the children producing persuasive leaflets and banners to promote recycling and effective waste management. Then, as part of Environment Week, in July, our children will be creating sculptures from recycled materials.
Working with Kate Armitsted means that we, at Copthorne, can be very active in addressing and meeting the needs of our whole community to ensure positive futures for our children and their families.
Key Stage 1 and 2 SATs
As I am sure you are aware, our Year 6 children begin their SATs tests in a week's time (May 14th) and our Year 2 pupils have already started theirs. In order to support the children it would very very helpful if you could make sure that they stay calm, get a good night's sleep (10 - 12 hours is recommended) and arrive at school in good time. Breakfast Club will be available free to all our Year 6 pupils during SATs week. Thank you very much.
We know that all the children will try their very best and we wish them every success.
Have a great week everyone and thank you for your continued support.
Mrs Shepherd
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)