cotham gardens primary school

weekly newsletter  03/10/2025

 

 

This week saw the first of our termly Times Tables Challenge assemblies, refereed by Maths lead Mr Jarman Davis. These fiercely fought events are open to children in Y4, 5 and 6 with two representatives from each class pitting themselves against their peers to be crowned Times Tables Champions. This time, Y5 put up a very strong challenge indeed, but the overall winners were Year 6’s Pine class, represented by Ahmed and Qaali. Well done!! 

Fluency in Times Tables is a core skill which is vital to success and confidence in mathematics. Automatic recall of multiplication and the related division facts (for example “30 divided by 10 is 3; ten threes are 30”) is expected by the end of Year 4.  We teach times tables using the “Ashley Down” method – please get in touch with your child’s class teacher if you’d like to know more.   

Also in assemblies this week we have been challenging gender stereotypes in our ‘No Outsiders’ assemblies. We linked this to the wonderful display of sporting prowess shown by the England Women’s Rugby Team. We have also slotted in an extra assembly this week to celebrate National Poetry Day. Children in KS2 took part in an online live event on Tuesday and a sample of the children's own creative writing was shared in assembly. We plan to record and publish some of the poems next week. Thanks to Mr Brett for coordinating this enrichment.   

With best wishes for a lovely weekend. 

Emmeline Smith 

 

 

 

MONDAY 6TH OCTOBER

Drama 4All Workshop

Reception - YR2 taking place in the hall 9.00am - 11.00am

 

YR5 Swimming

Please remember to bring in swimming kits and a snack for afterwards.

 

TUESDAY 7TH OCTOBER

Coffee Morning 

All welcome at the Elmgrove Hall from drop off till 10.00am.

 

WEDNESDAY 8TH OCTOBER

PTAF Meeting 

In the library 19.30pm-21.00pm

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week’s class attendance winners are: 

Maple  with 99%  - Well done! 

This week’s class punctuality winners are:

Ladybirds / Rabbits / Pine

all with 100%  - Well done! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parent consultations will be taking place on the following dates:

• Tuesday 21st October between 3:40-6:00pm (Virtual online or face/face)
• Wednesday 22nd October between 3:40-7:00pm (Virtual online or face/face)

This is an important meeting and provides you with an opportunity to talk to your child’s class teacher about school and the progress that your child is making.

You will be able to book your child’s parent consultation appointment via your child's Arbor account from Friday 3rd October at 7:30pm until Monday 20th October at 10.00pm.

• Your child’s consultation will take place in their class room if you have booked a face/face meeting.
• The appointments will last strictly 10 minutes, whether they are online or face to face.
• To ensure all families have the opportunity to attend a parent consultation appointment, we kindly ask that you book one appointment per family. If you have any questions about booking, please contact the school office.
• If you are separated parents, you are both welcome to book separate appointments so that each parent has the opportunity to discuss their child's progress, but we do encourage coming together where possible.
• When you are booking your Consultation, please state if you would like this to be a face to face appointment or a virtual appointment in the notes section. If this is left blank, we will assume you will be attending in person (face to face)

This guide will help you with booking your time slot but should you need any assistance or have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.

We look forward to seeing you there!

 

Open Mornings

Will be happening on Tuesday 22nd October and Wednesday 23rd October from 8.45am-9.15am in your child's class room, where you will be able to have a look at your child's work ahead of your parent consultation.

  

 

If your child is in year 6 or was born between 1 September 2014 and 31 August 2015 you need to apply for a new year 7 secondary place.

You'll need to register for an account on our Parent Portal admissions system if you've not made an online application for a school place or free school meals before.

This must be received before 31 October.

https://www.bristol.gov.uk/residents/schools-learning-and-early-years/school-admissions/secondary-admissions/secondary-apply

     

 

Sirona will be here to do the Flu Vaccinations on Thursday 16th October, communication was sent out this week along with the link to fill out your consent form. 

Please complete the consent form as soon as possible:

https://imms.sirona-cic.org.uk/flu/2025/consent?v=4 

How is the vaccine given?

The flu vaccine is usually given using a quick and easy nasal spray, this is the best flu vaccine for children. If your child cannot have the nasal spray due to the porcine gelatine content or for medical reasons, you can consent for your child to have an injection instead. If we cannot offer the injection at your child’s school, you will be able to book a clinic appointment.

Important deadlines:

• The consent system closes 2 working days before the vaccination session at school.
• If you complete your form after the deadline we may not be able to see your child at the school session

Want to learn more?

Flu vaccination for children: leaflets and posters - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Questions?

Contact the School Immunisation Team: 0300 124 5515 or email sirona.sch-imms@nhs.net

  

 

We are very excited to announce the visit of the author JJ Arcanjo on the afternoon of Wednesday 22^nd October. He has written the global hit book series, Crookhaven: School for Thieves, which has just been adapted for TV by the BBC will be out early next year. He will be talking about his book and answering questions from the children. This is a free event, plus there will be an opportunity for children to buy copies of the book from Storysmith Books using this link:

http://storysmithbooks.com/jj-arcanjo-cotham-gardens

Books orders need to be made by Wednesday 15^th October. JJ Arcanjo will sign the copies ready for the children to take home.

The Crookhaven series is aimed at readers from 9 onwards. While younger children might not be ready to read the books yet, we are sure they will be inspired by the author’s enthusiasm for storytelling.

Happy reading,

Duncan Brett

 

 

You can read more about how the Department of Health and Social Care collects, stores and uses your child’s information and data in the NCMP Privacy Notice: https://bit.ly/NCMPPrivacyNotice.

For further information and advice and support please visit our dedicated NCMP webpage by scanning the QR code below:

If you have any concerns about your child’s growth, eating habits, or weight, please speak to your GP or contact the school nursing service.

 

 

Tulip Photography will be in school taking individual school photos on Friday 14th November.

 

Please ensure your child arrives to school on time, as Tulip will be starting promptly at 9am.

 

Make sure you have consented on Arbor that Tulip Photography can take photos of your child. 

 

 

Kingfisher class have just started reading a pebble in my pocket. It tells the story of Earth's history from the perspective of a single, 480-million-year-old pebble. Through the pebble's journey from a fiery volcano to a modern landscape, the book explains concepts of rock formation, erosion, and the vastness of geological time. The children are loving the beautiful pictures and can't wait to carry on reading this story! 

 

 

We have had a fantastic start to the year in Year 4, and we are excited to share some of the highlights from this term!

River Avon Boat Trip Year 4 enjoyed a wonderful trip to Bristol Harbourside, where we boarded the Tower Belle for a journey down the River Avon as part of our Geography topic. It was a beautiful day - high tides and high spirits! Captains Will and Eli guided us safely through stunning scenery, where we spotted wildlife and even sang Happy Birthday to Lucy!

During the trip, we took part in a fun and educational quiz, learning fascinating facts such as:

• The River Avon is 83 miles long
• Seven bridges cross it!

The children had a fantastic time. A huge thank you to all the parents who joined us - your support made the walk to and from the Harbourside much easier and safer.

Foundation Learning We have been singing along to Mamma Mia by ABBA in music lessons, and in Geography, we created a water cycle and used a variety of mediums and techniques to create 3D river models in preparation for our boat trip. The creativity and enthusiasm from the children has been wonderful to see! In PE, we have been working on teamwork and communication. One of our challenges involved carrying mats over our heads and laying them down safely before jumping on them - great fun and a brilliant way to build coordination and collaboration.

We are incredibly proud of all our Year 4s for their effort, enthusiasm, and achievements this term. Keep up the amazing work

 

To mark National Poetry Day, children in years 3, 4, 5 and 6 took part in an online lesson on the subject of remembrance. Led by the poet Tomos Roberts, the lesson inspired children to write their own heart-felt and reflective works that they then recited aloud. Teachers up and down the school were astonished and moved by the poems their classes produced. It really does go to show the power that art in its many forms can have on children. The special lesson was followed up by an assembly in which one poem from each class was performed in the school hall. It was a shame we didn't have more time to showcase the poems, as many dozens more children were eager to take part. Well done to every single child for their thoughtful efforts and a special mention to those individuals who performed in the assembly.

 

 

 

  

Kick Off

After a couple of snacks it was finally kick off,

Surrounded by green.

We dominated the ball and soon after we drew 1-1,

We gathered in a happy heap!

Stuffed with treats (Happy Birthday  Mrs Hart!) we shed our fear,

Kick off, we ran, tried harder and communicated

SCORE!

We ran up the pitch with a flourish and cheered each other on

Another goal for Cotham Gardens,

Our season has begun!

 

Match report by Myla B and Zaynab M

 

A huge thank you to our team for being so kind and respectful of all. I was very proud of you all. Thank you to the parents who organised and offered lifts as well to make it happen.

Mrs Bush

 

 

 

 

Thank You for Your Topps Competition Entries!

A huge thank you to everyone who entered the Topps competition - the creativity and effort were truly impressive! Choosing the winners was no easy task (I even had to call in Dom for help with Year 6!).

Our worthy winners received Topps stickers to enjoy at home or trade with friends in the park after school.

It was wonderful to see such a diverse range of players created, each with their own unique flair. Don’t forget to check out the brilliant positive adjectives used - they really brought the characters to life. And now, the Cotham Gardens sporting endeavors for 2025/2026 truly kick off!

Mrs Bush