Newsletter 06/02/26
cotham gardens primary school
weekly newsletter 06/02/2026
MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL
This week has been a joyful celebration of reading and storytelling across our school, made even more special by visits from three inspiring authors. Pupils were thrilled to welcome world renowned John Row, Bristol-based author and illustrator Duncan Beedie and Mikey Please. All three visits reminded children that books are created by real people with big imaginations—and that every child can be a reader and a creator too. Thank you to our KS2 reading and oracy lead Mr Brett for organising these events. Scroll down to see photos and hear more about the workshops.
Reading sits at the very heart of everything we do in school. It is the key that unlocks learning across all subjects, from understanding a maths problem to exploring history or science. Most importantly, reading opens doors to new worlds, ideas and emotions, helping children to develop empathy, confidence and a lifelong love of learning.
One of the most powerful ways families can support this journey is through regular reading aloud at home. When children read aloud with fluency—accurately, smoothly and with expression—they free up their thinking to focus on meaning and enjoyment. This is why we ask children to practise reading at home using the levelled readers in their book bags. These books are carefully matched to each child’s current reading stage, allowing them to practise key skills successfully and build confidence step by step. Studies show that frequent, short reading practice, especially when children read aloud and receive gentle feedback, has a significant positive impact on reading progress. Listening to your child read (whatever their age), encouraging them to re-read complicated sections, and talking briefly about the story all help to strengthen comprehension as well as fluency.
Thank you for the wonderful support you continue to give at home. By working together—school, families and inspiring authors—we can nurture confident readers who see books not as a task, but as a source of joy, discovery and possibility.
Emmeline Smith
COMING UP NEXT WEEK
MONDAY 9TH FEBRUARY
🏊♂️ YR4 Swimming
Please remember to bring your swimming kits and snack into school
TUESDAY 10TH FEBRUARY
Coffee morning
9.00am -10.00am in the Elmgrove hall, all welcome!
Online Safety workshop for parents and carers
WEDNESDAY 11TH FEBRUARY
BGS TRIP
Some children in Y4/5 will be heading to BGS to try out cookery or orienteering in the afternoon. Please remember to wear suitable clothing for orienteering.
YR5/YR6 Tri Netball Tournament
Collection from school at 3.15pm
THURSDAY 11TH FEBRUARY
YR3 Caerleon Trip
We will be leaving the school at 9.10am. Children will require a packed lunch.
It can also get very cold so please ensure the children have plenty of warm clothes.
GOLDEN CERTIFICATE WINNERS
ATTENDANCE WINNERS AND REMINDERS
This week’s class attendance winners are:
classes Oak and Maple with 98% - Well done!
This week’s class punctuality winners are:
Ladybirds and Maple with 99% - Well done!
💻 ONLINE SAFETY WORKSHOP 💻
We are pleased to let you know about an Online Safety Workshop designed to help families support children in navigating the digital world safely and confidently.
Date: Tuesday 10th February 2026
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Online (Google Meet)
Join using this link: meet.google.com/msv-iukk-gzd
ENDING THE TERM IN STYLE WITH.......
📚SAVE THE DATE! ☕
📚 Book at Bedtime – Coming Soon!
Booking will go live on Arbor (under the trip section) from 8.00pm on Monday 9th February!
Spaces are limited and are available on a first come, first served basis.
As part of our annual Reading Bonanza celebrating World Book Day, we are delighted to invite families to our much loved Book at Bedtime event on Monday 2nd March.
Children are welcome to return to school in their favourite pyjamas for a cosy evening of storytelling. They’ll settle in with friends, enjoy a warming mug of hot chocolate, and listen to a beautifully read bedtime story to inspire their love of reading.
📅 Date: Monday 2nd March
⏰ Time: 6:00pm – 6:45pm
📍 Location: School
🍽️ Term 4 Menu Has Arrived!
TERM 4 MENU — NOW OPEN FOR BOOKINGS!
We’re excited to announce that our brand-new Term 4 menu is here!
👉 Check out the full menu here:
NEW MENUS TERM 4
You will notice that 'Allergen choice ' has been removed when you go to book your child's lunch choice on Arbor. Please do not panic, the kitchen will adapt each dish if your child has a specific allergen.
Bristol City Council are providing Free School Meal vouchers up to the value of £15 per eligible child in order to provide extra support during the February half-term. Families already in receipt of Pupil Premium will receive these vouchers on the week commencing the 9th February.
If you think you may now be eligible for benefit-based Free School Meals and Pupil Premium, please follow the steps below to apply:
- To apply online – please visit https://parent.bristol.gov.uk/web/portal/pages/parents/travel-and-free-school-meals
- Or contact the school office on 0117 3772610, who can apply on your behalf.
More information
If you have any questions or specific concerns, please contact the school office.
You can also find more information at www.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals.
STORYTELLING WEEK
On Tuesday, the world‑renowned storyteller John Row visited our school—and what a treat it was! He began the day with an assembly for Years 3, 4, 5 and 6, where he shared stories from his amazing life as a storyteller. He also captivated the audience with a tale he had first heard in Marrakech.
Throughout the rest of the day, John led sessions for each year group, performing stories from around the world and teaching the background, history and techniques behind this beautiful and age‑old art form.
Next week, John will be travelling to a festival in India, where he is due to receive an award celebrating his lifetime of dedication to storytelling. We were truly in the presence of greatness!
On Wednesday morning Reception had a fantastic morning! They were lucky enough to welcome Mikey Please who shared the journey behind his books The Café at the Edge of the Woods and The Cave Downwind of the Café. He showed us some of his original sketches and explained how his characters and ideas came to life on the page.
The highlight of the workshop was learning how to draw some of the characters ourselves. The children followed step‑by‑step instructions to sketch Glumfoot, Rene, and the Raven. Their drawings were full of creativity, focus, and personality. Well done everyone!
We also enjoyed listening to both stories together, which made the whole experience even more magical.
On Thursday morning the children had a visit from Duncan Beedie.
He answered questions on what it was like to be an author and illustrator and then read them his story, Heavy Metal Badger. After that he showed them how to draw the badger!
CG WINTER OLYMPICS
Cotham Gardens Winter Olympics have begun!
With our school council reps in attendance, the Olympic torch was passed between year groups at CG to celebrate the start of the Winter Olympics 2026 and our own fact-finding and colouring competition. Competition entries can be submitted by Wednesday 18th February to class teachers to be in with a chance of winning.
YR Skiing
Y1 Ice Hockey
Y2 Curling
Y3 Luge
Y4 Ice Skating
Y5 Bobsleigh
Y6 Snowboarding
One of our resident poets has even crafted an ode for the occasion too!
📚JOIN IN WITH STARLINGS BOOK CORNER 📚
Starlings finished our class book which was called Leon and The Place Between by Graham Baker-Smith.
This is a picture book with beautiful illustrations where main character, Leon, wants to prove to his friends that magic really does exist. The story is full of mystery and wonder. The fact that it is largely illustrations that we were working with, forced us to delve deeper into facial expressions and clues within pictures. It opened up lots of thought-provoking questions such as "Are picture books just for younger children?"
We give it 9 stars out of 10!
🐟🐠🐡 YEAR 5 AQUARIUM TRIP 🐟🐠🐡
Year 5 Aquarium Reached New Depths of Fun!
Year 5 had a fantastic time on their trip to Bristol Aquarium on Thursday! The children were buzzing with excitement as they explored the underwater world, coming face‑to‑face with colourful tropical fish, mesmerising jellyfish and even a curious ray or two. Guided by a resident expert, they loved learning fascinating facts about marine habitats, conservation and the incredible creatures that call our oceans home. It was a day full of discovery, awe and plenty of “wow!” moments—one the children will be talking about for weeks!
LOOK WHO HAS JOINED OUR RECEPTION TEAM!
How cracking are they.....🐣
📅SAVE THE DATE - NEXT COMMUNITY FORUM 📅
Community Forum
📍 In-Person Forum
📅 Date: Wednesday, 4th March
🕘 Time: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
📍 Location: Cotham Grove Hall
(March online forum date tbc)
NURSE DROP IN SESSIONS
The school nurse will be dropping in for some sessions with parents and carers on the dates below - please click on the date to book your lot:
The sessions will be about offering support and information around topics such as emotional support and relationships, sleep, healthy eating, exercise, being healthy, smoking/vaping.
The sessions will be running between 9am-10am and are held in the hall at Elmgrove. There are four 15 minute slots available per session and are offered on a first come, first serve basis. You will be able to join in with coffee morning whilst you wait to be seen.
If you do book a slot with the Sirona Nurse and are then unable to attend, please let us know in advance so we can offer out that sessions to another family.
📢 PTAF NEWS 📢
🏃🏿🏃🏿♀️🏃♂️🏃🏿🏃🏿♀️🏃♂️🏃🏿🏃🏿♀️🏃♂️🏃🏿🏃🏿♀️🏃♂️
ELMGROVE PLAYGROUND MARKINGS
We are excited about relaunching our crowdfunder for new markings in the Elmgrove playground. The Cotham Grove site ones have been a huge hit so now it’s time for our Key Stage One children to be in on the extra fun!
To donate please click on the link below.
Or if you know anyone who might like to sponsor or donate then please get in touch.
https://wonderful.org/fundraisers/79PgL
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LAUNCH OF THE SPONSORED READ
Monday 9th February.
All children in the school will be sent home with a sponsored read diary on Monday 9th February. Please look out for it in their book bags. Children are encouraged to read a set number of times between then and World Book Day on Thursday 5th March. There will be an electronic link sent out via Classlist and class dojo which can be used for sponsorship donations. Each child that enters will be awarded a special bookmark, designed by our school librarian Karen George, and be entered in to a prize draw to win a book.
🧶🫙🌷🧶🫙🌷🧶🫙🌷🧶🫙🌷🧶🫙🌷
YEAR 6 CRAFT MARKET
Friday 13th March
The year 6 children will be holding a market in the Cotham Grove hall straight after school. There will be homemade crafts, second hand books, cakes and more. This will be to raise money for the year 6 end of school party.
💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰
YOUR SCHOOL LOTTERY
One very easy way you can help raise money is to buy a lottery ticket through our new school lottery system.
One winner from our school is guaranteed every week!
Click on the link below to buy tickets!
Shine February Half Term Holiday Clubs
Join the Feb Holiday Fun near you! Book now and receive 20% off! Use the code Early Booker.
We have loved seeing so many children come along to Shine Holiday Clubs and look forward to welcoming more of you.
For children at any school from Reception – Year 6, days run from 09:00-15:30 with (early and late hours) available if you need them.
There are load of different activities such as Forest Adventure, Cookery, Wicked! Play in a Day, Mega Mash Ups, K-Pop Dance, Football Fundays, Alice in Wonderland Creative, Crazy Science and Gymnastics & Cheer - there really is a day your child will love.
Shine are Ofsted Registered so you can pay via Childcare Vouchers and the Tax-Free Childcare Scheme.
Click here Shine Holiday Clubs | Sports and creative activities to see what’s on.
See you at Shine!
CREATIVITY CLUB - TUESDAYS @ COTHAM GROVE
The OG Creativity Club is bookable!
Our after school Creativity Club is bookable for next term now - Tuesdays @ Cotham Grove for yrs 3-6. Devised by Emma from Chandos Atelier and delivered by Olivia ,a professional maker. An hour of creative exploration using art materials, we teach techniques and methods rather than giving follow-along instructions, perfect for developing skills in art, making and building.
https://www.chandosatelier.co.uk/bookings/p/cotham-gdns-1
“His creativity at home and his attitude to materials and projects has exploded, which includes scientific endeavours, inspired by your materials and attitude to creativity.”
📢COMMUNITY NEWS 📢
READING VOLUNTEERS WANTED 📚
We're looking for enthusiastic reading volunteers to join our school community at Cotham Gardens Primary School.
Reading volunteers play a vital role in supporting our pupils' literacy development. By spending just a small amount of time each week listening to children read, you can make a real difference to a child's confidence and reading ability.
What's Involved?
You don't need any teaching qualifications – just patience, enthusiasm, and a love of reading! We'll provide guidance on how to support our young readers effectively.
Time commitment: At least one hour per week for a minimum period of 10 weeks
When: During school hours (we'll work around your availability)
Where: Either site
How to Apply
If you're interested in becoming a reading volunteer, we'd love to hear from you!
As part of our commitment to safeguarding, all volunteers need to complete a simple application process. This includes providing references from someone who knows you well and completing a Disclosure and Barring (DBS) check.
To apply, please click here.
Together, we can help every child become a confident, enthusiastic reader!
Join Our Team at Cotham Gardens Primary School!
Lunchtime Assistant/School Meals Supervisory Assistant
We're looking for a friendly, enthusiastic and reliable person to join our lunchtime team at Cotham Gardens Primary School. This is a wonderful opportunity to play a vital role in our school community, helping to ensure our pupils enjoy safe, happy and well-supervised lunchtimes.
Salary: BG04 SCP02 - SCP03 £24,413 - £24,796 per annum pro-rata
10 hours per week, over 5 days
11.45am – 1.45pm each day at both sites as directed
Term-time only
Applications should be made online via eteach:
https://www.eteach.com/job/lunchtime-assistantschool-meals-supervisory-assistant-1533435
Sunday Year 1 Footballers wanted!
Shine would like to invite footballers in Year 1, to a FREE TRIAL for the Shine Saints Under 6s Football Squad. Get ready to play Sunday league football.
They will:
- Play friendly fixtures on Sundays, until September when we will play competitive fixtures in the Hanham Minor League.
- Training takes place on Wednesday evenings from 17:15-18:15pm at the Shine Sports Ground, BS6
- Official Shine Saints kit for all players
Come and try for the rest of the month and see how you get on...just email us and we will let you know the next session to come to.
To confirm your FREE TRIAL, simply email info@myshine.co.uk. Just email us your child's full name, date of birth and two emergency contact names & telephone numbers.
BRISTOL FAMILY HUBS
Please find the Parenting Groups Information Booklet
ROGER GRACIE BRISTOL
Free jui jitsu for the kids! A 6 week foundation trial to get active and explore the sport. The club is https://www.rogergraciebristol.com/
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