Newsletter 14/03/25
cotham gardens primary school
weekly newsletter
Message from the Head of School
On Wednesday we held a trustee monitoring day. The day started with our termly face to face Community Forum, where Chris Seaton spoke about leadership plans for September. We also shared a one-page summary overview of the school improvement plan as was requested at previous meetings. If you were not able to attend the meeting and would like a copy please send a message to the office and we will send one on. During the day trustees visited lessons, were given an Estates, Health and Safety tour of the two sites, spoke to children and staff and also checked in on some of our core safeguarding procedures.
This week it was the turn of the boys football team to represent the school and they too are now second in the league. If you would like to donate towards their new kit you can do this on Arbor under the school shop section in your child's account from next week - Keep a look out!
We are beginning to develop a calm area of the Cotham Grove playground and are looking for donations of rugs/blankets/throws to use for den building as well as sitting on when the weather is fair. We would also like to expand our lego and board games collection.
Next week we welcome Professor Arathi Sriprakash into school for three weeks to work on the Repair Ed project. She will be in school on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and is keen to hear stories of people’s experience of education in the city – from parents and ex-students as well as our current children and staff. Please take a look at the website that accompanies the project to get a flavour of the research – https://repair-ed.humap.site/map
Arathi will be in school on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and we will be moving coffee morning to Wednesday on the 19th and 26th of this term to facilitate conversations.
As we reach the mid-point of this term and head towards the Spring equinox, I’d like to wish our Hindu families a happy Holi – fingers crossed for a weekend of sunshine, colour and joy.
Emmeline Smith
GOLDEN CERTIFICATE WINNERS
ATTENDANCE WINNERS AND REMINDERS
This week’s class attendance winners are:
Class 6J with 100% - Well done!
This week’s class punctuality winners are
classes 5MC and 6J with 100% Well done!
Whole school attendance this week was 93%
We have also seen a huge improvement in the number of pupils arriving late for school. Thank you for your continued support.
Punctuality Reminder
When a child arrives late to school, they miss important events like assembly, teacher instructions and introductions. Children often also feel embarrassed at having to enter the classroom late. Gates close at 8.55am and children should be in class, ready for registration at 9am. Children arriving after the gate closes should be signed in late via the screens in the school office entrance.
If your child arrives after 9.30am, the morning session will be marked as unauthorised.
COMING UP NEXT WEEK
MONDAY
YR5 Swimming
Please remember to bring in your swim kits 5B and 5MC
YR5/YR6 Girls Netball tournament at Shine Sports Ground
Collection form the office at 15.15pm
YR5/YR6 Boys Football tournament at St Bedes School
Collection form the office at 15.15pm
WEDNESDAY
Coffee Morning at Cotham Grove hall after drop off 9am-10am
FRIDAY
RED NOSE DAY - Wear something RED to school and bring in £1 for a donation for Red Nose Day's 40th Birthday!
YR4 M Shed visit
If you have not consented for your child to attend this trip, please head over to Abor to give your consent
Play street/ Bake Sale
Cotham North is closed to traffic for children to play. We are selling snacks, cakes and hot chocolate. Please make or buy sweet and savoury treats and bring them to the office in the morning or afternoon. NO NUTS.
Please remember that parents are responsible for their children. SMALL CHANGE is appreciated.
PARENT CONSULTATIONS
Parent consultations will be taking place on the following dates:
40B
- Tuesday 1st April between 3:45 -18:30pm (Virtual online or face/face)
- Wednesday 2nd April between 3:45 -18:30pm (Virtual online or face/face)
5WL
- Tuesday 22nd April between 3:45 -18:30pm (Virtual online or face/face)
- Wednesday 23rd April between 3:45 -18:30pm (Virtual online or face/face)
ALL OTHER CLASSES
- Wednesday 23rd April between 3:45-18:30pm (Virtual online or face/face)
- Thursday 24th April between 3:45-18:30pm (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 14th March at 19.00pm until Monday 21st April at 22.00pm.
- Your child’s consultation will take place in your child's class room.
- Please ignore the note that states staff room when you go to book.
- The appointments will last strictly 10 minutes, whether they are online or face to face.
- Please only book one day.
- When you are booking your Childs 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
EID-UL-FITR
The school can authorise a one-day of absence for religious observance. If your child will be absent from school for Eid-ul-Fitr, please complete an absence request form as soon as possible:
https://www.cothamgardens.co.uk/Forms-and-Letters/
Paper copies are also available from the school office.
If you have any further questions or queries regarding Ramadan, please get in touch as soon as possible.
EID MENU - 31ST MARCH
On Monday 31st March 2025, we will be celebrating EID with a special lunch menu.
Unfortunately we are unable to add this special lunch onto Arbor now that our menu is live – so please can we kindly ask you to book your child’s meal choice for the day according to the options below:
EID Meal Options
If your child would like:
• Chicken Curry– please select the Roasted Gnocchi in tomato sauce
• Halal Chicken Curry– please select the Roast Gnocchi in tomato sauce - the kitchen will note if your child is Halal.
• Chickpea and Spinach Curry– please select the Vegetable Lasagne
The above options are all served with vegetable samosa and rice.
Jacket potato options will still be available.
Thank you for your cooperation and we look forward to celebrating with the children!
COMMUNITY FORUM - SAVE THE DATES!
The next Community Forum Meetings will be held on the following dates - all welcome!
- 23rd April in the Cotham Grove Hall at 9am (after open classrooms)
- 24th April online at 6pm
TRIP REMINDERS
Please see below some of the trips that are happening over the coming terms. If you have not consented for your child to attend, please head over to Arbor to give consent as soon as possible.
- Y4 M Shed - Friday 21st March
- Y1 Bristol Zoo Project - Tuesday 13th May
- Y2 Aerospace museum - Thursday 15th May
- YR Farm Trip - Tuesday 20th May
- Y6 Residential Camp - Wednesday 2nd July - Friday 4th July
HEDGEHOGS BOOK CORNER
In Hedgehogs, we have been reading 'The rhythm of the rain.' We were so excited by this book and turned every page with anticipation to find out what will happen next. This book was about a boy called Isaac who put a jar of water in a stream. We got to follow the journey of his water through storms and seas and come back to Isaac through the clouds and rain.
In today's reading lesson we were discussing our favourite parts of the book. Here are some responses from the children:
'I LOVED this book because the illustrations were so beautiful and helped me picture the story as we read along.'
'My favourite part was learning more facts about the water cycle.'
RECEPTION GROUP WORK
This week in a Honeybees we have enjoyed exploring a variety of activities to celebrate the Hindu festival of colour, Holi. We have created our own colourful mini-me’s, decorated splatted colourful t-shirts, written cards and coloured in pictures.
TERM DATES AND INSET DAY REMINDER
Term Dates
Term 4: Monday 24 February 2025 - Friday 4 April 2025
Term 5: Tuesday 22 April 2025 to Friday 23 May 2025
Term 6: Monday 2 June 2025 to Tuesday 22 July 2025
Inset days remaining
Friday 4 April 2025
Monday 2 June 2025
Trustees are currently finalising INSET dates for next academic year.
In the meantime we can confirm that there will be an INSET day on 2/9/25 and that term will start for all pupils current pupils on Wednesday 3rd September 2025.
AFTER SCHOOL COLLECTION REMINDER
If your child normally walks home from school but you book them in to attend a Shine or Zebras after school club - please let the office know, so they can inform the teacher before the end of the school day.
You can let us know by either calling on 01173772610 or emailing office@cothamgardens.co.uk
COFFEE MORNING - 1ST APRIL
BIG BRUSH CLUB!
Big Brush Club will be attending coffee morning at Cotham Gardens primary on the 1st April. They provide valuable information on how to support children aged 0-11 years to have the best oral health start.
Big Brush Club are also hosting several live oral health improvement webinars for parents/guardians. These sessions will provide valuable information on how to support children aged 0-11 years to have the best oral health start.
During each session there will be two dental care professionals presenting and on hand to answer any questions you might have throughout the webinar. We do not require any cameras or microphones to be used, however there will be a chat box to ask any questions you might have throughout.
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 you would like to book:
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 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.
THE LITTLE PRINCESS TRUST
Dear wonderful Cotham Gardens community,
For the past few years, my hair has been growing longer and longer, and I have decided to cut and donate my hair to the Little Princess Trust. I want to raise awareness for the wonderful charity and make a meaningful impact.
The Little Princess Trust is a charity that provides real hair wigs, free of charge, to children and young people who have lost their own hair due to cancer treatment or conditions like Alopecia. It is also one of the largest funders of childhood cancer research in the UK. It costs £700 to provide one child or young person with a real hair wig, and they currently support around 2,000 children every year. This incredible charity relies solely on the generosity of supporters.
I invite you to contribute whatever you can towards my target of £700.
I have booked in my big chop for 19th March 2025 💇♀️
https://www.justgiving.com/page/louise-king-lpt?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL
PTAF NEWS
Play Street on Friday, 21 March, after school
Cotham North is closed to traffic for children to play. We are selling snacks, cakes and hot chocolate. Please make or buy sweet and savoury treats and bring them to the office in the morning or afternoon. NO NUTS.
Please remember that parents are responsible for their children. SMALL CHANGE is appreciated.
Easter Egg Hunt on 28 March
Easter Egg Hunt on Friday, 28 March, 3.45 pm
Tickets at £3 are available on Classlist only. Refreshments, games and crafts. Siblings welcome. Helpers on the day, please email me on maija.alan@gmail.com
Board Games Evening on Monday, 31 March, 7-11 pm
Tickets are available on Classlist. This event is held at Chance and Counters on Gloucester Road. This is open to adults and please feel free to bring friends.
Sponsored Read
A huge thank you to all the children and their sponsors for raising around £2000! What a great achievement! We are grateful to Helen, the librarian,Mr. Brett and all the teachers for organising this annual fundraiser.
AFTER SCHOOL AND HOLIDAY CLUBS
Please find all information on the below link for all the afterschool clubs and Breakfast Clubs that take place at Cotham Gardens.
https://www.cothamgardens.co.uk/Pre-and-Post-School-Care/
Great News from Shine!
If you need last minute childcare, or you have forgotten to book your child into their After School Club, don’t worry we have extended the time that you can book your child into Shine.
You can now book at MyShine.co.uk for the same day, until 2:30pm. Shine staff use live registers on a tablet, so you can be reassured that they will pick up your booking.
After 2:30pm, you can still book, but you will need to phone the office on 01174 033 033, or email info@myshine.co.uk and the admin team will be able to help you.
New programmes which will be running after Easter, until the end of the school year.
Shine Clubs will be bookable online on Wednesday 19th March at 10:00am.
COMMUNITY NEWS
Job Vacancy in Cotham Gardens Primary School
SEND Learning Support Assistant (full-time)
Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to join a brilliant team in a multi-site Primary Academy where you can use your skills, knowledge and experience to make a real, positive and lasting impact on our pupils?
Start Date: September 2025 (or sooner for the right candidate)
The role: We are pleased to announce that we are expanding our fantastic team of SEND LSAs.
Experience of some or all of the following is desirable:
- Working with children with ASD, ADHD and attachment needs
- Experience of delivering speech and language interventions
- Working with children with attachment needs
- Working closely with outside agencies to deliver EHCP provisions
The School: Cotham Gardens Primary School is a large, happy and vibrant 2-form entry primary school within a wonderfully diverse community. We are split over two sites and based within the Cotham area of Bristol city centre.
Contract: Well-being is a high priority for staff and students alike at our school. We are looking to find the right people for our school and can offer flexibility on our contracts. Please state your preferences in the application form.
Full-time hours are 32.5 hours per week, working 08.30am until 3.30pm over 5 days, with a 30 minute unpaid break. Term time only, plus 5 INSET days.
Candidates must demonstrate good communication skills in spoken and written English to effectively engage with children, parents, and colleagues.
Salary: Grade BG6, Scale Point 6-7. Salary £25,183 to £25,584 pro-rata.
https://www.eteach.com/job/send-learning-support-assistant-full-time-1471665
Drumming Lessons at Cotham Gardens Primary School
Bristol Beacons now have a drumming instructor coming into school on Tuesdays. for YR3 -YR6.
Please head over to their website if you feel your child would be interested in having drumming lessons.
https://bristolbeacon.org/learn-to-play/
Parent Oral health improvement webinars:
Thursday 20th March at 7pm – Parent/Guardian - https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/fc918f1d-1937-4dd6-8caf-876b2e17c4da@11f187f2-a328-4d92-a1f2-a711ff09055d
NHS DENTIST
DYSCALCULIA EVENT
DANCE AND ACRO CLASSES
Bristol Parent Carer Forum
Bristol Parent Carers have asked us to share their latest March newsletter. Inside you will find a great new resource for Autistic people and their families, a reminder from IPSEA about post-16 phase transfers plus information about a new support group for parent carers of medically complex pre-school children... And MORE
We know juggling the busy demands of SEND parenting can be tough. Inside this newsletter you will find handpicked information on the stuff that matters. Click on the link below to find out more.
