Newsletter 27/02/26
cotham gardens primary school
weekly newsletter 27/02/2026
MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL
I hope you had a good half term break. I have enjoyed hearing stories about lunar new year celebrations and many of our families are now marking Ramadan. In school we have a prayer room available, and increasing numbers of the older children have chosen to fast this year. We are very proud of the maturity and respect they are showing.
On Monday, during our INSET day, staff took part in a full day of positive behaviour training with Team Teach. This approach aligns with our school’s behaviour policy and keeps children at the centre of all decisions. When we support a dysregulated child, we think about why they may be showing a behaviour, not only what the behaviour is. Understanding how a child feels helps us build strong relationships, plan the right support, and keep everyone safe.
Our next community forums will take place in the last week of this term. Please note the updated dates:
- 30.3.26 – online at 6pm
- 1.4.26 – in person at 9am in the Cotham Gardens Hall
Finally, a reminder that our new optional sweatshirts can be ordered on Arbor. The first orders have already been collected, and the children are wearing them proudly. As with all school clothing, PLEASE make sure your child’s name is clearly written on the label.
I will leave you with a cheery photo taken at the entrance to Cotham Grove. These daffodils were planted by the children and we'd love to get more gardening going at school - as requested by the school council. Please do get in touch via the office if you have green fingers and could spare some time to support a lunchtime gardening club.
Best wishes
Emmeline Smith
COMING UP NEXT WEEK
WORLD BOOK DAY WEEK
MONDAY 2ND MARCH
YR4 Swimming
Remember to send your child to school with their swimming kit and snack.
Geography Enrichment - Ocean Academy
Yrs 3-6 in the hall
YR6 Girls football match
Shine Sports Ground
Yrs 3/4 Multisport event (selected children)
St Bede's, BS11 OSU
Book at bedtime - only a couple of spaces left! Bookable via Arbor.
⏰ Time: 6:00pm – 6:45pm
📍 Location: Elmgrove
TUESDAY 3RD MARCH
Geography Enrichment - Ocean Academy
Yrs 3-6 workshops in classrooms
THURSDAY 5TH MARCH
Children are invited to bring in a book of their choice for a school‑wide readathon. They are also warmly encouraged to come dressed as a character of their choice. Please get creative and do not buy anything new.
FRIDAY 6TH MARCH
Reading Buddies
We round off the week with Reading Buddies, where a younger class is paired with an older class for some lovely shared reading. To cap it all off, we will present prizes in assembly for the Sponsored Read.
📜 GOLDEN CERTIFICATE WINNERS 📜
ATTENDANCE WINNERS AND REMINDERS
This week’s class attendance winners are:
Honeybees class with 99% - Well done!
This week’s class punctuality winners are:
Rabbits, Maple and Birch classes with 100% - Well done!
Also a big well done to all other classes this week!
📅COMMUNITY FORUM 📅
The community forum has been postponed until:
📅SAVE THE DATE - NEXT COMMUNITY FORUM 📅
📍 Online Forum
📅 Date: Monday, 30th March
🕘 Time: 6:00 PM – 6:45 PM
📍 Location: Online
Community Forum
📍 In-Person Forum
📅 Date: Wednesday, 1st April
🕘 Time: 9:00 AM – 9:45 AM
📍 Location: Cotham Grove Hall
ST PAUL'S CARNIVAL WORKSHOP
This week, we were delighted to welcome the St Paul’s Carnival Education Program, who came in to enlighten, inspire, and energise our children through culture, history, and movement.
Richard visited years 2-6, sharing the rich history of Carnival—where it originated and how it grew into the vibrant celebration we know today in Bristol. The children learned about Carnival’s roots in African and Caribbean traditions, its connection to freedom, community, and expression and how these traditions came to be celebrated locally through the iconic St Paul’s Carnival.
Following the history sessions, Louis brought the energy to the room with an engaging African‑inspired dance workshop. He soon had the children up on their feet, teaching them expressive dance moves and encouraging them to connect with rhythm and movement. Dressed in colourful traditional material and fully embracing the spirit of Carnival, Louis filled the space with excitement and joy.
Together, Richard and Louis created a memorable experience that blended education, creativity, and cultural celebration. The children loved every moment—listening, learning, moving, and smiling from start to finish.
We’re incredibly grateful to the St Paul’s Carnival team for bringing such positivity and cultural enrichment to our school. We look forward to welcoming them back again and hope that we will get selected to take part in the procession this year!
SPONSORED READING FUN - ONE WEEK LEFT OF THE SPONSORED READ
Dear Families of Cotham Gardens,
In the week before half term, we launched our annual Sponsored Read, which will run a to World Book Day on Thursday 5th March. It’s the perfect excuse to dive into stories, poems, comics—or anything with words!—while helping us raise funds for the PTAF. Hopefully, your child has already begun their reading journey. If not, it's never too late to start. Sponsor sheets are available from the Office.
Last year you helped us raise over £2,000, which is absolutely amazing. But we’ve got a sneaky suspicion that this year… we can go even bigger!
The challenge? Read 15 times over the next month. That’s it! Bedtime stories, bus‑stop books, cereal‑packet scanning—it all counts. And if you need inspiration, check out the brilliant tick sheet on the back of the sponsorship form, both lovingly designed by our very own award‑winning school librarian, Karen George. Your child should have already come home with the sheet this!
Sponsorship is super simple—just use this link https://wonderful.org/fundraisers/nV8Eb There's also a QR code in the poster. One click and you're in!
We’d also love to see your children enjoying their books at home—please share any photos of them reading so we can celebrate the fun across our school community
📸 All entries will go into a prize draw, and there will be a special prize for the most creative photo!
Please email your photos to duncan.brett@cothamgardens.co.uk
Wishing you all a magical month of reading adventures.
Happy reading!
Duncan Brett
We're excited to announce our special World Book Day menu featuring some delicious options for the day! Your child can enjoy:
- The Hungry Caterpillar's Lasagne 🐛
- Matilda's Marvellous Meatballs 🍝
- Harry Potter's Magic Jacket Potato 🥔
Don't forget to book lunches via Arbor, even if your child will be bringing a packed lunch from home. We can't wait to celebrate the joy of reading with these fun meals!
📚JOIN IN WITH STARLINGS' BOOK CORNER 📚
In Starlings, we have been enjoying Sam Wu is not afraid of the dark by Katie and Kevin Tsang. The children have been loving following Sam's adventures on his camping trip. Will he actually meet a great big grizzly bear? Will the aliens that he is so worried about attack his campsite? Will the zombie werewolves chase him? We can't wait to find out!
SCHOOL JUMPERS & BADGES
As communicated in the newsletter on the last day of term, we are delighted to announce that our new (optional) school jumpers are available to order via the school shop on Arbor. We modelled them in KS2 assembly last term to excited gasps. We are also selling iron-on embroidered badges that can be attached to a plain green sweatshirt and/or white polo/T shirt. We would like to thank the school council for their input in deciding colour and for advocating for a T shirt option.
We know that our school community has a wide range of views about school clothing. Some families would appreciate a consistent school item to help children feel part of a team, while others value the freedom and individuality that comes with not having a uniform.
A school jumper can help promote the following:
- Equality: Reduces visible differences between pupils, helping prevent peer pressure based on clothing.
- Sense of belonging: Creates a shared identity and promotes school pride.
- Focus on learning: Minimises distractions from fashion trends and peer pressure.
- Safety: Makes it easier to identify pupils on trips or in public spaces, especially at sports events
- Cost: Can be cheaper for families compared to buying multiple outfits for school.
- Time-saving: Simplifies morning routines for parents and children.
You can find the school shop under the "Quick Actions" section on Arbor. Once you place your order, it will be delivered straight to your child's class, so that they can bring it home with them.
If your child receives pupil premium funding, you can order one school jumper free of charge through the school shop.
Not sure what size to order?
Jumpers are also available to try on for size at both school offices before you order.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.
Please note, due to popular demand - stock is running low but don't worry - more is on the way!
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 📢
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SPONSORED READ
We hope your children have been enjoying this activity over the half term.
All sponsorship money can be donated here:
Please hand your child’s completed sheet in to their class teacher on Thursday 5th March to be in with the chance of winning 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.
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The next PTAF meeting will be on Wednesday 18th March. 7.30pm in the Cotham grove library.
🐣🐣🥚🥚🪺🪺🐣🐣🥚🥚🪺🪺
PTAF EASTER EGG HUNT
Save the date: 27th March.
More details to follow.
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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!
CREATIVITY CLUB
Tuesdays at Cotham Grove:
Our after school Creativity Club is bookable for terms 5&6 now. Devised by Emma from Chandos Atelier and delivered by professional makers with years of experience, it is an hour of creative exploration using art materials. Enriching and imaginative, they develop skills and resilience, teaching techniques and methods rather than giving follow-along instructions - perfect for creative kids and art adventurers!
https://www.chandosatelier.co.uk/bookings
“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.”
SONGTREATS - MUSIC CLUB
BRISTOL FAMILY HUBS
Please find the Parenting Groups Information Booklet
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