cotham gardens primary school

weekly newsletter

Welcome to Term 4!

Firstly, I’d like to say a  big thank you to the children and staff for being so flexible and responsible with lunches at Elmgrove this week. It’s been a big logistical challenge getting everyone down the hill while the Cotham Grove kitchen was out of action but with wonderful teamwork we did it! We are 99% sure that we’ll be back to normal next week – thank you for your patience. 

Some children and parents have been concerned about portion sizes and food wastage with our hot meal offer at school. I have been having an on-going dialogue with our caterers AIP about this. As with most things in life, there are lots of things to consider and school meal providers have to work within some very tight boundaries and a small budget. This guidance gives more detail, including portion sizes: School food standards: resources for schools - GOV.UK

We are currently arranging a time for AIP to host an open event to show you some of the food they are producing and to answer questions and concerns about their service. More details will follow as soon as we have them and I’m grateful for AIP’s support with this.

We are delighted to be working with researchers from Oxford University on a research project later this term. As part of the project the researchers are creating an online “People’s History of Schooling in Bristol” and have chosen our school as one of ten schools  to feature. You can find out more here: https://www.cothamgardens.co.uk/Repair-Ed-project/

World book day is next week and we love reading so much at Cotham Gardens that we’ve decided to make a week of it. More details lower down the newsletter. Thanks to Mr Brett for pulling the programme together.  

Finally, it was good to chat with parents at our online Community Forum last night. It was so successful that we have now committed to offering both the usual termly  face to face session as well as an online option in future. 

I wish you all a lovely weekend, especially members of our community who will be observing Ramadan.

Best wishes

Emmeline Smith 

This week’s class attendance winners are:

Foxes with 100% - Well done! 

This week’s class punctuality winners are:

Class 5B with 100% Well  done!

A big well done also to Honeybees with 99%

At Cotham Gardens Primary School, we believe that our community is stronger together, with all of our pupils in school, on time, every day. We are building life skills, life-long friendships and preparing your child for future success. 

We know that sometimes our pupils cannot come to school because they are really unwell - and that's the right thing to do for them and other students. Medical advice is clear however that children with mild illness will often be well enough to attend - for example if they have a cough, or cold, without a temperature. The NHS guidance Is my child too ill for school? - NHS (www.nhs.uk) is designed to support parents in their decision making about mild illness. 

Reporting absence:

Sickness can be reported via the new Arbor Parent Portal - as well as our usual absence line (0117 3772610 option 1)

To do this on Arbor, go to:
- Quick Actions
- Attendance
- Log Absence
- Input the absence details, ensuring you provide a detailed reason for the absence
- Submit the request by clicking Log Absence

School staff will then approve or reject the absence. Once approved, it will be visible in the Attendance tab.

Punctuality:

Please ensure your child arrives on time for school.

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. 

We are celebrating World Book Day next week with a whole week of exciting events based around books and storytelling, with children mixing up classes to have a fun week immersed in books.

This year, the charity is inviting everyone to ‘Read Your Way’, to give children and young people the opportunity to discover reading on their own terms.

‘Read Your Way’ encourages everyone to let go of reading pressures and expectations, and lets children find fun in reading. For more information, ideas and activities, please visit - https://www.worldbookday.com/families/

MONDAY   

Book at Bedtime

It’s back! The legendary Cotham Gardens Book at Bedtime event. This will take place at Elmgrove from 6-6.45pm and is open to ALL year groups. Come and snuggle up in front of the roaring log fire with PJs, teddy, hot chocolate and biscuits and listen to some bedtime stories read expertly by our teachers.

TUESDAY 

Coffee Morning at Cotham Grove hall after drop off 9am-10am

Reading Buddies

The Elmgrove children (Reception-Year 2) will be coming up to the Cotham Grove site on Tuesday afternoon to buddy up with the older children from Years 3-6.

Pairing older and younger children offers numerous benefits, including improved reading skills for younger children through modeling from older peers, boosted confidence and leadership skills for older children, fostering a positive attitude towards reading for both age groups, and building social connections across different year groups.