Dear Parent/Carers,

Well what a week it’s been!  The children have done magnificently in their Nativity and Christmas Shows, we are so proud of them all.  It felt absolutely magical to hear all the children singing together in church and all credit to the children for their commitment.  It takes an awful lot of focus to be part of such a big show, for practising the songs in the run up, to rehearsals and finally performing to 3-4 different audiences.  A huge thank you to our Music Teacher Mrs Porrett who pulled out all the stops and to you all for coming along to watch.

GRAND HAMPER RAFFLE

Thank you for your generosity and hamper donations, we raised £900 to purchase lots of exciting resources for the children.

ELFRIDGES

Next week the children will visit ‘Elfridges’ in school time.  The Coach House has been transformed into the ‘Elves’ Grotto where children can shop for Christmas Gifts for loved ones and family.  Every child in school will visit and there will be a selection of gifts for all the family (sorry no pets this year).

Children love this experience and it is lovely to see them choosing gifts for members of their family.  It teaches the children the value of kindness and giving gifts rather than receiving them.

Gifts cost £2.50 each and can be purchased over the weekend on Parent Pay via your child’s account.  (The cost includes the gift, wrapping and a small donation to school.) You may purchase 1 or more gifts if you wish and we will have a class register recording the number of gifts purchased for each child.

It is important to us that every child in school is included in this experience and enjoys the Grotto visit.  We ask that if you are able to purchase a gift for your child, then please support this school event.  If not, please don’t worry we will ensure every child takes a gift home.

We really couldn’t do this without your support, so thank you!

PANTOMIME

Next Tuesday 13^th December EYFS, Years 1 & 2 will be visiting Theatre Severn to watch Beauty and the Beast show, finishing at 4:30pm.  Coaches are booked to bring the children back to school for approximately 5:15pm.  It will be dark and we need to release the children safely after they have collected their belongings from the classrooms so please do not wait on the pavement for the coaches to arrive.  We will open the front school gate and you should collect your children from outside Badgers & Foxes Classrooms or the playground where you would normally pick them up from.  Please be mindful of the traffic situation at this time outside the front of school with large coaches trying to exit, if you are able to walk to collect your child then please do so.

CHRISTMAS LUNCH

Our School Christmas Lunch will take place next Wednesday.  We’ll have an extra long lunch time so we can all enjoy a festive meal together, both staff and children.  This will be a NON-UNIFORM DAY and the children are free to wear whatever clothes they choose from home.  It will be School Uniform for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday although a spot of tinsel and Christmas hat can jazz this up!

Please see the menu below:

School Trips

Tuesday-Year 6 Liverpool Trip

Arrival at school: 7:50am

Collection: 4:00pm by Parent/Carer

School Uniform & Packed Lunch required

Thursday-Year 5 :Lions Synagogue Tripam

Arrival Time: 8:15am

Collection: Normal time

School Uniform & Packed Lunch required

Staff Christmas Video

As our gift to the children, we have for the third year running, produced a Christmas Song which will be released next week!  We are very excited about showing this to you as we had lots of fun making it.

Finally, have a super weekend and we look forward to seeing you on Monday morning for our last week of school in 2022.

Best Regards,

Mr Larkham

Headteacher

Dear Parent/Carer,

Health Information

There are a small number of confirmed cases of scarlet fever at Coleham.

Although scarlet fever is usually a mild illness, it should be treated with antibiotics to minimise the risk of complications and reduce the spread to others.

The symptoms of scarlet fever include:

• the first symptoms of scarlet fever often include a sore throat, headache, fever, nausea and vomiting.
• after 12 to 48 hours the characteristic fine red rash develops (if you touch it, it feels like sandpaper). Typically, it first appears on the chest and stomach, rapidly spreading to other parts of the body. On more darkly-pigmented skin, the rash may be harder to spot, although the ‘sandpaper’ feel should be present
• fever over 38.3º C (101º F) or higher is common
• white coating on the tongue, which peels a few days later, leaving the tongue looking red and swollen (known as ‘strawberry tongue’)
• swollen glands in the neck
• feeling tired and unwell
• flushed red face, but pale around the mouth. The flushed face may appear more ‘sunburnt’ on darker skin
• peeling skin on the fingertips, toes and groin area, as the rash fades.

Lots of these symptoms are similar to general illness and viruses but the ‘rough rash’ and ‘strawberry tongue’ are specific to Scarlet Fever.

If you think you, or your child may have scarlet fever the advice from Public Health states:

• see your GP or contact NHS 111 as soon as possible
• make sure that you/your child takes the full course of any antibiotics prescribed by the doctor.
• stay at home for 24 hours after starting the antibiotic treatment, to avoid spreading the infection.

Complications

Children who have had chickenpox recently are more likely to develop more serious infection during an outbreak of scarlet fever and so parents should remain vigilant for symptoms such as:

• a persistent high fever,
• cellulitis (skin infection)
• arthritis (joint pain and swelling).

If you are concerned for any reason please seek medical assistance immediately.

If your child has an underlying condition which affects their immune system, you should contact your GP or hospital doctor to discuss whether any additional measures are needed.

Please be assured that we are following Public Health guidance and have introduced extra hygiene measures at this time.

Yours sincerely,

Claire Jones

Headteacher

Extra Resources:

Public Health Scarlet_fever_symptoms_diagnosis_and_treatment

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/scarlet-fever/

Scarlet Fever fact sheet

Dear Parent/Carers,

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas in school.  The children have made some beautiful decorations out of recycled materials and staff have decorated the school so it looks and feels special for the children.  See a sneak peak of staff ‘Decking the halls’ here:

In-between making Christmas decorations and practising for their Christmas nativities, the children have been busy with assessment in maths and reading – the data from these assessments will help teachers plan the learning over the next term to be more targeted for the children’s individual needs.  Well done to all the children for working so incredibly hard and taking everything in their stride.

GRAND HAMPER RAFFLE

Thank you for your generosity in donating treats for our Hamper Raffle! The Hampers look great! Our raffle ends tonight at 8pm and we’ve sold 928 tickets so far: will we reach £1000? You may purchase any last-minute tickets here:

https://raffall.com/273091/enter-raffle-to-win-grand-hamper-raffle-hosted-by-tracy-othen

CHRISTMAS PERFORMANCES

Our EYFS/KS1 Nativity and KS2 Nativity concerts are always a very special occasion for us all.  The singing in school sounds incredible and you will be in for a real treat!  Bring your tissues as it’s always emotional when we all come together at this time of year.  The performance times for parents are as follows:

Performances at Holy Trinity Church

• Monday (05/12/22) 1330-1430: Performance for EYFS parents
• Tuesday (06/12/22) 1000-1100: Performance for Year 1 parents
• Tuesday (06/12/22) 1330-1430: Performance for Year 2 parents
• Thursday (08/12/22) 1000-1130: Performance for Year 3 parents
• Thursday (08/12/22) 1330-1500: Performance for Year 4 parents
• Friday (09/12/22) 1000-1130: Performance for Year 5 parents
• Friday (09/12/22) 1330-1500: Performance for Year 6 parents

Guidance

• Please be kind and only attend your child’s nativity
• Please aim to attend the performance set aside for your child’s year group.
• For those wishing to see siblings, you may be able to see them all in one EYFS/KS1’s nativity (Monday and Tuesday) includes EYFS, Year 1 and Year 2 in the same show.  KS2’s Nativity (Thursday and Friday) has Years 3, 4, 5 & 6 in the same show.
• Those of you with a child in each Key Stage can, of course, see both shows
• The KS2 children will be performing all around the church and in the aisles, so every seat in church will have a good view, including those at the very back of the church.

Arriving early

• The doors to the church will open 10 minutes before each performance.
• Please do not arrive early for a good seat. The doors will not be opened early and there is not a lot of room to wait outside the hall.  We need to escort all the children in beforehand through the same entrance and allowing parents in early often causes problems for the children when getting ready.
• There will be teas and coffees on offer for those waiting to enter the church

Photography

• You are, of course, allowed to take photographs of your children performing.
• Please do not, however, post these on social media as you may have other children in your photos.

Church donations

• Holy Trinity are finding it extremely difficult to fund the church running costs this year as the cost of energy rockets. We are incredibly grateful to them for allowing us to use the church again this year, despite the difficulties they are facing.  As well as heating and electricity costs, they also have a leaking roof, so we are asking that parents kindly make donations on the day they visit as a way to say thank you to the wonderful people at Holy Trinity Church.

ELFRIDGES

Today we are launching payments for Elfridges.  As a festive treat for the last week of term we will be running ‘Elfridges’ in school time.  The Coach House will be decorated and transformed into the Elves’ Grotto where children can shop for Christmas Gifts for loved ones and family.  Every child in school will visit and there will be a selection of gifts for all the family (sorry no pets this year).

Children love this experience and it is lovely to see them choosing gifts for members of their family.  It teaches the children the value of kindness and giving gifts rather than receiving them and is also a school fundraiser raising money for equipment and author visits.

Please see the video produced by some cheeky elves!

https://youtu.be/msTJphqew70

Gifts cost £2.50 each and can be purchased on Parent Pay via your child’s account.  (The cost includes the gift, wrapping and a small donation to school.)  Please purchase these next week so we have an indication of numbers and are ready to open the Grotto on Monday 12^th December.  You may purchase 1 or more gifts if you wish and we will have a class register recording the number of gifts purchased for each child.

It is important to us that every child in school is included in this experience and enjoys the Grotto visit.  We ask that if you are able to purchase a gift for your child, then please support this school event.  If not, please don’t worry we will ensure every child takes a gift home.

We really couldn’t do this without your support, so thank you!

All that remains for me to say is, have a lovely weekend whatever you are up too and we all look forward to seeing you in Church next week.

Your sincerely,

Mr T Larkham

Headteacher

Dear Parent/Carers,

CHRISTMAS EVENTS UPDATE

It’s a very busy time for everybody at the moment, both at home and in school, so here is a reminder of everything you need to know for next week.  As always, the website calendar is up to date if you are ever unsure about anything.

https://colehamprimary.co.uk/home/parents-area/calendar/

Grand Hamper Raffle

There’s only 1 week left before the Grand Hamper Raffle is drawn on Friday 2^nd December at 8:00pm!  We can’t believe how quickly Christmas has snuck up on us and we’re not ready at all for this!  Please can you help spread the word? We desperately need hamper donations and to sell tickets.  If you are able to contribute we would really appreciate it.

Heres a reminder of the themes below:

• EYFS & Y1 – Kid’s Hamper
• Year 2-Chocolate Lover’s Hamper
• Year 3 Pamper Hamper
• Year 4 Men’s Hamper
• Year 5 Savoury Treats Hamper
• Year 6 Christmas Hamper

Children may hand in any donations to their class teacher.

There are 9 hampers up for grabs!  The raffle is open to anybody.  Tickets cost £1 each and can be purchased via the ‘Raffall’ website, please see the link below:

https://raffall.com/319373/enter-raffle-to-win-grand-hamper-raffle-hosted-by-tracy-othen

If you would like to buy tickets, you will need to sign in with your name and email address and then click “Enter” to purchase tickets.

We couldn’t hold this event without your kind generosity!  All money raised will purchase playground equipment, new lego and reading projects.

Thank you for your support.

KS2 Pantomime Visit

Next Wednesday 30^th November Years 3, 4 ,5 & 6 will all be visiting the Theatre to watch Beauty and the Beast show, finishing at 4:30pm.  Coaches are booked to bring the children back to school for approximately 5:15pm.  It will be dark and we need to release the children safely after they have collected their belongings from the classrooms so please do not wait on the pavement for the coaches to arrive.  We will open school gates as normal and you should collect your children from the playground where you would normally pick them up.  Children in Year 6 will not be able to walk home and will need collecting please. 

Year 4 Roman Day

Next week Year 4 are having a Roman Day to mark the end of their history topic.  Children may come to school in fancy dress.

• Dolphins-Tuesday 29^th November
• Whales-Thursday 1^st December

Please can we ask that children bring in a cereal box to school for crafting and for a contribution of £4.20 towards the workshop on ParentPay if you are able too.

Eco Council Drop & Swap Recycling Scheme

The Drop & Swap trolley in the foyer will be used to collect any Christmas Clothing you no longer need and you may have a look to see if anything takes your fancy!  This is a great way to recycle children’s outgrown Christmas Jumpers.

Christmas Shoeboxes

We will be working with the charitable organisation ‘Little Bags of Kindness’ to support people in our community who need some festive cheer and help this Christmas.  If you would like to fill a Christmas Box or Gift Bag at home for a child in need, we will be collecting these in the school foyer in the run up to Christmas.

Christmas Performaces & Elfridges

Our Christmas Performances are coming up soon so don’t forget to see the dates on the website Calendar page.  These are being held at Holy Trinity Church.  More about these and Elfridges next week.

We hope you have a lovely weekend and I’ll see you at the school gates next week.

Kind Regards,

T Larkham

Mr T Larkham

Headteacher

Dear Parents and Carers,

KS2 (Years 3 to 6) will be visiting Theatre Severn next Wednesday afternoon (30th November) to see the pantomime.  We hope to take all the children, but if you would rather your child did NOT attend, we need to know so that we can organise provision for them in school.

If you haven’t let us know already, please fill out the attached form.  The form will close at 12 noon on Thursday 24th.  It will be assumed that all children will be attending, apart from those that have let us know otherwise.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=jsPPYiPIp0GTv3qo35-Q0HvHVEDjq29JqHy5GTwutbRUMTQxRFpNWExDVTgxNFFPWllESVhIQk8yTi4u

Best wishes

Coleham School

Dear Parents/Carers of Year 4 pupils,

I am writing to let you know that in Year 4, children take part in the Multiplication Tables Check in June. The purpose of the check is to determine whether your child can fluently recall their times tables up to 12, which is essential for future success in mathematics.

The test compromises of 25 questions that will be answered online, and should take no longer than 5 minutes to complete.

For the full official guidance and information, please refer to the following link: Multiplication tables check: information for parents (text version) – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

In school, we have supporting your children in their times table learning for many years, with in-class times tables challenges, discreet teaching of the times tables and by providing access at school and at home to apps and resources that encourage quick recall of times tables facts.

Here is a reminder of some of the resources available to you to use at home:

• Times Tables Rockstars – this can be accessed via your online browser or by downloading the app. Your child will have been shown how to use this app at school and will be very familiar with it. You should be able to find their username and password within their reading diary. If not, please contact me or the class teacher and we can find it for you.
• Hit the Button – again this can be used via your online browser for free, or via the app. This is a great resource for quick recall of times tables facts.
• Numbergym Table Trainer (please ask your class teacher for each unique username and password)
• Squeebles – there is a specific times tables app dedicated to learning the times tables. YOU MAY HAVE TO PAY FOR THE USE OF THIS APP.

The multiplication check is nothing for you or your child to worry about, however frequent practice at home will help them be even more prepared when the time comes. Nearer the time, in school the children will have chance to have a few official trial attempts so they are familiar with how the test will look.

Yours Sincerely,

Maria Stennett

Maths Co-ordinator

Dear Parent/Carers,

CHRISTMAS EVENTS UPDATE

Grand Hamper Raffle

Thank you for bringing donations into school for our Grand Hamper Raffle. It is very much appreciated.  Here is a reminder of the themes below, however there’s no need to stick to these if you have something else suitable to donate at home:

Our Grand Hamper Raffle is now live!

We have just 2 weeks to spread the word and sell tickets.  Can you help us? You could win one of 9 festive hampers, jam-packed with all the treats you need for Christmas.

Please watch this video, to tell you all about it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5OGfxCtWUY

We would love it if you and your family are able to purchase tickets.  We know that Christmas brings extra costs and so there is no pressure to buy tickets: you can help our cause by sharing our video with friends and relatives.  The raffle is open to anybody.  Tickets cost £1 each and can be purchased via the ‘Raffall’ website, please see the link below:

https://raffall.com/319373/enter-raffle-to-win-grand-hamper-raffle-hosted-by-tracy-othen

The “Raffall” website is easy and secure. If you would like to buy tickets, you will need to sign in with your name and email address and then click “Enter” to purchase tickets.

‘Raffall’ will draw the winners on Friday 2nd December at 8pm so tickets will be on sale over the next TWO WEEKS ONLY!

We couldn’t hold this event without your kind generosity!  All money raised will purchase playground equipment, new lego and reading projects.

Good luck everybody and thank you for your support.

Christmas Shopping Thursday 24^th November

We have some gorgeous Christmas and homeware gifts that were donated to us by Shrewsbury Interiors store Dutch Living.   If you fancy a bargain, please pop into the school hall after collection on Thursday 24th November at 3:20pm to grab a bargain!   After School Club pupils will be your lovely Sales Assistants and we hope to help you out with some Christmas gift bargains whilst raising funds for schools.   Everything is under £5 and when its gone, its gone! CASH ONLY.

Eco Council Update-Drop & Swap Recycling Scheme

We have a new campaign for our Drop & Swap recycling initiative.

We are no longer collecting shoes and instead will be collecting CHRISTMAS CLOTHING for all ages. Think Christmas jumpers, novelty hats, party frocks, PJ’s – anything for the festive season.  Please drop off at the Drop & Swap trolley in Reception and also come and have a look if anything takes your fancy! We want clothing to go to new homes and be used again, helping us all to be more eco-conscious and sustainable in our fashion choices.  Please help the Eco Council by joining in!

Christmas Shoeboxes

We will be working with the charitable organisation ‘Little Bags of Kindness’ to support people in our community who need some festive cheer and help this Christmas.  If you would like to fill a Christmas Box or Gift Bag at home for a child in need, we will be collecting these in the school foyer in the run up to Christmas.  These parcels will be passed on to children referred by Shropshire Mental Health Support, families in The Womens Refuge, children in emergency foster care and families under the care of local support workers.

Mrs Stennett has made a video about this project showing pupils how to make a ‘Christmas box’. You can view this here:

https://youtu.be/996NbFK6bHM

Pantomime

A reminder that the children are going to the pantomime soon: KS2 are going first on 30^th November; and EYFS/KS1 later in December.  This is an extra special event, it can cost over £100 for a typical family to go to the pantomime so this is a great opportunity for our pupils to visit the theatre with discounted school tickets.  This is not linked to the school curriculum and so we ask that families please support us with the ticket cost if they are able too. This can be paid via your child’s ParentPay account.

The remainder of this half term is a busy time for us and we have lots and lots going on for Christmas, so we will continue to send you regular updates.  ELFRIDGES IS COMING SOON!

Kind Regards,

T Othen

Miss T Othen

Business Manager