Dear Parents/Carers,

This year at Coleham School, we are hosting a Francophone Day on Tuesday 17th January.  Francophone means ‘French Speaking’ and so we will be looking at countries around the world that speak French.  This is in place of our usual International Day as we would like to raise awareness of the fact that French is not just spoken in France.

There are 29 official French-speaking countries and you can see their flags below. Madame Jones will be teaching the KS2 children about HAÏTI in her usual French teaching slot.

Map

Activities

Each year group has been assigned a Francophone continent/countries for them to research in class (see below)

Le Monde Francophonie – The French-speaking World 

Reception – la France 

Year 1 – America: le Canada – Quebec 

Year 2 – Europe: la Belgique; la Suisse (Switzerland); Luxembourg 

Year 3 – Asia: le Viêtnam; Laos 

Year 4 – Northern Africa: le Maroc, Algérie

Year 5 – Africa/Indian Ocean: la Madagascar OR Caribbean: Martinique 

Year 6 –Africa: le Sénégal, le Cameroun, le Mali, la Côte d’Ivoire, le Burkina Faso 

This will be a day during which pupils of all year groups will take part in activities which celebrate international cultures as well as diversity within our school community. Your child will do some or all of the following:

• Listening to music from the country
• Learning to speak some words from the language
• Doing some art work linked with that country
• Doing some map work linked to the geography of that country
• Learning a bit about the history of that country
• Looking at the day in the life of a child from that country

Menu

There will be a special French Theme Menu for lunch on this day.

Non-Uniform Day

As usual, children are invited to dress in their own clothes with reference to any international country.  You do not need to go to any extra cost for this, some simple ideas are below:

• Dress in colours of a country’s flag or for example, if your child wants to represent Switzerland (la Suisse), he/she should wear any red or white clothes.
• Safety pin a flag to the front of a coloured T-shirt or wrap one around your shoulders.
• Use face paints to decorate your face with a flag
• Use sports clothes you have at home that represent a country (For example Football, Rugby or Cycling shirts)
• Please wear any cultural dress you may have at home.

Parent Visitors

We love to have visitors come into school to share their experiences.  If you would like to visit your child’s class to talk about a country you are connected with or have visited as a keen traveller then we would love to see you and the Class Teacher will support you.  (You might like to  bring photos, props, cultural dress, or share some of the language) Please contact the school office to book in.

We hope you agree that it will be a fun and enriching experience for all involved and many thanks in advance for your support with costumes.

Yours sincerely,

Chloë Jones

Foreign Languages Coordinator

Dear Parent/Carer,

School Disco

Lets start the New year with a School Disco!

The Children’s Disco is on Friday 13^th January 2023

Reception & KS1:            4:45m to 5.45 pm

KS2:                                  6.00pm to 7.00pm          

 Entry is £4 per child

 Children will not need to bring any money.  Treats and drinks will be provided.

 Payment

Please pay for Disco entry in advance on ParentPay.  We will not be issuing tickets – we will print off a list of children who have paid for our Register.

There will be free entry for children eligible for benefits related Free School Meals.  Parents do not need to book in, these children are able to turn up on the night.

If your EYFS/KS1 child attends and pays for After School Club on a Friday, these children will be taken to the Disco by Miss Gregory and can be collected at 5:45pm by parents.

On the night – Arrival

Due to numbers and staff safely supervising the disco, parents are not able to attend.  For both Discos children should enter via the KS2 double doors.  Please drop your children off here.  We will have staff on hand to take in the youngest children and dance with them.  Once inside children will line up into year groups in the corridor and be checked off on the register before entering the Disco.  We have lots of Reception and KS1 staff attending to dance with the younger children and will have a chill out calm zone available too.

 On the night – Collection

Please come into school and collect your child from the school hall.  This will be very busy and congested with two-way traffic so please be patient.  Senior Staff will be on the doors to ensure every child leaves with a known adult. (family member, friend or parent)

Can you help?

We rely on the wonderful support of our parent community to help stage these events.  The Disco is a lot of fun for the children and requires lots of volunteers to help with refreshments and supervise key areas.  If you are able to help out at 1 or both Discos, please sign up on the Volunteer Rota in the foyer area or let the office know.

Kind Regards,

Miss Othen

Business Manager

Dear Parent/Carer,

After a very busy and action-packed term, we are all delighted to have made it to the final day.  The Coleham staff and children are definitely ready for a good break!

Today is tinged with a little sadness though, as we will be saying ‘Goodbye’ to Ms Evans, who will be leaving us after 29 years teaching at Coleham.  Ms Evans has touched the lives of hundreds of children and her commitment and hard work has been exceptional.  We will all miss her very much but wish her lots of luck as she moves on to new adventures.

This week has been a special one at Coleham and the children have really enjoyed themselves.  It has been heart-warming to see them selecting their gifts at the Elves’ grotto this week (aka The Coach House!). Thank you so much to Miss Othen and the Friends of Coleham for organising the “Elfridges” event and funding Christmas treats throughout school.   If you are lucky enough to receive one of these gifts, we hope that you like it!  In addition, all of the children thoroughly enjoyed their trip to the pantomime at Theatre Severn.

It was magical to watch the nativity performances last week at Holy Trinity Church and lovely to see so many of you coming to watch them.  I really hope that you enjoyed them as much as we did.  A huge ‘well done’ to all of the children who performed and thank you so much to everyone at Holy Trinity Church for allowing us to use the church.  Well done also to all of the Coleham staff for pulling together such wonderful performances with very little time to rehearse.

The staff at Coleham have worked incredibly hard this term and I cannot thank them enough for their endless energy, dedication and commitment.  Despite feeling tired and ready for a break, the whole staff team, led by Mr Williams, created another music video for the children, which we shared in assembly on Monday.   Once again, Mr Williams has wowed us all and done a truly magnificent job.  It was wonderful to hear the children’s laughter in assembly and watch their faces! Please do have a watch and share with your families.  We hope that you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it.  Here is the link:

https://youtu.be/LShd3FR-8lk

Some of the pupils and staff also filmed a podcast with The Shrewsbury Biscuit Podcast chatting about our music Video, why we do it, backstage secrets and our special community.  Please check it out and have a listen.

https://www.theshrewsburybiscuitpodcast.co.uk/the-shrewsbury-biscuit-podcast-coleham-primary-school-christmas-video-preview/

You will have already received letters regarding our school clubs.  We are pleased that so many of the children have already signed up for clubs next term.  We believe it is crucial for all children to have the opportunity to develop new hobbies and skills outside of the classroom.  Please remember these start the very first week back at school.  Please don’t forget to have a look and book on over the holidays if you haven’t yet had chance to do so.

Looking ahead, we have another busy calendar planned for the Spring term, including various house competitions, an International Day, a school disco and a celebration of the Chinese New Year.  We will continue to share work with you on Do Jo so that you can see what your child(ren) have been up to here at school.

Finally, all that remains is for me to thank you all for your fantastic support throughout the year and, of course, to wish you and your children a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  I hope that you all have a lovely, restful break and I will look forward to seeing you all at the school gates on Tuesday 3^rd January 2023.

Yours sincerely,

Claire Jones

Headteacher

Dear Parents / Carers

As 2022 draws to a close I wanted to write to you as the Chair of the Coleham Local Governing Body to reflect on a year of significant change.  This time last year we were successfully navigating our first Ofsted inspection for some years.  The outcome of this reaffirmed my belief that Coleham is an Outstanding school and has the potential to be recognised as such by Ofsted.  That initial inspection has set the groundwork for much of the work the LGB has done this year in supporting the school make the small adjustments to the curriculum that will allow us to feel confident and well prepared for their likely return next year.

2022 brought with it much change in the make up of the Local Governing Board.  Oliver Russell, Stephen Murphy and Eleanor Miles all took the decision to step down from their role as governors and I would like to thank them all for their contributions during their terms.  We welcomed Clare Wilson, David Jones and Daniel Konn to the LGB and I am confident that they will be well equipped to continue the drive for success at Coleham.  Perhaps most significantly in terms of change have been the recent leadership changes at Coleham.  It was with mixed emotions that we received the news that Claire Jones would be moving into the Deputy CEO role on a full time basis from September.  Coleham’s loss will be the Trust’s gain and her leadership will be a real asset for them.  Fortunately, any apprehension for the future was short-lived as the appointment of Tom Larkham to the role of permanent Head Teacher from September was the perfect outcome.  I know the whole LGB will be looking forward to working with him in the future.

We are constantly trying to raise the profile of the LGB within the school and governors have visited the school through 2022 with a focus on a range of areas from safeguarding to behaviour.  These visits have proved invaluable in helping governors to see first hand some of the outstanding work being done everyday at Coleham.  Our link governor groups continue to meet with members of the Senior Leadership Team on a regular basis and they focus on Leadership and Management, Quality of Education and Pupil Related Matters.  This gives governors the opportunity to really drill down to the detail on their area of focus.

We continue to enjoy the benefits of working within the 3-18 Education Trust.  We were sad to see Michael Barratt retire from his role as the CEO and his wit and eloquence will be missed at our meetings.  We have however, already begun an excellent working relationship with the new CEO David O’Toole and we are looking forward to continuing this collaboration into 2023.  In particular, the addition of new primary schools such as Bowbrook will allow for the sharing of good practice at a school and governance level.

I would welcome the opportunity to speak with any of you directly to answer any questions that you may have about the Local Governing Board so please feel free to drop me an email on Geoff.hulme@318edcuation.co.uk or stop me to chat at one of the many school events coming up next term.

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and all the best for 2023.

Yours sincerely

Geoff Hulme

Chair of the Coleham Local Governing Body

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

As part of the school’s programme of teaching pupils about different places of worship, we have arranged for Year 5 to visit Singers Hill Synagogue in Birmingham to learn about the Jewish faith, Judaism.  Leopards will be visiting the synagogue on Thursday 8^th December; and Lions will be visiting the venue on Thursday 15^th December. In order for us to arrive at the synagogue for 10.00 am both classes will need to come in to school by 8.15 am on the day of their trip. The coach will depart at 8.30 am sharp.

As we will not be returning until mid-afternoon, children will need a packed lunch. No glass bottles or fizzy drinks please. Pupils eligible for Free School Meals will be given a packed lunch prior to departure.

The cost for this trip is £16.70, which includes transport, insurance and workshop fees. Payment should be made via your child’s ParentPay account, in the usual way prior to the date of the trip. Although costs for trips are voluntary, in reality the school has no other means of funding these trips. We hope that everyone can contribute to the trip in some way.

Please note that this visit is covered by the Annual Consent Form for Trips/visits & Medical Information. Please notify the school immediately if there are any changes to your contact/emergency contact details or medical information, or if you do not wish your daughter/son to participate in this trip or any of the stated activities so we can make alternative arrangements for them.

Yours sincerely,

Jane Hilbert

Administration Manager

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

Dear Parent/Carer

Our school has been given the opportunity to take part in a national project, which is being run locally in partnership with Shropshire Council and West Mercia Police.

Operation Encompass is a process whereby the police and the council will inform a member of staff if a child or young person has experienced any domestic abuse incident. This will be done prior to the start of the next school day. Information sharing between professional agencies allows school staff to provide emotional and practical support to their pupils experiencing domestic abuse.

Domestic abuse can broadly be defined as ‘any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour; violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who have been intimate partners or family members. This can include, but is not limited to, the following types of abuse – psychological, physical, sexual, financial and emotional.’

Operation Encompass ensures that a member of the school staff, usually the Designated Safeguarding Lead, is given special training, to enable them to liaise with the police and council in receiving and using the information that has been shared, in confidence.

The sharing of details under Operation Encompass is permitted under Statutory Safeguarding Legislation and in respect of local authority schools under the Crime and Disorder Act (for the prevention of crime) and doing so without the child’s or parent’s consent is permissible under both pieces of legislation and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

We want to offer the best support possible to all our pupils and we believe, that where necessary, this will be beneficial in helping us to achieve that goal. Please contact me, the school’s Safeguarding Lead, should you wish to discuss the content of this letter.

Attached is a list of local and national advice and support agencies who can help those who may be affected by domestic abuse.

Claire Jones

Headteacher

Please click on doc below for Safeguarding Contact details:

Operation Encompass & Safeguarding Contacts

Dear Parents/Carers,

I write to let you know that I will be stepping down from my role as Headteacher of Coleham Primary School at the end of this academic year in order to take on the full-time role of Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the 3-18 Education Trust.

I am delighted to announce that Mr Larkham will be taking on the full-time role of Headteacher at Coleham from September 2023.  As you know, Mr Larkham has been my Deputy for a number of years now and, for the last 2 terms he been leading the school for 2 days each week, while I have been working part-time as Deputy CEO of the Trust.  Mr Larkham knows the school and the community incredibly well and I am sure that he will do an excellent job, continuing to lead the school from strength to strength.

My role within the trust will also allow me to continue supporting Coleham with regular drop-ins and ongoing School Improvement support so I am not going to disappear altogether!

I have worked at Coleham since 2010, when I took up the post of Deputy Headteacher, taking over as Headteacher in 2014.  I have loved every minute of my time here.  The school is an incredibly special place, full of wonderful children and a wonderfully committed staff team.  I feel honoured to have led them over the last 9 years, during which the school has been on a fantastic journey, always striving to be better and provide the best possible education to our children.  I have seen hundreds of children pass through the school and built relationships with many, many parents, always feeling well supported by the parent body and the Coleham community as a whole.

I will miss the school very much but feel privileged to be able to continue working alongside the Senior Leadership Team over the coming years.

Thank you for your ongoing support; it is greatly appreciated.

Yours sincerely,

Claire Jones

Headteacher

School photographers, Active Photographic, will be coming in to school on Tuesday 15^th November to take individual photographs of our pupils and, if requested, sibling photographs (Coleham pupils only).

If you DO NOT want your child to have their individual photograph taken or you WOULD LIKE A SIBLING GROUP PHOTOGRAPH taken, please click on the link below:

https://forms.office.com/r/vcUtN2aM02

Unless notified otherwise by close of play, Monday 14^th November, all pupils will have their individual photo taken on 15^th November.

PLEASE CAN CHILDREN WEAR THEIR SCHOOL UNIFORM ON THIS DAY.

Year 1 and Starfish class have PE on this day but they will do PE in their school uniform.  They may bring trainers with them into school.

School has been busy this week, the children have thoroughly enjoyed our Careers Week and I have enjoyed listening to the children starting to rehearse songs for our Christmas performances with Mrs Porrett.  Here are some updates and news items from the week:

Careers Week

Thank you so much to all parents/carers who attended school this week to talk to the children about their careers.  We are so thankful to have parents involved in helping us deliver real life experiences to the children.  We have had fascinating talks from an Author, a Fashion Designer, a Doctor and a Helicopter Engineer to name just a few.  I’m sure these memories will stay with the children for years to come and inspire them to have ambition when they consider their future careers.

Ms Evans’ Retirement

Ms Evans will be retiring from teaching at Christmas time and so Whales Class in Year 4 will be having a new Class Teacher from January 2023.  Ms Evans has worked at Coleham for 29 years and has taught many, many children during her time here.  We will all be very sorry to see her leave us – her dedication, enthusiasm and calm manner has been greatly appreciated over the years and she will be missed by all of us.  I am sure that you will join me in wishing her the very best of luck as she moves onto her next chapter.

We have recruited a new teacher, Miss G Jones who will be joining us as Whales’ new Class Teacher.

Tuesday: Odd Socks Day

Next week is Anti-bullying week in school and we will be planning activities around this in classrooms.  Tuesday will be Odd Socks Day, so please encourage your child to come to school wearing odd socks.  They can be long or short, bright or whacky!  We want to raise an awareness that we are all different and that children should be themselves, accepting of one another and celebrate difference. The school photographers will be in on Tuesday taking individual/sibling photos of our pupils. This will not be impacted by Odd Sock Day as photos are taken from waist-up only.

Football/Pokemon Cards

Over the last few weeks, many children have been bringing cards into school to swap with each other.  Whilst we appreciate that many children enjoy playing with these during breaktime, and we normally encourage children to work together on similar interests, they have unfortunately caused some issues and arguments between the children.  Therefore, we think it is best for the children keep their cards at home for the time being and we ask that you do not allow your children to bring them in.  From Monday, cards will be confiscated and returned to parents at home time.

Class DoJo

We continue to use Class DoJo to share work regularly with you.  Please may we request that this platform is not used to send messages to staff.  If you would like to speak to your child’s class teacher, please try catch them in the morning or after school when your children are released.  If you are unable to do that, or would prefer to email your child’s class teacher, please send an email to our admin address: (admin@col.318education.co.uk).  Alternatively, please call the school office and we will arrange for your child’s class teacher to call you back.  We are really keen to maintain a good work-life balance for our staff and this is the reason why we ask that you don’t use Class DoJo as a messaging device.  Thank you for your understanding.

Parked Cars

Please can we remind you to switch off your engines if you are waiting near to the school in your vehicle.  We would like to keep the air around school as clean and pollution-free as possible: idling cars pollute the air for pedestrians and also our neighbours who live along Greyfriars’ Road.

Drop and Swap

Our Drop & Swap recycling trolley in School Reception is full of shoes and trainers which urgently need a new home.  Please come and look next week and take anything you can re-home before it is cleared away.  Our next campaign for Drop and Swap is Christmas Clothing which we will be starting to collect shortly.

Christmas events

Christmas is soon approaching and we are looking forward to our Christmas Performances at Holy Trinity Church and to taking the children to the pantomime.  Please make payment for the pantomime as soon as you are able to.  Staff have started recording for our annual Christmas Video which is our special surprise to the children and to you all.  Other events/activities include: a Grand Hamper Raffle; our ‘Elfridges’ shopping experience for the children; and some Christmas Community work which includes the ‘kindness shoeboxes’ that we collected last year for children that need it most in our community.

The Grand Hamper Raffle

Preparation for the Grand Hamper Raffle starts this week.  We know that the cost of living is a worry for us all and always appreciate any support you are able to offer, whether that is donating a small item or unwanted gift you have at home, purchasing a ticket or promoting the raffle to friends and family.  The School Budget is challenging this year: this fundraising will help us purchase any extra books and equipment needed.

We would be really grateful if your child or family could bring into school a voluntary donation to go into a Hamper.  Teachers will start to collect these in class from Monday.

The themes for each hamper are below along with a few suggestions. 

There is no need to stick to the theme if you have something else suitable to donate.  Thank you so much for supporting this.  A separate letter, next week, will launch the raffle online for ticket purchases.

I hope that you all have a good weekend and look forward to seeing you at the school gates next week.

Yours sincerely,

Claire Jones

Headteacher

School photographers, Active Photographic, will be coming in to school on Tuesday 15^th November to take individual photographs of our pupils and, if requested, sibling photographs (Coleham pupils only).

If you DO NOT want your child to have their individual photograph taken or you WOULD LIKE A SIBLING GROUP PHOTOGRAPH taken, please click on the link below:

https://forms.office.com/r/vcUtN2aM02

Unless notified otherwise by close of play, Monday 14^th November, all pupils will have their individual photo taken on 15^th November.

PLEASE CAN CHILDREN WEAR THEIR SCHOOL UNIFORM ON THIS DAY.

Year 1 and Starfish class have PE on this day but they will do PE in their school uniform.  They may bring trainers with them into school.

Dear Parents and Carers,

It is hard to believe that we have reached half term already: it has been action packed and busy but very enjoyable.  The children and staff are certainly ready for a good break and I am sure that you are too.

Today we have enjoyed our whole school Diwali Day, organised by Miss Melville our RE curriculum leader.  The children have explored the festival of Diwali through taking part in a range of activities and have also enjoyed a special lunch menu too.  They have certainly learnt a great deal about this special Hindu festival and enjoyed dressing up in their own clothes for the day.

New School Website

We hope you are using the new school website.  All events, trips, dates and letters are uploaded here and then forwarded onto you, meaning that it is up to date at all times and can be your first port of call for any query.

Parents’ Evening

Please remember to book in your parents evening appointments as these will take place after half term.  The link can be found in the ‘Parents Area’ on the school website.  They will take place on:

• Wednesday 2nd November: 4:00 pm – 7:20 pm
• Thursday 3rd November: 4:00 pm – 7:20 pm

School Uniform

Please ensure that your child comes to school in the right uniform each day.  It is really important that all children have a Coleham jumper or cardigan (with the school logo), not a generic blue jumper.  Please also ensure that your child comes to school wearing plain black footwear.  Please click on the following link to view a list of our uniform: https://colehamprimary.co.uk/home/joining/what-you-need-to-buy/

Everything is available to buy at local supermarkets, except the school jumper.  We are keen for our children to look smart for school and also feel a sense of belonging by wearing the appropriate school uniform.  We keep spare logo jumpers in school if you ever need to borrow or replace any lost jumpers. If you would like some support financially with school uniform, please contact the school office or let me or Mr Larkham know; we are happy to help.

Careers Week

We have our Careers Week taking place after half term.  This is a fantastic opportunity for our children to hear about many different and exciting careers.  Many of you have jobs that the children will never have considered before, and you may be the inspiration a child needs!  We’d love to see as many families getting involved as possible, so please do contact the school office if you would like to share your stories of working life with the children.  It is never too early to inspire our children to follow their dreams.  We are looking for some more half an hour visits with years 1, 2 and 3.

Remembrance Day

After half term, we will be commemorating Remembrance Day and will be supporting the Royal British Legion charity with their Poppy Appeal fundraising.  The School Council will visit classes in years 1-6 with Poppy merchandise after half term.  If children would like to bring in small change, they can purchase poppies, snap bands, wrist bands etc. The suggested donation for items is between £1 and £1.50.

All that remains is for me to wish you a restful and relaxing half term break and I will look forward to seeing you at the school gates when we return on Monday 31^st October.

Yours sincerely,

Claire Jones

Headteacher