Parents' Area

Updates

Tuesday 27th February, 2024

World Book Week

We’ve got so many treats instore for the children!  We have worked with Shrewsbury Independent book shop Pengwern Books to provide a World Book Day book for every pupil to bring home!  This saves families scouring the supermarkets to spend their World Book Day vouchers.

 

Tuesday 27th February, 2024

Book Fair

We hope you can join on after school on Monday!

Kath Saunders will be running an Usborne Book stall on Monday.  Coleham School will receive free books for school depending on the total sales so please help to support this if you can.  You are also able to purchase books online until 2pm on Tuesday which also helps Coleham School receive free books.  See the online QR code below.

Illustrator Gisela Robinson will be with us all day, working with Years 3 and 4, shop her lovely merchandise after school including prints, notebooks, postcards, bookmarks and stickers.

Our World Book Day Sweet Shop will include four different stalls all linked to childhood stories.  Year 1 will be helping to bag up the sweets for their enterprise event and looking to raise a profit for school.  Please support this, each bag of sweets costs £1 (cash only) and a donation goes to school.

After School Care- if your child normally goes to After School Club with Miss Gregory and wishes to buy something at the fair we can arrange this.  Your child should bring in money in a sealed envelope labelled with their name and kept in their school bag.  A member of staff will take these children to the Book fair.

Monday 26th February, 2024

School Production – Alice in Wonderland

Years 5 and 6 will be performing in this year’s school production of Alice in Wonderland which will take place on Wednesday 20th March and Thursday 21st March. Performances start at 6.30pm.

The price for admission for adults and children will be £5.  Interval refreshments will be available in exchange of a small donation.

We will let you know when tickets go on sale.  This will be via Arbor.  (we are currently in the process of arranging this)  However please do not worry, all cast and crew members families will be able to attend.

We look forward to seeing you and hope you enjoy the performance.

Thank you

Mrs Stennett

Director and Producer

If your child is involved in this year’s performance they will be required to attend a full day rehearsal on Saturday 16th March from 9am – 3pm.

This rehearsal is key in ensuring that all children are confident in their lines and familiar with staging.

If there is any reason you can not attend, please let Mrs Stennett know. If your child has a main part it is very important that they are able to attend.

On the day, children will be required to bring a packed lunch, bottle of water and are allowed to bring a device to keep them occupied when not practicing their scene as long as the camera functions on these devices are covered over. Mobile phones will be collected in on arrival.

Friday 23rd February, 2024

Shropshire Schools Marathon

If your child is taking part in the half marathon- it starts on Monday! Your child is welcome to bring their trainers in a separate bag if they wish to run in them.

A reminder that children in Year 1 and 2 will run on a Monday and Thursday playtime, Year 3 and 4 will be on a Tuesday and Friday playtime and Year 5 and 6 will be on a Wednesday.

Friday 23rd February, 2024

Netball Runner-ups!

We are immensely proud of this group of children for their participation in a netball tournament, where they competed in several matches over the past few months. Initially, during our first match, the children were unfamiliar with positions and had little experience playing together. However, as the weeks progressed, we witnessed remarkable growth. They displayed exceptional teamwork, demonstrated excellent attacking and defensive skills, and scored impressive goals. Among six schools, we achieved a commendable 2nd place overall. Congratulations on your outstanding efforts!

Thursday 22nd February, 2024

Year 1 Trip – Blists Hill Victorian Town Museum

Dear Parent/Guardians,

Year 1 Trip – Blists Hill Victorian Town Museum

As part of this term’s cross-curriculum work we have arranged for Year 1 to visit Blists Hill Victorian Town Museum, Coalbrookdale on Wednesday 13th March. We will be leaving school at 9.15am and returning approximately 3.00pm, in time for normal home time.

The cost for this trip is £13.00, which includes transport costs, entrance fees, workshops and insurance. Payment should be made via your child’s Arbor account prior to the date of the trip please.

As Year 1 pupils are provided with free school meals as part of the Universal Infant Free School Meals scheme, a packed lunch will be provided for all pupils. Please click on the link below to select from the various menu options available. All packed lunches come with a piece of fruit, biscuit, packet of crisps.  Your child should bring their own water bottle.  If we haven’t received a completed packed lunch form for your child by close of play, Monday 11th March, we will assume they will be bringing one from home.

https://forms.office.com/e/cHPte7wus7

Children should wear their school uniform and sensible walking shoes for this trip and, as Blists Hill is an open air museum and the majority of our time will be spent outdoors, bring along a waterproof coat for possible cold/inclement weather.  No spending money is required.

Please note that this visit is covered by the 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.

Yours sincerely,

Jane Hilbert

Administration Manager

Monday 19th February, 2024

Sportshall Athletics

Well done to all the children who took part in the Sportshall Athletics competition over at the Shrewsbury Sports Village. As always, you showed great determination and showed great team sportsmanship, cheering each other on.

Thursday 8th February, 2024

We’re on Instagram

You might like to follow us on Instagram

Thursday 8th February, 2024

We are Recruiting!

We are recruiting for two Early Years Teaching Assistants.

Can you help us spread the word by sharing on social media and telling friends and family.  Perhaps you know somebody who would be perfect for the role?

To find out more see our website Job Vacancies

We have a school tour on Thursday 29th February @4.30pm

Tuesday 6th February, 2024

Yr 2 Assessments

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope this letter finds you well. I just wanted to write to you in regards to the Year 2 SATs assessments that normally take place in May.

You may have seen in the news recently that the Government have decided to make the Year 2 SATs optional from this year. This means they are no longer compulsory, and that schools can decide whether to take them or not. It also means that schools do not need to publish their data, and that there will be no national figures released.

Assessment is a key part of schools so that teachers are able to identify nest steps for learning and to be able to measure progress.  Assessments at Coleham are teacher assessments, meaning that your child’s teacher will use a bank of evidence to make informed judgements about your child’s attainment in any given subject.  The assessments are not test scores alone, but the scores play an important role in the overall teacher assessment process.  We then use the assessments generated in Year 2 as a benchmark to measure progress as they move through Year 3-6 (Key Stage 2), because Year 2 is the end of Key Stage 1.

The optional SATs in Year 2 mean that school will receive standardised test papers for the children to complete in maths, reading and grammar (writing assessment is a pure teacher assessment based on writing produced over the course of the year).  The Year 2 children will sit these tests in May, as they would do in any other term of the school year, and should not notice anything different.  It is important to note that at no point are the children put under any pressure to succeed: instead, they are encouraged to simply do their best as they are in everything they do.

A lot has been said in recent years about the undue stress and anxiety being generated by these tests and others in later years, but at Coleham, our approach minimises, or even prevents, that becoming an issue.  However, some children will always be nervous around tests, so we urge you to speak to your child’s teacher if this is the case.

If you have any further questions or queries then please do ask.

Yours sincerely

Mrs Young

KS1 Leader

Monday 5th February, 2024

Yr 5 Fashion Show

Dear Parents/Carers,

You may have heard about our preparations for a Year 5 Eco Fashion Show.  This will now be happening after half term.

The children will learn about ‘Fast Fashion’ and the impact on the environment and the show will promote ethical fashion choices to the audience.  To help us Woody’s Mum is coming into school next week to tell us about her job as a Fashion Lecturer at Shrewsbury College.

We have been working at lunchtimes and some children have signed up as models for our Rock ‘n’ Roll, Western and Festival runways.  These children may have brought home some pre-loved clothes to help create their outfits. #recycle #re-use  Miss Cox will be helping us with music choices and chorography.

After half term we will be making outfits out of ‘rubbish’ using winning ideas from our House Competition.  We will be encouraging children to participate in narrator roles, greeting guests and selling clothes on the night, helping backstage, getting artistic in making posters, billboards and photography.  There are lots of ways that children can get involved.

Thank you to Mrs Renshaw (Nell’s Mum) who is helping a  group of children with a sewing project for the runway.  We are very excited to see their final show piece.

Please save the date of Wednesday 13th March!  Our Eco Fashion show will be open to family and friends at 3:30pm in the School Hall.  Afterwards we will be selling pre-loved clothes for £1 and will have a couple of fashion accessory stalls for shopping.

We hope that you are able to join us.

Kind regards,

Miss Othen

 

Monday 5th February, 2024

Swimming – Year 5 Lions

As part of the National Curriculum your child will be going to the Quarry Swimming Baths for swimming lessons.  Each lesson will take place on a Friday afternoon for 5 weeks, starting 23rd February and ending 22nd March (inclusive).

Miss Jones will walk her class to and from The Quarry Swimming Baths for these sessions so no payment is required for this activity.

The swimming lessons take place later in the day than we would ideally have liked, but it was the only slot left available to us. It means that the children will not return to school until around 3.30pm – slightly later than normal home time. Our apologies if this causes any inconvenience.

 Please could you ensure your child remembers to bring their swimming costume (no bikinis please), goggles and towel in on the day they go swimming, as they will only be disappointed if they have to stay behind or sit and watch! Thank you.

Friday 2nd February, 2024

World Book Day-Get Ready

World Book Day is coming after half term.

If you wish to donate any old costumes you no longer use, please use our Drop and Swap Trolley in the foyer.

Thursday 1st February, 2024

2024 Year 6 National Curriculum Tests (SATs)

Dear Parents/Carers,

The KS2 SATs will take place during the week commencing 13th May 2024. Below are the SATs dates for each test throughout the week.

1)Timetable for SATs week

Date

 

 Test Timings
Monday 13th May English grammar, punctuation and spelling

Paper 1: questions

 45 minutes
English grammar, punctuation and spelling

Paper 2: spelling

 Approximately 15 minutes (not strictly timed)
Tuesday 14th May English reading test 60 minutes
Wednesday 15th May Mathematics Paper 1: arithmetic test 30 minutes
Mathematics Paper 2: reasoning

 

 40 minutes
Thursday 16th May Mathematics Paper 3: reasoning

 

 40 minutes

2) Year 6 SATs revision/practice books

 In response to the large number of requests from parents for SATs revision materials, the school has purchased a reading, maths and grammar, punctuation and spelling practice book for each child. Your child will soon be given these and will have a suggested schedule to complete the practice questions.  The schedule will be published on Dojo for reference each week.

3) MathsBot

In the run up to the SATs, we will be using the MathsBot site more and more to improve arithmetic skills. The site can be visited here : https://mathsbot.com/ We will be focussing on the primary school maths skills sections and will show these sections to the children.

As always, thank you for supporting your child with their learning.

Yours sincerely,

Mr Edwards and Mrs Morgan

Tuesday 30th January, 2024

Rea Brook Valley Nature Reserve Trip

As part of this term’s Science and Geography curriculum work on Animals and Rivers, Year 4 will visit Rea Brook Valley Nature Reserve on Thursday 8th February. Whilst at the Nature Reserve, each class wiil take part in a workshop provided by Shropshire Wildlife Trust staff.

Dolphins class will leave school immediately after morning registration and return around 11.30am; Whales will leave school at 12.15pm (following an early lunch sitting) and return round 2.45pm. As both classes will be at school during lunchtime children will not need to bring in packed lunches for this trip.

The cost for this trip is £5.20 per child, including the 2 workshops. Payment should be made via your child’s Arbor account prior to 8th February please.

Children should wear suitable outdoor clothing (as per Forest School-type activities), with plenty of layers to keep out the cold, and bring along a warm/waterproof coat for possible inclement weather.  Wellington boots will be essential as the paths are very muddy in some places.

 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.

Friday 26th January, 2024

House Competition

Mrs Stennett has launched a HOUSE COMPETITION for the children to complete at home!

Year 5 are making preparations for an Eco Fashion Show (taking place 13th March)and there will be a ‘Recycled rubbish’ Runway.

We would like the children to DESIGN AN OUTFIT MADE FROM RECYCLED MATERIALS that we can then create for the show.

DRAW YOUR OUTFIT DESIGN ON A PIECE OF PAPER AND LABEL IT WITH THE MATERIALS USED.  Don’t forget to include your name and House and return to the Post Box outside the School Offices.

Dresses made from binbags, skirts made from bubble wrap, what will you think up?

 

Wednesday 24th January, 2024

Year 6 Residential Trip – 3rd to 5th June 2024

We are very excited to announce that we have organised a residential trip for our Year 6 pupils for June 2024 at The Pioneer Centre, Cleobury Mortimer.  Children will leave school on the morning of Monday 3rd June (the first day after the May half term break) and return in time for normal end of day collection time on Wednesday 5th June.

We are great advocates of the benefits a residential trip can give to those pupils who attend. These include:

  • team building skills, co-operation and respect (through a series of safe but challenging activities);
  • developing greater independence;
  • learning new skills and taking part in new and enriching experiences;
  • discovering more about themselves and their capabilities and becoming more motivated as individuals; and
  • (last but not least) having fun!

The Pioneer Centre is a relatively new purpose-built activity venue, with excellent modern facilities, designed to meet the diverse needs of both staff and children alike, and we have stayed there on a number of occasions now. Each occasion has been very successful and, as such, we plan to take our Year 6 pupils there again in the Summer term.

The centre provides a “home from home” atmosphere and offers a wide range of exciting activities, with experienced and qualified staff on hand at all times. To find out more about the Centre’s facilities and to see a plan of the site, please visit their website at https://activity-centres.naycacuk.co.uk/pioneer-centre/

The cost of the excursion is £230.00 per child, including transport, food, accommodation, supervised activities and equipment. We recognise that this is a large sum of money so have broken it down into four instalments of £57.50. We would be grateful if you could pay the first instalment by 29th February, sooner if possible, and the remainder of the trip balance by Monday 20th May. Of course, if you wish to pay this sooner that would also be appreciated.

If you are worried about making full payment by the given deadline, please do come and talk to me or contact the office: we can extend the payment schedule to give you more time to cover the cost.

If your child is worried about any aspect of the residential trip, please do not worry as class teachers have plenty of time to prepare the children.

An information evening for parents and Year 6 pupils will take place nearer to the trip to go over the finer details and address any outstanding queries you or your child may have.

This trip will be an amazing, once in a life-time, experience for our pupils and we hope very much that all our Year 6 pupils will attend. If, however, your child WILL NOT be attending the trip, please do let the class teacher know as soon as possible.

 

Wednesday 24th January, 2024

Year 2 – Charles Darwin Workshop

On Monday 5th February Shrewsbury Museum’s “Museum in School” will be coming in to hold a ‘Charles Darwin’ day with Year 2 pupils. Each class will take part in a workshop to learn more about Darwin’s life and work, enriched by a Treasure Box of interesting artefacts for the children to see.

As we have no other way of funding the workshops we would be grateful if parents can contribute £3.40 per child towards their cost. Payment is to be made via your child’s Arbor account prior to the date of the workshop please.

Thank you

Mrs Allan & Mrs Field

Year 2 Class Teachers

Wednesday 17th January, 2024

Year 5 & 6 Swimming

 

As we continue to prioritise the safety and well-being of our students, we are conducting an assessment of each child’s swimming abilities to enhance our swimming program. Your input is invaluable in ensuring that we provide the best possible experience for your child.

To streamline this process, we have created a Microsoft Teams link for you to fill out a brief questionnaire regarding your child’s swimming skills. The information gathered will help us tailor our swimming lessons to meet the specific needs of each individual student.

Please click on the following link to access the questionnaire: https://forms.office.com/e/vbGVhUKpD2

We kindly request that you complete the questionnaire by Monday 22nd January. Your prompt response will enable us to plan accordingly and make any necessary arrangements to accommodate your child’s requirements.

If you encounter any technical difficulties or have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to receiving your valuable input.

Thank you for your continued support.

 

Many thanks,

Miss Lewis

PE Co-Ordinator

Monday 15th January, 2024

EYFS Parents Writing Meeting

Dear Parent/Carer,

EYFS Parents Writing Meeting: Monday 29th January 2024

On Monday 29th January we will be holding a session for parents on the development of Early Writing. The aims of the session are as follows:

• Provide parents with more information on how writing develops in Reception
• To share with parents what is expected in writing by the end of the Reception Year
• To share strategies for supporting writing at home
At Coleham school we feel partnership with parents is important, and we recognise the difference we can make to our children when we work together effectively. We would therefore truly value your participation by attending this event. In order to ensure that the event is as accessible to as many of you as possible, we will be running the event at two separate times. We therefore request that you complete and return the
slip no later than Friday 26th January so we can cater for the correct amount of people.

The event will take place in the School Hall, so please head straight to the main reception 5 minutes prior to your selected time.
Many thanks,
Miss Harris
EYFS Lead

Child’s Name ______________________________ Class ________________________
Monday 29th January – 2:30pm
Monday 29th January – 5:15pm

Monday 15th January, 2024

Year 3 Trip To Sea Life Centre, Birmingham

As part of this term’s science curriculum work on the natural world, we have arranged for Year 3 to visit Birmingham’s Sea Life Centre on Friday 26th January.

We will be setting off from school shortly after morning registration and expect to arrive back at school around 3.45 pm. If we encounter any significant delay on our return journey, we will do our best to keep you informed.

Your child will need to bring a packed lunch and plenty to drink for this trip – no glass bottles or fizzy drinks please. Those pupils entitled to free school meals will be given a packed lunch by our school meals provider before departure. Please also ensure that they wear school uniform and have a lightweight coat with them. We will not be visiting the souvenir shop so no additional spending money is required.

The cost of the trip is £19.00, which includes transport, entry fees, workshops and insurance.  Payment for this trip should be made via your child’s Arbor account 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.

Monday 15th January, 2024

EYFS Trip to Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury

We have arranged for EYFS to visit Theatre Severn on Friday 2nd February to see an afternoon performance of “Dear Zoo”.

DEAR ZOO

They will be setting off from school shortly after afternoon registration and expect to return to school around 3.30pm, depending on the traffic. If they encounter any significant delay on our return journey, we will do our best to keep you informed.

The cost of the trip is £15.50, including transport costs and tickets.  Payment for this trip should be made via your child’s Arbor account prior to the date of the trip. Although costs for trips are voluntary, in reality the school has no other means of funding them. 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.

Friday 12th January, 2024

Photography Competition

Something for the weekend? A great competition for our pupils!

Shrewsbury Museum are looking for images from photographers of all ages and levels.

Send your entry to shropshiremuseums@shropshire.gov.uk by Sunday 21 January including your name, age and school with a short explanation about why you took the photograph.

 

Tuesday 9th January, 2024

International Day

Dear Parents/Carers,

On Tuesday 16th January we will be hosting our International Day and celebrating different countries and cultures around the world and diversity within our school community.

What will the day involve?

NON UNIFORM – It will be a non-uniform day. Your child is invited to come dressed in non uniform in the colours of any flag or cultural dress of their choice.  We do not expect you to buy a costume, you could wear a flag or get creative using face paints, decorate a plain t-shirt with felt tips or wear an international sports kit.

SINGING ASSEMBLY-During our singing assemblies on Tuesday (KS1) and Wednesday (KS2) Mrs Porrett will be singing International songs with the children.

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES – In the afternoon classes will be choosing a country to learn about.  Your child might listen to music, speak the language, do some map work, learn some history or look at the day in the life of a child from that country.

LUNCHTIME-We will have a special theme menu on this day

KS2 GERMAN LESSONS – I will be turning into Bavarian Brigitte this week so instead of teaching French, I will be giving Years 3 to 6 a German taster session!

PARENT GUESTS – We would love to host parent visitors in the classroom so you and your child can share your experiences from a different culture, country or travels.  You might like to bring some photos, traditional clothes or objects to talk about.  Please chat to your child’s teacher at the end of the day or contact Mrs Jasper in the school office to arrange a visit.

Email: helen.jasper@col.318education.co.uk

INTERNATIONAL FOOD MARKET- We invite children to bring food from another country into school to share at our after school event. (Children can bring this into class in the morning or parents can bring to the event-please note we will be unable to refrigerate goods) We will set up tasting tables with each year group’s contributions and we invite you and your children to pop into the school hall after school once you have collected your children to sample some tasters.  Please enter from the OUTSIDE HALL DOORS at the back of school.

Some guidance for the food event:

So we can easily display the food for the event we have allocated each Year Group the following countries:

EYFS-SPAIN

Yr 1-GREECE

Yr 2 -CHINA

Yr 3 -INDIA

Yr 4-GERMANY

Yr 5-POLAND

Yr 6-ITALY

-We have allocated countries to keep things simple for purchasing/displaying food, of course if there is a cultural dish closer to your heart then your child is very welcome to bring that in.

-Homemade and shop bought foods are welcome.  We would be grateful if you can cut up your offering into small pieces for tasters and wrap up on a paper plate.  Please label any special containers with your child’s name and class that you would like returned.

-At the event, please remember food is kindly donated by families so we are not able to confirm ingredients or allergens.  As it is an after school event, parents/carers are responsible for their children and what they are eating.  (If Year 6 children usually walk home alone then they are able to go to the hall without parents)

-Teachers will display the food, on year group tables and be on hand to help you with tasters.

We look forward to your support and hope this will be a fun and enriching day for all involved.

Yours sincerely,

Chloë Jones

Foreign Languages Coordinator