Headteacher Message
Seven weeks done, and what a seven weeks it has been!
This newsletter is another reminder of just how much happens at Coleham. Visits, visitors, theme days for Years 3 and 4, sporting opportunities and experiences beyond the classroom have filled another busy week, including some fabulous sporting success and a particularly stellar performance from our netball squad.
Today’s sunshine also provided the perfect backdrop for a lovely visit to the community garden by the Abbey, bringing a really positive first half term to a fitting close.
There is a great deal to feel proud of as we reach the break. The children have made a fantastic start to the year and approached school life with energy, enthusiasm and positivity. Thank you to our brilliant staff, children and families for everything you have contributed.
This week’s picture of me is a compilation effort from the picture round winners of last week’s quiz: well done to Quiztopher Biggins! The round was to produce a cheerful image representing what I get up to at school after the children h ave all gone home… Sadly not a point scoring round, meaning they finshed a close 3rd and eventual winners: Pigeons In Flight wen thome with full glory.
Have a fantastic and well-earned half term. We’ll see you all soon!
Tom Larkham
Headteacher
Coming up in November
Thursday 5th November – Yr 5 Ancient Greek Day
Friday 6th November -Family Bingo Night @ 6:00pm
Week commencing 9th November – EYFS Nursery Rhyme Week
Tuesday 10th November – Yr 5/6 Author Event
Wednesday 11th November – The School Food Roadshow with Yr 2 families @ 2:00pm
Week commencing 9th November – Parents Evenings (you can book these now on Arbor)
Tuesday 17th November – Times Tables Rock Stars Dress Up Day
After School Clubs
Clubs for next half term will run from Tuesday 3rd November and will run up to and including Thursday 17th December.
Clubs will be released on Arbor at 6pm on Friday 16th October.
New clubs for the next half term include Bikeability Club for EYFS and Board Games Club for Year 1!
Please have a look at the Club Schedule HERE
For the Holidays! Christmas Card House Competition
Children are invited to design their own Coleham Christmas card.
The winning designs will be professionally produced and distributed to local businesses around Coleham, as well as to our neighbours on Greyfriars Road.
There will be 8 winners in total, with 2 winners from each house selected by a judging panel.
Family Bingo Night!!
Family Bingo Night is back!
It was very popular last time so please purchase your tickets to avoid disappointment.
First Friday back after half term!
£5 per person
Lots of fun for families with great prizes on offer!
Bring your own snacks and drinks.
Tickets available on Arbor School Shop
Yr 5/6 Author Visit-10th November
Booka Bookshop has arranged a brilliant Author event for Year 5 & 6. This links to Year 6’s history topic on WW2 and Remembrance Day.
Tia Fisher is visiting to talk about her new book Operation Doodlebug!
It’s spring 1944 and Stan’s father bravely enlists for D-Day, swearing he’ll return safely. When he’s reported ‘missing, presumed dead’, Stan refuses to believe it. As the doodlebugs start to fall on Croydon, could a letter hidden in a bomb hold the proof his father is still alive? Evacuation gives Stan and his friends the chance to deliver the letter and reveal the truth… discovering in the process what bravery really means.
If you would like your child to have a signed book on the day of Tia’s visit, please purchase one via Booka Bookshops website.
Books cost £7.
Click HERE
Important! So Booka can compile a list a books to bring to school, when you get to checkout make sure you enter:
- your child’s name and surname in the ‘First Name’ box
- your child’s class and school in the ‘Last Name’ box
- select ‘Collect in Oswestry’ so you don’t get charged for shipping.
- fill in your billing address and email address as normal
This promises to be a brilliant visit.
Kind regards,
Miss Othen
Book Loving Business Manager
Eco Council Visits Abbey Foregate Pocket Park
Some members of our Eco Council enjoyed a visit with Mr Larkham to the new pocket park at Abbey Foregate, where they learned more about the importance of creating green spaces for both wildlife and the local community.
During the visit, Jen from the Shropshire Wildlife Trust spoke to the children about the exciting plans for planting up the community garden at the back of the park. The pupils were keen to share their feedback and ideas for the project, offering lots of thoughtful suggestions about the types of plants and features they would like to see included.
It was lovely to see how a previously unused area of our community has been transformed into a community space that can be enjoyed by both wildlife and local residents.
A big thank you to Jen and everyone involved in developing this wonderful community project. We can’t wait to see the garden take shape over the next few months!
National Literacy Reading Quiz
Today we tried something new! 4 avid readers from Year 5 & 6, Ollie, Lily, Willow and Eva participated in the online National Literacy Association Reading Quiz, West Midlands regional heat.
Under strict competition guidelines, it was a tense 2 hours for our bookworms, answering 6 rounds of questions about popular books. It was a great experience and lots of fun! The group cooperated brilliantly to come to their final answers. What a great way to end the last day of half term. Well Done!
Year 5 Visit to Shrewsbury Abbey
Year 5 enjoyed a fantastic visit to Shrewsbury Abbey this week as part of their Religious Education and Art learning.
During their visit, the children explored the many features of a church that they have been studying in RE this term. They were able to identify and discuss important features, including the altar, font, stained glass windows and pulpit, bringing their classroom learning to life.
The visit also provided an excellent opportunity for the children to support their Art studies, where they are currently learning about architecture. Armed with sketchbooks and pencils, the pupils carefully observed the Abbey’s impressive structure and architectural details, creating observational sketches inspired by the historic building.
The children represented the school brilliantly, showing curiosity, respect and enthusiasm throughout the visit. We are very proud of their thoughtful questions, excellent behaviour and the high-quality sketches they produced.
A wonderful day of learning that helped bring both RE and Art to life! 📖⛪✏️🎨
Silly School Poetry Competition Success
A huge well done to everyone who entered the Michael Rosen Silly School Competition!
We were delighted to shortlist seven fantastic entries, which have now been submitted to the national competition. We wish all of our shortlisted pupils the very best of luck.
All of our winners also earned valuable points for their Houses. Congratulations to Quarry, who were the overall winners:
- Quarry – 30 points
- Greyfriars – 20 points
- Severn – 10 points
- Darwin – 10 points
Thank you to everyone who took part. It was wonderful to see so much creativity, imagination and enthusiasm on display across the school.
EYFS Pumpkin Party
What a wonderful way to celebrate the end of our Reception children’s first half term! We all had a smashing time playing lots of party games at the Pumpkin Party🎃
Year 5/6 Cross Country Event!
A group of our Year 5 and 6 children travelled to Shrewsbury College to take part in a cross-country event hosted by Embrace.
It was a fantastic event, made even better by the support of Shrewsbury College students, who led the warm-ups and helped marshal the course.
Our children showed a brilliant attitude throughout, supporting their teammates during the races and enthusiastically cheering on the other schools. We were so proud to see such fantastic teamwork, encouragement and sportsmanship on display!
Coleham finished 3rd overall as a team! A huge well done to all the children who took part. You represented Coleham brilliantly!
🏆 TT Rock Stars House Competition Results! 🏆
🏆 TT Rock Stars House Competition Results! 🏆
A huge well done to all 312 pupils who took part in our latest Times Tables Rock Stars House Competition! Together, you achieved an incredible 80,595 correct answers, showing fantastic determination and commitment to improving your times tables skills.
🏅 House Results
🥇 1st Place – Quarry
🥈 2nd Place – Severn
🥉 3rd Place – Greyfriars
🏅 4th Place – Darwin
Congratulations to Quarry House for being crowned this competition’s champions!
🌟 Top Individual Performers
🥇 Louis L – 7,083 points
🥈 Jack C – 5,019 points
🥉 Sam W – 4,363 points
An amazing achievement from all three children, whose efforts helped Quarry secure the overall victory!
Thank you to everyone who participated and represented their house so brilliantly.
Many thanks,
Mr Hughes
Community Quiz Night
Thank you to all our quiz teams for joining us on Friday night. An insight into the inner workings of Mr Larkham’s mind and new lyrics round ‘Hip Hop or Shakespeare’ 🤣
🦴 Year 3 Goes Stone Age! 🔥
Year 3 stepped back thousands of years to become true Stone Age people for the day! Fully embracing their prehistoric roles, the children practised their hunting and gathering skills, crafted their own clay pots and experienced cookery around an open fire.
From fearless hunters to skilled craftspeople, they discovered just how resourceful Stone Age communities had to be. There was plenty of teamwork, imagination and adventure as they brought history to life and experienced a taste of prehistoric Britain for themselves.
#HandsOnHistory #
🏛️ Year 4 Marches into Roman Britain! ⚔️
Salve! Year 4 journeyed back nearly 2,000 years to the bustling Roman city of Deva Victrix (the Roman name for Chester), where history came alive at every turn. They stepped into character as Roman citizens, discovered what everyday life was like in Roman Britain and took to the streets for their very own Legionary soldier training! 🛡️
From marching in formation to learning the secrets of a mighty empire, the children embraced every challenge with plenty of Roman spirit.
Fun Fact: Chester’s Roman amphitheatre is the largest known military amphitheatre in Britain and could once hold thousands of spectators!
Veni, vidi, didici… We came, we saw, we learned! 🏺✨
#handsonhistory
🏛️ Year 4’s Roman Finale!
To celebrate the end of their Roman topic, Year 4 transformed Coleham into a bustling corner of Roman Britain! Dressed in Roman costume, the children experienced life as Romans, taking part in legionary combat training, creating mosaic art and creating Roman legionary shields.
With shields raised, feet marching and creativity flowing, it was a brilliant day of hands-on learning that helped everyone discover what it might have been like to live in Roman times.
Fun Fact: The Romans had a settlement at nearby Wroxeter, just outside Shrewsbury, known as Viroconium Cornoviorum. It became one of the largest towns in Roman Britain and was once home to impressive bath houses, shops and public buildings.
#handsonhistory
Year 5 Blast Off to Cosford for Space Week!
As part of Space Week, Year 5 enjoyed a fantastic trip to RAF Cosford where they took part in a range of inspiring, hands-on activities linked to our upcoming space topic.
The children learned all about the growing problem of space debris and the challenges it creates for satellites, spacecraft and future space exploration. They then put their creativity and teamwork skills to the test by designing and building their own spacecraft from recycled materials. The innovative ideas and excellent effort shown by everyone were truly impressive!
Another highlight of the day was building and racing LEGO robots. The children worked brilliantly together, developing their problem-solving skills and enthusiasm for engineering and technology.
We also had time to explore the hangars, where we saw a fascinating collection of aircraft from different periods in history. It was an excellent opportunity to learn more about the development of flight and aviation over time.
The trip was a huge success and provided a wonderful foundation for our upcoming learning about space. Most importantly, the children were a credit to the school throughout the day. They were respectful, engaged and eager to learn, making us all very proud.
Well done, Year 5! 🌟🚀🛸
Year 2 Football Engagement Tournament
A group of Year 2 children visited Bowbrook Primary School to represent Coleham in a football engagement tournament. This was a fantastic opportunity for the children to practise their football skills, play against other schools and develop their teamwork in a fun and supportive environment.
The children displayed our school values brilliantly throughout the tournament, showing great sportsmanship, encouraging one another and representing Coleham with pride.
A big thank you and well done to Charlie and Elinor for being fantastic role models as our Sports Councillors and for refereeing the matches. You both did a brilliant job representing our school!
Well done to everyone who took part! We are very proud of you all!
