Category Archives: Headteacher’s Weekly Blog

Hello everybody and welcome to another week at Copthorne.  I hope you had a lovely weekend and are looking forward to the week ahead. As you can see we have lots of activites this week and it is lovely to see the school so busy.

“Hola”

As part of their Creative Curriculum and Comenius theme:Let’s Go Flamenco’, Year 2 received a visit from Patricia Skeet from Hebden Bridge Flamenco Dancers last Thursday.   The children enjoyed a lovely day learning all about the Spanish culture. They learnt rhythmic clapping (palmas), dance movements and performed a short dance.  They had an insight into Flamenco’s fascinating cultural background and learnt a few basic spanish words.  At the end of the day, Patricia said what a wonderful school we had and that the staff and children were a delight to work with.  Well done to all Year 2 children and staff for being fantastic ambassadors for our school. I look forward to hearing all about what you have learnt.

Fantastic Art

Two of our lovely Year 2 children came to show me their marvellous art work today. They have designed and produced pictures inspired by Picasso using a mixture of collage and drawing skills. I am sure that you too will enjoy them. The work shows real flair, attention to detail and reflects great observational skills. Well done Sareesa and Aqib. I look forward to seeing what the rest of Year 2 creates after such inspiration.

Curriculum Afternoon Tea

On the afternoon of Tuesday 23rd September, I will be having “afternoon tea” with some of our children to look at what they have been learning about in History. This is the first of our afternoon teas which will give me the opportunity to chat to the children and find out about the depth of their understanding of various aspects of the curriculum. I am so looking forward to this first meeting and the sharing the children’s learning.

This week at Copthorne

Keeping year 6 Safe

This week and next week our Year 6 children will be visiting the Bradford Bulls Stadium to take part in the Stay Safe Project. The children will meet with members of the emergency services, road safety and water safety teams to learn how to be safe in different environments. The visits will take place as part of a normal school day and I am sure that, as usual, our children will be a credit to Copthorne.

Residential Trip to Hawkshead

From Wednesday 24th to Friday 26th September, 41 of our year 6 pupils will be taking part in the residential visit to Hawkshead in the Lake District.  The children will be accompanied by Mr Darr, Miss Wood, Miss Nelson, Mrs Robinson, Mr H Khan, Mr Lloyd, Miss Parveen and, for the first day, me.

This trip is very important in helping our children work together as a team and in giving them the opportunity to stay away from home for the first time in a safe but new environment. During their stay the children will be carrying out work to extend their learning in a number of curriculum areas including Geography, History and Art.  They will be taking part in activities such as horse riding, archery and will be going on a ferry cruise to visit an aquarium. We wish all the pupils and staff an enjoyable trip and I look forward to hearing all about their adventures on their return.

Reception Learning Workshop

On Friday 26th September 1R and 2R will be holding a learning workshop in the classrooms for parents and carers starting at 8:40am. During the workshop the teachers will be modelling a maths and literacy lesson illustrating how children learn maths and literacy skills using the provision. Parents will also have the opportunity to  watch adult led literacy and maths carpet sessions. This will provide you with ideas for and ways of supporting your child with their maths and literacy at home.  Refreshments will be provided in the hall after the session when you will have an opportunity to ask any questions.  We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at this informative event.

Dates for your Diary

World’s Biggest Coffee Morning!

On Tuesday 30th September, we will be holding a coffee money to raise funds for the charity McMillan Cancer.  (Please note that this is a change of date from the one previously advertised.)  The event will take place from 9:00-10.30am in the school hall and we will be selling coffee and cakes to raise money for this wonderful charity. The money we raise at the coffee morning will help go towards vital funds to make sure families are supported  through treatment and beyond at one of the most distressing times of their lives. If any of you enjoy baking and would like to bake cakes, biscuits or savoury products which we can sell during the coffee morning that would be greatly appreciated It would be lovely to see as many of you as possible at this event.

If you do intend to do some baking for this worthy cause then please bring your baking to school for 8.45 that morning.

Dates for your diary

Parents’ Evening: Thursday 23^rd October 2014, 3-6pm

Eid: School will be closed on 6^th October for an Eid holiday

Firefighter Clothes Collection – Tuesday 4th November

As you can see we have another busy week to look forward to. Thank you for your continued support. It is always a pleasure to come to work here at Copthorne and to work with such wonderful children and their families.

Mrs Shepherd

Hello everybody and welcome to another exciting week at Copthorne.  It was lovely to see the children settle so quickly and sensibly into their new classes last week. They are all eager to learn and are enjoying their time with their new teachers. It has been a delight to welcome our new pupils in Reception and Nursery. We know that they are going to be happy here at Copthorne.

Key Stage Meetings for Parents

I would like to thank all our Parents and Carers who attended the Key Stage meetings last week during which they had the opportunity to find out about what our children will be learning throughout this school year and the expectations and arrangments as regards work, homework and behaviour.  This was a great success and it is always a pleasure to see you at these events.

This week at Copthorne:-

Roald Dahl Day

Throughout this year, children in Year 3 will be reading the fascinating and wonderful novels written by Roald Dahl. On Monday 15th September, Year 3 will be celebrating 50 wonderful years of Roald Dahl’s famous story Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  They will take part in a live stream across the globe from the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London, where the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory musical is staged!  Children from across the world can send in questions about Roald Dahl which will be answered by the author of Fantastic Mr Dahl and the former Children’s laureate, Michael Rosen.  There will be many wondrous treats and surprises in store for the children and this promises to be very exciting and entertaining afternoon.  I am looking forward to hearing all about it!!

Drama Club

As part of the range of extra-curricular activities organised by Exceed, we will be running a Drama Club starting on Thursday 18th September for Years 5 and 6 from 3-5pm.  The Drama Club children will have the opportunity to work alongside children from the other Exceed Schools at Grange Technology College and put together a Pantomime which will be performed in front of families in December. A letter has already been sent out to children last week and places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Our school ran this club last year and the children that took part were amazing and had such talent  – I am sure we will be seeing them on our screens or on the stage at some point in the future!

Exceed Activity Clubs

Exceed are running a number of different clubs this year, most of these clubs are open access and children can come in anytime between the 2 hours stated.  The Activity Clubs include lots of fun activities such as Sports, Arts, Xbox, Wii, Pool and much more.  So that the adults are not feeling left out,  there be will an asian dress-making class which will begin on Tuesday 16th September –  for further details please call 01274 570237.

Please see below for a list of activites, times and venues:-

Girls Club  (8yrs-11yrs)   – Saturdays, 11am to 12.45pm – Princeville Children’s Centre, starts Saturday 13th September. £1

Activity Club (8yrs-13yrs)  Girls and boys  – Thursdays, 5pm – 7pm – Copthorne Primary School, starts Thursday 18th September. £1

Activity Club (7yrs-12yrs)  Girls and boys  – Saturdays , 4pm – 6pm – Farnham Primary School shed (entrance from Farnham Playground) , starts Saturday 20th September. £1

Football Coaching – Saturdays (5yrs -8yrs 12pm to 1.15pm) (9yrs-12yrs 1.30pm – 3pm) – Speedball (Duncombe Way) – £1  This club has already started.

Asian Dress Making – Tuesdays, Beginners 9.15am to 11.30am, Advanced 12.45pm to 3pm, starts Tuesday 16th September – please call 01274 570237 for further information and venue.

Dates for your Diary

Year 6 Hawkshead Residential  Trip – Wednesday 24^th to Friday 26^th September 2014

McMillan Coffee Morning  – Tuesday 30th September 2014 (9-10.30am) – Please note that this is a change of date from the one previously advertised. 

Parents’ Evening – Thursday 23^rd October 2014 – 3-6pm

Eid – School will be closed on 6^th October for an Eid holiday

Firefighter Clothes Collection – Tuesday 4th November

Wishing you all a fabulous week ahead.

Mrs Shepherd

Welcome back! I would like to wish you all a warm welcome back to Copthorne and hope that you had a lovely summer and a wonderful Eid.  It was lovely to see everybody smiling and happy to be back at school. A big thank you to all our parents, carers and families for making sure that the children arrived on time and looked so smart in their uniforms and were ready to begin learning straightaway.

New Staff       

We have welcomed several new members of staff  to Copthorne this term. We hope that they enjoy working with us and I am sure that they will continue to move Copthorne forward. The new members of staff are:

Miss Chambers – Teacher for 2R

Miss Austin – Teacher for 3 Alder

Miss McMillan -Teacher for 4 Poplar

Mr Seedat – Teacher for 4 Beech

Mrs Lawlor – ICT Technician

Miss Meyers – Schools Direct Participant

Swimming Classes

On Thursday of this week (11th September)the boys in Year 5 will be starting their swimming lessons. Learning to swim is a requirement of the National Curriculum and an essential skill that children need in order to help them stay safe around water. The lessons will take place on Thursday afternoons at Rhodesway pool. The children will travel to and from their swimming lessons in the school mini buses and will be accompanied by Copthorne staff.

Meetings For Parents

We will be holding our regular Key Stage meetings for parents over the next week.  These meetings give you the opportunity to hear about some of the things your child will be learning and to find out about the arrangements and expectations as regards work, homework and behaviour for that particular Key Stage.  We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the meetings which will take place at the following times:

Years 5 & 6                 Wednesday 10th September at 9am and 2.30pm

Years 3 & 4                 Thursday 11th September at 9am and 2.30pm 

Reception                   Thursday 11th September at 9am and 2.15pm 

Years 1 & 2                 Friday 12th September at 9am and 2.30pm

School Dinners

I am sure your child will have told you about our new lunchtime arrangements which are now in place. The children seem to be enjoying their food and are thrilled by the fact that they have a choice of delicious meals.  I would just like to remind you that the cost of school meals has now increased to £7.75 each week which should be paid every Monday. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 do not need to bring duinner money as they are all entitled to a free school dinner under the Universal Free School Meals scheme.

Appointments with Mrs Shepherd

As you know at Copthorne we are always delighted to chat to parents and carers to listen to your views and suggestions. If you wish to meet with me, I will be available at the following dates and times:    

Tuesday 9^th September                          11am – 12pm

Monday 22^nd September                       1.30pm – 3pm

Tuesday 23^rd September                       9am – 10am

Tuesday 30^th September                       10.30am – 12pm

Wednesday 1^st October                         2pm – 3pm

Monday 6^th October                               2pm – 3pm

Tuesday 14^th October                             9am – 10.30am and 2pm – 3pm

Wednesday 22^nd October                     10am – 12pm

Thursday 23^rd October                           9am – 10am

To make an appointment, please contact the school office who will be happy to make one for you.

Dates for your Diary

Year 6 Hawkshead Residential  Trip – Wednesday 24^th to Friday 26^th September 2014

McMillan Coffee Morning  – Friday 26^th September 2014

Parents’ Evening – Thursday 23^rd October 2014 – 3-6pm

Eid – School will be closed on 6^th October for an Eid holiday

Once again thank you for all your support and I look forward to the coming year which promises to be a busy and exciting one.  Have a lovely week everybody.

Mrs Shepherd

Hello everybody and welcome to our last blog of this school year.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for continuing dedication to Copthorne.  We have had an extremely busy few weeks and I would like to thank all our wonderful families and staff for their support in attending the events we have organised.

Cancellation of Year 5 Parents Meeting

Please note that the meeting that had been arranged for Year 5 parents and carers on Monday 21^st July at 9am has had to be postponed until September. The purpose of the meeting will be to give guidance to parents and carers on how to complete application forms for secondary schools.  We will notify families of the new date in due course.

Open Evening and Enterprise Fayre

Last Thursday in school we held our annual open evening for parents and carers.  I would like to thank everyone who attended this successful event and took the opportunity to look at our children’s super work as well as meeting their new class teachers.  It was lovely to see the school so full and busy.  During the open evening we also held our Enterprise Fayre. The children have been working really hard to set up their own class business and put their maths skills to such a practical use. It was fantasic to see their wonderful ideas. I am so proud of how imaginative the children are and would like to thank the staff for helping them plan such a wonderful event.

PSHE Week

Last week at Copthorne we held our Personal, Social and Health Education Week.  The week proved to be a fantastic experience for both children and staff.  It was lovely to see all the children smiling and enjoying themselves as they came in and out of school from their various activities.  All the children took part in a cooking competition, where the children in every class produced a healthy meal and a smoothie.   Mrs Whalley and myself have thoroughly enjoyed the food that was presented to us last week and I think it is going to be very difficult to choose a winner!  I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who contributed to the week in any way and especially Mrs Shah and Mr Darr for making this week such a well organised and thoroughly engaging one. Having spoken to the children it is clear that they have learnt a lot about how to cooperate with and care for one another as well as how to keep healthy.

School Meals 

As you may already be aware, school meals will now be provided through our own catering company: Forward Catering (Yorkshire) Ltd, (jointly owned by Copthorne, Horton Grange and Farnham Primary schools) .  As part of this development and in order to provide meals of the highest quality for our children, the cost of school meals will increase from the start of the new term by 5p which means the new price for school meals each day will be £1.55 or £7.75 per week.  We are confident that our children will love our new menu and the school meals.

This week at Copthorne:-

Year 6 Leavers Assembly

The Year 6 Leavers’ Assembly will take place on Tuesday 22nd July at 9.15 am and 2 pm. Parents, carers and family members are encouraged to attend and see our Year 6 in their final production at Copthorne. The event is always very entertaining but also very poignant as we say goodbye to our amazing children and share with them some of their  Copthorne journey. I hope to see as many of you there as possible. 

This year, as usual, all our children have worked hard to make outstanding progress and we are so proud of every one of them. I would like to say a special congratulations to our Year 6 pupils who have been so determined to achieve the best possible standards in their work. I know that you will remember all the things you learnt at Copthorne and that we are sending you on the next stage of your learning journey as wonderful young people ready to grasp all the opportunities that life has to offer. I know that you will continue to make us all very proud.

Finally I would like to wish you all a wonderful summer holiday and special Eid.  I hope the sun keeps shining for everyone and I look forward to seeing you all ready for the start of an exciting new year at the usual time on September 2^nd 2014.

Mrs Shepherd

Hello everyone and welcome to an extremely busy and exciting week at Copthorne.  As we near the end of term we have lots of activities to fit in before we break up.

This week at Copthorne

PSHE Week

This week at Copthorne we will be holding our Personal, Social and Health Education Week.  This special week aims to further improve our children’s personal and social skills and their understanding of the many different aspects of health through  a wide range of new learning experiences. There will be lots of fun and exciting activities for children to take part in such as horse riding, ice-skating, bowling, water-based activities and trips to the park.  There will also be a climbing wall for the children to enjoy and Key Stage 1 will have the opportunity to take part in Go Karting. Our children’s understanding of healthy eating will be furthered through a cooking competition, where the children in every class will have to produce a healthy meal and a smoothie. There will also be a poetry and a poster competition related to health ,which children will carry out in their classes. Year 5 will also be visiting the Positive Life Centre to investigate the health risks associated with drugs.

There are also activities to support staff well-being such as lunch-time head massages! This promises to be an exciting and fun-filled week for both children and staff.

Enterprise Week

Last week was our very exciting Enterprise Week at Copthorne. All our children  worked as class teams to develop a business idea to raise money for School Fund in order to purchase new playground equipment.. The aim of the week was to develop our pupils’ enterprise and maths skills and encourage them to collaborate effectively. The children  developed and trialled their product ideas last week before deciding on a final product which they will sell at their class stall on Thursday 17th July.  During Open Evening that night, between 3pm and 4pm , parents, carers and family members will also have the opportunity to visit the Enterprise stalls for each class. The children have been working hard to set up their own class business and this will be an opportunity to see their ideas and buy their wares so please bring some money with you as we wouldn’t want you to miss out on a bargain and the opportunity to celebrate the children’s hard work!  The children will have the opportunity to visit the stalls from 2.30pm that afternoon so we would be grateful if you could give them a small amount of money so that they can buy some of the products that are on display.

Lightwater Valley Trip

On Monday 14th July our wonderful Year 6 children are being rewarded for al their hard work and positive behaviour since joining Copthorne by spending a day at Lightwater Valley theme park. This is a very popular trip and I am sure the children and staff who will be accompanying them will have a fantastic day. I am looking forward to hearing all about it on Tuesday.

“We’re all going to the seaside”

As part of their Seaside theme, Year 2 will be visiting the beach at St Anne’s on Monday 14th July. The children have been studying Grace Darling in class.  Grace,  along with her father, inspired the idea of the RNLI (Royal Navy Lifeboat Institution),  Grace was born in 1815 and lived with her father, the lighthouse keeper, in a lighthouse on the Farne Islands in Northumberland.  Grace became famous for helping her father to rescue the survivors from the SS Forfarshire when the ship was driven by a storm onto Harcar rocks on 7th September 1838.  Whilst at the beach, the children will be able to see the Royal Navy Lifeboat and learn about what fantastic work the men and ladies do to keep us safe at sea.  Have a lovely day Year 2! We hope the weather stays bright and sunny for you.

Achievement and Star of the Year Assembly

On Wednesday 16^th July at 2pm we will be holding our Achievement and Star of the Year Assembly for our children.  This is to celebrate hard work our children put in to achieving our amazing end of Key Stage 1 and 2 test results.  Once again, our children have shown great determination, real focus and a wonderful attitude to learning to achieve wonderful results. I look forward to seeing as many families as possible at this fabulous event.

Attendance Assembly

We will be holding our Attendance Assembly on Thursday 17^th July at 9am.  This is a wonderful assembly to celebrate all our children who have achieved excellent attendance throughout the year and to thank their families.  We would like you to come and join us in this celebration as you have made it possible for your child to achieve these awards.  If for any reason you cannot join us then can I take this opportunity to thank you very much for making sure that your child attends school every day and on time.

Open Evening

On Thursday 17th July from 3-6pm we will be holding our annual Open Evening for parents, carers and family members. During the Open Evening you will be able to visit your child’s classroom and look at the work he/she has been doing throughout the year. In addition, you will be able to visit your child’s new classroom and meet his/her teacher for next year. Children’s reports will be given to you as you arrive for the event so that you can chat informally to the teachers about these during the evening should you wish to do so. Reports for the children whose parents do not attend the Open Evening will be sent home with the children at the end of school on Friday 18th July.

Goodbye Mrs Dew

As you may be aware, Mrs Jean Dew is retiring from teaching after 28 years at Copthorne.  We know that many of you and your children have very fond memories of Mrs Dew and would like to say goodbye to her.  We have therefore arranged a Farewell Coffee Morning in the school hall at 9am on Friday 18^th July. This will give parents the opportunity to come and chat informally to Mrs Dew and wish her well as she leaves Copthorne ready for the next exciting stage in her life.  We appreciate that many of you will be fasting for Ramadan at the time of the event but hope that you feel able to attend. We look forward to seeing you there.

Farewell to Mrs Gamble and Mr Sandhu

On July 22nd we also say a sad goodbye to Mrs Gamble who has worked tirelessly with Year 6 to support and guide them in achieving the highest standards. Mrs Gamble leaves us for a school in Huddersfield where she will become a specialist Maths Teacher. We thank her for all her hard work and commitment to Copthorne and wish her every success in her new role. We will miss her terribly.

Mr Sandhu, 5 Cedar’s class teacher, is also leaving us next week. Mr Sandhu has dreamt of working in the Middle East for some time and has now secured a teaching post in Dubai. We thank him for his hard work and calm, caring manner. I know that 5 Cedar will miss him terribly as will all the staff and pupils. We hope that he enjoys his adventure in Dubai and hope that he will come back to the UK to visit us often.

Dates for your diary

Exceed Attendance Celebration

The annual Exceed Attendance Celebration for all those children who have achieved 100% attendance and no lates this year, takes place on Monday 21st July from 12.30-3pm at the University of Bradford. Letters have already gone home to the parents of the pupils achieving the award. I look forward to seeing you at the event and celebrating another great achievement for our pupils.

Leavers’ Assembly

The Year 6 Leavers’ Assembly will take place on Tuesday 22nd July at 9.15 am and 2 pm. Parents, carers and family members are encouraged to attend and see our Year 6 in their final production at Copthorne. The event is always very entertaining but also very poignant as we say goodbye to our amazing children and share with them some of their Copthorne journey. I hope to see as many of you there as possible.

I hope you have a lovely week and I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at one of our events.

Mrs Shepherd

Hello everybody and I hope that you have had a lovely weekend.  We have reached that time of  year where school is extra busy and there are lots of fun and exciting activites for the children to take part in.  Have a great week everyone!

Important Notice

Due to industrial action by members of the NUT, UNISON, GMB and UNITE, we have no alternative but to close school to children on Thursday 10^th July. On this day we will not have enough staff to ensure the health and safety of pupils on our site. The strike is in response to changes made to staff pay, pensions and working conditions by the Government. These changes will see all staff working longer, paying more and receiving less. Whilst the staff involved are sorry for any inconvenience parents and carers may suffer as a result of their action, they feel that they have been forced into this position and have no alternative but to strike. School will be open as normal on Friday 11^th July.

This week at Copthorne

Enterprise Week

This week is our very exciting Enterprise Week at Copthorne. All our children will be working as class teams to develop a business idea to raise money for School Fund. The aim of the week is to develop our pupils’ enterprise and maths skills and encourage them to collaborate effectively. The children will be developing and trialling product ideas this week and deciding on a final product which they will sell at their class stall on Thursday 17th July. At Copthorne we are constantly working to improve our pupils’ maths skills by setting maths in a real life context. We believe that our Enterprise Week will support this work effectively and we know that our children will enjoy this opportunity to demonstrate their entrepreneurial skills. I imagine that we’ll soon be seeing some of them on The Apprentice!

Year 4 off to the zoo

On Wednesday 9th July, children in Year 4 will visit Chester Zoo in order to support the learning in their science lessons this half term.  The children have been busy this half term making snacks and drinks to sell to staff and children at breaktime, to subsidise their trip. I am sure the children will have a fantastic time learning all about the different kinds of animals.  Have fun Year 4 and learn lots!

Raving Readers

On Wednesday 9th and Friday 10th July, small groups of our wonderful Raving Readers will be visiting Waterstones, the very exciting bookshop in Bradford City Centre.  Whilst there, the children will be able to look at a selection of books, choose a book of their choice and have a hot chocolate as a reward for all their hard work with reading this year.  Childrens’ reading skills are vital to their success in school and our children have found that reading can be a fun and imaginative activity, which opens doors to all kinds of new worlds for them. Well done Raving Readers, we are very proud of you. Keep up the hard work!

 Copthorne’s Superstars!

On Friday 11th July we will hold our Star of the Month Assembly.  At the assembly one pupil from each class will be  rewarded for exceptional learning behaviour and work. Staff working in each class  nominate the children they feel have displayed a no excuses, positive attitude. Well done to this month’s award winners.

Dates for your diary

Open Evening

On Thursday 17th July from 3-6pm we will be holding our annual Open Evening for parents, carers and family members. During the Open Evening you will be able to visit your child’s classroom and look at the work he/she has been doing throughout the year. In addition, you will be able to visit your child’s new classroom and meet his/her teacher for next year. Children’s reports will be given to you as you arrive for the event so that you can chat informally to the teachers about these during the evening should you wish to do so. Reports for the children whose parents do not attend the Open Evening will be sent home with the children at the end of school on Friday 18th July.

During the event you will also have the opportunity to visit the Enterprise stalls for each class. The children have been working hard to set up their own class business and this will be an opportunity to see their ideas and buy their wares so please bring some money with you as we wouldn’t want you to miss out on a bargain and the opportunity to celebrate the children’s hard work!

The children will have the opportunity to visit the stalls from 2.30 that afternoon so we would be grateful if you could give them a small amount of money so that they can buy some of the products that are on display.

Summer Holiday

Copthorne Primary School closes for the Summer Holidays after school on July 22nd. There is a staff training day on July 23rd.

School re-opens for children at the usual time on Tuesday 2nd September.

I hope you have a super week.

Mrs Shepherd

Hello everyone and welcome to our blog.  I hope you enjoy reading about the events that take place in our school. As usual we have another busy week ahead of us.

Cup Final Fever!!

I am thrilled to inform you that our fantastic Year 5/6 football team won the Exceed Football Cup Final against Horton Grange last Wednesday, with an amazing 3-0 victory.  Congratulations to Horton Grange for getting through to the final. They gave us a very tough game, keeping us at 1-0 until the last few minutes of the game. Our team have been playing in the league since September and have won all of their games.  I am sure we will be hearing from the England Football Manager very shortly to sign them up! Once again congratulations to you all on this amazing achievement and for being wonderful ambassadors for our school.

Copthorne’s Got Talent

Last week we held the final for the annual Copthorne’s Got Talent competition. The standard of talent this year, as always, was amazing and a delight to watch and I would like to congratulate all our talented finalists for reaching the last stage of the competion. The three acts that won the competion were “The four happy girls” – Naida, Naleema, Hiba and Hawaa who danced and sang along to the Happy Song and had us all clapping along and feeling very joyful.  Representing Lower Key Stage 2 were the magicians: Ehsan and Danish, who showed us some amazing magic tricks. Representing Upper Key Stage 2, was the very talented Wahib who showed us some slick moves dancing to Micheal Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal”.  The three winning acts then went on to represent Copthorne at the Exceed’s Got Talent competition where they competed against the finalists of the LAP schools in our area.  I am pleased to announce that Wahib came second out of all the other contestants in the competition.  In our eyes all our children are winners and each year I am astounded by the amount of talent we have in our school.  I would like to thank all the staff involved in this event, especially Mr A Khan for making this another great success.

This week at Copthorne

New to Reception Parents’ Meeting

We have arranged two important meetings for parents’ of children who will be attending our Reception classes in September.  The meetings will be held at school on Monday 30th June at either 9:00am or 2:15pm. Starting full time education can be exciting and daunting for both parents and children alike.  At Copthorne we assure parents that we will do our best to meet the needs of their children and we look foward to working closely with them to ensure a smooth transition process.

Transition Day

Wednesday 2nd July is Transition day for the whole school.   During the morning children will visit their new class for next term and meet their new class teacher and support staff who will be working with them.  They will spend the morning  taking  part in activities and tasks to help staff and childen get to know each other.  Year 6 will spend the day at their new upper school and so will not be expected to come to Copthorne that day. We wish everyone a wonderful and exciting morning. I know that it will leave you feeling enthused and excited about the year ahead.

“Aye Aye Captain “

Year 1 are very lucky to be having a visit from a pirate on Friday 4th July.  They will be carrying out a range of pirate themed activities which will support their learning in class.  Children will be coming to school dressed as a pirate.  This is always a very exciting day for the children and I am sure they will have a great learning experience.

Children’s Book Week: World War One Commemoration Event

On Friday 4th July, thirty of our Year 4 children will be visiting the City Library in Bradford to celebrate Children’s Book Week. Whilst at the library children will have the opportunity to listen to historian, Dr Kathryn Hughes who will take the children back in time to explore what life was like for children living in Bradford in the First World War. The session will also include a chance for every child to have a ‘hands on’ rag rug making session with West Yorkshire Ruggers.

I would like to send good wishes to our families and staff who will be fasting during this special month of Ramadan. We will be thinking of you.

I hope you have a lovely week.

Mrs Shepherd

Hello to all our visitors and thank you for looking at our blog.   I hope you all have had a restful weekend and are ready to begin a new and busy one.

Aspiration Week

Last week’s Aspiration Week was an overwhelming success. We are all so proud of the children who ‘took over’ the school for the day. Each one of them took their roles and responsibilities so seriously and worked really hard. I spent a large proportion of the day with Isa who took on my role as Head of School. He observed lessons, carried out a Learning Walk of the school environment, gave feedback to staff, directed our PA: Mrs Rice and met a representative from a learning resource supplier to review new products and help decide which ones would be of benefit to our children and which we could afford from the budget. All the children who took part  in the day were an absolute credit to our school and we are looking forward to hearing their views about the experience.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the staff who shared their jobs for the day and, especially,  to all the visitors who came in to school during the week to teach us about the jobs they do. The children were truly inspired and each visitor remarked on how interested, enthusiastic and well behaved our children were. Thank you, everyone!

A special thanks must go to Miss Kneeshaw and our School Council for organising such a super event. I know that between them they reviewed hundreds of job applications and carried out hours of interviews. It was well worth all their time and effort. Thank you.

Copthorne this week

Exceed Sports Event

Our group of Exceed schools will be holding a sports event which will be held on Monday 23rd June.  Eighteen children from Years 3 to 6 will be taking part in a sports day which will be held at Bradford Park Avenue.  The children will compete in activities such as javelin, long jump, shotputting, hurdles and sprinting.  I know that the children will be wonderful ambassadors for Copthorne and will have an enjoyable day meeting the other children from our LAP.

Copthorne’s Got Talent – Final

On Tuesday 24th June at 10am, we will be holding our annual Copthorne’s Got Talent Final.  The talent this year, as always, has been spectacular and I am extremely proud of all our children who have taken part this year.  If any parents/family members would like to come to watch the event we would be delighted to welcome you into school. If you are attending, please ensure that you arrive in school by 9.50 am.

The winners of the competition will then go on to take part in a grand final against our other LAP schools on Friday 27th June. I would like to wish all our finalists the very best of luck. Go Copthorne!

City Park – “Mad Day 2”

The Music & Arts Service and the PE & School Sport Service have joined together to create a unique extravaganza for schools to celebrate the 2014 Grand Depart through song, dance, music making, cycling and environmentally friendly power generation. I am pleased to announce that  on Thursday 26th June, our school, along with 4 other schools across the Bradford district have been chosen to take part in this extravaganza.  The children have spent the last couple of weeks practicing a ‘zumba’ dance with their teachers which they will perform on the day.  The children and staff are very excited and I look forward to hearing all about the activites they will be taking part in.

I hope you have a wonderful week

Mrs Shepherd

Hello everyone. I hope your weekend was a good one and that you are ready to begin a new week. 

Last week Mr Jacques and myself,  along with the other Head Teachers from the Exceed Alliance, joined colleagues from across the country to attend the Inspiring Leadership  Conference in Birmingham.  This was a wonderful opportunity to hear a range of inspirational speakers and attend workshops to find out about outstanding practice and innovations in school leadership. It was also a time to share ideas and consider the priorities for the improvement of our own schools. The event was truly inspiring and we have returned to school refreshed and with lots of ideas to share with staff, pupils, parents and governors.

Bringing creativity outside

I am delighted to inform you that our new Early Years outdoor provision has now been completed and looks fantastic.  A superb beach area has been installed where the children can build sandcastles with their friends along with a flow wall to enable children to experiment with water.  We have a wigwam so that the children can take books outside and look at them quietly as well as using their imagination to play.  Now that the nice weather is finally here our children can enjoy a picnic on the new artificial grass area or our little footballers can have a game of football.  There is also a perspex board where children can paint which will also help them with their creativity  and expression.  In addition, a low level climbing frame has been built to complement the existing challenging climbing frame.  Last but not least we have an amazing story teller’s chair and 4 mushroom stools which are ideal for children to listen to and tell their stories in the fresh air. It is delightful to see our Early Years children playing in and gaining so much from their new environment.

This week at Copthorne

Aspiration Week 

It will be a very exciting week at school this week as many of our children ‘take over’ Copthorne for a short time. On Wednesday 18th June the children will be working alongside and in the role of a number of members of staff. In this way, the children will experience what a range of  job roles entail.  The children will be applying for whichever job they are interested in by completing an application form on  Monday 16th June. This will then be followed by interviews on Tuesday 17th June which will be led by the School Council.  After the “takeover day”, children will be expected to review the week. Throughout the week we will also have several inspiring visitors in school such as a policeman, a paramedic, a nurse, an architect, a games developer, a badminton player and a Care Assistant.  These visitors will be visiting classes to answer any questions that the children may have regarding their profession.  This is all part of our work on Investors in Pupils through which we aim to develop our children’s understanding of what different jobs involve, show them the range of jobs that exist, develop their leadership skills and help to raise their aspirations. I know that the staff and children are really looking forward to this experience. Staff are hoping that we will still have jobs by this time next week as we think there is a very strong chance that we may have been replaced by our amazing children!

 Diversity in the Woods

On Tuesday 17th June our Key Stage 2 New to English children will be visiting St Ives Wood in Bingley. They will be joining other children from the other schools in the Exceed Alliance  to develop their  use of language.  The children will have lots of fun team building with the other children.  This will be a great opportunity for them to meet other pupils and will help greatly with their confidence.  Have fun everyone! 

Year 4 Bookworms

As mentioned in last week’s blog, we have arranged for our Key Stage 2 children to visit the City Library. As part of Bradford Libraries commitment to supporting the literacy needs and development of children within the Bradford district, they are operating a children’s library ticket amnesty.  On Wednesday 18th June, it will be the turn of Year 4 to vist the library and see the vast range of books that the library can offer.

Nursery Welcome Celebration Evening

On Wednesday 18th June we are holding a very important meeting for parents and carers of children who will be joining our nursery in September.  At the meeting parents and carers will have the opportunity to meet the members of the Senior Leadership team and our Nursery staff and to find out about routines and expectations for their child’s time at Nursery.  It will also be an ideal chance to get to know the parents of the other children who will be attending and to celebrate getting a place at our over-subscribed Nursery.  The meeting will start at 6pm prompt and light refreshments will be served.  I would like to congratulate all the parents and carers whose child has secured a place at our Nursery.  I look foward to welcoming you all!

The Sound of Music

We are delighted that the Music and Arts Service will be coming to school to deliver a concert for our Key Stage 2 pupils on Friday 20th June.  The theme of the concert is the history of dance and they will be playing music showing the pupils different styles of music with moving images of the dances.  The group will play a variety of instruments from the string, woodwind, brass, percussion and keyboard families. Children will hopefully recognise some of the music that the group will play and they will be encouraged to answer questions throughout the concert.  This should be a wonderful, stimulating and educational morning for the children. 

Wishing you all a lovely week

Mrs Shepherd

Hello everyone and I hope you have had a lovely weekend.  Mrs Whalley, Miss Armitstead, Mr A Khan and I have just returned from an amazing time in Rhodes with our other Comenuis colleagues. I am looking forward to seeing our children and staff today to tell them all about our wonderful experience.  We have a very busy week ahead with lots of classes going on trips – I hope we have brought the sunny weather back from Rhodes with us so that everyone stays nice and dry on their visits.

‘Once Upon a Time’ in Rhodes. 

Well, what a fantastic week it was. After arriving late on Monday evening and meeting up with all of our colleagues from the other 9 schools in the project, our first official activity was to visit the Greek school – Dimotiko Scholeio Pastidas – and meet the children. We received an heart warming welcome, with the children waving flags from each of the countries involved in the project and chanting ‘Welcome to Rhodes’ in all the languages of the project. After a great presentation by pupils of some information about each of the project countries, each team visited a classroom to teach a 45 minute lesson based on a traditional tale from their country. We were delighted to be able to teach a Grade 1 class (6 year olds) the story of Goldilocks and the 3 bears. The 4 of us presented the story as a role play whilst the class teacher – Elina – translated it into Greek for the children. We then taught the children the song ‘When Goldilocks went to the house of the bears …’ which the children loved and then sang with us. To finish off there was a question and answer session where the children asked us lots of questions about Copthorne. It was a pleasure to work with such keen and happy children who have clearly spent a lot of time learning about the UK.

Our Comenius planning meeting took place on the same day after a beautiful lunch at the school. The meeting allowed us to share the work we have done so far and to decide on the dates for the next visits which include a joint Netherlands and UK visit during the week beginning 8th December. So, we are really looking forward to hosting our visitors and showing them as much as possible about our amazing school and Yorkshire.

The remainder of the week was spent on cultural visits to deepen and strengthen our understanding of Greek history, way of life and the education system, during which we were guided and accompanied by school staff. A Comenius festival took place on Wednesday evening at the school and was a credit to the hard work of the staff and children. After the performance we were also able to meet the children’s parents and hear about how valuable they believe this project to be both to their children’s learning but also to their own cross-cultural understanding and knowledge.

Before leaving, each team was resented with beautiful gifts from Rhodes and, for the school, a book showing photographs of Rhodes taken by a famous Rhodean photographer. The pictures are stunning and show many of the places we were fortunate to visit during the week. It will be a valued addition to our library.

On behalf of the four of us and the whole of Copthorne, I would like to say a great big thank you to Vicky, the Head Teacher, and the whole of the Rhodes team for giving us a week that we will treasure in our memories for always and which has taught us so much about each other and our schools. We look forward to seeing you all again in the future.

Thank you also to Miss Armitstead, Mr Khan and Mrs Whalley with whom it was a pleasure to spend the week and who were wonderful ambassadors for Copthorne and the UK.

The next Comeniu visit takes place in Lithunia in September

This week at Copthorne

Internet Safety for Parents

On Monday 9th June at 2.30pm there will be an E-Safety meeting at school for parents to attend.  The meeting will explain issues relating to the use of the internet at home and school.  It will also make parents aware of the dangers of being unaware of what children are looking at when they use the computer at home and the precautions that can be taken to ensure that children are safe when they are online.  The meeting will address concerns that we as parents have for our children’s use of the internet and ensure that our children are able to use the internet safely.  I hope that as many parents and carers will be attend this very important meeting.

Year 3 in the woods

As part of their Creative Curriculum theme: Habitats, 3 Larch will  be visiting Nell Bank on Monday 9th June.  The children will be looking at how plants and animals are suited to and adapt to their environment. They will also study mini-beasts and take part in an orienteering  activity.  3 Alder will be visiting Nell Bank on Friday 13th June.  I am sure the children will have a fantastic learning experience and lots of fun.

Linking Schools

4 Poplar will be joining their Linking School partners at All Saints Primary school in Ilkley on Tuesday 10th June.  The children from All Saints have already visited Copthorne and the children from both schools also enjoyed an exciting day together at Nell Bank in Ilkley.  I am sure the trip will be a great success and know that the children are very excited about meeting their friends again! 

As an extra treat, our children have been fortunate to be one of the classees chosen to attend an extra event: Routes to Peace, which is taking place across Bradford this month.  During the visit, the children will meet their linking partners again for a picnic and carry out a range of activities led by members of the Peace Museum in City Hall alongside a singing group.  Well done 4 Poplar for being such great ambassadors for our school.

Diversity in the Woods

On Tuesday 10th June our New to English children will be visiting St Ives Wood in Bingley. They will be joining other children from the other schools in the Exceed Alliance  to develop the children’s use of language.  The children will have lots of fun team building with the other children.  This will be a great opportunity for the children to meet other pupils and will help greatly with their confidence.  Have fun everyone!

Library Visit

As part of Bradford Libraries commitment to supporting the literacy needs and development of children within the Bradford district, they are operating a children’s library ticket amnesty.  This will mean that children who have any outstanding fines or lost items on their library ticket will have their ticket cleared and their borrowing rights restored.  We have arranged for children in KS2 to visit the library over the next few weeks.   The joining form, which was sent out last week with the children, should have been sent back to school by today in order for us to send them off to the library so that the tickets can be ready for the children when they visit the library. Year 3 visited the library last week and Year 5 will go on Wednesday 11th June.  I am sure you will agree that this is a great opportunity for children to return to using the library and have access to thousands of wonderful books.

Year 4 Egyptian Day

As part of Year 4’s Creative Curriculum topic centred around Eygpt, they will be having an ‘Egyptian Day’ in school on Thursday 12th June.  The children will be learning all about the various Egyptian Gods and looking at what mummification is and the meaning of this. The children have already performed an Egyptian assembly in school which was very interesting and factual and was an absolute delight to watch.  Keep up the good work Year 4 and we look forward to learning lots more from you!

Meeting of Minds

On Thursday 12th June School Council members from our school will be joining other members from the Exceed schools at Farnham Primary School.  They will have a tour around the school and, after having lunch together, they will  exchange ideas about how they can improve their schools and discuss projects that have already taken place. I am sure that, as usual, the children will come back with lots of ideas to keep making Copthorne even better.

We do like to be beside the seaside 

Our Reception classes are very excited to be visiting the seaside town of Scarborough on Friday 13th June.  The visit is part of their Creative Curriculum theme: Journeys and Holidays. Whilst there, the children will have the opportunity to enjoy the seaside and Peasholm Park.  Once back at school the children will talk about why Scarborough is such a good place for a holiday and this will support the children’s writing. I am sure the children will have a fantastic day by the seaside and we hope the sun shines down on them.

Have a lovely week everyone.

Mrs Shepherd