Writing together

What an amazing afternoon! ! Thank you to all of the parents, grandparents and governors who came to work with the children today. Thank you also, to our amazing Learning  Squad for helping out! 

There was an incredible buzz in the hall (and on the steps and in the corridors. ..). Thank you for helping the children to improve their stories further. We will give them an opportunity to type them up/ finish them in lunch times next week.  If you are able to type up the stories at home, we could give you a photocopy: Please let us know. 
Diolch O galon!

Knitting club

Our knitters are well underway with the help of Mrs Field and Mrs Griffiths, in making a knitted display for our school.

We have our first

Thursday 29^th and Friday 30^th January.

Each class that has 100% attendance for these 2 days will have a special Friday afternoon treat!

Please help as many classes as possible achieve this prize!

 

Thank you.

PLEASE ENTER US INTO THIS COMPETITION!!!!

I have just entered our school into the David Walliams competition. He will select schools and will arrive by helicopter to see the children for a Q and A session. You have to write in no more than 50 words why he should come to us. Pupils and parents can enter. I've pleaded him to come and inspire the children and tell them that all of them have the ability to write stories!

You never know; it may happen to us!!!

Please support us. Kind Regards, Mrs Pugh.

http://www.worldofdavidwalliams.com/

COEDPENMAEN’S ‘CREATIVE WRITERS’ WEEK

COEDPENMAEN’S ‘CREATIVE WRITERS’ WEEK

Dear parents/carers,

Next week, we will be holding a creative writing project where all pupils in the school will be involved in a story writing project. The pupils may want to enter their finished stories into the 500 Words competition! The story can be about anything. Please look at the 500 Words website with your child. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00rfvk1

                All teachers have planned lessons to:

·         inspire pupils to write using music, art, film and objects

·         allow pupils to let their imagination run wild!

·         build on their bank of vocabulary

·         encourage the use of different openers, connectives and punctuation

·         illustrate their books and write a blurb

Nursery and reception will be writing a class story on a Lion’s Tinga Tinga tale. Check out this link:

http://www.tingatingatales.com/

TALKING HOMEWORK

Please could you help your child this weekend by discussing ideas for a story. Maybe they could find an object around the house to inspire them? Or maybe they could use a painting, a piece of music or a story that they love to give them ideas. Obviously, teachers will help to inspire them also through the lessons that they have planned. Check out the 500 Words website to help you as well as the Literacy Shed site. This sight has lots of animations to inspire writing: http://www.literacyshed.com/

PARENTS SHARING WRITING

We would like to invite parents in on Friday afternoon (30^th January) to sit with their child to share their story ideas and to work with them to improve them and celebrate their achievements. If you are able to attend at 1.30pm please complete the slip below and return to school. We are all excited about this project and thank you in anticipation of your support.

Kind Regards,     Mrs Pugh

__________________________________________________________________________________

I ___________________________________ would/would not like to visit my child’s/children’s class/classes ______________________________________________________________________________to celebrate their work and to help them improve their writing further.

Signed _________________________________________________________

Newsletter - January 2015

21^st January 2015

Dear Parent/Carer

We’ve had a really busy start to term, so we are hoping that we don’t get too much of the ‘white stuff’ this year.  We will endeavour to let families know as soon as possible should there be a need to close the school – for the safety of the children as well as the staff who may need to travel some distance to get to school.  We will use our text messaging system and update the home page of our Moodle to let parents know.  It is essential, therefore, that we have up to date mobile phone numbers for all parents – especially as some of you may have had new phones over Christmas.  Can you please also ensure your child wears a suitable coat each day?  The children need to have time outside the classroom and even if there is a slight drizzle, the children will sometimes have some time outside.

Mr Munday has settled well into class and the children are working hard.  They, as well as Willow and Beech classes, have already been on an interesting day out at the Museum and practised their artistic skills.  ‘Cats’ Protection’ are giving a presentation to Nursery and Reception on the 16^th January which links with their theme ‘Paws, Claws and Whiskers’.  We have arranged for two artists to visit the school for our Upper Key Stage 2 classes and Lower Key Stage 2 are having a visit from the Welsh Birds of Prey Centre to support their theme ‘Up, up and away!’.  Years 1 and 2 have even had a visit from ‘Mr Carter’s Australian brother’!!!!!

Swimming   -   Swimming will continue for Beech and Oak classes until the Easter break.  Please remember to send your child with appropriate kit for swimming every Monday. 

Over the coming weeks we will also be encouraging the children to take part in BBC Radio 2s annual ‘500 Words’ competition.  We have some fantastic writers in our school and this is a good way of challenging them to do their very best work.  This will be completed through our normal school week – and the entries will be forwarded through school.  I’m sure you will all join us in wishing the children lots of luck!

Our Government Funded Breakfast Club starts at 8.10am each day.  It is important that the children are signed in by an adult each day.  If you wish to access our Breakfast Club, please ask for forms from Mrs. Morton in the office.  PLEASE NOTE: staff will not be able to supervise your child until 8.10am.

JAKs club is a private ‘before school’ and ‘after-school’ provider.  If you need supervision for your child before our Breakfast Club, JAKs are able to provide a paid service for this from 7.30am to 8.10am each morning.  They also provide care from the end of the school day to 6pm.  If you want to access JAKs club please contact them on jaksoutofschoolclub@yahoo.co.uk where they will be able to give you more information.

PLEASE NOTE: JAKs Club are not a free service for pupils who are dropped off at school before 8.10am.

A voucher is available from school for FREE use of Microsoft Office as well as a document which tells you how to access the software on a home computer.  Please contact the school with your email address and we will be able to email a code and instructions to you.

RCTCBC is also taking part in the Getonline@home initiative.  This provides low cost access to an internet-ready, refurbished personal computers from £99 (subject to eligibility). This local promotion, brings together Microsoft's local PC refurbishment partner (Computer Recyclers in Penygraig) and RCT's Credit Union (Dragonsavers) to assist in spreading the finance costs of any purchases for its members.  To find out more, please visit: http://www.rctcbc.gov.uk/getonlineathome.

27^th January                          Birds of Prey for Hazel, Holly and Sycamore Classes - £1.50 Contribution

3^rd February                          Photographer at school – class St David’s Day photographs

12^th February                        Beech, Willow and Oak Classes – Art Exhibition – 3.30pm – 4.00pm

10^th February                        Safer Internet Day

PC Rob Thomas – Year 6 ‘Cyber Safe’

16^th – 20^th February            Half Term

23^rd February                        INSET day

24^th - 27^th February             Welsh Week with Eisteddfod on Friday

26^th March 2015                  'Faces' - Class photographs - please ensure your child wears school uniform

**Welsh Government tests for Years 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 will be between 5^th May and 12^th May 2015.  Please avoid any absences during this time*

Thanks for your continued support                 -                Mrs Loveridge

Save Your Sainsbury's Vouchers for Coedpenmaen!

Please save your Sainsbury's vouchers for our school. The Learning Squad are in charge of collecting, counting and ordering. Hopefully, we will be able to get some good PE equipment from it! The collection box is on the table opposite the learning squad display.
Diolch!

Newsletter - 18th December 2014

18^th December 2014

Dear Parent/Carer

This has been an extremely busy term at Coedpenmaen Primary! 

All the children have had a wealth of experiences.  We were introduced to Willow class’s ‘boy band’ in our Harvest celebration and were able to enjoy this treat again during our Christmas celebrations.  Upper Key Stage 2 visited Fleet Air Museum, whilst other children have visited Barry Island Lifeboat Station, Cardiff Museum to see the dinosaurs, Caerleon Roman Museum and Llancaiach Fawr.  The Sensoria room planned and displayed by Holly, Hazel and Sycamore classes was fantastic, as well as the ‘Enterprise Troopers which Oak, Willow and Beech classes completed.  Well done to the ‘ChocoRocks’ team who will be go through to the regional finals

The children were very busy rehearsing for our Christmas celebrations.  The Nursery and Reception nativity was lovely and the children thoroughly enjoyed themselves on stage!  Despite the storms, Year 1 - 6 presented a lovely mix of traditional and modern items, accompanied by the Melin Griffith Brass Band.  Cherry class’s Christmas Kiosk sold out very quickly – the children are thinking hard about what to spend their hard earned profit on!

As a reward to the children for all their hard work this tem, children in Foundation Phase were treated to a visit from Santa as well as storytelling sessions and a magician!  Key Stage 2 thoroughly enjoyed the story teller – and thought his Christmas tales were really funny!

As detailed on my previous newsletter, you will be aware that Mr Holloway id due to start in his new role as deputy headship in a school in Caerphilly in January.  We wish Mr Holloway every success in his promotion – I am sure he will be missed here at Coedpenmaen.  Mr C Munday, has met with the children and begun working with school staff to plan lessons for after Christmas.  He is looking forward to joining our excellent team at school.

Swimming   -   Swimming for Beech and Oak classes begins after Christmas.  Please note: this is from the very first Monday when we return to school after the Christmas break.

Reminder: Please note the message below from RCT

To enable young people to have the opportunity to fully engage in the LA’s work with Microsoft, the local authority has secured free access to the latest Microsoft Office package - Microsoft Office 2013 for use at home.

A voucher is available from school as well as a document which tells you how to access the software on a home computer.  Please contact the school with your email address and we will be able to email a code and instructions to you.

Attendance   From January 2015, as previously advised, the school will comply with Local Authority advice that holiday requests will be unauthorised.   Fixed Penalty Notices, issued by the local authority, form part of the updated policy.   The children have had lots of coughs, colds and sickness over the last few weeks and this has meant that we are now below our target set by the local authority.  We ask that you continue to keep us as up-to-date as possible with regard to your child’s illness so that we can make sure your child’s records are accurate.  We are also working with the school council to see how we can continue to encourage the children to come to school regularly.  Look out for some 100% challenges in the near future!  Well done to the 43 pupils who achieved 100% attendance for the Autumn Term. Holly class had the most pupils who gained 100% and had extra break time as a special reward.  Hopefully, we can work for more pupils to achieve this in the Spring Term!

5^th January 2015                     School starts back for children on the Monday

8^th January                              Senior Leadership Team to meet parents – Meeting in the hall at 3.30pm – all welcome to attend                

9^th January                              Oak, Willow and Beech -Art exhibition and workshops at National Museum of Wales

12^th January                            Parents’ evening for Hazel class – appointments will be issued

13^th January                            Parents’ evening for Hazel class – appointments will be issued

10^th February                          Safer Internet Day

                                                 PC Rob Thomas – Year 6 ‘Cyber Safe’

16^th – 20^th February                Half Term

23^rd February                          INSET day – no school for children

24^rd – 27^th February                Welsh Week

27^th February                          School Eisteddfod

4^th March                                PC Rob Thomas – Year 4 “T.A.S.K.”

16^th – 20^th March                    Maths and Science week

24^th March                              (am) Trallwn Yr 2 visit Coedpenmaen – working with Coedpenmaen staff & pupils

27^th March                              Last day before the Easter break

**Welsh Government tests for Years 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 will be between 5^th May and 12^th May 2015.  Please avoid any absences during this time*

It has been a pleasure for both Mrs Pugh and myself to start to get to know all the families, and especially the children.  We are all looking forward to the Spring Term, where there are already lots of exciting plans in place for the children.

Wishing everyone a safe and Happy Christmas

Mrs Loveridge