Newsletter - February 2017

27^th February 2017
Dear Parent / Carer
We have had some fantastic visitors to school this half term, with the children experiencing and enjoying a range of opportunities: Forest schools, Bushcraft, Anti-bullying Workshops, ‘Show Racism The Red Card’, our whole school Cultural Diversity week, ‘Lead Creative Schools’ work, Valentine Disco etc.  Please follow us on Twitter to see great photos of the activities at school.
This term will see a few changes to staff.  We say goodbye to Mrs Gannon who has worked as a lunchtime supervisor and classroom support for a number of years.  We wish her lots of luck in her future endeavours.  Mrs Deverill has secured a secondment to another Local Authority school until the end of the summer term.  This is a fantastic opportunity for her.  We will be moving Mrs Pugh and Mrs Field into Oak Class.  Willow class will then be taught by Mrs Field with Miss Garrett.  Miss Garrett has lots of experience and will become part of the Upper Key Stage 2 team, working closely with Oak and Beech classes to ensure consistency.  We wish Mrs Deverill lots of luck in her exciting new role and welcome Miss Garrett to Coedpenmaen.
The ‘Parents’ Forum’ has their next meeting on the 7^th March.  They will be considering how we can further encourage excellent attendance at school.  Please use their Facebook page if you wish to leave a constructive comment.  Thanks
 The PTA’s Valentine Disco was again a great success with funds raised planned to support the development of the school grounds.   Thanks to everyone who contributed.  The PTA raised over £350!
Our Value this half term is COMPASSION.  The children will learn about how to show compassion and kindness to one another, recognising when friends  need us to listen and act with compassion. We will also remember how nations show compassion to other nations at times of disaster or need by sending money and volunteers to help.  This will help our work for 'Comic Relief' as well as the children prepare for Easter.
Attendance – We are now at 95.1% for our whole school attendance.  This is still below our target of 95.4% but wish to thank all of you who have made an extra effort this term to send your children to school regularly.  I ask for your continued support in sending your child to school as often as possible.  
Please note: if your child is genuinely ill, they should not attend school - it remains the responsibility of parents to inform the school on the first day of absence if a child is not well enough to attend
School Dinners - Please bring your dinner money in an envelope each Monday.  Local Authority auditors monitor this – we are not permitted to allow families to build up a ‘debt’ of dinner money.  Unless there are exceptional circumstances, children MUST maintain the same arrangements for lunch throughout the week.  This ensures that the kitchen orders the correct amount of food to cook as well as helps office staff with the accurate administration of dinner money.  
If your child has school lunch and is late arriving at school, please make sure the office staff are informed so that we can ensure that the orders placed with the kitchen are accurate.  Increasingly, this is a problem as the kitchen is not run like a cafeteria and can only provide meals for the numbers provided by the school office. 
We are very proud of our school uniform and the children look very smart when representing the school on visits etc.  However, it has been noticed that this has begun to ‘slip’ a little recently.  Whilst it is possible to have uniform with the embroidered school badge, this is not compulsory.  To keep costs down for families, children can wear plain white or pale blue polo shirts with a navy blue jumper/cardigan with dark skirt/trousers and shoes if they wish.
27^th Feb   WYTHNOS CYMRAEG – Welsh Week
1.30pm - Mark Dorey – Author – Welsh Storytelling KS2
                Big Foot Theatre/Drama Workshops
28^th Feb   Big Foot Theatre/Drama Workshops
1^st Mar    Eisteddfod – please wear Welsh Costume/house colours
2^nd Mar    ‘Fflic a Fflac’ – Welsh characters for Foundation Phase
3^rd Mar    1.00pm – Mark Dorey – Book Signing
7^th Mar    Oak, Willow and Beech to Royal Mint, Llantrisant
Parents’ Forum – 3.30pm
9^th Mar    Colotfoto – classes and group photos – school uniform required.
10^th Mar  Cluster INSET Day – no school for children
22^nd Mar  Year 3 – Mothers’ Day Tea Party – time to be confirmed
23^rd Mar  Nursery and Reception – Mothers’ Day Tea Party (am)
                Year 1 and Year 2 - Mothers’ Day Tea Party (pm)
                Year 5 and 6 – to Hawthorn High School – Sports Festival
24^th Mar  Comic Relief / Red Nose day
3^rd Apr     ‘Easter Cracked’ – Year 6 at Coedpenmaen Chapel (am)
5^th Apr     Parents’ Evening
6^th Apr     Parents’ Evening
7^th Apr     School’s World Book Day
EASTER BREAK – 10^th April – 23^rd April
3^rd May    Meeting at Hawthorn High School for parents in preparation for Llangrannog
4^th May    Local Elections – school will remain open.
**Welsh Government Tests are between 3^rd – 10^th May 2017.  We ask that every effort is made to ensure that pupils in Year 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are in school during these test dates**
Please continue to take care walking through the school grounds which are used a car parks.  Please supervise your children as you would through any other car park.  We are working with the Local Authority to identify any ways in which traffic can be more safely controlled for the safety of the children, the parents and our neighbours.  Our school council are also leading a competition for the children to design ‘Poo Posters’.  The winners will be made into signage to be placed on the footbridge to the school to remind dog walkers of the need to clean up after their dogs.
Yours, Mrs Loveridge (Headteacher)

NEWSLETTER

22^nd January 2017

Dear Parent / Carer

We have hit the ground running this term, as usual!    New themes have been started and the children are enjoying their challenges. 

Oak, Willow and Beech – Enterprise Troopers:  the children welcomed a local entrepreneur who shared his work and gave the children a chance to ask questions.  They are now planning their own entrepreneurial exploits, thinking about how they can make a profit.

Sycamore, Hazel and Holly:     ‘Survival’.  Sycamore and Hazel are taking part in ‘Forest School’s activities, whilst Holly class will benefit from some ‘Bush craft’ activities.   

Ash and Cherry:  The children have been very busy writing a ‘Message in a Bottle’ and considering survival in difficult situations.  I wonder what you would take with you to a desert island?

Maple and Acorns: ‘Holes, Spaces and Hiding Places’.  The children are using the book ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ for their story telling and experiences.  Nursery thoroughly enjoyed experiences the Bear Hunt first hand – stepping through grass, mud, water, snow etc. 

Some of our Digital Leaders have learned how to use the ‘hwb’ website.  They are now in the process of training the rest of the digital leaders, and for them to then teach their classes how to use this website effectively. Glee Choir are enjoying their singing, and looking forward to a trip to the Millennium Centre to see ‘Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat’- this is being funded through a successful grant application to the Arts Council of Wales.  

Sycamore and Hazel classes are also working on creative ways of learning basic maths facts – our focus for the whole school this term.  We are also in the final stages of plans for play equipment (through the Big Lottery Fund) in the junior yard and have plans for the infant yard in the near future.

The Eco Council have collected many, many Christmas cards in their recycling scheme.  If you have any more cards at home, please send them in to school in the next few days.   They will be collected soon and will be weighed to find out how much we have collected.

The ‘Parents’ Forum’ has had its second meeting and wished for me to share their appreciation of the constructive comments provided through the ‘Coedpenmaen Parents’ Facebook page.   School staff have begun considering the points raised, will be speaking to the school council and sharing our updated homework policy in due course.    Their next meeting is on the 7^th March.

The PTA’s Cake Day was again a great success with funds planned to support the development of the school grounds.   Thanks to everyone who contributed.

Our Value this half term is THANKFULNESS.  The children have begun thinking about how many things we have to be thankful for – and have shown their thanks for their families, their comfortable beds, their friends etc.  They have also been thinking about those who are not as fortunate.

Attendance – Well done to Maple class last week for gaining 100% attendance.  The children thoroughly enjoyed their treat of pop and popcorn!  Hopefully more classes will be able to gain this reward in the coming weeks.  We are still at 95% for our whole school attendance.  This is below our target of 95.4%.  I ask for your continued support in sending your child to school as often as possible.  

Please note: if your child is genuinely ill, they should not attend school - it remains the responsibility of parents to inform the school on the first day of absence if a child is not well enough to attend

23^rd Jan    Forest Schools – Sycamore and Hazel

25^th           Bushcraft                  - Sycamore and Hazel

30^th           Forest Schools – Sycamore and Hazel

31^st Jan    St David’s Day photographs for Newspaper

7^th Feb      Safer Internet Day

10^th Feb   Year 5 and 6 to HHS – Sports Day – TBC

13^th Feb   Cultural Diversity Week – details will follow from Classes

14^th Feb   PTA - Valentine Disco

15^th Feb   Show Racism the Red Card - year 5 and Year 6

Year 4 – Anti-Bullying Workshops from Accessible Wales

Bushcraft - Ash and Cherry

16^th Feb   Bushcraft - Holly

HALF TERM – 20^th Feb- 24^th Feb

27^th Feb   WYTHNOS CYMRAEG – Welsh Week

1.30pm - Mark Dorey – Author – Welsh Storytelling

                  Big Foot Theatre Workshops

28^th Feb   Big Foot Theatre Workshops

1^st Mar     Eisteddfod

3^rd Mar     1.00pm – Mark Dorey – Book Signing

7^th Mar     Parents’ Forum – 3.30pm

9^th Mar     Colotfoto – classes and group photos

10^th Mar  Cluster INSET – no school for children

24^th Mar  Comic Relief / Red Nose day

30^th Mar  PTA – possible Bingo evening

5^th Apr      Parents’ Evening

6^th Apr      Parents’ Evening

7^th Apr      School’s World Book Day

EASTER BREAK – 10^th April – 23^rd April

3^rd May    Meeting at Hawthorn High School for parents in preparation for Llangrannog

4^th May    Local Elections – school will remain open.

**Welsh Government Tests are between 3^rd – 10^th May 2017.  We ask that every effort is made to ensure that pupils in Year 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are in school during these test dates**

Please continue to take care walking through the school grounds which are used a car parks.  Please supervise your children as you would through any other car park.  Many of you may have also seen Traffic Enforcement Officers along Llanover Road working to secure the safety of the children when travelling to school. 

It is always a pleasure to meet parents through our open-door policy.  Please remember, if you have any concerns you are able to discuss them initially with the class teacher (before or after school is always best to avoid teaching times).  If you needed to see me, please either pop in, or if I am not available, please make an appointment. 

Yours, Mrs Loveridge (Headteacher)