Newsletters
Coxhoe Communicator
3rd May 2013
Dear Parents/Carers
It seems as if summer is dawning and all pupils are enjoying once again being able to use the playing fields and adventure playground. Having the extra space of our field is a real benefit to pupils who utilise it fully.
As the weather warms it is important that pupils remember their water bottles each day which they can replenish from the water coolers throughout the day. Please can we remind all parents that unless we have a letter from your child’s G.P. specifying why they cannot drink water and need fruit juice or other liquid, then the bottle must only contain water. This is in accordance with all advice regarding the benefits of drinking water on a child's overall health.
Pupils can wear sun caps and sunglasses during hot, sunny days. Please ensure they are labelled appropriately. We also have a stock of school sun hats available from Reception.
Other information for this month;
Inhalers: Often during the warmer months and with increasing pollen levels pupils with Asthma need their inhalers more frequently. Please ensure all inhalers brought to school are in date and in their box bearing the child’s name. Inhalers are kept on the teacher’s desk in KS1 and lower KS2 so they are easily accessible. In upper KS2 older pupils place their inhalers in their trays. All pupils have inhalers with them during PE lessons.
Medicine: As a school we are restricted by law to only being able to give children prescribed medicines in containers bearing the child's ’name and which need to be taken 4 times per day i.e. a lunchtime/midday dose or application (in the case of lotions). If your child needs medicine during the day then a parent or guardian must also sign a medicine form in the office, before we can give the medicine.
School Trips: Many classes will be undertaking class trips linked to their curriculum this term – including Durham Cathedral and Castle, Hartlepool Maritime Museum, Forbidden Corner, Eden Camp, Newcastle Museums, Whitby and others. As a school we subsidise each trip by £100 but rely on your voluntary contributions to make up the balance. If insufficient money is forthcoming then the trips may not go ahead. Several classes are being imaginative in trying to raise additional funds for their trips. Well done to the pupils for their innovation and parents for your on-going support.
Sponsored Walk: We had a fantastic day on our sponsored walk – albeit very windy. The younger children managed 2.5 miles, Y3-4 children walked 4.5 miles and Y6 6 miles. It was incredible to see our pupils in long ‘crocodile’ lines and hear their chatter and excitement. So far we have raised the incredible sum of £3255.70, which will go towards buying a set of laptops to use in school. Please ensure any further sponsor money is brought in A.S.A.P., so that we can finalise our equipment order and have the laptops in use this term. Thank you to everyone who supported this fantastic fundraising event.
Recent Sports Events: Y1 and 2 Multi-skills Festival at Spennymoor – well done to all our pupils attending. They represented the school superbly and came away with a Silver Medal. In addition some pupils won gold. Excellent sportsmanship shown by all.
Y5 and 6 Basketball Festival at Spennymoor – once again our pupils set a very high standard of both behaviour and sporting ability. Well done on your silver medal.
Football Team – the school football team have got off to a brilliant start and all those participating have shown great team work and football skills. We even had a goal from our goalie!!! Results: Coxhoe 3 Kirk Merrington 0
Broom Cottages 1 Coxhoe 0
Litter Pick: As part of a National Cleaner Street Community Programme our Y1 and Y4 pupils are involved in Litter Picks in and around the school. We hope you notice a difference.
School Grounds and Gardens: We hope you have noticed the colourful flowers and blossom opening in and around the Conservation area and school orchard. Look out for the tadpoles in the pond. Thank you to the Gardening Club for your hard work and everyone who has contributed seeds and plants.
Y4 Mosaic Designs: Y4 recently worked with artists from the Sunderland Glass Centre designing Roman mosaics. These have now gone off for firing in the glass centre kiln – we look forward to seeing the results.
Reception Class – Camping and Alien adventure: Reception class had a fantastic day with School Explorers camping out and following trails left by aliens around the school. They even met an Alien! This was an excellent day and created great excitement. We trust those parents who came along for tea and to work with the children enjoyed the day and weren’t too frightened by the alien! Many thanks to Mrs Kalus and Mrs Bartle plus all of our staff and volunteers in Reception class for organising this great day.
Cycling proficiency: Y5 pupils have begun their cycling course and at the end will receive their licence to bring their bikes to school. Please note due to space in school only those pupils with a cycling licence in Y5 and Y6 can bring their bikes to school.
Scooters: Pupils may bring scooters to school from next week but must wear helmets and have a bike/scooter lock to keep them secure in the cycle shed.
Y6 pupils SAT’s week: The Y6 pupils will be undertaking the national end of KS2 SAT tests during the wb 13th May. Please encourage Y6 and help them to be fit and healthy during this week. We know they will attain very positive results for all their hard work. Miss Thompson is holding a meeting for parents of Y6 pupils to go over the test timetable and arrangements on Wednesday 8th May at 5.00 p.m.
Other KS2 Classes: All other KS2 classes will undergo tests during the wb 20th May. Please ensure maximum attendance this week.
Y3 & 4 Music: Y3 and Y4 pupils have begun work with ‘Mish’ the outreach music/choir teacher from Durham Cathedral which will culminate in a performance at Durham Cathedral with the Choristers on Wednesday 19th June. Parents can attend the performance and the time will be confirmed after half term.
Y6 Geocaching: Y6 will undertake a day of activities using Satnavs and Maps on Friday 17th June. A treat after SAT’s!
School Uniform Orders: Online ordering of school uniform from our existing supplier Emblematic and a new supplier ‘Tesco’ will be available shortly. A leaflet and instructions will come out to you next week with website addresses.
Reminder: Please remind your child to hand lunch money in on a Monday morning. All money sent in to school should be in an envelope with the child’s name, class, amount and what the money is for. We also ask that where deadlines are advised that they are adhered to as this helps towards the smooth running of the school. Thank you.
Other dates:
Friday 17th May – Whole School Art Day
Thursday 23rd May – 10.15 Class 6 (Miss Brough’s Y4) class assembly
Friday 24th May – Whole School ‘Golden Time’ Disco 1.30 - 3.00
Half Term – The School is closed 27th-31st May for Summer Half Term. Also Monday 3rd June – Teacher training Day
School re-opens for pupils – Tuesday 4th June
Tel: 0191 3770294 Fax: 0191 3773816 E-Mail: coxhoe@durhamlearning.net
Web Site: www.coxhoe.durham.sch.uk
Dear Parents/Carers,
As we launch into Easter week and the arrival of British Summer time looms ahead (!) it is timely to update you on several events this week and also for the first week of the summer term.
Annie Performances: Tuesday & Wednesday (26th & 27th) – 6.15 pm. Only a few tickets remain for what promises to be a fantastic show. Well done to all the children and staff for their hard work this term in bringing the show together. Thank you also to parents and relatives who have supported the children in learning lines and providing costumes. As this is a licensed performance from the Joseph Weinberg trust, who own copyright, we are unable to allow videoing of the performance as this would be contrary to the license we have and could incur a substantial financial penalty for the school. Thank you for adhering to this condition of the performance.
Visit of Isla from Canine Communication and her dogs – Wednesday 27th – all pupils from Reception to Year 3 will learn about dog ownership and canine behaviour.
Easter Egg decorating competition: Most classes will be decorating their eggs on Thursday (28th), so please could all pupils bring their hard boiled eggs to school for this day (except Reception and Year 1 who will be decorating their eggs on Wednesday 27th). We will provide paint, glue and paper for pupil’s design ideas but any additional items should be brought from home. As usual there will be a prize for the winning egg in each class.
Year 1: Class assembly – Thursday 28th at 10.15 am. All Parents and relatives of Y1 pupils welcome. You will be amazed!! Refreshments with the children after the assembly will conclude by 11.15 am.
Non-uniform day – Thursday 28th: We hold our termly non-uniform day this Thursday with the proceeds going to Cancer Research UK. This is our pupils chosen charity for the term. We suggest a small donation for pupils not to wear their uniform for the day. In the afternoon pupils will also receive their Golden Time rewards i.e. choice of activities for good behaviour over the term.
‘Year 4 - Gold medal winners!’ – Well done Year 4 who last week represented the school at a Multi-skills PE festival in Spennymoor. They were a credit to the school and their families for both their sportsmanship and attitude to the competition which gave them a much deserved Gold medal. A fantastic overall score placed them well ahead of other teams.
Year 3 ‘Dancing Troupe’ – also congratulations to Year 3 who represented the school at the recent area Dance Festival. Again they had a great day and represented the school superbly.
School Football team – after many cancelled matches due to poor weather our school football team last week played 2 matches at Cleves Cross primary school and were worthy victors – 3-0 and 1-0. An excellent result for the team, showing great cross year working and sportsmanship.
Teacher Training Day – Friday 12th April. Before we return for the summer term staff will be attending a training day run by the ‘Read Write Inc’ team. This will focus on developing the current reading programme we follow and using it as a springboard to develop children’s writing
Pupils return for the summer term on Monday 15th April
Please read overleaf for 2 key events during this first week
Whole School Sponsored Walk – Thursday 18th April (am)
Our major school fundraising event this year will take place on Thursday 18th April. This is a Sponsored walk which will follow parts of the Limestone Links pathway around Coxhoe. Reception and KS1 pupils will complete a shorter distance than KS2 pupils, both on the morning of Thursday 18th April (weather permitting).
All proceeds from this event will be retained by school and used to help finance the purchase of a set of laptops which pupils can use across the school. We have recently updated our ICT curriculum across the school and in order to fulfil its requirements and keep up to date with new technologies we have purchased a set of I pads, digital cameras and video cameras and installed wireless modems across the school. All pupils have access to this technology as well as the ICT suite. However, our computers in the suite are now at the end of their life expectancy and in order to replace them and meet the requirements of the new curriculum we need pupils to be able to use ICT within the classroom. This will be achieved by purchasing a set of 15-20 laptops initially, although our ultimate aim is for each classroom to have access to at least 6 laptops, netbooks or I pads throughout the day.
As all areas of Local Government have experienced significant cuts and changes to funding arrangements in the last 2 years, we are no exception with money previously given to schools and ring-fenced for IT use being removed from our budgets. We have worked tremendously hard to use the remaining budget, together with in school fundraising e.g. via the Chomp & Munch group, supporting local universities by training student teachers and via sponsorship of our school website, in order to provide the improvements listed above which are already in place. However, we now need your help to continue to move forward.
Please support the school by helping your child to ask family and friends to sponsor them on the sponsored walk. We thank you in anticipation of your help and shall be sending the sponsor forms home on Thursday 28th once the School Council have helped me to finalise the route for KS1 and 2.
School Challenge Afternoon – Friday 19th April (pm)
As you know all our pupils are divided up into teams which are named after Northern Castles and they meet periodically to complete challenges and activities. The next challenge afternoon will be on Friday 19th April when the children from Reception to Year 6 will meet in their teams to complete my next challenge for them. This will be to design an advert for our school. The teams can use song, rap, mime, drama, news broadcasts or any other performing art media to create a short 2 minute advert for our school. All of these adverts will then be uploaded onto the school website for you to view.
Future Newsletters – In order to save paper and become more environmentally friendly we shall only give hard-copies of our monthly newsletter if requested. As always the newsletter will be placed on the school website (office section) and also on a new noticeboard to be placed on the wall adjacent to the old KS2 entrance. If you require a paper copy of future newsletters please order from Mrs Taylor in the school office.
School Book-fayre – Thank you to everyone who purchased books from the school book fayre last week, also to the Friends of the School for once again organising the sales. We have raised £180.67 in commission which can be used to buy new books for the school library or classrooms.
Hoping you all have a great break over the Easter holidays.
Yours sincerely,
Mr S Jones
Head teacher
Coxhoe Communicator
March 2013
Dear Parents/Carers
It really is only in the U.K. that on the same day we scrape thick ice from car windscreens, we also have children very excited to be playing in warm sunshine. Spring is announcing itself!
Welcome back after the half term break and thank you for helping children arrive promptly each day. The new arrangements of the door being open from 8.45 a.m. and children coming straight into school also has helped to get an excellent start for each day. It’s also been good to hear so many positive comments about how this already is helping to ease congestion around school. This week and in the coming half term you will see and hear of many exciting and interesting activities both in and outside school to enhance our curriculum. This week we have seen:
Reception class visiting shops on Coxhoe Front Street to learn about the types of goods which can be purchased from different shops. This has also been linked to Maths work about money and understanding of price and change of simple amounts to 10p and 20p.
Year 1 have taken their maths lessons outside for several days as they have been learning about measuring.
Class 7 and 8 have enjoyed a Tudor Banquet which they planned using information learnt in their History lessons.
Classes 7,8 and 9 will also be learning today about how to play competitive Rugby which will be taught by a professional coach.
Year 2 have also been busy planning a trip to the local woods next week. On their trip they shall be investigating the plants and animals which can be found within this local habitat.
Morrison’s Let’s Grow voucher rewards
We received in school this week the seeds and a fig tree which were ordered using donations of butter/spread vouchers handed in last term. Thank you and Year 1, as well as the Gardening Club, will be planting these seeds shortly.
For all pupils an excellent start to a busy half term.
Please note the following key dates/events over the rest of the half term.
W/B 4th March: Michael Morpurgo Book Week – all classes involved.
Monday 4th March: School Photo Day – (Please note Year 5 and 6 pupils must be at school for 8.30 a.m. to have their photos taken before leaving for the Safety Carousel – any siblings or pre-school pupils wishing for photographs also from 8.30 a.m. please)
Y5 and Y6: Whole day trip to Safety Carousel activities at The Work Place ( Newton Aycliffe)
Tuesday 5th March: Selected Y2 pupils to accompany Miss Realey to key steps Gymnastics Festival (Whole Day)
Year 3 and Year 4 Parents Reading Workshops: 3.30-4.30 p.m. (repeated at 5.00 – 5.30 p.m.)
Wednesday 6th March: Bedtime Story Night – Pupils return to school at 6.00 p.m. for a story and drink read in class by teachers. Parents welcome to remain in Hall with refreshments provided by the Friends of the School.
Thursday 7th March: Group of Y5 pupils accompanying Miss Brough to South Asian Festival at County Hall (p.m. only)
Groups of Y5/6 pupils represent school at Tag Rugby Festival at Whitworth Park School.
Friday 8th March: Dress up Day – all children are invited to come to school dressed up as a character from a children’s book. (please note as y3 will also be swimming – no face paint, tatoos, hair dye or gels for Y3 pupils!)
W/B 11th March: ‘Living Egg’ incubators arrive in Reception Class.
Wednesday 13th March: Y3 represent school at Dance Festival (Newton Aycliffe) – a.m. only
Y4 visited by Konflux Theatre Group – preparing a play in a day with them ‘Recycle, Reuse,
Reduce.
Whole school re-arranged ‘Valentines Disco’ 5.30-7.00 p.m.
W/B 18th March: Travelling Book Fair in school – open for sale of books each evening (3.15-4.00p.m.)
Parents Night – (appointments sent out wb 4/3/13)
Tuesday 19th March: Y3/4 pupils (selected) multi-skills festival (Spennymoor) a.m. only
Parents Night
Wednesday 20th March: Inter School Dance Festival – all classes perform to each other.
Tuesday 26th March: Annie performance 6.30 p.m.
Wednesday 27th March: Annie performance 6.30 p.m.
Visitor for KS1 and lower KS2 from Kachiria Canine Communication talking about dog care and
behaviour
Thursday 28th March: 10.15 Year 1 Class assembly
Golden Time Afternoon
School closes for Easter Holidays at 3.15 p.m. 28 March 2013
School reopens for pupils on Monday 15th April
Telephone: 0191 3770294 Fax: 0191 3773816 E-Mail: coxhoe@durhamlearning.net
Web Site: www.coxhoe.durham.sch.uk
Coxhoe Communicator
1st February 2013
Dear All,
Thank you for your endeavours during the last 2 weeks which ensured pupils were at school throughout the period of bad weather. I told the pupils in assembly how proud I was of them and our staff for ensuring they were at school and our school remained open despite neighbouring schools having to close. Hopefully we now have a respite and it’s lovely to see signs of growth around the school gardens and grounds – Spring is on it’s way. As the weather has improved and it is easier to access the school please ensure all pupils are in school for 8.55a.m as this is when the school day officially starts and pupils begin to enter the building for registration.
Parents are once again bringing children through the car park on a morning and when leaving at night. Only parents with exceptional circumstances and with prior authorisation from Mr Jones should be using this entrance. Can we please remind you once again that access for school is through the gate at Parsons Walk.
Attendance Information: The Government have recently introduced tougher attendance targets for all schools in England. This means that any child attending school for less than 85% of the school year is termed a persistent absentee which may result in a visit from the Educational Welfare Officer (EWO) or see a fine levied against parents. We have been asked to remind all parents that children must legally attend school for 190 days per year. Also that good attendance is directly linked to future academic success and thereby employability:
- Pupils who miss more than 50% of school – only 3% achieve 5A* to C, including English and Maths at GCSE
- Pupils who miss 10-20% of school – only 35% reach these GCSE levels
- Pupils who miss 5% of school – only 73% achieve these GCSE levels
Please help us to ensure pupils attend school and are only absent in the case of serious or infections diseases/illness. We are proud of our attendance, which in 2011-12 reached 96.2%. It will be brilliant if together we can surpass even this high level.
Car Seat Checking Clinics: DCC Health and Safety Team are operating a series of car seat checking clinics over the next few weeks. Our nearest clinic will be at Asda Store Spennymoor on Monday 4th February. Pop along if you want a car seat/fittings checked or for advise about car seats.
‘Hands Up’ Annual Travel to School Survey: We recently completed this annual survey and reported that 63% of pupils in school on the 29th January had walked to school. With increasing congestion in and around the school lets try to leave the car at home and increase the % of pupils walking to school by the next survey.
Assessment Week: All pupils will take part in school mid-year assessments during the wb 11th February. These are used to help us measure progress of all pupils at the key half way point in the school year.
Year 1 ‘Nocturnal Animal Visitors’: Year 1’s topic this term is ‘Light and Dark’. As part of this topic Miss Realey organised a visit by Barn Owls, Hawks, ferrets and other nocturnal animals (plus their handler). The children behaved fantastically even with owls and hawks flying over their heads in the hall. Well done Year 1 and Miss Realey, a fantastic idea to help with your learning.
Reception Class visit to Bear Factory: Reception class topic this term is ‘Teddy Bears’. They have been busy designing Teddies in their ‘Teddy Bear workshop’, as well as completing lots of activities featuring Teddy Bears in each subject area. I look forward to seeing the Teddy Bears which each Reception Class will make after their visit next week to the real ‘Teddy Bear Workshop’ Have a great day Reception Class.
School Council: This term the School Council have been deciding on new fixed play equipment to buy for the playground. They have had visitors from reps selling equipment and looked at various styles of equipment within their budget. I am impressed with their maturity and sensible choices to keep to the budget or plan to raise extra money in the summer term e.g. via the Y6 Fun Day. They are also shortly to plan for our main whole school fundraiser on April 18th. This is to be a sponsored walk over various distances around the’ Limestone Linx/walk way’ The money we raise will help purchase additional IT and computer equpiment, in order to enhance our ICT curriculum.
Class Assemblies this term: Year 2 - Thursday 14th February 10.15-10.40 and Year 1 – Thursday 28th March 10.15-10.40. All parents of children in these classes are welcome to attend and stay for coffee/tea afterwards.
Film Club: We will be commencing a Film Club after half term. The School Council have suggested that we have separate KS1 and KS2 clubs. Staff will select suitable films for each KS and after the film pupils will complete a review. The reviews can then be entered into a National Film Club website for other children to read. You will shortly receive information about dates and times for each film.
Half term holiday: School will be closed for the half term holiday from Monday 18th February to Friday 22nd February.
Dance Groups: Several of our pupils are involved in Dance groups and have asked us to mention the following:
Karen Mullender School of Dance – raising money via a ‘weigh in’ of old clothes. Any donations brought to school on 8th February will be collected.
Knox School of Dance: raising money to help a severely ill young child. Further information about how you can help from Chantelle Knox or members of the Dance group.
Helping Your Child to Read: as part of our introduction of a new reading scheme into year 3 and 4, we are holding two sessions aimed at parents of pupils in these year groups. The sessions will introduce the new books and look at key ways that you can help your child read or to support your child’s reading. The workshop will be led by our Literacy Co-ordinator, Miss Thompson, on Tuesday 5th March at 3.30-4.00 p.m. then repeated between 5.00-5.30 p.m.
Monday March 11th: Reception Class ‘Living Eggs Incubator’ arrives
Wednesday March 13th : Y4 work with Konflux Theatre Group on a play in a day project
WB Monday 18th March: Spring Parents Meeting
Tuesday 19th March: Spring Parents Meeting
Tuesday 26th and Wednesday 27th March: Annie the Musical performance 6.30
Wednesday 27th March KS1 and Lower KS2 visit by Canine Behaviourist to talk about dog ownership/care
Thursday 28th March:Break up for Easter
School closed for Easter Holidays: Friday 29th March to Friday 12th April (Inclusive)
School re-opens for Summer Term: Monday 15th April
elephone: 0191 3770294 Fax: 0191 3773816 E-Mail: coxhoe@durhamlearning.net
Web Site: www.coxhoe.durham.sch.uk
Coxhoe Communicator
January 2013
Dear Parents/Carers
Happy New Year and welcome back after the Christmas break. We trust that you were able to spend quality time together as a family as well as having opportunity to rest and re-charge your batteries!
Tree Planting: Well done to all the pupils from Y2 to Y6 who took part in the tree planting with Tracey (from Durham OASES – Outdoor Activity and Sustainable Education Service) and Mr Jones. We now have a fantastic living willow boundary around our Storytellers chair, as well as an apple orchard with 10 varieties of trees behind the ‘cage’. We hope trees in both areas will quickly root and we shall soon see green buds and blossom signifying growth.
Letter of Congratulations to Coxhoe Primary from David Laws (M.P.) – Minister of State for Schools: On the last day of term we received a fantastic letter from David Laws, the Minister of State for Schools, which recognises the performance of our excellent school once again. I include the full body of the text so that everyone can share in the congratulations which is the result of brilliant teamwork between staff, pupils, Governors and parents:
‘ It gives me great pleasure to congratulate you on the excellent performance of your pupils in the 2012 National Key Stage 2 tests as published on the 13 December 2012.
The overall percentage of your pupils achieving Level 4+, combined with excellent rates of progress in both English and Mathematics place you amongst the top performing primary schools this year.
Mastery of English and mathematics is critical to success at secondary school and beyond, so these pupils now have a really good start for the next stage of their education.
I would like to congratulate your staff, governors and pupils for their hard work and success and to thank you for your leadership in continuing the drive towards the highest standards of educational achievement’
Curriculum Development focuses for Spring term – as a school we shall be working with several LEA advisory teachers this term to continue to develop our curriculum. The areas covered will be ICT, Speaking and Listening and Sentence Structure/Grammar. This will ensure we are well prepared for the new Primary Curriculum in 2014.
School Teams: Our ‘Castle’ teams will enjoy their 2nd challenge afternoon this Friday (11th January) when they will be designing and making armour for a Knight and suitable attire for a Princess. Please support your child over the next few days by helping them find drawings, images or provide suitable materials for the task. Then watch out for the photographs of the ‘Knights and Princesses’ fashion parade on the website. Which team will win the challenge? Well this will be down to our team of Teaching Assistants, who will judge the challenge.
Y5/6 Basketball Coaching: Once again we look forward to the visit of coaches from the Durham Wildcats basketball team who will work with Y5 and 6 on Monday 28th January and 4th February.
Art Day: Next Art day is 1st February – remember to let pupils wear old clothes or bring an old shirt of Dad’s to school which they can wear as a painting apron during the day.
W/B 11th February: This is our whole school mid year ‘Assessment Week’ All year groups will complete assessment tasks this week – please ensure good attendance so your child does not miss the opportunity to participate in these key tasks.
Changes to mobile phone numbers: Please let us know if you have changed your mobile phone or any emergency contact numbers over the holidays so that our emergency contact numbers are up to date.
Y5/6 Rugby Coaching – we are pleased that pupils in our area have opportunity to work with specialist coaches. This will include Rugby Training for Y5/6 commencing each Friday from 1st March for 5 weeks.
Home School Reading: Please can I remind all parents that an essential part of a child’s homework is their reading and practice from school reading books. Research clearly shows that pupils who develop this essential practice in Primary School much more quickly adapt to homework routines and expectations in Secondary School and achieve more highly at G.C.S.E. then those pupils who fail to develop good reading skills through frequent practice. At Coxhoe Primary we insist that children who do not practise regularly must make up this time in school which often means during their own break/lunchtimes. Please help us to help your child succeed in reading.
Later this term Miss Thompson (Literacy Co-ordinator) will invite parents to come along to workshops which will focus upon how parents can support their child’s reading at home.
Other key dates this term:
Wednesday 13th February – Valentine Disco
Thursday 14th February – Year 2 Class assembly 10.15 a.m.
Governors meeting 4 p.m.
Spring Half Term Monday 18th – Friday 22nd (inclusive)
Friday 1st March – School Dance Festival
Monday 4th March – School Photo Day
Y5 and 6 Safety Carousel at Newton Aycliffe
W/b 4/3/13 – Book week based on books by Michael Morpurgo
6/3/13 – Bedtime Story Night – 6p.m.-6.45p.m.
W/b 11/3/13 Living Eggs arrive in Reception Class
Wednesday 13th March – Konflux theatre group working with Y4
W/b 19/03/13 – Book Fair
Monday 18th and Tuesday 19th - Parents nights
Thursday 28th March – Year 1 Class Assembly
Easter Holidays Friday 29th March – Friday 12th April Inclusive
(inc 2 teacher training days – 11/3/13 and 12/3/13)
Summer term begins Monday 15th April
Telephone: 0191 3770294 Fax: 0191 3773816 E-Mail: coxhoe@durhamlearning.net
Web Site: www.coxhoe.durham.sch.uk
Coxhoe Communicator
December 2012
Dear Parents/Carers
It was lovely to see so many parents and friends at the Village Carol Service in the Village Hall on Monday. This gave a fantastic start to the beginning of Christmas and all of our children from KS2 who delivered the ‘An Angel Spoke’ musical should be commended for their excellent singing and performance.
The start of icy mornings and blizzard conditions on Wednesday also gave us Mother Nature’s warning that winter is well and truly knocking at the door!
As the weather has turned I would be grateful if you ensure children always have a pair of wellies or boots to wear for journeys to and from school. They can then change into their school shoes or bring slippers to wear inside the building. It also means that we can go outside at break time and lunchtime to enjoy the snow! Unfortunately, children without a change of shoes will have to stay inside at breaktimes as it is not pleasant for them to sit all day with wet feet.
Other school news:
*Well done Miss O’Sullivans class who won our school gymnastics festival and went on to represent the school at our regional Gymnastics Festival. I understand from Miss O’Sullivan and the children that they performed exceptionally well.
*Recent visit by Kumudu our Sri Lankan teaching partner: Last week Kumudu sent a lovely set of photos and letters to school thanking us for making her so welcome during her visit at the end of September. If any parents have stories or anecdotes of things your children said or explained about activities they did with her during her visit, then please let me know. Her school is applying for an International School Award and would like to know of any impact her visit had as part of their presentation. We have provided some evidence from school but it would be great if we could include the ‘Parent Voice’ in our response.
*Forth coming Nativity Presentation: please note there are no further tickets available for the Reception Class Nativity play, but a limited number for Y1 and 2 are still available. Please contact Mrs Taylor in the office if you require tickets.
PLEASE NOTE: DOORS WILL OPEN ONLY 15 MINUTES BEFORE EACH PERFORMANCE. We will be unable to allow anyone to wait inside before this time due to children moving in and out of the hall for their final preparations.
*Christmas Parties: once again we ask if you would be kind enough to help provide party food items for your children’s parties. They should all have a slip to bring home with this request today. Please send food in labelled containers or bags only on the morning of your child’s class party.
*Santa Visit: We have asked Santa to visit each class at the end of their parties. Who knows he may bring a present for each child! In order for children to enjoy his visit please note that from this year it is not possible for parents to attend. Any presents left by Santa will be given to the class teacher to distribute to children and not by a very busy Santa himself.
After School Clubs: Please note that, as we informed you in our After Schools Club letter for this half term, there will be no clubs during the last week of term (w/b 17/12/12).
Last Day of term: (Thursday 20th December); On the last day of term children can bring a toy or game to school (but please no computer games, phones, I pads or other hand held devices. This is also a non-uniform day but no charge is made on this occasion.
Carols around the Tree Service: This will also be held at 2.15 p.m. on the last day of term. All pupils and staff will attend. Governors and members of the Friends of the School are invited to join us.
P.T.O
Home Reading: Please could I remind all parents of your commitment to hear children read at least 3 times a week in KS1 and 2 and everyday in Reception Class. Research shows that pupils who are regularly supported by being heard reading at home perform significantly better than those who do not. We would also ask that you discuss the book or pages read so that pupils develop understanding. Moving to a new book can occur only when a child finishes their book and when they show good understanding of what they have read.
New Y3 and 4 Reading Books: We are currently investing in updating and broadening the range of books in the Year 3 and 4 Reading Schemes. The new books are absolutely fantastic and will I am sure encourage all pupils to engage fully with their reading. Miss Thompson (Literacy Co-ordinator) will invite parents form these classes to a presentation about the new books, as well as giving you an opportunity to view them, early in the spring term.
Spring term After School Clubs: These clubs are currently being finalised and we will send out details before the last week of term with clubs commencing week beginning 7/1/13.
School reopens on Monday 7th January for the spring term.
Finally, Myself, all Staff and Governors would like to wish you all a very happy Christmas with lots of opportunity to relax and spend time with family and friends.
Telephone: 0191 3770294 Fax: 0191 3773816 E-Mail: coxhoe@durhamlearning.net
Web Site: www.coxhoe.durham.sch.uk
Coxhoe Communicator
November 2012
Dear Parents/Carers
We trust that you all had a lovely break with your children last week and were able to spend more time than usual doing family activities.
It was a week of autumn milestones – Halloween and Bonfire Night reminding us that this term will be hectic both in school and homes as we prepare for Christmas. You will see from the information below that we have tried where possible to spread the timing of events over the half term.
If you would like more information about any of the events or other school activities then please pop in or call school on 0191 3770294.
Regards
Mr S Jones
Headteacher
Harvest Festival: Thank you to everyone who attended the event – it was very special and once again we are grateful to the members of St Mary’s church for facilitating the event. We would also like to thank everyone for your donations of food for Durham Food Bank. We have received a letter thanking you for your generosity in donating 175kg of food which provided 157 meal boxes.
Rag Bin: Also thanks for donations of clothing into the recycling bin on the school yard. So far in the last 9 months we have raised £230.00. Well done.
School Sports Kitemark Silver Award: We are very pleased to inform you that our school has been awarded the silver kitemark in the new school sports kitemark scheme. Well done to all pupils and staff for their commitment to sport. We are now aiming for Gold!
Start of the School Day: Please could we remind all parents that the school day starts at 8.55 a.m. and the register is closed at 9.05a.m. so children arriving late will miss the register and be marked as absent. In recent weeks an increasing number of pupils have arrived late which causes problems for the commencement of lessons and the allocation of numbers for school dinners.
School Car Park: A polite reminder that our main entrance for pupils is the gate adjacent to Parsons Walk. Only in specific circumstances e.g. disability access, are parents permitted to bring children into school on a morning or leave at home time through the car park. Recently as our Y3 pupils have completed their pedestrian training it has reminded them of the dangers of walking through car parks. Please help us to keep our children safe by not using the car park entrance when the Parsons Walk gate is open. On evenings e.g. discos, plays, we will close one of the car park gates to ensure that no cars can arrive or leave if the Parsons Walk gate is closed.
Ofsted Inspectors Visit: Before half term we were asked by Ofsted if one of their inspectors could visit school for a day in order to look at our provision for maths. This was a real ‘accolade’ from Ofsted as the information is to be used to prepare a ‘case study’ which will be used to help other schools nationwide improve their provision of maths. Well done to all staff and pupils for their ‘outstanding’ teaching and learning in maths.
Parents Night: Hopefully you will have received your appointment times for next weeks (12th and 13th) parent consultation meetings. If there are any problems please confer with your child’s class teacher and we will try to accommodate a change.
Children in Need Day – Friday 16th November: This term our school council have decided to support Children in Need day. All pupils can dress up or wear ordinary clothes for the day at a charge of 50p. School council have asked if ‘spots’ could feature in the clothes or costume! Also we would like to hold a cake sale on the day – spotty cakes, please!! So if you would be willing to bake and make a cake or small buns please send them in named containers on the morning of the 16th November.
Finally, we have kindly been given a knitted Pudsey Bear to raise money on the day, so School Council have decided to have a bear hunt for him – anyone taking part will be asked to donate 20p for a clue sheet to his hiding place.
Year 3 Class Assembly: 10.15 a.m. Thursday 22nd November
All parents and carers of pupils in Year 3 are invited to attend their topic assembly on Thursday 22nd November and to remain afterwards to share tea/coffee and a snack with their children.
School Gymnastics Festival: As part of our P.E. curriculum each autumn we teach Gymnastics. This culminates in each class presenting a short display to the rest of the school. This year it will take place on Friday 23rd November. Please ensure all pupils have P.E. kit (white T-shirt and navy shorts) in school that day. Staff then decide on one class to represent our school in a Regional Gymnastics Festival later in the term.
Reception Class Health Checks: These annual checks will be conducted by the school nurse on Tuesday 27th November. They include a check on vision, height and weight. Further information will be provided by the school nursing team nearer the date.
Art Days: We had a fabulous Art Day in school during our multi-cultural week, during which we celebrated the culture and history of India. Thank you for providing old clothes to our younger children – they were very blue at the end of the day. Our next Art Day, this time with a Christmas theme, will be Friday 30th November, so keep those old clothes handy!
Administration Notes: Please remember to put your address, child’s name and what the payment is for on all cheques. Please check your child’s bag every night for any communication from school. On numerous occasions deadlines for returns are being missed which can cause a knock on effect throughout school. This is especially important over the next few weeks as we have so many events that need returns back in school quickly. For certain events, unfortunately, returns will not be able to be accepted if handed in after the return date. Please hand them in directly to Reception if you are worried about them getting back to us. Reception book bags are checked regularly but unfortunately because of time restraints staff can not go through individual bags but children are reminded by their teacher each morning of any returns that are due. Thank you for your help and support in this matter.
Forth coming events for Christmas:
You will have received in you child’s bag this week, information about the Christmas Shopping Night on Thursday 15th November and order forms for Calendars which must be returned by 16th November.
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Monday 5th November |
First day of 2nd Autumn half term |
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W/b November 12th |
Anti-bullying week |
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Monday 12th November |
Parents Night |
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Tuesday 13th November |
Parents Night |
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Thursday 15th November |
Christmas Shopping Night organised by Friends of the School (7-9 p.m.) |
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Thursday 22nd November |
Y3 class assembly 10.15 |
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Tuesday 27th November |
Reception Class – health checks by school nurse |
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Friday 30th November |
Whole School ‘Art’ Day |
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Monday 3rd December |
KS 2 pupils participate in Village Carol Service at Village Hall with the salvation army band 7pm |
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Tuesday 11th December |
Reception Nativity Play 2.15 p.m. (3 tickets per child available) |
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Wednesday 12th December |
Y1/2 Nativity Play Dress Rehearsal 2.15 p.m. parents can attend if not able to attend other performances – 2 tickets per child School Christmas Lunch 11.30 Infants, 12.30 Juniors |
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Thursday 13th December |
Y1/2 Nativity Play 2.15 p.m. & 6p.m. 2 tickets per child for each performance available |
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Friday 14th December |
Reception Class Christmas Party (pm) |
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Monday 17th December |
Y1/Y2 Christmas Party (pm) |
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Tuesday 18th December |
Y3/Y4 Christmas Party (pm) |
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Wednesday 19th December |
Y5/Y6 Christmas Party (pm) |
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Thursday 20th December |
Carols around the tree 2.15p.m. (pupils and staff only) School Closes for Christmas Holidays |
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Friday 21st December |
Teacher Training Day |
N.B. All ticket order forms will be sent home closer to the dates
School re-opens for spring term – Monday 7th January
Telephone: 0191 3770294 Fax: 0191 3773816 E-Mail: coxhoe@durhamlearning.net
Web Site: www.coxhoe.durham.sch.uk
Coxhoe Communicator
October 2012
Dear Parents/Carers
As the evenings draw in and leaves begin to fall we are reminded that summer is a distant memory! Harvest Festival this week is also another indicator of change. For our pupils they have now had 4 weeks to adjust to the significant change of moving classes and teacher. It has been incredible to see all of our pupils quickly adapt to their change and establish a great working environment in school. Even when pupils sometimes seem reluctant to leave home on a morning, I hope you can be reassured that they quickly launch themselves into the school day and all classes are filled with children who are settled and eager to dive into the new day. Please let your child’s teacher know if your child is reluctant to come to school and we can work together to overcome any difficulties. As you will see from the following notes the rest of this half term is very busy!
Harvest Festival: Friday 5th October 2.15p.m. St Mary’s Church. We are requesting donations of tinned or packet foods which will be donated to Durham Food Bank. You should already have indicated if your child will be collected from church at 3p.m. or from school at 3.15 p.m. If we receive no advice slip then children will be brought back to school.
Limestone Links Walk – This exciting new walking and cycling route is launched on Saturday 6th October at 9.45 a.m. from Coxhoe Leisure centre. This will be a prestigious launch in the village and everyone is invited along to the launch and to then be one of the first to complete the 4 mile walk or cycle ride. A good event for the whole family.
Photographs for 2013 Calendar – We are grateful once again to the Friends of the school and Mrs Allen for producing our fund raising calendar for 2013. The children will have photographs taken for the month of their birth on Friday 19th October.
Christmas Cards – Pupils may have mentioned they have been busy designing Christmas Cards this week! These will be used to produce individual packs of very special Christmas cards sold at £5.00 for 6 cards. Again a lovely Christmas gift.
Help for Heroes – last year pupils chose to support the ‘Help for Heroes’ charity and you will be pleased to hear raised £308.13 through proceeds from the 2 non-uniform days.
Charities 2012-13 – our new school council met last week for the first time and discussed many suggestions made by the whole school for our charity of the year. The children decided that their were many worthy charities and have split the 3 non-uniform days to support:
Autumn term – Children in Need
Spring Term – Cancer Research
Summer term – Stray Aid (Dog/Cat rescue)
The council also decided to hold a special fund raising day in the spring for ‘Tiny Lives’ a charity supporting families and hospital premature baby care. We will collect our tiniest coin (5p’s) so ‘Tiny Coins for Tiny Lives’ (Date to be confirmed in the spring.
Playground Equipment - fundraising by last years Y6 pupils through their Fun Day and Restaurant project, as well as the penalty shoot out raised about £1200. The School Council discussed suggestions from every class and decided to buy a new scramble type net to add to the adventure playground, as well as new goal posts and consumable equipment. Mr Jones will meet with Head boy (Matthew Whiting) and Head girl (Ellie Lowes) to source the best prices and delivery dates.
Old Light sabres/Toy Swords etc. – if anyone has old light sabres or toy swords/axes we would be grateful for their donation. They will be used in exercise/mobility work to help develop Gross Motor skills. Please hand in to Reception or Year 1 class teachers.
Cheques for school dinners, uniform etc.: Please ensure that your address, name of child, and purpose of cheque is written on the rear of the cheque. Thank you.
New school teams: We have decided to place pupils in 8 new teams this year, which are all named after Northern Castles. Pupils earn team points for good work and behaviour in school for themselves and also their teams. Also children represent these teams at sports day and will work together in their teams throughout the year. Each team is composed of pupils from all Year groups, which gives a lovely opportunity for pupils to work with children of other ages. The teams are Durham, Bamburgh, Raby, Lambton, Lumley, Barnard, Auckland, Alnwick. Each team is led by a class teacher who also appoints a team captain. Watch this space for team news.
Forth coming events: Tuesday 9th October – Ofsted visit. Following our excellent 1 day Maths Survey Inspection by Ofsted last year we have been invited by Ofsted to become a ‘case study’ school. This will mean an Inspector from Ofsted will visit us next Tuesday and spend the day observing lessons, analysing data, in discussions with Headteacher, staff, Governors and pupils. The aim of the day is to prepare a case study which will be used to showcase our good practice in teaching maths to other schools. It is a real honour for us to be chosen for this work and another testimony of the Outstanding teaching and learning in our school.
Y3 Pedestrian training – this training conducted by the Travel Team from County Hall commences on Friday 12th October. The 3 sessions will teach pupils good road and pedestrian safety.
Y5 pupils from class 8 have been chosen to work with Durham University on Tuesday 16th and Wednesday 17th October. They will be working with new touch screen, interactive learning tables at the university as part of an evaluation study on their potential for learning.
New School Dinner Menu – we will commence the ‘3’ hot choice menu after half term. The new 4 week menu is available on the school website. Remember school dinners are very good value for money at only £1.50 per day.
Open Evening for prospective pupils due to start school in September 2013 – We will be hosting an Open Evening on Tuesday 16th October 5.30p.m. – 6.30p.m. for parents interested in their children attending Coxhoe Primary School.
There will be a presentation, followed by a tour of the school.
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Friday 19th October |
Photographs for School Calendar |
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W/b 22nd October |
India Multi Cultural Week |
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Wednesday 24th October |
Halloween School Disco 5.30 – 7.00 p.m. |
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Thursday 25th October |
Governors meeting |
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Friday 26th October |
Last day of half term |
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Monday 5th November |
First day of 2nd Autumn half term |
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W/b November 12th |
Anti-bullying week |
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Monday 12th November |
Parents Night |
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Tuesday 13th November |
Parents Night |
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Thursday 15th November |
Christmas Shopping Night organised by Friends of the School (7-9 p.m.) |
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Thursday 22nd November |
Y3 class assembly 10.15 |
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Tuesday 27th November |
Reception Class – health checks by school nurse |
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Friday 30th November |
Whole School ‘Art’ Day |
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Monday 3rd December |
Coxhoe Village Carol Service 7pm Village Hall |
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Tuesday 11th December |
Reception Nativity Play 2.15 p.m. |
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Wednesday 12th December |
Y1/2 Nativity Play 2.15 p.m. |
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Thursday 12th December |
Y1/2 Nativity Play 2.15 p.m. & 6p.m. |
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Friday 14th December |
Reception Class Christmas Party |
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Monday 17th December |
Y1/Y2 Christmas Party |
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Tuesday 18th December |
Y3/Y4 Christmas Party |
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Wednesday 19th December |
Y5/Y6 Christmas Party |
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Thursday 20th December |
School Closes for Christmas Holidays |
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Friday 21st December |
Teacher Training Day |
School re-opens for spring term – Monday 7th January
Telephone: 0191 3770294 Fax: 0191 3773816 E-Mail: coxhoe@durhamlearning.net
Web Site: www.coxhoe.durham.sch.uk