24 February 2023
Parent Weekly Mailing
Keep us posted - It would be great if parents/carers could let the school know of any student achievements outside of school. We would like to find out what students are doing in their own time and celebrate their achievements. Email us: weeklymailing@cotham.bristol.sch.uk
Week commencing Monday 27 February 2023 is Week B
Standing Items
Headteacher's Welcome
Dear Parents and Carers
Please find this week’s mailing with important information for parents/carers and students as well as updates on school events, activities and opportunities for your reference below.
With very best wishes for the weekend.
Kindest regards,
Ms Jo Butler
Headteacher
Word of the Week
Word of the week
Peruse
Peruse is a verb
It means ‘to read, or to examine, closely'
Example: ‘Aidan took time to peruse the text carefully’
Thank you for the positive feedback 👍
A lovely piece of feedback we received from a parent this week. Thank you so much it is a real boost when we read these lovely comments.
Thank you
Dear Ms Butler
CC. Mrs Arnold for her work supporting Year 9
I have been at the school recently for some in-person events for the first time since lockdown:
- Year 9 options evening
- Year 9 parents evening
- Steel pans concert last night
I just wanted to feedback that each of these events were really positive, with a great atmosphere in the school. It has been great to be able to be on site and see children in their school with their teachers and peers.
I know that teachers and schools are under alot of pressure at the moment, whether striking or not, and I just wanted to express my appreciation and thanks to all the Year 9 staff. Please pass this onto your teams.
Thank you
New Announcements
NEU strike action on Thursday 2 March 2023
Cotham School will be closed to students on Thursday 2 March 2023 and you should not send your child into school on this day.
Only a very small number of highly vulnerable students who have already been identified by our Inclusion Team will be able to access the school site on this day. Parents and carers of these children will be contacted separately. We remain committed to providing a safe and secure environment for our students, and feel that we would be unable to provide safe supervision in the knowledge that we will have very limited numbers of staff available on the day.
Free school meals. Any child entitled to a free school meal will be provided with a packed lunch to bring home with them at the end of the school day on Wednesday 1 March.
On-line school work. On-line school work will be provided for all students to access. They will be provided with details of this in advance of Thursday 2 March.
UK Maths Challenge
Huge congratulations to all students who took part in the Intermediate Maths Challenge last month. Four of our pupils have been invited to undertake progression challenges on Friday 17 March. Particular mention should go to Nathalie in Year 9 who achieved the second highest score in the school and has been invited to take part in the Pink Kangaroo Challenge.
The best score in the school however belongs to Simon in Year 11 who managed to squeeze into the IMC despite having three mock exams on that same day! His performance qualified him to be invited to undertake the Maclaurin Mathematical Olympiad. It should be noted that the IMC is not only across the UK, but schools around the world participate too, and only around 600 of the most able pupils are invited to undertake the MMO. A huge achievement for Simon, and we wish him the very best of luck.
HPV Vaccination Catch-up Clinics
HPV vaccination catch-up clinics are available for Year 8 students who did not receive their vaccination at school. Please book an appointment at https://imms.sirona-cic.org.uk/hpv/2022/book If you have any queries please contact the Immunisation Team directly on 0300 124 5515 or email sirona.sch-imms@nhs.net
Parent Governor Elections
Are you interested in being more involved in the life and running of the school? Why not consider becoming a school governor? We currently have two vacancies for Parent Governors and plan to hold elections this term. Please see the attached letter for more information and, if you are interested, please complete and return the nomination form by Thursday 9 March. If you have any queries, contact: governanceprofessional@cotham.bristol.sch.uk
Bristol - Hong Kong in your eyes: A collective exhibition
This exhibition 'Bristol - Hong Kong in your eye' is organised by Bristol-based social enterprise 'Mingle Bristol'.
One of the major events of a cultural festival 'Hong Kong March', being held across the UK in the coming March. The aim of the exhibition is to enhance mutual understanding among the community of Hong Kong and Bristol via arts and multimedia.
We invite your sharing - to express your new experience, thoughts, feelings and concerns in Bristol and/or any special moments and memories of Hong Kong.
Students can submit Paintings, Sketches, Drawings, Poems, Photos, Essays, Videos or Souvenirs.
The event will take place on:
Saturday 25/03/2023 from 10am - 4pm
Sunday 26/03/2023 from 1:30pm - 4pm
Year 7 Choir
Year 7 choir will be on Monday mornings in the recital room (E201). All Year 7s are welcome. The choir will be running from 8.20am to 8.50am. Any questions, please ask the Performing Arts team.
World Book Week
The Year 7s have a POTATO CHARACTER COMPETITION to enter. Students are encouraged to decorate a potato inspired by their favourite books and/or characters. This is a fun and creative activity which has proved very popular in the past with some impressive results! Bring your potato in by Tuesday 28 February.
The Year 7s will also be challenged to a LIBRARY TREASURE HUNT and QUIZ over the following few weeks - a fun way to experience and learn about Cotham School's fantastic library and what it has to offer.
The Library will also be having an affordable Book Fair in aid of the Earthquake in Turkey-Syria.This small but exciting Second Hand Book Sale will begin on Friday 3 March. Books can be purchased at BREAK and at LUNCH. Please send your children in with CASH ONLY and books start from £1.
The Cotham Staff are not missing out on the World Book Week fun, they are taking part in a SHELFIE COMPETITION. Staff take a photo whilst hiding behind a book and students have to guess who they are. The staff have also been sharing their favourite books with the students over the past week and reading excerpts from them in assembly.
World Book Week hopes to encourage students to appreciate books and remind them that READING FOR PLEASURE is a worthwhile, fun and valuable pastime that can last a lifetime.
From next week there will be a selection of FREE WORLD BOOK DAY BOOKS in the library - One book per student. We have some great choices available. We also have paper BOOK TOKENS that can be exchanged for books at various supermarkets and shops. Please come into the library to get yours.
World Book Week
The Year 7s have a POTATO CHARACTER COMPETITION to enter. Students are encouraged to decorate a potato inspired by their favourite books and/or characters. This is a fun and creative activity which has proved very popular in the past with some impressive results! Bring your potato in by Tuesday 28 February.
The Year 7s will also be challenged to a LIBRARY TREASURE HUNT and QUIZ over the following few weeks - a fun way to experience and learn about Cotham School's fantastic library and what it has to offer.
The Library will also be having an affordable Book Fair in aid of the Earthquake in Turkey-Syria.This small but exciting Second Hand Book Sale will begin on Friday 3 March. Books can be purchased at BREAK and at LUNCH. Please send your children in with CASH ONLY and books start from £1.
The Cotham Staff are not missing out on the World Book Week fun, they are taking part in a SHELFIE COMPETITION. Staff take a photo whilst hiding behind a book and students have to guess who they are. The staff have also been sharing their favourite books with the students over the past week and reading excerpts from them in assembly.
World Book Week hopes to encourage students to appreciate books and remind them that READING FOR PLEASURE is a worthwhile, fun and valuable pastime that can last a lifetime.
From next week there will be a selection of FREE WORLD BOOK DAY BOOKS in the library - One book per student. We have some great choices available. We also have paper BOOK TOKENS that can be exchanged for books at various supermarkets and shops. Please come into the library to get yours.
Lost Property (Uniform)
May we remind you to always label your child’s uniform with their name and Year Group as we are usually able to return any lost items if they are named. There is a large amount of "lost uniform" at Student Reception - please have a look through if you are missing anything.
Coming Up Soon...
Upcoming Event: Year 11 Parent Information Event - Wednesday 1 March 2023, 5pm to 6pm
Our second Year 11 parent information event is happening on Wednesday 1 March between 5pm to 6pm in the Mail School hall. The event is an in person event and is taking place in the main school hall and begins at 5pm. The event is hosted by Mr Reed, Deputy Headteacher and Mr Watts, Assistant Headteacher. The event is designed to talk you through the remainder of Year 11 and how you can best support your child leading up to the summer examinations. During this event we will be talking about:
The recent mock examinations
The format of feedback they will be receiving from their teachers and how to act upon to ensure maximum learning
The key events for the remainder of the year
How students should best prepare for their summer examinations
How to best supporting students at home during this time
Further resources that may be of help
It is a free event and you do not need to register for the event. Please arrive for the event via the school main reception on Cotham Lawn Road from 4.45pm for a 5pm start.
Upcoming Event: Year 8 Family Consultation Day
Year 8 Family Consultation Day will take place on Tuesday 28 February.
The event will take place between 8:30am and 4:45pm and will be a live event. Parents and carers will have the opportunity to meet your child’s tutor for a 15 minute appointment to discuss your child’s engagement and well-being, participation in the wider life of the school, and to set targets for the remainder of the year. Please visit https://cothamschool.schoolcloud.co.uk to book your appointments. Bookings will close on Monday 20 February at 8:00am.
Upcoming Event: Bake sale on Wednesday 1 March
Sigma House will be holding a bake sale on Wednesday 1 March at break time to raise money for the victims of the Turkey and Syria Earthquakes. Cakes will be sold at £1 each
Year 7 Parents’ Evening (PES) - Tuesday 7 March
The online event will take place between 3:45pm and 6:45pm.
Appointment Details: Parents and carers will have the opportunity to meet virtually with their child’s subject teachers for a 5 minute appointment.
Booking Appointments: Please visit https://cothamschool.schoolcloud.co.uk to book your appointments.
Bookings will close on Monday 6 March at 6pm.
Visual Art Work of the Week
This week year 7 have been looking at the work of Hundertwasser. They have made their own drawings based on the style of Hundertwasser's. Attached here are some examples of the work they have done.
WOTW Y7 Hundertwasser.pdfYear 9
Year 9 Assessments will take place from 13 - 24 March 2023
Please see the Year 9 Exam Preparation document which details the style and content of each exam, as well as details of revision to support your child with their assessments.
Please see the Year 9 assessment timetable that gives the dates and time for each assessment.
Students will have an assembly, outlining the information and tips on how to revise and prepare for the exams. We will also have time in tutor time to go through the timetable.
Year 8 - STEAM
Year 8 Students in Food this week have been looking at the function of Fibre in our digestive systems and which foods are best for good fibre intake. As part of this they conducted an experiment to look at how food is transported through the digestive system. It caused much excitement in the room but by the end of the lesson students knew how the digestive system works and the difference between soluble and insoluble fibre. It is timely as this month is Fibre February, links to further information on Fibre can be found here. You could try this delicious single-serve, air fryer sticky toffee cookie which contains 6g fibre per cookie. It can be baked in either a conventional oven or an air fryer and you can freeze it.
And don't forget from last time....
Reporting Students Absence
Student absence can be reported to the school in any of the 3 methods below.
Please state pupil Full Name, Tutor Group, and Reason for the Absence.
Online using the absence report form - Years 7 to 11 and Post 16
By email using absence@cotham.bristol.sch.uk for Years 7 to 11 students and p16absence@cotham.bristol.sch.uk for Post 16 students.
By calling the school on 0117 919 8000. Please press 1 to report an absence and then press 1 for Years 7-11 or press 2 for Post 16
Digital Literacy Corner
Latest Parent Online Safety Cheat Sheet
Apple devices come with built-in apps already available: Mail, FaceTime and Safari, for example. However, you can choose which apps and features appear on your child’s device and which ones don’t.
You can also manipulate the features in Game Centre to enhance your child’s safety and privacy when playing games, as well as blocking iTunes or App Store purchases if you wish.
All - 12 Ways to Champion Equality Online.pdfFebruary 2023 Online Safety Newsletter
Click here to view this month’s online safety newsletter.
Online Safety Newsletter Secondary February 2023_SECONDARY_PDF_Cotham.pdfOur latest GCSE Pod Usage
Welcome! GCSEPod is the perfect resource to help your child learn, retain and recall all the information they need to achieve their GCSE goals.
Pods watched this academic year
4,098
Number of Pods watched in Term 3
958
Most watched subject this year
Geography
Our latest Seneca Learning Usage
Seneca offers high-quality free online learning courses for students to study from a computer, tablet or phone. The courses are suitable for students aged 13 and above and cover KS3, KS4 GCSE and KS5 A Level subjects.
We are Premium subscribers to this service which unlocks further features of the platform.
Seneca Learning sessions completed this academic year
45,468
Total Seneca Learning study time for Term 3
5,065 hours
Total Seneca Learning study time for this academic year
19,958 hours
Staff Vacancies
Cotham School are currently recruiting for the following positions:
KS4 Safeguarding Lead
Exam Invigilators
For more information and to apply please click here.
