Achievement | Diversity | Respect

30 June 2023

Parent and Carer 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 3 July 2023 is Week A

Standing Items are now located at the bottom of the mailing.

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.

I wish you all a restful weekend.

Kindest regards,

Ms Jo Butler, Headteacher

Positive feedback of the week 👍

A thank you message from a Year 11 parent

I can’t believe how time flies. It feels like yesterday when my son started Yr 7 at Cotham and now he has reached Yr 11. There’s a saying that time flies when you are having fun...I would like to thank Mr Saddler who is an amazing DT teacher who my son speaks highly of. I would like to thank Ms Chapman (who no longer is in Cotham School) for doing a wonderful job. That same goes for Ms Papworth who my son speaks highly of. I also want to thank Ms Sowersby for doing a wonderful job. She is truly amazing...

Three cheers for Cotham School Hip hip hooray, Hip hip hooray, Hip hip hooray!

Thank you

Do you know our three school values?

Word of the Week

KS3

Trend: ‘Trend’

KS4

Temperament:

‘tem-pruh-muhnt’

New Announcements

Statement in respect of the Bristol City Council Public Rights of Way and Greens Committee meeting held on Wednesday 28 June 2023

Re: Outcome in relation to Applications to Register Land at Stoke Lodge as a Town and Village Green under the Commons Act 2006

We are deeply disappointed by the decision made this week to register our Cotham School's playing field at Stoke Lodge as a Town and Village Green. Our first priority remains ensuring the best possible educational experience for our students in a happy and secure environment, and this lies at the heart of everything we do. The School will now carefully reflect on the outcome and will keep our parents and carers updated. You can find out more about our school playing field here www.stokelodgeplayingfields.org.uk

Strike Action by the NEU on Wednesday 5 and Friday 7 July 2023

Please follow this link referring to a letter that was sent this week regarding Strike Action by the National Education Union. The school will issue meal vouchers rather than lunch to those students receiving FSM. Parents will receive FSM vouchers to cover those 2 strike days via email.

Cotham School performing at St. Paul's Carnival

We are so proud that some of our students and staff are taking part in St. Paul's Carnival this year. If you intend to support them at the event, please look after yourselves and each other. This checklist is a useful guide for parents and carers.

st-pauls-carnival-parent-carer-check-list (1).docx

St Paul's Carnival

This year is the first time Cotham School has officially partaken in the St. Paul's Carnival celebration. St. Paul's Carnival is a celebration of Afro-Caribbean culture and it is an important impact on the city of Bristol. Cotham School is overjoyed to be able to participate through the procession with our Jamaican themed costumes and headdresses. The theme of St. Paul’s Carnival for this 2023 year is “Learning from Legends.” Throughout the celebrations we will be honouring our past present and future legends. Over the past 6 weeks some of our Key Stage 3 students have put themselves forward to take part in the celebration by learning choreography and creating costumes to bring together and honour these legends.

Marlene Kelly and Cydney Forbes

Open Evening at Cotham School Wednesday 27 September 2023

Please see the attached banner print for Cotham School. We would very much appreciate it if you could share it around with your friends and family especially to those who have children in the current Year 4 and 5!

Don't forget that as well as our Open Evening we also have a significant amount of open Morning throughout the year too.

Landscape Banner Print.pdf

Gold DofE

Gold DofE had a wonderful 4 days in the sun up in the Peak district last week for their qualifying expedition, the team were amazing and all passed with flying colours. They worked brilliantly as a group and supported each other throughout, with some really impressive navigation and camp skills. Well Done All.

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House News

It is a very exciting time within the House system at the moment as we transition from saying goodbye to our wonderful Year 11 Prefects and begin interviewing and announcing our current Year 10 prefects. Students across Year 10 have been able to submit applications for this prestigious role online, their Heads of Houses have then invited students for a formal interview in order to be appointed for the role. The successful candidates were announced in their House assemblies and congratulated in front of their whole house whilst also being awarded their badge.

Gamma prefects were announced this week with the following students being appointed-

Gamma

House Captains will be taking a leading role in communicating the success of their House and will each be introducing themselves and their aims in an upcoming weekly mailing. Keep an eye out!

The Gamma house assembly saw a prize raffle with some lucrative awards available for the top House point earners. Tuva won the hotly contested wireless headphones as the first student picked from the wheel of names. Other prizes included, footballs, speakers and colouring pencils.

KS3 Art

This week Year 9 have been experimenting in mixed media to create Klari Reis inspired art. They have used PVA glue, 'brusho' and embellishment within a petri dish to create these lovely pieces. When hung by a window they have a beautiful stained glass effect which is really a fantastic sight!

WOTW Y9 Klari Reis petri dish.pdf

Year 9 Inter Tutor Quiz

Nine Tutor teams represented their tutor groups and took part in the Quiz to see which tutor group would be crowned champions.

The scores were very close and 9LBE were the winners! Congratulations to all who took part.

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Year 9 - 500 Words Competition!

500 words competition - taking part is simple: all you have to do is write an original story in any form, topic of your choice. Using no more than 500 words. Your story can be about absolutely anything you like, so fire up your imagination and get writing! You can send your entries to Miss Svitska svitskay@cotham.bristol.sch.uk Or hand write your story or print off from the computer and hand it into Miss Svitska or Mrs Arnold.

Deadline date has been extended to Monday 3 July - Good luck!

Year 9 500 words competition!

Year 9 - Oracy Pioneers

On Tuesday 27 June, Cotham hosted an event on behalf of Bristol Educational Partnership and their collaborative project, Oracy Pioneers. The project has involved Year 9 students from all the participating schools attending oracy workshops run by Unique Voice, and then designing and delivering their own oracy workshops to younger students. It was brilliant to meet staff and students from other schools and exchange feedback on all the different workshops that each group created. Students were also able to give staff their opinions on how to make oracy a priority in our schools going forwards, and it was brilliant to hear their thoughtful and articulate contributions to the discussion. We also had attendees from Unique Voice and Ignited Presenting who ran various activities with students and talked to them about future opportunities. It was a really positive, productive day and a great example of what can be achieved through Bristol Schools working together.

Year 9 - Community Catch Up Clinics

HPV vaccination catch-up clinics are available for Year 9 students who did not receive their vaccination at school. Please follow the link to book an appointment. If you have any queries please contact the Immunisation Team directly on 0300 124 5515 or email sirona.sch-imms@nhs.net

Year 9/10 Rounders Quarter Finals

On Tuesday 27 June the Year 9/10 Rounders team visited Trinity Secondary School to play the quarter final rounders game.

Players included;

Emily P

Sofia B

Vismaya V

Zoya A

Kaylee T

Verity A

Martina LJ

Inez W

Isabelle H

Flo Kane

Hana J

Alafiyah M

The game started well with Cotham fielding. Vismaya and Zoya had a great partnership between backstop and 1st post and successfully stumped many of Trinity's batters. Inez's bowling was consistent and strong. Isabelle and Emily were positioned on 2nd and 4th post. Both caught the ball and stumped players with ease and control. Our deep fielders worked very hard sending powerful and accurate passes to the bowler and 2nd post. The first innings finished Cotham 8.5 - Trinity 4 rounders. The second innings started with timed innings which meant our batters needed to show urgency getting into the batting square but composure when hitting. Some players even attempted the back hand shot.

The final score was 18.5 - 11 to Cotham.

Player from Trinity included;

Batter = Zoya A

Fielder = Inez W

The team are now playing Ashton Park School in the Semi Finals on Tuesday 11 July.

Good luck Girls!

Year 10 - Career Project for students new to English

Some of our Year 10s have been participating in a "Home Language Careers project", a pilot project in partnership with UWE and English as an Additional Language (EAL) Inclusive Education. The project has aimed to increase students knowledge of the different jobs that are available to them when they leave school, whilst also supporting them to explore and make plans towards achieving their career aspirations.

The project has been specifically designed for young people who speak English as an additional language and therefore all of the information provided has been in their home language.

Students have attended four sessions with their EAL teacher and have shown great engagement in the project. They have all come out with more knowledge on how to reach their career aspirations including interview techniques and felt more positive about their ability to reach their goals.

Year 11 and Year 13 Locker Key Returns

Please can all Year 11 and Year 13 students return their locker keys no later than Friday 14 July. We have a limited number of lockers and want to make these available to our new students in September.

Year 11 students can return their keys to the Finance Office. Year 13 students can return them to either Post 16 Reception or the Finance Office. Once keys are returned we will be able to return deposits paid.

Year 11 - Prom

The Prom went really well ths week! The students all looked amazing in their sparkly dresses and sharp suits. They were all well behaved and polite, and looked like they had a really good night. The security guard commented on this and how well behaved they were. The man running the photo booth said that the students were some of the best behaved ones that he had worked with. One student found £25 on the ballroom floor and handed it in to the event manager in the ballroom. It turned out to be my son Leon's!

I hope they all had a night to remember! From the Prom Organising Group.

A huge thank you to the Year 11s who attended Prom at the Bristol Hotel on Wednesday 28 June. They dressed in style, rammed the dance floor and made it a great night. Their behaviour, politeness and maturity were all complimented by hotel staff, security and the photo booth manager. The parent Prom Committee would also like to thank - Ms.Buckley for superb school liaison, the school finance department for their support, and Tia and the student prom committee for all their hard work on the decorations and playlist. From the Parent Prom Committee

20% off your school Jumper at Monkhouse! - Cotham School

You can now purchase your school Jumper with an exclusive 20% off at Monkhouse! But be quick, this offer ends on Friday 15 September 2023.

Cotham School - Flyer.pdf

Catering Refunds

My child has left Cotham School. Please can you refund their account balance or transfer their balance to a sibling?

The catering provision at Cotham School is outsourced to a company called Caterlink. You will need to contact Caterlink in order to obtain the refund or a transfer of funds between accounts. They have provided the below information regarding how to do this.

The parent needs to complete the google form which can be accessed here: CaterLink Ltd parent refund form, this version will allow the parents to upload screenshots of their balance. Where the balance is small or difficult to verify another way i.e. we cannot access the system, it can help us process the refund much faster but the parent will need a google account. If they do not have a google account then they can use this one: CaterLink Ltd parent refund form - No Upload

Cotham Futures (Careers) News

We have been working closely with Network Rail via our link with The Talent Foundry, 20 students in Year 10 were chosen to be part of the programme. They are designing a new railway station and presenting their plans to the panel at Network Rail (Temple Meads). Students had the opportunity to visit Temple Meads Station where they received a tour of the signal box and got to take part in controlling the signals to drivers in the Signalling Room. A couple of students made a public announcement to travellers too. There is one more trip to make to Temple Meads where they will present their railway station ideas.

WEX week is next week, we do have over 120 Year 10 students out on placements - well done to those who are out - it hasn't been easy this year finding placements as there is a vast amount of hybrid working.

Year 10 students who are not out on placements will be taking part in an exciting program of workshops next week all created by Barclays, LifeSkills and delivered by the "Talent Foundry" Tutors and volunteers.

Bristol Future Talent Partnership Careers Fair University of Bristol School of Chemistry - Monday 10 July 9.30am - 2.30pm

Bristol Future Talent Partnership is a collaboration of leading Bristol based organisations who share the vision of making Bristol the fairest and most racially equal place to study and work in the UK. They offer high quality work experience and mentoring opportunities to young people aged 14 to 21 from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds to raise aspirations, remove barriers, and provide talent with opportunity.

Bristol Future Talent are organising a Careers Fair on Monday 10 July for students in Yearr 10 from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds. It is taking place at at East Foyer, Chemistry Building, School of Chemistry, Cantock's Close, Bristol, BS8 1TS.

For further information please contact: Hello@bristolfuturetalent.co.uk

The Birch Collective

A Bristol based charity specialising in supporting the mental health of vulnerable 16-25 year olds where traditional mental health support is inaccessible, particularly aimed at combatting loneliness and isolation. Birch activities develop connections with the natural world and with others who have a shared interest in being outdoors and learning a range of practical skills, from traditional craft and handwork, to ecologically sensitive food growing and conservation techniques.

Free activities and experiences are accessible to everyone, no matter your background or experience. To find out more please click on this link

Please follow this link to see the FREE opportunity to book on to a residential Birch Collective camp in September.

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Off the Record Events ....

St Paul's Carnival Hub

OTR Hub will be out and about on Saturday 1 July for St Paul's Carnival in collaboration with Project Zazi. Instead of holding their usual session at Old Market, they' will have a stall in St Paul's Park between 11am-3pm. Specific location tbc - keep an eye on the socials!

Pride

OTR and Freedom will be attending the Bristol Pride March on Saturday 8 July! Make sure to look out for them on the day, or get in touch for details of where they will be meeting if you would like to join the March. Contact the team on 07535169406 or send an email to lgbtq@otrbristol.org.uk

Next-Gen Sounds

Next-Gen-Sounds - Free, open access music sessions at Trinity Centre. 0117 935 1200

Full Circle Project

Project Zazi's weekly youth club by the Full Circle Project takes place at Docklands Youth Centre on Wednesdays and is for 12-16 year olds.

National Centre for Gaming Disorders

Support for families and individuals experiencing problematic gaming habits. The organisation offer national on line support. Self referrals and family referrals accepted, you don't have to be referred by a GP. Follow this link to find out more.

Post 16

Transition Day

We were very excited to welcome prospective students in for Y11 transition day on Wednesday this week. Students were welcomed by the NBP16 team, took part in taster lessons and had the opportunity to quiz current students on day to day life in the centre. All summer work can be found here.

National Citizenship Service

Year 12 watched a virtual assembly this week about all the residential experiences NCS has to offer over the summer. Watch the video here. Bursary students should contact Ms Dutton for more information about how the school can contribute towards this.

Futures Conference

The Futures conference planned for 5 July has been rescheduled to 4 July due to strike action. Y12 Students will be off timetable for this day at Cotham and RGS.

Exams

Please see our NBP16 Summer exams FAQ page which should answer any questions you may have.

Coming Up Soon...

Steel Pans - Wednesday 5 July

Our Summer Steel Pans Concert will be held in the outdoor amphitheatre featuring groups from Years 7-10. Tickets are available on Wisepay at £3 Adult, £1 Open concession and £5 pay it forward. Concert starts at 6.30pm. The concert will still be going ahead even though this is a Strike Day.

Steel Pans Feb 2023.jpg

Matilda

Wednesday 12 July - Friday 14 July 2023

Tickets for Cotham’s Production of Matilda are now on sale via wisepay. We’d like everyone who wants to see Matilda to be able to. To help with this, we are pricing the school show slightly differently this year by introducing a flexible Pay What You Choose pricing for the event.

How does it work?

On Pay What You Choose events, when you checkout, you’ll be given a choice of 3 different prices:

£5 - Open Concession – If this is what you can afford; book this rate and let us welcome you with open arms.

£8 - Standard – If you can afford to, please book this rate; the extra money you give will support the continued existence of the variety of extra-curricular performances put on at Cotham School.

£15 - Pay It Forward – If you’re feeling generous and you have the means, please consider choosing this rate. Each Pay It Forward ticket subsidises two concession tickets, and helps more people experience the delight of watching live theatre.

All you have to do is select the price bracket that best suits your budget and continue to checkout.

And don't forget from last time....

End of Term 6 Arrangements for Students

All students, including Post 16 students will finish school for the summer on Thursday 20 July at 12pm. This will also be a non-uniform day.

Digital Literacy Corner

Latest Parent Online Safety Cheat Sheet

What Parents and Carers Need to Know About

Facebook Messenger

Addictive Nature

Live Streaming

Requests from Strangers

Oversharing Personal Information

Cyberbullying

Secret Conversations

Parents - Facebook Messenger.pdf

Our 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.

Learn more about GCSEPod Here

Pods watched this academic year

6,676

Number of Pods watched so far in Term 5

227

Most watched subject this week

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.

Learn more about Seneca Learning Here