Friday Newsletter from Ms McNamara
Posted 6th October 2023
Message from Miss McNamara
Our classrooms have continued to buzz this week with curiosity and enthusiasm. I have been giving lots of tours of the school for prospective parents and potential Deputy Headteacher candidates; every visitor has been impressed by the engaging and enriching learning experiences for our children as well as the calm atmosphere.
This week, Martin Powell, our dedicated Police School Liaison Officer, joined us in assembly to talk to us about road safety. The children learnt about the different types of crossings and how to keep themselves safe as the evenings get darker. Martin Powell also commented on how impressed he was with the behaviour of the children at Coppice.
Year 3&4 Residential
Mrs Hawkins and Mrs Haddington were so proud of the Year 3/4s that went on the bushcraft residential last week. The children worked so well within their tribes to learn and put into practice new skills and knowledge. They made shelters, built traps, made fires to cook their lunch, practiced first aid and learnt about the importance of concealment and camouflage. Amongst all of that, lots of them were away from home for the first time, some camping for the first time and in an unfamiliar environment. We were so impressed with how they dealt with these new situations and adapted to living 'in the wilderness'.
A huge thank you to Mrs Hawkins and Mrs Haddington for giving up their time to give the children this experience.
Halloween Fancy Dress (PTFA Fundraiser)
Why did the skeleton go to the fancy dress party alone?
Because he had no body to go with!
On Friday 27th October we will be having a Halloween fancy dress day, as a PTFA non-uniform fundraiser. Children can dress up in Halloween costumes for a £1 donation to the PTFA.
Attendance
National data from the 2022-2023 academic year for the end of Key Stage 2 shows that 71% of pupils who had 99% attendance or above achieved expected standard in reading, writing and maths, compared to only 50% of pupils with 90% attendance. This drops to only 42% of children achieving the expected standards with 85% attendance.
Our average school attendance for this academic year is currently 97.4%.
Community News
Resurrected Bites Community Groceries
A weekly shop from as little as £3.
The community groceries are run through a subscription scheme and are for people who are in financial hardship. It costs just a fraction of a normal supermarket shop and it saves thousands of tonnes of food from going to landfill every week. You can join for £5 then have access to a weekly shop for just a few pounds (a 4+ family can get their shop for £6). They run at New Park School and Gracious Street Methodist Church in Knaresborough twice weekly https://resurrectedbites.co.uk/#groceries
They also run pay as you feel cafes in Harrogate at St Paul’s URC (Weds 10am-2pm), Killinghall Methodist Church (Thurs 11.30am-2pm) and at the Centre on Gracious Street in Knaresborough (Fri 10am-2pm) https://resurrectedbites.co.uk/#cafes
Hannah McNamara
Headteacher
Coppice Valley Primary School
