Our parents have been enjoying fantastic cakes and treats today, at 5LF's 'Lovehearts Cafe'!  Thank you to Mrs Foster and her hard-working team, and to the talented students who have designed t-shirts, menus, cakes and posters for their event.  The students' chosen charity is Michael Sobell House.  Please donate if you can:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/5lfcafe?utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=page%2F5lfcafe&utm_source=whatsapp&utm_campaign=pfp-whatsapp

NUMBER DAY with the HAPPY PUZZLE COMPANY

Our children have had a fantastic day taking part in fun 'Brain Blaster' team challenges with ‘The Happy Puzzle Company’.  We've had some great dress-up costumes and a day of maths activities in class.  Thank you parents for your kind donations to the NSPCC.

We will let you know shortly about the winners of the  family number quiz! 

5UQ have enjoyed the STEM-inspired D.T. project:  MARBLE RUNS.  Their creations are amazing!  They went throught the design process, right up to the BIG MAKE.  The aim was to make the marble last as long as possible on its run, whilst decorating the whole thing to add aesthetic value!

SAFER INTERNET DAY

On Tuesday 6th February, we will be joining schools and youth organisations across the UK in celebrating Safer Internet Day 2024. Safer Internet Day is a global campaign to promote the safe and responsible use of technology, which calls on young people, parents, carers, teachers, social workers, law enforcement, companies, policymakers and more, to help to create a better internet.

This year the campaign will be focusing on change online, this includes covering:

• Young people’s perspective on new and emerging technology

• Using the internet to make change for the better

• The changes young people want to see online

• The things that can influence and change the way young people think, feel and act online and offline

Using the internet safely and positively is a key message that we promote in school and celebrating Safer Internet Day is a fantastic opportunity for us to reemphasise the online safety messages we deliver throughout the year.

We would be delighted if you could join us in celebrating the day by continuing the conversation at home. To help you with this, for the UK Safer Internet Centre have created some free activities and information for parents and carers which are available at:

https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/parents-and-carers

Whether you have 5 minutes to start a conversation or hours to spare, there are top tips, quizzes, and films which you can use at home with your child. If you have any concerns or questions about keeping your child safe online, please do contact your child’s class teacher/myself or Miss Coburn. Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is Miss Martin.

Safer Internet Talks are being held on Tuesday 6th February at 6pm in school. All parents / carers are urged to attend. This is a session for adults only due to the nature of the discussions. Please confirm your attendance with Mrs Eckley as soon as possible:

reckley.312@lgflmail.org or

rcoburn.312@lgflmail.org

Kind regards Mrs Eckley & Miss Coburn

Children’s Mental Health Week and Safer Internet Day 2024 (5-11 February) 

We are looking forward to marking Children’s Mental Health Week and celebrating Safer Internet Day in that week too. 1 in 6 children and young people now have a diagnosable mental condition and by taking part in this week, we can help pupils feel listened to and to know that they are not alone. The theme for the week is My Voice Matters.

Monday 5th February:

● Assembly in school – Place2Be Children’s Mental Health Week

● Activities in school using our ItsLearning Room – Self-Worth

● Express Yourself Day – wear non-uniform to school to express yourself. This might be to show an interest that you have such as a sport you play; an organisation you belong to; a hobby you have or your own choice. It is up to you to express yourself. We have a Just Giving Page for this activity. Instead of bringing in money, please make a donation to Coteford Junior School’s Just Giving link if you feel you are able to contribute.

https://www.justgiving.com/page/rachael-eckley-1703777340422?newPage=true

Tuesday 6th February

● Safer Internet Assembly in school

● Activities in school using our ItsLearning Room – Resilience

● Safer Internet Talk at school at 6pm. This is for adults only as the content is not appropriate for children.

Wednesday 7th February

● Activities in school using our ItsLearning Room – Self-care

Thursday 8th February

● Activities in school using our ItsLearning Room - Hope and Optimism

Friday 9th February

● Activities in school using our ItsLearning Room – Relationships.

Look at our Itslearning Children’s Mental Health Room (Itslearning link is on our Homepage signpost - log in using your child’s ItsLearning username and password) to find out about the activities that we will be doing.

Support for our families

Place2Be offers help and support to families on a range of topics. We use their resources in school. Their website can be accessed here: https://parentingsmart.place2be.org.uk/

Young Minds offer tailored support for families. You can make contact on the phone, online or through the helpline. This is completely free. 

https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/parents-helpline/

Tuesday 6th February - SAFER INTERNET TALKS

Parents and carers are invited to a Safer Internet Talk at school at 6pm with Mrs Eckley and Miss Coburn. These talks are aimed at adults so unfortunately children cannot attend. Resources will be posted on our website, but we strongly encourage parents and carers to attend.

Please email Mrs Eckley to confirm your attendance: reckley.312@lgflmail.org

We hope your child really enjoys the events we have planned and please remember to look at the Itslearning Course and Parenting Smart articles from Place2Be. Mind offer some suggestions about talking about mental health with your child. There is no right or wrong way. There are some really good ideas here:

https://www.youngminds.org.uk/media/yewavutz/young-minds-conversation-starters_final-003.pdf

Kind regards, Mrs Eckley

Our Y5 children have had a lovely time at High Meadows, which is a care home local to Coteford.  They sang carols, told jokes and performed magic tricks for the residents!  They also took along cakes and mince pies sent in by our parents.  The residents said it was the highlight of their year :)

Well done for bringing a smile Year 5. 

Congratulations to our Year 4 classes who entered the Hillingdon Blast online music competition. They learnt the Recorder for a term during their Year 3 class music lessons and enjoyed making music together. What a smart certificate signed by the Mayor and the head of the Music Hub!
Current Year 3 will be learning Recorder next term.

We had such a lovely Nativity and Christmas Service at St.Lawrence Church this morning.  Thank you to Rev. Seymour for making us so welcome.  The children behaved beautifully and the singing was amazing.  Our children of all abilities were able to enjoy and take part in this lovely whole school community event.

Christmas has arrived in 5CM!  The children ran an AMAZING cafe for staff and parents, raising funds for BLISS, a charity chosen by the pupils which supports families affected by premature birth.

We all enjoyed amazing cakes and hot chocolate, prepared by the class; the carolling was fantastic and the staff were super-efficient and helpful.  Well done to Mrs Marks and all the fantastic helpers!