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Coopers School
Hawkwood Lane Chislehurst Kent
BR7 5PS
Principal: Mrs S Puxty BSc (Hons) NPQH
Tel:
Fax.
Email:
Website:
020 8467 3263
020 8295 0342
[email protected]
www.coopersschool.com
’Enabling learners of today to become achievers of tomorrow ’
15 December 2014
Issue 7 2014/15
Dear Parents/Carers
May I take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas.
I am delighted to report that we do not have any staff leaving us at the end of this term. However, we
have three new staff joining us in January. M rs Bramley joins the Geography department and the EPQ
Team, Mrs Maddison joins us as Subject Leader of Biology, and Ms Frayne joins us as Subject Leader
of Business.
Calendar, Contacts and Parent Events
Please follow the link below to access our events calendar and a reporting cycle overview:
https://portal.cooperstc.com/CLG/Webdocs/Lists/Parent%20Calendar/calendar.aspx
Please see the website or follow this link to the Gateway for updated staff e-mail addresses:
https://portal.cooperstc.com/CLG/Parent/Documents/Teaching%20Staff%20Email%20List.pdf.
Dates for your diary :
Date
Calendar Item
15 December
16 December
17 December
18 December
19 December
5 January 2015




Year 12 trip to University of Southampton – by invitation only (Miss Pandolfino)
Poetry by Heart competition – main hall (Mrs Duncan)
Cray Wanderers Football Academy Promotion event 6.30pm (me Anslow)
Year 13 A2 English Literature trip to Terror & Wonder – the Gothic Imagination
Workshop, British Library (Mrs Ashton)
 Christmas Lunch, £2.00 per student (Mr Letchford)
 Year 7 Carol Singing at Elmstead Nursing Home, 2.00pm – by invitation only
(Miss Watson)
 Christmas Lunch, £2.00 per student (Mr Letchford)
 Carol Singing at Fairlight and Fallowfield Nursing Home, 2.00pm (Mrs Stanton)
 Botswana Trip Team Meeting 3.15 (Ms Ryland)
Intercommunity event main hall period 1 (Mr Grover)
Year 11 Result Day (Mr Lucas)
No Enrichment – all students leave at 1.25pm. Lessons as normal. (No period 4 for
Year 11/12/13)
Pantomime afternoon (staff to students) – all students welcome to buy a ticket for
charity
Last day of term. Normal period 1 and 2. Finish at midday.
Wear a Christmas Jumper Day for charity – details below
Start of Spring Term 8.30am for all
Chair of Governors: Andrew Downes
Vice Principals: Sue Wood | David Lucas | Mandy Smart | Rob Carling
Respect Responsibility Fairness Pride Honesty Achievement
Coopers School is an Independent Academy Trust operated by the William Willett Learning Trust which is a charitable company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales with company number 07520128.
The Registered Office is at Hawkwood Lane Chislehurst Kent BR7 5PS
Uniform Shop Opening Times over Christmas
The uniform shop will be open as normal on Thursday 18 December and Monday 5 January but will be
closed to customers for the duration of the Christmas holiday period. If Parents/Carers wish to purchase
uniform items during this time can they contact Clare at [email protected] or by
telephone on 07500 112043. Clare is willing to deliver personally if the address is within two miles of the
school. Alternatively she will package and deliver to the school office for collection (main Reception).
Payment can be made by card if you call the Dartford shop (01322 291838) or with cash on delivery.
A stock of Coopers uniform items is held at the shop, at 45 Spital Street, Dartford, DA1 2DX.
Behaviour for Learning System at Coopers from January 2015 – Miss Salt
At Coopers we have a well-established Behaviour for Learning system which encourages students to
behave appropriately in lessons and the community. With the significant reduction in the number of
sanctions, I am pleased to say that we will be streamlining our processes in the New Year. Some
aspects of the system will be changing from January 2015 in order to improve the system further.
The current procedures will remain exactly the same with regards to the management of behaviour
within the classroom. However, C3 and C3H sanctions will now only take place once a week on
Mondays, for all year groups.
The timings of the Monday detentions will be from 3.10pm until 5.00pm. The length a student is placed
in detention will be dependent on the number of C3s or C3Hs issued. For example:
 1 x C3/C3Hs (combined) – 3.15pm to 4.00pm
 2 x C3/C3Hs (combined) – 4.00pm to 4.30pm
 3 x C3/C3Hs (combined) – 4.30pm to 5.00pm
Students will be issued letters in advance, in the same way as is current practice, and Parents/Carers
will continue to be notified by text. Parents/Carers remain responsible for the safe transport home of
their child after the sanction.
The detentions will be run in year groups by the Year Group Leaders and all queries regarding the
arrangements for the detentions should be directed to them (your child‟s Community Year Leader,
Academic Mentor or Assistant Principal).
Should a student accumulate more than three C3s/C3Hs in a week, or a combined total of these, their
Parent/Carer will be required to attend a meeting with the respective Assistant Principal/Academic
Mentor or Community Year Leader.
Year 11 ICT Catch-Up Sessions – Mr Kelly
The ICT Department will be running catch-up sessions for all Year 11 students every Wednesday after
school in LZ1 and LZ4 to help with the basics as well as the advanced skills needed in the January
exam. You can also use this time to finish “In The News” coursework.
Ditch Your Blazer Day (in favour of a Christmas Jumper) – Miss Cuinnea
The Coopers School community is asked to “Ditch Your Blazer” for one day only and wear a Christmas
Jumper in its place.
This is not a Non-Uniform Day. All other items of uniform stay the same (shoes, skirts, trousers, shirts,
blouses and ties) except everyone can replace their blazer with a Christmas jumper. If you do not wish
to wear a Christmas jumper but would still like to make a donation please feel free to do so but you must
wear your uniform as normal, including your blazer. Money raised will be donated to Save the Children,
an organisation that works in 120 different countries. They save children‟s lives. They fight for their
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rights. They help them fulfill their potential. Staff will collect donations during first lesson on Friday 19
December.
Year 8 Student Assistants – Mrs Haslam
During the course of the year, all students in Year 8 get the opportunity to undertake the role of Student
Reception Assistants which involves helping staff with messages and administration. This is a valuable
day for the students to develop their work related and people skills and we are particularly proud of the
way Year 8 have been rising to this challenge. Students to be commended for the period Thursday 27
November – Monday 8 December are:
Mohammad-Ali Ashraf
Robyn Granger
Kimberley Parker-Matthews
Poppy Allen
Jordan Brown
Billy Keen
Ben Sacre
Rock Amouzou
Leah Danaj
Daniel Molloy
Harvey Webling
Charlotte Bailey
Ashton Foster
Bryan Lawrence
Aliceah Welsh
English Trip to “Poetry Live!” – Mrs Ashton
Mrs Ashton and Miss Aspill took a group
of Year 11 students to 'Poetry Live!' at the
Dominion Theatre in London on Friday 5
December. Students got a chance to hear
some of the famous poets whose works
appear in the GCSE Literature anthology
of poems. Characters like John Agard
really brought the poems to life. Students
also benefitted from the Chief Examiner
explaining exactly what makes a top
grade in the exam: all jolly useful stuff!
The students were delightful and fun to be
with. Let's hope the trip ensures they all
get their A* grades in the summer!
News from the Library – Mrs Pickup
Library Competition – we want you to share your favourite books!
The Library would like to thank students for the wonderful entries it has received this
term for the Year 7 and 8 competition where students shared their favourite books.
We received over 140 entries – therefore, we have decided to give some additional
prizes as well as a book for the overall winner. The winners will be announced by 13
December 2014. The Fault in Our Stars seems to be the most popular book at this time.
Star Readers Competition for
Autumn Term
Congratulations to
Briahna Bishop 7c1 - star reader for
Year 7. Briahna has passed 43 book
quizzes, she has achieved 100% on
fifteen book quizzes and read 1,300,000
words.
Joseph Coshall 8a1 - star reader for
Year 8. Joseph has a 100% pass rate
on the book quizzes he has taken, he
has achieved 100% for six book quizzes
and read 700,000 words.
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Library Competition
Music
Book Cover Design
Project Remix Competition
by Malorie Blackman Children‟s Laureate
Book Trailers
Creative Writing
Cartoon Strips
YOUR CHANCE TO
GET CREATIVE.
COMPETITION DETAILS
Take inspiration from your favourite writers to make your own creative work in response to
their books and stories. Go online and watch Malorie Blackman introduce the competition
(web address is below). To enter, choose your favourite book from the project remix book list
then either:
 Write a fanfiction (a piece of creative writing based on a character from your
chosen book).
 Design an alternative cover
 Reboot their story for your own spin-off comic strip
 Write a piece of original music inspired by their work
UK residents aged 13-19 years can enter the competition
Malorie herself will be choosing her favourite entries in each category
Win some very special prizes – including the chance to join Malorie and
friends at the Project Remix award ceremony in London in spring 2015.
End date: Monday February 23 2015
Details at http://www.movellas.com/projectremix
Sports News – Mr Pullen
Football Academy – Mr Anslow
Fulham Sedgehill V Cray Wanderers Academy – Conference Youth League Alliance
Wednesday 26th November 2014 – Result: 3-0
Another Wednesday, another fixture for Cray, which could not come soon enough after the previous
week‟s result against Eastbourne. The fixture was threatened when the referee demanded a pitch
inspection, which delayed proceedings by fifteen minutes. After the inspection the pitch
was deemed playable and the game kicked off.
Early possession went to the home side who moved the ball well on a sticky pitch, but
Cray were resolute in their defending. Cray started with Ryan Harris back between the
sticks, who was making his first appearance since injuring his shoulder pre-season.
What a debut it was for the 16 year old keeper who pulled off numerous top class saves throughout the
first half to keep the scores level. Cray looked threatening on the break, but with only Daniel up front
against the two athletic centre-backs of Fulham he was feeding on scraps and hoping for a mistake that
would give him his chance. At the 30 minute mark Fulham finally broke the deadlock. Their lively No. 9
scored a curling effort past the full stretch keeper giving Ryan no chance. Half Time 1-0.
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The second half began better for Cray with Daniel holding the ball well and bringing Kevin
and George Warren into the game more. Cray offered some testing efforts from long range
for the Fulham keeper but were never able to stretch and get in behind the impressive back
four of Fulham, who were resolute all afternoon. The next goal for Fulham came after the
hour mark, and what a goal it was from a substitute that had been on the field for just a few
minutes. The No. 14 picked the ball up at the half way line, drove ten yards forward and hit a forty yard
drive into the bottom left hand corner of Cray‟s goal. This dampened spirits further and Cray made some
changes to try get into the game but chances were few and far between. The salt was
finally rubbed in the wounds with a swift passing move carving open the Cray back line
for the impressive No. 9 to tap in at the death.
Fulham were a far better side than Eastbourne the week before, so Cray should not be
disheartened, but should see this result as an improvement from last week – a win is just around the
corner! Full Time 3-0.
Report by Jordan Clark
Year 10 Rugby – Met-Kent South Championship Finals – Mr Hobbs
The Year 10 Rugby team finished this part of the season at the Championship
Finals at Park House Rugby Club, organised by the Kent RFU. This was a round
robin tournament involving three teams.
Coopers v St Matthews School was our first game and we needed the opposition
to score under the posts in order for us to wake up. The team then found their
stride and scored late in the second half through a penalty try. With the score level in the second half it
was all to play for against a team of gifted athletes. It was the resilience of Coopers and strong team
work that enabled Coopers to build some passages of play – with three minutes to go Harry Pinkney
finished off a fantastic team try and Luke Sheridan converted the kick. With a 12 - 5 lead Coopers were
able to hold on to secure the victory.
With a quick turnaround for the next game against Bacons College, Coopers could not afford to be
complacent. Fully warmed up, Coopers continued with the same intensity as the first game. With
excellent defence from every single player Coopers made it hard for the opposition to get any
momentum and, with a try from Sam Jennings and the kick converted by Luke Sheridan, Coopers got
those all-important first points. Coopers relaxed a little in the second half only to let the opposition in
with a try. Great heart and desire was needed by all and this resulted in the scoring of two tries by
Coopers, one from Alex Harvey-Gray and then from Harry Pinkney. Coopers finished the game 17 - 5
winners and, therefore, Met-Kent South Championship winners.
This success has been the result of a squad of players who have worked hard
together all year, and most of them every year since Year 7. With many ups
and downs in the past four years, this team has proved that team work and
great friendships are key to achieving success. A big thank you goes to three
Year 9 students who were pulled up to play and were all outstanding – Reece
Tennant, Oscar Harrison and James Gillies. Well done to the whole squad,
including those who had to represent the football team on the same day. Man of the Tournament was
Harry Pinkney who led the way in both games refusing to let anyone go through him in a tackle
regardless of how big they were. Let‟s hope we can carry this undefeated form into 2015 – well done
boys!
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Year 10 Football – Mr Toal
Our Year 10 boys built on the recent rugby success by reaching the quarterfinals of the Kent Cup beating Bonus Pastor in penalties after it finished 4-4
at full time. It was a great game as Coopers came back from a two goal
deficit to lead 4-3 with five minutes left. To the opposition‟s credit they
scored an exceptional goal to make it 4-4. With daylight dwindling we had to
go straight to penalties and the hero of the hour was certainly Kai Blackabee
who produced three fantastic saves to thwart the opposition and take
Coopers into the quarter finals of the cup. A special mention must go to
Kieran Hughes, Harvey West, Sid Green and Sol Reeves who all stepped
forward to take a penalty. We face Beth‟s Grammar School in the next round which I am sure will be a
well contested fixture.
First XV Rugby (Sixth Form) – Darrick Wood 13 v Coopers 0 – Mr Hobbs
The First XV suffered their first defeat losing to a defensively well-organised Darrick Wood team in a
friendly fixture. Coopers found it difficult to get into the game in the first half and were pressurised
effectively by the opposition. Coopers‟ defence was evenly matched with some excellent tackles being
made to prevent Darrick from gaining any momentum. Despite this, Darrick Wood managed to convert
two penalties near to our posts and, with five minutes to go until half time,
Coopers‟ try line was breached. With the score at 13 – 0 Coopers felt that
with the slope and some possession they could begin their scoring
campaign. The forwards continued to dominate the opposition in the scrum
and
line-out but Coopers were still unable to make the gain line in the backs.
There was some excellent individual play by some of the Coopers team but
it was Darrick's team performance and experience of more games so far
this season that tipped the balance in the end. This has left a real taste for
revenge with the return match at home being the league game. Man of the
Match goes to Aaron Rayner who led by example throughout.
Post 16 News – Mr Baker
East is East at Trafalgar Studios – Monday 1 December – Mr Baker
On Monday 1 December, I took fifteen students from Years
12 and 13 to see a production of 'East is East' at Trafalgar
Studios in London. The students were selected because of
their excellent approach to studies this academic year.
The production, a comedy about a Pakistani family living in
Salford in the 1970s, was hilarious and thought provoking
and a thoroughly enjoyable night was had by all. A
particular thank you to Miss Offord for acquiring the tickets
for the evening and a heartfelt well done to all those
students who were selected to go.
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A2 Photography Commission – Leesons Primary School – Mr Shaw
On Friday 5 December, our A2 Photography students went to Leesons Primary School to document their
Christmas Fair for their school website. This was the student‟s first professional photographic job and
they certainly rose to the occasion.
On arrival at the school we were greeted by Head Teacher
Amanda Rush and given a tour of where the event was taking
place. The students were very professional; they asked
informed questions about safeguarding and tried to get a clear
understanding of what the client wanted from them. The event
was a great success for the school and was very well attended.
Our students exceeded my expectations as I watched them
navigate their way around problems such as back lighting, low
light and personal space, engaging with the public
enthusiastically and with respect. It was a fantastic afternoon and I was so pleased to hear such positive
feedback from staff about the student‟s professionalism. Hopefully this will be the first of many more
commissions to come.
http://the-coop.weebly.com/news.html
Chislehurst Society – helping with work experience
The Chislehurst Society has been working with Sixth
formers from Coopers to help them engage with the
community. Joanna Friel (Historian with the Society)
has been entertaining the residents of the Duke of
Kent Care Home with local history stories, and was
able to help Coopers student Megan Carroll get some
work experience there. Megan worked with the
residents at the Care Home and Susan Goodrich, the
Events Manager of the Home, commented on
Megan's excellent interaction skills and how much the
elderly residents were enjoying her visits.
Careers & Guidance – Mr Sikora
Following our inaugural Careers Day last month we are looking to „recruit‟ parents,
former students or relatives to participate in these events. We are planning the following
days:
Spring Term 1 and 2: Public Service / Financial Sector (dates to be confirmed)
Summer Term 1:
STEM
September 2015 – 2016: We anticipate focusing on the following occupations/career
paths: Health, Journalism/Media, IT, Retail, Legal, Teaching
If you or someone you know can spare a couple of hours to contribute by speaking to small groups of
students in Years 11-14 to share „real life‟ experiences and knowledge in an informal
atmosphere/setting, and help to inspire the next generation then please email c&[email protected]
or telephone 020 8467 3263 ext. 236 and speak to Mrs Palin for further information. The students that
attended our first event came away with a real sense of the „Built Environment‟ and what you need to
enter that particular field. They were very positive and we want to further encourage our students to aim
high.
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Stars of the Week – Year 13 (week beginning 24 November 2014)
Nominated for “excellent oral communication skills – able to persuade others and
construct a good argument”
Adam Armstrong
Nancy Barnes
Jake Camacho
Megan Carroll
Callum Clarke
Jack Davies
Thomas Day
Darryl Daynton
Jamie Hards
Matthew Hargrave
Jay He
Max Heath
Lewis Humphrey
Jonathan Igbokwe
Benjamin Jobson
Lucy Kelleher
Chloe Kent
James Knibbs
Connor Lynch
Danielle Lyon
Crystal Matarira
David Mladenov
Sam O‟Flynn
Adam Parsons
Marc Pouani
George Poyner
Sezer Saglam
Lara Shakespeare
Jonathan Sinda
Ganu Sivanandan
Ryan Spicer
George White
Joe Wilson
Emily Wright
Stars of the Week – Year 12 (week beginning 1 December 2014)
Nominated for “always being smartly presented, polite, willing and helpful”
Matthew Allen
Freddie Ashdown
Elliott Benn
Keilah Boyd
Samuel Buckmaster
Victoria Cammell
Hannah Chapman
Tia Clarke
Nicole Daniels
Sam Davis
Joseph Fincham
Joe Gammon
Callum Gardner
Frankie Gray
Ryan Harris
Tommy Heath
James Heine
Sam Hemens
Paige Hilton
Amelia Holland
James Howard
Jade Hutchinson
Carly Hyland
Pinar Ibrahim
Cameron Ilsley
Emma James
Daniel Jarvis
Thomas Jarvis
Simran Kalsi
Stephen Kasolo
Chanelle Kipa
Beatrice Kudokaite
George Latham
George Leach
Mollie Lippard
Reece Lockett
Rhys Logeland
Daniel Mahoney
Preston Marquez
James Martins
Alistair Masawi
Jodie McLaren
Iara Monteiro
Jack Morgan
Gabriel Moses
Ellie Mothersole
Penny Moti-Smith
Kevin Nartey
Gemma Newton
Teddie Newton
Ciara Nuttall
Aimilia Owoso
Ted Pankhurst
Bailey Parker
Ethan Parker
Matt Payne
Tom Saville
Sherif Sekoni
Devonte Senior
Frankie-Jane Snell
Alex Staggs
Allena Stanford
Nazia Tamanna
Ellie Tanner
Callum Taylor
Grace Thomas
Eliz Ustusoy
Amelia Ward
Jacob Westlake
Janelle Williams
Jessica Williams
Enrichment – Mr Toal
If parents/carers would like to contribute to the ever-changing Enrichment programme in any way, please
contact Mr Toal for further information [email protected].
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The Botswana Team wants your help! – Miss Ryland
We are taking part in a Textile Recycling Project to raise much needed funds for
our expedition to Botswana and Zambia, where we are going to be working with
the local community.
Students, parents/carers and our neighbours are encouraged to donate clean
clothing, soft toys, paired shoes, handbags, costume jewellery, bedding and brica-brac textile items. To help you out we have put together a list of what is and
isn‟t accepted. So here is an opportunity to sort through your cupboards,
wardrobes and dare we say it....the garage and even the loft!
WE CAN ACCEPT:
WE CANNOT ACCEPT:
 Good quality, dry, clean clothing
 Paired shoes
 Accessories
 Handbags
 Soft toys
 Bed linen
 Costume Jewellery
 Bric-a-Brac textiles
X Poor quality, damaged, wet, stained, mouldy or
ripped clothing
X Underwear, socks or tights
X Vintage/outdated clothes
X Long term stored items
X Quilts, duvets, pillows or curtains
X Carpets, rugs or mats
X Furniture
X Books, textbooks or magazines
X CDs, DVDs, Audio or Video tapes
X Electrical items, including computers or TVs
Please bring any items bagged, to Humanities by 30 January 2015. Start sorting today! The more items
you can help us collect, the more money we will be able to raise!
Collecting/Dropping Off Students – Mr Carling
Marjorie McClure Gates and Coopers Car Park
Students are not permitted to enter and exit the Coopers site via the Marjorie McClure gates. There are
many vehicles using these gates at the beginning and end of the school day and students are putting
themselves in danger by using them. Please enter and exit Coopers using our own pedestrian gates.
There have also been a number of incidents of parents using the Marjorie McClure gates and trying to
park in their car park. Except by prior arrangement, please note that there is no parking on site in either
the Marjorie McClure or Coopers car parks.
As a member of the Chislehurst community, Coopers works hard to
be a good neighbour. The roads around the School get very
congested at dropping off/picking up times and this can cause
problems for our neighbours. Please be vigilant when waiting to
collect your son or daughter, and ensure you are not blocking
driveways or other access points. Please also do not use the section of road between Hawkwood Lane
and the car park gate for dropping off or picking up your children as cars reversing/exiting to Hawkwood
Lane cause a potential safety hazard for students.
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Messages from Pabulum Catering – Mr Letchford
On Remembrance Day,
Tuesday11 November,
the school‟s catering
provider – Pabulum –
delivered a specially
themed lunch based on
the kind of food that
might have been eaten
during the First World
War. This was a perfect
complement to the
Remembrance
Assemblies held during
the morning, and gave
our students a taste of
how things were one
hundred years ago.
Christmas Lunch 2014
Pabulum will be providing Christmas
Lunch for staff and students on
Tuesday 16 and Wednesday 17
December. Cost for students will be
£2.00, including a festive Christmas
cracker.
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Free School Meals/Pupil Premium – Mr Carling
Was your adopted child formerly a „looked after child‟ and adopted on or after 30 December
2005?
From April 2014, schools in England can receive the Pupil Premium for children adopted from care, or
who left care under a Special Guardianship Order on or after 30 December 2005. Schools can also
claim the Pupil Premium for children who left care under a Residence Order on or after 14 October 1991.
The Pupil Premium is to help schools raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and close the gap
with their peers. It is paid to schools in respect of disadvantaged pupils in Reception to Year 11. The
Government has extended the coverage of the Pupil Premium in recognition of the traumatic
experiences many adopted children have endured in their early lives and a realisation that their needs do
not change overnight.
To enable Coopers to claim the Pupil Premium for your child, you will need to urgently inform us about
your child and provide supporting evidence, for example, show us the original Adoption (Court) Order.
This will then trigger the payment of the Pupil Premium to the school from April 2014.
Letters have been sent to all families who claimed free school meals last year as a reminder to provide
updated information. If you are newly entitled and have not claimed I do encourage you to do so.
Students cannot receive their free meal until the paperwork has been completed.
If you have any queries please contact Mr Carling, Academy Manager, [email protected].
Parent Forum
Parent Forum is made up of interested parents, and meets once every half-term to discuss matters
important to Coopers‟ Parents and their child‟s education. Meetings are at 6.00pm and normally last
approximately 90 minutes. This year we are hoping to grow and develop a PTA aspect to the work.
Minutes and dates of meetings are available on the Gateway. If you are interested in joining Parent
Forum, please do not hesitate to contact Ms Polaszek at [email protected]. We would
also welcome any suggestions for future topics for discussion.
Wednesday 7 January
Wednesday 25 March
Tuesday 12 May
Tuesday 23 June
Developments in Music and Performing Arts – Mrs Stanton
Topic to be decided
Topic to be decided
Topic to be decided
Yours faithfully
Shirley Puxty
Shirley Puxty
Principal
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