ST. PATRICK S PRIMARY SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

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1 ST. PATRICK S PRIMARY SCHOOL NEWSLETTER AUG-OCT 2018 Overton Road, Strathaven, ML10 6JW Tel Head Teacher: Mrs Pamela Bradley gw14stpatricksht@glow.sch.uk In faith we grow together: one school, one family. I hope everyone has had a wonderful summer break. We are delighted to begin the new session in our fabulous school and look forward to another successful year. The children have settled well into their new classes and new staff to the school (Mrs Sheridan and Miss Barrett) are delighted to be part of the St. Patrick s community and have received a warm welcome from pupils. High praise must be given to our new P1 pupils who are a credit to their parents. They are an excellent addition to the school! We have a range of learning experiences and some fun activities planned for this term and we look forward to inviting parents/carers to join us throughout the session. Kindest wishes Mrs Bradley SCHOOL ROLL/STAFFING UPDATE The school roll currently sits at 111 pupils with a five class composition. We have two new members of staff who have joined us this year, Mrs Sheridan (who is a permanent member of staff) and Miss Barrett who is a New Qualified Teacher. Mrs McCahon will work with all classes this year to allow teachers their allocated time out of class. During the summer break, Mrs Naismith (support assistant) retired from her post after 17 years. She will be a sad loss to the school but we wish her a happy and relaxing retirement. Please note that Mrs Warnock (support assistant in the school office) will now be known as Ms Kirkland. We understand it might take a while for people to adapt to her new name but I m certain the new Ms Kirkland will continue to assist you superbly in the school office! SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PRIORITIES FOR 2018/19 As an educational establishment, we seek continuous improvement and we plan key priorities each year. In accordance with the National Improvement Framework, this year across the nursery and school we aim to: Review planning and assessment within Numeracy and Mathematics Develop teaching and learning across all stages Develop outdoor learning, incorporating skills for learning, life and work All staff will develop these priorities throughout the year in consultation with pupils, parents and carers. Throughout the session, we will update you with information regarding initiatives and activities we have developed.

2 SCHOOL APP We continue to use the School App to regularly communicate information. It is a very quick and efficient way for the school to send messages and reminders to parents/carers. If you would like to download this, please contact the school office for information regarding passwords. PARENT HELPERS Throughout the year, we often require parent helpers to accompany us on school trips/outings etc. If you have some spare time and would like to help, please return the slip provided and we will contact you throughout the year as required. Thank you. APPOINTMENTS Parents who are concerned about any aspect of their child s welfare should not hesitate to contact the school office to make an appointment to speak to the class teacher, Mrs McLaughlin (Principal Teacher) or myself. We work extremely hard to maintain strong partnerships with parents/carers and always seek to work together to resolve any concerns. CONSENT FORMS/DATA CHECK & PHOTO PERMISSION I would remind parents/carers that it is vital that Parental Consent forms, Data Checks and Photo Permission forms are completed before pupils can participate in any outing or be photographed, as this is a legal requirement. All forms have been sent home and if you could update these forms and return them to the class teachers we would be extremely grateful. SCHOOL UNIFORM It is extremely heartening to see our pupils looking so smart in their St. Patrick s uniform. Many of our pupils are also wearing school blazers and we encourage this across all stages of the school during the better weather. Seeing all our pupils in school uniform does so much to enhance the school ethos and the sense of identity and pride which we share for St. Patrick s Primary. My sincere thanks to all parents/carers for your support in this area. Advice on purchasing the uniform can be sought from the school office or by ordering direct from School ties are available from the school office, priced Parents are asked to label items of clothing to avoid confusion over ownership (especially at the lower stages of the school.) HOMEWORK We once again ask for the co-operation of parents in ensuring that pupils complete all homework tasks set. Any parent/carer whose child is experiencing difficulty with homework activities should contact the school office to arrange an appointment with their child s teacher, who will be pleased to assist with any problems. Homework begins on Monday 27 August. Please help us in this area by encouraging children to look after their diaries and bring their reading books to school daily. GASTROINTESTINAL INFECTION Children who suffer gastrointestinal infection are at increased risk of spreading the infection to others. Therefore, the advice given from Lanarkshire NHS Board and Education Resources is that children should remain absent from school or nursery for 48 hours after symptoms of diarrhoea or vomiting have resolved. This is especially important at this time of year when bugs and viruses are more prevalent. Communicable diseases are common in children of nursery and school age. Can I request that if your child is suffering from chickenpox or mumps that you inform a member of staff as soon as possible as these illnesses can have very serious repercussions for some of our families within the school. HEAD LICE Can I remind parents that it is recommended to check your child s head regularly. NUT ALLERIES We do have children within the school who have nut allergies and request that children do not bring food that contains nuts to school. Thank you for your assistance.

3 MOBILE PHONES I would ask for your assistance in ensuring that pupils do not bring mobile phones to school. If parents/carers request for older children to bring phones, we would ask that they are given to the teacher/school office during the school day. P.E. TIMETABLE Room 1 P1/2 Room 2 P3/4 Room 3 P4/5 Room 4 P5/6 Room 5 P6/7 WEDNESDAY THURSDAY MONDAY (MONDAY PM P5 SWIMMING) MONDAY TUESDAY On P.E. days children should wear indoor plimsoles/trainers and bring a change of clothing (shorts/joggers tee shirt). Tee shirts bearing the school logo can be purchased from Football strips should not be worn. Jewellery must be removed before pupils can participate in P.E. lessons. ABSENCES If your child is going to be absent or late for school, on any occasion, please phone the school office, to alert the class teacher. Where no notification of absence has been received the school will make all reasonable attempts to contact the parent/carer or the emergency contact. ROAD SAFETY As previously communicated, the car park within the school/library complex is a public car park and will be used by the public throughout the day. Parents are encouraged to avoid using this car park during school drop-off and pick-up times. At these times, only the school taxis/buses should use the drop-off zone.. The car park operates a one way system and cars should only ENTER at Overton Road and EXIT at Commercial Road. We would really appreciate if all parents/carers could communicate this to family members who are new to the school community and thank you in advance for your support. We continue to encourage parents/carers to use the car park at Cochrane Street. HOUSE CAPTAINS & COMMITTEES Congratulations to all our pupils who have been nominated to represent committees this year. Our pupils take this role very seriously and we are delighted to include pupils in decision-making within the school. ST. ANDREW S ST. ENOCH S ST. MARGARET S ST. MUNGO S Leo (CAPTAIN) Keri (CAPTAIN) Tommy (CAPTAIN) Luke (CAPTAIN) Niamh (VICE) Rachel (VICE) Luke (VICE) Anya (VICE) PUPIL COUNCIL RIGHTS ECO/HEALTH/JRSO P1 Ava Michael Alexa P2 Lucy Max Emily P3 Celeste Popi Joseph P4 Anya Harsha Danny P5 Grace Felix Chloe P6 Kayzea Daniel Annie P7 Adam (CHAIR) Gabriel (VICE) Liam (VICE) Aidan (VICE) Kieran (CHAIR) Aaron (VICE) Slywester (VICE)

4 PRIMARY 1 HOMEWORK WORKSHOP A Primary 1 homework workshop for parents/carers will take place on Friday 7 September from 1.45 pm 2.45 pm. Further details will follow for parents/carers of children in Primary 1. SCHOOL MASSES Our Parish Priest, Father Tom visits the school regularly to celebrate mass. In the past we have not had space to accommodate parents/carers. However, due to our new hall facility, we would like to extend a warm welcome for parents/carers and grandparents to join us. Our first mass of the year will take place on Thursday 20 September at 10.30am in the school hall. We would love to see you there. PARENT COUNCIL AGM The AGM of the Parent Council will be held in the school on Monday 3 September at 6.15pm. These meetings are open to all parents/carers. This year, a few of our members are stepping down and we would welcome new members. Please come along to our meeting to find out more. PTA AGM The PTA will be holding its AGM on Monday 10 September at 6.00pm in The Strathaven Hotel. The PTA are always looking for new members and we would encourage parents/carers to come along and find out more about what is involved. MEET AND GREET! Parents/carers are invited to visit the school on the afternoon of Tuesday 11 September from pm This will be a drop-in session to allow parents/carers to visit your child s class and meet their teacher. We hope you can join us on this day. PRIMARY 5 SWIMMING/MUSIC TUITION Our Primary 5 pupils began an 11 week swimming block at Strathaven Leisure Centre on Monday 20 August. SLC P5 music initiative will also begin on Wednesday 22 August with Mrs Una Cunningham, music specialist. AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES After school activities will begin this term on week beginning Monday 10 September. Further details will follow. Last year, we had a few parents who kindly gave up their time to help with netball and football. If any parents/carers have an area of expertise and would like to help deliver activities please contact Mrs Bradley. SKILLS FOR LIFE WEEK In response to our school improvement priorities this year, we would like to further develop creativity, innovation and skills for learning life and work. We believe that children benefit from learning and teaching through partnerships with employers, creative industries and cultural sectors. Therefore, we are planning a focus week and will host a range of activities where children can learn about the range of skills within different jobs. We are looking for parents/carers who would be willing to become involved in this by speaking to children and discussing their jobs. If you would be interested in helping, please return the slip provided and we will contact you with more details. We really want to make this a great success and would really appreciate your expertise!

5 SACRAMENTS RECONCILIATION: Primary 3 30 January Parents Meeting in St. Patrick s Church, (6.30pm) 20 March Sacrament of Reconciliation (7.00pm) FIRST COMMUNION: Primary 4 30 January Parents Meeting in St. Patrick s Church, (7.00pm) 11 May First Holy Communion Day (Information regarding mass times will follow for P4 parents/carers) CONFIRMATION: Primary 6 & 7 30 January Parents Meeting in St. Patrick s Church, (7.30pm) 5 June 2019 Sacrament of Confirmation (7pm) CHRISTMAS PANTOMIME The Children will be visiting Motherwell Civic Theatre on the morning of Monday 10 December (Oh yes they will!) to watch a performance of Aladdin. Children will return to school for the afternoon so normal end of school arrangements apply. The cost for this will be 9.50 per child. The PTA has kindly offered to cover the cost of the buses. In order for the school to pay the balance we would kindly ask for this money to be paid to the class teacher by Friday 14 September. (Aug-Dec) DATE EVENT DETAILS Monday 27 August Primary 1 Welcome 2.15pm in Room 1 Service Monday 3 September Primary 7 Welcome Mass 6.30pm in Holy Cross High School Monday 3 September Parent Council AGM 6.15pm in the school Friday 7 September Primary 1 Homework 1.45pm in Room 1 Workshop Monday 10 September PTA AGM 6.00pm in The Strathaven Hotel Tuesday 11 September Meet the Teacher Classrooms from pm Friday 14 September Panto money to be paid 9.50 Thursday 20 September Friday 21 & Monday 24 September Monday 8-12 October School Mass (parents welcome) School Closed September Weekend Skills for Life Week for pupils 10.30am in the School Hall

6 Monday October School Closed OCTOBER WEEK Tuesday 30 October Halloween Disco School Hall P1-3: pm P4-7: pm Friday 9 November Interim Reports for All pupils parents Thursday 15 November Parent Interviews Times TBC Monday 19 November In-Service Day School closed to pupils Saturday 1 December PTA Christmas Fayre In the school 10-1pm Monday 10 December Pantomime Motherwell Civic (am) Thursday 13 December Christmas Performance In the School Hall 1 pm Friday 14 December Christmas Performance In the School Hall 1 pm Tuesday 18 December Flu Vaccinations All pupils Wednesday 19 December Thursday 20 December Friday 21 December Christmas Party Pm in the school P1-3 Christmas Party Pm in the school P4-7 School closes for Christmas holidays at 2.30pm