AuchenlodmentPrimary School
Aspen Place
Johnstone
PA5 9QQ
September Newsletter 2011
Dear Parents,
On Friday 09 September we held a Thanksgiving Service to commemorate the schools 50th Anniversary. It was a lovely tribute to the schools 50 years. The choir sang beautifully and the Nursery pupils wished us a Happy Birthday in song. The Primary 7’s organised the programme and May Bell our School Chaplain led us in a prayer of Thanksgiving and Bobby Sneddon told the pupils what the bible says about Gods plans for our future, Natasha Halden read the scripture lesson from Ecclesiastes Chapter 3,many other pupils took part in the Service and we placed various items from our year of events into the 2011 Time Capsule, this included all the wonderful pieces of writing from the classes who had entered the Head Teachers Challenge last month. After that we took part in the Balloon Launch which although spectacular was affected by the heavy rain! That didn’t dampen our enthusiasm though as we went on to have a Tree Planting Ceremony for our very special Aspen Tree gifted to us by Oxfam (read more about this on the school website) The day was complete with a piece of the 50th Birthday Cake for each pupil a lovely treat partly gifted by Greggs Bakers. Pupils were also given a momento of the day in the form of a birthday badge which they wore proudly at the event. All in all a fantastic way to end our 50 years celebrations.
Now its all about the Future and Moving Forward. I hope you are able to attend this week, when your child will be holding their Pupil Led Parent Conference and have a good discussion with the teacher about how you can best work together to support your child’s learning, progress and achievements. The year ahead will be a tough one as we set high standards - but it will be heads down and hard work.
Annual DataWe are aiming to streamline the volume of information being sent to parents by issuing our data collection forms and booklets of parent information together but only expecting one form along with the annual data to be returned. Hopefully this should make it easier for both parents and the school to keep track of the returns. I do have to stress though how important it is for us to have returns which give us health and other information about your child and permission for internet access etc.
Lost Property At the start of session we often have a daily number of lost items. We can help pupils search for lost items but they are often so new to the pupil they can’t remember what their coat, Jersey etc really looks like. Please help us by putting labels or identifying marks on every item of uniform or kit which your child brings to school. We are currently still looking for aMackenzie dark grey waterproof jacket with blue piping which has been lost by a P4 pupil. Lost property is held at the janitors office and can be reclaimed from there and will also be put out on occasions such as school discos or Parents Evenings for identifying and claiming.
Parent VolunteersThank you to those of you who have responded to our requests for help and support. We now have some mums who will help in class with reading and storytelling but we need more people to come forward with their skills whether it be in art, craft, technology – we need you both in the school and outdoors and we can arrange the Disclosure Checks.
Fitness TrailBoth the Awards for All grant and the Forestry Commission grant have now been secured and our Outdoor Project is with the planning group from Carts Greenspace. We hope to see this work on an Outdoor Pavilion and Fitness Trail begin very soon.
Staffing UpdatesI am delighted to say that we have added to our staffing complement Ms Millar who will teach part of the week in P3 and Ms Gallacher who will take classes throughout the school to allow various staff an allocation of time for planning and development work. Mrs Hunter has also joined the staff team in as Nursery Teacher and will from time to time work in the mainstream setting. We welcome these people and the skills and enthusiasms they bring.
N.B. Mrs Margaret Cameron was thanked for her service and association with the school both as a former pupil and as a teacher in the School and Nursery Class with flowers at our Thanksgiving Assembly. We wish her well as she continues in her role as Nursery Teacher in other local establishments.
Free Water Giveaway A recent study showed that drinking a recommended 1.2 litres of water a day helps to keep children calm and increase their concentration as part of a healthy and happy lifestyle, which ultimately means a more focussed classroom. We have been contacted by a company way Today Store in Johnstone for a free bottle of water the voucher is attached.
Severe WeatherThere are many occasions when the location of our site can cause access concerns due to flooding, heavy snow or high winds etc. On these occasions for reasons of Health and Safety we may have to modify pupils exit or entry arrangements usually by closing side school doors and opening either a restricted number of doors or the main foyer door only. On such occasions text alerts may be sent in advance but if that is not possible pupils will be held in the school by staff until parents can make their way into the building to collect their child (children) The P1-3 pupils where appropriate will be held safely in the dining hall and the P4-7 in the main corridor until their going home arrangements can be discussed. Phone lines can become very busy at such times and so parents are asked only to phone if entirely necessary. All children will be encouraged to remain in school if they are confused or worried at all about their going home arrangements and parents will be encouraged to come into the building to be united with their child (children). These can often be fraught times for all concerned and our aim will be where possible to ensure pupil safety during any disruption.
Events Important dates for your calendar.
Mon 12 SeptPupils Charities Committee meet to discuss and plan House Events
For fun and fund raising.
Wed 14 SeptPupil Led Parent Conferencing 3:30 – 6:00pm.
Thurs 15 SeptPupil Led Parent Conferencing 3:30 – 6:00pm.
Mon 19 SeptP7 Parents are invited to a short meeting to discuss this years P7 Activity Week – This meeting is for parents only.
Fri 23 - Mon 26 SeptSchool closed for September weekend holiday.
Tues 27 SeptSchool resumes for staff and pupils.
Wed 28 SeptParent Council / PTA – An Open Evening and open agenda. Please come and join other parents to share your thoughts or opinions on school matters important to you. All Welcome.
Thurs 06 OctOpen Day.
Fri 07 OctNational Poetry Day.
Mon 10 OctP6 Special event (more info to follow).
Fri 14 OctHouse Event.
Mon 17 OctFirst day of October Break.
Mon 24 OctStaff In Service Day.
Tues 25 OctPupils return.
Wed 26 OctProposed School Discos P1 – 3 (6:30 - 7:30) & P4 – 7 (7:45 – 9:00). Halloween (however this will depend on number of parents available to support. Please attend Wednesday 28 September PTA meeting or let Mrs Ross PTA Chairperson know of your availability in advance of this date so that these discos can go ahead complying with Health and Safety guidelines).
Yours sincerely,
Elaine P Webster
Head Teacher
Sept. News.RR11