Leswalt
Stranraer
DG9 0LJ
Any enquiries please contact
Mrs Sheila Baillie, Head Teacher
Tel:(01776) 870289
Email:
11th February 2011
Dear Parents
February newsletter
Fundraising
Many thanks to everyone who has donated any old clothing to our Ragbag bin – we have raised a fantastic £500 since August – so keep the old clothes coming!
Our new initiative is also doing very well. Remember, when you are shop online, please go through this site first and we get a percentage donation from the retailer – it does not cost you a penny extra! Add it to your favourites now!
Both of these fundraisers will be ongoing and do help pay for those little extras such as out recent visit form Zoolab, and the planned visit from “Generation Science” on 9th March.
Many thanks to our parent council who have agreed to provide £1000 to help purchase new reading resources. The school has already spent £600 buying in Oxford Read Tree materials and the parent council have agreed to add to this by buying books which will enable the scheme to extend further up past level 9 and extend sideways to include non-fiction texts.
Computer technology
I am delighted to announce that we are now wireless! Leswalt Primary is a pilot school, and the only school in Wigtownshire to be wireless. This will enable our 6 net books and 4 laptops to be moved anywhere in the building to access the internet and other resources (this is in addition to our 6 desktop PCs). We have a great ratio of hardware now, enabling every pupil in class to access a machine at the same time, which really allows for effective teaching of ICT skills.
Teaching staff will also be undertaking training after school on Wednesday 16th February on the new Active Inspire software which we have installed in school for use with our interactive whiteboards.
I have also been working on our school website-
Add this to your favourites too, and keep checking as I do intend to try and make the effort on a weekly basis to update posts and photographs.
Evaluation forms
Please keep your feedback coming in – we will collate all of the responses to see what we all value, and what we could do better. All responses are important (even the little person who when asked “what would you change about Leswalt Primary?” replied with “Mrs Baillie!”)
Burns Club Competition
Good luck to Andrew Mc Millan and Craig Anderson who will both be representing Leswalt Primary at the Stranraer and District Burns Club competition. We are invited to enter a p 6/7 pupil and a p3-5 pupil to this annual event. Andrew and Craig are attending as our winners from p7 and p4. This will take place on the evening of Wednesday 9th March in the Ryan Centre.
Comic Relief
As you may be aware Friday 18th March will be Comic Relief day. I am giving you some advance warning that Leswalt Primary have theme of “Clowning Around” for that day. We have official red noses in school and these will be sold in March. The whole school homework challenge for next week is to be enterprising and think of some fun fundraising ideas which we can do for this charity. Custard pies may even be considered!
In the afternoon we have organised a special fun treat for the whole school. I have also invited our new enrolments to come along and join in the fun. More details will come out nearer the time, but this treat is being partly funded by Mrs Buchanan to mark her very special birthday that weekend.
February holiday
Just a reminder that Monday 21st February is a school holiday. Staff will be involved in in-service training on Tuesday and Wednesday 22nd and 23rd February. As a staff we will be participating in activities relating to assessment and moderation of the outcomes and experiences in Curriculum for Excellence. Pupils should return to school on Thursday 24th February 2011.
I hope you have found this update informative, and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Yours sincerely
S Baillie
Sheila Baillie
Headteacher