Newsletter November 2016
HT Appointment
Firstly, as you are aware I was appointed Head Teacher on 4th October 2016; I am delighted to have been selected and look forward to working in close partnership with the families of St Mary’s children.
Halloween Parade
This Monday 31st October at 2pm parents are welcome to come along to our School Halloween Parade. It will be held in the Gym Hall. Remember children can come dressed in their Halloween Costume to school in the morning.
Football Team
Our school drew against Harleeshill Primary and had two defeats in their most recent game. Our next games are on the 9th and 23rd of November. We thank Mr Shiels and Mr William Martin for leading our school football team in their spare time. Please note Football Training is cancelled this Monday 31st October due to the Halloween Parade.
School Motto
Just before we broke for the October break, we decided on our school motto which in actual fact is a combination of many entries; “Dream, Believe, Achieve”. In St Mary’s we have high expectations of and aspirations for all our children and our aim is to develop each child’s God given talents. Our motto will appear on all our letters etc. Well done to all who entered the motto competition; you made it very difficult for us to choose the winner!
World Porridge Day
Our World Porridge Day was hugely successful and we raised a total of £400 for Mary’s Meals. Thank you to all who made this possible; all school staff, Father Stephen and Mrs Travers, we couldn’t have done it without you all. Our morning was heavily support by our parishioners and again, we look forward to building on the existing good links with Father Stephen and the parish community.
School Photographs
Our school photos have been returned and may I say your children are all looking smart and proud to be a St Mary’s pupil! Please return any orders by 4th November 2016.
Breakfast Club
Our Breakfast Club in conjunction with the Machan Trust will run on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8am from now until the Christmas holidays after which time we will evaluate the take up of the club and the impact it is having on our children.
Parental Involvement/ Engagement
Mr Lyons, one of our parents has very kindly offered to come in and teach CPR to all our pupils on Friday 11th of November. Children in primaries 1-3 should bring in a teddy bear to practise on. Children in P4-P7 will have the opportunity to practise on dummies. This is a fabulous opportunity for our children to develop a very important skill for life and supports significant aspects of learning in Health and Wellbeing. We would be delighted to hear from any parents/carers/grandparents who have skills and talents they wish to share as we support our children in developing skills for learning, life and work. If you are interested in volunteering in school please come and see me for a chat. Close partnership with parents/carers/families ensures better behaviour and better learning for children.
Church
The whole school will attend Mass on Tuesday 1st of November, All Saints Day which is a holiday of obligation. Children will also attend Mass on Friday 4th November for the first Friday of the month. We are very lucky to have our Church so close to us as we develop St Mary’s as a community of faith and learning.
Parent/Carer Council
The next meeting of the Parent Council will be Wednesday 2nd November 2016 at 6.30pm in the school staff room, located upstairs. All members existing and new are very welcome.
Pantomime
Mrs Harmon, our current Chair of the Parent Council has very kindly been investigating possible dates and venues for a trip to the pantomime. We have now confirmed seats for The Wizard of Oz in East Kilbride Arts Centre on Monday 19th December at 10am. Children will need to be in school for 08.45 to ensure we arrive in time for the panto. The Parent Council are subsidising the cost of the panto; however we have still to cover the cost of the bus. For this reason I would ask that you contribute £4 to the cost of the whole outing to cover bus costs. Permission slips etc. will be sent out in due course.
Pupil Reporting
Pupil reports will be with you on Tuesday 8th November 2016 with parent/carer interviews being held on Thursday 10th November between 3.30pm-5.30pm and 6pm-8pm. Can I ask that if you haven’t already done so, that you return the parent interview slip indicating your preferred slot (afternoon/evening). Interviews will take place in the gym hall. There will be a chance to view your child’s work which will also be in the gym hall in their trays. We will have representatives from the Machan Trust throughout both sessions and there will also be a chance to have tea/coffee biscuits as you browse through your child/children’s work. Can I remind you that each slot is for ten minutes after which time the bell will ring to signify the end of each appointment. If you require further time, please come and speak to me and we can arrange a further appointment. I am sure you understand the implications of running over time and the knock on effect it has on other parents/carers and of course our teachers who will have had an incredibly long day by the time they are finished. Thank you for your support with this matter.
Bingo Night
St Mary’s famous Bingo night will take place on Thursday 17th November at 6.30pm in the school hall. We urgently require donations for prizes. Thank you in advance and we look forward to seeing you there! Good luck!
INSET DAY 3
Our next In Service Day is Monday 21st November 2016. Our staff will engage in professional learning linked to our school improvement plan and the national agenda; Raising Attainment and more specifically Raising attainment in Numeracy and Maths, Our support staff will engage in professional learning around supporting learners and teachers. School will re-open on Tuesday 22nd November 2016 at 9am.
Kind regards
Mrs L Sweeney
Head Teacher
HT Appointment
Firstly, as you are aware I was appointed Head Teacher on 4th October 2016; I am delighted to have been selected and look forward to working in close partnership with the families of St Mary’s children.
Halloween Parade
This Monday 31st October at 2pm parents are welcome to come along to our School Halloween Parade. It will be held in the Gym Hall. Remember children can come dressed in their Halloween Costume to school in the morning.
Football Team
Our school drew against Harleeshill Primary and had two defeats in their most recent game. Our next games are on the 9th and 23rd of November. We thank Mr Shiels and Mr William Martin for leading our school football team in their spare time. Please note Football Training is cancelled this Monday 31st October due to the Halloween Parade.
School Motto
Just before we broke for the October break, we decided on our school motto which in actual fact is a combination of many entries; “Dream, Believe, Achieve”. In St Mary’s we have high expectations of and aspirations for all our children and our aim is to develop each child’s God given talents. Our motto will appear on all our letters etc. Well done to all who entered the motto competition; you made it very difficult for us to choose the winner!
World Porridge Day
Our World Porridge Day was hugely successful and we raised a total of £400 for Mary’s Meals. Thank you to all who made this possible; all school staff, Father Stephen and Mrs Travers, we couldn’t have done it without you all. Our morning was heavily support by our parishioners and again, we look forward to building on the existing good links with Father Stephen and the parish community.
School Photographs
Our school photos have been returned and may I say your children are all looking smart and proud to be a St Mary’s pupil! Please return any orders by 4th November 2016.
Breakfast Club
Our Breakfast Club in conjunction with the Machan Trust will run on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8am from now until the Christmas holidays after which time we will evaluate the take up of the club and the impact it is having on our children.
Parental Involvement/ Engagement
Mr Lyons, one of our parents has very kindly offered to come in and teach CPR to all our pupils on Friday 11th of November. Children in primaries 1-3 should bring in a teddy bear to practise on. Children in P4-P7 will have the opportunity to practise on dummies. This is a fabulous opportunity for our children to develop a very important skill for life and supports significant aspects of learning in Health and Wellbeing. We would be delighted to hear from any parents/carers/grandparents who have skills and talents they wish to share as we support our children in developing skills for learning, life and work. If you are interested in volunteering in school please come and see me for a chat. Close partnership with parents/carers/families ensures better behaviour and better learning for children.
Church
The whole school will attend Mass on Tuesday 1st of November, All Saints Day which is a holiday of obligation. Children will also attend Mass on Friday 4th November for the first Friday of the month. We are very lucky to have our Church so close to us as we develop St Mary’s as a community of faith and learning.
Parent/Carer Council
The next meeting of the Parent Council will be Wednesday 2nd November 2016 at 6.30pm in the school staff room, located upstairs. All members existing and new are very welcome.
Pantomime
Mrs Harmon, our current Chair of the Parent Council has very kindly been investigating possible dates and venues for a trip to the pantomime. We have now confirmed seats for The Wizard of Oz in East Kilbride Arts Centre on Monday 19th December at 10am. Children will need to be in school for 08.45 to ensure we arrive in time for the panto. The Parent Council are subsidising the cost of the panto; however we have still to cover the cost of the bus. For this reason I would ask that you contribute £4 to the cost of the whole outing to cover bus costs. Permission slips etc. will be sent out in due course.
Pupil Reporting
Pupil reports will be with you on Tuesday 8th November 2016 with parent/carer interviews being held on Thursday 10th November between 3.30pm-5.30pm and 6pm-8pm. Can I ask that if you haven’t already done so, that you return the parent interview slip indicating your preferred slot (afternoon/evening). Interviews will take place in the gym hall. There will be a chance to view your child’s work which will also be in the gym hall in their trays. We will have representatives from the Machan Trust throughout both sessions and there will also be a chance to have tea/coffee biscuits as you browse through your child/children’s work. Can I remind you that each slot is for ten minutes after which time the bell will ring to signify the end of each appointment. If you require further time, please come and speak to me and we can arrange a further appointment. I am sure you understand the implications of running over time and the knock on effect it has on other parents/carers and of course our teachers who will have had an incredibly long day by the time they are finished. Thank you for your support with this matter.
Bingo Night
St Mary’s famous Bingo night will take place on Thursday 17th November at 6.30pm in the school hall. We urgently require donations for prizes. Thank you in advance and we look forward to seeing you there! Good luck!
INSET DAY 3
Our next In Service Day is Monday 21st November 2016. Our staff will engage in professional learning linked to our school improvement plan and the national agenda; Raising Attainment and more specifically Raising attainment in Numeracy and Maths, Our support staff will engage in professional learning around supporting learners and teachers. School will re-open on Tuesday 22nd November 2016 at 9am.
Kind regards
Mrs L Sweeney
Head Teacher