Parent Update – November

What a fun few weeks we have had!

Our Halloween “Silent” Discos were a huge success and the children ( & staff) had so much fun. It really was a delight to see them all in their costumes! Thank you to all those who donated their £1 towards to cost of the silent discos. It is much very appreciated!

Our P7 sports teams have been successful in their football and netball tournaments coming 3rd and 1st respectively and on Friday past the Girls football team won their first ever tournament. Well done to all involved!

Staff News

I am delighted to say that Mrs Oldham and Mrs Strachan have both successfully been appointed as Acting Depute Head Teacher for the rest of the session and they will share the role between them.

Miss Laura Mackie has joined us in the nursery. She joins us from Inverbrothock nursery and she is already making  a great addition to Granger’s Gang!

Sharing Our Learning Event

We look forward to welcoming parents and carer’s from P1-7 into school to find out what your child(ren) has been learning since August.

Please join us on Wednesday 20th November from 6-7pm. You will be able to view your child’s jotters and see around their classroom.

With our improvement priorities this session being writing and children’s rights, we hope that you will “Have a Go” at some of the tools the teachers are using to support and plan writing this year that will on display in each class.

In the hall, children from the Fundraisers MAD Group will be collecting food bank donations such as tins, cereal, pasta and advent calendars. It would also be helpful if you have any Bags for Life you would be willing to donate to help us transport the donations.

Children from the Rights Respecting MAD Group will continue to collect gift items and empty shoeboxes for the Dundee Shoebox Appeal.

Following the success from last year,  we are also asking people to donate any winter coats that their child may have grown out of and we will set up a coat swap stall in the hall. Coats can be handed into the school office from Monday 18th November. Any coats left over on the night will be donated to charity.

This session we are also carrying out a curriculum review and we wish to involve you as parents. In the school foyer, we will be asking for your views, and we would appreciate your time for some feedback during the evening.

Cinema Trip

Just a reminder that payment for the cinema trip can now be made on Parent Pay and it allows parents to choose £5 or £8 per child. The deadline for payment is  Monday 9 December 2024, and please note, we cannot accept cash for this trip

Winter Weather

As the temperature start to drop, I thought I would explain what may or may not happen in adverse weather.

Within our towns, decisions about closure and early departure of pupils and staff will be agreed by the Burgh Co-ordinator. During working hours, we will share any decision to parents / carers via Groupcall and Dojo.

There may be some circumstances where decisions regarding closures or cancellations of transport need to be taken urgently or outside of working hours. Please keep an eye on the Angus Council school closure page for information and of course we will communicate information via Groupcall and Dojo at the earliest opportunity.

https://www.angus.gov.uk/schools_and_young_people/emergency_school_closures_and_transport_updates/emergency_school_closures_and_transport_updates

If schools are closed due to weather conditions online learning will be provided.

Please find that attached document with further information: What Can I Expect – Severe Weather Arrangements – 2024

Winter Clothing

We have reached the time of year when the grass is still able to be played on however, this has an impact on the corridor and classrooms inside. As in previous years, it would be so helpful if children could bring in a pair of indoor shoes for children to change into after being outside so that mud is not transferred throughout the school and classrooms. Your help with this would be very much appreciated! If, of course, there are any concerns with this then please get in touch.

Car Park Safety

It has been brought to our attention that some children are still coming through the barrier in the morning and walking across the car park. If dropping your child on Grange Road please ensure that they walk down to the main gate and down the steps into the playground. This is much safer, particularly when we still have staff coming into the car park after 9am.

Please can I request that no vehicles drive in the exit gate at any point of the day. Cars come and go from early morning to early evening and as the car park is on a slope it is difficult to see around the corner when exiting the car park if a car were entering through the exit gate. This would be appreciated for everyone’s safety!

Absences

Please can I remind parents / carer’s that if your child is going to be absent from school that you call the school office.  Please try to call us from 8.30am. If you call earlier than this, please leave us a message on the answerphone. We would ask that you do not use Class Dojo to report an absence. Class teachers check Dojo at different times of the day and are busy preparing for the day ahead and may not check Dojo first thing. Your help with this would be appreciated!

We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on the 20th!

PARENT UPDATE – OCTOBER 2024

What a lovely couple of days we have had back at school and hope you all had a wonderful October break!

Staff News

As you are aware Mrs Will has been seconded to support schools across Angus for the rest of this session. I can now share that I am delighted to have been appointed the Acting Head Teacher for the remainder of this session and look forward to continuing to work with you all.

We welcome Miss Briggs who will be covering classes across the school this term. Miss Briggs was a student with us previously and has taught classes last term and is familiar with our school and children.

We are delighted that Miss Rennie, one of our Early Years Practitioners in nursery, successfully secured an Acting Senior Early Years Practitioner post at Ladyloan Nursery just before the holidays. Miss Rennie is a former pupil at Grange and returned to complete her modern apprenticeship 8 years ago and has been with us ever since. She will be missed in Granger’s Gang and across the school however, we wish her all the very best in her new role! #believe

Dates for your diary:

  • P7 Football Tournament – Thursday 24th October
  • Netball tournament @ Grange – Wednesday 30th October
  • Halloween Silent discos – Thursday 31st October
  • MAD groups – Friday 1st November 1.40-2.25pm
  • Rights Respecting Schools Class Meetings – Friday 8th November 2.00-2.30pm
  • Book Week Scotland – w/c 18th November
  • Sharing Our Learning – Thursday 20th November
  • MAD groups – Friday 22nd November 1.40-2.25pm
  • School photographer – Wednesday 27th November
  • Flu vaccinations – Thursday 28th November
  • Golden Table – Friday 29th November
  • In-service days – Wednesday 4th and Thursday 5th December
  • Holiday – Friday 6th December
  • Christmas school lunch – Friday 13th December
  • Christmas Cheer – Friday 13th December
  • Cinema trip – Wednesday 18th December P1-7
  • End of term 2 – Friday 20th December 3.00pm finish for all children

We look forward to a busy but exciting term!

Kind regards,

Mrs Landsburgh

 

PARENT UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2024

What a lovely term we are having so far! As always the weeks are flying by and before we know it we will be at the October holidays. Please find below some information and updates for the coming school year:

School improvements 2024-25 – please use this link to find out about our Standards and Quality report and priorities for improvement this session:

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/an/public/grangeprimaryschoolblog/uploads/sites/955/2024/08/25135352/Grange-SQ.docx

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/an/public/grangeprimaryschoolblog/uploads/sites/955/2024/08/25135354/Sketchnote-2024-25.docx

Car park safety – We have experienced a few near misses recently with cars entering the car park via the exit gate. The barrier at the entrance continues to lowers at 8.00am because this is when the car park starts to get very busy with staff arriving and we want to ensure the children’s safety. Where possible, children should not be in the car park after this time to keep them safe.

Turn off your car engine! – Across Angus  parents and carers are being encouraged to turn off their car engine while waiting at school and have a wee video (thanks to Ben, Aylah and Flo who were in P7 at Friockheim PS) which can be found on this link our YouTube channel

Playground security – To ensure our school grounds are safe and secure the playground access gates will remain locked until 2.55pm. This will still allow time for parents to come in for pick up at 3pm but will help us to monitor the school grounds for classes who are doing PE etc.

Medication – As we approach the colder weather it is worthwhile reminding everyone that school staff can only administer medication that has been prescribed e.g. a course of anti-biotics. Everyday medication for cold symptoms and minor ailments, such as Calpol or Piriton, should be administered before and after school.

Our school day – As a reminder the timings for the school day are as follows:

Nursery – 9.00-3.00pm

P1-4 – 8.50-3.00pm (break 10.30-10.50 and lunch 12.10-1.00pm)

P5-7 9.00-3.10pm (break 10.55-11.15am and lunch 12.40-1.30pm)

If children arrive after the above start times the doors will be closed and so they should come inside via the school office.

Absence procedure – If your child is absent from school please phone the office on 01382 768101 (please leave a message if the office is not yet open) or email the office grange@angusschools.org.uk. Please do not use Class Dojo to report absence.

Playground equipment – Our playground equipment is for children to use under the safe supervision of staff during the school day. We understand that parents/ carers might allow children to use the equipment from 3.00-3.10pm while they wait to pick up older children. If this is case please be mindful that parents/ carers are entirely responsible for supervising the children’s safety. The equipment should not be used after 3.15pm as the after school club then has use of the playground and the janitors need to secure the grounds. Your help with this is greatly appreciated!

Parent Council – We are hoping to recruit parents for our Parent Council in the near future. In the meantime I would like to extend the following invitation:

We would like to invite you to Angus Parent Voice meeting on Tuesday 24 September 2024, 6.30 – 8.30pm at Arbroath High School. This is a great opportunity for Parent Council Chairs across Angus to come together, hear from colleagues in Education and Lifelong Learning and contribute to discussions.

Agenda

  • Angus Education Plan – Kelly McIntosh- Director of Education and Lifelong Learning
  • Framework For Improvement – Neil Lowden – Service Leader – Education and Lifelong Learning
  • Angus Parental Engagement Strategy – A Conversation – Jim Hammond- Service Leader – Education and Lifelong Learning

Anyone interested in attending should contact the school office.

School fund – Our school fund is used to provide resources and activities for the children. Money is raised by our MAD Fundraisers and by staff and parents. We have a committee of staff who oversee the income and expenditure and the minute of our most recent meeting can be seen here:

School Fund Finance Committee AGM 18.9.24

Dates for your diary:

  • Settling in meetings – Wednesday 25th September and 2nd October 3.30-6.30pm
  • MAD groups – Friday 27th September 1.40-2.25pm
  • Golden Table – Friday 27th September
  • End of term 1 – Friday 4th October normal finishing times
  • Term 2 starts – Monday 21st October
  • Netball tournament – Wednesday 30th October
  • Halloween Silent discos – Thursday 31st October (during school day with more info to follow)
  • MAD groups – Friday 1st November 1.40-2.25pm
  • Rights Respecting Schools Class Meetings – Friday 8th November 2.00-2.30pm
  • Sharing Our Learning – Thursday 20th November 6.00-7.00pm (tbc)
  • MAD groups – Friday 22nd November 1.40-2.25pm
  • School photographer – Wednesday 27th November
  • Flu vaccinations – Thursday 28th November
  • Golden Table – Friday 29th November
  • In-service days – Wednesday 4th and Thursday 5th December
  • Holiday – Friday 6th December
  • Christmas school lunch – Friday 13th December
  • Christmas Cheer – Friday 13th December (see below for timetable)
  • Cinema trip – Wednesday 18th December P1-7
  • End of term 2 – Friday 20th December 3.00pm finish for all children

*Christmas Cheer timetable: 9.00am Nursery, 9.30am P7, 10.00am P6, 10.30am P5, 11.00am P4, 1.40pm P3, 2.10pm P2, 2.40pm P1 – please note that children P5-7 who play strings will perform just before their classes sing!

Thanks to you all for your ongoing support of our wonderful school. Your children make us smile everyday and we are grateful that we can all work together to ensure they all get the most out of being a Granger!

Lorraine Will and Pippa Landsburgh

PARENT UPDATE AUGUST 2024

It has been lovely to see everyone coming back to school looking so smart and happy! Thank you for supporting us to maintain high standards by sending your children to school in their uniforms, whether that be the traditional or relaxed version. To ensure that items do not go missing please label everything, more than once if possible! Given that the weather continues to be very changeable , it would be helpful if the children could bring a coat to school to avoid them getting caught in the many rain showers we are experiencing. Our new Primary 1’s are settling into school life very nicely and we have all been so impressed by their lovely table manners in the dinner hall. The children are all extremely polite and doing a great job using cutlery and tidying up. There will be lots of Golden Tickets heading their way, well done Primary 1!

Staff News – We have welcomed some new members to our staff team this term:

  • Miss Simms – class teacher P5b
  • Mrs Lekange – support assistant
  • Mrs Gee – support assistant
  • Mrs Cheape – class teacher (Thursday & Friday)
  • Kim Norris – school crossing patroller
  • Mrs Gardner – Senior Early Years Pracitioner (nursery)
  • Mrs Regulska – Early Years Assistant (nursery)

Our school day – As a reminder the timings for the school day are as follows:

Nursery – 9.00-3.00pm

P1-4 – 8.50-3.00pm (break 10.30-10.50 and lunch 12.10-1.00pm)

P5-7 9.00-3.10pm (break 10.55-11.15am and lunch 12.40-1.30pm)

Pencil case – Thank you for sending the children to school with their pencil cases filled and ready for learning. As a reminder, where possible pencil cases should contain the following:

· Writing pencils x 2

· Small ruler x 1

· Eraser x 1

· Pencil sharpener x1

· White board marker x2

· Glue stick x1

· Coloured pencils x 1 pack

· Fine felt tipped pens x 1 pack (not Sharpies/ permanent markers)

Please do not worry, if you feel this is a problem just contact us through DOJO and we will be able to help.

Nut allgeries – We continue to have a number of children in our school with nut allergies. To ensure everyone’s safety it is greatly appreciated if snacks containing nuts are not sent into school. It is also worth noting that children only require one snack for their morning break.

Tayside Contracts – A short video has been produced to showcase the primary school dining experience.

Angus Schools Newsletter – Please use this link to access the most recent Angus Schools Newsletter: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKANGCO/bulletins/3ae4ce8?fbclid=IwY2xjawEq-jBleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHY1_HCpJcp9y4A4BlGYF53xwo9PUmTclVxtR0ojjMh7SERVc4hUOLkqOBA_aem_I1P7fOINyqdvTnxRTuA53A

Dates for your diary:

  • Friday 20th September 3.15pm – Colour Run (more information to follow)
  • Wednesday 25th September 3.30-6.30pm – Settling in meetings
  • Wednesday 2nd October 3.30-6.30pm – Settling in meetings
  • Friday 4th October – end of term

We are all looking forward to a great term of learning at Grange and look forward to seeing eveyone either at the Colour Run or for the Settling In meetings. As always if you have any concerns at all please do not hesitate to be in touch with your child’s teacher, Mrs Landsburgh/ Mrs Simpson (Nursery & P1), Mrs Oldham (P2-4), Miss Strachan (P5-7) or Miss Smith (our coloured rooms). We are all here to help and only want to work together to make sure your children continue to ‘Reach for the Stars’ #believe 🌟

PARENT UPDATE JUNE 2024

The holidays are fast approaching and we have enjoyed a busy term preparing for moving up to new classes and teachers. Here are a few updates before we head off into the sunshine (fingers crossed!):

Staff News – When we come back in August I will be working for 2 days each week for the Angus central team to support leadership across schools. On these 2 days Mrs Landsburgh will be Acting Head Teacher and she will continue to be supported by Mrs Smith and Mrs Oldham. Mrs Smith and Mrs Simpson will provide extra support as acting DHT and PT respectively for 2 days a week. I am confident that nobody will even notice I’m not there as they will all do their usual great job of keeping the school running smoothly. Their responsibilities will remain the same as follows:

Mrs Landsburgh – Nursery and P1

Mrs Oldham – P2-4

Mrs Smith – P5-7 (please note Mrs Smith will return as Ms Strachan in August)

Miss Smith, who is currently one of Additional Support Needs teachers (Yellow Room) has been appointed as Principal Teacher for Inclusion at Grange. This is a new post for our school and I am sure that Miss Smith will help to further improve our approaches to supporting children’s needs effectively. Miss Smith will be a helpful point of contact for parents who have additional support needs.

Miss Allison is heading off on maternity leave at the end of term. We wish her the very best of luck and look forward to meeting her little bundle of joy after the holidays. Enjoy!

Last but definitely not least, Mrs Davidson (School and Pupil Support Assistant) retires at the end of term after working at Grange for 23 years! In that time she has supported so many children and shown endless care and compassion and without doubt she will be greatly missed by all. She is a Grange legend and I am incredibly grateful for her hard work, loyalty and friendship. We have shared laughter and tears over the years and I am delighted that she will now have more time for her lovely family and for herself! On behalf of all the children and staff – Thank you Mrs D!

Our school day – As a reminder the timings for the school day are as follows:

Nursery – 9.00-3.00pm

P1-4 – 8.50-3.00pm (break 10.30-10.50 and lunch 12.20-1.00pm)

P5-7 9.00-3.10pm (break 10.55-11.15am and lunch 12.40-1.30pm)

Pencil case – As you are aware as a school we have been focusing on learning for sustainability and reducing waste. We would like to continue with this next year.

With this in mind we would like to ask if every child could bring in their own pencil case with some essential resources to use in class (we know many of the children already carry a pencil case).

What would be great to see in each pencil case is: –

· Writing pencils x 2

· Small ruler x 1

· Eraser x 1

· Pencil sharpener x1

· White board marker x2

· Glue stick x1

· Coloured pencils x 1 pack

· Fine felt tipped pens x 1 pack (not Sharpies/ permanent markers)

Please do not worry, if you feel this would be a problem just contact us through DOJO and we will be able to help. We always find that children use and respect their own belongings more so than when supplied by the school and the monies we save from not buying these resources can be used to enhance the learning for all children.

Uniform – Thanks to everyone who continues to support us by ensuring that the children are wearing the correct uniform. As a reminder, children can wear a traditional uniform of white shirt, gold tie, grey trousers/ skirt, grey jumper/ cardigan and black shoes. Alternatively, they can wear a relaxed uniform of Grange grey hoodie/ plain grey hoodies (no logos please), black leggings/ joggers, white t-shirt and trainers. The relaxed uniform should also be worn on PE days. If anyone has diffiuclty in providing uniform please do not hesitate to be in touch. We will also contact families directly if there are any ongoing issues with uniform.

Dates for your diary  –  a few dates for term 1 that might be useful…

Monday 12th August – in-service day – teachers will send a video to the children to give them a tour of the classroom before they come back to school. Any child feeling particuarly anxious can pop in between 2.30-3.00pm to out minds at rest.

Tuesday 13th August – first day of term – P1-4 8.50am and P5-7 9.00am start. Mrs Landsburgh has already been in touch with staggered timings for our new P1s via dojo.

Friday 6th September 3.00-4.00pm – Colour Run in the playground – tickets will be sold after the holidays for children who would like to take part. Children must be accompanied by an adult. P1-4 3.00pm and P5-7 3.30pm.

Wednesday 25th September and 2nd October 3.30-6.30pm – Settling in meetings

Friday 4th October – last day of term

Happy holidays! – I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support over the year. I never understimate what a privilege it is to work in such a supportive school community and I very much value the positive relationships we share. I am also ever grateful to my amazing staff team who are so committed to our children and school. Not forgetting of course, your wonderful children who make me smile and laugh every day, I really do have the best job in the world. I hope you all have a sunny and happy summer.

Happy holidays everyone!

 

PARENT UPDATE MARCH 2024

The Easter holidays are almost upon us and I hope everyone has a lovely break when it comes. I thought it would be helpful to share a few updates before we head off to roll our eggs and eat lots of chocolate…

Staff News – Mrs Dempster welcomed the early arrival of baby Ellis at the start of March. Both mum and baby are doing well and we are absolutely deligthed for the family. Welcome to the world Ellis!

Miss Perry is getting married over the holidays and we look forward to welcoming her back as Mrs Perry-Smith. We wish her and her new husband every happiness for their future together. Congratulations!

Finally, we look forward to welcoming Pamela Brewster (Early Years Assistant) and Emma Palmer (Early Years Practitioner) to our nursery team after the holidays.

School uniform – Thanks to everyone who has continued to support our school uniform guidance. As a reminder children can wear a traditional uniform of white shirt, gold tie, grey jumper/ cardigan, grey trousers/ skirt and black shoes. However most opt for our relaxed uniform of a plain white t-shirt, grey Grange hoodie, plain black joggers/ leggings and trainers. I would ask that chilren do not wear football tops or designer logos as we want everyone to be ‘uniform’. I would also ask that children do not wear nail extensions as this presents a significant safety risk during sport activities and playtimes. Your support is greatly appreciated in helping us to maintain high standards of uniform which in turn helps the children feel ready to learn. Thank you!

Learning for sustainabilty – Reducing waste has a been a key theme across learning for all classes this year. We have been consulting with staff and children about ways to reduce waste across the school. A popular suggestion has been that we ask each child to bring their own pencil case to school each day which contains everything they need. The thinking is that the children will be responsible for their own belongings and this might reduce waste through pencils, pens etc being lost and broken. We are in the early stages of considering this approach, which would start from August. We would provide a list of the general items required and the school would support any families who would find this financially challenging.  As always, there would be a stock of supplies in school should they be needed. We will keep you updated next term and hopefully we will also be coming up with some other ideas for reducing waste – watch this space!

Dates for your diaries:

  • End of term 3 – Friday 29th March normal finish time
  • Start of term 4 – Monday 15th April
  • MAD groups – Friday 19th April 9.30-10.20am
  • Learn to Learn – Friday 26th April
  • May holiday – Monday 6th May (school closed)
  • P1 induction meeting – Wednesday 8th May 6.00-7.00pm
  • MAD groups – Friday 17th May 9.30-10.20am
  • Nursery induction meeting – Wednesday 22nd May 6.00-7.00pm
  • Sports Day – Friday 24th May – nursery to P4 morning, P5-7 afternoon
  • In-service day – Monday 27th May (school closed to pupils)
  • Learn to Learn – Friday 31st May
  • Transition week – week beginning Monday 10th June
  • P7 activities week – week beginning Monday 17th June
  • End of term – Thursday 27th June 3pm (P7 Parade 2.45pm)

Thanks to you all for your continued support and a special thanks to my amazing staff team for their hard work and commitment to our children.

Happy Easter! 🐣

PARENT UPDATE FEBRUARY 2024

February seems to have flown by in a flash! Here are some updates and diary dates that should be helpful…

World Book Week – We will be celebrating World Book Week from Monday 4th to Friday 8th March. Across the school every class will be studying the book ‘What We’ll Build’ and taking part in lots of exciting related activities. Parents are invited to pop into classrooms on Friday 8th March between 2pm and 3pm to see what the children have been learning over the week. You can also visit the Book Fair in the gym hall to purchase books. An online link to the Book Fair will be shared for parents who are unable to attend but wish to buy a book. We look forward to seeing you next week!

Staff News – We said a sad goodbye to Margaret Cuthbertson (School and Pupil Support Assistant) at the mid-term. In recent years Margaret has worked in our Purple Room but over her 17 years at Grange she has supported many children and families. She will be greatly missed but we wish her a happy and healthy retirement.

We have two new members of staff joining our team of School and Pupil Support Assistants. Joanne Reid started in our Purple this week to replace Margaret Cuthbertson and Rebecca Burrell will join us soon for two days each week.

Jen Smith has joined our Additional Support Needs team and she has taken responsibility as the teacher in our Yellow Room. Jen has settled in quickly and has already met with parents and got to know the children and staff. She is already proving to be a great addition to our fantastic team – welcome Jen!

Sadly Chloe Ford (Early Years Pracitioner) is leaving us at the end of this term to become a childminder. Chloe is a wonderful practitioner who will be a huge loss to our nursery team. I am sure she will be missed by children, parents and staff. However we are all excited for Chloe as she embarks upon this new venture. She will be fantastic, thanks to Chloe for everything!

We have two new members of staff joining our nursery after the Easter holidays. Emma Palmer (Early Years Practitioner) and Heather Robertson (Early Years Assistant). I am sure everyone will make them very welcome and they will enjoy being part of Granger’s Gang.

Sound Reading System for parents – We are keen to share information with parents about Sound Reading System, the programme we use to teach reading and spelling. While the event is targeted at the early years of primary, all parents are welcome. The event will be held on Monday 18th March 6.00-7.00pm in school. If you would like to come along please use this link to book a place:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sound-reading-system-tickets-801505132427?aff=oddtdtcreator

The Solihull Approach – free online course for all parents, carers and grandparents – Parents, carers and grandparents of children and young people in Angus who want to learn more about sensitive and effective parenting and building a positive relationship with their child can access free Solihull Approach online courses.

The Solihull Approach promotes emotional health and wellbeing for all children, their parents, carers and grandparents, so that they can thrive as kind, sociable and emotionally aware throughout their lives.

The courses have been developed by registered professionals within the NHS, working with practitioners and parents to develop new resources to support emotional health and wellbeing in children, families, and adults. You can complete the courses in your own time and at any time.

Find out how more about the Solihull Approach and how to get access to the free courses on the Angus Council’s website.

Dates for your diary:

  • MAD groups – Friday 1st March 9.30-10.20am
  • Sharing our Learning (for parents) – Friday 8th March 2.00-3.00pm
  • Sound Reading System for parents – Monday 18th March 6.00-7.00pm
  • Learn to Learn – Friday 22nd March
  • End of term 3 – Friday 29th March normal finish time
  • Start of term 4 – Monday 15th April
  • MAD groups – Friday 19th April 9.30-10.20am
  • Learn to Learn – Friday 26th April
  • May holiday – Monday 6th May (school closed)
  • P1 induction meeting – Wednesday 8th May 6.00-7.00pm
  • MAD groups – Friday 17th May 9.30-10.20am
  • Nursery induction meeting – Wednesday 22nd May 6.00-7.00pm
  • Sports Day – Friday 24th May – nursery to P4 morning, P5-7 afternoon
  • In-service day – Monday 27th May (school closed to pupils)
  • Learn to Learn – Friday 31st May
  • Transition week – week beginning Monday 10th June
  • P7 activities week – week beginning Monday 17th June
  • End of term – Thursday 27th June 3pm (P7 Parade 2.45pm)

Many thanks for your ongoing support and please never hesitate to be in touch if you have any concerns at all.

Lorraine Will

PARENT UPDATE JANUARY 2024

Happy new year everyone! It has been lovely to see the children and to hear all about the festivities and celebrations over the holidays. It has also been great to get back to the usual school routines and to look forward to a new term of learning at Grange. Here are some updates and information that might be helpful as we head into 2024…

Rights Respecting Schools update – We continue to work towards our Silver Award in the Rights Respecting Schools programme. We have an accreditation visit in March and this is helping to focus our efforts to make sure that everyone is ‘rights aware’. Each of our Make A Difference (MAD) groups is raising awareness of different children’s rights (articles) and we talk about the articles in our Monday Messages and at Learn to Learn. This week at Learn to Learn we will be thinking about the ABCDE of children’s rights:

A – Rights are for ALL children

B – Rights are there at BIRTH

C – Rights CANNOT be taken away

D – Rights DO NOT have to be earnt

E – Rights are EQUALLY important

National Youth Choir of Scotland – The National Youth Choir of Scotland starts back in Angus on Thursday evenings at Forfar Community Campus. Please use this link  for more information:

NYCOS Regional Choir Info-3

Grange Gabbers – Our first meeting of 2024 is scheduled for Thursday 25th January 6.00-7.00pm in school. At this session we will discuss our school improvements and Pupil Equity Funding. All parents are welcome and should just come to the main offce door on the night. This link can be used to access a summary of our school improvement plan for this year and our last Standards and Quality report.

School Improvement

If you would like to come along please use this link to book a place:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/grange-gabbers-tickets-801498592867?aff=oddtdtcreator

Pupil Equity Funding – Pupil Equity Funding is money that is given to the school to help us support children who might not get the same chances in their education because their family is experiencing financial difficulties. This money is given to the school as part of the Scottish Government’s Scottish Attainment Challenge. Before the summer holidays we gathered the views of parents, staff and children to inform our use of the funding. As a result, for school session 2023-24 the funding is being used as follows:

  • Additional staff to provide targeted support in literacy and numeracy
  • Lead Specialist Literacy to support improvements in learning and teaching of literacy across the school
  • Outdoor learning oportunities to widen children’s experiences
  • Music therapy to enrich children’s school experience

Later this term we will gather views once again to help us direct the funding effectively next session.

Sound Reading System for parents – We are keen to share information with parents about Sound Reading System, the programme we use to teach reading and spelling. While the event is targeted at the early years of primary, all parents are welcome. The event will be held on Monday 18th March 6.00-7.00pm in school. If you would like to come along please use this link to book a place:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sound-reading-system-tickets-801505132427?aff=oddtdtcreator

The Solihull Approach – free online course for all parents, carers and grandparents – Parents, carers and grandparents of children and young people in Angus who want to learn more about sensitive and effective parenting and building a positive relationship with their child can access free Solihull Approach online courses.

The Solihull Approach promotes emotional health and wellbeing for all children, their parents, carers and grandparents, so that they can thrive as kind, sociable and emotionally aware throughout their lives.

The courses have been developed by registered professionals within the NHS, working with practitioners and parents to develop new resources to support emotional health and wellbeing in children, families, and adults. You can complete the courses in your own time and at any time.

Find out how more about the Solihull Approach and how to get access to the free courses on the Angus Council’s website.

Dates for your diary:

  • Learn to Learn – Friday 19th January
  • Grange Gabbers (all parents welcome – to discuss school improvements) – Thursday 25th January 6.00-7.00pm
  • MAD groups – Friday 26th January 9.30-10.20am
  • Learner Led Conferences – Monday 12th and Wednesday 14th February 3.30-6.30pm
  • In-service day – Thursday 15th February – school closed to pupils
  • Mid term holiday – Friday 16th and Monday 19th February
  • Learn to Learn – Friday 23rd February
  • MAD groups – Friday 1st March 9.30-10.20am
  • Sharing our Learning (for parents) – Friday 8th March (arrangements tbc)
  • Sound Reading System for parents – Monday 18th March 6.00-7.00pm
  • Learn to Learn – Friday 22nd March
  • End of term 3 – Friday 29th March normal finish time

As always it looks set to be a busy and productive term. Please remember that although we have our Learner Led Conferences in February, you can arrange to speak to or meet with staff at anytime. We all want the very best for your children!

Lorraine Will

PARENT UPDATE DECEMBER 2023

Only 7 sleeps until Christmas and we are all looking forward to a festive final week of term…

Cinema trip We are looking forward to our P2-7 trip to Cineworld on Wednesday 20th December to see ‘Elf’. The children can wear a Christmas jumper on the day and they should bring a small snack and drink (no fizzy or energy drinks please).

Christmas Cheer – Thank you so much to everyone who managed along last Friday to enjoy the children performing their Christmas songs. Thanks also for buying their Christmas crafts and we look forward to calculating our profits and discussing how to spend them. The children certainly provided lots of Christmas cheer and I hope you all left feeling warm and festively fuzzy. I would also like to thank the staff for their hard work in preparing for Friday, a great time was had by all!

Dates for your diary:

  • End of term 2 – Friday 22nd December 3.00pm finish for all children
  • Start of term 3 – Monday 8th January
  • Learn to Learn – Friday 19th January
  • Grange Gabbers (all parents welcome – to discuss school improvements) – Thursday 25th January 6.00-7.00pm
  • MAD groups – Friday 26th January 9.30-10.20am
  • Learner Led Conferences – Monday 12th and Wednesday 14th February 3.30-6.30pm
  • In-service day – Thursday 15th February – school closed to pupils
  • Mid term holiday – Friday 16th and Monday 19th February
  • Learn to Learn – Friday 23rd February
  • MAD groups – Friday 1st March 9.30-10.20am
  • Sharing our Learning (for parents) – Friday 8th March 2.00-3.00pm
  • Learn to Learn – Friday 22nd March
  • End of term 3 – Friday 29th March normal finish time

I hope you all have a wonderful family Christmas and look forward to welcoming the children back in 2024 for lots more Great Grange Learning! 🎅

News (MAD) Group Update

The News (Making a Difference) Team this year have the responsibility for gathering and reporting on all our other MAD Groups. This could be their learning, their activities, their visitors etc. The News MAD Team  have been busy creating questionnaires and gathering news and have compiled the attached report to share with you all.

Term 2 Blog Posts

…where pupils, staff and families REACH FOR THE STARS!

Report a Glow concern
Cookie policy  Privacy policy

Glow Blogs uses cookies to enhance your experience on our service. By using this service or closing this message you consent to our use of those cookies. Please read our Cookie Policy.