Dear Parents / Carer’s,

I hope you all had a wonderful October break. We are now well into to the flow of term 2 and all that this term brings!

STAFFING UPDATE

I am delighted to say that last term,  Mrs. Deborah Houston was appointed as our new Principal Teacher. Mrs Houston comes to us from Dundee City Council where she has been working for the last couple of years within their pedagogy team delivering training and supporting schools. It is hoped that she will start on the 10th of November.

Miss Jill Ferrie joins us this week as our Acting Principal Teacher. She was a student at Grange quite a few years ago and has worked in both Angus and Dundee with a  few years in Dubai working in a couple of International schools where she led various developments and teams. Jill will have pastoral responsibility for P2-4.

We welcome both ladies to “Team Grange” and know they will be welcomed into our school!

SEA STORY TOPIC

This term the children will be learning through our whole school topic of “SeaStory” inspired by the recent David Attenborough movie. A clip of which can be seen by following this link:

This starts one aspect of our school improvement where learning is led by the children’s interests. This is the start of a journey as staff will be taking part in professional learning about a “Curriculum of Hope” and how we can further inspire children’s engagement for learning.

We look forward to sharing some of this at our “Sharing Our Learning” event on Wednesday 26th November from 5-6.30pm.

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

We have consulted with the children, staff and the Parent Engagement group and am delighted to share our plan for celebrating 50 years of Grange!

6th November – Whole School Photo

Please can all children wear their grey school hoodie or top on this day. We ask that P7’s wear their Black Leavers’ hoodies. We are hoping for a dry and bright day so please keep everything crossed. This will be an aerial photo and we will be having a rehearsal to practice before the 6th. If you do not wish your child to be included for any reason please message your child’s class teacher by 5th November.

Birthday Week – 24th – 27th November

A number of former pupils have volunteered to come in and speak to different classes about their experiences of Grange and what they have achieved since. If you know of anyone who might like to do this then please ask them to get in touch with me directly by phoning the school or messaging me on Dojo.

Birthday Bake Off – Friday 28th November

Children are invited to get their creative juices flowing and bake a cake of any variety and enter our Bake Off competition. The theme is Grange is 50! See poster for details:

Golden Parties – Friday 28th November

The children have asked for a party with balloons and so children are invited to come dressed with a touch of GOLD or in full Golden colour if they wish on this day. We will have silent discos throughout the day too!

Birthday Open Morning – Saturday 29th November

We are opening our doors to the school community past,  present and future from 10-12 noon. We hope that some of our P6&7 pupils will volunteer to take guests on a tour of the school and welcome them into the Grange Cafe where coffee and cake will be served. We have obtained some pictures and memorabilia of old that will also be on display. Even I have learnt some things about Grange I did not know!

If you wish to come along please register to allow us to cater for numbers:

Grange Golden Celebration – Fill in form

DATES FOR THE DIARY

• 5th November – Parent Engagement Group 6-7pm
• 6th November – Whole school photo (as above)
• 19th November – Tempest Photos (info. to follow)
• 24th November – GOLDEN CELEBRATION WEEK
• 26th November – Sharing Our Learning 5-6.30pm
• 28th November – Golden Parties
• 29th November – 50th Birthday Open Morning 10-12noon
• 3rd December – In Service Day 2 (schools closed to pupils)
• 4th December – In Service Day 3 (schools closed to pupils)
• 5th December – St. Andrews Day Holiday
• 15th December – Cinema Trip (P1-7)
• 18th December – Christmas Lunch
• 19th December – Christmas Cheer
• 23rd December – End of Term 2
• 7th January – Start of Term 3

Wow…. where have the last 7 weeks gone? What a quick and busy term we have had!

The children have been settling well into their new classrooms and have been working very hard. Every two weeks, everyone has also taken part in our “StarMaker” Groups.

The Rights Respecting Group have been helping  to identify areas of improvement using the pupil friendly version of HGIOS (How Good is Our School) and we will be creating a display next term.

In our Rights Respecting class meetings, the children have given us feedback on various aspects of school life such as Learn to Learn, golden table, football, school events and of course their ideas for our 50th anniversary celebrations!

Some of our Inclusion Ambassadors presented at Learn to Learn this morning to raise awareness of ADHD and Dyslexia. We then watched some short clips to further develop our understanding.

Last week the children celebrated the European Day of Languages by learning about a country and a bit of the language. Mrs Watson kindly collected videos from some of our pupils who speak other languages at home and I will share this on Dojo this afternoon.

⚽Holiday Activities

Looking for things to do…

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

🌳Monikie Country Park – Woodland Camp

Calling all junior nature enthusiasts! Dive into a week of half-day environmental adventures at Crombie Country Park. From wildlife expeditions, to hands-on conservation projects, each day is a new and exciting opportunity to explore, learn and connect with the great outdoors. Get ready to discover the wonders of nature with the ANGUSalive Rangers!

Where: Crombie Country Park
Date: 06 – 10 October
Time: 10:00 – 13:00
Age: 6 – 12 years
Cost: £60.00

Book Here

🧗‍♀️Full/Half Day Adventure Camp

Ready to escape the ordinary and dive into a day packed with thrills, skills, and outdoor fun?

Join us for a full day of unforgettable adventure! From paddling across the pond in canoes and kayaks to exploring the great outdoors on a forest hike…there’s never a dull moment. Perfect for young explorers who love a challenge, love the outdoors, and love making new friends.

Expect fresh air, muddy boots, and plenty of laughter along the way. And that’s just the start… there’s much, much more waiting for you!

Where: Monikie Country Park
Date: 06 – 10 October
Time: Full Day- 09:00 – 16:00 Half AM- 9:00-12:00 Half PM – 13:00-16:00
Age: 8 -15 years
Cost: Full Day £120.00 Half Day:£60.00

Book Here

We know school holidays can be a tricky time  and sometimes you may need a little help or support. Our Connecting Parents Angus website has information on support agencies and how to contact them. It also has information on Free School Meals and School Clothing Grants:

https://sites.google.com/an.glow.scot/connectingparentsangus/home

💻❌Parenting Internet Safety Events & Guides

Keeping children safe online – Wednesday 22 October, 5:30-6:30pm, online

As we approach the colder weather, please could we ask that children bring and wear a coat as we do like to get the children outside as much as possible. This is also the time of year when the grass does get wet and slippy. It would be helpful, as with previous years, for all children to have a pair of gym plimsoles to wear as indoor shoes. These will also be used for indoor gym and help protect our gym hall floor and keep our school floors clean.

We look forward to starting our whole school “Seastory” themed learning next term, with a focus on skills development throughout the school.

📆Dates for the Diary

• 20th October – Start of term 2
• 23rd October – CBM Mixed Football
• 30th October – CBM Netball
• 30th October – Halloween Discos
• 5th November – Parent Engagement Group 6-7pm
• 19th November – Tempest Photos (info and reminders will follow)
• 24th November – GOLDEN CELEBRATION WEEK
• 26th November – Sharing Our Learning 5-6.30pm
• 29th November – 50th Birthday Open Morning 10-12noon
• 3rd December – In Service Day 2 (schools closed to pupils)
• 4th December – In Service Day 3 (schools closed to pupils)
• 5th December – St. Andrews Day Holiday
• 15th December – Cinema Trip (P1-7)
• 19th December – Christmas Cheer
• 23rd December – End of Term 2
• 7th January – Start of Term 3

Hope you all have a fantastic holiday! I look forward to welcoming everyone back soon!

Mrs Landsburgh #believe