Learner Led Conferences – This term we will be holding Learner Led Conferences where parents are invited to meet with their child’s teacher and bring along their child to discuss progress in learning. More information and a link to book a slot for the meetings will follow but in the meantime the dates are:

Monday 13th and Wednesday 15th February 3.30-6.30pm

P1C only  – Wednesday 8th and Wednesday 15th February 3.30-6.30pm

Reading Cafe – Friday 3rd February 2.00-3.00pm hosted by Digital Leaders

In-service day – Thursday 16th February

Holiday – Friday 17th and Monday 20th February

World Book Day – On Thursday 2nd March our World Book Day focus will be bedtime stories and promoting reading for pleasure at home. The children are invited to wear pyjamas or their usual school uniform on the day and there will be activities in the hall for parents to drop in from 2.00-5.00pm. Again more information will follow!

Reading Cafe – Friday 10th March 2.00-3.00pm hosted by Rights Respecting Schools group

Back to School! With only one week to go until we are all back to school the following reminders might be helpful. The teachers will post a video on Class Dojo on Monday 15th August to give the children a virtual tour of the classroom. If your child is particularly anxious about returning to school they are welcome to pop in between 1.30-2.00pm on Monday 15th August to put their pencil case in their tray and to say ‘hi’ to the teacher. Please contact staff in advance so they are expecting you and come in via the office.

Grange Parent Calendar – An iCal has been created for parents to make sure you have key dates for the year. This can also be used on android devices and instructions will be available online. Please keep in mind that dates are subject to change and there could well be additional dates/ events to follow.

webcal://p124-caldav.icloud.com/published/2/MTc2MzkzMzUxMTc2MzkzM1HESZOGsiC5xrFIxkDZeopb3_r_I9_Wt13ihNYxSkxQ7GPzgXIRY4ovbfTLy31S5Cxvp0XeFQ6kmtNNUsKUqPM

Lunch times – This term we will trial a slight change to the lunch timings. P1-4 will remain the same, but P5-7 will start lunch 10 minutes earlier and return from lunch 10 minutes earlier. The new lunch timings for P5-7 will be 12.40-1.30pm.  This will allow slightly more overlap for siblings to see each other at lunch time. We will review this at the end of term 1 and make any changes if required.

Grange hoodies – It seems that there is a batch of orders waiting to be collected from the warehouse (behind Sainsburys). It might be that email notifications have gone into you junk folder so it might be worth a check. The link for ordering hoodies can be found in the uniform section of this blog.

Playground Progress – New equipment has been installed over the summer so it will be exciting for the children to return to an improved playground next week. Each class will be given a time to explore and play over the first few days of term, with the official opening being Friday 19th August. This will allow time for everyone to understand the safety measures in place and it will ensure everyone gets the chance to play. Phase 1 complete, now onto Phase 2…

The Kiltwalk 2022 – We are keen to kickstart the fundraising for Phase 2 of our playground project and all funds raised by The Kiltwalk this year are being increased by 50% by the Hunter Foundation. This seems like too good a chance to miss! Phase 2 could include slides built into the banking, scramble nets and swings. Some of us are taking part in the Wee Wander on Sunday 21st August 12pm from Castle Green to Monifieth. If you would like to join us please register and join the Grange Primary Team or to save the registration fee just come along on the day. We will also do a Wee Wander round the playground on the Friday before so that nobody feels left out! You can use and share this link to the Just Giving page for donations…let’s get walking Team Grange!

https://dundee.thekiltwalk.co.uk/fundraising/DundeeKiltwalk2022-GrangePrimary

Grange Fest – We are holding a play festival ‘Grange Fest‘ on Friday 26th August 1.30-3.00pm to allow parents to come along and play outside with their children. This event will also serve as an opportunity to ‘Meet the Teacher’ and for your child to show you around their new classroom. We look forward to seeing you there!

Parent Council – We are keen to recruit new members to our Parent Council and to appoint new office bearers. Being part of the Parent Council is a great way to get involved in school life and it really only involves attending a few meetings a year (often which are online to avoid childcare issues). If you are interested in becoming involved please get in touch. The proposed dates for the meetings can be found using the calendar link above.

Grange Gabber and Nursery Natters – These informal parent groups have always been a great way for the school to get helpful feedback and suggestions for improvement. This year we are going to try incorporating them into our Reading Cafes which will be held each month in the school hall on Friday afternoons. More information to follow once we are back to school.

In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy the remainder of the summer holidays and that the sun continues to shine. I look forward to welcoming the children back next week.

Lorraine Will 😊

Grange Leavers 2022 The final countdown has begun for our wonderful P7s and we will be waving them off on Wednesday with mixed emotions. They really have been a great bunch and we have enjoyed celebrating their achievements with children, parents and staff over the last week. Huge thanks go to the parents who organised their party, you really did them proud! We look forward to giving them a Great Grange send off at our parade on Wednesday 2.45pm – bring your tissues! Good luck to them all at high school and please keep in touch. Keep Reaching for the Stars #believe

Staff News We are also saying ‘goodbye’ to some staff on Wednesday. Mrs Lodge and Mrs McAdam have supported our classes and ASN rooms over the year and we are all extremely grateful to them as they head off to take up teaching posts in other Angus schools. Miss Chalmers (SPSA) and Miss Sherret (EYA) are also heading off to take on exciting new challenges and we wish them the very best of luck! We look forward to welcoming Miss Catarina Hutchison as our Newly Qualified Teacher in P1. Last but not least Shonni Cullen (cleaner) is taking up a new post in Dundee and Mr Adam (school crossing patroller) is heading off into his well-earned retirement. Shonni and Mr Adam have both worked at Grange for many years and they have kindly agreed to hold the school banner and lead the parade on Wednesday so that we can give them a Great Grange send off too!

Lunch timings Next term we will trial a slight change to the lunch timings. P1-4 will remain the same, but P5-7 will start lunch 10 minutes earlier and return from lunch 10 minutes earlier. The new lunch timings for P5-7 will be 12.40-1.30pm.  This will allow slightly more overlap for siblings to see each other at lunch time. We will review this at the end of term 1 and make any changes if required.

Playground Project There is new equipment scheduled to be installed over the summer so it will be exciting for the children to return to an improved playground in August. We are planning to hold a play festival ‘Grange Fest‘ on Friday 26th August 1.30-3.00pm to allow parents to come along and play outside with their children. This event will also serve as an opportunity to ‘Meet the Teacher’ and for your child to show you around their new classroom. Make sure you have the date in your diary and more information will be issued after the holidays.

Parent Council We are keen to recruit new members to our Parent Council and to appoint new office bearers. Being part of the Parent Council is a great way to get involved in school life and it really only involves attending 4-6 meetings a year (often which are online to avoid childcare issues). If you are interested in becoming involved please get in touch and dates for meetings will follow shortly.

Moving on up! Our transition activities have been very successful this year and the children all seem excited about moving up to their new classes and teachers in August. The new teachers will post a video on Class Dojo this Wednesday to wish the children a fun summer and then they will post again on Monday 15th August to give them a tour of the classroom. If your child is particularly anxious about returning to school they are welcome to pop in between 1.30-2.00pm on Monday 15th August to put their pencil case in their tray and to say ‘hi’ to the teacher. Please contact staff in advance so they are expecting you and come in via the office.

School improvements Our focus for improvement next session will be literacy and in particular the development of the Daily 5 and Sound Reading System. Our Pupil Equity Funding will be used to fund a team of teachers to take on Lead Specialist responsibilities in literacy and to provide additional support in classes for writing. These approaches will support improvements for all children in literacy as well as targeted support for children who require additional support.

Happy holidays! I hope that the sun shines and you all enjoy a lovely summer making memories with family and friends. Thank you all sincerely for your support of the school and thanks also to my amazing staff team who go above and beyond every day. It looks hopeful that next year will see a return to normal school life and I hope to share a calendar of key dates with you soon. Happy holidays and I look forward to seeing the children’s happy faces on Tuesday 16th August, ready to learn and to take new challenges!

Lorraine Will

It looks like a busy few weeks ahead so the following reminders might be helpful:

Sports Day – Friday 27th May – P2&3 9.30-10.30am, P6&7 11.30-1230pm, P4&5 2.00-3.00pm (children should war sun cream and bring a water bottle)

Queen’s Jubilee Tea Party – Wednesday 1st June pm – children can wear casual clothes and some red, white and blue! They will be treated to juice and cupcakes and they will all make a sustainable crown to add to the sense of occasion!

Holidays – Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd June

In-service day – Monday 6th June

Transition days – Tuesday 7th, Wednesday 8th and Thursday 9th June – afternoon visits to new classrooms and teachers

P1 Sports and Nursery Sports & Leavers Party – Monday 27th June 1.45-2.45pm

P7 Final day of fun! – Friday 24th June

P7 Parade – Wednesday 29th June 2.45pm – term ends for all pupils 3pm

The weeks are flying by and it is encourgaing that we can end this school year more positively and hopefully plan for a more ‘normal’ year from August. This term we are focusing our attention on preparing the children for a positive move to their new teachers and we hope to inform you about teacher allocation soon.

Transition plans

• Week beginning 30th May share teacher allocations, new teachers introduce themselves on Class Dojo and new teachers begin to visit current classes.
• Week beginning 6th June is transition week which will involve the children in exploring their new classroom with their current teacher and then having two visits with their new teacher. The teachers will also meet during in-service day to discuss the children’s learning and well-being needs.
• Week beginning 13th and 20th June the new teachers will continue to visit the children in their current classes and specific arrangements for additional visits will be made for individual children who find transition difficult.
• Week beginning 27th June the new teachers will post a message to their new classes which might be helpful for some children to watch again over the holidays to reduce any anxiety.
• Week beginning 15th August on in-service day the new teachers will post a video on Class Dojo to give the children a tour of the classroom. There will be an opportunity for children who are particularly anxious to drop into their new classroom between 2.00-3.00pm.
• Once the children have settled in, the new and previous teachers will meet again to discuss the children’s learning and well-being needs.
• Towards the end of term 1 there will be a ‘settling in’ parents evening in person.

Specific arrangements are in place for P1 and P7 and their transition is already underway. Let’s hope that the above gives everyone a great start to what looks set to be a great year!

Reporting

Our staff are currently preparing the children’s end of year reports and these will be issued on 25th May. There will be an opportunity for parents to request a phone call from the teacher to discuss the report or any concerns you might have about your child’s learning or well-being. This can also be arranged in person if required and please keep in mind that you can request to meet your child’s teacher at any time during the school year.

Parental involvement 2022-23

Now that guidance for schools is beginning to relax, I am keen to establish a more normal calendar for engaging with parents next session. The suggested events will be in addition to Parent  Council meetings and Grange Gabbers which allow us to gather parents’ views. I am keen to get your thoughts so if you could have a quick look and leave any comments it would be much appreciated, thanks.

School uniform

I realise I have already been in touch regarding school uniform but thought it might be worthwhile just to remind everyone of the changes again. On a day to day basis children can either wear traditional school uniform OR a more relaxed uniform of Grange hoodie, black bottoms and black trainers. The t-shirt worn underneath should be plain but any colour. If children want to start wearing the relaxed uniform now that is absolutely fine.

From August I would also ask that the relaxed uniform is worn on PE days. This replaces the previous PE kit that parents used to provide and will help to make everyone ‘uniform’.  To avoid additional costs for parents this can be a plain grey hoodie if preferred.

Playground update

After extensive consultation with the children the funding we received for the playground development has been allocated as follows and we hope to see this installed over the summer:

The Easter holidays are almost upon us and despite ongoing challenges with staff and pupil absence due to COVID we have managed to have a very successful term. Our P2-7 children enjoyed their cinema trips, our football and netball teams won their tournaments, our cross country teams enjoyed huge success at the Angus Championships and we even managed to take our P7s to Ryze. I am amazed that we have been able to make all of this happen and I am hugely grateful to my staff team for their flexibility and support, they really are a fantastic bunch! It is wonderful that the children have experienced a more ‘normal’ school year and it certainly looks likely that they will have a full year without the disruption of the last two years. As the holidays approach the following updates might be helpful:

Updated COVID guidance – Revised guidance for schools will see some positive changes next term.  The changes can be summarised as follows:

The weeks are flying by and it is so positive that school life seems to be gradually getting back to normal. That said we continue to be impacted by COVID absences and self-isolation periods that affect staffing and there are times when it means we are not as available to parents as we would be normally. I am hopeful that the nearer we get to the summer the more improvement we will see  – forever the optimist! In the meantime I would like to share some updates that you might find helpful.

Grange parent survey The recent update for schools allows us to consider removing staggered pick up and drop off times as well as staggered breaks. The staggered breaks have been extremely positive and resulted in a reduction in accidents and incidents in the playground and an improved lunch service for the children. For these reasons I am keen to retain our current breaks however I would like to capture the views of parents regarding start and finish times. A number of parents have highlighted that they would prefer for all children to start and finish at the same time for convenience at the start and end of day. However I am very conscious that aligning the times might incur additional childcare costs which I am keen to avoid. I have also been gathering the views of children who would prefer to have slightly shorter breaks and more planned outdoor learning times. They are also extremely keen to change our uniform to school hoodies in line with the high school. This would avoid the need for outdoor learning and PE kit as the children would come to school dressed more casually every day and ready for whatever type of learning is planned. While I am keen to respect the children’s views, I am very aware it is parents who provide the uniform so it is essential that we get your opinion. Please take a few minutes to complete our survey about the school day and school uniform.

Staffing news! I am delighted to inform you that Mrs Landsburgh has been appointed as substantive Depute Head Teacher and Mrs Smith as Principal Teacher. They are already established members of the Grange team and I consider myself very lucky to work alongside such committed and supportive colleagues. Along with Mrs Oldham they certainly make a dream team and I look forward to all the exciting improvements we will drive forward together in the future. It is with mixed emotions that I can share with you Mrs Graham, Additional Support Needs Teacher, is moving onto a new, exciting post with Aberdeen City Council. Mrs Graham has been a great support to many children, families and staff and though she will be missed we wish her the very best of luck in her new position which she will take up mid March.

Mobile phones It is no surprise that the number of children who now bring mobile phones to school has greatly increased. First of all I would like to emphasise that children do not need mobile phones in school as all contact with parents should be made via the school office and of course they bring them at their own risk. If children do need to bring their phone to school it must be switched off as soon as they enter the grounds and we encourage them to place it in the class box which will be stored in the cupboard for safety. I would also encourage parents to closely monitor mobile phone activity out of school as we have been informed recently of a number of situations where children are creating groups on social media apps and being unkind towards others. This is an important area of learning for our children given that is the way they now communicate so they need guidance to help them get it right.

Rainy days The slight relaxing of COVID guidance for schools means that we can now allow our P2-7 children into the gym hall before school on rainy days. It is always better if the children can arrive as near to the bell as possible to avoid them getting wet but where staffing allows the doors will be opened at 8.45am and they can go directly to the hall. The P1 children will enter through their own doors and go straight into class as normal.

Class Dojo The purpose of Class Dojo is to share  children’s learning and achievements with parents and to give any class updates. There is often a delay with messages coming through on Class Dojo and it cannot be relied upon to share information such as absence or lunch arrangements. I would encourage parents to contact the school office by phone: 01382 768101 or by email: grange@angusschools.org.uk in these types of instance or if you require a timely response. I would also ask that any concerns or issues are addressed by telephone so that Class Dojo continues to be used in the way it was always intended, with a focus on learning. By all means use Class Dojo to request a call from your child’s teacher at a time that suits you both.

Winter Support Fund Our school has been awarded a small amount of funding for allocating to families who are experiencing financial insecurity or who are in financial crisis. If you like to be considered for this funding please use the link to apply.

Progress updates Our teachers make ongoing judgments about children’s progress in learning based upon class work and assessments. Three times each year we record this information to allow us to track progress and consider any support or challenge that is needed. If there has been any change to your child’s progress in learning since the parents evenings in November the teacher will be in direct contact with you. If you have any concerns at all about your child at any time, please do not hesitate to be in touch to arrange a call.

Finally, I would like to thank you for your ongoing support of our school. I will be in touch soon with the outcome of the survey regarding the school day and uniform and I will be seeking your views about the refresh of our vision, values and positive relationships policy so please watch this space…

Take care

Lorraine Will

Parent Update – November 2021

Christmas Cinema Trip

We are all delighted that our cinema trip can go ahead this year, in a safe way. It will be a lovely treat for the children and will help everyone to feel that school life is beginning to return to normal. Rather than all classes visiting the cinema on the same day, there will only be two year groups each day. This will allow us to limit the number of children in the cinema and on the buses. Our nursery and P1 children will remain in school for an online Christmas show. The classes all voted for their preferred film and the visits are now planned as follows:

Wednesday 15^th December – P2&3 – Elf (PG)

Thursday 16^th December – P4&5 – Elf (PG)

Friday 17^th December – P6&7 – Boss Baby 2 (PG)

The children can come to school dressed in Christmas jumpers and/ or casual clothes on the day of their cinema trip. The cost of the cinema is being covered by the Parent Council funds and the transport will be paid from school funds so that there is no costs to families at such an expensive time of year. The children will leave school at 9.30am and will be back in time for lunch. All you need to do is provide a drink and small snack for them to enjoy during the film. If you do not wish for your child to take part in this trip please contact the school office so that alternative arrangements can be made.

Christmas Cheer!

Sadly we are not yet allowed to invite parents into the school grounds or building for events. As a result each class will video a performance of Christmas song which will be shared with parents so that you can enjoy it in the comfort and safety of your own homes. Look out for it on Class Dojo during the last week of term.

In-service days – 1&2 December, St Andrews Day 3 December

Please remember the school is closed to pupils on the above dates. Our focus for school improvement this year is promoting positive relationships and supporting children to develop emotional intelligence and social skills. This is in response to feedback from children, parents and staff about the impact of COVID and lock downs. Over the in-service days staff will be learning about strategies to support self-regulation, positive behaviour and inclusive classrooms for children with additional support needs.

Playground development

We have been extremely fortunate to be awarded funding from Education Scotland to pay for a creative partner to work with us on our playground project as well as £47,000 from Choice for Angus. Developing the playground and opportunities for outdoor learning are an integral part of our school improvement plan and our focus on positive relationships and wellbeing. Helen McCrorie is a freelance artist and film maker who will deliver play workshops for classes, consult with children, families and the wider community about play and she will also be working with our P6 classes to produce a film about play. Helen has already with linked with Scrapantics to develop loose parts play and you will see new fencing being installed soon in the upper playground for this purpose. We will keep you informed about this exciting project and let’s hope we can host an outdoor screening of the P6 film in the summer!

Learner Led Conferences

We trialled video meetings over the last couple of weeks and we will be seeking some feedback from parents and staff soon. Although there have been a few technical difficulties the overall feeling so far is that the video meetings have made life easier for busy families. Thank you for your patience as we work through the technical issues!

Children in Need

What a fantastic achievement Grangers and an amazing amount of money – £660 raised for Children In Need! We heard some lovely stories of children donating some of their birthday money or pocket money. Thank you to everyone!

Playground supervision

Thanks to all parents who are dropping off/ picking up children at the school gates instead of in the playground. We have chosen to make an exception for our P1 children to ensure they are collected safely and following the long weekend we will also have a member of staff near each gate when the P2 children leave at the end of the day. This will just give everyone further reassurance that the children are all being collected safely. Please do not hesitate to contact the school should you be delayed at pick up time and we will gladly look after your child(ren) until you arrive.

Change of shoes

Our playground is predominantly grass and we try to allow the children to use as much space as possible. However the grass has been very wet over recent weeks and I am sure you are more than aware of how muddy it is has been given the state of the shoes and uniforms coming home! On particularly wet days the children are not allowed onto the grass but it would be helpful if children could bring a change of shoes/ wellies in a bag for outdoor play on all other days. Alternatively if you would prefer that your child does not play on the grass they can always stay on the concrete areas so it would be worth discussing this option with them.

Please click on the link below to access the latest update from Mrs Tweed.   This update includes information on classes for next session and general school news.  #believe

Parent Update 4.6.21

#safehappy&learning

Welcome to Term 4! Please click on the link below to access the latest parent update from Mrs Tweed.

#safehappy&learning

Parent Update 21.4.21