Headteacher Update August 2018
Dear Families,
We have enjoyed a great start to the new term and I hope you are enjoying the regular communication from your child’s class and nursery on Dojo already!
I will share news and information on Dojo too and I will also send updates on paper like this to keep you up to date.
All of our children have settled in well and we are enjoying building our class communities. Our school values play a really important part of this. We talk about them every day and it is really important you talk about them at home too. They are,
Respect
Nurture
Fairness
Honesty
Achievement
Like last year, we will be awarding Value Superstar Certificates and Manners Superhero Certificates at assembly so we really appreciate you encouraging your child to show our school values and lovely manners everywhere! Thank you.
Improving our school
As you may have noticed, lots of work is going on to improve our school.
- Our dining hall is being extended so all of the children can eat together
- A hallway is being built so we can get to the nursery from the main school building instead of having to go through the gym hall
- We are also getting new changing room facilities
- The front reception area is being extended and refurbished
- We have a new fenced area which will allow our younger children to go outside during the school day safely (a bit like in the nursery where they can go in and out when they choose)
- All of our children are now in newly refurbished classrooms and work to renovate the nursery is planned to start in the New Year.
Points of contact
Dojo is a very helpful way of communicating with us but please note that messages will only be responded to during school hours. Therefore, if you have an immediate concern, it is best to phone the school in the first instance. The class teacher and your key worker are the first point of contact for any concerns you may have. If you have further concerns, please contact Mrs Cartwright (Depute Headteacher).
I also welcome any questions or concerns you may have and will try to respond to you as soon as is possible. We are very proud of our partnerships with families and our communication with you. No question is too small so please just get in touch, phone or pop in! We also like to hear what is going well and love to get your feedback about positive experiences too.
Team Clackmannan
Here is an overview for all of our team.
| Role | Responsible People |
| Nursery Teacher | C. Grant |
| P1 | A. Johnstone |
| P1/2 | L. Budge (Principal Teacher) |
| P2 | A. Urquhart and D. Thornton (Thursday) |
| P3 | L. McQuade |
| P3/4 | M. Clark |
| P4 | R. Speirs |
| P5 | C. Muir and D. Thornton (Friday) |
| P5/6 | D. Ross (Acting Principal Teacher) and S. Elins (Friday) |
| P6/7 | L. Nimmo |
| P7 | B. Donald |
| H. Bernard | Learning and Focus Groups/Engagement in Early Years |
| S. Elins | Also French P5-7 |
| Nursery Team | J. Lindsay (Senior)
V. Vasquez (Graduate) M. Burden C. McNeil S. Page S. Pope C. Brisbane K. McKay A. Rolland H. McIntosh |
| Support for Learning Teacher | C. Mills |
| Support for Learning
Team |
S. Marfleet
G. Scott K. Cassidy M. Thomson A. Morrison P. Cowan |
| Early Intervention | N. Currie |
| Office Team | G. Westland
E. Mrozs |
| Janitor | A. Crews |
| Catering Team | L. Birrell
A. Williamson R. Boath |
| Cleaning Team | Y. Paterson
B. Lang C. Stillie |
| Parent Council Team Chairs | P. Cowan
L. Marshall |
Attendance
Attend today – Achieve tomorrow
Attendance is at school is critical to children achieving the national expectations for progress and attainment. I respectfully ask you write to me to request approval for any absence longer than 2 days. I will then respond with a letter.
Remember – 90% attendance over the course of the year means nearly a month of learning and teaching lost. It is critical children attend school in order to meet the expected standards. If your child’s attendance falls on or below this level, you will receive a letter from me. Thank you for your continued support with this.
Safety
We love the fact that lots of our children scoot and cycle to school. Please be aware though that all children are asked to come off their bike or scooter in the school grounds and wear a helmet. Our children’s safety comes first.
Family Helpers
Last year we had over 20 helpers! This was amazing and we are looking for even more this year! Mrs Ross is your point of contact so if you can lend a hand then let her know! More information will follow soon.
Weather
We are so lucky to have such beautiful grounds around our school. The children will be playing outside every day so it is really important they have a coat every day! Whatever the weather, we WILL be outside so make sure your child has wellies and a coat with a hood. We have lots of spares though so if you need them just message your class teacher and it is not a problem at all.
Dinner Money
The new lunch menu has been issued to all children. Lunches are priced at £2.00 per day, free to all our P1-P3 children and those who are qualified for free entitlement. If they think you may be entitled to free meals, please ask for a form which we can send home to be completed. This needs renewed on a yearly basis and does not automatically continue again into this term.
We would like to encourage you to pay for your child’s lunches for the week on a Monday morning. We understand everyone is busy and cannot always plan the week ahead but advise you that lunches must be paid on the day of ordering. If your child orders a school lunch with no money, we will contact you by telephone or group call and ask you to bring a packed lunch to school or take your child for a home lunch.
Breakfast Club
Breakfast is available every morning from 8.30am to 8.50am priced at £1.20. Entrance is through the temporary main entrance.
Milk
School milk is available, should you wish, to all children priced at 75p per week or £3.75 until the October break. Please can you hand in your order by a Friday morning for the following week.
Dates for your diary
We have lots of opportunities for you to come in this term and next!
Thursday 6th September Parent Council Meeting 6.30pm. All welcome. It would be lovely to see you! You can follow Clackmannan Primary School on Facebook too.
Wednesday 12th September Meet the Team Event 6.30pm
This your chance to hear about the year ahead for your child’s class, meet the teacher and see where they are learning.
Thursday 13th September Family Walkabout 2pm
This is another chance to see where your child is learning and join them in the classroom.
Thursday 20th September Family Walkabout – early morning opportunity 8.30am. Another chance for your child to show you around. Please note teachers will not be available to speak to you at this time.
7th & 8th November Family Conference Evenings
More details to follow.
Best wishes,
Debra Laird
Headteacher
