Author: Evie May

Participatory Budgeting

Our school St. Bernadette’s did  a participatory budgeting event  on the 3rd of May.  Participatory budgeting is when we have to think of a idea  then we researched the costs and presented our ideas to the school and the families. They voted for the best idea.

Each house had a saint’s name, our house is  called St Andrews , our idea was to buy new sports kits for the school! We chose this idea because our old one got lost. There were 5 other groups who were doing this we were all very exited to compete.

History Of The School!

 

St. Bernadette’s first opened its doors in 1978. The building is set in extension grounds with excellent view of the Ochils, Wallace Monument and Stirling castle. We are centrally located in the county to serve families from the Hillfoot villages (Tullibody, Alva and Menstrie) and have children from Alloa, Clackmannan and Sauchie. The school has separate wings for the infant (P1 – P4) and upper school (P5 – P7) age groups. Each wing has class bases clustered around a common area and its own cloakroom. The infant area opens into our pretty quad garden and the upper school area has an independent study lounge with access to the school library. Both wings have recently modernised toilet facilities.

All children use the main hall for assemblies, PE and lunch. Children having packed lunches and those taking cooked meals mix freely. All classes have access to netbooks, a stocked library and two general purpose teaching rooms.

We interviewed 3 teachers the first was Mrs Morgan who is the P1 teacher, her questions were…

 

Have you worked in any different schools?

“Yes, I think the school has a really good ethos.”

Have you seen any changes in your time here?

“The school has grown.”

Do you think the children are well educated?

“Yes”

Thank you for your time!

 

Our second was Mrs. Watson, her questions were..

How long have you been working here for?     

“Almost 23 years and before that I was a parent helper.”

Have you seen any changes within the school? 

“The school role  has increased – e.g. For several years we only had 4 classes , all composite, P 1/2, P 3/4, P 5/6 & a P 6/7. Now we have 6 classes. Of course the staff have changed throughout the years. Myself & Mrs Caproni are now are now the longest serving staff in the school! I have worked with three different head teachers and many different teachers and support staff over the years. Even the school building and playground has changed-our original library was converted to a computer suite and now it is a nurture room. Our playground was improved and landscaped to facilitate outdoor learning and natural play. We have hilly areas, a willow maze and a huge sandpit which  the children love.”

Have you enjoyed working here?

“Yes, I have enjoyed working here.  The children are well behaved and our school has a warm and caring atmosphere.”

Thank you for your time!

Our third  teacher is Mrs. Caproni, her questions were…

How long have you worked here?

“27 years.”

What does your job entail?

“Office work, photocopying, helping teachers, supporting pupils, arranging transport, playground and dinner hall supervision.”

Have you enjoyed working at this school?

“Yes, I have enjoyed working here.”

Thank you for your time,

“Thank you very much!”

 

House Group System

Our House Group System is made up of 6 saints: St Andrew, St Modan, St Columba, St Cecilia, St Clare and St Teresa of Calcutta.

They each have a different value which they represent: Justice, Love, Forgiveness, Hope, Compassion and Gentleness.

The school got to vote on which saints we wanted as our house groups. There were 12 saints to choose from: 6 girls and 6 boys. We put colored dots on the saints we wanted and we were to pick 3 boys and 3 girls.

 

All siblings are in the same group.

 

You can earn points by doing something good like, listening to the teacher or doing as you are told.