Calside Courier

Calside Primary School, Dumfries

December 22, 2023
by Mrs Gamble
Comments Off on Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

Good afternoon.
Please find our end-of-term Christmas Card attached:Christmas Card 2023 What a busy Advent period we have had in school, with lots of successes and lots of fun. This week has included the 12 Days of Christmas assembly, building gingerbread houses, writing Christmas Number 1 hit records, parties and of course the Inter-House Quiz this morning.
Duncan win the Term 2 House as well as winning both the Infant and Upper Christmas Quizzes, although just by a snowman’s nose. Duncan and MacMillan also jointly won the 12 Days of Christmas, but Telford were the fastest!
On behalf of the staff, I wish you all a joyous festive season and we will see you on Tuesday 9th January when the children return to school.
Definitely time for a Ho ho ho!
Mrs Gamble.

December 15, 2023
by Mrs Gamble
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Hamper Winners

The Pupil Council are grateful for your support with their Christmas hamper raffle: they raised an amazing £445 which they are going to use for some more digital equipment.

The Lucky Wheels for the Christmas hamper raffle were drawn this week, and the winners notified this morning. Please arrange for an adult to collect these from school, as they cannot be sent home with the children.

December 15, 2023
by Mrs Gamble
Comments Off on Friday email 15th December

Friday email 15th December

Good morning.
We hope that those families who managed to see the school shows enjoyed them: well done to all the pupils and staff who have worked so hard to create such wonderful performances. Such a shame that several cast members have been unwell: please make sure they do not return too early as we do not want the bug to spread further. For those who missed the evening performance, the P7 Digital Leaders recorded the dress rehearsal and we hope to share this with you soon. The cast photos will also be shared soon.
After the mayhem of Show Week, school settles today for Movie Afternoon. Thank you to the Parent Council for providing the refreshments as the classes enjoy their festive films.
The Lucky Wheels for the hamper raffle will be shared today. As many of the hampers contain alcohol, winners should collect their prize from the office on Monday please. We will not be able to send home with the children.
Party week next week: children should bring their party clothes in a bag, and they will get changed before their parties. A reminder that P1 & P2 party is on Wednesday afternoon; P3 & P4 party is on Thursday afternoon; P5, P6 & P7 party is on Friday afternoon. We also have the Nursery Nativity on Tuesday afternoon; the Christmas assembly on Thursday morning; and the Inter-House Quizzes on Friday morning.
In the maildrop today, you will find the letter for Clubs Block 2, as this starts quite quickly after the Christmas holidays. A copy can also be located here:Clubs Block 2 Jan 2024 Block 2 will run 15th January to 9th February.  We also celebrate the plethora of wider achievements this term: please see the wider achievements newsletter attached: December 2023 Wider Achievements Newsletter
Ho Ho Hope you all have a lovely weekend.
Mrs Gamble.

December 8, 2023
by Mrs Gamble
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Online Safety

As we head towards Christmas, there may be new mobile phones, XBoxes or other digital technology arriving in stockings. We recommend that these new devices are set up with parental controls before the children start to use them in order to keep them safe online. We also recommend that this is a good time to check existing devices are safe also. With the darker evenings, a lot of children may be spending more time online than they do in the summer.

Please see the National Online Safety guidance that we will be covering in school here so that you can reinforce these messages at home: Social Media Online Safety Tips

Parents/carers can also find useful information and guidance about how to keep your child safe online at  https://education.gov.scot/parentzone/my-child/digital-learning. Thank you for your support in keeping our children safe.

December 8, 2023
by Mrs Gamble
Comments Off on Friday email 8th December

Friday email 8th December

Good morning everyone.
We are in full festive flow in school this week, with lots of show practices ahead of Show Week next week!
P1 & P2, and P5 & P6 will be at the church on Monday for practices. These are during the school day, and children will be back at school for the end of the school day as usual.
Tuesday is the dress rehearsal for the show. The whole school will be going to watch the show in the afternoon, and children will be released from the church centre at the end of the school day. We hope that this will be at approximately 3.15 but the dress rehearsal does not always run to plan. If you need to take your child urgently at the end of the day, please let the staff in the foyer know and we will get them for you.
Wednesday is the evening performance which will start at 5 p.m. The cast should arrive from 4.30 to give them chance to get into costume, and have their show face-paint done. We are at full capacity for the evening show so we will be unable to accommodate anyone without a ticket.
Also next week we have P3 & P4 attending the Ice Hockey World Championships; the school Christmas Dinner on Wednesday; and P3 visiting Charnwood on Thursday afternoon.
We will then end the week with Movie Afternoon, organised by the Pupil Council and supported by the Parent Council who have provided the refreshments. And there will be peace on Earth

December 1, 2023
by Mrs Gamble
Comments Off on Friday email 1st December

Friday email 1st December

Good morning.
In the maildrop today, you should find a copy of the notes taken at your child’s learner conference. If you do not receive the maildrop, this will be emailed to you separately. If your child has an Individualised Learning Plan, these will be sent with the notes next week. The next learner conferences are not until May, but the class teachers can always be contacted if you need to discuss any issues that affect your child and their learning. Their emails can be found on the Wakelets and the class newsletters.
Many thanks to those parents and families that have donated baking, books and/or hamper items for our Christmas festivities. The hampers are looking amazing, and the Food Bank is going to be so delighted with your donations. As well as asking for donations for the class hampers and the Food Bank, the Pupil Council are also asking for your feedback about school dinners. They worked with the Catering Department last session following several complaints from both parents and pupils, and they would now like to check if you feel dinners have improved. They would be grateful if you could spare a few minutes to answer their questions, before they meet again with the Catering Area Managers. The survey can be found here: https://forms.office.com/e/9CPfWzEAHs
The deadline for Christmas Show ticket requests is now past, and the allocated tickets have been sent out. We are now at maximum capacity for the evening show and will not be able to accommodate further requests.
We are looking forward to our first Christmas event tonight: the Parent Council’s “Christmas by the Fire” between 6.30- 8 p.m. We hope to see you there!

November 24, 2023
by Mrs Gamble
Comments Off on Friday email 24/11/23: Festive Arrangements

Friday email 24/11/23: Festive Arrangements

Good morning all.
Many thanks to all for your support of Children in Need: the Pupil Council were delighted to have raised £325.05 which has already been donated. It will be put to very good use.
In the maildrop today you will find the Festive Arrangements newsletter; it is also attached to the Friday email for ease; or can be seen here: Festive Arrangements 2023 Newsletter. The newsletter gives more detail about all the festivities in school over the next month, as there is a lot to remember!
The Pupil Council are looking for donations for the class Christmas hampers, and P7 are looking for donations of books and baking for “Christmas By the Fire” on 1st December. If your child has grown out of their Christmas jumper from last year, we may have other wee people who could benefit from these: donations gratefully received, so that everyone who would like to wear a Christmas jumper can do so.
It may still be too early for a ho…ho….ho?

November 24, 2023
by Mrs Gamble
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Respect for All policy

The school “Respect For All: Anti-bullying Policy” has been updated in line with recent guidance from Dumfries and Galloway. A copy of the policy has been emailed out to parents/carers.  It can also be found on the school website in the “Positive Behaviour” section, or can be seen here:Respect for All Behaviour Policy Nov 2023
 
The children have been discussing bullying in school, and how we can all help if problems occur. The policy includes how to spot the signs and how to talk about issues with your child, as well as useful websites. 

November 22, 2023
by Mrs Gamble
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#ItsOkayToAsk

#ItsOkayToAskis a new cost of living crisis campaign for parents and carers, co-designed with input from the Stepping Stones project in North Edinburgh and Dads Rock.  This Scotland-wide It’s Okay To Ask campaign launches on MONDAY 20 NOVEMBER at 10am and will run for two weeks.

It is already well established that the cost of living crisis is having a big impact on families and children, particularly those on low incomes. CPCScotland is concerned that increased financial pressure can lead to real stress and anxiety, which in turn can affect how people cope with parenting and bringing up children.

In line with feedback received from parents, the campaign consists of three short animated ‘adverts’ which will run on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram Reels and YouTube, but will also be available on the Child Protection Scotland website (https://www.childprotection.scot/itsokaytoask) and CPC Scotland YouTube channel:

Video 1 – Cost of food 

https://youtu.be/p1p6iHDTnN0

Video 2 – Cost of heating and lighting  

https://youtu.be/A2HJDRfRTuQ

Video 3 – No spare cash 

https://youtu.be/Z7VxuZlXXKs

 

Dumfries and Galloway Public Protection Committee hopes that you will support the campaign by liking and sharing social media posts and links to the #ItsOkayToAsk campaign webpage.

If you are finding any of these issues are affecting you and your family, please let school know.

November 20, 2023
by Ruairidh
Comments Off on Children In Need

Children In Need

Friday the 17th of November was Children In Need where all the children came to the school in their pyjamas  and did lots of fun activities like a treasure hunt and the colouring comp.

Here are some photos of the fun day!

 

 

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