Dear Families and Friends of Crossmichael and Gelston Primary Schools,
It has been lovely to welcome our children back into school for Term 4. We have many exciting events planned for the term now that Covid restrictions are easing at last!
Covid-19 Update
- Face coverings no longer mandatory but it is recommended to continue wearing them in communal areas in school.
- We will continue with good ventilation (fans allowed), hand hygiene, physical distancing and CO2 monitors.
- Touch point cleaning continues.
- No masks on school transport but masks are needed on public transport.
- Lateral Flow Testing no longer required.
- Symptomatic people should isolate and book a PCR test.
- Parents allowed to visit school – Sports Days/ parents’ evenings/ Leavers’ Assemblies (School Risk Assessment to be followed.)
Diary Dates
| Monday 2nd May | May Day Holiday – Schools Closed |
| Tuesday 31st May
– 12pm onwards |
Crossmichael Garden Party for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Parents and families will be invited to join us for a picnic lunch and for a variety of activities in the afternoon. Non-uniform day for pupils and they may wear something ‘Jubilee’ themed! |
| Wednesday 1st June
– 12pm onwards |
Gelston Garden Party for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Parents and families will be invited to join us for a picnic lunch and for a variety of activities in the afternoon. Non-uniform day for pupils and they may wear something ‘Jubilee’ themed! |
| Thursday 2nd June and Friday 3rd June | Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Holiday – Schools closed |
| Tuesday 7th June | Crossmichael Sports Day – Parents and families will be invited to attend in the afternoon. |
| Monday 13th June | Gelston Sports Day – Parents and families will be invited to attend in the afternoon.
|
| Tuesday 26th April – Tuesday 24th May | Paul Jones Football League Training Session based at Crossmichael Primary School from 3.15pm – 4.15pm. Only for those P5-7 pupils at Gelston and Crossmichael who confirmed their places with Mrs Glover. |
| Monday 4 July 2022 to Wednesday 17 August 2022 (pupils return Monday 22 August 2022) |
Schools closed for the Summer Holidays |
Crossmichael Parent Council Easter Egg Hunt – Friday 22nd April
On Friday, Crossmichael Parent Council has arranged an Easter Egg hunt in the community woodland. Pupils will be hunting for Viking Runes painted on stones. They will then need to unscramble the message and each child will receive an Easter egg donated by TESCO, Co-Op and the Parent Council as a prize. Thank you to everyone for organising this wonderful event. I am sure the children will thoroughly enjoy themselves!
Bikeability Sessions for P7 Pupils
Next week, Crossmichael P7 pupils will participate in Bikeability sessions on Monday and Wednesday afternoons for a block of six weeks. This will help them to cycle safely when on the roads. Details will follow separately. Many thanks to our parental volunteers for training our pupils. We really appreciate your help.
Active Schools – Rugby (May 2022)
Active Schools are providing a four week block of rugby sessions in association with the Stewartry Rugby Club. This will be provided for the following classes: Crossmichael P4-6 and P6/7 and Gelston P4-7.
Active Schools – Lunch Clubs
Gelston pupils are invited to participate in a lunch club focusing on mini athletics. This is a free activity open to all ages and will be held on Thursdays for a block of four weeks.
Crossmichael pupils are invited to participate in a similar lunch club focusing on tennis. This will be held on Wednesdays.
Paul Jones Football League (4th May – 25th May)
Pupils from both schools will come together to enter teams for this 7-aside tournament. The event is aimed at P5-7 pupils from across the Stewartry and will be delivered in a league format planned over four weeks. Mrs Glover (Principal Teacher at Crossmichael) has been in contact with parents of P5-7 pupils and now has a list of those wishing to participate. She has arranged a few coaching sessions out with these times and special thanks go to parents who have volunteered their time to coach pupils. We really appreciate it!
Student Teachers (23rd May – 1st June)
We are delighted to welcome three student teachers into classes across our partnership. They will be allocated to the following classes:
Crossmichael P2-4 and P4-6
Gelston P4-7
Transition Arrangements
We hope to return to normal arrangements for transition where possible.
Primary 1 teachers will visit new P1s at their Early Learning and Childcare provider. We hope to invite pupils in to school a few times this term. Further information will follow.
We have not yet had confirmation of arrangements for P7s moving into S1 so I cannot confirm that pupils will attend Castle Douglas High School (CDHS) for three moving up days. Currently, the enhanced transition programme has begun for specific pupils. All P7 pupils have been added to a Microsoft TEAM and a PowerPoint has been shared with them. A member of the senior leadership team from Castle Douglas High School has visited P7s already and will be meeting with P7 teachers this term. In P7, any pupil who has a Child’s Plan will have had a representative from CDHS attend meetings to ensure a smooth transition.
End of Year Pupil Summary Reports
All pupils will receive an end of year written report at the end of June. This will provide information on curricular levels achieved, attendance and progress in Numeracy & Maths, Literacy & Language and in Health and Wellbeing.
Please remember that I will be based in Gelston Primary School every Friday as we have no Principal Teacher in post on Fridays.
Best wishes
Mary Cruickshanks
Headteacher
