Dear Family and Friends of Crossmichael Primary School,

 

 

Our Return to School – Wednesday 12^th August

I hope you are well.  There is great excitement in the air at Crossmichael Primary School as we prepare for the return of all pupils tomorrow (Wednesday 12^th August)!  We are really looking forward to seeing you all and hope that all pupils settle as quickly as possible.

 

The Council has two webpages which set out general guidelines and procedures.

1. Re-opening of Schools
   https://supportdg.dumgal.gov.uk/article/21014/Re-opening-of-schools

 

1. Frequently Asked Questions Re-Opening of Schools https://supportdg.dumgal.gov.uk/article/21023/FAQ-s-Re-opening-of-Schools

 

Schools have some flexibility in how to meet these guidelines.  Here are a few more updates before tomorrow.

The Start of the School Day/ Wet Weather Arrangements

To avoid congestion at the school gates and to enable pupils to have a gentle start to the school day, they should make their way to their assigned classroom door between 8.40am and 9.10am where they will participate in activities and have quiet time if needed.

P1/2 (Mrs Marscheider) – Cloakroom door at the back of the building

P2-4 (Mrs Burton and Miss Todd) – Side entrance to the hall

P4/5 (Mrs Glover) – Main entrance at the school office

P6/7 (Mrs Stevens) – Library entrance at the side of the school building

In the event of wet weather, pupils should still make their way to their designated door.

 

Parents in School Grounds / Contact with the School

The Council Website states that no parents will be allowed inside school grounds with the exception of new Primary 1 pupils.  I would also like to make an exception for parents of newly enrolled pupils and also parents of pupils who have additional support needs.  You may enter the playground.

 

If you wish to contact the school then please contact us via telephone or email before arriving in person.  All visitors to the school building will be asked for their contact details according to the Test and Protect guidance.  Hand sanitiser will be at all entry points to the school and should be used by all visitors. This would include when handing items in to the school office for example.

 

School Car Park

I am aware that it can get quite congested at the school gate so I would ask that adults maintain 2m distancing at all times.  Please remind pupils to maintain a 2m distance from adults too.

Parents should not park in the school staff car park.  Please try to park further down the road and walk up to school.  Pupils can enter the playground from either gate.

 

End of the School Day

At 3pm, to avoid congestion at the main school gate, pupils will leave from two different exits.

P1/2 and in P2-4 will exit the playground from the main gate beside the car park.

P4/5 and P6/7 will exit from the top gate beside the big tree/ school bus stop.

 

Building Site for the Portacabin

Contractors are on site preparing for the installation of our portacabin which will provide a classroom for P2-4 pupils.  The site is securely fenced off and pupils can access the playground safely.  Until the portacabin is ready, the P2-4 children have their classroom in the school hall.

 

School Meals and Water Bottles

School meals will be delivered to classrooms until the P2-4 class move out of the PE/ dining hall.  For safety, cold options will be available at first.  The school office has sent out emails detailing what options are on offer over the next few weeks. School meals are free for P1-3 pupils and cost £1.90 for P4-7 pupils.  We will provide each family with school dinner money envelopes.  You should send any money in a sealed envelope labelled with your child’s name, class and amount.

 

Your child is welcome to bring a water bottle to school. Please label it with their name and ensure it is filled at home.  We cannot provide cups in school.

 

In the Classroom

Face coverings (or masks) do not need to be worn by pupils when they are in school or in the school playground.  Any child within the school wishing to wear a face mask can do so.

 

Hand sanitiser and wipes will be available in all classes and other areas throughout the school. Pupils will wash hands when entering/ exiting the building, after using the toilet and before and after meals.

 

Pupils should bring a pair of indoor shoes with them and their outdoor shoes can be stored in a plastic bag within their school bag.  Your child can bring a packed lunch and snack for playtime from home.

 

School reading books will go between home and school with strict cleaning measures in place to ensure that they are disinfected before and after entering school.

Pupils can share resources and we will be cleaning them regularly and encouraging pupils to wash hands.

 

Windows will be kept open for ventilation so you may wish to send your child to school with a jumper.

 

In the Playground

Pupils can play with each other in the playground.  Pupils will wash hands before and after break times.

 

Communication with Class Teachers

In the next two weeks, teachers will provide you with a class newsletter detailing key information about learning, homework, routines and any other relevant information such as outdoor learning days.

 

We will continue with closed class Facebook pages and teachers will be setting these up shortly.  These are for sharing information from school.  If you wish to contact your child’s teacher then this should be done via email instead of on Facebook.

 

Please email your child’s teacher if you wish to be added to the new Facebook groups.

Mrs Marscheider: gw17marscheiderayesh@ea.dumgal.sch.uk

Mrs Burton gw13burtonaileen01@ea.dumgal.sch.uk

Mrs Glover gw08gloverkim@ea.dumgal.sch.uk

Mrs Stevens gw08stevensrosslynn@ea.dumgal.sch.uk

 

 

Crossmichael Parent Council Meeting

We are meeting via the Zoom app on Monday 24^th August at 7pm.  If you wish to join the meeting then please email the Chairperson of the Parent Council (Mrs Gillli Hodson) for an invitation.  The email address is: crossmichaelparentcouncil@gmail.com

 

 

Thank you

Once again, thank you for your patience as we try to adapt to new ways of working.  Please keep in touch and let us know if routines are working for you and your children.  The office email address is: gw08officecrossmicha@ea.dumgal.sch.uk and the school telephone number is: 01556 670282.  My Headteacher’s mobile number is: 07741 686730.

 

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

 

Best wishes,

Mary E Lidstone-Scott

Headteacher

 

Dear Parents/ Carers,

 

I am writing to confirm arrangements for the safe return of all pupils to school on Wednesday 12^th August.  Firstly, I would like to apologise for the lateness of this communication, but schools only found out yesterday that ALL pupils were returning on 12^th August.  Therefore, I did not have all the information to be able to share it with you.  We are still working with the Local Authority this week to ensure that arrangements are in place for the safe return of staff and pupils.

 

Drop Offs/ Pick Ups

Parents/ Carers are not to enter the school playground apart from our new P1 parents/ carers.  Pupils should be dropped off at the school gate and we would like to remind adults to follow the 2m social distancing rules.

 

We are having a portacabin erected in the playground behind the school so there is fencing around the site.  This means that pupils cannot access the playground from the side entrance of the hall round to the wall between the kitchen and the Headteacher’s Office.  The portacabin should be ready in 3 weeks.

 

Separate Entrances/ Exits for Each Class

Each class will line up at a different entrance:

P1/2 (Mrs Marscheider) – Meet at the cloakroom entrance at the back of the school.

P2-4 (Mrs Burton/ Miss Todd) – Meet at the side entrance to the hall.

P4/5 (Mrs Glover) – Meet at the main entrance at the school office.

P6/7 (Mrs Stevens) – Meet at the Library entrance.

 

Each child will use hand sanitiser as they enter the building.  Coats and bags should be taken into classrooms (P1 pupils may hang theirs in the cloakroom).  Handwashing will be encouraged at the start and end of the day as well as at any transition points such as before/ after playtimes.

 

Visitors by Appointment Only

All visitors must make an appointment before arriving at school.  You can do this by telephoning or emailing the school office, or by telephoning the Headteacher’s mobile: 07741 686730.  On arrival at school, you will be asked to sanitise your hands and a member of staff will deliver items to your child if necessary.

 

Items from Home

Please keep this to a minimum.  Pupils may bring a school bag and coat.  They can bring their own stationery and should bring a snack.  Each child should have a change on indoor shoes (plimsolls/ trainers) to be kept in their trays at school.  On days where your child will be learning outdoors or participating in PE outside, then the class teacher will communicate this with you in advance and make the necessary arrangements.  (There will be no indoor PE lessons at this time.)

 

School Dinners

School dinners will be available for each child but it is likely that this will be a cold option for at least the first 3-4 weeks.  This is because the main hall is being used as a classroom until the portacabin is ready.  I continue to liaise with catering managers to decide on the safest way of distributing lunches to all pupils.  All pupils in P1-3 are entitled to free school meals.  The cost of a meal is £1.90 for P4-7 pupils and details about payment will follow as we may not be able to handle cash.  We are not yet able to provide you with a link to the D&G school dinners menu until this has been decided by the Local Authority.

 

You may provide a packed lunch for your child in a container clearly marked with their name.

 

The School Day:

The school day is divided as follows:

08:50-10:30 in Class

10:30-10:50 Morning Break

10:50-12:30 in Class

12:30-13:15 Lunch Break

13:15-14:55 in Class

 

Pupils are not required to socially distance from each other so they will be able to play with their friends.  Adults should maintain a 2m distance from pupils and from each other.  Relevant risk assessments are being put in place.

 

Primary 1 Parents/ Carers

I understand that some Primary 1 parents have taken Thursday off work to see their child start school for the first time.  (This was because the original plan was for pupils to return in separate groups – A and B).  This is a special time for you and your child and we understand that you would like to be there.  Therefore, if you would prefer for your Primary 1 child to start school on Thursday instead then that is not a problem.

 

Phased Entry

Some parents have been in contact with the school to discuss a phased entry for their child. If you wish to discuss this option then please get in touch.

 

Further Information

If you require any further information then please refer to the letter and link below:

https://supportdg.dumgal.gov.uk/article/20769/Schools-and-childcare

20200804 Director Letter to Parents and Carers – Return to School (1)

The guidance is constantly evolving so I will endeavour to keep you updated as soon as possible.  If you have any questions then please contact the school via telephone or email.

 

 

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you and your child back to school and I look forward to seeing all of you.

 

Best wishes,

Mary E Lidstone-Scott

Headteacher

 

 

 

 

Dear Family and Friends of Crossmichael and Gelston Primary Schools,

 

Please see links below to national information received via the Parent Council. I will share local details about our return to school when I have them from the Education Department.

Best wishes,

Mary E Lidstone-Scott

Headteacher

 

Information for Parents :

 

Dumfries and Galloway Information:  Gillian Brydson, Director of Education and Learning will be writing out to all parents this week in preparation for the return to schools but in the interim please find included 

 

1: Return to School – National Guidance

2: Scottish Government data about the impact of COVID on children and Young people and families

 

 

1. Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance on re-opening school age childcare services The First Minister announced on Thursday 30^thJuly 2020, that schools in Scotland will reopen on 11^thAugust 2020.

 

To support this, guidance has been developed to support a safe return to school for all children, young people and staff taking full account of progress made in suppressing COVID-19 in Scotland, the scientific advice received and the advice of the Education Recovery Group and other key stakeholders.  The guidance can be access using the following link – https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-preparing-start-new-school-term-august-2020/

 

Guidance for parents and carers has also been produced by the National Parent Forum of Scotland (NPFS) and this can be accessed on the NPFS website using the following link – https://www.npfs.org.uk/2020/07/23/back-to-school-guidance-for-parents-and-carers/

 

2: National The Scottish Government has also produced information on the provides an overview of the latest evidence and intelligence about the impact of COVID-19 and the response on children, young people, and families, in particular, those experiencing the greatest challenges. Please click this link for the latest information.www.gov.scot/publications/children-young-people-families-covid-19-evidence-intelligence-report/pages/13/

 

Dear Family and Friends of Crossmichael and Gelston Primary Schools,

 

Here we are in the last week of term with our summer holidays beginning on Friday 3^rd July.  What a busy time it has been.  Thank you to everyone for your support this term.  It has been greatly appreciated.

 

We have prepared a pre-recorded Leavers’ Assembly and this will be available to watch from Thursday.  I will post a link on the blog for you.

Update on the Reopening of Schools

Tomorrow, the Director of Education will be issuing a letter to parents.  I will update the blog in the morning and send letters to families on Wednesday.

 

Staff Update

I would like to thank all members of staff for their hard work and commitment to providing online learning for pupils during the school closures.  You have been amazing!

 

This summer we say goodbye to several members of staff across the Partnership schools.  At Crossmichael, we are saying a fond farewell to Mrs Martin and wish her well in her new post as a Nursery Nurse at Kirkcudbright Primary School.  P5-7 teacher, Miss Seivwright has secured a teaching job in Aberdeen and we wish her luck in the future.  We also, say goodbye to Mrs PIckthall who has been working at Gelston Primary School as a Learning Assistant.

 

In August, we welcome Miss Nicole Drummond as the P1-3 teacher at Gelston whilst Miss Scott works from home prior to commencing her Maternity Leave.  We also welcome Mrs Ayesha Marscheider who was the successful candidate at interview today for the post of P1/2 teacher at Crossmichael.

 

P1 Transition

New P1 pupils will meet Miss Drummond and Mrs Marscheider on Thursday when they arrive for a tour of the school.  They have been allocated appointment times to ensure that social distancing arrangements can be followed.

 

Farewell to Primary 7

We are so proud of our Primary 7 pupils.  It has been an unusual year for them and a difficult end to their time in Primary School.  We have tried to find other ways to mark the occasion but there is nothing like meeting in person!  I would like to thank Mrs Stevens and Mrs Martin from Crossmichael, and Miss Reid and Mrs Maxwell from Gelston, for helping to deliver the end of term leavers’ gifts to P7 pupils at home.  It was lovely to see your smiles!

 

We will try to arrange a ‘get together’ in Term 1 if restrictions relax sufficiently to enable us to do so.  We wish all our children (and P7 parents) the very best of luck in the future.  It has been a pleasure to know you all.

 

Pupils Progress Reports

Your child’s end of year report will be emailed to you on Wednesday along with a covering letter.

 

Rainbow Stones at Crossmichael

Mrs Martin wondered if pupils would like to create a rainbow design by painting stones.  The stones could then be arranged into a rainbow shape and have a permanent home in Crossmichael playground.  Mrs Stevens has left a pile of stones at the school and pupils are welcome to take a stone to paint.

 

Crossmichael Portacabin

We were due to have a portacabin erected to accommodate the increase in our school roll but this was delayed due to Covid-19.  It is looking unlikely that the portacabin will be in place in time for August but we are working closely with colleagues to have it on site as soon as possible.

 

End of Term Art Gallery

Mrs Bielinski has created an Art Gallery of pupils’ work.  I hope you enjoy watching the video clip.

 

CG Art Gallery End of Term.mp4

 

 

Holiday Dates

School holidays start on Friday 3^rd July and the schools reopen to pupils from Wednesday 12^th August.  (Inset days are on 10^th and 11^th August.)

 

Have a wonderful summer and take care of yourselves!

 

Best wishes,

Mary E Lidstone-Scott

Headteacher

Dear Family and Friends of Crossmichael and Gelston Primary Schools,

 

Update on the Return to School

I am sure you are aware that when schools return in August (staff on 10^th August and pupils on 12^th August), we will be operating with two days in school, two days at home and one flexible learning day.  We are still clarifying what the ‘flexible learning day’ will look like and I will be in touch with more information as soon as possible.  I do know that your child will not attend school on that day.

 

Thank you for returning your responses to the questionnaire I sent out last week about preferred days.  This information is helping us to plan for the return to school.  We are in the process of sorting out pupil groups and will share this information with you as soon as possible.

 

 

Keeping in Touch

Thank you for continuing to keep in touch via email and Facebook.  Please continue to check that your child has completed the weekly Health and Wellbeing questionnaire.  I am growing concerned about a few children who have not been in touch for over a week and despite leaving telephone messages, I have not yet heard from their parents.  Please remember to contact me just as if we were in the school building and your child was absent.  I have responsibility for safeguarding and ensuring that all pupils are safe and well.

 

 

Learning at Home

I cannot thank you enough for everything that you are doing to support your child’s learning at home.  Next week, teachers will not be providing learning grids as it is a transition week.  They will provide you with a generic list of suitable activities instead.

 

 

End of Year Pupil Progress Reports

Next week, you will receive and end of year summary report of your child’s progress.  I have also included a letter explaining the breakdown of curricular levels.

 

 

Cancellation of the P7 Virtual Leavers’ Meal

Sadly, we have had to cancel the P7 online meal.  We were trying to think of an alternative way of providing pupils with a leavers’ meal but in practice, an online version would not work.  I hope that we can meet up again at another time when restrictions have relaxed.

 

 

P7 Transition Days

Castle Douglas High School are providing online transition activities for P7s this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

 

 

P1 Transition Arrangements

I have invited P1 parents and children for a brief tour of the school on Thursday 2^nd July.  We will continue to communicate with new P1 parents via email.

 

 

Pre-Recorded End of Year Assembly

Next week, we plan to share a pre-recorded end of year assembly with you.  If there are any P7 parents who would prefer their child’s speech not to appear on the school blog, then please notify the school office as soon as possible so their speech is not included in the public forum.

 

 

Crossmichael Parent Council Meeting – Monday 29^th June

Crossmichael Parent Council are meeting at 7pm on Monday 29^th June via the ZOOM app.  If you wish to be invited then please email Mrs Gilli Hodson at crossmichaelparentcouncil@gmail.com before Friday 26^th June so she can send you a user ID and password.  (I am aware that some pupils are moving to Crossmichael from Gelston over the holidays.)

 

 

Supporting Families and Education Staff with Wellbeing

I have been asked to let you know that the Educational Psychology and Educational Visitor Telephone Consultation Service will be available throughout the summer holidays.  Please see links to this information:

supporting children poster

 

Also, there are useful free webinars aimed at parents.  Please see the link below:

 

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/children-in-scotland-20206726841?utm_source=phplist5981&utm_medium=email&utm_content=HTML&utm_campaign=Free+ASN+webinars+-+Join+us+for+more+online+CPD

 

 

 

Once again, thank you for your support and please get in touch if you have any questions.  My telephone number is 07741 686730 and you can email the school offices.  The addresses are:

Gw08crossmicha@ea.dumgal.sch.uk

Gw08officegelston@ea.dumgal.sch.uk

 

 

Best wishes,

Mary E Lidstone-Scott

Headteacher

15 June 2020 – Letter to Parents & Carers – Reopening of Schools in D&G

Dear Family and Friends of Crossmichael and Gelston Primary Schools,

Updates for August

I have no further updates about the return to school.  I have several meetings this week and I will keep you informed once I have more information available.

 

 

Transition Arrangements for New Pupils

I will be contacting all parents/ carers of pupils who are new to the school so that they can come for a short visit including a tour of the school on Thursday 2^nd July.  Each family will be given a different 10 minute time slot and we will follow social distancing advice.  Please save the date.

 

End of Term Arrangements for P7s

We are preparing a pre-recorded ‘Leavers’ Assembly’ for the last week of term.  Our P7 pupils are busy recording their speeches.  I will be delivering the P7 gifts to your homes throughout next week.  We are arranging to have a virtual meal via ZOOM on Friday 26^th June at 6.30pm.  The school will pay for this if parents could collect the ‘take away’.  Miss Campbell is currently looking into menus and prices for both schools.  We will contact you separately to make arrangements.

 

Learning at Home

In the last week of term (w/c 30^th June) teachers will not be sending out learning grids but will provide you with links to suitable websites where your child can access materials if they wish.  Staff will be focusing on transition arrangements and organising the digital materials associated with this.

 

 Staffing and Classes

We welcome Miss Nicole Drummond as the P1-3 teacher at Gelston for next year.  Miss Scott will be working from home until her Maternity Leave begins.

 

At Crossmichael, I am interviewing class teachers on Monday 26^th June for the P1/2 vacancy.  I also hope to have someone in post to cover Miss Campbell’s Maternity Leave.

 

Mrs Glover and I contacted parents/ carers of P2 and P4 pupils to inform them of which class their child was in as we have P1/2, P2-4, P4/5 and P6/7 classes.

 

 Parent Council Meetings

The Parent Council are having a ‘Parent Council Update Meeting’ on Monday 29th June at 7pm on ZOOM.  Please let the Chairperson, Mrs Gilli Hodson know if you want to attend by emailing crossmichaelparentcouncil@gmail.com.

 

The link to minutes of latest Parent Council meeting can be found here:

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/dg/crossmichaelpc/2020/06/15/minutes-of-meeting-monday-8th-june-2020/

 

The link to parental support from Connect Scotland and D&G can be found here:

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/dg/crossmichaelpc/2020/06/15/parental-support-from-connect-scotland-and-dg-15th-june-2020/

 

Please get in touch if you wish to discuss anything further.

 

Best wishes,

Mary E Lidstone-Scott

Headteacher

Dear Family and Friends of Crossmichael and Gelston Primary Schools,

 

I hope that you are well. Over the last week we have made some progress in thinking about what the return to school may look like for our pupils but there are still several issues requiring clarity.  I will continue to keep you updated.

 

 

 

Staffing in August

We are still working through a number of vacancies across the partnership schools.

 

At Gelston, we are delighted to announce that Miss Scott is expecting a baby in October.  We wish her and her family well.  Due to the current circumstances it is unlikely that she will physically return to the building, but she will continue to prepare work from home until her Maternity Leave commences.  I am delighted to announce that we are welcoming Miss Nicole Drummond to the partnership as a full time, permanent member of staff.  She will teach P1-3 in Gelston next year.

 

I am also pleased to announce that Mrs Stevens will be increasing her contract to five days a week on a full time, permanent basis.  She will be based in Crossmichael next session.

 

We are advertising a full time, temporary vacancy for the 4^th teacher Crossmichael and I hope to conduct interviews before the end of June.

 

Congratulations to Miss Campbell (Clerical Assistant at Crossmichael) who is expecting a baby in September.  Lovely news!  This temporary Maternity cover post of 16.5 hours is now advertised.

 

 

 

Classes in August

In August 2020, our classes are going to be:

 

Crossmichael  (Roll = 83 pupils)

P1/2 = Vacancy (currently advertised)

P2-4 = Mrs Burton (4 days) and Vacancy (1 day)

P4/5 = Mrs Glover

P6/7 = Mrs Stevens

 

Gelston  (Roll = 37 pupil)

P1-3 = Miss Drummond / Miss Scott (from home until Maternity Leave commences)

P4-7 = Miss Reid and Mrs Maxwell

 

(I will be contacting parents/carers who have children in P2 and P4 at Crossmichael to discuss classes.)  It is worth noting that it may be some time before children attend their normal registration classes and I will explain this further when I provide an update on the re-opening of schools.

 

 

 

An Update on the Re-Opening of Schools

I completed a walk around of the school buildings on Friday along with three people – H&S, Property Services and Clerk of Works.  They were looking at the layout of the building and have put up signage and cordoned off areas to ensure we are following social distancing guidelines.

 

It is now possible for staff to return where necessary to carry out risk assessments in their own rooms and in communal areas.  One of our priorities is in looking at the capacity of our classrooms.

 

It will not be possible or prudent to enable all pupils to return to school each day.  We are looking at a mixture of learning in school and learning at home.  Unfortunately, I am unable to state what this will look like and await confirmation from the Local Authority.

 

We need to maximise the number of pupils who can attend school each day whilst maintaining social distancing.  We are also aware that it makes sense for siblings to attend on the same days.

 

We envisage that each classroom will contain a group of approximately 10+ pupils.  Each group will contain a mixture of pupils from different classes and siblings will be together.  Your child may not be taught by their class teacher until things return to normal.

 

In terms of learning, we are aware that our children will need time to adjust to being back in school again and that there is now a new ‘normal’ for them to get used to.  They will need time to reconnect and socialise in new groupings.  Once they are feeling more comfortable, we will begin learning through a topic-based approach.  This will enable all learners to be appropriately challenged based on their own needs and will make the planning of learning and teaching more manageable.  Once things become a bit more settled then we can begin targeting individual pupils to reduce the attainment gap in Literacy and Numeracy.

 

Our teachers will not have the capacity to teach in schools and prepare materials for home at the same time, so we are trying to find a solution together.  It is likely that your children could complete some follow-up activities based on their ‘topic’ at home.  Also, Education Scotland have produced resources to support learning from home.

 

It is understandable that we have many questions but until I receive clarity from the Local Authority it would not be helpful to speculate.

 

 

 

Parent Council Meeting

Crossmichael Parent Council are meeting at 7pm tonight (Monday 8^th June)  via the ZOOM app.  Please email crossmichaelparentcouncil@gmail.com to request a user ID and password.  You can also forward any questions that you have about the reopening of schools prior to the meeting.  The agenda will be:

1. Apologies
2. Attendees
3. Approval of minutes of previous meeting
4. Matters arising
5. Chairperson’s Report
6. Headteacher’s Report
7. Treasurer’s Report
8. Arrangements for P7 Leavers and Leavers’ Assembly
9. Members of staff who are leaving
10. Crossmichael Community Rainbow Snake
11. Update on portacabin
12. Update on return to school
13. AOB
14. Date of next meeting

 

 

Gelston Parent Council are meeting tomorrow (Tuesday 9^th June) via the ZOOM app.  Please contact Mrs Abby Tuchewicz by emailing gelstonprimaryschoolparentcouncil@outlook.com to request a user ID and password.  Please send us any questions that you have about the reopening of schools prior to the meeting.  The agenda will be:

1. Attendees
2. Approval of minutes from previous meeting
3. Chairperson’s Report (including thanking P7 parents)
4. Headteacher’s Report
5. Treasurer’s Report
6. An Update on the Return to School
7. P1 and P7 Transition Arrangements
8. AOCB

 

Support for Parents

You will find further information for parents. including links to surveys, here:

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/dg/crossmichaelpc/2020/06/08/information-for-parents-and-links-to-surveys-08-06-2020/

 

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/dg/gelstonpc/2020/06/08/information-for-parents-and-links-to-surveys-08-06-2020/

 

 

 

End of Year Pupil Progress Reports

At the end of June, we will be sending you an electronic copy of your child’s school report.

 

 

 

Transition

We hope that our new Primary 1 pupils will have the opportunity to visit their school prior to the summer holidays for a tour of the building.  Where possible, pupils will meet their teacher.

 

We will be recording a P7 Leavers Assembly and will upload it to the Blog in the last week of term.  Our P7s are preparing short video clips of their leavers’ speeches to be included in the assembly.  I also have gifts to present to pupils on their doorsteps.  This is not the way that we had hoped to mark the end of their time at Primary School but we are so proud of our children and want to mark the occasion.

 

Online transition has begun with Castle Douglas High School and P7 children are now able to talk to their new classmates via Microsoft Teams.

 

Please contact me if you wish to discuss anything further.

 

Best wishes,
Mary E Lidstone-Scott
Headteacher

Dear Family and Friends of Crossmichael and Gelston Primary Schools,

 

I hope this newsletter finds you well and that you were able to enjoy meeting up family and friends in the sunshine at the weekend.  Whilst the lockdown restrictions begin to gradually lift, we must still remember that things will not go back to normal for some time.

 

Update on the Reopening of Schools

Last Thursday, you may be aware that the Scottish Government published guidance on reopening schools.  This document aims to clarify how schools can be reopened safely, and in a phased way, whilst still maintaining some consistency across Scotland.  There are many questions that we need to work through to ensure that pupils can return as soon as it is safe to do so.

I have included the document here for your information:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-re-opening-schools-guide/pages/overview/

 

On Friday, I am meeting with Health and Safety representatives, the property team and trade union representatives to carry out extensive risk assessments at both Crossmichael and Gelston Primary Schools.  Once this has been completed, I will be able to open the school to staff, following social distancing rules and risk assessment requirements.  This means that schools will be open for staff from 8^th June on a carefully planned and managed basis.  National advice remains that it is safer to work from home where possible.

 

The Local Authority is preparing a Local Phasing Delivery Plan which will outline local plans regarding the reopening of schools.  The first step for this is to prepare for the reopening of school buildings throughout June.

 

I understand that we all have many questions about the expectations throughout June and the reopening of schools in August.  The Local Authority will work together with our school community to ensure a smooth transition for all pupils.

 

I would recommend that you send any questions to our Parent Council via email.  The email addresses for each are:

crossmichaelparentcouncil@gmail.com

gelstonprimaryparentcouncil@outlook.com

Crossmichael Parent Council are meeting on Monday 8^th June at 7pm using the ZOOM app.

Gelston Parent Council are meeting on Tuesday 9^th June at 7pm via the ZOOM app.

 

P7- S1 Transition Arrangements

We will be publishing a pre-recorded assembly for our P7 leavers.  This will include a short speech from each P7 pupil and input from staff.  I will present each child with their gift on their doorstep whilst maintaining a safe distance.   I have included information about the transition to Castle Douglas High School on our partnership schools blog.

 

N- P1 Transition Arrangements

Ideally, I would like our new P1s to have the opportunity to visit the school before the summer holidays.  I will be in contact with parents as soon as I know if this is possible.  I will be sending out P1 packs to parents and will encourage them to read information on our school website.  Mrs Glover has set up a closed Facebook group for new P1 parents as a way of sharing information.  We have not yet set up a ‘buddy’ system as we are unsure of how this would work remotely.

 

Staffing and Classes

I am still awaiting confirmation of our staffing in August.  We have several vacancies across the partnership schools.

When pupils return, it will be on a phased basis and they are likely to have some time in school and some time learning from home.  This is referred to as ‘blended learning’.

Pupils will not necessarily be attending classes along with peers from their own class.  We will need to consider accommodating siblings on the same days to make this manageable for our families.  This will also make it easier for us to maximise the amount of children that we can safely have in the building in order to receive teaching input.

 

I thank you for your patience and understanding as we try to find the safest and most effective way of reopening our schools.  Please contact your Parent Council with any questions in advance of the meetings happening next week.  The Local Authority will be consulting with us as they develop their Local Phasing Delivery Plan.

 

Best wishes,

Mary E Lidstone-Scott

Headteacher